"Tata..could you stop staring at me like that? This is making me uncomfortable."

" Giiirl ! He called me Tata! That's soooo cute!"

Since being filled in by the other two, Alya couldn't stop gawking at the young man, circling around him and sprouting all kinds of compliments and theories.

"It's such a shame I can't even get a picture, your head's all blurry on it!"

"Probably a magical security of Fluff's miraculous?" suggested a flustered Marinette, shying near the modeled cogs.

Her best friend didn't spare her earlier, and she had cowardly abandoned her future son as a decoy to avoid some embarrassing remarks.

Alya sighted at her 20th attempts to pierce through Louis' buggy head but finally opted for her interviewer"s skill instead, while Marinette was beginning the tinkering of the time miraculous.

"Hey Louis, you know about our secret identities in the future right? So that means Marinette revealed it to you at least."

The raven boy thought for a few seconds before replying.

" Yes. In the future, all holders know each other's identities, and some of their children being involved with akumas at least. It was too dangerous to be left in the dark."

Marinette's chair went for a drift there.

"Wow, really? Then does that mean…I know who Chat Noir is.?"

Again, the boy paused, and it took longer for him to answer.

"Yes…of course. "

"Uuuuh? Aren't you sweating a bit? What's that supposed to mean?" teased a suspicious Alya. The incarnation of Luck might have been too busy, he wasn't escaping HER Lynx gaze. His discomfort seemed to grow and he involuntarily avoided looking at her. The journalist and sleuth approached to cook him further.

" There's something you're not telling…"

"...I cannot tell you that."

"So you can tell us about all the future stuff…except for Chat Noir? What's that hiding?"

Now, she had Marinette's attention, he could see from the corner of his eyes. Rubbing his nose bridge, he wondered how to get past the examination. He sometimes hated Alya's stubbornness, as she would always try to dig up all secrets they could have, even as kids.

"I've already told you a lot already, I think Mom…Marinette and yourself have a lot to digest. Besides, I only need to reveal all that's important. You will discover in place and time Chat Noir's identity.."

He saw how little convinced she looked, but fortunately, he was saved by the gong when Aysha called them for lunch.

"We haven't finished with this!" glared a determined Alya, making a 'I'm watching you' sign with her hands before happily jumping on the stairs and making acquaintance with the Indian girl.

Louis felt a compassionate Marinette putting a hand on his back with a smile. Tikki floated around his shoulder and voiced her thoughts.

"Don't worry, she's always like that. You might be the biggest discovery she has made since Marinette revealed herself."

"Yeah, I know..She might be a bit more tamed in the future but I swear it's because she already knows every secret of every inhabitant of Paris and she's been looking elsewhere around the world."

The double bun girl and her Kwami giggled in unison and motioned for him to step down.

"Why doesn't it surprise me one bit! By the way, you're invited for lunch too. I would be the worst mother in the world if I let my son starve."

He smiled softly and both directed themselves to the kitchen, promised to a tasty meal.

Afterward, things went smoothly with the repairs. The cogs were put to place and the concoction leftovers magically restored the dial's integrity . When a confused Fluff appeared in thin air, greeted by Tikki; she had almost been spotted by the 11 year-old guest trying to get their attention. It was heartbreaking, but they had to fend her off again, saying they had "adults" stuff to discuss outside. Marinette convinced her mother to take care of her so she wouldn't get too bored or frustrated as she was already. Thankfully, Aysha was surprisingly easy to distract, and seemed to love cooking, as she was always doing it with her mother. Louis and Marinette feared the chaos energy that the girl could bring by revealing too much to Sabine, but right now, they didn't have the time to worry about it and headed outside.

"Once the pocket watch miraculous was repaired, Alix was supposed to meet me at the Fontaine du Palmier in Chatelet Plaza, in about 3 hours to be broad. However, we should go there immediately and be ready. She might be trying to reach it a few times to see if I'm already at the checkpoint. "

"Alright, let's go guys!"

"Are you sure you want to come with us?"

"Girl?"

"Yes, stupid question. Nothing has the power to change your mind Alya."

The trio walked promptly to their destination. It was a bit far and they had to take the metropolitan to reach it, so it gave the girls time to text their respective boyfriends for news.

"Adrien's not responding…do you think he feels abandoned because I haven't contacted him since yesterday?"

"Why are you so silly when he's involved? Of course not. Might be busy again because of his dad. Besides, you've got the literal living proof that he will love you no matter what in front of you, so chill! Nino knows not to bother me for days when I'm investigating. "

Ahh, it was going to be a long trip for Louis. Being stared at by the two teenagers all this time was getting on his nerves, though he perfectly understood the 'Why'. Could Alya understand how embarrassing seeing all the 'playing intermediary ' between his parents was for him? It made him feel out of place. Oh wait, he was actually!

"Let's hurry back to our timeline before it gets too messy. " he whispered to a confused looking Fluff, staring at him with her big blue eyes inside his half-opened bag. Finally, they reached the plaza, with its imposing column fountain and golden angel of victory. A symbolic monument from the old megalomaniac but prolific emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Maybe Alix had personally met him in the past and decided for it to be a strategic point; or simply thought the fountain would help in airborne fighting with less habitations around. The plaza itself felt strangely empty for him : only a few students sharing lunch leaning against the fountain, a restricted line before the Chatelet's Theater on the left, and a few cars passing by while honking to their neighbors, as was the traditional 'greeting' for Paris' drivers all over the city. He interrogated Marinette with a gaze.

"Yeah, it's quite empty even for our era too. It's supposed to be a nevralgic intersection for cars and pedestrians wanting to reach Chatelet ... I think yesterday's event ; The Shift and two akumas attacks; scared people out."

"Let's hope it makes our job easier then." stated Alya, already furrowing to try finding her futurist friend. " I'm so excited to finally meet aged-up Alix! "

Being the tallest of them three, it was Louis who first noticed familiar faces and froze. Both girls looked at his gaze and gaped in continuation. It wasn't Alix he had spotted, but none other than Adrien, Hugo, the peacock holder and her monstrous sister waving excitedly at them.

"What the hell? "

Meeting with Kagami's daughters felt like a blow to Adrien's stomach. I mean, he had stopped dating Kagami only a few months ago, and the last time he checked, Felix had basically kidnapped her (Well, not exactly because it was consensual at the end…but still!). There was no world in his mind they could have been married and having children, especially thinking about how close to zero Felix's romantic skills were.

But hey, the result talked for itself. Now that she was her civilian self, Haruka seemed more tamed, as if she was a nearly different person; an elegant young woman from a distinguished noble smile was still present, more cryptic and tenuous, and only her eyes full of malice would really give her away. Maybe the glamor was the cause though.

"Uhm..well nice to meet you too, all of you…wait, I hope you didn't get caught by the security cameras ! I'm pretty sure I'm the only one to know exactly where they are… How did you hide all the… sentimonsters?"

It kinda felt awkward, because until now, sentimonsters had been weapons with terrifying powers. But with Billie, he was reminded of Sentibug a bit, and he started to not see them just as soulless enemies. Thus, he felt discomfort, not knowing if he was polite enough, and how to actually address them. Billie didn't feel any discomfort, but she narrowed her eyes, confused.

"They can't catch us on TV, remember? He will just think his camera crashed or somethin' !"

"I'm not agreeing with you, my dear sister. Gabriel is not to be underestimated. The buggy cameras might actually give us away. " replied Haruka, while watching Dusuu jumping on the opportunity to grab some croissants.

"Ahhh, french pastries! I missed them so much!"

Adrien noticed how amused Haruka looked. She let her Kwami have a pause, but it wasn't long before she called the tiny peacock back.

"Sorry Dusuu, as I said earlier, it will be a matter of time before the villain Agreste notices something's wrong. That's why we're leaving with Hugo."

The boy standed against it immediately.

"What? But it was perfect! Dad said he wouldn't look for me in his own house!"

"Yes, but now he will double check on his son since we got near him AND inspect his room for intruders. You've got no choice, cousin! Dusuu, Spread my feathers !"

"What, No it's too soon! I didn't even say hellooooo…" the Kwami cried before being vacuumed inside the brooch and triggering the anglo-japanese's transformation. Billie quickly grabbed Hugo like a sack of potatoes on her shoulders, unfazed by the kid's struggle and indignant protests. Did the Fathom have a fashion for kidnapping or..? It didn't take long for Adrien to follow up the lead.

" I'm going with you then! " he exclaimed, before the girls motioned to step out of his windows.

They both stared at each other …and accepted his offer quite easily, actually thrilled by the idea.

"Yeah! Uncle's coming with us! It's gonna be fun! Do you need me to carry you around too?!"

"No need! Plagg, claws out!"

That is how the weirdest procession ever escaped from Adrien's room into Paris.

"I could have done it too by the way…" mumbled a pouting Hugo, who had given up on the idea of escaping his super powered sentimonster of a cousin.

"Hehe, but it's nice to have a taxi for once!" sneaked Xuppu, enjoying the trip.

Their wandering didn't last long before Shiny seemed to detect a fluctuation in magic fluxes. As Haruka explained later, she had asked him to try recovering Alix via detection of miraculous' leaked energy.

"Wow, Sentimonsters can do that? You guys really are something! I wish I had a tracking one to see my father's everymove…"

"Fuck yeah we are! But ya know, maybe Sis could make you more awesome too, like adding superpowers! If it was possible, that would be AWESOME!"

"What really? Does the peacock miraculous affect humans too?"

Billie was going to add something else, but the panicked hits on her back and the hushed voice of the pre-teen halted her from making a mistake. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and whispered to her cousin's ear. 'Wait, you mean he doesn't know? How that possible? Like, how ya don't know that?'

"Uhm? "

"Nothin'! Was just imagining things a bit, hehe! " she retaliate while sweating a bit. Fortunately, the subject was dropped, with a confused Chat Noir interrogation's mark still up above his head for a good five minutes. The little distraction didn't last long, as they halted on a roof and decided they should continue as their citizen's selves, partially parting with the two flying creatures who remained high in the sky.

"There was an akuma attracted to Alix before the Time explosion, let's keep some of our trump cards out of reach. I can detect my babies anywhere as Feather's Empress."

"Feather's Empress?"

"My hero nickname, cool right?"

Hugo rolled his eyes and to his renewed joy, he could feel the ground under his feets again.

" Finally! Can't you just carry me better? My back's hurting like an old man!"

"Tsshh, you brat! It's ya punishment for putting yo'self in danger by the way!" the shark girl only grinned back.

He huffed, but quickly forgot about it. He couldn't be angry at his cousins, he loved them and always admired their independence. They looked so free and unleashed, always ignoring instructions (when in battle that is), just living the moment, and still always got out of tricky situations and sometimes defeated Akuma's by their own strength. How he wished to be like them. Haruka guided them to a plaza he knew a bit, although never having hung alone there. As his eyes were lost on the older buildings, the raven haired girl stated .

"It's near." And indeed, it was revealed true, in the form of a small group approaching the fountain as well. Immediately, Hugo's eyes lightened and he started to run as soon as Billie waved at the tallest figure of them.

"Louis!" he screamed happily and relieved, closing the distance but only to interrupt himself, excitement dropping by the seconds.

"Mm…Louis?"

Instead of brightening at his view, his big brother's face had darkened, the kind of wrath he had rarely seen him arbor. Confused, shaken and paralyzed, Hugo almost stepped back when his brother abruptly closed the gap between them, eyes piercing like lasers. By Kwami's sake, he was going to have a bad noises faintly reached his ears when he got slapped in the face by the adult, pain on his left cheek numbing his surroundings. Shocked, he rubbed his painful cheek and his stunned face looked at the man before him in a mixture of betrayal feeling and rebellious rage. Him who had been so happy to finally meet back his brother didn't expect to be welcomed that way.

"WHAT THE H…"

"HUGO! WHAT ARE THE RULES? LADYBUG's RULE ?"

He gritted his teeth and he gulped, all rage contained, and now being engulfed by a wave of shame. His confused mind was starting to understand. Vehemently replying back didn't suddenly feel like an option, especially seeing how his courage was melting under the intense green eyes of the tall young man who was hovering over him like a hawk. Hugo felt so tiny he didn't have the strength to fight back the scolding that was going to be performed. As he remained silent, Louis spoke again.

"HUGO, RULE NUMBER ONE."

".If you're not a miraculous holder..Al..always obey the rules in any circumstances, except if you are told otherwise by M..Ladybug."

"RULE NUMBER TWO."

"...If you're not a miraculous holder…your priority is…to not put yourself in danger..."

"Rule three?"

"...If…if Ladybug or Chat Noir aren't around but if there's an older person in the secret around you, you will follow their lead.. only if he gives you the unique secret code you have agreed with before…"

Now, all rebellious thoughts had dissipated to fully let place to guilt, his gaze down to the ground like the scolded brat he currently was. He merely felt Louis' strong hands over his shoulders, shaking him and crouching at his height to keep eye contact.

"Hugo! Did I give you the right code?"

"Yes.."

"So you had to obey me right?"

"Yes.."

"And what did you do when I told you to follow me and run?"

He swallowed.

"I… I disobeyed and tried to intervene in the fight…with a miraculous that wasn't..mine...b..but she …she was in danger and I…"

He was prepared for another slap , but was struck when suddenly Louis hugged him tightly instead. The harsh voice was now weavering into a mix of exasperation and relief.

"Hugo you idiot! You're still a brat! You didn't even know what the situation was! I know you wanted to help, I KNOW that! I myself can be SO frustrated when I feel powerless and hell you know how many times it happened to me! But even if Bunnyx was gravely wounded, what could you have done in this situation?! How could I ever face Dad and Mom if you were hurt or worse?!"

Hugo felt he had failed terribly at holding back the tears he was fighting, and released a pitiful "I'm..sorry. I'm so sorry…" Instinctively, he hugged back and both brothers embraced each other, like he had expected it to go beforehands.

Meanwhile, all their companions had remained silent, not knowing how to react to this. Admittedly, Adrien had almost stepped forward when Hugo was slapped, but he had understood it wasn't his role to intervene. Relieved the two boys had reconciled with each other, he had decided to concentrate on his girlfriend and bestfriend who happened to be here by PURE coincidence of course.

"Marinette? Alya? What are you doing here?"

"Adrien?! What are you…Uhm, we were accompanying Louis to…to..euh.."

"What she's trying to say is we've met that guy just a moment ago and decided to help on ladybug's request. So, what's your excuse for being here as well? And who's that behind you?"

He turned back just to check on the eccentric sisters, who had directed themself toward their cousins and had started to tease them fondly.

"It's a very long story..I wouldn't know where to start… I can tell you that Chat Noir brought me Hugo yesterday…"

After parting with his brother and trying to dry his tears, Hugo saw their interaction, how both Marinette and Adrien were feeling awkward about each other. Louis also eyed Adrien and asked without warning.

"Does he know?"

"Uh?"

"About our identity?"

Hugo hesitated to tell the truth, fearing another scolding, but he was beaten by Haruka who had approached them.

"Yes he does! He also knows ours too! If you had seen his face, it was priceless haha!"

"I should ask myself how you did to get caught in this as well but somehow it doesn't surprise me of you, Haruka. Billie should really stop to take exemple on you!" deadpanned Louis. This one always had a nose for the odds.

"Oww! First slapping your brother without ceremony and then implying I'm some shady person to my own sister, how mean!"

He heavily sighted before getting up, ruffling the head of his little brother who was waiting for the second round of scolding.

"Don't worry Hugo, I've told Mom and Tata as well."

Before Hugo could enter deeper confusion, he explained quickly that Bunnyx had a way to correct everything without compromising their fates. He still added that they didn't know their secret identities though. It really wasn't the time for Monarch to pick up too much information, nor for their father to get akumatized… The model's junior face lightened once again.

"Really!? Then nothing will matter? Youhou!"

"I wouldn't say that if I were you….."

Growling, Hugo followed his brother's gaze and saw that all the three 'pastling' were now looking at them, notably 2 of them, blushing madly. Apparently, they had stopped talking between each other, and were eager (or not) to interact with them. Louis remained calm when he directed himself toward Adrien, startling him when he extended his hand.

"Hello, nice to meet…that version of you. My name's Louis and I think you might already know who I am…"

The blond model seemed really intimidated by how composed the man was. Heck, his son was! His oldest son who was looking so confident and unfazed by the whole situation. His oldest son who looked much more like Marinette than him too.

"...Yes, nice to meet you too." he shyly smiled before shaking the adult's hand.

"I'm not gonna eat you I promise." throw Louis to lighten the cringy atmosphere, a way his Dad had learned him to do. Humor could be really useful for this purpose. And indeed, it hit like he expected when he saw Adrien relax.

If Hugo had that level of confidence, he would have used it too. Instead he had been assaulted by an hysterical Alya.

"OMG, I didn't know there were more of you! And look, this one looks so much like Adrien!"

"Alya stop please, he's embarrassed…"

But Marinette couldn't help staring at him. She had seen him from afar and barely detransform before Chat Noir had taken him away. Now, from up close, it was incredible how much 'Adrien' she could see in him and she wanted to smack her head for not noticing earlier. Inevitably, both eyes met and even if Hugo averted her gaze immediately, it was the signal he chose to approach her timidly.

"Uhm Hello and..…I'm…I'm sorry."

"Uh?"

"I've made a lot of mistakes since I've been here and I shouldn't have…intervened in your fight with Maestro and acted so stupid to the point of putting you in danger…can you please forgive me?"

Oww, this kicked puppy face….really, Chat must have met them before, there was no possible way he could imitate him so well. She made sure Adrien's was too busy to hear what he had said, before replying.

"No, don't think too much about what happened. The essential is that everyone's fine and you've learned from your mistakes. By the way, the lucky charm seemed made for you, you're really talented."

Hugo's pride had finally struck a bit higher for the day.

"Hehe, that's true! It's all thanks to uncle Lucas! He always teaches me some new guitar tricks every time he comes to visit! He offered me my first guitar too even when he couldn't come for my birthday!"

"Un..uncle Lucas?" she was almost choking on her saliva.

"...Oh shoot, maybe you don't know him yet…uhm…it's Tata Juleka's brother, he's super cool! He can do Kung fu and play metal like a god! And his father's a rock star we often listen to… "

"I stop you right there kid, she knows perfectly who he is…" giggled Alya seeing Marinette scratching her cheek in discomfort. "Wait, did you say he was doing Kung fu? That's new."

Everyone was chatting happily until they heard a voice reaching for them, and almost all of them recognized her. Louis was once again the first to react.

" Alix!"

All at once, they tensed. The redhead seemed in a hurry, breathless, and was limping on her left leg, helped by a crutch. She didn't even take the time to greet everyone before reaching for Louis, and showing her the regular watch on her wrist, tapping it exactly 5 times as it was their code. Louis did the same by blinking twice with one eye then the other.

" Do you have it? Did you succeed?"

He nodded and handed her the time miraculous, while the rabbit Kwami jumped out of the sack to hug Alix on the chest.

"Aliiix! I was so scared I was lost in the void again when I woke up not seeing you!"

"OH Fluff, I'm so relieved you're okay. "- she hugged him back- " You've done a perfect job Louis. Hell, you've grown so much since the last time I saw you, it was risky but I knew you could do it!"

"I didn't do it alone though."

Alix turned toward the past trio and smiled.

"Of course, I should thank you too." - she suddenly turned around - " But right now, we've no time, they are after me. Louis must have told you about the akuma who's been following me. It seems he doesn't care about time travel, he can track me wherever I am…"

"...And they're here apparently. Watch out!" warned Haruka, pointing at the portion of sky near the statue. All the people on the plaza turned their eyes to the distortion forming in that spot, in the form of a night bluish portal. Instinctively, people started screaming and running, seeing the three repulsive beings that were coming out…

If Aysha's akuma form had been scary, it was nothing compared to mad faces these ones were making….