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Luke glared at his screen as the loading symbol continued to spin around and around, mocking him. He had assignments to get done but of course his computer had decided it wanted to break down now. Pushing away from his desk, he rolled his chair to the center of his room.
"Plaaaaaagg!" No answer. Luke bit his lip before calling again. "If you don't come out right now, no dinner!" There was a cry of distress from his laundry pile and the kwami came flying out.
"No dinner? How cruel, Luke." The cat sobbed pathetically in front of him.
"What did you do to my computer?" Crossing his arms over his chest, Luke stared down at his companion while tapping his foot impatiently. At the very least Plagg had the decency to look guilty.
"I didn't do anything. I was just... trying to figure out how to work it. That's all. I was looking for videos on cheese making." Luke's scowl deepened and he rubbed his temples.
"What, do I need to start playing the food network to entertain you now?" Plagg brightened.
"Well there's an idea!"
"I was kidding, Plagg. Seriously." Returning to his computer, Luke turned it off and counted to 30. "Don't touch my stuff. Especially when I'm not here." As he was about to continue his lecture, his phone rang on the bed. That familiar opening theme. Plagg flew over. "Don't you dare!" Luke lunged and snatched it before the kwami could answer.
"Oooh. It's your lady love," Plagg flew around Luke's head.
"Shut up, Plagg." Luke glared at him before accepting the call. "My Watson!"
"My Sherlock!" Rosa's voice came from the other side and his heart did a somersault. "Did you see the news? The escape room had a new themed room open this weekend. Do you want to do it with me later?"
"I would love to," Luke responded instantly. Plagg waved his arms in front of Luke's face before pointing to the computer monitor. Luke sighed internally. "But, um. Maybe later? I have to get my homework done..."
"Oh- Of course." Rosa's response was hasty, but Luke could sense the underlying disappointment. He hated disappointing her. "We'll do it by your schedule. So- So just let me know when works best for you, okay?"
"I will." The two chatted for a while longer about classwork before hanging up. Luke crawled into bed as his computer started back up. "Ugh..."
"I don't know what you're waiting for," As usual Plagg spoke up without care. "Just kiss her already." Luke sat up on his elbows and glared at him.
"No. You know exactly why I can't do that." He just shrugged before disappearing back into the laundry basket. For whatever reason, the kwami liked to sleep there. With a groan, Luke fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
While he would love to kiss Rosa, he just couldn't. As Stellis' Hei Mao, he'd earned a great power. But that power also came with a curse of bad luck. From tearing clothes to tripping over his own two feet, Luke could never catch a break. At least in his human form. Although he wasn't sure just how much of that was an actual curse or the misdeeds of a rogue kwami. Still, it wasn't something he was prepared to mess around with. Especially since it could and did affect those around him. Plagg had told him there were two ways to be rid of the curse: kiss his fellow hero partner, Piao Chong, to break it or kiss someone who was in love with him in order to pass it to them. Obviously the second one was out of the question for Luke, but he also didn't want to simply kiss Piao Chong out of nowhere as part of the curse was that she couldn't know he was cursed. Consent was important to him. On the other hand, it also meant he had to make her want to kiss him. Which was also an awkward situation given that he was madly in love with Rosa. That wasn't to say he didn't like Piao Chong. He liked her a lot, in actuality. Even saw a bit of his best friend in her from time to time. But it didn't change the fact his heart belonged to someone else. And assuming Rosa returned those feelings, he certainly didn't want to curse her.
Just as he was about to try his computer again, commotion in the distance caught his attention. A large monster truck was flattening cars in the distance. Luke scrambled up.
"Break times over." There was a groan from the laundry and Luke held his hand up. "Plagg, transform me!"
~~~
Rosa examined the truck as it rounded a corner. Brightly colored and with what appeared to be a sticker on the front of it, it looked like a child's toy. As she debated about how to go about tackling this one, a familiar shape dropped down beside her. Rosa grinned at her partner.
"Hello, Kitty Cat. It's been a while, hasn't it? Almost a week? I was beginning to think Tian e Ren was on vacation." He returned her grin. It seemed so familiar to her and yet...
"Every day without you broke my heart, m'lady." Rosa cringed inwardly. Hei Mao never failed to try to flirt with her. Sometimes he impressed her, but most of the time she found it to be a waste of time and energy. Like now. "I always say we should get dinner some time when we're not saving Stellis. You know, partner bonding and all that." Rosa rolled her eyes and waved a hand at him.
"No time. I don't know about you, Kitty, but I'm busy. I spent the last week getting caught up on," she swallowed the word 'homework'. She certainly didn't want Hei Mao knowing she was still a student. "real life business. Was quite productive, might I add." Too bad that productivity was for naught as Luke was still too busy to spend time with her. Honestly, it felt like she barely saw her best friend anymore... She probably spent more time with Hei Mao.. "Anyways, back on track. Looks like a kid toy, doesn't it?" He nodded in agreement.
"Guess there's no reasoning with this one, hm?" Now it was Rosa's turn to nod. He pointed as the truck sent a beam at a balloon. The balloon flattened and then stuck to the side of the truck as another sticker. "Think the akuma is in that beam?"
"Willing to bet you're right, Kitty. Come on. Let's go see what that thing can do." Spinning her yo-yo, Rosa hooked a lamppost before swinging down in front of the truck.
It seemed the beam could only turn things into stickers. With every shot that missed, something new was added to the monster truck. A tree, another car, a fire hydrant. If Rosa wasn't trying to avoid becoming one herself, she would have found the decorations cute. It also appeared it couldn't swivel. As agile as they were, it was easy for her and Hei Mao to avoid it. The truck had to turn to fire. The beam was wide, sure, but it was fixed. Rosa could work with that. As the two reconvened behind a building, he leaned against his staff.
"Couldn't imagine fighting this thing on an open field..." As he spoke, the building disappeared.
"I think you spoke too soon," Rosa grabbed him and pulled them both to safety. "Looks like they're trying to level the playing field. Think Tian e Ren told them to do it?" Rosa couldn't imagine a child coming up with such a strategy. "We'll be out of places to hide in no time." Rosa barely managed to catch herself as the anchor she'd been swinging on was sticker-ified.
"Think it's time we went on the offensive, m'lady?" Rosa nodded in agreement and the two split off to circle the truck. Naturally, they chose to try to hit her. As Hei Mao circled the back side of the vehicle in an attempt to open it, the 'trunk' split open.
"Kitty!" Rosa watched in horror as her partner was swallowed whole. She supposed that was the 'monster' part of the truck. Her yo-yo beeped and she picked up the call.
"I.. uh.. think I found the monster part of our monster truck." Letting out a sigh of relief, Rosa quickly backtracked.
"Where are you?"
"Not sure.. But I think our rampaging truck swallowed some other things too. Other trucks, to be more specific. Likely when it was first akumatized. Do you want me to try to cataclysm myself out?" Rosa shook her head even though she knew he couldn't see her.
"No. It's not worth it when we don't know if it'll do anything. Can you see where you entered? The 'mouth' part?" There was a moment of silence.
"I believe so.."
"So if I were to... say.. throw a truck in there would you be able to slip out?"
"But of course, m'lady. I await your rescue." Ending the call, Rosa went in search of an acceptable vehicle.
Luck was on her side. The monster truck backed towards it and opened wide. A black figure slipped out and headed for cover as soon as it did. Rosa joined him quickly and was about to give him a hug when she pulled away and studied him curiously.
"What.. is that?" She rubbed the liquid between her fingertips. Hei Mao brushed himself off.
"Um.. monster spit?"
"Ugh." Gagging, she shook her head. "Alright. So we have to worry about the front side and the back side. And we still haven't caught a glimpse of the driver." He nodded in agreement. "I'd say it's time for a bit of luck, won't you?" Without waiting for a response, she tossed her yo-yo into the air. "Lucky charm!" In return, a long hallow pipe dropped into her arms. "Uh..." Hei Mao laughed.
"Well, my fencing instructor always told us the first lesson was to stick 'em with the pointy end." Indeed, there was a sharpened tip. Rosa grinned.
"Words of wisdom, my dear Kitty. Time to follow through with that." She handed it over to him and informed him of what she needed.
A monster the vehicle may be, but a truck it still was. Rosa waved her hands wildly in front of the beam, drawing and holding its fire. Unfortunately for her, there wasn't much left for her to hide behind. Hurry up, Kitty. There was a slam and the truck shuddered before slowly leaning back. As the tire flattened, sped up by the hallow inside of the pipe, the mouth of the trunk chomped at air. The truck itself skidded as it appeared the driver tried to turn it with just three wheels.
"Hei Mao!"
"Cataclysm!" Raising his claws to the sky, he activated his own signature power. The vehicle crumbled to dust, revealing the driver and the butterfly. Without hesitation, Hei Mao lunged and caught the little girl.
"Nice catch, Kitty." Still buried under the child's weight, he waved weakly in acknowledgement of her praise. "Please purify." She held her yo-yo in front of her chest for a moment before letting it drop and swing in a gentle arc. Before the butterfly could get away, she caught it. "Fly away now, little one." She watched it go with a heavy heart. As much as she wanted to follow it back to its master, she needed to return to cover. "Miracle!" Tossing the pipe into the, she released it. The girl sniffed and stared up at her with wide eyes, a truck with flower stickers taped to it cradled in her hands. Rosa smiled and leaned down to help her off Hei Mao.
"Are you alright?" She nodded. "What happened here?"
"When we were playing, my- my brother said monster trucks couldn't have stickers. That they wouldn't be scary with them."
"Well, you tell your brother that you can decorate your truck any way you want. Because all that matters is that you have fun, right?"
"I'll settle the dispute, m'lady. But you have to get back." Hei Mao nodded to her earrings as he picked up the girl. Rosa covered one with her hand.
"Thanks, Kitty."
"And don't forget about my dinner invitation." She rolled her eyes before heading off.
~~~
Luke sat in front of his now-working computer, staring blankly at the assignment in front of him. Unfortunately for him, being a hero didn't excuse him from homework. If only life were that easy... On the up side, at least it didn't seem like Piao Chong was in love with him. She brushed off his flirting often enough. But that also made breaking his curse that much harder. Plagg munched noisily by his ear.
"Do you have to eat so loudly?" Luke glared at the kwami.
"Hey now, I worked hard. I earned this." Plagg took another bite, swallowing the cheese wedge whole. "Besides, it's not like you're doing anything anyways."
"I'm trying to get my homework done."
"Yea. Tryin' real hard." Flying forward, the kwami stepped on the keyboard a couple times.
"Plagg!" The browser minimized and Luke's background took over the screen.
"Now that is what you should be working on." The image was of Luke and Rosa napping at their shared desks. Their heads were tilted towards each other. Rosa's small hand was tucked into his own, much larger one. A classmate of theirs had taken it for them.
"I am not having this conversation with you again." With a growl, Luke brought up his assignments again.
"Just saying, one smooch is all you need." Plagg shrugged and flew back to his food. Curiosity got the better of Luke.
"So then... she does love me?" He glanced at the kwami, not really expecting an answer. Plagg shrugged again.
"Who knows. But you'll definitely feel a lot less cursed." Well, Luke had to agree with that one.
Kissing Rosa.
A lot less cursed...
With a sigh, he minimized the assignments again and just stared at the picture, leaning forward to rest his head on his hands.
Curse or no curse, kissing Rosa was a lot more appealing than homework.