Chapter Text
Ladybug raced along the streets of Paris as the sun set behind her. Chat Noir was close at her heels as they chased down the akumatized teen girl. She was making everyone disappear because she'd been bullied. A sentimonster had joined her to expand the amount of people she could capture.
"The sentimonster is to your right. Hide!" Viperion's voice said into her earpiece. She had dragged him from his part-time job to help with this villain. She had to search the city to find him, but she had no choice. A fraction of a centimeter in the wrong direction, and she and Chat Noir could vanish instantly.
Ladybug pulled Chat Noir behind the side of a bridge just as a beam that would make him disappear hit where he had been standing.
"Thanks," Ladybug said, touching the mic on her earpiece. She didn't want to know how many times he had rewound time for her. It had been a few weeks since the defeat of Miracle Queen. Hawkmoth had started calling himself Shadowmoth and was now using the peaco*ck miraculous in conjunction with the butterfly. With the powerup, he'd been coming up with better power ideas.
She bothered Luka so much because of that Miraculous. This was the third time in the past week that she needed to include Viperion in her plans. Each time, she raced through the city because she needed a backup plan if things went wrong.
Now that he had already started his second chance, there was no time to waste.
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called. A pen popped into existence and fell into her hand.
"Maybe you can sign her yearbook?" Cat Noir offered, leaning around the side of the bridge to check for the akumatized girl.
"You used it to get her attention," Viperion told her. "Chat Noir needs to keep the Sentimonster distracted while you take care of her," he added. They'd gotten used to this system where he hid in the shadows and told her and Chat Noir how to avoid getting hit this time.
"Right, got it," Ladybug said. She glanced around the bridge's arch as she formulated the rest of the plan.
"I'll take care of it, M'lady," Chat Noir said, springing away towards the sentimonster.
Ladybug leaped into action, glad she only heard Viperion comment on how not to get hit once more. She taunted the girl so she could grab the notebook in her hand. She broke it over her knee and caught the akuma and the feather that had been in it.
"Miraculous Ladybug," she shouted as the city righted itself.
"Great job, M'lady," Chat Noir said, extending a fist out to her.
She bumped it as they said, "Pound it" together.
"Can you take care of her?" Ladybug asked Chat Noir, motioning to the traumatized girl.
"Of course," Cat Noir said, with a sweeping bow before kneeling next to the confused girl.
"Thanks, kitty," Ladybug said. She threw out her yo-yo and landed on the rooftop that Viperion had been hiding on. He had started to keep out of sight so Shadowmoth wouldn't realize how much she needed him. For all he knew, she could handle things the first time.
"Thanks for your help," Ladybug said as she approached him.
"Of course," Viperion said, "Sass, scales rest," A blue light engulfed him, revealing the boy underneath. Luka slipped the bracelet from his wrist, and Sass disappeared inside. He handed it out to Ladybug.
Ladybug began to reach for it but hesitated. She'd needed him so much in the past few weeks. It was inconvenient to track Luka down in the middle of battles. He could just keep it. Having Viperion at each battle would make her feel safer. If she didn't dodge a shot or got cornered, then they'd have a second chance.
Plus, this was Luka; she trusted him. They'd been seeing each other a lot outside of Akuma battles and had gotten very close. Was it wrong that she liked the idea of having him as another permanent partner? As the guardian now, it was her choice, and Bunnyx had said that she would someday have her own team. Surely, she'd let them keep their Miraculous.
"Actually, why don't you keep it," Ladybug said, cupping her fingers over his and curling the bracelet back into his palm.
Luka's blue eyes widened, "Really, are you sure?"
"Yeah," Ladybug smiled, "I trust you." She ignored the voice in her back of her mind saying that this decision was purely because of how her heart tugged being around him.
"Thank you," Luka said, slipping the bracelet back on, "I'll be careful. I promise."
A chime in Ladybug's ear pulled her out of staring into his eyes. They really were the color of the ocean.
"I have to go, see you around," Ladybug said, pulling out her yo-yo and swinging out of the alley. No looking back on her decision now.
-----
Luka trotted down the steps towards the Liberty. Sass was tucked into his jacket pocket. Luka was getting used to the weight of him there.
The moon was full tonight and it lit up his path. He loved the symbolism of it and how he felt. Being Viperion full-time was another responsibility, but it didn't weigh on him as much as others.
For once, he wasn't in charge. That was Ladybug's job. For once, he could be a part of something where the world wasn't on his shoulders. Since he always had a second chance, he could rewind time when things went wrong. In real life, he wasn't so lucky. He had to take care of his sister, work, go to school, and try to keep his sanity. Being with the heroes felt freeing him his usual duties.
As he reached the deck, he felt a buzz from his phone.
Marinette's name popped up on the screen with a text.
Still practicing tomorrow?
Luka smiled at the simple message. He'd told her a few times that Kitty Section would be practicing tomorrow. Rose's birthday was coming up, and she wanted them to play during part of her party. She'd requested that they practice every weekend until her big day.
He replied:
Yep :)
How was your day?
Luka got to his room and flopped on his bed. Sass floated out of his pocket and rested on the table beside his bed.
He and Marinette had gotten a lot closer recently. They texted every day. Though Marinette was often busy, he relished any messages from her.
Really busy -_-'
You?
He replied:
Same. I got off from work later than I thought I would.
So what were you busy with?
As the text bubbles started, he relished how much she'd shared with him. Even though she often had to run off when they saw each other, it didn't bother him too much. He knew he was keeping secrets, too. The least of which being that he was Viperion.
What he hadn't told her was that they had the same crush: Adrien Agreste.
He'd fallen for Adrien as he'd gotten to know him while they played in the band. He put on a smile for his friends, but Luka could tell there was a storm brewing beneath the laughs he forced. He wanted to know all the troubles he faced. If he could get Adrien to talk. Adrien only came over to practice, so Luka hadn't gotten to hang out with him alone very often to confirm his suspicions.
He wasn't going to tell Marinette that he had a crush on Adrien unless Adrien liked Marinette and hopefully him. He could never take Adrien away from her. And really, he didn't want to. What he really wanted was for all three of them to date each other. He really thought it could be possible as long as Adrien was bisexual. Also, it was something that he wanted to ask when he got him alone.
Of course, Marinette would have to be open to the idea as well.
As he watched her message about her day, his mind slipped back to his own day and darting across rooftops with Ladybug and Chat Noir.
He was now the third permanent Miraculous holder. Ladybug and Chat Noir were no longer a duo. Of course, there were other heroes, but since he kept his Miraculous, they were really a trio.
"Sass, are you hungry?" Luka asked.
"mmm, yessss," the kwami said. "I'm sssstarving," He hovered over Luka, bouncing in the air.
Luka opened a drawer beside his bed and pulled out a bag of gummy worms. "Here," he said, offering them to the kwami.
Sass gasped and grabbed it out of Luka's hand.
As Sass munched, Luka had an idea. He picked up his guitar from the side of his bed.
"Oh, I love music," Sass said, his head bobbled side to side.
Luka smiled as Sass moved like a charmed snake. Charmed. That's what he wanted to do to Adrien. A song was always the best way to tell him how he felt. But not yet. Maybe he could use music to get the idea of all of them dating into Adrien's head.
His thoughts slipped back to Ladybug and Chat Noir. Chat Noir had Adrien's mesmerizing green eyes.
Luka began to sing,
"Cheshire grin, green eyes,
I'm absolutely mesmerized."
Marinette had Ladybug's hair.
"Pink lips, raven hair
Your beauty is beyond compare."
That was how Chat Noir saw her.
Just like that, he'd come up with a plan to see if his secret dream had a chance.
------
The next day, Adrien was in the middle of his fencing lesson when a loud bike flew by overhead. Caught off guard as he watched it, he fell backward as a blade pushed him.
He lifted his mask. "Sorry, I need a bathroom break," he called to his partner as he dashed for the lockers. He transformed and raced out to follow the bike.
As he hopped across the city on his baton, he saw his lady swinging over rooftops.
"Any idea about this one?" he called, trying to sync up when they were higher.
"He's been freezing everything in his path." Ladybug said, "Other than that, not much."
"He's headed towards the river," another voice called, matching their pace on the rooftops.
Cat Noir glanced over to see Viperion dashing alongside them.
"You're here early," Cat Noir said.
"Being on time is my thing," Viperion said, throwing a wink his way.
Cat Noir smiled at the quip, narrowly missing running face-first into a chimney. He could get used to that. However, if Viperion kept it up, Ladybug might kick them both out.
The akumatized person finally stopped in midair to face them, dropping out of the sky. The heroes jumped down from the rooftops. Ladybug pulled out an earpiece and called to Viperion, "Find somewhere to hide!"
Viperion nodded and turned to flee, but they'd fallen into a trap. The villain fired a beam heading straight for Viperion.
Cat Noir watched in slow motion as Ladybug twisted and leaped to protect him, arms splayed, ready to take the hit. Chat Noir shot his baton out, knocking them both out of the way of the incoming attack. He sent them skittering across the hard stones of the street. Cat Noir raced over to where they lay in a heap.
He snatched Ladybug's arm and hauled her to her feet, wrapping an arm protectively around her waist. "We're supposed to be protecting you, remember," he scolded.
"Without Viperion, we don't get a second chance," she reminded him. She turned to Viperion, "Go hide and start the time,"
Chat Noir reluctantly let her go, and she raced off towards the villain. Viperion's words in his ear told him that he'd started the time.
"He can't do anything if he hasn't started the timer yet," Chat grumbled, chasing after her. It was his job to protect her. As long as she was okay, he and Viperion should both be dispensable. He'd dived in the way and gotten hit by countless villains. That was part of his duty. How could she throw herself in danger like that?
As Chat Noir jumped back into battle, he was so infuriated with her carelessness that his blows hit harder than usual. He was so distracted by his own anger that he got hit multiple times. Of course, he only knew about them because Viperion instructed him on how to dodge them.
He hated that each of Viperion's commands was a reminder of how close they came to losing each time. Maybe they wouldn't need him if Ladybug hadn't been so concerned for his safety. But Chat Noir knew that was a lie.
Ladybug succeeded in using her Lucky Charm rope to stop the villain. He faded into a sad looking old man, angry at his grandchildren for not letting him relive his glory days. Ladybug threw the rope into the air and the city cleaned up.
"Pound it," the team said, reunited now that the villain was defeated.
"I'll be off now," Viperion said, waving as he sprinted away from the other heroes.
"You aren't going to get his Miraculous?" Cat Noir asked as Ladybug made no move to follow him.
Ladybug eyed him cautiously, "I let him keep it. We've needed him so much recently that I thought it would be good for him to have it."
Cat Noir gaped at her. "But-"
"I'm the guardian now," Ladybug said, finally looking him in the eyes, "and we need him. There's too much risk if we can't undo our mistakes." She placed a hand on his shoulder, "You're still important to me, but one day I'll have a whole team, and I can't hand out all of their Miraculous each time. It's time that Viperion holds onto his."
"Fine," Cat Noir pouted. Fine, but that didn't mean he couldn't be jealous. He liked Viperion, but after seeing Ladybug almost sacrifice herself to save him, he couldn't help but be worried. He didn't like the way she watched him. Her eyes trained on his every step.
"Thanks for understanding, kitty. Bug out!" Ladybug said, sailing away on her yo-yo.
He understood why she needed to build out the team, but he wasn't quite ready to not be her only partner. He hid in an alley and released his transformation.
Plagg dropped into his palms, and Adrien handed him some cheese.
"So now I'm not the only other one taking care of a Kwami," Adrien grumbled.
"That was bound to happen eventually," Plagg told him, swallowing the cheese whole, "and if she wants to trust someone with a miraculous, she can do that. She told you that she still cares about you,"
Adrien sighed, "Yeah, I know," but that didn't mean that he had to like it.
"Hey, cheer up," Plagg said, flying so close to his nose, he had to go cross eyed to focus on him, "you've got non superhero plans tonight!"
Plagg was right; he needed to shake this off. He was actually being allowed to see his friends tonight to practice as an honorary member of Kitty Section. Maybe there was still a chance of having a good day.
