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wisteriaiswriting · 21 days ago

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Physical Headcanons

These are my versions and what I see for each survivor, killer and reader, these will be used in any future fics written.

Words: 1600

Small tw for Two Time: Self harm scars, if there's anything else please let me know!

Overall:

Whenever someone is transferred into this world they suddenly stop changing, no more aging, hair doesn’t grow etc; It’s as if time has just stopped suddenly.

With the small exception to anyone who enters with pre existing injuries, if they’re small they automatically start healing, larger/fatal ones need help from others before naturally healing.

Everyone has some level of amnesia, some have it worse than others but it’s always there.

He/Him

Has those ear wings and a pair of extra large wings on his back, the back pair were forcefully clipped when he entered this realm.

Which has caused him to hide them most of the time, leading to unkept feathers and pain when stretching. Although they do move and flap when he’s excited, it takes him a minute to realise and calm them down.

He also has little bunches of feathers over his body, they tend to blend in with his skin and fade into a brown.

His hair is just slightly greasy, it’s not a greasy feeling but it looks like it. It’s a lighter brown that's curly.

I just feel like he’s 5' 8, idk what it is but he just gives that vibe.

I WANT THAT FAT MAN! /j

Fr though, definitely has some chub on his bones. Before and during forsaken he had/has no shame, and he makes that clear.

He/Him

His hard hat has a few scuffs and scratches all over, although they are small and barely noticeable.

Has a belt full of tools, it’s one of those magical bags as he’ll pull stuff out to make dispensers, things that shouldn’t fit.

Messy, unkempt gray hair that matches his skin tone, only reaches his shoulders but is tied into a low ponytail. Outside rounds he has his hair loose and he’s so glad it doesn’t grow.

We know how short he is, standing at 4’ 9 and that doesn’t change here.

Has a (Not so) surprising amount of strength, although his muscles are mostly covered by a layer of fat.

He/Him

His hands have multiple burn marks from the pizzas and ovens, none of which have disappeared since being forsakened. Also has small and larger stains on his shirt, some are pizza sauce, others are drinks, doesn’t know or care what the other ones are at this point.

His hair is a messy and fluffy mix, constantly moving it out of his eyes but never got to get a haircut. Because of this his hair is always tied up in a lower ponytail that reaches around his shoulder blades.

An even 6 foot tall, stands over a few other survivors but definetly isn’t the tallest. (Doesn’t like it, was the tallest at the pizza place.)

Tall and lean, has some muscle but nowhere near Guest level, enough to carry pizzas and the occasional full crates.

He/Him

Nearly every round causes his glasses to break or crack, becoming fixed as soon as he returns to the cabin.

Always has deep and obvious eye bags, due to his time as a parent the stress never left him, so in this realm no matter how much he sleeps they don’t change.

His hair is short, shaved on the sides but mullet-like on the back dark brown and clean.

He’s a short man, only 5’ 5. Was taller in his hacker days but somehow shrunk over the years, was only 5’ 7 though.

Has a dad bod, gained after his hacker days and adopted C00lkidd.

He/Him

This man is covered in hair, rarely shaved before this but now he can’t.

Has his fair share of scars, small and large, none disappeared since dropping into this realm.

Short, roughed up blue hair, same texture as Shedletsky. Always uses some gel after waking up.

6’ 4, I mean look at him (And the fanart) and tell me he isn’t tall.

Is all muscle, doesn’t get to work out as much here but his body doesn’t change.

He/She/They

Was a new scenekid, so he has those striped gloves and legwarmers.

Has a small crossbody bag to hold all his supplies, sometimes it holds more than it should but he learned not to question it.

I’m a long haired Noob believer, always tied up in a bun. Also has raccoon stripes and a fringe that gets in his eyes.

Noob is a whopping 6’ 1, with his voice and how he carried himself when he first dropped in, the others were surprised at his height.

He has some muscle but nowhere near Guest.

They/Them

Is almost covered in a variety of scars, although plenty aren’t visible. The others can see some cuts on his wrists.

Their hair is very short, almost pitch black and is so uneven. They cut it themself so it’s never even or neat.

They stand at 5’ 7, although they do seem shorter to others due to how much they lean over.

Two Time is so lanky, was likely malnourished before being forsakened and it carried over.

He/They

He has three pairs of wings, all three are so small that Taph could never fly, they sit on their shoulders, face and on his lower back. The back pairs are normally hidden under his robe.

All the gold accessories tend to glow slightly, not enough to bother others or himself but he’s a nice little light source.

Their height tends to fluctuate between 5’ 5 and 5’ 11, though he does prefer to stay at the taller end.

It’s hard to see what their body looks like, but he is quite lean. Can take a good hit or two though.

He/They

His sunglasses are always cracked, it happened after he was killed, they cracked when his head hit the ground.

Has a few playing cards stuck in the band on his fedora, the King of spades and the ace of hearts.

I was stuck between long haired Chance or short hair, so I’m going with neck length. Slightly greasy, light gray with small curls at the ends.

He’s also pretty short, standing at 5’ 5 like 007n7. But is the opposite of Two Time, he sounded and seemed taller.

His body is pretty average I believe, has some fat on him but tends to look skinny.

He/She/They

She is constantly glowing, like every single second they are a walking glowstick. The brightness though tends to become brighter or dimmer depending on his emotion. If he’s angry then she’s glowing brighter, finally stops in their sleep.

While all the other accessories are still there, they are quite hard to see.

In my heart they always have and had the white hair. Long and surprisingly smooth to the touch, it surprises everyone who manages to touch it. (Mainly C00lkidd.)

He just screams tall, like just taller than the survivors so I settled on 6’ 8.

Her body type is pretty lean with a bit of muscle, where you can see his bones are surrounded by a jelly type material, just a bit firmer.

He/Him

His fully corrupted arm tends to drag along the ground with how large it is, at first he held it up but overtime he lost the energy to do so.

All limbs are corrupted to some degree, his arms are the worst.

I was debating between short, slicked back hair or bald, but his hair is short and slicked back, a pale yellow.

6’ 10, idk, he just gives the vibe of being unnaturally tall, now the second tallest killer.

Has plenty of muscle but most is hidden under a layer of fat, so others tend to forget how strong he actually is.

He/Him

In my eyes he’s just the whimsical skin, which means he always has a little propeller hat, it’s as if it’s stuck on his head. Like it never comes off.

Alongside the giant lollipop, it tends to break through the rounds but always fixes itself afterwards.

BALD, HE’S BALD! But fr though this kids head is smooth.

Before forsaken he was shorter than the other kids, only being 4 feet tall, but now he was stretched, standing at 6’ 6.

Is so lanky and lean, you can see and even feel his bones. That alongside being a kid his injuries hurt more than normal.

He/Him

Has one of those real fluffy scarves/fur on his coat, idk what it’s called, but it’s soft to the touch and white.

His bunnies are actually one rabbit, it’s pure white and quite large. No clue where he keeps her. (Yes it’s a girl, I don’t have a name though)

Always has a shadow from his hat, it looks darker because of his face crest.

Short, shaven on the sides, black hair. Has a goot amount of stubble as well.

Even 7 ft, being the tallest killer. It throws everyone else off seeing him compared to John.

Is mainly muscle but due to the coat it’s hidden most of the time.

Reader

He/They (Depends on the fic)

Was a friendly hacker and exploiter, often being found in tycoon or hangout games, so they are known but uncatchable to the admins.

Has a different version of c00lgui, it has the same things available but doesn’t use them. Mainly using it to fly/float around, increase money or stats and (nicely) mess with others.

They tend to float a few inches off the ground even without the help of their commands

Calling it the EZgui, was meant to be a placeholder but it just stuck.

Is normally hidden under hoods when they aren’t sure if any admins are around.

#forsaken x reader #wisteria♥

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soap-lady · 4 months ago

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Holy crap! A chapter?! I thought this story was dead!

Well I finally got around and write something. I hope it was worth the wait. Thanks as always to @arylace

Worthy Opponent Ch. 27

(Two young men sit on a loveseat together. One has dyed blue hair and wears a blue button down that is unbuttoned to mid-chest and pewter chains around his neck. On his hands are fingerless gloves. He also wears a belt with attached chains that wrap around his upper thighs. His pants are dark gray leather.

The other wears a yellow knit cap that brings out the golden undertones in his dark skin and sunglasses. He also sports a dark green sweater and tan pants. A white undershirt peeks out from under the sweater and he wears a lion pendant on a gold chain around his neck.)

<Interviewer> Hi! Could you introduce yourselves and tell us who you play and what you do in this movie?

(They quietly debate who goes first. The boy in blue fiddles with one of the chains on his pants and the boy in green gives his shoulder a squeeze. They both nod and the boy with dyed hair speaks up.)

<Luka> Um…hi, Paris. My name is Luka Couffaine and I’m playing Jack Watson in this movie. I’m also helping Allen compose the music and we and our friend Ivan are performing all the pieces an orchestra isn’t.

(Allen seems much more confident, having sat through interviews before.)

<Allen> Bonjour, Paris! Je m’appelle Allain. (A laugh is heard). Stop laughing at my accent, Couffaine. I play Jayden Spade in this movie and I’m also the principal composer.

<Interviewer> Can you tell us anything about your character or maybe how they fit into the group?

<Luka> Well…(sits back, looking and feeling more confident now that Allen’s joke has broken the ice.)

<Luka> My character is kind of like the prodigal son. His mom left his dad because she felt he cared more about M. Holmes than his own family. She moved to America with her son and lived there for eight years.

<Interviewer> Why did Jack come back?

<Luka> Free education. (Allen chuckles and Luka grins at him) Well, that’s part of it. Jack looks and dresses like a punk. Like punk rock, not a delinquent. But really he’s the type to come to the rescue of anyone who needs it. (Sigh) He came to the rescue of someone targeted by a gang and his mom sent him to Paris for his own safety.

<Interviewer> Sounds like Jack had a lot of…

<Allen> Culture shock?

<Interviewer> (Laughs)

<Luka> Yeah, culture shock to deal with. He doesn’t really remember…(points off-screen) these people, except for one other character. He’s grown up hearing how the Holmes family treat the Watsons like servants and ruin his parents’ marriage. So he doesn’t like Barry at first and is pretty mistrustful of most of the others.

<Interviewer> Except one.

<Luka> Exactly. But it also gives him the advantage of having an outsider’s perspective so he can act like the audience’s surrogate. When something is strange, he can ask about it and while he’s learning, the audience gets exposition via conversation and not an info dump.

<Interviewer> Allen? Same question?

<Allen> (stretches) Jayden is basically the all-mighty janitor.

<Luka> (correcting) The all-mighty IT Guy.

<Allen> Yeah. The all-mighty IT guy. Allen is a hacker. Specifically a White Hat hacker who is firmly on the side of good, even if he has to get his hands metaphorically dirty digging for information.

<Luka> (teasing) Jayden Spade doesn’t get a lot of screen time. And if he does, it’s because he’s on the computer, digging-

<Allen> Looking for evidence. Checking backgrounds. Trying to find the correlations and connections-

<Luka> The corkboard, pins and string guy.

<Allen> But digital. Besides (nudges Luka’s shoulder) not everyone needs recognition and being the center of attention. Jayden likes not having the spotlight on him.

<Luka> Unlike Barry. Or [redacted]

<Allen> Yeah. But that answers your question.

<Interviewer> You’re composing original music for this movie. What are some of your influences?

<Allen and Luka> Jagged Stone

<Interviewer> (laughs) Jagged Stone, huh?

<Luka> Rock and roll! Plus, he’s done music that spans many genres. He’s the Gorillaz of rock.

<Allen> Agreed

<Luka> I also like punk so Bad Brains (Allen cheers) Social Distortion, Iggy and the Stooges, The Misfits, and The Dead Kennedys.

<Allen> (makes a sweeping gesture with his hand) All of the above, plus I love vaporware and electronica, so a bit of Daft Punk. I like Mystery Skulls. On the classical side I like Mendolsson, Liszt, and Chopin, and Holst of course. (shrug) to be honest I like lots of different genres, from jazz to Gregorian chants and…(embarrassed) Dolly Parton. I just really love the sincerity in her voice.

<Luka> Mylene was telling me about her charity work at lunch last week.

<Allen> We make a point of listening to what music was popular during the Victorian Era. We even use Victoria era instruments. We have a piano and some stringed instruments from that time. Even a portable organ.

<Interviewer> Wow. I love the attention to detail. So I heard you two have written individual themes for each character in different styles? Can we hear more about that?

<Luka> Oh, sure. Everyone has their own melody so we wanted to reflect that in the soundtrack. For instance, Barry is a piano most of the time but when he's being too much of a Holmes there's a violin playing for that constant reminder of his family.

<Allen> (nods) Jayden has an undercurrent of synth and vaporwave with the orchestra as the most tech savvy character in the movie.

<Luka> Jack has the most modern vibe which works as he's the most modern of all the main characters, so electric guitar and heavy bass. Maybe some flutes now and then to show he has a softer side.

<Allen> [Redacted] our fighter character, the one who protects everyone has more rhythmic beats because she's a fighter. Very martial.

<Luka> Then there’s [redacted] who’s her equal and opposite and uses wind instruments or harp for those hope notes. Maybe when the team needs to be rallied.

<Allen> Lastly [redacted] has like a jazzy vibe because she's the wildcard like how jazz improvises and changes. Plus it runs the emotional gamut from giddy to soulful to energetic-

<Luka> Don’t forget sexy.

<Allen> (scoffs) No, I didn’t. I just don’t think of her that way.

<Luka> Trust me, she’s sexy.

<Allen> I really don’t notice sexy people. Just sexy music.

<Luka> And sexy, sexy technology.

(Both laugh.)

<Interviewer> (clearly impressed) Wow. You’ve put a lot of thought and effort into your music.

<Allen> Always. Plus music adds so much to a film. There’s the music they put in action scenes to get the audience’s pulse racing, but there’s also the soft, quieter music for dramatic scenes.

<Luka> I communicate best with music. You can learn a lot about people by the music they like so giving everyone an individual theme can convey something words can’t always do.

<Allen> Not alone, anyway.

<Luka> No, not alone.

<Interviewer> Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with me. Final thoughts?

<Luka> See the movie.

<Allen> Buy the soundtrack!

(All laugh)

Chapter 27

Ladybug swung over buildings and raced over rooftops, only to find Mamushi and Chat Noir had beaten her there. Chat Noir, a superhero veteran, was relaxed and assessing the situation. Mamushi, the new soldier, conducted herself as such; posture straight and serpentine eyes glued to the horizon watching. The tenseness Mamushi had in her arms and shoulders telegraphed her readiness for action; fighting against the very nature of the snake. Ladybug had confidence that Mamushi would succeed but this will truly be the deciding factor. Could Mamushi adapt in a high intensity scenario and use the snake effectively? That remained to be seen. She had high hopes for Kagami, just as she had for Luka.

A sudden rush of wind kissed her cheeks and Ladybug knew that Wyvern had joined them. From her periphery she saw the dragon land and walk over to the other heroes. He nodded respectfully to everyone and the gesture was returned quickly. Mamushi acknowledged her fellow new hero with a quick nod and a small fanged smile to show there were no hard feelings about their switch; and went back to scanning.

“Always a pleasure to see you, LB,” Chat Noir gave her a two-fingered salute and his trademark grin. There was something about Chat Noir; he seemed open and relaxed. Not that Chat was ignoring the akuma, but he looked less tense and stressed. Happy even, which caused Ladybug to smile back easily.

“You too, Kitty.” She allowed herself a moment to return the easy smile; before duty caused her grin to fade and her expression turned serious. “So, what do we have this time?”

“On my way here I was able to hear a bit of the akuma’s monologue, and the internet pieced more of it together. She refers to herself as Miss Cupid, a champion of love who will save the prince from the traitor.” Mamushi reported, tearing her eyes from the horizon. Pulling up her sanshin she revealed the hidden screen in the back of the instrument. Reliability was on their side, as the popular social media site Chirp was showing pictures of the newest akuma and people’s eyewitness accounts.

“Sounds like a love triangle.” Ladybug mentioned connecting the dots. So many years battling akuma, it was easy for her to see patterns as to what led them to be akumatized.

“Oh, gross.” Chat Noir grimaces in disgust. “Man, I hate love triangles! They creep meow-t. They always have to be used in most shows nowadays too! I can never get away from it.”

“It’s lazy writing,” Wyvern agreed, “some writers don’t know how to add interpersonal conflict to characters without shoehorning in a romance. It’s the worst will they won’t they.”

Ladybug schooled her expression while she felt her cheeks warm under her mask. Ladybug and Wyvern were currently filming a movie; the script seemed to lean heavily into developing a love triangle of its own. Maybe she could talk with….no, this wasn’t Marinette time. She was at the moment Ladybug and she had a job to do. Not think and speculate on her civilian life and how weird the akuma seemed to reflect that.

“Doesn’t matter. This is no time for speculation. We need to come up with a plan.” Ladybug put an end to the commentary as the other three jumped into action at her command.

They gathered together near the edge of the roof they stood on and peered over. The akuma was…incredibly beautiful. Clearly the most aesthetically pleasing akuma they’d seen in ages. Perhaps the victim had designed their own costume because Ladybug was itching to sketch it.

A champion gave the idea of a warrior or knight. This akuma filled that role. Scaled armor, where every scale was another rose petal in different hues of reds and blacks glinted in the evening lights of Paris. The scales created a sweetheart neckline arranged to appear as a broken heart by the position of color. Carmine, scarlet, and crimson hair was arranged into a sculpted rose that framed her face, small braids became thorns and they were arranged beautifully with smaller braided roses to make a grecian style wreath that framed her head. Her make up was haunting, red wine tones and a wet look of someone who had been crying. Dark, deep leathers protecting where scales did not cover. A deep green collar that resembled the rose’s scalloped leaves that connected to a cape that transitioned to float and curl like gentle petals. Armored thigh-high boots whose metal had rose etchings. Instead of Cupid’s bow, she had a whip at hand, filled with thorns, and what could be considered daggers at her hips looking like roses.

“That’s her, Miss Cupid.” Mamushi nodded seeing the akuma matched the pictures they saw earlier.

“Has Hawkmoth been quiet lately because he was taking a fashion course?” Wyvern asked curiously which made Chat Noir chuckle.

“You might be onto something, Wyvern. That is one of the prettiest akuma’s I’ve ever seen.” Chat Noir snapped some pictures with his baton. “Gotta give his teacher a raise, or do you think he commissioned an artist to do outfits for future akumas? Either way I should show Mar–my friend later. They’re really into fashion.”

“Focus, Kitty.” Ladybug was pleased he still considered her civilian self his friend, even if they’d barely interacted all summer. “We have to help her and whoever she’s after.”

“What’s the plan, Ladybug?” Wyvern asked, turning to his leader and seeing her in her element. Her face was calm, almost serene. Her gaze was resolute and there was a determined gleam in her eye. She reminded him of Marinette and it made him smile. Maybe he’d go see her tomorrow.

“Until we know exactly what this Miss Cupid can do, the best thing to do now is to engage lightly. Once we have an idea what powers she has we can adjust accordingly, and make a better plan.” Ladybug mentioned looking amidst the chaos and property destruction. “Keeping an eye out for the victims will also give us the advantage. If we can remove them, we could redirect the akuma to target us, minimizing the dangers civilians face.”

“With the four of us it’s going to be easier keeping them away from shelters too. More help is always welcome.” Chat Noir added as well.

“What about my skill set?” Mamushi asked with a bit of trepidation.

“You have to trust your judgment. Too early and we’re constantly back at square one. Too late and things can go into chaos.” Ladybug spoke up. “Stay back and observe, and when the situation calls for it then use your ability.”

“If I may?” Wyvern asked, interjecting himself. On Ladybug’s nod he continued to speak. “I liked to think about the saying ‘hit the right note’, or strike when the iron is hot. Trust yourself to know when it’s right and we’re here for you every step of the way. You’re a fighter, and you knew when to strike with this.” Wyvern mentioned pointing at his sword. “So do the same when you strike with that.”

He nodded at Mamushi’s sanshin and bracelet and she smiled, giving him a small bow. “Arigato, Wyvern-san.”

He bowed back. “Douiteshimashita.”

Chat Noir cleared his throat and they all looked at him. “So, um…” he rubbed the back of his head. “Am I on my usual distraction duty?”

Ladybug thought about it then shook her head. “Sorry, Kitty,” her tone was gentle. “I think this particular akuma might require a little…” she trailed off, looking for the right word.

Her partner shrunk in on himself a little. “Diplomacy?” he offered.

She just shrugged. “I was going to say tact, but diplomacy will do.” She softened her words with a warm smile. “You’re great at funny quips but this akuma might require a softer touch. I’m going to send Wyvern, if you don’t mind.” She looked over at the newer hero, who gave her a nod. “I want you on standby as defense, all right?”

Chat Noir smiled and winced inwardly at the hopeful look on her face. Had he bothered her so much by goofing off and not taking akuma seriously? She seemed so capable all the time he never even thought about her needing him as much more than comedy relief. The thought that they could have defeated past akuma faster if he’d taken his job seriously made him feel ashamed.

He gave her his usual cocky grin. “Always ready to protect and serve with you, milady. And our talented newcomers, naturally,” he gave a bow.

Ladybug giggled at him and his feeling of shame passed. “I knew I could count on you, my kitty.” She nodded at Wyvern. “Go for it, Wyvern. We’ll follow your lead.”

He nodded. “You can count on me too, Ladybug.” He smiled at Chat and Mamushi and leaped off the building, landing a little bit away from the akuma. He wanted to approach her slowly, cautiously, and a bit out of reach of her whip.

His first instinct was to reach for the lyre. He grasped for it at his side and it wasn’t there. That’s right, he was Wyvern, not Viperion any more. He felt a rush of anger at Hawk Moth and his akuma-of-the-week (Chloe, his memory provided) for robbing him of the hero he used to be. Damn emotional terrorist and his megalomaniacal-

He shook his head. That wasn’t helping. Besides, he didn’t need an instrument to make music; he still had his voice.

Wyvern began to hum “Grace Kelly” and took a few steps closer, only to be stopped by a whip crack near his feet.

“Back off!” The strangely beautiful akuma glared at him. “Stay away from me!”

Wyvern stepped back a few steps. “Is this better?” He smiled kindly and tried to listen to her heart song. It was being smothered by feelings of anger and betrayal and Hawkmoth’s miasma but he could hear it faintly.

“Look,” he tried again, “I know you’ve been hurt. I don’t know how or who but I’m here to listen to you. I want to help if you want me to. We could start with what happened to make you feel this way. Did you have a bad day at school? Parents too harsh?” When they didn’t react he suggested, “fight with a friend?”

That got a reaction. “Marie is not my friend!” The thorn whip lashed out and he dodged. The akuma continued. “She pretended to be my friend and then used everything I told her to steal Laurent from me!”

“Um, I don’t think you can steal people. If this boy wanted someone else, that’s not your fault.” Wyvern tried to keep his voice soothing. “But if this girl knew you liked him and went after him anyway, that’s not right. You have a right to be angry and even confront her but attacking people won’t make you feel better long term.” He spoke from experience. “Trust me. When the power wears off all your problems are still there and you’re left with no memory of what you did or said.”

The akuma lowered the whip a fraction. She was listening to what he had to say.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Wyvern chuckled and gave the akuma a little wave. “I didn’t introduce myself. I’m a little new. My name is Wyvern.” He struck a pose. “What’s yours?”

The akuma blinked in confusion. “I’m-I’m Miss Cupid.”

He gave her a bow. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Cupid, even under these circumstances.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Now, tell me more about Laurent and Marie. How long have you liked him? How long have you known Marie? How did she betray you?” He dared to take a half step in her direction. “We can talk about that if you want. Or you can talk and I’ll just listen. We don’t even have to talk about this at all. You can tell me about your hobbies. Or maybe have a little impromptu jam session but with vocals instead of instruments.”

The whip lowered another inch. “What makes you think I’m a singer?”

Her voice sounded a little less angry than it had been and she hadn’t attacked him in awhile. “Well, with a costume like yours,” he pointed at her head, then down her armor, “you clearly have a strong sense of self and creative talent. Why not a singer as well as an artist?”

Miss Cupid blushed. “Well, there’s so many different ways to express yourself. All kinds of media too.”

Wyvern nodded. “I know! I’m a musician but I have a friend who’s a singer. Some other friends are artists. Like one’s into street art and another is into watercolors.” He smiled again. “What about you?”

“Well, I liked to sculpt.” Miss Cupid’s tone was modest. “I think Theo Barbot’s really talented and it’s cool that the city picked him to create the Ladybug and Chat Noir statue. He’s only a few years older than me!”

Ladybug smiled at Chat Noir, who grinned back. The diplomacy was working! Wyvern had found common ground with the akuma and the two of them were happily chatting about sculpting techniques. Perhaps they could convince the akuma to give up willingly and end this encounter before it became a fight.

Mamushi on the other hand had her eyes locked on the akuma. Only she seemed to notice the fine tremors in the akuma’s hands and arms. Clearly Hawk Moth was attempting to regain control of his victim. Wyvern was getting too close to the akuma but she didn’t want to warn him and give away her position. Was now the moment for Second Chance?

Yes. Yes it was. If the akuma became angry, Wyvern was within her attack radius. She would trust her instincts; she had been honing them since early childhood and they were currently screaming at her that Wyvern was in danger.

Decision made, Mamushi slid the snake head on her bracelet from right to left and whispered “Second Chance.”

There was a brief flash and then she turned her attention back to the akuma just in time to see the familiar outline of a butterfly on the akuma’s face.

Deep underground Hawk Moth was feeling angry and stymied. Those cursed children were yet again distracting his akuma from doing battle with the Heroes of Paris! Last time he could not risk Chloe Bourgeois dying and alienating her father. This time he had no such compunction.

Miss Cupid! That hero is trying to distract you! He doesn’t want to help you, otherwise he’d be helping you track down the traitor who backstabbed you!

To her credit, the girl behind the akuma tried to fight him off but he poured his power into her head until she was under his control again. Really, teenagers had such fragile restraint when it came to matters of the heart.

“No!” Miss Cupid yelled, startling Wyvern and causing him to backpedal. “You’re distracting me! I have to save Laurent!” She raised her whip but her expression was almost compassionate. “This is your last chance. Help me, or get out of my way. Otherwise,” her hand holding the whip might have been shaking but her expression was determined. “I’ll have to use this on you.”

Wyvern raised his hands in surrender. “Look, I don’t want to hurt you…”

As soon as the words were out his mouth, Miss Cupid struck out. The whip unfurled and hit him across the face, causing the new Dragon to bleed. The three other heroes covered their mouths so the akuma couldn’t hear them, eyes wide with shock. They’d gone from feeling like a fight could have been avoided to watching as their friend was hit because they’d misread the akuma.

Miss Cupid smirked as Wyvern fell to the ground, tears forming in his eyes.

“Now let’s see how you feel about-” she began to gloat but he interrupted her.

“I’ve been waiting forever for her to get over him, for her heart to be free but she might be falling for him,” his voice was bitter then distraught. “But, do I have the right to be angry at her? I don't own her, I’m not entitled to her affection just because she’s finally over her first love.”

Wyvern looked up at Miss Cupid without really seeing her. “Is it wrong to want her to love me? I know I should be happy with just her friendship and he clearly cares about her. What if she’d be happier without me? What if he hurts her and I’m not there to help?”

The akuma was at a loss for words and even with Hawk Moth screaming in her ear she didn’t try to strike the hero again. In fact, she coiled her weapon and tucked it away.

She patted Wyvern’s hair, who continued to babble about his feelings for a girl and his worry about losing her to someone else and his growing possible feelings for another. “I was wrong about you,” she told him gently. “You do know how I feel. I promise I’ll come back and help. Stay here.” She leapt off the roof and renewed her search for Laurent and Marie.

Mamushi reset time, this time Ladybug intercepted the blow meant for Wyvern and began to cry.

“What’s wrong with me?!” she sobbed.

Wyvern felt an odd rush of protectiveness for Ladybug, even if he knew she could take care of herself. There was something about her heart song that seemed so familiar…

He was torn between comforting his team leader and yelling at her attacker when Ladybug spoke again.

“I just got over this guy who didn’t like me like that and I found a guy who clearly cares about me as a person. I know he’s interested. He’s also sweet and fun and cool and there for me…” she sighed wistfully. “But there’s also this other guy. I’m not sure if he really cares or if he’s projecting. Maybe I’m just using him as a substitute but…there’s just something about him. On the other hand…the first guy is just wonderful. I know he would never deliberately hurt me…and…am I treating him like he’s the safe option? He deserves so much more than that. He’s talented and wise…his lips look so kissable.” Her smile turned dreamy.

Miss Cupid shook her head violently and Wyvern was sure Hawk Moth wanted her to grab Ladybug’s earrings but to her credit, the akuma seemed reluctant to take advantage of another girl’s emotional distress. She gave Ladybug a shoulder pat.

“The fact you’re thinking of both of their feelings says a lot about you,” Miss Cupid told the distressed girl. I promise I’ll come back and help. Stay here.” She leapt off the roof and renewed her search for Laurent and Marie.

Chat Noir felt conflicted. His instincts told him to intervene but he was unsure about what to do; he was no strategist. He wondered if he should ignore Ladybug in order to save her from the akuma’s power.

Mamushi, on the other hand, was learning more than she ever wanted to know about her teammates’ romantic conflicts.

“Second chance,” she whispered and time reset itself again.

*****

Ladybug, Chat Noir, Wyvern and Mamushi all stood on the edge of a building looking down on the akuma, who seemed angry at being stymied but unsure whether to attack because no one was attacking her.

Wyvern jumped down to the edge of the building the akuma was perching on and then stopped. He felt confused; should he confront or attack the akuma as Ryuuko would have or should he hold himself back as if he were still Viperion.

Ladybug charged two steps forward and had to stop herself from leaping towards Wyvern. “What are you doing?!” she screamed. “Use your magic!”

That might have been the wrong thing to say. She was so worried about Vi-Wyvern she hadn’t realized or had forgotten the akuma could hear her.

Miss Cupid recovered from her indecision and turned angry. “Traitor!” she shrieked at the hero, who had just realized how out of his depth he was. She raised her whip. “You’re not here to help me! You’re just like Laurent and Marie! All you want to do is play with my heart and laugh at me behind my back!” She posed with the whip raised above her head. “Well I’m Miss Cupid now and no one will ever be able to hurt me again!”

She twirled the whip and it wrapped itself around Wyvern’s body. Before he could react she picked him up and swung him into the side of a building.

The other heroes were crying out to Wyvern, asking if he was all right. He couldn’t focus on defending himself, much less attacking. He was still in the old Vyperion headspace; holding back instead of stepping up. It was very disorienting, but could be the possible concussion talking.

Ladybug was doing everything she could not to panic. The plan had gone to crap, Wyvern forgot he wasn’t Viperion any more and hesitated when he should have used one of his elemental powers. Mamushi went to reach for her sword and found an instrument instead. She stepped forward to defend Wyvern but had herself held back by Chat Noir. “Second chance, remember?” he whispered before she could protest.

She reached for her bracelet but before she could activate it, Ladybug threw her yo-yo in the air and screamed, “Lucky charm!” before a flash of pink light and a flurry of ladybugs dropped an item into her waiting hands.

Mamushi was about to try and trigger her bracelet but she paused to stare at the summoned item in Ladybug’s hands. She blinked in surprise.

“Is that…a stocking cap?” she asked, unsure of why Ladybug’s powers would have brought her something so impractical.

Chat Noir almost tried to come up with a pun or a joke but didn’t think Mamushi would appreciate it like Ladybug. He shrugged. “It is, but I’m sure in milady’s mind, it’s only the first step in a brilliant plan. Right, milady?” He turned to his partner.

He tried to be cheerful and encouraging, giving his partner his usual faith so she wouldn’t think he was concerned. Ladybug looked worried and unsure, something she hadn’t looked since the first day they had their powers. It was a little…disquieting. She had to have a plan! She always did!

To his relief, the nervous expression faded and her usual determination came back. He could tell by the way she looked at the objects around her and the squint in her eyes that she was coming up with a plan.

She began to spin her yo-yo to prepare an attack. “Let’s switch it up a little bit.” She looked at Chat Noir over her shoulder. “There’s a few things I want you and Mamushi to gather up for me while I distract the akuma. I know that’s not how we usually do things,” she spoke up before Chat Noir could, “but our original plan kind of went off the rails so I’m just going to wing it.”

She saw the look of uncertainty in his eyes. She refused to look at Wyvern. “Trust me,” she asked softly.

Chat Noir did his best to grin. “Always. Just tell us what you need us to do,” he spoke up before Mamushi could. She managed a nod. The heat of battle was not the best time to question the plan.

Ladybug sighed in relief and managed a confident smile. She turned her attention back to the akuma. “We don’t have much time. I’ll-”

An arrow whizzed past her, narrowly missing her and hitting the akuma. She screeched in offense, but no real injury, yet.

Ladybug approached the edge of the building to look and see if the akuma was badly harmed only to have a figure dive down and nearly knock her off-balance with its wings.

*****

Morrigan swooped towards the akuma, making a point to buzz Ladybug on the way. Her former idol squawked in surprise as she passed her. She hoped she scared the little goody good, even if she had no intention to hurt her. She wasn’t nice, but she was good. Mostly.

The archer didn’t give the akuma time to react, just kicked her in the stomach. The akuma hadn’t been prepared for such a brutal physical attack and went down without a fight.

Forgotten near the wall, Wyvern struggled to his feet. Miss Cupid was on the ground, wailing in pain and cursing at her attacker. He felt like a fool; his first akuma with his new kwami and he’d gone down in thirty seconds. He hoped he didn’t end up on VousTube.

He checked to make sure he still had his sword and prepared to jump back in the fray. He was contemplating the ethics of attacking a prone opponent when someone in black and gold armor with a lion shaped helmet jumped in front of him. He recognized them. Percival, one of the Knights. He opened his mouth to speak but the armored figure ignored him.

“I’ve got this,”Percival called over his shoulder and drew his sword.

Annoyed at being taken out of the fight so easily Wyvern also drew his sword but Percival’s sword was longer and he cut Miss Cupid’s whip in half while Wyvern swung on air.

Percival shrugged at Wyvern. “Sorry,” he told him and looked back just in time to see the akuma’s whip had just reformed itself and Miss Cupid had almost pulled herself back up.

Feeling useless Wyvern thought the smart thing to do was to stop having a sword measuring contest with a stranger and go find Ladybug and regroup.

*****

I’m beginning to wonder if helping fight this akuma was a good idea. Galahad thought as he stood to the side and watched his Knights fight with Hawk Moth’s latest victim. Morrigan had taken the initiative and attacked Miss Cupid first, knocking her prone. Percival had followed up with an attack that had temporarily destroyed the akuma’s weapon and was keeping her on the defensive so she couldn’t counterattack.

And now what?

As the leader of sorts, he needed to coordinate the efforts of the Knights. Tristan and Isolde were working on crowd control and coordinating any needed rescue efforts with the police. Morrigan and Percival were handling offense and defense respectively. Everything seems under control at the moment. Perhaps it would be a good time to head over to Ladybug and ask if she’d located the akuma yet. He was relatively sure she’d already summoned her Lucky Charm and was probably working out a plan. He touched his face as he remembered when he first met. Her ability to strategize was as good as her right cross.

Galahad was just congratulating himself on his willingness to share the spotlight when a dark blur collided with him and knocked him off the roof and into a dumpster.

The dumpster clanged as the two heroes hit the side of the dumpster, The waste receptacle rocked back and forth with the impact but did not tip over. Galahad took the impact especially hard. Felix’s face screwed up with disgust. The smell of rancid food, cleaning products, and dirty diapers hit his nose so hard he felt nauseous.

“Get off of me, you moron!” He pushed the other hero away and scrambled to his feet before grabbing the rim of the dumpster and hauling himself out.

Chat Noir skittered out after him, looking defensive and slightly apologetic. “Hey! I thought you were going to attack us like you attacked the akuma; violently and without warning.” Chat Noir sniffed himself and then recoiled. “Trust me. Smelling like Eau de Ordures was not on my agenda tonight.”

The cat superhero shook his head to clear it and looked at the other hero. “I’m surprised. I thought you and the rest of the Round Table preferred to wait and see when it came to fighting akuma. I didn’t expect you to actually get your hands dirty.” He smirked as he wrinkled his nose. “Or get your armor dirty.”

Galahad reminded himself to stay calm. Paris needed all the heroes it could get to defeat Hawkmoth. That meant his and Ladybug’s teams had to work together and cooperation required tact and diplomacy. He doubted Ladybug would believe he was there to help if he suddenly punched Chat Noir in the face.

He faked a wide condescending smile. “The four of you looked like you were in over your head fighting an akuma that was barely attacking.” His smile widened as Chat Noir looked angry at the implied incompetence. “What kind of heroes would we be if we didn’t come to the aid of those in need?”

Chat Noir extended his baton with a growl but before Galahad thought he was going to be on the news for brawling with one of the defenders of Paris, Chat Noir just said, “I’m sure Ladybug has figured out a plan by now. Follow me.”

Chat Noir used his weapon to launch himself into the air towards his partner. Once he landed he leaned over the rooftop as if expecting the other hero to follow him.

Galahad shrugged then unfurled his wings. He gave one mighty flap then was airborne, soaring towards the rooftop the other heroes were perched on. He landed with a soft crunch of metal on gravel and carefully stayed downwind from the heroine. “Apologies for the chaotic arrival,”he told her and desperately wished they weren’t meeting as superheroes while he smelled like a landfill. He held a fist over his chest and struck a pose. “My name is Galahad,” he pointed at his team. “We call ourselves The Knights of the Round Table.” He loved the name but it sounded so silly when he said it to other people. “We are here to help you defeat this akuma. How can we help?”

Galahad turned his head and looked at where Morrigan and Percival were fighting Miss Cupid. He narrowed his gaze but still couldn’t see what she saw. There was no way in Hell he would admit that he couldn’t see what she saw. He didn’t want to look like a fool (again) by admitting to a shortcoming. “What makes you say that?”

“She’s naturally observant and being Ladybug has helped her hone that.” The dragon themed hero approached his leader and stood beside her. He looked Galahad up and down and even though his nose wrinkled his gaze was appreciative. Something about him reminded Galahad of…someone. It didn’t matter now.

Ladybug beamed at Wyvern and then looked seriously at Galahad “What he said.”

Part of her wanted to argue with him; ask why they’d never helped before. Another part wanted to demand they leave but she wouldn’t. Hawk Moth had exposed all of her temporary allies and if it hadn’t been for Master Fu’s sacrifice he would have won. Well, Chloe did most of the hard work and they had been lucky the former Queen Bee hadn’t really wanted to fight them. She took her bully’s reluctance as a possible sign there was some good left in her but she wouldn’t take the chance.

Ladybug decided to be cautiously optimistic. “Thank you for your help, Galahad.” She decided the best thing to do would be to hurry and cleanse the akuma so she could get the victim home quickly. “I have an idea but I need someone to distract the akuma so I can implement my plan.” She looked around for her partner but he was deliberately avoiding her. “Usually I’d ask Chat Noir…”

“If…I may interrupt..” Mamushi gave into the impulse to speak. She was sure she was violating some sort of tradition but she thought what she had to say was important.

Ladybug tried not to act surprised. “Go ahead, Mamushi.”

She nodded. “I…noticed something about Miss Cupid’s abilities.” She didn’t think it was a good idea to mention her powers in front of strangers, potential allies or not.

Ladybug nodded back to show she understood, eyes widening slightly. “Go on.”

Mamushi felt slightly embarrassed as she tried to explain without revealing what she saw. “Miss Cupid uses her whip to make her victims reveal any unrequited feelings,especially if they are…torn between two people. They seem torn by indecision and unable to defend themselves.”

Ladybug froze in dismay as Mamushi looked her directly in the eye and inclined her head in agreement. Ladybug wanted to ask what exactly Kagami saw but now was not the time. “So anyone who approaches her with any sort of turmoil in their…private lives won’t be able to resist her powers.”

That meant she and Wyvern couldn’t approach her. What about Mamushi or Chat? They seemed stable. Chat seemed over her and she didn’t think Mamushi had any lingering remorse about taking Adrien from Marinette, nor should she. Still, would any past conflicts make them vulnerable?

“So, the best person to fight this akuma is someone who has no romantic entanglements or regrets? Ever?” Galahad interrupted. He thought for a moment and then said. “I know just the guy!”

Before Ladybug or anyone could protest, he touched his ear and said, “Hey, Percival? Galahad. Listen, Ladybug needs you to distract the akuma so she can break the akumatized object. Maybe you can tie her up with her own whip instead of cutting it this time? Yeah, you would have done it earlier if you'd thought of it. No problem.”

He saw everyone staring at him and said, “Bluetooth.”

Chat Noir got a little closer as he stared. “Why have we never thought of that?”

Ladybug just said “Later” and looked at Galahad. “I’m counting on you.”

He nodded. “Just be ready to go with your plan when Percival does his part.”

He’d never talked to her this long and he sure as hell hadn’t been as close. Not since their first meeting as his civilian self. It was embarrassing that this was their formal introduction as heroes and he smelled like a sewer.

Her body language was stiff and she almost vibrated with nervous energy. He couldn’t tell if it was because she couldn’t stand to be around him or she was worried that her plan wasn’t going well.

Galahad did his best to look calm and professional but he couldn’t resist letting his eyes roam over her. The way she carried herself made her seem taller than she really was and her eyes betrayed no fear. He felt as if he were looking at…no. Better not to think about her, he was trying to look professional.

He glanced at the new hero who had replaced Ryuuko to distract himself. That didn’t help. Wyvern was tall and lean and a strange oasis of calm with all the chaos around him. Galahad felt better just looking at him.

He tore his eyes away and looked at Percival. He had to be ready to act once the akuma had been subdued.

*****

Percival considered himself a pacifist, his love of D&D notwithstanding, and never expected to find himself in the middle of combat. It helped to think of himself in a monster encounter where his team had rolled low initiative.

Miss Cupid had not taken getting attacked by multiple foes well and was lashing out blindly. She was getting sloppy but also unpredictable. Percival noticed the purple butterfly appear over the akuma’s eyes. Hawk Moth must be becoming frustrated too. Good. He hoped the idiot in the gimp suit enjoyed being outnumbered.

He watched Morrigan wind the akuma up. She was screaming and lashing her whip blindly at his teammate, who only taunted her more.He watched Morrigan fight, weaving in and out of the akuma’s reach. Morrigan clearly enjoyed fighting; perhaps it gave her something to channel her anger and hostility into. He considered asking her about therapy. Well, not now. Maybe after the movie was done.

Percival frowned and took a deep breath as he made a decision. Perhaps it was time he did something impulsive.

*****

Morrigan had done a good job of keeping the akuma distracted so far but Galahad, or hell, Ladybug, or whoever-the-hell needed to plan and decide a course of action so they could defeat the akuma and go to bed. They were filming all day tomorrow and she needed her beauty sleep. So did everyone else and makeup could only do so much.

“Get away from me!” Miss Cupid yelled at her. The akuma’s movements were beginning to slow. She was getting tired but they couldn’t rely on wearing her down. It helped. “You don’t understand! Laurent needs to be rescued! Marie is fooling him!”

Ugh. This again. She was beginning to think Allen was right about sex and romance. It had never done her any good. “So what?! Why are you trying so hard to help a guy who clearly doesn’t care?”

Miss Cupid stopped attacking and just stared at her. “What?! But…but she’s fooling him! She’s going to hurt him!”

The butterfly mask came up and both young women ignored him. Morrigan decided to try a little common sense. It might work where all that touchy feely crap failed.

She took a step closer. “Did you ever think that he’s not being fooled? Maybe this guy knows exactly what this girl is really like and doesn’t care. He’s going in with his eyes open and if he gets hurt,” Morrigan shrugged. “Then he has it coming and you’re concerned about him for nothing.” She smirked. “It would serve him right if he came crawling back to you, telling you were right and you told him to piss off.”

Miss Cupid just stared. “Are…are you sure you’re a hero?”

Morrigan shrugged. “Yeah. I’m a hero. I’ve got the armor and everything.” She glanced over at the other rooftop where she was sure her former idol was watching her and silently judging. Whatever. “But unlike some heroes I’m not gonna baby your feelings and spout some useless namby pamby crap. I’m gonna tell you shit that will actually help, not just make you feel better.

Miss Cupid nodded despite herself and let the whip drop slightly. “Um…okay.”

“Take it from me,” Morrigan continued, “neither of those jerks are worth getting mad about, much less wrecking Paris. Some people can’t be, or don’t wanna be helped so you should just cut them off. Move on.” She’d stopped trying to protect Adrien and their friendship was a lot healthier for it. “Carrying around a bunch of feelings for a guy too oblivious, or pretending to be oblivious is a waste of time. Being friends with a leech isn’t worth it and now that you know what she really is you’re better off cutting the little parasite out of your life. Forget ‘em. Besides,” Morrigan continued, “you can’t force someone to like you if they don’t,” she knew from years of experience with Adrien and in a way, her mother. “No one is entitled to anyone’s affections if that person doesn’t like you like that.”

There was a smattering of applause and Morrigan felt proud. It sounded like something Percival would have said. She’d done it again! Maybe. She wasn’t good at tact or empathy but she knew what it was like to tie oneself in knots trying to earn the affection of someone who didn’t care and didn’t deserve it.

It should have worked. Under any other circumstances the akuma could have been persuaded to listen to reason and give up her object willingly. It had worked the last time Chloe had tried this and there had been no casualties or even property damage.

Well, the difference was last time she had gotten to the akuma before she had been agitated and appealed to her vanity and natural poise. She had been willing to listen to reason and was persuaded to stand down.

Unfortunately Hawk Moth had learned from his mistakes and deliberately kept his victim agitated. Wyvern had tried and failed to talk her down so she was already wary. Then she had attacked and Percival and Galahad helped surround her. Miss Cupid was frustrated, harassed and probably tired. She didn’t take much to snap.

She looked undecided and for a second Morrigan had hope. “No!” she burst out. “You’re not going to keep me from having my revenge!” She raised her whip again. “You’re right about one thing; they’re both scum and deserve to pay!”

Morrigan tried one last time. Dammit, it had all gone so wrong so fast! “But-”

“No!” Miss Cupid shot back. She raised the whip above her head and let it uncoil. She hesitated. “You have five seconds to get out of my way or you’re going down too!”

“I’m trying to help you!” Morrigan protested.

Miss Cupid laughed bitterly. “Sure you are.” Her eyes narrowed and her lips thinned as she brought her arm back. “Just like them.”

There was a blur of black and gold, then suddenly Percival was standing between them with the whip wrapped around his wrist. He shook his head at the akuma. “I don’t blame you for being upset but trying to whip someone who just wants to help is not a good look.”

Miss Cupid was so startled the whip fell away from the Knight’s wrist and she nearly dropped it. “It doesn’t work on you?” Her eyes darted all around as if trying to find a clue. “How is that possible?!”

Percival shrugged. “Your power only affects people with complicated love lives, right? Love triangles?” He smiled. “I’m asexual so I don’t have those kinds of complications to worry about.”

The akuma sighed, ignoring the butterfly mask that appeared. “That must be nice. No mixed signals, no heartbreak.”

He nodded. “For me? Yeah. Sometimes I have to worry about accidentally sending signals without meaning to. And sometimes it can be lonely when I wanna hang out but all or most of my friends are off canoodling somewhere but…” he thought about it. “I enjoy my life. It’s taken me a while to understand that being different isn’t bad or broken but I’m happy with my life.”

Miss Cupid gave him a sheepish grin. “Need anyone to hang with?”

He smiled. “If you still want to after you’ve been de-akumatized, I’m Percival#777 on Quiscord.”

Morrigan felt the tension in her shoulders ease and thought the akuma was about to hand her object over when a whirr of black and red stuffed something over Miss Cupid’s head.

“Hey!” came the akuma’s muffled shout.

Ladybug grabbed the earrings from Miss Cupid’s ears and crushed them until a black and purple butterfly flew out.

“No evil doing for you, little akuma!” Ladybug proclaimed before doing her usual spiel.

The hero of Paris gently pried the skullcap off Miss Cupid before throwing it into the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

The loveliness of ladybugs flew through the city and restored the damage, returning Miss Cupid to herself as Percival helped her to her feet.

She blinked in surprise. “I was akumatized, wasn’t I?”

The heroes nodded.

The girl looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I was just too upset about Laurent and Marie-!” She broke off and gave Ladybug an awkward smile. “Thank you for saving me.”

Morrigan was just about to intervene and say the Knights did all the dirty work when Ladybug broke out into a nervous smile. “No, I just purified the akuma.” She pointed from Morrigan to Percival. “The Knights did the hard part. They saved you.”

Morrigan and Percival stood a little straighter. Morrigan was reluctant to speak. She didn’t want Ladybug to recognize her voice.

Percival came to her rescue. “No thanks needed.” He gave her an embarrassed wave. “Saving damsels is just part of the job, Miss…?”

The former akuma gave him a smile and a half-curtsey. “Dumont. Dominique Dumont. Thank you for saving me…?”

He bowed. “Call me Percival, of the Knights of the Round Table.” He indicated Morrigan. “And this is one of my comrades, Morrigan.” Morrigan nodded. “You might have heard of us.”

“I have!” Dominique clutched her hands to her chest. “On the Muses Podcast. It’s so wonderful to meet you!”

Morrigan and Percival agreed to pose for a picture when Tristan and Isolde brought over a shamefaced couple.

“Dominique?” the young woman said.

“Domie, we’re so sorry.” The young man looked upset.

“We never meant to hurt you,” the young woman was sorrowful. “Please.”

The girl named Dominique looked from one to the other. “You know, it was wrong to let my anger turn me into an akuma.”

The couple smiled at each other, thinking they were about to be forgiven.

“But I think it's better that we’re no longer friends. Having feelings for each other is one thing, hiding your relationship behind my back and not being honest is another. Both of you can piss off.” As they gasped in surprise and offense Dominique turned to Percival. “Could you fly me home? Maybe we can talk on the way. I don’t suppose you play tabletop games, do you? I’ve been playing Call of Cthulhu.”

Percival perked up. “I’ve been wanting to try it. You can tell me about it on the way.”

He offered her his arm and off they flew.

Her former friends were still staring up at her, gaping when Tristan decided to break the awkward silence. “Let’s get you home,” he said.

With that, he grabbed Laurent and Isolde grabbed Marie. With a jump they were off.

Ladybug twisted her hands together and addressed Morrigan. “I’m sorry. I should have let Percival handle things.”

Morrigan just shrugged. She hoped Ladybug just assumed she was shy or mute. Or rude.

Wyvern overcame his indecision and landed beside Ladybug. “You’re two teams who aren’t used to working together,” he soothed. “I’m sure once you get your dynamics worked out, it'll all be fine.”

Galahad took a deep breath and decided to have what he hoped was a friendly chat with the leader of Paris’ heroes. “Let’s start again. My name is Galahad, leader of the Knights of the Round Table.”

His first instinct was to go in for a handshake but Ladybug tensed when he extended his hand. She wasn’t ready to trust him yet and with his past behavior he understood. He turned it into a sweeping bow instead. “It’s a pleasure to assist the Heroes of Paris.” At least the Ladybug Cure had removed the smell of garbage.

“Hello, Galahad. I’ve seen you introduced on social media.” She looked at her partner. “You know Chat Noir.” The cat hero gave him a grin and a salute.

The two unfamiliar heroes looked at him, the young man with curiosity, the young lady with suspicion. “These are our new heroes. Wyvern-” the dragon hero nodded. “And Mamushi.” The snake hero didn’t bother with a nod. Her eyes narrowed at him in warning.

“Ladybug nodded curtly and her team surrounded her protectively like a brood of chicks while Morrigan flanked him.

“Thank you. It’s nice to formally meet you,” her tone was properly formal but her eyes were glacial. “You’ll have to understand that I’m feeling a little skeptical towards you. Why wait until now to introduce yourself when you’ve all been active for weeks?” She cocked her hip and crossed her hands over her chest. “ Why didn’t you speak to us when we tried to reach out to you?”

There was something about her commanding stance and regal tone that made him…not now. He glanced at Wyvern, who kept glancing back at him. He looked over at Mamushi, who seemed to want to skewer him with something.

Galahad started to rub the back of his neck then realized it made him look like Adrien. He dropped his hand and looked at Ladybug with an expression he hoped was sheepish and apologetic.

“We’re…new. Both to hero work and Paris itself. We thought we were doing a good thing by helping with crowd control and staying out of akuma battles. But now I see that wasn’t the right way to go about things.” He shrugged. “Sorry about that. We’ll do better in Future.”

“Does that mean you wish to join us? Become one of the Heroes of Paris?” Mamushi spoke up and only the slight widening of Ladybug’s eyes revealed it hadn’t been her idea.

Morrigan shook her head violently and Galahad declined. “The Knights prefer to stay an independent agency but we’re more than happy to team up for akuma or other emergencies.” He looked over at his teammate for confirmation but she just gave him a tiny nod and a half-shrug.

Galahad took a half-step towards his counterpart then stopped. “If you’d like, we could coordinate when we could do joint patrols or which areas of the city we could patrol on alternating days or something.”

He’d burst into her city without permission or etiquette observed and he was making the offer out of courtesy and a bit of guilt. The last thing he wanted was to spark a turf war with Ladybug. Hawk Arse would be delighted and he’d look like a git.

Her expression still looked distrustful but at least she wasn’t outright hostile. Mamushi might have still wanted to chop his head off but her leader would call her off. Probably.

“We’ll see,” was all Ladybug would say.

Chat Noir looked from his partner to the Knight who’d fallen in a dumpster with him. “Hey! That’s a good idea!” He was a little louder and more cheerful than usual, but that could be because he was afraid Ladybug would attack a potential ally if they weren’t careful. Her, or Mamushi.

“Uh…” Chat Noir thought it over. “We’re usually pretty busy during the week but I’m sure M’Lady could find time to talk to you…” He frowned and scrolled through his staff. His face cleared. “Ah! Ladybug can meet you on the E- I mean…L’Arc de Triomphe on Saturday at 22:00.”

Galahad looked at Ladybug, who nodded. “Sounds lovely.” They had more than worn out their welcome and he didn’t want to test the limits of Ladybug’s or her team’s patience. “Morrigan and I are off. Good evening.” He nodded and with a glance at the disguised Chloe, they unfurled their wings and were off.

Wyvern sighed as he watched them fly away until they were no longer visible. “I have to admit, I’m jealous of the wings.”

Mamushi shook her head as what she had been dying to say burst out. “Tell me you don’t trust them-”

Ladybug sighed. “I don’t think I do. Not entirely.” She sighed. “The other three seem like they really want to help people but I’m not sure Galahad and Morrigan don’t have a hidden agenda.”

“Or they’re really paranoid and untrusting too,” Chat Noir teased and then turned serious. “This isn’t the first time we’ve been fooled by someone claiming to be a new hero. I don’t blame you for being careful but don’t push away potential new friends.”

“Chat Noir makes a good point,” Wyvern agreed. He looked at Ladybug and then the team. “Let’s welcome their help, but don't give our secrets away.”

Everyone nodded and Mamushi fell silent. Chat Noir was the first to notice. “Hey, Mamushi? You okay?”

The new Snake hero sighed and looked down as if ashamed. “Forgive me, Ladybug. I…” she looked pained and sad. “I proved unworthy of the faith you placed in me by giving me a new Miraculous. I did not use the Snake properly. If it were not for those Knights,” her fists clenched and she looked angry. Not so much for the interference but because she needed to be rescued at all. “We would have failed.”

Both Ladybug and Chat Noir opened their mouths to assure her she was wrong but Wyvern beat them to it. “It wasn’t just you. I messed up too.” He gently pushed Chat Noir aside and put a reassuring hand on Mamushi’s shoulder. “I failed too. I kept thinking I was still Viperion and that messed me up. I’m not used to being first in a fight.” His smile was kind.

Mamushi’s smile was rueful. “Nor am I being the one to hesitate.”

Wyvern gave her another smile and a half-hug. “I guess we need more practice.”

She nodded and Ladybug’s head shot up. “Yes! You do!” She looked excited and her smile dimmed. “But not with me and Chat.” She looked at Mamushi, then Wyvern. “That was my mistake. You didn’t need to practice with experienced heroes because you are experienced heroes.” She maneuvered her way in between Mamushi and Wyvern and gave them both a half-hug.

Ladybug grinned as the idea occurred to her. “You need to practice with heroes who are experienced with the Snake and the Dragon. You need to practice with each other!”

Wyvern looked at Mamushi. “I think she has a good point.” He gave the new Snake a smile. “Wanna be practice buddies?”

“I must rearrange my schedule and find a clever way to fool Mother.” The former Dragon looked serious as she planned and then gave her new partner a mischievous grin. “I’m sure I’ll come up with something and let you know via our Communicators.

“Looks like everything worked out, M’Lady. Even though things got a little hairy for a few minutes there.” He waited for his partner to groan and then held out his fist while looking at three of his fellow heroes.

They all knew just what to do. Three other fists came flying out.

“Pound it!”

With a shared laugh and some quick goodbyes, Team Miraculous made their separate ways home. Ladybug was still thinking about the encounter with the Knights and it meant for team dynamics in the future. Would Galahad want to take over as leader and muscle her out? She hoped she was just being paranoid and insecure.

Galahad laid awake for at least an hour before finally drifting off. He’d introduced himself properly to Team Miraculous. (Griff was very pleased) but couldn’t stop thinking of the glint of steel in her eyes, her determination, or Wyvern’s quiet support and calm demeanor.

…

He had a type or two, didn’t he?

#worthy opponent au #Felinette #slow burn #lukanette #marinette dupain cheng #felix graham de vanily #luka couffaine

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