The battle had left cracks in the street, windows shattered by echoes of sound and fury. Luka—no, Resonance—stood in the middle of it all, his violin-weapon pulsing with dark energy. Music coiled around him like smoke, alive and aching.

You were the only one he hadn’t aimed at.

And now, you stood just a few feet away, trembling, eyes locked with his.

—“You don’t even know,” he said, voice warped but still undeniably his, “what it’s like… loving you and watching you fall apart for someone else.”

The air vibrated with his grief. Behind you, Ladybug moved, but too slowly. He was still speaking.

—“I tried to stay silent. To just be your friend. But when he left you, when you cried in my arms and still wished it was him…”

His voice broke, like a chord stretched too tight.

—“It killed me.”

Your breath hitched.

He stepped closer, glowing strings circling his hands. They weren’t aimed at you. If anything, they softened as they neared.

—“I love you,” he whispered. “I’ve always loved you.”

And then—

SNAP.

The yoyo zipped through the air. A clean strike. The butterfly rose from his chest, purified in an instant.

You blinked as the light faded.

Luka collapsed to his knees, normal again, hair tousled and damp with sweat, eyes wide as if waking from a dream.

Ladybug was already moving toward the next mess.

You stayed behind.

He looked up at you, embarrassed, ashamed.

—“Did I… say it?”