Spider-Man was one the more active heroes that stayed local, and Marinette couldn't help but believe that was due to the fact that it was believed Spider-Man was on the younger side. Perhaps a teenager as well, but no one really knew much about him. Everything was interaction based, and his behavior was saying teenager. Sometimes she wondered if he had the same difficulties as she had with his civilian identity and hero identity.
Other heroes had never really peaked her interest before, and it never occurred to her how maybe that was a good thing. Curiosity wasn't a good thing for her, not when the miraculous had to stay a secret. The only one who could guide her somewhat was Stephen, he knew the secrets and how to keep them. He was her mentor, and Marinette could honestly say she looked up to him.
Her phone ringing brought her out of her thoughts and back to reality. She looked down at the fabric she had in hand under the sewing needle, blinked and lifted her foot off the presser foot to bring the machine to a halt.
"It's Luka!" Tikki tells her excitedly, knowing how good the boy was at soothing Marinette's anxiety and worries. She liked him for that.
Marinette laughs, grabbing her phone and sliding the answer button. Her smile never left her face as Luka's face popped up into the screen, giving her a smile in greeting. Out of everyone she had left to call a friend, Luka was different to her. He was special. No matter what he was patient with her, knew what to say and when to say it and sometimes she wondered if he knew her secret because he didn't ever say anything to question her odd behavior. If anything, he always made sure she was safe and okay.
"Hi Luka." Marinette says, setting her phone down against her sewing machine and grabbing a button to get ready to sew on the blazer top.
"Hi Ma-Ma-Marinette." Luka chuckles, giving her a grin. "How are you doing? Anything new over there in New York?"
Marinette couldn't help the excited head nod she gave him, "I'm doing good here, a lot better! A lot of new things actually for me. Audrey gave me a chance to take on my first real commission in her company. My first client is Lucas Valentino, and if I do good I can secure a spot in the company."
Luka was happy for her hearing her say that, knowing it was a dream come true for her- an aspiring designer. He had always know she would be able to make it into the industry, her talent was just too good to keep inside her room or share with just friends and family. She just needed someone to believe in her, a little push past her comfort zone and here she was like a flower blossoming in the spring. Beautiful, radiant and colorful.
"Lucas Valentino, as in the child star and model?" Luka asks, listening to her go off in one of her rambles that she hadn't done in a while. "I'm happy for you Marinette, everything seems to be falling into place. I already know you'll secure that spot for Style Queen."
There's a spark in her that wasn't there before, at least not for a while. It was a spark that slowly dimmed here in Paris, like the spark of an ember fading and being snuffed out from the fire. This was Marinette, who she really was in her prime despite the heartache he knew she carried still from the drama with Lila. Yet here she was finding herself again an ocean away.
"Yes it is! Peter says he's a pretty boy." She rolls her blue eyes at the memory of Peter laughing and saying how bad some of his movies were. "I'm currently making him a suit that needs to be done in four weeks. I'm a little over half way done."
Peter. It was the first time Marinette mentioned the name to him, even though Kagami had already told him about the name and how the boy invited her to meet his friends. Given how she absentmindedly mentioned him and continued the conversation, he was a new normal in her life.
"I think she was nervous to tell you about a new guy friend, given your chemistry with her."
Luka remembered Kagami telling him that, and somewhere in his chest ached. They had a chemistry, he knew that and he knew Marinette knew that no matter how much she denied it to herself. Distantly he could hear Marinette rambling on about sizing measurements of the guy she was making the suit for, but it was going to nag him if he didn't ask.
"Who's Peter?"
The question was enough to bring Marinette to a sudden halt. She hadn't even realized she said his name, how apparently she was comfortable enough to just let his name roll off her tongue so nonchalantly. He was a topic she wasn't sure how to bring up to Luka, but she was able to have other guy friends. Yet there was this small guilty feeling.
"He's just a friend." Marinette answers, her heart twisting at the words. Yeah, that sentence brought back memories.
"Who is he too you Mari?" Luka asks her gently, because he saw how she perked up at the name. It was a way she didn't even do for Adrien. There was no nervousness or awkwardness, no stuttering or stumbling over her words. She was confident, happy, and so sure of herself. It was a Marinette that Luka never seen in Paris, not even when she first met him.
Who was Peter to her?
He was her friend, the person who saved her from her inner demons without even knowing it. He was the air she needed to breathe, the one who gave her comfort in his home and a spark of hope that everything would be okay. He didn't know the whole reason she was here from Paris, but he accepted her for who she was- flaws and all. For once she was just Marinette. She wasn't compared to Ladybug, or called an everyday Ladybug. Here she was just Marinette, and he accepted her.
"He's-" Marinette hesitated, because she wasn't sure. She only knew one thing, "He's special to me, Luka. He's my friend, perhaps my best friend here. He and his aunt treats me like one of their own, making sure I eat and sleep when I go down my designer rabbit hole. I think he saved me from myself."
Luka's heart ached, seeing her eyes hold nothing but the truth as she searched in her heart for the truth. He knew she struggled, but that admission let him know her depression had been a lot more worse than she let on. Yet what could he expect? Marinette had nearly perfected fooling everyone else in Paris she was okay, of course she'd find a way to fool him.
Marinette's eyes widen as she refocused on Luka, "Luka, I didn't mean it like that-"
"It's okay Marinette." Luka offered her a small smile, seeing that maybe New York was were Marinette belonged. Sometimes home wasn't where you were born, but where your heart truly lies. He could see her heart wasn't in Paris, not truly. Not if she was considering the job with Chloe's mother. He could see she wasn't sure yet exactly what she was going to do, but he knew that a part of Marinette now belonged in New York. "You deserve to be happy, and you weren't happy here in Paris anymore. Not truly. You perfected the smile and the I'm fine's. I saw the signs, and now I can relax in knowing you're healing. You're okay and safe and have someone there for you who cares about you. You're an extraordinary young woman Marinette, you just need to believe in your abilities more."
"Luka-"
"I'm glad you're finally well." Luka looked back over his shoulder and then back to Marinette. "I have to go to band practice. I'll talk to you later."
When the screen went back to her recent calls a part of Marinette's heart dropped. She knew that Luka liked her, they had spoken that conversation once. Yet she wasn't ready for a relationship, wasn't ready to commit to another thing she didn't fully believe she could keep up with. Why try to do that when all she would do was lie to Luka even more and hurt them both in the end? She couldn't be in a relationship, and realistically it wasn't in the cards for her anytime soon.
Marinette felt her heart sink a little bit, "Tikki, I feel like I hurt him."
"I'm sure he'll be okay." Tikki pressed herself against Marinette's cheek to offer some assurance. "He probably needs time to accept that you've grown feelings for someone else."
"I don't know if I have feelings for Peter like that though Tikki!" Marinette half heartedly says, shaking her head.
"You care about him." Tikki pointed out, and the truth was she felt the connection the two teenagers had shared. The way Marinette could be herself truly was when she was in the presence of Peter Parker. She wasn't open with Alya, and Tikki knew that was because Alya wanting to be a reporter and running the Ladyblog put Marinette on edge of making a slip up. Nino was in the same boat, because he dated Alya and they had grown apart over the years. Tikki knew Adrien was a fleeting thing, that Marinette's focus on the was somewhat a distraction.
Chloe was the only other person Marinette was this open with, who she showed her true self too. Ånd Tikki knew it had been taking a toll on her chosen to keep things from her parents, to withdrawal herself and lie about disappearing in order to be Ladybug.
"We need to get going Tikki." Marinette changed the subject, not wanting to talk about it anymore as she swallowed her apprehension about what just happened with Luka, "We need to go meet Peter at his school, and that starts in an hour."
Alya wished she knew where it was that she went wrong and lost sight of the truth, because as an inspiring reporter she failed in so much. Ever since she went to lunch with Lila nothing settled right within her, and how could it? She had Chloe's and Nino's words reverberating around her head over and over again, reminding her just how she had failed as a reporter and how she had failed as a friend.
She wanted to say she knew Marinette, but did she even have the right anymore? The answer to that was quite simple, no she didn't. She could not confidently claim she knew Marinette the way she thought she had, and it was Nino who had reminded her of that. Instead of getting to know the girl she claimed was her best friend, that showed her kindness the first day of class and being the new girl, she chose someone who told pretty fabrications. Marinette had been right, a simple fact check would have dispelled a lot of what Lila had claimed and yet Alya denied the truth that was always right there a search and click away.
She felt stupid really, because it would make sense that Marinette would know Jagged Stone didn't own a kitten- she designed for the rock and roll star. How would Lila know Ladybug when Marinette got her the initial interview that kicked off the Ladyblog? Or how she was best friends with Prince Ali, yet when Rose asked he claimed he never heard the name before. Lila always claimed Marinette would push her or bully her because she was jealous of her and Adrien, yet Adrien would try to be anywhere but next to Lila. The more she looked into these things and thought about them, the less they made sense.
A rough knocking at her front door startled Alya out of her thoughts. A frown adorn her face as she stood up from the living room couch, not sure who the hell would be at her front door banging that loudly. Looking through the peep hole Alya saw Nino standing there looking rigid as he tapped his foot. It unnerved her.
"I want to break up." Nino says the moment the doors open to reveal Alya, and he can tell she's taken back as she opens her mouth to say something and closes it when she can't.
He wasn't sure what to make of her reaction, because for the past few days she had ignored his text messages and phone calls. He didn't know what to think, if she was blowing him off or if she was Lila, or whatever she could be doing. He was just done with everything, fed up with the relationship and the constant self hate that was bubbling inside him now.
Alya tried to blink back her tears, and out of all the reactions Nino thought he would get it wasn't her smiling sadly at him. He expected a fight, after all that was all they really did now. Any little thing could turn into a full blown argument, and it just wasn't healthy anymore. Nino just couldn't let this cycle continue to hurt the both of them.
"I understand now." Alya says softly, feeling the strain in her voice as it cracked slightly. "I understand why you got so angry with me, with Lila. God I'm so fucking stupid."
Nino wasn't sure what to really say or do, not when he saw Alya slowly breaking apart in front of him. He couldn't stand the thought of her crying now, because the hurt in her eyes told him all he needed to know that she finally realized the truth of everything. Reaching out, Nino pulled Alya into his arms and hugged her to his chest as she finally released the cry she was holding in. His sudden anger faded that caused his journey to her front door, and instead he chose to comfort her before one or both of them became an akuma.
"A wise woman once told me that we all make mistakes, it's a part of life to make mistakes and learn from them. To become the best version of ourselves that we can be, but sometimes we get a little lost before we can be found." Nino repeats the words Sabine had said to him that soothed his worries that day. "I'm relieved you finally see the real person you've been hanging around. Besides, you aren't the only one who has been a bad friend to her."
Alya pulled away from Nino's arms, eyebrow furrowed as she looked him in the eyes with her tear stained ones, "What do you mean by that?"
Nino shrugged, "I wasn't there for her when she needed someone, and I should have known better after the first time when we were kids. We all failed her in a way Alya, but Adrien knew the whole time. Marinette confided in him and he told her to basically take the high road so Lila wouldn't get akumatized, that in time the truth would come out."
The anger that pulsed through her veins was quick, so quick that she wanted to punch something. Yet she couldn't as Nino placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head at her, and she couldn't understand why he was telling her no.
"You don't have the right to be mad like that at Adrien without seeming hypocritical yourself." Nino had the audacity to tell her, but she understood where he was coming from. "Just like how I didn't have the right to be mad like that, so I've been keeping my distance until I'm ready to talk to him. We have to forgive each other for her to forgive us, she wouldn't want us to fight."
The way Nino spoke about Marinette, Alya couldn't help but feel the ugly spec of jealousy that crawled under her skin. The tears once again pricked her eyes as the thought came to mind that Nino was in love with Marinette and only came to realize that now. It was a silly thought, given everything he's said so far, but it was a thought that was there nothing less.
"Are you breaking up with me because of Marinette?" Alya distress clear as day in her voice, "Do you love her?"
"I've lost myself Alya. Recently I'm not sure who I am anymore when I look in the mirror. Ladybug trusted me with the turtle miraculous, and I am supposed to protect the people I care about and those around me. I failed in that Alya, and the guilt eats at me all the time. You weren't here when we were kids, it was me, Kim and Mari against the world. I was supposed to be there to protect her because she's basically my sister. Do I love Mari, yes. Am I in love with her, no." Nino felt the tremor in his own voice as he stared Alya in her eyes, so full of emotion he never wanted to see there because of him again.
"I love you, Alya." Nino confessed for the first time, "But I think we need time to find ourselves again, to be the heroes we were supposed to be and rebuild on that. I need to not hate myself before I can fully give into this relationship again."
It broke her heart but she understood as Nino pulled her in for another hug, tighter and closer this time. He gently placed a kiss on her forehead as she felt his tears hit her skin simultaneously in time as she felt her own tears slip down her cheeks.
For once, she had nothing to say as she wrapped her arms around his waist and accept his wishes. She owed Nino this much.
Midtown High was aesthetically nothing like Collège Françoise Dupont, and she wasn't sure if it was rude to point that out as Peter excitedly took her hand and pulled her through the front doors. The lockers lined the walls of the hallways here, where as in Paris they were in a singular room that each gender had separately.
The atmosphere itself was depressing, smelling of sweat and desperation. This was the environment that would probably snuff out any creativity. Yet the halls buzzed with students who chatted over one another. There was smiles, jocks pushing each other around as they joked with each other and girls giving each other glares.
This, it felt normal. Paris they were taught to suppress their emotions now, and had akuma drills instead of fire drills. They were a class that moved with each other each year, because that was how Collège Françoise Dupont worked. It made her realize how out of sync Paris was with what was supposed to be normal.
"Welcome to Midtown High!" Ned's voice was the one that cut through the noise of everything else and caused Marinette too snap her attention over to him. Unconsciously she held Peter's hand tighter.
"Hi Ned." Marinette offered the other boy a warm smile. He was a nice guy, and Marinette knew he was a good friend for Peter. Over the past few weeks she had hung out with Peter, Ned had been there. He was funny and a goofball that brought a sense a fresh air, and when he and Peter got into their nerd arguments it only made time more interesting.
"How is Midtown High so far?" Ned asks as MJ approached the group.
"Different from Collège Françoise Dupont for sure." Marinette answers, blinking when the three other teens just stared at her. "Is there something on my face?"
"You accent came out full force Marinette, and it was kinda cute." MJ was the one to tell her, causing a warmth to grow on Marinette's cheeks.
"I've been getting better at my American accent." Marinette comments absentmindedly.
Ned gave her a look, "Why would you want to sound American? It's boring."
"I get less looks like I'm a unicorn." Marinette answered it simply, because a lot of people stared when her accent would slip into place without her notice. "Too many people have questions about Paris and try to get personal."
"You get hit on a lot huh?" MJ summed up what the other girl was trying to say.
Marinette's shoulders slumped, "I just want to order a coffee once and enjoy it. Apparently coffee is a word I need to work on."
"People hit on you when you get coffee?" Ned repeated the question, and Peter was sure it was so he could hear it.
Marinette raised an eyebrow, "I guess so. Paris was always friendly but here they have other intentions. I just need my morning coffee or I'm mean. At least that was what I was told."
"You. Mean? I don't believe that." Ned shook his head in disagreement, "I don't believe you have a single mean bone in your body. Not even if you tried."
It was sweet to Marinette that Ned really believed that. It made her feel slightly better than she had been this morning, and she could see he really meant it by the confidence in his eyes. It brought a smile to her lips, easily perking her up in the slightest of ways.
"That's one of the nicest things anyone has ever told me." Marinette thanked, turning her eyes to look at Peter who had been silently watching her interact with his friends.
He had wanted them to all get along but she spent more time with him then with Ned and MJ. Yet he knew that the other two adored Marinette in their own ways, and was grateful they took to her as easily as he did.
"What class is first?" Marinette asks Peter, offering a smile that made his heart skip a beat.
For a moment longer than he needed, Peter stared and it was with a nudge from MJ that he broke out of his trance to offer a reply, "English."
MJ went and hooked her arm with Marinette's, "I also have english with Peter so let's go."
As they walked, MJ would tell her some things about the high school's history. It was interesting how this school was science and technology focused, and how most students were increasingly smart. Well she thought that until the moment they walked into the english class room and she had the pleasure of meeting Flash.
"Penis Parker!" Flash hollered the moment Peter walked into the room.
The name itself didn't settle well with Marinette, and maybe if it had been any other nickname she wouldn't feel the need to deck the other teenaged boy. On the other hand Peter felt flustered for the first time Flash called him that and knew it was because of Marinette witnessing it. Yet he watched as Flash took notice of the Parisan girl with curious eyes.
"Hey new girl, I'm Flash." The over confidence was over powering, boarder line cocky.
"I'm Marinette and not new." Marinette replied cooly back, "I'm shadowing Peter, not a new student."
Flash had noticed the accent in her voice and wondered how the hell Peter had landed a foreign girl that was actually attractive, because it was Peter. Awkward and swag less Peter Parker had seemed to out do him.
"You can shadow me-"
"No." Marinette cut him off, giving an uninterested gaze at Flash before looking back at Peter. "Am I sitting with you?"
Peter looked over at her and nodded, "Yeah over here." And proceeded to grab her by the hand to guide her to sit next to him while ignoring looks her got. Cause he, Peter Parker, never grabbed cute girl's hands in public like that.
That's how the day went really, with watching Peter take his notes and listening to these American teachers ramble on about things she knew about in Paris. First was Peter's english class, then his math, and then his physics class. In his physics class, that's were Marinette really lost her focus in the class.
Occasionally throughout the day she felt Peter's leg brush against hers, and she knew he wasn't even paying attention since he hardly looked up from his notes. Every now and then he would ask how she was doing, and she'd give him a smile and say she was doing just fine.
"Okay so how do we calculated the linear acceleration between points A and B?" Peter's physics teacher asked the class. She looked around and pointed at one of the other students, "Flash."
"It's the product of sine of the angle and gravity divided by the mass."
"Nope. Peter." She had dismissed Flash and called on Peter in all one fluid motion that it made Marinette happy she was not a student in this class.
Pete's head shot up from his notes, "Uh, mass cancels out, so it's just gravity times sine."
"Right." She had said and glanced back at Flash, "See Flash, being the fastest isn't always the best if you are wrong."
Marinette's eyes narrowed when Flash turned around, ready to say something to Peter but stopped short under her warning glare. She didn't like his character, how he picked on her friend. She would never sit back and let someone pick on her friend, not after Lila and her own situation.
Out of respect of Peter and his teachers, her day was mostly sitting and observing quietly. Every time Peter tried to speak to her she would shake her head and tell him to focus on his classes. She refused to be the reason he failed any of his upcoming tests.
At 10:45 Marinette could feel her phone vibrating over and over again since she turned off the actual ringtone incase it went off in one of Peter's classes. She didn't want to be the reason he got in trouble. At first she ignored it, thinking maybe it was Audrey's assistant texting her in regards to Lucas's suit that was hitting all the right deadlines so far. Yet it kept going off, and she was tried he best to maintain her focus in this advanced physics class Peter took. She knew he was smart, but he was smart.
When Tikki pressed against her leg from inside the purse, Marinette knew that something else was up. Looking at the teacher who was going on about whatever it was physics was, Marinette discreetly took her phone out to check her notifications and saw one that mad her blood run cold out of the two. To start it off there was an akuma alert and then a text message from Chloe.
Luka has been akumatized.
Peter had felt her phone going off multiple times throughout the lecture, and as much as he appreciated that she didn't look at it until the eighth time he wished she looked sooner. He figured it was something important when he saw her go still in her seat from his peripheral vision. He was going to ask her, but Marinette had already reached over to grab his notebook to lightly scribble in the corner before sliding it back over.
Emergency at Audrey's, her assistant just texted me about crisis mode. Design needs to be finish by tonight for London's shipment in the morning. I'm sorry! Text you later!
Marinette waited for Peter to read the note and look up at her, his brown eyes shinning with understanding as he gave her a head nod. Quickly gathering her things, she smiled when he mouthed text you later and took off as silently as she could from the classroom while she ignored eyes that followed her movements.
The moment the door shut behind her though was a different story. Her heart was heavy and guilt was coursing through her as she ran down Midtown High's hallways as if she were being chased herself. She was so stupid. She should have known that Luka would be hurting so much more than his eyes showed. This was her fault, all her fault.
"Stop telling yourself that Marinette." Tikki chastise her sternly, peeking out of the purse as Marinette ran towards the subway. "It isn't your fault!"
"It is Tikki." Marinette muttered, trying to catch her breath now standing on the empty side of the subway. "I didn't mean to bring up Peter, wasn't supposed too."
"It's not your fault you made a friend." Tikki says, shaking her head. "Luka was going to find out eventually. Hiding Peter would only hurt the both of them unintentionally."
She hated how long it was taking her to go back to her apartment where Kaalki resided in her box. Why didn't she think to bring the horse kwami was beyond herself, and maybe it was because Marinette had fallen into this life too easily. It was easy to slowly push Paris to the back of her mind, but she knew deep down she had a responsibility to her city. She had made them a promise she could never break.
"Let me make this promise to you. No matter who wants to harm you, Ladybug and Chat Noir will do everything in our power to keep you safe."
Rationally Marinette knew she would have to face the music and talk to some of her classmates. She had given them miraculous jewelry, but the truth is even she knew that the others were true holders. Marinette couldn't keep them apart from their kawmi's forever, not when Chat Noir and even Chloe were suggesting that they could be a big help in her absence. Who was she to selfishly deny that?
In about thirty minutes Marinette has somehow managed to get back to apartment, probably in record time given how many people she pushed passed and near ran over in her haste. As soon as her door closed, Marinette had tossed her purse aside when Tikki flew out of her hiding spot.
"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette said the familiar phrase, letting the pink light wash over her and transform her in Ladybug.
Without a second thought, Ladybug walked into her room and opened her drawer where the singular miraculous box sat hidden under her clothing. Opening the box she grabbed the glasses and put them on, blinking as Kaalki appeared.
"Is it time to go back to Paris?" Kaalki asked the teenaged heroine in front of her.
"There's an akuma on the loose." Ladybug informs, "One I'm sure I caused and need to fix. There's no more time to waste. Kaalki, Tikki-unify!"
Taking a deep breath, Ladybug felt the two kawmi's powers combine within her. It wasn't overwhelming like last time she used multiple kwami's. This was nothing compared to that.
"Voyage!" Ladybug called on Kaalki's power, feeling it rush through her as she pointed her hand where she wanted to portal to open so she could jump through, and that she did.
Ladybug was more graceful than Marinette, but she still missed her footing and rolled across one of Paris's many rooftops. A soft groan left her lips as she laid there for a second before muttering, "Kaalki, Tikki-divide."
Kaalki said nothing as she went back into her miraculous, knowing Ladybug has more pressing matters to attend to. Sitting up, Ladybug opened her yo-yo and set Kaalki's miraculous back into the magical chamber until she needed her to get back to New York. Standing up, Ladybug looked around to take in what was going on.
She had seen worse akuma's, ones who killed half of Paris. Syren had drowned nearly everyone who lived in the city, and it was a sight Ladybug never wanted to see again. She knew that Luka being an akuma was dangerous, she remembered silencer too clearly. Luka was akumatized them for being angry that his friends and himself were taken advantage of. Now she was the reason.
"You're the most extraordinary girl Marinette. As clear as a musical note and as sincere as a melody, you're the music that's been playing inside my head since the first day that we met."
She hated that she was the reason, that she hurt him. They were close, so close to trying to date but Marinette couldn't commit. She just knew it wouldn't work the way they wanted and she would only hurt him more. God she hated that she hurt him, because he was the last person she wanted to hurt. he had always been her corner, there to comfort her when she needed someone and just knew how to pacify her in every way.
"M'Lady?" Chat Noir's voice held genuine surprise, and turning to look at her partner she could see the genuine shock value in his vivid green eyes, "You actually came to this akuma attack?"
"Hi Chaton," Ladybug offers a weak smile, "I didn't have a choice seeing the akuma and the potential danger. What can you tell me about him?"
He could see in her eyes that somehow this was personal, there was just too much guilt in those blue eyes that were trying to harden under the pressure. Those blue eyes, they haunted him sometimes.
"He calls himself Affliction, and I'm guessing it has something to do with a broken heart." Chat nodded towards the north side of the city, "He wants to spread his suffering, turning those against one another. Me and Honey Bee believe that the akuma is inside his guitar."
Ladybug nodded, but she couldn't help but notice the change in Chat Noir. How he seemed to mature as her assessed the situation in a way she had done before. His green eyes were sharp, calculating but she saw his worry when he glanced her way. She has been a bad partner, leaving him like she did. Yet a part of her was proud of him.
"I'm assuming his guitar causes people to be affected?"
"You would be right, of course. Steer clean from any musical notes he might try to serenade you Bug." Chat Noir was serious, giving her a look. "There have been casualties because of him, which makes him dangerous. Honey Bee is going to subdue him while I distract. Since you're here you can use your Lucky Charm and purify the akuma."
It was a weird feeling to feel like the odd one out on her team, and yet she imagined this was how Chat Noir felt not knowing a thing she did behind his back. He always had a blind faith in her she could never understand, but now she had to be the one to follow and listen. She had no right to defy his plan, not when he had been alone for so long with Chloe to deal with akumas while she played dress up and house in New York.
She owed him this, and so she nodded. "I'll wait for an opening."
Ladybug stayed hidden, watching the dynamic of Honey Bee and Chat Noir in person for the first time. They moved in sync, almost as if they could predicted what the other could do next. There was a trust there that hadn't been between her and Chat in a while. The trust had started to fade when she started to keep secrets for him and he found out. She watched with contained emotions how the Bee and Cat jumped around.
She wasn't even needed.
Not when Honey Bee called on her venom, jumping over Chat Noir that has side swept Affliction before he could strung the cords of his guitar, and pressing her spin top in the exposed skin of his neck. Effectively it paralyzed Affliction in his spot while Chat Noir took his guitar and banged it against the ground hard enough to break it.
Ladybug never moved from her spot once, not even as the akuma flew towards her. She watched the damn thing with narrowed eyes, knowing that it could feel the emotions slipping through. Yet she grabbed her yo-yo, opened it and caught the akuma with ease before releasing a white butterfly back into the world.
"Miraculous Ladybug." She whispered, even though she had no item from her Lucky Charm the ladybugs went to work on the city, and that itself caused a stir within the residents who hadn't seen Ladybug in months.
"Ladybug."
She didn't bother to look over at Honey Bee as she gripped the roof wall to steady herself feeling a wave of nausea and exhaustion. Apparently her miraculous cure took more out of her than using it after lucky charm, a side affects she assumed and noted to ask Tikki about it later. She also felt the presence of Chat Noir behind her, and when she finally looked over at the two she saw the worry in both of their eyes.
"Hi Bee." Ladybug greeted softly, "Good work out there. How is Luka?"
"He's fine, his sister Juleka is with him along with his friend Kagami." Honey Bee's eyes soften, understanding now why Marinette came to Paris as Ladybug for this akuma. It made sense seeing that Luka was akumatized over his hurt feelings, that it was Marinette and her guilt that brought her here to fix whatever it was she said. "You don't look good-"
"I'm just a little tired." Ladybug offered, softly cutting her off. "I don't have much time and should get back-"
"You just got here." Chat Noir protested, knowing that she was more tired than she let on. She was good at hiding things from him, but slowly he was seeing the truth from the act. How her eyes didn't hold the same confidence and seemed more tired each time he saw them.
"I can't stay." Ladybug tells him, "Not yet at least."
She could see the worry in Chloe's eyes from under her mask, and knew that she was just causing unnecessary stress to the others. She had come to help aid them in this akuma battle, but if she honest with herself she had come for a more selfish reason. She knew she caused Luka to be akumatized, and she wanted to be the one to fix it. Yet not everything worked out the way she would like it.
"At least let Tikki recharge." Honey Bee said gently, "We won't look."
Instead of listening to Honey Bee, Ladybug used her yo-yo and opened the contraption only to reach in- pulling out Kaalki's miraculous and placing the glasses onto her face. She took in Honey Bee and Chat Noir, how they wanted to say something but already knew that she had made up her mind. There was no stopping her as Kaalki appeared in front of her again, but even the kwami was sporting a worried look now.
"I don't want to hear it." Ladybug muttered, raising bother her hands. "Kaalki, Tikki-unify."
It was the first time both Honey Bee and Chat Noir got to see another ability the kwami's and their miraculous held. It awed the both of them to watch Ladybug's red suit get black edges and how the glasses morphed with her mask to cover her eyes completely. Honey Bee could feel herself buzzing with a newfound worry, over what she wasn't sure. Where as Chat Noir could only mourn that even though Ladybug left to emotionally recover, she was getting more and more distant. The balance between them was tipping, uneven now. He could feel it, but he couldn't help but wonder if she could or if she even knew it was her causing the unbalance.
"Voyage!" Ladybug called out, pointing her hand out where a new portal had opened. She gave a glance back and offered a smile as she jumped into the portal.
Chat Noir's green eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out where she went. He only saw a glimpse of a room with a sewing machine and then nothing. Glancing at Honey Bee, he saw her watching where Ladybug had jumped away with a frown. He knew it was Chloe under that mask, and knew she adored Ladybug as much as he did, but it was the first time the thought of her knowing more than she let on crossed his mind. He truly was always left in the dark.
Meanwhile back in New York, Ladybug stumbled out of the portal and crashed into the glass table of her night stand- wincing as she heard it crash under her weight. She laid there for a moment, just looking up at the ceiling of her room through the glasses of the horse miraculous. A heavy breath left her lips, the familiar sting of tears pricked her eyes.
She was completely useless in that akuma battle, useless in saving Luka. Hell, she couldn't even check on Luka because of how much using her cure took from her. It physically drained her, and hell she felt emotionally empty. She knew Chloe would be a great hero, and working along side of Chat Noir they indeed had found a sync- a balance.
Where did she start to lose hers?
When you left Paris. A darker part of her brain had to remind her. Not even bothering to move, she closed her eyes and let her arms spread out on the floor- wincing as she felt the glass bite against the fabric of her suit.
"Kaalki, Tikki- divide." The words left her lips as a breathless whisper, "Tikki, spots off."
"Marinette!" Tikki voice was laced with worry as she looked over her chosen laying in glass with her eyes closed. "You can't lay in glass!"
Marinette slowly opened her eyes again, her blue eyes colder than Tikki ever seen. It shook her for a moment, seeing her eyes void of anything. She could feel the glass, it was one thing she was very aware of and took a weird taking to the sting of it.
"Why was I able to cast the cure without my lucky charm?" Marinette asked, her eyes never leaving the ceiling.
Tikki glanced at Kaalki then looked back towards her bug, "You have different abilities, Lucky Charm and the cure are only two of them. Where you have luck, Chat Noir had bad luck. You're creation, Marinette. You have the abilities that are just haven't been accessed yet."
"Is that why I'm so tired?" Marinette turned her head to look at Tikki, her blue eyes filling with unshed tears.
Tikki flew to nuzzle her cheek, "Yes, your body wasn't use to it. It gets easier."
"I... I hurt Luka." Marinette said softly, "I didn't mean to hurt him like that. I hurt him enough that Hawkmoth got to him again."
"Oh Marinette, it will all work out. You know Luka would never blame you." Tikki promised her chosen, trying to give all the comfort she could convey.
This chapter turned out a lot longer than I thought it would! Hopefully you all enjoyed it! This story is PeterxMarinette, but I still enjoy hints of other ships as they slowly develop back into friendships here, plus season 4 has been inspiring so far! Sorry for less action on the akuma part!
Thank you for all the continuous support!