To say that Rose Lavillant was confused would be an understatement, considering her afternoon.

Here she was, standing in the snow in front of three unconscious people, one of them a former villain who also happened to be the father of her classmate, another one her girlfriend's brother. Said girlfriend was crying while shaking Luka's limp form, while snow piled up quickly around and over them. Oh and there was a box.

All of that came right out of a portal that opened in front of them all of a sudden.

But even before the crazy magic stuff started occurring, things weren't great. Luka was missing, and the only comfort Juleka had about it were one: Rose, and two: The fact that literal superheroes promised that he would be fine. Or so Chloe, of all people, told them. Rose was already having a mild existential crisis when she realized that Juleka was on good terms with the blond all of a sudden, that something happened between them that she knew absolutely nothing about. She decided to forget about that and focus on keeping her girlfriend on her feet, spending that whole evening together convincing each other that Chloe said Ladybug was on top of the problem already.

But Rose, in her gut, knew that she didn't have the whole picture. Worse, as her conversation with Juleka went on, she realized that Julkea DID. Her beautiful, smart and honest above all girlfriend knew something and was purposely hiding it from her, whatever it was, and it hurt. And she couldn't express her hurt or demand answers, because, well, Juleka was hurting even worse.

And then this.

''Luka! open your eyes p-please sniff, please'' The goth girl cried as she had been doing for the past thirty seconds, while reality dawned on Rose's mind slowly but surely.

She heard Mr. Agreste whisper something along the lines of ''Call Ladybug'' before passing out trying to grab the other unconscious person's hand, a neat looking woman who seemed to be in a similar state as Luka. No visible wounds, just a person staring at the sky, with nothing reflecting on their eyes. At least they were breathing, thought the pink-loving girl.

The ex-terrorist, who last Rose knew, was supposed to be in jail, was another story, though. He had been wearing spandex when he came through the portal, but as soon as his eyes rolled behind his skull it disappeared, leaving him dressed in the same fashion the woman was: Casual pants and a sweater. It was weird, seeing him in something other than his self-designed clothes, but thinking about that was Rose deflecting the problem, or problems, at hand.

The short girl shook her head and pinched her arm once, just to make sure, then went into action.

''Juleka'' She said in a soft, but loud voice. She put a hand on the goth's back, and that stopped her immediately from her attempts at waking her brother up.

''R-Rose sniff, he's-''

''I know, love, let's get them out of the cold, first, ok?'' She said, smiling as soon as her girlfriend's eyes connected with her own. She gulped down all of her insecurities and picked one of the contacts on her phone she didn't think she would ever use twice in the same day: Chloe.

''Hello?'' Said the other blonde's voice, with a lot less energy than what Rose was used coming from her. A lot less malice, too.

''H-hey Chloe? it's Rose-''

''I know it's Rose, Rose. It's a cellphone I can see-'' There it was, something akin to the usual Bourgeois. That woke something in Rose too, thankfully.

''Listen to me! I'm in Trocadéro right now with Juleka, Luka, Mr. Agreste and a woman. I think it's his secretary. They came through a portal and are in really bad shape and we can't carry all of them to a hospital, I would call the police but I think this is more of a Ladybug thing than a police thing, so please can you let her know?'' Her voice was firm and angry, but calm at the same time. One of those rare instances Rose would know she would feel embarrassed recalling, because she hated treating people like that.

There was a good ten seconds of silence on the line before she heard a faint and shaky ''Thank you'' From Chloe, and then another couple of moments before the girl spoke again.

''I'll- I… um- Just wait there ok? Someone will go for you'' It was so weird, listening to Chloe like that, but at the same time so comforting knowing that the girl really did care about Luka, because if one thing was sure to Rose, is that she would probably sound the exact same, with that shaky relief, if her girlfriend went missing and suddenly found. All her former jealousy and uneasiness about the rich girl went poof, just like that, and Rose found herself smiling at the prospect of having Chloe as a close ally in the future, maybe even family, the way things were going, instead of a constant source of angst.

The next ten minutes Rose spent doing her best effort at keeping the three unmoving individuals as warm as possible, while snow kept piling up. Both her and Juleka knew before meeting there that it was ill advice to go out lately, school was closed for a reason: The weather was unpredictable and harsh, and although the news kept trying to keep people calm, it was obvious that this was not normal. But both of them were prepared, covered head to toe in high quality winter gear. Their newcomers weren't. Specially Luka, who was curiously dressed in the same outfit he went out that day, when he was about to have lunch with his family and Rose, and Chloe was late. A normal hoodie, not even waterproof.

''What is that thing?'' Rose asked, pointing at the box. It was in part because she really wanted to know, but also to distract Juleka somehow. It worked.

''Thats!'' Her girlfriend opened her one visible eye to extreme as she stared at the mysterious box, and spared a moment of warming her brother up to bring it closer to their little group. ''Oh my god'' She whispered to herself, barely audible to Rose.

But before any of them could open it or do anything else, someone landed beside them, splashing some of the snow as he did.

''Hello ladies- wow this looks worse than I thought'' The green hero said, his obvious attempt at keeping things light with his tone of voice and chosen words falling apart as his face did when he assessed the situation. ''Of all the timings…'' He commented, then shook his head and started working.

''Carapace'' Murmured Rose, both as a hello and as a thank you.

''Happy to help'' He smiled at her with a familiarity she wasn't used to getting from strangers.

Then the turtle hero exclaimed 'Shelter!' and a giant green bubble surrounded them, literaly sheltering them from the snow and the cold.

''Wow'' The pink girl couldn't help but gape at the sudden change in enviroment. She always thought the green hero's powers were simple and straightforward, just a shield.

But this felt like they were inside a pocket world of its own, with a warmth only a cozy would could provide sometime after the heating was turned on, not the same second it came to existence. And then it did something even more amazing: It started floating. With all six of them inside, box included, the green field worked as a vehicle that no cold could penetrate. It vaguely reminded Rose of one of those comic super heroes, a Green lamp?. Whatever she wasn't into that, no shame in not remembering.

''Alright fasten your seatbelts, we are scheduled to be at the hospital in about thirty minutes. Sorry I'm a turtle, speed is not part of the service'' He kept joking around, and Rose couldn't help but smile. He was doing something amazing that she was sure had not even been filmed coming from him before, and already was apologizing for not being fast.

''Thank you'' She said as the one not unconscious and not crying to the point of blindness person in their little, very random group.

''Anytime Rose… besides, we were looking for these guys…'' A tinge of worry made itself present in the hero's voice, and Rose ignored the fact that he knew his name out of gratitude, and decided to tend to her girlfriend in the meantime.

''He's going to be ok'' She whispered on Juleka's side, while the girl, a lot calmer but still crying and shaking a bit, stared at her brother.

Rose noticed how the girl was biting her lip hard, and it took her a couple seconds to realize that it wasn't out of frustration over her brother, but because she wanted to say something, but couldn't. It wasn't that hard to recognize, mostly because she had been doing that a while now, and even more since Luka disappeared.

''What is it?'' She asked in a soft voice, not wanting to pressure but to let her know that she could talk to her.

''I-'' The girl then looked up to the hero who was floating above them, guiding the green bubble across the skyline of the city.

He somehow understood the plight that was going on inside of Juleka's mind, as his gaze crossed theirs. He smiled.

''You can talk to her, Juleka''

''B-but the secret''

Carapace snorted. ''You can talk to her'' He repeated.

There was a moment of hesitation for Juleka, and then Rose was embraced in a hug she didn't know she was needing until that moment.

''I'm so sorry Rose! I would have told you! But it's not my secret and... ''

''What?'' She asked, still confused while at the same time, a small part of her brain was screaming something at her.

''Luka is Viperion Rose, he got himself into this on his own. I knew what happened to him I just… I didn't want to burden you but I still needed to talk to you and I'' The girl kept rambling about their shared afternoon, about their conversations and why they felt as constricted as they were.

''Luka is a hero?'' She asked, the news still dawning on him.

''Yes! and he's also the guardian of that box'' The goth said pointing at the wooden box.

''This is both good news and bad news for us'' Commented Carapace, the bittersweetness in his voice reflecting the whole situation.

''What will happen with my brother?'' Asked Juleka. The turtle hero seemed to ponder the answer to that for a moment, but the goth's temper started showing then. ''Don't lie to me, Nino''

''Wait, NINO?!'' Rose exclaimed, but she was ignored.

''We don't know how to revert the red miasma yet, but right now we are, well, Marinette is going to try and do something that might be the answer''

''I want to help'' Said Juleka, cleaning her eyes from the last tears she shed. All the while, Rose's mind was imploding.

''I don't know about that Juleka… it's... '' He gulped. ''You know what? We do need all the help we can get, fuck it''

The bubble somehow started moving faster after that, as if its speed could be powered by the hero's determination. Nino's determination.

''It makes so much sense…'' Rose whispered to herself, a shaky hand covering her mouth.

Now she was the one being patted on the back in a comforting way by her girlfriend.

Rena Rouge really didn't want to let her boyfriend go alone, but this time there was no logical reason for him not to. And they needed that logic, otherwise Chloe, powerless as she was, would have jumped in too in the retrieving mission the turtle just went off to. Of all the timings…

The blonde got the call from Rose seconds after Ladybug went live, cameras surrounding her and their team as they were about to reveal to the world who she was. The whole world. The reporter thought with some amusement about how usually shy Rose would feel later when she learnt her call was the one that interrupted the first minutes of the most important broadcast of the year. Maybe even the century.

Then Carapace went off the ''show'', being the most capable one to carry and protect people, while the rest of them, meaning: Ladybug, Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, The moth, Chloe and Master Fu kept it going.

And it was going great. Or, as great as giving out information that would put you in an extremely vulnerable position can go. For Marinette, that is.

The fox heroine had a lot going on in her head at that moment, cameras on them, while her best friend spoke some sort of introduction and explained the situation to the public. But if her mind was pie chart, she guessed that about 60% of it would be compressed solely out of shame and shame alone.

She justified it with herself over and over, had nino agreeing with her completely and going the same route. She had Adrien and Marinette reassuring her with a smile that it was a personal choice, and that there was no need for her to join in. But she was still ashamed of not being strong enough to reveal herself to the public like her friend was doing now.

It was even worse because SHE was the one that tried to do that to the mysterious Ladybug years ago, as a self acclaimed reporter and blogger. She wanted Bunnyx to get her back in time just so she could slap her past self a couple times. Maybe that would help her finally come with terms with her own choice, that no amount of shame would change: She would not be revealing herself, not just today, but ever. She saw what happened to Marinette's house and parents. What happened to Adrien. Heck even to Lila. There just wasn't any good coming from mixing the superhero life with the normal one, even if her boyfriend was involved too. And Nino came to the same conclusion, what with a little borther and all, but as far as Alya knew, he didn't have the steely resolution she did of NEVER doing it, ever. Absolutely no way, not even after defeating Lady Vendetta and Antoine's ex boss. Alya would never do what her best friend was doing at that moment.

And she admired her so much more for that.

''That is why we are doing what we can to defeat this new foe, and standing here in front of all of you, to tell you that so that you can be at home in peace, knowing that we are not sitting idle'' Ladybug paused to breathe. Rena Rouge was sure that to the people watching her, she looked awesome as always, but standing close at her left side she could hear the faint tells of nervousness that the girl was suppressing as she spoke.

She could see in the tv in front of them, that showed what they were showing the world, how Chat Noir put a reassuring hand on Ladybugs shoulder right before she continued to finally go to the point of the whole thing.

''But we are not here just to speak. We- I'm here to show you'' Another pause. ''Before today, everyone knew me, the heroine of Paris, as Ladybug. Every single one of you were under a magical illusion that protected my identity and that of my family''

''That glamour broke once, when the world learnt who I am against my will'' Chat Noir spoke, hand still on Ladybug's shoulder, smile on his face as he dropped his transformation.

The fox heroine felt faint amusement at the fact that people still gasped at the contrast between the cat hero and the ex-model, at seeing the transformation take place in front of them. Adrien had cut the last strands of black hair out and one could say he was back to his older look thanks to that, but he really wasn't. He no longer dressed with daddy's clothing line, his hair style was closer to Chat Noir's than ever and his eyes gleamed, a toxic green present even after dropping his transformation. Black nails he no longer bothered to hide finished the look of someone that screamed 'Chat Noir', and yet people still awed and widened their eyes at the 'reveal'. It was kind of funny.

''But what you will learn today is out of my free will, and because it's a step closer to defeating this new villain and saving the world from the wrath. Before today you only knew me as Ladybug, but now'' Another big inhale, and as the red clad hero exalted, her transformation dropped as well, a pink light engulfing her form before disappearing and revealing the girl behind the mask. ''I'm just Marinette. A normal girl, with a normal life'' She smiled a genuine one, and to Rena it looked as if the girl she knew so long ago was containing a laugh at some kind of internal joke, while doing one the most brave and difficult things she had to do so far.

Now the gasp in the audience, and probably world wide if with some delay, was a big one. But the girl on the stage didn't let anyone reflect on their new knowledge, and kept talking.

''My partner got his identity out, so it's only fair I do so too. Now you know what's at stake'' She said in a more serious tone. ''My parents got attacked by Lady Vendetta and are in the hospital. I don't want anyone else suffering the same'' There wasn't any elf pity in her speech, even while mentioning that painful truth. Marinette then called forth her transformation, and Chat Noir did the same by her side.

''This is when we start to win'' She announced, then raised a hand to the sky. ''Lucky Charm!''

The shining power blinded everyone for less than a second, and then a tiny, round object appeared in the sky and landed on the heroine's raised hand. Rena, as close as she was standing, could easily see what it was even before Ladybug showed it to the cameras with a confident smile on her face. And then Chat Noir had to go in and ruin the moment.

''You just have to watch!'' He exclaimed, and not even the shock of the reveal prevented the collective eye rolling that his pun provoked. Horrifyingly, there was some laughter too.

''Goddamn it you dork'' Said Chloe at the cat's other side, face palming.

There, on Ladybug's hand, instead of a gun like they feared so much, was a watch. A very familiar pocket watch.

Rena could hear the sigh of relief coming from her friend as she stared at the thing on her hands, realizing what it meant. ''I understand'' Said Ladybug in a small whisper that the fox heroine was probably not even supposed to overhear.