Thief | Lukadrien

Part 2 - Viperion

(Adrien's POV)

As soon as Ladybug left, Luka turned to me. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Y-yeah! Why wouldn't I be?"

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. Wait, why was I sweating so much?

"You seem a little... off."

"Uh... how so?"

Luka sighed. "You don't seem to like me very much."

"I--what? Why would you think that?"

"Well, as soon as you were separated from the group, you haven't been yourself. You're a lot quieter, and you seem nervous. I may not know you very well, but I can tell something's bothering you."

I looked up at him. I saw genuine concern in his eyes, which wasn't something I saw very often. At least, I never saw people being concerned for me. I tried to think of an answer, but I got lost admiring his face. His eyes were beautiful and I couldn't help but stare into them.

"It's... it's nothing," I assured him, looking down at the ground. "I'm just distracted, that's all! Akumas make me anxious, I guess."

Luka smiled sympathetically and lifted my chin with his finger. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. Now, let's go find a place to hide."

I followed him down the concrete pathway, until we reached a room full of lockers. I started to frantically think of a way to make sure Luka was safe while I could still get away to transform.

"You can hide in here!" I said, opening a locker.

F*ck, why did I suggest that?

Luka shrugged and actually did what I said. I was surprised he couldn't see me panicking on the inside. Once he was safely in the small space, I opened and closed a locker on the other side of the room to make it seem like I had hidden in one, too.

"What was that all about?" Plagg asked once we were out of there.

"What was what?"

"You know, the stammering, the blushing. It was worse than when you're with Ladybug!"

My heart was still pounding, but I forced myself to focus on my mission. "No time for this. Plagg, claws--"

Before I could finish my sentence, Ladybug appeared further along down the corridor. She ran over to me and presented me with a black box, identical to the one that once held my ring.

"Adrien Agreste, this is the miraculous of the snake.; it will grant you the power of Second Chance. You will use it for the greater good--"

"Wait, I think you have the wrong guy," I said quickly, backing away. I couldn't use this miraculous, I had to be Chat Noir!

LB looked seemed very confused. "Uh..."

I searched my brain for excuses. "Why don't you ask Luka? I can show you where he is. He's a much better fit for this than me."

"Adrien, you can do this!" LB encouraged.

I shook my head. "Luka's brave, determined, caring, and smart. I think he'd make a perfect teammate."

Ladybug considered that for a moment. "Alright, I trust your judgment. Now where's--"

"Adrien? Oh, you're okay! I was worried," Luka said, running over to us. "When did you leave the locker room?"

"Uh, not long ago! I heard a noise and went to go check on it. Turns out, it was just Ladybug!"

LB turned to the blue haired boy. "Luka Couffaine, this is the miraculous of the snake. It will grant you the power of Second Chance. You will use it for the greater good and return it to me after the villain is defeated. Are you willing?"

Luka glanced at me. I gave him a nod.

"Yes, Ladybug. You can count on me."

(Luka's POV)

Adrien was so cute. It was hard to fully understand what Ladybug was saying when he was in my line of sight. It wasn't until the super heroine called my name that I snapped out of my trance.

"Luka Couffaine, this is the miraculous of the snake. It will grant you the power of Second Change. You will use it for the greater good and return it to me after the villain is defeated. Are you willing?"

My gaze shifted from her to Adrien. He smiled and nodded.

"Yes, Ladybug. You can count on me."

I took the box from her and opened it. There was a bracelet inside, and as soon as I put it on, out flew a tiny creature the size of my palm, who kind of resembled a snake, except its head was freakishly big compared to its body.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the creature said.

I swallowed a scream. That thing could talk?

"To transform, all you have to say is 'Sass, scales slither.'"

That's incredibly dumb, I thought, but a respectful smile hid my skepticism. Despite how stupid it sounded, I repeated the phrase, and was greeted with a rush of adrenaline as a wave of light coated my body.

"Whoa," I whispered, glancing down at my costume. Damn, I looked pretty good! And it would seem that Adrien thought so, too. He was staring at me, blushing, his mouth hanging open slightly. I winked at him, which made him even more flustered.

"Come on, there's no time to waste," Ladybug said, leading me away from Adrien. She proceeded to explain how to use my power, and as soon as Chat Noir showed up, Ladybug started climbing out of the sewer.

"You guys ready?" Ladybug she asked just before lifting the lid at the top of the ladder.

We both nodded. I smiled at Chat, and chuckled nervously. He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked away.

"Second chance," I said, which made my bracelet flash. "We're all set, Ladybug."