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sassyduckqueen · 3 years

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Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 56

~WARNING!!!~ this chapter contains scene of violence, physical and verbal abuse towards minors, mentions of child abuse and domestic abuse! Please be careful when reading this as it may act as a trigger ~WARNING!!~

So that is Mob Boss. This was a very interesting chapter to write. I got to go into some lore and history in this and there will be references. The ending scene was a little bit inspired by the Crow's final fight scene (you can watch it here). This chapter also marks the end of Issac's arc. He will appear again but he won't be causing Luka trouble anymore and probably won't have a speaking role. If he does speak, it will probably insane ramblings about demons. Anyway, hope you peeps like it :D

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Chapter Fifty-Six: Mob Boss

Marinette frowned as she looked at her phone but no text had come through yet. It had been an hour and a half since Luka had left for the metro. Even if he was going to the Liberty, he should have gotten back and texted her by now. She picked up her phone and dialled his number, putting it to her ear as she paced. She bit her lip as it rang but he didn't pick it up. Instead, it went straight to voicemail, causing her to frown and hang up. She scrolled to the Captain's number and dialed it, putting her phone back to her ear as it rang.

"Hello?" The Captain asked, sounding pretty merry.

"Captain, it's Marinette," She stated, frowning as she heard Jagged in the background.

"Hello, Lass!" The Captain roared happily. "Did Luka get back to the Liberty ok?!"

"That's why I'm calling," She replied, frowning. "I told him to text me when he got back but it's been an hour and a half and he hasn't texted. I tried to call him but it went straight to voicemail. I'm worried..."

"Jagged! We need to get to the Liberty!!" Anarka yelled, making Marinette jump. "We're gonna go look for him and hopefully he'll just be asleep and had forgotten to text,"

"Yeah..." Marinette replied but she had a terrible feeling that it wasn't that he forgot. No matter how tired he had been, he had always made sure to text her first when he got home. It was extremely out of character for Luka not to. He knew she would worry and worried she was. The Captain hung up, causing her to put down her phone and pace around her room. She bit her lip and poked Plagg, who was snoozing on his little bed. He groaned and woke up, ready to tell her off for waking him for his cheese coma but that thought dropped out of his head as soon as he saw her expression.

"Dollface, what's wrong?" He asked, floating over to her as tears filled her eyes.

"It's Luka... I don't think he's ok," She gasped, fear clear in her eyes. "He hasn't texted me to let me know he's home. He always texts to let me know, Plagg and his phone went to voicemail,"

"You don't think he ran away again, do you?" He asked, frowning. He thought Luka had enjoyed the party.

"N-No, he was in a good mood. He enjoyed the party," She gasped, making him frown before her phone vibrated. She hoped it was Luka and looked at it but it was the Captain. She swiped the answer button and held it to her ear. "Did you find him?"

"No, he's not at the Liberty," The Captain gasped, sounding panicked. In the background, she could hear that Jagged and Penny shouting his name. "The gate isn't even locked. It's like he never got here..."

Marinette's eyes widen as a possibility hit her like a ton of bricks. Her phone slipped out of her hand as she realized it was the only plausible reason as to why Luka wouldn't text back, answer his phone or not be on the Liberty. She knew he would text her or answer if she rang, meaning only one thing. He couldn't text or call her. She felt stupid as she should have realized it sooner. She quickly picked up her phone as she heard the captain calling her name.

"C-Captain, call the police," She gasped as Plagg looked at her. "I t-think h-his step father-"

"Oh god," The Captain gasped before she let out an angry growl. "If that son of a bitch has hurt my son, I'm gonna kill him!"

"Captain, stay calm," Marinette ordered as she realized that Hawkmoth might try to take advantage of this situation. "Getting akumatized won't help him,"

"You're right, Lass," She gasped before shouting at Jagged. "Lass, I need to get going to report this to the police so try and get some sleep,"

"R-Right," Marinette replied. She knew she wouldn't sleep until he was found. The Captain said her goodbyes, hanging up before Marinette pocketed her phone and took a deep breathe as Plagg moved over to her as she looked up at him. "We're gonna go find him. Plagg! Claws out!"

She transformed into Lady Noir and climbed out of her skylight. She jumped across the rooftops and searched every part of Paris she could think of, trying to find Luka. Minutes turned to hours as she searched but she couldn't find him. She searched in the Eiffel tower, the sewers and the catacombs. She searched the different parks and his usual hangout places but he wasn't there. Finally, she searched the top of the Grand Paris, hoping that maybe he had gone back there but she knew the truth. Luka was missing and it was her fault. She should have insisted that he stay over at the bakery or she should have walked him back home. As the sun rose, she landed on her balcony and went back through the skylight as she dropped her transformation. Plagg flew over to her and hugged her cheek as tears rolled down her face.

"It's ok, Dollface," He whispered, frowning. "We'll find him,"

~Issac's Warehouse, 1 am~

Tikki and Kaalki carefully followed as Luka's kidnapper carried him inside a warehouse near Paris' airport but far from the main part of the city. They had managed to sneak out the drive there without been seen and had been following since. They hid behind some boxes as the kidnap dropped Luka on the floor as a tall man walked in. He had a cigar in his mouth and was dressed in a fairly nice suit. His hair was mostly black but he had some silver hair from aging. It was gelled back and he had a trimmed beard. His eyes were an ambery brown color and his skin was fairly pale. To a certain degree, he resembled an older, male version of Juleka, making Tikki gasp as she realized who he was. It was Luka's stepfather Issac. He moved Luka's face with his boot before tutting.

"Handcuff his hands behind his back," He ordered, causing his goon to walk over to Luka and handcuff his hands behind his back. Luka groaned as he slowly came round, causing Tikki to gasp quietly as he did. As soon as he was fully awake and saw Issac, he tried to get up and away from him but failed, falling back onto the floor. He looked up at Issac with pure terror in his eyes, making the man smirk. "Hello, Luka,"

"I-Issac..." He gasped as he got up and walked over to him, towering him. "W-what do y-you want?"

"Did I say you could speak?" He asked before backhanding him, causing Luka to fall onto the floor. Issac sneered as he looked down at him. "It seems that you forgot your manners in the time that I've been gone,"

Luka didn't answer.

"First, you bite me and break my friend's nose then you ran away and now you speak out of term," Issac continued as he clicked his fingers. The goon who kidnapped him grabbed Luka's hair and made him sit up as Issac walked in front of him. "Clearly, I'm going to have to teach you a lesson, boy,"

Tikki looked away, causing Kaalki to hold her as Issac slammed his fist into Luka's face, knocking him back to the ground before he began to kick him. Tikki gasped and covered her mouth as she heard a crack. Tears filled her eyes as she wanted nothing more to fly over to him and get him out of there but if she revealed herself, it would endanger Luka more. She and Kaalki held their breath as Issac continued to kick Luka. Tikki let out a small cry as she heard Issac beat him until they both heard a thump, causing him to look over. Luka was curled up on the floor, shaking as Issac fixed his hair, pushing it back as he looked at him with disgust. Issac walked away with his goon, leaving him there. As soon as they were gone, Tikki and Kaalki flew to him, scared for the young hero.

"Luka," Tikki gasped, gently touching his face. He had a large cut on his cheek, a busted lip and his right eyes was swallowed up. She cupped her mouth as she realized he was crying. Kaalki hugged him as well. "It's ok. We're going to get you out of here,"

He didn't argue, just nodded and tried to get but fell back down and cried out. He took a deep breathe as he tried to calm himself.

"I c-can't..." He gasped, trying to look at her. "M-My r-ribs... I t-think he b-broke t-them..."

Tikki went to say something but her and Kaalki gasped as they heard footsteps. Luka whispered to them, telling them to hide. Tikki carefully placed a paw on his cheek before Kaalki and her flew off to the boxes again. Issac's goon came in and dragged Luka over to a pillar near the boxes. He uncuffed his hands before moving them so they were around the pillar, trapping him there. Luka hissed in pain as the man walked off. As soon as he disappeared, Tikki and Kaalki flew back over.

"We'll unlock the handcuffs and you can transform to escape," Tikki gasped as Luka tried to take a deep breathe but they both stopped as they heard footsteps again. Tikki and Kaalki hid behind the pillar as the goon came back in with a chair. He placed it in front of Luka and sat down, causing Tikki to frown. Now Luka couldn't transform. The two kwamis bit their lips as Luka carefully looked up at the goon.

"W-what does he want?" He asked, making the man look at him.

"I don't get paid to ask questions, kid," He replied, making Luka frown. He frowned even more as he heard talking. It sounded like a number of people. He heard a door open and multiple footsteps approaching him. He glanced up and saw Issac had returned with a number of other men. Like him, they were dressed in nice suits and were talking to Issac like they were friends. All of their heart songs were strange and messed up, making Luka feel more uncomfortable then he already did. One of the younger ones glanced over at him and frowned.

"Who's the kid?" He asked, making Issac sigh.

"Jagged Stone's boy and our ticket to more money then we've ever gotten before," Issac smirked, roughly grabbing Luka's hair so he was looking at Issac's friends. Luka hissed and flinched as Issac smirked a little. "Micky, take a photo. I plan to send it his father,"

Micky took out his phone and snapped a photo before Issac let go of his hair and walked back over to Micky. He took the phone and smirked at the picture.

"Good job," He stated, walking away with the phone as he dialed a number. Micky glanced over at Luka, frowning a little.

"What happened to your face, kid?" He asked as Issac spoke on the phone. Luka didn't answer. Micky frowned before looking over at Issac as he came off the phone and walked back over. "Hey, what happened to the kid?"

"I had to rough him up a little as he tried to escape," Issac replied as he typed on his phone before he looked up at Micky. "You got a problem with that?"

"Y-You're lying," Luka gasped before Micky or the other guys could answer, making Issac look at him in surprise. He honestly didn't expect Luka to actually try and talk back. "I d-didn't try to e-escape. You j-just s-started t-to b-beat me a-as-"

Issac growled and backhanded him, cutting him off.

"Did I say you could talk back?!" He growled, roughly grabbing Luka's shirt. Luka gasped in pain as his ribs ached before Issac punched him again before dropping him. He began to kick him again, causing Luka to try and curl up as best as he can. However, Micky and one of the others grabbed Issac and pulled him away. "Get the hell of me!"

"What the hell, Issac?!" Micky gasped as Luka carefully breathed in. "Look, I'm all for beat the crap out of guys but we don't hurt women or kids... and that boy is a kid,"

"That boy is a freak of nature!" Issac shouted, surprising his men and causing Luka to flinch. "And I'm in charge here so what I say goes and I say I can do what the hell I want to that bastard! Got it!?"

The guys nodded fearfully, causing Issac to smirk.

"Good," He stated, clicking his knuckles before turning to the goon who was guarding him. "Jose, I want you to keep an eye on him. I'll be back later. I have a meeting to attend,"

Issac clicked his fingers and pointed towards the door, causing his men to leave before he followed, leaving Luka alone with Jose, who got up and out of sight. Luka frowned and tried to move his hands, seeing if he could free his hands but the handcuffs were too tight. Tikki and Kaalki flew back over and landed on his shoulder.

"Kaalki has a plan," Tikki whispered. "She's going to go and see if we can get help to rescue you,"

"H-Help?" Luka asked quietly. "A-As in Master Fu? T-Tikki, y-you can't... he's t-too old... Issac will hurt hi-him."

"I know which is why we're not going for him," Tikki replied, causing Luka to frown. "Kaalki is going to the miracle box to the other Kwamis,"

"W-what?" Luka gasped, hissing in pain. "Y-you c-can't bring them here..."

"Luka, we have to get you out of here. Issac is dangerous and he is determined to hurt you," She gasped, making him frown. He knew she was right. His song was dark to say the least. In the time since he last saw him as a kid, Issac seemed to have gotten worse. "I'm gonna stay with you while Kaalki goes and gets the others,"

"I'll be as quick as I can, Master Luka," Kaalki gasped, placing her hoove against his cheek as he slowly nodded before she flew out and out of the warehouse.

"Ti-Tikki..." Luka whispered, causing her to look at him but before he could say anything, they heard Jose walking back over. Tikki quickly flew back over to the boxes as Jose came into Luka's line of sight before he sat down and began to read a news paper.

~At The Grand Paris Hotel, 5 am~

Anarka paced up and down as she tried to remain calm. Luka had been missing eight hours now and despite calling the police, she had been told that she couldn't report him missing. She had screamed down the phone at that point and hung up. She had then gone on to phone Roger's personal phone and told him what had happened. Roger had told her to remain calm and he would do what he could. She took another deep breathe as someone knocked on the hotel room door. She walked over and answered it, frowning deeply when she saw it was Bob Roth.

"What the hell do you want?!" She growled, surprising him. He blinked before holding up his phone. To her horror, she saw a photo of Luka. His right eye was closed up, he had a cut on his cheek and a busted lip. Issac was smirking at the camera as he roughly held Luka's hair. The message below it read as 'Bob, let Jagged know I have his son. If he wants to see him again, he needs to pay me five million euros and drop it off at the louvre. He has twelve hours to complete this or he'll never see his son again'. Anarka blinked before she suddenly grabbed Bob by his collar and dragged him into the hotel room. He tried to pull away from her but she punched him, sending him flying on the floor. "Where is Issac keeping him?!"

"I don't know," Bob gasped as she grabbed the phone. "I swear, Anarka, I do-"

"Don't lie to me, you pirate!" She screamed, making him blink as Jagged and Penny rushed into the room. "You know Issac so where would he hold him?! Where is Luka?!"

"Bob?" Jagged asked, looking at him before Anarka shoved the phone in his hand. His eyes widen as he saw the picture and the threat before he looked over at Bob with a dark look that didn't suit him. "Roth, I want you to think very carefully about your next answer because if you know where Luka is and you're keeping it to yourself, I will not hesitate to feed you to Fang. Got it?"

Bob nodded as he looked pale. He had never heard Jagged speak so calmly.

"Good," Jagged replied, still eerily calm. Fang came over. "Now where would Issac hold Luka?"

"H-He has a warehouse near the catacombs," He gasped as he eyed up. "I don't know the exact address but I swear, Jagged... I didn't think anyone would hurt the boy-"

"Shut up," Jagged growled before turning to Penny and Anarka. Penny was already on the phone to the police and Anarka looked like she was about to kill Bob. Jagged was honestly surprised that there were no akumas yet but right now, they didn't care. They couldn't rush to Luka's rescue as they didn't know the address but Penny was telling everything to the police that she was on the phone to. Within an hour, Roger and a number of officers were at the hotel and actually taking the case seriously. They took Bob away for questioning and asked a number of questions to Penny, Jagged and Anarka before promising they would do their best to find him before the deadline. Once they were gone, Jagged held Penny and Anarka as they sat in the hotel room, terrified for Luka.

~Back at Issac's Warehouse~

Luka tried to move to try and get more comfortable as his ribs ached. He glanced up and saw the sun was slowly peaking through the windows, making him frown a little. Jose was still reading his news paper, making Luka frown. He moved his hands a little and glanced back over to Tikki, who was keeping an eye on for the other kwamis. Luka jumped as he heard the door open and Issac came into view. He tapped Jose's arm, making him look at him.

"You can head back now," He stated, causing Jose to nod and get up. He folded up his news paper before walking off, leaving Luka with Issac. He turned to Luka. "I thought we could talk, Luka,"

"Y-You never w-want to t-talk," Luka gasped, causing Issac to look at him as he gave him a nasty smirk. "W-What do yo-you want?"

"Money," Issac replied, walking over to him and crouching down. "And your mother of course. She was the love of my life you know. We dated when we were younger and then she ran off to join the 'circus' so to speak. That's where she met that sinner, Jagged. He seduced her and then she had you..."

He roughly grabbed his hair again, making Luka flinch as he leaned closer to him.

"You should have never been born!" He snarled, making Luka flinch again. "But I guess that couldn't be helped. It wasn't Anarka's fault that she was seduced and I was even willing to look past you been the son of that devil worshipper... until I realized that you were a witch,"

"W-What?" Luka gasped, looking at Issac in surprise. "I'm n-not-"

"Don't answer me back, boy!" Issac roared, causing Luka to flinch again. "I saw you using magic when you were little. You would 'talk' to demons and evil spirits and your mother... bless her... she couldn't see what evil she had given birth too. She tried to say it was just imaginary friends and that you were just a sensitive child but I knew the truth. You're a witch and in league with the devil,"

"Y-You're insane," Luka gasped, causing Issac to punch him. "I-I'm not a witch!"

"Don't lie to me, boy," He growled, standing back up. "I know what you are and I made a promise to myself that I would protect Anarka and my daughter from you. I thought I could beat it out of you and force it out of you through pain. I came close but you used your magic on your mother and forced us to break up,"

"Sh-she left you bec-because you were a p-psycho!" Luka gasped as Issac walked back over to the chair. He unbuttoned his suit jacket and took it off before unbuttoning his sleeves and rolling them up.

"She left because you enchanted her!"

"I-I'm not a witch!"

"Then explain how you woke up from a coma that you shouldn't have woken up from?! Or how you had no brain damage?!" Issac shouted, shocking Luka. He briefly remembered been in hospital for a number of weeks when he was younger but he didn't know he was in a coma. Issac growled and punched Luka before roughly grabbing his shirt again. "You are a witch and you should have stayed in that coma but I'm going put you back there and this time you won't wake up!"

Luka's eye went wide as Issac punched him repeatedly. Tikki cupped her mouth as she tried to look around for something to distract Issac with. She saw a rope and flew over to it before glancing around in luck vision. She pulled on the rope, causing a chain reaction to make a number of boxes fall. Issac stopped attacking Luka and looked up, dropping him back down. Luka's head flopped down as Tikki back to her hiding place before Issac turned back to him.

"What did you do?!" He growled, lifting his head. "Answer me,"

"I... didn't... do... anything," Luka gasped, causing Issac to growl and hit him again before his phone rang. He rolled his eyes and answered it. He frowned and said something. He hung up and walked towards the back of the warehouse. He came a few minutes later with a roll of duct tape. He ripped some off and knelt back down.

"Don't want you to draw any unnecessary attention, don't we?" He stated, pressing the tape over his mouth. "Now we'll have to continue this later so don't go anywhere,"

He smirked and stood up before grabbing his jacket and leaving. Luka tried to look up but he was finding it hard to stay awake. He was in a lot of pain, felt close to collapsing and was more then terrified. Issac had made it clear that he had no intention of letting Luka leave this place alive. He flinched as Tikki flew back over and placed her paw on his cheek, frowning as tears rolled down his face. He was shaking as well, clearly close to having a panic attack.

"I'm getting you out of here," She gasped, flying over to his handcuffs but she stopped when she saw an akuma and an amok fluttering towards him. "Oh no,"

"Hmm?" He tried to say something, making her fly back towards him.

"Luka, whatever you do stay calm," She gasped, making him look at her with a confused look. She decided it was best to warn him. "There's an akuma and an amok,"

Luka's eyes widen, causing Tikki to place her hand on his cheek.

"Just focus on my voice ok?" She stated, making him nod. "Hawkmoth and Mayura only target those who have no solutions but you are Anatis. You always have a solution,"

He nodded and tried to take a breathe but he had to breathe through his nose, which was hard in itself as his nose was busted. He wasn’t sure if it was broken but it hurt trying to breathe. He flinched as the akuma and amok entered his bracelet, opening the connection between him, Hawkmoth and Mayura.

"Escape Artist, I am Hawkmoth," Hawkmoth declared as Luka froze up. "You're trapped and afraid hm? Well, I can give you the power to esca-"

The slightly buzzing noise interrupted his speech but it currently wasn't too loud.

"All I ask in return is-" The buzzing noise got louder. "Miraculous,"

"Escape Artist, I am May-" Mayura declared as the buzzing noise interrupted her as well, getting louder and louder by the second. "I will give you Cell who will assist you in your escape and help you capture others. It will be-"

The buzzing reached a new height, causing his eyes rolled up in the back of his head again. Just like last time, his body began to shake and convulse violently but this time, it was more violent and he was finding it hard to breathe due to the duct tape around his mouth and his busted nose. Tikki flew over and grabbed the tape, pulling it off his mouth as he continued to shake and fit. It only eased up the seizure a little.

"Luka, focus on my voice!" She gasped, feeling afraid too. She gasped as she heard the door to the warehouse opening and hid inside Luka's jacket. She tried to calm him down silently by place her hand on his chest.

"Issac?" Mikey's voice echoed as he came in. She could hear other people walking as well. "Yo, Issac! Are you- oh my god!"

Mikey rushed over and grabbed Luka's shoulders as he continued to convulse. He frowned deeply when he saw the akuma mask around his eyes.

"Shit, John! Keys to the handcuffs now!" He demanded as blood dripped down Luka's noise as the seizure got more violent. Mikey moved his hand behind Luka's head so he didn't hit on the pillar. He was lucky that he hadn’t already. "Kid, can you hear me?!"

John rushed over and unlocked the handcuffs, causing Mikey to move Luka onto the ground and place him in the recovery position. Mikey let out a sigh as he held Luka's head still and tried to keep him calm. He only knew what to do because his sister was epileptic. Who knew that Akumas could trigger seizures?

"What's wrong with him?" John asked, looking at Luka with concern.

"He's having a seizure," Mikey declared, making John frown. "He must be epileptic. Call an am-"

"What the hell is going on?!" Issac roared as he came in. Jose walked behind him. Issac stopped and glanced at Luka with an emotionless look. "Nice try, boy but you can stop pretending now,"

However, Luka continued to shake, making Issac frown. He pushed Mikey away and grabbed Luka by the collar, pulling him up. Luka's eyes were rolled up in his head and he was convulsing. The butterfly mask was clear around his eyes.

"I knew it," He growled, dropping him. "Behold, gentlemen, proof of evil. The boy is possessed,"

"By a fucking akuma!" John gasped, making Jose step back. "We should break the item! It might stop the seizure,"

"He isn't having a seizure!" Issac growled, making them look at him. "It's just the evil inside of him taking a hold!"

"Issac, he's having a fucking seizure!" Mikey gasped, surprised of the lack of empathy from Issac. He may have been a criminal but he had rules that clearly Issac didn't. He took out his phone and dialled 112 but Issac grabbed his phone and threw it on the floor, stamping on it until it broke. "He needs help!"

"As I say before, I'm the boss and I say he doesn't!" Issac yelled, causing his goons to frown as Mikey knelt back down and put Luka back into the recovery position. "Besides, if we alert the authorities, they'll arrest us because in case you have forgotten... we kidnapped him! What do you think they are going to do if they find us?"

"We can't just leave him like this!!" Mikey argued, making Issac frown. "We should break the item with the akuma,"

"And let the akuma go free? Possibly possess someone else?" Issac pointed out, making them frown. "It's not like the bug is around to purify it,"

The men mumbled as he had a point but they also couldn't do anything. It was clear that Luka needed help.

"What if we did it as an anonymous phone call?" John suggested, causing Issac to look at him as the seizure slowly came to a stop. Issac and his men stepped back as the akuma and amok suddenly broke free from the bracelet they had been in. "Did he just reject them?"

Mikey went to answer but to their surprise, the akuma lose it's purple look and turned white and the same happened to the amok, making it into a white feather. Issac blinked as Luka had stopped fitting but was still laid still. His eyes were still rolled up his head but he was still. However, his eyes moved back to their normal position and he suddenly sat up as if nothing had happened. However, his eyes were no longer blue but a beautiful silver color that resembled stars.

"Demon," Issac growled, going to hit Luka but before he could, they heard the sounds of shouting, causing them to look up. Kaalki pointed to them as the other kwamis came in through the window.

"Charge!" Kaalki declared, causing the kwamis to shout and flying towards Issac and his men. Issac tried to hit and attack the kwamis as his men ran away while been chased by them. One of the goons went to call Sass cute until he hissed and bit them, causing him to shout and warn the others not to be deceived by their cuteness. Barkk, Kaalki and Pollen rushed over to Luka as Tikki poked her head out. "We need to go, Master Luka,"

Luka, however, didn't answer. He just simply tilted his head to the side.

"Luka?" Tikki asked, looking up at him. "Are you ok?"

"Tikki, his eyes..." Kaalki gasped, looking at them. Pollen and Barkk gasped as they looked at them. Tikki flew up and looked at them as well, gasping as she did. It was impossible yet there was no mistake in whose eyes they were and they certainly weren’t Luka’s.

"...Finni?" She gasped, surprised. He merely smiled and placed his finger across his lips before he carefully stood up. He hisses quietly, holding onto his ribs before a golden glow came from his cuts. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Kaalki's miraculous before putting them on.

"Kaalki... full gallop," He whispered, transforming into Appalo. He turned his hand as he created a ring of energy. "Voyage,"

It opened a portal out of the warehouse. Luka or Finni as it techqually was turned and whistled loudly, causing the rest of the kwamis to fly over after tormenting his captors. They all stepped through, causing the portal to close but not before Issac shouted and tried to run towards them. The Kwamis looked around as they saw they were now on some rooftop.

~Luka's POV~

Tears rolled down Luka's face as he curled up and covered his ears, trying to push away the sound of the buzzing noise. Like the last time, he had ended up in the same hut that he had met Hao Feng but this time, he was alone. The buzzing sound was louder then ever and he was more scared then before. He thought the first time was terrifying but this time was a hundred times worst. He just wanted it to stop. The sound of footsteps caused Luka to glance up as someone walked over to him. They stopped in front of him and crouched down, gently placing their hand on his shoulder. He looked at them as the buzzing noise calmed down but unlike last time, it didn't go away.

"F-Feng," He gasped, tears in his eyes. "W-Why is this happening?"

"We have always been chased and condemned by those who are darkly influenced," Feng whispered, making Luka frown. "I can't help you today. Not in the same way I did before. The akuma and the amok are stronger together but I can bring you to someone who can,"

Luka nodded as Feng held out his hand, causing the younger to take it. In an instant, Feng had pulled Luka to his feet and led him over to a door. He pushed it open and brought him inside. It was just a separate room and part of the hut but inside there was a pile of ash, making Luka blink in confusion. However, he slowly let go of Feng's hand and walked over to it. His instincts took over as he knelt down and gently touched the ash. To his surprise, it began to glow a golden color before swirling up in the air as it reformed to create a beautiful bird unlike anything Luka had ever seen before. It had orange, yellow and red feathers and had a golden circle on it's forehead. It's wings were multicolored and it had three feathers coming from it's head that were blue, purple and green. They also matched it's tail feathers. The bird's eyes opened, revealing that they were silver like Feng's but in a different way. When looking into them, Luka felt like he was seeing the stars. It was eerie but beautiful at the same time. He slowly reached out, causing the Phoenix to lean it's head forward, placing it against Luka's hand. Luka blinked as it nuzzled his hand a little before looking back at him. He jumped back in surprise as it suddenly disappeared in flames, causing him to look at Feng.

"A Phoenix?" He asked, looking at Feng. "Why did it leave?"

"To help you," Feng replied, walking back over to him. "He will be back once your body is safe,"

"My body?" Luka asked, frowning before he gasped and looked at Feng as he sat down next to him. "I'm having a seizure again, aren't I? Why does that kept on happening to me? Is there something wrong with me, Feng?"

Luka glanced down as he thought about Issac's beliefs about him. Issac believed him to be evil and right now, he was beginning to wonder if he was correct.

"Am... I evil?" He asked, looking up at Feng. "Is Issac right about me?"

"No," Feng stated with certainty. "Luka, your stepfather isn't right about you. You are not evil,"

The way he spoke was bitter, surprising Luka but he didn't question it. Somehow, he knew that Feng understood what it was like to be an outcast. Feng gently placed his hand on Luka's shoulder.

"Your stepfather is like most of his kind. He fears what he doesn't understand and unfortunately, that means he's afraid of you," Feng explained, making Luka frown. "But that is on him. Not you. He chose to be afraid. He could have tried to embrace your differences and gifts like your mother did but instead he refused to try and understand and his ignorance only fueled his fears,"

"You know what it's like, don't you?" It wasn't a question but a statement. Feng frowned and looked to the side.

"Like you, I was born... different..." He stated, frowning. "I saw things that other people did and had visions. I saw spirits as well and I didn't realize that other people didn't so I would talk to them. It caused my village and family to grow afraid of me. I would predict things and they became convinced I was the cause. They feared me and thought I was a demon too but I'm not. I was an empath like you and just happened to have the ability of foresight,"

"You were an empath?" Luka asked, surprised as Feng nodded. "Did you hear songs as well?"

"I admit I'm not quite the same level as you," Feng replied, making Luka frown. Of course, it made sense though. Feng would be more powerful. "You are much more advantaged than I was at your age,"

"What?" Luka asked, surprised. "I am?"

"Yes," Feng nodded. "But I know some ways to using that you don't. For example, you can give the emotions you felt to other people,"

"I can?" Luka asked, completely surprised. "How do I do that?"

"Hold out your hands,""Feng replied, moving so he's facing him. Luka nodded and did as told. Feng placed his hands on his, causing Luka to gasp a flood of emotion waved over him. He could literally feel what Feng felt but then he realized it was more then just feeling. He could feel Feng's experience. He could feel the way Feng pushed his emotions forward. Feng was sharing his experience with him, teaching him how to use the method without instruction. Luka closed his eyes and followed the technique. He took the emotions he felt and in his mind pushed them forward, showing Feng what he felt in return. He could feel a connection between them begin to forge. Well, it felt more like he was repairing a connection between them. However, Feng cut it off, causing Luka to frown and open his eyes. "You're not ready for that yet,"

"But-"

"It will hurt you if you do that right now," Feng replied before standing up and holding out his arm. The Phoenix appeared in a flame and landed on his arm. "Besides, it's time to wake up,"

"What?" Luka gasped before suddenly it went dark. He blinked and looked around in confusement, finding himself on a roof surrounded by kwamis. His ribs still felt sore but not as bad and his other injuries were healed. He looked at Tikki as she floated over to him.

"W-where am I?" He asked, glancing at her. "Tikki? How did I get out of there?"

"Kaalki got you out but are you ok?" She gasped, deciding not to tell him the full story yet. "You had a seizure again and Issac had beaten you. Are your ribs ok?"

She looked at him and blinked in surprise. All of his cuts and bruises had been healed. Luka moved his hands onto his ribs ad pressed them. They felt bruised but no longer broken.

"I'm ok," He stated, making all of the kwamis let out a sigh of relief before they suddenly tackled him, making him smile a little as they hugged him. "Thank you for coming for me. Now let's get you guys home and then me. I'm sure Ma is worried,"

He reached into his pocket and took out his phone, trying to turn it on but found it was dead. He frowned before calling his transformation on and heading towards Master Fu's with the kwamis.

~Hawkmoth's Lair~

Both Hawkmoth and Mayura stared in surprise as their connection to the akuma and amok was completely cut it off. They couldn't even recall them back. Somehow, the Couffaine boy had not only rejected the possession but actually cut off their connection to it. However, it didn't put Hawkmoth off and he could feel a strong emotion he could take advantage of. Issac's anger made him perfect prey for his akuma. He held out his hand, causing a butterfly to flutter over but Mayura placed her hand over his.

"Are you sure you want to akumatize him?" She asked, making him look at her. "He doesn't just dislike the boy. He loathes him and blames him for everything that has gone wrong in his life. What if you can't control him?"

"Don't worry, Mayura," Hawkmoth smirked. "I can simply cause him a lot of pain to get him in order,"

She frowned but let go of his hand, causing the butterfly to land on it. He turned it into an akuma before letting it fly away.

"Fly away, my little akuma and evilize his angered heart," He ordered as it escaped through the window. A few minutes later, the connection between him and Issac opened, causing him to smirk. "Mob Boss, I am Hawkmoth and I'm giving you the power to hunt down Luka Couffaine and prove that he is in fact a force of evil. All I ask in return is for you to take Anatis and Lady Noir's miraculous and bring them to me. Do we have a deal?"

"Let the hunt begin, Hawkmoth,"

~Back to Anatis~

Anatis stopped on a roof and leaned his hands against his leg as he took a breathe. Despite been better then he was, he still felt weak, his ribs ached and he felt ill and warm, like he had a fever. He took a deep breathe and shook his head, jumping back across the roofs. He stopped a few more times but finally, he came to Master Fu's place. He jumped across and landed on the edge of Master Fu's window seal, opening it carefully before climbing inside and turning to the kwamis.

"Alright, you lot... back to the box," He stated, making them nod and head back apart from Kaalki. Wayzz headed in the back to where Master Fu was. He let out a sigh and turned back to the window but his yoyo buzzed, causing him to open it and press on the notification. He almost dropped it as he saw Anarka, Penny and Jagged on the video. The three of them were tied to stakes by the louvre and were surrounded by some sort of mob who were yelling and shouting as Nadja Chamack appeared on screen. Two of the members of mob shoved the mic in her hand and demanded that she report what they wanted her.

"An a-akuma calling himself m-mob boss has taken over the louvre and- ah!" The akuma grabbed the microphone from and roughly backhanded before she was dragged off by the crowd. He turned to the camera, revealing his skeleton face and blazing eyes. He was dressed in a suit with a dark gray trench coat.

"Luka Couffaine!" He growled, making Anatis feel pale. "I know you're watching this so listen up, you brat. If you don't want your father, his bitch and your whore of a mother to burn then come and face me like a real man!"

"I-Issac?" Anatis gasped, feeling sick and fearful. The kwamis looked at each other.

"You have ten minutes or they will burn in your place," He stated before lifting his arms, causing the crowd to yell and chant 'burn!' repeatedly. Anatis shut off the screen before turning back round and swinging towards the Louvre. He landed in an alleyway close to the scene as the kwamis caught up to him. Issac was throwing up his arms, making the audience chant louder. What disturbed Anatis the most was he could see his friends and some family members there. Juleka and Rose were there and so were Marinette's parents. Luckily, Marinette wasn't there but he was concerned as to where she was. Mob Boss turned back to his hostages as the crowd continued to chant. "Time is almost up,"

He roughly grabbed Anarka's chin, causing Anatis to flinch.

"Still think your son isn't evil?" He asked, making her narrow her eyes before he laughed and let go. "Once that brat turns up, I'll be able to get rid of him once and all and finally things will be right again,"

"You laid a hand-"

"One minute!" Mob Boss shouted, causing Anatis to frown.

"Tikki, Spots off," He whispered, making the kwamis gasp. "Stay here,"

"Luka, you can't!" Tikki gasped but he shook his head.

"I can't let him kill them," He gasped, looking at him. "And I can't be certain that he won't burn them if I turn up as Anatis..."

"Luka, this-"

"This is the only way," Luka replied, turning on his heel and running out of the alleyway as the crowd counted down. "Stop!"

Mob Boss moved his arms, silencing them as he smirked evilly.

"Let the witch through!" He shouted, causing the crowd to part. Luka took a deep breathe and began to walk through the crowd. Issac frowned and narrowed his eyes as Luka walked over to him. He roughly grabbed his arm. "Where are they?!"

"Whe-Where are what?"

"The demons you summoned!" He growled, making Luka frown. He must meant the kwamis. However, he apparently took too long to answer, causing Issac to hit him. Jagged, Penny and Anarka shouted out and tried to break free from their binds. "Answer me, boy!"

"I d-didn't summon any demons," Luka gasped, making Mob Boss growled and hit him hard enough to knock him to the floor and bust his lip again. He roughly grabbed his hair, dragging him back.

"You can burn with your father and his bitch," He snarled, going to drag him over to the fourth stake but before he could a baton came flying at him and slammed him in his face, causing him to stumble back as Lady Noir jumped down, causing Mob Boss to growl. He yanked Luka up and wrapped his arm around his neck and placed his other on his head.

"Let him go!" She snarled, beginning to stalk as her eyes glowed a little. Luka couldn't help but feel a little fear of her. He had never seen Lady Noir look so fearsome.

"Move closer and I'll snap his neck," Mob Boss snarled, making her stop. "Now why don't you be a good cat and hand over that ring of yours, sweetheart?"

"Lady Noir, don't!" Luka called out as she actually looked down at her ring. However, Mob Boss suddenly let go of Luka as he swore. Luka blinked and saw his hand was burn, confusing him but Mob Boss charged at him. A crack appeared in the platform as Lady Noir suddenly slammed her hand down onto the platform and summoned her cataclysm. The wood broke from Mob Boss's weight, causing him to fall through it as Lady Noir suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled her to him, causing them to fall and him to land on her, causing a blush to appear over his cheeks. "S-Sorry,"

She didn't answer as she rolled them over and jumped up as Mob Boss climbed back up and threw fire balls towards them, using her baton to block them.

"Get your family free while I distract him!" She ordered before jumping across and attack Mob Boss. Luka rushed over to Penny, Jagged and Anarka before freeing them. Anarka hugged him before pulling away and cupping his face.

"How did you get away? Do you know why his hand got burnt when he touched you?" She asked, worry clear in her eyes. It become stronger as she noticed he was hot to touch. "Luka? What happened? You're burning up,"

"I'm... fine..." He replied as Mob Boss punched Lady Noir and got on top of her, trying to strange her. Luka gasped and rushed over to the pillar, grabbing a plank of wood. He slammed it into Issac's face, causing him to stumble as Jagged and Penny helped Lady Noir up as Luka stumbled back, feeling dizzy. His eyes flicked silver but luckily no one saw it. Lady Noir rushed over to him and picked him up like a bride as Anarka punched Mob Boss before Penny broke a plank of wood over his head again, knocking him down before Jagged kicked him in the first. Luka held onto Lady Noir as she used her baton to propel them away from the scene as the three of them ran off, away from Mob Boss. Once they were a safe distance away, she lowered him down to the floor but he was taking swallow breathes, reminding her of when he got possessed by an akuma.

"Luka, you're sick," She gasped, placing her hand on his cheek. Even through her glove she could feel how warm he was. "I need to take to the hospital,"

"N-No, he'll look there," He gasped, making her frown. He was right. Mob Boss would look for him there. She frowned as she thought about the most unlikely place that Mob Boss would look. An idea popped in her mind, causing her to click her fingers before she picked up Luka again and jumped off. She set him back down and opened a manhole before helping him climb down. She closed the manhole as he leaned against the wall, breathe in and out but his breathing sounded heavy. She picked up again, making him blush a little but he held onto her as she ran off with him.

"So why is Mob Boss after you?" She asked as they moved through the tunnels. "You don't seem the type to have enemies,"

"H-He's convinced I'm evil..." He whispered, making her frown. He sounded out of breathe and tired. "H-He kidnapped me and I managed to escape s-so he's pissed..."

"I know about the kidnapping," She stated, kicking open a door and bringing him in the room. She set him down on a bench and gently moved his hair, making him blush a little as she looked at him with a soft but concerned look. "Marinette asked me to look for you when she realized you were missing,"

"S-She must have been worried since about me..." He sighed, looking down. "I o-owe her-"

"No, this is not your fault," She gasped, making him look at her before her ring beeped. "I have to go and charge up my kwami then I'll deal with Mob Boss but you need stay here. As soon as Anatis and I have defeated him, I'll get you to the hospital ok?"

He nodded, causing her to run out but only to wait a few moments before Tikki and Kaalki flew in. He went to get up but stumbled and fell back down, making Tikki gasp and rush over to him.

"I'm ok," He whispered, making her frown. "We need to transform and help Lady Noir,"

"Luka, you're in no fit state to-"

"I have to," He gasped, making Kaalki and Tikki look at each other. "I can't let her fight that monster alone,"

They both remained quiet as they knew he was right. He took a deep breathe and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself and replicate the feeling he had when he faced Blackout. Slowly but surely, he felt his energy come back to him as the same feeling washed over him. He opened his eyes as they turned silver, causing Kaalki to gasp a little.

"Luka?" She asked, making him look at her. She wasn’t sure if it was Finni again.

"I'm fine, Kaalki," He smiled, standing up. Both kwamis look nervous. "I take it my eyes are not blue right now?"

"No, they're silver," Tikki stated, biting her lip. "Just like when you faced Blackout,"

"Then it worked," He replied, making the kwamis look at him with surprise. "I kind of learn that I might be able to trigger the same thing that happened during Blackout from Feng . Admittedly, I still don't understand what it was but it gave me enough strength and energy to face him,"

"I see," Tikki gasped, nodding. "So if you can trigger it, it would do the same,"

"Exactly," Luka smiled before frowning. "I just hope I don't faint this time when I go back to normal... but we're worry about that when that happens. Right now, I need to help Lady Noir. Tikki, spots on!"

He transformed into Anatis and took out his yoyo, opening it. He frowned a little as he saw Lady Noir's location wasn't moving but she was at the Louvre again. He put his yoyo away and gently patted his shoulder for Kaalki to sit on it. She flew over and did before he ran out of the room and to the nearest exit. He climbed up and threw his yoyo up, pulling himself into the air and swinging through the streets. He landed on the building opposite the Louvre, frowning as he noticed the flames surrounding the area. He scanned his eyes before noticing Lady Noir, trying to use her baton as a shield against Mob Boss' flames. However, he managed to knock her baton out of her hand and smirked to himself, stalking over to her.

"Kaalki, hide," He ordered, causing her to hide in a nearby alleyway before he jumped down and threw his yoyo. It wrapped around Mob Boss' arm as he lifted it to punch her. Anatis yanked it, pulling Mob Boss into the air and slamming him down into the ground. Anatis freed his yoyo and rushed over to Lady Noir, helping her up.

"You ok?" He asked, making her nod. "Sorry, I'm late,"

"No worries, Annie," She smiled, pushing a bit of her hair out of her face. "You're just in time,"

He went to answer but quickly blocked a fireball from Mob Boss with his yoyo, moving Lady Noir behind him. Feeling a shiver down his spine as they backed away, he took a deep breathe.

Any advice on facing him? He mentally spoke, hoping that Feng might answer.

Don't hold back. This man will take advantage of any weakness you show... Feng's voice echoed in his mind, making Anatis nod. Mob Boss growled and summoned fire balls in his hands, causing a few of his goons to flinch and he heard Lady Noir whimper a little. His flames grew in size, making Anatis gasp as he realized how his flames worked. Show him you're not afraid...

"Of course... fear is his power..." He whispered as it clicked into place. Of course, Issac would be an akuma who feeds off fear. Mob Boss threw the flames towards them, causing Lady Noir stumble back in fear as they flew towards them at full speed. Mob Boss smirked evilly as Anatis stopped spinning his yoyo. Instead, he swiped it up and bring it down, cutting through the flames and destroying them. Mob Boss' smirk turned to a look of shock as Anatis glare at him, standing tall in front of Lady Noir, who was looking up at her partner with awe in her eyes. He turned to her and offered her his hand, causing her to take it before he pulled her to her feet. "He's just like Horrificator, Lady Noir. Fear fuels his flames, making them bigger. He uses his mob to power himself up by making them afraid. Well, I got some news for you, 'Mob Boss'..."

Anatis narrowed his eyes towards him.

"I'm not afraid of you," He stated, enraging Mob Boss. He summoned more flames and threw them at him, hoping to make him coward but Anatis didn't. Instead, he stood his ground, not even trying to block his attack. He had a feeling that the flames only hurt you if you were afraid. Lady Noir gasped and went to take out her baton but he gently placed his hand on hers, making her look at him. "Trust me,"

She looked into his eyes and even though they were silver, she could still see what he was feeling. Smiling to herself, she nodded and turned to face Mob Boss as well.

"We're not afraid of you!" She declared as the flames got closer but as soon as they touched them, the flames completely snuffed out. "Whoa!"

"No!" Mob Boss screamed enraged before summoning a massive amount of flames. "I'll burn it!!! I'll burn it all!!"

"Ok, he's lost it," Lady Noir gasped as Anatis took out his yoyo and threw it into the air.

"Lucky charm!" He declared, causing a hose pipe to appear out of thin air as Mob Boss began to create a fire tornado. His mob became even more afraid, making it get bigger. Lady Noir stepped back as fear got to her as well.

"Annie! Please tell me you have a plan!" She gasped as he looked around in his luck vision. It lit up a fire hydrant and the hose pipe. He smirked to himself.

"I have one!" He declared, making her rush over to him as he opened the fire hydrant. He worked quickly, attaching the hose to the fire hydrant before standing up and pointing it towards Mob Boss, who's flames were huge. He was laughing like a manic as well. "Hey! Mob Boss!! I hope you like rain!"

"What?!" He gasped as Lady Noir turned the switch on the fire hydrant to full power. A powerful stream of water burst through the hose and hit Mob Boss straight in the chest, sending him flying into a wall, causing him to gasp and splutter as he tried to push back the water. His flames completely disappeared as his influence on the nearby crowd weakened. Lady Noir ran up to him and summoned her power, tapping his ring. It turned to dust and the akuma climbed out as Anatis turned off the water. He threw his yoyo and captured it, pulling it back to him. He released the butterfly then unscrewed the hose before throwing it up in the air.

"Miraculous Ladybugs!" He declared, causing it to burst into the cure and swarm around Paris, fixing the damage Mob Boss had done. With him defeated, he turned back to Issac, who looked around confused before seeing the heroes. Almost instantly, he jumped up and ran off, clearly afraid of what the heroes might do to him.

"Should we go after him?" Lady Noir asked but she got her answer when her ring beeped. "Oh no! I need to go get Luka!! He's pretty badly hurt,"

"Ok," Anatis nodded as his earrings beeped as well. "We'll track him down later,"

She nodded and went off before Anatis went the other direction. However, he slipped into the alley Kaalki had hid in, making her fly over to him before he took out his yoyo, reaching into it. He took out the horse miraculous and put them on.

"Tikki, Kaalki... unify," He declared, turning into the merge form. He threw out his arm as he created a ring of light. "Voyage!"

It opened a portal into the room Lady Noir had left him. He stepped inside, causing it to disappear.

"Tikki, Kaalki, divide," He ordered, causing him turn back to Anatis. "Spots off,"

He caught Tikki before sitting down on the bench as his eyes began to turn back to blue. A wave of nausea to wash over him making him to feel weak again as he covered his mouth to stop himself from gagging. Slowly, a headache began to creep through. He took a shaky breathe and held his jacket open, allowing Tikki and Kaalki to hide in it. A few minutes later, the door opened and Lady Noir rushed in.

"Sorry! I had to charge my kwa- Luka?" She gasped as she reached him. He had closed his eyes and was taking short breathes as he felt himself warm up. "Oh god, you're worse than before,"

"I-I'm... fi-" He started but she helped him to his feet and began to lead him outside. As soon as he stood, he felt very weak and ended up leaning against her. It didn't take her long to get him out of the sewer before taking him to the hospital. The doctors and nurses took him from her as she promised to bring his family. Soon, he found himself in a hospital room, lying on a bed while the doctors try to get down his fever as they asked him a number of questions. He answered them as best as he could, even telling them about the almost akumatization and amok. The doctors and nurses shared concerned looks when he told them about it but he felt tired and just wanted to sleep. Seeing how tired he was, the doctors concluded their tests. As soon as they left, he ended up falling asleep and when he next woke, the Captain was sat next to him. Her eyes were closed but he could see how stressed she felt. "M-Ma?"

She groaned and stirred, opening her eyes.

"Luka?" She gasped before standing up and hugging him. He hugged her back. "Oh I am so sorry, Lad. I should have walked with you-"

"It's n-not your fault, Ma," He whispered, gently pulling away from him. "Issac was convinced that I'm the reason you left him. He said I was evil and a witch... I don't understand why..."

Anarka frowned and sat back down, taking his hand.

"He was afraid of you," She stated, making him look at her. "When you were younger, you had what I thought were imaginary friends but I realized very quickly it was something else when I saw you talking to something in your room. You must have been three years old when this happened but when I asked you who you were talking to, you told me it was your grandmother,"

Luka frowned a little.

"The thing was she had died two years before you were born and I hadn't told you about her at all. We didn't get on," She mumbled, looking down. Luka frowned as he listened. "You knew her name and described her down to a tee. I do not doubt that it was your grandmother but it scared me and I told you not to make up stories. You never told me if you talked to anything like her again after that but I would hear you speaking to other things but then Issac heard you talking to them and he became convinced you were 'in league with the devil'. That's what we argued about a lot of the time and it just got worst as time pass. I told him you had imaginary friends and were just sensitive but he didn't believe me. Soon, you stopped talking to things that weren't there and I thought you had grown out of it. I didn't realize Issac had hurt you every time he caught you talking to them. It got worst when you showed an interest in music. He would scream that it was the devil's influence and would break anything that could cause that then he went too far and you ended up in hospital in a coma for a week. It wasn't long after that when I realized he was hurting you. I had been at work that day and Issac had called me, saying you had fallen and hit your head. I only found that it had been him that had hit hit you and caused you to hit your head months later during an argument. It was the moment that I decided to leave him. I hated myself because I should have realized sooner that you were been hurt by him. I packed our bags ready to leave but Issac..."

She took a deep breathe as Luka listened.

"That was the day Issac got physical with me. He then threatened to take you and Juleka away from me if I left. I realized that I would need to be clever and crafty to outwit him so I saved up any spare money we had while trying to protect you and Juleka while we were still there. That's why we were so poor. Issac would spend whatever he had on booze and I was putting anything I could into an account he knew nothing about," She explained, making Luka frown as he listened. "The christmas he walked out, I saw a chance and got the locks changed but he kept coming back. He would try to kick the door down and even tried to take you and Juleka from school one day. After that, I had you both home schooled. Since you were frequently ill, it helped to keep you at home. During the time of having him locked out of the house, I contacted an estate agent and sold the house, which gave us our money. Since I had finally enough money, I brought the Liberty. I packed up our basics and moved us to Paris with the Liberty,"

"How did we get away from him?" Luka asked, causing her to sigh. "Didn't he try to wait outside the house?"

"I called the police that day and had him arrested. I knew he would get out but it gave us a few hours to escape. While he was in jail, we left the house for good. I don't know if you remember but I legally changed our names. Not by much admittedly but before our surname was Couphène but I had it changed legally to Couffaine. It's slightly different pronunciation and spelt differently. The change was small but it was enough that Issac wouldn't be able to find us. Besides, you and Juleka always pronounced it as Couffaine anyway,"

Luka frowned to himself as he listened. He did briefly remember spelling his surname different and got confused when he was first corrected but he assumed that because he was a kid, he just didn't realize how to spell it properly. It never occurred to him that his mother had changed it.

"Why did you change it?"

"So if Issac ever looked us up, he wouldn't be able to find us. It's also why I brought a boat. We could move it and would never be in the same place," She admitted, frowning. "I thought it was safer that way... but I should have protected you better. I'm so sorry, Luka.,"

Tears rolled down her face as she cried, making Luka frown. He carefully moved so he was closer to her before opening his arms. Anarka looked up at him before moving so she was sat on the bed and hugged him.

"It's ok, Ma," He whispered, hugging her before they pulled away. "I was afraid to say anything and when I got old enough to say, Issac threatened to hurt you and Juleka. I wasn't going to let that happen,"

"You shouldn't have had to," She whispered, looking down as she wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry.."

"Ma, it's ok," He smiled, glancing to the side. "But I don't remember seeing them?"

"The coma you were in..." She muttered, looking down. She had beaten herself up for ages when she had realized it was Issac who had caused it. She still felt guilty to this very day. "The doctors... they thought you wouldn't wake up and warned me that you would have brain damage if you did but then you proved them wrong and woke up. Despite been in a coma for a while, you only had a little bit of memory damage. You just didn't remember seeing spirits or ghosts... The doctors and I called it a miracle..."

"But Issac saw it as proof of me been evil, didn't he?" Luka asked, making her frown. "He called me a witch and said I was evil..."

Anarka frowned as she saw the expression on his face. He thought it was possibly that he was.

"Luka Couffaine, you listen to me," She stated in a firm voice. He looked up at her. "Issac is wrong about you, Lad. You're not evil or wicked. You're a pure and gentle soul and he's the evil one for harming you. People like Issac fear what they don't understand... and I was afraid too but not because of you seeing ghosts. Our family have always been different and strange but that's what had me afraid. I feared that people would treat you differently and I was wrong. We should celebrate our differences and gifts, even if other people are afraid of them. If it turns out you are a witch then I will be proud of my witchy son,"

"Thank you, Ma," He whispered, hugging her before pulling away. "Though I think Juleka might be the witch of the family,"

Anarka laughed and ruffled Luka's hair, making him smile before someone knocked on the door and entered. He glanced over and smiled a little as Juleka, Rose and Marinette looked at him. Relief flooded their eyes and before anyone could move, Juleka had rushed over and hugged him, causing him to hug her back as she cried.

"I'm ok, Jewels," He whispered, stroking her hair before he looked up at the other two and stretched out his arm. Both of them rushed over and joined in with the hug. Rose was crying worst then Juleka and Marinette was holding back tears. The three of them pulled away as a doctor entered and asked to talk to Anarka. She got up and walked out as the girls sat on the chair. "Is Dad here?"

"He was talking to the doctors," Juleka mumbled as Luka leaned against the pillow. "And Penny is looking to get Bob Roth in trouble too. He's been arrested as Issac had sent him a photo of you with a message for Jagged. He wanted 3 million euros to release you,"

"Why did he give the message to Bob Roth?" Luka asked, frowning. Juleka looked at Rose who bit her lip. "Jewels?"

"I overheard Ma and Jagged shouting at Mr Roth... apparently he was friends with Issac. He admitted to confirming that it was us to him when Penny threatened him. He's the reason why Issac kidnapped you," Juleka explained, making him frown. "He tried to claim that he didn't know that Issac would do that but Penny, Ma and Jagged don't believe him,"

"What about Issac?" He asked, looking at them. Juleka and Rose looked sad and pale and Marinette looked angry. Luka sighed as he felt their emotions. Disappointment and rage. "He got away didn't he?"

"The police are looking for him," Marinette stated, taking his hand. "And they've placed an officer here in case he tries to come after you..."

"I see," He frowned, making a mental note to track him down as Anatis. "I hope they find him soon. I want this nightmare to be over,"

"I hope it ends soon," Marinette whispered, linking their hands together. Rose gently tapped Juleka and pulled her up, leaving the room so Marinette and Luka were alone. "I'm sorry..."

"For what?" He asked, looking at her.

"Letting you walk home alone and not insisting you stay the night. Mama and Papa wouldn't have minded. They like you," She whispered, looking down. "So I'm sorry..."

"Marinette, none of this was your fault so please don't blame yourself," He whispered, making her look at him. "It's Issac. He's always hated me and this was just part of that,"

"How are you so calm?" She asked, wiping her eyes. "You got kidnapped and you're in hospital and you must have been so afraid..."

"I was..." He admitted, looking down. "It was terrifying. I was almost akumatized too but-"

"Oh no, did you have a seizure again?!" Marinette gasped, looking more worried. Luka nodded and went to continue what he was saying. Only for Marinette to hug him again. "I'm so sorry!!"

"It's ok," He mumbled, making her look at him. "I'm ok. The seizure... it passed pretty quickly and actually helped me escape. Issac and his men were arguing about taking me to the hospital so while they were distracted, I slipped away. Admittedly, it was hard because I was tired and just wanted to curl up but I got out. Anatis found me once I got out of the warehouse he kept me and helped me get away properly... but then Issac ended up akumatized and threatened to hurt my family so I slipped away from Anatis to go and save them..."

"You're so brave, Luka," Marinette praised, making him blush as Jagged and Anarka came back in. Marinette gave them a small smile. "I'm gonna head home but I'll come and visit tomorrow,"

"Ok," Luka smiled, nodding. She smiled back before getting and leaving the room. Jagged hugged him, causing him to hug back as Juleka came back in and took a seat with the others. He yawned and laid back down, trying to stay awake.

"Go to sleep, Lad," Anarka ordered as Jagged sat down. "We'll be here when you wake,"

He nodded and closed his eyes, drifting into a dreamless sleep.

~A Week Later~

"You sure this is the place, Barkk?" Anatis asked as they stood opposite a warehouse. After he had left hospital, he went straight to Master Fu to ask if he could borrow the kwamis. He wanted their help in finding Issac. Since Master Fu was aware of the situation as he had visited Luka in hospital to make sure he was ok, he agreed to let the kwamis help Luka. It had surprised him but since Lika had decided it was time to end Issac's reign of terror, Master Fu had agreed to let the kwamis go with him so he had some kind of back up. At first, Master Fu had tried to convince to let the police do the work but Luka told him he couldn't let it go. Issac hadn't just tried to kidnap him. He was intent on killing him and hurting his family. He knew that if Issac got him out of the way, he would go after Juleka and his mother and he was not about to let that happen. No, he was done living in fear and he would protect his family at any cost. With his mind settled, Master Fu tried to come along himself but his back began to play up and Luka told him to stay back. Part of him wanted to ask Lady Noir to come with him as well but he also knew that this was something Luka had to do and not Anatis.

"This is the place, Master Luka," Barkk replied, making Anatis sigh before the little dog kwami looked at him. "But are you sure you don't want to go in as Anatis?"

"I have to do this as Luka," He replied as the other kwamis surrounded him. "You guys keep back but the moment Issac shows any possibility of hurting me, attack him and don't hold back,"

"Yes, sir!" The kwamis declared, saluting him before he jumped from the building and landed on the ground. As soon as he was on the ground, he detransformed and caught Tikki, giving her a cookie. She took it before flying up and kissing his cheek lightly.

"Good luck," She smiled, making him nod before he walked over and tried to the door. It was lock so Kaalki flew over and unlocked it, causing him to smile and step in. He walked through glancing around as he recognized the place he was held in. He kept his hand on his phone as he walked through. He felt his fear sneak up on him but he pushed it to the back of his mind. He stopped as he looked around. The warehouse seemed completely emptied. He frowned but stopped when he felt someone walk up behind him. Judging by their song, it was Issac. He flinched a little when he felt Issac stop behind him.

"Well, I knew you were dumb but I didn't think you were this stupid," Issac growled as Luka took a deep breath and slowly turned around.

"You'd just come after me anyway," He answered, staring at the man who made his life a living hell. "I'm here to end this,"

"You? Want to fight me?!" Issac laughed before taking out a gun and pointing to him. "You don't stand a chance,"

"I'm not here to fight you," Luka stated, keeping his mind clear and calm. Fear would do him no good.

"Then what do you want?" Issac growled.

"To prove you wrong," He stated, making Issac frown. "Hand yourself over to the police and let this grudge. It will only cause you more pain so please, give yourself in. It’s not too late to change,”

"You are pathetic!" Issac growled, making Luka sigh. He had given him a chance. "You think I'm going to listen to an evil bastard like you!"

"I'm not evil, Issac," He stated, sighing before his eyes turned silver, making Issac stare at him. During his rest in the hospital, he had dreamt a few times of Feng and the bird that he learnt was called Finni. Feng had finally told him that he had natural magic and started to teach him how to chanel it. He still had ages to go and he was still confused about a lot of things but Feng had taught him more about projecting emotions onto others. He could show them love, hope and even feelings like fear and sadness. "But I am different,"

"Demon!" Issac shouted, going to fire his gun but the kwamis flew him, taking the gun out of his hand. "No! You trickster!"

"I'm not a demon and I'm not a trickster," Luka stated, walking closer to Issac. He tried to back away but tripped over when Pollen, Kaalki and Barkk pushed a box behind him. He scrambled backwards until his back hit the same pillar that Luka had been chained to. He went to get up but the kwamis had handcuffed him to it, stopping him from getting up.

"No!" He gasped as fear caught up with him. He didn't expect Luka to reverse their roles. He was the one in charge here. Not the demon child. Luka sighed and crouched down in front of him. "You bastard!! I'll kill you!"

"I have something for you, Issac," He stated, making him blink. "Something I don't want anymore,"

He reached out his hand, causing Issac to try and pull away.

"Don't touch me, you demon!" He shouted but Luka ignored him and rested his hand against his cheek, causing Issac to flinch. For a second, nothing happened but then Issac started to scream in absolute pain and terror as he looked at Luka, who eyes slowly turned from silver to a glowing golden color that resembled the sun. If anyone else had seen them, they would have described them as beautiful but for Issac, they just added to his fear. His eyes widen as he saw a golden aura round Luka that resembled a bird. However, he let out a scream of pain as Luka's touch actually hurt him. Slowly, Luka pulled away as Issac screamed and cowarded away from him, crying as he did. Tikki flew over to him as Luka stood up and looked at him with a mixture of pity and sorrow.

"What did you do to him?"

"I gave him the fear and pain he caused me," He explained, wiping a tear sliding down his cheek as the kwamis flew over to him. "All sixteen years worth and all at once..."

The kwamis looked over at Issac, who was reduced to a crying, broken mess. Receiving all that fear and pain at once had broken him but they could not think of a better punishment for him. This way, he would never hurt anyone ever again. Luka blinked again and wiped his eyes before taking out his phone and placing a call to the police but hung before they could ask his name. He left the warehouse and transformed into Anatis before swinging off. Once he got to the Liberty, he slid in through his room and dropped his transformation before curling up on his bed and began to cry, surprising the kwamis.

"L-Luka?" Tikki asked as Luka shook. She looked at the other kwamis as he slowly sat up.

"I'm s-sorry," He whispered, wiping his eyes. "It's just... I find it hard to believe it's over..."

"It's ok, my prince," Pollen gasped, hugging his cheek. The other kwamis followed suit and hugged him, making him smile despite his tears.

"Thank you for coming with me,"

"Luka!" The Captain called, causing the kwamis to hide as she burst in. "He's been caught!"

"What?" He gasped, pretending to be surprised.

"Issac! Officer Roger called me. They got a tip about where he was hiding and arrested him!" She gasped, hugging him. "It's over, Luka. He's never gonna hurt anyone again,"

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Next Chapter: Chapter 57

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ilikekidsshows · 3 years

Note

Hey can you talk about the Agreste family. Four seasons have passed by and still we don't know anything about them. Why did Emilie use the Peacock Miraculous? How did Gabriel and Emilie find the Miraculous? What's the deal with the Graham de Vanilys? What about Nathalie and Gorilla? And how do the Bourgeois' and Tsurigis fit into this?

You know what's really interesting about the Parent Generation of Miraculous? How so many of them are connected. There's a reason people have hypothetically wondered if maybe Sabine or Tom could be connected to the rest as well, because so many Parent Generation characters are connected to another Parent Generation character in fictional version of the Six Degrees of Separation. Audrey was the one who kickstarted Gabriel's fashion career. Gabriel makes business deals with Tomoe. Emilie acted in André's film debut. André works closely with Roger. Roger is familiar with Anarka. Anarka is Jagged's ex. It's a very interwoven web and it also establishes that the kids' parents have pasts. They had lives before they were just Parental Units.

The Agreste/DeVanilly family is an interesting target of speculation, but a lot of the theorizing I've seen has focused on merely very surface level stuff. This is mostly because the Miraculous fandom in general has a preoccupation with treating pretty obvious facts as mysteries to be solved. For example, people are so focused on asking "Does Chloé deserve a redemption?" (it doesn’t matter, her arc will be what the plot requires) that they rarely wonder what’s up between Audrey and André even when we got blatant confirmation that Audrey cheated on André. Similarly, people are so busy asking "Does Gabriel love Adrien?" (yes, but selfishly) that they don't wonder what part Emilie played in Adrien's upbringing, even though Adrien’s abuse was going on even before she disappeared.

Emilie, Audrey and Tomoe all have suspicious things to them in the show. Audrey is away so much she could have been getting away with anything off screen, including cheating on her husband. She and Tomoe both got cutaways in the scene in 'Feast' where the Guardian Temple made the news. Tomoe's car Tatsu's symbol looks a lot like the symbol on Ryuko and the car is even named "dragon" (these Tomoe details have actually been noticed before but seemed to stop being discussed after season four started airing). Emilie is a nonentity and the only people who speak in her favor are Adrien and Gabriel, both of whom are Unreliable Narrators. Adrien also defends Gabriel, and Gabriel himself is absolutely convinced Adrien is some fragile, demure flower who must be protected specifically from other people, instead of a lonely boy in desperate need of friends. Adrien has been conditioned to excuse his abusers because they love him while abusing him, while Gabriel only sees what he can use to justify acting the ways he does. Of course Adrien would focus on Emilie being a loving mother and of course Gabriel would focus on the things that would confirm her to deserve the things he does in her name in his mind.

Actually, with Audrey's connection to Gabriel and André's to Emilie, in addition to the theory that one of the other actresses for 'Solitude' was Tomoe, my brother theorizes that Audrey, Tomoe and Emilie might all be connected, perhaps some type of villainous trio, like an evil Totally Spies. We have no idea what Gabriel’s role in such a setup would be, but his villainy would probably be entirely separate from theirs.

Then we get to the extremely limited Agreste household staff. Nathalie is blindly loyal. She'd literally do anything for Gabriel, including risking her life and committing acts of supervillainy. However, it's implied she only fell in love with Gabriel after seeing just how far he'd go to get Emilie back, meaning it's a new development, but Nathalie has been around for a while, or Gabriel wouldn't trust her with his secrets. What was her loyalty originally based on?

The Gorilla, on the other hand, is more of a symbol than a character. He mostly functions as a way to disrupt or unwittingly aid Adrien’s attempts to sneak off to turn into Cat Noir. Even his Akumatization revolved around this role. If he is in fact mute, he is very similar to guards in fairytales, who'd be struck blind so that they wouldn't view the beauty of whatever they're guiding and be tempted to steal it. I'm saying Gabriel, a man with a whole lot of secrets, hired a man who couldn't tell any tales. It's more a symbolic thing in terms of character design rather than Gabriel's actual in-universe reasoning specifically because other forms of communication also exist, as do languages that don't require spoken words. I mean, four seasons in and the closest thing he has to a name is his job descriptor. He might as well be called The Bodyguard. He’s a symbol.

As for the Graham de Vanilys, hooboy, where do I begin? Amelie’s "I'd smile while I stab you in the back and drink tea while you bleed out on the floor" manner is suspicious enough even without the blatant clues that she taught her son to be a manipulative thief and is proud of him for palming Gabriel's ring based on both his dishonest skills and getting the family heirloom back. Then we add the fact that Félix is, in fact, a master thief in the making, capable of robbing both Adrien and Gabriel without them noticing until they realize they're missing items. Then he moves like a rubberband man while avoiding three Akumas out to end him. Finally, he's fully willing to make a pact with Hawk Moth. He's utterly immoral, has almost superhuman abilities and he's clearly dedicated to the Graham de Vanily heritage. He has his mother's last name, implying his father did as well. The Graham de Vanilys have a family legacy that he's willing to maintain, with his focus on the family rings. And, considering how proud his mother was of his thievery, the family business might indeed be something criminal, most likely related to relieving people of their valuables.

To sum this essay up, we know very few actual facts about any of these characters, but one thing is certain: They All Are Suspicious as Hell.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #gabriel agreste #emilie agreste #audrey bourgeois #tomoe tsurugi #ml meta #long post

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symphonic-scream · 2 years

Text

Alright it's been like. A while in the making but here's a better post about an idea for

A Miraculous Fullmetal Alchemist Au

Now I've watched both versions, read the manga, all and everything cause I love this series more than almost anything, and some things don't transfer well cause. That's how things work sometimes. But I'll do my best to explain things going on. If at any time anything isn't clear or it's confusing shoot me an ask and I'll try to clear it up

Anyways lets get to some of the stuff

So our main focus is on the Couffaine family. Anarka raising her two kids as a single mom in the countryside, just having a lovely life. She's just chilling until oh no one day she does rip-

And Luka and Juleka are pretty young, probably like 10 and 9. They're both just beginning to understand Alchemy and I'll explain that in a second, but without their Ma all that they have left is her shitty ex husband and they don't wanna go with him

So alchemy is. How to explain it. Turning stuff into other stuff. With like science magic. And circles. But like the exchange has to be equivalent. That part is important

So since our two young budding alchemists really want their mom back, and are young and stupid, they decide to break one of the cardinal rules of Alchemy by trying to use alchemy to bring Anarka back to life

But Oh No it goes horribly wrong, because truly, what is the equivalent of a human life? Not only is it not Anarka or even human that they created, but Luka's entire body was taken, as was Juleka's arm and leg

Little Juleka managed to tie her brother's soul to a nearby suit of armour to save part of him, sobbing that she didn't want to be alone

Someone reported the strange noises from their home and one of the military officers that was in town for a little goes over to check on it and finds one sobbing, bleeding child in a shed, with a sentient, panicking suit of armour with the voice of a little boy

That man was Alim Kubdel. He rushes Juleka to medical attention and ends up taking them in. His wife was an Alchemist, as is his oldest son, so he knows what he's getting into. Kinda

His daughter Alix is Juleka's age, and is an assistant at an "automail" shop. Automail is like, mechanic prosthetics. So Juleka gets cool metal limbs and Alix helps keep them in good shape

Jalil joins the military as a "state alchemist", who are alchemists on military payroll that basically do what the military want in exchange for the classic money and lodgings and shit. They're often called dogs of the military

As the siblings grow up they leave for a spell to learn from an alchemy teacher who knew their ma. This is Caline. She and Anarka were gonna get married when they were younger and Caline wanted to be able to have a kid with her and, well, tried to alchemy it up. Didn't work. Relationship failed out of the stress from it all

Years pass, and Juleka applies for the State Alchemist exams and passes woo! Now with her military money and access to all their libraries, her and Luka are on the quest to get their real bodies back

They meet lots of friends along the way and Alix is never far behind with her own little arc of hating the military, and they learn almost too much about their country and whoops now they're part of a plot to save everyone

There's a lot more but those are the basics. If you wanna know more or have questions about what everyone else is up to feel free to ask me I cannot stop thinking about this

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #alix kubdel #ml #miraculous au #ml fma au #juleka couffaine #luka couffaine

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justanotherpersonsuniverse · 4 years

Note

Nah, Anarchy Maidens definitely are a polycule even Penny

Anarka: this is my wife Caline, and our girlfriend Nathalie, and our girlfriend Penny and her husband Jagged who was my ex- and Nathalie’s dead girlfriend Emilie and Emilie’s husband Gabriel. And we all hate Gabriel.

#Anarchys Maidens #anarka couffaine #caline bustier #nathalie sancoeur #penny rolling #jagged stone #gabriel agreste #emilie agreste

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quickspinner · 4 years

Text

Beautiful Dreams - Ch 3 Dreams Worth Chasing

Marinette was on her way to pick up her missing folder, and Luka had a plan. Sort of. He caught himself chewing his freshly painted thumbnail and made a face (both at himself and the taste). He was going to be a wreck by the time she got here if he didn’t do something.

Luka picked up his electric guitar and cranked his amp. Rocking out was always the best way to deal with nerves. He was breathing a little hard by the time he finished his own version of Jagged Stone’s Rock Giant but he was comparatively relaxed when a slightly timid knock sounded on his door.

Okay. He could do this. He was smooth, no matter how much Juleka liked to pick on him.

Luka opened the door and there she was, stylish and put together as always, and as always his heart stuttered in his chest. Her hair was looking a little windblown and a strand stuck to her lips. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw him, and he didn’t miss the way her gaze flicked over his white t-shirt and black jeans, nor the faint color that tinted her cheeks. He tended to keep his arms covered when he was with his students, as the type of parents who could afford his rates were often the type who didn’t really appreciate tattoos, but he’d left his arms bare today just to see if he’d been imagining things at the market. He concluded a little smugly that he hadn’t and Marinette wasn’t put off by his ink at all. That gave him the boost he needed to stop staring like an idiot himself.

“Come on in,” he offered, stepping back. “I put it in the back so I wouldn’t lose it or spill anything on it, I’ll go grab it. Make yourself at home.”

“Last time I did that I fell asleep,” Marinette said wryly, and he laughed, wincing slightly at how it echoed in the hallway.

“I hope you’re better rested today,” he called as he reached for the folder where he’d left it on top of his dresser.

“I wish. Was that you playing just now?” she asked when he returned with the folder in hand, and then answered herself before he could. “Sorry, that was a stupid question, of course it was you. It was good—I mean of course, you’d be good, you’re a teacher. I just—I’m a big fan of Jagged Stone and…” She seemed to run out of steam, blushing.

He’d thought he was too old to get butterflies in his stomach but the idea that her slip-up at the market hadn’t been just a fluke, that she was nervous because maybe she was just a little bit affected by him too was enough to make him feel sixteen again for the second time in as many weeks.

“I’m a teacher,” Luka said, leaning one shoulder against the wall as casually as possible. “But I’m a musician first and the electric guitar’s always been my first love. I play every chance I get. I’m glad you liked it, I’m a big fan of Jagged Stone myself.” He held the folder out to her.

Marinette took it, her gaze on the floor. “He’s actually one of my oldest clients.”

“Really?” He raised his eyebrows. “That’s impressive. Louis told me you worked for him, but I didn’t realize you’d been working with him that long.”

“It was luck that started it, really, but we’ve had a good working relationship. Not so much lately since he’s sort of semi-retired but…” She trailed off, blushing harder, and Luka gestured to a poster on his wall.

“Louis told me you designed that one. He’s very proud of you. As he should be, I’m really impressed,” he said. “It’s one of my favorites.” He grinned back at her. “You’re really talented, Marinette.”

She lit up red as a tomato and stammered something about needing to go.

“Of course,” he said, stepping back and motioning her ahead of him. “I don’t want to keep you if you’re busy.” That’s such a lie. I want to keep you forever.

He walked her to the door. Now or never, Couffaine.

“Marinette.” Luka took a folded piece of paper from his pocket and offered it to her. “If you’d like to hear more, my band is playing this weekend. I’d love for you to come.”

“Oh,” Marinette said, taking the paper and unfolding it slowly to look at the flier. “I’m...not sure? I’ll have to see if I’m free.”

“I understand. Well, I hope you can make it.” He took a breath. “Maybe after our set is over, I can buy you a drink.”

Her gaze snapped to his face and Luka did all he could to keep his expression relaxed and friendly, though his eyes were locked on hers. He shrugged slightly. “No pressure, just...if you feel like getting out.”

Marinette bit her lip and lowered her eyes, and then looked back up and smiled. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”

“Great.” Luka smiled and opened the door for her. “Have a good week.”

She smiled back at him, blushing faintly. “Thanks. You too.”

He watched her get into her car, and then stepped back inside, shut the door, and leaned against it, all his breath rushing out with a whoosh. “Your move, dreamer,” he muttered. “Hope I see you Saturday. If you come, it’s on.”

***

Luka went through his usual pre-show routine, and his body and mind readied themselves to sink into the music in response. If he had something different than usual dwelling at the corners of his mind, no one noticed, and no one spoke to him, his bandmates having long ago learned to respect his space before a show.

If there was any place at all that Luka could feel at home outside of his family, it was at the club. He’d practically grown up in the back rooms of clubs and bars and anywhere else they could find that had a stage and somewhere to plug in an amp, trailing behind his mother with Juleka’s hand held tightly in his. Anarka Couffaine was fiery and bombastic where Luka was quiet and calm, but once he began to take the stage, first by her side and later on his own with Juleka at his, it became obvious he was his mother’s son. The stage contained and tempered Anarka’s fire, taming it into something other people could share. It fanned Luka’s flame, giving him the energy to reach out, to connect, to give others a glimpse of the inner world he guarded so carefully.

If Marinette was out there, beyond the stage light and the wall of crowd noise, she would see him tonight.

She’s here, he thought to himself as he picked up his guitar and stripped the strap over his head. She has to be.

No way he was going to fumble it this time. He was in his element here, he’d made his choice, made his peace with it, and now there was nothing left to do but act.

Behind him, the count tapped out, and Luka played.

***

For once, the pounding of his heart didn’t stop when he stepped off the stage. Luka accepted and returned the fistbumps and backslaps and congratulations of his bandmates on an excellent show. He stowed his gear as quickly as he could, and grabbed the extra bag he’d packed.

There was only so much he could do in the small, cramped bathroom, but he got his stage makeup washed off, freshened up as much as he could, and changed his shirt. He redid his eyeliner and ruffled up his hair, before taking a deep breath. He tossed his bag in the back with the rest of his stuff, and went to look for Marinette.

He found her faster than he expected, wearing a slinky red dress and her hair pinned up, standing at a table with a couple of other people. Luka lingered just a moment to prepare himself and then slipped through the crowd and touched her elbow. “Hey, Marinette. Glad you could make it.”

“Luka!” The smile she turned on him was blinding. “Luka that was amazing!”

He grinned back, instantly captivated. “Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“I loved it! Oh!” She jumped as the brunette next to her elbowed her. “Um, Luka, this is my best friend Alya, and I’m pretty sure you and Nino have met.”

“We have. Good to see you again, Nino.” He exchanged a handshake and a shoulder bump with the other man, trying not to sigh at this slight complication. He hasn’t counted on having to hit on Marinette in front of her ex-husband’s best friend.

Not that it was going to stop him.

Nino gave him a neutral nod as he pulled back. “Hey Luka, long time no see. The band was sick.”

“Thanks,” Luka grinned, and offered his hand to Alya. “Nice to meet you, Alya.” She took his hand and looked him up and down, but not like she was checking him out—more like she was sizing him up. Luka had been on the receiving end of the BFF stare too many times to be bothered. He gave her his blandest smile and turned to Marinette. “So, can I buy you that drink?”

Marinette’s cheeks pinked. “Sure.”

He walked Marinette to the bar and let her order what she liked, and got a beer for himself. “So you liked the set?”

“I loved it,” Marinette smiled up at him. “The covers were cool but there were some original songs in there too, right? I really liked the one you did…” She gestured vaguely, forehead creasing in thought. “Umm, I think it went ‘not the right hand, not the right touch, but she always said I needed too much’? And it had that amazing guitar solo in the middle? That was my favorite.”

“Yeah?” Luka grinned, leaning against the bar. “I wrote that one, I’m glad you liked it.”

Marinette’s eyes went huge. “You wrote it? Like out of nothing?”

“More or less,” Luka chuckled. “I roughed it out and wrote the instrumentals, and our vocalist Jenner, he helped me work out the lyrics and the vocals. Only fair, really, since he had to sing it. I can usually put the melodies together on my own, but I always have to have some help with the words.”

“The melodies were so evocative and emotional though,” Marinette said, picking up her drink as the bartender delivered it. “The words are just the icing on the cake.”

“That’s nice of you to say,” Luka picked up his beer and motioned Marinette to precede him back to the table.

Marinette didn’t move right away, giving him an adorably pouty look that came with such sad eyes that it made him want to cringe. “You make it sound like you think I’m insincere.”

“That was absolutely not my intention, I’m sorry.” Luka sighed and drummed his fingers on the bar, trying to find a better way to explain. “People tend to...notice words more, I guess. When people talk to us about a song they usually talk about how the words affected them, or that they thought this or that thing we did with the instrumentals is cool or catchy. I don’t get a lot of people who talk about how the music itself made them feel. So, what I meant was, thank you. That’s nice to hear.”

“Oh.” Marinette tucked a strand of hair back, clearly processing. “Then...you’re welcome. I really do feel that way, especially…” she hesitated, tilting her head slightly as she looked up at him. “Especially when you were taking the lead. I mean, I’m no expert, but, um...wow. That was incredible, what you can do with that guitar.”

It might be a shy, hesitant flirt, but he’d take it. He leaned into her space just a little, one hand resting on the bar next to her elbow. “Well, considering you’ve spent a lot of time around Jagged Stone—and don’t think I don’t know he’s not the only musician you’ve worked with—I think I’m very flattered, expert or no.”

He couldn’t quite see if she was blushing in the blue light coming off the bar, but he was pretty sure she was as she stammered something about getting back to the table and turned quickly, nearly tripping in her haste to put some space between them. Luka caught her arm to steady her, and rested just his fingertips on her back as he tried to shield her from some of the jostling of the crowd as they wound their way back to the table. Once over her initial fluster, she leaned back into his protection almost automatically, tucking her petite figure against his side when things got a bit tight.

When they got back to her friends, Marinette excitedly recounted their conversation. It wasn’t quite enough to make Luka blush, he knew what his strengths were, but it did make it easy to keep a smile on his face.

As Marinette talked on, Alya fixed Luka with a stare. When there was a lull in the conversation, she said, “Marinette, why don’t you go grab us another round.”

Marinette frowned. “Alya, nobody’s even finished—”

“Food,” Alya declared. “Get us some food. Please.” She reached over and slid Marinette’s glass in front of her. “I’ll watch your drink. Shoo.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and stood up. “Rude,” she sniffed. “You better not ditch Luka all by himself while I’m gone.”

“Of course not!” Alya promised.

Luka frowned, wanting to offer to go in Marinette’s place, or at least to go with her, but it was obvious that Alya just wanted Marinette out of the way. If that was the case he might as well sit here and get it over with. The crowd was clearing a bit as the DJ got rolling, people pressing toward either the bar or the dance floor, so she’d probably be okay.

Sure enough, as soon as Marinette was out of earshot, Alya rounded on him. “So what’s the deal? Are you into my girl or what?”

Direct. He could appreciate that. “Yes.” He lifted his bottle to his lips, watching Marinette over Alya’s shoulder trying to make her way through the crowd.

“Like a house and picket fence interested or like take her home and fuck her brains out interested?”

“Alya!” Nino hissed, looking horrified.

Luka barely managed to swallow before he laughed, putting his drink back down. “Both.”

“Oh my God,” Nino groaned, putting his hands over his face.

Alya grinned. “Good answer, Blue.”

“It’s Luka,” he said, amused.

“Make it past the second date and I’ll consider remembering that. So you teach music for a living?”

“I do all kinds of music for a living, but my steadiest income comes from my students, yes.”

“And you’re okay with being a stepdad?”

“You really don’t have to answer any of this,” Nino broke in. “Alya, come on.”

Luka ignored him. “Totally. Louis is a great kid and I like him. Honestly I didn’t have the greatest example in the dad department myself, so it’s a little scary, but I can deal.”

“Would you want more kids than just Louis?”

“Sure, I’d be open to that someday. Though I’d want us all to get settled with each other first before we brought a baby into the mix.” Luka sat back and let Alya continue giving him the third degree, refusing to answer only a few very personal questions. Finally she folded her arms and regarded him thoughtfully.

Luka smiled. “So, do I pass?”

Alya snorted. “If you can live up to half of what you just said I’ll gift wrap her for you myself.” She leaned forward. “Take advantage of my girl and I’ll kill you. Push her into anything before she’s ready and there are no words for the kind of hell I will put you through.”

“Noted,” Luka replied without any change of expression. Alya gave a nod and stood up.

“Listen, be blunt with her. She’s terrible at flirting. You have no idea how many men hit on her and she never even noticed. If you just hint around like you did with this, even if you think you’re being obvious at the time, she’ll convince herself it doesn’t really mean what you’re trying to mean. Now I better go help Marinette or we’ll be waiting here all night.”

“I can’t believe you let her grill you like that,” Nino said as Alya walked away, his eyes glued to her...back.

“It’s not the first best friend interrogation I’ve been through, although that was one of the more entertaining,” Luka grinned, propping his thick boots up on the currently empty chair next to him. “It’s usually easier to just go with it. What’s the harm if it gets her on board?”

There was no answer, and Luka looked over to find Nino regarding him soberly. “What?”

“Nothing, just...I thought you and Adrien were friends, dude.”

“We are.”

“You won’t be any more if he finds out you’re dating Marinette behind his back.”

“I’m not doing anything behind his back. If she actually agrees to go out with me, I’ll call and tell him myself.”

“He still loves her.”

Luka shrugged. “She still loves him too. You can see it every time she talks about him. But they’re done, and he doesn’t get a say anymore. And honestly man? If it was you and Alya was Adrien’s ex-wife, would it stop you?”

“You think you feel about Marinette like I feel about Alya?”

Luka looked across to where the girls were working their way back across the crowd. “Hell yeah,” he breathed.

Nino blew out a long sigh, and lifted his glass. Luka clinked it with his bottle and they both took a long drink. “Then I guess, good luck, bro.”

“Just do me a favor and don’t say anything to Adrien yet, okay?” Luka said. “I’m not asking you to lie to him if it comes up, but just leave it alone for now. She could still turn me down and I don’t want to cause a big shitstorm over nothing.”

Nino eyed him. “You’ll tell him before you two go out?”

“Absolutely.”

Nino sighed. “Okay.”

The girls finally returned, setting an assortment of bar food on the table. “Dance with me, Nino,” Alya ordered.

“Yes ma’am,” Nino sighed, standing up with a put-upon air but a smile on his face.

Luka watched them go and then turned back to Marinette as she settled back in her chair.

“So,” Marinette sighed. “How bad was she?”

“Pretty bad,” Luka chuckled, and Marinette giggled nervously. “I didn’t mind though, she’s just looking out for you.”

“Sorry, I told her it wasn’t like that, but—“ she gestured vaguely, not meeting his eyes.

Score one for the BFF. Blunt it is then. “What if it was like that?” Luka leaned his elbows on the table and tilted his head so that he was looking up at her. “What if I was hoping you’d come out tonight so that I could ask you out without being totally unprofessional?”

Marinette went red as a cherry and her mouth opened and closed and nothing came out.

“I know we don’t know each other all that well, but I’d really like to change that.” He put his hand out, palm up, on the table. “So if you want, we can talk some and maybe dance a little and then, if you’re feeling it, I could take you out for coffee tomorrow?”

He could see her swallow. She looked like a deer in the headlights and he wondered if he’d been a little too direct. Luka withdrew, sitting back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I won’t bring it up again.”

“No, I, it’s j-just, I mean I’m divorced and I have a k-kid and—and—“

“I know all that already,” Luka said gently, leaning forward again.

“But—But I’m boring and you’re all dyed hair and tattoos and you can play guitar like that and—why would you want to go out with me?”

Luka’s smile spread slowly across his face. “Well that sounds like something we can talk about over coffee. If you’d like.”

Marinette bit her lip and blushed, looking away, but he could see the smile tugging at her lips. "Coffee sounds nice," she finally managed, giving up on containing her smile.

"Do you maybe want to join Nino and Alya on the dance floor?" he suggested. They both looked automatically towards the couple on the dance floor, only for Luka's eyebrows to raise and Marinette to bring a hand up to cover her jaw drop.

"On second thought," Luka amended. "Maybe we'd better leave them to themselves." He coughed, trying to keep back his laughter. "Damn, I'm not sure whether to feel sorry for Nino or high-five him." He and Marinette exchanged a look, and they both broke down in a fit of laughter that lasted several minutes.

***

When Marinette walked into the little coffee shop the next day, Luka had to slide his gaze away for a moment, trying not to remember how she looked under the club lights, her red dress swirling around her thighs when Alya had finally convinced her to dance while Luka and a still-flushed Nino watched from their table.

She was lovely in a different way today, soft and sweet in a peasant style top over jeans, her hair flowing loose around her shoulders. Luka was just as glad to be spared the distraction of her bare neck, though God did that loose hair make him want to tangle his fingers in it.

He swallowed and managed to greet her in a mostly normal voice. “Can I get you something?” he asked her, but Marinette set her purse down and shook her head.

“I’ll get it,” she smiled, and went to the counter to order. She didn’t ask for it to go, which he thought was a good sign.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Luka asked when she came back and sat down at the table. “I hope we didn’t keep you out too late last night.”

“No, I’m fine,” Marinette said, waving her hands. “I’m kind of a night owl anyway, at least when Louis is with Adrien. Usually I’m designing and not dancing, but I had fun last night. A lot of fun. And the band, that was really great, I‘m really glad you invited me. ”

“That’s great to hear,” Luka smiled. “Have you thought about what we talked about?”

“I…” Marinette blushed, but went on bravely. “I like you, Luka. I think I’d like to go out with you. I just…” She chewed her lip.

“Go on,” Luka said gently.

“I’m worried about Louis. And…” Marinette tapped a finger on her cup thoughtfully, staring at the table. “I’ve been with Adrien since we were kids. I’m not sure I even know what grownup dating looks like.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Her eyes shot to his, like that was the last thing she’d expected him to say. Luka smiled at her. “I think it’s sweet. You were in love, you took a chance, and you gave it your best.” He took her hand carefully and squeezed it. “Listen, my sister and I were raised by a single mother, so I know at least a little bit about where you’re coming from—more than a little bit about where Louis is coming from, and I promise you I’ll be as sensitive with him as I can, and if we need to work with his therapist to figure out how to approach this with him then I’m absolutely willing to do that. But let me make something perfectly clear, Marinette. There is nothing wrong with you. You’re not leftovers or damaged goods or whatever other awful words that roll around in your mind when you hear the word divorce. You’re not a failure, you’re not a mistake, you’re not stupid for taking a chance on young love, and you are so far from being unloveable. Okay? And even if you decide that you don’t want to be with me, I don’t want you going into any other relationship thinking any of those things. So what if you don’t know what so-called ‘normal’ dating is? It’s not that big of a deal to ask a guy what that looks like to him and expect him to be honest back. There is nothing wrong with you. You are successful and smart and pretty and a great mom and there are a million guys out there who would fall all over themselves to date you. I’m just lucky enough to be the first in line.”

She stared at him, and he thought he saw a shimmer in the dim café lighting. Luka squeezed her hand and let go, standing up. “Tell you what, I’m gonna give you a minute. I’ll bring us back some pastries or something.”

When he got back to the table, Marinette looked a little more composed. “You’re very upfront with your feelings,” she observed quietly as he sat down.

“I try to be,” he agreed. “Partly because I’m not really that great with words and when I beat around the bush I end up creating a lot of misunderstandings. I’m not scaring you off, am I?”

“No, it’s just...I don’t think I’m as brave as you are.” Her gaze slanted away.

Luka touched the back of her hand. “May I?” She blushed and nodded, and he took her hand. “That’s all there is to it, Marinette. Just one decision at a time.” He held out his other hand. “It’s up to you.” She put her other hand slowly in his. “And if it’s too much and you change your mind, that’s okay too.” He opened his fingers so that he was just cradling each of her hands in his loosely. “You have a creator’s hands.”

Marinette huffed. “Rough and scarred up?”

He grinned. “Just like mine. Although I would have said strong and capable.”

She smiled self-deprecatingly. “I don’t think we compare. You’re a teacher and a musician. I just make clothes.”

“Art is art, Marinette, and don’t sell yourself short, I may not know much about fashion but I know that you don’t get a position like yours just because you can sew. And I doubt making clothes is all you do. You must have other interests. Can I ask about this?” He turned her hand slightly so that the ladybug tattoo was facing upwards.

“Oh,” Marinette said, blushing. “That was just—it was stupid.”

“I don’t think I believe that,” he said lightly. “But you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I know tattoos can get really personal.”

Marinette’s eyes slid away. “Maybe sometime, just...not now.”

“Sure,” Luka said easily, letting her turn her hand in his so the ladybug was out of sight. “So tell me something else I don’t know about you.”

“Oh. Um,” Marinette frowned for a moment, thinking, and Luka’s mouth twitched as he tried not to smile at how seriously she took the question. “My father’s a baker. He and my mother own the bakery on Rue Gotlib, and that’s where I grew up. Sometimes I still design cakes for my parents, just for fun.”

He listened to her talk about her family, and volunteered information about his. “My father’s never really been in the picture,” he told her. “Oddly enough we’ve gotten closer since my mom passed, but he travels a lot, so I only really see him every once in a while when he’s in town. My sister lives here, though, and we’re really close. I think I told you she and her wife just had a baby about a month ago, so that’s been a bit of an adventure for all of us.”

“I remember those days,” Marinette said sympathetically. “It’s a huge adjustment for everybody.”

“They’re doing great with it,” Luka said, smiling fondly, pulling out his phone, and pulling up a picture. He and Juleka leaned over Rose where she lay in a hospital bed holding up a little pink bundle for the camera. “That’s my sister, and that’s her wife Rose, and that’s Angelique.”

“Oh, how sweet,” Marinette cooed, leaning closer, and Luka swiped through a couple more pictures—he and Juleka hugging, him holding the baby, Rose and Juleka asleep on each other side-by-side in the narrow hospital bed—until he found a close up of Angie. “She’s precious.”

“She’s been a light in our world this past year, just getting ready for her and watching her grow in the sonogram pictures,” Luka said, putting away the phone a little reluctantly. “I painted the nursery three times because Rose couldn’t pick a color and I don’t regret a second of it.” Marinette giggled, a hand over her mouth, and Luka smiled at her. “I try to get over and see them as often as I can without being in the way. She’s just learning how to smile now.”

“Ooooh,” Marinette swooned, putting her hands to her chest. “When Louis was that age, Adrien used to—” She broke off and bit her lip.

Luka’s expression didn’t change. “Go on,” he encouraged.

She did, haltingly, and it took a few minutes to find their rhythm again, but then it began to flow. Marinette seemed to find it easier to talk about other people rather than herself, a fact Luka filed away for reference. It was funny, the way she talked about her friends and Louis and even her assistant at work while only just touching on her own thoughts. Luka didn’t press, content for the moment to learn about whatever part of her life she felt comfortable sharing.

“I have to go soon,” Luka said regretfully, checking the time. “I do actually have some students today. So, how are you feeling about a date?” He leaned his elbows on the table, trying to keep his tone casual. “I’m thinking maybe we could check out a museum and a café?”

“That—“ Marinette took a deep breath, and then smiled. “That sounds really nice. I’d love to go.”

Luka grinned and they both pulled out their phones and hashed out a time and place.

“It’s a date then,” Luka said, once everything was settled. “I have to go now, but...I’m really looking forward to it.” He reached over and tucked a lock of hair gently behind her ear, letting his fingers brush her suddenly blushing cheek lightly as he drew back. “See you soon, Marinette.”

“See you soon, Luka,” she said shyly as he got up from the table. He glanced back with a smile as he opened the door, and the little ladybug danced as she waved.

***

“Hi Luka. I got your message. What did you need? I thought the lessons were going well.”

”Hey, Adrien. Sorry to bother you but I...kind of need to talk to you about something. You’re probably not going to like it.”

“...You’re not calling to talk to me about Louis, are you?”

“No. I’m calling to tell you I’m taking Marinette out this weekend. On a date.”

“...”

“Adrien?”

“If I say I’m not okay with it?”

“Then things are going to be rough for a while, because I’m not disrespecting her by asking for your permission. It’s not up to you, man. But I didn’t want you to find out from somebody else and think I was hiding it.”

“I might appreciate that eventually. I’m having a bit of trouble mustering any appreciation at the moment.”

“I understand. I know this sucks, man. I’m sorry for that.”

“Not sorry enough to back off.”

“Would you?”

“God, I really hate you right now, Couffaine.”

“Understood. Let me know when you’re ready to talk.”

#quickspins #beautiful dreams #lukanette #i am lukanette trash i admit it #luka couffaine #marinette dupain-cheng #miraculousladybug #miraculous ladybug #lukanette endgame #endgame lukanette

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missbugaboo · 4 years

Text

Broken Strings

A short piece inspired by this wonderful fan art by @15megapixels-mlb!

Her conflict spreads and swallows her whole, because hell, she was not raised to deal with this kind of situations. Her own world is made of distant mothers and well-mannered friends, of straightforward rules and extensive plans.

And since nobody ever thought of teaching her how to act around her ex-boyfriend's current's girfriend's ex, it's not surprise she is at a complete loss at what to do now.

fanfiction.net / AO3

Kagami Tsurugi has never been the one to take things lightly.

It's not in her nature and even if it was, her upbringing sure would have been enough to kill all carelessness that might otherwise be found in her heart. She is the kind to assess the situation quickly and choose on her goals even quicker, always determined not to lose anything to chance. She is a girl who knows what she wants, who doesn't let her own doubts to get in her way because she knows – oh hell, she knows – how fatal may be the consequences of such hesitation.

"I never hesitate."

It is her mother who's taught her that, obviously. Everything she's ever learnt (well, almost everything) comes from her mother, the undefeated champion of both her own and her husband's clans. She's the person Kagami has always looked up to – a woman who's approval she's been striving for for as long as she can remember. She's the one who has put it in her head that if she can't win, she may just as well give up altogether, because the second place is no better than the very last one.

"Only enter the contests you know you can win."

For the first time in her almost sixteen years long life, Kagami feels like her mother might be right about that.

She can feel the tears well up in her eyes and she blinks rapidly, intent on not letting them fall down on her cheeks. She won't cry over this again; she wont' let anyone see how distressed she truly is. The one breakdown she had last night was enough and no matter what her stupid, naive heart might be screaming at her, falling apart is not what she needs right now.

If she can't maintain her love life then so be it.

She won't throw away her pride with it as well.

And yet, it's still so hard to just shrug her shoulders and move on, and harder still to act noble and supportive, just like she truly wishes to be. It's a new sensation for her, too, the sudden and unexpected urge to step back and make room for someone else to step in to take the place she' has been dreaming of for so long. It's not just her ambition to be a gracious loser anymore; all at once, she wants to be kind just for the kindness' sake and show that she truly meant it when she claimed to be happy for the two of her friends.

She loves them, both of them. In different ways of course, but that doesn't change the fact that she does – that she would do anything for either of them.

Because both Marinette and Adrien mean a world to her.

Or is it a selfish desire after all, because she can't be left behind after Luka's show of grace and simply needs to keep up?

She stifles a groan that rises in her throat and picks up her pace, even though she's perfectly aware that neither of her actions is enough to chase away the thoughts of the blue-haired musician that have already entered her mind. She's not particularly surprised by the fact; he's been bound to make an appearance from the start, what with her thinking the subject over so thoroughly. They're both in this after all, their situations nearly identical, despite their personalities differing so much.

Two fools who let themselves believe they were enough for who they are.

And yet, somehow, she's certain that he's much more successful when it comes to dealing with the aftermath of their idiocy. Not because he doesn't care for Marinette – on the contrary, she's ready to admit that his feelings might run even deeper than hers, and in her eyes, his quiet acceptance of Marinette's choice is the best proof of that.

As inexperienced as she is when it comes to love, it's the one thing she knows:

You must truly love someone to let go of him like that.

Now that she thinks of it, she is a little jealous of him. Of how he's coping with all this. She's seen him a few times since Adrien ended things with her and then a few more after Marinette did the same to Luka; and whenever she did, she saw the same easy smile and eyes filled with peace, his whole body radiating with readiness to just be there for those who needed support.

She thought his behaviour would change after Adrien and Marinette did get together at last a few weeks ago, a little bit at least. She thought the sight of them together would finally make him crack, that his perfect shell would crumble just a little. She sure knows it's something that still gets to her and the fact she still doesn't really know what it was that made those two oblivious children find themselves after all this time (she knew it happened during an akuma attack, but couldn't for the life of her imagine what it had to do with the fact) certainly isn't helpful.

She wants to be happy for them but she's just not.

She wants to keep seeing them and remain friends but it just seems beyond her right now.

She wants to know how on earth Luka manages to do all of it and still smile.

A sigh escapes her lips and this time, she doesn't even feel bad for having let down her guard. She's too tired of all this, of always pretending to be fine but never really feeling like it. Her resolution still stands of course: keep yourself together, stay focused and strict.

But again: it's a mask she wears. A mask is all she can do. For no matter how hard she tries, she can never put a smile on, as well.

Not in the way Luka does.

Yes, she definitely is jealous of him. She has no doubt in her mind now about how courageous he really is under the guise of light-mindedness he wears, quite contrary to what she first thought of him. She wishes she could be as high-minded as he is, wishes she could take the blows with the same good-natured serenity and optimism she always sees reflecting in Luka's countenance. She wishes -

Her train of thoughts crashes as she hears a noise of smashed glass an a yell that follows right after. She stops in her track, surprised and looks around, half-expecting to see another Hawkmoth-possessed villain to come out of a corner any moment now.

Except there are no corners here, and there is no villain either.

Just the straight, grey pavement that runs along the river Seine and a colourful yet lonely boat berthed to one of its banks.

How has she even got here?

She nearly spins around and walks away, dismissing the fact that her legs have brought her to this very specific spot without her even realising that. She calls it a coincidence in her thoughts – or maybe a work of her own subconsciousness, if the former isn't good enough. It's nothing more than that, however and since she has no business whatsoever around the place, she figures it's best to leave the matters to themselves.

It's when the other crash comes.

She knows for sure it's not an akuma's work now as it is clear that all the noises she's heard so far came from the little ship so close to her. She still wants to turn back and leave; she's not close with the Couffaines after all, so barging on the deck is the last thing she could call proper – regardless of it's host's liberal attitude. And yet, she can't leave, not without making sure that whoever is inside is doing alright.

Silently, she prays it's just another one of Kitty Section's stunts.

Yet, the more time passes, the more convinced she is that the band is the last thing she should expect to find on the Liberty's deck; in fact, she begins to suspect that not even Juleka or Anarka are home. If that was the case, she sure would've bumped into on or the other already, or heard the latter shout and run around the place.

Instead, there is silence.

It's deafening.

She takes a step forward, and then another. She continues to take them, until she reaches the narrow stairs that lead under the deck, to where Juleka's and Luka's rooms – cabins – are. Her ears are pricked and her eyes are wide as she searches for a confirmation of her previous guess, wondering still if her decision to come really was a sensible one.

And then she finds him.

He's a mess and she doesn't need a second to fully realise that. It doesn't matter that his back is turned towards him as he shakes, or that he acts ask if he's decided to swallow his own voice, not a single sound escaping him. The way his spine is hunched as he leans against the wall, with his forehead and fists pressed to it as his whole body trembles is enough to tell her everything she needs to know about the extent of his pain – the uneven, sharp inhales she notices next only reassuring her in her initial belief.

And it's so much worse when she realises that she's been right about other things as well, like the absence of the other residence of the boat she'd paid attention to at the start. She knows for sure that Luka is alone now, and that discovery leads her straight to the next, one that is even more painful when she fully comprehends it's extent.

For despite the lack of evidence, there is one thing she has absolutely no doubt about: that the only reason Luka has allowed himself to crumble down like this is because he is convinced there is no one there to witness it. Which then means that he has never shared this burden with anyone – that no one has ever got to see him like this, broken and vulnerable, for once admitting to all the hurt he must have been feeling.

No one.

Not Juleka, his beloved little sister; not Anarka, his wild yet caring, loving mother.

And certainly not Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

But why me? she can't help but wonder, torn between anger and pity, exhaustion and concern. More than ever, she wants to run away, feeling that there is nothing she could do to help while there's an inversely proportional chance of her making it even worse for him, regardless of how hard she might try. She curses the fate that has brought her here, curses her own inattentiveness that had made it possible. Yet at the same time, she still can't picture herself walk away for real, as if it was the worst possible sin.

She can't just leave him now.

She's no good at this improvisation thing and she's well aware of that particular inadequacy of hers.

It is Marinette who excels at that; she and Adrien, and Alya, and pretty much everyone from the Dupont College she's had a chance to meet so far. Any of them would be a better candidate for comforting Luka now, if only because they know how to show their feelings in the first place.

However, it is her who is physically there, the sole witness to Luka's suffering.

And since nobody ever thought of teaching her how to act around her ex-boyfriend's current's girfriend's ex, it's not surprise she is at a complete loss at what to do now.

She wakes up from her daze at his movement, as small and meaningless as it may seem. She can feel a rush of adrenaline as she watches him stir, unconsciously preparing to flee in case he decided to turn around towards her, even though she is positive that if he does, she won't be able to as much as take a step, and holds her breath, nervous. Luka doesn't turn around though; instead, he loosens his fist and lays his palm against the wall, his nails scratching the wooden surface as if he wanted to dig them in for real.

There are dark bruises all over the side of his hand.

With some difficulty, she tears her gaze away from him and looks around the room, searching for hints as to what else might have happened there. Her eye is caught by the light reflected in a glass, or better said, in what remained of it. It is scattered all over the floor, with stains of water darkening the soft carpet under their feet, though as she notices with relief, there is no sign of blood on any of the pieces.

So at least he hasn't hurt himself with that.

It's yet another thing that makes her want to stay or at least, one that makes her believe she shouldn't get away. He still hasn't noticed her, so technically, she could do just that – spin on her heel and flee, pretending not to have seen anything.

However... If she really does leave, what guarantee will she have that he won't do something stupid on his own?

No guarantee, that's what.

She nearly forgets herself enough to let out an annoyed sigh after she's realised that the decision has been made for her a long time ago.

She's not at all happy with it, simply because knows that she's not the right person for the job. She's not the kind to just rush forward and hug people, after all, to soothe them with her words or her touch or whatever it is they might need at the time. She's someone who seeks real solutions to her problems and keeps her own emotions at bay, as for her it is the only way not to fall even lower whenever she does fall.

She's just not capable of stepping into someone else's shoes that easily, even if her own situation is similar to theirs.

And it sure is this time.

Painfully so.

On the other hand, though, it's not like she's still the same impeccably behaved school girl she was when she first showed up at the Dupont College for that memorable fencing contest. That day itself was enough to make her whole attitude waver; getting close with Adrien first and Marinette later only strengthened the effect said event had on her. Little by little, she's changed, and even though the alterations were far from drastic, they are exactly what makes her second guess herself now.

The fact that their trio turned into a quarter at one point was only another step forward, too. She can still remember the first double-dates they had, awkward and disconcerting as they were bound to be. In her mind's eye she sees Luka as he smiles against all odds, acting as if the fact that his newly claimed girlfriend is gazing lovingly at another boy is a perfectly understandable occurrence. Her face contorts with a grimace as she compares the image with what she observes before her, a twinge of pain shooting through her heart when she fully understands the dissonance.

She knows from experience that the harder you try to conceal your wounds, the more likely you are to feel the full hurt.

And yet, even she can't help but be shocked by the sight.

With a sudden determination she makes up her mind to throw away the etiquette and act on her intuition and feelings for once. She's not going to go too far – it's too big of a step for such a short time and Kagami is the last person to underestimate that fact. She knows she's just not capable of running up to him and taking him into her arms, even if she could be sure it's what he both wants and requires right now...

...but she can still meet him halfway.

She takes a deep breath, no longer caring if she gives herself away to him. Luka needs someone by his side; this is something she knows for sure and whatever he might think of her stepping into his personal space – whatever she may think of herself after all of this is over – is of no meaning now. So with the same cautiousness that characterised her step when she first entered his home-ship, she walks over to him, slowly, quietly, like a gentle spirit meant to bring him back to life.

As swift as lighting, as elusive as a wind...

Well, that's probably not what her mother had in mind when she told her that.

She shakes her head and pushes the unwanted thought away, intent on focusing on the task at hand. She needs to step carefully, mindful of the shards under her feet; the last thing she needs is to injure herself with one of these.

Then again, that sure would make him wake up from his daze...

With one final stride she finds herself by his side. There is no room for uncertainty as to whether he realises she's there now – she knows that he does, what with his superhuman hearing that has nothing to do with the Miraculous he once wielded. He still doesn't make a move, save for the never ending shudders that keep jolting him, but that's fine. She doesn't need a response, doesn't need a sign. She's not there to see him acknowledge her presence.

He knows she's there and she knows that he does. If he wants her to leave, he'll just say that to her.

He's always been a straightforward kind of guy and that thought alone is enough for her to regain her serenity.

Seconds turn to minutes and Luka is still yet to speak; that too is alright, however, as the girl who stands beside him is probably one of the most patient people in Paris, and not only because of the training Adrien Agreste has put her through before. She knows the meaning of restraint and is aware of how much depends on the timing she chooses for her deeds. Usually, it has to do with her fencing exercises; and yet, she is confident that this current situation is as much of a duel as her practice matches are.

And if she were to choose the more important one, she would have no trouble pointing it out.

"I never hesitate."

She's not hesitant. She's expectant. Waiting.

All good things come to those, who wait.

Her moment of truth comes sooner than predicted, though, when Luka decides to make his move after all. It's not about turning towards her; not even about glancing at her, or acknowledging her in any other way. All he does is raise his arm, rapidly, violently, and clearly with the intention to smash it against the wall in the same way he had before she's found him.

She grasps his wrists before he can do it.

He turns towards her now, his eyes wide with disbelief yet at the same time, as hollow as eyes can be. He doesn't try to jerk his arm out of her grip: it has nothing to do with how strong or menacing she is and everything with how utterly shocked he feels.

There are tears on his lashes and wet traces on his cheeks.

The way he looks – the way he looks at her – makes her knees buckle.

She maintains her posture, however and responds to his miserable gaze with her own unwavering glare. She suspects that warm and consoling is the last thing she seems right now and a part of her revolts as she wants to be perceived as such – she wishes to help and not in the cold, methodical manner she's used to herself.

And yet, the other part of her urges her not to give in to that call, because ironically, it's the only way she can help him now.

She will be useless if she falls apart as well.

So just just looks at him, cool and composed, confident and firm. There are no emotions reflecting on her countenance – no trembling chin, no furrowed brow, no indication of what she's thinking at all. Nothing, except the soft, genuine gaze so full of concern, of which she herself isn't aware.

"You're gonna hurt yourself if you keep doing that," she tells him and is surprised by the warmth that has somehow found a way to seep into her voice.

The look Luka gives her indicates that he's just as taken aback; but it doesn't take a second for him to turn away again – resigned, defeated, helpless.

Broken.

Gosh, she wants shoot someone.

"And who cares if I do?" she hears him whisper, his voice barely audible under all of his sorrow.

She squeezes his wrist to make him look back at her. He doesn't, but she still says, "You do. Or you will when you calm down."

She sees him jerk up his head and fix his gaze on the ceiling as a hollow little laugh escapes his throat. Once again, she can feel her legs give in while simultaneously she's fighting the urge to punch the first person that might come into view, praying that her usually iron will is enough not to succumb to either of the baits.

His voice is hoarse when he contradicts her.

"I doubt that," he says and nods at his guitar, now rested against the wall, abandonded. "I don't even know if I'll be still able to play that damn thing again. And even if I do... my fingers will heal long before my mind does. It's the one thing you can be sure of."

"Let's not test that, shall we?"

It's such a simple thing to say but somehow, it works miraculously. She has no idea if it was the wording or her tone, or maybe something else entirely – but it's enough to make him break, once and for all, and right in front of her. He chokes on his breath and stumbles over his words and suddenly he's in her arms, holding onto her for dear life as if she was the only thing worth keeping, and she's returning the gesture because damn, it's the only response she's capable of.

Her own eyes well up with tears, too, and for the first time in her life, she gives up, fully and willingly.

It's the first time she allows herself to cry like this.

And isn't she glad.

He doesn't know why she came and much less why she's decided to stay. They're not friends, not really, despite the several occasions when they hung out together, back in the days when they still believed their respective love stories might end with anything but disappointment and hurt. He knows she's not one to reach out to people, either, or to spontaneously visit them in their homes without having a good reason and only after asking permission first, so he has no idea why she should enter

his

house like that – and why she hasn't left the moment she saw what state he was in.

Kagami isn't noisy, in fact, she's the opposite of that.

Then what reason could she have to invade his privacy this time?

He meets her eyes and is awed at the amount of emotion he can observe in them, regardless of the stern, neutral expression she's wearing. He's overwhelmed by the sight, so much that he can't help but look away instantly. He makes his pathetic, whiny excuse; she contradicts it with her rational reply. So he contradicts her, even though his response is, once again, nothing but more complaining on his part. He hates himself for it... Until she answers back and he has no choice but meet her eyes.

The combination of her words, her voice and the look she's giving him is all it takes for him to fall apart, shutter into one hundred million pieces, because unlike all those other times, he finally has someone to put him back together.

She's there because of him.

She's there for him.

She's a good person, a kind person. She's sincere and for once, she's allowing him to see that.

His recognition of her goes further, though the girl in question has no way of knowing that. Trembling in her arms, weak and exposed, he can still hear her own music, and the longer he's staying there, the clearer the melody is. The miserable notes he can distinguish so easily, the false chords so much like the ones that have been playing in his own soul for so long now – it's all there, muffled, silenced, pushed to the darkest corner and covered with a blanket so that nobody else would hear.

So where anyone else would see an indifferent, unfeeling girl, he sees a wounded and yet altruistic human being, ready to step out of her shell and forget her own worries because she can see someone else needing support,

It's not the sort of kindness and care Marinette has, he thinks – it's not as spontaneous or as bright or as heart-warming as hers. Still, it is there, and it's real and somehow...

...somehow, he can't help but think that it may be even worthier because of how obviously difficult it was to obtain.

#fanfiction #my writing #miraculous ladybug #lukagami #luka couffaine #kagami tsurugi #hurt/comfort #friendship #angst

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vgckwb · 5 years

Text

ML: Are They Worthy? Chapter 16: Face My Fears!/Re: Silencer

Juleka couldn’t believe it. Standing before her was her father. She had not seen him in person since he moved to England after the divorce. She was just talking about him today, and here he was. Was it magic, or just coincidence?

She remembered the conversation she had with Vlad earlier. “Hey, can I talk to you about something?” she asked

Vlad was intrigued. “Sure” he said.

“So, on Alya’s blog, she mentioned that you were gay, and from the way you’re crushing on my brother, that seems true” Juleka said.

“It is” Vlad said.

“How did it go after you told your parents?” she asked.

“Are you worried about what’ll happen if you tell yours?” Vlad asked.

“No” Juleka said. “I’ve already told them. But…”

“But what?” Vlad said.

Juleka sighed. “A month after I told my parents I was a lesbian, my mom came out as a lesbian as well. My dad said that his job was moving to London. They said that everything wasn’t working out between them and that they were getting a divorce. I blame myself.”

“Well that’s crap” Vlad said.

“Huh?” Juleka said.

“Like I told you, that’s crap” Vlad said. “You coming out had nothing to do with that.”

“But what if it did?” Juleka said. “What if I’m to blame for my parents getting a divorce?”

“Look, they're your parents. They would never do anything to hurt you, right?” Vlad said. “Unless, did they?”

“No. Nothing like that” Julkea said, smiling the fastest she smiled after talking about this. The thought of her parents hurting her in any way was ridiculous to her.

“Then I don’t see the problem. If they love you, they wouldn’t blame you” Vlad said. “Every family’s different. Your parents are different. It sounds like they had some problems before.”

“But they didn’t tell us until after” Juleka said. “And they seemed to get along well enough.”

“Look, if you’re really concerned, you should just talk to them about this” Vlad said. “The worst thing you can do is keep it bottled inside. It will destroy you. Trust me on this. The six months it took me to come out to my parents were some of the hardest times for me.”

“But what if they do blame me?” Juleka said.

“That just sounds like ‘but what if they kick me out?’ to me, and you don’t need to worry about that” Vlad said. “You were brave enough to confront them when coming out, and they accepted you. You have to be that brave again. Understand?”

“Yes. Thanks Vlad” Juleka said.

“Anytime” Vlad said.

Now her dad was right in front of her; as if fate that brought him here. No matter the circumstances, Juleka had to be prepared. She had to be brave.

Luka left to get his mom. “Mom,” he said. “Dad’s here.”

Anarka was confused. She went to the deck to see her ex-husband. “Richard?” she said.

“Hi Anarka” he said, nervously.

“We should get going” Marshall said.

“Yeah” said Micha. The brothers and the dance troupe left.

“Ivan, you promised me to take me to Andre’s tonight” Mylene said.

“I did?” Ivan said. He realized what was going on. “I mean, I did. Yes.”

“Marinette, you should leave too” Luka said.

“Are you sure?” Marinette said.

“Yes. We’ll be fine for now. We just need to sort whatever is happening out alone” Luka said.

“OK” Marinette said. “Just call me if you need anything.”

“We should go too” Vlad said. “Adrien, I’ll keep you company on your way home, how does that sound?”

“OK?” said Adrien.

“Great! Let’s get going” Vlad said, dragging his friend off of the ship. He looked back and gave Juleka a thumbs up and a wink, signifying everything will be OK.

“Juleka, are you sure you’re going to be OK on your own?” Rose said.

Juleka looked at Rose. They girl of her dreams. She had always wanted to ask her out, but she never had the courage to. Juleka promised herself that if she could tell her parents how she felt, she would ask Rose out. “Yes. I’ll be fine. Just wait for me at school tomorrow” Juleka said.

“OK” said Rose. She left the ship.

Adrien and Vlad were walking to Adrien’s. “It was nice how you helped Marinette like that” Adrien said.

“Yeah, well, what are friends for?” Vlad said.

“You two have gotten awfully close” Adrien said. “I’m almost jealous.”

“You’ll get your chance” Vlad said.

The two continued walking. “So, why’d you wanna walk home with me?” Adrien said.

Vlad smiled. “Because I’d like to get this over with sooner rather than later.”

“Get what over with?” Adrien said.

“There’s someone I’d like you to meet” Vlad said. Beyyo flew out of his pocket. “We had a deal, right?”

Adrien was surprised. “You’re Judgement Wolf?” Vlad nodded. Adrien giggled. “I should have known. That’s such a you name.”

Plagg flew out and confronted Beyyo. “Hello. BEYYO!” he said, menacingly.

Beyyo backed up. “Whatever you want, can’t you tell me farther away?”

Plagg was shocked and offended. “HEY! You can’t speak to me like that after… How many years has it been?”

“It’s been too long and not long enough” Beyyo said, plugging his nose.

“Plagg, maybe you should cut down on your Camembert intake” Adrien said.

“It’s not that” Beyyo said. “You know that I can smell other kwamis? Well Plagg perpetually smells like something rotting. I have long since given up on determining what it is that’s rotting.”

“What are you doing popping up here now?” Plagg asked.

“Well, ever since Hawk Moth first showed up, I’ve been hanging around Paris” Beyyo said. “I’ve tested a few people to see if they were worthy, but none of them were. Then I sensed something on a train. A kindred spirit. Vlad. I tested him, and he passed. He told me he was moving to Paris, and you know the rest.”

“If you were here this whole time, you could have said hi” Plagg said.

“Yeah, but I didn’t have an owner until recently” Beyyo said.

“I guess that’s fair” Plagg said.

“You two seem to know each other well” Adrien said.

“Beyyo tells me he knows all of the kwamis rather well” Vlad said. “He just doesn’t get to see them as often due to their opposing natures.”

“And in Plagg’s case, his smell” Beyyo said.

“You don’t have to be rude about it” Plagg said.

“Wait. This means you know who Ladybug is!” Adrien said, excitedly. “Do you think you can help me with her?”

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh” Vlad said. He did know who Ladybug was. He also knew that Ladybug had a crush on Adrien. BUT he couldn’t just give that information away. It just didn’t feel right. “Maybe you should just give up on Ladybug. Maybe someone else might be more your speed.”

“What are you hiding?” Adrien said.

“It’s complicated” Vlad said.

“Complicated, or stupid?” Beyyo asked.

“Both” Vlad said.

Adrien sighed. “I’ll figure it out eventually” Adrien said. He started walking again.

“I somehow doubt that” Vlad said, following soon after.

Meanwhile, back on the Liberty, Anarka said “It’s been so long. What brings you back here?”

“Well, my job transferred me back to Paris” Richard said. “So, I’m just back. I wanted to see the kids. And I think we need to have a talk.”

Anarka nodded. “Well, come on in,” she said. Richard stepped onto the Liberty

“Oh, before anything else, kids, I got you something” Richard said. He gave his children each a different signed CD of one of their favorite British artists. “And something else” he said, pulling out an authentic British chocolate bar for each of them.

“Thanks dad” Luka said.

“Thanks” Juleka said.

“Well, it’s getting late” Luka said. “If you and mom need to talk, I should probably just go to bed.”

“Alright son” Richard said. “What about you, sweetie?”

“Well…” Juleka said. “I’m going to go to my room too.” She left.

“Alright. Take care” Richard said. He was alone with his ex-wife. “Sooooooooo. I guess we should just get started.”

“Yes” said Anarka. The two also went inside the ship.

Vlad and Adrien arrived at Adrien’s. “Well, I gotta get going” Vlad said.

“Hey, why don’t you join me?” Adrien said.

“As much as I’d love to, I gotta test Viperion” Vlad said.

“Oh yeah. Why is that?” Adrien asked.

“I gotta test everyone who wields a miraculous. Not just you and Ladybug” Vlad replied. Otherwise, Beyyo would leave me.”

“And you wouldn’t be holding yourself up to your own standards” Beyyo said.

“That to, but what I said is more dramatic” Vlad said.

Adrien laughed. “You certainly have that dramatic flair. Wanna take all of my modeling work?”

“No way. I’m busy enough as is” Vlad said.

“How do you think I feel?” Adrien asked. The two friends laughed. “Alright, I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah. Seyya ya” Vlad said. “You know, you should be more real at school. Maybe you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

“I’ll keep that in mind” Adrien said. The truth is, he wanted to, but he was afraid his father would get mad at him. He just let him have more freedom. He didn’t want that taken away from him. He figured he’ll ask about it eventually, but for now he’ll take what he can get.

Meanwhile, Vlad pulled out his phone. “Whatcha doin’?” Beyyo asked.

“I’m searching the Ladyblog for any mention of Luka” Vlad answered.

“Good. I was worried you wouldn’t because of your little crush on him” Beyyo said.

“I’m dramatic Beyyo, not an idiot” Vlad said. “Besides, while I like him, I don’t know if he’s boyfriend material. Maybe this’ll help me understand.” Vlad came across a post about Silencer, who was Luka when he was Akumatized. He read it in depth, and he got his idea.

Back on the Liberty, Richard and Anarka were talking. “So, you’re back in Paris” Anarka said.

“Yeah” Richard said. “I just got back today. I wanted to see the kids first thing. It became the third thing after getting everything into my new apartment and eating.”

“I don’t think they’d blame you for that” Anarka said.

Richard smiled. “I was walking up to the ship and I heard a band playing. I could tell immediately that Luka and Juleka were involved.”

“So, what do you want to talk about?” Anarka said.

“Well, since I’m back, I want to see the kids more” Richard said. “I was kind of hoping we could talk about that. What this means, and what might occur.”

“Sounds reasonable” Anarka said. “Do you think we should get our lawyers?”

“Maybe, but I wanna talk about some preliminary stuff before they get involved,” Richard said. “First, I agree that the kids should stay with you. But I still want to get them sometimes.”

“Of course” Anarka said. “I wouldn’t mind talking to you more either.”

“We’ll see about that,” Richard said. “I just hope May is OK with that. And that the kids like her.”

“May?” Anarka asked.

“Sorry. She’s my girlfriend” Richard said. “I met her in London. She’s moving to Paris with me. You’d like her.”

“Hopefully not too much. Otherwise, I might steal her from you” Anarka said.

Richard laughed. “This is what I missed.”

Juleka was staring into the room her parents were in. She knew she had to confront them. Still, she was scared. “Juleka” Luka said. “You alright?”

“Yeah” Juleka said.

Luka put his arms on his sister’s shoulders. “Remember what I said when you came out to them?”

Juleka nodded. “‘You always have me in your corner.’”

“Those words are still true” Luka said. “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to come to me with it.” Luka went off to his room.

Juleka opened the door and faced her parents. They were surprised to see her. “Juleka” Anarka said.

“Is something the matter sweetie?” Richard asked.

Juleka focused. She took a breath, and faced her fears head on. “Mom. Dad. Am I the reason you got divorced?”

The two parents looked at each other. “Of course not” Richard said.

“What makes you say that?” Anarka said.

“It’s just… a month after I came out, you came out, and you said you were moving to England” Juleka said. “I know it sounds crazy, and I know that this was for the best, but I keep thinking that none of this might have happened if I hadn’t come out at all.” She started to tear up.

The parents looked at each other again and nodded. They then went over to their daughter and gave her a hug. “Of course it wasn’t your fault sweetie” Richard said.

“We’re sorry that we made you think that” Anarka said. “Truth be told, I came out to your father a week before you told us.”

“And I heard that my job was moving to London around that same time,” Richard said. “We had already made the decision to separate.”

“We didn’t want to upset you right away, so we held out as long as we could” Anarka said.

“We had no idea you felt like this,” Richard said. “And we’re sorry.”

“It’s going to be OK” Anarka said. Juleka started bawling in her parent's arms. She was happy that she didn’t cause her parents to divorce, and sad because she spent all of this time blaming herself. She let it all out. Her parents kept holding onto her to reassure her that everything was OK.

Meanwhile, Judgement Wolf snuck aboard the Liberty and made his way to Luka’s room. Luka was asleep. Judgement Wolf remarked on Luka sleeping “He’s so cute, even when he’s sleeping. Alright. I gotta focus. Wolf Mist!” he called out.

Luka was in the TVi studio. He was Silencer. He had Ladybug and Cat Noir’s Miraculous, and had gotten Bob Roth to confess to his theft. He looked around and saw Marinette. “Marinette. It’s OK” Silencer said. “I got Bob Roth to confess. Nothing can stop me now. We got exactly what we wanted.”

“I never wanted any of this” Marinette said, frightened. She ran away.

Silencer looked on. “Wait! Marinette!”

Luke then woke up. He sighed a sigh of relief. He was just dreaming. Ever since Silencer, this was his recurring nightmare. However, he felt something in his hand. He pulled it out over the sheets and found a box. It looked like the box his miraculous was in “Sass?” he said, opening it. Out popped a red kwami with black spots. “You’re not Sass.”

The kwami shook her head. “My name is Tikki. I’m Ladybug’s kwami.” Luka then cowered at the corner of his bed. He remembered now. Silencer did win. But as soon as Hawk Moth showed up, he lost Ladybug’s miraculous. Hawk Moth took away his powers until the miraculous was found. He then realized everything he did and got frustrated with himself. He found Ladybug’s miraculous and decided to take it home with him. He’d figure it out in the morning.

“What-What have I done?” Luka said to himself.

“Calm down Luka” TIkki said to him. “You still have the chance to make this right. Just return me to Ladybug, and she can fix everything.”

“You’re right” Luka said, calming down.

“Or better yet, we can give the miraculous to Hawk Moth and gain our power back” a voice said in Mr. XY’s voice. Luka and Tikki then looked and saw Silencer.

“Please tell me you see this too” Luka said.

“Yeah” said Tikki.

“Come on. Let’s just go pay Hawk Moth a visit” Silencer said. “After all, what makes you think I could use the miraculous anymore?” he said in Ladybug’s voice.

Luka grabbed the box and started running. When he was in the street, Tikki asked “Um, where are you running too?”

“I don’t know. Away from there though” Luka said.

“Silly Luka” Silencer said, gaining on him. He then switched it up to Roger’s voice. “Do you actually think you can escape me? After all,” he switched to Cat Noir’s voice “I am you.” Silencer was now in front of Luka.

“You’re not me,” Luka said.

“Oh, but I am” Silencer said in Mayor Bourgeois’s voice. “And soon, I will be all that is left of you.” He threw a punch, but Luka dodged and ran the other way

“Tikki! What do I do?” Luka said.

“You can’t keep up with Silencer at this pace. You have to transform using the ladybug miraculous” Tikki said.

Luka thought about it for a minute. “I can’t” he said.

“Why not?” Tikki asked.

“Because I made this mess by becoming Silencer. I’m not worthy of Ladybug’s Miraculous. She’s perfect” Luka said.

Tikki shook her head. “Believe me. I work with Ladybug all the time, and she’s not perfect” Tikki said. “She’s just a regular person like you. And like you, she makes mistakes.”

“Really?” Luka said.

“Yes” Tikki replied. “But she fixes her mistakes. You have the chance to do the same.”

Luka looked at the kwami. “Time’s up” Silencer said.

Luka quickly put the earrings on. “What’s the phrase?” he asked.

“Tikki! Spots On!” TIkki said.

“Tikki! Spots On!” Luka said. He transformed into a male Ladybug.

Silencer switched to Ladybug’s voice. “You think you can defeat me now? Pathetic.”

Luka then took out his yo-yo and called out “Lucky Charm!” He received a mirror.

“You want to defeat me with a mirror? The real Ladybug couldn’t defeat me with a vacuum!” Silencer said.

Luka looked into the mirror. “I don’t need to defeat you,” he said.

“What?!” Silencer said in XY’s voice.

“You’re right. I am you. And you are me” Luka said. “But there's a difference between us.” He started walking forward. “You’re only a part of me. The part I hate about myself. My anger and frustration. My cowardice and fear. But you’re not all of me. You’re not my joy. My calm. My fighting spirit. My love. You’re none of those. I have to accept that you’ll always be a part of me. You’ll never go away. However, you’re nothing without me.” Luka then walked into Silencer and Silencer disappeared into Luka. Luka threw the mirror up and called out “MIraculous Ladybug!” The Ladybugs fixed all of the damage that Silencer caused. Luka then used the yo-yo to travel across town.

Luka, back in his civilian attire, knocked on a door. A figure bathed in white answered. “Luka?” she said.

“Hi Ladybug” Luka said. “I believe this belongs to you.” He handed her the box containing her miraculous.

Ladybug took it. “Thanks. I was wondering where those ladybugs came from that gave me back my voice.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get back Cat Noir’s miraculous” Luka said. “And that I caused this mess in the first place.”

“It’s alright” Ladybug said. “You’ve clearly learned from your mistakes. That’s what counts.”

“Thanks Ladybug” Luka said. The world around him then disappeared before him, leaving a white area surrounding Luka.

“I expected no less” Judgement Wolf said.

Luka was surprised. “So, this is how you test people?” Luka said.

“Yup” Judgement Wolf said. “And you passed.”

“Hm. By the way, thanks for helping out earlier” Luka said.

“You’re welcome” Judgement Wolf said, nervously. “Well, my work here is done. Goodnight.” Judgement Wolf jumped out of the Wolf Mist and Luka fell back asleep.

Luka woke up the next morning and got out of bed. He saw his sister looking more cheerful than ever. “Morning Juleka” he said.

“Morning Luka” Juleka said. “You look well.”

“So do you” Luka said.

After breakfast, the two of them headed off for school. They passed by a flower shop, and Juleka stopped and looked inside. “You go on ahead Luka, I’ll catch up later” Juleka said.

At school, Rose was talking Alix and Marinette when she heard “Rose!” She turned around and saw Juleka holding a bunch of pink roses.

Rose walked over to Juleka, Juleka handed her the flowers. Inside the bouquet, there was a note. Rose took the note out and read it. “‘Will you go out with me?’”

“I know you have a thing for Prince Ali,” Juleka said, “and I know I can’t compare., but ever since the first time I laid eyes on you, I can’t stop thinking about you. I’ve always wanted to say this, but I never had the courage before.”

“What are you talking about?” Rose said, hugging Juleka. “Of course I’ll go out with you! I mean, Prince Ali is great, but you’re my everyday Prince Ali. You’re kind, caring, sweet. You’re everything I ever wanted.” The two girls looked into each other’s eyes and gave each other a kiss.

“How romantic!” Marinette said, tears welling up in her eye.

“I know someone who could learn a thing or two from Juleka” Alix said, looking at Marinette. Marinette blushed.

“Isn’t love amazing?” Adrien asked, looking on.

“I had a feeling this would all work out” Vlad said. “Oh by the way, don’t you call Marinette your ‘everyday Ladybug’?”

“What are you getting at?” Adrien asked.

“I’m just saying, if it works for Rose, maybe you should try it” Vlad said.

Adrien looked over at Marinette. “Maybe” he said.

Luka looked on as his sister was kissing the girl of her dreams. He smiled, knowing that she faced her own inner demons last night as well. They both came out the other side better.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fan fic #Marinette #Vlad #Juleka #Beyyo #Tikki #Plagg #Adrien #Rose #Anarka #Luka #Mylene #Ivan

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