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Freezing cold, Marinette found herself lying in frozen ice not knowing how she got there. The last thing she remembered was using her space powerup to take a malfunctioning sentimonster into space so that it wouldn’t hurt anyone else. It struggled, knocked off her helmet, she could feel herself losing consciousness as she could breathe, and then…
Nothing.
And now she saw nothing. Nothing but miles and miles of snow around her with the exception of water- an ocean?- nearby.
“T-Tikki?” She croaked, looking for her kwami until she spotted a red flash in the snow. “Tikki!”
When the kwami didn’t move or speak, Marinette used the rest of her energy to crawl over to her. Tikki’s eyes blinked once and Marinette felt the knot in her chest loosen. She was alright!
But where were they?
Marinette had no idea and she couldn’t bring herself to care as another round of shivers raked over her body.
She needed to find shelter as soon as possible, otherwise she would die from exposure out here!
However, there was nothing in sight.
Marinette felt her heart sink.
She was going to die.
She didn’t have the strength to get up and her normal t-shirt and pants weren’t anything against the cold that surrounded them. There was not even a glimpse of somewhere to go or anyone around to help.
She was going to die.
She would breathe her last breath surrounded by snow. Her family and friends would never know what happened to her. They would never know that she was Ladybug. They would search for her and never find her. Her parents would have to mourn her! Her friends would cry! Her kitty would be alone!
It was so unfair!
Marinette was only doing what was tasked to her. She was protecting Paris! Now she would die alone without ever getting to see any of the people she loved again?
Life was unfair.
As Marinette found herself going numb, she started to feel sleepy. According to the books they’d had to read as kids, this was how it happened when you were dying from hypothermia. First you went numb and then you went to sleep.
It wasn’t the worst way to go.
But as her eyes got blurry, she saw something big and gray waddle into her sight and her heart hit her stomach as she realized it was a giant seal.
Great. She was going to be eaten alive!
In the numbness, she didn’t really have space to harbor any fear as the monstrous beast came closer to her.
But then it stopped.
Marinette knew she was right on the verge of death because her mind was playing tricks on her. There was no way the seal was standing on its fins. There was no way it was walking towards her as if it had legs. There was no way that it was shedding the gray blubber from around it to reveal a naked tan man who was walking up to her. There was no way…
But then she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
Whatever it was sniffed her. “You’re still alive.” It’s rough voice whispered in her ear.
With the last of her strength, she nodded. “Yes.”
And then she sunk into a blissful sleep.
When Marinette woke, she was first surprised that she’d actually woken up.
She should be dead!
But then she realized that she was actually warm and snug under what felt like a fluffy blanket. Her head throbbed from hunger and her body ached with sleep, but she was alive!
Opening her eyes, she looked around at her surroundings. It seemed she had come to be inside of a small wooden cabin. It looked to be two rooms: the bedroom she was currently lying in and another room where she could smell something delicious coming from. It was pretty vacant, empty except the soft bedding she was lying on and a lamp hung on a hook.
Marinette was awfully confused. How had she gotten here? Who had saved her? Were they friend or foe?
“Oh, you’re awake.”
Jumping, she sat up only to come face to face with the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. Hair as dark as midnight with tips as blue as the ocean, big doe eyes that matched the tips of his hair, and a body that was all hard and muscle, he was magnificent.
And naked.
Why was he naked?
Seeing her eyes drop and her blush, the strange man smiled. “Does my nudity offend you, human?”
Human?
“Um. I…” Marinette floundered before deciding to focus on the bigger questions. “Who are you? Where am I?”
Kneeling from his incredibly tall height, the man set the tray he had been carrying down in front of her. “You are in what your fellow humans call the Arctic. I am Luka, one that abides in the nearby sea. I happened upon you while coming on land to rest. You were alive so I brought you to my home. Here. Please eat.”
She ate. There was something about the way he spoke that made her want to obey. When she finished she handed him back the tray. “You keep saying human. Aren’t you human?”
“I am not. I am a Selkie that lives in this ocean. I only appear as human when I am on land.”
Marinette nodded. It wasn’t such a shock since she used magic on the daily.
Magic…
“Tikki!”
Luka’s head tilted. “Is that the little being that was with you? She is-”
“Marinette!” Tikki zoomed into the room and hugged her face. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Marinette nodded. “It was all thanks to Luka.”
Tikki pulled away and smiled at him. “Thank you so much, Luka. I imagine it’s not everyday a powerful selkie as yourself has a human to rescue.”
Marinette gaped as Luka grinned. “It is not. But it is no problem when it is a beautiful human accompanied by the legendary goddess of creation.”
Tikki blushed. The kwami actually blushed. “Oh, thanks.”
Shaking off the weird interaction, Marinette tried to stand and tripped, only to be caught in the strong arms of Luka. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. Just a little dizzy.” They stared at each other for a long moment before Marinette stood. “Sorry for intruding. Thanks again for rescuing me. I think it’s time for us to head home.”
Luka nodded. “Understandably.”
He walked them to the door. As they stood there, Marinette couldn’t help but go up on her tiptoes. Understanding, Luka crouched so that she could reach his cheeks.
“Thank you for everything.”
“It is no problem.” He paused before looking into her eyes. “If you ever wish to visit, Tikki knows how to find me and I do not mind visits from beautiful women.”
Marinette blushed. “I… Well… maybe? I’ll think about it. Tikki, spots on!” And then she was powering up and flying away truly wondering if she'd ever come back and see him.
When Marinette arrived home, she realized she’d only been gone a day and her parents thought she was over Alya’s. It was a blessing, truly. Even though she was nineteen and they treated her as an adult, she didn’t want them worrying about her.
For days and weeks after her adventure, Marinette found herself thinking about the man and his kind actions and kinder words. She wondered what it was like to spend more time with him, figure out what he was, and see if he had any stories about Tikki and how they knew each other.
The more she thought about him, the more she wanted to see him until she decided to visit him.
Because what was the point of having the power to fly if you didn’t fly halfway around the world every once in a while?
Luka was waiting for her by his door the moment she landed, happy to see his visitor.