Scene 9 - Luka in the Sewer (part 2)
"We're in sync!" Ladybug confirmed over the earpiece.
Viperion activated his second chance.
"We have five minutes," she said. "At my signal, rewind!"
Viperion looked at the stopwatch he had just set. A thought crossed his mind.
When he activated his power again, they would return to this exact moment. Ladybug would not remember what had happened during the loop.
What if nothing happened in the loop?
He already knew that Chat Noir was Adrien Agrest, so he didn't need to wait for Chat Noir to reveal his name to Ladybug. He could stop her right now, tell her the mission was a success, and be on their way. She would never know that they were still on the first loop.
He didn't need to listen to her fall in love with Chat Noir.
As far as he could tell, Sass had looked the other way when it came to his last lie to Ladybug. His kwamii had not informed the guardian that Viperion had seen both her and her partner detransform while fighting Exaceur. But how many more secrets was the snake willing to keep for him?
"We should know our secret identities," he heard Ladybug say to Chat Noir over the radio.
He would see how this goes.
"Ladybug, the countdown is almost done!" Viperion shouted into the earpiece. Why hadn't she given him the signal yet?
He had known she would be stunned when she discovered that Chat Noir was Adrien, but he had not anticipated that she would abandon the plan altogether.
Should he disobey her order, and set the clock back without her signal?
She would never know.
Luka shook away the thought. He could not betray her like that.
He watched in silence as the last remaining seconds on his stopwatch ran out.
"Zero, no turning back now"
The head of the snake on his bracelet clicked back into place and his transformation fell. He caught Sass in his hands and reached into his pocket for more egg to feed him.
"I really hope she knows what she's doing," he told Sass.
"That was quite the declaration of love he gave," Sass hissed between bites.
Luka sighed.
"It's everything she's always wanted Adrien to say to her."
His kwamii gave no response, instead looking down to scoop up the last crumbs of his treat.
"I hope…" Luka started. "I hope now that she knows, she can find the peace of mind she needs to finally tell him how she feels."
"Is that really how you feel?" Sass questioned.
"It's how I should feel," Luka replied.
When Ladybug returned to their meeting place, she still looked flustered.
It is quite a shock. Luka thought to himself. He had experienced that shock as well, realizing that Marinette had been pining after the same boy she rejected almost daily.
"Why did you change your mind?" he asked her, handing her the snake miraculous.
She delicately palmed the bracelet, returning it to her magic yo-yo. When she spoke, her voice was shaky, and unsure.
"I'm curious to see what happens, now that I know..."
Now that you know you're in love with him. Luka finished in his head.
"But, you said it was too dangerous, knowing his identity?" Luka said questioningly. What would happen now if Papillombre overpowered Marinette? Wouldn't both their identities be revealed?
"As long as he does not know who I am, it will be OK," she insisted. "I will do everything I can to keep it that way. First step, I'll tell Grand Master Su-Han''
She clearly was not confident in her decision, but Luka knew better than to question her further. Instead he gave her a reassuring nod, and resolved that his role was not to critique her methods but to support her instead. He would make sure she was not akumatized. He would keep her safe.
