For Vivi!
Marinette didn't care about the danger.
She was living the dream of becoming a hero like her beloved Viperion. And Viperion finally trusted her enough to go on this exciting mission with her. It didn't matter to her how creepy this abandoned building was and how perilous running up metal stairs and walkways was.
Viperion vowed to keep her safe always.
The snake hero certainly felt invincible with Marinette and her unstoppable energy around. She wasn't just an everyday hero picking up litter or helping with clothes donations; she finally fulfilled her dream of being a true hero.
But Viperion wasn't invincible.
Marinette and Viperion were brought to this abandoned building because Viperion felt a strange presence, like a rip in time or something. While Marinette was having fun running around in the unknown building, Viperion felt a sense of dread as he got closer to the energy source.
While Marinette ran further away, Viperion couldn't help but stop as he felt the presence behind the door next to him. But before Viperion could act on that, Marinette smiled at him. Viperion felt the world shift around him as if everything was fine.
"I'm sure we'll find the malicious energy source together, Viperion," Marinette said. Her eyes were sparkling like jewels. Even in this terrible abandoned building, she looked beautiful.
Viperion smiled warmly in return. "I am so grateful to have a partner like you."
Marinette pressed her fingers together and started blushing. "Oh Viperion!" She turned to try to regain her composure. "Let's keep going! Exploring abandoned buildings is great!" She started to pace her way down the stairs.
Viperion tried to reach out for her, but then he turned to the door again; there was something he could not shake.
"Marinette, I'll be right back."
"Huh?" Marinette cried as she turned around.
Viperion opened the door, stunned by what he saw, but couldn't bring himself to say anything.
Marinette also felt her feet glued to the ground and couldn't head any further.
"Viperion!" Marinette gaped. "Be careful!"
Viperion swore he would, but the time portal machine hidden inside this room was more than malicious. It malfunctioned while being left on, with a bright portal ready to bring everything in. Viperion only then noticed the machine blowing a fuse.
But there was nothing to worry about. Viperion raised his hand to activate his bracelet, and the portal changed from bright yellow to soft green. The snake hero could deactivate this portal with ease.
But there was something Viperion couldn't predict.
The portal made a harsh noise and malfunctioned right before Viperion's eyes. The portal was about to make a massive explosion, and Viperion had to stop it, so he stepped closer and used his power to contain it. But the portal exploded anyway.
Viperion tried to stop time, but the explosion damaged his bracelet. Time stopped briefly, but then the blast filled the room, and Marinette had zero time to react. The sound of the explosion filled her ears, and she saw black smoke come out of the room Viperion was in.
"Viperion!"
Marinette didn't care about the danger.
She nearly lost her voice screaming for him and then ran to the room he was in. It was so dark that she could only see a destroyed time portal and green lighting bolts filling the room. The only thing that came out of the room was Viperion's damaged bracelet, which rolled out quickly, and Marinette caught it.
Marinette could barely breathe because Viperion always ran to her when she cried. After a deafening explosion, the only thing that returned to her was Viperion's damaged bracelet. But Marinette couldn't stay in this building as another explosion blew off some of the room's ceiling.
Marinette ran out of the building with the bracelet clutched in her hand.
When Marinette opened the door, and the sunlight blinded her, she thought Viperion would show up soon. He is the time guardian; he cannot be lost, especially to time itself.
But Marinette breathed and turned around only to see the abandoned building with a damaged roof and black smoke coming out.
"Viperion!" Marinette cried as she clutched the bracelet to her chest…
It wasn't long till she heard police sirens, and she ran home to keep Viperion's secret.
But Marinette couldn't ignore it when she saw on TV screens that Viperion was reported missing.
Marinette returned to the site of the investigation wearing a pink hoodie. She listened in and tried to get an explanation.
She could only hear the investigators and the citizens checking the crime scene. The only trace left of Viperion was the destroyed room with the destroyed time portal inside, which still made bright green sparks.
It wasn't until Marinette heard an elderly woman talking to an investigator that told her Viperion might have gotten sucked in that deadly portal that the elderly woman started to cry.
"Oh, the poor time guardian! He was just a boy and probably lost in time!"
No! Marinette thought as the entire world nearly faded to black around her.
No, he can't be gone! Marinette kept thinking.
She turned, ran away from the crowd, and vowed to herself.
If Viperion was gone, she would find him no matter what!
Although the night was so lonely and so uncertain without him around. The two of them were soulmates; Viperion was never far from her. She remembered when she walked alone on a dark, spooky night in October and screamed in fright only to see Viperion finding her in the darkness and then helping her get home safely.
But this time, the night was uncertain, and there wasn't the sound of Viperion's harp. Marinette ended up running to the destroyed playground and cursed herself as she wrapped her arms around her to shield herself from the cold.
This was the playground that she and Viperion spent time at, and it was destroyed before Viperion disappeared in an explosion. Why did fate have to be cruel to both of them and destroy everything they love?
But as Marinette stood around the destroyed playground, she saw a shiny green string swaying in the wind, caught in the rubble. It was the only light in the darkness.
Marinette was mesmerized by that pretty string, but then she suddenly remembered that it was one of the strings from Viperion's harp. As far as Marinette was concerned, it was a clue to Viperion's whereabouts. She grabbed the string, but suddenly, she was blinded by the light.
Before she knew it, she saw a vision of green lights coming out during the explosion that Viperion was caught in, and the green lights scattered all over Paris…
But that vision only lasted a split second before Marinette felt the familiar feeling of going back in time, and she saw how beautiful the day looked when the playground was new…
And she was on a date with Viperion!
The memory was playing out right in front of her…With her past self smiling wider and having more energized conversations with the mysterious Viperion than she ever had with any other boy her age.
And boy, Marinette certainly was a young girl exploring romance for the first time. Always batting her eyes for Viperion and trying her hardest to seem ladylike on their supposed first date.
But Viperion loved that about her.
And for the present Marinette, this was all playing back to her like a movie.
"Viperion, I wish you could tell me more about you now. You already asked me my favorite stuffed animal, color combinations, and time of day…"
Marinette pondered for a moment, and Viperion smiled warmly at her. He had already told her he had to stay a mystery. While mysteries were one of the many things that appealed to Marinette, every day she spent with the snake hero, she craved a little more.
"And I will keep asking because I want to know everything about you, Miss Dupain-Cheng. So at least next time we meet, I can deliver your favorite coffee."
"Oh!" Marinette cried. Feeling a bit flustered that Viperion would be so bold as to deliver her coffee. Her face heated up so much that she wasn't craving coffee. And she knew that Viperion had to keep secrets. If she were the hero and Viperion was the civilian, she would probably have to keep secrets to keep him safe too.
Although she had to cure her curiosity somehow.
"I should know your favorite coffee and dessert too! So I can get you coffee and make your favorite little treats."
Viperion chuckled and looked at her so fondly. Marinette pursed her lips as the look on his face showed that he wouldn't make himself vulnerable that easily.
But Viperion truly wanted to. Being a lonely hero gets tiresome.
Marinette sighed. "At least tell me your favorite anime!"
Viperion chuckled again, and Marinette was about to throw her hands up and quit, but then…
"As cliche as it sounds, My Hero Academia."
"Oooo!" Marinette cried as her eyes sparkled. In truth, she wasn't the biggest fan of that anime because, critically, it's very flawed. Still, it's a fun anime to binge at times.
"It makes sense that you like that anime so much," Marinette said.
Viperion ran his fingers through his hair and shuffled his feet. "Well, that show certainly isn't the best portrayal of being a superhero or the superhero society…"
"There is a superhero society?!" Marinette gasped.
Viperion clenched his jaw. "Um…"
But Marinette paused for a moment and realized she was overstepping a boundary. She placed her hands together and looked down at her feet, blushing.
"Y'know, you make me think of Deku, in a good way, of course!"
Marinette was taken aback by Viperion moving closer to her and fixing some strands of hair on her forehead. It made her blush as hard as Ochaco!
"Well, in that case…" Viperion said smoothly. "You do remind me of a certain cute, flustered girl from the show…"
Marinette's face was completely red as she playfully swatted Viperion's hand, and the two of them enjoyed their day at the playground. To present Marinette, it was a beautiful montage of her and Viperion climbing on the playground, with her reaching new heights thanks to her superhero best friend and getting the best view of the playground. Not to mention, Marinette could reach the sky as Viperion pushed her on the swing.
Marinette remembered drawing an adorable picture of Deku and Ochaco for Viperion. The tears could not stop falling as she clutched the string from Viperion's harp.
The flashback disappeared, and Marinette was surrounded by the darkness of the night.
She would've fallen to her knees and despaired, but there was a special sparkle from the harp string, and from a distance, Marinette saw another sparkle. At that moment, Marinette secured Viperion's broken bracelet around her wrist and vowed to find the pieces of Viperion's harp and find Viperion no matter what.
She ran looking for clues and felt they would be in all the places important to them. She hoped that wherever Viperion was, she was running for her, too.