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"Second Chance!"
Viperion felt the familiar rush of time resetting, and found himself back on a rooftop alongside Chat Noir and Ladybug.
Viperion looked at Chat, and couldn't help himself. He punched the other hero right in the nose. The stupid boy deserved it for how oblivious he had been over the last year.
"What the hell!" Chat exclaimed, putting his hands to his injured face.
Ladybug had jumped into combat stance, staring Viperion in the eyes. "Explain," she said coldly.
Viperion considered doing that, for a brief moment. Instead, he reached for his miraculous.
"Second Chance!"
Viperion, Chat Noir and Ladybug were stood on a rooftop. They were discussing their strategy for taking down a re-akumatized Kwamibuster. Viperion was there because of the risks of the heroes' identities getting out.
Viperion listened to the battle plan he had already heard Ladybug explain five times. Part way through, however, she paused. Strange- she hadn't paused there before. Viperion realized she was staring right at him, and noticed he had been glaring daggers at Chat Noir.
"So," Ladybug said calmly, "What went wrong?"
Viperion took a breath. "I know who you are," he said. "Both of you."
Ladybug just nodded. "I expected you might find out," she admitted. "I trust you to keep our secret. We'll talk more later."
She went back to her strategy, but Viperion realized she was watching him for any clues as to what might happen. She got to the end, and very pointedly looked him in the eye. "Any feedback?" she asked.
"I know when and where to step in," Viperion replied calmly.
---
It took another loop before Kwamibuster was taken down. Another three, before she was taken down with Ladybug's and Chat Noir's secret identities intact.
Viperion sighed, looking at his two friends. Marinette and Adrien. Ladybug and Chat. He shook his head, and walked over.
"We need to talk," he said simply. "Recharge your kwamis, deal with your civilian responsibilities, and meet me on the rooftops around Place des Vosges in an hour."
Ladybug sized him up. "Which of us?" she asked, ever the perceptive one.
"Both," Viperion replied, taking his leave.
He made his way directly to the meeting point, not bothering to go back to where his civilian form was supposed to be. He had been with Adrien and Marinette, among others. Since they both knew he was Viperion, one or the other would cover for him. In the meantime, he needed to clear his head.
---
Viperion sat on a roof where he could see the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie across the park. He wondered what he would say to Ladybug and Chat Noir when they showed up. As he watched the bakery, he saw a faint red flash in a window he guessed to be Marinette's room. Viperion readied himself for Ladybug's arrival.
He turned to find somewhere else to sit, not wanting Marinette to realize he'd been watching, and was surprised to see Chat Noir landing behind him. "You're a few minutes early," Viperion observed. "I've never known you to be early to anything."
Adrien, behind the mask, smiled. "That's because being Chat Noir is what makes me chronically late," he said.
Viperion frowned. He should have planned for that possibility. Now he was stuck having this meeting overlooking Ladybug's home- a detail that the coming conversation could have done without.
Then, Ladybug arrived. Viperion was a little surprised by her arrival, mostly because she came from the opposite direction than the bakery. Smart move, Ladybug. Looking to her, he saw disapproval on her face- his choice of location. That, he could fix.
"We should find somewhere else to talk," Viperion said, making eye contact with Ladybug. "The roofs around here are too low, someone might wonder what we're up to. It, ah- it occurred to me while I was waiting."
---
The trio reconvened on the roof of the TV station. Here, they were unlikely to be disturbed.
"I need to talk to each of you privately," Viperion said, "then we can all talk together."
Chat spoke up. "I'll let you two have a few minutes," he said, turning to leave.
"Actually," Viperion interrupted, "I'd think its best to do it differently."
"Second Chance!"
Ladybug stared daggers at Viperion, which he fully expected. "It's not personal gain," Viperion said. "It's to make sure if I let anything slip I have a safety net."
Fortunately, Ladybug seemed to understand. Viperion turned to Chat. "Now you can leave," he said. "This loop is just for me and Ladybug."
Chat quickly vaulted away, probably to go take selfies with tourists or something.
"So," Ladybug said.
"So," Viperion replied.
---
"Second Chance!"
Ladybug stared daggers at Viperion. He turned to her. "Go for a run, Ladybug. I'd like this loop to talk to Chat Noir- alone."
She seemed to take the instruction well- a demonstration of the trust she had for Luka. She jumped off the roof, swinging away.
Viperion turned on Chat.
"Adrien," he said.
"Luka," came the reply.
---
"Second Chance!"
"Ladybug is Marinette. Chat Noir is Adrien. You both love each other. I'll be back in four minutes to see if you want me to use Second Chance."
Viperion entered the building they were on through the roof access door, mentally placing bets with himself.