Chapter 14: Crocoduel

Rose sang:

"I see their faces everywhere I go
Dreaming about them in the night!
You know I love unicorns
And nothing makes me feel better!"

The group of friends (Zoé, Mylène, Alix, Alya, and Nino) was listening to Kitty Section rehearse on the deck of the Liberty. In the band were Luca as the lead guitarist, Ivan as drummer, Juleka as bass guitarist, and Rose as the vocalist.

Zoé thought Rose's singing was improving with practice, though she still tended to get too loud and growly.

As the song ended, the performers threw their cat-unicorn-themed masks into the air. The audience cheered. Rose and Juleka hugged.

Luka said sadly, "Marinette hasn't come around here for a while. Is she okay?"

Zoé knew that Marinette and Luka were exes. It was too bad; probably Marinette had some hard feelings.

Alya answered, "Oh, yeah! Yeah! She's fine. It's just that she... she... she's got a lot of stuff going on."

"You can be honest with me, you know? She's stopped showing up because she knows I'm in love with her, right?" asked Luka.

Rose gave an absurd excuse about Marinette having an Aqua Pony class, with a favorite pony named Pom-Pony.

"I get it, Rose" said Luka in a flat voice. "Thanks."

He went below to his room.

Alya gave a sarcastic slow clap. "Wow, Rose."

"I know, but we couldn't tell him that Marinette is too embarrassed to see him. It would have broken his heart! We've gotta find a way to patch things up between them so they can see each other and be buddies again! We can all be buddies, right? Oh, I know! Luka could go to Aqua Pony class with Marinette!"

"You know that Aqua Ponies aren't real, don't you?" asked Mylène.

"Oh... Yeah, right!" said Rose.

"I'm sure we can figure out a way to get Luka and Marinette together!" Mylène said.

"Something that Marinette has to come to," said Zoé, deciding to help even though she had doubts.

Alya suggested that instead of going to the movie "Rock and Monster Party Parade" on Saturday, that they have a party on the houseboat. It would be a twin birthday party for Luka and Juleka.

"I'll help set up," said Zoé.

"I'm on music!" said Nino.

"And I'll take care of Marinette!" said Alya.

"What do you think, Juleka? Awesome idea, right?" asked Mylène.

Juleka hestitated for a moment, then mumbled, "Yeah."

As they were leaving the boat, Alya took Zoé aside.

"Zoé, would you switch jobs with me? Maybe you could talk to Marinette instead of me, and I'll do the set-up," said Alya. "She hasn't been opening up to me very much at all lately. You're coming from the outside, and you're good with people. Even Chloé and Sabrina seem happier since you've been here."

"What do you think is wrong?" asked Zoé.

"Marinette has a secret," said Alya. "I know that's what caused the breakup with Luka, because of how he got akumatized. He became Truth, with the power to make people tell the truth. He kept asking, 'What is Marinette's secret?' He wouldn't accept that it was just that she was in love with Adrien, and I think he was right. It's something else."

"Why do you say that?" asked Zoé.

"She disappears on us all the time, and her excuses have gotten wilder and wilder. I'm worried about her. She's been tired and frazzled a lot, too. She needs someone to talk to. It could be you."

"Hmm." said Zoé. "I can try..."

After Alya left, Zoé thought, "You don't like it that Marinette won't tell you her secret, so you tell me about it in hopes that I'll get it out of her and tell you? The thing is – I already know."

Zoé called Marinette and asked if she could come over. They met in Marinette's room, which was small but well-organized. Marinette was working on a sewing project as they spoke.

"A party on the house boat for Juleka's birthday? Okay," said Marinette. "Oh! Wait a minute, Zoé Lee. We were supposed to go to the movies for Juleka's birthday, but now we're having a party on the houseboat and since Luka is Juleka's twin, it's also hisbirthday, which means he'llbe there! But you thought I'd never figure that out and would end up on the houseboat with him, and since the houseboat is on the river, I'd have no way of leaving, and I'd be forced to talk to him! It's a trap!"

"It would be good if you were on speaking terms with Luka again. You can still be friends even though you're not dating."

"But it'll be so awkward! You know that Luka's in love with me, but I'm in love with Adrien, and every time we see each other, he just ends up getting hurt all over again because he knows I'll never feel the same."

"Marinette, I know that's not the real reason you broke up."

"What do you mean?"

"It has to be because of the lying and excuses, ditching him all the time. To go off and be Ladybug."

"What are you talking about? I'm not Ladybug! I'm a normal girl with a normal life."

"I saw you go into the locker room with the others when Juleka was akumatized. I came in right after you. You didn't come out of the portal when the others did."

"I got scared and hid in a locker, all right?"

"Ladybug came around the corner from the lockers and ran into me."

"Yeah... She was the one who told me to hide. I heard her telling you the same thing."

"I don't believe it."

"You can't prove otherwise."

"I'll only believe it if I see both of you at the same time... and I can touch both to make sure there's no illusion."

"I can't get Ladybug to do that!"

"It's the best explanation for all your absences and excuses. It means you have big secret that forces you to keep others at a distance, including Luka."

"If you knew Ladybug's identity, what would you do about it? Take the villains' side and try to expose her?"

"Of course not. I'll keep the secret. And I have a Magic Charm so I can't get akumatized again and be forced to tell Shadow Moth."

"You hate Ladybug because she doesn't like your sister, is that right?"

"I admit I don't like her much. I think Ladybug plays favorites and misuses her allied heroes."

"Misuses them, how?"

"You... Ladybug used me as bait in her plan to stop Queen Banana."

"So you wanted a role with more glory. That sounds just like your sister."

"Chloé did some good as a hero. Ladybug rejected Chloé and it led to her getting akumatized."

"I see, everything is Ladybug's fault."

"No. It was Chloé who took the bait and cooperated with Hawk Moth. It was Chloé who jumped for a second akuma."

"At least you admit Chloé's at fault. She never will."

"I think Chloé knows at some level that she's done wrong. That what's made her harden herself so much lately. If nobody could possibly like her after what she did, she'll force herself not to care. Even Sabrina, her only real friend, became what she calls a minion. She's only just started opening up again."

"Sorry, I don't have much sympathy. She's just horrible."

"Both of you are isolated, putting on an act – you by your secrets, and Chloé by her guilt. It would be absurd to say that Chloé deserves more help than you. You were kind to me and reached out to me when I needed friends. I want to help you, too."

"Why would I let you help me? I don't trust you. You play both sides."

"Why do there have to be sides? Why can't I help both of you?"

"She's an enemy of Labybug, and my enemy."

"But I'm not your enemy. I'll told you, I'll keep your secret."

"Which, to be clear, I never admitted."

"So... about the party?"

"I'm not going. Unless you can arrange for Luka not to be there."

"Wow, kick him out of his own birthday party? That's cold."

"Then I'll make an excuse and send presents."

"If that's the way you want it... but you're making a mistake."

The classmates went ahead with the birthday party without Marinette. They gathered on the Liberty.

Luka was disappointed when they told him Marinette wasn't coming. "I knew it. Marinette doesn't want to have anything to do with me."

He strummed his guitar sadly.

"Luka, come on. It's not like that!" said Alya.

"You know how she gets around awkward situations," said Nino.

"She doesn't hate you. She's just... Marinette," said Zoé.

"Everyone loves you here!" said Alix.

The group gave Luka a hug.

"Thanks, guys, for everything," said Luka.

Jagged Stone arrived. "Hey, kids! Everything jammin'?"

"Hi, Dad!" said Luka.

"Sorry I'm tardy to the party, son. You have any wrapping paper I could borrow?" said Jagged.

The kids all murmured in surprise about the surprise revelation that Luka and Juleka were releated to a rock star.

"That's... so... awesome!" said Ivan.

Zoé saw Juleka slip away and go below, and she followed. She found Juleka hiding behind a desk.

"What's wrong, Juleka?" Zoé asked, sitting down with her.

Juleka mumbled something.

"Why would you think he doesn't love you and likes your brother better?" asked Zoé.

Jagged Stone came down with Luka, not seeing the girls.

"You'll see, she's a real beauty! A sound that'll make your head spin," said Jagged, handing Luka a guitar case. "So you better hide it, okay? And not a word to your sister!"

Juleka gasped and began to cry.

Zoé saw an akuma butterfly coming but she wasn't worried by it. Both she and Juleka were protected. It bounced off the field generated by the Magic Charm Juleka was wearing.

Zoé said, "Juleka, look, an akuma came after you. You need to talk to your father. I'm sure he has a nice present for you, too."

Jagged heard Zoé and came over. "You overheard us? Too bad, I wanted this to be a surprise for Juleka. She plays bass for Kitty Section, right? So I thought it'd be cool if I gave her the very first bass I ever owned. Happy Birthday, Juleka."

"Thank you," said Juleka.

"And of course, I've got a present for my two kids. My gift for Luka was this original edition of the first LP from Crocoduo, the group I had with their mom. Happy Birthday, Luka."

Anarka came into the room.

"Jagged Stone, you really are a shipwrecker. How dare you come here and give my son the album that caused our break-up?!"

"Caused our break-up"? You mean the album to help me get my life back after you left me!

You got a lot of nerve, pirate! You were the one who left me!

No, you were!

The akuma that had been repelled by the Magical Charm went into the record as they both tugged on it. It broke apart, each holding half.

Purple mask outlines appeared on their faces.

Zoé, Juleka, and Luka ran.

"Akuma! We have to get off the ship!" Luka shouted.

Everyone bolted from the deck and got to land just in time.

The boat became Captain Hardrock's flying pirate ship. It faced off against Guitar Villain on Fang, now a flying dragon.

"Ye selfish sea dog, ye sailed off on your own cruise leaving two little mateys behind!" yelled Captain Hardrock.

"I had to go solo after you destroyed our duo!" shouted Guitar Villain.

"Liberty, fire!"

"Ultimate Solo!"

Zoé texted Marinette: "Akumas the party!"

Ladybug and Chat Noir might have had a problem with flying villains, but because of their work together in their secret laboratory they had more of their space power-up formula ready to go. They tackled the two villians as Astrocat and Cosmobug, grabbing the two pieces of the LP record from them.

The only trick was that they had to tape the record's pieces together before they could release the akuma with a Cataclysm. Ladybug also had to call for a "Miraculous Ladybug" cure to prevent the ship, the crocodile, and the two former akumas from crashing into the ground.

Ladybug gave Magical Charms to Anarka Couffaine and Jagged Stone. "Jagged, I wish I could help you work things out but that's beyond my powers. However, these magical charms will protect you from Shadow Moth in the future."

After Ladybug left, Marinette showed up for the tail end of the party.

Marinette said, "Luka, I'm sorry I've been avoiding you. I..."

"You know, it hurts more not seeing you than seeing you, Marinette," said Luka.

Marinette put her hand on his shoulder. "Buddies?"

"Buddies," said Luka.

Later, Marinette had a word with Zoé.

"Ladybug didn't need you to send me messages for her," said Marinette. "There was an Akuma Alert right away for the big villain battle over the city."

"I was only trying to help," said Zoé.

Marinette sighed. "I think you mean well. But... I'd rather you left things alone."