The Blur of Red and Black

(A/N: Holy smokes thank you guys for over 1k views! This chapter is pretty long, and this is where things start to set up the angsty part of the plot, so here is your warning. I hope you guys enjoy it!)

"Come here, (Y/N), let me show you how good life can be. Let me hold you, let me make you feel safe. I'm all yours, (Y/N), I am all yours." a familiar voice called out in an echo, the voice raw as if they'd been crying and carrying such a heavy statement with them for ages. There was a brief flash of Luka's mesmerizing ocean eyes before (Y/N) shot out of bed panting, their face quickly turning red from imagining Luka saying something like that.

(Y/N) risked a glance at the clock on their phone and felt a brief ping of excitement, the sun hadn't come up yet, meaning they could settle in and happily watch it rise like they would with their parents. They quickly jumped out of bed, the cold hitting them only stopping (Y/N) for a few short seconds. Slippers were on their feet and they were in the kitchen making a nice warm drink within minutes, and (Y/N) eventually settled into an overstuffed and very comfortable sofa laden with all the blankets and pillows they could possibly want.

(Y/N) sighed, smiling at how quickly the sounds of the city became such a comforting sound for them to listen to. (Y/N) had hated how loud Paris was when they had come with their parents, it was stuffy and humid and there were too many noises going on at once. But now, the noises were calming, and often accompanied by the smell of something delicious just around a corner. (Y/N) felt felt themselves wishing Luka was with them, he could probably come up with a song to show how they had changed before (Y/N) could ever try to put it into words.

(Y/N) basked in the soft, gradual changes in the colors of light pouring into their window and dancing across the floor. They felt the birds sing and could smell the fresh-baked pastries coming from a bakery nearby, now this was a life (Y/N) could get used to.

Eventually, they reluctantly pulled themselves out of their spot and glided to their closet with their muscles relaxed. "Now that is how you wake up", (Y/N) said to nobody in particular as they swung the doors open with a flourish. Their hand absently drifted over the jacket Luka and lent to them the night before after they had spilled their drink all over their shirt, simultaneously blushing and cringing at the memory. (Y/N) pulled it over their shoulders after throwing on some jeans and a thinner hoodie, becoming flustered when they realized it smelled like him. (Y/N) never got the scent thing and why it was romantic, but when they could smell his light cologne mixed with the smell of him, (Y/N) suddenly found themselves apologizing to everyone they had ever made fun of for it.

The driver dropped (Y/N) off at school and wished them good luck the same way he always does- with silence. Juleka and Rose waited up for (Y/N) as they rushed to the classroom door to meet their friends. Before they made it, Marinette got in between them with Adrien on her arm.

Marinette smiled, hugging (Y/N), "Hey! How was your weekend? Are you adjusting to the school okay?"

(Y/N) nodded, slightly surprised that Marinette wasn't mad at them about the whole song at the concert incident.

Adrien smiled, yet it somehow looked rehearsed. The smile reminded (Y/N) of all the mundane, repetitive smiles on his face in the magazines and advertisements they'd seen everywhere. (Y/N) honestly didn't get why Marinette picked this over Luka, but different strokes for different folks.

"Oh. this is (Y/N)?" Adrien said, snapping (Y/N) out of their inner monologue. He extended his hand, which (Y/N) shook quickly before pulling away "I'm sorry we haven't met properly. I'm Adrien, Marinette has told me a bit about you"

(Y/N) nodded, silently pleading for someone to interject. They could feel Marinette's frustration about the entire Luka situation, even if she tried to hide it.

"They're the one who Juleka invited to the concert!" Marinette said, her mood visibly dropping as she brought it up "Luka looked especially happy that night, I'm glad."

(Y/N) smiled tensely, trying not to make things awkward in the weirdest game of Jenga ever. One wrong move and any hope at being friends with either of them would go down the drain, "He was, but I don't think that had anything to do with me being there. He loves being up there with everybody," (Y/N) said, nervously beginning to play with the hair tie on their wrist.

Adrien's smile turned somehow even more rehearsed, his eyes darkening. (Y/N) could feel him glaring daggers at them. Just what did Marinette tell him that night?

(Y/N)'s pleas for an excuse to leave were answered, but not necessarily what they had imagined. A scream rang out from another classroom and someone burst out the door, looking sickly and depressed with a glowing letter in their hand that quickly morphed into a sword. "So this is what an akumatized victim looks like in person" (Y/N) muttered before realizing now wasn't the time to get nerdy, it was time to run and suddenly turn into one of the fastest runners in the world. (Y/N) looked behind them to see Adrien and Marinette had suddenly vanished "Didn't think that they hated me enough to leave me in danger by myself but okay," They muttered as she slowly backed away, trying not to grab the villain's attention.

The villain's head snapped to face (Y/N), paralyzing (Y/N) with fear. A blur of black and green began bounding towards (Y/N) screaming bloody murder "I'm not going to be the only one hurting anymore!" it screamed, catching up to (Y/N) in what felt like the blink of an eye.

Before they could land a hit on (Y/N), though, an arm wrapped around (Y/N) and they launched into the sky, feet planting firmly on the roof of the school. (Y/N)'s vision was hazy from fear and being whisked away by someone they didn't know. But the person let go and stepped back after ensuring (Y/N) wouldn't fall, and (Y/N) instantly recognized them as Chat Noir, the hero of Paris.

"I know I'm adorable, but you don't need to keep your mouth open," Chat Noir said with a laugh, a smirk dancing across his face

(Y/N) shook their head, quickly regaining their own composure "Where's ladybug? Aren't you supposed to be going after an Akuma? I've never heard of an akumatized victim ready to kill someone before."

"She'll be here, just give it a bit. But you're right, we'll get this one done fast," he said, a slight tone of annoyance in his voice, flicking his hair as if to prove a point.

Even with all this chaos and adrenaline, all (Y/N) could think about was how people could possibly say the kid in front of them the hottest hero when all he's been in their very limited interaction was cocky and passive-aggressive.

Almost as if on cue, Ladybug appeared onto the roof, glaring daggers at (Y/N) before taking Chat and rushing off in pursuit of the Akuma. (Y/N) sat on the roof and watched them leave until they were small spots in the sky, eventually getting up to look for a roof access point to get back to class.

Juleka waved (Y/N) in quickly before rushing back into the classroom. (Y/N) was surprised to see everyone huddled in a corner with the lights off since this seemed to happen often, but no work is no work. Their eyebrows knotted when they realized Marinette and Adrien weren't there, which was weird since they ran off and ditched (Y/N).

"Where are Marinette and Adrien? They should be here by now," (Y/N) said, already beginning to head to the door to go look for them.

Juleka appeared in front of (Y/N) in a blur of black and purple, the pleasant clink of the chains on her belt somehow beginning to sound angry. Juleka stood right in front of the door, keeping (Y/N) from leaving "You're not going out there, you could get hurt!"

"So could they," (Y/N) retorted, trying to push past her but held back. (Y/N) couldn't help but be surprised at how strong Juleka was.

Juleka could feel her eyes watering, trying to imagine what Luka would say if (Y/N) or anyone else got hurt "What would he say if you run out there? This is the most violent akumatized victim we've ever seen!"

"Luka would be doing the same thing I am," (Y/N) said, stepping back and beginning to shake "Aren't they your friends, Juleka?"

"They are," Juleka whispered, taking in a shaky break as she tried to keep her emotions in check "But it's their fault I had to watch my brother's depressive episodes. It's their fault he couldn't figure out what to do with himself!"

"He's doing better now! He'd be furious if you kept anyone from getting to safety, especially Marinette and Adrien!" (Y/N) pleaded desperately

Both friends were interrupted by a haze of black and a note settling on the floor just by an open window, reading "I know I'm gorgeous but there's no need to fight over me <3! We got Marinette and Adrien to safety- Chat Noir"

"I could kill that cat. Why is he so cocky?" (Y/N) muttered, "Fine," (Y/N) conceded, throwing their hands up in the air "We'll wait here." They stood guard by the door and huffed, ignoring the stares they were getting.

After what felt like an eternity, the silence was broken by a massive crash through the window, sending screams from the students and making all of them run for the door. (Y/N), though, went to face the victim to buy enough time for the class to escape.

The rush of adrenaline was enough for (Y/N) to tuck, dive, and avoid the victim's attempts to hit them right up until Chat and Ladybug arrived, eyes nearly popping out of their sockets seeing a civilian holding their own against one of the mast deadly akumatized victims to date.

The blur of red and black, the screaming, and the ringing in (Y/N)'s ear were enough to finally throw (Y/N) off their rhythm. The first hit landed right across their right ribcage, throwing them onto the ground and into the pile of broken glass, causing a scream to erupt from the class watching through the door.

Ivan and Kim made quick work of sneaking back into class to get (Y/N) out of harm's way. With Ladybug and Chat Noir finally destroying the Akuma, it wasn't nearly as dangerous as it was for (Y/N) to be in there. Ivan winced as he watched the glass fall from (Y/N), but tried not to worry about it since Ladybug would take care of everything.

"(Y/N)? Are you breathing okay," Kim whispered cautiously, noticing how uneven their breathing was becomint. Their breaths became less quiet and began to sound more like wheezing.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" The hero called out, breaking the moment of tension. Everything was fixed, all but the wounded hero on the ground. Blood was beginning to seep through their clothes where the glass had pierced their skin and their eyes

Juleka and Rose pushed past the crowd quickly surrounding (Y/N), "Come on, (Y/N), stay with us!" Rose whimpered, feeling for a pulse

Juleka glared at Ladybug "Why aren't they waking up! How could you let this happen?" she shouted, hot tears and eyeliner rushing down her face.

Ladybug staggered back "I-I don't know, this has never happened before! " she said, her voice laden with guilt as she realized she was about to transform. She ran out of the room with Chat, apologizing frantically.

"Someone call an ambulance!" was the last thing (Y/N) heard, seeing the same blur of red and black before losing consciousness.  

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