A/N: Before you read this chapter, I just wanted to apologize for not updating. I've been going through some stuff and I had zero motivation to write so I literally had to force myself to write. I truly appreciate your patience with me as I update this story. As you can see from experience I'm terrible at keeping these kinds of promises 😬 all of that being said I hope you have enjoyed this story so far! There's still much more to come and I'm excited to show you guys!
Sophie leaned into Keefe's shoulder, trying to stifle the tears that were already flowing down her cheeks.
There was still time. They could fix this.
Once she had collected herself enough to think more clearly, she pulled away from Keefe, coming back next to Luka, who was still doing chest compressions.
Wiping the last of her tears away, she used the last of her mental strength to push herself into Fitz's mind, trying to find any remnants of his consciousness.
Fitz? She transmitted into the scattered oblivion.
Fitz... please come back to me.
For a few horrifying seconds, there was no response. Nothing left of the golden boy.
Then his consciousness stirred so weakly she was afraid she imagined it.
Sophie? His mental voice slurred.
Fitz! You're alive!
His mental voice darkened. I'm not Fitz anymore, Sophie. I am Wonderboy.
If it were at any other time Sophie probably would've laughed at his use of Dex's old nickname, but in that moment all she cared about was getting Fitz back to normal. She wanted him to open his beautifully teal eyes so she could know for sure that he was alive.
Before he could say anything else to remind her of the villain he just was only a few minutes ago she severed their mental connection, noticing how Marinette's eyes had trained on Fitz's cognate rings. Instead of the usual silver they were completely black, making it clear that the rings were the akumatized item.
Marinette took them off and stomped on them, releasing the akuma and throwing her yo-yo into the sky.
"Of course... how could I forget?" Marinette smiled, "Using the miraculous ladybug charm will put things back to normal, so Fitz should be ok now!"
Just as Marinette said, the swirling clouds above them dissipated, the damage was undone, and Fitz opened his impossibly teal eyes.
"What... happened?" Fitz sat up, looking around and taking in his surroundings until his eyes trained on her. "Sophie? Is that really you?"
"Yeah, it's me, Fitz." She wasn't sure how to respond or how to act after everything that had happened. On one hand she was so relieved he was alive, and on the other hand... she was scared. It wasn't just the Neverseen anymore. There was the Pappilon to worry about now and she didn't want any more near death scares with people she cared about.
Fitz's eyes trained on the blond boy behind her. "Keefe? Is that you?"
Keefe offered a sad smirk. "Hey, Fitzy. I always knew I'd be the end of you." Though he tried to cover it up with his joke, Sophie could still see the guilt clouding his ice blue eyes.
"Well, you weren't. I'm still alive."
"Thanks to Luka," Marinette chimed in.
"No need to thank me," Luka added before Fitz could say anything, "I'm always here to help a friend."
"Still... thanks. I don't know how I could ever repay you. But... there's something wrong. I can feel it. What happened? One minute I had leaped to Paris looking for Sophie so I could help her find Keefe and the next minute... I'm here."
"What happened just before you blacked out?" Marinette asked. "Let me guess: were you angry?"
Fitz's eyes narrowed. "No, why would you assume that?"
Sophie transmitted to him, able to see through his lies.
You can trust me, Fitz. What happened?
His voice reluctantly filled her head.
Well.... you're going to think I'm stupid. Or jealous. Or both. But I saw you and Keefe together and... I don't know... I should've been happy. I found my friends, I found what I was looking for! But I wasn't. It was petty and selfish, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry.
Sophie's head buzzed with the raw truth in his words. But she wanted to make sure this didn't change anything, so she transmitted back.
Fitz... it's ok. It's not your fault you were akumatized. That's the Papillon's fault.
She could feel his mind relax as she transmitted it and she almost forgot that there were others around her until somebody cleared their throat rather loudly.
"Did I miss something from my memories? Because I don't seem to remember this." he gestured vaguely at Sophie and Fitz.
Sophie's cheeks burned. "You didn't miss anything. Fitz and I... we were together for a while, but that's behind us. We're just friends."
She had never put it all out there like that, and she was terrified of Fitz's reaction. So when he offered a nod and a smile, she was relieved out of her skin. She was glad she and Fitz could go back to the way things used to be.
Simple.
Simplicity was certainly something Sophie's life was lacking, so it was nice to have this one thing that was.
"Glad to hear that." Keefe waited until Fitz had turned away so his ice blue eyes could meet Sophie's. He offered a subtle wink and a smirk and Sophie tried against her will to stop her heart from stopping for a moment.
He was just teasing her.
"Well, we should get inside and get Fitz caught up on everything," Luka offered, changing the subject.
"Good idea, then I can take you two back home," Fitz offered, looking for something in the numerous pockets in his tunic.
After a few more minutes of searching, Fitz's face went pale.
"You guys didn't take my leaping crystal, did you?"
"No... why? Is it gone?"
Fitz paled even more. "That was our only contact home. There's no more crystals coming to or from Paris. Guys... this is bad."
"Can't you hail someone on your imparter?" Keefe asked.
"I... I left it at home. I honestly didn't think I'd need it. They can't get to us and we can't get to them. This is bad, bad, bad!" Fitz stood up to pace, running his hands through his hair.
"Hey, it'll be fine! We have Foster, and though I don't have my memories of her she seems like the kind of person who always has a plan!"
"Wait... did you say you don't remember Sophie?"
"Like we've said, there's a LOT to catch you up on," Sophie chimed in. "Let's go inside."
The five kids went inside Marinette's room and they all caught Fitz up on everything they needed to. He stayed quiet for most of the explanation. The only thing he asked at the end, of all things, was what caught Sophie off guard.
"So... Keefe? You're a superhero now? That's what the whole cat suit is for?" The question was so unexpected that they all couldn't help but crack up.
"I'm a superhero NOW? Oh please, you already knew I was a superhero without the cool suit!" Keefe flexed his biceps, which were pretty impressive, not that she'd ever tell him that.
Fitz scoffed. "Whatever you say."
Though she was grateful to the boys for lightening the mood, she had an important point on her mind that wouldn't go away.
"Guys... you know what all of this means?" Sophie waited until she had met everyone's eyes before continuing. "Fitz, Keefe and I are stuck here, so... that means we're a team now. Until we can find a way to get back to the Lost Cities, we're working with you. We'll get Keefe's final memories back, we'll take down the Papillon, look for the Neverseen, and whatever else we need to do while we're here."
"Well said, Foster!" Keefe said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Nobody seemed to have anything to say after that, but she could see the determination etched in each person's eyes, and she knew: they were going to win this. It would be hard, and they'd definitely struggle a lot, but nothing could stop them.
Eventually, Sophie Fitz and Keefe made their way back to Adrien's house and they set up separate mattresses for each of them to sleep on. Sophie didn't get much sleep that night, her mind buzzing with so many questions.
How would they ever get back home?
Could they defeat the Papillon?
How would they get rid of Keefe's mom without it breaking him?
And, there were some more selfish questions in the mix.
Why didn't Keefe remember her?
Would Keefe ever remember everything they went through?
Would things ever go back to the way they were?
With those thoughts on her mind, she ever so slowly drifted off into a restless sleep.