Chapter Text
The soft sounds of water from the faucet and clinking of dishes were the only sounds that filled the small bakery. Bright light filtered in through the window, illuminating the entire room in a soft glow. The pastel orange and yellow light filled Marinette with warmth. She hummed as she slowly finished scrubbing the last of the dishes. Her parents had retired to the living room to watch tv after Marinette had volunteered to do the night's cleaning.
Once the plate was rinsed and dried, she walked over to let them know she was done.
"Hi Maman, Papa, I'm all finished with the dishes so I'm gonna go do some designing."
They turned and gave her bright smiles.
"Ok dear, remember in bed by 10:30," her mama said. "You have to be up on time tomorrow."
Yeah, she was totally going to bed at 10:30, she would never sneak out through her roof to complete her usual patrol. If she was lucky, she'd end up in bed by 12:00 or 1:00. God willing it would just be patrol though.
"Of course! Goodnight!"
She gave them both hugs before running upstairs. Throwing open the trapdoor, Marinette rushed to her desk and pulled out her fabrics and notebook. It had been weeks since she had gotten the chance to fully design and plan out an outfit or clothing item. With everything going on hero-wise and school wise had been keeping her busy for a while now. Without wasting another second, Marinette got to work.
Her pencil glided across the page as she illustrated her newest design. The fabrics to her left were thrown messily to the ground as she scrambled to grab her colored pencils. She smiled to herself as the colors complimented each other beautifully on the page, just like she knew they would.
Once the drawing was done, Marinette swept the fabrics off the ground and laid them out on her desk. Now that she had the design and color done, it was time to record and find the perfect measurements. Continuing her song from earlier, she hummed and softly swayed as she lined up the fabrics and measured them. Her mind got lost in a daze as she cut and placed the clothes around a mannequin (which she had finally saved up to buy recently).
After the dress and coat were full of stabilizing pins and resting safely next to her desk, Marinette finally checked the time.
"Oh wow, only 9:00. That was probably a new record!"
The kwamis, who had been messing around and playing in her room as she designed, all floated over to admire her newest work.
"It looks great!"
"Oh my gosh those colors! I just love them."
"Looks scratchy."
"Who's it for?"
"I like the poofy part."
She giggled at them and turned to face the group. Tikki floated over and pat her cheek.
"It looks amazing as always Marinette."
"Thanks Tikki, and others," she replied. "Alright, I should probably head out for patrol huh?"
A collective agreement sounded out amongst the kwamis. Turning to Tikki, Marinette smiled.
"Ready to go?"
"As always."
Taking a deep breath, she yelled the usual phrase. "Tikki, Spots On!"
Light flashed all around her as she felt power rush through her. Marinette was definitely used to it but every now and again the feeling would catch her a little off guard. She supposed that was only natural, maybe she could ask Chat if he felt it too just to be sure.
"Alright guys, see you later tonight!"
They all yelled their goodbyes as she hopped through the hatch and swung off. The last streams of sunlight were quickly disappearing over the horizon, leaving the rest of the sky a beautiful dark blue. Out of the corner of her eye, Ladybug could see the bright full moon lighting the city. She smiled and turned back to focus on the path ahead.
She threw out her yo-yo as hard as she could and just as she was beginning to reach the peak of her arc, she flipped herself backward. The wind blew around her and she closed her eyes. She felt weightless as if she could sit up and float up into the stratosphere. Time seemed to slow as she felt herself stop at the height of her flip. Facing the sky, Ladybug opened her eyes and saw stars and moon shining down on her. Whisps of the Milky Way could be seen despite the blinding moonlight. It was one of the most beautiful sights she had seen in a long time.
Finally, gravity made itself known and she felt herself fall. The air pounded in her ears and her hair encompassed her face. Despite the building rapidly coming closer, Ladybug smiled.
When she got about 15 feet above the roof, she threw her yo-yo towards a nearby chimney and pulled.
She flew over and landed on the next building with ease. The momentum didn't bother her, instead, Ladybug used it to propel herself into a full sprint. A break in between the buildings came up so she sped up and jumped. She let out a laugh as she landed. The adrenaline in her system kept her going, leaping over alleys and launching herself forward.
A little bit ahead, Ladybug spotted the Arc de Triomphe, the spot that her, Rena, and Chat had agreed on. She couldn't see any of her superhero companions there but she knew they wouldn't be too long.
Wrapping her yo-yo around a nearby tree, she pulled and flew onto the top of the monument.
It took her a second to regain balance, the speed and momentum making her stumble a bit. She stood up straight and looked around, enjoying the light show that the traffic around the structure gave. It wasn't too surprising that Paris was still busy despite the time. This city was much more alive at night than in the morning.
"Well hello there."
Ladybug laughed, "General Kenobi."
She stood and smiled at her partner. He returned the smile, walking over and pulling her into a quick hug.
"Been too long My Lady. You're depriving this poor cat."
"Ah yes," She replied, rolled her eyes. "Two whole days counts as deprivation."
"It does!"
Smiling fondly, Ladybug reached up and mussed up Chat's hair.
"Such a needy kitty huh?"
"But of course. You love me though."
She pretended to ponder for a minute, to which Chat gave an adorable pouting face.
"Mmmm debatable."
"You wound me m'lady!"
They laughed and she shook her head. Despite how much she enjoyed teasing Chat, it was getting a little late and Rena still hadn't arrived. Turning away from her partner, Ladybug scanned the horizon for her friend. So far no sign of their white and orange companion.
"Whatcha lookin' for?" Chat leaned in, resting his head on hers. She was still bitter about how tall he kept getting.
Huffing, she replied, "Rena Rouge. She said she was joining patrol tonight but I can't see her. Maybe I should call."
"Oh. I didn't know she was coming."
She looked down at her yo-yo and pulled up Rena's (well, Alya's) contact. Quickly pressing call, she moved away from her partner.
"Yeah, we talked last night."
"Right..."
The two fell into silence as she waited for Rena to pick up. After a few seconds, a click was heard.
"Hey girl! On my way right now."
"Alright, Chat and I are waiting when you get here."
"Kay kay, see you soon!"
"See you soon, bye!"
The call ended and Ladybug walked back over to Chat as she put away her yo-yo. He was sitting on the edge, letting his legs swing back and forth. She joined him and debated between leaning on his shoulder or sitting up straight.
Eh, fuck it.
Closing her eyes, she let herself fall onto her partner, landing right where she wanted to. He jumped before relaxing again. They sat there quietly, enjoying the crisp air and the noises of traffic below. Eventually, his head came to rest on hers for the second time that night. She smiled and kept her eyes closed.
Chat broke the silence by clearing his throat.
"So, you and Rena."
"Chat..." she sighed.
"I just want to know why she gets to talk to you whenever she wants and I can't."
His words made her pause.
"Chat are you...jealous?"
The thought made her want to laugh. Was he seriously jealous of Alya? It was a mean thought but outside of this situation, it would actually be pretty funny. Her best friend jealous of her best friend. That'd be a first for sure.
"Maybe."
Oh sweet boy.
"Listen, it's not anything personal Chat I promise. Rena's just a unique situation."
"That's all I get? A 'unique situation'?"
She frowned, "You know I can't tell you anything else. That's not fair."
"So she knows you as a civilian."
He didn't say it like a question, he said it like he knew for a fact it was true. Ladybug froze and opened her eyes, searching for an answer that would both keep information about her secret but also satisfy her partner's curiosity.
"She...doesn't know that she does." She winced. That was just a blatant lie. "Ok well um."
"What?"
He moved away from her and stared.
"Alright. I probably should have mentioned this, but I-" Ladybug stopped herself. This was going to really hurt him, wasn't it? God why did she have to do this now? "I might've told her my identity."
Chat didn't move. His expression stayed the exact same and he stared at her with the most neutral expression she'd ever seen. Then he nodded slowly.
"Someone knows your identity."
"Yes but listen it was-"
"No. Give me a second," he held up his hand and looked down. Surprisingly, he still didn't look angry. "You told someone your identity. That person was not me. And that means there is someone, that someone being Rena Rouge, that you trust more than me with this."
Her eyes widened. "No! That's not why!"
"Are you just closer to her? Is that why? Why does she get to know before me? Did I do something?"
The barrage of questions threw her off. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Ladybug turned to fully face Chat, who looked moments away from either crying or yelling at her.
"Ok, I should have explained it a while ago. I told Rena my identity because she was there at the right, well kind of wrong, time. I wasn't handling the stress of school well, or the Guardian business well, or lying to everyone I knew, or realizing that you were probably going through the same thing oh God why didn't I think of that, and I was just so stressed and worried."
The more she talked the more frantic her words sounded.
"I was just too packed with new things and responsibilities that I just kind of broke down and I didn't know what to do, and I still don't, but that just ended the worst possible way. I-I told her I was Ladybug because I really needed someone to break down to and she was right there! Just right there! What else would I do? But it still wasn't fair and I know that! And I'm so sorry Chat, I'm so so so sorry."
She took a breath and looked him in the eye, "I never should have...I should have told you. I've been so serious about this rule and I was the one to break it. You deserve better."
"Ladybug it's-"
"Hey gang!"
Rena's excited voice cut him off. Ladybug didn't bother turning around, desperate to hear what Chat was going to say.
He glanced at Rena before sighing and looking back at her.
"We'll talk later."
Her shoulders slumped and she nodded. Not the response she was hoping for but it made sense. He stood up and put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly before walking over to their friend. She didn't bother moving yet, instead resting her elbows on her knees and staring at the cars passing again.
"Did I interrupt you guys? I can go if you want."
"No, it's ok. We're glad your here."
Maybe a month or two ago she would have been able to read the tone in Chat's voice but right now, she may as well been trying to understand another language. Well no that analogy doesn't work, she knows three languages. It's more like particle physics at this point. Chat's emotions were a mystery to her now, and shit, she hated that.
"Ladybug? You there?"
She jumped as she felt someone tapped her forehead. Rena's masked face appeared to her left as she turned.
"Yeah, sorry just zoning out," Ladybug said, "nothing new hah."
Her friend frowned, looking at her with concern. She shook her head slightly to tell her she'd talk about it later. Without bothering to elaborate past a headshake, Ladybug stood up.
"Should we get started?"
Rena spoke up first, "Sure thing. You lead the way."
Nodding to her, she turned to get her partner's reaction. He nodded as well, making her deflate a little.
"Alright, let's head out."
Together, the three of them leaped off of the Arc and landed on the buildings not too far away. At least running and viciously throwing a yo-yo would help distract her from the dread that had now settled in her stomach. Her assumption was proven correct as she fell into a familiar rhythm as she made her way across the city. The moon still shone down in it's blinding glory but now it was just a nuisance. She could feel a headache coming on, just what she needed.
Her eye's swept the ground below them. So far there didn't seem to be signs of any crime or oncoming akuma. Every now and then she'd hear a distant cry of her name or see a bright flash directed at her. She'd be able to get patrol over with pretty quickly at this rate.
Eventually, they stopped about halfway through the usual route. Ladybug took a second to regain her breath before turning to the other two. They looked equally as winded. Probably shouldn't go so fast next time then.
"I haven't seen anything so far, just the usual."
"Same here."
"Yeah, nothing."
Nodding she looked around. All she could see was the bright lights coming from the still open restaurants and stores. She shrugged and looked back at them.
"I think we're clear over here. If we want to move to the next section we can."
Chat opened his mouth to respond before getting cut off by a shrill scream. He looked mildly annoyed at being interrupted a second time but once the realization that it was a scream that cut him off, he became alert again.
The vast display of emotions over the course of a few seconds almost made her laugh. But duty came before humor apparently.
All three of them scanned the horizon, trying to locate where the sound came from. When another scream sounded out, Rena quickly pointed to their right.
"There! Where the weird flashy beams are!"
"Such eloquent language there Rouge," Chat muttered.
Rena rolled her eyes and lept off the roof in the direction of the 'weird flashy beams'. Chat turned to face her and gestured.
"After you Guardian."
Ah, she really didn't like that nickname, or title, whatever it was. Ladybug must have visibly flinched because Chat suddenly looked regretful.
"Sorry."
"It's...whatever."
She swung off to avoid any further conversation, as she had no idea what to say after that. As they got closer, it appeared that Rena was actually right. There were in fact really bright flashy beam things.
An akuma stood in the middle of the street, blasting everything around them with some kind of high-energy beam. It left the objects hit nearly evaporate and burned. Yikes, definitely not one to get hit by.
The akuma victim was wearing a light blue mask on their eyes, except the mask didn't have any eye holes. The rest of their outfit was a light blue and bright pink skinsuit. They shot the ray out of some kind of cane, which also matched their pink-blue colors.
"Their weapon looks like a...white cane?" She said.
"Um, girl I hate to break it to you but that stick is definitely pink and teal."
Chat scoffed, "That is not teal. That's clearly sky blue."
Rena whipped over to face him.
"'Sky blue'? What kind of pompous bullshit-"
"Guys, can we focus? I meant the kind of cane that people who are blind use."
They both had the decency to look at least a little ashamed. She rolled her eyes and smiled. At least this part didn't change.
"Alright, game plan. Those beams look like either electricity or concentrated light and they look like they hurt." She paused. "So I guess just try to get them to stop attacking innocents but don't get hit. The akuma's most likely in their cane so, grab that as fast as you can."
"Any specific strategy?" Chat asked.
When she didn't answer they all brainstormed ideas. Chat perked up and smiled, clearly having come up with something.
"We-"
A beam shot right between Ladybug and Rena, making them both jump back. Neither were hit but it was definitely startling.
"Oh come the fuck on! Can't I say anything tonight?!"
Ladybug did laugh this time. Chat looked like he was going to punch something and it was funnier than it had any right to be.
"I'm glad you find my suffering enjoyable Bugaboo."
Despite supposedly hating the nickname, she found herself unable to stop smiling. It really had been too long.
"Ladybug, Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, I am Luminescence. I have no qualms with you. Hand over your miraculous and I will let you live in peace."
She sighed and stood up. Here comes the usual mantra.
"You know we can't do that."
"You'd think that'd be obvious by now," Rena commented. "I mean, what, two years later and-"
The akuma shot at the three of them.
"Hey! I was speaking."
Chat laughed at her, to which Rena responded by flipping him off. Ladybug ignored them, instead she threw her yo-yo before the akuma could make a move. The string wrapped around their torso and she pulled. Instead of pulling them like intended, Ladybug flew towards them. She held on, for some reason, and fell off the building.
"SHIT."
"Ladybug!" both Rena and Chat screamed after her.
As a last-ditch effort, she used the momentum and flipped so her feet were pointed at Luminescence. Her feet connected with the akuma's chest, sending them flying backward. She fell on her back as her opponent slammed into a light post. Ironic.
"Let me rephrase, I had no qualms with you. Now, I'm going to kill you."
"I'd light to see you try lightbulb."
Her companions landed on either side of her. Chat extended a hand to her, without actually looking at her. She took it and pulled herself up. The three of them stood facing the akuma. They each took out their individual weapons and approached.
"You two stay back a bit and only attack when they're distracted. I'm the only one with a ranged weapon so I can keep them at bay. Don't be stupid, watch the cane. Let's go."
They nodded and walked forward.
Luminescence made a sound akin to a growl before pointing the cane at Ladybug. A split second later it fired, forcing them to disperse. She sprinted towards a car and jumped behind it. Although she couldn't see them, Ladybug assumed the others did the same. A beam fired above her, giving her the opportunity to run. The moment it stopped, she lept over the car and threw her yo-yo.
It connected with their cane and bounced off. She pulled it back in, only to throw it again. The two collided over and over again, Ladybug making sure they didn't have time to shoot her. She jumped to the right and moved forward. Another toss and she was able to wrap the cane in her string. They both held fast, neither budging.
Before Ladybug could give one final hurrah and pull the cane out of their hand, a black blur came in at her right. Chat Noir jumped in, baton at a ready, and slammed it down onto the cane. She gave an excited yell as the cane shattered in half. Letting go of her yo-yo, the whole group ran over to the shattered object. They stared down at it, waiting for the purple butterfly to pop out.
Luminescence laughed as they looked on and nothing came out. Ladybug blanched. Oh god, they were wrong.
"You think we'd make it that easy?" The usual purple outline shone on their face. "You'll have to get a bit more creative than that."
"Oh for fucks sake," Rena tossed up her hands.
The akuma summoned another cane and swung it at the three of them. Chat jumped in front and blocked the hit. He grunted with exertion and stumbled back a bit. Ladybug leaned into him, trying to give him as much support as she could offer. He nodded quickly in thanks and pressed forward. Rena jumped to the side and slammed the back of her flute into their chin. They yelled and fell backwards, scrambling to stand up.
"Rena, call Mirage and get two of you out there. I'll get a Lucky Charm in a second."
Her friend nodded and brought the instrument up to her lips. A shrill tune played out and another Rena Rouge appeared next to the three of them. Ladybug took the chance to call her Lucky Charm.
"Huh, a mirror. Not the worse charm I've gotten to be honest."
"LB duck!"
Her eyes widened as she saw the beam coming directly for her face. Out of instinct, she raised the object in her hand to block the hit. And it worked. Somehow. The mirror reflected the light and shot it towards the ground. She laughed. This was the first time a Lucky Charm was directly useful against the akuma, as well as no weird riddles or tricks. Something changed that's for sure.
"Guys! The mirror blocks the light!"
"Awesome, now fire it wherever the akuma is hiding!" Chat yelled in response, parrying the akumas swings.
"Right," she mumbled. "Right ok, akuma."
She looked around for where it might be. Nothing really stood out, no charms, no hairpins, nothing.
"Damn it! Where is it?"
Rena glanced at her before staring at the akuma trying to think. She whipped around smiling.
"The mask! If they were blinded, then maybe we have to hit their eyes again and"
"RENA!"
Ladybug watched as Luminescence whipped the cane around and aimed it at her friend. Rena's eye's widened as it moved towards her. Right as the beam fired, she saw Chat jump in front of Rena, taking the hit for her. Taking the hit, again. Sacrificing himself, again.
"Chat no!"
The ray slammed into his chest, burning straight through him. He screamed and collapsed onto Rena. She caught him, staring at him with a look of pure horror. Ladybug ran over and pulled her partner into her lap.
"God damn it Chat."
Rena yelled as her illusion was destroyed. Her timer going off not much later. Ladybug laid down Chat on the ground, slowly rising from her spot. Unclipping her weapon, she stared Luminesence down.
"Rena, how long do you have?"
"Um, five more minutes I think?"
"Good enough."
Ladybug locked eyes with Luminescence and threw her yo-yo as hard as she could.