You're The Music That's Been Playing In My Head: Book 3

Luka Chapter Forty-Eight

It was late at night and I was at my favorite spot studying for a test, one headphone in to focus. I had gotten through a good chunk of the material when I heard a light thump above me. Confused I pull out my headphone and step out from over the bridge to see (y/n) balancing on the railing, tiptoeing her way across.

"(y/n)?" I ask, staring at her in astonishment, accidentally startling her and she starts to lose balance. "Woah, (y/n)! I got you!"

I rush under her ready to catch her if she falls. My eyes widen to see her fall before catching the railing with her legs, dangling from the railing by her feet.

"Luka, could you please move two steps to your left?" She kindly asks and I oblige, watching in amazement as she swings and does a frontflip, landing safely beside me. 

"So you play guitar, write your own music, are a superhero but never told me you could dangle from a bridge like a spider?" I tease while clapping at her little trick.

"You never asked." (y/n) teases, causing me to laugh.

"What are you doing out this late?"

"I could ask you the same."

"I like to study here, my school year starts earlier than yours. So what about you?"

"Couldn't sleep, there's too much on my brain after everything that happened yesterday," (y/n) reminds me of what happened yesterday.

After comforting I went back home and kept an eye on the news which lightly covered some of the things that happened and then later that night when I went out to the bridge to think of how to explain to her how I knew their identities I found her being pushed up against a wall by an identical version of her. What was the deal with that?

"Speaking of yesterday what happened? Who was that emo-looking version of you holding you against the bridge?"

"A lot happened yesterday after we parted ways. Take a seat, we're gonna be here awhile," (y/n) tells me as she sits down and pats the ground for me to join her. 

I join her mentally preparing myself as she starts telling me about Monarch's attempt to change the past, the original guardians of the miraculous and being yelled at for losing the miraculous, losing their only clue to Monarch, Monarch trying to find out Ladybug's identity through the kwamiis ending with him being cataclysmed, and afterward another universe's Monarch: Betterfly appeared asking or help with his world's versions of (s/n), Ladybug, and Chat Noir, fighting them, and switching them to the side of good before finally being able to get some sleep.

"Wow, that's...A lot. Are you ok?" I ask when she finally finishes telling me what happened with a tired sigh.

"Not really despite all we've done we haven't gotten any closer to defeating Monarch, we don't know what he's planning, and our only lead is missing. So you know...Rock bottom has a basement apparently," She mutters and I frown, pulling her into my lap for a nice long tight hug.

"I'm sorry that you've had to go through so much, I'm here for you. I can help you track down Félix and clues to Monarch's identity. We can meet here daily to look into clues and discuss theories if you want," I suggest, offering a solution that'll hopefully help lighten the load on her shoulders.

"I'd like that," She tells me, returning the hug before asking, "So, how'd you find out?"

"Oh uh...During the Wishmaker incident. The three of you were hit on three separate occasions," I say point-blank.

"Wishmaker? But we asked you if anything happened and you said no. You lied to us...?" She sighs at herself. "Not that I have any right to complain."

"I did because you guys already had enough to deal with. I didn't want to be one of the reasons you're stressed. I haven't told anyone though, and I won't," I explain my actions and reassure her.

"I know you won't. It's a matter of what we're going to tell Marinette and Adrien. Adrien I feel will handle it better so I do think you should tell him. He could use a friend who knows his identity besides me, it makes the job easier. But Marinette I think we should hold off for a while, at least until we figure things out."

"That makes sense. I can do that."

"Oh you should know that Alya knows mine and Marinette's identity as well but still be careful about it around her she'd understandably tell Marinette."

"My lips are sealed. It's getting late, you should go home."

"OK but if anything happens or you feel like you're in danger call me, I'll protect you, got it?"

I agree and make her go home before heading home myself, feeling relief wash over me knowing that (y/n) wasn't mad at me but had trusted me with this knowledge and would be coming to me from now on for help. Days passed as promised we started meeting at the bridge often to discuss clues and leads to Félix or Monarch. But as weeks passed Paris became quiet and peaceful, there was no sign of Monarch and after a while, we all started to relax. (y/n) and I still met up at the bridge but now it was to just hang out and talk about this and that such as today.

"I'm telling you they are more ridiculous than you realize, you've only seen half of their denseness and the shenanigans they pull, as civilians and heroes, consider yourself lucky," (y/n) tells me, resting her head in my lap while I lightly play with her hair/hijab with her consent of course.

"I think I have a pretty good idea," I chuckle, recalling the few chaotic situations Ladybug and Chat Noir had dragged me into before.

"Oh yeah? You haven't seen what they do during patrols."

"Don't you guys just look around for trouble?"

"That's what we were supposed to do but it always turns into something ridiculous, especially in the early days," (y/n) starts telling me story after story of the shenanigans those two have pulled with her around, leaving me confused and amused, laughing harder with each new story.

"What is this madness you're telling me?" I ask between laughs.

"Like I said you don't know the half of it. I've got tons of stories like this. I love them both to bits but they're just so hopeless with each other it's infuriating! Don't even get me started on their ships."

"Their ships? As in multiple?"

"Yes! Despite it being the same two people they have made four ships! There's Adrienette, Ladynoir, MariChat, and Ladrien and somehow there are better pairings of the two even though again it's just the same two people!"

"Oh yeah? How so?" I egg her on, finding the rants of her frustration about the two utterly adorable and entertaining as she goes off about the two with me giving my input every so often.

"You really have the weight of the world on your shoulders huh? It sounds like it's all too much and it's been negatively affecting you. Why didn't you ever tell anyone?" I ask after a while, realizing just how much she's had to deal with over the years.

It was way more than any teenager should handle.

"No one ever asked..." She responds after looking out at the water and I proceed to give her some advice.

The next day the peaceful time ends and we get our first akumatization since Strikeback. I stay home and quietly cheer for (s/n) as they fight Ikari Gozen, winning in the end and hopefully getting back a miraculous. Not long after the new Gabriel merchandise hits the shelves: The Alliance Ring. 

Didn't Adrien quit modeling? I'll have to ask him about it. Grabbing my phone I call Adrien. "Hey, can we meet? There's something important I need to tell you, alone. Cool, meet me at the Seine River tonight."

With that, I prepared to tell Adrien that I knew he was Chat Noir.