Alright, thanks for the reviews, everyone! Since this is the last chapter, no review goal (I never set review goals for finale chapters). One comment spoke about a movie called Rags, but I promise you I haven't seen it, so no influence from that movie in this story. Another comment referred to this as "Lukarella," and I have to say, that's pretty good. And I just posted a Barbie in the Nutcracker AU with Lukanette, too. So, check it out and leave a review on that one, too.

Now, here's the final chapter of the story! When word gets out that Marinette's trying to find Viperion, Bob Roth tries to pass XY off as the snake-themed man while trying to prevent Luka from getting a chance to play the instrument. But you can't say snakes aren't known for being cunning and crafty.

Luka had gotten some relief from the standard torment by going out on deliveries later that morning. The young man was making a stop at a nearby house, and he recognized the area as being close to where he'd dropped the lyre the previous night.

"Thank you. Enjoy your food." Luka said as he made his way back to his bike.

Sass quickly flew out of the nearby alleyway where they hid the night before.

"Any luck?" Luka asked.

"I'm afraid not." Sass reported sadly.

"Don't worry. We'll find it," Luka assured as Sass landed in his hand. "For now, let's get back to deliveries."

Sass dove into one of Luka's pockets, then he mounted his bike. He began peddling again. His phone was in his other pocket and it went off with a notification from the Miraculous Melodies social accounts.

"Luka, your phone." Sass pointed out.

"I'll have to look at it later, Sass," Luka stated. "I'm on the job."

He kept biking, focusing on his next delivery.

Meanwhile, Marinette was talking about her post with her parents. Alya was in audience, too.

"You used the social media platforms to reach out and see if you could track Viperion down?" Sabine asked.

"Yes," Marinette admitted. "I want to see him again."

"You're in love with him, aren't you, girl?" Alya said with a delighted laugh.

Marinette blushed and her eyes went askance. That was all they needed.

"Hahaha!" Tom laughed. "I'm glad our plan to help you find love worked!"

"Dad!" Marinette shouted, blushing.

"She's right about this, though," Sabine added. "We need to find him if we want him to sign on with us."

"That'd be great," Marinette said as she held the lyre in her hands. She gently hugged it close before sighing. "I have to find him again..."

Luka had finished his deliveries and once again went back to the area he dropped his lyre. Like Sass said earlier, it wasn't there. So, they decided to go back to the house and regroup. Unfortunately, more chores were waiting for him back home.

He was now in the living room, with Sass out in the open. XY was holing up in his room working on his records, and Bob Roth was out of the house for some reason. So, Luka just put his head down and kept working.

"I just can't understand how that lyre could've just up and vanished." Luka said as he was vacuuming the carpet.

"Normally when you change back, your lyre disappears with the suit," Sass explained. "Try transforming again and see if you have it."

"Good idea," Luka said. "Sass, scales slither!"

He transformed and looked himself over. Normally, his lyre would be in his hand, but this time it wasn't. He sighed before saying, "Sass, scales rest."

Changing back, Luka looked at Sass and said, "I didn't have it."

"Curious," Sass stated. "Maybe the young lady from last night picked it up?"

"That's a possibility." Luka stated as he picked the vacuum back up.

Deciding to let it go for the time being, Luka went back to cleaning the house. His phone beeped repeatedly with alerts, but he was too busy to look at it. He was also wincing from the scratching noises that XY was making on his records in his room.

A few minutes more of cleaning, and Luka was finished in the living room. Needing a break, he slumped his way to the couch and quickly sat down.

"You endure this on a daily basis? They're clearly too self-involved to help you." Sass questioned.

"Yeah," Luka said. "I was gonna escape with Juleka several years ago, but Roth caught me... But I guess it isn't all bad."

"How so?" Sass asked.

"I wouldn't have met you... Or Marinette for that matter." Luka said as Sass landed in his hand.

"It's wise to look on the positive side of a situation." Sass agreed.

They heard the door to XY's room open, so Sass hid in Luka's jacket pocket.

"Yo, blueberry-head!" XY barked as he came into the living room. "Famished. Make me something to eat."

"Can't you do it yourself?" Luka questioned.

"Never learned how to cook." XY arrogantly stated.

Luka rolled his eyes while saying with a forced smile, "Never too late to learn."

"Whatever," XY stated with a wave of his fan. "Get cooking!"

Luka sighed before going into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and saw some chicken breasts, some eggs, potatoes, milk, etc. He even found a bit of arugula. He looked in the pantry to see the flour, some panko breadcrumbs, and Luka got an idea.

He was soon cooking chicken milanese with roasted potatoes and an arugula salad.

Sass peeked out from hiding, saying, "Smells good."

"Thanks." Luka spoke.

It took about half an hour, with XY whining about being hungry. Luka came with the plate and placed it in front of XY.

"There you go." Luka said before turning away and making to leave.

XY started eating, not even thanking Luka for his work.

Next thing Luka knew, he felt something hit him in the back of the head and he fell face-first to the floor in the kitchen.

He felt the food all over his head. He sat up, groaning, and rubbed his head.

"What?" Luka asked.

"You know I hate arugula!" XY spat.

"Then why was it in the fridge?" Luka muttered.

"What was that?" XY questioned.

Luka was about to fire back, but the door opened and said, "XY! Blue Brat!"

Luka internally groaned when he saw that his stepdad was back in the house.

"What's the matter, dad?" XY asked.

Bob Roth came in, carrying a lyre. A very old fashioned one, too.

"A lyre?" Luka said, his heart hopeful.

"Not for you, brat!" Bob Roth spat before handing it over to XY. "Hurry up, we need you proficient in the lyre, immediately!"

"What, why?" Luka asked, but he had a hunch why...

"There was this snake boy at the ball last night," Bob Roth explained. "Goes by Viper-Man or something."

"Viperion." Luka muttered.

"What did you say?" XY asked.

"Nothing." Luka said as he stood up to clean himself off.

"Anyway, he's a lyre player, and apparently the Dupain-Chengs' daughter is looking for him!" Bob Roth explained.

"Huh?" Luka asked, surprised.

"It's all over the social media! Haven't you been checking your phone, Blue Brat?" Bob Roth questioned.

Luka took his phone out and saw the posts from Miraculous Melodies.

It was a picture of Marinette with the lyre in her hands, and the caption said that he dropped his lyre and Marinette wanted to find and see him again.

"So I'm gonna make sure you're good enough on the lyre so that way we can secure the contract they're offering for him!" Bob Roth stated as he started pushing XY his room.

Luka watched sadly.

Sass peeked out and said, "It seems that young lady is quite taken with you, Luka."

Luka gave a silent nod.

"Brat, you clean the kitchen! You made a mess, dropping that food! What a waste!" Roth barked.

"Your son made me cook for him and he threw the food at me." Luka explained angrily.

"Don't care!" Bob Roth waved off angrily. "Get back to cleaning."

Luka rolled his eyes and picked up a mop to clean the kitchen.

Back with Marinette, she was scouring the comments on her post, but no one had any information on Viperion. Comments included, 'Who plays the lyre in this day and age?' 'I don't recognize this guy from anywhere. And I've never seen someone play the lyre before last night.' 'You'd think someone would play a more modern instrument, too. A guitar, for example.'

"Nuts," Marinette said sadly as she lowered her eyes. "Nothing yet."

"It hasn't been that long since you posted, Marinette," Alya said with a laugh. "I think it's gonna take time to track down a lyre player."

Marinette, depressed over the lack of progress, sighed before telling Alya, "I know Alya, but... I... I..."

"You can say it." Alya said, reassuring her best friend.

"I love him!" Marinette admitted. "And I want to see him again! Hear his music again. Be in his arms again! I... I've never felt like this before."

Alya gave Marinette a hug, then said, "First love is a wonderful thing."

There was a beep on the computer, and the girls went to look at it.

"I got a lead!" Marinette said delightedly. "It says, 'I know who you're looking for. Come to the Bob Roth Residence at your earliest convenience.' Bob Roth? He was there at the ball last night."

"Girl, this is Bob Roth we're talking about," Alya said. "He'll do anything to make money. He even tried to trick you when it came to one of Jagged's album designs. I'd take this lead with a grain of salt."

"Yeah," Marinette said. "They were there last night, so I know for a fact that it can't be XY. Or even Roth for that matter."

"So what's your thought process?" Alya asked.

"It's only worth looking into because its my only lead, but I'm not gonna hold my breath." Marinette said as she picked up the lyre.

"Probably a good idea. The proof of the pudding is in the eating after all." Alya said.

"He says "come at your earliest convenience." I'll reply and tell him I should be by in the next few hours." Marinette said as she picked up the phone and started to dial Roth. Her gut was swirling with some strange feeling, though.

Was it dread? Hope that things would be okay? Or something else altogether?

Back at the Roth residence, Luka was still cleaning the house. He was trying his best to block out the dreadful noise that his stepbrother was making in his room.

"Ugh, that man is terrible," Sass spoke, covering his invisible ears. "How is he even in this business?"

"Nepotism. His father has connections everywhere and that's why XY's even a DJ. I'm sure it was Roth's work that made him steal the #1 spot from Jagged Stone for one period." Luka explained.

"You're a much more proficient musician, Luka." Sass complimented.

"Thanks." Luka said while he kept wiping the counters down while mentally tuning out the racket.

His mind went back to Marinette. He remembered how cute she was, how graceful she was on the dance floor, and how she seemed to just pull him in with her pretty blue eyes. Not to mention how beautiful she was in the dress she was wearing.

He found a connection with her, and he was happy to have met such an amazing girl, and mentally cherishing the dance they shared.

Before he knew it, he got so relaxed with his thoughts that he started to hum the same song he played the night before. He moved the cloth across the countertops in time with the humming.

Sass soon heard the sound of a door opening upstairs, followed by descending footsteps. The kwami ducked back into hiding.

Bob Roth was complaining about the noise his son was making as he stomped in to check on Luka.

"Blue Brat! How are you-?" Roth began, but then he stopped when he heard exactly what Luka was humming.

Luka as still off in his own world and humming, but the minute he felt something on his shoulder, he gasped and whirled around to see the evil smile on Roth's face.

"So, where'd you hear that song?" Roth asked.

Luka refused to answer, and he merely glared Roth down. He said, "I don't think that's any of your business."

"Oh, but it is," Roth began as he smiled and snagged Luka's arms. "You're humming the song that Viper-Man played last night."

"How do you know I didn't just hear a similar song on social media and just decided I liked it?" Luka suggested.

"I've been scouring social media pages all day to find any clues on Viperion, but nothing came up except speculations," Bob Roth replied. "And now I know why there's no information about him. YOU were that snake!"

'Crap, what am I gonna do? I can't let him find out about Sass!' Luka thought, staying calm while trying to think.

Luka was about to try and find a way out of his bind, but then Roth's phone went off.

He grumbled and picked up the phone. He saw that Marinette was calling him, and he picked up.

"Why, hello there, Marinette," Bob Roth said. "I see you got my message."

"Yes, I did," Marinette said with a professional tone. "Are you available?"

"Yes, I'm at my home right now. Why don't you stop by?" Bob said, trying to be friendly.

"Okay. I'm on my way." Marinette said before hanging up the phone.

"Perfect!" Roth said, his smile growing.

"What?" Luka asked.

"Well, I invited the Dupain-Chengs' daughter over so XY can play the lyre for her," Bob Roth explained. "And now that I know that you're Viperion, you're not gonna be able to do a thing! That contract is gonna be XY's!"

Roth then grabbed Luka's arm and started dragging him to his bedroom.

"Hey, let go of me!" Luka shouted. "You're hurting me!"

"Don't care." Roth replied.

"Stop!" Luka shouted, but then he was literally thrown into his bedroom.

"You're staying in here until Marinette leaves! And just to make sure you can't get out..." Roth said, before holding up a key.

"No, please! Don't do this! What about the rest of the house? I'm not done cleaning yet." Luka pleaded.

"You'll be let out to finish cleaning when she's gone. No exceptions!" Roth ordered before slamming the door and locking it.

"NO!" Luka shouted, running to the door and pounding on it. "Let me out! Please!"

Roth ignored Luka's pleas as he smirked evilly. Roth left Luka in his room with an evil chuckle, and he started making his way to XY's room to tell him the news.

Luka kept pounding on the door, but then he sighed before slinking down to the floor.

"Great, now what am I gonna do?" Luka questioned while Sass came out of his jacket pocket. "Let's think. My father wouldn't have given up. So neither will I."

"That's the spirit." Sass said, a proud smile on his face.

"Now let's find a way out." Luka said as he started looking around for something he could use to unlock the door. He saw his dresser drawer and decided to look for some ideas.

Bob Roth was in the living room, looking at his watch. XY came down the stairs, lyre in hand, and said, "Hey dad, where's the brat?"

"Locked him in his room so he doesn't get in the way of our meeting with Marinette. She should be here soon," Bob Roth explained. "Now get back to practicing that lyre!"

"Fine, dad." He said as he held the instrument back up and started strumming the strings again - quite poorly, at that.

Roth was covering his ears and trying his best to tune out the bad music.

The doorbell then rang, and Bob Roth answered, saying, "Roth residence."

"Hello, Mr. Roth? This is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I'm here because you said you know Viperion?" Marinette asked through the intercom.

"Why, yes, I do," He said before opening the door. "Come on in."

Marinette cautiously stepped into the house, looked around, and said, "You have a beautiful home."

"Thank you, Marinette," Bob Roth began. "Now, let me present my son, XY!"

Marinette looked between the two men, and she questioned, "Does anyone else live in this house?"

"Of course not. It's only me and XY." Roth lied.

"But you were both at the ball last night." Marinette stated.

"Y-Yes, of course we were," XY haughtily confirmed. "But I've been on string instruments since before I could walk."

Luka could hear them from his bedroom.

"That liar," Luka growled. He was trying to find something to pick the lock with. "I'm the one who's been playing the guitar since diapers."

Sass wasn't amused, either.

Back out in the living room, Marinette sighed before saying, "Okay, if you insist on this..."

Marinette handed XY the lyre.

XY started strumming the strings to try and play the song, but he was getting all of the notes wrong, the pitch was either too high or too low, and it just sounded wrong. The music was so loud that Luka could hear it in his room.

Marinette groaned with her ears covered, saying, "You said you've played the lyre since you were a baby? It doesn't sound like it!"

"Oh come on," XY lied again. "Of course I've been playing since then. I mean, I was able to come up and master that song in ten minutes."

"Seriously? In ten minutes?" Luka griped from inside his room. He'd just taken his hands off his ears. "He couldn't even play the song the way it's supposed to be played!"

"Quite pathetic." Sass agreed.

"Think, Luka... There's gotta be something in here that'll... Aha!" Luka said as he took out a bobby pin that Juleka had left behind.

XY started playing the instrument again, this time louder. But again, he was terrible - the notes that he was playing were totally off-key, he wasn't holding it right, and he was dangerously close to dropping the thing.

"Okay, okay, I've heard enough!" Marinette declared before taking the lyre back. She took a deep breath before looking at Bob Roth. "I think I should leave."

"You can't!" XY insisted as he tried to grab the lyre again. Marinette kept it away from him.

"And why not?" Marinette asked.

"You haven't offered XY the contract." Bob Roth began as he tried to block the door.

"And I don't plan on offering it, either," Marinette explained. "That's for my parents to decide. I only responded to your request because it was the only lead I had. But this is a dead end."

"You should listen to XY on the records! B-Besides, it's been a while since he's playing a real instrument..." Bob insisted, trying to get Marinette to stay.

"And why don't you stay so we can talk about future costumes for me, too?" XY asked, trying to grab Marinette's wrist again. "I can make us lunch."

"You can't even cook!" Bob Roth reminded.

"Listen..." Marinette began, getting frustrated with the two men in the house.

Luka was picking the lock, but there was no luck. He could hear Marinette talking with XY and Roth, and he was worried Marinette was gonna walk out.

"Come on, come on..." Luka muttered. Sass tapped Luka's shoulder.

"Luka," Sass said, coming in front of his owner's face. "Back away for a second. Leave this to me."

Luka stepped away from the door. Sass phased into the keyhole, there was a loud click, then Sass phased back out.

"How'd you do that?" Luka asked.

"One of a kwami's many powers," Sass said. "I should have done this sooner, I admit. Now go and stop her."

Sass flew back into hiding as Luka put his hand on the doorknob.

"Look, Mr. Roth, you're wasting my time," Marinette said, resigned. "Your son clearly can't play the lyre, and if there isn't anyone else that lives in this house, I might as well go. I have better things to do."

"No, no, XY can get the lyre right! He's just a little... rusty!" Bob Roth lied, trying to shove XY into Marinette's space while trying to grab at Viperion's lyre.

"No," Marinette said, ducking away. "I know the both of you were at the ball last night, so neither of you could be Viperion. Do you really think I'm that stupid? You were lying to me from the get-go and I do not like liars. Now, if you excuse me..."

Marinette turned to go for the house door, only for Luka to open his bedroom door and ask, "May I give it a try? I can play guitar."

Marinette whirled around to face Luka, who was giving her a kind smile. The familiarity she got from looking at him made her heart throb.

"Hey! How'd you get out of your room?! Dad locked you in there!" XY shouted.

"Come again, XY?" Marinette said angrily, her tone low.

Bob Roth and XY flinched and paused.

"So, you lied to me about only having the two of you in the house, and you also locked someone in his own room. Not cool," Marinette said as she approached Luka. She looked at him and smiled. "So... What's your name?"

"Luka Couffaine." He replied.

"Well, Luka... Will you try?" Marinette said as she handed the lyre over to Luka.

"Hey, Luka didn't even go to the party! We kept him from going!" XY blabbed, earning another glare from Marinette.

"Or so you think." Luka said, scowling at his stepfamily as he held up the lyre.

"I see." Marinette said, giving a side-glare to the Roths before giving Luka a smile.

Luka gave a nod before playing the instrument. He memorized the notes he played the previous night, and he played them on the instrument as if he'd been playing his entire life.

Marinette gasped, about to cry tears of joy. It was the same song Luka played the night before. Every note, every pitch, the stance he held on his feet. The smile he had, the message the song sent...

Marinette started crying, her happiness overflowing.

"It's you... YOU'RE Viperion!" Marinette squealed.

Luka lowered the lyre and gave a nod, saying, "Yep. That's me."

"I... I finally found you!" Marinette said, before running into his embrace. "I've been looking everywhere. You... You've really made the impression on me."

Luka hugged Marinette back, chuckling. He replied, "I guess I'm one charming snake, huh?"

Marinette smiled with a laugh before standing on her tiptoes for a kiss.

"I won't have this!" Roth shouted, killing the moment, causing the twosome to look over to him. "You broke my rules and defied my orders, Luka! I don't know how you did it, but..."

Luka put a finger to his lips and gave a loud "shh," causing Roth to shut up immediately.

"You found out I was Viperion, and tried keeping me from rightfully stepping up," Luka said, holding Marinette tight to him by the shoulder. "And you've been ripping off my music for years. You're a horrible stepfather, and I'm glad I could say so."

"Your stepfather?" Marinette asked, earning a nod from Luka. "I guess that means I should call in CPS on you guys for child abuse."

Roth and XY flinched.

"I'm nearly eighteen anyway. Statue of limitations and all," Luka chuckled. "So long as I get justice, I'll be satisfied."

"Then let's go," Marinette said eagerly. "My parents have been wanting to offer you a contract for Miraculous Melodies. We can discuss the terms when we get back to the office."

"I'd love to," Luka said as he followed Marinette to leave the house. But his eyes wandered to the other men in the room. "By the way, is there any chance you guys could provide me with a new guitar? My stepbrother wrecked it on purpose."

Marinette smiled and said, "I'm sure there's something we can do. Come on."

The pair left, leaving Bob Roth and XY in the house, dumbfounded. Inside his owner's jacket pocket, Sass smiled in satisfaction.

Epilogue

Marinette brought Luka back to Miraculous Melodies thereafter. She introduced him to her parents as the man behind Viperion. After looking over the terms of the deal, he signed on to the label. And he couldn't have made a better decision.

He was given a new guitar, and it was even better than his old one.

His first record was immediately a smash success for the company. Everyone loved Luka and his music, and he was finally free to play the music he wanted instead of what XY and Roth wanted him to do. He became a rising star, and he even did collaborations with Jagged Stone, which was a dream-come-true for Luka.

Luka moved in to the dorms that Miraculous Melodies provided for their workers, and he'd often invite Juleka and Rose to come and go as they pleased. He was happy to have his own space.

Sass stayed with his charge, being a constant companion for Luka. He'd hide whenever there were other people around, though, as usual.

His romance with Marinette only blossomed. She was a recurring guest in his bedroom, he often wrote songs for her, and she'd often make him gifts and accessories for his clothes. The two of them fell deeper in love and they grew closer with every day.

In fact, after one particular day, Luka serenaded her with his guitar, playing the exact same song he played for her on the night they first met. He then confessed he intended on releasing it as a new single. What did he get in return? Marinette tackling him onto the bed and kissing him hard on the lips. Needless to say, he didn't object at all.

As for XY and Bob Roth, once it got out that he'd been stealing Luka's music for such a long time, he'd lost his reputation for good. And he was also put into prison for how he was treating Luka. XY got the same sentence, including a hefty fine for damage of private property (breaking Luka's guitar).

As the years passed, Luka's fame grew to the point where he was often in friendly competition with Jagged, and they soon built a father-son-like bond. And the fact that they had Marinette as a mutual favorite designer helped.

Speaking of Marinette, once they were in their mid-twenties, Luka decided to take the next step.

They were one day walking down the streets of Paris, holding hands. Luka stopped walking and he said, "Marinette? Can I talk to you?"

"What's up, Luka?" Marinette asked.

"We've been together for years, and they've been the happiest years of my life," He said as he pulled something out of his pocket. "But I want more, for the both of us."

"Y...You do?" Marinette asked, blushing.

"Yes," Luka said. "You're the most extraordinary woman, Marinette. As clear as a musical note, and as sincere as a melody. You're the music that's been playing inside my head since the day we first met."

Marinette's blush turned deeper as she saw Luka drop to one knee. She covered her mouth when she realized what he was going to do. He pulled out a diamond ring.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, will you marry me?" Luka asked.

Marinette, crying tears of joy, leaped onto Luka and smothered his face in kisses, saying, "Yes! Of course I will!"

She was continuing to smooch him senseless, and Luka didn't object. He hugged his beloved close to him, and he gently slipped the ring onto her ring finger. They continued to kiss each other crazy.

Cheering was heard from nearby, and they were surprised to see Marinette's parents, Jagged Stone and Penny, Alya and Nino, Rose and Juleka, and so many more of their friends had been watching.

"Everyone! How long have you been there?!" Marinette asked.

"Long enough," Sabine giggled. "About time you popped the question, Luka. Tom was starting to talk about setting the mood so you could do it."

Marinette blushed, meanwhile Luka seemed chill about the whole thing as usual.

"Hey Marinette! You'd better make me your maid of honor!" Alya shouted.

"I'll be in charge of the wedding music!" Nino declared.

"We can be your other bridesmaids!" Rose proposed, referring to herself and Juleka.

"Hey, what about your groomsmen, Luka?" Tom asked. "Or even your best man?"

Luka chuckled as he hugged Marinette close to him. She was still redder than a ladybug.

About a year or so later, they had their wedding ceremony. It was simple, but elegant and Marinette even made her own wedding dress AND Luka's tuxedo.

"I now pronounce you man and wife! You may kiss the bride!" Mayor Bourgeois said. Luka took Marinette into his arms and kissed her soundly.

Over time, their love grew, and they created their own family. They soon had a daughter that they aptly named Mélodie and she was the perfect blend of their features. She had her parents' eyes, Luka's skin tone, Marinette's hair, and both of their artistic talents. She had inherited her father's laid-back outlook on life and his wisdom, but she shared her mother's need for complexity in her plans, her creativity, and her brains.

On the whole, Luka and Marinette had one thing: happily ever after.

And that's a wrap for this Cinderella Lukanette! I hope you enjoyed this. Sure, not many people read it, but I like doing these Lukanette fairy tails. Hey, maybe another one will come along soon. Maybe Beauty and the Beast?