Marinette and Luka sat in silence, as Sophie explained everything about the situation they had gotten themselves in. Keefe expected them to bombard the two of them with questions, but they never came. They had been sitting there in Marinette's room for at least an hour now. Orange and pink streaks painted the sky as the sun began to droop near the horizon.
Sophie's eyes glowed in the evening colors as she looked at both Marinette and Luka one last time, asking them the first question since she'd began explaining, "Can you handle this? Each of you? I know it's a lot to take in... I won't blame you if you want out. I don't want to drag more people into this than I have to..."
Luka looked at Marinette, letting her make the call. "I'm in," she said, a newfound determination rimming her bluebell eyes.
"Then I'm in as well," Luka finished. Keefe noticed the way he placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder and tried to not think about what that meant. Now wasn't the time for that.
"So... what's next?" Keefe asked, ending the suffocating silence. "I might not fully remember you, Foster, but you strike me as the type of person who always has a plan." He winked at her, but her eyebrows only drew closer together in worry.
"Now... we find your mom, we find Adrien, we get the rest of your memories back, we take down the Pappillon, we take down the Neverseen, and we find a way to get back to the Lost Cities. Piece of cake." Sarcasm was laced thickly in her voice, but through the sarcasm Keefe could feel how stressed she was starting to feel.
"Hey," he said, grabbing Sophie's hand and sending a soft blue breeze into her mind like he'd learned, "we're going to figure this out. I've gotten most of my memories back, and that's a big step, right?"
"Yeah, I guess... but there's still so much more, Keefe... I'm not sure if we can handle it."
"Sure we can, Foster! We've got this! We need a team name, I think Team Foster-Keefe will do!"
Sophie's face flared with recognition. "You used to call us that, Keefe..."
"Really? Past-me is a genius! So what do you say? Team Foster-Keefe for the-"
"What about team Foster-Keefe-Lukanette?" Luka suggested, reminding Keefe that they were still there.
"Well, that doesn't have the same ring to it... but maybe team Lukakeefosternette? Or Keefosterlukanette, so I get to be first!" Keefe suggested.
"Enough with the team names, guys," Marinette interrupted, "we have more important things to worry about."
"Like that?" Luka's eyebrows arched as he pointed over Keefe and Sophie's shoulders to the window, where a blurred figure was running along the rooftops of Paris.
The four of them raced to the window to get a better look. Right as they made it over there, the figure spun towards them, revealing a boy with dark hair and a pair of all too familiar teal eyes.
Fitz.
But... there was something different. His normally bright teal eyes were darkened, and there was an anger even Keefe had never seen before in his eyes. Fitz was known to get angry at times, but this was different. His Elvin clothes were tarnished and torn in places, and when he spotted Sophie and Keefe on the roof of Marinette's room, he sneered. That's when it dawned on him.
Fitz had been akumatized.
Sophie seemed to realize it as she grabbed Keefe's hand, staring in horror at the ruined boy before them.
"Are you really going to have to fight your best-"
"HOW DARE YOU LIE TO ME!" Fitz's booming voice cut her off, an eerie silence with it.
Sophie just stared in horror at Fitz, who's darkened teal eyes had fixated on her. His glare lowered to her hand, which was intertwined with Keefe's. She let it go.
"Fitz, it's not what you think!"
Fitz only glowered more in response. "I'm pretty sure it is!" And with that, Fitz raised his hand to the sky, causing dark swirling clouds to rapidly gather above him. Lightning pooled around his hand, spreading to his arm until it was surrounding him completely. This was the ability the akuma had given him. He was a charger, like Keefe.
"Keefe... I think this is a job for you," Sophie quivered, stepping aside to let Keefe move to the front of the group.
"No," Marinette called, grabbing his hand, stopping him from going over. "Come with me, Keefe."
Before he could protest she had dragged him down to her room and transformed into Ladybug. "Go on," she gestured, "it'll be easier to take your friend down when you're Chat Noir, and when we work together."
Keefe nodded in understanding, transforming before she could say another word.
"Well, now's probably the time I'd chime in with a joke, but right now I just want to make sure Sophie's ok," Chat said, using his enhanced reflexes to jump up onto the roof. He came just in time, as Fitz was now on the roof with them, holding a lightning-infested hand inches away from Sophie's face. Chat lunged towards Fitz, sending him sprawling away from Sophie.
"Stay away from her," he growled, staring Fitz down as he regained his composure.
Fitz attempted at a smirk. "Oh, so now Chat Noir is here? Sorry, but before you stake your claim, Sophie is mine." His voice shook with the claim and something deep inside Keefe stirred.
"We'll see about that," he said, using his newly discovered power as a charger to knock Fitz back a step. Keefe felt the power awaken within him, like beams of electricity burying themselves deep into his veins. The power was difficult to control and he marveled at how each strike went exactly where he wanted it to go. He thought he had Fitz cornered and was about to look for the akumatized object, but boy was he wrong.
The ground shook. Sophie and Luka stumbled to the ground, backing away as a huge ball of lightning grew in Fitz's hands. Ladybug threw her yo-yo, trying to contain him, but the power was too strong. Keefe didn't have enough time to get out of the way as Fitz swung around and thrusted the ball right at his chest.
Blinding.
White.
Power.
Keefe lost all feeling when he was thrusted to the ground. Shouts and screams were drowned out by the power that engulfed him.
He couldn't contain it.
The power forced him up, spurting lightning from all sides as he levitated above the ground. Blinding white fury buried itself within him, in his veins, behind his irises, until it was all he could feel. Through the white he saw the silhouettes of people he cared about, falling to the ground. First Fitz. Then Marinette. Then Luka. Then...
Keefe! He felt Sophie's shaky plea bounce itself around in his head as he realized what he was doing. You have to stop!
He grasped onto her voice, letting it pull him out of the blinding white, until white faded to gray, and gray faded into brown and he found himself staring into a pair of eyes that very shade.
"Sophie?"
She gave her best at a smile as she tightened her grip on his hands, trying to take his attention from how disheveled and hurt she was. "I'm here."
Keefe pulled away, turning around to see all of his friends surrounding him on the roof, shaking and trembling with hair sticking in all directions. He paled as he realized what he had done.
"Oh no..." he muttered, fixing his eyes back on Sophie, "what have I done?"
He swiped at the tears rimming his eyes, refusing to let his emotions take over as he ran over to Ladybug, who was struggling to sit up.
"Are you alright?" He sputtered, helping her to stand up.
"I... I think so..." she said, looking anywhere but at him.
"I'm so sorry," he said, to all of them, but before he could launch into a speech Ladybug cut him off.
"Now isn't the time to apologize. Let's take him down, together." They realized as they turned to face Fitz that he was unconscious. He wasn't even twitching, he lay completely still.
Keefe let out a small sob as he studied Fitz's form, which was more battered and hurt than any of them. Fitz was the closest to him when he lost control, he must've taken most of it.
"Fitz, come on, wake up!" He cried, shaking his shoulders. "I know you just went all evil-villain on me and tried to electrocute me, but... you're my best friend. Please don't be dead..."
He didn't stir.
Sophie had shakily ran over, and sank to her knees next to Keefe. Nobody said a word as Ladybug inspected Fitz, searching for any sign of life.
Keefe kept waiting, waiting for Ladybug to announce that he was alive, that she had found the akumatized item and that he was ok.
She didn't say anything.
She simply stood up as she looked at Sophie and Keefe, trying to figure out the right words to say. Trying to make it hurt less.
Instead she just said, "I'm so sorry" and stepped back, leaving Sophie and Keefe kneeling next to Fitz.
"This is my fault," Keefe muttered, looking away as he tried to stop his tears from coming. Through it all he could feel Sophie's emotions plummeting, and he grabbed her hand, attempting to ease her impending doom.
Trying to ignore the aching inside of himself.
The guilt tore at him, threatening to tear him apart completely.
He didn't deserve redemption.
He had just killed his best friend.
He wanted to stop it from taking over, but it was too strong. He closed his eyes, and let guilt's sweet song carry him away.
No.
Sophie's transmission was both firm and soothing as she dragged him out, refusing to let the guilt take him away.
"We can fix this, Keefe. It's not too late. Don't blame yourself."
That's when Luka stepped forward, pushing Sophie and Keefe aside as he tore off Fitz's battered shirt, placing his hands on his chest.
"What?" He asked as Sophie and Keefe stared at him blankly, "Haven't either of you learned CPR?" Luka didn't delay any further, beginning the compressions on Fitz's chest. Luka seemed to know what he was doing, so Keefe and Sophie stepped away, deciding to trust Luka with their friend's life.
"I can't watch this," Sophie choked, burying her head in Keefe's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, letting her fall apart on his shoulder as Luka told Marinette to call an ambulance.
He felt how panicked and lost she felt and he knew he had to stay strong for her.
He watched as the last drops of the sun fell below the horizon, and he hoped with everything he had that Fitz would be alright.
Keefe wouldn't let this break him.
As much as it hurt, whether Fitz made it out of this alive or not, he had to hold on.
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