29 October 2020

Prompt: Need

Character/Pairing: Dingo King (OC), Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Rating: T / PG-13 / Teen

Notes: Originally Quick gave me a GREAT idea for this one, but I didn't want to do two centered on Dingo's junk (ew). I think it was Oct 26 (Costume) I mentioned Dingo taking over for Luka as Viperion once?

"All right, mate, wakey-wakey!" Dingo calls as he shoulders open Luka's door. He's got a bottle of water in one hand and Luka's pills in the other. "Time for your…"

He freezes in the doorway as he sees Ladybug sitting on Luka's bed, her blue eyes wide behind the mask as she stares back at him. Luka's head is on her lap, and he groans at the light Dingo had flipped on upon entering the room. He curls closer to Ladybug, pressing his face into her stomach.

"…oh, hell no!" Dingo snaps, the pieces falling together in his mind. Ladybug's hand fists in Luka's sweat-slicked hair, and he groans a little louder. "No, Marinette! He's sick! Look at him – he can't even move! You can't –"

"I know that, dumbass!" Ladybug snaps back, but she winces when Luka's hand fists beside her hip, and she smooths his hair back as she looks back at him. "I'm sorry. I know, star. I'm sorry."

"He can't fight," Dingo says firmly, crossing over to the bed to stand over them with his arms folded over his chest. Ladybug looks worried.

"I need Viperion's power," she finally says. Her hand stills on his head, and she chews on her lip. "I knew he was too sick to…but I was hoping maybe he'd be feeling better. Or…I don't know what I was thinking."

"You're thinking Hawkmoth sucks and you're desperate," Dingo sighs. He shoves Luka's legs over and drops on the edge of the bed. He shakes Luka a little. Luka barely has the strength to kick at him. "Oi. You need to take your medicine, dumbass."

"He was throwing up when I got here," Ladybug says. "I don't think he'll be able to keep it down right now."

"Shit," Dingo mutters. He puts the water and the bottle of pills on the amp Luka uses as a bedside table and pokes him. "Ok. Here's what we're gonna do. Lu, when you're stomach's settled, take your medicine. LB, I'll take Sass and go with you."

Luka makes an agitated little noise, and Dingo shoves him again. He curls closer to Ladybug, who's glaring at him.

"You see any other options?" Dingo asks. Ladybug sighs and shakes her head.

"No," she says, "because the Snake is one Miraculous I can't wield with my own. I can't be on the sidelines and still fight the akuma at the same time. Dingo, are you sure you can do this? You're not exactly…"

"Oh, I know I can't do this," Dingo scoffs, "but what other choice do we have? Neither one of us are gonna let him out of this bed until he's better."

Ladybug looks back at Luka, her eyes softening. Dingo sighs and reaches out, laying a hand on her shoulder and squeezing.

"He's only had one dose so far, baby girl," he says. "He'll be a lot better tomorrow, but Paris can't wait until tomorrow."

"I feel so helpless," she says quietly. "I can't…I need to be here with him."

"Paris needs you, too," Dingo says. "And I've got him. Besides, if you were here, you'd just get sick, too, and then where would Paris be?"

Ladybug's smile is small, but it's there. She bends down to kiss Luka's forehead, and he blinks blearily at her before holding his wrist up. She slips the bangle off and presses her lips back to his skin. Luka tries to sit up, but the most he can manage is to slide off her lap and crawl to his pillow. He glares at Dingo as Ladybug hands him the Miraculous, but it's not as effective as it would be if he was at full strength.

"Keep…keep her safe," he chokes out, and Dingo rolls his eyes before flicking his hip. Luka winces, and Dingo gives him an apologetic smile. Luka had already told him his skin had felt like a livewire with his fever.

"You know I won't let anything happen to her," he says, and Ladybug snorts.

"It's cute that you both seem to think he's going to be the one protecting me," she scoffs. Her hand has found Luka's again, and she squeezes as she looks back at Dingo. Sass has appeared on his shoulder, his glowing eyes watching him uncertainly. "Are you sure you can do this, Dingo?"

"Not at all, Mari," he says with a laugh, "but we're kinda out of options, ain't we?"

"You know Chat makesssss a horrible ssssnake," Sass reminds her, and she groans as she rubs at her eyes.

"Ok," she says. "Ok. Ok. Then…Dingo King, this is the Miraculous of the Snake. You will use it to wield the power of –"

"Ladybug," Dingo says, smiling a little sardonically at her. "Do we really have time for your big speech?"

"…just shut up and transform," Ladybug groans. "To activate the Miraculous, say Sass, Scales Slither! To use his power, say Second Chance. You'll have five minutes –"

"To reset as many times as it takes, I know," Dingo says, waving her off. "Now. Let's do this."

Luka ducks his face into his pillow and willfully ignores the shouted words and flashing light that signals Dingo's time as the wielder of the Snake Miraculous has begun. He's not sure if the sinking feeling in his gut is the nausea or the knowledge that there's no way this akuma fight can end well.