Hello everyone! This is the last part for Bomb Voyage. I am terrible at writing action scenes so please don't expect very good quality work. Leave a review and give me more puns!
He stood in the exact replica of Ladybug's suit. Well, he supposed that since he was Ladybug now, it was his suit. Felix stood tall in the Ladybug suit, trying to get used to the material that felt like second skin. He had transformed using the Ladybug Miraculous, it had magically (of course) turned itself into clip on earrings, and in a glow of pink light he had found himself in the iconic skin tight outfit.
The outfit really didn't hide anything and Felix had never felt more exposed in the suit than he had in his entire life. The old man, who had only introduced himself as Master Fu, had gently taken the Miraculous from Marinette's bag and a freshly awoken TIkki hovered and worried over the unconscious girl.
"Chat Noir will not be fighting the Akuma alone." Master Fu had said in what Felix could describe as a 'I-know-the-answers-to-all-so-just-trust-me' voice.
"What do you mean he's not alone. You cannot possibly mean for Marinette to battle in her condition. She's not even conscious!" Felix yelled, gesturing to his unconscious friend, blood pooling underneath a wound on Marinette's side. Honestly, he was man enough to admit that he was scared shitless and could really use a good cup of hot chocolate to soothe his frazzled nerves.
Also an increasingly frantic desire to hide Marinette from the world, plagued his mind. The only thought running through his head was the intense desire to protect her from the horrors of Akumas and whatever other terrible thing Marinette had been fighting off the entire time he was not able to be physically present in her life. He felt like he was losing Marinette - and a bit of himself, every single time she left the house.
Isolated in his developmental years by his genius mind and the stifling environment of the boarding school, Felix had never felt like a part of the crowd. But Marinette had been his salve against the burn of being ostracized.
There was a bloodthirsty akuma whose aim was to cause as much destruction as possible and here was this old man making light of the situation. Master Fu had only shaken his head before smiling and raising a hand to point at Felix.
"You will be the one helping Chat Noir."
What?
Are you fucking crazy? Also didn't anybody tell him that pointing was rude.
Master Fu raised a thin grey eyebrow and dropped his hand. Oops, perhaps that had been said out loud. Master Fu took one of Felix's hands and gently placed the earrings on to his palm and curled the fingers into a fist.
Felix could feel how unnaturally warm the earrings were. Tikki flew up to him with big blue eyes. "Please Felix, the reversal would help heal Marinette."
Healing Marinette was the only important thing now wasn't it? Marinette who was the storm that brought color into his dreary life. Even the thought of losing her made his entire body shudder and Felix had to consciously fight the physical need to hold Marinette closer to himself.
If he took the earrings he would become Ladybug
If he took the earrings he would be able to save Marinette.
Marinette who was bleeding a little bit more for every moment he took the time to ponder his choices. Marinette who was probably stepping closer towards death's door every moment he hesitated. Marinette. Marinette. Marinette. Marinette. Marinette. Marinette. Marinette. Marinette. Marinette. Marinette. Marinette. Marinette.
Felix holds the magic yo-yo that he has seen Marinette wield like a pro in his own trembling hand. He had never even played with a yo-yo in his life. How was he going to use it to save the day?
"I will bring Marinette to my store and begin to heal her. Go, young Ladybug and save your friend." Felix noticed that Master Fu hadn't said to save Paris. Which was interesting. Because Felix couldn't give two shits about the city when Marinette's life was in danger. When it was Marinette's life on the line. Literally the only thing that could save Marinette right now was Felix using the Miraculous Ladybug and reverting everything to before the Akuma hit.
Felix desperately took Marinette's hand in his and squeezed it. Marinette was the single most beautiful thing in his life and he would be damned to all the nine circles of Hell if he didn't save her.
"Ladybug, her pulse is increasing, it's not normal. This isn't good." The turtle Kwami, Wayzz, piped up from his position on Marinette's shoulder. "I think Marinette is going into shock. Something is seriously wrong." The Kwami was acting like Marinette's heart monitor. "Her wounds might get infected if we stay here any longer." Wayzz looks worriedly towards Master Fu and the new Ladybug. Ladybug closed his eyes, kissing the knuckles of Marinette's smaller hand in his before he turned and ran towards the inferno that was the park.
Chat Noir was taking refuge behind an overturned park bench and Ladybug shot his yo-yo into the air, it wrapped around a lamppost and testing the line, with a flick of his wrist Ladybug reeled in the line and allowed himself to be lifted into the air.
He did not scream.
Swinging through the air with nothing but a magic yo-yo to rely on, was not as terrifying as he thought it would be. It was not being able to precisely control his actions while mid-air that made him choke down the scream.
The park was only a couple of blocks away, yet it took him almost 10 minutes to soar above and past the iron fence and landing (ungracefully) on the overturned park bench that Chat Noir was hiding behind. Unfortunately the arrival of the spotted hero attracted the attention of the Akuma.
Ladybug took his yo-yo and shot it through the air, wrapping the akuma with the indestructible wire. Bomb Voyage screamed in outrage. "Ladybug!" She snarled. The Akuma struggled in its bounds and Ladybug struggled to keep the Akuma contained.
"My.. Lady?" Chat Noir questioned from his hiding spot. His face was bruised and there was debris in his blond hair. "I didn't remember you saying you wanted to go blond. I guess we blonds really do have more fun." He joked but Ladybug could see the question in the startling familiar green eyes.
Felix was a hundred percent certain he had seen that particular shade of green before. The Miraculous or maybe it was Kwami magic that was preventing his mind from connecting the dots. He felt like a cat without his whiskers.
"H-hey?" Ladybug attempted to smile at his temporary partner, it came out as more of a grimace. Temporary partner because there was no way in hell that he would ever cover for Marinette and wear this extremely embarrassing costume ever again.
"Hey yourself, Ladybug." Chat glanced towards the Akuma who was still screaming in its' bounds. "I don't think I can hold her much longer. Where's the akuma hiding Chat Noir?" Felix felt the akuma trying to break free and tightened his grip around the wire.
"I don't know! She doesn't pay any particular attention to anything." Chat extended his baton to ready himself in a defensive stance. The Akuma crouched into itself and her hands touched the wire binding her. Glowing handprints glowed against the dark wire and several explosions detonated.
Felix felt the wire go slack in his grip and quickly reeled his yo-yo back. He felt Chat Noir wrap an arm around his stomach and suddenly, he was choking down another scream while he was being raised into the air.
Chat Noir extended his baton high into the sky trying to find a safe place to land. His grip on the new Ladybug tightened. When Ladybug had first arrived he had thought it was an imposter until he felt a tingle at the back of his mind. The magic that cloaked both their bodies was familiar.
It was the same aura of Ladybug magic he had associated his Lady with. That he had always sensed faint traces around Marinette. Something he had pushed aside because he had always assumed it was because Marinette was always hanging around Akuma attacks.
Each of his classmates who had been akumatised before held a faint trace of Akuma magic on their person.
He had thought Marinette's aura had been touched because she seemed to always be in the centre of so many attacks. Now he knew better. Marinette was his Ladybug. The girl who swung across the rooftops with him. She accompanied him at the top of the Eiffel Tower on late nights after his father had been particularly harsh.
Marinette who was injured and only had his brother as protection. His brother who had no powers, who could barely carry her in his arms without tripping over his own feet. Spotting a relatively flat rooftop, Chat Noir leaned his weight and the two masked heroes landed roughly on the stone tiles.
"Where's the real Ladybug?" Chat Noir questioned immediately. Not leaving time for the rookie to catch his breath. It was like Stoneheart all over again. Ladybug was clumsy and careless, without the usual poise and confidence that they had worked and built up from the experience of purifying the various Akuma across the two years.
"She's hurt and the Master has taken her." Ladybug replied curtly. Staring straight into Chat Noir's own emerald irises. Chat's faux ears perked at the mention of the Master but waved away the thought. If Marinette was with the Master then she was in the best possible care. Well, at least he hoped so.
Chat gave the man in front of him a once over. This Ladybug also had blue eyes, but not the same shade of bluebells that Marinette sported. They were a stormy blue-grey. Chat could see the concern in his eyes. Whatever happened to Marinette clearly affected this person enough that even Chat could see it.
The blond standing before him was taller than Chat, with a slender build. He seemed older too, from the way the guy stood up and dusted himself it seemed like he was unfamiliar with the correct way to land. No experience in the field perhaps? Not the sporty kind of guy?
An annoying voice at the back of his head, the one that Chat Noir had always associated with Plagg, kept poking at how close this Ladybug was acting towards Marinette. That was genuine concern Chat could see lurking in stormy blue-grey eyes.
Who was this man?
1. A tall blond man, slender with stormy eyes
2. Extremely concerned with Marinette's general well being
3. Stormy Blue-Green eyes that looked at him with an uncertainty that niggled at the back of his mind
Chat Noir only knew of one person that fit that exact description. Someone who hung around Marinette like an affectionate cat. Chat Noir was willing to admit that he was jealous of the man before him. The man who could apparently come and sleepover in the Dupain-Cheng household with virtually no resistance from Marinette's parents.
"Felix?" He whispered. The blond who had been observing the burning park while being scrutinized by Chat Noir whipped his head with a startled look in his eyes.
"You… You know me." It wasn't a question. It was an accusation. Ladybug narrowed his eyes, trying to force his brain to connect the dots.
Standing before Felix was Chat Noir, the hero of Paris. Partner of Ladybug. He who stood between her and mortal peril, more often than not a cat-boy shaped shield. A boy who was younger than him with startling messy blond hair and familiar green eyes.
A loud explosion rocked the city as the Akuma's screams echoed in the air. Both blonds ran for cover as rubbled flew through the air. Ladybug took his yo-yo and spun it to form a shield when a huge chunk of flaming tree trunk flew towards them.
The tree bark broke harmlessly into two pieces and landed next to the two of them with a loud thud. "No time for chit-chat, Chat." Ladybug jogged towards the edge of the roof with a large frown even as Chat Noir chuckled at the unintended pun.
"What do you know about the Akuma?" Ladybug questioned. The firefighters had arrived just outside the park but they were unable to enter the premises. The terrifying screaming of the Akuma warded them off. "I'm not really sure what made her tick, but the longer she sits in that park the greater the chance of the fire spreading to the nearby arrondissement." -Which so happened to be Marinette's house and bakery. "That Akuma is gonna blow up when she realises that we're not hiding in the smoke."
"It doesn't look like she had much of a fuse, to begin with." Ladybug replied dryly. Chat Noir chuckled at the pun.
The police force had created a barricade that surrounded the park to prevent any civilians from getting caught in the crossfire. A couple of ambulances had arrived and some victims were already strapped in and ready for transport.
"Bomb Voyage is only immune to her explosions and their aftershocks." Ladybug began thoughtfully. "I saw her flinch away from the fire." Chat Noir hummed in response. "We just need to trap her." From their vantage spot on the rooftop, the two heroes watched as the Akuma got tired of being ignored. She raised her arms high in the air, the outline of Papillon's mask glowing over her face.
Chat Noir didn't want to know what Papillon could possibly be saying to the already angry Akuma.
"What would Ladybug do… in this situation?" Ladybug whispered. Chat Noir doubted that he was supposed to hear it but with his enhanced hearing he caught it. "She would have come with one of her ingenious ideas." Chat offered helpfully. This was his brother behind the spotted Akuma had wandered to the only place that hadn't been swallowed by flames, the remains of the fountain. She paced angrily around the rubble, winding herself around the broken stone. Glancing at the ground below the Akuma's feet as it began to give way to its heavy build, an idea crept from the back of Ladybug's mind.
"How… does the lucky charm work?" Ladybug asks uncertainty in his voice. Of course, Felix wouldn't be familiar with Ladybug's powers. He had only been back in France for a little more than a month. Chat Noir gave his brother a pat on the shoulder.
"Lucky Charm creates a seemingly random item that when used correctly, will help us save the day. Once you use it, you only have 5 minutes before you detransform. Ma- uh... My Lady would always have cookies stashed for her Kwami because Tikki's gonna be exhausted once the transformation drops." Felix nods at the explanation, ignoring the slight stumble in Chat's words - filing it away for later. He could recall seeing Marinette return home and detransform. Tikki had practically wilted onto the table, sleepily munching on a cookie to replenish the lost energy.
"We need to break whatever it is that's been possessed by Papillon's Akuma. When it's free, you need to cleanse it. If the Akuma isn't purified, it multiplies and we'll have a whole new shit show to handle." Chat watched as his brother's face paled beneath the mask. Oh Dieu, is Felix even ready to purify the Akuma?
"You just need to open the yo-yo and throw it towards the butterfly that's trying to escape. You can't miss it. It's black and glows purple." Felix nods, taking in a shaky breath.
"When the Akuma is purified you can toss the Lucky Charm in the air. You know about Miraculous Ladybug right?" Not waiting for a reply, Chat continues with his explanation."Once you call out Miraculous Ladybug, the Lucky Charm will take in all the positive energy it's made of and turn into a million tiny ladybugs and they'll fix everything to before the Akuma arrived." Turning away from Chat Noir, Ladybug faces the park with a new determination in his stormy eyes.
"You know that the Akuma is still affected by fire right?" Felix points at how the Akuma was now talking to Papillon, the purple outline of Papillon's mask glowing over her face. "Look at the mud forming under her feet. She's already starting to slip." Chat stood next to his brother, watching as the large Akuma slide through the mud that the broken fountain had created.
"Knock her down?" Chat held the baton in his hand and gripped it hard.
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall." Ladybug shrugged. Sharp eyes now trying to spot anything that could possibly be the akumatized item. A glint caught his eye. The Akuma had just slipped and something metal had slipped out from under its vest. It looked like a rectangle.
"What's that?" Chat Noir followed Ladybug's finger and caught sight of the reflective rectangle that had caught Ladybug's attention. "I think Ladybug, we've just found ourselves an akumatized object. " Chat Noir grinned.
"We need to wrap things up. My friend… She's badly hurt." Ladybug gripped the metal railing in both hands, and hurriedly let go when it started to bend under pressure. Staring at his own hands in surprise, Chat continued to observe his brother.
"We'll defeat this Akuma and save the day. Ladybug always fixes everything. You're not any different." Chat thumped his brother on the back and held a hand out. Ladybug gaped at the hero with wide eyes, the way Chat Noir soothed him was so familiar. He didn't hesitate to grab Chat's hand and soon found himself falling through the air with a strong arm wrapped around his middle.
Landing in front of the Bomb Voyage, the two heroes fell into a defensive stance. Chat Noir brandished his staff while Ladybug spun his yo-yo into a shield. The two exchanged looks and split up. They needed the Akuma to create more explosions around the ground to shake up the compact soil. The beautiful landscaping of the park was going to end up looking like a minefield by the time they were done.
Ladybug took the opportunity to distract the Akuma, now that he understood the strength flowing through his body and his newfound invulnerability, it was easier to dodge the explosions. Since more than half the park was already engulfed in fire, the Akuma had no choice but to use her smaller explosives on the two heroes before her. The smoke was beginning to affect her and she had to force her large body into a crouch, Bomb Voyage growled in frustration.
It felt like they were toying with her, jumping just out of reach of her explosions. Occasionally she would land on all fours whenever Ladybug or Chat Noir would lash out and attack her and then she would have to immediately jump out of the way when her hands would leave her detonating handprints.
Cursing Papillon under her breath she yelled in frustration when she stumbled over the remains of the fountain, where it had only been leaking water, Bomb Voyage had knocked away the last of the standing stone and the water erupted like a geyser above their heads.
"LUCKY CHARM" Bomb Voyage turns to see Ladybug catching something red and spotted in his hands. And really, since when had Ladybug been a blond boy? Papillon's cold anger washed over her head making her thoughts fuzzy. The pain pounding behind her eyes as she tried to ignore the angered villain in her head.
She was losing and Papillon was not pleased.
The water that had been erupting skyward now spread across the park when Ladybug pushed his Lucky Charm, an automatic sprinkler over the exposed water pipe. The loose soil beneath their feet quickly began to soften.
Chat stepped carefully in front of Bomb Voyage and crouched low to maintain his balance on the rapidly forming mud. In a stroke of Ladybug luck, Chat hadn't had to waste his Cataclysm on the fountain. He watched as Ladybug once again launched himself at the Akuma in an attempt to shake the possessed item out of hiding.
The Akuma managed to jump out of the way in the nick of time, but lost her footing and landed heavily on her side. The reflective rectangle was jarred by Bomb Voyage's heavy fall and landed in the mud. Spotting the opportunity for what it was, Chat Noir dived into the mud, yelling Cataclysm as his hand wrapped around what he could now see was a decorative passport cover.
The black butterfly fluttered as it escaped the destroyed holder and Ladybug launched the opened yo-yo. Soaring through the park like a glowing ladybug, the yo-yo caught the black butterfly within its light. He grabs the closed yo-yo close to him as it reeled back into his hand.
Looking in Chat's direction he followed the hero's movements and released the now purified Akuma back into the air. Chat walked over to Ladybug, spotted sprinkler in his hand. "Just throw it as high up in the air as you can." Holding out the Lucky Charm for his older brother to use.
Ladybug nodded and gently took the Lucky Charm from the masked boy. A loud "Miraculous Ladybug" and the city was enveloped in the millions of tiny ladybugs that washed away the lingering destruction.
For two years, Chat Noir had been working tirelessly with Marinette to save their beloved city. For two years he had watched his Lady cast Miraculous Ladybug, time after time. It was watching Felix awkwardly tossing the sprinkler in the air that Chat realised that it wasn't the fact that Ladybug had been curing the city almost effortlessly. Chat had practically memorized everything about his Lady, he could probably do a perfect replica in his sleep. And he might actually have done it if Plagg was to be believed.
But watching his brother try to do the very thing that Marinette had perfected made his chest ache and his heart clench painfully. It should be Marinette standing there victorious once again. It should be Marinette who held her fist up for Chat, for Adrien, to bump. It should be Marinette's sweet smile that greeted him. Her midnight blue hair shining in the sunlight.
Beeping could be heard from their Miraculous. Ladybug startled and glanced towards Chat Noir. "You go ahead. I'll visit My Lady a little later." Chat crouched to the victim and gently helped her up. Ladybug could only nod as he ran away as fast as he could to a secure enough place to detransform. Chat distractedly watched as his brother ran off. It should have been Marinette swinging away in to the distance with a cheerful. "Bug out!"
He needed to check on Alya. Marinette would have been so upset if she knew Alya was hurt and Adrien hadn't checked on the reporter while the bluenette was unavailable. Adrien refused to use the word - unconscious... injured... comatose... Who knew what her condition was at the moment. Chat shook the thoughts away and tried his best to talk to the victim who was sobbing into her hands.
Managing to duck into an alley as close to the general direction of Master Fu's store, the bright pink light engulfed him and a tired Tikki dropped from the air as she materialised. Felix barely managing to catch her in his sweaty and shaking palms.
"I'll lead you, Felix." Tikki whispered weakly. Felix cradled the tiny thing in his arms as if it were a toy. He stood silently, gazing up at the door of the Chinese Massage Spa. This is where the last Grand Master of the Miraculous operated from?
He hesitantly opened the door at Tikki's quiet urging. She directed him up the stairs where the smell of incense and jasmine permeated the air. "This one." Tikki whispered as she pointed towards a nondescript brown door. The shop seemed inconspicuous enough. Nobody would think that the one who granted Ladybug and Chat Noir their powers resided above an old traditional massage parlour.
Felix certainly didn't.
Felix entered the establishment, and with Tikki's urging climbed up to the second floor where he found a shut door. He knocked twice, heard a quiet "Enter" that was so soft that he had almost missed. Opening the door, the first thing he saw was the unconscious Marinette resting on a single bed in the middle of the room. Her top was gone and her entire torso was wrapped in fresh bandages.
Master Fu sat at her bedside, holding bloodied bandages and gave Felix a kind smile. He got up from the stool and made his way past the tall blond. "I do not know when she will wake, but her life is no longer in danger."
It felt like all the stress that had built up throughout the day had rushed out of his body. He dropped to his knees next to Marinette's bed, barely managing to hold her hand in his before the tears fell from his eyes.
He had almost lost her.
She had been on the very brink of death.
He had almost been too late to save his light.
It was no doubt that the power of Ladybug was truly Miraculous but not even the Miraculous Ladybug and her magic could return someone from the dead. Wayzz watched as Felix sobbed on to Marinette's bedside, face red and breathing laboured.
Tikki had hoped onto Master's shoulder and gone to replenish her energy.
Wayzz watched over both the young temporary Ladybug, who still wore the earrings in his ears and Marinette who was paler than he had ever seen her. The bruises under her eyes, the cut that had been on her head had healed. But Master had not the time to wash off the dried blood from her hair.
The wound that had taken a pretty big chunk from her side had disappeared and the missing flesh had regenerated. Marinette would be just fine, albeit sore for the next couple of days.
It took a while before Felix ran out of tears to cry. Eyes red-rimmed, flushed cheeks and bright eyes, Felix moved from his position from the floor to the stool so that he could comfortably keep watch over his love.
He loved her.
He had admitted it to Adrien when they went to the waterpark without hesitation. But this was the first time he had truly understood what it meant. What being love truly meant. He could feel more tears threatening to fall and chuckled. Only Marinette could invoke such strong feelings in him.
Felix didn't know how much time had passed but the sun had long set and he started to feel the exhaustion in his bones. His stomach growled and he checked his watch. It was past the time for dinner.
A knock was heard at the door and Felix turned, expecting to see the Master.
Blue met green.
Hope you've enjoyed this chapter! It took a while because I can never write action scenes and it took me a while to be satisfied with my writing. Leave me more puns! Thank you for your continuous support! Reading reviews really make my day.