"I'm really sorry, Wayhem, but I've got a casting this afternoon and then a private fencing lesson." Adrien apologized as he was video chatting with his friend. He could see Wayhem's eyes tearing up at turning him down again. He didn't like making his friend feel bad but his hands were tied. "But we'll be able to hang out soon I promise. You're my number one fan after all. My father doesn't really approve of me having friends, I'm not even allowed to have anyone over." He said sadly recalling the number of times that he asked only to be turned away every.

"Seriously? You never have friends over? That's harsh. One of these days, I'm gonna come over and change your dad's mind and we'll have a rocking good time. For real!" Wayhem reassured making Adrien chuckle.

"My father doesn't change his mind very easily but I appreciate the thought. Okay, gotta go finish my homework before the shoot. See you, Wayhem."

"Bye, Adrien." Wayhem said as Adrien turned off the call, sighing heavily as he turned his chair towards the window, looking outside towards the clouds. He'd rather be outside with his friends than inside studying all day. however he couldn't get a hold of Nino to chat with, Marin was going to be busy all day, and Mylene was hosting a tree planting which was probably where the rest of his friends were. Even Kagami was unavailable to talk to as she was on a training retreat with her mother. He just sighed to himself heavily, glancing at the photo of his mother for a moment before he decided to study for the rest of the day.

Marin took a deep breath as every breath he took triggered a sharp pain within him. His hands were placed on either side of a sink as he could see the toll taken that weeks of being a solo superhero had taken on him, turning his skin more pale than usual and darkening the bags under his eyes, making him look like a panda. He grasped his bangs before his face, pulling them down to cover more of his face as they were long enough now to touch the bridge of his nose.

He really needed a hair cut but that was a problem for another time...probably.

Marin pushed back his bangs, using his bobby pins to keep his messy hair in place as he stepped out of the bathroom and into an old-looking house. As he stepped into the kitchen he put on his apron and smiled as he saw three small mice scurrying towards him as their owner was mixing something in a small glass bowl.

"You were taking too long. You ill or something boy?" His grandfather asked sounded grumpy. But Marin shook his head as he placed the mice on his shoulder walking over to his grandpa as he continued to mold mini cake tins out of aluminum foil.

"Just tired gramps." Marin said as he watched his grandpa work. "You know how young people are, always working never having time to dilly dally or play with their friends." He joked.

Rolland grumbled something under his breath as he glanced at his grandson, "Those done yet?"

"Almost-" Marin said as his phone started to ring from his apron pocket. He wondered who could be calling him, he didn't have any plans, and he was sure he'd remember if he had already committed to something with Adrien. "Just a sec gramps." Marin requested as his grandfather nodded towards him continuing to assemble the mini cakes. Marin looked down to see, Cookie, on the caller ID of his phone before he answered the call.

"Hi Nino." Marin greeted as he stepped away from the kitchen.

"Hey cutie pie, you, us, Adrien's place, now." Nino said enthusiastically from the other end.

Marin stood there for a moment in confusion, trying to process what his friend just said. "...us?"

"Yeah dude, you, me, our boys, Adrien's place, now." Nino repeated as he quickly realized that he was losing some of his spark as Marin sighed heavily.

"There are a number of things wrong with what you're saying that I could point out, but let's both save some time and have me hang up right about-"

"WAIT WAIT WAIT- hear me out!" Nino pleaded. "...A hang out session. At Adrien's place. With your friends."

"Good-bye Nino."

"NO! Wait! Marin!" Nino pleaded as Marin hung up, placing his phone in his back pocket as he walked back into the kitchen.

Adrien's eyes grew lidded as he continued to write reports on history book chapters that hadn't even been covered yet. It was good mind stimulation after hours of playing video games on his own.

Suddenly he heard a knocking on his door just before his bodyguard walked in with Nino, Max, Kim, and Ivan much to his surprise, "What are you guys doing here?

"We're here for the school project.

Adrien tilted his head in confusion. "Project? What project?"

"You know. The project." Nino said, winking as he forced himself to smile as not to arouse suspicion.

Adrien smiled as he caught on. "Oh, that project!" He said as he nodded to his bodyguard who walked away. The moment the door closed his friends suddenly surrounded him in a group hug.

"Project Surprise!" They said in unison as Adrien laughed joyously.

"You've never had any hang out time at your place, right?"

"We get to have it whenever we want-" Ivan began to say.

"So we've come up with a plan to right this injustice." Max finished as Adrien eyed them gratefully, but then he stepped back as his anxiety rose.

"That's really cool of you all. But if my father found out about this..." He began to say but then noticed his friend's disappointment as they expected to be tossed out after all their hard work. "Uh, but hey! As long as it's not for very long and he never, ever finds out about it..." Adrien added not wanting to see them disappointed.

"Hang out time!" They said in unison as they began to check out Adrien's room Nino walked over to his best friend, resting his hand on his shoulder.

"Ah, one more thing. We've got a few more people popping up later on."

Adrien eyed him curiously. "Who?"

"Just a couple of our other buds; Nathaniel, Marc-"

"What about Marin?" Adrien asked, "Did he know about this?"

Nino suddenly grew silent as he had an uncharacteristically determined expression on his ace but then Ivan intervened.

"Nino called Marin about a dozen times but he says that he's too busy with something."

"Yeah, he said that he helping his grandpa with something today." Adrien informed but then realized his mistake as they stared at him as it was apparent that Marin did not make this common knowledge to the rest of his friends.

"How do you know that?" Nino asked.

"He uh, mentioned it to me." Adrien said unable to think up a lie. "I asked if he maybe wanted to study but he said that he was baking a birthday cake for his grandpa's pet mice."

"What the heck kinda excuse is that?!" Nino exclaimed in disbelief starting to dial again.

"I calculate that excuse is 99.69% false." Markov said.

"Ah- um, hey we're having a good time right now, no need to get bent out of shape over this." Adrien said trying to ease the rising tension in his best friend while also trying to cover for his boyfriend.

"Dude!" Nino said still trying to dial Marin. "You, me, and our cutie pie are buds. We can't have guy time without our favorite guy!"

Adrien scratched the back on his head nervously. "Sorry, this whole hanging out thing is kinda new. But Marin and I aren't really-"

"Doesn't matter, guy time is guy time." Nino said in a tone that read, end-of-discussion as he still tried to call his friend.

"Uh, hey why don't we crank up some tunes?" Adrien suggested as that seemed to calm Nino down. He guided him towards one of his cupboards where he revealed a vast collection of old records that made his heart swell with nostalgia.

"Woah! These can't be your awesome old records, you have no taste in music." Nino said in surprise as he scanned over the vintage records.

"They were my mother's." Adrien said as he pulled out his favorite, handing it over to Nino who placed it in a record player while Max turned up the volume.

"Uh, wait a sec. Is this as loud as it gets?" Nino asked as the music was belted out on the speakers. "Max."

Max adjusted his glasses as he plugged Markov into Adrien's PC. "I just need to hook Markov to the home's electrical panel." He said as the door opened again revealing that Nathaniel and Marc had arrived, greeted by Ivan who gave them a big hug.

Adrien waved to them with a smile just before Max got his attention. "Woah! Your house has an insane power supply, Adrien. It could compete with a nuclear power station."

He wasn't really sure what to make of it, after all his father's house was huge. He shrugged his shoulders. "My father always has known the biggest and the best."

"Cool! Crank it up to overdrive!" Nino insisted as Max started grinning like a manic.

"You sure it's not going to be too loud?" Adrien asked starting to have a bad feeling.

"Are you kidding? This is the way music is supposed to..."Suddenly, Nino's eyes widened with realization. "Music of course! Ivan!" Nino called running over to his friend to get a number.

Marin turned his head back to the door as he heard the bell ring, exchanging a confused expression with his grandpa as both of them knew well that Rolland practically never received visitors even priding himself on that fact.

"Are you expecting anyone gramps?" Marin asked as he wiped down his hands.

"Of course not." He responded as Marin handed him the rag before he walked towards the door. Just before he did Tikki poked her head out of his bag.

"What about the mini cakes?" She asked expectantly.

"Later Sugarcube, promise." He said as he opened it up and was surprised to see Luka standing behind the gate with one guitar case strapped to his back and another resting in the basket of his bike.

"Luka?" Marin asked as he walked down towards his friend. "What are you doing here?"

"Ivan called and said that he needed two guitarists for a gig he apparently booked last minute and I hoped that you could help me out."

Marin immediately glared at him suspiciously. "Ivan set up a gig huh?"

"Yes."

"On his own and he needs two guitarists huh?" Marin asked with a deadpanned expression.

"Well, technically one guitarist and one bass player, Jules is with her friends and you're kinda the only other person I could ask."

Marin stared at him in disbelief, he already has a suspicious feeling that something was off due to Nino's insistent earlier phone call and now even more so at Luka's presence.

"How did you even find me? I just said that I was going to my grandpa's today."

"You kept your phone on." Luka pointed out as Marin remembered that he had that same friend tracking app that Alya and he used.

"...Right."

"So are you up for this or-"

"Marinus! Who's at the door?!" He sighed heavily as he turned towards Luka with urgency. "Save yourself while you still can-"

Both of them flinched at the sound of his grandpa suddenly yelling then turned to see him standing at the top of the stairs looking down at Luka with a disapproving expression. "Tell 'em we're not buying any more calenders! Buzzards! The lot of them." He grumbled.

"Who's at the door boy!" Rolland asked again as he walked down the stairs.

"Just a friend gramps." Marin clarified as Rolland walked up to him.

"Hello sir, I'm-"

"This is the kind of company you keep?" Rolland asked. "A flashy blue boy?"

"Gramps, this is Luka. He's a friend of mine and a musician-"

"A musician!" Rolland laughed in disbelief. "And what kind of musician is blue?! Back in my day kids didn't go around with their blue hair and flashy clothes. They stayed home and baked bread."

Marin slapped his forehead in embarrassment as he knew his grandpa was just getting started.

"It's rock and roll sir." Luka clarified.

"Sonny. I lived through the height of rock and roll music before you were even a thought. Back in my day rock and roll meant something, it was true rebellious spirit in the face of the man. Now it's all flash and no substance."

"Gramps, don't be rude." Marin said sternly as Rolland crossed his arms defiantly. "Luka's a good friend of mine, he's a musician, and he was just leaving." Marin placed an extra emphasis on the word leaving as he widened his eyes at Luka, signaling him to leave. But his friend just stood there with a calm smile on his face.

"No I wasn't. I actually need to borrow Marin for a gig we have."

Marin froze in place while Rolland eyed Marin curiously. "You still play?"

"No- I uh-I mean-"

"Yes sir he plays beautifully," Luka said as Marin wanted to scream at him. "He practices with us and even manages our band. Which is why we need his help for todays gig."

"Why didn't you say so then?" Rolland asked as he looked up at Marin who was helpless in this situation.

"You know him, probably wanted to just spend time with family. He was probably worried about his grandpa."

Rolland scoffed as he turned his back to them. "I can take care of myself just fine boy, go on and play with your colorful friends I'll finish up the rest." He said sternly as he walked back up the stairs to his house, leaving his grandson stunned.

"...What just happened?" Marin asked he rubbed the back of his head while Luka opened the gate with an amused smile on his face.

Adrien looked over what had quickly turned out to be a huge get together of friends and mild acquaintances as Nino danced next to him. "Is hang out time always like this?

"No, but it should be!" Nino cheered, but then pulled out his phone as he received a message. His expression lit up as he clenched his fist victoriously. "YES."

"What is it?" Adrien asked as Nino turned towards him with a smile.

"We got our boy." Nino said as Adrien suddenly grew nervous. It wasn't that he didn't want to hang out with his boyfriend, but he liked to think he knew Marin pretty well. He knew that he would hate being in place mostly filled with people he was acquainted with.

"Uh, maybe this isn't a good ide-"

"Too late he's already here." Nino said mischievously much to Adrien's chagrin.

Marin jumped off of the back of Luka's bicycle. He had Luka's guitar case strapped on while he had Juleka's case strapped on. While his friend was parking his bike Marin looked up towards Adrien's house, feeling a range of emotions ranging from anxiety to worry to annoyance.

"Here." Luka said holding out a familiar black case to Marin as he rang the doorbell. Marin opened it to reveal high-quality earplugs meant to muffle loud sounds. Each of the members of Kitty Section had their own pair that they used during practice.

"Do you just carry these everywhere?" Marin asked as the gate opened up before them.

"Yeah, never know when you're gonna when you're going to rock, or help out a friend." He said with a smile as Marin placed the plugs in, rolling his eyes in amusement as they walked inside together.

As soon as the door opened Adrien's eyes darted towards it as his heart raced with excitement, but then wavered a little as he saw Luka walking in with him.

Oh hey, Luka's here?" Adrien asked as Nino lit up with excitement amidst the ongoing hangout.

"Yeah dude, Ivan said Luka would bring him over." Nino informed as Adrien grimaced but still allowed himself to be dragged over. Nino hugged Marin who stiffened at the contact before returning the gesture. "You came!" He said with a smile.

Marin glanced at Adrien for a moment before turning his gaze back on Nino. "Under false pretenses but yeah. So this is your hang out session?" Marin asked mildly annoyed as confetti began to fell.

"Yeah, great isn't it." Nino said, "Hey, Adrikins this is the first time Marin's been here right? Why don't you two bond a bit?" He suggested pushing them together as he stood next to Luka with a victorious expression on his face.

The two stood together awkwardly being surrounded by everyone else enjoying themselves.

"Do you want to stand outside-" Adrien began to ask and Marin immediately jumped on the opportunity.

"Yes please."

Adrien led the way as he stepped out of the party and into the foyer where Adrien could see his bodyguard playing with his newly acquired action figures. He and Marin sat on the stairs together. Marin sighed heavily as rested his body on his legs. "Yeesh I was only there for 2 seconds, how am I already tired?"

"I don't know, you've been in large groups before haven't you?"

"Yeah, with our friends." Marin pointed out, "How are you alright being in there?"

Adrien shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just having fun, I've never hung out with friends before, is it usually this much crazy?"

"I wouldn't really know." Marin said. "I try to avoid gatherings like this usually."

"But you went to Chloe's party didn't you? That was a pretty big one."

"Sure but it was mostly our school, most of whom are people I don't even know." Marin pointed out as he rested his arms behind his back.

They sat together in silence with only the base of the music playing behind them until Adrien turned his head towards Marin.

"I was surprised when you turned up." Adrien said. "You know, since you said that you were going to be helping out your grandpa for the rest of the day."

"Yeah, I thought so too. You know what my gramps is like, but somehow Luka convinced him to let me go it was pretty incredible." Marin chuckled to himself recalling the memory of his astonishment. I think it helped that I mentioned that Luka was a musician."

"Why's that?"

Marin turned his gaze away as he had a sheepish expression on his face. "My gramps taught me when I was young and ever since I started helping out with Kitty Section I've been practicing with Luka. It's fun."

"You can play guitar?" Adrien asked in surprise.

"Not as good as Luka or Juleka but yeah. Adrien?" Marin asked as Adrien averted his gaze as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I'm kind of a musician too ya know." Adrien pointed out.

"...Yeah?" Marin nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

"So, maybe I could play for you somet-"

Marin tuned out of what Adrien was saying as he saw someone familiar pass by.

"Marin?" Adrien asked trying to get his attention.

"Uh, I'm gonna head back in, hold that thought," Marin said hastily, backing away slowly as Adrien was left confused and alone.

"...okay."

Marin pushed through the crowd and towards a small old man dancing on top of a familiar cooler. wearing a cheap disguise. "Master Fu?"

"Who? Me? No, not at all. I'm DJ Wong! Boom, boom! Wiki, wiki, wa!" Master Fu said trying not to get caught but failed to realize that his student wouldn't be fooled so easily. But before he could scold his Master for risking his safety Marin held his hand to his mouth as he felt a sudden rush of vertigo. The room started to spin as he ran straight into the restroom, not realizing that he'd almost knocked Master Fu down off of his cooler.

"Woah, that was close!" Kim said as he caught the old man, who's alarm bells immediately went off. "Thank you, young man. Your natural reflexes are quite good."

"Helping others should always be a natural reflex." Kim said as he and Master Fu looked towards the bathroom.

Marin held his head as he could feel a chill on the back of his neck, every part of his body screamed at him to run away or hide as there was something dangerous nearby.

"Marinus."

He didn't have to turn his head to know Master fu was walking towards him, closing the door behind them to get them a semblance of privacy, luckily everyone was so focused on the dancing that they wouldn't notice them.

"Dude, you didn't look too well." Kim pointed out placing his hand on his back.

"I'm fine, just a little overwhelmed in the crowd." Marin said before suddenly coughing.

"Don't worry, I have experience with these kinds of things, I'll look after him."

" 'kay, cool." Kim said simply as he jumped into the bathtub with a splash.

Marin took a deep breath as he leaned over the counter. "Could you sense that Master?" He asked, trying not to hurl. "It's...powerful, so much that it hurts."

"You've never been this close to a beacon of negative energy." Master Fu inquired. "Wayzz." He said summoning his Kwami who hid in his shirt pocket.

"Yes Master." The turtle Kwami said sensing the tension in the air, already knowing what his master was going to say he phased through the floor while Master Fu looked up towards his student with a serious expression.

"Can you sense where the Akuma is right now?" He asked.

Marin closed his eyes, his head felt incredibly fuzzy, like his head was stuff of static which made it hard to concentrate. He winced in pain as he broke through, sending the Akuma extremely nearby and now heading towards them.

"It's here, it's-"

Just then a loud burst was heard from the next room. Master Fu peaked through the door as he saw a newly Akumatized villain.

"So, Adrien? Too busy for your number one fan? Well I'll make sure you never forget to invite Party Crasher to one of your parties again!" He announced as he began to absorb people with his blasts of energy. The Guardian eyed his cooler sitting out in the open, within range.

"This is very bad." Master Fu said to himself as he tried to think up a plan.

"Adrien! Where are you, Adrien?!" Party Crasher demanded as everyone ran around to escape the room. Master Fu spotted his opening the villain jumped through the window as he quickly grabbed his cooler and returned to his students' side who has his back to the wall as Tikki hovered nearby.

"I can do this Master." Marin said as Master Fu could see a spark of determination in his eye.

"Not alone you can't. This new villain is extremely capable." Master Fu said as he pulled out the Miracle box, placing it before Marin. "Marinus Dupain Cheung you must choose an ally you can trust."

This was a no brainer.

Marin reached toward a Miraculous that he had picked before, placing it in his pocket. Now all he had to do was hope that he didn't get blasted by Party Crasher yet.

"Tikki, Spots on!"

Adrien flinched as he heard yells from inside his room and everyone running out in a panic.

"Hey what's going o-" He rasped before he saw an Akumatized villain and Ivan passed him.

"We need to get out of here!" The larger boy said but then grasped Adrien's shoulder as he saw him try to run back in. "What are you doing?!"

"What if there's people still in there?!" Adrien asked, holding himself back from asking about Marin.

"He probably split like everyone else, we need to go!" Ivan said then easily grabbed his friend and carried him to safety outside of the manor.

Ladybug jumped on top of the fence as he spotted Party Crasher looking around for Adrien. But that was a problem for later as he eyed his target hiding behind some cars. Skillfully, he landed nearby, placing a hand on Luka's back as he jolted with surprise, turning around to see Ladybug kneeling right next to him.

"Ladybug, my friends-" Luka began to say but Ladybug lifted his hand up to stop him from speaking any further.

"I know and I promise that we will save your friends but first I'm going to need your help." Ladybug said as he held out the Miraculous box before him. He saw Luka staring down at it for a moment but then he hesitated.

"...Are you sure you want to give this to me?" He asked as he averted his gaze.

"Huh? Of course, why wouldn't I?" Ladybug asked in surprise, seeing his normal composed friend look uncertain.

"I was Akumatized recently, lost my temper, aren't you worried that it may happen again?" He asked, seeming extremely nervous about the last time that they met. His expression softened as he was reminded of the first time he donned his Miraculous.

"Luka, one bad day doesn't re-define who you are." Ladybug said sincerely. "You're empathic, considerate towards others, and even in a bad situation, you can keep a level head. That's the kind of person I need to help me. Are you up to the task?" Ladybug asked again holding out the Miraculous box.

This time Luka nodded with renewed determination, flinching back as he opened up the box and revealing Sass who nodded at Luka respectfully.

"It is an honor to serve alongside you again."

"Likewise." Luka said as he placed the Snake Miraculous on his wrist. "Sass, Scales slither." Luka said as he transformed into Viperion.

"What's the plan?" He asked as Ladybug peaked from behind the car, glancing at Party Crasher who was walking towards the main road. He saw Ladybug narrow his eyes towards the villain.

"Remember the last time I gave you a Miraculous?" Ladybug asked to which Viperion immediately nodded. "You need to stay back and look for an opening, whatever this guy's weakness is, and no matter what don't let him see you or capture you. If you get caught then this is all over. Ready?"

Viperion nodded pulling back the snake on his bracelet. "Second chance!" He said activating his power. As soon as he did Ladybug jumped on top of the car and then used his yo-yo to bind Party Crasher in hopes that it would be enough. But the villain almost immediately reacted, tumbling forward to throw off Ladybug momentum and kicking him onto his back.

"So the Hero wants to boogie huh?" Party crasher said as he was about to absorb the hero but Ladybug used his legs to twist his body. He backflipped away trying to put some distance between him and the villain but Party Crasher's aim was on point as he shot a beam towards the very spot where Ladybug about to stand. The hero disappeared as soon as the beam made contact, causing the villain to laugh triumphantly.

Every part of Viperion yelled at him to save his temporary partner but he knew better, he knew the moment he stepped out there then Ladybug would lose for real. Which was why he could only shut his eyes as he reset.

As Viperion opened up his eyes again he saw Ladybug tense up, about to jump on the car again. Almost immediately he stopped the hero by placing his hand on his shoulder.

"That's not going to work." Viperion warned. "He can read your moves and easily predict where you're going to end up." The hero could see Ladybug worshipping through this new information, narrowing his eyes and placing his hand over his mouth.

"If he can read my moves before they happen then we may need to disorient him."

"How are you going to do that?" Viperion asked, watching as Ladybug glanced back at the house.

"By enlisting some reinforcements." Ladybug said. "Keep an eye on him, I'll be right back."

Viperion did as he was told, waiting for Ladybug who returned with one familiar hero and another new one whom he didn't recognize. They all hid behind the mansion's walls while they became acquainted.

"Viperion, this is Carapese and Pegasus." Ladybug introduced. "You already know Carapese's power of Shell-ter, but PEgasus's power is Voyage. Which enables him to create a one way portal to anywhere he's seen before.

"Nice to meet you two." Viperion greeted.

"Are we gonna get this show on the road or not?" Carapace asked holding his shield.

"Soon enough but we have to be careful, this guy can predict any one of our moves. So long as we're able to disorient him by outnumbering him then we'll be okay." Ladybug warned.

The plan was simple enough according to Ladybug as Viperion watched it all unfold before his eye while he hid. He watched Pegasus use his power to catch Party Crasher off guard and in mid air Carapese used his Shell-ter to trap him and Ladybug followed it up by breaking his glasses. The item that Ladybug said that Akuma was possessing. But the plan quickly fell apart as Party Crasher could predict everywhere that Pegasus's portal would pop up. As soon as he was taken out then came Carapese who was captured before he could activate his power, then finally Ladybug as Party Crasher beat him in single combat.

Every time they tried every variation of the plan, it came undone one way or another and it always hurt to see his teammates being defeated so many times.

Viperion soaked up all the information and then reset again.

This time he grasped Ladybug's hand as he stopped him just before he jumped on the car.

"Viperion?" Ladybug asked glancing at his friend. He could quickly see the exhaustion in the hero's eyes. "How many times?"

"68." He said shamefully just as he saw Ladybug's eye's widened in surprise but before the hero could say anything Viperion spoke up. "Every time you and Carapese and Pegasus get close Party Crasher's powers to overwhelm you. He can predict everything you're about to do just before you're about to do it, and I can't see a way to get past it. I'm sorry."

Ladybug wavered for a moment until he threw his yo-yo into the air. "Lucky Charm!" He said activating his power and in his hands fell a small strange looking headband that looked to be a crown of sorts. "No, this is good." Ladybug said placing both of his hands on Viperions shoulders, trying to reassure him. "Thank Viperion, you helped me out a lot."

"Wha- what are you talking about?" Viperion asked as Ladybug stood up.

"I know what I need to do now. Once Carapese and Pegasus get here you're going to have to explain the plan while I try and find the last member of our team. " Ladybug said standing up, but Viperion gripped his hand looking up at him with a determined expression on his face but then he shut his eyes tightly for a moment before letting go. "Don't worry."

Viperion suddenly lifted his head as it was like Ladybug read his thoughts.

"This time we're not going to lose anyone, trust me." The Hero said just before he jumped back into the manor.

"Master Fu!" Ladybug called as he opened the bathroom door, seeing his master meditating alone. "I need some help."

His master didn't ask any questions. He only opened up the Miracle box presenting all of them before him. "Which Miraculous do you require?" He asked as Ladybug knelt before him.

"I'll need the Turtle and Horse, and one other one."

"A new Miraculous? Are you sure that is wise?" Master Fu inquired as he saw Ladybug taking out the Horse Miraculous box along with another.

"Yes, I'm certain." Ladybug nodded. "Do you think you'll be able to track down Nino and Max while I look for-"

Just them someone popped out of the bathtub in glee with his goggles on. "BWAH- Oh hey," He said with a grin looking between a stunned Ladybug and Master Fu. "Did you come to party too Ladybug?! So cool!" He exclaimed gleefully.

"Um, this could be a problem." Master Fu said but Ladybug shook his head.

"No, this is exactly who we need." He said, walking over to Kim who was still standing in the bathtub while Master Fu left to find the other two. Kim had a goofy grin on his face until Ladybug held out a Miraculous Box before him.

"Lê Chiến Kim, this is the Miraculous of the Monkey, which grants the power of Disruption. You will use it for the greater good. Once we defeat the supervillain, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?" He asked as Kim stared at the box presented before him.

"You mean...I get to be a super hero?!" He asked as his eyes lit up but then looked confused for a moment. "Wait why?"

"Because a super villain popped up and he attacked your friends."

"Oh no, not mu buds!" Kim exclaimed as he took the Miracle box from Ladybug's hand. As he opened it up a yellow ball of light appeared before him, manifesting into a small monkey-like Kwami.

"Awww! A flying monkey plushie!" Kim exclaimed in glee, much to the Kwami's annoyance.

"I'm no plushie! My name's Xuppu, you nitwit!" Xuppu said sticking out his tongue at him.

Kim scowled at his new partner, "My name's not nitwit! My name's Kim!" He exclaimed back and the two started to make faced towards each other.

Ladybug frowned at the two of them. This reaction wasn't unexpected but he was a little surprised that he had hoped that the two would be more professional. "Alright, that's enough." He said clapping his hands together. The two glanced at him amidst their silly faces. "Xuppu, he's just a kid."

"But he started it!" Xuppu exclaimed.

"I'm not a kid!" Kim added to which Ladybug ignored.

"It doesn't matter, you have a responsibility." Ladybug scolded as the Monkey kwami huffed, crossing his arms and then turning away.

"Just say showtime already!" Xuppu snapped as Kim put on the crown.

"Xuppu, showtime!"

Party Crasher laughed like a maniac as he evaded Carapese's and Pegasus's attacks, effectively toying with them. "Let's dance!"

Viperion held back as he gritted his teeth. He knew that earlier he wanted to fight instead of holding back, but without Ladybug he couldn't risk endangering anyone else.

"Hey, wait a sec! King Monkey loves to party too!"

Viperion turned his head as he saw Ladybug landing on top of the fountain with a new hero. His heart swelled with relief as he and Ladybug shared an affirmative nod.

"One more? No big, the more Miraculous out the more party favors Hawkmoth will receive!" Party crasher remarked pointing his Discoball at Ladybug who jumped towards him, swinging his yo-yo in hand.

"Pegasus, Carapese now!" Viperion yelled out as both heroes nodded towards him, activating their powers. Carapace placed a shield up to protect the three of them while Pegasus created a portal that Ladybug fell through and disappeared.

"Uproar!" King Monkey said activating his power as a toy banana fell into his hand. He squeaked it once before throwing it directly at Party Crasher just as Ladybug appeared before the villain. "Eat this!"

Party Crasher stared at the toy that was thrown at him, almost insulted. "Seriously?" He asked but as he was about to absorb Ladybug the disco balls on his hands exploded. "Wha-What's going on?!"

"Sorry. I just love messing around with others' powers." King Monkey teased as Ladybug sucker-punched Party Crasher in the face. He then kicked his glasses towards Viperion who immediately snapped it in two releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Just as he turned back he almost stumbled over as King Monkey wrapped his arm around him in a half hug. "We did it!" He said gleefully just as all of their Miraculous started to beep, presenting a new problem all together.

"You guys split up a good distance from each other, I'll collect your Miraculous one by one." Ladybug ordered as he clapped his hands together. Viperion lingered for a moment as he saw Ladybug help the Akumatized victim to his feet, telling him something before getting hugged before hiding behind an ad.

Just as he did so he saw the snake on his wrist reach it ends, transforming him back into Luka. He caught Sass in his hands, looking down at the Kwami who was exhausted from his transformation. His expression softened as he felt a little guilty at making the Kwami work so hard.

"You're the last one, good job today I knew I could rely on you." Ladybug said as he took Luka's Miraculous back as well as Sass who looked up at Ladybug's warm smile. Luka could just see the love that the hero held for the Kwami, something that even he didn't think he could properly understand. He watched as Sass disappeared and Ladybug placed the Miraculous back in it's box, then stored it within his yo-yo.

"It was an honor to work alongside you again." Luka said simply, but just before he could leave Ladybug took a step closer to him.

"Hey," Ladybug said slightly tilting his head as he was trying to get Luka's attention. "Using the Snake Miraculous can be draining. It's not easy to just reset so many times and walk away like nothing happened."

Luka's eyes widened at the hero, amazed but not surprised how easily he was able to be read. "I know. It'll just take a little time to process, that's all." Luka said as Ladybug's Miraculous beeped for the final time.

"I have to go now, but uh-" Ladybug said sheepishly before he wrapped his arms around his neck, hugging from tightly for a moment. Luka froze in place, unable to believe what was happening but before he could discern anything about the moment Ladybug pulled back with a reddened face."I hear these are good for...you know." He said before he jumped on top of the ad and then used his yo-yo to jump onto the rooftops.

Luka was unable to hold back a hearty laugh, holding his head in his hand as he was reminded why Ladybug was adored so much as he was, easily reminding him of someone who he adored just as much perhaps even more so.

Marin walked through the park with his phone at his ear "I'm fine Nino, sorry I couldn't help clean up." He apologized but then heard Nino laugh.

"Only you would apologize for not cleaning something up when it's not even your job to. Don't worry about it dude, I was just glad that you actually showed up. Looks like Luka's our go-to guy for dragging you where we want you to go." He said cheekily as Marin sighed heavily.

"Please don't trouble him." Marin pleaded but only received maniacal laughter as a response, rolling his eyes at his friend. "So how's Adrien?" Marin added more hesitantly.

"Oh, he's cool. Was worried sick about you, but he chilled out when I said you were good. Wanna talk to him?"

"Wait, Ni-"

"Hey Adrikins! Marin wants to talk to you!" Nino exclaimed as Marin cringed internally. Before he knew it he could feel his face turning red as he heard his not-friend speaking on the other end.

"Marin?" Adrien asked.

"Hey, uh- hi. How are you?" Marin asked reflexively as he rested his back on a nearby tree. "Had a good hang out session?" He then immediately chided himself for asking something dumb but Adrien laughed.

[ "Yeah, I loved it. It was so much fun."]

Marin's eyes widened as he heard Adrien speaking Mandarin then heard a few of their friends yelling at him for something, but Adrien laughed it off.

["Our friends are mad that they can't eavesdrop on our conversation."] Adrien explained as Marin nodded his head. ["You're alright aren't you? Kim said that you got nausea or something?"]

Marin felt a chill start to creep up his spine. ["It's nothing to worry about. I just got a little overwhelmed in that crowd with all the music-"] Marin's eyes widened as he then touched his ears, feeling the earplugs still inside. ["Ughhhhh, just realized I'm still wearing Luka's earplugs.] He said as he placed them back into their case, balancing his phone on his shoulder for a moment.

["Luka just carries earplugs around with him?"] Adrien questioned.

["Yeah, all of Kitty Section does. I think Ivan actually has a pair on him as well"] Marin recalled, but then remembered. ["Oh yeah weren't you saying something about music earlier at the party?"]

Adrien was silent on the other end.

["...Adrien?] Marin asked growing more anxious.

["I'm still here."]

["Oh, cool. So what were you saying? It kinda seemed like it was important."]

[ "I just...wanted to let you know I was a musician too."] Adrien began to say. ["So maybe I could play something for you sometime."] A smile drew on Marin's face as he tried to hide it, feeling something happy bubble in his chest. ["I know it won't be anything rock and roll like you're probably used to but-"]

["I'd love to hear you play."] Marin said sincerely. But then his smile quickly faded as he saw a familiar face sitting on a nearby bench. ["I have to go now but I'll text you later."]

["Alright, I love you."] Adrien said casually on the other end.

Marin froze, for some reason his mind his eject on the conversation. "OKAY THANK YOU BYE." He blabbered before ending the call and then immediately turning off his phone. He rested his head on the tree as he gripped his phone tightly in his hand, screaming to himself on the inside, asking what the heck was wrong with him. But he didn't have time to worry about that right now.

He placed his phone in his messenger back, leaving his hand in it for Tikki to nuzzle, giving him courage as he sat down next to his master.

"Master Fu." Marin said noticing that his Master was giving off a reserved air about him. His eyes were closed and his hands were folded on his lap.

"Wayzz tracked down the source of the beacon." Master Fu said simply.

"And?" Marin asked as he gripped the fabric of his pants. But, Master Fu didn't have to say anything. If there was nothing to find then he would have reassured him that nothing was wrong by now. No matter what he said, no matter what he argued, he knew the truth. If such negativity was found in Adrien's father's manor if his past suspicious were to be believed...

Marin hung his head for a moment as his expression grew solemn with resolve. "So, what do we do now?"

Notes:

- This one got deleted 3 times while I was writing it

- Luka/Marin lives...kinda

-That friends tracking app is essentially snapchat

- Adrien's a low key jelly type and isn't really alright with someone as cool as Luka hanging out but also being in love with his bf

-I meant it when I said Party Crasher would be an important episode, it and The Ladybug effect set everything in motion.

-Luka is a good friend first, and someone who's in love with his best friend second

-Two more episodes to go ya'll, thanks for the support!