"Alright, girls, game plan!" Marinette declared, slamming her pointer onto the easel she'd drawn her schemes on. Mylene, Alya, and Zoe were all seated in Marinette's room, watching pensively. "Right now, Rose is avoiding everyone and constantly crying, and she refuses to tell anyone what's going on, not even Juleka, and so now Juleka's locked herself in her room to listen to sad music. This can't go on any longer."
"Yeah!" All 3 girls agreed in unison.
"So, the plan is simple. We're going to use floral scents and a framed picture of Juleka as bait to lure Rose into a trapped location where we confront her. Alya, you sneak into Rose's room and steal her favorite scents."
"On it."
"Mylene, you go put this picture into a frame."
"You can count on me!"
"Zoe, I need you to help me construct a complex pulley system so that we can make a rope trap to grab Rose by the leg and keep her from running." Marinette said, flipping the page to reveal a drawing of Rose dangling by a rope that hangs from a tree.
"E-excuse me?"
"Don't worry, I'll handle the finer details, I just need you to help me hold things down. Some of these knots really need 3 hands, you know what I mean?"
"O-oh, okay."
"Wait, do you think it's a bad idea?" Marinette asked. "Maybe it's a bit too - "
"No, don't worry, I think it's a great idea!" Zoe said. "It's just a little…"
"Crazy?" Alya suggested.
"...Yeah." Zoe admitted.
"Dangling Rose upsidedown might just stress her out more…" Mylene lamented. Marinette took another look at her schematics before groaning in defeat.
"You're right. I just…" Marinette shared a look with Alya, who rolled her eyes. The two of them knew why Marinette made this plan: she's too used to dealing with supervillains. "I just got carried away, haha!"
"But who should be the one to confront Rose?" Zoe asked. "I feel like if we all confronted her at once, then it'd be overwhelming for her."
Marinette thought it over before throwing her hands in the air. "Uggggh, this plan is pointless! I only know how to - " She stopped herself before she said something compromising about superheroing. "Uhhhh…. Bake macarons and make googly eyes at Adrien?"
"Yeah, well, what else is new?" Alya teased, getting a laugh from Mylene.
"Do YOU guys have any ideas?" Marinette asked, frustrated.
"Well… I don't know what making googly eyes at Adrien would do…" Mylene started. "But I think baking macarons would actually be pretty helpful, here!"
"Yeah, your macarons are the best, Marinette!" Zoe agreed. "I'm sure they'd help Rose cheer up enough to want to talk about things."
"Aww, you guys…" Marinette smiled. "Alright, girls, let's get to baking!"
—
"Wow, you really live on a boat?"
"Yeah, our mom's pretty eccentric, but it's a lot nicer than you'd think."
Luka was walking his date, a girl with short, dyed-cyan hair, over to the Couffaine residence.
"What's your mom like?" She asked him.
"Oh, she's… a lot. It's probably best that she's out today."
"Awww, come on, don't be like that, now I'm curious!" She teased. "But hey, what's that sound?" As they boarded the ship, the unmistakable sound of grunge metal could be heard blaring from inside.
"Oh, that's my sister. She's been having a fight with her girlfriend recently." Luka said, a frown on his face. "It's fine, though, I'll ask her to turn it down." He'd walk down into the boat, and within a couple minutes he'd be up. The music had lowered in volume but was still audible. "We should be fine as long as we stay on the deck. Now, you said you wanted to try out some of the guitars I made?"
"Yeah, of course! I'm so stoked!"
Inside the boat, the music still blared, not as loud as before. Juleka laid on her bed, looking up at her phone and all the texts she sent to Rose that went unanswered. All of them were read. "Like, what did I do wrong?" She mumbled solemnly before hugging the phone to her chest, a tear going down her cheek.
—
"Alright, Marinette, Rose is in the park doodling flowers. Now's your chance." Alya told Marinette over the phone. Marinette nodded and grabbed her bag, rushing over to the park where Rose sat, tears dripping from her face and soaking the crayon drawing of a rose and tulip next to each other. Marinette froze, working up the courage to approach her friend. After a few deep breaths, she stepped in.
"Heeeeey, Rose!" Marinette greeted her. Rose jolted.
"Marinette! Look, uh, like I said, I really don't want to talk about it - "
"Don't worry, don't worry." Marinette assured her. "I just wanted to give you a gift to help cheer you up." She pulled out a box of macarons and placed it next to her. "Zoe, Alya, and Mylene all helped me bake them. Whatever you're going through, we're all rooting for you, and remember you can always count on us!"
"Oh, Marinette…" Rose smiled sadly as she looked at the box of sweets. "You guys, you're always so sweet. You're the best friends I could ask for. But I… I…" She got up and ran out. "I DON'T DESERVE MACARONS!" She sobbed, running out. Marinette picked up the treats and ran after her, dashing through the streets
"WAIT, ROSE, THEY'RE BERRY FLAVORED! YOU HEARD THAT RIGHT? BERRIES! BERR-" She crashed into someone, the box she was holding flying into the air. The macarons flew through the air, many of them splatting on her head, the rest on the floor. Well, except for 1. 1 was picked right out of the air by the person she crashed into: her boyfriend, Adrien.
"You alright, Marinette?" Adrien asked.
"GAH! ADRIEN! Oh god, I'm so sorry!" She said, trying to scrape the fallen macarons off the ground and back into the box. Adrien took a bite out of the one he was holding.
"Heavenly as usual, Marinette." He said before kneeling down to help her. "But what are you running for?"
"It's Rose!" She said. "She's hating on herself for some reason, but I have no idea why! She doesn't want to talk, so I figured I'd cheer her up with sweets, but not even that worked! I - I - I don't know what to do!"
"Marinette." Adrien placed his hand on her shoulder. "It sounds like you knew exactly what to do."
"What are you talking about, I just made her cry more!"
"Just because you're a hero doesn't mean that it's your job to solve every problem you face." He said, helping her stand up. "You don't need to burden yourself with every last problem you see. You being there for Rose is more than enough. I'm sure that things will find a way to work themselves out. And if Rose ever does need you? She'll know she can count on you. So make sure to take care of yourself too, alright?"
Marinette nodded, pulling Adrien into a hug. "Well, right now, taking care of myself means holding you like this."
Adrien held her back. "Well, hold on as long as you like. I'm here for you."
A minute would pass.
"...Marinette, are you - "
"Just a little longer."
"Alright, alright…"
—
"-Which is why it makes this really unique sound. Here, take a listen." Luka said, strumming a guitar. The girl he was with had her eyes on him, but would occasionally glance in the direction of Juleka's room.
"Wooow, Luka, that's really cool!"
"You want to try?" He asked, handing her the guitar pick.
"Would I! Hey, though, could you do me a favor, first?" She asked.
"Sure, what is it?"
"I was thinking how nice it'd be if we had some smoothies to sip on while we checked these guitars out. Would you mind getting us some?"
"Oh, sure, no problem." He said, putting the guitar down. "Make yourself at home." He'd walk back into the city. When he was out of sight, the girl would sneak down into the deck. She'd cover her ears as she made her way to Juleka's door.
"Could you please turn the music off!" She shouted. No response. "Please, could you turn down that noise?" Still no response. She took a deep breath and barged in. "Oh my god, could you PLEASE SHUT OFF THAT MUSICAL DIARRHEA?" She yelled. Juleka was on her bed, looking through her phone's photos. She jolted up and went to turn down the volume.
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to, I - "
"Did I tell you to lower it or did I tell you to STOP?"
"Uh, well, um, you actually went back and forth. I'm sorry, I - "
"I'm sorry, myeeeeeh, I'm sorry - Could you stop being pathetic for a second and listen to a word I'm-"
"Kayla?" Luka asked. She turned around to see he was right behind her.
"...Oh, Luka! Hahaha, what are you doing here?"
"You… never said what flavor you wanted." He said, dumbfounded.
"...Strawberry?"
"Kayla, I think you should probably head home."
"B-"
"Please, I think I should be spending time with my sister right now."
Kayla grit her teeth and clenched her fists, but had nothing to say. She stormed away and off the boat.
"Uh… s-sorry for ruining your date, Luka." Juleka apologized.
"No, Jules, I'm the one who's sorry. If I knew she was like that I wouldn't have brought her here." He told her, sitting down next to her on her bed. "Now, do you wanna talk about Rose?"
"...I don't know." Juleka said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the magical charm ladybug gave her. It reminded her that her negative feelings weren't gonna hurt anyone this time. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I… I don't know what happened. She just runs away crying whenever I try to talk to her. I probably did something wrong. We're probably over."
"Jules, come on now. This is Rose we're talking about. You think she's the type to hold a grudge? Especially over something so small you don't even remember it?"
"...I mean, I guess it's kind of weird. But like, what is it then?"
"Rose will tell you when the time is right. People… well, sometimes people have reasons for keeping secrets. Come on, grab your bass. I feel like you and I could both use a little jam session right now. What do you say?" He offered.
"That sounds… nice. Yeah." She smiled for the first time that day, standing up and going to grab her bass guitar. Soon, music could be heard coming from the deck of the ship. Kayla covered her ears as she walked away, not wanting to hear another peep of it. She ran off into the city, eventually taking a rest on a bench.
And then, a little purple butterfly slowly flitted down and landed in a guitar pick in her hand, which she had been holding while she fled the Couffaine residence. A female voice echoed in her head.
"Sound Burier. My name is Chrysalis. You wish to drown out that infernal sound? I can grant you the power to do just that, to make the whole world silent and serene. Of course, I will ask a small favor in return. I need Cat Noir and Ladybug's miraculous. Could you do that for me?"
"Yes, Chrysalis." She said before transforming. A black coat and hood covered her outfit, her face was painted white like a skeleton, and a massive shovel formed in her hand, with the head shaped like the guitar pick.
—
Zoe and Alya were in a bush, watching Marinette and Adrien hug it out. Initially they were there to see how things went with Rose, but now, they were just watching. Or, rather, Zoe was watching the two love birds, and Alya was watching Zoe.
"I mean, I think they're cute, too, but this is a bit excessive." Alya told Zoe. Zoe lurched.
"Huh, what, oh! You're still here!"
"Yup."
"Well then, Alya, do you wanna go get something to eat? Seems the plan was a bust, so - "
"You're still not over Marinette, are you?" Alya asked. Zoe deflated a bit.
"...Is it that obvious?"
"You've been watching them hug for 5 straight minutes while occasionally sighing. Zoe, you're as obvious as Marinette."
Zoe sighed. "I should probably move on, huh? I guess I just… want something like them, you know? Someone to hold me like that for as long as I want them to, even if people are staring."
"Says the girl who's staring."
"I know! Everyone must be jealous of them." This got a loud laugh out of Alya. "Hey, I'm serious!"
"Girl, you're a riot. Come on, let's get something to eat." Alya said, leading Zoe away.
—
Marinette and Adrien, meanwhile, would continue hugging for a while.
"...Marinette, it's been 15 minutes."
"Just a little longer."
"People are staring."
"Good, I want them to stare."
"Well, you're in luck, cause they're - hold on, they're not staring anymore. They're running." Adrien commented, his voice getting worried. Marinette pulled away and saw what he was talking about: A whole crowd of people were running away from something, with all of their mouths open and screaming. However, no sound was coming out.
Chrysalis was likely attacking.
Both of them nodded to each other and dashed away to transform. They'd reconvene on a roof, watching the crowd panic.
"I guess they were scared speechless." Cat Noir commented.
"It's likely the villain can take away voices. Which means it'll be hard to use our powers. So just in case: LUCKY CHARM!" She called on her special power and summoned an easel, much like the one she had been using to come up with her hairbrained scheme to confront Rose. "An easel… do you think Rose might be the one who was akumatized?"
"She has her charm, and Chrysalis can't make megakumas yet. I doubt it's her. Uh… mind if I ask what she has to do with easels?"
"Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go!" She said, carrying the easel as she ran across rooftops, Cat Noir following behind her. They'd arrive on the scene and see Sound Burier smashing cars with her shovel, leaving an entire street in shambles.
"Hold it right there, fiend!" Cat Noir said before jumping at her. His staff clashed against her shovel, and she pushed him away.
"Ah, I knew that'd get you guys here. Let's go: SOUND BURIAL!" She tapped her shovel against the ground and… nothing seemed to happen.
" " Cat Noir told Ladybug.
" " She responded.
The two of them looked at each other and realized it was already too late. With nothing left to do, they jumped into action… and began to wreck house. Sound Burier tried her best, but she was barely able to keep up with both superheroes, and was soon backed against a wall, the two of them closing in on her. Cat Noir said a quip no one could make out.
"Ugggh, you're useless! They can't even use their special powers and you can't get their miraculous for me!" Chrysalis yelled in her mind. "Pick up the pace, now, or I'll take back your powers."
A hooded figure, watching this unfold, shook his head. "Tisk tisk. Seems my little butterfly is having a hard time finding quality villains." He unfurled his feather fan and pulled a feather out of it, blowing it into the air. "I may need to get involved." The feather flew through the air and entered the guitar pick, and she heard another voice in her head.
"Sound Burier. My name is Argos. I can feel that frustration in you: everything always ends up being about someone other than you. Even now, you're getting outshone by these heroes."
"You! Shut up or I'll make you shut up!" She retorted.
" !" Ladybug exclaimed.
"Don't worry. I'll give a sentimonster that will make sure everyone is listening to your tune from here on out. It will follow your commands. Come out, Amplifier!"
Above Sound Burier's head, a floating set of speakers 10 feet tall appeared. Sound Burier smirked.
"AMPLIFIER, BLOW THEM AWAY!" As she yelled this, a deafening electric guitar chord played, sending Ladybug and Cat Noir flying away, landing in an entirely different block.
"A sentimonster? Sound Burier! If that annoying pigeon is in your ear, tell him to buzz off."
"Uhhhh… Argos. Chrysalis says to buzz off."
"Heheh… Well, you tell my little butterfly I was only trying to help."
"Uh, Chrysalis, Argos says he's only trying to help."
"Did he call me by that infuriating pet name again?"
"Maybe?"
"TELL HIM THAT - "
This would continue for a while, giving Ladybug and Cat Noir time to recuperate.
—
" "! Ladybug exclaimed to Cat Noir, to no avail. She put down her easel, and then began to draw on it with a marker that came with it, writing down a message.
'We need to get a team together! I think I have a plan. Keep her busy for me!'
Cat Noir gave her a salute before running off. Ladybug swung away to go gather allies.
—
"Thanks, Luka." Juleka would say as they finished a song. "I think I really needed to play some music right now. Hey, uh, you mentioned smoothies earlier, right?"
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"I think those actually sound pretty good right now. Do you mind getting me one?"
"No problem. What flavor?"
"Uh… whatever you're getting."
"Sounds good." Luka got up and started to walk through the street. When he was about to get to the smoothie place, Ladybug landed in front of him.
"Ladybug, what are y-" She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into an alleyway, where she brought out the miraculous of the snake and handed it to him. He took it and put it on his wrist. "So, what's the plan?" He asked. Ladybug responded by writing an address down on a piece of paper and showing it to him. "...Is there a reason you're not talking?" He asked, confused. She waved it off before swinging away. Luka shrugged. "Oh well. SASS, SCALES SLITHER!"
—
Juleka was playing the bass by herself when Ladybug showed up out of the blue.
"Huh? Ladybug, what's up?"
Ladybug, not saying anything, pulled out the Tiger miraculous. Juleka's eyes lit up.
—
"I don't know, Alya, are you sure you want to help me find someone?" Zoe asked as the two of them ate sandwiches on a bench.
"Uh, why wouldn't I? I mean, now that my work with Adrien and Marinette is completed, I need something to do, right?"
"You've got plenty to do! You're running a blog, and you're doing all this reporting. Not to mention, Marinette was your best friend." Zoe said. Alya nearly choked on her sandwich from the sudden fit of laughter that induced. Zoe was confused. "Huh? What's so funny?"
"Zoe, you're fine. You don't need to earn the right to have me help you. That's what friends are for, right?"
Zoe smiled, looking down. "Yeah… Yeah, I guess you're right." She turned to look at Alya. "You know, Alya, I can see what -"
BAM! Ladybug burst through the door. She grabbed Zoe and dragged her away without explaining. Alywa was confused, but she saw the fox miraculous left on the bench next to her, alongside a piece of paper with an address.
—
Rose was looking through Juleka's home: no one was there. Oh god, did something happen to Juleka during the akuma attack? Rose ran around the streets, calling out Juleka's name in vain, no one responding, until Ladybug landed right in front of her.
"Ladybug? Wait, do you need me for this battle? I want to, but Juleka - " Ladybug grabbed Rose by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "...You're right, Ladybug. The best way I can save her is by fighting by your side. Thanks, you always know what to say."
Ladybug handed her the miraculous of the pig.
—
Ladybug, Viperion, Purple Tigress, Vesperia, Rena Rouge, and Pigella all gathered on a roof besides Ladybug's easel. There, she started to sketch gameplans for them. Cat Noir landed next to them. Ladybug gave him an inquisitive look. He held up a piece of paper that said
'Look at the news.'
Ladybug used her yoyo to look at the current news broadcast. There, Sound Burier could be seen on top of the eiffel tower. 15 different civilians were hanging off by ropes, with Sound Burier threatening to cut the ropes with a swing of her shovel.
"Ladybug! Cat Noir! Every 10 minutes that you guys don't give me the miraculous, I'll let another one of these people fall! Do you hear me? If you want to save their lives, then bring me your miraculous!"
Ladybug grit her teeth, and ripped off the current page on the easel to reveal a new one. She began to furiously write out a new plan.
—
"This was an excellent plan, Chrysalis." Sound Burier said. "From this vantage point, there's no way they can get the drop on me without me seeing them. Then, I can just silence them before they can use their special ability.
"It's not foolproof. You'll still need to look out for powers that can be used from a distance, such as voyage." Chrysalis warned her.
"And I'm more than ready. I've got eyes everywhere right now." Sound Burier said, looking at her phone. A number of cameras had been placed all over the top of the eiffel tower, all of which fed into her phone, letting her see it all at a glance.
Ladybug and Cat Noir walked onto the park below her and started to wave their hands to get her attention.
"AH, LADYBUG AND CAT NOIR, COME TO SURRENDER, HAVE YOU? FIRST, TAKE OFF YOUR MIRACULOUS! THEN GET IN THE ELEVATOR ONE AT A TIME AND RIDE UP!" She yelled at them. They complied, taking off their miraculous to reveal… well, 2 people Sound Burier nor Chrysalis had ever seen before.
—
"Oh, I hope this goes well!" Pigella muttered from hiding.
"Of course it will. Rena's mirage is no joke. Even I think it looks convincing." Purple Tigress assured Pigella, putting a hand on her shoulder. Pigella jolted away, letting out a yelp. "What's wrong, don't want to be touched?"
"N-no, that's not it, you just startled me is all!" Pigella insisted. Purple Tigress put a hand on her hip.
"Pigella, have you been feeling down lately?"
"Wh-what? Whatever do you mean?"
"I can tell these things. You've been crying under that mask, haven't you? I wish you'd tell me." She leaned down and got to eye level with her. "I'd be more than happy to wipe those tears away.
"N-N-N-NOT NECESSARY!" Pigella insisted, going beet red. Then, they heard Viperion's voice in their ears.
"Purple Tigress, you're up. Start running towards the eiffel tower and use your power to shake it."
"Looks like duty calls. Tell me some other time." Purple Tigress told her. Once she was gone, Pigella finally caught her breath.
—
The illusion of Ladybug's fake secret identity walked up to Sound Burier, holding the earrings.
"Alrighty, then, hand them over, and then your kitty cat can go next." She said, holding out her hand. The mirage went to place the fake earrings in Sound Burier's hand, but once they made contact the mirage vanished… showing only the real Ladybug, her costume still on. She swung Sound Burier onto the ground, but the villain quickly broke out of Ladybug's grasp and got to her feet.
"YOU'VE BEEN TRICKED! THREATEN TO START CUTTING THE HOSTAGES" Chrysalis commanded. But before Sound Burier could obey -
"CLOUT!"
With a mighty boom, the whole eiffel tower shook, and Ladybug and Sound Burier were sent flying off of it, far away from the hostages.
"AMPLIFIER, CATCH ME!" The villain yelled, and her sentimonster flew to catch her midair. However, Ladybug wrapped her yo yo around Sound Burier's waist and swung her to the ground, the two of them landing at the same time.
Sound Burier broke free of the restraints and swung at Ladybug, forcing the hero to dodge away. The villain then had to block a sudden claw strike from Purple Tigress. She slammed her shovel into the ground: "SOUND BURIAL!"
"Was everyone out of range for that?" Viperion asked. He got affirmative responses from Vesperia and Pigella. "Alright, 16th time's the charm. Pigella, run straight forward for 42 seconds, and then hit the deck. After 8 seconds, stand back up, keep running towards the villain, and use your Gift on her at the soonest opportunity."
Pigella would do as instructed, running towards the enemy and then hitting the deck just in time to avoid being seen. Purple Tigress and Ladybug were trading blows with the villain and occasionally being blown away by Amplifier. Meanwhile, Cat Noir and Rena were freeing the hostages.
Sound Burier spotted Pigella right as it was too late. "GIFT!" Pigella would shout, giving a vision to Sound Burier which would proceed to put her in a trance. It was of a man professing his love to her. And that man… was not Luka. None of them even recognized him.
" ." Purple Tigress growled, no sound coming out of her mouth. However, the anger on her face was palpable.
Viperion saw the vision from his vantage point, unsure if he was seeing it right. It put a pit in his stomach: he knew that he didn't want her anymore, but somehow it still hurt knowing he was once again a second choice for someone. Then again, she wasn't his first choice either, but that just made him feel worse.
"Do I go?" Vesperia asked.
"Huh?"
"Viperion, do I go?"
"Yes, run for it!"
Amplifier knocked Pigella away with a big blast of sound, and soon after sent Ladybug and Purple Tigress flying. However, they both wrapped their weapons around it, keeping them from flying too far away from it. Ladybug pulled on her yoyo and Purple Tigress on her bolas to try and force it to keep facing them. It sent shockwave after shockwave at the two of them, who did their best to hold on in order to give their friend time.
"VENOM!" Vesperia yelled, stabbing the sentimonster and making it go inert. From there, Ladybug walked over to the motionless Sound Burier and grabbed the shovel, breaking the head of it in two. Everyone's voices came back as the akuma and amok flew off into the air.
"Time to de-evilize! Gotcha! Bye bye little butterfly! Bye bye little feather!" Ladybug purged the akuma and amok before letting them fly off, free.
"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" She threw the easel into the air, repairing all the damage caused by Sound Burier, who had turned back into Kayla.
"Where… Where am I?" She asked.
"You were akumatized." Ladybug explained, pulling out a magical charm and handing it to her. "Here, hold onto this. It'll remind you that you don't need to be ruled by your negative emotions."
"Thanks, Ladybug." She said, accepting it. She started to walk away. "Now to get somewhere nice and quiet…"
—
Chrysalis clenched her fist and shook it at the heavens. "Go ahead and play your victory theme tonight, Ladybug. But I promise, when the credits roll, it'll be MY music which resounds throughout Paris!"
—
"...Hellooooo? Earth to Viperion?"
"H-huh?" Viperion looked over and saw Vesperia standing next to him.
"You okay there, buddy?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"You don't seem fine. Seems like something about that whole thing bothered you."
Viperion looked down at where the Gift occurred. "That girl… I saw her going on a date with a boy earlier today. And it wasn't with the guy in the vision."
"I see. I guess that's rough?" Vesperia said, wanting to be sympathetic but not entirely sure she was reading the situation properly. "You seem to be taking it pretty hard."
"I just feel bad for the guy she's dating, is all. Being a second choice… isn't exactly fun."
"Well, sometimes love doesn't work out, you know?" Vesperia said, reaching up to rub Viperion's head comfortingly. "Moving on can be difficult, but everyone deserves a second chance. Or a third. Or a 16th." She said with a cheeky grin. "Just keep your head up, okay? Your girl will come around eventually. But before that… you're about to transform back." She said, pointing to his bracelet. Viperion noticed and jolted.
"Right! Thanks. I'll be off." He said before rushing off to his assigned meetup point to hand the miraculous off to Ladybug.
—
"Thanks, Ladybug. I'm glad I got to help you again today." Rose said, handing off her miraculous. She then looked down, somber. Ladybug furrowed her brow.
"Rose, is something wrong? You can tell me."
"No, it's nothing - "
"If it prevents the wielder of the pig from doing her duty the best she can, it's not nothing."
"Then maybe you should find someone else for the pig."
"Rose, you know that there's no one better fit for it than you. Come on, it's obvious this is killing you. If not me, please tell someone."
"...Do you promise to keep it a secret?" Rose asked.
"Lady's honor."
Rose took a deep breath. "...PURPLE TIGRESS! IS WAY! TOO! DREAMY!" She yelled. "I just - I just - I have a girlfriend. I have Juleka. I love her so much. But every time I'm alone with Purple Tigress she always hits on me, and I'm too flustered to tell her to stop! And the worst part is, she's really good at it! My heart's always racing when I'm around her! I'm a terrible girlfriend! Juleka doesn't deserve to be NTR'd! I'm the worst for even thinking about it! If Juleka knew she wouldn't want to even LOOK at me!"
Rose continued to rant about this for a while, but Ladybug's eyes were glazed over. All that existed behind them was pain. After a while, she worked up the energy to grab Rose by the shoulders, shutting her up.
"Listen, Rose, things get heated when you're a superhero. Look up the suspension bridge effect, that's all this is. You haven't flirted back or done anything bad, right? You're fine, you haven't betrayed Juleka. And, if it helps, I can get Purple Tigress to stop. Okay?"
"Really? You'd do that for me?"
"Promise."
"OH, THANK YOU LADYBUG, YOU'RE THE BEST!" She cried out, hugging Ladybug.
"H-hey, I need to go! Let go! Yes, I love you too, now please-"
—
Ladybug landed next to Juleka, who offered the tiger miraculous. Ladybug took it with a sigh.
"Juleka, we need to talk."
"Yeah? What about?"
"It's about Pigella. She has someone she's seeing, you can't - "
"Well, duh. She's seeing me, right? I mean, I think we're still dating."
"...huh?" Ladybug asked.
"It's Rose, yeah? I mean, I'm assuming. There's no way there are 2 people in Paris who are that adorable.
Ladybug took a deep breath. On one hand, this could all be solved if she just let them know each other's identities. But she also knew better than that. Her and Cat Noir learned each other's identities by chance, and there were timelines where that got very messy. As much as she loves him, she'd undo that reveal if she could. It's too dangerous. She couldn't risk things just because it'd make love for these 2 a bit easier.
She took a deep breath before saying something she was CERTAIN was going to mean a lot more work for her.
"Pigella isn't Rose."
Juleka's face dropped. Ladybug knew she'd have to do a LOT more comforting tonight.
—
Marinette slinked across the streets of Paris after a solid 30 minutes of consoling Juleka. She felt like she was about to collapse… but then she saw Adrien. Her beautiful, wonderful Adrien. She broke into a sprint and hugged him, burying her face in his chest.
"...I guess I'm booked for tonight, huh?"
"You know it." She said.
Zoe happened to be nearby when this happened. She smiled for them before walking back home, certain her second chance would come along some time soon.
—
"There you are, Jules!" Luka said as Juleka walked back onto the boat. He pulled her into a hug, which she reciprocated.
"Hey, bro?"
"Yeah?"
"How about we go get those smoothies together."
He smiled down at her. "I was about to suggest the same thing.