Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Many centuries ago, magic jewels with extraordinary powers were created! These were the Miraculous. Throughout history, heroes have used these jewels for the good of the human race, to transform into heroes. Two of these Miraculous are more powerful than the others, the earrings of the Ladybug, with the power of creation, and the ring of the Black Cat, with the power of destruction. According to legend, whoever controls both these jewels will be granted absolute power, one that can alter space and time, bring life or kill-" A single finger to his face stops the little purple being from continuing.

"That's all I need to know, Nooroo."

A look of worry took over the previously optimistic and relieved expression on the Kwami's face before disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

"Do you know where they are?" He asked. "The Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous?"

Nooroo solemnly shook his head. He sure missed Tikki and Plagg, the others, too. But he's sure his new holder will make for wonderful company. "I'm sorry, but nobody knows where they are." He flinched at the slight scowl on the redhead's face, but it wasn't directed at him, much to his relief. "I-I'm sorry, Master-" Quickly, Nooroo backtracked, remembering the young redhead's words from when they first met. "I-I mean, Nathaniel."

"Alright," he muttered, tearing his fingers through his hair- a way to release stress, Nooroo noted. "Well... I found you, didn't I?" He said, giving the Kwami a little stroke under his chin... or, what resembled a chin, making Nooroo sigh with content. "Hell, your Miraculous was just in that little shop."

It was pure luck in Nooroo's opinion. Or maybe destiny for him to find such a kind holder. The Miraculous may be magic, but they still need to be secured properly. It fell to the ground, barely making a sound as feet kicked it all around Paris before ending up right outside a small jewelry shop run by a sweet old lady. She put the brooch on display, and it has been sitting there for years, decades until Nathaniel found him on his way home.

'Thank you, Tikki.'

"Nooroo... You said a wish can manipulate life and death, right?"

"… Y-yes, it can, but-" Nathaniel cuts him off with another question.

"And what are your Miraculous' powers, again?" He asked, looking down at the small purple brooch in his hand.

Hesitantly, but with a little excitement in his voice due to being able to share information about his powers, Nooroo answered. "The moth brooch allows you to give someone a superpower to help others in battle, but they will follow your words. Long ago, they were called Champions."

Nathaniel furrowed his brow in thought. If the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous are so powerful, then they must be given to strong people who are able to handle that kind of power. Literal superheroes! His brain immediately went into 'Superhero fan' mode. What better way to attract heroes than by creating villains?... Okay, that did sound bad, but it would all be worth it in the end. He just needed to keep reminding himself that.

If he found the Moth Miraculous right here in Paris, then the Ladybug and Black Cat may not be too far.

Nooroo frowned in worry. The thoughtful look on Nathaniel's face was almost... Unsettling. "Na-Nathaniel, are you alright?"

"... Nooroo, has anyone ever used the Miraculous for their own desires?" He asked with a bit of hesitation in his voice. It's not like he wants to basically become a supervillain terrorizing the city with armies of villains just to get some magic jewelry and make a wish.

Nooroo seemed to freeze in midair as his eyes became the size of saucers. "Mas- Nathaniel! The Miraculous are not meant for evil purposes."

Nathaniel almost wanted to roll his eyes. He’s not plotting world domination, taking control of the water and food supply, blocking out the sun to create another ice age, going back in time to keep people from being born, or other horrible stuff comic book villains have done. He'll just be creating a few Champions, maybe send them to look for the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous- It is not that big a deal! And if things go awry, he can always call it off or just control his Champions and keep them from harming anyone... Unless they deserve it.

He glares at a scratched-out photo of Chloe she had given to him and every other student last year during the last day of school with her 'autograph,' telling everyone they should be thankful for having such a work of art to take home. Little did she know, he and every other student defaced her photos the second they got home. Some even put it on a dartboard. He chuckled to himself. Yeah, if Chloe just so happened to get caught in the crossfire, he's just going to look the other way.

"I won't be using it for evil," he practically scoffed. "And no one's going to get hurt, okay?" Nooroo tensed for a moment, suddenly feeling overcome with a sense of dread. He's had a few evil holders, three to be exact, but they were all selfish, horrible men set out to use the Ladybug and Black Cat for nefarious plots... What would Nathaniel want with them?

Nathaniel made his way over to his window and looked out at the streets of Paris for a moment before turning back to Nooroo. "Alright. My mom's still gone. Let's just see what this transformation looks like," he said, sounding giddy like an excited anime character. Even his eyes were sparkling. Nooroo smiled a bit, still having some mixed emotions about all of this.

"You know the words," he said softly.

"Nooroo. Wings Rise!" At those words, the Kwami flew into the brooch, making white wings appear on either side of it. "N-Nooroo- Whoa!" The redhead flinched a bit as a flurry of white butterflies that appeared out of nowhere swirled around him, but soon relaxed and allowed them to do... Whatever they were doing.

His eyes widened when he noticed his gray blazer fading to purple and becoming a Prince’s jacket. With it came white gloves and black epaulettes on his shoulders. His iconic and fashionable - despite what some may say- purple pants turned black, and his purple sneakers turned into ankle boots that had a slight heel. The finishing touches were the black belt that wrapped around his waist and a white sash going across his body with purple butterfly wings attached to the back, and a black crown sitting gently atop his head. His red hair turned purple at the ends, a purple mask with the ends looking like butterfly wings formed to cover his eyes, and a cane with a purple gem atop of it appeared in his hand.

Once the butterflies dispersed, Nathaniel slowly made his way towards the mirror on his desk which he used for self-portraits, and looked at himself for a while, unable to take his eyes off of his new appearance. Even his crystal blue irises turned lilac, a color he thought was reserved for anime characters. "Damn," he whispered. "... Now I need a name." A few ideas went through his head until he thought of the perfect one.

"My name is Monarch."

Now... How does he turn people into thsoe ‘Champions’ Nooroo was talking about?

🦋🎨

Not too far from the redhead's home, a being similar to Nooroo stirs a bit in his sleep before eventually, his eyes shoot open, sensing something is not right. He flies out of his makeshift bed and hovers in front of an old Chinese man in a red Hawaiian shirt who is in the middle of massaging a man. "Master! Master!" Fortunately, the man being massaged is lying face-down, so he doesn't see the green turtle-shaped Kwami.

Before he can look up, the old Chinese man gestures for the green Kwami to hid behind him and starts chanting, "Master. Master. Chanting, it's all part of the treatment," he said to his customer. "Master, master... Well, I think you're done!" Hastily, he helps the man up and escorts him out of the door. "Thank you for coming, see you again next week!" Once he shuts the door, the turtle Kwami approaches, looking frantic.

"Master, the Butterfly Miraculous! I felt its aura!"

The Chinese man gasped. "I thought it had been lost forever!"

"But Master," the Kwami continued. "The aura of the holder, it's becoming clouded by darkness and grief. I fear it may have gotten into the hands of a dark power!"

The man stroked his gray goatee in thought before glancing down at his bracelet which had an aquamarine turtle shell-shaped charm. "We must find Nooroo and his Miraculous. If it has gotten into the wrong hands, there's no telling what evil will come upon the world! Time to transform!" He exclaimed, voice laced with determination. "Wayzz..." Before he can say anything else, he doubles over in pain, luckily landing on a mat.

The turtle Kwami- Wayzz shook his head. "Please, Master. Be reasonable," he gently chided. "You are–

"Still young! I'm only 186." The Kwami merely rolled his eyes, and he seems to get the message. "But you're right, Wayzz. I can no longer do it alone." Slowly, he gets up and makes his way towards a dresser. Atop it sat an old gramophone, while ordinary in appearance held something amazing inside. "We'll need some help."

Chapter Text

Waiting outside only one of the best bakeries in the city is a athletic-looking young man of Asian descent. He glances down at his watch for the fifth time then smirks. "Three... Two... One."

"I'M GONNA BE ON TIME!" Screamed a blue-haired girl as she burst through the front door with a box of what the athlete assumed to be filled with her parents' heavenly pastries. Noticing the box tilting a bit in her hands, he got down low and caught the box just in time before it could hit the ground. "Oh, God! Thanks, Kim!" She said, relieved as she took the box back.

Kim shoots her two finger guns. "Hey, when you grow up with someone as clumsy as you, you learn to stay on your toes," he said endearingly, earning a playful glare from the girl. "Come on, Marinette, you know I'm joking!"

She chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, now shut it, you. I refuse to be late this time!" She declared, already proceeding to her school, Francoise DuPont, one of the best schools in Paris according to many. Many students with connections can be found roaming the halls, some people have probably seen on television or in a magazine or two. Even the mayor's daughter goes there. You'd think that would be amazing, but... When you get to know her, you'll beg your parents to send you somewhere else.

"And you won't. Because I had Max hack into your phone and reset your alarm earlier than you set it." Hearing this, the bluenette stopped in her tracks and turned to Kim with a bewildered look that soon melted away and she nodded as if it were a normal thing. Because it is. Of course, she would have to talk to Max when she sees him in class later about hacking into her phone and then dish out punishment, Dupain-Cheng style.

"Well, that explains why I was so tired waking up," she grumbled before perking up. "But! It is a new day, and hopefully... Say it with me now, Kim."

"We won't have classes with Chloe this year!" They cheered as they stopped by the crosswalk

Kim crosses his fingers. "It can't happen again, it just can't!"

Marinette groaned. "It's like the universe is against us! But," she takes a deep breath to calm herself down as her mother showed her whenever she had a rough day at school. "Besides that, I see someone swapped out their mustard and ketchup hoodie," she said teasingly, pointing to Kim's bright red hoodie. "Finally!"

"Well, I'm sure Nath will be happy knowing he's won 'The Battle of the Purple Pants,'" he added, pointing to Marinette's pink jeans. "I miss seeing you in pink. You wore it all the time when we were seven."

"Yeah, but I figured it was time for a little change... Then I went back to wearing pink," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I just couldn't stay-"

"Ôi, chết tiệt!" Kim screamed before rushing towards the street while Marinette yelled after him.

"KIM!" That was when she noticed a car speeding towards a little old Asian man who probably didn't see the crosswalk light was red for pedestrians. Thanks to years of intense workouts for sports, Kim was able to pick him up and rush him to the sidewalk before the car could hit either one of them. "Oh my God," she gasped, looking more shaken up than the old man who oddly didn't look the least bit stunned.

Kim panted. "Sir, are you okay?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Thank you, young man." Kim beamed.

"My pleasure," he said before getting a quick smack to the back of the head from Marinette. "Ow!"

"That was for cursing!" She chastised, and for a second, Kim saw his mother. "I thought I taught you better, Kimmy."

He groaned. "You know I don't like that name!"

While the two of them bickered for a while like siblings, the old man reached into his pocket before pulling something out and slipping that object into the open pocket of Kim's backpack before making his way down the sidewalk.

🐞🥇

"Now remember, Max, I won't be home until late."

The bespectacled boy fondly rolled his eyes. He has a higher than superior IQ and yet his mother still insists on treating him like a child who needs to be reminded of little things. "Yes, mom, I remember. The food is in the fridge, set the alarm system, and feed Kareem."

"Hey, I hear that tone, mister. You may be a little genius, but I've still got to look out for you."

Max smiled at those words then readjusted his glasses. "Yes, mom, I know. Now put your phone down while you're driving."

"Just wanted to tell my son goodbye real quick. Love you!"

"I love you too, mom." He waited until she hung up before putting his phone back in his pocket and continuing his way to school, already seeing students flooding towards the school and a few cars stopping in front of the building to drop students off. The few who passed by him gave perplexed looks before quickly looking away, which, Max understood.

He is the smartest student in the entire school, smarter than the teachers in fact... Not that he's bragging, but when you look at his test scores compared to their own, then... Yeah. Students often wondered why he wasn't in university, or even working for NASA, but it was quite simple, Max wanted to have a normal childhood and graduate with his friends. He's gotten many offers to skip a grade or three, but each time, he's turned them down despite his friends' constant prompting to take this amazing opportunity, but he could tell they'd miss having him in class, and their glassy eyes are testimony.

"Hey, Max," greeted a familiar voice. The official genius stopped and turned to see a mop of red hair approaching him from behind.

"Hello, Nathaniel." He looks the redhead up and down with a smirk. "Finally wearing another color other than purple?"

Nathaniel let out a mirthless laugh. "Hey, despite what some may say, I made purple everything work... Besides, I outgrew that shirt, anyway."

To quote Marinette, 'It was a fashion tragedy!' Nathaniel Kurtzberg had to be the worst person when it came to picking out clothes. Last year, he wore the same grey blazer he's wearing now, a purple t-shirt, purple jeans, and purple sneakers. Max didn't even care much for fashion, but even he could see that outfit had to be burned. At least the orange shirt pairs nicely with his purple jeans.

"Oh yes, you have grown an inch," Max smirked, subtly comparing his height to the redheads and relishing in the fact that he's only the second shortest boy in class. "Congratulations, shortie."

"Congratulations, shortie," he mocked. "I'll get there!" Max only snickered until he noticed something glimmering on the collar of Nathaniel's blazer.

"That's quite a nice brooch," he pointed out. "Where did you get it?"

"I found it in this jewelry shop on my way home. It looked nice, so I figured, 'why not?'" Max nodded, paying no mind to the almost nervous look on Nathaniel's face. He did, however, notice an old man struggling to pick up his cane and quickly made his way over to help since no one else was around. Or, they were, but decided to ignore him. Honestly, the nerve of some people.

"Here you are, sir," he said, handing him the cane, earning a grateful smile.

The old man gave a polite bow of his head. "Thank you, young man. I'm glad to see there is hope for this generation," he chuckled.

"Yeah, we're terrible," Nathaniel chimed in.

Max looks like he wants to say something but then nods. "Well, we aren't exactly the best, but most of us are doing our part."

"Yeah, by making dumb YouTube videos and creating weird slang that eventually dies down when white people start saying it."

"Hey, you said it, not me," he said before turning back to the old man. "Stay safe sir."

"Bye," Nathaniel said with a wave as they continued their way to school.

"You too, boys," he said then looked back at the pocket of the young bespectacled boy's backpack to make sure the small box was safe and secure. Honestly, kids, these days need to be more aware of their surroundings. He could've easily picked their pockets and they wouldn't notice.

🐞🥇

"That's my seat!"

"And that's my cue," Nathaniel groaned as he made his way up the stairs leading to his desk in the back, the perfect place to sketch where the teacher wouldn't notice. "Later, Max." One thing he noticed, was his old deskmate wasn't sitting there anymore, now he was in the front. Poor guy.

While Marinette and Chloe went at it over who-knows-what this time, Nathaniel reached into his messenger bag and whipped out his sketchbook and a pencil in record time.

"Not even a minute," a pink-haired girl piped up.

Nathaniel snorted. "Hey, you know me, Alix. I never let this thing out of my sight." Alix tussled his red locks in only a way that showed they have been friends for a very long time to build up this level of closeness.

Her eyes dart to the scene in front of the class that the four girls are making... Well, more like Chloe is the one making a scene while Sabrina is just her hypeman, Marinette looks like she'd rather be anywhere else, and the new girl appears to be defending Marinette before Kim even has the chance to.

"And I am his best friend! He adores me, so go on! Move!"

Alix gagged and Nathaniel rolled his eyes. A new year, another year of being forced to endure little miss 'I'm the mayor's daughter.'

"Anyone who's friends with her, I either feel sorry for them, or I hate them."

"If they're anything like her," Nathaniel added.

"I heard- Well, more like Chloe bragged- that Adrien Agreste is coming here." She pulls her phone out of her pocket and opens up the mentioned's boy's verified Instagram. "So that might be the guy she's talking about."

That's why the name sounded so familiar. He's Gabriel and Emilie Agreste's son, the occasional model for his father's fashion empire, and not too bad around the eyes- 'Cool your Bi ass, Nath!' He sounds like the type of person Chloe would be friends with- rich, handsome, famous parents, of course, she'd be forcing students into different seats so she could sit closest to him.

He looked to the front row where Marinette and the new girl glare at Chloe and Sabrina... No, not yet.

"Everyone, go on and take your seats." Hearing this, Alix gave Nathaniel a quick side hug before heading to her seat next to Mylene, a stout girl with rainbow dreadlocks. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Miss Bustier. I'll be your teacher this year."

"Ugh! He should have been here by now!" Chloe exclaimed impatiently.

Miss Bustier continued, clearly used to this, "Those of you who have P.E., Mr. D'Argencourt is expecting you at the stadium. The rest of you can head over to the library-"

"Kim!" Boomed the voice of Ivan, a burly student dressed in black, not gothic black like Juleka.

The brooch on Nathaniel's blazer glowed a bit in response to Ivan's anger. He almost felt like he had to lie down.

Kim raised his hands in defense. "Hey, relax! I didn’t mean anything by it-"

"What is going on?" Miss Bustier questioned, hands on her hips.

Ivan scowled. "It's Kim! I'm so gonna get-" Miss Bustier interrupted before he could finish that possible threat.

"Ivan, go to the principal's office! The rest of you, get where you need to be."

Nathaniel quickly gathered up his things. He couldn't waste this opportunity while Ivan was still angry. He bolted out of the door and made his way into the fortunately empty bathroom. Making sure the coast was clear again, he opened the side pocket on his bag, allowing Nooroo to fly out.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Champions are meant to help people."

"Well... Now they're not called Champions anymore," he stated while trying to come up with a new name before recalling a character from some manga he read before. "They're... Akumas. And I am helping in a way. Ivan gets to let out his anger, and... Th-that's it. And I'll call him off if something goes wrong, alright? Besides, I've already got an amazing design planned out."

Nooroo sighed. There was just no saying 'no' to that face. "Okay."

Nathaniel beamed. "Nooroo. Wings Rise," he whispered and flinched once again as the butterflies surrounded him. He whipped out his cane and got to work on creating an Akuma. Since he didn't have a live butterfly to transfer the magic of his Miraculous to, he reluctantly tore out a page in his sketchbook and got to work on creating an origami butterfly while reminding himself to buy some origami paper after school.

Nooroo had explained to him, "As long as it resembles a butterfly, you can use it to help you create a Campion." Fortunately, his cousin taught him origami when he was seven and he's gotten pretty good over the years.

When the paper butterfly was complete, Monarch covered it with his hands and focused on his power, honing in on his classmate’s emotions. Once the weird feeling in his hands left, he uncovered the origami butterfly and sees that its’ white wings have turned into a dark purple and... Appeared to be alive! Its wings are fluttering and everything.

”Whoa…”

Once Monarch was over his amazement, he sends the Akuma off. “Go ahead, Akuma. Ivan should be on his way to the office.”

While he waited for the Akuma to go find Ivan, he messed around with the purple crystal on top of his cane until a hologram appeared and showed something akin to the home scree of a cell phone. “Shit, this thing is a phone?” He scrolls through the apps, seeing stuff like a flashlight, calendar, map, and something that looks like a social media app... He’ll check that out later.

”Who’s there?!”

Monarch blinked when he realized that his Akuma got to Ivan. He could really get a feel of his emotions- Anger, self-loathing, and… Broken-hearted?… Strange, but he can work with that. “Well, my name’s Monarch, and- Get this. I can help you get revenge.”

“… What?”

Monarch nodded even though Ivan probably couldn’t see him. “Look, here’s the deal. You’re angry, and you have every right to be, so… Why not let some of that anger out? And in exchange for this, I want you to find the Ladybug and the Cat Miraculous. You’ll know them when you see them. Do we have a deal, Stoneheart?” He feels Ivan’s reluctance. “Come on. What have you got to lose, huh?”

”Yes, Monarch.”

Monarch silently cheered before calling off his transformation. “Wings fall. Well, I think you and I should head home. I doubt they’ll keep the school open.” On cue, a crash was heard from outside, followed by screams, and then a loud, almost gravelly-sounding voice yell,

”KIM!”

Nathaniel winced. He did not think about that. “Let’s hope those holders show up before he kills Kim.”

”Nathaniel, what powers did you give him?” Asked Nooroo.

”Well, basically he's a giant stone monster,” the redhead explained as he put his phone to his ear on his way out of the bathroom while Nooroo hid in his hair. "And the more you hit him, the more powerful he gets-"

"Why did I come to school today?"

Nathaniel's hand was just an inch away from the doorknob when he heard the timid-sounding voice, and his Miraculous glowed as he felt someone's negative emotions not too far from where he was.

Mortified, stressed, anxious...

Curious, he looks around the locker room to see who else is there and hopes they didn't hear him. Believing he might have just been hearing things and the negative emotions are coming from outside the locker room, he's about to leave again until he hears some faint crying... Coming from a locker.

He heads toward the locker where the crying is the loudest and knocks. "Um... Is someone in there?"

"... If I say no, will you leave?"

"Well... Probably not. There's some guy outside destroying stuff, and it doesn't really seem safe."

The person in the locker sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have come to school today, I knew something bad was going to happen."

Nathaniel furrowed his brow. "You knew a student would turn into a stone monster and is going on a manhunt for-"

"KIM!"

"... Kim."

"Hey, it took everyone’s focus off of me."

Feeling Nooroo nudge him with one of his... Hand... Flipper... Nubs, urging him to ask follow-up questions, Nathaniel asked, "Well, what happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"No offense, but I don't feel comfortable venting my problems to someone I just met."

Nathaniel chuckled. "Hey, understandable. But, if you're worried about me judging you, you should know, I have no right to judge anyone- Not when I wear purple jeans of all things."

"... You wear purple jeans?"

"I happen to make them look good," the redhead smirked, earning an eye roll from Nooroo that unknowingly mirrored the person in the locker.

"I'm sorry, but no one can make those look good... Except... Maybe Marinette."

"Nope! She gave them up! Purple jeans are my thing now," he said smugly while the person in the locker laughed.

"Alright... I guess I'll tell you what happened."

Nathaniel blinked, not expecting that. "Oh. Y-you don't have to-"

"No, it's fine," they sighed. "It'll be nice getting it out into the open, I guess... So, I was walking to school, and I noticed this guy who was probably a few years older was staring at me."

Already, Nathaniel and Nooroo weren't liking where this was going.

"And he started following me. I-I tried not to look back, but I just needed to see if he was still following me... He was, and he sped up until he grabbed my wrist." They take a deep breath before continuing. "He called me a 'pretty girl,' said I shouldn't be walking alone, and offered to give me a ride to school."

"Oh my God," Nathaniel angrily muttered while Nooroo patted his shoulder to calm him down.

"... And... I'm kind of reactive."

Nathaniel and Nooroo exchanged confused looks. "... What?"

"Yeah... He reached for my thigh, I screamed, and kicked him in the balls." Immediately, Nathaniel broke out into laughter while Nooroo struggled to stay quiet even though he's seen people do that dozens of times the past few centuries. Anne of Cleeves had a mean kick. “And a few students saw that.”

Nathaniel finally stopped laughing, but a few snickers managed to escape through his lips. "Okay, I've only known you for like three minutes, but you're officially the most badass person I know." Thank God Alix wasn't around to hear that.

"Not really, It was just a normal reaction," they said sheepishly.

"Hey, whatever you wanna call it." Then, an idea came to mind when he heard a crash from outside. "Hey, you mind telling me what this guy looks like? I want to warn my friends."

"Sure. He's kind of tall, brown hair, and has a pin-up girl tattoo on his right arm."

"Ah, your classic asshole." He smiled hearing the person laughing again. It sounded so nice. "Well, I'm gonna get home. My mom's probably worried right now. What about you?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm safer here than outside, from the monster and from students I don’t even talk to crowding me and asking if I can show them how to fight.” They and Nathaniel laughed. “Be careful."

"You too," Nathaniel said as he and Nooroo left.

🐞🥇

"BABY, ARE YOU OKAY?!"

Once the ringing in his ear left, Nathaniel tried to reassure his mother that he was okay, but it was kind of hard to do that thanks to her crying. How was he supposed to know Stoneheart would mess up the school's Wi-Fi router? "M-mom, I'm okay. Are you alright?"

His mother sighed out of relief. "Yes, dear, I'm fine, but that... Thing threw a car in front of the door and now we're all stuck inside. Nathan, please promise me you'll stay inside until the police handle this."

"I will, mom."

"Nathan, I'm serious. Please, I can't lose you. Alright?"

Nathaniel tensed a bit before sighing, understanding why she was so worried. "Mom, I'll be fine, okay? Nothing's going to happen. I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetie. I'll call you later." After a few seconds, she hung up, and Nathaniel immediately fell back on his bed while Nooroo watched with concern. The Kwami curled up by his holder's side and hugged him to the best of his abilities. "Thanks, Nooroo." For a while, the two just stayed like this until Nathaniel got an alert on his phone.

He blindly reached for it and looked at the screen. Some girl named Alya is doing a live stream. Curious, he decides to check it out.

"Alya Cesaire, live on the scene in Paris, where a supervillain is attacking and looking for a student who goes by the name of Lê Chiến Kim! Did I say that right?"

"Yep," Marinette's shaky voice confirmed from behind the camera. "Alya, we really should be getting out of here! Or at least hide behind something!"

Nathaniel laughed. "How is she always getting roped into stuff?"

The two girls ran behind a tipped-over bus. Marinette continued to record the fight while Alya gave her commentary.

"Oh, looks like the police are here," Alya pointed out. Marinette panned the phone towards the police force shooting... What looked like small rocket launchers at Stoneheart. But when they hit the Akuma, he only grew larger. "... Okay, note this. If you hit that thing, it'll just get bigger!"

"Do you think the police notice?" Asked Marinette, and at the same time, the police fired at Stoneheart again. "Nope."

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. "It won't be long until the holders show up." He gets up from bed, stretching out his limbs. "Nooroo, I've been meaning to ask, do Kwami's eat?"

The Butterfly Kwami nodded. "Yes, it helps us recharge. I'll be fine with whatever you have, but I do prefer fruit." Nathaniel held out his cupped hands for the Kwami to settle in before making his way towards the kitchen.

🐞🥇

"You'll be safe, dear," his mother told him. "If that rock monster wants to get to you, he's gotta go through me first!" She exclaimed, flexing her toned arms while his father laughed.

"Khuyen, its' got to be thirty times your strength," he pointed out, receiving a dismissive wave from his wife.

"You think that'll stop me, Teo?" She pulled Kim in for a vice-like hug that knocks the wind out of him a bit. "I'll move heaven and earth for this kid."

Kim beamed and returned the hug. "Cảm ơn mẹ."

Teo joined, making it a group hug, and gave Kim a firm, reassuring squeeze on the shoulder like he used to when Kim was younger to calm him down. "Why don't you get upstairs and relax, alright? Trust me, things will get better later."

Things haven't gotten better. Ivan is still out there, still made of stone, and is still looking for him. Thank God the new girl- Alya and Marinette are live streaming the whole event so the students can keep up with everything. Alya is not going easy on the police.

"Oh for the love of- Quit shooting at him!"

"What even caused this?" Marinette wondered.

Kim sighed. "Probably my fault." What other reason could there be? He was the last person to interact with Ivan before he turned into that thing, and he's after him, so of course, it's his fault! He wasn't trying to hurt his feelings or anything, just mess with him a bit... Although looking back on his choice of words, they probably could've been a little nicer.

With a groan, he grabbed a pillow off of his bed and yelled into it, "God, I'm an idiot!" Rousing him from his self-loathing is when he hears the theme song to an old American science show. Kim eagerly pulled his phone out of his pocket and read the text.

Max Makes Mechs:
Hey, are you okay? I assume you're home.

Son of Poseidon:
Yeah I'm alright. Minus the giant rock monster who's after me

Max Makes Mechs:
Well, once the police realize that firepower is no good, I am 75% certain they will find another solution

Son of Poseidon:
... Only 75%

Max Makes Mechs:
...

Son of Poseidon:
Max...

Max Makes Mechs:
Oh, it appears I have homework. Bye!

Son of Poseidon:
Max?

Son of Poseidon:
MAX!

"You're no help, bud!" Kim yelled at nothing.

It was an odd pairing to some, the jock and the nerd, but they've been friends since they were ten when Kim needed tutoring. Kim's other tutors quickly gave up on him since he just couldn't seem to grasp the lesson, but Max was the one who stayed and explained the lessons in a way Kim's past tutors couldn't. And over time, the two slowly became friends and found out they had quite a few things in common.

For instance, they both loved binge-watching old sci-fi and fantasy movies and went to conventions for those whenever one was in town. Sports was another thing- Kim for the competition and Max for the statistics involved.

By the time they started going to DuPont, the two were practically inseparable and always made sure to sit next to each other in whatever class they had. Max even slowly integrated into Kim's friend group comprised of him, Marinette, and Nino Lahiffe, who have been friends with him since those 'Mommy and Me' class days.

The four of them had to be the oddest friend pairing in school. Hell, all they needed was a Great Dane, and a van and they'd look like the Scooby Gang. But, Max's bulldog would have to do.

Kim chuckled to himself, glad he was able to cheer himself up despite everything going on. Deciding he needs another distraction, he decides to do the homework he got on the first day of all days!

He reaches for his backpack and starts taking out a folder, then looks into the side pockets for a pencil, only... He finds a strange box. "What's this doing here?"

Kim opens the box and finds a pair of black earrings. "Hm?" Before he can pick them up, the little pieces of jewelry start glowing bright red, making him yelp and throw the box to the floor. "Oh, shit- What the hell?" The bright red light from the earrings swirls around him, prompting Kim to shut his eyes tight and wait for this to be over.

"... Hello!"

Slowly, Kim cracked an eye open and sees a... A... Bug... Devil... Thing... Although he will admit, it is kind of cute. But that doesn't mean he'll just drop his guard. "Hi?"

Noticing him reaching for one of his pillows, the bug-devil is quick to stop him, "Wait! I'm not going to hurt you. Let me introduce myself. I'm Tikki, and I'm your Kwami!" The thing- Tikki chirped.

Kim furrowed his brow. "A what?" Experimentally, just to make sure this wasn't a dream, he poked at the Kwami's midsection, making them giggle. "Okay, so you're real. This isn't like a crazy dream I'm having? I'm not in a coma because Ivan knocked me out?" The Kwami tilted their head in confusion. "It's a long story. Anyway, I'm Kim."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Kim! Now, I know this all may seem a little strange, but I was sent to help you save the city!"

Hearing this, Kim's eyes lit up. "Wait, wait, like a superhero?" Tikki nodded. "Oh my God, this is going to be so cool! Don't worry, I'm not going to say a word; I know how this goes. You tell one person, they can't keep a secret, and soon, everyone including the supervillain knows."

Tikki grinned. They were already starting to like this guy. "You've got it! Just put the earrings on and I'll explain everything."

Remembering he threw the earrings to the floor, Kim picked them up and put them in the piercings he got a while ago. Thankfully they haven't closed yet. Suddenly, they turn into golden star-shaped studs, but he didn't seem to notice.

"So, what's next?" He eagerly asked.

"To transform, you say 'Spots On.' To detransform, 'Spots Off.'" Kim nods along. "Your special power is called, Lucky Charm, with it, you can summon any object to help you in battle."

"Alright, anything else?"

"Yes, the stone monster outside? It's carrying a vessel that the holder of the Butterfly Miraculous used to store their powers and corrupt it-"

"Wait," Kim interrupted. "Butterfly Miraculous? It sounds cute."

"Only when in the right hands," Tikki said solemnly. "Now it's in the hands of a dark holder and must be retrieved before the current holder can use it to create more monsters! To save whoever the stone monster is-"

"Ivan," Kim corrected.

"To save Ivan, you need to break the object where the Butterfly Holder stored their powers." They add, "Usually, butterflies are used, so look out for that."

The athlete nodded as he took in this information. Spots on, Spots off, Lucky Charm, break an object, catch a butterfly, fix everything. "... Okay, I'm just hoping I can remember all of this," he admitted sheepishly. "I'm not really the best when it comes to-"

"You've got this Kim," Tikki encouraged, lifting his mood a bit. "I believe in you."

He gave a determined nod. "Alright. Tikki. Spots On."

The Kwami flew into his studs turning them into red earrings with black spots like a ladybug. The transformation started from the neck down, cropping his hoodie, turning it a brighter shade of red, and turning the now elbow-length sleeves and his hood black, and five black spots were scattered on the back.

Red opera gloves with black spots on the front appeared next, followed by black pants that extended into a sort of a bodysuit to cover his midriff and red sneakers with little ladybug wings on the side. Next came a mask, just a basic red one with black spots, then his hair. His signature quiff became longer and tied by a black hair tie into a ponytail.

Once the transformation was over, Kim took a look at himself in the floor-length mirror attached to his closet door and just stared at himself for a while. He barely even recognized himself. Then his eyes trailed towards something attached to his hip. A yoyo.

"So awesome."

Then a scream was heard, snapping him out of his stupor. "Right. Gotta help Ivan." Before he leaves, Kim gathered a few of his pillows and puts them under his blankets. So if his parents walk in while he's gone, they'll just think he's asleep. It worked in the movies, so why not in real life?

"Alright, I've got a yoyo. It's probably like Spider-Man! Just throw it..." He throws the yoyo out of his open window, and it grasps to a chimney. Giving it a small pull, the yoyo whisks him out of his room as he screamed for dear life.

"Oh, shit! I didn't think this through!" Before he can slam into the chimney, he yanks his yoyo back and throws it at a statue, giving him a new destination. "Okay, just get lower." He gives the string a light tug, making it lower him to the ground. "There," he panted. "Man, I've gotta practice with this thing-"

"LOOK OUT!"

"Huh- AH!" A black blur barrels into him, knocking them both down to the ground.

"Sorry. I'm still trying to get the hang of this."

Kim chuckled. "You too?" He helps him and the other person up and sees that they're a guy who looks around his age, dark skin, hair in dreadlocks, and tied into a low ponytail. Kim gets a look at the other guy's outfit and sees that it's all leather with some hints of neon green that gave his outfit sort of a futuristic look, plus the green visor glasses.

"Again, I am so sorry!"

"It's alright," Kim reassured. "I nearly crashed into a chimney, so don't feel embarrassed. So, did you meet this Kwami who gave you powers?"

The other hero nodded. "Yes, and I assume you're the partner he told me about. My name is Ikati Black. And you?"

Kim tensed a bit. This guy already had a name picked out, and it sounded awesome. "Well... Call me... Scarlet Beetle."

Ikati Black smirked. "Really? That's the best you could come up with?"

"Hey! You don't hear me saying anything about your name," he retorted.

Before Ikati Black could say his comeback, a crash was heard from a distance followed by the stone monster yelling, "KIMMM!!"

Not noticing Scarlet Beetle flinch, he pulled out his weapon, a metal staff. "Well, I believe that's our cue. I hope you know how to use your yoyo because I'm still getting the hang of this thing." With that, his staff extended, propelling him towards where the stone monster is as he screamed.

Taking a moment to pump himself up, Scarlet Beetle threw his yoyo and also screamed, probably never going to get used to this.

🐞🥇

"WHERE ARE YOU KIM?!"

"Relax, he's bound to show up," Monarch's voice reassured in Stoneheart's head. "But remember what I asked you to do. I'm checking out a live stream and would you look at that? The Ladybug and Black Cat holders have arrived. Get their Miraculous first, bring them to me, and then you can go after this boy, alright?" Not really. Once he has the Miraculous, he'll revoke the Akuma before Kim can get hurt.

"Tsk, tsk," Ikati Black said as he landed in the stadium stands. "Are you really so insecure that you must pick on someone who is an ant compared to you?"

Scarlet Beetle dropped down next to him. "Nice one," he whispered, earning a grateful smile from his new partner.

"Huh. Well, that was easy. Get their Miraculous, Stoneheart!"

Scarlet Beetle's first instinct is to rush over and start hitting the stone monster with his yoyo, but then he recalls the live stream. "Don't hit him-"

"Or he'll grow," Ikati Black finished. "I saw the live stream, too. So we- DODGE!" He screamed before grabbing Scarlet Beetle's arm and vaulting them across the stadium before Stoneheart could hit them and hid behind the seats. "... yeah," he panted. "Dodge his attacks."

"Well," Scarlet Beetle dusted himself off. "My Kwami mentioned I had a special power where I could summon things. What about you?"

"My power allows me to destroy whatever I touch, but I only get one shot at it. And five minutes after I use it, I transform back." Scarlet Beetle's eyes widened at this new information. "So, any ideas?"

The red-clad hero frowned a bit and messed with the sleeves of his hoodie. "Uh... N-not really. Sorry, I'm not the best when it comes to-"

Ikati Black smiled at him kindly. "It's alright. Check this out." He pulls Scarlet Beetle up with him from behind the seats so the two have a clear view of the stone monster trying to find them in the stands. "See his right fist?"

"Yeah," Scarlet Beetle nodded. "He hasn't opened it once..." Then it occurs to him, "That's where the... The vessel might be!"

Ikati Black quirked an eyebrow. "Vessel? Oh! Where the villain stored their power," he says, recalling his Kwami's words from earlier. "It is a possibility, but how do you suppose we get it? It looks like he's got an iron grip."

Scarlet Beetle glanced down at his yoyo then back at the stone monster. "... How strong do you think our weapons are compared to his own strength?"

"Well, considering they're possibly magic, your yoyo string is endless like my staff," Ikati Black calculated. "I think they could hold him off on their own if used by the right person. Why do you ask?"

"We're gonna do something crazy," Crimson Beetle smirked. "But first. Lucky Charm!"  A small flurry of ladybugs appeared above him and formed a... "A wetsuit?"

Ikati Black clicked his tongue. "That's... Some secret weapon."

"Yeah, I'm not sure what- Oh God! What's going on?!"

The leather-clad hero's eyes widened in concern. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"Everything's gray!... Except... There's a hose... His fist... Marinette and that other girl- Alya!..." He blinks as his vision turns back to normal. "... I think I have an idea!" Ikati Black smiled proudly, and Scarlet Beetle was overcome with a sense of familiarity for a moment before remembering his plan. "Would you be alright sort of being bait while I do my plan?"

"I think I can handle that. Good luck, Scarlet!" He said before vaulting down towards the field. "Hey, rock golem! Yeah, over here!"

The stone monster growled. "My name is STONEHEART!"

Ikati Black rolled his eyes. "And I care about this, why?

"Ouch. The cat's got claws. No matter, though. Take him out!"

At Monarch's command, Stoneheart throws a punch at the cat hero, only to miss when he vaults out of the way. "GET BACK HERE!"

“Sure,” he snarked, continuing to leap out of the way of Stoneheart’s punches. “I will be sure to add that to my To-Do List, right under, ‘not a chance in hell!’”

🐞🥇

”Damn,” Alya whispered from the stadium entrance. She wanted to get more close to the action, but Marinette was able to talk her out of it, explaining that they might need to make a quick getaway if things go more awry. “This cat guy’s a total badass. Mari, what do the viewers at home think?”

Marinette gave a low whistle as she read the comments. “They’re loving him! The rest are wondering where the one in red went… Oh! There he is!” She eagerly points to the red-clad hero making his way towards a faucet connected to a hose sticking out from the ground on the sidelines. “Is that a wetsuit? What’s he going to do with that?”

”We’ll just have to see!” Alya cheered. “Watch closely, you guys! This is history in the making!… Is… Is he running towards us?”

”Ikati!” Scarlet Beetle hollered as he ran towards the two girls with the wetsuit. The arm and leg holes are tied with the hose going through the neck hole. “Get ready! Hey, real quick. When I give the signal, I need you two to run over and turn on that faucet over there.” He hastily points to the mentioned faucet. “Okay? Thanks!”

”Wait!” Alya yelled after him as he swung back towards the fight. “… Did we just get asked to help heroes?”

Marinette was quick to shake her head. “No, you were asked to help heroes. I’m just going to record.”

Alya gave the viewers a quick thumbs-up before sprinting towards the faucet, making it just in time when Scarlet Beetle yelled as he was trapped in Stoneheart’s first along with Ikati Black, “NOW!” She turns the nozzle with a little struggle since it was rusty, and water started flowing. In just a few seconds, Stoneheart’s fist was forcefully opened by the wetsuit in his hand being inflated by water, freeing Scarlet Beetle and the vessel.

The red-clad hero took the vessel, a small purple rock, and threw it to the ground, releasing a purple butterfly. Before he could catch it, he heard rumbling behind him and turns to see Ivan and Ikati Black surrounded by a bunch of rocks that soon disappeared into purple smoke. The small boulder disappeared into the same smoke, turning into a crumpled piece of paper… Nerves rising, he slowly unfurls the paper and reads what he wrote earlier.

‘Dude, just ask her out already or I’ll do it.’ Yep. Poor word choice.

”What’s going on?” Ivan asked as Ikati Black helped him up. “What am I doing here?”

Ikati Black smiled. “It’s a long story. If you don’t mind explaining, do you remember what happened?”

”Yeah, this guy in my class, Kim, wrote a note saying he’d…” He pauses for a bit then continues, “Saying he’d ask out this girl I like before I did. Then I got mad, my teacher sent me to the principal, and then I heard this voice.”

”A voice?” Scarlet Beetle wondered.

Ivan nodded. “It sounded like a guy, around my age. He called himself Monarch said he’d help me get revenge, and I had to take some jewelry you guys have and give them to him.” Ikati Black and Scarlet Beetle feel for their ring and earrings, both wondering what would have happened if Stoneheart managed to take them.

”Alya, maybe we should stop rolling,” Marinette whispered as she ended the live stream. “Sorry about that, Ivan.”

He smiled at the pigtailed girl. “It’s fine, Marinette.”

”Now onto some pressing matters,” said Alya, taking her phone from Marinette and starting the live stream again, this time just pointing her phone at the new heroes and being sure to keep Ivan out of the frame. “Are you two going to be doing stuff like this every day? What are your names?”

They smirked. “Call us Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black,” the ladybug hero said before swinging away while Ikati Black vaulted in the other direction. While in mid-air, though, Scarlet Beetle just couldn’t shake that feeling that he had forgotten to do something. With a shrug, he continued to make his way back home, moving much easier than he was a few minutes ago.

🐞🥇

“And thanks to the amateur footage provided by these two young ladies, Parisians now know the names of their new heroes.”

Kim looked more excited at his friend and her new friend getting recognition for their work than his own. “I can’t believe I did that!” He grabbed one of his pillows and screamed excitedly into it. “Is this going to be a normal thing? Me and Ikati fighting Monarch and stuff?”

“As long as he keeps turning more innocent people like Ivan into villains, then yes,” Tikki confirmed. At the mention of Ivan, Kim frowned. “… Kim, I really think you should apologize to him the next time you see him.”

”Yeah,” he sighed. “I know…” Suddenly, the feeling that he had forgotten something returned for the fifth time since he got home, but he wasn’t sure what it was.

🐞🥇

Just at the very top of the Eiffel Tower, the corrupted origami butterfly created by Monarch landed and started to rapidly flap its wings. In a matter of seconds, more were created, dozens, fifties, hundreds, and they flew all around Paris, landing on the unsuspecting Parisians and turning them into mini copies of Stoneheart and making them freeze in place, much to the horror of those who weren’t infected.

”Nooroo… Explain, please.”

”It’s what happens when the Akuma you send isn’t purified. It multiplies, fuses with people, and turns them into copies of the original Akuma.”

Nathaniel smirked as he watched this happen all from the comfort of his room, thrilled to have an army to control and take the Miraculous… Only, none of them were moving.

Nooroo continued, “If Ivan’s emotions become negative again and he turns back into Stoneheart, the copies will be able to move and follow his orders, along with yours to an extent.”

His smile only grew wider, startling Nooroo a bit. Seriously, that smile really did look unsettling in the Kwami’s opinion. “Well, it shouldn’t be long until that happens. Ivan can be pretty sensitive. And when the right buttons are pushed, he’ll become Stoneheart again, and Scarlet and Ikati will have to face him along with his army!” Then Nathaniel catches something out of the corner of his eye- One of the akumas!

Not wanting to turn into a Stoneheart, he gets ready to throw something at it before Nooroo stops him. “Wait! It’s your original Akuma. It won’t turn you into one of them.” Calmer than he was a second ago, Nathaniel allowed the Akuma to perch itself on his finger.

”… Wings Rise.” He brings the Akuma to his cane’s gem, storing it inside for later before pulling up the phone hologram again. “It only seems fair to introduce myself after they did.” He taps the live stream icon.

🐞🥇

”Hello, my fellow Parisians,” Monarch’s voice said from every television, phone, laptop, and tablet in the city. Parents held their children close when the image of a young man suddenly appeared on their screens while others leaned in close and listened intently. “While you all have two superheroes, you have one supervillain. Be warned, once the Stonehearts unfreeze when my original Akuma returns, your lives will never be the same again. And you have your wonderful saviors to thank for this."

🐞🥇

Kim looked at the earrings in his hands one last time before placing them back in the box. What was he thinking? He wasn't cut out to be a superhero, he's easily distracted, can't come up with plans without someone starting one for him, he caused Stoneheart to appear! And because of him, Paris is doomed!... They deserve someone better than him, and Tikki deserves a better holder.

"Remember my name, Paris. I am Monarch."

Chapter Text

"The Stoneheart copies are scattered all over Paris, and for the time being, they are showing no signs of movement. Police have cordoned off the areas."

"We won't stop until we find a way to get these people back to their normal selves, but for now, we're not making much headway."

"Paris is relying on our new guardian angels, Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black, to save us all. Our lives depend on them."

🐈⬛🎮

"Come on, dad! I've waited forever for this! Besides, they aren't even moving!"

Gabriel Agreste learned from his own mother at an early age to never give in to pressure, from anyone and to say no when he feels like it. Of course, this contributed to his high fashion-type outfits while other kids wore jeans and cartoon character shirts, and over time, made him one of the most successful fashion tycoons in Paris, made him millions every six months, and brought him to the love of his life. And all he did was say no to some things in life that would either get him swindled, killed or both. But... There was just something about his son that made him forget the two-letter word.

"Adrien, your father's right," Emilie Agreste chimed in. Many women would be jealous. A woman in her forties not looking a day over twenty-five and showing no signs of greying? That is how beautiful she is. Though it could be due to the beauty regimes she does for her movies. "You were sick the first day yesterday, and now there are those stone monsters outside." She gently places her hands on the blonde boy's shoulders. "Sweetie, we're only trying to keep you safe."

"You've been keeping me safe for almost sixteen years now," he countered. "I want to meet other people-"

"You meet tons of other young models during shoots," Gabriel said.

Adrien scoffed. "Yeah, but they're all snobs like Chloe." His parents looked like they were biting their tongues to refrain from saying anything bad about the girl. "Come on, I'll be careful, Nathalie and Gorilla will be one call away. I'll be perfectly safe."

Gabriel and Emilie look from their son to each other, having a silent conversation. They knew this day would be coming, but they just weren't prepared for it. Adrien's a smart boy, knows how to spot unsavory influences a mile away, how to throw a punch thanks to Nathalie, but they still couldn't help but worry and they have even more reason to with Monarch running around!... But, as long as the tone monsters remain still and the heroes take care of everything...

Gabriel sighed in defeat, letting Adrien know he had won. "You can go-" He's cut off by Adrien pulling him in for a hug, which he gladly returns. "You're welcome, Adrien."

"Thanks, you guys!" He goes to hug Emile before bolting out of the door. "I'll see you later!"

"And stay away from Chloe!" Emilie yelled after him. "I'm serious, dear!"

"She's not terrible." Emilie shoots him a look that says, 'Are you sure about that?' "... Okay, maybe he should keep his distance."

"Yeah, with a ten-foot pole."

🐈⬛🎮

"So, what's this robot you're working on called, again?"

"They're called Markov," Max explained, speaking into his phone while the Kwami of Destruction hid in his shirt collar to remain unseen. "I'm almost done, but there are still some things I need to add-" An arm appears in front of him, blocking his path.

"Careful, citizen," said a police officer, putting a perimeter around one of the Stonehearts. "Just walk around."

Max nodded as thanks then continued his way to school. "... You think Scarlet Beetle will take care of this?"

"I'm sure of it!" Plagg nodded. "Once he purifies the Akuma or whatever Monarch's calling them, everything will go back to normal, or however normal things were before."

Max chuckled bitterly. "I don't think things here are ever going to be normal again." Max is the type of person who preferred facts over fiction (Sci-fi is an exception). So, when a tiny black cat appears out of a ring, saying he's something called a Kwami who can give whoever wears the ring powers, then Max is going to be a little skeptical and assume he's dreaming because that is the only obvious answer because cats do not fly, appear in flashes of light like the genie from Disney, and... Oh yeah! Your friends don't turn into rock monsters!

After pinching himself multiple times, Max deduced that he was not dreaming all of the events that happened today, Ivan really did turn into a rock monster and Plagg is real. His first instinct as a man of science was to ask all sorts of questions- 'How old are you?' 'What are you made of?' 'Are there more of your species?' 'What does the inside of the ring look like?' And to his own surprise, Plagg answered a few of his questions, but then cut right to the chase of why he appeared in the first place.

Imagine Max's shock when he was told he would become a superhero and save the day. He was understandably nervous at first, but those feelings washed away when he was told he would have a partner... Only to return when told what his powers were. 

Thank God he didn't have to use that power yesterday; The thought of destroying something when he loved to create was just unsettling. He'd rather have Scarlet Beetle's ability to create a seemingly random object out of thin air which turns out to be very helpful for battles. Speaking of Scarlet Beetle, he hopes he isn't being too hard on himself for not purifying the Akuma. It was his first day, after all, and everyone makes mistakes.

Hell, when he used his staff the first time, he propelled himself so high up with it, he was sure he could see Juleka's houseboat. Not sure how to shorten the staff, he proceeded to slide down like a fireman, only slower since there was nothing supporting the pole but the magic he still has no clue how it works.

"Boom! We present to you, Bug & Cat Chat!" Max heard Alya exclaim as he walked into the courtyard. He looks up and sees Alya and Marinette surrounded by their other classmates (Minus Ivan, Chloe, and Sabrina) showing off something on Marinette's tablet. "We're bringing you all the latest news about the coolest superheroes and our new supervillain!"

Marinette squealed. "Our video's gotten so many hits! I still can't believe I let you talk me into this, Alya, but thank you!" She immediately pulls the girl in for a hug.

Max couldn't help but smile at how happy his friend looked. He never would have guessed that Marinette would start a blog with a girl she just met, but here she is now, proudly showing off the first post to Kim who's giving the bluenette a pat on the back with a huge grin on his face...

Nope, it's fake. They've been friends for years, so of course, Max knows when he's faking his feelings. His smile is way too wide and his left eyebrow is twitching. Deciding to confront him about this later, Max makes his way toward the group to check out 'Bug & Cat Chat.'

"So that's Monarch," Juleka mumbled, pointing to the screenshot of the villain giving his speech to Paris.

Alya nodded. "Yeah, my little sisters were hiding under their beds the whole time."

"What do you think he even wants?" Alix questioned, glaring at the picture of the villain. "World domination, infinite power, the kill all his enemies?" She turns to Nathaniel, seeing what he thinks only to get a shrug from the redhead. With a bit of hesitance, she turns to Ivan, leaning against a wall, and asked, "So, you really don't remember anything?" He shook his head.

"You were totally going ballistic. It was so cool!" Juleka said, voice a little louder than usual.

Kim scratches the back of his head, opening and closing his mouth a few times before saying, "H-hey, Ivan. I'm sorry about what I did be-before you-"

"It's fine," he assured, knowing what he was trying to say. "And... I'm sorry trying to hurt you, I wasn't myself-"

A scoff sounded through the courtyard, making the students roll their eyes, knowing what was about to come next. "Please! Once a monster, always a monster!" Ivan scowled at those words and stormed towards the locker room as Chloe continued to make fun of him. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!"

Marinette bit back an insult and followed Ivan after handing Alya her tablet.

Alya rolled her eyes. "Please! The only real monster in this city is you, Bourgeois!" Before Chloe could retort, she continued, "Your makeup gives people flashbacks to those creepy killer clown movies back in the eighties!"

"BURN!" Nino hollered, eliciting some cheers and laughter from the class.

Chloe sputtered for a moment while Sabrina tried to calm her down. "Do you know who my father is?!"

"Yes, the mayor of Paris who will drop important work that will probably help build world peace just to meet his bratty daughter's demands," the auburn-haired girl snarked.

Alix high-fives her. "Nice."

While everyone in the courtyard laughed at Chloe's flustered look, an irritated voice was heard over the laughter, "Chloe! What the hell?!" Immediately, Chloe tossed Sabrina her designer purse and ran towards the blonde boy standing by the entrance of the school.

"ADRIKINS! YOU CAME!"

Alix snickered. "Fucking Adrikins?"

"Holy shit, that's Adrien Agreste," Juleka whispered.

"Great," Nino said with an eye roll, then makes his way up the stairs. "Another rich brat. I'm out, dudes!"

Kim nodded and followed his friend. "Me too."

While Miss Bustier's students made their way to their classroom, not wanting to stay around and see how much like Chloe the new guy is, they miss him prying their heiress off of him. "Chloe, how many times have I told you to mind my personal space?"

"But Adrikins~"

"And that nickname," he groaned. "Look, you had your chance to be friends with me years ago, but I can't hang around someone who bullies people non-stop just because they have a little money and a lousy politician for a parent!"

Chloe scoffed. "You were actually serious? Adrikins, you really need to learn how life works, starting with school. Here, everyone fawns over you and treats you like royalty- HEY! Where are you going?!"

"Away from you!" He yelled over his shoulder as he made his way to class, only to move faster when Chloe ran after him.

"Wait! We have the same class together! You're sitting with me!"

🐈⬛🎮

"You know," Marinette started, turning down the volume on Ivan's phone connected to his headphones so he could hear her. "You should tell Mylene how you feel, Ivan." The burly young man blushed at those words. "Come on, I see the way you look at her. Besides, it might help take your mind off of everything."

Shooting her a look, Ivan points out the window at the dozens of stone statues.

"... Okay, that's a big reminder, but talking to Mylene is a start. What have you got to lose?"

"My dignity," he said bluntly, only prompting Marinette to encourage him even more.

"Ivan, I'm sure Mylene has feelings for you, too. Just go talk to her- Or- Maybe do something else, like send her flowers, draw her something," she listed. "If you're not good at drawing, I'm sure Nathaniel wouldn't mind-"

"I-I could... Write her song?"

Marinette felt just a pang of jealousy towards Mylene for having an admirer who was going to write her a song but set those feelings aside. "That's perfect! What girl wouldn't want a song written just for them? I say go for it!"

Ivan couldn't help but laugh at how more excited she seemed than him. "Yeah. I'm gonna do that- Whoa!"

"Now! I'm pulling you out of the door!" The pigtailed girl exclaimed, somehow pulling Ivan, who had to be twice her body weight towards the door. "Go to the music room! Write a song she'll love!"

"Okay," he chuckled, moving on his own now. "I'm going."

"Write that song or don't come back at all!"

🐈⬛🎮

"Sorry, I'm not signing any autographs," Adrien apologized to the student practically begging him to autograph their magazines and headshots of him. He didn't even want to know where they got those from. "Sorry, but I'd be totally cool hanging out. Just ask."

One brunette wearing a purple sweater squealed like a little schoolgirl at those words. Just to make their day, Adrien shoots finger guns in their direction. Thank God two students were there to catch them before they fell.

"Jean, calm down," a girl of Asian descent with her hair in a bob gently coaxed as she dragged her friend to class.

"He finger-gunned me!"

"ADRIKINS!"

'Not today, Satan.' Adrien darted into his new classroom and quickly shut the door behind him, not even sure why he did it since Chloe could still get in. He makes his way to his desk, unaware of the weary looks he was getting, and sits down next to a boy in a red cap.

"... So," red cap starts. "You're friends with Chloe?"

Adrien hears the slight irritation in his voice and is quick to explain, to everyone in the room, "Chloe and I are not-"

"BEST friends!" Chloe announced as she strutted into the classroom and she and Sabrina took their seats. "Adrikins and I have been best friends forever!"

The capped boy looked confused for a moment, glancing back and forth at Chloe then Adrien before it dawns on him. "Ah, I get it," he whispered to the blonde boy. "Delusional rich girl trope, huh? She thinks every other rich person is her friend and everyone below her status adores her, but really, they can't stand her?"

"Yeah," Adrien groaned, eyes trailing around the classroom to just get a look at it. "I don't even know why she- Hey!" He yelled, drawing everyone's attention towards Chloe putting gum on a seat iin the front of the class. "What the hell are you doing?"

Chloe smirked. "The brats that sat here yesterday just need a little attitude adjustment," she said as if it were obvious. "It's all about commanding respect, Adrikins. You'll learn it more while you-"

"Shut up, Chloe!" Yelled a girl with pink hair, followed by the other students.

"She didn't do shit!"

"And quit talking to him like a kid! It's fucking creepy!"

While Chloe suffered a verbal onslaught, Adrien grabbed a napkin and used it to remove the gum, right as two girls walked into the classroom.

"Um, what are you doing?" Asked a girl with dark blue hair tied into pigtails, hand on her hips, and giving Adrien an expectant look when she noticed the gum.

Adrien held his hands up. "Hey, I'm just getting it off your seat. Don't believe me if you want, I know anyone who's a friend of Chloe is terrible in all your opinions, but we're not friends."

"ADRIKINS!" She screamed again.

The blonde rolled his eyes and said to the two girls, "See you around." before heading back to his desk, ignoring Chloe burning holes into the back of his head and the pensive look the girl with blue hair was giving him.

"Dude, respect." Cap boy offers his hand for a handshake. "Name's Nino." Adrien shakes his hand. "Later, we're gonna make you some new friends."

Meanwhile, in the back of the classroom, Nathaniel's brooch started glowing again. He covered it with his hand before anyone saw it, and focused on the negative emotions.

Mortified... Heartbroken... Self-loathing...

'Welcome back, Ivan.' Nathaniel gets up from his seat and says to Alix, "Tell Miss Bustier I'm going to the bathroom." Getting a thumbs up in response, he makes his way out the door and into the janitor's closet, remembering he's seen Ivan go into the locker room, so he couldn't transform there.

Nooroo flies out of his pocket while munching on a grape. "Nathaniel, are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

"Nooroo, I need those Miraculous," he countered.

"But why?" The Kwami pressed. "What wish is so important that it could affect the fabric of space and time?" He asked, flinching when he was met with a glare.

Seeing the look of fear in the Kwami's eyes, Nathaniel was quick to apologize. "Nooroo... I'll tell you later, alright?" When the Kwami nodded, he transformed, "Wings Rise."

Monarch tapped the gem on top of his cane, releasing the origami Akuma. "You know the way, little guy." The Akuma flies through the vents and makes their way into the locker room where Ivan sits on the floor, clutching something in his fist. The Akuma flies toward him and infects what he has in his hand.

"Welcome back, Stoneheart," Monarch crooned. "And this time, you'll have some help to keep people away from the love of your life. Just remember what I ask for in return."

Ivan just nodded and turned back into Stoneheart once again. And at the same time, all around Paris, the other Stonehearts unfreeze.

🐈⬛🎮

"Adrien Agreste?"

"Present."

"Chloe Bourgeois?"

"Present!"

"Ivan Bruel?"

The classroom wall bursts open, revealing Stoneheart. "PRESENT!" Chaos erupts, and students make a break for it, however, Mylene wasn't so lucky as Stoneheart grabbed her.

"Let go of me!"

While everyone else either ran out of the school or took shelter in the classroom that wasn't destroyed, Max made a break for the locker room, panting a bit since he wasn't exactly the most physically fit person in his class.

"Kid, you gotta work out more," Plagg told him as he flew out from his bag. "But hey! A day off from school! If you ask me, you seem like you could use one."

Max pushed up his glasses. "Maximillian Kante does not take days off from school. "Plagg, Claws Out!" Now as Ikati Black, he smashed a hole through the window with his staff since he just couldn't run out of the locker room right after Max ran into it. People will get suspicious. Plus, what's one cracked window compared to a destroyed wall?

He leaped through and started vaulting after Stoneheart who not only had Mylene but Chloe, too!

Ikati Black groaned. "Now I've gotta save Chloe? This day just keeps getting better. Hey, you!" Stoneheart and his minions turn to him. "Yeah! With the boulder for a brain! Let's settle this one-on-one until Scarlet Beetle gets here!"

Stoneheart bellowed, "SEIZE HIM!" And the stone beings run amok and surround Ikati Black, but the hero doesn't back down.

"Here's hoping your brains are made of rock, too!" He vaults himself on top of one of the Stoneheart's head and leaps off just before another can hit him, and instead, knocks the other copy out. Ikati Black then runs into an evacuated street and throws his staff. The weapon extends and embeds itself between two buildings, but the Stoneheart copies don't see it and trip when they run after the hero.

"Ikati: two. Rock monsters: zero," he said triumphantly before retrieving his staff, making sure to stay away from the Stonehearts' hands so they don't try to grab him. With most of them out of the way, he vaults after the original Stoneheart, wondering frantically to himself where Scarlet Beetle is. This is his chance to fix everything, after all!

Seeing Marinette and Alya filming from afar, he yells, hoping Scarlet Beetle is watching the live stream, "Scarlet Beetle! If you can hear me, I can't do this on my own!"

Marinette chewed on her nails. "Where is he?"

"Guys! Look out!" Someone yelled.

The two barely have enough time to react to a car hurtling towards them. Alya tries to get Marinette to safety, but she's frozen in shock. "Girl, we gotta go!" Seeing the car getting closer, Alya moves in front of Marinette, hoping maybe the impact will be just a little less painful for her new friend when all of a sudden, Scarlet Beetle swooped in and brought them to safety before the car could hit them. Alya's eyes gleamed. "You came!"

"Hey, I wasn't going to put people in danger again," he said before swinging after Ikati Black to join the fight.

"I'm glad you could make it," Ikati Black said to Scarlet Beetle when he caught up, getting a grateful smile in response. "I managed to take out a couple of copies, but there are still more, and I'm not sure how we're going to take care of them all."

"... What if we went for the original?" When his partner didn't have anything to say, he took it as a sign to continue. "Well, what if taking out the original Stoneheart turns everyone back to normal? It's... Have you seen Be More Chill?"

"Only fifteen times!"

Scarlet Beetle continued, "Well when you take out one Squip, you take them all out, but for us, instead of it being just any Stoneheart, we have to go for the first one- Ivan!"

Once they landed on a roof, Ikati Black gave him a friendly punch in the arm. "I knew you had ideas! And there he is!" He points to the Eiffel Tower. Stoneheart stands on the second floor with the police and news choppers surrounding him.

"I demand my daughter's safe return!" Mayor Bourgeois yelled through a megaphone.

It almost looked like Stoneheart was smirking. "You know what? You can have her!" He throws Chloe as she screams for her life.

"Oh, HELL NO!" Scarlet Beetle yelled and surged forward towards the structure. When he was close enough, he could hear Chloe... Praying?

"I promise I'll be nice to everyone, say please and thank you all-" Her pleading is cut off when Scarlet Beetle catches her just in time. "... I didn't promise anything." Once she's back on the ground, she immediately runs to hug her father.

"We're clear to attack!" Roger yelled to the police force.

"WHAT?!" Ikati Black screamed, shocking Scarlet Beetle a bit. "Do you not see the other girl in his hand?! What if you hit her?! And do you not see what happens when you hit him? He grows!"

Roger merely pushed him to the side. "Step aside, kid, and let the pros do their thing! You and your bullheaded partner already failed once!"

Unbeknownst to Ikati Black, Roger’s words hit a little too close to home for Scarlet Beetle. When students became aware that he didn't exactly excel in academics, they called him all sorts of things- Moron, meathead, idiot, you name it. He struggled not to cry in front of everyone, but it always got harder with each name.

"What the fuck did you just call him?" Ikati Black hissed in an almost cat-like manner. "Repeat it! What the fuck did you just call him?!"

"Settle down-"

Ikati Black snatched his megaphone and yelled through it, "FUCK OFF ROGER! The rest of you! Unless you wanna look like jackasses for firing at a villain while he still has a captive, you're all going to listen to me, and listen good! GOT IT?!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good! Now, do not fire! If I see even a finger on your triggers, I'm going to start bashing heads!" Seeing Roger opening his mouth, he shoots him with the harshest glare he's ever mustered, making the policeman back down. "Understood?!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

The leather-clad hero smirked. Something about making adults cower before him just felt so right. He turns to a stunned Scarlet Beetle, his voice and expression gentler than just a few seconds ago. "Let's just say I've got a friend like you, and I won't tolerate anyone calling him names."

Scarlet Beetle subtly wiped a tear away. "Thanks, Ikati." Hearing a loud coughing sound, everyone whips their heads up toward the Eiffel Tower. "Oh, what's going on?"

Stoneheart coughs and spits out a small swarm of purple butterflies that flutter down to the ground and form Monarch. The villain speaks through his double, loud enough for the news choppers. "Listen carefully, Paris!"

"Monarch," the heroes simultaneously hissed.

"Scarlet Beetle, Ikati Black, hand over your earrings and rings, now! You'll end the terror you've brought unto this city and the innocent people in it!"

Feeling a burst of confidence, Scarlet Beetle approaches the Monarch standing in front of him and Ikati Black, clapping a slow, sarcastic clap. "Great show, Monarch, wonderful. But let's not swap the roles, okay? Without you, Ivan Bruel wouldn't have turned into Stoneheart, and neither would the innocent victims! And no matter how damn long it takes, we WILL hunt you down, find you, and take YOUR Miraculous!" He throws his yoyo at the multiple corrupted butterflies, catching them with it while everyone watched, astonished. "Let me make one more thing clear, Monarch! And this goes out to all of Paris! We will not rest until you are all safe again!" He opens his yoyo, a massive flurry of white origami butterflies comes out before gently raining down into the cupped hands of civilians as they cheer on the heroes.

Ikati Black gave an impressed nod. "Whoever that guy is... He's amazing."

"Ugh! Those cheesy monologues are the only things I HATE about heroes! Stoneheart, they're trying to take her away from you! Take their Miraculous so they'll be powerless against you!"

Stoneheart begins to climb higher up the Eiffel Tower while the stone beings stalk towards Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black.

Ikati Black extended his staff and hooked an arm around Scarlet Beetle. "Going up!" He vaults them over to the tower, and the two begin scaling the structure. "So, what's the plan?"

"First, Lucky Charm!" A parachute drops in his hands. "I was kind of hoping for something to help pry his hand open, but... Wait! I've got it! I'll be right back!" He swings over to the hand that's holding Mylene and hands her the parachute. "You're gonna want to hold this."

She looks at the parachute for a moment, nervous. "Why?"

"Trust me," is all he says before tying his yoyo around Stoneheart's fist and leaping to the other side. "Put it on as quickly as you can!" Scarlet Beetle gives his yoyo string a quick tug, pulling Stoneheart's hand and Mylene kisses the Akuma. Out of shock, Stoneheart lets go of her, and Mylene screams for her life until she remembers the parachute, hastily puts it on, and pulls on the cord to slow her descent.

While Stoneheart is still distracted, Ikati Black grabs the possessed object in Stoneheart's hand and yells, "Cataclysm!" destroying it with the destructive energy in his hand, making him a little giddy. "Okay, that was pretty cool! Evil butterfly coming your way, Scarlet!" He sees black and purple smoke surrounding Stoneheart, turning him back into Ivan, and he begins to fall from the Eiffel Tower. "I gotcha!"

While Scarlet Beetle purifies the butterfly that started this whole mess, Ikati Black jumps after Ivan. After securing an arm around him, Ikati Black extends his staff to the ground and slowly lowers himself and Ivan back down, just in time to hear,

"MIRACULOUS SCARLET BEETLE!"

Ikati Black looked up to see thousands of ladybugs swarming around Paris turning everyone back to normal and fixing the damage caused. "Damn. This is… Amazing!”

🐈⬛🎮

“DAMNIT! DAMNIT! DAMNIT!” Nathaniel yelled, hitting his fists against his bedroom walls. “You have gotta be kidding me!”

Nooroo felt as though he was watching a child throwing a tantrum, once again, making him wonder what he had got himself into.

🐈⬛🎮

Scarlet Beetle makes his way over to Ivan and gives the restored note back to him. “I think this is yours’, but, word of advice? You won’t know how she feels until you give it to her. I read the lyrics, and you’ve got some talent, man.”

Ivan gives a faint smile. “Thanks… But, I don’t…”

”Why don’t I just do that for you?” Scarlet Beetle takes the note and hands it to Myléne. “Courtesy of him.” He points to Ivan with his pinky finger. “We’ll leave you guys to it.”

Before leaving, Ikati Black gives Ivan a thumbs up.

🐈⬛🎮

”So, I’m thinking for our next post, we find out who’s under the masks!”

Marinette didn’t even need time to think about that. “Wouldn’t that be dangerous, Alya? I mean, think about it- If everyone knows who Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black are under their masks before Monarch is defeated, then Monarch will know who they are and go after them, their friends, their family.”

Alya furrowed her brow in thought. She hadn’t even thought about that. “Yeah, you’re right, girl. That’d be awful, and it’d be on me!” She pulls the shorter girl in for a side hug. “This is why I’m glad to be working with you!”

”Ditto,” Marinette giggled. “Oh! How about this? I can show off some outfits inspired by the heroes I’ve been planning out!”

”Oh, I didn’t know you sewed!”

”Just a bit.”

As they walked into the classroom, Marinette smiled at the sight of Myléne and Ivan sharing a chaste kiss before making their way back to their desks. Then she notices the empty desk Chloé and Sabrina took…

”Alya… Follow me, please.” She takes the creole girl’s hand and brings her over to her original desk, feeling just a bit devious when she sits in Chloé’s seat.

Adrien gave a slow clap similar to Scarlet Beetle when he confronted Monarch. ”Bad. Ass. I like you!”

Marinette gave a wave of her hand. “Oh, stop!”

”A-HEM!” Chloé stormed over to the blue-haired girl who didn’t look the least bit afraid while Sabrina seemed to be trying to keep her calm. “What do you peasants think you’re doing in MY seat?!”

Adrien smirked as he leaned back in his seat. “A little thing called ‘sticking it to the man.’”

”And what that means is,” Marinette continued. “I'm not putting up with your shit anymore, Chloé! And neither is anyone else around here! So take your attitude, your bleached hair, and go get lost!” All of the other students laugh and cheer her on while Chloé takes Marinette’s previous seat, angrily. Sabrina looks conflicted for a moment, never hearing anyone back talk Chloé like that, especially Marinette. Remembering that she’s still standing around, she scurried over to the desk and took her seat next to Chloé.

🐈⬛🎮

Nathaniel holds his hand out in front of him, feeling a few raindrops hitting his hand. ”Shit.” He heard it was supposed to rain today, but he left his umbrella right on his bed. It was right in front of him, too. At least his home was about a five-minute walk, he could bear it.

“Hey. Do you want this?” A familiar-sounding voice asked.

Turning his head, he sees a… Very tall boy who looks just a bit on the feminine side with messy black hair and beautiful green eyes holding out a red umbrella.

“A-are you sure?” Nathaniel stammered. “I don’t want you getting soaked because of me.”

“It’s alright,” he assured. “I’m wearing a hoodie, so I'll be alright. Go ahead.”

”… Thank you,” he said, taking the umbrella. “H-hey, before I go, have we met before?”

“Well, you’re wearing purple jeans, so I’m guessing you’re the guy who was talking to me while I hid in my locker.”

It soon dawned on Nathaniel. “Oh my God, you’re the guy who kicked that asshole!”

He laughed. “Yeah, and you’re the guy who stole Marinette’s jeans.”

”No, she stole my look then gave it back because she knows I look better in them… I’m Nathaniel.” He holds out his hand for a handshake.

The other boy takes his hand. “I'm Marc.” Interrupting this friendly moment is a peal of thunder in the distance. “Oh, I better get home before the rain gets worse.” Marc slips his hood over his head and makes his way down the stairs. “I’ll see you around, Nathaniel.”

”You like him, don’t you?” Nooroo giggled at the flustered look on his holder’s face. “I can sense your emotions, Nathaniel, Marc’s too.”

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. “I don’t care, Nooroo… But, how does he feel about me?”

"I thought you didn't care," Nooroo said in a teasing fashion.

🐈⬛🎮

Marc still couldn't believe he had talked to Nathaniel twice! The short comics he posts on the school website sometimes are only one of the sources of inspiration for the stories he writes, so of course, he's a little excited! It's just unbelievable... And they met while he was hiding in a locker. But at least he managed to sound casual and not like a fanboy when giving him his umbrella, so that's something to be proud of.

Hopefully, they'd talk some more throughout the school year, maybe even hang out sometime. Rousing Marc from his daydreaming is when he passes by a small jewelry store he usually goes to.

He decides to take a quick look at the new window display and sees a few things he might wear such as choker necklaces, studded bracelets, and even a few chains for his belt. But then something catches his eye. It's a small brooch bejeweled, royal blue in color, and shaped like a spread-out peacock tail. He can't stop looking at it and even thinks about going in the store to buy it, but the sound of thunder is quick to make him hurry home, still thinking about that brooch.

Chapter Text

"Welcome to the finals of our KIDZ+ competition! When today, one lucky winner will be announced as our brand new KIDZ+ weather girl!"

The crowd begins chanting Mireille and Aurore's names as they step out of their limo, Aurore waving and blowing kisses as she walks with her iconic parasol while Mireille just politely waves. Both are giving forced smiles, Nathaniel notices. Having learned how to draw different facial expressions over the years, Nathaniel can tell when a smile is natural or forced.

That, and he’s waited on enough Bible-thumping Karens at his mother's diner to know what a fake smile is and how to pull one off as best as he could. This one lady nearly caused his lips to split in half.

"Screw you for pitting our friends against each other!"

"Boo! Cataldi sucks! Booo!"

The camera pans over to the crowd members cursing Alec’s name, and Nathaniel instantly recognizes them as Mme. Mendeleieve's students. Unlike the other crowd members holding up signs and wearing shirts with just one girl's face, they have signs and shirts (No doubt made by Marinette) with both of their images surrounded by hearts.

A muscular student with curly hair points an accusing finger at Alec. "You just want drama, Cataldi!"

"What do they mean?" Asked Nooroo as he watched the scene play out on Nathaniel's laptop.

"Well, Alec Cataldi is sort of notorious for stirring up drama on his tv show and humiliating people just for ratings," Nathaniel explained. "People want to hate him, but they just love drama a little more." The Kwami nodded but didn't really understand his words. "Mme. Mendeleieve's class hates him the most out of every class in our school, but I never really knew why."

"Kiss my ass, Cataldi!" Ismael, a boy on the short side wearing a blue cardigan yelled, eliciting some cheers from his friends. The loudest one had to be...

"Marc?" Nathaniel was not at all expecting that. From their technically second meeting, he saw Marc as this shy student who probably hid his face behind a book whenever he was called on in class to answer a question... Kind of like him.

Alec nervously chuckled when the cameraman panned back to him. "We started off with five-thousand contestants-"

"All of whom you humiliated live on television so bad, that they ran off crying!" Marc yelled.

"But with the help of our audience at home, we whittled our talent down to just these two amazing young ladies!"

"Because they're best friends and you just wanna stir drama!"

"... So let's welcome our fantastic finalists! To my right, Aurore Beauréal, and to my left, Mireille Caquet! Who will be the lucky winner?"

"And who will have the honor of being humiliated by the one and only Alec Cataldi?!"

Alec pointed to the class. "Get those kids out of here!"

"HEY!" Screamed Lacey, a blonde girl with her hair cut short like Rose's as she and her friends are dragged away from the crowd by security. "We'll be back! We have nothing else to do today!"

As their screams of protest faded into the distance, Alec continued with a practiced smile. "Vote now! Text 1 for Aurore and 2 for Mireille! And remember, standard text messaging rates apply."

Nooroo giggled. "I like them. Are they always like that?"

"I heard they've been friends since we were ten. They've always been sort of... Chaotic." That's an understatement; they were the school's demons. Even when they weren't in the same classes when it was a new school year, they were always causing some sort of trouble. Though, there was one boy missing. Nathaniel doesn't really remember his name, but he wore all black, had black glasses, your standard emo one wouldn't expect to stir up trouble like say, Aurore, Simon, Mireille, Marc, and Reshma.

"But why do they hate Alec so much?" Nooroo wondered, rousing Nathaniel from his thoughts. "What has he done to them?"

Nathaniel bit his lip in thought for a moment. "I'm not really sure. That's sort of an in-class thing and no one outside their class or friend group knows. All I know is that it involves one of them."

Not wanting to think about that even more, Nathaniel closes his laptop and grabs his messenger bag. "Now come on. Remember, Marinette somehow roped me into helping her babysit." Nooroo flies into the side pocket as Nathaniel makes his way out of his room.

☔🦋

"Come on, Manon! Give me my phone back!" It's times like these, Marinette wishes she weren't such a people pleaser. She chases the little pigtailed girl down the stairs and into the living room, suppressing a few giggles to try and be serious, but it's hard to when you're chasing after someone half your height.

"But I wanna vote for Mireille! She's the best!" Manon cheered as she tried to look for the KIDZ+ website.

Marinette groaned at that. It's not that she didn't like Mireille, she's one of her friends. What she doesn't like is having to choose between her and Aurore, another one of her friends. "Alright, you can vote, but then I need my phone back, okay- Where'd you go?" She looks around and sees that Manon is nowhere to be found. "Ugh!"

Before she can go to look for the little terror, the doorbell is heard. "I'll find you later Manon," she sang, then went to open the door. Relief washed over when she saw that it was Nathaniel. "Nath! Thank God!"

He shakes his head. "Remind me why I agreed to take time out of my busy schedule to help you babysit?"

"Because Alix is out of town today with her family, Rose and Juleka are on a date, and they're the only people you ever hang out with."

"... Touche. So," He makes his way into the room. "Where is this sweet little angel you were talking-"

"BOO!"

"AAH! He instantly clings to Marinette while the 'sweet little angel' laughs and rolls on the floor, clutching her sides. "Well, I see you exaggerated."

Rolling her eyes, Marinette pulls the redhead off of her and goes to take her phone away from Manon. Once Manon's little giggle fit ended, she turned to Marinette and asked, "Is he your boyfriend?" causing both teens to turn as red as Nathaniel's hair.

Nathaniel poked the side pocket where Nooroo was hiding, knowing he was snickering, and kneeled down to the young girl's height. "No, Manon, we're not boyfriend and girlfriend," he explained, getting over his shock. "Yes, I would be lucky to date Marinette-"

"Nath!" She groaned.

"But, we're strictly friends."

Manon tilted her head in an innocent fashion that contradicts her personality just a bit. "Who are you, anyway?”

Nathaniel smiled. "A prince named Wildfire from a faraway planet called Tamaran, disguised as a typical human boy who is, by the way, an amazing artist. I draw wonderful pictures, but only for little bumgorfs who behave." He taps Manon's nose with one of his pencils, making her scrunch her face and giggle before pouting.

"No your not!... Are you?"

"You'll find out at the park!" He picks Manon up and swings her around a bit before holding her on his hip. Marinette looks on with absolute shock, wondering how Nathaniel who is- not to be rude- a pushover, got Manon to behave so quickly.

"I handle kids like her all the time at mom's diner, same with my younger cousins at family reunions," he said, answering her unasked question. "Now, let's go to the park!"

"Yay!" Manon cheered.

☔🦋

Aurore was sweating bullets the entire time. She really hoped she would win this, not just to make her dream come true, but to rub it in Alec's smug face when his perfect little world comes crashing down. Just a few more minutes until all the votes are counted...

"Good luck," Mireille whispered to her, giving the blonde a faint smile.

Aurore returns the look. "You too, 'Elle."

"This is the moment we've been waiting for!" Alec said to the audience members. "The viewers at home have made their decision, and the new KIDZ+ weather girl is..."

The two girls held their breaths and looked to the screen, awaiting the results. When the signal was given that every vote had been counted, the screen switched to show the tallies, and...

"... Fuck," Aurore hissed.

"Mireille!" The audience members burst into cheers, holding up signs they made in support of the winner. Alec gestured for Mireille to step forward, and she reluctantly did so, giving her best smile and a shy wave. When Alec wasn't looking, she turned back to Aurore to mouth, 'Sorry,' but she was already storming off.

"Hey, what's the big deal?" Alec called after her. "You only lost by half a million votes!"

Mireille paled. 'WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!'

☔🦋

"So, what's Tamaran like?" Manon asked, still believing Nathaniel is an intergalactic prince like he told her earlier.

"It's absolutely breathtaking when it's not being invaded by the Gordanian armada," he explained. "When they invaded my home and turned it into basically this barren desert, my parents sent me away to preserve the royal bloodline once the Gordanians were defeated."

Skeptically, Marinette furrowed her brow. "Isn't this from Teen Titans?"

Ignoring her, Nathaniel pointed and said, "Hey, isn't that Adrien?"

Marinette was about to tell him not to change the subject until she spotted the blonde in the middle of what appeared to be a photo shoot. "Oh yeah. Why don't we stay around and wait until he's done?"

"Is he your boyfriend?" Manon asked, getting a wide-eyed look from Marinette and a laugh out of Nathaniel.

"Yes, Manon," he smirked. "He is in fact, her- Ow!" Before he could finish that sentence, Marinette punched him in the arm. "Careful! I'm frailer than the skeleton in the science lab."

"Manon, Adrien's just a..." She trailed off, not really sure what to call him. They haven't really interacted much unless Adrien was defending her from Chloe or Marinette was telling him that she could handle her on her own, not in a snappy way, though. Sometimes they had lunch because Nino invited him to sit at a table with her, Kim, Max, and Alya and when he didn't have to eat at  home."... We're sort-of friends? I don't know, it's complicated."

Nathaniel shot her a look and smirked. "Sure, Mari. Sure." While Manon kept asking questions about Adrien and Marinette begrudgingly answered as vaguely as possible, Nathaniel suddenly picked up a triad of negative emotions coming not too far from here.

Humiliation... Hatred... Envy...

Looking around for a quick excuse to transform and send out an Akuma, Nathaniel eventually comes up with one. Discretely pulling out his phone, he looks through his photos until he finds a screenshot he's saved for moments where he needs to walk away from a conversation. "Hey, it's my cousin," he said with a groan, showing Marinette the screenshot.

"What does he want?" Marinette asked with so much acid in her voice that it could melt through metal.

The class wasn't particularly fond of Nathaniel's cousin, probably because back when he was one of their classmates, he was a total snitch and liked to blackmail the other students in exchange for keeping their secrets safe from teachers and parents. When his family had to move to the Netherlands, the class couldn't be more thrilled. Even Chloe was in a good mood that day and laid off the insults.

"I don't know, just let me get him off my back." He turns to Manon. "See, on my planet, we call people like him a Clorbag Vorblernelk." Manon giggled when she heard what she believed to be a curse word while Nathaniel walked off to take his imaginary call.

He made his way towards a shaded area of The Place des Vosges and look around to make sure no one could see him. Fortunately, there weren't many people in the park today, practically just him, Marinette, Manon, Adrien, and his photoshoot staff.

Nooroo flies out of Nathaniel's bag. "Will Marinette and Manon be safe?"

"If something happens to them, I'll call it off, okay?" Like he'd let one of his Akumas hurt one of his friends. Thank God Stoneheart didn't find Kim. "Nooroo, Wings Rise." Transformed into Monarch, he took a premade origami butterfly out of his transformed messenger bag- now a purple bucket bag with a white strap embroidered with black butterflies- and infused it with magic, turning it into an Akuma before sending it off.

"Find them quickly," he told it. Fortunately, his cousin is notorious for being a bit of a motormouth, so it won't be too suspicious that he's gone for a while. But, not even a minute later, he connects with his next Akuma, Aurore. She must've lost the contest... "Hello, Stormy Weather. I heard the news, and let me just give my condolences and say you should have won."

"Yes! I should have won!"

"Exactly. Now you'll be the only weather girl Paris needs. And in exchange, you just need to bring me Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's Miraculous. How about it?"

"Yes! Alec won't know what hit him!"

Monarch blinked, not expecting that. He thought she'd be mad at Mireille, but knowing Alec, he probably humiliated Aurore live on the air, so Mireille is most likely second on her revenge list.

"Well, don't let me keep you waiting." Once she transformed, Monarch dropped his transformation and handed Nooroo a grape to eat. "Alright, we should go indoors because with the powers I gave her, the weather's going to be a little crazy." As Nooroo flew back into his bag, Nathaniel walked out of the clearing, looking annoyed as if he had actually talked to his cousin when suddenly, he collided with someone- "Oh! Sorry, I... Marc?"

The noirette smiled. "H-hey, Nathaniel. I didn't know y-you were here."

"I'm just helping Marinette babysit." He points to Marinette, who's being dragged by Manon over to a guy selling balloons with... Mireille's face on them. That was quick... A little too quick. "Hey, how'd they get Mireille's face on balloons so fast?"

"Her face on what?" Asked another voice. Nathaniel looked to see the rest of Mme. Mendeleieve's class making their way into the park, still sporting the shirts they wore while bashing Alec in front of dozens of cameras.

Ismael looks to where Marinette and Manon are and furrows his brow at the balloons. "How they'd make those so fast?"

"That's what I said," Nathaniel remarked. "It's like they were pre-made, or something..."

Then it hits them all at the same time.

"He didn't."

"He did."

"Did what?"

"Alec rigged the votes."

"Oohhh... Yeah, he did that."

Simon took a sharp inhale. "Okay. Now we have even more reason to hate that gobshite, Alec Cataldi! We need to go check on Aurore and get to her before Monarch does!"

"Simon, it's been two weeks," Denise tells him. "And what are the odds Monarch will pick out Aurore?"

"RUN!" A civilian yelled right before getting encased in a block of ice.

"Very high chances!" Cosette screamed.

Remembering Marinette and Manon, Nathaniel runs over to them before Stormy Weather sees them with one of Mireille's balloons. No doubt that'll set her off. 'What's she doing here?! She's supposed to be after Alec!' "Marinette! Look out!"

The Eurasian girl doesn't have enough time to react to a blast that hits her, putting her in a block of ice right before Manon's eyes. Seeing that Stormy Weather was about to fire a blast at her, too, Nathaniel picked up speed and pulled her away towards the carousel, hoping that maybe, the Akuma won't see them and go after some other civilians.

Thankfully, but also, unfortunately, Stormy Weather fires an icy wind that doesn't freeze them in place like Marinette, just captures them in a massive block of ice that encases the carousel.

"NO!" Marc cried.

"¡Mierda!" Denise cursed as they gathered Simon and Jean in their arms, getting ready to run before the new Akuma freezes them, only to be stopped by Reshma putting a hand on their bicep.

"Wait! That's Aurore!" She recognized those pigtails anywhere.

Ismael groaned. "Fuck you, Alec! We still gotta get out of here, Resh!" Without waiting for a response, he takes her hand and drags her out of the park. Before the others make it out with them, Stormy Weather blasts their only exit, creating a massive block of ice.

"No one's going anywhere," the Akuma crooned.

Jean bravely stepped forward, only to take a step or two back when Stormy Weather pointed her parasol at him. “H-hey, Aurore, my sweet sunshine…” He trails off when she charges up a blast and tries to choose his words more carefully. “Um…” For the first time in his life, Jean doesn’t know what to say. So, he blurts, "Why are you after us?! Alec is the one who fucked everything up!”

"Jean," Simon started, trying to get him to be quiet before they all end up frozen.

The brunette just continued. "Yeah! Yeah, Alec rigged the votes! That's why there's so much Mireille merch out so early! He planned this! Probably from the start!"

Stormy Weather just giggled, but it wasn’t a lighthearted one. “Oh, I figured, and I took care of Alec before coming here. I merely dropped by to show all of Paris their new weather girl!” Hearing this, her friends paled and tried to back away. Before she could say anything, a familiar yoyo wrapped around her ankle and yanked her away from her classmates, pulling her towards Scarlet Beetle.

"Hey, Elsa! Nice outfit!" He teased.

Stormy Weather snarled and hit the hero with a strong gust of wind, making him lose his grip on his yoyo and allowing her to escape. "My name is Stormy Weather, you stupid bug!" Before he could get back up, she fires another gust at Scarlet Beetle which sends him flying a long way and making him land in a nearby street right near Ikati Black.

"Angered the Akuma?" Scarlet Beetle nods. "They have weather-based powers?" Another nod, followed by Ikati Black helping him up to his feet.

"We should be expecting freak lightning storms like right NOW!"

Ikati Black and Scarlet Beetle look up at the blackened sky, lightning striking in every direction and hitting roofs and cars. One bolt comes close to hiring Scarlet Beetle, making him scream and jump into Ikati Black's arms.

"It's okay," the leather-clad hero reassured. "Lightning doesn't strike in the same- OH, GOD!" He flinches as a lightning bolt strikes the exact same spot where Scarlet Beetle stood.

"Black ice!" Her parasol blasts the street with ice, making Ikati black slip and fall with Scarlet Beetle on top of him. "Your Miraculous are MINE!" Seeing her charge up another blast, Scarlet Beetle throws his yoyo at her parasol, knocking her blast off course so that she hits her classmates. "NO!"

"... Ôi, chết tiệt," Scarlet Beetle cursed as he retracted his yoyo.

Noticing lightning surrounding Stormy Weather as her frown deepened and the wind picking up and throwing cars in every direction, Ikati Black takes it as a sign to run. "Scarlet, I think we better go." He wraps his arm around his partner's waist and quickly vaults away as Stormy Weather gave chase.

☔🦋

"Okay, this should keep you warm for a while," Nathaniel said to Manon as he put his blazer around her.

She looked up at him with big, curious eyes and asked, "Is Marinette gonna be okay?"

"Uh..." He glances at Marinette, then Adrien, and then Mme. Mendeleieve's students, all frozen in blocks of ice. "... She'll be fine. But, in the meantime, why don't I tell you more about Tamaran?" Manon eagerly nodded. "Okay, so I had two sisters, a nice one named Starfire, and an evil one named Blackfire. She did all sort of horrible stuff to us when we were young, like cut our hair while we were asleep, and put stinermites in our beds."

"What are stin... Stinamites?"

"A bug on Tamaran that... Eats little kids!" Manon begins to laugh as he poked at her sides. This came to an end when he heard cracks coming from the ice and looks up to see stalactites growing on the ceiling. "Let's just move, okay?" He leads Manon under the carousel. "Hurry up, you two," he muttered under his breath, actually hoping for the heroes to win.

☔🦋

"Hello, viewers!" The heroes look to see her image on a cracked screen. Both furrowed their brows. Wasn't she just chasing them a moment ago? "Here's the latest forecast for the first day of summer! It seems as though Mother Nature had a change of plans! Summer vacation is officially over!"

Scarlet Beetle groaned. "What?! But I look amazing in swimsuits!"

Ikati Black chuckled in a desperate attempt to hide his slight arousal to the thought of his muscular partner in a swimsuit. "The hoodie is fine, thank you. And at least we know where to find the Elsa knock-off."

"Hey, check that out." Ikati Black looks to where Scarlet Beetle is pointing. A poster of Aurore Beauréal. "She looks just like Stormy Weather."

"She could be her," Ikati Black deduced. "Alec humiliated her live on the air, and I've seen her around while in civilian form. She usually carries around a parasol. That might be her akumatized object."

Scarlet Beetle nodded before looking back at the screen. "And look at where she is. That's the same weather backdrop they use at the TVi studio for KIDZ+."

"Then that's where we're going!" Ikati Black declared before vaulting towards the building with Scarlet Beetle swinging after him.

When they enter the studio, Stormy Weather is nowhere to be found, just patches of ice on the floor and small piles of snow that are somehow not melting. Realizing what had happened, Ikati Black groaned and facepalmed.

"It was a recording!"

A cackle is heard, followed by thunder and then the lights flickering on and off before staying off.

"... Well, this sucks," Scarlet Beetle muttered. "I don't suppose cats have night vision?"

"We do," Ikati Black said proudly as he took Scarlet Beetle's hand and leads him out of the studio. "Try to keep up!"

"Ow!"

"Sorry! Okay, we're in a stairwell now. Get out your yoyo just in case," he instructed.

"How am I gonna know where to throw it?"

"I'll let you know-"

"The itsy-bitsy spider went up the water spout... Down came the rain and washed the spider out..."

"... Ikati? Is that you?" The red-clad hero asked, his voice quivering a bit. If there were two things he hated in this world, it's cheaters and creepy nursery rhyme music.

Ikati Black squeaked. "No."

"It never saw the sun and got swept with all the rain... And the itsy-bitsy spider never saw light AGAIN!"

At the last line, water came flooding down the stairs, prompting Ikati Black to hold onto the railing and Scarlet Beetle's wrist so they wouldn't get swept away like that poor spider in the horrific version of that beloved nursery rhyme. When the water finally stopped, the two heroes were soaking wet and cold.

That aside, they continued their way up the stairs and made it to the roof where Scarlet Beetle could finally see. And what he saw was a massive hurricane that could pull trees out from the ground. Lightning struck everywhere, hail rained down from the darkened clouds, and in the middle of it all was Stormy Weather.

"You airheads fell right into my trap!" With her parasol, she conjures up a whirlwind that blows the heroes back. And they would've fallen off the roof if Scarlet Beetle had not grabbed onto the ledge.

"HAIL!"

Just as Scarlet Beetle pulled Ikati Black and himself back up on the roof, more hail rained down, prompting Ikati Black to spin his staff as a shield to protect him and his partner. "Any ideas, Scarlet? I can't keep this up!"

"Only one. Lucky Charm!" His power gives him... "A towel?" Remembering how he found a solution with Stoneheart, he looks around the area for anything lighting up.

HVAC tube... Bath towel... Billboard... Ikati Black...

Plan in mind, Scarlet Beetle points to the billboard. "I need you to Cataclysm that billboard. I'll cover you."

Ikati Black nodded and surged towards the billboard as Stormy Weather fired lightning at him, only for her attacks to be blocked by Scarlet Beetle spinning his yoyo. Once he got close enough to the billboard, Ikati Black yelled, "Cataclysm!" and slides his hand across the support beams holding up the billboard.

Seeing this, Stormy Weather charges up another blast to create a hole for her to fly through so she won't get hit. However, she doesn't notice Scarlet Beetle wrapping his yoyo around her ankle. He takes off running under some pipes and against a crane before jumping over the HVAC. He whips out the towel and uses it to soar through the air, pulling down Stormy Weather.

The speed at which she falls and the angle of the crane cause her to lose hold of her parasol. Ikati Black catches it and snaps it in half over his knee, releasing the Akuma.

Still in mid-air, Scarlet Beetle throws his yoyo at it. "Gotcha!" He exclaimed before releasing a purified origami butterfly that gets swept up with the strong wind. "And don't come back!" He throws his Lucky Charm into the air, allowing him to descend back to the roof as he yelled, "MIRACULOUS SCARLET BEETLE!"

The thousands of ladybugs that were once the towel flew all around the city, turning the weather back to normal, freeing people from ice blocks, and restoring anything destroyed by hailstorms and lightning.

☔🦋

"And that's what 'troq' means. And you should never, ever say that word- Huh?" Nathaniel blinks a few times to readjust his eyesight as the sunlight suddenly returned. The ice block surrounding the carousel begins to melt and the firefighters who were working for hours trying to free him and Manon high-fived and cheered as if they had something to do with it.

"So... Yeah!" He picks up Manon and walks her over to Marinette who's looking a little disoriented. "That's everything you need to know about my home planet."

"Will you ever see Starfire again?" Manon asked.

Nathaniel smiled. "I hope so. I miss hi- Her all the time." Manon didn't seem to hear his little mistake and smiled sweetly. Though, Nooroo heard him and looked at his holder in confusion before hiding as he approached Marinette.

"What happened?" She murmured. "Wasn't it raining just a moment ago?"

"There was an Akuma," Nathaniel explained. Noticing her checking over Manon for any injuries, he quickly told her, "Manon's fine. I took care of her and told her stories about Tamaran." After a quick sigh of relief, Marinette took Manon into her arms. "Call me again if you need a babysitter for her."

She beamed. "You know I will, Nath."

"YOU!"

All three flinched.

"GIRL WITH THE BLUE HAIR!" Slowly, they turned their heads to a man dressed in red and green plaid pants standing by the set for Adrien's photoshoot.

'And people mock my pants,' Nathaniel thought to himself.

Before he could shout again, Adrien made his way over to them with a sheepish expression. "Sorry about Vincent. He's a little eccentric."

"That's putting it lightly," Marinette said bluntly.

"Anyway, he said I looked tired or something, that I need a partner, and he took one look at you, Marinette. What do you say? Care to be on the cover of a magazine?"

At that last sentence, she choked on her own spit, prompting Nathaniel to pat her on the back. "M-me?! On a magazine? Wouldn't you rather have a professional? Or... Even Nath?"

"I'm flattered, but no thanks." He takes Manon back into his arms. "Now go. You've been trapped in ice for like an hour, go have fun!" Manon gives her a thumbs up and a toothy grin.

Not really seeing a way out of this, Marinette followed Adrien over to the set, leaving Nathaniel with Manon once again. Not that either one minded.

"Nath!" Cosette yelled as she and her classmates approached the two. "Thank fu... dge," she quickly corrected, remembering there was a child present. "You're okay!"

"Um, can we please acknowledge the cute little girl in his arms?" Jean pointed out. Manon beamed at the compliment. "What is this little angel's name?"

Nathaniel chuckled. "Trust me. Manon is no angel." Manon sticks her tongue out in response. "Anyway, I was helping Marinette watch her for today, but then she got frozen so I ended up taking care of Manon."

"You know," Simon starts, a mischievous smirk on his face. "Marc babysits kids, too. Heck, Lacey's brothers practically clung to his legs when it was time for him to leave." Marc's face goes red when he sees what the Irish student is trying to do. "If you ever need some help wrangling kids because they're little demons or an Akuma is going around freezing people, our classroom is right downstairs."

"Simon," the green-eyed boy hissed.

"I might just take him up on that offer," said Nathaniel, smiling brightly in Marc's direction before realizing, "Hey, shouldn't you guys check on Aurore? She was the Akuma, right?"

"Shoot!" Lacey screamed, still censoring curse words in front of Manon. "Thanks for reminding us, Nath! Oh, and Mireille! We gotta look for her, too!" She starts running towards the tv studio, her friends right behind her. "See you at school!" She yelled over her shoulder.

☔🦋

"Alec Cataldi! Did you rig the votes?"

"Was Aurore supposed to win, or one of the other girls?"

"What is your relationship with Mireille Caquet?"

Alec held his hands up in a 'settle down' motion and gave one of his award-winning smiles to try and get the media mob to quiet down so they don't attract even more attention. "Hey, hey, I can explain everything! Please! Settle down!"

Mireille and her friends smirked as they watched through the cracked-open door. "Serves you right, Alec."

Aurore quietly giggled before frowning. "So, I'm guessing neither of us was meant to win, huh?" Mireille pulls her in for a side hug.

"I'm pretty sure you were could have won without Alec, Aurore. You have an amazing speaking voice, you don't even need makeup," Mireille began to list. "Hell, I can't even give a presentation in front of the class without stammering, and I know you guys."

"Oh, I can relate," Marc sighed. "Just get it over with and you're done, but Mireille? Even without Cataldi's rigging, I'm sure you would've placed in at least the top five. People really do love you. Have you seen the comments people left when voting? It's nothing but positive stuff about you."

Mireille looked touched by those words. People actually do like her.

"So, what will happen to Alec?" Reshma wondered as they continued to watch Alec try to explain his actions. "Nothing good, I hope."

Denise waved her off. "Ah, he's rich and has a huge fanbase. Just wait. He'll be back on tv and starting up a new contest as if nothing happened. Power of fame, people.”

“Yep,” Mireille sighed. “Well, screw him. He’s a lousy host, a cheater, and an asshole of a dad.” Noticing her forlorn look, Aurore and the others take a break from watching Alec being bombarded by interviewers to comfort their friend.

Chapter Text

Like every single year, Adrien woke up to bright balloons to his right, a tray of cupcakes to his left, and his family with huge grins saying, "Bon anniversaire, Adrien!" Eagerly, he sat up out of his bed and quickly hugged his parents before hugging Nathalie and then Gorilla.

"Thanks, you guys!" He beamed. Even though they've been doing this for sixteen years now, he never gets tired of it. This was his day, his parents always cleared their schedules just to make time for him, and at the end of the day, they'd all go out to a nice restaurant where they'd give him their gifts. Being wealthy, many would expect only the most lavish gifts, like a new phone, a car, or gold jewelry, but Adrien's family knew him better than that. For him, they got him the latest mangas, a few collectibles from his favorite tv shows, and maybe a nice jacket or two from his father's collection.

Gabriel chuckled as he sat down on the bed. "Now, Adrien, your mother and I have been thinking about this ever since we decided to stop homeschooling you, and um... We thought that this year, maybe you'd like to celebrate your birthday a little differently." Off his confused expression, he continues, "You're at that age where you might like to-"

"Whoa! We had this talk, dad," Adrien interrupted, having some idea of where this conversation was headed. Nathalie slapped a hand over her mouth to hold back a laugh while Gorilla and Emilie just snickered.

"Not that," Gabriel bemoaned, much to Adrien's relief. "I meant, we've always planned your birthdays and we think, maybe this time you'd like to plan your party this year."

"Invite any new friends over, have the chefs prepare a nice buffet for everyone, maybe head into the game room," Emilie added. "What do you think?"

He's only been going to DuPont for three weeks now, and yet, Adrien's managed to make friends with all of his classmates and the science class students. They're a fun group of people, and he highly doubts any of them would say no to a mansion party with five-star restaurant-worthy desserts and video games that won't be released for another month, that is if they're not busy today, of course.

"I guess it couldn't hurt," Adrien said with a shrug then took one of his cupcakes. "I'll text them and see." Emilie kisses his forehead before heading to the door.

"Make sure to shower and get dressed, dear. School starts in an hour," she said, leaving the room with Gabriel, Nathalie, and Gorilla following behind.

Once they were gone, Adrien looked around in his bed for his phone, a common thing he does when he stays up on some nights reading anime fanfiction and then falls asleep with his phone in his hand which somehow then gets lost in his sheets. Finally, he finds it under his pillow and opens up the class group chat he and Alya were recently added on to.

Blonde Wonder:
Morning, guys

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Bon anniversaire!

Smol Thespian:
🥳

Son of Poseidon:
🎊

Purple Emo Bangs:
Bon anniversaire

Max Makes Mechs:
Good morning and Bon anniversaire

They See Me Rollin':
Bon anniversaire, dude!

DJ Lahiffe:
Bon anniversaire my brother!

Alya-is-Blogging:
Shit, I almost forgot! Bon anniversaire!

Blonde Wonder:
🤣 How does everyone know it's my birthday?

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Dude, your birthday is public knowledge...

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Same for your height, weight, address, and a bunch of other creepy stuff the paparazzi leaked out

Red Emo Bangs:
Damn, Mari

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Hey, it's better coming from a friend, right??

Blonde Wonder:
... Kay... Well anyway I was wondering if you guys were free today, maybe you'd like to come over my place for a party?

Buff But Sweet:
Just woke up. Bon anniversaire, Adrien

Buff But Sweet:
And yeah, that'd be cool

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Free food? I'm in!

DJ Lahiffe:
Mari, you get free food every day... But seriously, dude? Hell yeah I'll be there!

Briar Rose:
Good morning everyone! Bon anniversaire Adrien! And I'll be there!

Purple Emo Bangs:
I guess that could be fun

Red Emo Bangs:
Hey, I've got nothing to do today

They See Me Rollin':
I'm with Mari. FREE FOOD!

Blonde Wonder:
And video games that haven't come out yet 😉

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
... Video games?

DJ Lahiffe:
Oh dear Lord.

Max Makes Mechs:
Well, count me in

Son of Poseidon:
Adrien, WHY?!

Purple Emo Bangs:
*Hides under bed*

Blonde Wonder:
... I feel scared now

Buff But Sweet:
As you should

Alya-is-Blogging:
What did I miss?

DJ Lahiffe:
Alya, Adrien... Mari and Max may seem like nice, patient people... But give them a game controller, and they're demons

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Aw, is someone still bitter that I kicked his ass when we were ten?

Briar Rose:
I'm just gonna have breakfast now

DJ Lahiffe:
I have gotten over that!

Max Makes Mechs:
Sure, loser

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Up top ✋🏻

Max Makes Mechs:
✋🏾

They See Me Rollin':
Adrien, just know what you're getting yourself into.

Blonde Wonder:
Okay, now I'm really scared

Son of Poseidon:
Also, I'll be there

Alya-is-Blogging:
Same!

Smol Thespian:
This'll be fun! Are you inviting Mendeleieve's class?

Blonde Wonder:
Yeah, and maybe more since this'll be fun with more people. It IS my first party, after all, and I want to make it memorable

DJ Lahiffe:
I BEG YOUR PARDON?!

Blonde Wonder:
Yeah, it's always just been me and my family

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Oh, you poor, poor boy. We will help you!

Purple Emo Bangs:
This'll be your best birthday ever

Buff But Sweet:
Also, I'm wondering... Do you want Chloe and Sabrina to know?...

Blonde Wonder:
Chloe? NO! Sabrina?... I don't know. I feel like she might tell Chloe

Red Emo Bangs:
For her birthday, let's get her a backbone

They See Me Rollin':
🤣 Damn Nath!

Alya-is-Blogging:
Where's the redhead solidarity?

Red Emo Bangs:
*Bisexual gasp* How dare you?! She is a ginger while I am a redhead!

Alya-is-Blogging:
*Posh voice* A thousand apologies

Blonde Wonder:
We'll go over more of this at school (Away from Chloe)

Son of Poseidon:
You got it, dude

Blonde Wonder:
🤩 A man of culture, I see!

Max Makes Mechs:
Oh boy

Son of Poseidon:
Babe, have mercy

Max Makes Mechs:
KIIIIIIM!

They See Me Rollin':
School's gonna be fun today

Blonde Wonder:
We can annoy people with nineties classics later

DJ Lahiffe:
Yes!

Smol Thespian:
I'm out!

🫧🦋

"Should I...?" Nathaniel contemplated as he put on his blazer. It was too easy, but then again, it's Adrien's birthday... But he can't let this moment go to waste!... But it's Adrien's first party with friends... Then again, Chloe as an Akuma...

"But Nathaniel, it's Adrien's birthday," Nooroo piped up, echoing his concerns. As his chosen... texted on his... smartphone, he knew instantly Nathaniel had an idea in mind the second this Chloe girl was mentioned. From what the Kwami picked up, the girl is a bit of a brat due to her status as the mayor's daughter. And due to that status, she believes she can have whatever she wants and torments those she deems below her... Pretty much everyone except for that new boy. If she were to hear that she wasn't invited to Adrien's party, she'll surely be enraged and subjected to akumatization.

"You're not really going to akumatize Chloe, are you?"

Nathaniel groaned then went over to his mirror to make sure his Miraculous was on straight. "No, but... What if I just akumatize someone else?" He continued, "Okay, Chloe will obviously be angry that Adrien didn't invite her, so that's something to watch out for. But knowing Chloe, she'll do whatever she can to have Adrien all to herself, so... What if she does something that gets his party canceled?"

Nooroo blinked. "That sounds complicated."

"Well do you have any ideas?" Met with silence, he smirked. "That's what I thought.  And I'll figure something out... Eventually. Now let's go."

With a fond shake of his head, Nooroo flew into the side pocket of Nathaniel's messenger bag as he grabbed it off of his bed.

🫧🦋

"Party at Adrien's place," Alya whispered to Simon and Denise. "Make sure you don't say anything in front of Chloe or Sabrina." The two give her a thumbs up then head into the school. "How're you looking, Mari?"

"Ismael's going and so are a few people from the baking club. They insisted on bringing cupcakes by the way," she added with a giggle. "Think Chloe suspects anything?" As if she had been summoned, Chloe's limo came up to the school, and to no one's surprise, Sabrina came running after it, somehow not breaking a sweat... Almost as if she had done this many times...

Alya shook her head as Sabrina trailed behind Chloe, carrying her books, purse, and her own messenger bag. "That's just wrong. Why does no one help that girl?"

"Believe me, we've tried," Nino said, joining in the conversation. "But she's pretty stubborn when it comes to Chloe." The auburn-haired girl just frowned. "And by that, I mean we tried separating Sabrina from Chloe for a week."

"Not the best angle, but it's still something," Marinette remarked. "Since then, we've just let it be."

"Well... I'm not standing for it," Alya said determinedly, a fire in her eyes. "I'll leave it alone for now, but if I see more shit like this, I'm going off on blondie. I don't care if her dad does get me arrested, I will raise hell!" With that, she stormed to the front doors as her friends watched her with bewilderment and awe.

"Have you ever fallen in love with a person you've only known for a short while?" Nino asked after a beat.

Marinette arched an eyebrow. "Oh, hell no. I gotta know someone for at least six months before I start getting any feelings."

"Preach!" Alix hollered as she strolled past the two.

🫧🦋

"Adrikins!" Chloe cheered as soon as she saw the blonde walk through the doors. Before he could make a break for it, she was already wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek. "Bon anniversaire!"

Adrien groaned. He had gotten here a few minutes late so he wouldn't run into Chloe! She must've caught on. "Thanks, Chloe," he said uneasily while pulling away from her grip. "Alright, I'm just gonna get to-"

"Did you get the gift I sent you?" She quickly asked, clinging to his arm this time.

"Uh... No, not yet." he said, eyes trailing behind Chloe so he could see Sabrina struggling to carry Chloe's belongings and her own.

Chloe scoffed, her grip on Adrien's arm loosening. "Ugh! Just what I get for not choosing overnight delivery!" While she ranted about the delivery service, Adrien snuck away to go help Sabrina.

"Hey, lemme get your bag for you," he offered, but the ginger just shook her head.

"Oh, it's fine," Sabrina said with an easy smile. "Thanks anyway." Reluctantly, Adrien left while wondering if he should invite Sabrina. Lord knows she could use a day to have some fun for herself. He would have to take her phone so she can't call Chloe, though.

While Adrien made his way up the stairs, she calmly approached Chloe as she was in the middle of a tirade about ’Adrikins just walked away from me ?!’ “So, what did you get him?"

"Only something he’ll absolutely love. And when it finally shows up, get it from my mailbox," she demanded, jabbing her finger at Sabrina's forehead. "and it better be in tact when you deliver it to him!" With a flip of her ponytail, she snatched her purse and stormed to class while Sabrina tried to fish her phone out of her bag and not drop any of Chloe's things, knowing she'll be mad if they touch the floor 'peasants' stepped on.

"Lemme get those for you."

Sabrina looked up at the look of concern on the new girl's face. Since Chloe didn't care to learn her name, that meant she shouldn't either. But if she recalled, her name started with an A. "It's-"

"No it's not," she interrupted before taking Sabrina's belongings. "Girl, you need some better friends, you know that?" When the ginger didn't respond, she sighed, but not out of irritation like Chloe, this was more... Pitiful? "Let's get to class, alright?" Without saying a word, Sabrina followed her, not hunching her shoulders this time.

🫧🦋

Being the mayor's daughter and class representative, Chloe was, of course, entitled to know everyone's business. It was how things worked at this lousy school, and it made for utterly amazing humiliation material like last year. That meathead did not expect those fake spiders in his locker! She stifled a cackle then looked around the room. Usually, she'd never grace these losers with her gaze, but she needed answers.

First, that freak with the black bangs whispered to little miss sunshine, that nerd tossed a note to Stoneheart who showed it to that other freak with the bangs, all while Bustier's back was turned. Then the blogger nerds who should be posting more worthwhile stuff (Like her) were whispering non-stop and to her Adrikins! Just what were they planning without telling her?!

Rousing her from her thoughts is the sound of the bell ringing for study hall. While everyone gathered their belongings and headed out of the room, Chloe, out of the corner of her eye noticed that Nick, Noah- Or whatever his name is- left his phone on his desk... Perfect.

Chloe took her sweet time gathering up her things, shooing Sabrina to go without her instead of waiting on her like normal. Once she was alone in the room, she made her way up to the desk in the back and grabbed the cheap phone with her thumb and pointer finger. It was so... Last year... Fortunately, it was open so she wouldn't need to put in a password and she could see...

"How... DARE THEY?!"

🫧🦋

Unbeknownst to her, Nathaniel and Nooroo stood outside the classroom with matching grins that went unseen by Nathaniel hiding his face and the Kwami behind a history textbook.

"Okay, that was pretty fun," Nooroo relented as he took a bite out of a blueberry and listened to Chloé’s ranting.

🫧🦋

The heiress slammed the phone with the purple case facedown on the desk, not caring if the screen shattered. The absolute nerve of these peons! Throwing a party for Adrien behind her back and not inviting her! Honestly, a video game party? What were they, five? Adrien only enjoys the most elegant parties at the best restaurants in Paris with people that actually matter! It's been like that for years, and it'll stay that way!

... But how?

"Ugh," she groaned, hating having to come up with her own plans. Soon, it came to her. Being such a kind person, she won't cancel Adrien's birthday... Just the party these losers have planned. And all it takes is Gabriel's email login info which she just happens to know by heart... Of course, she can't be expected to do this herself. Now, where'd Sabrina run off to?

🫧🦋

"Hey, did you see this?"

"What the fuck? I was down to party!"

"How does he have our emails?"

"He's rich, he has access to everything."

Nino shoved his phone in front of Adrien's face. "Is your old man serious?! What kind of jack-" Before he insults his new friend's dad, he sucks in a breath then rephrases. "What kind of person just does this?!"

Adrien reads the words on his screen over and over a few times, his brow furrowing more with each sentence. There was just no way his dad would take back his promise like that... Or use the word, 'plebians.' They're rich, but they're not snobs. "I-I don't know what happened," he tried. "He seemed totally fine with it this morning."

"Getting my damn hopes up," Juleka muttered, slamming her textbook shut.

"I'm not even sure how he got everyone's emails," Adrien continued as he stared at Nino's phone screen in confusion, though, it was a little hard with him shaking it a bit. "Guys, my dad's really not like this."

"Sure," Nino huffed. He shoves his phone and textbook into his bag and storms away. "Whatever man."

Adrien looked to Marinette, Kim, and Max, expecting one of them to go after him since the four of them are close, but they just watched him leave with solemn looks. Noticing the blonde's perplexed look, Max explained, "Nino has a slight problem with authority."

"It's best if he tells you, alright?" Marinette added, knowing Adrien wanted more answers. "It's kind of a personal thing." Adrien could only nod and watch his friend leave the school, all the while wondering what got him so upset and why his dad was acting like such a jerk all of a sudden.

From where they sat on the stairs, Nathaniel and Alix also watched Nino leave, one out of genuine concern, and one out of delight... Mixed with some concern. "... Hey, I think I left my phone in the classroom," he said amongst the tense atmosphere. "I'm just- Just gonna go." Alix gave him a nudge in the shoulder before he left, a futile attempt of her own to clear the uneasiness.

🫧🦋

"Nooroo, Wings Rise." Monarch reaches into his bag and pulls out an origami butterfly before infusing it with his magic and turning it into an Akuma. "You know where to go," he instructed as it flew out of his palm and phased through the wall of the empty bathroom. Hopefully, Nino didn't go too far; it's study hall and the students need to be on school property.

Not too long after he sent out the Akuma, it infused with something in Nino's hand. Looking through his eyes, he sees that it's a canister of bubbles. Monarch withdrew a bit, wondering if he should have Akumatized Chloe when he had the chance instead. Maybe there's still time and she's still a little bitter. His Miraculous begins to glow as he tries to seek out any of Chloe's negative emotions.

Gleeful... Vindictive...Schadenfreude...

Nope, not strong enough.

"Uh... You there, dude?"

"Damn!" Monarch facepalmed when he realized he hadn't said anything to Nino for a few seconds. "Anyway, I assume you know why I am here. Look, I get it, adults are what's wrong with everything. Hell, all sorts of authority figures are what's wrong with everything. They take away our freedom, make us do things we don't want to do, and a bunch of other bullshit, right?"

"... Keep talking."

"Bubbler, now you will free Paris from the tyranny of unjust authority. All I need are Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's Miraculous in return. We got a deal?"

"Hell yeah, Monarch."

Monarch cut off communication as Nino turned into his latest Akuma. "Wings Down. Well, this should make Adrien's birthday interesting, huh?"

"Right," Nooroo nodded, a contemplating look on his face. "But, when you said authority figures, that means parents, right?"

"Yeah...?"

"Including your mom?"

Soon, it hit the redhead like a pile of bricks when he realized what he had just done. "... Oh, shit."

"NO MORE ADULTS MEANS TOTAL FREEDOM!"

"AKUMA!" Rose's distinctive high-pitched voice screamed.

Nathaniel ran out of the classroom and into the courtyard where colorful bubbles were descending from above and trapping the teachers before floating up to the sky as every student stared up at more bubbles floating over the open roof of the school. And in those bubbles, many recognized, were their parents. Of course, they all freaked out over this. Except for a small handful.

"No, mother," Ismael said drawly, making a weak attempt to reach up. "How will I survive?"

"Attention, dudes!" The students turn their attention to the source of the voice and see a flurry of bubbles swarming on top of one of the basketball hoops before forming... Some kind of spaceman-looking guy with liquified limbs. The really unsettling part was how his eyes and mouth seemed to just glow and float in dark void of his helmet. "Today is your lucky day! Every adult in Paris took a day off!"

Adrien looks up at the Akuma, narrowing his eyes as he tries to figure out who it is.

"Against their will!" Cosette challenged.

"So let's make the most of it! No chores, no homework, no nagging-"

"No one to teach us right from wrong," Marc added.

"DO YOU WANNA GO WHERE THEY'RE GOING?!" He threatened, pointing his bubble wand to the crowd of students. Immediately, they shook their heads. "Well, now that Adrien's old man is out, let the party begin!" He shoots Adrien the finger guns. "This is Bubbler's gift to you."

It finally hits Adrien. "Nino?"

"To the mansion, dudes!" He fastens his bubble wand on his back and flies out of the school, leaving a trail of smaller bubbles behind him.

"... Are... Are we hostages?" One girl asked, breaking the silence. "We're definitely hostages, right?!"

"I'm more concerned with how he just left children alone without any adult supervision!" Denise, a usually calm and quiet student seethed, prompting Simon to take their hand. "He left babies alone without any adults to take care of them! Babies!"

'Yep. Bad idea,' Nathaniel thought to himself, making a mental note to never use Bubbler again.

"My moms aren't even that strict!" A green-eyed girl exclaimed.

"My brothers are at daycare alone!" Screamed Lacey as she tore through her pixie-cut style hair, panicked.

"Should we still go?" Mylene wondered.

"Everyone, listen up!" Marinette yelled, standing before the crowd while on Kim's shoulders so those in the back could see her. When most of them quieted them down, she continued, "Look, I know this is a pretty stressful situation right now, but we can't freak out! Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black are probably on their way, and they'll fix everything. In the meantime, a handful of us needs to take care of the unsupervised children while the rest head to the mansion so we don't piss off Bubbler. Any volunteers?"

Denise's hand shot up. "I'll go to the party, only so I can deck that 80's Happy Meal toy!" Most of the other students followed suit. "I'll say it again! He left babies alone! One is probably rifling through the medicine cabinet right now! ¡Para los niños!" The few who understood Spanish cheered.

"Alright, the rest of you, make sure the kids are safe," Marinette instructed. "Alright, Kim, you can put me down." The athlete complied and set her back down on the floor. "Adrien!" The blonde boy straightened up as she was still using her authoritative tone of voice. "You gonna be alright? I know this isn't exactly the birthday you had in mind."

"Hey," he shrugged. "This'll be a story to tell my kids, right?" The bluentte playfully slapped him on the back, and the blonde had to hold back a wince since she's so strong despite looking like the wind could knock her over.

"Yeah, now let's go to your hostage-themed party." Adrien groaned at the choice of words.

"Don't call it that."

🫧🦋

Nathaniel idly walked around the mansion's courtyard, often pretending to mingle with people so he's not caught, 'being a total bummer,' and he's sent to join the adults. He really needs to think ten steps ahead with these Akumas.

Alix nudged him in the arm. "Hey. Wanna sneak some food for later?" She points to the expansive snack table that the Agrestes' personal chefs had prepared before being sent up to the sky. Off her friend's nod, Alix pulled him along and started stuffing cookies into her pockets. "Is it fair to rate Akumas yet? We've only had three now."

"Maybe on the tenth one," Nathaniel answered as he smuggled a few fruit-flavored macarons for Nooroo. "Rate how?"

"Looks, powers, reason," Alix listed. "Any of them, really. Right now, Stormy Weather is at the top of the 'Best Dressed Akuma' list for me." Unbeknownst to her as she stuffed some more snacks in her pockets, Nathaniel beamed at the unintentional compliment. "Stoneheart's powers are pretty cool, but indestructible bubbles?" She looks up at the sky before quickly looking back down. "Y-yeah, th-that's kind of cool."

Confused, Nathaniel looked up to see what upset her friend and had to move his bangs to the side to make sure he wasn't seeing Alix's father and brother, Alim and Jalil Kudbel, but there they were, trapped in separate bubbles. Jalil looked like he was doing some breathing exercises while Alim talked him through it, but he wasn't even sure if any sound could get through them.

"... Hey, Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black are going to help them," he assured, resting a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder. "Alright?" To his surprise, Alix side-hugged him, a rarity since she wasn't one for physical affection.

"Thanks, bud..." Suddenly, she perked up and smirked. "Uh-oh, Chloe alert." She points to the blonde storming over to the DJ booth that Bubbler was manning with Sabrina just a few feet behind her.

Nathaniel groaned. "Who invited her?"

"C'mon. Let's drop some eaves." She takes Nathaniel's hand and drags him over, both pretending to mingle on the way before they were finally within earshot of Chloe and Sabrina.

"I-I'd like to request a slow song," Sabrina stammered.

"Whoa, it's a bit early for that, isn't it?" He asked with a wink, making the ginger blush and turn as red as Nathaniel's hair.

"Smooth," Alix commended.

Looking impatient, Chloe shoves Sabrina to the side. "It's for Adrien. It's his first flow dance after all," she crooned.

"Shit, we gotta warn the poor guy," Alix whispered. Nathaniel nodded and the two went to look for the blonde before Bubbler put on the slow song. Soon, they found him talking to Reshma and Ismael, all three with fake smiles like everyone else to look like they're having fun. "Adrien, hey. Came to warn you, Chloe requested a love song and is probably looking for you right now."

Hearing this, he blanched and quickly looked around for a partner to dance with, but Ismael and Reshma were already in position as soon as the music began to play, and Nathaniel and Alix were awkwardly swaying along.

”Sorry, blondie,” the pinkette half-apologized.

"Adrikins!"

Hastily, Adrien ducked down, hoping she didn't see him. Maybe he could just stay down here for the rest of the day. Yeah, that works.

"Get up, Blonde Wonder," a kind, yet oftentimes snarky voice instructed. Adrien took the offered hand that pulled him up so he was face to face with Marinette... Or, face to chest, really. "Don't worry, we've got you covered." She points to a few students blocking Chloe's way so she can't look for him. "Sewing club sticks together."

Adrien chuckled, relieved that he won't be dancing with Chloe. "Thanks, Marinette."

"Dude, call me Mari," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I think we've been friends long enough."

"Okay, Mari." Slowly he wraps his arms around her waist.

"Don't get handsy, model boy," she added sternly, prompting Adrien to loosen his hold even more than he already was.

"Sorry."

Suddenly, the music was cut off and Bubbler shouted, "Who just hijacked my mix?!"

"Party's over!" Scarlet Beetle announced, standing on the roof of the Agreste mansion with Ikati Black and retracting his yoyo along with the record that Bubbler was just using. "You don't have to go, but you can't stay here!"

Bubbler unsheathed his bubble wand. "Bogus, dude!"

Ikati Black yelled, "Use words from this decade!" Seeing a barrage of bubbles coming his way, he side-stepped out of the way. "But in all seriousness, separating parents from their children? What were you thinking?"

"Kids need freedom, fun, to let loose and live it up!" Bubbler retorted.

"Kids need someone to protect them!" Denise thundered, storming up to the DJ booth while their classmates tried to stop them. "I've tried playing nice throughout this whole shit show, but I'll be damned if I let you get away with this!" A second before they could charge towards the Akuma and grab the bubble wand themself, Bubbler encased them in a bubble and they float up to the sky.

"DENISE!" Simon cried.

"Let's take him out before he sends anyone else to the sky," Ikati Black instructed before leaping off of the roof and surging towards Bubbler while dodging a stream of small red bubbles and smacking a few away.

Still on the roof, Scarlet Beetle throws his yoyo a few times, trying to grab Bubbler's wand, but he has an iron grip on it. "Look, I agree, adults can be downers, but kids need supervision!" While he had Bubbler distracted, Ikati Black tries to pounce on him from behind, only to be caught in a bubble like Denise. "IKATI!" Before he knew it, he was trapped in a bubble and floating up to the sky with his partner.

After finally picking her jaw up off the floor, Marinette only had two words to say. "... We're fucked.”

"Now let's just see how many other downers are at this party," Bubbler started, pointing his bubble wand at the crowd before stopping on Juleka. "To the sky with you, Jules! Don't think I didn't see you moping in the back."

The goth girl screamed as she was encased in a bubble and shot up towards the sky, followed by Jean who wore headphones and 'blocked out his jams,' this one girl for trying to scale over the wall, Ivan for not having a good time, Alya for secretly recording and probably luring the heroes here, and lastly, Marc for being a total wallflower.

But, before Marc was encased in a bubble, someone pushed him out of the way just in time, so Bubbler's wand ended up hitting one of the snack tables.

The Akuma groaned. "Just what I get for inviting emos!"

Marc turned to see his savior and felt his face turn hot when he saw the familiar mess of red hair. 'Nathaniel.'

'Alya was right next to me, why didn't I help her?!'

Bubbler pointed his wand at Nathaniel next. "Get ready to go to space, red!" Before he could shoot another bubble, Ikati Black's staff suddenly drops down in front of him, and sliding down at rapid speed from above are him and Scarlet Beetle thanks to an ingenious plan on the spotted hero's end.

Scarlet Beetle whips out his yoyo once he's back on the ground. "Now the party's over. And your Happy Meal-looking ass is gonna send the adults back down!" One student yelled, "Burn!"

"Of course, dudes, I'll think about it right as I'm sending your peeps to space!" He leaps over the crowd and captures all of the students in bubbles, much to the heroes' horror. They chase after Bubbler, making it all the way to the Eiffel Tower just as Ikati Black's ring starts to beep.

"Four more minutes," he warned Scarlet Beetle as they scaled the side of the structure and avoided the explosive bubbles now being fired at them that burst into flames when they hit something.

Once Bubbler took a break to reload, Scarlet Beetle yelled, "Lucky Charm!" and got, "A novelty-sized wrench?"

"Are you a plumber by any chance?" His question went unanswered as he and Scarlet Beetle dodged more bubbles and end up taking cover behind a beam. Scarlet Beetle pokes his head out and tries to see what's around. Noticing the self-assured nod, Ikati Black looked back down at his ring before offering, "Need a shield?"

"Always," he beamed. "Ready... Go!" He and Ikati Black ran out with the latter spinning his staff like a shield to deflect the exploding bubbles. They stop by an air vent where Scarlet Beetle begins loosening the screw, and the pipe comes off. Ikati Black grabs hold of it and uses the airflow from the pipe to deflect the bubbles and even blow a few back at Bubbler. While the Akuma is so busy dodging his own attacks, Scarlet Beetle throws his yoyo and snatches the bubble wand, bringing it to him.

"Got it!" He snaps the wand in half over his knee, releasing the Akuma, and he makes quick work of capturing, purifying, and releasing a newly purified origami butterfly that gets swept up in the breeze. He throws the wrench into the sky and yells, "MIRACULOUS SCARLET BEETLE!" summoning the loveliness of magic ladybugs which put every adult back and next to their respective child.

Bubbler sank to his knees as the back and purple smoke covered him before he turned back to Nino. "Ugh," he groaned. "My head."

🫧🦋

'Okay, this was a mistake on my end, but I won't mess up next time Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black,' Nathaniel thought bitterly to himself as he checked on Marc to see if he was okay.

"Th-thanks for pushing me out of the way," he murmured, almost reminding Nathaniel of Juleka.

"Hey, no prOBlem." Nathaniel internally cursed himself for the voice crack. ‘Where the hell did that even come from?!’ Thankfully, Marc didn’t seem to notice.

"God, I do not want to be stuck in there again," Gabriel complained as he stepped out through the doors with Emilie, Nathalie, and Gorilla, all four stretching their limbs and cracking their necks until they notice the large audience of teenagers staring at them and quickly straighten themselves up. "Um... Hello?"

Marinette steps forward. "Hi, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, big fan of your designs, but answer me this, please, Monsieur Agreste. Why would you tell Adrien he could throw his own party, then take back your words at the last second and call us plebians of all things?"

The designer took a step back, a little frightened by the fire in this girl's eye and aghast by what she just said. "Excuse me? What are you talking about?"

"The email you sent out, dad," Adrien added as Marinette handed her phone over. "It's right there."

Gabriel and Emile looked at the phone screen with furrowed brows. Gabriel even adjusted his glasses. "Adrien, I never sent this email. And I'd never call anyone a plebian." Hearing this, the students murmured, all wondering who else could have sent that email. “I don’t think I’ve ever used that word.”

"But, then who-"

Chloe's voice cut through the crowd, "Oh, who cares? Adrikins, you had your little party, but now let's get things back on track to how they used to be. I know this amazing sushi restaurant-"

"I don't like sushi," Adrien said, sternly. "You know that, Chloe." A thought then occurs to him. "You know, apparently everyone at school got the email my dad supposedly sent out. So, I'm certain the person who didn't get one is the culprit." He felt a strange sense of satisfaction when he saw all of the color draining from Chloe's face.

"I got mine," Marinette chirped, pointing to her phone, followed by every other student holding up their phones and displaying the emails they got... All except Chloe.

Emile arched an eyebrow as she stared down at the other blonde. "Chloe, dear, am I going to have to make a call to your father?"

Chloé sputtered for a moment, unable to believe she had been caught but simply flipped her hair as if nothing happened. “Whatever. Let’s go, Sabrina!” The ginger should have been by her side in seconds. What was taking her so long? “SABRINA!” She whipped her head left to right and eventually found her friend/assistant standing by Alya.

The auburn-haired girl seemed to be guarding her and refused to let them make eye contact. But, with a reassuring hand on her shoulder, Alya reluctantly stepped to the side and Sabrina spoke, “C-can I stay for a bit?” She flinched at Chloe’s glare. “Twenty minutes, at least?”

The students lean in, wondering what Chloé’s answer would be, but many were already pretty sure they knew. Then, to their shock. “You’re time starts now,” Chloé snapped, already starting the timer on her phone. “And you better be at my place not a minute too late!” With that, she stormed off, and the gate to the mansion shut behind her. Finally, everyone felt like they could breathe, especially Sabrina.

She beamed at Alya. ”Thanks.”

”No problem, girl. I got you,” she said, slinging her arm around Sabrina. “Now let’s go smuggle some cupcakes for later.”

Gabriel and Emile smiled fondly at the scene before them, both proud that Adrien had managed to make such… A unique group of friends… A lot of friends, really. This almost looks like the whole school, and more just kept coming through the gate.

”Nathalie, have the chefs make some more food,” Emile requested. “I’m pretty sure more people will be coming.” With a nod, the assistant made her way back into the mansion. “Well, this is nice and all, but where’s the music?”

”Guess who’s back?!” The crowd erupted into cheers as Scarlet Beetle dropped in with his arm hooked around Nino. Even Gabriel couldn’t suppress a smile at seeing an actual superhero.

”H-hey, guys-“

”NINO!” Marinette screamed, meeting her friend with a hug to outdo a boa constrictor. “Don’t scare me like that again!”

He winced a bit from the pain. “I missed you too, Mari.”

”Well, I’ll leave you guys alone. And Bon Anniversaire, Adrien!” Scarlet Beetle told him before swinging away, leaving Adrien starstruck.

”HE KNOWS MY NAME! OH MY GOD!”

Marinette rolled her eyes as she finally released Nino, much to his relief. “Everyone does, blonde wonder. Now, Nino?” She cups his face and makes him look her in the eyes. “I don’t want any moping from you, alright? Put your game face on, and start the music!”

”Did she say ‘put your gay face on’?” Jean whispered, only to be drowned out by the other students urging Nino to head up to the DJ booth.

”Alright, alright,” he relented, grinning a bit as he sauntered over to the set and without missing a beat, put on a new record and brought the party to life again. This time, everyone was having fun and not by force.

🫧🦋

The party went well into the evening with Nino bringing it to a close with a final slow song. Couples flooded the dance floor while the single students just stand by watching, some wishing they had someone to dance with and the others just on their phones, not even interested in slow dancing. Marinette and Alix were a few of those people.

"Can't believe I didn't get any footage," Marinette groaned. "I was so busy making sure no one freaked out, that Adrien didn't have to dance with Chloe-"

"Mari, it's alright. If it's any constellation, you were pretty badass back there," she assured with a punch to her arm. "You were a total boss, and hell- With that kind of leadership back at the school, you'd be a great class rep." Marinette looked up, thinking it over. "I know you're thinking about it."

"Yeah, but Chloe always wins." 'Because of her dad,' went unspoken, but both girls were thinking it. "... Maybe. I'll think about it. Because with that, my designing, the blog, I'll be way too stressed."

"That's why you got a deputy," Alix reminded her. "I'd be down if Alya's too busy." While Marinette thought her words over, she looked around for Nathaniel's red hair amongst the single students. "Hey, you see Nath around?"

Marinette smirked and pointed to the slow-dancing students. "Right there asking that cutie in the red hoodie to dance." Immediately, Alix looked to where she was pointing and in record time, pulled out her phone and records them, for blackmail material and just to mess with Nathaniel. Looking closer, she realized that boy her friend was dancing with is the same one he rescued from one of Bubbler's bubbles. "Alright, Nath!"

The redhead seemed to hear her and blushed while the boy just laughed behind his hand.

"What's his name again? Marcus, Marcelle...?"

"Marc, actually," Marinette corrected. "But, he has a sister named Marcelle who goes here." She gave an impressed nod as the two begin to dance... Awkwardly, but it's something.

"Care to dance?"

Marinette stared at Adrien's offered hand with a suspicious look before shooting him the smirk she has reserved just for him. "Don't get handsy, blondie. I'm leading." She takes his hand and pulls him onto the dancefloor.

"Aw," Emilie cooed, leaning up against Gabriel. "Isn't that sweet? Remember our first dance?"

"Yes, it was behind the school," Gabriel chortled. "I left our tickets to the dance at home, we couldn't get in... But, we could still hear the music through an open window." He takes Emilie’s hand and kisses it. "Still one of the best nights of my life."

Chapter Text

"Dad, I am begging you right now, do not embarrass me! Especially in the morning!" The designer merely chuckled and waved his son off as they made their way up the stairs to the school. "Come on! I'll do whatever you want!"

"Adrien, relax. It'll just be a quick visit, in and out." Noticing a few students whispering and pointing, he gives them a polite wave. "And you told me how creative your friends were, so this will be a wonderful opportunity for them."

Adrien groaned. Him and his big mouth. Why couldn't his dad just come to school via tablet like he usually does when going to business meetings with people he doesn't like? Though, that still won't save him from embarrassment as he just knows his dad is going to take one look at Marinette and ask, "Oh, aren't you the young lady who danced with my son at his party?"

Then everyone's going to be looking at him all day with big smirks on their face and think, 'When's your dad planning the wedding?'

... For some reason, that didn't sound all too bad. It's certainly better than being married to some rich snob who only wants him for his looks and money. Plus, Marinette would probably make his suit, her dress- That is, if she wants to wear a dress, he's not judging-

'NO! Bad! She's just a friend.' Besides, he's sure Marinette doesn't even like him that way... Or anyone that way. Before he could speculate some more, he and Gabriel were already making their way towards the door to his classroom.

Adrien gives his dad one more pleading look for good measure. "Please, please, please don't embarrass me."

"Adrien," he chuckled. "What have you got to be embarrassed by? It's not like I brought photos of you when you were five and you went through your Team Rocket phase-"

"Not so loud!" Adrien groaned. After taking a few breaths to calm himself down, Adrien opens the door and makes his way inside. "Everyone, you all remember my dad, Gabriel Agreste."

🐦🦋

Gabriel tried not to cringe as the owlish man he recognized as the headmaster approached and immediately gave him a hearty handshake. "Ah! Monsieur Agreste, it is a pleasure to have you visit our school!"

The designer swore he saw the cartoon dollar signs in his eyes as he glanced down at his gold watch. Slowly, he pulls his hand from the man's grip. "Yes. Well, thank you for having me." If this man starts with the, 'If there's anything I can do for you,' routine just to get in his “inner circle”, Gabriel might just pull out his hair. Hell, he didn’t even have an inner circle. “Now, I’m sure you’ve informed the students-“

”Of course! They were all given a day to work on their individual pieces, and-“

Gabriel put a hand up to stop him before gesturing for Adrien to head to his desk. “A day? Monsieur Damocles, I’m not sure how you design articles of clothing, but you can’t give students, some of whom I’m sure are inexperienced when it comes to designing, a day to complete a project. Why it took me a month to come up with the pantsuit Emilie wore to the charity gala last year.” Out of the corner of his eye, Gabriel noticed a certain pigtailed girl with literal stars in her eyes. Resisting the urge to smirk, remembering that she was the girl Adrien danced with, he continued, this time, addressing the students.

”Now, let me give you a more… Updated explanation of what it’s required of you all to do. As your principal informed you, I am holding a contest which is completely optional,” he emphasized, getting the feeling Damocles left that part out. “But you are encouraged to participate either solo or in a group and create a bowler hat which my son will wear for his upcoming photoshoot. For those who do not know how to sew, you are free to sketch out a design which I will then bring to life, or feel free to upcycle.” Looking around the room, he sees a redhead, a girl with rainbow hair, and a goth girl fighting the urge not to cheer and interrupt him. “Buy a plain bowler hat at the thrift store, make it look bold, unique. And for those who know their way around a sewing machine…” The pigtailed girl was practically bouncing in her seat. “Go nuts.”

Around the room, it looked like no students had any qualms about designing or making a hat… Then, there was Chloé. She wasn’t slick, giving the pigtailed girl a thumbs down and a mocking look… He really must learn that girl’s name if she is to be his future daughter-in-law. Maybe he can have Adrien invite her and her family over for dinner.

”Well, if that’s all,” Gabriel continued. “I should be going. Adrien, Nathalie will pick you up after school.” Off his son’s nod, he made his way out, allowing Damocles to let out a sigh of relief.

🐦🦋

“Derby hat, derby hat, derby hat, derby hat,” Marinette muttered to herself as she flipped through her design book for any derby hat designs for the fifth time. And so far, nothing. “I don’t have any derby hat designs. I’ve got top hats, caps, berets, sombreros, even those pointy princess hats.” With a groan, she shut her design book. “Fuuuuck,” she drawled, prompting Nino to give her a pat on the back.

“Aw, c’mon Daphne,” Kim goaded, using her joke nickname. “I’m sure you’ve got a pattern lying around… There are hat patterns, right?”

”Let me see your designs book, Mari. There must be something in here you missed.” She hands Nino her sketchbook and he begins flipping through each page while Max looks over his shoulder. “And, if there’s nothing in here, I’m sure you can make bowler hat real quick. Course, there’s the design and it’s gotta wow Gabriel Agreste.” Hearing her groan, he adds, “But I’m sure it will. The guy’s chill.”

After the whole Bubbler incident two weeks ago when he sent parents and soon, kids into the sky, Nino got to know M. Agreste a little more. Instead of the uptight, pompous asshole of a man he had pegged for, he turned out to be a kind, warm man. Hell, he even started voguing and he has the video and a photo of Adrien’s look of embarrassment to prove it. And his wife? She’s nothing like how Chloé might turn out in twenty years. Emilie is so energetic, knows how to liven a room, and even took over the DJ system so Nino could have fun with his friends on the dance floor. Then there’s Nathalie, their assistant and whom he’s pretty sure works out 24/7 if her breakdancing moves have anything to say about it. And of course, the bodyguard Adrien dubs, ‘Gorilla’ due to his height, build, and the fact that he doesn’t really speak. You wouldn’t expect him to dance like Michael Jackson, but there he was, doing The Moonwalk.

So yeah, Nino overreacted, he’ll admit it. Adrien’s family is nice and chaotic… Kind of like the class in a way.

Drawing him from his thoughts is when he hears some shuffling behind him. Turning his head, he beams when he sees the mop of blonde hair. “Hey, man!”

”Hey, Nino,” Adrien greeted back before glancing at the pages. “Wow. I didn’t know you sewed,” he said jokingly, knowing who really came up with those designs.

Marinette snorted. “Blonde Wonder, Nino cannot draw to save his life. Nath and I tried to give him lessons, but…” She gives a thumbs down and sticks her tongue out.

”Yeesh. That bad?”

”It wasn’t that bad!” Exclaimed Nino, getting a laugh out of Adrien, Max, and Kim. "Ah, what do you know? And anyway, I'm just here as Mari's moral support." At that, Kim and Max nodded along.

"Well, Mari, your designs look great," Adrien commended once he stopped laughing. "If anyone's winning my dad's contest, it's probably you."

Kim nods, a determined look on his face. "Hell yeah, she is! Mari was practically born with a needle and thread; if anyone's winning, it's gonna be her." Nodding, Nino fist-bumps him.

Marinette ignored their antics and looked up some derby hats on her phone, and as she suspected... Basic. Solid colors, nothing to make them stand out like most of Gabriel's designs. She's definitely sure she can create something memorable, but what?

"Why not go into town for some inspiration after school?" Max suggests. "That usually helps your rare creative slumps." Seeing her ponder for a moment, he takes Marinette's design book from Nino and hands it back to her.

"Yeah, that may help. Thanks, Max," she said, making him beam with pride. "Now, while we're on the topic of contests..." Hearing the tone in her voice, Max grinned while Nino and Kim inched away and Adrien look confused. "You're still getting ready for the Video Game Competition, right?"

"I'm insulted you would even ask that," the genius scoffed. "... But yes, I am." He and the pigtailed girl then perform a complex-looking handshake that could only be perfected by years of practice.

Adrien decides to ask, "What competition?"

"It's an annual school thing," Kim answered. "Students from different schools are selected to represent their schools in a video game contest at the stadium. It's a big thing, and Max and Mari compete every year and always win." On cue, the duo high-five.

"I don't doubt that," he chuckled, remembering back to his birthday. The party moved to the game room where an endless competition took place to see who could beat Max and Marinette. It was pretty brutal to watch. Every game they played, the two would always win, whether it was a fighting game, racing game, or even dancing. It even got to a point where Marinette needed a new controller because her's broke in half and Max's was literally smoking. And if no one believes him, Alya has it on video.

"But," Max said, interrupting Adrien's thoughts and sounding a little annoyed. "To make things fair, each school has a contest to see who the best players are by having anyone who wants to compete play against the winners."

"Which are us," Marinette adds. "Just reminding you." Adrien laughed into his fist.

"And I'm guessing no one in the school has won against you?"

Marinette smirked, a smirk that reminded Adrien of a DC Comics villain. "They tried and horribly failed."

🐦🦋

"Mari's doing that scary look again." Alix promptly tilts Nathaniel's head down so he's looking back at her sketchbook.

"Ignore her, bud. She's just trying to intimidate the competition," she states. "Now, what have you got?"

"Nothing. Alix, I don't do fashion- Hell..." The redhead stands up and gestures to his current attire, a purple cardigan over an orange shirt and black jeans with grey sneakers. "Are you not seeing me right now? Plus, I design superheroes."

With a roll of her eyes, Alix has her friend sit back down. "And you design the outfits on them. So, designing a bowler hat should be a sinch."

"It's gonna look like it came straight out of Stan Lee's- God rest his soul- mind," he snarked. "But... Alright, I'll give it a go." The pinkette gives him an encouraging pat on the back.

"You got this, bud..." Her voice trails off when she notices something out of the corner of her eyes. "Hmm... Nath, make sure to keep your sketchbook on you at all times. Something tells me we've got a cheater in our class."

🐦🦋

Trocadéro. It's Marinette's usual spot where she goes to look for inspiration for a design. There are just so many interesting people who pass by, either just walking, painting the scenery, or playing instruments. She's gotten many ideas for outfits by coming here.

... So, that's where Alya went. No, she's not trying to steal her friend's design, just making sure Chloe's not around because knowing that girl, she probably saw Adrien gushing over Marinette's design earlier, got jealous, and is going to steal whatever she comes up with to pass off as her own. Well, not on her watch.

So far, nothing... Well, she wouldn't say 'nothing' when it's so lively around here. Not to say Martinique wasn't exciting, but when you see the same thing every day for years, it gets a little boring. Here, the food is amazing, the attractions are gorgeous, and the fashion is way different than what she's used to. Course, she does miss the beaches, and the colorful dresses all her friends wore, but Marinette had promised to make a few dresses for her after seeing so many photos Alya took of her and her friends back home. The creole girl swore her eyes grew to the size of saucers when she saw the designs.

Rousing Alya from her memories is when she notices a red mop of hair approaching Marinette. Thinking it's Sabrina, she gets ready to go over there and gives the ginger a stern talking to until she sees the purple cardigan. Relief washed over her when she sees that it was just Nathaniel. He's quiet, but actually, a pretty cool guy when you get to know him. The day after Adrien's party, they got into a long discussion about their favorite superheroes when they walked into class wearing the same Majestia hairclip.

It's gotten to a point where they started bringing comics and occasional manga to school to read during lunch and loudly discuss while Marinette and Alix watch on and think, 'Our little nerds.'

Speaking of, she's gotta give him his Black Panther comic back. It was an issue she hadn't read yet and he loaned it to her for the day. But before she could approach, she noticed another mop of red hair, just a lighter shade sneakily approaching the two from behind.

Sabrina...

With a sigh, Alya approached the ginger girl and grabbed her by the shoulder, making her let out a slight yelp, but Marinette and Nathaniel were too engrossed in their sketchbooks to notice. Thank God for artists. She pulls Sabrina over to a more quiet area and points to her phone. "Chloe asked you to take photos of Mari's design?"

Reluctantly, she nodded.

"She's going to pay some poor guy to make it?"

Another nod.

"All of this to impress Adrien and his dad?" One more nod. "Okay, you can see there's so much wrong with that, right? And, what do you get out of this, Sabrina? If- IF Chloe does somehow win, she's just going to take the credit and you'll get nothing. You know that, right?"

"... Yeah..."

"Girl," Alya sighed. "You've gotta have some self-respect. Isn't your dad a cop? Hasn't he taught you to stand up to people doing wrong things, be a whistle-blower, or something like that? Well, Chloe is the person you gotta blow that whistle on."

Sabrina almost screamed, "You think it's that easy? Her dad's the mayor! I-if I say something to Chloe, tell her no, she might convince her dad to fire my dad!" Alya's eyes shoot open. "I... I can't have that Alya. He'd be crushed, he loves his job."

"HEY! No feeding the pigeons, Mr. Ramier!"

"... He's a little overzealous at times, but he still loves what he does," the ginger continued, ignoring her dad berating Mr. Ramier for the tenth time this week. "Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but Chloe holds a lot of power. I wouldn't mind having a... Different friend, but only when she's not around. Okay?"

"..." With a sigh, Alya relented and pulled her in for a hug. "Alright... But just know, if there's ever a moment where Chloe threatens your dad's job, expect a riot." Hearing a quiet laugh, Alya slowly released the shorter girl. "Look, I'm not gonna stop you from doing whatever Chloe's having you do right now, but just know, Marinette's smart and will probably have a backup plan set to humiliate her."

"Oh, I know," Sabrina said before leaving, Alya watching her with a wavering smile before making her way towards Marinette and Nathaniel to give the redhead his comic book back... Only, he was gone.

🐦🦋

"Aw, the poor guy," Nooroo said dismally before taking another bite out of his strawberry. "He just wanted to feed the birds.”

"Yeah, and it's a public park," Nathaniel adds. "I saw a guy skateboarding without a shirt on and no one batted an eye. But no, a man feeding the birds is some sort of federal offense. I mean, yeah, I get that if you feed them, they'll just shit everywhere, but Roger didn't have to be a dick about it."

Nooroo ate the last of the fruit before saying, "Ready!"

"Nooroo, Wings Rise." Monarch takes an origami butterfly out of his bag before converting it into an Akuma. It flutters out from behind the column he's hidden behind before making its way over to the poor pigeon man and infecting his bird call. "Mr. Pigeon, I'm Monarch. Look, you're obviously not doing anything wrong, but the police and park keepers don't see it that way. Nothing should stop you from taking care of your friends, right?" Noticing a pigeon standing by his foot, he quickly shoos it away. "Anyway, in return for these powers, I just need Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's Miraculous. Deal?"

Instead of responding, Mr. Ramier just chuckled, allowing him to transform into Mr. Pigeon.

"... I have a good feeling about this. Wings Down." Nathaniel hands Nooroo a blueberry to charge him up. "Now, let's get home before Paris gets overrun by pigeons."

🐦🦋

"Tikki... I'm not the only one seeing this, right?"

Tensely, the Kwami responded, "Nope. Just walk away slowly, and make no sudden movements."

Kim gave a silent nod and began to back away from the large cluster of pigeons that have blocked his usual route home. He tries not to flinch when a few flap their wings and continue to back away. "Okay... Not gonna upset the birds." Before he could take another step, at the worst time ever, his phone decided to ring. Loudly. "Shit."

Immediately, the pigeons flew toward the athlete, forcing him to run as fast as his legs could take him, but somehow, the birds were just as fast. Seeing he was coming up to an alley, he veers left and to his absolute luck, the pigeons just fly past him.

"Thank," Kim panted. "God." Hearing his phone still ringing, Kim decided to see who called him at the worst possible time and sees that it was Max. He answers. "Hey, Max," he greeted, still out of breath. Please tell me you're not the only one who got attacked by pigeons."

"Then I'd be lying, Kim. They've taken over my street and chased me all the way to the park! Are you alright?"

Kim chuckled. "Almost got pecked to death, but other than that, I'm fine." Hearing his friend let out a relieved sigh, he smiled. "I'll try to catch up with you later when... You know, Paris is not all taken over by pigeons."

"You too, Kim. Stay safe." With that, he hung up.

"Do you think it's an Akuma?" Tikki wondered, getting a shrug from her Chosen. But, it seems her question was answered when she heard a voice coming from someone's phone.

"... This is just one of the many alarming situations giving authorities cause for major concern... Yes, I've just been told that someone named 'Mr. Pigeon' is making an announcement." Tikki and Kim exchanged a look before listening again.

"Oh, dreary day, poor Parisians!" The athlete tried not to cringe when the new voice let out a pigeon coo. "Sorry to ruffle your feathers-"

"Oh my Kwami," Tikki groaned into her nubs.

"Paris now belongs to the pigeons! Flap flap!"

After a beat, Kim cleared his throat. "Well... This is gonna be a weird one. Ready for a bunch of pigeon puns?" Tikki shook her head. "Neither am I. Tikki, Spots On."

Scarlet Beetle swings out of the alley and takes to the rooftops to look for this so-called, 'Mr. Pigeon,' only to find airplane shapes made out of pigeons flying through the sky. "Okay, weird!

"Tell me about it," Ikati Black chimed as he landed next to his more muscular partner. "What's next, fighter jets? But get this, the pigeons aren't after civilians, only the police." Scarlet Beetle furrows his brow as he takes in this information. "Before transforming, I caught a cluster of them attacking two officers and leaving civilians alone. When I went to help, they were gone without a trace. Something tells me Mr. Pigeon had a problem with the authorities."

Not that he really blames the guy. Is Ikati Black still a little bitter towards the police after Stoneheart? A little bit and for good reason. Immediately after Chloe, the mayor's daughter was safe, they were going to shoot at Stoneheart and put Mylene, a girl with no status in danger... Screw bitter, he's pissed! Especially towards Roger for what he said about Scarlet Beetle!

"Then we need to find Mr. Pigeon and quick," Scarlet Beetle said, drawing Ikati Black from his irate thoughts. "Any ideas?"

"... Do you know where we can find a police uniform on short notice?"

🐦🦋

Scarlet Beetle tugs on the collar of the police uniform for the fifth time. He has no idea how the officers wear these things when they're so constricting. Plus, this on top of his usual outfit is just uncomfortable. To distract himself, he starts to whistle 'La Marseillaise.'

Ikati Black sticks his head out from behind a tree. "I told you to act natural," he deadpanned.

"What? This is natural," Scarlet Beetle said with a cheeky grin.

Before the leather-clad hero could retort, he feels something drop on his shoulder. Looking, he sees that it's a pigeon feather, making a sense of dread wash over him. Hesitantly, he looks up and sees a massive cluster of pigeons flying overhead, creating a large, ominous shadow over him and Scarlet Beetle. "Shit."

Hastily, Scarlet Beetle whips out his yoyo, not really sure how he'll use it, but knowing it's better than being unarmed. Ikati Black is at his side in an instant, twirling his staff, but their weapons are no use against the pigeons as they form a barrier and start carrying them away. "What the-!"

"Đụ! They're everywhere!" Scarlet Beetle cried. Finally, to his relief, the pigeons reach the roof of Le Grand Paris hotel and drop him and Ikati Black off before flying away. "Finally!" He starts to remove his police uniform while Ikati Black looks around.

"Alright," he muttered. "Where's that bird-brain?" Answering his question is a loud flapping heard from above. He and Scarlet Beetle look up and find a swarm of pigeons. And standing on top of them is... Some guy in a jacket made of feathers? It certainly is a nice outfit, just different is all, and definitely not what they were expecting from this guy.

With the sound of Mr. Pigeon's bird call, the pigeons start to circle around the heroes before forming a shield to keep them in. Scarlet Beetle leans over to Ikati Black and asks, "You're a cat, don't you eat these things?"

"Only if they're cooked," he retorted, when out of nowhere, a giant cage is brought down over them, imprisoning them. "Shit."

"Yes! Take their Miraculous! Do it now!"

Mr. Pigeon complied and blew into his birdcall again. The pigeons on top of the cage turn around and point their rear ends at Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black, making all of the color drain from their faces.

"Christ! That's not what I meant! Something less gross, please?! I still have to watch this! Ugh!"

Before Mr. Pigeon could call off his command, Ikati Black yelled, "Cataclysm!" and destroyed the bars of the cage. Mr. Pigeon starts to back away while the heroes advance on him. "Looks like this pigeon's a chicken. Wouldn't you say, Scarlet?"

The Akuma makes some more bird noises. "Oh, I'm not flying away. Simply killing two heroes with one stone." He sounds his birdcall before jumping off the edge of the roof, and much to the heroes' belief, some pigeons catch and whisk him away, leaving another group of pigeons to dive towards Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black while they run for the rooftop entrance and quickly shut the door behind them.

"I'm not done with you, yet!" Mr. Pigeon yelled as they make their way down the stairwell.

Ikati Black's ring starts to beep. Only four minutes left. "I need to recharge!" He reminds Scarlet Beetle. Soon, they make it to the lobby floor of the hotel where Mayor Bourgeois is trying to tend to a large crowd of guests until he spots the heroes.

"Scarlet Beetle, Ikati Black!" He called, trying to maneuver his way through the crowd. "Oh, I'm in great danger of losing big bucks if my guests leave Paris!" The two rolled their eyes. That's what he's concerned over? "You are going to get rid of those pigeons, aren't you?" Before either one could give an answer, Ikati Black's ring beeps again.

"Yes, but I have an urgent need if you catch my drift."

Andre coughed into his fist. "Ah. Yes, I see. Head to the royal suite." He points to one of the elevators where a butler is currently waiting. Quickly, Ikati Black runs inside and presses any button. "There's paper in there, but perhaps you would prefer-"

Ikati Black holds up a finger, cutting the mayor off. "Don't you even dare. And any room is fine, but I could also use some Camembert if you've got any!" He yelled as the doors started to close.

🐦🦋

"How would you like your Camembert?" The butler inquired.

"Runny, please," Ikati Black answered before shutting the door, with only twenty seconds to spare when suddenly, a knock was heard. 'That is not him.' He opens the door and to his shock, finds the butler again, but only this time he's holding a plate.

"Unpasteurized Camembert, matured for two years." He hands him the plate. "Enjoy."

"Thanks!" He closes the door again, and in five seconds, he transformed back. Plagg spirals out of the ring and lands on the bed, exhausted. "Are you alright, Plagg?"

The Kwami let out a long, exaggerated groan. "Oh, the exhaustion! My poor aching body! I cannot move a muscle!" With a fond roll of his eyes, Max approached with the tray. "Go on without me!"

The bespectacled boy smirked and sets the tray down in front of Plagg before removing the cloche, revealing some camembert. Plagg gasps and pounces on the repugnant snack. "My gooeyness!" Immediately, he begins devouring the cheese while Max tried not to retch.

"Try to hurry," Max urged. "Scarlet Beetle needs us."

🐦🦋

"Okay, they're all going in the same direction," Scarlet Beetle murmured to himself as he watched the pigeons flying in clusters through the dining hall's large glass window. "... Guess that's where we'll go." At that, the elevator dings, and in it Ikati Black.

"Ready to head out?" Scarlet Beetle makes his way inside.

He presses a button. "Going down."

🐦🦋

Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black follow the pigeons all the way to The Grand Palais where they fly through the open doors. The heroes stand on either side of the doors and peer in to see a big cage full of police officers just in the center of the room. Ikati struggled hard not to laugh at their predicament.

"Looks too easy, don't you think?" Scarlet Beetle asked. "I don't see Mr. Pigeon anywhere and they're just out in the open." Ikati Black nodded, urging him to continue. "... Let's head to the roof. I think I have an idea."

As they make their way up to the roof, Mr. Pigeon addresses his pigeons from atop some scaffolding. "Perfect timing! We're ready to greet them, aren't we?" He strokes a pigeon while it perches itself on his finger. "They're going to fall right into my trap. And it won't be long before you get your Miraculous, Monarch."

"YES! I-I mean, great. I know you're going to do great."

Mr. Pigeon furrowed his brow. He doesn't know why he keeps forgetting this guy is much younger than people make him out to be. It's obvious he must be in his teen years judging by his voice.

So busy stroking a pigeon, Mr. Pigeon doesn't notice Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black overhead, spying on him through the glass roof. Ikati Black's eyes hone in on something around Mr. Pigeon's neck like a necklace. "See that bird call? I bet that's where the Akuma might be. Think you can open the window?"

Scarlet Beetle scoffs before flexing. "You dare doubt these bad boys?" While he's not looking, Ikati Black tugs on the collar of his suit to relieve himself of the rising heat. "Anyway! Let's get this sucker open." With little to no effort, he opens the skylight of the roof, but a draft of feathers hits his face and even worse- Neck.

Kim's neck has always been his ticklish spot, and Marinette, Nino, Max, and Alix always took advantage of it every chance they could get. He tries to hold off, but the feathers just keep coming, and he laughs loud enough for Mr. Pigeon to hear him.

"... Well shit," Ikati Black squeaked. He grabs Scarlet Beetle's hand and jumps inside, landing across from Mr. Pigeon who backs away and lets the pigeons carry him to safety. The two vault and swing after him until he sounds his bird call and beckons swarms of pigeons to form two spheres where his hands are.

"I've got a bone to peck with you two!"

"With pleasure!" Ikati Black yelled before surging forward with his staff ready. He manages to duck and dodge some of Mr. Pigeon's attack, but a swarm of pigeons coming at him from behind distract him from his next attack, hitting him back towards the cage.

Scarlet Beetle tried to nab Mr. Pigeon's bird call, but on his third try, Mr. Pigeon hits him back against the cage, too.

"Get us out of here, Scarlet Beetle!" Roger pleaded, making Ikati Black roll his eyes.

Scarlet Beetle throws his yoyo into the air and yells, "LUCKY CHARM!" giving him a coin. "... well, we're screwed." But then his Lucky Vision gives him an idea when he spies a beam and then a vending machine. "... Or not. Ikati, get ready." Without another word, he runs towards Mr. Pigeon, slides under his next attack, and wraps his yo-yo string around the Akuma's ankle. He jumps up to the beam and back down, creating a pulley, then runs to the vending machine at the far end and uses the coin to get a bag of popcorn. "IKATI!" He throws the bag into the air.

"ON IT!" Ikati Black throws his staff at the bag, making it burst open and spread popcorn everywhere, mainly on Mr. Pigeon. "Snack time!" The pigeons start to swarm around Mr. Pigeon and eat the popcorn off of him, preventing him from reaching for his bird call.

While he's disoriented, Scarlet Beetle pulls his yoyo and lifts Mr. Pigeo up by the ankle, and his bird call falls to the ground, which Ikati Black grabs and breaks in his hand, releasing the Akuma.

"Get over here, you!" Scarlet Beetle yelled before catching the Akuma in his yoyo. "Gotcha!" Then he releases a newly purified origami butterfly.

Hearing a quick, "CATACLYSM!" Scarlet Beetle turns to see Ikati Black sifting through what remained of the vending machine before pulling out the Lucky Charm coin and tossing it to him. "Can't forget that!"

With an appreciative nod, he tosses the coin into the air and yells, "MIRACULOUS SCARLET BEETLE!" His cure spreads around the city, returning the officers back where they originally were, repairing any damage caused by the pigeons, and turning Mr. Pigeo back to Mr. Ramier. He rubs his eyes to see where he is.

"What happened? Where am I?" He turns to see the two heroes high-fiving.

🐦🦋

"Ugh! Dumb pigeons!" Nathaniel yelled into his pillow while Nooroo awkwardly pats his shoulder. "God! Nooroo, remind me to never re-Akumatize that guy again! Ever!"

🐦🦋

It was finally the week of the derby hat contest. And Mr. Agreste was right about designing and sewing being a long process.

"Very nice, girls," Gabriel commended as he checked out the first derby hat made by two girls, one goth, one in all pink. Yet, they're somehow friends. Their hat appears to be steampunk-inspired- Not the vision he had for Adrien to wear to the show, but still creative. He makes his way over to the next hat, obviously upcycled and quite typical for the bohemian-looking girl.

Her hat is a nice white one with a simple peridot-green ribbon wrapped around it and a fake purple gem attached with fabric glue. "Hm. Thrift store?"

"It's where I get most of my clothes, actually," she sheepishly admitted. Gabriel chuckled.

"No need to be embarrassed. It's good for the environment and you can find all sorts of wonderful clothes people toss out." He points to her jacket. "Like this denim jacket for example. With a few patches or pins, you can make it your own." As the rainbow-haired girl beamed, he made his way over to the next group, one comprised of a redhead and a girl with pink hair.

Instead of making a hat, they came up with a design. Gabriel takes the redhead's sketchbook and examines the expertly-done sketch- A blue hat with two black feathers and one white tucked into the sash. Simple yet still very nice. "Impressive design," he said before handing the redhead his sketchbook back. 

"All him, Mr. Agreste," the pink-haired girl said, nudging the blushing redhead in the arm.

Gabriel gave the young man a nod. "Keep up the great work. You've got quite the talent." With that, he made his way towards the next hat. The pigtailed girl, much to his joy. But then he does a double-take when he catches something out of the corner of his eye. Chloe's hat. It looks exactly like the pigtailed girl's. His expression darkens, unknowingly matching Adrien.

"Is this a joke?" He finally asks, gesturing to Marinette's hat, then Chloe's.

Chloe stomped her foot on the floor. "No fair! No fair! Marinette copied my design! It's scandalous, how could you do that?!" With that, she cries dramatically and covers her face so no one can see her non-tear-stained face.

Gabriel and Marinette gave a simultaneous roll of their eyes before Marinette says, "I apologize for the situation Mr. Agreste, but I can prove that this derby hat is MY original design."

Everyone watching leaned in all at once, wondering how Marinette would take the blonde down a peg. Marinette continues, "Well, everything on my derby hat is hand-made-from the embroidery, to the weaving of the band, to the stitching of the brim." Chloe recoils. "All done by myself and if you don't believe me, you can simply check out my design book. And last, there's a special design element that only the true designer knows about: I signed mine." She holds up her hat and shows the gold signature hidden in the golden embroidery, unnoticeable unless you turn the hat upside-down.

Aghast, Chloe knocks over her derby hat stand. Everyone turns to look at it on the floor, and it shows Marinette's exact signature. Humiliated, Chloe runs away crying. "DADDY!" Reluctantly, Sabrina follows, but not before giving Marinette a thumbs up and shooting Alya a grateful smile.

Gabriel beckons Adrien over so they can examine the hat together. Both are visibly impressed. "Very exquisite creation. You definitely have the laboring hands of a true designer, miss..."

"Marinette," Adrien confirmed, a little too eagerly

Gabriel smiled. Now he knew his future daughter-in-law's name! "Congratulations on your demonstration, Miss Marinette. You're the winner." Hearing this, her classmates gather around and shoot her proud looks while he puts the hat on Adrien, only to notice one little thing. "Oh, dear. I hate to ruin your moment, but Adrien is allergic to feathers."

Marinette was quick to wave him off. "Don't worry. Thanks to those creepy tabloid magazines, I thought ahead and used a fake feather for this hat. Can't have Blonde Wonder sneezing during his show."

Adrien's eyes were practically sparkling. 'She's so thoughtful!' With a nervous smile, he says, "Th-thanks, Marinette! I love it!" He really hopes no one heard his voice cracking a bit and adjusts the hat.

🐦🦋

"So, we didn't win! But at least Chloe got humiliated!" Alix cackled on her way out of the school with Nathaniel, Rose, and Juleka. The latter was currently wearing hers' and Rose's hat and making it look amazing. "What do you guys say we get some ice cream? On me."

"'Lix, it's your birthday tomorrow," Nathaniel reminded her. "We should be buying you ice cream."

"Yeah, and I'm getting an ass-load of money from relatives," she retorts. "It's fine, dude."

Rose cheered, "I'm getting strawberry!" Then she skipped down the stairs, much to her friends' amusement. "And a ton of SPRINKLES!"

"Don't go overboard!" Juleka yelled through her cupped hands. "You remember what happened last time!" As she ran after the blonde, Nathaniel groaned.

"God, I want what they have. I'm Bi, and can't find a single date!" Sympathetically, Alix pats his shoulder. "How do you handle it, Alix?"

"Simple. Skates over dates." She suddenly perks up. "That reminds me- How are my skates coming along, and did you add the flames like I asked? I wanna look badass when I kick Kim's ass tomorrow."

The redhead fondly rolled his eyes. "Oh, ye of little faith. Just wait until you see them tomorrow."

"GUYS! ICE CREAM!" Rose screamed.

Chapter Text

Red Emo Bangs:
Bon anniversaire!

Red Emo Bangs:
Once again, first to say it!

Blonde Wonder:
No fair! I didn't know her birthday was today! Bon anniversaire Alix!

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Bon anniversaire!

Son of Poseidon:
First, Bon anniversaire

Son of Poseidon:
Second, prepare to go DOWN!

They See Me Rollin':
Bring it on, Kim! I'm gonna kick your ass!

Son of Poseidon:
Please! Your skates are no match for me!

Max Makes Mechs:
Statistics say otherwise, Kim

Son of Poseidon:
TRAITOR!

Buff But Sweet:
Alix, if you win, I will buy you ice cream for a month

Alya-is-Blogging:
New girl question! What's going on between you two?

Blonde Wonder:
Same!

Blonde Wonder:
I mean 'New Boy Question'

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Nope. It's New Girl Question. Deal With It

Blonde Wonder:
😑

Purple Emo bangs:
Well, I'm sure you've noticed Kim likes to dare people to do outrageous things

Son of Poseidon:
It's what I do

Smol Thespian:
Unfortunately

Purple Emo Bangs:
So now, Alix has a bet going on with him. Kim is to stop daring people for the rest of the school year if Alix beats him in a race

Briar Rose:
Win or don't come home Alix!

They See Me Rollin':
No pressure! Got it!

Buff But Sweet:
You're going down, Kim

DJ Lahiffe:
Well, as Kim's best friend, I gotta support him

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Same! Throwing the Girl Code out the window for this one

Alya-is-Blogging:
TRAITOR!

They See Me Rollin':
You evil girl

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Thank you, I got my credentials from the man downstairs himself

Red Emo Bangs:
I can't tell if you're serious or not

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
I could be

Blonde Wonder:
I am both scared and intrigued

Briar Rose:
😙

Smol Thespian:
😙

DJ Lahiffe:
😙

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Nah

They See Me Rollin':
Alright, I gotta get going. My old man's taking me to Le Grand Paris for a birthday lunch

Red Emo Bangs:
Don't be late so I can give you your skates which are, by the way, looking badass!

They See Me Rollin':
I knew I picked the right person

Son of Poseidon:
Fancy skates aren't gonna help you win 😝

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Yeah, not when I've made awesome t-shirts and a banner for when Kim wins

DJ Lahiffe:
And I helped!

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Yeah, by getting glitter all over you

DJ Lahiffe:
It was sparkly!

Briar Rose:
You used glitter without me?!

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Uuh...

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Oh, my mother is calling me! zài jiàn!

Briar Rose:
Marinette!

Purple Emo Bangs:
Let it go, hon

Blonde Wonder:
Let it go, Let it go! Can't hold it back anymore!

Red Emo Bangs:
I'm out

Son of Poseidon:
Me too! Gotta get a few more steps in!

🛼🦋

"Fifty-nine, sixty, sixty-one, sixty-one, sixty-one. You're not going down all the way, Kim." Heeding her instruction, Kim goes down lower with his next push-up. "There we go! Sixty-two! Sixty-three, sixty-four, sixty-five... How long are you gonna keep doing this?"

Kim chuckled. "Just enough to get myself hyped up for later. Few more and we'll head out."

"I've been meaning to ask," Tikki started, floating in front of her chosen as he did more push-ups. "Why do you like daring people so much?" Kim gave a quick shrug of his shoulders.

"I'm not really sure. Just something I've been doing since we were kids. Mari and Nino got in on it, too, but, I'm pretty sure that was just so I wouldn't give them any crazy dares." He laughs fondly at the memories, recalling how Marinette would always climb to the top of the slide and make an announcement that he'd be holding another one of his weekly dare contests. And Nino would make sure no one tried to sneak away. It was fun. "I remember this one time, I dared Juleks to eat a blade of grass... Then she ate another one."

Tikki made a gagging sound, getting a laugh out of the athlete.

"What? We were four! We do all sorts of weird stuff." The kwami giggled before glancing over at Kim's clock.

"You should start heading out now if you wanna meet your friends."

"Yeah, you're right," he said while getting up and doing a few stretches to loosen up. "Just gonna grab a protein bar for me, a cookie for you, and we're out." Tikki quickly flew into his hoodie pocket as Kim made his way out of his bedroom and downstairs into the kitchen, passing by his mother who was doing a workout of her own in the living room while his dad counted her sets. He gave the two a quick 'hello' before going into the kitchen, grabbing a snack for himself and Tikki, and then making his way to the door. "I'll see you guys later!"

Khuyen was mid-sit-up when she pointed to Kim and shouted, "Win that race or don't come back, Kim!" Teo nervously laughed her off.

"She's only joking, sea monkey! Just go have fun!" With that, Kim made his way out of the house. "Khuyen, I love you, but you've gotta word things a little better."

"What? It got me a date with you, didn't it?"

🛼🦋

Not many at Alix's school are aware of this, but her family is pretty wealthy. She just doesn't like to brag or go out with big-spending money like Chloe. Her dad is the museum director at the Louvre, which pays big bucks seeing as it's one of the largest museums in the world. This meant they could go to fancy parties hosted by the mayor, meet a few dignitaries, and eat at the nicest restaurants in Paris... Unfortunately, Alix's dad picked Le Grand Paris.

"Couldn't you have made more of an effort to dress nicely?" Alim asked good-naturedly, gesturing to Alix's sneakers. The pink-haired girl smirked.

"Couldn't you, pops?" Alim couldn't help but laugh. "Besides, you know I'm not into all that fancy stuff. Plus, I've got a race later, and I can't be beating Kim in a pantsuit.”

Alim smiled. "But this is a special day, Alix." Before she could retort, he continued, "You see," He reaches inside his jacket pocket and brings out a silver pocket watch with beautiful engravings on the front. "This family heirloom was made by one of our ancestors many, many years ago. It's been passed down from one generation to the next, the youngest on their 15th birthday. And today, it's your turn to inherit it, Alix." He slides the watch over to her.

Alix furrowed her brow at those words. First, why the youngest? If her dad ends up adopting, will the watch go to them? Second, why the fifteenth birthday of all birthdays? That's not exactly one of the milestones like seven, ten, sixteen, or twenty... Though, that is a pretty cool-looking watch.

"It's pretty sweet, dad. But I've already got a watch," she points to the neon green watch on her wrist. "And it's synced up to my smartphone.”

Her dad only chuckled. "Well, Alix, sometimes there's more to things than meets the eye. Let's just say that our ancestor was…" He taps the watch, opening it so a cloud of blue smoke comes out. Only it wasn't smoke, it was a hologram. And when it cleared away, it revealed a young woman in old-fashioned clothing holding up a large clock with the current time. "Ahead of his time." Alix gasps, amazed. She reaches for it, but Alim closes the watch with a sly smile. "Of course, I'd understand if you'd rather me buy you a new pair of rollerblades-"

"No, Dad! I'm stoked to have it!" She blurts before going to hug him. Once they pull away, he places the watch in her waiting hands. "It's awesome, thank you!" Interrupting this moment between the two is her phone ringing. "God, I gotta go, but I don't wanna bail on you." Alim waves her off before placing her cap on her head.

"Go on ahead, dear. And just promise me one thing?" She tilts her head, silently asking him to continue. "Make sure you beat Kim." With a wink, Alix left the restaurant.

🛼🦋

“Yay, sports,” Simon drawled, looking down at their phone. “Go faster. You’re doing great. I love being a part of this.”

Reshma quirked an eyebrow. ”Uh, Simon? The race hasn’t started yet.”

”I know, I’m just getting ready for when it does start,” they explained. “Run or skate around in a circle. I love the outside.”

”Simon! Quit being a wet blanket!” Lacey shouted as she arrived with Cosette, Mireille, Aurore, Marc, and one other girl whom Mme. Bustier’s class didn't recognize.

”Guys, this is my sister, Marcelle,” Marc said before any of them could ask. Marcelle gave a polite wave while Mme. Bustier’s class looked her over, already seeing the uncanny resemblance between her and Marc. Hell, she even wore bright colors like him and had a chain on her belt.

Marcelle made her way towards Mme. Bustier’s students with a bright smile that almost rivaled Adrien’s. “Nice to finally meet you guys.”

”Holy shit, she’s shredded,” Juleka murmured, but it was loud enough for everyone else to hear and for Rose to nudge her in the arm. Realizing what she just said, instead of blushing and acting as if she hadn’t said anything, Juleka gestured to Marcelle’s toned arms. “Well, am I wrong?”

Ivan gave a low whistle, not one out of arousal, he was just impressed by her muscles. And that’s what he’ll say if Myléne asks. “What gym do you go to?”

”Oh, the one by the ice skating rink.”

”No shit, my sister goes there!” Alya exclaimed. “She’s a wrestler! Ever heard of Anansi?” Marcelle’s eyes almost looked like they were sparkling.

”Anansi’s your sister?! She’s a fucking legend in the ring! At least until I finally managed to kick her ass.”

Alya went quiet for a moment, alarming her friends. Adrien even tapped her to make sure she was okay. “You… Beat my sister in the ring?” Once again, silence until she engulfed the green-eyed girl in a bone-crushing hug. “MARC! Where have you been hiding this wonderful girl?!”

While Alya gushed over Marcelle and her friends tried to get their own questions in, the sound of an air horn drowned out their words, and all heads turned to where they heard the horn come from.

“Make way, people!” Marinette shouted as she and Nino rode up to the group on their bikes, Max hitching a ride on the back of her’s while holding the banner she made in one hand and a bag full of t-shirts in the other. “Greatness will be arriving in three… Two…”

”I’M HERE!” Kim hollered, running up behind them, not even breaking a sweat. “Who’s ready to see me win?!” Nino plays an air horn sound effect on his phone to add to the hype.

Aurore smirked. “Actually, we’re here for Alix.”

“Speak for yourself, hon,” Denise scoffed. “I’ll take sneakers over skates any day. You got this, Kim!” A few students from Mendeleive’s class cheered him on as well, but most were sure Alix would win as soon as she arrives.

🛼🦋

"Maybe we could fix it?" Marinette suggested. "I'm pretty good with tools; I can get it working like new again."

Alix sniffed. "This watch was of a kind!" She shoves the remains in front of Marinette's face, making the pigtailed girl flinch back with a sheepish expression. "It can't be fixed!" Seeing that Marinette had nothing left to say, she skated off, leaving Marinette to return back to her friends.

"God, why didn't I just look after that watch like she asked?" Alya wondered aloud, berating herself for not being more responsible. If she hadn't handed it to Adrien, Chloe wouldn't have snatched it and thrown it to the ground like it was a piece of garbage. Nino was quick to pull her in for a side hug.

"Hey, you couldn't have known." Alya shot him a look that said, 'Are you sure about that?' "Well, you couldn't have known Chloe would snatch it." He glances over to the left and sees the blonde girl trying to drag Adrien away, not at all concerned about Alix. "Ugh. Anyway, you two messed up, you feel bad, but hey! It's a part of life." The auburn-haired girl chuckled, making him smile.

"Shut up, Lahiffe... But, thanks, I guess."

Marinette spares only the faintest smile as she looks at the two, getting the feeling they'll become more than just friends as time goes on. Though, she still couldn't get her mind off of Alix. It's her birthday, and an amazing present got destroyed. She's sure she could fix it, but as Alix said, it's one of a kind. One slip-up, and it might not be like how M. Kudbel gave it to her. So deep in her thoughts, Marinette almost doesn't hear her phone's alarm going off. Nadja will be at the bakery in ten minutes.

"I gotta go, guys!" She hollered before grabbing her bike and riding back to the bakery.

🛼🦋

Alix clutched the remains of her watch in her hands before shoving them in her pocket, wondering how she'll explain this to her dad when she gets home. In just twenty minutes, she destroyed a family heirloom, probably committing the biggest blunder out of everyone in her family, worse than the time her brother tried to summon the aliens who supposedly built the Pyramids. She only skated faster, the sound of her wheels against the pavement hitting her ears and drowning out everything around her... Including the sound of an Akuma's wings.

"Hello, Timebreaker."

Alix immediately stopped when the voice rang through her head and looked down at her skates, not pitch black. "... Shit."

"Hey, before I give you powers and stuff, are you alright?"

The pink-haired girl quirked an eyebrow, wondering why a villain was concerned about her. "What the fuck do you care? Aren't you supposed to be evil or something?"

"I prefer anti-villain. I'm not evil, but I'm also not conventionally good," Monarch explained. "But, really. I can see into your mind, your memories. Feels weird to care about something you've only had for a short amount of time, huh?" Alix was quiet for a moment.

"... Yeah, but my dad gave it to me, so... You know, it was important.” Alix was surprised at herself, talking to a villain- Er, anti-villain about her problems when she could be talking to Nathaniel, Juleka, or Rose. Marinette even offered to fix her watch and she turned her down, harshly too.

Monarch continued, “Hey, it’s fine. I bet you wish you could just go back and fix your mistakes, huh? We all do.” He went quiet for a moment, and Alix seemed to notice.

”Hey, are you okay?”

”I- Uh, yeah. Sorry, just lost in thought. Look, I can help you get your watch back and prevent all of this from happening. Just accept my deal and in exchange, bring me Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black’s Miraculous. Okay?”

Alix pondered Monarch’s words for a moment before nodding her head. “You got it, Monarch.” And with her words, the black and purple smoke surrounded her, turning her into Timebreaker. She got into a starting position before skating towards her friends at an amazing speed, fast enough to probably leave behind a trail of fire. It didn’t take too long for her friends to notice and start panicking when they saw her new look.

”RUN!” Rose screamed, her high-pitched voice loud enough to deafen a few people before grabbing Juleka’s hand and running away.

Simon tries to escape from Timebreaker, but she touches his arm and he freezes in place, much to the horror of his classmates, especially Denise.

”SIMON!” They screamed while Cosette and Jean tried to pull them away.

Marcelle backed away from the Akumatized skater. “Alix, you gotta stop this! Wh-what’d you even do to him?!

“The name's Timebreaker now! And I'm gonna go back in time and save my watch, using all you punks to do it!” Seeing Myléne run by, she quickly touches her arm, freezing her in place.

The wheels of her skates, Aurore notices, seem to be glowing a bright neon green color. She swears one of the wheels even had a bit of electricity surrounding it.

”I needed their energy,” Timebreaker continued. “The more I get out of all of you, the further back I’ll go! Now hold still!” She skates toward Denise, but Marcelle is quick to take off her beanie and throw it in Timebreaker’s face, causing her to trip and fall while she takes off running with her brother and his classmates.

”Get to higher ground!” Mireille shouted. She wasn’t sure if that would work, but maybe, just hopefully Timebreaker couldn’t climb with her skates.

While the students ran to look for any higher ground, Max rushed to look for a hiding spot to transform while avoiding Timebreaker’s touch. “Not how I expected this race to go,” he said to Plagg as he flew out from his pants pocket.

”You know the words,” he groaned, annoyed to be awoken from his nap.

Nodding, Max said, “Plagg, Claws Out!”

🛼🦋

The student who heard Mireille’s words quickly took to climbing any nearby trees, but some just weren’t quick enough such as Ivan, Ismael, Juleka, Chloé, and Jean, and others who didn’t hear Mireille are still running from Timebreaker. The Akuma’s wheels were glowing much brighter than before, that if it were night, they’d probably light up a whole street.

Timebreaker is about to tag Cosette, but Ikati Black throws his staff at her ankle, making her trip and fall, right near Rose.

”That’s a timeout for you, Timebreaker,” he declared.

The Akuma bit back a snarl, seeing she was next to Rose. An easy mark. Feigning regret and weakness, she cried, “Please, Rose help me, I messed up! Please!” She holds out her hand with a pleading expression, hoping it’s enough to tap into the blonde’s selflessness.

”I-It’s okay, Alix,” she said, reaching for her hand to help her up while her friends loudly advised her not to.

Juleka screamed, ”ROSE! NO!” But it’s too late, Timebreaker steals Rose’s energy, freezing her in time, much to the horror of the goth girl that Marc has to hold her to make sure she doesn’t fall off of the branch.

“Sweet, loving Rose,” Timebreaker simpered. “Always putting others before herself.” She looks at the clock emblem on her chest before her eyes trail over to Ikati Black. “Three minutes! Let’s see if those nine lives of yours’ are worth anything!” She skates after Ikati Black and attempts to touch him, but he smacks her hands away with his staff each time. After one hard hit to her wrist which hinders her a bit, Ikati Black tries to take a swing at her skates, believing those might be where her Akuma is, only for her to kick his staff away and then continue to chase after him.

Timebreaker comes close to touching the hero's shoulder, only for a familiar red yoyo to wrap around her wrist and reel her over to Scarlet Beetle. "Why don't you keep your hands to yourself?!" With a snarl, Timebreaker swept his ankle, knocking Scarlet Beetle down and giving her the chance to steal his energy.

"NO!" Ikati Black cried, drowning out the concerned shouts of the students as Scarlet Beetle starts to fade away.

Monarch watched this from his hiding place, his face going white. "Shit." He speaks to Timebreaker. "Timebreaker, Scarlet Beetle's fading fast! Go back in time now and get his and Ikati Black's Miraculous!"

Timebreaker moves her neck side to side, getting out a few cracks. "No problem. I just got six minutes in one go thanks to that bug. Later, alley cat!" She gave a mock salute before skating off, much faster than before, electricity crackling around her skates and engulfing her body in some places. Hearing a cat-like growl, Timebreaker hardly had enough time to react to Ikati Black latching onto her back. "HEY! Get off of me!"

"Oh, no way, you Doctor Who ripoff!" Seeing her try to touch him while still skating, Ikati Black grabbed her forearms. Soon, he becomes enveloped by the same crackling electricity surrounding Timebreaker before his vision became obstructed by a bright white light. Ikati Black shuts his eyes and looks the other way.

🛼🦋

”Last lap!” Ikati Black heard... Himself yell? He looks around, blinking to readjust his vision, and sees he's still at Trocadéro, only... Alix isn't akumatized, no one's frozen. He went back in time! Immediately, he wants to freak out and start squealing like a little kid on Christmas morning until he sees Timebreaker skating toward the past group of students.

"CHLOE! PUT DOWN MY WATCH!"

Out of fear, Chloe drops the watch, making it shatter upon impact. Past Alix sees this as she nears the finish line and screams.

"MY WATCH!"

Timebreaker seethes. "You evil WITCH! I need to go back in time!" She surges towards Chloe and slides her hand across her face, stealing her energy and prompting the others to run

🛼🦋

Nathaniel gaped as he watched the scene unfold from his hiding place. "What the hell? Nooroo, help me out here."

"The Akuma, she's from the future!" He chirped. Hearing this, Nathaniel beamed.

"Oh, this is too good! Nooroo, Wings Rise." Transformed, he takes an origami butterfly, turns it into an Akuma, and sends it after Alix.

🛼🦋

While Timebreaker chases after everyone else, Max pulls his future self to the side and begins an onslaught of questions. "Who are you? How did you get here? And who is that?" He points to Timebreaker who just got done stealing energy from Cosette, Nino, Marinette, and Juleka.

"You, just a few minutes into the future, time-travel Akuma, and her name is Timebreaker," he quickly explained. His past self looks him over for a moment before Plagg pokes his head out from his pocket.

"He's right! I can feel it!"

A high-pitched sound comes from the back of Max's throat before turning into a full-on excited squeal. "This is phenomenal! Did you go through some sort of time portal, or was it more like teleportation where you immediately jump from one point in time to another?" Ikati Black chuckled a bit at his past self.

'Is this how I sound to people?' "I'm not sure, I had my eyes closed," he admitted sheepishly. "Now, I suggest you transform. In the future, Scarlet Beetle got hit by Timebreaker, took his energy, and froze him in time. So just in case, I'm gonna need backup." After taking all of the information in, Max transformed and the two Ikati Blacks ran after Timebreaker, now accompanied by another one and evading Scarlet Beetle's yoyo while stealing energy from the students.

Noticing the two, Scarlet Beetle furrowed his brow. "Am I seeing double all of a sudden?"

"Long story short, I'm from the future," Future Ikati Black explained. "Do not let her touch you, and the Akumas are in their skates. Everyone gets that?" The past heroes nod.

After tagging Simon, the last person to steal energy from, Past Timebreaker turned to her future self, "I think we've got enough energy to go back. But first, let's go hardcore on those three and take their Miraculous!" She and herself clasp hands and chase after the heroes to steal their energy, but Scarlet Beetle leaps out of the way moments before they could get near them, lands behind the two Akumas, and trips them by tying his yoyo around their ankles.

"They're pretty fast on their rollerblades," past Ikati Black said to himself, noticing them struggling to get back up. "So... What if we got 'em off of the ground?" His past self nods to himself.

"I like the way you think."

"Change of plan!" Future Timebreaker snapped. "We gotta go back in time now! There'll be less of them!"

"I'm down." The two link arms and skate away. Future Ikati black sees the electricity crackling around them and starts running.

"Scarlet! We're gonna need a Lucky Charm!"

With a nod, Scarlet Beetle shouted, "Lucky Charm!" And he was given, "A bicycle lock?" Quickly, he looks around for a way to use his Lucky Charm before the two Timebreakers can go back in time. His Lucky Vision illuminates both Ikati Blacks, a pillar, and a section on the ground. "Future Ikati! Destroy the pillar!"

Future Ikati Black vaults ahead of the Akumas. He yells, "Cataclysm!" and destroys the pillar, making it crumble into large pieces, getting in the way of the Timebreakers. They see this and quick turn around. Scarlet Beetle stands just a few feet across from them, holding the bike lock.

"Let's freeze him on our way past!" They neared, getting closer, closer... But then, out of nowhere, a studded blue chain wrapped around their ankles before Scarlet Beetle could go through with his plan. Before they could get close to him, Scarlet Beetle moved out of the way as Past Ikati Black cataclysms the ground, making it crumble and become uneven. The two are going too fast, they can't stop, and get launched into the air by a stray chunk of the ground. While they're in mid-air, Scarlet Beetle grabs their skates with his yoyo and destroys all four by throwing them against the ground, releasing two Akumas.

"Not so fast, you two!" Scarlet Beetle catches the two Akumas in his yoyo before releasing the two purified origami butterflies. He tosses the unused bicycle lock into the air. "Miraculous Scarlet Beetle!" The magic ladybugs swarm around the city, getting rid of the future Ikati Black and Timebreaker, bringing the students back, fixing Alix's watch, and finally, TImebreaker reverts back to Alix.

Noticing her watch by his foot, Scarlet Beetle picks it up and approaches Alix who's looking a little disoriented. "I think this is yours?" Gleefully, Alix takes her watch back and looks it over to make sure not a single gear is out of place.

Emotional, she hugs Scarlet Beetle, much to his shock. "Thank you!"

"... Heh, no problem," he said, returning the hug before his earrings start beeping. "Hey, I've better get going, but I'll see you around." Before he leaves, he noticed the blue chain that replaced his Lucky Charm and helped stop the Timebreakers. He looked around, and asked, "Hey! Who's chain is that?" Immediately, all eyes were on Marc, but he points to the two chains already clipped to his belt.

"That's mine." All eyes turned to Marcelle raising her hand. "What? An Akuma froze my brother and friends in time, I wasn't just gonna let that slide." Alya and a few girls from Mendeleieve's class cheer her on while the guys give proud smiles.

Scarlet Beetle shoots her double finger guns before swinging away, shortly followed by Ikati Black vaulting off in the other direction. Not too long later, Kim and Max made their way over to the group, both acting as if they had been there the whole time.

"Alright, well since there was a time-traveling Akuma, I guess we can just call this race off," Kim tried, only to be cut off by Ivan resting his hand on his shoulder and giving him a knowing smirk.

"Alix crossed the finish line before you did. No dares for the rest of the year."

"No dares, no dares, no dares," Ismael starts chanting, and slowly, the others begin to join, including a reluctant Marinette, Nino, and Max. Chloe meanwhile, just looked at her phone and waved her hand in beat with the chanting. "No dares! No dares! No dares!"

"... I still want those cupcakes, Marinette," Kim pouted.

'You managed to slip by me this time, Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black. But one day, past, present, or future, I'll have your Miraculous!' Nathaniel thought bitterly to himself but sported a proud smile so no one would become suspicious. However, what snapped him out of his inner monologuing was when someone bumped into him. It was Marc. "O-oh, hey."

He seemed to glare at someone for a brief second before shyly greeting Nathaniel. "H-hey, Nathaniel. Uh... Weird day, huh?"

"Yep, two Akumas, two Ikati Blacks... Uh... Yeah," he added awkwardly, not really sure what to say next just like with every other conventionally attractive person he's talking to... Not that he thinks Marc's attractive. Yes, he has nice eyes and soft-looking black hair, but that's all. And Nooroo didn't know what he was talking about after the last Stoneheart attack, going on about his emotions and "liking him." Yes, he likes a boy he met while he was hiding in a locker!

"Excuse me," said a voice cutting through and interrupting Nathaniel's thoughts. It was Cosette. "I'm just gonna take Marc away for a bit, thanks, bye," they said before dragging the stiff-looking noirette away and leaving Nathaniel to not at all question his own feelings.

"Marc, honey, you were dying out there," Aurore sighed, making sure her voice was quiet enough so Bustier's students didn't hear but loud enough for her classmates. "Seriously, I was getting ready to drag you to the morgue." In response, he groaned into his hands. "Relax, we got you out of there in time. No thanks to Marcelle." The girl gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Hey, excuse me for trying to get my brother out there. He just needed a little push." Literally, she actually pushed Marc into Nathaniel.

Ismael rolled his eyes. "This is why I stay out of romance. Too messy. And give our little disaster gay some time. It took Denise and Simon forever, but look at them." The two share a chaste kiss.

Marcelle let out a long groan. "Fine. You guys are no fun." As they laugh at her, Marcelle can't help but notice that one particular person has remained quiet. Jean Duparc. She knew him well and knew that Jean was never quiet and always invested in his friends' love lives. So, what was so different with Marc liking Nathaniel? Before she could speculate some more, Juleka yelled once again,

"VICTORY PARTY ON THE LIBERTY!" By tomorrow, everyone's sure she'll go back to being the quiet girl they all know well.

"Yeah! Let's go see that hot brother you've been talking about!" Marinette called out, catching Adrien’s attention.

"He's on an overnight field trip!"

"Shit!" The blonde cursed.

Chapter Text

"Camera?"

"Check."

"Microphone?"

"Check."

"Sunscreen?"

Alya groaned. "But that stuff is so sticky!" She smacks Marinette's hand away before she can coat her with the stuff. "Mari! No!"

"I'm only doing this because I care about you!" The shorter girl finally applies some on her friend's face. "And I don't want you getting skin tags!" Alya groaned and reluctantly allowed her to apply the sunscreen on her face. "There, was that so hard?"

"Yes," she pouted before a huge grin invaded her face. "But you're just lucky I'm in too much of a good mood to care! Quick happy best friends selfie!" She holds up her phone, and Marinette is immediately at her side.

"Always!"

Alya snaps a few pictures of them doing different poses before stopping at seven. The reason for the two's joy is due to the fact that they'll be among many reporters interviewing a well-known sculptor for his work in creating a statue of Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black at the Place des Vosges. When Alya caught wind of the sculptor, she was, of course, ecstatic and was able to get Marinette on board. They spent days preparing interview questions, practicing the right camera angles, and creating merchandise to pass out to people who might not have heard of their blog. Finally, they were ready.

"Oh! Don't forget the wristbands," Alya reminded, to which Marinette replied with a scoff and held up an Ikati Black-themed bag filled with black and red wristbands with Bug and Cat Chat logos printed on them. "That's my girl!"

"Let's move out!" Marinette cheered, and the two made their way out of her room.

🐈⬛🦋

"I'm sure you've outdone yourself, Théo," André commended, giving the young man a pat on the back for reassurance, noticing the sweat on his brow. "Why else would I commission you in the first place? There's no need to be nervous."

Théo turned away from the crowd and was finally able to drop the big plastic smile that the cameras just ate up, much to his relief since the sides of his face were starting to hurt. "Thank you again, Mayor Bourgeois; it was really my honor. I'm just really hoping Scarlet Beetle will show up and autograph the photo I used of him as the inspiration for the statue."

André glanced at the photo Théo pulled out of his jacket pocket, then at the enamored look on his face. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but didn't say anything... Yet. First things first, André Bourgeois is no homophobe. Living in the city of love, there are all types of different loves. And people, no matter what gender can love whom they please... It's just that...

He's not sure how old Théo is. Judging by Scarlet Beetle's youthful appearance and voice, he must be around Chloe's age. Now with Théo's facial hair and his height, it concerns him that he might have a crush on the young hero.

'Maybe I should stand between them,' André thought to himself before looking down at his watch and perking up when he noticed the time. Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black should be arriving any moment now.

🐈⬛🦋

"Are you almost charged up, Plagg?" Max asked, not looking up at his phone as he watched the Bug and Cat Chat live stream. "It's nearly time."

The Kwami took one last bite of his small block of cheese before giving what Max assumed to be a thumbs up. "Ready when you are kid," he said while licking the crumbs off of his face. "Don't you think it seems early for a statue, though? I mean, you've only taken down like five Akumas. Shouldn't they wait until number ten?" Max seemed to contemplate his words.

"I suppose, but it's still an honor. And they've got an up-and-coming sculptor to create it. Théo Barbot, I think."

"Well, don't let the fame go to your head," Plagg snarked. "I tell ya, when Panther got his portrait painted back in 1789, he thought he was king of the world!" He exclaimed with a posh British accent, getting a laugh out of his holder.

"Sounds like a pain."

"He was!" Plagg groaned. "Alright, enough ranting. Let's go."

With a nod, Max said the words, "Plagg, Claws Out!" And he leaped out of his window.

While vaulting over the streets, Ikati Black beamed when he caught a glimpse of red out of the corner of his eye and turned his head slightly to see his partner swinging almost gracefully over civilians' heads as they looked up and cheered. The cat-themed hero wasn't sure why, but he just didn't feel like taking his eyes off of Scarlet Beetle, his carefree look, the way his ponytail flapped with the wind. Though, that proved to be a mistake when he nearly crashed into a billboard, only to veer out of the way just in time.

"Smooth vaulting, Ikati," Scarlet Beetle snickered.

Ikati Black played it off. "I'm tired, okay?" Before Scarlet Beetle could retort, they had already landed at Place des Vosges, right by the mayor and the sculptor. The crowd erupted into cheers and the cameras began flashing at rapid speeds as microphones were already being shoved in their faces. The two gave polite waves and smiled. While they were used to having their photos taken by superhero fans and a small crowd of reporters, this was just on a whole different level.

Sneakily, Scarlet Beetle took Ikati Black's hand, sort of a way to comfort him as he guessed his partner was feeling just as nervous and overwhelmed as him right now. Fortunately for both of them, they spotted some familiar faces in the crowd.

Marinette and Alya of course are at the front, Marinette with her tablet snapping a couple of photos and Alya with a microphone hooked up to her phone ready to interview the heroes, both behaving much more professionally than a crowd of news-hungry adults.

Nino stood around, stealing glances at his phone and no doubt wondering where Kim and Max are. Next to him was Adrien, trying to goad him to put down his phone and it seemed to be working to some degree.

Finally, Mayor Bourgeois settled down the crowd of reporters, and the camera flashes were brought down to a minimum. "Thank you all for coming! I know I speak for everyone when I say this marks a wonderful moment in Paris' history- We are unveiling a statue of our city's newest superheroes!" The crowd began cheering again. Scarlet Beetle beamed at the praise, but Ikati Black's thoughts were somewhere else at the moment.

While the mayor continued speaking, he couldn't help but notice that Théo seemed to be standing awfully close to Scarlet Beetle. While he wouldn't find that odd considering anyone would love to stand close to a superhero, there was just something off, especially with the way he chewed on his blow-pop stick.

Having been partnered with Nathaniel for a psychology project one time at school last year, Max learned quite a bit about how you can tell what a person is thinking or feeling based on their body language and facial expressions. Nathaniel only knew this because he spent much time studying facial expressions when he was drawing different characters.

"Say... Someone is attracted or aroused. They might bite their lip, the tip of a pencil, something like that."

And right now, Théo is just chewing away at his lollipop stick, but Ikati Black didn't care... Okay, maybe he cared a little bit because just how old is this guy? He sounds mid-twenties and he's got that goatee. Plus, his build. Before Ikati Black could speculate some more, anger just boiled up inside him when this guy- No, MAN put his hand on Scarlet's shoulder!

Thank God Mayor Bourgeois pulled Théo to the side when it was time for the statue to be unveiled. Ikati Black couldn't help but mentally smack himself, though. He must've zoned out during his whole speech.

"It's only proper for Paris to pay homage to those to protect us from evil," the mayor declared before taking hold of one end of the tarp and pulling it to reveal the bronze statue. "Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black!"

The camera flashes nearly blinded the heroes, prompting them to turn their heads towards the statue. It's very well-crafted in their opinions, the proportions are perfect, and they're being shown as equals and standing side by side while showing off their respective weapons. All in all, it looks amazing. 

"Excuse me," Alya piped up, putting the heroes' attention on her and Marinette. "Can we get some photos for Bug and Cat Chat?"

Scarlet Beetle nodded eagerly. "Sure thing! Get over here, Théo!"

Ikati Black suppressed a snarl. It was just that look on Théo's face when Scarlet Beetle called him over, all flustered like a character from a romance manga. And the way he was hooking his arm around him just did not sit right with Ikati Black. Deciding to suck it up and get this photo over with, he hooked an arm around the sculptor's shoulders and smiled brightly as Marinette took their photo.

The bluenette squealed. "Thank you so much!"

"These statues are amazing," Alya said. "Théo, care to make a comment?" She points her phone toward the sculptor, making sure her microphone was close enough.

"Oh, I just wanted to express my adoration for Scarlet Beetle, le- And Ikati Black. Let hi-them know that everything I had went into their statue."

'... Oh, this guy is definitely in love with Scarlet.' Did no one else hear those slip-ups? Why is he the only one noticing this stuff? Should he say something and let people know that this man might have a thing for his partner- Who is a teenager?

"Ikati Black." The cat-themed here was roused out of his thoughts by Marinette calling his name. "Mind answering a few questions?"

Again, another fake smile to mask his distaste. "Sure. Ask away, miss..." He trailed off, playing dumb since he's not supposed to know his friends' names.

"Marinette," she answered, looking like she might pass out from excitement if Alya weren't there to keep her up. "Let me just say, it's an honor to get to interview you. What are your opinions on the statue? How is it being immortalized and gaining recognition?"

"Well, I've got to say, it's a real honor to be remembered like this," he starts, gesturing to the statue. "Scarlet and I have only had our Miraculous for about a month now, and to know the city appreciates our work so much that they wanted to have this statue made, I'm just ecstatic." Marinette mouthed 'thank you' before snapping a few more pictures.

While flashing a few smiles toward the other reporters, Ikati Black couldn't help but listen in on what Théo was saying to Scarlet Beetle.

"I don't mean to gush, but I just adore your work, Scarlet." 'Nicknames already?' "The grace you possess while handing Akumas- Oh, and not to mention the second time you fought Stoneheart. The speech you gave to Monarch was just phenomenal, remarkable." 'Synonyms? Really?'

Scarlet Beetle beamed. "Thank you, but I couldn't have handled Stoneheart without Ikati." He didn't notice the grimace on Théo's face and continued. "He just gives me the confidence I need, he's always there to back me up and I couldn't ask for a better partner."

'Yeah, that's right! Hear that, Théo?'

Théo's frown disappeared as quickly as it appeared when he turned back to the crowd. Out of the corner of his eyes, Ikati Black noticed the sculptor giving him a look that had just the slightest hateful glint. Well, two can play at that game, but Ikati's more mature than that. So Théo can be childish and jealous all he wants while he just smiles at the cameras.

"Scarlet Beetle! A word if you don't mind?" A reporter requested.

Scarlet Beetle whispered to his partner, "Be right back," before making his way over to the reporter, leaving Ikati Black with Théo. Ikati Black tenses a bit when he approaches but keeps his composure so as not to look intimidated. "Théo, great work," he said stiffly.

"Thanks. I just want to show my admiration for Scarlet Beetle. He's such a great hero, you know?"

Ikati Black smiled. "Yeah, I do. He's just so amazing. He doubts himself sometimes, but that's why I'm by his side, to reassure him every time." Théo seemed to tense at those words. "This is probably a dumb question, but I'm guessing you're a big fan of him?"

"You could say that," he answered with a smirk, only making his face more punchable. "Though, I admire just a bit more than what he does for Paris."

A high-pitched sound came from the back of Ikati Black's throat. He was having just about enough of this guy. "Oh, do you, now?" He asked, voice becoming an octave or two higher. "Well, that's just so great, but... I feel the need to ask, what is it about him that you admire? I mean, there are just so many attributes, his strength, charisma, and how he handles victims of Monarch after helping them. Why, I am surprised he doesn't have a band of admirers following him." He paused for a moment, a devious smirk gracing his face. "Oh, wait. He does have one if you catch my drift."

'Why did I say that?!'

"In fact," Ikati Black continued, unable to stop himself. "I'd say we're more like..." He crosses his fingers. "This."

Théo's eyes seemed to twitch at the gesture, and he tightened his shaking fists. "Really? Well, congratulations." Forcing a smile, he made his way over to a journalist waving him over, leaving Ikati Black wondering if this would come back to bite him in the ass.

🐈⬛🦋

"Damn, that's some nice work," Nathaniel said to himself, looking at snapshots of the statue on Bug and Cat Chat with Nooroo resting on his shoulder while the two shared a bowl of strawberries. "... Kinda looks like he put more work into Scarlet Beetle, though, huh?"

Nooroo looks at the photos again. "Oh, you're right. Ikati Black's tail isn't as detailed as Scarlet Beetle's yoyo." Before Nathaniel could comment, his Miraculous glowed. "Who is it this time?"

Disappointment... Jealousy...Broken Heart...

"We're about to find out." After Nooroo takes one last bite out of his snack, Nathaniel says, "Nooroo, Wings Rise." He takes an origami butterfly off of his nightstand and infuses it with dark magic before sending it through his slightly ajar skylight. "Alright, let's see who it is." While waiting for his Akuma to land on its' target, Monarch pops a strawberry in his mouth. Soon, he connects with his new Akuma... Théo Barbot.

Monarch looked through Théo's memories to see what go him so upset and once he finished looking, he grimaced.

"... Hey, Copycat," he greeted tensely through his teeth.  "So, you've been disappointed by Scarlet Beetle and you despise Ikati Black, huh? Well, allow me to be of some assistance."

"That's all I want! He doesn't love him as I do!"

Monarch fought the urge to gag. 'Oh, God. I'm doing this. I'm really helping this guy. Just have him take Ikati Black's Miraculous and revoke his Akuma. I can work with just the one.' "Well, now you'll replace that alley cat and be by Scarlet Beetle's side. What do you say?"

"The very thought of it makes me purr."

"Okay, bye! Wings down!" After he transformed back, Nathaniel gagged and retched. "Oh, God! Why did I do that? Did you hear that guy? No- Did you see his memories?! Ugh!"

Nooroo shuddered. "Revoke him as soon as he gets Ikati Black's Miraculous."

🐈⬛🦋

First thing's first, Jean Duparc is not a homewrecker. And besides, you can't be a homewrecker if there's no home to wreck, so... Loophole! Besides, what's the harm in spending some time alone with Marc at the museum so they can check out the 'Writers of History' exhibit? Frankly, Jean sees nothing wrong with that.

"Thanks for inviting me again, Jean," Marc said with a smile as they made their way down the hall. "I didn't even know they were unveiling this exhibit today."

The thespian beamed. "Hey, I like to keep up with all of my friends' interests." 'Stupid words, stupid words! Why can't life just give me a damn script?!' "So... Did you, uh... See the new posts on Bug and Cat Chat? I heard there was a statue built for Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black." Marc's face lit up at the words, making Jean's face go red.

"Yeah, and I saw the pictures, it's beautiful. Though, it feels like the sculptor put in more work with Scarlet Beetle. Did you notice his tail?" Jean nods. "Maybe he was just a little tired. Sometimes if I'm staying up late writing, I fall asleep and wake up seeing sentences I don't remember writing." His laughter was music to Jean's ears. "Some of them are actually pretty good, though, so I leave them in."

"Oh, that's pretty cool... I don't know what to say now," they admitted sheepishly, getting another laugh from the taller boy, and not in a 'Ha! Jean said something stupid!' way, much to their relief.

"I get it, I'm not really used to talking to others one-on-one. It's why I like groups so much," he said, making Jean mentally facepalm. He was probably making Marc uncomfortable right now without the others here. "But, I don't mind that it's the two of us." ... Or not. "So, what should we check out first?"

"Oh, I was thinking-"

"Is that Ikati Black?"

"No way!"

The two turned their heads and gaped at the sight of the hero just strolling down the halls of the museum... Until they looked again and saw that it was just someone else in their own version of the hero's suit, less futuristic and more Cheshire Cat-looking.

It's not weird to see people wearing outfits inspired by the heroes, but this guy took it on a whole different level. People chose not to pay him any mind, that was until he stepped across the velvet rope and stole the Mona Lisa right off the wall.

"Carry on, people. Don't mind me," he sneered, preening at the camera flashes going off.

"Hey, you!" One of the guards yelled. "Stop!" He surged toward the thief, only to run into a wall when he vaulted out of the way with a staff exactly like Ikati Black's, shocking many of the museum-goers who thought he was just a cosplayer.

"Anyone else care to be a hero?" He asked. Noticing a few people boldly taking a step forward to try and save the painting, he yelled, "CATACLYSM!" And the same destructive magic as Ikati Black's engulfed his hand. Everyone stepped back, knowing just how dangerous that power was. "One more move and the painting gets it. 'Course, I'm a reasonable cat, and I'll put the painting back and leave like I was never here." He paused for a moment before continuing, "If Ikati Black will be so kind as to hand over his Miraculous."

Marc furrowed his brow. Usually Akumas- assuming he was an Akuma- wanted both Ikati Black and Scarlet Beetle's Miraculous. What exactly did this guy have against him? Subtly, he pulled out his phone to snap a photo of the literal copycat so he could send it to Marinette and she could get the word out on Bug and Cat Chat, but it would seem luck was not on his side as the thief smacked his phone away with his staff.

"Well, look who's being a hero," he crooned, sending shivers up Marc's spine. How old is this guy, exactly? "Can't have you running loose, now can we?" Before he could react, Marc was hefted over his shoulder like a sack of flour.

"MARC!" Jean cried as the thief made off with the noirette, narrowly dodging security guards along the way.

Marc's yelling could be heard from down the hall. "Put me down, you creep!"

Jean groaned as they tore their fingers through their hair. "Marcelle is gonna kill me!"

🐈⬛🦋

"You don't think I behaved too brash, right? I mean, he's a grown man, Scarlet Beetle must be my age, he was being so handsy, I had to step up and do something! Do you get what I'm saying, Plagg?"

The Kwami stared at his holder for a while before answering. "Yeah. You're jealous and the guy is a perv. End of story?"

"Jealous, no. Perv, yes," Max stated firmly. "I know I could have been more professional, maybe informed Théo of Scarlet's age, and maybe that would have gotten him to back off."

"And if not?" Plagg asked.

Then like Marinette when that boy in cours moyen 2 stole her cupcake, Max will rain down hell and make Théo Barbot wish he had never been born. That day still terrified him, and he still has no idea how Marinette got those doll heads in the foolish boy's locker. "Let's just say no one will find his body."

He didn't understand, Max was usually so calm and collected but now he just wanted to hunt Théo down and hear what he has to say when he tells him Scarlet Beetle is a teenager. And if he reacts in the way Max is hoping he doesn't, then he suffers.

"... Plagg, are there any side effects to wielding your Miraculous?" Seeing the slight head tilt, he elaborated. "Protectiveness or feeling as though you're being challenged?"

"Ah, the 'Lion Phase'," Plagg mused. "I remember seeing this with all my kittens. One minute they're all fun and playful like a tabby, then the next, they're snapping at anyone who might be a threat, especially towards a Ladybug holder. It's a totally normal thing, so it's not just you, kid."

Max nodded as he took in this information. "Does this go away over time? I don't feel comfortable getting angry at people who probably don't deserve it." Plagg laughed.

"I would love to say yes, but it's different for all my kittens," he explained. "The naturally aggressive ones will go feral while the more introverted ones will just get a confidence boost and won't hesitate on hurting anyone. Though, in your case, you'll probably just hurt people verbally." Max furrowed his brow. "Kid, you're naturally sassy, blunt. Imagine it like a jungle cat roaring. It alerts other competitors and has them backing off like how Théo did earlier."

Max seemed to contemplate Plagg's words. While he was thankful he wouldn't hurt anyone, he was still kind of nervous about the side effects of his Miraculous. And God only knows what Scarlet Beetle's side effects are. He could fall ill during the winter months and get distracted by gardens which would be bad in the event of a garden-themed Akuma.

Before he could speculate any further, he got a notification on his phone from Bug and Cat Chat. Marinette and Alya were doing a live stream right now. He opens up the blog and sees Alya retaining a professional look while Marinette looked close to biting off someone's head.

"Alya and Marinette live right outside the Louvre museum where a robbery has just taken place-"

"And kidnapping!" Marinette exclaimed. "An Ikati Black wannabe has just kidnapped my cousin and schoolmate, Marc Anciel! If you see this guy," A picture of the kidnapper/thief appears on the screen. "Do not approach, he apparently has unlimited Cataclysms and is not afraid to use them."

Max blanched at those words as Alya continued, "Also, he's going on a robbery spree around the city, stealing paintings and artifacts. We advise museums in the area to close and block off all entrances. Make it difficult for him to get in. That's all for now, folks. Stay tuned!"

"And if you see that creep, make sure to kick his-"

Max cut off his phone before Marinette could say anything more. "Well... Unlimited Cataclysms... Plagg is there a way-"

"Not until you're eighteen," Plagg answered, knowing what he was about to ask before devouring the rest of his snack. "You know the drill."

"Plagg, Claws Out!"

🐈⬛🦋

"Roger," Ikati Black greeted curtly once he landed in front of the museum. Without waiting for a response, he made his way past the police barricade, smirking when a few of them flinched as he walked by. Just what they get for messing with Scarlet.

He made his way to the hallway where the robbery took place. Scarlet Beetle was currently talking to Alim Kudbel until he noticed him out of the corner of his eye and waved him over. "Mr. Kudbel, sorry we have to meet under the circumstances."

"It's no trouble," he assured. "I'm glad to have two of Paris' finest helping to catch this thief. I was just showing Scarlet Beetle what the security cameras picked up. Maybe you can help identify the man."

"Worth a shot," Ikati Black shrugged before taking the man's phone and inspecting the black and white footage. While it was a little grainy, he could clearly make out the thief's face, his bone structure, and that goatee. "Théo Barbot," he practically hissed, though it went unnoticed.

Scarlet Beetle blinked. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I recognize that goatee. And if I have to guess, I'd say he's been Akumatized. How else could he have my powers and weapon?" Scarlet Beetle and Alim nodded. "Any idea where he could have gone? He needs a place to drop off what he stole."

"The guy owns a studio not too far from here," Alix said, appearing at her dad's side. "You could check there."

The heroes beamed, glad they had a clue. "Thanks. Alix, right?" Scarlet Beetle asked. The pink-haired girl have an enthusiastic nod and he had to suppress the urge to laugh, so not used to seeing her get so excited unless it was sports-related. With the new information, they ran out of the museum.

"What do you think got him Akumatized?" Scarlet Beetle asked before throwing his yoyo to swing towards Théo's studio, followed by Ikati Black vaulting after him. "He seemed so happy during the statue unveiling."

'Gee, I wonder why.' "... That may have been a result of... Me?"

"Hold up." Scarlet Beetle landed on a roof before retracting his yoyo. Ikati Black followed suit, already fearing his partner's reaction. "What are you talking about?"

And without hesitation, Ikati Black told him everything. The odd looks, the touching, the slip-up with Alya's questions, and how he reacted when Scarlet Beetle talked about him. Ikati Black would have said more, but the look on his partner's face was enough to get him to stop.

"... Oh my God. Y-you're sure?" The leather-clad hero nodded. "... Fuck, I'm an idiot. How did I not notice-"

"Hey," Ikati Black interrupted, his voice holding no room for argument. "No you're not, okay? I mean you don't know the guy personally, how he expresses himself, his love languages."

"Well... He doesn't know how old I am," he said, voice becoming quieter as he tugged at his sleeve.

Ikati Black looked like he wanted to say more, but couldn't get the words out. "Let's find this bastard."

🐈⬛🦋

"Come on," Marc muttered as he tried to pick the chains around his wrists with his hairclip between his teeth. "Almost..." Because of the smooth surface of his clip, it slipped past his teeth and fell on the floor. "Dang it!"

Copycat snickered as he strolled into the room, setting a few more stolen paintings aside before approaching the noirette and taking the hairclip. "Nice try, little bird. But you're not going to escape this cage so easily." He tosses the hairclip away with a smirk.

Marc rolled his eyes and backed away when he approached. "So what? You're just holding me until Ikati Black gives up his Miraculous? Because I highly doubt that'll ever happen."

"You're right. My dear Scarlet will find a way, as usual. That's why I have these valuable works of art, and you. Marc, was it?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "I'm certain they won't want a poor, defenseless civilian meeting the business end of a Cataclysm." At the last word, the destructive magic materialized in his hand, much to Marc's fear.

"Same goes for the paintings as well, but... You can guess what they'll be more concerned over.” Copycat stalks forward, a devious smile as he moved his hand toward the writer. "Now, it's either Ikati Black surrenders his Miraculous, or he has to clean your ashes off the floor-" He's cut off with a jerking motion, startling Marc a bit. "Wh-what are you- Aah!" Copycat rubs his temples as Monarch's symbol appears over his face. "What are you doing?!"

"Leave him alone!" Monarch's voice yelled in his head. "This is not what I gave you powers for! If you so much as even touch a hair on his head, I might just do something I won't regret."

Suddenly, and against his will, Copycat's powered-up hand moved towards his face. Hastily, he tried to regain control, but it was like his body wouldn't listen to him. His hand was just an inch close to his face when Monarch spoke again.

"UNDERSTOOD?!"

Copycat gulped. "Y-yes, Monarch!"

🐈⬛🦋

"Wings down." Nathaniel slid down against his wall, panting as if he were out of breath. It sure seemed that way. Nooroo flew to his side and frantically checked on his holder/friend.

"Nathaniel! I told you it would be dangerous unless you used your Miraculous enough times," he lightly admonished. "Are you okay?"

The redhead groaned as he struggled to get back up. "Couldn't let him get hurt." Once he was back on his feet, Nathaniel stumbled to his bed with Nooroo following close behind and lied down with a huff. "Oh, God. I can't believe I did that."

The second Théo transformed, Nathaniel made it his mission to check in on Copycat every fifteen minutes or so until he was defeated or he took the Miraculous, and while it did tire Nooroo out, the Kwami understood since he was also quite put off by the latest Akuma. And Nathaniel just so happened to check in right as Copycat kidnapped Marc. Panicked, he transformed back and begged Nooroo for a way to control him.

Nooroo was hesitant at first since the process took a lot out of his holders, but Nathaniel was just so desperate and worried for the noirette that Nooroo told him how to control Copycat and any other future Akumas that may go off the rails.

Nooroo took to smoothing strands of Nathaniel's hair out of his face with his flipper-hand as a way of calming how down. "Well, you were just acting on impulse, you wanted to make sure Marc was okay-"

"Not that," he sighed. "I shouldn't have Akumatized Théo in the first place. You saw his memories, Nooroo... Think I should call him off?"

"If you think that's best, Nathaniel. You'll get their Miraculous another day," he said, trying to sound encouraging. It seemed to work when Nathaniel shot him a bright smile. "Go ahead."

"Nooroo, wings- Huh?" He looks out of his window when he sees the swarm of magic ladybugs flying past and all over the city. "... Guess they handled it before I did." Nooroo let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Finally, I can rest!" Nathaniel laughed at his dramatics, took a bowl of strawberries off of his nightstand, and put it beside Nooroo which got him to perk up and dive into the bowl.

"Get all the rest you need, bud. I've been transforming way too many times." While Nooroo ate his strawberries, Nathaniel scanned the bookshelf built into the wall where his bed was placed until he spots one of his few unused sketchbooks and took it out along with a pencil that was tucked into the spirals. Nathaniel opened to the first and started sketching. Just a simple headshot of Copycat shaded and with a sinister expression followed by the words, 'Never Akumatize Again' written in the top left corner in all caps.

He shut the sketchbook and tucked it back into his shelf before lying down on his pillow with a sigh, just glad today was over.

"... You really like that guy, huh?" Nooroo asked, interrupting the silence and making Nathaniel's eyes shoot open. "Marc, right?"

He scoffed. "Nooroo, come on. Anyone would be worried over innocent people being in the same position as Marc's, alright?" Seeing the smug look, he sputtered for a moment. "Oh, cut it out!"

🐈⬛🦋

"He doesn't even go here!"

"Haha. Very funny, Jean," Aurore droned. Honestly, he's already quoted Heathers, Scandalous, and Pretty Litle Liars in just one hour, she doesn't need Mean Girls right now.

Kim looks over the railing of the mezzanine to see who has Jean quoting that iconic line and his eyes practically bulge out of his sockets when he sees Théo fucking Barbot at their school hugging Mireille! He didn't know the girl too well, but out of nowhere his big brother instincts just started kicking in just like when that creep from a year ago tried to hit on Marinette and then had the audacity to touch her waist.

The guy ended up with a bloody nose that day.

Before he could storm down the stairs, he saw Mireille hugging him. And it didn't look forced either, almost familial.

"Hey, Ivan," he said, grabbing the burly young man's attention as he walked up the stairs. "Quick talk. Why is Théo hugging Mireille?"

"Oh, they're half brother and sister. He just goes to the art lycée a few blocks from here," he answered without missing a beat before continuing up the stairs, leaving Kim stunned and a little relieved knowing that a grown man wasn't in love with him.

"...How did he grow that goatee so fast?" Kim wondered allowed, stroking his smooth chin until Tikki pokes her head out from his hood.

"Kim, I say this as your dear friend... You can't pull that off."

"Hater." He glances at Théo again and tenses when he sees him approach Marc, looking... Remorseful? He thinks. Kim can't exactly see them this far away, but nothing looks wrong so he shrugs it off and heads to class.

Chapter Text

"Come on, Nooroo, it's time to go."

Nooroo beamed at the kindness in his holder's voice, just reassuring him more and more that this was going to be okay. When Nathaniel finally gets Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's Miraculous and makes his wish, everything will be fine.

For centuries, those that have sought out the two most powerful Miraculous have been selfish, power-hungry aristocrats, cruel dictators, and so many others that Nooroo can't help shudder when he thinks of them. And each time one manages to get their hands on the Miraculous and make their wish, there have been horrible outcomes- The Black Plague, The Salem With Trials, the ugliness that goes on behind closed doors in the Roman Catholic Church, the Great Irish Potato Famine, and World War III. Thank Kwami Fluff's holder at the time prevented that last one before it could get even worse.

But all of those were caused by evil people who wielded both Miraculous... In fact, there's been no record of anyone like Nathaniel making a wish, someone kind and with remorse in their heart. Nooroo couldn't explain it, but he was certain that the outcome of his holder's wish would not lead to disastrous consequences, which was good, because, in the event of wishes, certain people will be removed from the picture to accommodate for the new reality. And Nathaniel has so many friends and a loving mother, Nooroo knew he'd be crushed knowing one of them had to disappear…

Of course, it would be nice knowing what Nathaniel was wishing for. Nooroo’s known him for weeks now, yet Nathaniel still hasn’t told him.

"Coming, Nathaniel!" The Kwami chirped.

Nathaniel smiled. "Hey, I told you to call me 'Nath.' Now come on." He pulls on the cuff of his hoodie sleeve, allowing the purple Kwami to fly into the roomy oversized sleeve. He grabs his bag off of the chair and heads downstairs where he sees his mom in the living room watching a movie. "The Princess Bride again?" The young redhead teased, only to get a piece of popcorn thrown at his head.

"Hey, I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Plus, it's either this or smother my little man," Aya cooed, reaching to grab her son's cheeks so he couldn't get away as she kissed every inch of his face.

"Ma! Quit it!" He groaned. "Go back to the movie, please?" His mom snickered.

"Alright, but when you get back, you and I are making sundaes and doing a Marvel marathon, alright?" She beamed at Nathaniel's smile. "Devorah and the others didn't tell me to take a few days off just to spend them without my son."

Nathaniel kissed her cheek before heading to the door. "See you later, then." It wasn't every day that he got to spend time with his mom, seeing as she was usually so busy with the diner and it seems her employees have picked up when she had one of her very rare burnouts from working too many hours again. They still don't know how she confused that sponge for a cake.

As the redhead made his way to the museum, he pulled out his phone, opened up Bug and Cat Chat, and started playing the latest video. While he's technically a villain, (Hopefully, Alix spreads around that anti-villain spiel he gave her) and he shouldn't be helping to promote the two people trying to stop him by adding to the viewer count, the blog is still a good way to see if there are any weaknesses to Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black. Plus, he can't help if Marinette and Alya make good content and if Marinette is selling some of her best work in the online store.

"Don't blink now, 'cause we are live from the Louvre!" Alya announced as she and Marinette stood outside the museum. Behind them, a few movers were wheeling in large crates marked 'FRAGILE'. "Hey, ya'll, Alya and Mari here bringing you the one and only Bug and Cat Chat."

"We got word from a source and personal friend of ours' that there is something in the upcoming Ancient Egyptian exhibit on Pharaoh Tutankhamun linked to our heroes, Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black," Marinette continued. "Is it hieroglyphics? A statue? Let's find out this Saturday!"

Feeling Nooroo trying to get out of his sleeve, Nathaniel paused the video and put his phone up to his ear. "What is it?"

"I think I recall Tikki and Plagg having previous holders back in Egypt. If I remember correctly, they were trying to stop the Pharaoh at the time from sacrificing a pure soul in order to resurrect Nefertiti." Seeing Nathaniel's eyes shoot open, the Kwami nodded solemnly. "Yes, those were dark times."

"I'm just more shocked that there's been a Ladybug and Black Cat hero since those days, but yeah," he chuckled. "That whole sacrificing thing is way dark."

🇪🇬🦋

"Anything yet, girl?"

Marinette shook her head once she made it down the row of just some of the ancient Papyrus behind the glass case. "Nope, nothing here. I told you we should've saved that video as a draft and done a documentary-style piece. But, I'll keep looking."

Alya's only known Alix for a while now, but she knows that girl wouldn't lie, especially about something that could impact the future of Bug and Cat Chat. Plus, she takes her history seriously just like her father and brother, so much so that she's treasurer of the History Club at school, always the first call when the drama club needs help looking for any historical inconsistencies in school plays, and she's the first choice when the class is split into groups for history projects. Alya couldn't help but smirk. There's a nerd under that jock.

"What do you think we'll even find?" Marinette wondered as she inspected a vase. Even if they couldn't find what they were looking for, this exhibit was giving her inspiration for some outfits. Maybe a white sundress with open sleeves and a gold wrap belt... Though, it would be nice to find something related to Scarlet Beetle or Ikati Black.

"My money's on the Papyrus. Or jewelry. Maybe the ancient Egyptians tried to create replicas of Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's Miraculous."

Before Marinette could respond, Jalil Kudbel, Alix's older brother runs past Alya carrying a folder full of papers, nearly knocking her over. Feeling just a bit vindictive for her friend, Marinette casually stretches out her leg, causing the young man to trip and send papers flying everywhere, along with some sort of medallion he's quick to pick up.

"Oh, thank Ra it's not broken," he said, relief in his voice as he gathered the papers.

Alya rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I'm okay too, thanks for asking. Also, who the hell are you?"

"Alya, this is Alix's brother, Jalil," said Marinette, still giving the taller boy a playful stink eye. It's hard to believe she used to think this guy was kind of cute when she was seven. Maybe she had a thing for nerds back then. If that's true, then she should have been all over Max and... Maybe Nathaniel. Now she just sees Jalil as a cousin. Kim, Nino, and Max already reserved all the spots as her brothers. "He works part-time at the museum with his dad."

"Marinette," he greeted. "Still the little demon I remember."

"Oh, you." Marinette waved him off with an exaggerated giggle. "Still with the flattering words. Anyway, Jalil, this is my friend, Alya." She gestures to the auburn-haired girl. "We're doing a piece for Bug and Cat Chat and your sister tells us there's something connected to Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black around here. And since you're such a history buff, maybe you'd know where to look?"

"Sorry, Marinette, but I'm working on a discovery on my own," he sound, sounding giddy which kind of worried the bluenette. "Oh! Dad!" The two girls look and see Mr. Kudbel making his way down the hall, often greeting visitors. With him are Alix and Nathaniel. The four friends wave and Alix is quick to bring them away from her family.

Alya quirked an eyebrow. "What's that about?"

"Prepare for the chaos that is my family," Alix sighed, gesturing to the two brunettes.

"Don't act like you don't wanna get in on that, history nerd." In response, Alix nudged the redhead in his arm

"Dad, just so you know, I've been reading up on this for long nights!" He drags the blue-eyed man over to the Papyrus Marinette and Alya were just looking at. "Now, as you know, the one with the scepter is Akhenaten. And there, opposite is Nefertiti, his princess. There are exactly one hundred mummies beside them. When she died, the sun god, Ra took her as his goddess."

Alim chuckled. "Yes, yes, I know. I am the director of this exhibition, remember?" He claimed proudly.

"Then you also know that Akhenaten wanted to bring his princess back to life, by offering the sun god a new love." Jalil points to the offering in the hieroglyphics, a young peasant in white robes. "One of pure soul. This illustrates the ritual he devised. Nobody has ever fully deciphered the hieroglyphics, but I have!" He doesn't seem the notice the wary look on his dad's face and continues, "It's a magic chant that needs to be recited in order to complete the ritual! I'm sure of it!"

Nathaniel whispers to Alya, "Wouldn't that require sacrificing someone?" The girl blanched at those words and slowly began to back away, pulling Marinette along with her. "They were smart to leave." Alix nodded and continued to watch her brother and father go at it.

"Jalil," Alim started, sounding like he had gone over this a dozen times... Probably because he has. "These types of frescoes are almost always the illustration for a legend. They called it a legend for a reason-"

"That's what everyone thinks," Jalil interrupted, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement. "But I know it's real, and I can prove it!"

The man sighed, but he supposed it couldn't hurt to hear Jalil out. He always got so excited over his conspiracy theories from Science-fiction to mythology to real life. So, he offered only a tired smile. "Oh, really? Exactly how are you going to prove it?" Honestly, what's the worst that can come out of this? Besides, Jalil is a wonderful student who takes his job seriously. Surely he won't go too overboard-

"I just need to get my hands on Tutankhamun's scepter and recite the spell!"

Nope. He will. Going so far as to cost Alim his job, by the way! Seeing him go towards the scepter under the glass case, Alim is quick to step in Jalil's way. "Are you serious?! Don't even think of touching that scepter! I'd lose my job on the spot. And on top of that, it's a priceless historical object! Not a toy!"

"But dad-!" He's quickly silenced by Alim putting a finger up to his lips.

"Not another word about this! Get your head out of those papyrus scrolls and focus on the real world! This one!" He storms off, ignoring the awkward looks of the museum-goers as they tried to act like they were looking at the exhibit the entire time, leaving Jalil looking dejected as he clutched his research close to his chest and went off in the opposite direction as his father.

"Dude, I am so sorry you had to see that," Alix mumbled while rubbing her temples. "But, you know Jalili. He can get real... Overzealous with this kind of stuff. Still wanna check out the exhibit?"

"Sure..." Nathaniel's voice trailed off when he felt his Miraculous pick up negative emotions coming from, you guessed it, Jalil. "But, hey, I think I left my phone by the sarcophagus. Be right back." He speed-walks away. Alix just shrugged it off and looked at her phone to pass the time.

🇪🇬🦋

"I'm thinking something with an Egyptian theme," Nathaniel said as he thought over the look for Jalil's akumatized form and his power set. "I mean, obviously, right?" Nooroo nodded along. A part of the redhead was tempted to make Jalil look something like Salaam from My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission, but he felt like the whole 'thin as paper' thing might be a hindrance.

"Maybe for his powers, he can look like any Egyptian god or goddess he calls for," Nooroo suggested, and Nathaniel nodded, liking the idea. "And he could have Akhenaten's funerary mask and diorite skin. They were used to sculpt ancient Pharaoh's statues." Without warning, he was nuzzled up against Nathaniel's cheek for a hug.

"God, how'd I get lucky with you?!" He strokes the Kwami's chin, eliciting a content chirp from him before saying, "Nooroo, Wings Rise."

Monarch laces an origami butterfly with his magic and sends the newly-formed Akuma on its way. "Let's hope Jalil didn't go too far." While he waits for his latest Akuma to find Jalil, Monarch decides to check out Bug and Cat Chat on his cane's phone setting to see if Marinette and Alya made any updates. So far, nothing new. Jalil probably scared them off with that talk of sacrificing someone.

Still not linked up with Jalil yet, Monarch scrolls through some of the apps before tapping on the one for his social media. It's not any specific app like Twitter or Instagram, but when Monarch makes a post, it shows up on accounts of the apps that Nathaniel has on his phone. And there's absolutely no way anyone can link it back to him.

He types, 'Hey @ScarletB @IkatiBlack ! Guess who's gonna akumatize someone!' Monarch snaps a picture of himself with a taunting look and posts it. To his verified account, he might add. Already, people are starting to comment, like, repost, retweet, share to their stories, etc.

Finally, he connects with Jalil and greets him, "Hello, Pharaoh, I am Monarch. Now with the power of the ancient Egyptian gods, you will fulfill your prophecy along with one of my own- Getting Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's Miraculous."

"My precious Nefertiti will come back to life!"

"Yeah, get Nefertiti back," he droned as Jalil transformed into Pharaoh. "Wings down. Man, that guy is over the top."

Nooroo furrowed his brow. "Pharaoh's not really going through with the ritual, right?"

"Relax," Nathaniel dismissed. "I highly doubt that's going to work anyway!" He laughed, but it slowly died down he noticed Nooroo wasn't laughing along with him. "... Nooroo? Is there something you'd like to tell me?" The purple kwami tensed for a moment. "Come on..."

"Okay, so... Akhenaten really did go through with the ritual, there was a bright light, this strange portal in the sky, and... It gets kind of fuzzy after that," he chuckled, but judging by the stark whiteness of Nathaniel's skin, he didn't seem to find it funny. "W-well, he just has to find a pure soul! A-a virgin!"

"Everyone in my class is a virgin!" He whisper-screamed so no one would hear him. Realizing panicking wouldn't make things better, the redhead rubbed at his temples to try and calm himself down. "Okay, okay, okay. I sent out an Akuma who has the memories of an Egyptian pharaoh so clouded by grief that he is going to sacrifice a pure soul to resurrect his wife. Combine that with Jalil's fanaticism over Egyptian history… And we're screwed.”

🇪🇬🦋

"Gods, my eyes are hurting," Alya moaned, taking off her glasses to rub her eyes. "I feel like we've been staring at these hieroglyphics for hours."

Marinette yawned. "Thirty minutes, actually. But, we've still got tons and tons and tons more artifacts to look at- OH, SHIT! WHAT IS THAT?!" She points to the broad figure with a golden head making his way into the museum. Other museumgoers begin to scatter or hide, but one brave museum employee rushes to try and stop him, not knowing yet that he is an Akuma.

"Hey, you! Stop!"

"Khonsu, give me time!" His human face glows before morphing to look like Khonsu, the Egyptian god of time and the moon. With that, he creates golden bubbles that move toward the civilians, trapping them. Marinette and Alya avoid one only by hiding behind a column. Marinette slaps a hand over her mouth when she hears the Akuma walk by yelling, "The prophecy will be fulfilled and my Nefertiti will return!"

Their eyes go comically wide when they realize who this is. "Jalil," the two whisper and peer out from behind the column to see the Akuma grabbing the very same scepter Jalil tried to take, along with the papyrus depicting Akhenaten and Nefertiti.

🇪🇬🦋

This was just supposed to be a nice outing with his friends. They were going to check out the new exhibit, take some photos, and learn a bit about ancient Egypt, but no. No, Simon just had to pick today to go to the Louvre at the very same time Monarch decides to be a total prick and Akumatize someone! Now here he is, hiding behind one of the structures around the museum with his friends, waiting for Scarlet Beetle and/or Ikati Black to show up and take this bastard down so they can check out the exhibit.

"Simon, amor, I can hear your anger," Denise whispered to avoid being discovered by the Akuma as he now started turning nearby citizens into mummies. "The heroes will fix this, and you can show me that exhibit you were so excited to see, okay?" They kiss the redhead's freckled cheek, giggling as he blushed.

"IS NO ONE HERE THE OWNER OF A PURE SOUL?!" The Akuma calling himself Pharaoh bellowed to the sky before turning another poor civilian into a mummy.

Mireille sank even further behind the structure. "Wh-what does he mean by, 'pure soul?'

"In most cultures it means, he wants a virgin," Ismael confirmed with a gulp. "We're all screwed."

Startling them is a yell from Pharaoh. The group peeks out from behind their hiding spaces and see not only Pharaoh and his mummies, but Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black, too, much to their relief

"Look, I'm not one to point out fashion statements, but this isn't the 1300s," Ikati Black snarked before flipping a mummy over his shoulder and into a small hoard of them. Fortunately for him and Scarlet, these guys were slow as Hollywood made the undead out to be.

While Ikati Black handled the mummies, Scarlet Beetle was fighting against Pharaoh, who was now using Sekhmet's powers to give him the strength of a warrior, making it about as difficult as when he and Ikati Black fought Stoneheart. Just when the spotted hero believes he has the Akuma when he wraps his yoyo around his arm, Pharaoh grabs his wrist and throws him hard into a stone structure, revealing Reshma, Marc, Jean, Marcelle, and Mireille.

Pharaoh's eyes seem to go wide, and he approaches the group who are all too terrified to move despite their friends yelling for them to run.

"Your face."

Jean nervously laughed. "Wh-whose face? G-gotta be more specific here."

After a quick recovery, Scarlet Beetle gets up and surges toward The Pharaoh with his yoyo spinning, but still with Sekhmet's powers, he grabs his face and throws the hero behind him like he's garbage. Ikati Black is quick to catch his partner so he'll avoid another hard impact.

"It would seem fate has placed you on my path." Marc paled when he noticed the Akuma was looking right at him. "Come with me!" Marc screamed as he slung him over his broad shoulder and took off with him.

"HEY!" Marcelle shouted, catching Pharaoh's attention for a brief moment before she surged forward and punched his chest. A moment passed before the noirette girl screamed to the top of her lungs and clutched her hand in pain. "JESUS CHRIST! ARE YOU MADE OF STONE?!" Pharaoh just shoved past her as she screamed a bunch of profanities.

Aurore tugged on her shirt collar. "Their moms are not gonna be happy about this- HEY!" The weather girl kicked and screamed as one of Pharaoh's mummies grabbed her by his arms and lifted her up off the ground, same as her friends. Surprisingly, they were very strong, so all the teenagers could do were writhe in the mummies' holds while they walked them over to Pharaoh. And much to their horror, Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black were in the mummies' grasp as well, and their weapons are feet away from them.

"How come we didn't get turned into mummies?" Jean wondered, quickly looking to Simon for an answer.

Simon looked around for a moment before the answer came quickly to mind. "Well, I heard that in the papyrus, there are exactly a hundred mummies beside Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Maybe he's trying to recreate that, and he doesn't need us because he already has about a hundred mummies. Guess he just wants an audience," he added.

"Soon, we'll be together again, my Nefertiti! My long-lost love!" Pharaoh yelled to the heavens as the scepter and papyrus circled around him and Marc, who was still in his grasp and struggling to try and escape. All Scarlet Beetle, Ikati Black, and Mme. Mendeleieve's students could do was watch.

🇪🇬🦋

"We've gotta do something," Marinette said, panicked. "Marc's gonna be sacrificed and Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black can't do anything to stop it!"

Alya quickly grabbed her friend's shoulders and forced the bluenette to look her in the eye. "Hey, calm down. We're gonna do whatever we can to help. Look, you heard Simon, Pharaoh has enough mummies so he won't turn us into any. We just... We need to distract him somehow. Then one of us can get Scarlet Beetle's yoyo to him so he can call for his Lucky Charm and stop this."

Marinette thought Alya's plan over. It was a good plan, but there was still the risk of Pharaoh using his other powers against the person trying to distract him... It's the least she can do after Alya was willing to use her body to shield her from that car. With a determined look, Marinette pulls out her tablet, much to Alya's shock. "Alright. Let's do this." Without missing a beat, she runs toward the Akuma and yells, "Hey, Pharaoh!" Everyone, even the mummies turn their heads. "What exactly is going on? Can I get some details for Bug and Cat Chat?" She holds up her tablet and starts recording.

Reshma blinked. "Is this girl for real?"

Denise was about to respond until they caught a familiar head of auburn hair out of the corner of their eye. Quietly but still loud enough, the curly-haired teen cleared their throat to catch the heroes' attention and pointed to Alya with the corner of their lips. The two mouthed, 'Oh,' knowing what the girls were planning... They just hoped it would work.

"I'm going to carry out the secret spell, to bring Nefertiti back!" Pharaoh states before turning to the heroes. "However, I'm certain Scarab would just revel in telling the story of my defeat once again!"

Scarlet Beetle furrowed his brow in confusion. 'What did he call me?' He looks at Ikati Black to see if he knows what Pharaoh is talking about, but he's just as confused as him. "I-I'm a little fuzzy on the details."

Marinette clears her throat, drawing the attention back to her. "Hey, you've mentioned Nefertiti a few times! You're talking about the spell on the papyrus, right?"

"Correct! The one hundred mummies," he gestures to the bandaged civilians under his control then to Marc, "And the offering!"

"Now, why exactly do you need an offering?" Marinette takes a quick peek and silently cheers when she sees Alya getting closer to the weapons. She just has to avoid the mummies' lines of sight.

"This is to persuade the sun god Ra to give me my sweet princess. I must give him something in return. A pure soul! And I've found that soul!" Triumphantly, he holds Marc high above his head. 

'Come on, Alya! You're so close!' "Uh... O-okay, but why Marc? No offense, Marc, I love you, but why him, Pharaoh?"

Ismael nodded. "Yeah! Come on! Why not me? I'm plenty pure!"

"No!" Reshma quickly yelled. "He's a mess! I am the purest soul here! Ask anyone!"

"All lies!" Cosette countered. "They all curse like sailors! I still think 'darn' and 'heck' are curse words! Sacrifice me!"

"Hey! Why have him when you can have his sister?" Marcelle offered. "Come on, I've always been the golden child!"

Jean looked close to crying. "Let Marc go and take me instead! Please!"

While his friends and sister tried to offer themselves as a sacrifice, Marc's eyes darted around for something, anything to get him out of this! Finally, his eyes settled on the papyrus. Maybe he could have The Pharaoh explain some long Egyptian story to delay the sacrifice. That has to work! His panicked thoughts were soon replaced by confusion when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. "Uh... Um, excuse me?" Marc flinched as The Pharaoh whipped his head towards him. Shakily, he points to a spotted figure in the papyrus. "Uh, who's the lady with the black spots right here?"

Pharaoh seemed to narrow his eyes at the image. "Scarab, my sworn enemy! My nemesis may have kept me from carrying out my ritual 3300 years ago, but she... Or rather, he will not stop Nefertiti from coming back to me this time!"

"3300 years ago?!" They all yelled, and at that moment, Alya grabbed the yoyo and staff.

The scepter in Pharaoh's hand begins to float up to the sky. "Oh, sacred Ra, god of the sun! I Pharaoh, offer to thee a pure soul!" As he makes his speech, the scepter begins to glow until it can no longer be seen. A beam of light shoots from the scepter's gem and at the Louvre pyramid, making it light up. "The sacrifice for the return of Nefertiti!" The Louvre pyramid shoots a beam into the sky, creating a dark swirling vortex. "I bow to you, and present this gift with my mummies! In company, we pray to you for the safe return of princess Nefertiti! Awaken, Nefertiti! Awaken! Awaken, Nefertiti! Awaken!"

The mummies chant, "Awaken, Nefertiti... Awaken..."

The Pharaoh hands Marc over to four mummies who each take a limb and carry him towards the pyramid as he screams for his life. The Akuma is reveling in the moment. Soon, his princess will return and he will defeat Scarab like he should have done centuries ago!

"SCARLET! CATCH!"

The Pharaoh has no time to react when he hears, "Lucky Charm!" followed by the sound of slow yelling from his mummies. By the time he turns to where Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black are being held, they're gone. "NO! YOU WON'T FOIL THE RITUAL AGAIN, SCARAB! SEIZE THEM!" Two more mummies grab the bloggers and hold them captive like the others, but it doesn't matter to them as they know Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black will get them out of this.

🇪🇬🦋

Seeing the mummies were moving quicker toward the pyramid, Scarlet Beetle hastily looked around for a way to use his Lucky Charm... A Scarlet Beetle costume.

"... Do people know if you take off your earrings, you detransform?" Ikati Black wondered, giving Scarlet Beetle an idea. He opens the box, tossing aside the hoodie, yoyo, and sneakers, and just going for the earrings.

"Maybe, but let's not take any chances," he said, handing Ikati Black the fake earrings. "You take these to Pharaoh and try to find his Akumatized object while I get Marc." Ikat Black pocketed the earrings with a nod, then leaped off of the roof and on top of a street lamp.

“PHARAOH! You want Scarab's Miraculous? Then come and get them!" He holds the fake earrings high in the air for Pharaoh to see.

Pharaoh gasped. Now he would have Nefertiti and he could repay his debt to Monarch... But, somehow this feels familiar to him. His eyes dart around for any sign of the other hero, but he's too late to stop Scarlet Beetle from swooping down and snatching his sacrifice out of the mummies' hands.

Marc breathed a breath of relief once the spotted hero set him down safely on the roof, far away from Pharaoh and his mummies. "Thanks, Scarlet Beetle."

"You're welcome," he smiled. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have some idea of what his Akumatized object is, would you? He's wearing so many jewels that it's hard to tell."

"Could you hand me your yoyo?" Scarlet Beetle complied, and Marc opened it to the telescope setting, zoomed in on Pharaoh as he was trying to nab Ikati Black, and eventually spotted something that stood out to him on the Akuma's body. His necklace. It was the only thing that didn't look attached to his stone body. "Go for the pendant." Scarlet Beetle looks at the pendant Marc is talking about through his yoyo and nods.

However, right as he leaps off the roof to join the fight, Pharaoh, now flying with golden wings, swoops in and takes off with Marc again. "LET GO OF ME!" He cried, immediately taking it back when he sees how high they are.

"Crush that insect and take his earrings from that cat!" He commanded his mummies before throwing Marc onto the beam of light surging from the pyramid, carrying him up to the black portal. And if Marc tries to get down, he'll suffer a fate worse than getting sacrificed to an ancient god.

After narrowly avoiding getting hit by a car thrown by the mummies who are surprisingly strong, the heroes run to a bus, and the mummies are quick to follow. Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black go out through the other door, shut it along with the door they and the mummies went through, and turn the bus on its side so they can't get out.

Ikati Black points up to the portal. "Marc's getting awfully close! Let's hope he falls for the earrings again." Scarlet Beetle nodded until he heard his real earring beeping, prompting him to put his hood over his head so Pharaoh won't see them, and the two run over to Pharaoh, standing protectively in front of the glass pyramid.

"You will not stop me from bringing Nefertiti back! I'll finish you off! Anubis, bring me mummies!" He shoots beams at Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black, but they either dodge or deflect the blasts with their weapons. Scarlet Beetle's yoyo wraps around Pharaoh's torso, and while he's restrained, Ikati Black vaults up to save Marc.

"Mut, give me your wings!" His golden wings return and he lifts himself and Scarlet Beetle into the air, even going so far as to fly towards the portal. But before Pharaoh can get close enough, Scarlet Beetle snatches the pendant and loosens his yo-yo string around Pharaoh. While freefalling, he grabs Marc's hand, pulls him off of the beam, tosses the pendant to Ikati Black, and rapidly spins his yoyo to slow their descent to the ground.

"And just to be clear!" Scarlet Beetle shouted as he spun his yoyo, ready to capture the Akuma. "I'm the best choice for a sacrifice!"

"CATACLYSM!" Ikati Black yelled, making sure he was loud enough for Pharaoh to hear and let him know of his defeat.

The Akuma was freed, and Scarlet Beetle's yoyo nabbed it before it could get away. He purified the Akuma, turning it back into a white origami butterfly that got swept away with the slight breeze and caught the fake earrings Ikati Black tossed to him before throwing them into the air with a "MIRACULOUS SCARLET BEETLE!" As always, the Lucky Charm explodes into a blast of energy, releasing thousands of ladybugs that turn everything back to normal.

Jalil adjusted his glasses. "What happened?"

Once the de-mummified civilians released them, Marc's friends and sister ran and pulled him in for a group hug, exclaiming how thrilled they were he wasn't sacrificed, especially Marcelle.

"Don't you ever scare me like that!" She cried, hugging Marc tight, almost as if she was afraid he would disappear if she let go. "I thought I lost you!" The other noirette brushed back her hair to calm her down. While Marc consoled his sister, Lacey did the same for Jean.

”I-I just thought he was really gone,” the thespian silently cried as they wiped away a few tears streaming down their cheek. The blonde girl pulled her friend in for a hug, unaware of the real reason behind their tears.

After the heroes did a quick high five, Alya and Marinette approached with their phone and tablet set to record.

”Amazing work as always, you two,” Marinette commended. “But, I’ve gotta know how old are you two?”

Scarlet Beetle smirked. “A lady never asks, and a gentleman never tells. Goodbye!” He said before swinging away, Ikati Black quickly going in the other direction before either one could transform back.

Alya stops recording. “I think we’ve got what we needed.”

”Pound it,” the two girls say before fist-bumping.

🇪🇬🦋

As they head back inside the Lourve, Alya and Marinette are met with a strange sight… Alix is hugging Jalil.

”Don’t scare me like that again, idiot! You know how worried you were when I got akumatized on my birthday? That is nothing compared to how I feel now! Another thing, don’t go sacrificing people I know, do I make myself clear?!”

The elder sibling gave a nervous chuckle and held his hands up in a ’stand down’ manner. “Yes, Alix, I understand. I won’t get Akumatized again.”

”Yeah, you better not.” The four turn to see Nathaniel making his way down the hall and approaching the siblings, right before he flicked Jalil’s head. “That’s for turning me into a mummy!”

Marinette scoffed. “Nath, you can hit him harder than that. I suggest the ankles, those are his weak points.” Jalil gaped.

”You get Akumatized one time and people wanna kick your ass,” he muttered.

”I mean, you did almost sacrifice Marc,” Alya mentioned. Not noticing the almost horrified look on Nathaniel’s face, she continues. “Yeah, I wouldn’t suggest walking by DuPont unless you wanna get your ass kicked by his friends, especially his sister. I’m telling you, this girl challenged my sister in the ring and won! Like… That’s an accomplishment in my family!”

While Alya went on about Marcelle, Nathaniel whispered to Alix and was trying very hard to keep his voice steady. “I need to go. Mom texted me.” The pinkette gave him a quick side hug and he was on his way out.

🇪🇬🦋

”Nathaniel, y-you couldn’t have known,” Nooroo stammered, trying to console his holder when he wouldn’t say a word. “There we so many people trapped in those bubbles, you had no place to transform a-and check on Pharaoh. And the- what’s it called? Oh, the WiFi wasn’t great, so you couldn’t have checked Bug and Cat Chat-“

“Nooroo.” The Kwami was instantly silenced even though it wasn’t a command. “Let’s not have something like this happen again, alright?” Sensing Nooroo’s distress over his tone, the redhead gave him just the faintest smile to ease his worries. “I just can’t have people I know getting hurt, alright?”

Nooroo couldn’t help but joke. “People you know, or just Marc?” He smirked as his holder’s face turned as red as his hair. “Nath, it’s okay to have crushes.”

He scoffed. “I can’t have crushes now, because then that leads to dating, us going on dates and being close, and then that person will find out I’m Monarch and turn me in to the police.”

”Not unless you tell them about the wish, I’m sure.”

”Yeah, that’ll be a great conversation. ‘Hey, don’t worry, babe, I’m only stealing magical jewelry so I can bring my dad back from the dead,’” he said bitterly.

Nooroo gasped, and ever so slowly, the pieces were coming together. The level of grief he sensed from Nathaniel when they first met is something Nooroo knows all too well, having to console his kinder past holders when they lost beloved family members over the centuries.

And there was that slip-up at the park with Manon after Stormy Weather was defeated where Nathaniel almost said ‘him’ instead of ‘her’. Then when he was in the process of Akumatizing Alix, she wasn’t the only one who noticed how quiet Monarch got when he mentioned wanting to go back and fix mistakes. At first, that made the Kwami wonder if Nathaniel’s wish would be to fix a past mistake of his- possibly one that greatly affected his life- but that didn’t feel right.

Well, now he knows. And honestly, Nooroo wants to kick himself for not realizing this sooner. There are only three photos in the Kurtzberg household of a man Nooroo has not yet seen and whom Nathaniel won’t talk about. Whenever Nathaniel passes by one, he seems to stop for a few seconds before walking again. Nooroo has yet to ask him about the man, worried there might be a meaning behind him Nathaniel wouldn't be willing to explain.

Nathaniel sighed. “Even I wanna run from me right now…” Noticing Nooroo hasn’t said anything yet, he becomes concerned. “Nooroo? Are you okay?”

Figuring now was the time, Nooroo took a deep breath and said, “Originally… I was afraid when you wanted to make your wish,” he admitted before quickly closing his eyes and waiting for Nathaniel to react like three of his past holders. Tentatively, Nooroo open his eyes ever so slightly and saw only confusion and innocence in his aquamarine eyes.

“… I-I could sense your emotions when I explained what would happen if you used both Miraculous and there was an all too familiar feeling,” he shuddered. “I thought your judgement would be too clouded and you’d be-become corrupt l-like so many other holders who wanted to use the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous, and-“ Nooroo’s ramblings were abruptly cut off as he was pressed against the soft fabric of Nathaniel’s hoodie.

”That will never happen,” Nathaniel whispered. Nooroo’s tremors slowly stilled. “I don’t know what you went through with your other holders, but… Nooroo?” The Kwami looked up at him with his purple eyes. “If there’s ever a time you don’t feel safe around me… Take the Miraculous and run.”

The Kwami’s eyes widened. “Nathaniel-“

”I’m serious.” Nathaniel pulls out his house key as he nears his home. “I don’t want to put you through that again, okay? I really care about you.” Seeing Nooroo smile made his lips curl a bit. “Whenever you’re up to it, we can talk more about this later,” he said before opening the door. Nooroo’s quickly flew back into the sleeve as Nathaniel made his way into the living room. “Hey, mom.”

Aya grinned. “Hey, sweetie. Still on for sundaes and Marvel?”

”You know it.”

”Alright, let’s go!” She cheered, getting up from the couch and heading to the kitchen with Nathaniel following. “So, how was the museum exhibit?”

’Must not have heard the news.’ “It was nice until Alix’s brother got Akumatized, turned a bunch of people into mummies, and wanted to make a sacrifice,” he explained without missing a beat.

”WHAT?!”

Chapter Text

"So, what's Monarch like?"

Alix bit her lip for a moment. "He's... Kind of comforting. While everyone's making him out to be this terrorist-sounding villain, he calls himself an anti-villain. But, besides that, he listened to me when I told him about my watch." She holds up the heirloom connected to her necklace chain. "And he told me what I wanted to hear, like, how I wished I could go back and fix it."

Marinette nodded before asking, "And he didn't force you to become akumatized?"

"Actually, it seems like he was giving me a choice," Alix chuckled. "Weird, huh?"

"Not really," Alya told her. "While we were interviewing Aurore on her akumatization into Stormy Weather, she said the same thing. Anything else you'd like to add, Alix?"

The pinkette looked up in thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Nah." And with that, Marinette stopped recording.

"Thanks for doing this, Alix." The two exchange a fist bump.

"Hey, no problem, Mari. But what's this for again?"

Alya and Marinette exchanged excited grins before the auburn-haired girl answered. "We're going to try and find out Monarch's identity." Noticing Alix's bewildered expression, she nods. "Yep! Alright, I know it sounds crazy, it may take weeks, months, or years, but Mari and I got this in the bag!" She slings an arm around the bluenette who is pulling up something on her tablet.

"Now, here's what we know. Monarch showed up during the first day of the school year, according to M. Ramier, he's a teenager, he's obviously a redhead," Not noticing Alix's eyes have widened to the size of saucers, she continues, "He's not too pushy, and- This is what Alya noticed when we interviewed Theo- he seems to have a soft spot for civilians. And by ‘civilians,’ I mean Marc."

The three turn and look at the green-eyed boy, sitting under the stairs and writing in his journal.

"Theo was terrified of Monarch that day," Alya adds. "He told us that when he threatened Marc, Monarch suddenly showed up and sort of... He seized control of his body and nearly cataclysmed his face off." Just remembering the conversation made her shudder.

Alix furrowed her brow as she read some of the notes on Marinette's tablet. "'It's possible that Monarch is shorter than Scarlet Beetle, or there weren't enough butterflies to form his actual height.'" The pinkette could hardly hold in her laughter as she handed Marinette her tablet back. "Sorry! Sorry, I've just never heard of a villain being shorter than a hero."

Alya quirked an eyebrow. "What about The Penguin? Wasn't he shorter than Batman in some versions?" Alix thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"Now, speaking of comics," she started, her voice becoming quieter. "I gotta know." Alix seemed to hesitate for a moment, worrying her friends before she asked, "You guys don't think Nath is Monarch, do you?" The two seemed to have gone rigid at the question, and it wasn't easing Alix's worries when Marinette started stammering a response. "Guys, be honest. Red hair, short. You guys can tell me.” ‘So I can punch your faces in.’

"Hey," As if reading her thoughts, Alya held her hands up in a 'don't attack me' fashion. "I wasn't even thinking about him being Monarch, and neither was Mari until you brought it up. Now I'll be blunt, Nath has the hair, but he is in no way supervillain material. Come on, he’s nowhere near his height, and I heard he cried last year when you guys dissected frogs- It's adorable," she cooed, making Alix chuckle at the memory. "Plus, Monarch seems so confident and sure of himself while Nath hides behind his sketchbook when the teacher calls for someone to answer a question."

“Alright,” Alix sighed, glad she wouldn’t have to commit a felony in the name of her friend’s innocence. “That’s good. Honestly, I-I wouldn’t know what to do if everyone started thinking Nath really is Monarch. You know how crazy people can get when they think they have the answer.”

”Immediate witch hunt,” Marinette huffed. “Remember last year this one guy who was on the honor roll had to switch schools because the Austins spread a rumor that he asked students at the lyceé a few blocks over for "favors" and then he’d do their homework in exchange?”

While she and Alix ranted about that event she wasn’t there for, Alya furrowed her brow in confusion. “The Austins?” This catches their attention. “I heard you mentioned them a few times. Are they a clique, or something?”

The two seemed to become even more furious, worrying the journalist. And just as she was about to take back her question, Marinette, the first to calm down, gave her a look that said it was okay. “Yeah, they are a clique. One made of these four rich snobby assholes who all have the name Austin. They usually lay low around the first few weeks of school since teachers are more alert to keep an eye out for any new students who might be trouble.”

“Well, that explains why Mendeleieve kept staring at me,” Alya said to herself before gesturing for Marinette to continue.

”Anyway, imagine Chloé times four.” Hearing that, Alya shuddered. “Yeah, they’ve been pulling shit since they were kids, went to some fancy private school, and have always gotten away with it since their parents are insanely rich and they have some family members on the district's board of education, so naturally students who were their targets are afraid to go against them and tell all their past principals what they’ve been doing.” She quietly mutters, “Not like Damocles would do anything, anyway. He’s been letting Chloé get away with making my life a fucking hell for years.”

Alix rested a comforting hand on the bluenette’s shoulder as she was just one of many who knew what the heiress had put Marinette through for years. And it only got worse when her father became the Mayor. That was when she resorted to actually trying to use her father’s political power to get the Dupain-Chengs kicked out of their home and have the bakery shut down. And even after all of that, after the family managed to keep their home and source of income, Damocles still wouldn’t punish Chloé.

He gave the bullshit excuse that it wasn’t a “school issue,” but everyone knew that he just wanted to be on the winning side and hopefully get a ton of benefits from the mayor by letting his daughter do whatever she pleased even it made the other students miserable.

Here’s hoping the upcoming election will turn things around. Andre Bourgeois may be a decent mayor, but if he continues to allow his daughter to cause trouble for everyone, not just students, there’s no telling how the results of the polls may turn out.

After rubbing away the headache caused by the knowledge that there are more Chloés at this school, Alya sighed and clasped her hands together as another way to calm herself down. “Okay… I assume they aren’t messing with students yet?” Alix and Marinette nod. “Okay… Okay, that’s good because I!” With each word, she hits her fist against the wall, alarming many of the students who are just passing by. “Cannot! Deal! With! Five! Chloés!” After another round of breathing exercises, Alya’s finally calmed herself down and looked back at her friends with a grin. “So, Alix. Any idea who Monarch might be?”

The pinkette looked up in thought for a moment before smirking when she caught sight of someone. “Here’s hoping Austin Q is him.” She points up to the mezzanine where a young man with red hair dressed in blue is walking as if he owned the place. Austin Quinlan, one-fourth of the worst group in school. He’s considered the ‘Asshole Austin’ because of his tendency to throw the first punch, literally and metaphorically.

“I swear, if he turns out to be Monarch and Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black catch him, I will be so. Damn. Happy. And who knows? The police might question the other Austins, think they’re his accomplices, and-“ The skater let out an uncharacteristic squeal similar to Rose’s before clearing her throat and looking as if hadn’t just made that sound. “Y-yeah, basically.”

Marinette seemed to ponder this for a moment. "I don't know, Alix. Sure, he's got the hair and I do picture him as a villain as most at this school do. But why would he protect Marc from Copycat? Remember last year when he dunked his head in a toilet and flushed his glasses down?" Alix arched an eyebrow. "Remember? Marc used to wear glasses, a ton of black..."

"..." Alix looks up for a moment until the memory finally comes back to her. "Oh, yeah, I forgot. Man, he looked like a total emo!"

While Alix and Marinette were going on about Marc's past fashion choices, Alya continued to stare holes into Austin Q as he tripped some poor student. And judging by his expressions, it looks like he was just doing it for the hell of it. There's no way he's Monarch. That's like giving Chloé a Miraculous!... Which she hopes never happens.

... But... She can't deny how similar the two almost look. It's the hair, really. Austin Q's is the exact same shade as Monarch's... A little investigating couldn't hurt. Besides, what's the worst some other rich brat can do? He's not even connected to the Mayor... Probably. Before she can take the time to mull it over, Alya notices something purple sticking out of Austin Q's backpack. She adjusts her glasses and narrows her eyes at what appears to be some sort of purple fabric.

"No fucking way," she whispered.

Unbeknownst to Alya, while her grayish-gold eyes were on Austin Quinlan, a pair of purple eyes were on her before disappearing into the walls of the school.

📱🦋

Nathaniel had to physically bite his hand to prevent himself from laughing and drawing attention to himself. Thank God no one's in the library this early. "A-Alya thinks-" He quietly wheezed. "That Austin fucking Quinlan is Monarch?" Austin Quinlan, the boy whose last name is Nathaniel's middle name, and now the two believe they've been punished by the universe at birth.

After a terrifying few seconds yesterday where he couldn't find Nooroo after his mom barged into his room unannounced and Nooroo just somehow disappeared into thin air, Nathaniel discovered that Kwamis could phase through solid objects. So, it made hiding him a little easier. But of course, now Nooroo wants to look around the school while hiding in the walls so he can get a better experience of what he's missed over the decades. And how can Nathaniel possibly say no to that face?

"It's true," Nooroo whispered. "She felt skeptical at first, but then something convinced her. I'm not sure what exactly, but it definitely had to do with that Austin Quinlan. And I heard what Marinette and Alix said about him and his friends. Have they really been bullying every student here?"

The redhead groaned. "For so. Damn. Long. They tore out five pages of one of my old sketchbooks," he hissed. "And when I tried to tell Damocles, he just brushed me off saying "boys will be boys," which is a bullshit saying. He's just a spineless coward because their parents are rich as hell and he just wants to keep the Austins around so their parents will keep donating money to the school."

After Nathaniel's ranting, Nooroo asked, "What about Alya and Marinette? They're trying to uncover Monarch's identity."

Noticing his friend's worried look, Nathaniel brought the Kwami in for a hug. "That's not going to happen, Nooroo. Besides, in comics, the budding journalists hardly ever figure out the identities of heroes and villains... Unless they just tell them, which is never going to happen." Hearing Nooroo laugh, the artist smiled a bit, and dammit, Nathaniel wants to look his past holders right in the eye and curse them out for hurting probably the purest thing in this world.

"Are you sure they won't find out?"

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, I'll keep tabs on Alya and Marinette while they're checking out suspects." This seemed to appease Nooroo and he nodded. "Alright, come on. Class is gonna start in a few minutes." Nooroo makes his way into the side pocket of his messenger bag as he heads out of the library.

📱🦋

"What's the likelihood of Austin Quinlan actually being Monarch?"

"0.0%," Max chortled, making Alya frown. "I-I'm sorry, Alya, but I just can't see Austin Quinlan of all people being Monarch. Yes, Austin displays villain-like qualities, but judging by Monarch's previous actions with Copycat, I highly doubt he could be Monarch." Kim nodded along.

"Sure, their hair is the same color, they've got the same build, but, I don't believe it for one second." Kim points out the classroom door where Simon is walking by. "What's next? Is Simon Monarch? He's got the hair."

Alya flicked his shoulder. "But he looks taller than Monarch."

"What are we talking about?" The three jump when Adrien suddenly appears. "Come on, I like to be in the loop."

Max smirks, ignoring Alya's look that says, 'I will destroy you.' "Alya thinks that Austin Quinlan, one of the male Chloé's at this school, is Monarch." Seeing the blonde grimace, he gives a solemn nod. "Yes, I'm sorry, but we have four male Chloé's at this school."

"All rich, terrible assholes who think they can do whatever they please," Kim adds, folding his arms. "Just because they've got a little money."

"... And you think one of them is Monarch?" Alya nods. "Okay, if one of them is a redhead, I can see why you'd think that."

"One is."

"Thank you, Max. But Monarch seems like he has more human decency than them if your words are true." Suddenly, Adrien looks up for a moment, thoughtful. "Although, if he is like Chloe and he turns out to be Monarch... That'll be one less Chloé to deal with!" The blonde squealed like a child on Christmas.

Kim awkwardly coughed. "You realize he's not actually Chloé, right?" The blonde seemed to ignore him as he skipped his way over to his desk, amusing Nino and Marinette. "... Anyway. I'm kinda surprised you aren't listing Nath down as a suspect. You haven't known us for long and Nath tends to be quiet."

Alya glanced at the redhead, sitting at his desk and working on a quick sketch before the bell rings while Alix, Juleka, and Rose quietly watched. "I'm just not seeing it. I know about, "It's always the quiet ones," but what would Nathaniel want with Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's Miraculous?"

'That's what I'd like to know,' the two boys thought.

"Austin Quinlan, on the other hand? Just imagine what Chloé would want." At her words, Kim couldn't help but shudder. "Everyone being her compliant servants, Adrien being her boyfriend by force, Marinette and her family being deported." She scowls when the sound of Chloe's haughty laughter hits her ears. "God, she hasn't done anything yet and I already wanna shove my sneakers up her aerobicized ass."

As Alya storms to her desk, Kim couldn't help but wonder, "How does she know Chloé does aerobics?"

Marinette snickers. "Alya, if Austin is Monarch, then... Nino is the Wizard of Oz." She and the capped boy high-five, but it doesn't deter Alya. "Now, I'm not going to stop you, because your determination is kinda hot as fuck-" Alya and Adrien choke on their own spit. "But just be careful investigating Austin. Hell knows what he'll do if he catches you snooping through his stuff for evidence."

"So, you know what he's going to do?" This earns the blonde boy a quick flick to the side of his head. "Worth it... So, determination is hot?" Marinette scoffed at his smirk and his raised eyebrow. "Because I'll have you know, last year I once stood in line for an hour and a half waiting for a limited edition pair of Deku-inspired sneakers. While- get this- my phone was dead." To add to the hype, Nino made a quiet explosion sound.

Marinette pretends to look intrigued. "Very impressive... But Alya's determination is hotter."

"Yeah," Adrien relented, Nino nodding along. "Can't argue with that."

"What the hell is happening?" Wondered Alya as she sniffed the air to see if there was a gas leak.

📱🦋

"Dude, you should have seen the look on the twerp's face when I had his phone!" Austin Armbruster cackled as he looked through his locker. "Honestly, it wasn't even worth breaking. That hunk of junk is old like our cousins’ catchphrase."

The four all say in a mocking tone, "Scandalous," before bursting into laughter.

Austin Tomassian leaned against his locker and asked, "So, milkshakes after school?" Instantly, the back of his head was smacked by Austin Quinlan. "Hey!"

"You know my mom's making the whole family do that week-long vegan diet crap!" The Austin in blue folded his arms with a huff. "We're doing smoothies."

"Chill your ass, Quinlan," Austin Boulet droned as he scrolled through his social media. "Don't take it out on Tomassian, alright?"

Tomassian shoots Quinlan a taunting smirk. "Thanks, Boulet-"

"Boy, shut up," he scoffed. "I just want one day without you dumbasses going at it over some shit. I mean seriously," The Austin in yellow pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Today is smoothies versus milkshakes, last week was over a group photo because Quinlan hated how fat his neck looked." Seeing Quinlan curling his fist, Boulet quickly blocks the punch that would have hit his shoulder. "Just saying."

Austin Armbruster slammed his locker door shut in irritation. "Enough! Now haul ass before we're last in line." The others comply, gathering up their things before filing out of the locker room. And moments after they left, Alya slinked out of the girl's bathroom with her phone in hand, ready to record.

Now, Alya's read over the photo consent and privacy laws in Paris. The laws specifically talk about taking a photo or video of someone. Not something.

So, surely, if she were to take photos of evidence proving that Austin Quinlan might be Monarch, then that won't be breaking the law as long as she doesn't take photos of Austin. Simple as that!... She hopes.

Alya makes her way over to Austin Quinlan's locker. 'Third from the right,' she reminds herself, and never has she been so glad for a school's lack of security. Seriously, she hasn't seen a single camera in any corner of the school. Hell, her old school had three cameras in each hallway, padlocks provided by teachers for lockers in case one lock broke, and one or two officers patrolling the well-known 'makeout corners' after an incident a few years ago.

"Damn, not even locks." Well, at least she wouldn't have to wonder for hours what Austin Quinlan's combination might be. So, with a shaky hand, Alya opened the locker and took note of the photos of Austin Quinlan and the other Austins taped to the walls, making sure to avoid getting those in her video's frame. "Okay, Alya Cesaire here. I'm investigating a possible suspect who might be the villain of Paris, Monarch. Now, for legal reasons, I won't give names... Yet." She starts poking around through Austin's belongings. "Okay, now the reason I suspect this person of being Monarch is due to their similar height and build, and they have the same hair color. And earlier today, I saw some purple fabric sticking out of my suspect's bag..."

Alya pans her phone up and down to try and find the bag, and with a groan, turns the camera towards her face, annoyance was written all over it. "Which, of course, is not in here." She sighs. "Okay, that was a bust," she mutters, more to herself than to anyone who might ever see this video. "Alright, gonna try this again later."

And just like out of a horror movie, when Alya shuts the locker door closed, she nearly gets a heart attack when she finds Austin Quinlan was standing right behind the door with a malicious smirk. And in his hand is his phone set to record. "Well, if it isn't one of the nosy little bloggers. Got you red-handed, four-eyes!"

Alya had almost gone rigid for a moment before remembering they were both in trouble. He recorded her, a person, without her consent while she broke into his locker. Though, could it really be considered "breaking in" when there wasn't a lock? Either way, they're both going down.

📱🦋

"She's guilty of invasion of privacy! I have proof! Hey!"

Marinette smirked vindictively as she snatched Austin's phone out of his hand and held it away from him before handing it to M. Damocles. "Sir, this is also proof that Austin Quinlan has violated Paris' privacy laws, taking a video of Alya without her consent."

Alya couldn't help but beam as the class geniuses came to her defense. When she and Quinlan were walking out of the locker room, they had run into the two, and Alya gave them a quick explanation before Quinlan could twist her side of things. Immediately, the two rushed to act as her defense. But of course, if Alya gets to have her own lawyers, so does Austin Quinlan. So with a quick call to the other Austins, the seven of them stormed into Damocles' office, nearly giving the man a heart attack.

Before Damocles could get a word in, Marinette gestures for Max to continue.

"And sir, I'm sure you know that those laws only specify people, not items." He holds his hand out in front of the aurburn-haired girl, and she hands him her phone. "Alya has only recorded Austin Quinlan's belongings, making sure to steer of any photos of him and his friends, and does not mention his name once, and furthermore-"

"However!" Austin Armbruster interrupted. "Miss tabloid trash," Alya scowled at the insult. "Was basically accusing our friend of being a supervillain. Do you know what that will do to his reputation if this gets out?" He gestures to Quinlan, who's doing his best to try and keep his usual not-so-innocent expression off his face. Of course, that won't matter since they know how to make this man fold.

Marinette holds up a finger. "But, the lockers have no locks, and if that's not enough for you, I'm sure you as the principal know that there's no school policy of invasion of privacy." With a victorious smirk, she high-fives Max and gives Alya a reassuring look to let her know she'll get her out of this. 'Man, if I don't make it as a designer, I could be a lawyer. Maybe a Eurasian Elle Woods. I already wear enough pink.'

"Tomassian!" Armbruster shouted, rousing Marinette from her thoughts. The Austin in green stepped forward and for a moment, Marinette was a little intimidated. Not because of Tomassian himself, the guy was a puppy compared to the other Austins. He hardly spread gossip and never got physical, but his parents are actual lawyers. He must have picked up something from them.

"While there are no school policies on the invasion of privacy, if you'll look closely at the video, M. Damocles- specifically fifteen seconds in - you'll see a glimpse of one of the photos of Austin Quinlan taped to the locker wall." The two students in defense of Alya gaped at the sudden news while Alya had gone pale with fear as the principal checked to see if this was true. "Meaning, Alya has broken the privacy consent laws. While not intentional, a punishment should still be delivered."

Max scowled, setting aside his shock. He wouldn't give up on Alya, the same girl who tried to protect one of his best friends from a car that came close to hitting her.

With a quick adjustment of his glasses, he continued, "If that's the case, then Austin Quinlan should also be given a punishment. He took a video of Alya without her consent. And sir, let's be honest," she adds, her voice low and holding no room for interruptions. "The Austins are not exactly saints. I'm sure you recall the many, many accusations by students in their grade ever since they started attending DuPont. Yet, no action was taken."

Damocles was sweating bullets right now. He knows he needs to be fair, but he can't risk losing the Quinlan family as just one of the prime investors for the school if he punishes their son. Thanks to them, they have new uniforms for sports teams, a bigger trophy case, and imported ingredients for the cafeteria food! Plus, he would rather not take the risk of going against a student who has familial ties to the school board. He's already on dangerous ground with Chloe. One phone call and the Mayor could cut off funding!

"Right," he said with a clear of his throat. "One hour of detention for you, Alya, and an hour as well for Austin."

Alya scowled. "Excuse me?"

"You're giving one miserable hour of detention to a criminal?!" Austin Quinlan exclaimed. "That's total bullshit! Tomassian!"

Max just felt like bashing his forehead against a wall over and over and over again. While he and Marinette are at the top of all of their classes, this was Austin Tomassian's territory. His parents must have been teaching him about loopholes before he could walk. Honestly, it was a relief Austin Quinlan was complaining and not Chloé. While the Austins certainly held some power over the principal, Chloé is the one who can get him fired in an instant with just one phone call if he doesn't go so far as to expel Alya.

Alya, the new student for Heaven's sake!

"You're suspended for a week, Alya!"

And with those words... For once in his life, Max felt like a failure.

"That is so unfair!" She yelled, and Max noticed how glassy her eyes looked. She was close to crying but was trying very hard not to, especially in front of the Austins. Meanwhile, Marinette was doing her best to keep her calm. "I am gonna protest this on the school blog!"

"The school blog is not accessible to those who have been suspended or expelled," Tomassian reminded Damocles, who had the gall to look relieved.

Alya stormed off in a huff, but not before saying, "Well, at least we know there's an actual villain in Paris!" Max and Marinette couldn't tell who she was referring to- Damocles or Austin Quinlan. They didn't know, they didn't care, hell, they weren't denying anything.

📱🦋

"Hey, we're gonna fight this," Kim told Alya, following her down the stairs along with most of their other classmates. "Quinlan isn't gonna get away with this bullshit! And Damocles is finally gonna put some spoiled rich kid in their place! No offense, Adrien," he quickly told the blonde.

"Hey, none taken. I agree."

Alya stopped in the middle of the stairs, back still facing her friends, and sighed. "Guys, forget it. Okay, I..." No one decided to bring up the choked sob they heard. "This honestly isn't the first time this sort of shit has happened." Her hand came up to her face, and Rose had to restrain herself from going to hug her, knowing Alya might not be in the mood for one right now. "I-it was rare back at my school, but... It still happens. Y'know, shit happens. I'm fine, okay?"

Marinette sighed once she saw her friend walk out of the school. "I can't believe that happened." She rest her chin on the stair rail while Nino squeezed her shoulder for comfort. "I really thought we had them, that... That just one of the Austins would get the punishment they deserved."

"We heard your argument through the door, guys," Ivan tells her and Max. "It was good. Probably one of your best."

Max couldn't be more thankful for his dark skin, able to cover up any blushing. "Well, when you join Debate Club and Mock Trial, you're bound to learn a few things. We were good, but today, Tomassian had us." Before he knows it, he's pulled in for a gentle, but still bone-crushing hug, courtesy of Kim. All he can do is hug his friend back and... Once again, love his dark skin more and more.

📱🦋

"Poor Alya," Nooroo sighed as he phased through the library walls and returned to Nathaniel. No one ever went into the library during lunch hour, seeing as no food and drinks were allowed in the room. "I saw her getting out her phone. She must be about to call her parents." He smiled when Nathaniel stroked his chin.

"Alright, you know the drill. Ready?" Nooroo nods. "Nooroo, Wings Rise." He encases another origami butterfly with his magic and then sends it on its' way. Fortunately, Alya didn't go too far, and they were linked in an instant. And he could really sense her anger. Valid, and perfect for an Akuma.

"I'm gonna go on a limb here and say you're not Austin Quinlan."

"I'm sorry, who?" He asked, playing dumb.

Alya groaned. "This damn bastard, I- Why the hell am I talking to you?!"

"You ask me, Alya Cesaire. You started the conversation. Now, I'd just like to hear what's got you so upset." Monarch doesn't need to hear what happened, he can see into Alya's memories. And... They're not good. It's just years of bullying, harassment, and being treated unfairly because this one girl at her old school had some money and more friends than Alya. There were times when Alya got her justice, but the rest explains... It explains why she was so angry.

"... I fucking hate that damn principal! He's just letting that asshole get away with his crime, and I'm suspended because he appears in a millisecond of my video! Yes! I went through his locker, I should be punished for that, but Austin should be punished, too! He broke a country-made law, while I broke a school law!"

Monarch waited a few seconds before continuing, just wanting to make sure Alya got everything out of her system. "Well, I know a thing or two about not getting justice. So, I see where you're coming from, Alya. Now I wanna help you. Would you be fine with that?"

"... Keep talking."

"Imagine a hero who helps to expose the corruption that goes on behind closed doors," he hummed. "She can be anywhere at any moment. All with the help of her cellphone. Still with me?" Alya mumbled a quick, 'Yeah.' "Her name is Lady WiFi. What do you say?"

"Sign me up, Monarch."

"Wings Down," he said once Alya transformed into Lady WiFi. "Well, this should be fun. Let's see what people think of Damocles after Lady WiFi gets to him."

Nooroo beamed. "Well, considering what he's done, I think he could use a good dose of telling the truth." Nooroo's thought he's seen it all - Corrupt judges, royalty, priests- but a corrupt teacher is just something else. "So, what does Lady WiFi look like?" 

"Uh... Well, you probably weren't active when the movie came out." Nooroo looks confused until Nathaniel pulls out his phone and pulls up a video. "I based Lady WiFi's look off of a character from a horror movie, called 'The Ring.'" With a yelp, Nooroo hastily hid behind Nathaniel's shoulder when he saw the images of a girl with long black hair and a tattered dress on his phone screen. "Yeah, that's Samara. Her power is linked to technology, she can crawl out of televisions and access phones."

"Sounds creepy," Nooroo shuddered.

Nathaniel brought the Kwami in his cupped hand. "Don't worry, she's not real." ... Then again, power-granting sprites are real, so who's to say an undead girl able to crawl out of televisions if you watch a cursed table isn't real? The same can be said for a dream demon, or an evil clown living in the sewers.

📱🦋

So caught up with his vintage action figures of Knight Owl and Sparrow, Principal Damocles jolted out of his seat and the action figures flew out of his hand when his phone suddenly rang. Loudly. Odd, since he wasn't expecting any calls today. He picks up the phone and gives a quick clear of his throat. "Monty Damocles. Who is this?"

"..."

"Hello?... Hello?! If this is a student's idea of a practical joke, I will make sure you face punishment for holding up the line-"

"Reveal the truth, Damocles," said a raspy voice, shaking the man to his very core. "Reveal the truth."

"... Who is this?"

"You're a coward!"

Suddenly, he yelled and threw the phone to the floor before nursing his hand which felt as if it had been electrocuted. The principal looked at the phone and blanched at the black scorch mark. Something was terribly wrong. Before he could even think about running away, the lights began to flicker on and off rapidly before settling for on. Only they were purple...

Okay, now it was time to leave!

But then, his attention was brought to his computer, which had turned on itself. Instead of the home screen he had set up, the screen was pitch black with a purple Wi-Fi symbol dead center. It glitched for a couple of seconds before the image of a girl appeared. Her long, curly, electric purple hair covered her face so it makes it hard to identify her.

"Coward," the girl hissed before the screen went black and the lights returned to normal. Damocles believed that to be the end of... Whatever this was until a hand slammed against the screen from behind the screen. The hand, glowing a bright purple, moved forward until it was out of the screen, followed by the rest of the arm, also purple until it reached the forearm where it became pitch black. Damocles was too petrified to move until one of the fingers grazed his forehead and this time, he ran.

He reached for the doorknob and then immediately jerked away when he felt the same jolt in the hand that had been electrocuted. He tried again with the other hand but got the same result. There was no way out unless he was deranged enough to jump out of the window, but he can't exactly do that while that long-haired girl is now standing by it.

She moved forward, raising her hand and Damocles covers his face in preparation for an attack when really, she was only holding up what appeared to be a cellphone. "Smile for the camera, Damocles."

📱🦋

All eyes in the school were on phones when each one went off at once. At first, teachers thought it to be an important school announcement and allowed the students to see what it was, but when they saw who was on the screens, they began to panic believing a hacker had gotten into the school system. Students were fretting over their grades and permanent records while teachers were more worried over the lesson plans they had worked on for hours at a time.

"This is Lady Wifi, revealer of the truth."

Hearing this they calmed down just a little bit, but others were still panicking.

"For our first exposé, your principal would like to share a little tidbit with you." The young woman who looked like some sort of evil AI stepped to the side, giving everyone a clear view of their Principal who had a glowing purple icon of the pause symbol over his face and one more on his chest, only it was of a lock. With a swipe of her hand, the icon on his face was gone and Damocles could move just above his neck.

"Principal. Monty. Damocles." She spat out each word as if it were poison on her tongue. "Is it true you wrongly suspended a student named Alya today"

The man looked ashamed, giving everyone watching enough of an answer. "Uh... Y-yes, it is."

"What have you done, Damocles?" Mme. Mendeleieve muttered under her breath.

Lady WiFi circled around the man, her steps slow and her hands folded neatly. "So, you were biased when it came to the status of the two students who stormed into your office demanding justice? Unfair with your punishment? You allowed a student who other students have reported for quite some time now to walk free while the other student, an innocent new girl only interested in seeking the truth will now live with the burden of a horrible mark on her permanent record?!"

Her hair seemed to rise with her anger, giving students a clear view of her face, only, that it wasn't really a face, just three bright purple crescent moons forming her eyes and mouth.

"Yes! I was!" The man turned his head away when the ends of Lady WiFi's hair came dangerously close to his face. One would think it was no big deal, but those who had better hearing could hear the static when her hair rose.

"I believe that's all for now." Much to the principal's relief, her electrified hair lowered, but Lady WiFi wasn't done. She swiped something on her phone and the pause icon appeared on Damocles' face again."For my next guest? A certain redhead in blue. Austin Quinlan? Here I come..." And with those eerie last words, she disappeared in a flurry of black and purple pixels and the screens turned black.

Cosette was the one to voice everyone's thoughts. "... What the fuck?!"

Not bothering to shout, 'Language!' The purple-haired teacher quickly composed herself and started packing her bag. "Right. Well, I'm certain we're all aware of the Akuma drill right now?" Nodding, the students begin to hastily grab their things and file out of the classroom like the other students. "Remember to stay at home, help your friends, and read pages sixty-seven through seventy!"

📱🦋

"So, Austin Quinlan definitely isn't Monarch, right?"

"Hey, I wouldn't rule it out, Pondexter," said Plagg. "The Miraculous can alter anyone's appearance, even their voice. During the more... Intolerant years, most white folk didn't want help from Miraculous holders of color-" Noticing his holder's scowl, he nodded. "I know, I know. Anyway, so those idiots didn't die- I don't know why she didn't just leave them in that fire- This old holder gave herself a full-face mask, altered her voice so she'd have an English accent, then made her hair-"

Max's long, tired-sounding groan cuts him off. "Ooh... It hurts." He starts rubbing his temples as if he has a headache. After a moment, he takes a deep breath to calm himself down. "Okay... Okay, so there is a chance Austin Quinlan could be Monarch?" Plagg nods before recoiling when Max starts smiling a slightly unnerving smile. "Well, if he is, then that's one less Austin to deal with."

Plagg shuddered. He's the physical embodiment of Destruction, and a kid has him scared... Granted, he's seen blueprints for a fully functioning lightsaber in his bedroom, so anyone would be in his position.

📱🦋

"Okay, if you boys need anything else-"

"Yeah, yeah." Quinlan waved off the maid once she wheeled the snack cart in. "Thanks, Tina."

"It's Mina," she said through clenched teeth, trying so hard to not do something that will get her fired. And with that, she shut the door on her way out.

Austin Armbruster scoffed as he grabbed a croissant. "What an attitude." The others followed suit and got their own snack off of the cart and just went about their own business, not even worried that an Akuma who resembled an AI version of Samara was after one of them. And why would they be worried? The Quinlans have just about the best home security system in Paris, so there's no way one of Monarch's freaks is getting in.

And, if this one can travel through technology like Tomassian had been crying about for like an hour now, she still won't get to Quinlan because the best firewall software money can buy is now installed and blocking anything suspicious from coming through any phone, laptop, or tablet that enters the estate.

"Okay, but will it prevent magic malware from coming through- Hey!" Tomassian rubbed the part of his head where Quinlan's shoe hit him. "I'm just saying, I don't think people make firewalls that protect people from supervillains!" The other Austins rolled their eyes.

Boulet took a quick bite out of his macaron. "Dude, let it go. No one's getting in. Now, let's talk about how Cesaire thinks Quinlan of all people is Monarch!" He bursts into laughter, almost choking on his own snack until Armbruster smacks him on the back. "Th-thanks. But seriously, are we not going to talk about this?" Quinlan scowled. "No offense, man-"

"Hey! I could definitely be Monarch! I mean, I wouldn't wear that color, but-"

"But you'd be in love with Anciel!" Armbruster cackled, followed shortly by Boulet and Tomassian's howling laughter. "You guys saw what those two posted! Theo nearly pissed himself when Monarch threatened him for almost killing him! I can't," he wheezed. "I can't believe it! A fucking villain is in love with Marc Anciel! Ha!" Tomassian had to pat Boulet on the back a couple of times when he started losing his breath from laughing too much.

Quinlan just stared at his friends, unamused and refusing to join them... But, hearing it out loud, it's kind of funny. "Yeah," he chuckled. "How much you wanna bet he kidnaps Anciel one night?"

"Fifty euros!" Boulet answers before coughing. "I'm good," he told Tomassian. "I'm good."

"Or he creates an Akuma to kidnap Anciel, take him back to him, and then forces him to turn evil," Armbruster guesses casually. "I mean, that's what I'd do." Boulet and Quinlan nod along, but Tomassian looks disturbed by those words. Before he could say something, Austin Quinlan's television suddenly turned on by itself, showing only the black and white static. "... Quinlan?" The redhead holds up his hands, showing he doesn't have the remote. "Then who-"

The four of them scream simultaneously when a glowing purple hand presses against the screen, giving them all flashbacks to when they saw 'The Ring', and on instinct, Tomassian hid in his sweater to avoid the scary part while muttering, "It's not real," over and over again. However, interrupting his mantra is something wrapping tight around his waist, pressing his arms against his torso, and yanking him away from where he sat.

"Put him the fuck down, you witch!" Boulet yelled.

"Give me Quinlan," hissed a new voice, and Tomassian instantly realized it belonged to Lady WiFi. Before any of the Austins could retort, possibly with a, 'Like hell we will,' Tomassian screamed to the top of his lungs when whatever was wrapped around his waist became tighter and was pressing his elbows into his sides.

Wanting to see what was going on, Austin Tomassian pushed his head through the neck hole of his sweater and felt his face go stark white when he sees that he was face-to-face with Lady WiFi and her glowing purple facial expression. He turns around, hoping for either Armbruster, Boulet, or Quinlan to help him, but Quinlan's frozen in fear while Boulet and Armbruster are literally frozen with those purple pause symbols on their chests. "I-I-"

"Oh, has the little lawyer run out of things to say?" Her crescent-shaped eyes and mouth are quickly replaced by a crying emoji. "I'm crying for you. However, you're not the one I'm after." With that, she dropped Tomassian onto the floor, making him groan in pain as he was still sore. Lady WiFi's face glitched and showed a flaming skull when she turned to Austin Quinlan. "Come here, Quinlan." With each step she takes forward, Quinlan takes two back. "It's only fair you receive the proper punishment for your crimes, RIGHT?!"

And when the sockets of the skeleton's face started glowing red, Quinlan took that as his cue to run for his life, racing through the dozens of hallways in his home with Lady WiFi hot on his trail and hitting anyone in her way with pause symbols.

”You know, I was almost convinced you were Monarch. I mean, the freckles should have been a giveaway that you’re clearly not.”

Quinlan darted into the home theater and hid behind a row of chairs, trying his hardest to keep his heavy breathing quiet.

”But then I thought, ‘Oh, that’s ridiculous! Monarch, unlike Quinlan, gives. He gives people the resources to get justice. But Quinlan? He takes. He takes away the light in people's lives and makes them suffer if they try to do anything about it!’ You and your friends are all like that!”

Quinlan flinched when the lights in the room flicked on and off, the popcorn machine started popping popcorn on its own, and the massive screen cut on to show static, and then Lady WiFi’s face covered by her hair. Quinlan tried to move, but the footrests of the electric recliner chairs popped out and blocked his way out. Before he could try to climb over the chairs, Lady WiFi was already halfway out of the screen.

”STAY AWAY FROM ME!” He starts to climb over the recliners, but then his ankle is ensnared by the Akuma’s glowing purple hair.

Lady WiFi hummer. ”Another thing? The thing that really convinced me you weren’t Monarch?… He and I have been having a lovely conversation this whole time. Isn’t that right, Monarch?” The rest of her hair moves out of the way to reveal not her eyes and mouth, but Monarch’s face on her screen-like face, making Quinlan’s face go stark white.

”Well, I like to keep tabs on my Akumas from time to time,” Monarch beamed. “And when I heard what poor  Alya went through because of you and your asshole friends, I just felt so guilty!” The corners of his mouth drew downwards, but Quinlan knew- He could tell it was an act, that the psycho was mocking him! “I felt I had some part in this as well, and it was only fair that I helped her out. And don’t forget to uphold your end of our deal, Lady WiFi.” Before Quinlan could retort, Lady WiFi’s eyes and mouth reappeared.

"Oh, I won't, Monarch. Now let’s take care of this once and for all. Show Damocles what true justice looks like!” She reeled the redhead in with her hair, slowly to savor the moment, but that proved to be a mistake when a familiar red YoYo snagged Austin’s wrist and pulled him out of her hair’s grip.

"We’ll be taking this!” Scarlet Beetle taunted before shutting the door behind him and Quinlan while Ikati Black put his staff through the handles. It gives the heroes a minute to come up with a plan while Lady WiFi tries to force the door open for a few seconds before remembering her powers. “Are you alright, Austin?” Honestly, he didn’t care what happened to the guy, but he was a hero and couldn’t be biased outside his civilian life… Unfortunately.

"Took you long enough,” he spat while unwrapping the YoYo from around his wrist. “Are you gonna arrest that freak when this is over?!”

Ikati Black was mouthing ‘Cataclysm’ while the boy’s back was turned to him. Scarlet  Beetle gave a discreet shake of his head, making his partner back down. “That won’t be happening.”

"Now, I’m going to go on a hunch here and say she gets her powers from her phone,” Ikati Black deduced. “The estate’s staff who weren’t paused reported seeing Lady WiFi using her phone to pause people and lock a few doors and windows. Austin, is there anywhere in the house that doesn’t have service? Maybe your basement, or an attic-“

"Just the garden.”

"Good ‘ol nature, having no cell service,” Scarlet Beetle snickered. “Austin, go hide with the rest of your staff-“

"Oh, actually,” Ikati Black interrupted with a devious smirk that looked innocent to his partner, but more like a threatening show of baring his teeth to Austin. “Since Lady WiFi is after Austin Quinlan, I doubt she’ll go after us. As we’ve seen before, Akumas tend to go after their targets, and then our Miraculous, Scarlet.” Quinlan’s pupils shrank out of fear. "But, I'd like to hear your idea," Quinlan flinched when his hand slammed down on his shoulder and squeezed, digging in his fake claws. "Partner."

Scarlet Beetle knew what his partner was doing... And it was just way too tempting. It would be the ultimate revenge against Quinlan for what he did to Alya, but he has to keep him safe. But, Ikati Black made a good point when he said Lady WiFi would be after him. "... I think that's a good idea, Ikati," he said as neutrally as possible, ignoring Austin's horrified expression. "Austin, if you wouldn't mind."

Ikati Black mouthing 'cataclysm' again is enough to get him to comply and lead the heroes to the expansive backyard that must be as big as a football field and looks like the garden from the Other World out of the movie Coraline. Looking around, they see there are a few places for them to hide while Austin draws Lady WiFi out, like the tall hedges, the koi pond, or even the gazebo that has to be as big as Kim's living room!

Still in awe, Scarlet Beetle mutters a quick, "Lucky Charm," and in his hand appeared a roll of duct tape. "Oh. Well, that's straight to the point." Before Austin Quinlan could ask, Ikati Black was already hefting him over his shoulder with the strength his Miraculous granted him and carrying him over to a statue in the middle of the garden as he kicked and screamed.

"PUT ME DOWN, YOU GODDAMN-" The rest of his words are muffled by a strip of tape over his mouth.

"Thanks, Scarlet." As he nears the statue, he sets Quinlan down and presses his back against it while Scarlet Beetle makes quick work of taping him to it until half of the roll is gone. "Okay, I think that's secure enough. Now Lady WiFi's gotta battle us on our turf. When she walks through the doors, you barricade them with one of those plants." He points to the patio where there are a few plants potted in at least twenty-five pounds of soil. While their Miraculous amplify their strength, Scarlet Beetle is clearly the most physically fit.

Scarlet Beetle nodded before throwing his yoyo and swinging up to the patio roof to wait for Lady WiFi while Ikati Black backed away into the bushes, leaving Austin Quinlan writhing and screaming through his binds until, after what felt like hours, he saw Lady WiFi standing in front of the back door. He didn't even hear them open. Lady WiFi's hair, he notices, is losing most of its glow the further she walks into the garden, turning a drab shade of purple. Her face glitched a dozen times, making the crescents look cracked in some places.

Lady WiFi took one look at her phone and scoffed as she waved it around to get a signal, but this stupid garden was giving her nothing! "WhATEVer," she muttered, her voice sounding like a dying automated voice. "I-I-I-I-I D-d-d-d-DON'T! NEEd m-m-my POWerS-s-s-s to-to-t-t- ki-ki-ki-KICK! Y-you-your-your ASS!" And with that, she ran forward not even noticing the scraping sound behind her or the ladybug-printed tape binding Austin Quinlan to the statue. And honestly, she didn't care! Finally, she'll get justice!

Seeing as she only had her phone on her, Lady WiFi was about to use it to strike the side of Quinlan's head, only to have it smacked out of her hand by Ikati Black's staff. "NO!"

The impact cracked the screen, releasing the Akuma. Scarlet Beetle did his usual routine, purifying the origami Akuma, tossing the rest of the roll of tape into the air, and the magic ladybugs did their thing, fixing all damage as if nothing happened. Only this time, the origami butterfly didn't get swept up in the wind and instead landed in his hand.

"Okay, I gotcha," Ikati Black told Alya as he helped her stand back up. She looked a little disoriented after turning back, so the hero was quick to hold his arms out and catch her when she lost her footing. This never really happened before, but maybe it was because it was a little late in the day while most Akumas were cured where there was still daylight. "I can help you home if you'd like, Alya."

"Y-yeah, thanks," she murmured. "I just need to rest."

Ignoring Austin Quinlan screaming for them to arrest her, Scarlet Beetle approached the blogger with a soft expression. "Alya, I heard about what happened at school. Would you maybe like some help clearing your name?" The auburn-haired girl's eyes looked like they were sparkling. "I'll make sure your principal sees he was in the wrong."

"... Th-thank you," she whispered before hooking her arms around Ikati Black, giving him the signal to take her home.

"ARE YOU SERIOUSLY-"

"Tạm biệt!" Scarlet Beetle hollered before swinging away and leaving Quinlan confused by what he just said, but also angry at getting snubbed by superheroes.

📱🦋

Damocles was in the hot seat now. Scarlet Beetle was in his office, glaring daggers at him while holding Alya's shoulder like they were friends, Marinette and Max were holding binders! What was in them? He didn't want to know! Austin Quinlan was in the room as well, looking much smaller than he did last time. Honestly, the most relieving part is that his parents are not here. He cannot afford to lose this job!

"Now, M. Damocles, I think you were quite hasty with your decision to suspend Alya and let Austin Quinlan go free, wouldn't you say?" Scarlet Beetle asked, but it sounded more like he was insisting while sporting his smile that won the hearts of all of Paris but is now being used to instill fear in the owlish man. "I mean, you just suspended her for something as small as Austin Quinlan being in her video for only a quick second. And it wasn't even him, just a photo. And not even intentional."

"I-I mean- Well, I-"

Marinette stepped forward with an unnerving smile. "And let's not forget Austin Quinlan's record, sir. Now, I know I wasn't there for all of them, and some students who have had the absolute pleasure to really get to know Austin seemed rather reluctant to tell Max and me what he and his friends have put them through."

"But the truth always finds a way, sir," Max added, pushing up his glasses with his middle finger. "Alya's permanent record, meanwhile? Clean as a whistle. No absences, wonderful grades, voted 'Student of the Month' at her old school five times, and she even tutored some of the first years having trouble. I'm sure if you were to call her old principal, they'd give Alya nothing but glowing reviews."

Alya couldn't help but blush and buried her face into Scarlet Beetle's hoodie. She was not expecting all of this to be brought up.

"Austin Quinlan's old principals? Also good things, but..." Marinette sucked in a breath through her teeth. "Those fancy schools are known for covering things up in order to keep the big euros coming in and preserving the family's reputation. And, fun fact! All of the Austins have been going to the same school since they were old enough to start school. And, let's face it, M. Damocles, students are rumor mills, we spread gossip, mainly stemmed from jealousy, but, the things students have been saying about the Austins seem very specific."

"Pushing someone down the stairs, pushing a kid's face in the toilet bowl," Max listed, much to Alya and Damocles' horror, but for very different reasons. "The list goes on, and on, and-"

"OKAY!" The man blurted, shooting up from his chair, startling everyone in the office. "Alya, you are no longer suspended."

Scarlet Beetle arched an eyebrow. "And?"

"... And this will be wiped from your record."

"Keep it coming, Damocles." Marinette gestures toward Austin with her hand. "You know what we want." Aghast, Quinlan stood from his chair but was stopped by the principal raising his hand.

"Austin Quinlan, you are given two-"

"Five!" Max exclaimed.

"Five hours of detention."

The redhead seethed, making Scarlet Beetle look around the room for an Akuma. "You cannot be serious?! Do you want to hear from my parents?!" Noticing Damocles starting to waver, he smirked. That was until Scarlet Beetle approached him, looking rather intimidating as he loomed over him.

"Look, you can buy all of your principals and have them look away for every little offense you and your friends have committed. But not me. And if this kind of bullshit happens again, I will personally see to it that you and your friends finally receive the proper punishment for every. Single. Thing. Have I made myself clear, Quinlan?" The boy quickly nodded, and Scarlet Beetle's intimidating expression was replaced with a look of earnestness. "Good. Now head to class."

Austin couldn't have left quicker.

With matching smirks, Marinette and Max bid their principal goodbye and left the office with Alya and Scarlet Beetle, savoring the sound of his pathetic sobbing for just a second before the door closed all the way.

Marinette sighed. "That felt good." Suddenly, she felt Alya wrapping her arms around her. "You're welcome, Alya."

"So, what was in the binders?" Questioned Scarlet Beetle, pointing to the pink and green binders.

"Oh, nothing," Max confessed. "We just needed Damocles to believe we had some sort of leverage and make him think we found the Austins' records and any complaint emails from students or parents which were no doubt hidden by all of their principals. I've tried everything to find them ever since they damaged my old laptop, but they're locked tight," he said bitterly. "But I'm gonna find them even if it kills me."

Scarlet Beetle beamed. 'He's so devoted!' "Well, Max, if the things I've heard about you are right, I know you will." He gave the shorter boy a light punch in the arm, not noticing the flustered look on his face. "Well, I better go."

"Oh! I'll walk you out," Alya offered, and the hero didn't feel like passing that up, so the two made their way down the stairs together.

Once they were gone, Marinette burst into laughter. "Dude! What the hell was that? Is your thing just sweet muscular guys, or something?" Hearing this, Max slapped a hand over her mouth to keep her from saying anything more. "Don't think I didn't see that look," she teased, her words muffled by Max's hand.

"As Americans say, I plead the fifth," he stated. "And I have no idea what you are talking about, Marinette."

"Max, my partner when we take over the world together, I may be a demiromantic demigod, but I can still recognize the signs of a crush." She slings an arm around the slightly shorter boy. "It's been written all over your face since we were nine and Kim pushed that asshole in the sand for pouring water on your first robot. Come on, there's no hiding it from me. Or Nino, he knows, too. And... Maybe Rose. I swear, that girl could be the daughter of Aphrodite," she laughed.

"Mari," Max sighed. "You know Kim and I already have a good thing going on. The 'Nerd and Jock friendship' trope, and I don't want to ruin that, you know? Honestly, if Scarlet Beetle's queer, I'd probably have a better chance with him."

"Oh, he's definitely queer," Marinette said without missing a beat. "Come on, name one straight guy who looks that good."

"Ivan."

Marinette was quiet for a moment. "... Okay, you've got me there. But just think about what I said. I've been sitting by wondering when you two would get together since you two came out, and it's been killing me, Max!" Laughing together, the two made their way to class.

📱🦋

"I just really needed to thank you again," Alya told the spotted hero as the two made their way down the stairs. "I... I've never had that much luck in these types of situations. There were always Chloes and Austins at my school, and... I-I just sort of snapped yesterday because I thought things would be different and they kind of were. I had more people backing me up this time except for just one or two witnesses, but..." She sighs. "It still wasn't enough."

Seeing she was done, Scarlet Beetle adds, "Well, I've only known Marinette and Max for a while, but, they seem very loyal. They're always gonna have your back, and if not them, I'm sure your other classmates, right?" Alya nods. "Right, they sound like a tight-knit group of people who'd look out for one another, Alya. And you're one of them now. They'll have your back until you all graduate, and maybe even after that." They stop in the middle of the stairs and he has Alya look up at him. "Keep them all close, alright?"

"... I will," she promised.

"Glad to hear." Before he takes off, something comes to mind. "Hey, I've been holding onto this since last night. Usually, they get swept up with the wind, but I thought maybe you'd want it." He reaches into his YoYo, and pulls out the purified origami butterfly before holding it out for Alya. "Maybe just as a reminder of today and how yesterday- Sorry! I'm not really the best with meanings, and-"

Alya laughed. "I get what you mean, and, thank you." She takes the origami butterfly and just stares at it for a moment thinking, 'You kind of helped me out.' "I'll see you around?" Scarlet Beetle flashed her a smile before throwing his YoYo.

"You know it!" And he was gone, leaving Alya with the origami butterfly.

"... Wonder if Mari can do something with this," she murmured to herself as she made her way back up the steps.

Chapter Text

Jean messed with his card deck for the fifteenth time since this morning, shuffling them over and over just as a stress relief. 'Relax, Jean. You've got this. This is what you've been training for.'

Not many knew this about Jean Duparc, but along with theater, he also did a little magic on the side as well. It was a requirement for a part he was auditioning for in a play when he was ten, and even after the show was over, he still practiced magic and has gotten pretty good at it over the years, moving up from simple card tricks to disappearing acts and his friends loved every trick he put on for them.

The thespian/magician looked down at their deck and shuffled them once more until he found the card that would either make them the happiest guy in DuPont or force them to switch schools out of humiliation... Well, it's now or never.

Jean placed the cards back in their box, and just in time, too as Lacey came out of nowhere and jumped on his back. "Jean! My love! What's up?" She got her answer when her eyes landed on the box of cards. "Yes! Finally! It's been a while since I got to see 'The Jean Show'! Please tell me you're making Chloe disappear," she pleaded, getting a laugh out of her friend.

"No, this is... For something else," he confessed. "I was gonna... Y'know, ask... Someone out." Seeing the blonde girl looking close to bursting, he slapped his hand over her mouth before she could scream and attract any unwanted attention. "But not until lunch, okay? So, don't say anything, please, Lacey."

She removes his hand and gives a reassuring smile. "Relax, Jean, you can always trust me... But just tell me who it is! Please, please, please?" She begged, dragging out the 'e' in the last 'please.' "I'm not gonna tell anyone! I 'Black eye' swear!"

'Wow, she's really serious.' The 'Black eye' swear was a pact made by Lacey and Jean when they were seven- the age where kids always did stupid things- and threw baseballs at each other, believing they'd be able to catch them, and they sort of did... With their eyes. They were so embarrassed that they lied and told people they got into a fight with some other kids and only got black eyes out of the fake fight. For a week, they were known as the toughest kids in school until Marinette beat up a ten-year-old for taking her cupcake.

"Alright, I'll tell you," he relented, making Lacey bounce up and down in excitement. 'God, I can't believe I'm doing this.' "... It's... It's Marc," Jean quickly said before looking away in embarrassment and some shame- Not because he likes a boy, Jean knew Lacey and the others would definitely support him whoever he ends up dating, but the thing is... Marc may or may not like someone else...

"... You like Marc?" She asked, her voice just a bit above a whisper. "Wow... Was not expecting that. For some reason, I thought you'd be all over Adrien." And with that joke, Jean was feeling a little less nervous and laughed. "Hey, you fainted when he shot you the finger guns! Don't deny it!"

"I'm not," he chuckled. "But... I didn't know how you'd react, so I was waiting until today, I had this whole thing planned-"

Lacey slings an arm around his shoulders and gives him a kind look. "Jean, I know we probably haven't been making things easy for you, what with us being all 'Hey, team NathMarc all the way,' but that was just to mess with the guy. Come on, they danced at Adrien's party, that gives us some teasing rights."

"True, but wouldn't you be freaking the absolute fuck out? Lace, this can either destroy our friend group or make it stronger," they asserted. "When Denise and Simon got together last year, everyone was so happy- Because come on, they're adorable together."

"I know," Lacey gushed. "Right?"

"But, who's to say that'll be the same with Marc and me if this works out? Hm?"

Lacey clicked her tongue as she thought of a response. "Uh... I'm sure it'll go fine," she said quickly. "Yeah, definitely. You know, just be your natural Jean self, all goofy and shit." She tussles his hair, making him laugh and try to push her away. "Do your fancy card trick, wow that boy either in public or private. I assume private." Jean nods. "Okay, I won't tell anyone, but I wanna watch from afar. I'll grab my gear and watch from the roof if I have to."

"No, there's no need for that."

"I'll still grab it just in case," she smirked. "And Jean- Now, I want you to remember this. Marc is one of the nicest guys I know. Even if he says no, he won't be mean about it, maybe a little awkward, but I'm sure he won't tell anyone. Then the years will pass, you two will laugh about it over coffee, and all will be right and well with your friendship."

Once again, Laney knew how to make internal agonizing go away. Feeling much better than he did a moment ago, Jean pulled his friend in for a hug, which she happily returned. "Thanks, Lace."

"You got this! Listen to some Legally Blonde to get you pumped up, okay? When do you plan to ask him out?"

"During study hall."

Lacey gave them a thumbs up. "Perfect! Most of the students will be in the library or classrooms, others will just be wandering around, minding their business. You've got one hour to ask him out, make them count, bud." With that, she gave them a pat on the back for some extra reassurance. "Now let's head to class."

Feeling much bolder, Jean followed Lacey to class and surprised himself by not freaking out when he accidentally bumped into Marc on his way in.

"Sorry, Jean."

The thespian smiled and waved it off. "Hey, it's fine. I wasn't looking where I was going." Marc returned the smile and made his way to his desk with Cosette. The conversations amongst the students died down when Mme. Bustier called for their attention.

"Alright, everyone! I hope you're all ready for your first Literacy project of the year." The students beamed and whispered amongst themselves. Throughout the school year, Mme. Bustier would assign what is essentially a reading group project. Students get in small groups, read a book approved by the teacher, and work on a PowerPoint presentation that gives a summary of the book, the meaning, and a bio of the author. "Now you all know the drill, the groups will be assigned at random, so no complaining."

Ismael scoffed. "Teach, everyone here is practically everyone's crazy gay cousin. You're not gonna hear us complaining."

🪄🦋

"This is unacceptable! Sabrina and I have always done projects on our own!" A few students rolled their eyes at the statement. "Besides, I don't what the phone witch or meat head anywhere near me!"

Alya shot up from her seat and shook her fist at the blonde, prompting her to get behind Sabrina and use her as a human shield. The commotion died down when the purple-haired teacher slapped her desk with a ruler.

"Enough! Chloe, I do not have time for your dramatics! Alya and Kim are working with you on this project, and that is final, so just deal with it!"

If there was one teacher in school who wouldn't put up with Chloe, it was Mme. Mendeleieve. She often pitied her coworkers, especially Caline. The younger teacher is clearly stressed by the blonde girl's threats of bringing her father up in any argument she's losing. Demeter knows she wants to speak up and put that girl in her place, but she loves her job and doesn't want to get fired and possibly blacklisted because of some politician's bratty daughter.

So, she left it alone... For now.

Ignoring Chloe's angry muttering, she listed the rest of the groups for the project, "Our next group is Marinette, Adrien, and Nathaniel." While these groups did seem random to some, there was a bit of a hidden meaning that results in each group getting a good grade. For example, Marinette is one of her top students and her partners are a little behind in class for different reasons. The Eurasian girl is also good at explaining and breaking down the topics of the assignments, so Adrien and Nathaniel won't be too lost when working on the project.

"Juleka, Mylene, Alix, and Nino." Alix and Nino are just two more top students. While Mylene's grades are decent, there's always room for improvement and Juleka?... She was dangerously close to failing last year, and Demeter refuses to let that happen again.

"And last, Max, Ivan, Rose, and Sabrina." She ignored Chloe's enraged scream and gathered the project rubrics before handing them over to Marinette to pass around. "For this project, you are to research a particle physicist from any century. But before that, you must come up with a list of three and hand them to me for approval so you're not all doing the same one. I expect these lists before the bell, so get busy." And with that, the students got together with their partners and came up with their lists.

Although, it was clear to her that one group would be a little behind.

"So here's how it's going to go, blogger girl. I have a hair appointment today, so I can't be bothered working on this lame project, so you and meathead here," Kim scowled at the nickname. "Are going to get about ninety-nine percent of the work done." Chloe pursed her lips in thought for a moment as she fished through her purse for her phone. "Actually, scratch that. You two do all of the work."

Alya was quick to snatch the heiress' phone out of her hand. "Oh, hell no! There is no way you're leaving the two of us to work on this project while you sit on your lazy ass all day," she hissed, pushing up her headband with the orange origami butterfly attached. "I don't care how you and Sabrina used to do projects, but I don't roll like that, Miss Money Bags."

Noticing Chloe about to retort, she slammed her hand down on the desk, alarming some of the other students but making Chloe shut her mouth. "So get out your journal and a pen, and help us come up with a list of particle physicists, because- get this." She holds up the rubric and points to one of the requirements. "Here, it states that teamwork is worth twenty percent of our grade, got it? And I refused to go down with anything lower than a B."

Chloe nodded and hastily got out her journal, satisfying Alya and leaving Kim and a few others who were listening in a state of awe while Mme. Mendeleieve looked on with a proud look. Oddly, this girl reminded her of herself back when she was a student.

🪄🦋

"Okay, you've got this," Jean said to himself as he paced around the bathroom. "Just go to him, do your little card trick, and hopefully you and Marc will be going out... You know, if all goes right and totally, horribly wrong." He turns to the mirror and points to himself. "You got this. You have definitely got this, so stop stalling you idiot, and just go to him before study hall ends in fifty-four minutes and fifty seconds, forty-nine seconds, forty-eight- YOU'RE DOING IT AGAIN!"

"Rehearsing for another play?"

The brunette paled and slowly turned their head towards the new voice, only to sigh out of relief when they saw it was Nathaniel. They often caught the redhead talking to himself during school hours- a totally normal thing by the way- so Jean felt a little less embarrassed to be caught talking to himself in the school bathroom of all places. Though, it does strike them as a little odd Nathaniel uses a name. Nezu, Nooloo, or something like that.

Everyone has their quirks, so Jean didn't bring it up.

"You two wanna be alone?" He offered, pointing to Jean and their reflection in the mirror.

Jean chuckled and shook his head. "No, just trying to hype myself up for something, y'know? I mean, I listened to a few songs from the Legally Blonde soundtrack, but I'm still a little tense, so I thought a quick pep talk would help."

As he rambled, Nathaniel couldn't help but chuckle. "Hey, I get it. What's it for? An oral report, an audition?"

'Oh, great. Someone else wants to know.' While Jean's absolutely sure Nathaniel won't judge his crush, he's terrified to reveal that it's Marc because what if he really does like Marc that way?... Well, he doesn't have to know who he's asking out, and Nathaniel's never been one to pry too much. "... I plan on asking someone out," he confessed and felt relief when Nathaniel only smiled and congratulated him, never once asking who it is.

It was kind of weird seeing the redhead look this excited. 'Maybe he finally got enough sleep,' Jean figured, laughing a bit at his joke.

"Jean, that's great!" He takes the thespian's hands as a show of support, and Jean swore he saw his eyes sparkling like an anime character's. "Whoever it is, they're going to be insanely lucky! I mean you're funny, and charming, and you can recite the entire Heathers script word for word! What person wouldn't be impressed?" Realizing what he just blurted, the redhead let go of Jean's hands and took a step back. "S-sorry, that just came out of nowhere-"

"Actually, it's just what I needed to hear," Jean assured as he made his way to the door. "Thanks, Nath!"

When the young actor was gone, Nooroo flew out of Nathaniel's pocket and beamed proudly. "That was so sweet, Nathaniel!"

"Hey, I don't just deal with negative emotions," he said before tickling Nooroo's side with his pinkie finger, getting a giggle out of the Kwami.

But while he was laughing, Nooroo couldn't help but wonder what had his holder in such a good mood. It was just an ordinary day, the class got assigned a project. And if Nooroo remembers, students do not like working on projects. Although, he's not complaining. It's nice seeing Nathaniel look so happy.

🪄🦋

Jean took a deep breath before taking one quick look around the courtyard for any inconveniences. No Chloé to humiliate him, no nosy upperclassmen, and no Austins. ‘You got this.’

He heads towards Marc and feels his soul leave his body when the taller boy throws his head back with a laugh at something Denise said. And the sun shining through the open roof hit his face in the most amazing way, only highlighting his attractiveness. Jean began to falter, believing this was a waste of time as Marc was clearly out of his league, but then Denise had to wave him over.

‘To quote what my favorite waitress said: Shit.’

Jean gave a quick tug of his shirt collar and made his way towards the two. “H-hey, guys.” He’s honestly amazed he was able to speak. All that’s left to do is get some alone time. “… Uh, Marc I need to talk to you about something?”

The thespian mentally facepalmed. ‘Don’t make it sound like a question!’

Denise seemed to get the message. “Hey, no worries. I’ll see you two around.” And with that, they left. Now all Jean needs to do is go somewhere private and hopefully not embarrass himself.

Marc turned to him with a worried expression. “Jean, is everything okay?” He reaches forward to rest a hand on Jean’s shoulder, not knowing that the second he made contact, it sent some sort of tingling feeling through Jean’s body.

Jean opened his mouth, but nothing was coming out. This was his moment! He needed to take it! So, with a deep breath, he took Marc’s hand, the one that was on his shoulder and just held it. The taller boy looked at their clasped hands confused for a moment until Jean said, “Mind if we go somewhere private?” Still confused, Marc nodded and allowed Jean to pull him into the locker room.

”Are you okay?” Marc asked, making sure to give Jean’s hand a comforting squeeze, not caring how sweaty it was since they were looking a little anxious and kind of pale. “Jean, do you need to go to the nurse? Your hand’s a little clammy.”

Hearing this, Jean made quick work of wiping the sweat on their palms off their jeans while trying not to curse. “S-sorry, I’m just… I need to tell you something, and I’ve been wanting to do this for… For a while now, really and- God, I’m blowing this.”

”Jean, take your time,” Marc told him softly and with the cutest smile. “Whatever it is, I’ll listen. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

And with those words, Jean felt all his troubles lift away. What was he so worried about? Lacey was right, he’s about to confess to Marc Anciel! Even if this doesn’t work out, he’ll probably still compliment his card trick, he’ll be the one saying sorry when Jean’s the one who humiliated himself, won’t say anything to the others, and everything will be okay.

So… “Well, you know I’m better with actions than words.” He gave a flick of his wrist, and his deck of cards appeared in his hand, all there and furled out like a hand fan. Marc’s eyes lit up, just the reaction he hoping for. Jean performed a few sleights of hand acts, making half the deck disappear and then reappear in his back pocket, he whirled his hand around a bit and the deck disappeared in that hand. He reached into the sleeve on his opposite arm and pulled out the deck.

Marc clapped. ”Your tricks get better every time.”

Jean felt their confidence increase with those words, and with Marc’s look of admiration, they couldn’t even remember why they were so nervous. They just have to go through with the finishing act. They lifted his hand holding the deck and gave it a slight tilt, making all of the cards fall into their other hand in a perfect stack until there was only one card left. Marc looked confused as Jean extended the card to him with a shy look.

”New trick?” Jean only nodded as he took the card. Unlike the rest, the back was blank. But before Marc could flip it over to the front, a high-pitched scream caused him to fumble with it for a moment before catching it. The two turned and saw Chloé storming into the room, dragging a conflicted-looking Sabrina while Alya and Kim charged after her.

”Hell. No! You are not making Sabrina do your part of the project!” Alya asserted. “She has her own work to do, and-“

Chloé scoffed. “Like I have to listen to someone whose mom is working for my daddy!” She jabs a finger in the girl’s face. “Say the wrong thing and I’ll make sure she never works in Paris again!”

Alya smacks Chloé's hand away. "Say the wrong thing and put that sushi-smelling finger in my face again, and I’ll make sure no one recognizes your face!”

”Is that a threat?!”

”Call it a promise!”

While the two girls were going at it, Kim went to check on Sabrina, paying no mind to Marc and Jean as he walked her out of the locker room.

The other two students just watched, unsure what to do. Jean only wanted to scream. His plans for a nice, quiet confession were ruined and now Chloé and Alya are drawing in a crowd of students. Clearly, they were amazed that this new girl had the guts to stand up to the mayor’s daughter. He was about to take Marc into a different room so he could see what was on the card in peace, but… It seems the universe had other plans when Chloé decided to be Chloé and humiliate him so the focus wouldn’t be on her losing the battle against the brave journalist.

“Ooh! What’s this?” She snatched the card out of Marc’s hand despite his protests. Jean hastily tried to make a grab for it, but Chloé held it away from him and scanned what was on the front before bursting out into a peal of taunting laughter and holding the card up for the other students to see. “Hey, everyone, look! Our resident actor has a crush on a lame writer!”

Jean tried to grab the card again, but Chloé snatched it away. ”Give that back!”

And if showing the card wasn’t bad enough… Chloé did the worst possible thing and read it out loud for the people in the back. “‘The only magic words I need are ‘Will you go out with me?’’” She added salt to the wound by tossing the card to the floor with a cruel laugh as if she just told an amazing joke. But no one was laughing. One would think the Austins would take the opportunity to add their two cents, but they never hung around the school during study hall or lunch hour, opting to hang out around the city and go get smoothies.

“Honestly! Do you think Marquis would ever go out with you? Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!” And with that, she sauntered out of the locker room, the students making no move to part for her, so she had to push her way through the crowd.

When she was gone, there was only silence as all the students turned their attention to Jean, some sympathetic, others curious and whispering if what Chloé said was true. Jean couldn’t even look at Marc and tuned out his pleas to look at him. He had only one thought on his mind, and that was to run. He snatched the card off the floor before barreling through the crowd of students and ignoring his friends calling out for him, only hearing Chloé’s cruel taunts. He left the school and ran all the way to the park, just a quiet place for him to try and relax, stop thinking about everything, and… Think about switching schools because now his life is over. Jean sat down on a bench and looked at the card in his hand.

‘What was I thinking, doing this?’ He clenched the card in his hand as he hunched over and cried.

🪄🦋

“Nath- Nathaniel, breathe. Take a deep, calm breath.” The redhead made a weird noise that was definitely not a calm breath. “No, not like that.” He tried again. “No.” He didn't know what had happened. One minute, Nathaniel was totally fine, and then the next, he's biting his hand to hold in a scream once he was alone.

Suddenly, he perked up, looking less tense than earlier. "I’m fine. This is fine!” Nathaniel paced around the empty bathroom. “Jean likes Marc, and that is totally fine," he said through gritted teeth. "I do not care.”

Nooroo’s powers said otherwise. There was nothing but envy coursing through his holder right now, but why wouldn’t Nathaniel just admit it? It was fun teasing him about his obvious crush and then him denying even having one, but Nathaniel’s been taking his denial to a whole new level. The Kwami sighed. They’ve really got to work on communication a little more.

"And, Jean wanted to profess his feelings to Marc… All because of the helpful little speech I made about him being so amazing.” He inhaled sharply through his teeth. “It’s fine. And you know why?”

"I’m scared to ask,” Nooroo confessed.

"Because now, he’ll have a chance to confess to Marc with some help from Monarch. Me.” He points to himself. “He can get his revenge on Chloé, romance Marc, get me the Miraculous when it’s all over, it’s perfect! Everyone wins!”

Nooroo made an unsure sound. “Nath, you really shouldn’t Akumatize people while you’re-“

”Happy for two friends of mine? That’s crazy! Nooroo, Wings Rise.” Whatever Nooroo was about to say got cut off as he was sucked into the Miraculous. Monarch made quick work of creating an Akuma and unlike the others, its’ wings were flapping at a fast pace and there seemed to be these dark green splotches on the underside of the wings. Monarch didn’t notice or really seem to care and quickly shooed it out of the room. “Go. Go now. Find Jean!”

🪄🦋

It didn’t take long for the strange Akuma to find Jean as it was much faster than the others made by Monarch, but not as elusive. It didn’t phase through solid objects to avoid being caught by Parisians, instead fluttering around at random but fortunately not getting caught and setting off a panic. As it neared the park, the Akuma dived down towards the thespian once it felt their anguish and merged with the card in their hand.

Jean’s head shot up as the glowing purple mask appeared over their eyes.

”Magician of Misfortune, so wonderful to meet you. The humiliation you have suffered from will not stand.” Without waiting for Jean to respond, Monarch continued, “Those who dare to mock you? Let’s just say that with a flick of your hand, all of your problems will disappear. And those whom you desire? They’ll be under your spell. However, I’ll need you to conjure a few things for me in return. Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black’s Miraculous when you get the chance.”

Jean didn’t know what everyone was talking about. Monarch’s words seemed kind of… Rushed. It was nice that he had some idea of what he was going through, but the comforting words Alya and Alix described just weren’t there, making it easy for Jean to say no…

Or, it should have. Instead, he jolted and his amber eyes flickered green for a brief second. Jean smirked- a sinister one that would never appear on his face unless he was playing the antagonist- and gave his answer. “I’ll put on a show they’ll never forget.” The purple and black energy spread from the card and all over his body. And when it disappeared, Jean was no more as Magician of Misfortune took his place.

With a flick of his wrist, a standard black and white magician’s wand appeared in his hand, before he turned to look at DuPont. “First, Chloé, then my sweet lapin.” And anyone who got between him and Marc will surely be sorry.

But now that he thinks about it, perhaps he should pay a certain artist a visit as well.

🪄🦋

“God, what a brat,” Alix hissed as she and her group members made their way into the library, sitting just across from Marinette, Adrien, and Nathaniel at their table. She places her bag on the table, using all of her willpower to not throw it at the risk of damaging her tablet and angering the librarian. “I can’t believe she humiliated Jean like…” The skater’s voice trailed off as she thought over her words. “… Actually, I totally can. Adrien, you’ve probably been asked this a dozen times, but how the fuck do you deal with her?”

Nino looked around before whispering, “Is it drugs?” The others leaned in, awaiting his answer.

"Hey, trust me,” he started, sounding exhausted. “I’ve dealt with a ton of people like Chloé. Those fancy galas? Their natural habitat. A room that's full of rich single people who have appeared on the covers of magazines. After a while, you just become numb and learn to walk away when they’re bragging about their party yachts so you can hide under the snack table and steal a few passion fruit macarons.”

"So passion fruit macarons are your favorite?” Adrien looked confused by the bluenette’s question before nodding. “Noted.”

Myléne tells him, “Marinette likes to bake pastries for the class once in a while, so she asks what our favorite pastries are.” The blonde boy looked at the designer as if she were sent from Heaven, making the project groups quietly laugh.

"Can you get any better?”

Marinette looks up in thought before answering, “I can tie a licorice rope with my mouth and eat anything sour without my face puckering up.”

"It’s true, dude. I’ve seen her suck on a lemon just for the hell of it.” Nino cast his childhood friend a look that screamed, ‘You’re crazy,’ while Marinette merely shrugged and flashed him a not-so-innocent smile.

“Alright, enough reminiscing,” Alix told them all as she pulled out her laptop. “Come on, I wanna get this project done and out of the way.” Realizing they were close to getting off-topic, the two groups began to take out their rubrics and tablets. For Nathaniel, however, the second he opened up his messenger bag, he quickly tossed it to the floor when a dove flew out, followed by another, then another one until at least twenty flew out of the bag all at once, startling everyone in the library and causing a few to run or duck before a bird could fly into them.

"Okay, what the hell?!” Adrien swatted one of the birds away as it was trying to use his hair as a nest. “Get out of here!”

Nathaniel tentatively kicked his bag, anticipating something else to fly out, but nothing came out of his bag… Just his sleeves. A flurry of cards flew out and onto the floor, but instead of the graphics of aces, numbers, and royals, they depicted none other than Magician of Misfortune holding up a skull with his haircut, making the artist gulp.

While his friends were shielding their faces from the doves, Nathaniel looked to Nooroo for an answer as to why his Akuma was messing with him, but the Kwami simply gave him a look that said, 'We'll talk later,' before ducking back into his pocket. Noticing a bird coming for him, Nathaniel shielded his face and waited... Only for nothing to happen. He looked up and finds only purple smoke. 'Did... Did it just disappear into smoke? What the fuck is going on?!'

The sound of the PA system's melody cut through the chaos before Principal Damocles spoke, "Students! I urge you all to head to your homes! An Akuma has-" Some chirping is heard. "Hey! Get away from me you- you blasted birds! Aah!"

Not needing to be told twice, everyone in the library rushed out of the room and shut the door behind them. They thought doves flying out of a bag and cards popping out of sleeves would be the end of it, but they were very wrong when they saw the state of the entire school. Teachers were running from white tigers, the bottom halves of students' bodies are running from their other halves making for a very disturbing sight, and if Kim looks close, he can see Ivan coughing up an endless supply of ping pong balls.

Simon screamed wildly, wanting so badly to flail his arms to express his current emotions, but... "WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY ARMS?!" He couldn't. "I CAN'T FIND MY ARMS!"

Marinette's eyes twitched. "... That's not right."

A high-pitched scream brought their attention to Chloe, who, much to their joy, had her hair looking like a rainbow wig and her makeup much more heavy and cartoonish. She looked like a clown.

"Okay," Adrien smirked with a nod of approval. "That's pretty funny."

With his friends too stunned to move and take their eyes off of the chaotic scene before them, or they were taking pictures of Chloe's dilemma, Kim took the opportunity to run someplace to transform. Fortunately, the nurse's office was vacant and probably the only room in the school not affected by the Akuma.

"Five sugar cookies says it's Jean," Tikki chirped as she flew out of his hoodie pocket,

Kim chuckled. "It makes sense. Jean's a magician, all of the stuff happening is usually what you'd see in a magic act, and Chloe humiliated him in front of the whole school, so..." His expression turned dark when he realized what that meant. "I don't have to protect Chloe, do I?" The Kwami glanced at him sympathetically, and Kim groaned, knowing what that meant. "Damnit!... Fine! I'll play 'Bodyguard.' Tikki, Spots On."

He cracks the door open a bit to make sure no one notices him. Fortunately, they're all too distracted by the strange phenomena, allowing him to run out of the office undetected and act as if he just got here.

"Does anyone see the Akuma?!" Obviously, no one heard him over the sound of chainsaws being juggled by a student who was clearly affected by the Akuma if his look of terror had anything to say about it, and unable to stop no matter how hard he tried. To rid him of the burden, Scarlet Beetle yanked the chainsaws away with his yoyo and turned each one off so they wouldn't hurt anyone else.

"Thank you!" The poor boy squeaked before running out of the school, screaming.

"Everyone evacuate!" The hero in red turned to the new voice and found his partner sliding down his extended staff and landing next to him. “Come on! Head home! If you’re split in half, find someone to help you out! Go!” The students and teachers heeded his authoritative voice and ran out of the school. Those who weren’t cut in half like a magician’s assistant grabbed people’s torsos and left their legs to follow them out of the school.

Noticing a trio of tigers still chasing some teachers, Ikati Black smacked the jungle cats one by one into a classroom with his staff. Scarlet Beetle grabbed the doorknob with his YoYo and shut the door. He shoots his partner a smile once the entire school had been cleared out, save for the doves and rabbits "So, what's the sitch? A magic act gone wrong?"

"Basically, and I think our magician has it out for Chloe Bourgeois." Not noticing his partner's amused smirk, he continued, "They messed up her hair and makeup.” He quickly adds, “Two things I hear she cares a lot about.”

Ikati Black tapped his chin in thought. "So, this was a personal attack?" It made sense Jean would go after Chloe after what he just saw earlier, and if he's right, then the clown makeover was just the beginning and Jean will be going on a manhunt for her. “Alright, well I’m pretty sure I saw Chloé running away screaming on my way over. She’ll be heading to the hotel- Safe, secure, and her dad has that asshole on speed dial.”

Scarlet Beetle flicked the side of Ikati Black’s head. “Ikati, be nice. He was just stressed, and-“

”I’ll be nice when he apologizes to you,” he retorts. “Until then, Roger Raincomprix is the bane of my existence.”

Knowing there was no way to convince his partner otherwise, Scarlet Beetle threw his YoYo and swung towards the hotel, Ikati Black just right behind him.

🪄🦋

”Marc! Marcelle!” The twins knelt down and held their arms open for their little brother’s oncoming hug. “Jeremy and Evan called and said Lacey came home coughing up golf balls! Was there an Akuma at your school?!”

Marcelle cooed over his concern and hugged him extra tight. “Yeah, but don’t worry, we’re okay, Kiran. No Akuma’s gonna get us.”

”Or you while we’re around,” Marc adds, and Marcelle flexes her bicep to reassure their brother a little more. Kiran laughs as she picks him up and swings him around.

”Hey, now, not too fast,” Penny Anciel gently chastised as she made her way into the living room from the kitchen. “Poor baby should still be in bed.” She starts peppering her youngest’s face with kisses, making Kiran’s face scrunch up as he tried to turn his face away.

Kiran groaned. “Momma! Stop!”

”No, this is how you cure headaches!” She continues to kiss him. “Oh, don’t pretend you don’t love it.” Kiran is doing whatever he can to avoid the onslaught of motherly love, but Marcelle wasn’t letting that happen.

”Nuh-uh! If we had to suffer when we were sick, so do you, Kiri!” To further add to his embarrassment, she starts kissing Kiran’s cheeks.

“Eew! Marc, help!” The boy pleaded, only for a feeling of dread to wash over when he saw his brother applying some chapstick. “No!” To his relief, it was only one quick kiss on his other cheek, but the feeling of betrayal still stayed as his own brother retreated upstairs. “I’ll have my revenge!”

Marcelle cooed. "Aaw! Sure you will!” She and Penny each give Kiran one last kiss before she takes him upstairs. “Now let’s get you back in bed. And if you’re feeling up for it, and you’re not all pouty even after we tried to cure your headache, the three of us can watch a few Disney movies in your room.” Kiran’s dark grey eyes lit up at the offer. “Yeah, Marc and I will slip on our pajamas, I’ll grab my tablet, and we can watch whatever you want. How’s that sound?”

”Can we watch The Mighty Ducks?”

Marc’s voice rang from his room, “I’m glad one of my siblings has taste!” If Kiran weren’t around, Marcelle would flip him off.

Rolling her eyes, Marcelle made her way into Marc’s room, resisting the urge to grab one of the journals off of his shelf, run, and read his stories in her room. It was rare for Marc to ever let others read his fanfiction or original stories, so excuse her, her moms, and sometimes Kiran for being a little curious. If she can just grab Journal Twelve and outrun Marc’s freaky long-ass legs, she’ll find out if Luke chooses Amber or Michael. The anticipation was killing her!

”You got something to say, bro?”

Marc smirked. ”Only that your taste in Disney movies sucks.”

”Hey!” She points to him. “G-Force is awesome! And so is Spy Kids!”

”G-Force gets a pass for creativity, but Spy-Kids has some of the lamest graphics I’ve ever seen,” her brother snarked as he slipped out of his sweater. “Now unless you’d like to see me in my boxers, I suggest you leave and get your tablet so we can watch some quality films.”

Kiran only laughed at his older siblings’ banter. Marcelle scoffed on her way out. “Nothing I haven’t seen before, dude!”

Ignoring that, Marc looked through his drawers for a pair of pajamas, only to be interrupted by a ‘thud’ outside his bedroom window. He turned his head around, expecting to see a pigeon who flew into the glass by mistake, but nothing was there. Shrugging it off as nothing, he looked through his drawers again, but couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off. Ever so slowly, he turned his head back towards the window and jumped back in fear when he saw a cloaked figure standing just on the sill.

Every instinct he had told Marc to run, but his feet were glued to the floor, and the mysterious person made his window disappear with a snap of their fingers.

”Oh, God.”

However, the fear Marc felt at that moment soon melted away when this person started… Singing.

”I’ve got magic to do… Just for you.” They made their way into his room, taking their sweet time as they approached the noirette. “I’ve got miracle plays to play…” Without warning, Marc was back on his feet as the intruder seized his hand and pulled him up. “I’ve got parts to perform, hearts to warm.” With a flick of their wrist, a bright red rose materialized and was gently tucked into Marc’s hair. “As I go along… My way…”

Knowing only one person who could hold a high note that well, Marc was able to figure out who this was. “Jean?”

His friend smiled sweetly. “It’s Magician of Misfortune, mon lapin.”

Ignoring the weirded-out look Marc was sporting in response to the nickname, they continued, “I’ve been looking all over for you. Why, I almost thought you disappeared on me there.” They gave a dramatic sigh. “Although, who could blame you? I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be subjected to such embarrassment again because of me.”

Marc blinked, unsure how to respond. He was still kind of conflicted over what happened in the locker room. Jean is a wonderful friend, he’s sweet, they get along well, and Marc loves when he sings, does his magic tricks… But he’s not sure if he can like Jean that way when he’s one of his best friends. Honestly, it’d be like dating Aurore, he wouldn’t feel anything… There.

After Jean ran out of the school, Marc wanted so badly to run after him, but Mireille convinced him otherwise, explaining that he might need some space. And a rejection of his feelings might not make him feel better. But now, Jean was here, not crying anymore… But he’s an Akuma, and they are pretty unpredictable. One wrong move and Marc could end up like Bubbler’s victims, floating up into space. Jean would never do that, though. They’re friends, and he’d never hurt a fly. And since Magician of Misfortune is in love with him, then there’s a good chance Marc can get through one Akuma attack without getting caught in the crossfire.

Now that was a good reason to be afraid. Marc was sacrificed to an Egyptian god, almost sent into the sky in a bubble, got frozen in a block of ice, and kidnapped all by Akumas. Yeah, that’s it, he’s definitely afraid of Akumas in general and not of his friend and what he might do if he upsets him. Thankfully it takes a lot to get Jean upset. Hopefully, his Akumatized self is the same.

"It… It’s fine. I’m just sorry Chloé embarrassed you like that.” He flinched when Magician of Misfortune’s gentle smile melted away into a dark look.

"She just loves to ruin everything,” he said through clenched teeth before taking a deep breath to calm himself down. “But it’s fine now! No nosy students, no Chloé, and especially no Nathaniel.”

And just like that, Marc’s whole world just stopped. What on earth did Nathaniel have to do with this? Chloé, he understood, but Nathaniel? Marc knows his crush on the redhead is a little obvious to a few of his classmates, but only Aurore, Cosette, and Simon. He’s sure the others have their suspicions, but haven’t teased him about it to make it known… So, how did Jean know? Before he could ask, Magician of Misfortune took his hand into both of his and dropped down on one knee. ‘Oh boy, what is happening how?’

”Mon Lapin. Would you do me the honor of going on a date with me?”

“Wh… What?”

Magician of Misfortune grinned. "You and me, and just a nice, quiet evening filled with magic." With a wave of his hand, glitter comically rained down. "So? What do you say?"

"I... I..." Marc's words died on his tongue when he saw Magician of Misfortune's eyes flicker green. 'Oh, God, what does that mean?!' 

"It's because of Nathaniel isn't it?" The name was spat out like venom from the Akuma's mouth, startling Marc as they stood to full height. "Of course! Why not?! Well, we can't have that, now can we?" Marc started to back away as Magician of Misfortune's grip on their wand tightened and flame-like red sparks burst from the tip. They start to head back to the window. "I'll just pay him a little visit, meet up with you later-"

"WAIT!" Marc rushed over to the Akuma before they could leave and grabbed their wrist. It took a moment for him to find the words he wanted to say, and when he did, Marc felt as if he needed to scrub his mouth out with soap. "I... I never liked Nathaniel. Honestly, I was just being nice at Adrien's party- He was alone, and I saw his friend dancing with someone. A-and that thing during Timebreaker? It was just Cosette and my sister being... You know, themselves. Really, it meant nothing. So... Yes, I will go on a date with you."

Magician of Misfortune couldn't help the grin that formed on his lips.

”But,” Marc holds up a finger. “Just promise me you won’t hurt anyone. And that includes Chloé.” Seeing the Akuma frowning, Marc shamelessly pulls out the dough eyes and bats his eyelashes for good measure. “Please? I’d hate to see you use your powers to hurt people.”

Seeing how much this clearly meant to him, Magician of Misfortune relented with a sigh. “For you and only you.” He was so looking forward to turning Chloé into a parrot and Nathaniel into a ferret, stoat, or some other vermin, be he supposed it would all be worth it as it was plain to see that Marc loved him, only him, and Nathaniel meant nothing to his darling! Without warning, he swept Marc into his arms for a hug, resisting the urge to kiss him... Later tonight. Later tonight when the mood was perfect, and he had his sweet lapin under his spell.

"Meet me on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, at sunset." And with that... He leaped out of the window, frightening Marc and making him look over the ledge to see if his friend was alright, but relief washed over when he saw Magician of Misfortune standing on a floating purple carpet... How cliche.

When he left, the noirette shut his window with a breath of relief. "... What the hell did I just get myself into?"

"Marc Anthony Anciel!" Hearing his full name being used, Marc paled and slowly turned to see his mother, sister, and brother standing just outside his room with aghast expressions, and Marcelle was holding up her phone, most likely recording. "Did you just accept a date from an Akuma?"

He squeaked, "Kinda?"

🪄🦋

"Nathaniel, I'm sure he didn't mean it-" The poor Kwami is interrupted once more by his holder's uncontrollable crying. Nooroo sighed, now seeing the problem. He knew this would happen, but thought it would be later in life or when Nathaniel's used the Miraculous enough times. Although, being a hormonal teenager must quicken the side effects of the Miraculous. It can make a holder more emotional than normal and dangerously impact the Champions or Akumas... Which is what happened to Jean.

Nathaniel won't admit it, but he was definitely jealous of Jean confessing to Marc, and that affected his latest Akuma, fueling it with not only the magic of the Miraculous but also his envy. So now, Magician of Misfortune will be dangerously close to snapping at anyone who so much as looks at Marc.

"You heard what he said!" Nathaniel sobbed, hugging his pillow tighter. Nooroo flew over, hugging him. "I mean nothing to him!"

Nooroo was sure there was more to it, but Nathaniel de-transformed before he could hear what Marc could say next. "Nathaniel, you heard what Magician of Misfortune was going to do; he was going to try and get rid of you because he thought Marc had feelings for you. The reason Marc is going on this date is to protect you because he really likes you."

The redhead was quiet for a moment before lifting his head up from his pillow, eyes puffy and bangs strewn to the side before asking, "You think so?"

"I know so," the Kwami chirped, glad his holder was close to finally realizing his feelings for the other boy. It was slow, a little frustrating whenever he denied it, but Nooroo would remain patient. After all, he only wants Nathaniel to be happy.

🪄🦋

"Maybe you can tell him you're sick, huh?" Alyssa tried as she paced outside her son's room, worry written across her face. "I'm sure he'll understand!"

"Mom, it's Jean Duparc," Marcelle tried to reason. "The guy's incapable of hurting anyone."

"As himself, maybe, but as an Akuma-"

"I'll be fine, mom," Marc said on the other side of his door. "And if I don't this, then Jean's going after Nathaniel, probably Chloe-"

Marcelle rolled her eyes. "I understand why you're worried over Nathaniel, but Chloe? Bro, that girl deserves what's coming to her." Penny flicked the side of her head for that remark, even if she also knew it was true. "Had to be said. And mom, momma, we got this covered."

Once Penny was done freaking out and they put Kiran to bed, Marcelle DM'd the video she took of Magician of Misfortune and Marc to Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black on their social media. She got a quick response and together, they came up with a plan for how to defeat Magician of Misfortune. it'd be risky, but Ikati Black assured them there was a high chance of the plan succeeding.

"Marc's just gotta keep Houdini calm until Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black can take his Akuma, all will be well, and Marc will be home in time to watch Spy Kids."

"The Mighty Ducks!"

"No class!"

Before one of the mothers could intervene, the door opened and out stepped Marc, dressed in a black and blue striped sweater paired with jean shorts over black leggings. The light blue Doc Martens added an extra two inches, instead of his usual black choker, he wore a dark blue one with a gold star attached to it by a small chain, pairing it nicely with his black headband decorated with a single gold star on the side.

"My baby." Alyssa fanned away the tears that were threatening to appear. "Phenese toso omorfos," she cooed, being extra careful when cupping his face so she doesn't mess up his light makeup.

Marcelle gave him a thumbs up and a proud smile. "Looking good, Marc." Noticing something, she narrows her eyes. "Is that my headband?"

"You never wear it!" Marc exclaimed, and in retaliation, she flicked the little star charm on his choker.

Penny calmly approached her son, her lips stretched into a gentle smile as she fluffed up his hair a bit and straightened the collar of his sweater. "Just needed to fix that."

Marc smiled. "Thanks, mom."

Her expression turned downcast. "... Please be careful."

'Have you seen my track record with Akumas?' "I will, momma."

🪄🦋

"Don't worry, mom. I'll be back in a bit, I'm just getting something from Alix."

"Nath, you know I don't like you being out when Akumas are active. Please be careful."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you, too, dear."

And with that, Monarch hung up. Another feature on his weapon? His 'Cane Phone' links to his normal phone, so he can call any of his family or friends, and they won't know it's him as Monarch. It'll seem like "Nathaniel" is calling or texting them.

"Okay, I've got my eye on you, you jealous bastard," Monarch muttered bitterly as he glared at Magician of Misfortune from behind one of the tower's metal beams where his latest and probably second to least favorite Akuma was waiting outside Le Jules Verne, the restaurant he no-doubt hijacked and emptied out for his "date".

While it looked like a nice scene inside the restaurant, candles floating over the tables for a nice mood lighting, rose petals scattered before the door, and romantic music playing from out of nowhere, that only seemed to fuel Monarch’s hatred for this newest Akuma. “Ugh. Fucking cliché.”

He could draw dozens of different romantic scenes and wouldn’t stop until he came up with the one that was perfect for Marc… Because he deserves it! Not some tacky nighttime restaurant date with tasteless music and this Chris Angel wannabe! Besides, it’s really the least he can do for putting Marc in danger so many times. “Please be careful, Marc.”

Once again, he fucked up and now Marc is paying the price. When he got home after working on a good portion of the project at Marinette's despite the chaos that could only be described as a magician's fantasy going on around them, Nooroo sat him down in his room and explained to Nathaniel why he seemed to be all over the place with his moods today.

After that long discussion, Nathaniel felt so stupid when he didn't realize it sooner. There are always some drawbacks when it comes to superpowers, they made it pretty clear in My Hero Academia. It also may have explained why that Akuma looked so off... Because he was jealous that Jean liked Marc. Nooroo's face when he finally said it out loud had to be the purest thing ever. He flew around in circles, cheering, "I knew it! I knew it!" It was kind of cute, he'll admit it.

But just because Nathaniel's finally realized his feelings for Marc, that doesn't mean he wants to make a move. He's already a danger to Marc as Monarch, and he knows exactly how Marc will react once he finds out his boyfriend is the same villain who's got him in trouble with five different Akumas now. He'll scream, run away, call the police, and Nathaniel will rot away in a jail cell for what some might consider terrorism while his mother wonders where she went wrong.

... Yeah, definitely not happening.

”You came!” Monarch heard Magician of Misfortune say. Looking from behind the beam, he saw probably the most beautiful sight that even the most detailed of his portraits could never compare. Of course, he’s talking about Marc in such a stunning outfit. He’s only ever seen him in wearing bright colors, and although they complimented him well, the soft blues just looked so-

Before he could finish that thought, Monarch physically slapped himself across the face. “Not the time.” He needs to stay focused just in case Magician of Misfortune tries anything. If things go south when or if Marc says the wrong thing, then he could end up as the lovely assistant and be cut in half! He’ll just have to keep Magician of Misfortune at bay until he takes Marc home, or Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black…

Wait… Was he even looking for them?! Come to think of it, Monarch hasn’t gotten a notification on Bug and Cat Chat of any Akuma fights today! And with all of the selfies Chloé’s been posting of herself with the heroes, going on about how they’re “obsessed with her,” he should have struck, taking out Chloé and the heroes in one spot! So just what exactly did this guy do all day?!

Monarch sighed and tore his fingers through his hair, removing his crown in the process. “God, I did not think this would be so stressful.” He didn't bother whispering now that the lovely couple had gone inside the restaurant. He puts his crown back on before looking again to see what Marc and Magician of Misfortune are doing now. Fortunately, he had a good view. So far, they were just sitting at a booth, he’s doing some next-level card tricks, and Marc actually looks impressed… Well, anyone would be impressed if all of the cards turned into roses… And a bunny with the cutest little ears and-

"Ugh," he groaned, sliding down against the beam and onto the floor. "Who am I kidding? Of course, he's impressed."

"You're so talented," he heard Marc say and reluctantly listened in. "I just don't understand why you wanna use your power to hurt people."

"Not all people. Just Chloé and Nathaniel."

"Oh, I'm a charming magician," Monarch mocked. "I can make roses appear outta my ass. Marc loves me even though I'm a jealous bastard who tried to kill Nathaniel with doves and cards-" 

"... After all, you kept your promise, so I'll keep mine." The rage and envy boiling inside Monarch seemed to subside with those words and he listened closely. "While I would love to cut Nathaniel and Chloe in half, I won't if it means I'm betraying you."

Monarch stood up, gobsmacked. 'He... He made a deal to protect me?... He does care about me!' The Butterfly holder quietly squealed so as not to alert them. 'This is the best day of my life! Marc really cares about me- Why do I care? What is wrong with me?! Just keep watching them, you idiot!' And the more he watched, he could see Marc's hand creeping towards Magician of Misfortune's wand. 'Is he?... No... Marc, don't!'

Monarch's eyes darted around for something, anything to grab their attention... That's when he found it. He opened up a link with Magician of Misfortune. "Hey, not to interrupt your little night out, but it looks like Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black are headed your way."

🪄🦋

Marc thought this date was going to end up as one of those cheesy 80s teen romance movies his mom forced the whole family to watch for movie night. The pick-up lines were the absolute worse, the actors were way too over-the-top, and the scenarios and storylines were all played out. If that were to happen, Marc would gladly take getting cut in half by the Akuma over going on another date with this guy.

But as the date progressed, he remembered... He was going out with Jean Duparc. He's eloquent when he wants to be, knows the right time to crack a joke, and he's just overall, a nice guy. The time they spent together was filled with nothing but sincere compliments, illusion-based magic tricks where Magician of Misfortune made realistic tigers jump through flaming hoops, then he turned a deck of cards into a bouquet of roses and turned the last card into a white bunny, which... Marc had to admit, it was adorable. A little out of nowhere, but adorable.

It was all going so well, and Marc almost forgot he was on a date with an Akuma... Until he got a DM from Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black (Fortunately while Magician of Misfortune was working on his next trick), then he remembered the plan.

ScarletB:
We good to go?

Taste the Rainbow:
Probably not, he's doing something with fire

IkatiBlack:
Alright, we'll still wait outside. Stay safe.

Feel the Rainbow:
Godspeed, bro

After Marcelle sent the video of Magician of Misfortune asking him out on a date to Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black, the four of them discussed in a group text how they would catch the Akuma, which was no doubt in the wand.

Marc would go out with Magician of Misfortune, entertain them a bit, and keep them calm as two lives would be at risk if they snapped. Then, as soon as Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black showed up and the Akuma was calm enough, Marc would take the wand and run out of a hole in the window created by Ikati Black's Cataclysm. Simple, unless Magician of Misfortune is able to perform tricks without their wand, but they'll all cross that bridge later...

The writer watched in awe as the large flame danced on a pristine white plate, making him forget Magician of Misfortune's words about cutting Nathaniel in half... Oh, and Chloe. Suddenly, it went out with a 'Fwoosh!' and when the smoke cleared, a three-course dinner was in front of them, consisting of chicken piccata with a salad and white rice... Only then did Marc notice there was one plate. 'Oh, it's that kind of date.'

Before Magician of Misfortune could scoop up a bit of rice with their fork, they froze as Monarch's butterfly-shaped symbol appeared over their face. Marc tensed a bit and resisted the urge to scoot away when he noticed the Akuma looking at something. Marc turned his head towards a window and Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black. Both were bathed in the dim glow of the city's lights as they swung and vaulted their way towards the Eiffel Tower.

"One moment, please, Mon Lapin." Magician of Misfortune pretended to be focused on the dinner when he was really preparing another spell. "I need to take care of something real quick."

Marc bit back a curse. He was so close to getting his wand, but he just froze! He glanced back at the window. The heroes have arrived and Ikati Black mouths 'Cataclysm,' ready to destroy the window and give Marc a way to escape. All he needs to do is grab that wand. 'Come on... You need to get Jean back!' Finally pushing aside his fears, Marc shot up from his seat and snatched the wand before Magician of Misfortune could cast a spell.

"Lapin..." The writer felt a twinge of guilt when he heard the betrayal in his friend's voice. "You're working with them?!" The ends of his hair lit on fire in response to their anger. Marc was too petrified at the moment to run despite Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black shouting for him. "Of course! I'm so stupid! Of course, you love Nathaniel!" With those words, his irises turned a menacing bright green. And at that moment, Marc knew that was not his friend. Hell, he was too afraid to even deny his feelings. Not like that would even help him in this situation.

Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black charged at the Akuma. "Get away from him!" The hero in black yelled, and before he could strike with his staff, purple sparks of electricity shot from Magician of Misfortune's hands and hit Ikati Black, making him disappear in a puff of smoke as his screams faded.

"IKATI!" Scarlet Beetle snarled, grabbed the wand that was clutched tightly in Marc's white-knuckle grip, and snapped it in half. Maybe if he destroyed the Akuma, that'd bring him back!... If there were an Akuma- Where's the Akuma?! "What the fu- AAH!" He disappeared when the sparks of electricity hit him, leaving Marc all alone with the enraged Akuma. It was only silence between the two until Magician of Misfortune let out a mirthless, deranged-sounding laugh.

"You must think I'm so dumb, don't you?" He tilted his head with a show of innocence. "The innocent wittle theater boy wouldn't hurt you?" He laughed again. "I really don't want to, Mon Lapin. But you've forced my sleight of hand." He summons another wand and points it at Marc, smirking when he makes no move of trying to run, his feet glued to the floor. "See, if I'm not allowed to have you... Then no one can." Another heartless laugh before he narrowed his eyes and snarled, "Bye-bye, bunny."

A spell shot from his wand and hit Marc in the chest, snapping him out of his daze. His screaming faded into nothing when he disappeared, and Magician of Misfortune used this opportunity to make his escape with two goals in mind. Find Chloe and cut her in half, then find Nathaniel and turn him into a rabbit for his next trick. He conjured up another flying carpet and took off out of the restaurant. Chloe was first on his list.

🪄🦋

When he was gone, Monarch yelled, "Marc?! MARC?!" He used his wings to take him all around the structure. 'Oh, God, don't be hurt!' He was about to look around the first floor when he heard some screaming. And it sounded muffled. He followed the sound and paled at the sight. Marc was tied up by his ankles with a multicolored chain of handkerchiefs, and the other end is tied tight around the beams. His wrists are also restrained with some rope and there are rose buds in his mouth. He couldn't tell if this was some sort of sick symbolism or just one of his Akumas being an Akuma.

"Oh, God." His wings take him over to the dangling boy, and as expected, he screamed and thrashed. "Hey! Relax! I'm getting you down!”

A muffled, “WHAT?!” followed by more thrashing.

Okay, this is to be expected. “Look,” he said a little calmer this time. “I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to get you down safely. Okay?” Marc looked at him skeptically. At least he’s not screaming anymore. With a tentative nod, Marc allowed the redhead to do whatever he needed to do, only tensing up when Monarch pulled apart his cane to reveal it was one of those hidden swords. “Relax. I’m just gonna cut your wrists loose… Promise not to hit me?”

Marc only glared at him.

”I’ll take what I can get.” He made quick work of freeing Marc’s wrists and was glad when he didn’t try to hit him. Either he trusts him or doesn’t want to risk his chances of getting down, not that Monarch would leave him up here. “Okay, now hold onto me.” Another skeptical look was followed by Marc slowly raising his arms and wrapping them around Monarch in a vice-like grip. Understandable. “I’m gonna cut the ties around your ankles now… Ready?”

Instead of a glare or unsure expression, Marc was looking at him now as if he had his life in his hand. He does, but it’s just different. Tears are beginning to pour out, meaning he probably refused to give a “villain” the satisfaction of seeing him cry moments ago. “Hey, it’s alright.” He slowly brings his gloved hand up to Marc’s face and wipes away his tears. “I’m not letting you fall.”

He flies up to the handkerchief line and with one quick slice, Marc’s legs drop down. His arms are secured tight around Monarch’s neck as the Miraculous holder makes quick work of maneuvering his arms around Marc so he’s in a bridal hold. “I’ve got you,” he says as he makes his descent, all the while Marc is shivering in his hold. When he’s on the ground, Monarch gently sets the other boy down.

After unwrapping his arms from around Monarch, Marc took the rose buds out of his mouth, grimacing a bit at the taste before turning to Monarch with an unreadable expression. It was an awkward silence between the two for a while, Monarch standing across from the boy he can never have and Marc standing across from a villain who just saved his life.

”… Bye,” Monarch finally said before taking off, leaving Marc stunned by what just happened and so confused by what it meant. Monarch's supposed to be a villain, someone out to cause chaos and destruction for others all for Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's Miraculous. And yet, he just saved his life when he could've held him for ransom in exchange for the Miraculous... So why didn't he?

🪄🦋

Ikati Black’s wrists were burning! There he and Scarlet Beetle were, dangling by their ankles over the Seine. They had brightly-colored handkerchiefs stuffed in their mouths and their wrists bound tightly by some strong rope that Ikati Black could feel his bones against each other… Yeah, that’s not a pleasant feeling for him.

They wouldn’t have gotten down if not for the little wings on Scarlet Beetle’s sneakers. Turns out, they’re a lot sharper than they look. They landed in the water, but that wasn’t what bothered them, it was that they had no idea where Magician of Misfortune could be now, or what he was doing to Marc.

Fortunately but also, unfortunately, Chloé tagged them in an Instagram story showing a blurry but identifiable boomerang of Magician of Misfortune stalking toward her.

So here they were in Chloé’s hotel suite. Ikati Black was powering through the pain in his wrists while fighting off Magician of Misfortune’s attacks and Scarlet Beetle was trying to figure out how to use his Lucky Charm, a can of spray on glue. Honestly, the only good thing that came out of all of this is that Chloé is scattered all over the room after going in one of those ‘Magic Splitting’ boxes. And her head is nowhere near them.

”Scarlet,” he whispered before smacking away another set of studded magic rings. “See if you can pull his hat over his head then spray it before he can get it off.”

After quickly getting over his shock that his partner had come up with the same plan as his Lucky Vision, Scarlet Beetle whipped out his YoYo and charged at Magician of Misfortune, moving in front of Ikati Black when he saw a spell aiming for him. When he was close enough and Magician of Misfortune was conjuring up a new spell, Scarlet Beetle threw his YoYo, and the end- which is much heavier than it looks- dropped on top of the top hat, making it fall over the Akuma’s eyes.

”Oh, real mature!” They yelled, gripping their hat to pull it back up. “But your little games are going to keep me from…” The horrible realization set in when Magician of Misfortune found they could not take their hands off of their top hat.

The heroes took a moment to laugh at this weird display before Scarlet Beetle made his way over and looked around for the real Akuma. And there it was tucked in the ribbon of the hat. Plucking it and ignoring Magician of Misfortune’s threats, he saw that it was a card… The same one Jean was going to confess to Marc with. With a quick rip, the Akuma-

“What the fuck?” Ikati Black gawked at the strange-looking Akuma as he quickly snapped a quick picture with his staff. “Is this one of Monarch’s powers?”

Scarlet Beetle was so caught up in staring and trying to figure out what this new Akuma meant, that it was only when it split into four that he snapped out of it. “Shit!” He hastily threw his YoYo at them all before they could multiply again and cause another Stoneheart incident. With purified origami butterflies in their places, albeit one was stained green, Scarlet Beetle let out a quick sigh of relief and tossed his Lucky Charm into the air.

“MIRACULOUS SCARLET BEETLE!”

As the magic swarm did their work, Scarlet Beetle was still wondering about the Akuma, why it looked like that, and if it had any effect on Jean. He hasn’t known any Akumas to behave so violently, just wanting to get their justice, but Magician of Misfortune was just... More unhinged.

Hearing a soft groan, he and Ikati Black look and sees Jean slowly getting back up while rubbing their temples. "Hey, are you alright?" Asked Ikati Black. The thespian blinked a couple of times to readjust their vision, and when they got a look at where they were, it seemed like everything was coming back to them as their expression turned to one of shame. "Hey, it wasn't you, alright? Look, the Akuma that possessed you was different than the others. It might have caused you to act the way you did."

Jean still looked unsure until Scarlet Beetle held up a green origami butterfly, though, some doubt still lingered. How were they going to face Marc tomorrow? He probably hates them now, for forcing him to go on a date so he wouldn't hurt Nathaniel and Chloe and hanging him by his ankles from the Eiffel Tower! Even Jean wants to smack themself right now.

"Jean?" The brunette looked up at the hoodie-clad hero with glassy eyes. "No one's blaming you for what happened. Okay, Monarch's powers did something to you, affected you in a way different from other Akumas." He takes Jean's hand and places the origami butterfly in their palm. "It's no one else's fault but his, okay?" After a moment, Jean nodded, smiling a bit as they accepted the purified Akuma.

"Thanks."

"Hey, I'll give you a lift home," Ikati Black offered, and Jean eagerly nodded, looking again like the boisterous thespian the heroes knew.

🪄🦋

Nathaniel continued to stare at the photo of his Envy-Akuma as he calls it on Ikati Black's Twitter page. This really changes things, now he has to keep his own emotions in check so future Akumas don't end up like Magician of Misfortune... Though, he does wonder what'll happen if he feels strong positive emotions. Maybe those Akumas will be endless balls of laughter or just be chaotically happy like Harley Quinn and Himiko Toga.

And when he wasn't thinking about his Akuma, he was thinking about Marc.

"The side effects are starting to wear off," Nooroo quietly chirped. "How are you feeling?"

"... He had the chance to end all of this," he said mostly to himself. "Okay, Marc could have snatched my Miraculous when we were back on the ground, i-it was right there on my sash." His fingers brush over the smooth surface of his Miraculous. "... Why didn't he?"

"I wish I knew," Nooroo sighed. "But he felt conflicted. In his eyes, you're a villain-" Seeing his face turned downcast at that word, Nooroo flew over to Nathaniel and hugged him. "But you saved him, so he must have been in shock and didn't even think about stealing it. That's good! You can still get the Miraculous."

"... Yeah, I guess," he smiled. "So, the side effects? Are they going to be at random?"

Nooroo looked off to the side. "Unfortunately, yes. But, just be glad you don't have the Peacock Miraculous." Unaware of Nathaniel's intrigued expression, he explains, "It's sort of like... I believe it's called synesthesia. The holder of that Miraculous can feel others' emotions and sometimes mirror them while your emotions are amplified."

"The Peacock Miraculous?"

"Yeah!" Nooroo then flew into an enthusiastic explanation all about his friend's powers."It's almost like the Butterfly in a way, but instead of creating Akumas, you create Senticreatures. That's what Duusu likes to call them. Now, an Amok is like your Akuma, only it's a feather that manifests a Sentimonster from a person's emotions, and the process is still the same. When they possess an object, there's a telepathic connection, and..." His voice trailed off when he noticed Nathaniel's amused look. Nooroo gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry! I just miss Duusu. It helps to talk about him."

Nathaniel chuckled. "It's fine. It seems like you were close with him."

"He was one of my best friends," Nooroo smiled as he sat in Nathaniel's cupped hands and was carried over to his bed. "I just hope he's doing okay." The second he was placed on his pillow, sleep began to take over.

Nathaniel takes off his Miraculous and places it on his nightstand. "I'm sure he is," he assured. "Goodnight Nooroo."

"Night," the Kwami murmured in his sleep.

Chapter Text

"Mom, you look fine," Nathaniel bemoaned when Aya walked downstairs in her third outfit, a sea-foam green button-down blouse with a pair of white pants and matching flats. "It's just career day, no one's expecting Dianna Agron."

"Isn't one of your classmates the mayor's kid?" She retorted while fluffing her hair a bit.

Nathaniel blinked. "You mean the mayor who gives into his daughter's little tantrums and was this close," he presses his thumb and pointer finger together. "To shutting down my friend's family bakery all because his daughter is a total brat with no regard for human emotions because she lacks a heart?" He said, all with a single breath.

"... Sweetie, watch your mouth. Anyway, this is the outfit I'm going with." Nathaniel sighed out of relief. He actually likes to get to school early so he can sketch in some peace. "Okay, I called Devorah, got my business cards." She pats her purse to double-check. "... Wait, no. They're not in here! Where are they?" Aya looks around the living room, checking to see where she left them before moving to the kitchen when she couldn't find them. All the while, Nathaniel is contemplating whether or not to leave without her. She knows the way to the school.

"Ha! Found them!" Aya beamed as she grabbed the small stack of business cards off of the kitchen counter. "Cannot leave these!" Career Day- most people don't know this- is a day for parents to network and meet people... This ain't about the kids! Nathan's class has a bakery owner, a cafe owner, and the head chef of the mayor's hotel, and it couldn't hurt to exchange business cards around between the four of them. "Okay, let's head out- Nathan!" She yelled when the young redhead was halfway out the door.

"You know the way to school," he groaned.

🚨🦋

Sabrina always dreaded Career Day. It's just another reminder that no one's particularly fond of her dad or just law enforcement in general after Mr. Pigeon and Stoneheart. It only seemed to get worse when videos and memes have been spreading with the hashtags IncompitentCops, JustBadCops, and PoliceBlooperNominees. Alya and Marinette weren't the only ones the day of Ivan's second Akumatization recording. These other guys were there, too, comparing the squad to the police from that weird American cartoon where everyone is yellow. And it didn't help when they got footage of Ikati Black yelling at Roger for insulting Scarlet Beetle. Fortunately, Bug and Cat Chat has been drowning it all out, but it's still circulating and now people are just waiting for the police force to mess up so they can get it on video.

Plus, Career Day is just another opportunity for Chloe to hold it over her's and everyone else's heads that her dad can get anyone and everyone fired or even kicked out of the city if they don't "Obey." 'It's just eight hours,' she thought to herself as her dad parked the car. 'It's just eight hours.' Well, maybe it won't be so bad this time. Alya's sort of her friend, so if things get a little tense and Chloe's not around, the two can hang out... If she wants to, that is.

Noticing his daughter's thoughtful look out of the corner of his eye, Roger squeezed her shoulder a bit. "Hey, it's gonna be great this year. Don't worry about what Chloe has to say, alright?"

Sabrina only shrugged. "I guess," she said, trying her best to sound optimistic, but Roger's been the single father of a daughter long enough to know better.

"... You know... That white cardigan you saw at the mall last week is on sale for- I believe fifty percent off?" Seeing Sabrina's eyes light up, he smiles. "If all goes well, and I can see that smile I love so much," Sabrina couldn't suppress a giggle. "Maybe, just maybe we can stop by and see if they have your size."

The ginger-haired girl smiled. "Thanks, dad." Once Roger put the car into park, she wrapped her arms around him for a hug, one he happily returned.

🚨🦋

"Mr. Dupain-Cheng?" The baker nearly had a heart attack when The Gabriel Agreste approached him. His face is in quite a few of his daughter's fashion magazines and aspiration boards, so he's done his research, made sure the guy didn't have a record, and then encouraged Marinette to strive to be like him. And now, here he is, approaching him, a humble baker. "Gabriel Agreste, Adrien's father."

The burly man chuckled as he took his hand. "Tom Dupain-Cheng, Marinette's father. And no need for introductions, my daughter's been admiring your work since she was five. What can I do for you?" 'Oh, please say you'd like caterers.' To work for a big-shot like Gabriel Agreste would really put the bakery on the map.

"Well, first a business card if you don't mind," he asked, and Tom quickly searched through his pockets for a card. "Adrien goes on non-stop about your pastries, and frankly, I'd like to see what all the fuss is. He said, and I quote, 'Marinette brought in some passion fruit macarons, and I could not stop smiling.'" The two fathers laughed, paying no attention to Adrien's cries of embarrassment as Nino patted his shoulder for comfort.

Tom hands him a business card. "You know, Marinette designed these herself. Even created the font." Career Day may be for the parents, but he wants his little girl's name out there, too.

"She's certainly got an eye for detail," Gabriel commended. "I'm not surprised, after all, she won my contest a few weeks ago. You must be very proud, sir." While the other man beamed, he continued, "Now, if she's ever interested in an internship, you give me a call." He hands Tom one of his cards. "Besides, Adrien could use someone his age around during shoots. Being around the adults, the home-schooling, and having those 90s sitcoms to watch every day, I just want to make sure he's developing well- socially."

Before Tom could respond, Mme. Bustier announced, "Alright, it's time for the parents to give a little run-down of their jobs! I know we usually go in alphabetical order, but let's have the mother of one of our new students come up and introduce herself. Marlene Cesaire."

Marlene, dressed in her chef's uniform steps to the front of the classroom, all smiles and just radiating a kind disposition. "Hello, everyone. I'm Marlene, Alya's mother." The auburn-haired girl preened. "And I am the head chef at the Grand Paris hotel-"

"Owned by my daddy, the mayor!" Chloe loudly announced just like every year ever since her father got elected, annoying not only the students but the parents as well. Anya Bruel brought earplugs just to put in when the mayor starts talking. Because that's when Chloe really started talking. "She's just a servant," she dismissed with a wave of her hand, the light coming from the window reflecting off of her jewel-studded gold bracelet.

Emmet Lavillant scoffed and whispered to Anarka. "Who brings such an expensive piece of jewelry to a school of all places? Look, it'll fall off her wrists." The grey-haired woman nodded in agreement.

Marlene didn't look the slightest bit bothered. After a long... Long day working for that girl and her father, she comes home to a meal prepared by her husband, Alya, Ella, and Etta telling her about their days, then she hits the gym with Nora and takes out her frustration on a punching bag. And when she needs to relieve some stress at work, she'll bend a ladle and then straighten it back out. It keeps her from snapping at the other chefs because she doesn't want to yell at them unless they absolutely deserve it.

Mme. Bustier offered her a blue stress ball, but Marlene gently pushed it away and continued. "Actually, I am not a servant. Yes, I cook meals for guests who come into the hotel, but I also oversee all of the chefs who work there. I'm in charge of all activities related to the kitchen, which usually include creating menus, managing kitchen staff, ordering and purchasing stock and equipment, plating design, enforcing nutrition, safety, and sanitation, and ensuring the quality of the meals that are served in the restaurant." She looks up at her daughter giving a thumbs up and a proud look.

Chloe scoffed. "Whatever. You serve me, you're a servant."

"Jealous that you can't make a fancy five-course meal?" Marinette smirked, her fist out for Nino's fist bump.

"Well, why would I want to touch a bunch of dirty flour, anyway?" Chloe retorted with her nose turned up in distaste. The chefs in the room rolled their eyes. This girl wouldn't last a day in their kitchens.

Before Marinette could respond, Tom rested a hand on her shoulder with a soft look that say, 'Not now.' And Marinette relented with a fond roll of her eyes. Tom smiled. He knew from the day Marinette was born that she'd be the rebellious out-spoken type. Her lack of a filter often got her in trouble, but it only seemed to be when she was defending a friend of hers. When she was four, a boy stole Nino's juice box and she did not hold back on the insults. Honestly, it was more like a psychological takedown.

He and Sabine were proud they had a daughter who wasn't afraid to speak her mind... But, when it came to the mayor's daughter, they're just a bit afraid of what she'll try to do to Marinette. The girl almost got their bakery shut down, and that was the family as a whole! The worst part was that it was all over a ludicrous misunderstanding the Bourgeois family did not apologize for when the Dupain-Cheng's managed to keep their bakery and home.

So, whenever they're around the heiress, the couple tries to reign Marinette in before she can mouth off the girl... No matter how much of a reality check she could use.

Mme. Bustier nervously chuckled, clearly sensing some of the tension in the room. "Well, why don't we hear from other parents who work in culinary?" She suggested, trying to get this moving along. Honestly, what was Damocles thinking putting these girls in the same class again? 'Seven more hours,' she reminded herself. "How about, Aya Kurtzberg?"

The other red-haired woman whom Caline swears has to be a distant relative does some motherly things to Nathaniel, leaving him embarrassed before she made her way to the front. "Hi, everyone! I'm Aya, Nathan's mom." The young redhead sank into his seat when a few eyes trailed over to him. "And I own a diner. All the food is kosher if anyone's wondering. I have a total of four employees who help with cooking, working the register, and serving-"

"MY BRACELET!" Chloe suddenly screamed.

Aya glowered at the source of the interruption. "Dear, I'm sorry if there's a stain on your bracelet, but that's no reason-"

"No, you lousy excuse for a baker!" She dumps the contents of her purse on the table. "My bracelet is gone!"

Nathaniel shoots up from his seat. "Don't talk to my mom like that! You probably just lost that stupid bracelet on your own!" Kim gave a low whistle and whispered to Max, "They finally dropped."

Mayor Bourgeois turned to the boy. "Do not harass my daughter!" All of the students stared slack-jawed at the politician. He's telling one of them not to harass Chloe? "Her property has been stolen, and no one is leaving this room until we search every bag in this room! Starting with yours'."

Aya storms forward and jabs her finger at the man's chest. "Don't you raise your voice at my son! And he was sitting there the entire time! How could he get up and steal her bracelet without anyone noticing?" All of the parents gave the mayor expectant looks, daring him to say something in defense of himself.

Chloe gets up and storms over to Marinette and Alya's desk, practically jamming her finger into the Eurasian girl's face. "Then you stole it! And now your greasy baker hands are probably getting it all dirty, and-"

"Get your damn finger out of my face, Bourgeois!" She snapped, smacking Chloe's hand away as she screamed over her broken nail.

"You're paying for my manicure! Better hope that dump you live in will be enough to pay for it!"

Nino chuckled as he pointed his phone at the two. "Catfight alert." His aunt lightly smacked the back of his head for that remark.

Alix shoots up from her seat despite her father's protests. "Cram it, blondie! You're not kicking Marinette and her family onto the streets again! And if you're so rich, you can pay for the damn nail job yourself!"

The blonde sputtered for a moment. "Well see if your lame dad still has a job at that museum!" Alim paled at those words while Alix and the other students felt rage boiling inside of them.

Emmet's jaw dropped. "Mayor Bourgeois, are you going to allow your daughter to threaten our livelihoods, now? Over some little bracelet that should not have even come with her to school in the first place?!"

"How dare you blame my daughter for this?" He gestures to Chloe who's putting on a show of innocence. And when he's not looking, she smirks a vindictive smirk. "And if my daughter says Mary-Anne-"

"Marinette!" The bluenette furiously corrected.

"Stole her bracelet, then we are searching her bag this instant!"

Marinette looked eerily calm for a moment, and a feeling of dread washed over them when she picked up her pink messenger bag off the floor. The Bourgeois' looked triumphant for a moment until Marinette threw her bag at Chloe's face with just a bit too much force so she fell on her back. Sabrina didn't even make a move to help her up. "Have at it, you spoiled little-" Alya quickly slaps a hand over her mouth, earning a relieved sigh from Tom.

After situating herself, Chloe rifled through the bag, throwing all of the contents onto the floor. Some even hit parents and students in the face. While she did this, Nino, Kim, and Max looked to their friend, who only smirked while the heiress dug her and her father's graves. The three gave a look around the classroom and saw the parents appearing appalled by their classmate's behavior. And they knew, without a doubt, they were blaming their not-so-beloved-anymore mayor.

If this is how he allows his daughter to act, jumping to conclusions and demanding probably illegal searches without any sort of motive despite her detestation of her classmates, then every adult in the room was beginning to wonder if maybe they were a little tipsy at the voting booths. Anarka knows she was... And maybe a little high, too.

Frustrated that she couldn't find her bracelet in Marinette's bag, Chloe tossed it aside, hitting Sabrina in the face. "Empty your pockets!"

"Of for the love of," groaned Anais Lahiffe. "She doesn't have it!" The Moroccan woman muttered something in Arabic that had Nino and Alim blushing. She gave her nephew a little pat on the head and then continued, "I know Marinette, and she is no thief! Besides, she's been sitting at her desk the entire time since she and her father got here, going nowhere near you before or after you had your bracelet."

"Facts," Nino said as he high-fived his aunt.

Chloe was fuming. It should not take this long for her to get her way! She points to Roger Raincomprix. "I demand you arrest her, this instant! She stole my bracelet." Roger blanched. He turns to the mayor but finds him giving an expectant look... He can't seriously be considering...

"How do you know I don't have it?" Ivan murmured, causing everyone to look at him. "Go on. Accuse me of stealing your bracelet." There was a hidden threat in there, but everyone knew Ivan wouldn't go through with it... Well, all except Chloe and her father.

"Was that a threat?' The mayor challenged.

Ivan shrugged. "Nope. I'm just wondering why she's only targeting Marinette. So, go on, Chloe. Accuse me. Here." He picks up his black messenger bag. "I'll even hand you my bag the same way Marinette did." Okay, now that was the threat because Ivan had the arm of a major league baseball player. One throw from him and Chloe could end up in a coma.

"W-well, you were sitting all the way over there!"

"So is Nath!" Alix exclaimed. "And your crackhead dad was about to check his bag first!" Alim sharply whispered for her to knock it off.

Chloe stomped her foot in frustration. These peons were supposed to fear and respect her father! "Daddy!" The mayor stood at attention like a soldier.

'Yeah, we were definitely wasted,' all of the parents thought.

"Fire her dad!" She points to Alim, and all hell broke loose.

"That is so unfair!"

"What kind of mayor are you?!"

"That girl needs a serious whooping."

"I need my lawyer."

Cutting through the commotion was the loud call of Roger's whistle. When everyone settled down, he took a few breaths. "Alright! Now let's make one thing clear- We do not go around accusing people without any sort of evidence!" He wasn't looking at them, but everyone knew that comment was directed at Chloe and her father. "Now, Miss Bourgeois," he starts, trying his best to remain civil. "Maybe you simply misplaced your bracelet-"

"You're calling me a liar, now?!" Sabrina tried to calm her down, but Chloe was on a tirade. "Daddy! Do something!"

"Roger, search the girl." He points to Marinette. Or he could if Tom hadn't stood in front of her, doing his best to look intimidating despite being scared out of his mind. "Everyone else! Empty your bags!" Noticing a few with devious expressions, he adds. "And whoever throws them at me or my daughter will be detained!"

Gabriel puts a hand on Adrien's shoulder before he could empty his bag. "I think not, Bourgeois. I've put up with you and your family for quite some time now because I believed Adrien could use a friend his age." Seeing Chloe winking at his son, he grimaced. "I have put up with your spinelessness, your wife's horrible personality, and your daughter's brattiness! My God, I'm ashamed that I helped with your campaign." How can such a sorry excuse for a family man be a mayor when he makes others miserable just to make his spoiled daughter happy? "And what is this I hear about you coming close to kicking Miss Marinette and her family out of her home? I wonder, 'Why was that not in the paper?'"

As the parents murmured, Mayor Bourgeois was starting to panic. This was supposed to be a pleasant Career Day. Chloe would boast a bit, he'd make her proud to be his daughter. Oh, why did he allow her to take her bracelet with her? Then this never would have happened! Word of this will spread to other parents, they'll convince them not to vote for him, and all he and Chloe will have is his chain of hotels across France! Yes, they'll have some sort of influence, but no power, and these heathen children will be allowed to torment his little angel relentlessly! No doubt they'll be led by that dreadful baker's daughter.

"Oh, enough of this!" He snapped, shocking even Chloe. "Roger, I demand you search her! Need I remind you that as mayor of this city, I am your superior?"

"It's against the law!" Roger shot back. He may be his superior and the father of his daughter's... Friend... But he took an oath to make sure the law treats everyone fairly! "I can't just go around searching through a child's bag or arresting her on the whims of your entitled brat of a daughter!"

"..."

"Damn," Juleka whispered.

Mayor Bourgeois took a step forward. "Be that way, because as of right now, you are fired!"

A deathly silence hung over the classroom.

"... Oh, fuck," Khuyen cursed.

"Y-you can't be serious," Roger stammered. "Over a-a missing bracelet?!"

"This is my daughter's bracelet we're talking about!" The mayor asserted while Chloe smiled smugly. She shoots a look at her classmates, daring them to try something unless they want their parents to lose their jobs, too. "You're incompetent and you're fired! Get out!"

With a solemn shake of his head, Roger walked out of the classroom in shame. "I'll pick you up after school, Sabrina."

Everyone had almost forgotten about the young ginger. One look at the girl and they could tell she was horrified by what just happened. Her father, a single man now had no job, no way to provide for the both of them! Chloe claims to be not only Sabrina's best friend but her only friend. And this is how she treats her? By having her father fired so they'll probably end up on the streets, and all over a bracelet?!

Alya was quick to run over to Sabrina, making sure to push Chloe aside with a little too much force. It's not her fault Nora takes her to the gym on Saturdays. "Hey, you're okay. It's gonna be fine," she said gently when Sabrina's breathing was starting to come out shaky.

"H-how could she... She got- she got my d-dad fired. I gotta l-live on the st-streets now- How could she?!"

"It's official," Juleka murmured. "The girl has snapped."

Chloe scoffed. "Drama queen. Now everyone, empty your bags! Or I'll just call Scarlet Beetle and have him take care of everything! He practically adores me!" Unbeknownst to her and others, Kim felt bile rising up in his throat.

🚨🦋

Max panicked for a moment until the parents argued once again with the mayor over their childrens' rights. Fortunately, his mother was one of the people getting in the Mayor's face and Kim was checking on Sabrina with Alya so he could check in on Plagg and give him a proper scolding.

"What were you thinking?" He hissed as the destruction Kwami came from under the table with Chloe's bracelet stuck on his big head. "H-how could you possibly mistake that for cheese?"

"I mean, it was in a dish shaped like a cheese box," Plagg reasoned. "If anything, you should blame false advertising."

He tried very hard not to scream right now because this was bad. If he doesn't find a way to get the bracelet back into Chloe's bag, then the mayor's probably gonna start firing more parents unless someone speaks up. Honestly, were these people drunk when they voted for him?

"I never liked the land lover, but you can't just fire him over nothing!" Anarka yelled.

Max sighed. With all of the commotion, he reached into his bag and pulled out a small bottle of lotion. Max didn't really use lotion, but when he got his Miraculous, he started carrying around a travel-size bottle just in case his ring finger ever got swollen and he needed to remove his Miraculous before it cut off circulation... It's not weird.

He squeezed a little bit onto his finger and rubbed it around Plagg's head, making the Kwami squirm around and spit out some of the cucumber-scented lotion. Max gripped the bracelet with one hand, pressed down on Plagg's head with the other, and in a quick second, Plagg was free. Now comes the really hard part... Getting it back into Chloe's bag without looking like the thief even though he isn't, but Chloe won't care and demand he be arrested.

'You've got this, Max. You're smart, you're a superhero. If you can defeat Akuma, you can figure this out.'

🚨🦋

'You were able to transform and send off an Akuma in a public park, you can figure this out.'

He needs to Akumatize Roger, now while he's still feeling betrayed. But how can he get out of the classroom?... Maybe... Nathaniel opens the side pocket of his messenger bag and whispers to the Kwami, "Can you make an Akuma?" Nooroo's eyes widened. While it was possible, it was also dangerous for a Kwami to use their powers without a holder to balance them out. And Nooroo's never created an Akuma on his own before, not in centuries! He doesn't even know if...

When an origami butterfly was pressed into his little hands, he looked up at Nathaniel with an unsure expression until the redhead gave him a reassuring smile. With a nod, Nooroo snuck out of the classroom, an easy feat since everyone was yelling at the mayor or Chloe, shouting for a lawyer, or comforting Sabrina.

... Here's hoping he remembers how to do this.

🚨🦋

"What are you not getting, you oaf?!" Claudia screamed, and never once before had Max seen his mother so angry. "You cannot demand an illegal search on your daughter's whims and then threaten us with termination and blacklisting! Have you no shame, you udoti?!"

Chloe scoffed before he father could get a word in. "As if he has to take lip from a subway worker!" If Max weren't being held back by Rose and Juleka, he would've slapped the smug look off of her face. His mother was much more than a subway worker, and she'd prove it to everyone very soon.

"Stay out of this, you insolent child!" The woman retorted. "This is about an invasion of our children's rights and privacy all over a tacky bracelet!" Chloe gasped, shocked by the insult. "Your bracelet probably rolled out of your purse and is somewhere in the halls! Ever think about that, Mayor Bourgeois?"

The man seethed, "Madame, I suggest you-"

"What?" Khuyen challenged. "Are you going to fire her, too? For speaking the truth? Face it, Bourgeois, if you fire all of us as you did with poor Roger, people are going to get suspicious as to why the parents of an entire class were fired in a single day by the 'beloved Mayor of Paris'. Investigations will be made, we'll give testimonies, and we'll see what the people still think of you and your daughter."

"Y-you can't do that!" Chloe stammered, and before she could say anything else, she noticed Lahiffe holding up his phone. He was recording everything! Well, not on her watch! "Hand over your phone, Lahiffe!" She went to snatch it, but Ivan stood in front of the capped boy, glaring down at the blonde and prompting her to back away. "Daddy! Take his phone! He was recording everything illegally!"

Mme. Bustier arched an eyebrow. "Actually, Chloe, Nino was given full permission to record today's events so he could email the video to the parents." She grabs her tablet off of her desk. "As sort of a souvenir, if you will. The parents each signed an online consent form, and so did the students... Even you." She turns her tablet towards the girl so she can clearly see her cursive signature.

Chloe's eyes shot open. Oh yeah, that was definitely her signature. "W-well, he can still use it as a form of defamation-"

"Give it a rest, already!" Mylene suddenly shouted, startling her father.

"Oh, enough of this," muttered the mayor, rubbing his temples as if he were the only one in this room in need of an aspirin. "I'm going straight to the principal of this school! If your children won't respect me, then they will most certainly respect him!" And with that, he stormed out of the classroom.

"Ooh, I'm so scared," Marinette fake-cried before sticking out her tongue.

"Don't worry," Mme. Bustier whispered to Emmet, who she noticed was looking worried. "If Damocles tries anything, a few teachers and I have been keeping records of his... Less-than-perfect track record with the students- I am talking unfair expulsions, and no disciplinary action taken against the more influential students."

While everyone muttered amongst themselves, Nathaniel was the one to notice Nooroo phasing through one of the walls. The Kwami flew into his jacket pocket and gave his version of a thumbs up. Should be any moment...

The door exploded inwards, a cloud of cement dust and wood chippings obscuring everyone's vision for a while until it cleared to reveal what the parents could only describe as an upgraded futuristic version of Robo-Cop.

"Man, that takes me back," Fred chuckled.

"Where is the mayor?" He demanded in an automated voice, but Sabrina recognized it instantly.

"Dad?!"

Mme. Bustier stepped forward, wearing a calm expression and trying to mask her fear. "W-we're not sure where the Mayor is, but-"

"Are you lying?" He asked without missing a beat, and the teacher really wished she could curse right now.

"... No," she weakly lied. "No. No, I am not lying-"

And with horrible timing, the mayor's voice could be heard just from down the hall. "I demand that you conduct a search on those unruly children! One of them has stolen my daughter's bracelet!" The Robo-Cop copy side-eyed Mme. Bustier, making her sweat bullets as the mayor continued with his threat. "Or your job will be on the line, sir! I am talking blacklisting, I will even shut down this school if I have to!"

She nervously chuckled and pulled on the collar of her jacket. "That, uh... Must be the other class. I hear one student has improv performers for parents." Clearly, he wasn't convinced. "Heh... Well, then... EVERYONE, RUN!" Using all of the strength she developed thanks to her weekly pilates class, Mme. Bustier leg-swept the armored police officer, making him trip and fall to the floor with a loud thud, allowing her and everyone else to run out of the classroom. However, Sabrina's feet were glued to the floor, and so the teacher hoisted the ginger over her shoulder to rush her out - Not that she was worried her own father would hurt her, but with what happened, Mme. Bustier isn't going to leave Sabrina alone with her current mental state.

By the time Rogercop got up, the students and their parents were gone. Well, no matter. He wasn't after them anyway. Mme. Bustier will definitely be facing repercussions for assault on an officer and kidnapping his daughter, but he has more pressing matters to tend to. Before he could leave, a certain blonde blocked his way.

"Oh, I don't think so! You are going to use whatever powers Monarch gave you to find my bracelet and have that loser baker arrested!" Chloe demanded, making Rogercop roll his eyes and shove her aside so he could leave. "Hey! Do you have any idea who my father is?!"

"Your father should enjoy his political power while he can, Chloe Bourgeois," he replied ominously, shocking Chloe before making his way to the principal's office. It's time for a few changes to Paris.

🚨🦋

"Well," Claudia exhaled as she stretched her legs. "That was an interesting Career Day, huh?" Max nodded and crouches down to pet Kareem.

"Yeah, Akumas usually don't appear this early," Max remarked, not as out of breath as his mom due to the exercise he got when fighting Akumas. When Kareem tries to lick his face, he gently pushes his head away. "Often, it's close to, or during noon when Monarch strikes. Could be he's getting bolder."

Claudia nodded. "I guess you should get comfortable." She makes her way down the hall and into her room. "Something tells me this one is going to take a while." Once her door closed, Max, followed by Kareem, heads into his bedroom and flips up a green light switch, turning on a green lightbulb just on his doorframe. This was to signal his mom and anyone else that he was working on a new project and didn't want any interruptions, or so he could slip out of his room as Ikati Black and not have anyone walk in and find his empty bedroom/lab.

With Plagg looking over his shoulder, Max types something on his laptop. "Okay... What do you think? Should I add 'Recording 7'? This Akuma may last us a while."

"Just activate the recordings through your staff, or something," Plagg whined. Feeling Kareem trying to sniff him again, Plagg hissed, and the bulldog scampered away.

"Hey, you at the moment, have no right to complain." Max shoots the Kwami a pointed look. "You stole an expensive bracelet belonging to the brattiest girl in Paris, Roger got fired, Alix's dad almost got fired, Sabrina's spiraling, there's definitely going to be some political problems after Andre tried to run an illegal search, and now there's an Akuma." Plagg rolled his eyes, not really bothered by today's events. "... Alright, I guess if I get an alert, I can play the recordings." Besides, his mom was obviously tired, going over today's events in her head, she won't be out of her room for a while. If anything, she'll spend her day making phone calls.

"Plagg, Claws Out."

🚨🦋

Scarlet Beetle dodges the Akuma's lasers while also using his yoyo to toss his deputies away from him, feeling guilty with each one that had a harsh landing since they used to be innocent civilians. When Rogercop charges up another blast, he looks over at his upgraded police car where the Mayor and Chloe are locked in the back, both with glowing handcuffs on their wrists. He tried not to smile, but that is karma at its finest.

A quick duck before a laser could hit him, and Scarlet Beetle surged toward Rogercop. But before he could land a hit, a blur of black smashed into the heavily armored Akuma and knocked him into a wall. Hard. Once the debris cleared up, Scarlet Beetle could see his partner standing over Rogercop with a vindictive grin.

"Oh no," he groaned. As soon as the Akuma entered the classroom, Scarlet Beetle knew Ikati Black would not hold back. And while he's touched it's in his honor, he shouldn't keep holding such a grudge against one man no matter how hasty he may have been with Stoneheart or how he hit him where it hurt when he was only trying to fix his mistake.

"You are disturbing justice, Ikati Black." He grabs the hero's staff before he could strike him, and uses it to fling him away. And like a cat, Ikati Black landed on his feet with a skid. Rogercop blows the blue whistle around his neck, and his deputies rise again, prompting the heroes to get their weapons ready. "You two will be punished to the fullest extent of the law."

Ikati Black smirked, flashing his sharpened canines. "Make sure you add bodily harm to those charges!" Seeing him charging up a blast with his left hand, he deflects the beam so it hits one of the deputies coming for them, putting a pair of handcuffs on them.

"Nice one," commended Scarlet Beetle.

"Little tip- On your left." On cue, Scarlet Beetle blocked one of the deputies and threw them at another, sending the two of them into the fountain. "Robo-Cop's left-hand shoots cuffs while his right turns you into a deputy." He deflects a blast from the right hand, angling his staff just right so the beam flies into the sky.

'Man, this guy is awesome.' Noticing Rogercop's left hand glowing and aiming for his partner, he hastily gets in front of Ikati Black and deflects the handcuffs by spinning his yoyo. But, instead of hitting one of the deputies as he had hoped, it hit the side of the Agreste mansion. "Shit."

Rogercop narrows his eyes at the hero. "I will be sure to add 'Destruction of property' to your list of charges, Scarlet Beetle. And soon, Paris will have a new hero. The one they truly deserve."

Ikati Black stiffened at those words and shoots the Akuma a hate-filled glare. "Oh, hell no."

"Ikati," Scarlet Beetle warned, but he went unheard as his partner suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him to the Akuma's police car. Ikati Black got behind the wheel. Having a feeling where this was going, the hoodie-clad hero buckled up. "Ikati, what are you doing?"

"I may never get this chance again!" He jerks forward when the deputies start to rock the car back and forth. He tries to look for a way to start the car, but there's no ignition, just a black screen where the radio and gear shift should be. "How do you start this thing?" Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Rogercop approaching, forcing him to press whatever buttons that are in front of him, turning the lights on and off, activating the AC, and putting up a glass window between him and the Bourgeois. He'll just leave that up. Finally, the car starts. "Alright!"

Scarlet Beetle looks out the window and furrows his brow when it looks like the ground is getting lower. It's only when he notices the front wheel had flipped over, that he realizes at the same time as Ikati Black-

"HE HAS A HOVER CAR?!"

"Shit, Monarch is getting creative." Ikati Black experimentally steps on the gas pedal, and much like a normal car, they move forward. "Okay, this works like a normal car, sort of."

Scarlet Beetle ignores Chloe's screaming from behind the glass. "So, what's the plan? You just sort of dragged me in here."

"Right. Well, the first thing we should do is get her royal brattiness and her dad to safety." He points at the glass. "Roger's clearly got something against them, and who knows what he'll try to do with the mayor captive? He could easily take over the city by forcing Andre to relinquish his political standing over to him in exchange for his and Chloe's safety. The perfect way to have the city under his, and by extension, Monarch's control. That way, he'll declare us criminals of the country and force us to hand over our Miraculous."

"..."

"You good, Scarlet?"

The other hero blinked. "I-Ikati, that was a... A chilling scene you just described."

"Hey, it makes sense, right? So, any ideas where to drop them off? Obviously not the hotel or city hall. Those will be the first places RoboCop goes to look for them."

After a beat, an idea came to him. "I think I know just the place."

🚨🦋

"No way! As if I would stay in this dingy hovel!"

Chloe wasn't the only one upset over these temporary arrangements. The Dupain-Cheng family looked particularly miffed as they glared at the father and daughter with their arms folded. Sabine was by far the angriest. And what's worse is that she's holding a rolling pin. If anyone knew the Chinese woman well enough, they'd know that her having a rolling pin while angry is dangerous.

"We're not quite fond of the idea either," Sabine said in a calmer, eerie tone. Chloe backed away as if she would attack her and tried to make a break for it, but Scarlet Beetle grabbed the back of her jacket so she couldn't escape. "Scarlet Beetle, this is no disrespect towards you, but my family and I morally cannot allow the Bourgeois to stay here until the Akuma is defeated."

"Ma'am, as your superior, I-" Andre started, only to be silenced by a fierce glare from the normally kind father. "... I urge you to reconsider."

"Do I detect a threat?" Sabine challenged, gripping the rolling pin even tighter.

Before things could get out of hand, Scarlet Beetle puts himself between the two families. "Look, you don't have to talk or interact in any way. Just let Andre and Chloe hide somewhere, completely out of your way until Ikati Black and I get rid of Rogercop." Hearing a scoff from the heiress, he rolled his eyes.

"I'm still not doing it! They probably don't even have bottled water!" Before the hero could get a word in, she was clinging to his arm. "Get me out of here, and let that mangy cat deal with what's-his-name!" Not feeling Scarlet Beetle tense up, she starts to feel up his muscular arm until he snatches it away.

"Look." He pinches the bridge of his nose and leans over the order counter to whisper to the Dupain-Cheng family. "It's clear you three have a grudge against the mayor and his daughter, but I really need you to set that aside for about an hour, alright? If they give you grief, I will..." He clicks his tongue as he tries to come up with some sort of payment, but it's Marinette who beats him to it.

"You gotta promote our line of hero-themed macarons." Tom and Sabine nod, liking this idea. "Post a few pictures on your accounts, tag our bakery's account, and we'll be even. Deal?" She holds out her hand, which Scarlet Beetle quickly takes without a second thought.

"Deal." He turns to the Bourgeois. "And you two? Try not to cause them any trouble." With that warning, he leaves the bakery and uses his yoyo to get up to the roof where Ikati Black is waiting in the car. "Alright, well it looks like the Dupain-Cheng's are gonna be using me for advertisements for the foreseeable future. What's next?"

"Well-" A crash followed by screaming cuts him off.

"I don't have your stupid bracelet!"

"Get your man-hands off of me!"

"... Drive, man!" Ikati Black stomps on the gas pedal and the hover-car leaves the bakery in a hurry. "Yeesh. Did not feel like staying around for that. So, you were saying?"

Ikati Black continued, "Now we take on Rogercop. He doesn't have any sort of leverage, and it doesn't look like his deputies have any sort of powers. And remember, we faced an army of huge rock monsters and mummies. I'm sure those deputies will be a snap."

Scarlet Beetle smiled. "Hey, I've gotten this far by trusting you. Keep an eye out. He could be anywhere."

"Like city hall?"

"It's possible-"

"No, look!" Ikati Black hands him his staff, flipped to the phone setting, and shows a live stream from the Mayor's office. Rogercop is sitting at the mayor's desk with two deputies at his side.

"From here on out, the Mayor has lost all of his authority, as he is not deserving of such power. In just one day, he has tried to instigate an unwarranted search on minors, threatened the jobs of their parents, and fired his most trusted officer on the whims of one person alone. His daughter. If you do not believe me, I urge you all to go to the link at the bottom of your screens. Skip four minutes and twenty-five seconds ahead, and you too will come to accept me as your new leader and realize Andre Bourgeois is not fit to be in office. And my first act? For assault of an officer, grand theft auto, hiding fugitives, and destruction of property, Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black are now wanted criminals. They must be hunted down and taken into custody immediately. That is all."

Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's faces go stark white... Surely, the good citizens of Paris won't turn on them, not after all they've done... Right?

Before Rogercop signs off, Monarch's mask appears over his face. "... Also, Monarch is given immunity... And any form of assault on him will be met with detainment." And with that last order, he signs off.

🚨🦋

With their jaws agape, the Parisians stare at the butterfly-themed villain with widened eyes as he walks down the sidewalk without a care in the world. "Hey, yeah, it's me. Oh, love your jacket." Noticing a woman pulling her son away, he rolls his eyes. "Lady, I'm not gonna steal your son. W-what would I even accomplish by doing that?"

This by far, had to be his best Akuma. The Mayor's earlier deeds are getting exposed, Chloe will soon get taken down a peg or a hundred, and he has immunity. Monarch really doesn't see a way this could get better.

... That was until he came across him.

Marc's eyes shoot open, mirroring Monarch's expression. It's only been a week, and he still couldn't get what happened out of his mind. Since he was young and realized he preferred guys, Marc's always dreamed of getting saved by a superhero and having his own Spiderman-style kiss in the rain... But instead, he was saved by someone deemed a villain by the majority of the city.

He's stayed up late trying to figure out why on earth Monarch, a villain would save him, a civilian unless it benefited him somehow. He's not rich or influential like Chloe, so if he comes back wanting to make things even, he can't give him anything... Except... Marc shuddered at the thought.

Monarch clicked his tongue, interrupting the silence between the two. "I'm gonna go... Around you..." He cautiously side-steps around Marc, arms kept at his side, and continues his way down the sidewalk. Only this time, he was speed-walking. And if Marc had listened closely, he could hear him muttering, "Damnit!"

After watching that very awkward display, Parisians were reminded once again that their "villain" is a teenager. But that doesn't mean they'll let their guards down.

Marc's feet remained glued to the ground as he stared after Monarch until he took off with his wings like that night. All he could think was, 'Please don't let this happen again.'

🚨🦋

"Thanks for the refuge Mme. Bustier," Scarlet Beetle heard Ikati Black say as he checked out a Bug and Cat Chat live stream. Rogercop had been busy while they were looking for him when they found he was no longer at City Hall. Already, a good handful of Paris had been deputized and are storming the streets looking for them, and he's back in City Hall like he never left. Fortunately, they were able to throw the deputies off by putting the hover car into auto-pilot and sending them on a wild goose chase while they stayed hidden.

The redheaded woman pours some hot chocolate into two mugs before sitting next to Sabrina on the couch. The educator offered the ginger-haired girl a place to stay with her until her father was deakumatized, and while Sabrina is old enough to stay home on her own, Caline Bustier could not in good conscience leave her alone right now. "Oh, it's no problem. Not the first time I've hidden political prisoners in my basement," she chuckled, reminiscing and remaining oblivious to the astounded expressions on the heroes' and Sabrina's faces. "Yeah, that's the nineties in America for you."

The hoodie-clad hero awkwardly coughs into his fist. "Well, thanks again for the help. It'll only be a while until we can come up with a plan."

"As I said, no problem," she reassured. "If you two need an attorney, my cousin's only a phone call away." The two beamed. Even when they weren't her students at the moment, Caline Bustier is still helping them out.

"Okay, what's a way we can leave him defenseless?" Ikati Black asked with a sip of hot chocolate. "We know his deputies can be handcuffed, but what about him?"

For the first time since they got her, Sabrina spoke, "Try to get him alone. Then cover up his arms so he can't blast anyone. It's a long shot, but it's something. Right?"

Ikati Black considered this. It could work, but how would they get Rogercop alone?... And then it hit him. "Sabrina, we're gonna need you to come with us."

🚨🦋

"Send more deputies to find her!" Rogercop ordered over the phone. "This city will not rest until my daughter is found!" He slams the phone back down on the receiver and then looks out the window with a neutral expression. It's getting close to dark and Sabrina has still not been found. He even sent his deputies to check Caline Bustier's home, but they were nowhere to be found.

"Hey, you'll find her," Monarch reassured while stirring his tea. "Alright, there's only so many places she could go. Not sure if you know this, but that Bourgeois girl? Chloe? Yeah, she kind of ruined her reputation at school." He sips his tea.

This grabs Rogercop's attention. "What?"

"Yeah, before Akumatizing someone, I do a deep dive into their memories. Saw the memories of students and DuPont, and you will not believe some of the stuff I've seen," he half-fibbed. "Spilling water on homework, having stuff confiscated because they annoyed her, getting students blacklisted from clubs, having Sabrina work on group projects on her own. All that ever since her dad became mayor. Really, it's amazing how power can go to a person's head, huh? So, any plans for the weekend?"

Monarch realizes he's struck a nerve the second when Rogercop blasts a hole in the wall. All according to plan.

"Chloe Bourgeois will pay," muttered Rogercop.

"Yes, yes she will," Monarch grinned, almost maniacally as he drank more of his tea. He normally didn't drink the stuff, but it just felt right to hold the cup. "Hey, not to interrupt your brooding, but your phone's ringing."

Rogercop goes to answer, ready to tell off one of his deputies for not finding Sabrina, the heroes, or Chloe and her father. How hard is it to just find one of them?! "Hello?... Sabrina?... Where are you?! Are you safe?..." He furrows his brow. "... I'll be on my way." This time, the receiver breaks when he slams the phone back down on it.

"Everything alright, man?" Monarch asked when his Akuma made his way towards the door.

"Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black have Sabrina," he answered then continued walking.

Alarmed, Monarch flies in front of him. "Whoa! Hold on! You don't see anything suspicious here? They just found your daughter and now they're what? Holding her hostage of- Hey!" He yelps when he's shoved to the side like some kind of pest. And when he gets back up, Rogercop is gone. "I swear to God, man if you fuck this up! I-I'm gonna... I... DAMNIT!" He folds his arms with a huff. "People are calling me a villain, why can't I act like it?"

🚨🦋

A secret basement. How did he not figure this out? Caline Bustier lives in one of the older homes, the ones built back during World War 2. They've all got secret bunkers, attics, and even tunnels. Those so-called "protectors of Paris" are no doubt keeping his daughter down there in the harshest conditions until he relinquishes his power! Well, he'll figure a way out of this. He'll have his daughter back, turn Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black in, and continue to have all of Paris under his control.

He goes down the ladder and finds himself in a poorly lit room. His visor automatically activates a night-vision setting so he can clearly see what looks like a converted living room complete with furniture, carpeting, and even a functional kitchen. It's all nice, but he needs to continue with his mission. Before he could walk further into the room, a blur sped past him.

"Who is there? Show yourselves on the order of Paris' new leader!"

"FIGHT THE POWER!" Rogercop was suddenly knocked on his back when he heard, "CATACLYSM!" When he tried to get up, the floor beneath him crumbled, and he fell right through, leaving only the top half of his body showing. He charges up another blast and tries to look for Ikati Black, but it's like he just disappeared. But then he sees Scarlet Beetle with... What appears to be two oven mitts. He shoots at him, but he's somehow able to dodge. It's just then that he notices the goggles over his eyes with a spot pattern and hastily shoots at him with both arms, but he's just too quick.

And he was helpless once the mitts were over his hands and tied with a rope. Scarlet Beetle snatched his whistle, broke it, and everything just started to get fuzzy after that...

🚨🦋

"Hands up, Monarch!" Ordered a secret serviceman when he, two heavily-armed guards, Scarlet Beetle, and Ikati Black burst into the Mayor's office... His empty office. "... Keep a look out." The five of them scope out the office while Andre and Chloe hang back in the hallway, more bothered by the awkward silence between them and the Raincomprixs than they are.

"All clear," Ikati Black confirmed.

Scarlet Beetle was just walking by the desk when he spotted a neatly folded piece of paper with an origami butterfly on top of it. He waves Ikati Black over so he can read it with him.

'Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black, I'm writing this letter as the Miracle Cure takes effect. I believe congratulations are in order for you two, so congrats on defeating my Akuma fucking yet again! But just know, you two may have beat me, but that only means I just need to make my Akumas stronger. Valentine's day is coming up next week, you know. Where there's love, there are also broken hearts. And I'll be waiting, ready to Akumatize them with open arms. See you two soon!

With Love, Monarch.🦋'

"... You have gotta be shitting me," Ikati Black hissed. "He was here the whole time! We could've ended all of this!"

Scarlet Beetle solemnly nodded before noticing something on the letter. "Oh, a P.S."

'P.S., make sure Roger gets his job back, plus more benefits and promotion while you're at it. He's a single dad, he needs this job.'

The heroes stare at that last part, surprised Monarch cares about a civilian, but go through with his request and approach the Mayor. However, unbeknownst to Scarlet Beetle, Ikati Black sneakily slipped Chloe's bracelet into her jacket pocket while she was too busy ogling his partner. He told himself to pocket the bracelet, he did, and now Chloe won't get more people fired... Now.

Plus, he just wants to embarrass Chloe.

"... So, you see, Mayor Bourgeois, you had no right to fire Roger," Scarlet Beetle explained, putting a hand on the man's shoulder. "He was only following his oath." The ex-officer looked at the younger man, touched. Even after his actions during Stoneheart, he was behaving so civil... His partner on the other hand? That glare is going to haunt him for the rest of his days.

The Mayor seemed hesitant for a moment but relented. He's had a rough day and just wants to go home and be done with it. "I suppose my ruling may have-"

"Um, hello?!" Chloe interrupted. "What about my bracelet?! He still hasn't found it, one of my classmates is probably pawning it for spare cash, and-"

"What's that in your pocket?" It took all of Ikati Black's willpower to not smirk when the heiress pulled her bracelet out of her pocket. It was amazing that she didn't even notice the change in weight of her clothes when he snuck it in. "Well, look at that. Now, I do hope this wasn't all over a bracelet, Mr. Mayor." He decides a slight smirk is necessary when the man starts sweating bullets. 'Not so tough now, are you?'

"Must have fallen out of the case and into her pocket when she went to put it back in her purse," Roger deduced, and just once... Ikati Black decided to let him have that... For Sabrina, of course. He refuses to even think of dampening her mood right now, not when she looks so proud of the guy. And as much as it pains him to do so...

"I think Officer Roger has proven his excellence to you, Mr. Mayor..." His partner puts a hand on his back, urging him to continue through his clenched teeth. "... You'd be wrong not to keep him on the force." Hopefully, no one heard him gagging.

"O-of course, Ikati Black," he stammered. "You are absolutely right!"

'Man, this guy folds faster than The Flash on laundry day,' Sabrina thought to herself.

Before the Mayor could figure out another way to suck up to them, their Miraculous started beeping. Only three minutes left. Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black said their goodbyes, ignored Chloe trying to get a selfie with them, and made their way out of City Hall. But before they could leave, Sabrina caught up with them outside.

"Everything alright, Sabrina?" Asked the leather-clad hero.

"Y-yeah, I-I just wanted to say thanks, again." She smiled. "Look, I know my dad wasn't at his best when you two showed up, but I really do appreciate what you did back there for him."

"Well, we can't let grudges get in the way of justice," said Scarlet Beetle. "And your dad didn't deserve what happened back at your school, alright? The Mayor was hasty with his decision, threatened to put jobs on the line, and fired a good officer." Remaining unaware of Ikati Black's baffled look, he reaches into his hoodie pocket and gives Sabrina the origami butterfly found on top of Monarch's letter. Before he could say more, his and Ikati Black's Miraculous beeped once more. "We gotta head out. Stay safe, Sabrina!" And with that, he swung away.

Ikati Black gave Sabrina a two-finger salute before vaulting in the opposite direction. But as he made his way home, there was just something on his mind. What Scarlet Beetle just said really bothered him. He shouldn't know the full extent of what happened in the classroom, and he's sure he didn't watch the video since they were with each other the whole time and neither of them clicked the link...

So, how did he know the Mayor was threatening the parents' jobs?

Chapter Text

"Dear Austin Tomassian, your ass is out of this fucking world!"

Marc couldn't help but laugh a bit before looking back down in his journal, wearing a contemplative expression as he chewed on his pencil. 'It's not too late to back out.'

"Cosette! Give me that!" Jean attempts to snatch the pink sheet of paper out of their hand, but Denise hefts him over their shoulder. "Denise! You traitor!" The bodybuilder only snickers as Cosette continues to write the obscene letter.

"Thank you, Denise, my love," they said in a posh voice. "Now where was I? Ah, yes." Cosette cackled then continued to write. "Your thighs are God-sent! I would very much love to be crushed by them until I am nothing but... Hm... Nothing but what?"

Ismael snickers. "Nothing but a mass of flesh and crushed bones! Put that down, put that down!"

"You people are a menace! I just said he looked good in those shorts!" Jean screamed as he writhed in Denise's hold, but they weren't letting him down any time soon, not when the class was on a roll today! After all, Valentine's Day is when single friends can poke fun at each other for being single, gorge on chocolates, and write crude cards they'll never send out... Well, that last part might just be their class. 

Simon adds while looking down at his phone, "Don't forget to describe how thick his thighs are." Out of defeat, Jean went limp in Denise's hold, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop them from writing. The only good thing about this is knowing Tomassian will never see that note. They always make sure to dispose of the "love letters" so they will never be seen again.

Cosette reads over the letter, putting on a serious, thoughtful expression while doing so. "Yes, yes. I think we truly captured the essence of a disaster pansexual simping after an asshole's hot thighs. Okay, Denise, set him down." The Cuban complied, and Jean quickly snatched the letter and crumpled it into a ball. "Damn, not even five seconds."

"Ya'll are some jerks." Jean gives the paper ball an extra tight squeeze, waning the paper to be so wrinkled the words will be unreadable. "Now I can't compliment a guy without you all going completely insane."

"Face it." Lacey slings an arm around him. "You, my friend, are the class simp now and forever." Jean poked at the shorter girl's sides as his classmate's laughed. You get Akumatized, take one of your classmates out on a date one time, go ballistic, and suddenly, you're the 'Class simp,' a title Jean preferred rather than the ones he was dreading to be given when he returned to class two days after his Akumatization into Magician of Misfortune.

Jean was utterly mortified when the details came back to them and they couldn't face their classmates the next morning. So they took a brief mental health break. The thespian wanted no more than to stay home or even switch schools, but they couldn't leave their friends or go without looking Marc in the eye and telling him they were sorry. After two days of staying home and contemplating what to do, Jean went back to class and was met with the usual kind expressions of their classmates.

No one was laughing at him for that failed confession, his classmates weren't glaring at him for nearly killing a fellow student in a jealous rage, Marc wasn't running away in terror at the sight of him. Everything seemed... Okay. Before he could even begin to apologize to Marc, the noirette got up and wrapped him in his arms, telling him it was okay. Apparently, Ikati Black dropped by his house after he was de-akumatized and explained Monarc's Envy-Akuma was the cause of Jean's hostility. Besides, they know Jean isn't the jealous type, and would never dream of putting his friends in danger.

So, the class chalked it up as, 'Blame Monarch,' and things continued as they were... Until Marc brought up Jean's crush on him one day in private. The thespian knew they weren't getting out of this, but he was thankful it was only Marc talking to him about it and not the entire class, though, they probably understood this was a private matter... It went fine, Jean didn't get Akumatized due to Marc not returning his feelings, they stayed friends, and the two went about their day. There were a few awkward moments afterward, but things will get better with time.

And as for why no one was laughing at Jean, if one were to ask Aurore, she'll tell you she and her parasol had nothing to do with it.

"Hey, don't blame me for admiring quality shorts," Jean retorts before tossing the crumpled note into a recycling bin. "Now, enough of that. I'd like to hear everyone's Valentine's Day plans! Dish!"

"Mi amor is taking me for a romantic picnic." Denise pulls Simon in for a hug while the redhead was on his phone. But, he took a break just to kiss them. "You're gonna love my dress." Simon's face turned a bright shade of red at the thought of Denise in a flowing sun dress with matching sandals and a shimmering pair of earrings.

Reshma cooed. "You need to tell us all the details after and then show me your outfit! Ismael, Marinette, Alix, Jean, and I are going for an 'Aro Spec Outing.' Basically, we will be buying all of the chocolates we can get our hands on, watch couples, and then watch the least romantic movie we can find at my place."

"And I intend to be the ultimate anti-thesis of this holiday," Ismael declared, earning a nudge on the shoulder from Jean. "Well, I do. I radiate Aromantic energy! I'm chaotic, loud, and short!"

"So is Alix," Jean reminds him. "Face it, you have competition. And while you two possibly tear each other up on who radiates the most badass aromantic energy, my fellow demisexual demi-goddesses and I will be looking fabulous as fucking always in our matching crop tops."

Ismael scoffed. "Keep your precious crop tops! I'll suffer under the weight of my hoodie!"

"Ismael, no wearing hoodies in this weather," Mme. Mendeleive chided on her way into the classroom, carrying a smaller stack of papers today as it was a holiday. "Now, since it is Valentine's Day, I figured the lesson today should be on the hormones that cause most humans to develop romantic feelings.”

"Way to stick to the theme," Mireille commended with a giggle.

While walking past her friend, Cosette can't help but take a little peek at what he's writing his journal and smirks when she recognizes it as a poem. A love poem by the looks of it. "What hormones make you attracted to redheads in purple pants?" Cosette cackled, making him hide his face behind his bag. The purple-haired teacher gave a fond roll of her eyes. "Ah, you love me."

"Alright, I'll bite. Having boy troubles, Marc?"

"N-no! It's just... Something I'm working on, that's all," he mumbled, but neither his friends nor teacher looked convinced. "... It's nothing serious! I'm just asking if he wants to hang out, or... Something."

"You write so well, yet talk so weird," Lacey commented. "Alright, during study hall, we'll see what you got so far. And if it's good, you can give it to him. But if it's terrible, we will scold you and dub you 'Bad gay.'" Marc's eyes grew wide with her words.

Aurore squeezed his shoulder. "She doesn't mean that."

"Oh, I do."

💔🦋

"Now everyone, what have we learned simply by breaking down the context of the classic fairytales we've read these past two weeks?" Mme. Bustier was thrilled to see so many hands shoot up. She points to Reshma.

"Men with a high social standing asserted their dominance by kissing young unconscious girls without their consent," she explained, earning a thumbs up from Lacey and a 'Nice one,' nudge in the shoulder courtesy of Ismael. "Because, as I said, they were unconscious."

Denise snaps their fingers. "Facts. Also, if you wanna get all mushy, I guess it's that 'true love' as they called it, can overcome all... Yadda, yadda, yadda, and love conquers hate, which, I'd love to believe, but check out the world we're living in, people."

"Both of you are correct," the teacher confirmed. "There are different ways to break down these stories. Some might see them as romantic, while others only find them quite disturbing and for legitimate reasons. I know I said you didn't have to, but have any of you read the original Sleeping Beauty?" The few students who dared to nod had clear looks of discomfort. "What that Prince did? Unforgivable."

Before she could go into another rant, the bell rang for study hall and the students gathered their belongings.

"Now, since today is a holiday, there won't be any homework. I'm sure quite a few of you have plans." Seeing Denise and Simon giggling like typical schoolchildren in love, Caline smiled. 'I'm glad some people understand romance.'

💔🦋

"... It's too much, isn't it?"

The other students, which looked creepy to some, looked up at the green-eyed boy at the same time and wore the exact same unreadable facial expressions. They just stared at him for a moment before looking back down at what he had written in his journal.

"... Marc," Jean finally says. "Th-this isn't a normal note you just pass to someone asking if they wanna hang out. I mean... Oh my God, this is a legit love note. And it's beautiful. I-I mean... Lacey, help me."

"It's fucking poetry," she puts it simply. "And you're doing more than just asking him to hang out- Listen to this. 'Your hair like a candle's flame lights up my day. Your crystal blue eyes leave me stunned with nothing to say. Your voice is like a song, an unforgetful tune. Your smile shines so bright that it makes me swoon. When I got to know you, all I could do was pine, and I am hoping today you will say yes and be mine.'" Aurore and Jean swoon. "Marc, this is like one of the most romantic pieces of poetry in our generation. I-I mean... Right, guys?!"

Ismael nods. "Oh, hell yeah. Even I'd say yes to a date with you."

"Marc, I don't know what was going on through your head, but this is a full-on love letter," Simon adds, giving the noirette a gentle look only reserved for Denise and his family. "Like, seriously, this is beautiful."

"Think it's too much?" He asked, suddenly tensing up. Marc hadn't meant for the letter to sound like that. The week before Valentine's Day, he was in his room, thinking of Nathaniel... His cute smile, that soft voice, those kind eyes, the way he sticks his tongue out a bit when he's concentrating on a sketch... Then suddenly, there were words on the paper. "I-I don't want to scare him off!"

"Scare who off?" The group turns and sees Marcelle just making her way into the library with her messenger bag decorated with Valentine's Day-themed pins. "What's up, ya'll?" She takes the empty seat next to her brother and looks around at the table in confusion. "And, why is everyone but you sitting on one side?" Simon passes her the love letter, making Marc try to grab at the letter until she grips his wrists in one hand. "Let's see... Oh... Oh my God, bro. Okay, Nath is gonna love this."

Cosette snorts, "He's not going to give it to him. Apparently, Marc was just trying to ask if he wanted to hang out but ended up pouring his emotions out. Now he's trying not to scare him off, but between us? I think Nath might like this letter." The others lean in, asking them to elaborate. "Alright, well Nath's pretty into romantic gestures and junk, don't ask how I know," they quickly add. "But, he would probably love something like this. Of course, it's your choice whether or not you'll tell him, but I'm just saying."

Marcelle hands Marc his letter, and he looks down at it with a contemplative look, wondering whether or not he should give the letter to the redhead. After all, there's the chance Nathaniel might not even return his feelings, this was all for nothing, and he'll never want to see him again!... Wow, this must be how Jean felt. Before he could mull it over some more, Marcelle wrapped him in for a side hug.

"You got this, brother," she assured. "Either give him the note and become boyfriends, or don't give him the note, ask him to hang out, and see where that goes."

"... Thanks, Marcy," he smiled and returned the hug.

"And if you end up dating," Ismael interrupts. "I call being the third wheel on your first date."

💔🦋

"Velma, for the last time, you're asking the wrong girl about romance," Marinette huffed. "My last crush was when I was eleven, and it was on Mr. Rogers for Christ's sake!"

Max and Nino resist the urge the laugh, knowing it would be the end of them. "Mr. Rogers?" Nino squeaked while trying to suppress a laugh.

Marinette points to him. "Shut it, Shaggy, adults are talking. Also, Mr. Rogers is a fucking treasure in a red sweater, don't you even. Now back to you." She points to Max. "I know little to nothing about courting someone, so the most I can do for you is give you affirmations, slap you across the face if you start spiraling, and tell you your outfit is perfect." Noticing his collar looked a little skewed, Marinette straightens it and brushes some lint off of his red jacket. "Okay, now it's perfect. The rest is up to you, Max."

"But I can't!" He suddenly blurted, startling his friends. "I keep thinking of all of the ways this could go wrong, and it is messing with my head! There's a thirty-five percent chance Kim won't like my gift, a twenty-one percent chance he won't be Pont des Arts for his after-school run, and a dreadful fifty-seven percent chance that Monarch will pull his BS and Akumatize someone!"

"Max!" The young genius' spiraling came to an end with a quick slap across the face from Marinette while Nino tried to calm him down. "Chill! Breathe! Think!... Actually, don't think. Anyway, Kim is the sweetheart of this group, this we all know. I'm the fun one, you're the smart one, and Marinette's the little demon on our shoulders."

"It's true."

Nino continues, "And I know my man. You two have been bros for years and have seen each other through it all. Remember when you two were nine?"

Oh yes, he does. It was a free day for their class and Max was minding his own business by the swings, building his first robot. It had taken a while, but he found all of the necessary parts and appliances and was using every free moment to work on it. This wasn't going to be anything fancy, just a little remote-controlled robot, but Max was proud of his work... Or he was until Rafael poured water from his thermos all over his creation, and in addition, him.

The young genius refused to cry, especially in front of the classroom bully almost as terrible as Chloe, but the tears came and Rafael got some members of his jerk entourage to mock him. Max was about to run away to save himself from further ridicule when out of nowhere, this blur of red came and shoulder-rammed Rafael into the sandbox. Max watched with a well-deserved smile as Rafael got sand in his mouth and down his pants before running back inside a blubbering mess.

The kid in red scared off Rafael's friends, and it was just the two of them by the swings at the moment. And the rest after their encounter was just all bliss for Max, really. He can't exactly pinpoint when his crush on Kim started, but he knows it had to be before they started going to DuPont and that "admiration" wasn't actually admiration at all.

"Now go!" Nino shouted, rousing Max from his memories. "Adhhab ya sahi! Confess to your man!"

"I-I'm going! No need to- Hey!" He yelps when Marinette starts pushing him down the sidewalk. "Is the pushing necessary? I know the way to the bridge."

"Pushing is always necessary! And if you don't leave right now before this minute is up, you'll miss him," she reasoned, and how could Max possibly argue with that logic when he, Nino, and Marinette spent three days planning this out? Along with timing Kim's route, Nino helped Max pick out a perfect gift, Marinette helped put together a casual yet formal outfit, and now he was ready... Sort of. "Hurry! I gotta meet up with the other Aros so we can steal everyone's chocolate!"

"... Do we call the police?" Alya wondered as the three passed by her and Adrien. The blonde only shrugged and the two continued their way down the sidewalk, chalking it off as a round of out-of-school shenanigans for the friend group. "So, you get any candy and cards from crazy fangirls yet?" To this, Adrien responded with a long-suffering sigh. "I'll take that as a yes, then. Man, just be lucky they haven't sent you their panties."

Adrien groaned. "I don't like that word!"

"Panties?" The creole girl smirked when he hid his face behind his hands and screamed. "It's so easy to mess with you, blondie," she laughed. Adrien frowned, and in response, she leaned against his shoulder in a friendly manner. "Look, I'll help you sort through those so-called gifts and, we'll gorge on the chocolate that probably hasn't been drugged, and watch some horror movies like single people. What do you say?"

He didn't need any time to think it over. "Deal. But be warned, a lot were sent two days in advance." Off her horrified expression, he nodded. "Yeah, that's the price when you just look this good. 'Tis a curse," he lamented dramatically. Alya flicks the side of his head, making the blonde lightly slap her hand away.

"But, really, Adrien," Alya said, her voice turning serious. "I get you're a big celebrity and all that, there's always going to be your admirers going on about how much they "love you," but... What exactly do they write? Are the letters usually tame, downright creepy...? I wanna be prepared for what I'm about to see."

Adrien was quiet for a while, and Alya worried she might have brought up a bad memory. But he sucked in a breath and told her, "The creepiest one I got was when I was ten."

"What?!" Alya asked, freaked out. "Wh-what did it say?"

"Nothing inappropriate, just some lady claiming that I'm her son because we have the same eyes, and-"

"Adrien, that is definitely inappropriate-!" She closes her eyes and holds her hands up for a moment. After taking a deep breath, Alya continued, calmer this time, "Adrien some woman who thinks you're her son got your address and sent you a letter claiming you as her son... Again, that's inappropriate and terrifying. I... I gotta burn the creepy letters up when we get to your place, alright?"

He chuckles. "That was the plan."

💔🦋

"You there, dude?"

"You didn't chicken out, did you?"

Max rolled his eyes at Nino's comment. As tempting as it was to hang up, he'll admit, Nino and Marinette are good moral support... When they want to be. They're like older siblings to him, always teasing and poking fun at his expense especially when it comes to crushes, but it's all in good fun. "I'm still here, Nino. Kim should be nearing the bridge in one minute and fifteen seconds."

"Max, I hear the fear in your voice," Marinette tells him. "You've got this, alright? Just be your charming nerdy self, give Kim his gift, and you're good! Now, I've gotta go," she hastily said before Max could thank her. "Gotta change into my green outfit, meet up with the other Demigods by the candy shop, and buy all of the chocolates we can fit in our hands!" Nino laughed on the other line. "Don't go into a gay panic, love you, byeeee!" 

And Max could hear her footsteps becoming fainter as she ran off.

"Don't worry, bro, I'm here."

Max smiled. "I appreciate it, Nino- Oh, Lord, not now," he groaned, worrying the other boy.

"What is it? An Akuma?"

He scoffed. "I wish. It's Chloe."

"What?! She shouldn't be there! Chloe always goes to the mall on Valentine's Day for those sales on perfume and shit; she should be in her limo right now!"

Shushing him, Max whispered, "Okay, maybe if I don't look at her, she won't notice me and go away. Hopefully, before Kim arrives." He turns around and leans over the railing, pretending to be a regular everyday person by the Pont des Arts, just looking at the city. He tenses a bit when he hears the familiar click of the spoiled girl's heels against the floor and silently prays to whoever might be listening that she won't notice him.

And it would seem his prayers have been answered because Chloe's too busy looking down at her phone. But before he could let out a breath of relief, at the worst possible moment, Kim arrived eighteen seconds early and hollered his name with a wave, catching Chloe's unwanted attention.

"... Shit."

Chloe spun on her heel and Max felt himself going pale when he saw the smirk she would always wear right before she ruined someone's life. "Max! Fancy seeing you here. Waiting for a certain someone? What? Did you make another lame robot to be your boyfriend?" As she let out a laugh that sounded more like a witch's cackle, Max murmured some unsavory things under his breath.

"Cram it, Bourgeois!" Kim thundered in Max's defense. Paying no mind to Chloe's sputtering from being addressed that way, he slings an arm around Max. "He doesn't need a robot, because any guy would be lucky enough to be asked out by him. You, on the other hand? It's gonna take a team of the world's brightest robotists to create a robot that can stand to even be near you."

Max tried not to blush and tells him, "The word is 'roboticists'."

"My point still stands." Ever since the incident during parents' day, Chloe and her father were on slowly thinning ice, and the students were becoming bolder around her as a result. Parents were making calls to their friends and colleagues outside of the city, some of whom are very invested in politics, and let them know what went down last week in Paris. Probably the entire city saw the video when Rogercop made his announcement, and many were not happy with what they saw. What kind of decent man would threaten the jobs of innocent people and allow his daughter to threaten her classmates with his political power?

People were now calling for re-elections and those who had run against the Mayor not too long ago talked about running for office again after the video surfaced. Max thought it seemed a bit too hasty as it's only been a week, but he supposed the possible future candidates would be better suited for the position of Mayor. One woman's campaign is centered around clean energy and making it so the buses in Paris are electric.

The blonde girl huffed and was about to retort until she noticed a small red box in Max's hand. While he wasn't looking, she snatched the box.

"HEY!"

"Max? What's happening?" He heard Nino ask, but he focused more on getting the box back. "I'm coming there, man!"

"Knowing your subway worker for a mother's salary," And if that didn't piss Max off... "It's probably more worthless than that tacky jacket Dupain-Cheng picked out." ... It was when she tossed it to the ground, that Max heard something shatter. "The poor loser will probably be thanking me for this when or if he does show up. Now he won't be forced to look at whatever you picked out."

Kim was boiling with rage by that point. His dad always told him not to hit girls, but his mom said it was okay especially if a girl hit him first... He would have gone with his mother's words, but not while Chloe still had some sway. So, a verbal attack it is.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO, CHLOE?!"

... That wasn't him

They turn their heads to where they heard the thundering voice and found Nino of all people. For those who knew the bespectacled boy, this is a shock since he never raises his voice, opting for silent anger so he doesn't worry about upsetting anyone by yelling, but today was an exception. He stormed over to Chloe and before she could get a word in, he points his finger in front of her face as she usually does with others. "You miserable little-! What gives you the fucking right to come in when you're never welcome and just ruin everything for everyone?! What?! Do you get a sick kick out of seeing people cry, or something?!"

Cry? Kim looked down and his breath hitched when he saw a tear streaming down the side of Max's face. 'Oh, hell no.' He pulls the shorter boy in for a hug and leads him away just a bit from Nino and Chloe. Because if they attract an Akuma, he wants to make sure Max has a headstart when it comes time to run.

"It is nobody's fault but yours that you're just plain terrible and that's why nobody gave you a Valentine!"

Chloe looked aghast and whipped out her phone. "Not true! My Adrikins signed a poster professing his love for me, and-"

"Chloe..." Nino lifts up his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I was right outside the classroom when he told you to take a hike." All of the color seemed the drain from her face. "And don't think I didn't see you sign that damn poster yourself right before demanding that Sabrina lug it all the way to your hotel room! My God! Is that why you're bitter? The little fantasy you created where Adrien worships the ground you walk on doesn't exist so you just have to make everyone else miserable? Fuck, that says a lot about you! And..." He suddenly went rigid.

Before Chloe could take the opportunity to retort, her eyes shot wide open and she took off screaming when she saw the familiar butterfly-shaped outline over Nino's face. Kim and Max followed suit in the other direction when Nino agreed to Monarch's terms. Although, Kim was doing most of the running as he was practically dragging Max away from the Akuma before he saw them.

But, so had had an idea of who to look for just in case the Akuma could blend in easily, Kim stole a quick glance and saw that this Akuma had big black wings. That sure made things easy on how to spot him. However, catching him would be a little tricky.

"Okay," the jock panted as he came to a stop in an alley, much to Max's relief. "This should be fine... Sorry for dragging you-"

"It's fine," Max said as he wiped away a stray tear. "Th-thanks for your help back there with Chloé."

Kim messed with his hoodie sleeve. "Ah, I think Nino deserves the credit there. You know, once Ikati Black and Scarlet Beetle help him," he adds uneasily. "I... I'm going to... Try and talk him down."

Max gawked. "What?! Kim, are you sure? You don't know what Nino's capable of now while as an Akuma." A scream from not too far away only proves his point. While that does give him an opportunity to transform, Max doesn't want Kim possibly risking his life because of a stupid confession that just had to be on Valentine's Day! But, with a little physical prodding from Plagg, he relents. "Be careful, please?"

Kim smiled at the concern. "I'll be alright, bud." And with a quick hug, he was gone.

"Kid, what is up with humans and romance?" Plagg bemoaned while Max tried to push down his current feelings. "It was way simpler when guys would just kill an animal and they'd have their pick of women... And sometimes in private, guys." And if Max were drinking something at that moment, he'd spit it out. "Now it's all needing to make some big gesture."

"This is different, Plagg," he sighed. "I get where you're coming from, I was never one for grand gestures, either, but... I'm not sure. Today, I figured one was needed." Seeing Plagg give a dramatic sigh and eye roll helped him to smile a little bit. "We can talk about this later. Scarlet's probably waiting. Plagg, Claws Out."

💔🦋

"Wings Down." Nathaniel made his way out of the alley while licking a candy apple, looking innocent enough. "Wasn't like I had anyone to spend Valentine's Day with, anyway," he said to himself.

"What about Alix?" Nooroo wondered. The Kwami was sitting in his holder's jacket pocket and scrolling through his phone. He had just discovered Tumblr and was already obsessed with these 'memes.'

Nathaniel hummed to himself. "I was thinking more romantically. Plus, she's causing chaos with the other aromantics. So, I'll probably just head to the diner; mom usually needs more help during Valentine's Day because of all the couples that come in."

Nooroo only nodded, still so invested with memes and something called a 'Gif.' But, he just couldn't help asking, "Why didn't you ask Marc if he'd like to hang out today?" Feeling the redhead tense up, the Kwami smirked. That online friend group quiz was right, he is a gremlin. "So?..."

"W-well... I just haven't... Run into him so I could ask," he explained skittishly, and it wasn't a total lie since he really hasn't seen or run into Marc today. He felt a strange combination of relief and disappointment, but it spared him the embarrassment, so he was more relieved. "Besides, you think he wants anyone asking him out after that bs I pulled with Magician of Misfortune? I bet he's turned down at least five people."

"Someone thinks highly of him," Nooroo sang. While Nathaniel sputtered, he was now checking out the posts with 'Monarch' as a tag... And maybe it's a good thing Nathaniel hasn't seen these yet. They're not negative, just odd. The art is mostly him holding or flirting with different people, and him in different noble outfits Nooroo recognizes from when he was active during the Middle Ages.

"H-hey, Nathaniel," he heard. Deciding he's had enough screen time, Nooroo turns off the phone and listens closely through the pocket's fabric.

"Hey, Marc. Um... Happy Valentine's Day," he said awkwardly and only made it worse for himself when he shoots an unsure finger gun. 'Stupid bisexuality!' "What uh... Any- I... What's up?" And... Crash and burn. Not even a minute has gone by and Marc is looking anywhere but him. He should write a book, 'How to Scare Off a Cute Person.' Now if only he were good at writing.

Marc bit his lip and all Nathaniel could think was, 'Why do I find that attractive?! What's wrong with me?!' "I just, um..." He looks off to the side again, and Nathaniel noticed. Before he could take a look, Marc continued, "I-I was wondering if you'd like to maybe..." His eyes suddenly shot open. "LOOK OUT!"

"What?" Nathaniel yelps as he's pushed out of the way, nearly falling to the ground if he hadn't caught his balance. Looking up, he gasps when he sees a black arrow lodged in Marc's shoulder before it disappeared. "No," he whispered when the other boy's light pink lips turned pitch black.

He rushes to Marc's side, as do some of his classmates and his sister. Where did they come from? He doesn't know, and doesn't care, because right now, Marc was just shot by one of Anti-Eros hate arrows!... Wow, that's a mouthful.

He takes his hand, hoping for a reaction. "Marc? Are you okay?" And he gets one, just not one he prefers. Nathaniel winced a bit as his hand was crushed in the noirette's surprisingly tight grip. "Wh-what are you- OKAY! SOMETHING CRACKED!"

"Oh, I'll be fine," Marc hissed, startling everyone. "JUST AS SOON AS YOU GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME, YOU TWERP!" Before one of them could blink, Nathaniel was slammed into a wall and boxed in by Marc's hands on either side of his head. The look in his normally kind green eyes sent a shiver down Nathaniel's spine; they were filled with nothing but hate and anger.

"Marc," Marcelle squeaked. "J-just chill out, bro. Let's not do something we'll regret later."

The noirette ignored her reasoning and continued to glare at the redhead with all of the hate in his body. "When I let you go, you better get running in the next ten seconds, or I will jam one of my fucking pens through your neck, yank it out, and then finger-fuck the hole!" For emphasis, he holds up two fingers to Nathaniel's face, making him gulp and wrap a hand around his neck as if that'll protect him.

Marcelle and his friends, meanwhile, could only stare at the green-eyed boy with their mouths hung open for that graphic statement. Even Cosette looked horrified, and it thrived on creative threats and insults.

"... Holy fuck, dude," it finally uttered.

When Marc stepped to the side, Nathaniel wasted no time making a break for it. And if anyone saw him crying, there's the excuse that he twisted his ankle while running.

💔🦋

"Scarlet?!" Ikati Black called out for the tenth time after he's left three voicemails on Scarlet Beetle's phone. Still nothing, and he was getting more worried by the minute, especially since he couldn't find Anti-Eros, and no one would be of any help to him, because they hate him, everyone, and everything! Ikati Black was about to call again until he remembered the trackers on their phones.

"Can't believe I forgot about this," he murmured while tapping a few buttons on his staff. On the screen appeared two icons, one black, and one red. With this, they can track any active Miraculous Holder, but only if they sync their phones, so there was no chance of them finding Monarch, and they have tried.

And according to the tracker, Scarlet Beetle is... Right on top of him. Quirking an eyebrow, Ikati Black has no time to react when he's suddenly tackled to the ground by a blur of black and red. The impact made his glasses crack a bit, but he could still see. And what he saw was Scarlet Beetle with a crazed look in his eyes and blackened lips stretched into a maniacal grin.

Ikati Black struggled under his partner. "Scarlet! What the fuck?! G-get off of me!" He screamed.

"Why should I?" Even his voice sounded wrong. He seized the other hero's throat and chuckled as he began to cough from a lack of air. "With you out of the way, maybe I can find a better partner. One less WEAK!" He lifts Ikati Black up off the ground and flings him off the side of the roof so he lands in the alley with a crash.

"Shit," Ikati Black hissed as he staggered back to his feet. "What's gotten into him?"

"Anti-Eros." The hero reached for his staff, only to calm down when he saw it was only Nathaniel sitting behind some old bins. "It's his power- He fires an arrow at you, th-then you only feel hate and anger. It's fucking terrifying. On my way over here, I-I saw a woman beat her husband with his own shoe. And then she stole his wallet before kicking him and then just running off laughing like a maniac."

Ikati Black shuddered with his words. "Jesus. Wait, what are you doing here?"

"Well-" Suddenly, he jolts when he spots something. Nathaniel grabs Ikati Black's wrist and pulls him behind the bins with him. He puts a finger up to his lips before he could ask anything.

"Nathan," they both heard Marc croon as he walked by the alley. "Come on, I just wanna talk." The hero's fake ears picked up a distinct clicking sound. Almost like a pen. Why was he clicking a pen? And why is Nathaniel so afraid?

When he finally walked past them, Ikati Black let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Was he really just afraid of Marc Anciel of all people for a second? "Alright, you should definitely stay here."

"Yeah, no kidding."

Not deterred by the bite in his response, the hero continued, "I'll try to get this fixed, but with Scarlet Beetle under Anti-Eros' influence, this'll be a challenge."

'... Scarlet Beetle is under one of my Akuma's control?' He didn't hear Ikati Black saying goodbye as he vaulted away. Today was... Starting to look up! Yes, Marc hurt him terribly, he almost cried in front of people who weren't Alix or his mother, and now he's hiding from Marc in a dark alley, but... It's fine. Scarlet Beetle's somewhat under his control, he probably hates Ikati Black, so he's sure to have the upper hand in this fight.

"Nathaniel, I have to admit, I was surprised you didn't take Ikati Black's Miraculous," Nooroo confessed with his head poked out of the redhead's pocket.

"... Yeah, so am I." He saw it right there. His ring finger was right there in front of him. And he could have Anti-Eros trick Scarlet Beetle into giving up his earrings by saying it'll make Ikati Black upset. "... No use having regrets now," he sighed.

💔🦋

Scarlet Beetle flips another car over with his yoyo. Still no sign of that waste of a Miraculous yet. With a growl, he threw his yoyo at a wall. The impact from the indestructible weapon caused chunks of bricks to fly everywhere and hit parked cars, and he just HATED those damn sirens! Huffing, he punched off a rearview mirror.

"Dude, chill." Anti-Eros practically demanded as he tossed an arrow up and down in his hand. "You'll find your little stray, get his Miraculous, and all will be right. Have a little faith, bug."

"I just want to," Scarlet Beetle seethed before setting his sights on a mural of himself and Ikati Black painted on a wall. He snarled and destroyed his partner's face with his yoyo. "THAT!"

While Scarlet Beetle ranted and Anti-Eros pretended to care, a small group of five was watching the scene unfold from behind a tipped-over bus.

Jean groaned. "This is bad, guys. How's Ikati Black supposed to beat 'em both?"

There they were in the park, having the time of their lives and eating chocolates, laughing loudly to annoy the couples when out of nowhere, this guy with black bird wings comes swooping down and shooting people with a crossbow. It didn't take Marinette long to figure out that was Nino thanks to his voice, but when she tried to reason with him, and ask what was wrong, he goes and shoots her with an arrow... Seven times!

By the seventh arrow, Marinette's had just about enough, but before she could rip his wings off, Reshma's already dragging her all through Paris where it's nothing but chaos. And it's not the good kind. People are throwing flowers to the ground and stomping on them, yelling at other people, and going so far as to make them cry. She may not be a sap for romance, but no one deserves to be brought to tears on Valentine's Day.

"... Maybe we can help." Everyone stared at Reshma like she had grown a second head.

"... It's not true love's kiss, is it?" Alix nearly retched at the thought. "You know I can't stand that stuff."

Jean hummed. "Tempting, but I'm saving myself." Reshma and Ismael smirked.

"Like you saved yourself for Marc?" Ismael snickered, earning a swift slap to the back of his head. "Worth it."

"Think about it," Reshma continued. "When he fired arrows at Marinette, nothing happened. Pretty strange for an Akuma, right? And when we were escaping, I saw him fire an arrow at this man, and he tore up the card his boyfriend gave him. So... And this is just a guess. It's possible he has anti-love arrows, but, they don't work on us because we are on the aromantic spectrum."

The others thought carefully about this. Anti-love arrows would fit the Akuma's theme. And if they're taking away romantic love, then, maybe Reshma is right.

"Alright, I'm in," Ismael said without missing a beat. "What's the plan, Resh?"

"Hey, I'm obviously immune," Marinette shrugged. Jean and Alix nodded along, remembering how sick they felt when they saw Marinette with seven arrows sticking out of her body. "I'm in, too."

She put it simply. "Basically... We're human shields."

"... Yeah, I saw that coming," Alix remarked. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Ikati Black vaulting over rooftops. "Oh. Sooner than I thought."

💔🦋

Alya nearly choked on her cranberry juice when she was done reading a heart-shaped note. "Holy shit! You gotta hear this!" She gave a dramatic show of clearing her throat and reads in a faux British accent, "'Adrien, my love-'" Adrien immediately burst into laughter, making her laugh again.

"What's up with the accent?"

"She just sounds British, alright?" She cackled. "Just... Just shut up, man, I'm reading. 'I am in love with you and have been for quite some time now. I knew we were meant to be the moment we crossed paths at your fashion show two years ago...'" Alya's voice began to trail off, looking a the letter unsurely. "Should I keep reading? I feel like there's a dark turn coming up."

Adrien purses his lips for a moment. "... Keep going."

"'The moment you walked past me, I inhaled the scent of your golden locks-' Okay! No! I'm sorry, but I cannot in good conscience read the rest of this. She sounds like a downright stalker. Hell, she said she inhaled your hair. I wouldn't be surprised if she cut off a piece of your hair- Oh, she did."

"WHAT?!" Adrien screamed. He feels around his head, wondering where she cut the piece off, but it's probably grown back since then. "It actually says that?!" Alya hands him the letter and points to the line. The young heir only read it one time before tossing the letter into the flames coming out of the metal bucket. "... That felt good. Hand me another!"

Alya sifts through the box and pulls out a small package wrapped in pink wrapping paper. "Okay, it feels soft. Maybe a scarf, a hat, or something." She pulls off the ribbon and starts unwrapping the package. What Alya finds underneath the wrapping paper leaves her totally speechless and has Adrien concerned. "... Oh, Jesus Christ almighty." With those words, she tossed the package into the fire before Adrien could have a chance to look.

However, while the flames consume the package, Adrien catches a glimpse of the all too familiar guy's underwear. At this point, he's not even surprised. Since he turned fourteen, people have been sending him all kinds of weird things meant to be arousing so they could grab his attention, but they're all just creepy. This one girl sent over one of her bras spritzed with her favorite perfume, a photo of herself, and her class schedule. Honestly, Adrien was more embarrassed for the girl.

His parents freaked out when they found the letter, contacted the school, and her parents, and now that girl is in therapy. The worst part for her had to be how she was dragged out of her school by an officer in front of her friends while they recorded everything. That video can still be found on YouTube, and none of the comments about her are good when the reason for her arrest was leaked.

"Adrien." The blonde was roused from his memories when Alya held another envelope in front of him, one not heavily decorated like the others they'd seen and in a lavender envelope rather than red or pink. "Wanna open this one? It's from a guy named Wayhem," she teased.

"... Wayhem, huh?"

"Ooh, is someone interested?"

Adrien scoffed. "I don't even know the guy.” He takes the envelope and opens it. Inside is a folded piece of notebook paper rather than something printed out. Looking good so far. He unfolds the note and reads, "'Dear, Adrien. We haven't met before, but I'm Wayhem Admirateur. Don't worry, I'm not one of those psycho fans, LOL.'"

The auburn-haired girl threw her head back with a cackle. "Okay, this guy is officially cool."

"'Yes, I am the admin of the 'Adrien Agreste Fan Club' server, but that's it. Don't worry, there's an age limit to join, in case you're worried. Anyway, I'd just like to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day and say enjoy the passion fruit chocolates, since I read they're your favorite fruit. And if you're reading this letter, I'll be happy crying. Thanks again!
-Wayhem.'"

Adrien slowly lowers the letter and his eyes dart over to the box. He pounces on the box and sifts through what's left of the letters until he finds a fancy-looking box with a tag on it the same color as the envelope Wayhem used and just tears it open. His mouth waters from the scent of the passion fruit and he wastes no time shoving one and then two into his mouth.

"Oh, God," he moaned then took a bite out of another chocolate. "Okay, he has my approval! The other gifts are trash, this is the only thing I want!"

"Not even this ticket to Fiji?" Alya waves the ticket in front of his face. "They're from some chick named Amanda, she has one, too. My guess? She wants a couple's vacay."

"BURN!" Adrien screamed with a mouthful of chocolate. Alya complied with a fond roll of her eyes and tossed the ticket into the flames... Although, in retrospect, maybe she could have pocketed it and treated herself to a free vacation. Before she could look through the box again, Nathalie walked in with a handful of more letters and an irritated expression.

"Hey, Miss Sanceour," Alya greeted. "More letters for Adrien?"

She tosses each one into the flames, earning an impressed look from Alya. "They're for me, actually. Apparently, when you're the assistant for the Agreste family, that puts a bit of a spotlight on you, as well. I can't tell you how many men have tried to put the moves on me while I was with Adrien at his more public shoots. But, I can tell you how many guys I've flipped over my shoulder. Thirty-two." And she tossed in the last letter into the flames, her red lips curling into a satisfied smirk.

Alya laughed again. "Okay! You're officially the most badass woman I've ever met."

"Right back at you, Alya." The two high five.

"Were there any letters from Christopher?" Adrien asked before tossing another chocolate into his mouth.

Nathalie stared at the flames for a moment. "... A few. Remember to burn things responsibly, you two." And those were the last words she said before leaving the room, leaving sort of an eerie atmosphere.

"Who's Christopher?" Alya finally asked.

Adrien bites his lip and looks off to the side. "... Well, let's just say he's too cowardly to meet with Nathalie face to face anymore." And that was all of the information he was willing to give before having another chocolate.

💔🦋

"Get out of the way, Marinette! This doesn't concern you!" Scarlet Beetle snapped every time Marinette took one of Anti-Eros' arrows for Ikati Black.

"Sorry, Nino! Look, I get why you're mad! That was a bullshit move from Chloe!" She jumps in front of an arrow coming for Ikati Black's head and takes it to the shoulder, making her wince. While the arrows didn't affect her and her friends, they still left them sore. But, they powered through the pain. "But not everyone deserves to suffer!"

Anti-Eros fires a couple of arrows to throw Jean and Reshma off. "You weren't there, Marinette! She ruined Max's confession. If our bro can't have a good Valentine's Day, then no one should be allowed to!" This time he aims the arrows at Marinette's purse, the momentum from each arrow causing her to stumble back until she's up against and pinned to a wall. This time, the arrows don't disappear. "Anyone else wanna be a hero?!"

"Just me!" Ikati Black's staff hits the side of his face and knocks him against a car. Before Anti-Eros can get up, Ismael grabs his legs while Alix takes his arms.

"Meet your new ankles, buddy!" Ismael laughed while the two heroes continued their fight.

Scarlet Beetle snarled. "God! You're worthless! I'll just beat the stray on my own!" He throws his yoyo at Ikati Black with no intention of taking breaks, but the other hero deflects each hit with his staff. Ikati Black then leaps into the air and swings his staff at Scarlet Beetle. He dodges and jumps onto a roof to get away with Ikati Black pursuing him.

After a moment of silence, Jean coughs into their fist. "What do we do with the harpy?"

No one noticed the devious look on Reshma's face until she dug through her purse. "Let's draw a bunch of hearts on his face!" To the Akuma's horror, she holds up five tubes of lipstick, each a different shade of red and pink.

💔🦋

Ikati Black spins his staff. "I don't want to fight you, Scarlet! Come on! Paris needs you!"

Looking off to the side for a quick second, Scarlet Beetle smirks when he sees a few couples screaming at each other. "They look fine to me. Now quit buying time! I'm gonna rip that ring right off of your finger and make sure my next partner isn't a complete waste of powers!" He throws his yoyo. Ikati Black grabs the end of it and pulls his partner towards him with this unreadable expression.

"Alright," he huffed. "You and I both know there's probably only one way to snap you out of this." 'Damn literature lesson. Here's hoping he doesn't remember this.' "Pucker up, Scarlet."

Seeing him puckering his lips, Scarlet Beetle yelps and flips Ikati Black over his shoulder. "What's wrong with you?!" He makes a grab for the ring, but Ikati Black kicks him in the stomach, knocking him back.

"Just one little peck on the cheek and we don't have to talk about this ever again!" Although, he'll probably be lying awake all night for months as he recounts his first kiss with someone who wasn't Kim. Sucking in a breath, he grabs Scarlet Beetle by the front of his hoodie as he writhes in his hold.

"NO! I'd rather make out with Monarch than ever kiss you, you damn stray!"

💔🦋

Nathaniel sneezes. "Ugh. Damn allergies."

"You know, that usually means someone is talking about you," Nooroo quipped.

"Ah, who'd talk about me?"

"Nathaniel..." Crooned an all too unwanted voice. Nathaniel froze while Nooroo hid in his blazer. "I thought I heard your voice..."

The redhead whimpered and pressed his back up against the wall as if doing that will make him disappear into it. "God, let him walk by this alley and jam his pen through someone else's neck..."

💔🦋

"I'm not really looking forward to this, either," Ikati Black fibbed. Honestly, there have been some times when his 'gay brain' took over and he found himself thinking about Scarlet Beetle, his smile, his kind eyes... His muscles... Then immediately, he would snap out of those thoughts when he started thinking about Scarlet Beetle without his hoodie on because that was so disrespectful!

Scarlet Beetle reaches for his yoyo, but Ikati Black kicks it to the side, holds his chin so he can't turn his head away, and grabs his wrists with the other hand so he can't push him away. "Pucker up, bug boy!" Before Scarlet Beetle could retort with an insult, Ikati Black's lips crashed against his own. Every instinct he had told him to push him away, but... He didn't feel like it.

As his partner's blackened lips were slowly fading back to their original color, Ikati Black felt his muscles relaxing and he moved his hands to Scarlet Beetle's face to cup it. Everything in this moment was just pure bliss for him... That was until he felt a strong pair of arms wrap around his frame. His eyes widen when he realizes what's happening and hastily moves away from Scarlet Beetle who's looking just as red in the face as him.

"Th... That was to cure you!" He gave a nervous chuckle and tugged on his collar while Scarlet Beetle looked everywhere but him. "W-we should go and... Deakumatize-"

"Yes! Yeah, let's go." Scarlet Beetle picks up his yoyo and fumbles with it for a second before using it to swing away. Ikati Black counts to five before vaulting after him.

💔🦋

"There you two are!" Alix exclaimed, clearly not noticing the awkwardness between the two heroes, and points to Jean. Their hands are cupped around something and they seem to be squirming. "Look, we broke the crossbow, don't ask how, and the Akuma flew out. Jean caught it, but now they're freaking out."

Ikati Black's eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of black poking out through the cracks between Jean's fingers. "Jean... How many minutes ago was it when you grabbed the Akuma?"

The thespian murmurs to himself for a moment. "... About three."

Awkwardness gone for a moment, the heroes glance at each other with horror in their eyes. Scarlet Beetle gulped and got his yoyo ready. "Jean... Let go of it." Slowly, Jean begins to unclasp his hands. The group expected just one Akuma to fly out, not about thirty. Even Anti-Eros looked scared. Scarlet Beetle makes quick work of throwing his yoyo, grabbing about five Akumas at a time, but they kept multiplying.

Reshma rifles through her purse and pulls out a can of hairspray and a lighter. No one questioned why she had those, especially not when she started using the two as a makeshift flamethrower to burn the Akumas. The corrupted origami butterflies fell to the ground as they caught on fire, bright purple flames surrounding them instead of orange. The sight was so mesmerizing that Marinette just had to snap a photo.

"Damn," Alix whispered in awe as more burned. "Is Monarch's magic causing this? It's fucking beautiful."

Scarlet Beetle panted once he purified the last butterfly. "That's all of them." Anti-Eros reverts back to Nino, so now there was just one thing left to do. "Man, this is the first time I didn't need to summon a Lucky Charm," he joked, trying to clear up the awkwardness between himself and Ikati Black, but it was kind of forced.

"Do you?" Questioned Marinette. "I mean... Can't you just throw your yoyo in the air and yell, 'Miraculous Scarlet Beetle!'? Can't hurt to try, right?"

The hero looks down at his weapon... It seemed a bit farfetched, but it couldn't hurt to try. So, with a deep breath, he throws his yoyo into the air and shouted, "MIRACULOUS SCARLET BEETLE!" And to everyone but Marinette's shock, the magic ladybugs appeared and swarmed around the city. Scarlet Beetle chuckled. "Look at that. It worked."

"Best. Valentine's Day. Ever," Alix declared.

💔🦋

"MARC!" Cosette screamed. It skids to a stop before running into the alley with its' friends. Finally, they all found him. When Nathaniel ran away, they thought that would be the end of it, but Marc wanted him gone. So when the ten seconds were up, Marc took off running after the redhead and all the while, they were panicking and trying to stop their friend before he could commit a crime.

Lacey jumps on Marc's back and tries to rip the pen out of his hand. "Don't jam your pen in his neck! Don't finger-fuck the neck hole!"

"Lacey!" He shouted. Marc turns his head so Lacey can see his face, specifically his lips, which are no longer black. "Nathaniel's okay! I'm not trying to kill him anymore!" Calmer than they were a second ago, Lacey looks at the artist, and there's not a single scratch on him. "... So, you can get off of me."

The blonde girl got off of his back with a sheepish grin. "My bad... Hey, anyone ever tell you that you run fast? I know you got those long legs, but damn," she panted, and Marc can't help but feel embarrassed as his memories were still returning.

"H-hey, I'm okay," Nathaniel assured, mostly to Marc. "Scarlet Beetle's cure fixed everything before you could... You know." Marc's screams were muffled by his hands as his friends laughed. Nathaniel was about to walk away and let the group have their moment when something came to mind. "Hey, Marc? Before you got hit, I think you were about to ask me something. What was it?"

And it was times like these when Marc wishes he could disappear. His mouth opened and closed as it tried to form a response. 'Oh, it's happening. Am I gonna do this? Do I want to do this?... I can't do it!' "Uh... I-I can't remember." He couldn't hear their thoughts, but his friends were screaming very loudly in their heads. "Sorry," he sheepishly apologized.

The redhead smiled, and, oh God, Marc is dead because he has the prettiest smile! "It's fine. I guess I'll see you around?" Marc gave a jerky nod that made his ponytail move up and down a bit. "Cool. Happy Valentine's Day, Marc." With those words, he makes his way out of the alley.

Sure he was out of earshot, Marcelle squealed and shook her brother by the shoulders. "He wished you a Happy Valentine's Day! To you! Not us! YOU!" Cosette and Aurore with their hands clasped together jump up and down and scream with happiness, Mireille is giving him a quieter congratulations, and Lacey pulls out her phone.

"The others are gonna flip when they hear this! Wait!" Lacey's posture suddenly goes rigid when she remembers something. "Do you think Denise and Simon are okay?" A deathly silence fell over the group. If Simon were hit by an arrow, he'd go after Denise with a verbal assault, and while that's definitely bad, having your bones dislocated by one of the strongest students in the school seems worse.

"TO THE PARK!" Screamed Aurore.

💔🦋

"See? I told you it'd still be here," Plagg quipped. Max rushes across the bridge and picks up the small gift box tossed aside by Chloé. Ever so slowly, he opens the box and takes a quick little peek. To his disappointment, though, the Miracle Cure didn't fix the damage to the gift. Noticing his expression, Plagg begrudgingly curls up on his friend's shoulder. "Hey, there's always next year, right? Besides, I'm sure you can find a nicer locket."

Every time Max went over to Kim's house to study in his room, his eyes would sometimes trail over to the small collection of lockets he keeps on his nightstand. There were gold, silver, rose gold, and even glass, each one dedicated to a special person in his life. Max was a mess of emotions the day Kim walked into school one day proudly displaying the silver locket bracelet with his photo in it.

So, Max bought him another locket bracelet, one made of glass so you wouldn't have to open it to see the photo, and with two small rhinestones on the edges. One red, and one green.

"Plagg, I spent seventy-five euros on this," Max sighed and started the walk home.

"Why must humans put a price on everything?" The Kwami let out an over-the-top dramatic sigh, making Max roll his eyes with just a little fond expression. "Kid, this is gonna sound corny as hell, but it has to be said, so..." Plagg shudders before forcing out, "The price... Doesn't matter- Hit me now. What matters is the effort- Oh, God! Do you see where I'm going with this? Say yes, so I can stop!"

The bespectacled boy laughed and gave his friend a scratch behind the ears so he'd calm down. "That'll do, Plagg. And, maybe you're right."

"Kid, I'm eons of years old, I know everything about everything."

💔🦋

"Kim, it wasn't your fault," Tikki said to her friend as he lay back on his bed with a pillow over his face to muffle his groaning. "It was the Akuma, and I'm sure Ikati Black knows you didn't mean any of what you said."

The memories of what he said to his partner, his friend hit Kim like a ton of bricks once he transformed back. He couldn't believe some of the heartless things he said, and when Ikati's always been so nice to him. He knows Anti-Eros is to blame, but he was dumb enough to try and take the Akuma head-on without coming up with some sort of plan. He was just so upset with what happened to Max, and what Chloé did, that he didn't stop to come up with a plan!

Huffing, he tosses the pillow aside and just stares up at his ceiling with Tikki at his side. "... So, did Ikati really kiss me, or was I hallucinating?"

Tikki giggled. "No, he definitely kissed you. And you kissed him right back, Kim!" Again, the athlete groaned into his pillow while she continued to laugh. "It was like something out of a fairytale only without the cringe necrophilia." Kim stared at the Kwami in bewilderment. "I look at memes on your phone while you're in class," she chirped. "You're in school for eight hours, and I need something to keep me occupied."

The athlete burst into a fit of laughter with his friend, both being as loud as they wanted since his parents were out on a date. "Where do you get off making me laugh when I'm supposed to be moping?"

"It's my job as your friend," she said with a cheeky grin.

💔🦋

Alya tosses the last letter into the flames. "And that is the last one! Blondie, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad I missed getting footage for the blog. Otherwise, I wouldn't be doing this with you." She grabs her water bottle and starts putting out the flames before they can rise higher.

"Aw," Adrien cooed. "You love me!" In response, a pillow is thrown at his face. "You still love me!"

"Maybe just a bit," Alya confessed. "That, and I just like burning stuff. Not in an arsonist way, though," she adds. "Just let me know when you get any more creepy letters, and I'll come running with some matches." Adrien gives her a thumbs up. "Right... Well, my parents are out, Nora's friend set her up on a blind date, and Ella and Etta are having a Valentine's Day sleepover with their friends, so I've got nothing else planned today."

The two lean back against Adrien's couch, wondering how to kill time. "... Wanna binge-watch the 'Scary Movie' series?" Adrien asked and knew he said the right thing when he saw Alya grinning.

"Throw in 'Haunted House' with Marlon Wayans, and you've got yourself a deal, blondie."

💔🦋

"Son of a bitch!" Bunnyx hissed as she closed the Burrow window. "Oh, you just had to go and prank Emperor Claudius! You just had to get him executed for witchcraft!" She admonished herself before tearing her fingers through her hair with a heavy sigh. "... Okay! It's fine! Valentine's Day will just have to be in October now. It's fine!"

Although she didn't believe her words, Bunnyx continued to assure herself until she got sick of it and opened the window again. She scrolled through until she found the scene she was looking for, and smiled sadly at her friend creating origami butterflies with the Butterfly Kwami. "... Don't do anything stupid, Nath."

Chapter Text

"And... Action."

On cue, Aurore, Ismael, Jean, Denise, and Mireille walk into the library carrying bagged lunches and looking like they'd rather be doing anything but be near each other. Another thing, they were dressed how their parents were when they were their age.

Aurore's outfit consisted of a knee-length high-waisted skirt fitting securely around her waist with a light pink Peter-Pan collared shirt tucked into it. The black flats and the matching belt kept pristine over the years were eagerly provided by her mother when she heard what they'd be used for. Her hair was down and curled a bit, giving it more volume.

A slightly oversized flannel shirt fit well enough over Ismael, who opted to wear it under a black denim jacket and leave both open to show off the white v-neck t-shirt. His distressed jeans were dirty in some places and rolled up a bit to show off his brown combat boots. The outfit gave him a rugged appearance, and he fell in love with it the second he put it on.

Jean's blue and white letterman jacket fit well on him, and really gave the illusion that he lived at the gym thanks to the sleeves. On the jacket were a few varsity pins and letters from different sports, and around his neck, he wore a silver chain. His black shirt was tucked into a pair of loose-fitting acid wash jeans, and completing the look was a pair of blue and white sneakers.

Simon was trying his hardest not to drool at the sight of Denise's bookworm attire. Their curly hair was pulled back into a bun with a light green scrunchie, and they wore a pair of fake prescription glasses with black rims. The enby's light green cardigan was worn over a white button-up shirt tucked into a brown knee-length pencil skirt with matching flats.

And finally, Mireille looked like she could be Juleka's sister with her black makeup, black turtle neck paired with black jeans, black studded boots, and a black leather overcoat with metal studs on the shoulders.

Aurore rolled her eyes when she noticed Ismael's eyes on her. "Eyes on your sandwich."

"Sure, if I can get a shake to go with it." His rude laughter was interrupted by a quick shove from Jean.

"You need another reminder, jackass?" He asks with a raised fist.

Ismael gave an airy laugh and held up his hands as a show of peace. "Jockstrap, chill. Just getting her warmed up for you." Aurore walked further ahead with Jean tailing after her. "Hey, you're welcome!" He laughed and nudged Denise in the arm. "You believe that guy?"

Denise almost looks surprised that Ismael is talking to them. "Y-yeah," they murmured. "It's... It's out of nowhere, huh?" Mireille lingered back a bit. And while Denise isn't looking, steals a pen sticking out of their purse to put into her own.

"Camera B," Simon whispered into his walkie-talkie. Lacey, with a camera positioned on the right side of the library, moves it with Denise and Ismael as they walk.

"So," Ismael continued, pointing to Denise's lunch bag. "What'd the Stepford parents pack for you?" Denise scoffed.

"I pack my own, for your information. And my parents aren't Stepfords."

Ismael gave a mirthless chuckle. "You get good grades and ride around in a shiny new car. If you ditched the nun clothes, you'd be one of those blue-ribbon kids with pasty white teeth and wearing cardigans no matter how damn hot it is."

"None of that makes me a Stepford!" Denise yelled, making Mireille let out a quiet squeak as she ducked her head down. "God," they huffed. "What's your damage?"

"I could ask you the same thing when I'm just stating facts." Before Denise could retort, a scream was heard coming from the other side of the library. The two look at each other in confusion and then run to where they heard the scream. Mireille fidgeted with the strap of her bag for a moment before running after them.

"Camera C. All you, Resh."

Reshma tilts the short camera dolly up just a bit before Denise, Ismael, and Mireille run into the frame by a petrified Aurore and Jean.

"The hell is with- OH SHIT!" Ismael yelled. Denise looked close to passing out and Mireille's hand flew up to her mouth to hold back a gasp. Then before Simon could give another cue, a loud scream was heard coming from outside the library, startling the actors and making Reshma jolt a bit with the camera. He groaned and yelled, "Cut!"

The camera crew stops rolling and takes this time to stretch out their limbs while the actors take a snack break.

"We were able to get some good footage before the scream," Marcelle tells Simon.

"Well, that's a relief, but this is the fourteenth time since we started rolling. Whose turn is it, now?"

Marc looks up from the script. "Mine." He hands the script to Simon and makes his way to the door.

"Give 'em the business, cinnamon roll!" Cosette hollered as she reapplied Mireille's dark makeup. "Remember, don't press your hands so hard to your lips when you gasp, or it'll smear." Mireille gives a thumbs up instead of nodding so she wouldn't mess up Cosette's work.

😈🦋

Marc could already hear the commotion coming from the other side of the classroom door and also... Singing? He enters the classroom and is met with a scream followed by Myléne running to hide behind Mme. Bustier's desk. She pokes her head out from behind and looks embarrassed when she sees him.

If he were a student in their class, maybe this wouldn't look so weird. Juleka, Rose, and Kim are applying makeup on each other; Ivan's taking off an incredibly realistic monster mask; Nino, Alya, and Adrien are downing what is definitely not their first coffee cups; Nathaniel and Marinette appear to be making a batch of multicolored slime in something akin to a small witch's cauldron. And Marinette has a fake eyeball stuck to her forehead for some reason; Chloé is just sitting on a desk and making Sabrina file her nails, and Max is messing around with the sound effects.

"... Uh... Should I come back later?" He starts to back out of the classroom, but Alya pats him on the shoulder, telling him it's okay.

"It's not you. Sorry about all the noise, but..." She clicks her tongue as if she's trying to find the right words, but why? "Well..."

"It's because the little crybaby got scared of her own shadow! Again!" Everyone in the room muttered and glared at Chloé who only laughed at Myléne's expense. "Honestly! Who even picked her for the lead actress when the role should obviously be going to me?"

Alix is quickly restrained by Kim. The irritation on her face is clear, but who can blame her? It's a weekend, and she's in school with Chloé. That can make a person want to tear their hair out, or in Alix's case, rip out Chloé's hair. "Because you don't know any of Myléne's lines, and you're just going to be clinging to Adrien the entire time during filming! How many times do I need to say it before it gets through your bleached hair?"

The blonde girl looked offended by that last remark. "How dare you?! I am a natural blonde! And as for why I should be the lead. Unless you want my daddy, the judge of this little contest to give this b-movie first place, you'll make me the star instead of some pathetic scaredy-cat afraid of its own shadow!"

"Bitch."

Everyone's heads snapped towards Marc. "... D-did I say that out loud?"

Alix and Alya were the first to cut through the silence, breaking into a fit of laughter while others gave the noirette looks of respect. Chloé on the other hand was seething and stormed over to Marc, trying to get in his face, but their height differences made it hard. "H-how DARE YOU?! Do you know what I can do to your social life?!"

Marinette's jaw dropped. "You mean there's something worse than you standing near us?" This causes Alix, Alya, and a few others to laugh at how red in the face Chloé looked. Adrien only pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing what was to come next. While this certainly was entertaining, he knows Chloé and knows she won't let anyone have the last word, not even him.

"Well... Well, at least I never ran off the stage crying like a baby because I couldn't remember my lines!" She shrieked and jabbed a finger in Myléne's face, making the room grow silent. Adrien and Alya look around for some context. That was definitely a terrible thing to say, but it sounded so specific.

Ivan cautiously approached his paling girlfriend while giving Chloé the evil eye. He takes Myléne's hand. "Myléne? Hey, are you-"

The rainbow-haired girl suddenly books it out of the classroom, pushing Marc to the side as she does. He lands in someone's arms, and that someone happened to be Nathaniel. The two blush and look away from each other as Marc gets back on his feet.

"... That was a fucking low blow, Chloé." The room suddenly became a lot colder when Ivan swore. Even Chloé looked unsettled. Setting aside his anger for a moment, Ivan runs out of the classroom. "Myléne, wait!"

The room was completely silent until Marc shyly spoke up, remembering why he came here in the first place. "Hey, so... My class needs you guys to keep the noise down, and... Yeah."

Nino sighed and rubbed his temples. "Sure, dude. It'll be a lot quiet now that Chloé made Myléne run off crying!" He whips his head over in Chloé's direction, and she had the nerve to look offended.

"Well, I think I know the perfect role for her, Nino," Marienette started off calmly, and Chloé smirked, believing she might get her way once again. "I'm thinking 'Victim #1'!" She takes a spoonful of the slime a flicks it in Chloé's direction, prompting her to grab Sabrina and use her as a shield so the fake slime splatters on her face.

Marinette gave a nervous smile and ran over with a paper towel. "Sorry, Sabrina."

"I-it's fine," she murmured under the slime covering her mouth.

The second Marinette had walked away from her station, Nathaniel's Miraculous started glowing in response to someone's emotions. He looks around the room, but none of the emotions are strong enough and would make for pretty weak Akumas. Then he remembers Myléne.

With the excuse that he was going to get some water and Nino's exhaustion that he just doesn't care who does what right now, Nathaniel easily slips out of the classroom and makes his way into the next classroom over. Before he goes in, though, he can't help but watch the exchange between Ivan and Myléne.

"Myléne, don't listen to Chloé. It's easy for her to judge when she's not in front of the camera," he tried, but it didn't get Myléne out of her mood. "Hey, come on. Remember when she auditioned for the spring musical when we were twelve?"

Nathaniel was trying so hard not to laugh and blow his cover. Chloé's audition was a complete and utter disaster! She couldn't remember a single line, her singing was awful and sounded like that blonde girl trying to sing 'Burn', and most of the time, she was going on about how much of an amazing actor she was and how many tickets the school will sell if she were the star.

Nooroo put a hand flipper over Nathaniel's lips before a laugh could slip through. "Thanks," he whispered, then kept watching the couple, jealousy welling up inside him just a bit when Ivan pinned one of his buttons to Myléne's headband. He was a sap for romance, sue him. He like the idea of two people being together and... Sometimes he wanted something like that. Of course, it won't be happening until he makes the Wish, though.

Until then, he'll just watch almost everyone being happy finding love, going on dates, and he'll join Alix in staying single for hopefully not a long time... It'll be fine, Alix and Ismael make being single look fun all the time, so he'll be fine until he finally gets the Miraculous.

Before he could continue that thought, he hears rapid footsteps and looks to see Myléne running into the locker room with her hands covering her face. It's now or never time. Wiping away the tears he didn't know he had been shedding, Nathaniel rushes into the classroom before Ivan could see him.

"Are you okay, Nathaniel?" Asked Nooroo. He wipes away a few of his friend's tears, making him smile a bit. "It'll be okay. I know you'll find someone-"

"But not here, Nooroo," he murmured. "Who's going to want to date a villain, right? I accidentally transform in front of them, and they're telling everyone I'm the reason being an angsty hormonal teenager is the worst thing to happen to you while in Paris." With a scoff, he made his way to the very back of the classroom where no one by a window would see him. "Are you charged up?" Nooroo gave a solemn nod. "Nooroo, Wings Rise."

Before sending his latest Akuma off, Monarch checks to make sure there aren't any colors on the wings other than the black and specks of dark purple. He's about to let it go until he notices a fleck of blue on the underside of the wings.

"Shit," he hissed. "... Okay, it's only a little tiny dot. Magician of Misfortune's Akuma had green all over its wings. It's okay. Go on ahead." The Akuma did as it was told and phased through the walls until it reached Myléne crying in the bathroom. "Oh, you poor girl," Monarch sighed, catching the girl's attention.

"N-no! Please! I can't get Akumatized! I don't-"

"And I'm not going to force you," he assured. "Would you mind if we just talked? That was quite a performance earlier."

Myléne went quiet for a moment. "... How do you know that?"

"I can see your memories. It's all part of having emotion-based powers. Anyway, what that brat said was just- Pardon my language- fucked up. That was your first ever performance in front of such a large crowd, and you were nervous, weren't you?"

"Y-yeah," she cried.

Monarch smiled. "You cried in your room for a week, too afraid to face the world. It's totally natural. I'm a bit of an introvert, and others just don't get what we go through. We try to push ourselves outside of our comfort zones, and we get scared sometimes. You tried to put on a brave face, and how does blondie react?"

"Like... Like a total b-bitch!"

"Yes!" He claps. "Show her true fear- Hell, give everyone something to be afraid of, Horrificator!"

"I will!"

"Wings Down." Nooroo laughed when he flew out of the Miraculous. "I did not mean to go that far, but it happened."

The kwami's laughter started to die down. "But, I am still worried about the bit of your sadness laced with the Akuma. It's not a lot like Magician of Misfortune's, but there can still be some side effects. Horrificator might come out physically unstable, and-"

"Physically?"

"Yeah, it fluctuates with each Akuma you lace with your emotions," Nooroo answered. "Sometimes they'll feel your feelings, sometimes their powers are different than what you intended, they can catch on fire if you're really angry-"

"WHAT?!"

"But it hardly ever happens!" Nooroo gave a nervous smile and looked off to the side as he recalled this one time in 1854... So much fire. "... So, what now?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

Nathaniel smirked and removed one of his boots. "Now I make it look like Horrificator "kidnapped" me," he said using finger quotes. He opens the door slightly before tossing his sneaker to the floor and then pulling out a small plastic bag of the slime he and Marinette were making. "We were planning to throw some of this at Chloé when she wasn't looking, but I think I can part with it."

Nathaniel spreads some of the fake slime on and around his shoe and near the door. "There."

"Okay, but won't it look suspicious that you were in this classroom?" Nooroo gives his friend a pointed look, only to be met with a smirk.

"Not at all, because here's what happened. I was just getting some water on the second floor of the school until I remembered, that the water fountain up here doesn't work. So I head downstairs once Ivan and Myléne are gone, and as I'm by the fountain, I find Horrificator making her way through the locker room out of the corner of my eye. So she can't find me, I run upstairs and hide in this very classroom, but oh no, I've been caught. All that is left of me is my sneaker."

After a beat, Nooroo gave a slow but sincere clap as Nathaniel looked through his pockets again. "That's... Quiet impressive." His eyes light up when Nathaniel hands him a strawberry. Immediately, he takes a big bite out of it. "Now, where are you going to hide?"

"The vents." He points up at the ceiling to an air vent that doesn't look like much of a tight squeeze for him. "I heard from Juleka that they go all the way around the school, even the basement." Nooroo looks stunned by that piece of information. "Yeah, she did it a lot before she got together with Rose. You ready?" Nooroo took one last bite of his snack before nodding. "Nooroo, Wings Rise."

Transformed, he flies up to the ceiling and unscrews the vent with the blade hidden in his cane. He found it by accident the week he first used it and nearly slit his neck. After a moment of freaking out, because he almost died, Nathaniel discovered his ordinary but fancy cane was actually a sword-cane! While it is badass, he's gotta learn how to use it properly in the event where he meets Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black face-to-face. It can happen, and he wants to be prepared... Also, he doesn't want to accidentally stab himself.

😈🦋

Ismael tosses his tennis ball against one of the bookshelves in boredom. "Man, when's he coming back? It's been five minutes, yeah?"

"Well, you know how they are." Lacey catches the ball before tossing it to Denise who catches it without even looking up from the script. "Plus, Chloé's with them. I'll bet they're only five minutes into their movie."

"I don't think it's Chloé who's delaying Marc," Aurore smirked and caught the ball next. She bounces it against the floor a few times. "Mireille, I believe our future son-in-law has the cinnamon roll distracted." The bluenette giggled as Aurore threw the ball to Simon. Like Denise, he caught it without looking up from his phone and while pacing. "Simon, he'll be back."

The redhead groaned. "Guys, this can't wait. We've got a week left until the contest is over, and eight hours left until we need to leave the school. And as many of you know, I do not waste time when it comes to my element!" Feeling Denise taking his hand, he takes a deep breath and sighs with a relaxed smile. "Okay... Okay, let's just, one of us get Marc."

Ismael looks up at Denise with wonder. "How do you do that?"

"Practice, short stack," they giggle as Ismael pouts over the nickname. The other students all laugh until they hear an odd 'Squelch!' sound coming from outside. Confused, they listen out again for the sound to make sure it's not in their heads. When they don't hear it again, the students begin to relax until they hear it again. Just louder.

Mireille held onto Aurore's arm as she darted her head around the room. "Tell me I'm not the only one who heard that."

"G-g-guys?" Jean stammered and pointed to the window. Outside the school, a thick pink ooze started trailing along the glass. "What the hell is that?!"

Marcelle gagged and took a picture of the window. "Sick."

Denise approaches one of the windows that aren't covered in slime and looks out of it, trying to find the source of the pink slime. They stay there for a moment before jumping back in fear when something zips past the window. All they saw was a blur of pink, purple, and what looked like tentacles before it left behind more slime. "Fuck! Did you all see that?!"

"I saw it, I saw it!" Cosette screamed and pointed at the window. "I-it was big, scary, and pink!"

"This is not the time nor place to be quoting Spongebob!" Ismael couldn't help but shout. "Okay, whatever that thing is, it's clearly trying to seal us in here, and we need to go! Simon, we'll get your equipment back later, but I'd rather not be stuck in school with some pink monster!"

Aurore runs to the door. "We need to warn the others! Come on!" Her friends follow suit and rush to Mme. Bustier's classroom where they hear shouting. 'Chloé,' they all think before Simon opens the door with so much force that the doorknob leaves an indent in the wall, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Okay, first thing's first!" The redhead thundered with a panicked look in place of their usual neutral expression. "First! Marc! What was taking you so long? Second! We all need to get the fuck out of here, like now!"

"¡Vamos gente!" Denise ordered.

"Hold on guys," said Adrien. "What's going on?"

"There was just this huge thing!" Lacey answered. "I-it was pink, had these tentacles, or something on its head- We couldn't tell! It was just crawling over the window, and it left behind this trail of gross slime! W-we heard it on the roof! And anyway, it's trying to seal us in the school, so we need to get the fuck out of here!"

Nino holds up his hands in a 'calm down' gesture. "Okay, take your time-"

Cosette pulled at their hair. "We don't have time to do that, because we need to get the fuck out of here! After everything we've seen since the start of the school year, ya'll are shocked by the idea of some big pink monster scaling the side of the school and leaving behind a bunch of nasty-ass slime?" The classmates look at one another, considering their words. "That's what I thought."

"Well, if you don't believe me, check this out." Marcelle pulls up the photo she took with her phone. Nino adjusts his glasses to make sure he's not seeing things. "It's just all over the windows!"

Growing worried, Kim reminds everyone, "Nathaniel and Myléne are somewhere around the school, and Marinette just left to go look for Myléne!" Murmuring flooded the classroom until Chloé let out an annoyed groan.

"Do you idiots seriously believe a bunch of weirdos?" Both classes took offense. "I bet this is a prank to keep us from finishing my movie!"

"Your movie?!" Nino snapped. "This is our movie! And they wouldn't lie about something like this, Chloé! It's probably an Akuma, so it's only natural we evacuate!" His friends back him up, but the blonde only scoffed with a flip of her ponytail.

"Well, if there really is a big scary monster like you say, then where's your proof?" Expecting them to stammer and probably pull up a fake photo on their phones, Chloé leaned back in her seat with a smug expression that just made Aurore want to punch her.

Before Denise could drag her to the library, Mireille points ahead and says with the most neutral tone of voice, "There's your proof." Each head turns and everyone recoils when they find the pink slime oozing outside the classroom's windows.

"Ew!" Chloé gagged. "Don't let any of that stuff touch my hair!"

"We have bigger problems than your hair," Adrien deadpanned. "Marinette, Nathaniel, and Myléne haven't come back yet and we need to find them before the Akuma does, and get out of here, pronto! Ivan." The taller boy straightens up at the almost authoritative tone of his voice. "Do you know where Myléne went?"

"I saw her run into the locker room," he said, then sighed. "I should've gone after her."

"Don't beat yourself up, man." Alix gives her friend a pat on the shoulder before glaring in Chloé's direction. "You didn't send her off crying." The blonde girl scoffed and turned her nose up. "Now let's go! We're not leaving until we find Marinette, Myléne, and Nath!"

"It might be too late for Nath," Ismael remarked as he pointed out the classroom. Confused, Alix runs out of the room, look at what Ismael is pointing at, and finds a familiar purple sneaker right outside the classroom next to theirs'. "... I'm gonna kill that fucking bastard."

😈🦋

"Looks like that possessed girl from The Exorcist threw up in here," Jean quipped at the sight of the slime-covered locker room. The stuff was everywhere, the ceiling, the lockers, windows, in every little nook and cranny. And a row of lockers was tipped over for some reason. They approach a small puddle and dip their finger in it, only to regret it when they feel how sticky the slime is. "What do you guys think happened?"

Cosette made their way around the room. "Looks like Marinette tried to put up a fight." Marcelle quirked an eyebrow.

"How can you tell?"

"Well, look at the walls." Everyone does. "See how the slime on it is stretched? Maybe she got slimed a couple of times and was yanking her hand out of it. Then whatever has us captive in here shot slime at the lockers Spiderman-style while she was hiding behind it; it tipped over and Marinette had nowhere else to hide." A few nod along as they start to get a mental picture of the events. "And check out the dent in the lockers against the wall. Tell me Marinette didn't try to punch that sucker. Look, you can still see the dent from her ring."

Juleka clicked her tongue. "Impressive."

"I watch a few crime movies from time to time," Cosette said, answering a few unasked questions. "But, as for where Marinette is now, I'm not sure."

"What about Myléne?" Ivan asked worriedly.

"And Nath!" Alix adds, voicing Marc's concerns as well.

Before Cosette could give an answer, a hissing sound could be heard from outside the locker room. Adrien gestured for everyone to duck while he peeked through the window to see what was in the courtyard. It wasn't until more of the pink slime dripped down to the floor that he looked up and saw what could only be described as... One of those campy 80s horror film monsters. It was pink for one and had this light and dark purple gradient to go with it. On its head appeared to be these tentacles with something on the end of them, but he couldn't tell. Probably the weirdest thing was how it was spewing pink slime across the roof! It was sealing them all in!

"Shit," he whispered. "Guys, we need to find the others and get out of here-"

"Oh, please! We'll be better off without some talentless artist, a tacky excuse for a designer, and some scaredy cat actress!" Chloé exclaimed, clearly not understanding the danger she was putting everyone else in by not being quiet. And if the monster didn't get to her first, then Alix, Ivan, and Alya would after she spoke ill of their friends. "Adrikins, get me out of here so we can do our love scene for real."

Adrien moved out of the way before she could attempt to wrap her arms around him.

"There's no love scene in my script," Alya hissed. Marc rubbed her shoulders to calm her down, understanding the frustration that comes when someone doesn't want to follow the script one spends days and weeks writing and revising. She gave the writer an appreciative look and then continued, "We are getting them out of here. It's what they'd do, right?"

Ismael muttered, "Certainly Marinette."

"Hey, the monster's gone," Adrien pointed out. "Only now, there's actually a roof."

"So, climbing out and then scaling down is out of the question. And there's no way out of the window unless we're cool with breaking it and we have a knife to cut through the goo," Lacey points out, looking a little dejected. Ever since Stoneheart, she's been keeping an emergency rock-climbing kit in her locker in case an Akuma attacks the school and blocks the door. And the day the door is blocked, she can't use her equipment because she can't bring her ice pick to school, and without it, she can't cut through the slime!

Nino bit his lip. "And if I have to guess, the doors are out of the question."

"Oh, it is," Simon nodded. "The slime we saw on the library windows was over the door, and it was oozing pretty fast, so-"

"Enough with the nerd talk!" Chloé groaned. "Either get me out of here or-"

"Or what?" Denise challenged, startling their friends and boyfriend. They haven't seen them this irritated since Bubbler left children alone without any adults. "Either we get you out of here or make you a human sacrifice. This is basically a horror movie situation." They stalk closer to the blonde, making her back up against a wall. "And everyone knows the petty little blonde girl is usually the first to go. Y'know... Because no one likes her."

The room seemed very cold at that moment until everyone heard Nino clearing his throat.

"Well, usually it's the token black character who's the first to go," he mentions. "Chloé would probably be caught third or fourth. Or near the very end like everyone who was mean to Carrie White." Noticing everyone's eyes on him, he tugged on the collar of his shirt. "Sorry," he chuckled. "Movie tropes help me relax."

"Valid," Simon nodded while holding Denise's hand to help them calm down. "Like how cell phones never work in horror movies." For example, he holds up his phone which has no bars. To see if this was true, everyone whipped out their phones and became outraged when they couldn't get a connection."

Alya blows some of her hair out of her face. "Now we just need a crazy guy telling us about a curse and for no one to believe him until the end," she quips before glancing at the other class. "Wait, never mind. You guys were right about the monster." The room erupted into some laughter, helping to make the situation less tense until they heard a crash followed by a familiar scream.

"That's Nath!" Alix cried, already booking it out of the room. The rest followed after her, all except two. Kim stayed behind in the locker room while Max ran in the other direction to the auditorium.

The group found itself back upstairs, this time in the music classroom, where, in the middle of the room stood the monster wrapping Nathaniel up with its tail while he was cornered. Now that Adrien had a better view, he could see those were spines on the tentacles growing out of its head, fading from light to dark pink. It even had a tail with a spine on it.

"PUT HIM DOWN!" Alix demanded and tossed a trumpet at the creature's head... Only for it to get absorbed into its weird-textured skin that seemed to be dripping in some places. "Oh, sick!"

Nathaniel writhed in Horrificator's hold, trying to slip through her skin, but he wasn't budging. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in the small of his back before going limp in his Akuma's hold as the concerned shouts of his friends grew distant.

~Ladies and Gentlemen, the Nightmare of Nathaniel Kurtzberg~

"... I'm Monarch."

Before him, two people stood with mixed expressions. His mother and Alix. Aya was the first to react after what felt like hours, breaking down crying as she sank to her knees. Her tears fell to the floor in small puddles, making her son become rigid and unable to move. He couldn't even go to console her.

Alix's legs were shaking as she backed away. "... You... You turned me into a villain. You made me hurt my friends!"

Finally, Nathaniel could move, but only to back away from the pink-haired girl's growing fury. "Alix, I-"

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND! AND FOR WHAT?!"

"N-no, please!" He has no time to react before Alix surges forward and delivers a punch to his face, knocking him down on his back. Nathaniel tried to get back up, but could only stay up with his hands and knees. He starts to cough from out of nowhere, and it all comes up dry until an Akuma lands on the floor before fluttering in front of him.

"... Aah-!" He coughs up more Akumas until there are at least three hundred swarming in front of him. The fluttering of their wings is the only thing the redhead can hear. He looks between the Akumas and his mother and Alix. Tears begin to pour when he sees his mother crying and looking ashamed.

"... I brought a monster into this world," she whispered, but it was loud enough for Nathaniel to fear. It almost had an echo effect.

Nathaniel turned away and covered his ears, unable to take much more of this... But he immediately begins to regret it when his Akumas take on an all too familiar shape. "... N-no. No! Please!" He cried and began to crumble under the man's disappointment-filled gaze.

"You were supposed to take care of your mother," he muttered, his voice laced with resentment. Nathaniel shuddered at the tone and brought his hands up to his face to wipe away his tears. "Instead... You're off turning people into monsters, worrying her, making Paris suffer. And for what?... I'm dead, Nathaniel!... Look at me... LOOK AT ME!"

Nathaniel's head jerked up against his will, forcing him to look not at the man who was once there... But at him. Marc retches and coughs up roses and is unable to pull them out of his mouth as his hands are tied together by Magician of Misfortune's handkerchief chain. Tears are visible in his eyes as he gasps for air. He looks at Nathaniel with a woeful expression before coughing up more roses, and even managing to get a few words out.

"You... Y-you hurt me-!" Along with the roses, he starts coughing up the green-winged akumas. Hundreds of them circle around the redhead and obstruct his vision so he can't see his mother, Alix, or Marc.

😈🦋

"Did it just get bigger?" Rose squeaked as the monster seemed to shoot up a foot. Along with the growth spurt, its' nails became sharper, the teeth became more jagged, and a third eye appeared dead center on the monster's forehead.

Alix gripped the monster's tail, trying to get it to release her inanimate-looking friend, but there was no use. "Put him the fuck down, ugly- HEY!" She yelped when one of the tentacles gripped her waist before she felt a prick in her arm.

~Alix Kudbel's Nightmare Sequence~

"NO! STOP!"

Alix could only watch as Timebreaker stole her friends' time and left them frozen in place until they disappeared into nothing. All the while she was laughing as if this was a game for her!

"CUT IT OUT!" She tries to move, but it's like her feet are glued to the ground. Half of her class has been hit, and now her Akumatized self is going after Mendeleieve's students. Timebreaker circled around her just to taunt her before skating off to freeze Nathaniel, much to Alix's horror as her best friend was erased from existence.

"St-stop..." Her legs finally gave out as her friends all faded away from existence.

😈🦋

When Alix woke up, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and found herself in... What looks like the school basement... And she's not on the floor somehow. When she tried to walk, Alix found she couldn't move her legs or her arms. The only part of her body able to move was her head.

"Oh thank God, she's awake." Alix turns to the source of the voice and finds Marinette, safe and sound!... And cocooned in some pink slime hanging from the ceiling. And it was at that moment, that Alix realized she was caught in the same slime as her friend. Only, she was stuck in a makeshift web. "Nath! Alix finally woke up!"

The pinkette perks up at the mention of her friend and looked around to see where she is. It wasn't until with a head tilt from Marinette that she found her friend stuck to the floor under a pile of pink slime, going from his calves up to his neck... Somehow, the sight was making her day.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," the redhead muttered. He let out a sigh as he internally berated himself, thinking he'd be safe in the music room since the door was locked and he got tired of crawling through the vents, but no! Horrificator just had to slip through a second vent because of her malleable skin and just had to get stronger whenever she scared someone. And really, what was he thinking with those fear-injecting spikes? He's trying to get the Miraculous, not traumatize people for life. If his nightmare was that bad, he doesn't even want to know what Horrificator put Alix and Marinette through.

... Actually, come to think of it, what was Marinette afraid of? He knows from late-night guilt-inducing calls that Alix is afraid of turning back into Timebreaker, but what did Horrificator make Marinette see? Before he could wonder some more, a strange sloshing noise sounded through the room. The kidnapped students look across the room towards a vent with its badly dented cover strewn to the floor, and in comes Horrificator, looking nothing how Nathaniel made her!

The tentacles growing from her head were longer, she had two more eyes, another row of teeth dripping with her dark purple saliva, another set of arms, sharp black spikes protruding from the top of her head, and smaller ones going up from her elbow to her shoulder. He definitely didn't add those!

"Denise! Ismael!" Marinette yelled, trying to wake up the two students trapped in Horrificator's hold. She carelessly drops them on the floor, leaving some slimy residue from her body on their clothes. A gurgling noise came from the back of her throat before more of the pink slime spewed from her mouth and onto the unconscious students, much to Nathaniel's disgust.

"God, what was I on when I akumatized her?"

By the time Horrificator was done covering them in slime, Denise and Ismael were beginning to stir awake.

"The hell?" Ismael murmured. His eyes dart around for a moment before a look of relief crossed his face. "Oh, thank God." But then he saw Horrificator and screamed. As a result, the Akuma grew in size and her horns became larger. Ismael didn't see the connection and continued to scream, helping to wake Denise up.

"Would you quit- Oh, SHIT! What is that thing?!" When they screamed, Horrificator's tentacles now went to her knees, and her nails became longer.

"Your screaming is making it grow, guys!" Alix exclaimed, but they didn't hear her and continued to scream while trying to get unstuck.

Ismael violently writhed around. "BURN IT!" And those were his last words before Horrificator finally left, but not out the way she came in. As if to just make him wonder what the hell he was thinking, she made her way over to a smaller vent cover and tore the grill off. The redhead watched in disgust as her body contorted and shifted to fit through the vent, leaving behind a disgusting trail of pink goo.

When Denise and Ismael saw that she was gone, their screams trailed off and they just awkwardly look over at the other captives.

Alix would've facepalmed if she could move her hands. "So... When the monster kept growing, that wasn't a cue to stop screaming?"

"Sorry," Denise sheepishly apologized. "But hopefully the others heard us."

"Astronauts heard you," Marinette retorts to them.

😈🦋

"What did you to do Denise, you bastard?!" Simon demanded as he threw another chair at the monster. Ivan tries to drag him away, but his anger-strength keeps him where he is as he reached for another chair, only to fall when the monster's tail hooks around his ankle and reels him in. "Get off!" He grabs a book and hurls it at its face, hindering the monster a bit so Scarlet Beetle can cut him free with his yoyo string and hoist him over his shoulder so he can get the redhead to safety. "Put me down!"

Scarlet Beetle ignored his pleas and followed the students and Ikati Black into the cafeteria. Right after setting Simon down, he goes to barricade the doors.

Seeing him going to make a break for the doors, Marcelle restrained Simon's arms. "Simon! You can't go off fighting Akumas!" She urged.

"That thing took Denise, Marcelle!" He thundered with this manic look in his eye. "I-I should have-" He's met with a quick slap across the face from Rose. He looks at the blonde girl in shock, not even attempting to run away when Cosette lets go of his arms.

"Pull yourself together, Simon!" She exclaimed. "I get it, if Juleka were kidnapped too, I'd be upset and want to go after that thing." Juleka looked touched by that declaration. "But be reasonable. It can't be hit, and Scarlet Beetle's and Ikati Black's weapons don't have any effect." Noticing him starting to look away, Rose cups Simon's face and has him look back at her. "But they always find a way to beat every Akuma. Okay?" The redhead only nodded, but that was a good enough answer for her before she hugged the taller boy.

"... Thanks, Rose," he murmured, his lips curling into a slight smile.

Ikati Black sighed a breath of relief when all of the exits were blocked, there were no vents around for the Akuma to pull any surprise attacks, and Simon had calmed down. "Okay, for now until we come up with a plan to hinder that thing, we'll be stuck here for a while. Now, any idea is a good one, so let's hear them."

"No holding back," Scarlet Beetle adds, shifting away from his partner a bit. A few notice this and look at the duo with worry.

"... Well," Aurore started. "Its body isn't completely solid. If it can't be hit without weapons going through it, then why don't we take apart its body?" Noticing the thoughtful look on Ikati Black's face, she continued. "Well, what if we were to get jars from the science classroom? We could rush after the Akuma all at once, trap bits and pieces of it in the jars, and maybe that'll weaken it.

Alya tapped her chin in thought. "Okay, I see where you're going with this. Basically, we're cutting that thing down to size." Aurore gave an enthusiastic nod. "Alright, I'm down." The others made sounds of agreement.

"What do you think?" Scarlet Beetle asked without looking at Ikati Black. Jean and Marc look at them suspiciously.

He gave a jerky shrug of his shoulders. "Well, it's better than mine, leading it into the kitchen freezer so the skin will freeze."

Aurore points to him. "Plan B?" He nods.

"Plan B," Ikati Black agreed. "Alright, now how can we get to the science classroom without risk of being caught?" With his enhanced hearing, he's able to pick up the monster circling around the courtyard, waiting for one of them to come out of hiding... Also... Desks scraping on the floor. "Hey, is anyone else missing?"

Adrien does a quick headcount, making sure to leave out the six students who were kidnapped. When he realizes who's missing, he frowns. "Chloé and Sabrina." Alya rolled her eyes.

"Of course she abandoned us," she huffed. "Why go after one person when there's a huge group? I swear to God, if she uses Sabrina as a human shield, I just might sacrifice her- No, I will sacrifice her."

"We do not sacrifice people," Scarlet Beetle tells her firmly. "And I think I know a way to get to the science classroom. Are there any vents nearby?"

😈🦋

"These vents go all around the school, even the basement, but you gotta be good at scaling down and back up." As the heroes, Marcelle, Adrien, Alya, and Jean follow Juleka, they can't help but feel impressed. When they found a vent in the kitchen, Ikati Black was about to pull up schematics of the school's air duct system until Juleka mentioned that she knew her way around, shocking almost everyone except Rose and Mireille.

Although, that would explain the clanging sounds Max would often hear while in the library.

Ikati Black is wishing he had stayed back in the cafeteria or had just stayed home so he wouldn't be in this mess. Ever since Valentine's Day, things have been awkward between him and Scarlet Beetle. Nightly patrols were nothing but awkward small-talk and zero eye contact, and all because he had to be stupid and kiss his partner, his friend! What's worse is that he's crawling right behind the other hero so he has a clear view of his sculpted- Nope!

Before he starts having unneeded thoughts, he clears his throat. "So, how much further?"

Feeling something wet and sticky under her hand, Reshma feels a shiver down her spine when she finds more of the pink goo.

"We should be right over the science classroom." The goth girl answered and points to a vent. "Check it out." She moves around so the others can get a look. And there, they find Sabrina moving all of the desks to the classroom entrance while Chloé sits on Mme. Mendeleieve's desk, not even bothering to check if Sabrina needed a break. Alya was tempted to kick the vent off its hinges, take Ikati Black's staff and just beat her ass.

"This was such as brilliant plan I came up with!" Chloé boasted once Sabrina got the last desk up against the door. "No one's getting through that barricade, so we can just relax and let Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black do all of the work."

"What a brat," Jean snarked.

The heroes scowled. "Who does she think we are? Her butlers?" Ikati Black muttered. He takes his staff and hits it against the vent before lengthening his staff so he and the others could slide down it like a fire pole.

"Scarlet Beetle! Ikati Black!" Pushing Sabrina to the side, Chloé rushes over to wrap her arms around the hoodie-wearing hero who was keeping his arms far away from her. "Did you come to rescue me?" She tries to go for a kiss, only to be yanked off Scarlet Beetle by Marcelle.

"Is it too late to turn back?" Adrien whispered, earning a sympathetic pat on the back from Alya. He sighs. "Alright, the jars should be in the supply cabinet." He starts to make his way across the classroom, only to stop in his tracks when he notices pink slime beginning to bubble up from a vent in the floor. "G-guys? We need to go!" Before he could run back to the group, he felt something cold wrap around his feet, preventing him from moving.

Scarlet Beetle throws yoyo around Adrien's wrist. "Adrien, hold on!" He pulls, but even with his enhanced strength, Adrien won't budge. Meanwhile, Ikati Black uses his cataclysm to make a hole in the wall so the others can get to safety. After what seemed like forever, Adrien was finally able to pull one foot out of the slime. But by that time, something pricked the side of his head and everything just went black.

~Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy The Adrien Agreste Nightmare Hour~ (TW Warning for Non-con Touching)

"STOP IT! GET OFF OF ME!" The blonde cried as dozens of unfamiliar hands gripped and prodded at his body, and new ones just kept coming. Some gentle, some rough, and he hated every single one of them.

Hehehe!" A chilling voice giggled. "Oh, darling, you really can't decide that." A cold hand makes it's way down Adrien's leg, making him shiver and wonder when this will end. And it only got worse from there when some hands began to slither their way under his shirt. No matter how much he begged or said no, the hands just wouldn't stop and squeezed every bit of skin they could get.

It didn't take too long for tears to start forming. And the hands started to caress his face to wipe away the tears as a result.

"Please stop touching me, please stop touching me, please stop touching me," he murmured over and over again when suddenly-

"ADRIEN!"

He was jolted awake by a familiar voice. Much to his relief, the hands were all gone, but he still felt restricted. But, much to his relief and slight fear, he was being restrained by a massive pink spider web. Oh, and there's Alix and Marinette with him. "H-hey," he stammered, worrying the bluenette. "Um... What happened?"

"You got kidnapped by the Akuma." Able to turn his head slightly, Adrien sees that he's next to Nathaniel. "Hey."

"Hey. Who else is here?"

"Denise and Ismael," the Pakistani boy answered. Adrien looks above him and sees the two are placed higher up the web. "Man, you were knocked out! You were kicking, screaming, 'Please stop touching me!'" He looks at the blonde with worry. "You alright, man?"

Adrien looks down at himself once again. He just needed to double-check. "... Y-yeah, I'm alright. But, how did I get here?"

"Through the vents," Marinette answered, but it was clear in her voice that she didn't believe her friend was okay. "I think that's how the Akuma is getting around without getting caught. A couple of them are wide enough for us to go through, and they've been sealing them back up so nobody can follow them. I doubt anyone even knows we're down here."

"Well, why can't we just scream for help now?" Ismael wondered before remembering what happened last time. "Right. We scream, they grow, not smart, got it."

Alix sighed. "Let's just hope the others figure that out."

😈🦋

Nino and Simon hold each other as they scream for dear life while they're trapped in the Akuma's tail; Marcelle is smacking it with a metal spoon from the kitchen even though it has no effect; Cosette, Chloé, Jean, and Marc have all gone limp in the monster's hold with the occasional twitching and yelp; and Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black are trying to get the students free while keeping those who remained unharmed safe.

Ikati Black glances down at his ring and sees only two pads left. "Scarlet Beetle! I need to recharge!"

"Hurry back!" With a quick salute, Ikati Black vaulted back to the cafeteria. "Put 'em down!" He throws his yoyo at the Akuma's eye, and to his surprise, it doesn't go through. Finally, a weak spot! He throws his yoyo at each of the creatures' eyes, blinding them. "Gotcha!" As the Akuma flailed around from the pain, Juleka was the first to notice.

"Look!" She points to the third set of arms, dripping on the floor and becoming watery until they were reduced to nothing but a puddle. A bit of slime even dripped from the Akuma's body, making them shorter. "I think fear is making it stronger."

Scarlet Beetle almost wanted to facepalm. They could've gotten this done a whole lot quicker if they just stopped screaming. While the Akuma was weakened, he pulled the students out of their hold with his yoyo and hefted Jean and Cosette over his shoulders while Ivan took Marc and Chloé.

"We can hide in the basement!" Lacey instructed, and the others wasted no time following her. "There's enough hiding spaces!"

By the time everyone made it into the basement, Cosette, Marc, Chloé, and Jean woke up, looking as if they hadn't slept for weeks.

"Fuck," Cosette murmured as Scarlet Beetle set them and Marc down. Ivan did the same with Jean and Chloé, although, he was much more gentle with the brunette. "My head." Feeling some tears on their cheek, they quickly wipe them away before anyone can see. "Where are we?"

"Guuuuys?" They heard Adrien call out.

Then Marinette, "Anybody there?"

Nathaniel shouts, "Someone, get us down!"

"I really need to use the bathroom!" ... Ismael.

The group made their way further into the room where they come across the missing students, all trapped in a massive pink spider web. "Well, this totally isn't my nightmare," Scarlet Beetle gulped. "Are you guys okay?"

"All the blood's rushing to my head," Marinette groaned, her face a pale shade of red much to the worry of her friends. "Get me down first, please." Scarlet Beetle was quick to comply and handed her off to Nino since she was having trouble standing. Before he could help the others, pink goo burst from one of the vents and took the form of Akuma. The students tried to run, but it spits slime at their only exit.

"We're done for!" Jean cried.

"No, we're not! Lucky Charm!" And he was given... "A box of cornstarch?" Before he could come up with a plan, he hastily dodged out of the way of the Akuma's slime spit. "Where are you, Ikati?" He murmured to himself while using his yoyo as a shield. Before he could come up with a plan, Marinette yelled, "Throw the cornstarch on the Akuma!"

Nathaniel seemed to realize what she was saying and nodded. "Cornstarch thickens slime! That way, you can hit her!" The more he thought about it, he doesn't see himself getting the Miraculous today. If Horrificator captures Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black, she'll be waiting for him to arrive to congratulate her and then take the Miraculous for himself. Next time, then.

Scarlet Beetle rips the box open and throws the powdery substance all over the Akuma. He didn't expect such quick results, but when their movements were becoming slower and the slime spit came out in big globs that fell to the floor, Scarlet Beetle seized the opportunity to attack. He wraps his yoyo around the Akuma, and to his joy, the string doesn't go through their body. While the Akuma was struggling to get free, Scarlet Beetle looked around for the Akumatized object.

"Where is it?"

"I think I may have found it," Ikati Black said. Standing by the basement entrance, he holds a black pin covered in slime. "I found it by one of the vents while I was heading back. Must've fallen off of." Ivan instantly recognized it.

"That's the pin I gave to Myléne!" He looks over at the Akuma and takes a few tentative steps forward. When they don't try to attack him, and instead look at Ivan with a soft expression, he moves closer. "Myléne?" Letting out a quiet chirp, the Akuma licked the side of his face with her long blue tongue, getting purple saliva all over him. "... Oh, God. That just happened."

Holding back a laugh, Ikati Black crushed the pin in his hand, releasing the Akuma. "Well, look who was right."

Not even bothering to tease his partner, Scarlet Beetle captures the Akuma before setting the origami butterfly free. Then, he tossed the empty box into the air. "MIRACULOUS SCARLET BEETLE!" While the ladybugs worked their magic, he retracts his yoyo when Myléne starts to turn back to normal. Before she could question what was going in, she was pulled into Ivan's loving embrace as their friends cooed.

"So. Fucking. Adorable," Lacey giggled.

"I beg to differ." Jean points to Denise wrapped in Simon's scrawnier arms as he kissed them all over their face while saying in Irish, "Buíochas le Dia tú ceart go leor! Shíl mé gur chaill mé thú!" Amongst all of the love in the room, Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black easily slipped out, and Kim and Max were back with the group as if they had never left.

😈🦋

After today's events, both classes agreed that it would be best to head home, get some sleep and try again in the morning without any interference from Monarch.

"You're sure I didn't hurt you guys?" Noticing the uneasy looks on some, she hid her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry!"

Adrien gave an awkward chuckle. "I-it's fine. It wasn't anything physical."

"Yeah, we just had some nightmares, is all," Cosette tells her while tugging on its hoodie sleeve. "Not even that bad, really. Nothing a few hours of sleep won't fix, right?" Those who were forced to see their worst nightmares nodded in agreement while Chloé only looked down at her phone, although, the others were skeptical. "I'm serious. We deal with all sorts of shit every week. Alright, we're bound to be traumatized."

"Kind of a bleak way of wording that, but I agree," Alix nodded. "You're alright, Myléne, okay? So no moping around." The rainbow-haired girl look unsure until Ivan wrapped an arm around her, causing her to smile a bit. "There we go! Gotta love boyfriends." She gives Ivan a high-five before making her way down the steps. "See ya'll tomorrow!"

The students gave their goodbyes and made their way back home, today's events still in their heads. However, there was just something on Marcelle's mind that she couldn't stop thinking about. Her brother noticed. "Are you alright, Marcelle?"

"... Y-yeah. But, Marc, and tell me if I'm wrong. We all saw Nathaniel's shoe covered in slime outside the other classroom, right?" He slowly nodded, not sure where this is going. "Right, and we thought he was captured. But, when we went into the music room, he was being cornered by Myléne." Seeing the thoughtful expression on his face, she nods. "Yeah, I knew I wasn't the only one who noticed."

"D-do you think he outran her?"

A laugh escaped through Marcelle's lips. "Bro, I've seen that boy run. There's no way he could outrun an Akuma that gets stronger by feasting on people's fears."

Marc chuckled a bit as he thought about it. "Okay, you're totally right. But, I hear what you're saying. And when we were all in the basement, did you hear him call Myléne 'her?' Until we figured out the Akuma was her, we've been using 'it' and 'they' pronouns. So, how'd he know?"

"... That is kind of strange. I-I just wanted to hear what someone else thought, really. I'm probably overthinking." Marc gives her an unsure look before shrugging.

"Hey, if you say so, but now you've got me thinking about it." As he and Marcelle continued their way down the stairs, Marc couldn't help but glance at the redhead, talking on his phone as he walked away from the school... But... Why was his phone off?

Chapter Text

"Grade Representative Elections," Alya reads off the poster. "Don't you mean Class President?"

"Nah, each grade in the school has a representative, sort of like a diplomat," Nino explains. "The President's spot is reserved for the terminale students. They organize events and listen to representatives about issues with the classes, it's a whole thing."

Alya reads the poster and then nods to herself. "Hm. Alright." She and Nino walk to class. "So, who's our Grade Representative?" When Nino threw his head back with a groan, she already had a feeling. "Don't tell me... Chloé?" Of his nod, she mimics his previous action. "That girl is representing our entire grade?! Why did you all even vote for her?!"

"We didn't. No one else ran." Overhearing their conversation, Juleka decided to add her two cents. "Chloé uses blackmail and intimidation to make sure no one else runs against her. But, really? I think she's just too lazy to write her own campaign speech." The bespectacled students look at each other and nod. "Last year, Reshma tried running, and everyone was totally on board with her campaign, but Chloé threatened to have Damocles shut down the manga club if she continued."

Alya looked like she was about to scream, but then just sighed. "That man better grow a spine."

"It ain't just Damocles, Alya," Nino sighed. "Reshma's just as rich as Chloé, but her parents don't have the Mayor's influence. And that's how she got what she wanted. Hell, even the Austins know not to cross her because, as I said, they don't have the Mayor on their side." He chuckles a bit and pulls up something on his phone. "Although, I think this year will be just a little different. Check it out. With the mayoral elections coming up, Bourgeois has been scrambling to try and make sure he gets re-elected."

"I heard he's making Chloé do community service," Juleka chortled. And on cue, a frustrated scream could be heard as Chloé stormed through the front doors of the school with visible bags under her eyes. And you could tell her mood really was bad because she managed to push Ivan and Denise out of her way. "Yesterday, she worked at a soup kitchen and planted trees with kindergarteners the same week she got her manicure."

Marinette sighed wistfully as she passed by them. "While that does sound great at first, it'll only push her to be more ruthless in the Grade Rep election."

"Even if no one's running?" Alya questioned. "Is she even a good Grade Rep?"

"Well... Every field trip is super expensive so it takes our entire grade months to raise money for," Juleka starts listing. "But that's kinda the same for everyone. But for us, most of the time it's at some five-star place with nasty rich white guy food."

"And she never helps with the fundraisers," Marinette mentions. "She shoots down all of our ideas and comes up with ones that take up like half the day." She presses her face against the wall and bites her hand to hold in a scream. "This one time, she rented a traveling circus for three days! And for three days, our whole class was the carnies! A girl can only take so much pie being thrown at her face, Alya!"

Juleka pats her friend on the shoulder with a sympathetic look. "There, there. It's all behind us now. But Alya, in short, Chloé is not a good representative. She only cares about herself, she plans events that only cater to her likes, and if anyone has a problem with it, she makes sure to make the school year a living hell. Last year near the end of the school year, Rose mentioned she'd want to run for Grade Rep this year, but Chloé threatened to get her kicked out of the scrapbook club. That's like her thing, messing with clubs her competitors are in."

Alya scowled. She's only known Rose for a while now, but that girl is sunshine and rainbows in human form. How anyone could just go and threaten someone so sweet is beyond her.

"I know," Juleka muttered. "I was consoling her for weeks because she actually wanted to help our grade."

"Who wants to help the grade?" Adrien asked as the four made their way into the classroom.

Juleka sighed on her way to her desk. "All will be revealed shortly."

Adrien arched an eyebrow. He turns to Nino and asks, "What's that about?"

"Grade Rep elections, dude. And guess who's running unopposed yet again." He points to the door, and in struts Chloé right on time. "Long story short, this entire year will be hell... For you, though? I'm sure you'll have some benefits as First Lady."

"Dude, nice." Marinette fust-bumps him while Adrien opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

"I am no one's First Lady," Adrien hissed, making Nino hold his hands up in a calming way. "Especially not Chloé's."

Alya leans back in her seat. "Then you better pray someone runs, blondie. Not Mari or me, 'cause we got Bug and Cat Chat, Mari's got her sewing. We're swamped." Before another word was said between the four, their phones went off in their bags. It was a message from the class group chat, which excluded Chloé and Sabrina no matter how many times Alya pleaded for Marinette and Max to add the ginger.

Max Makes Mechs:
Who would like good news and who would like bad news?

Buff But Sweet:
...

Briar Rose:
Good news plz

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Rip the bandage off, man

Smol Thespian:
I like good news

Red Emo Bangs:
Gotta go with Mari

Red Emo Bangs:
Pull the knife out

They See Me Rollin':
Jesus, Nath!

They See Me Rollin':
What he said, but not like that

Max Makes Mechs:
Bad news it is, then.

Max Makes Mechs:
Okay, so I accessed Chloe's digital files

Alya-is-Blogging:
Ooh! Boy be snooping

Blonde Wonder:
Snoop Dogg

Son of Poseidon:
Snoopy Doo and Mystery Inc

DJ Lahiffe:
Snooping like Charlie Brown's dog

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
The Snoop, The Snooper, and The Snoopiest

Briar Rose:
... You guys done?

Red Emo Bangs:
Just be glad I can't think of any... Yet.

Red Emo Bangs:
Max, continue

Max Makes Mechs:
May I? Anyway, I just so happened to have found Chloe's files while... Doing things

Red Emo Bangs:
Shady Much?

Purple Emo Bangs:
Nah, he sus

Max Makes Mechs:
And I found one titled, 'Grade Rep.'

Buff But Sweet:
She isn't even Grade Rep yet

Max Makes Mechs:
In summary, this is a list of what she's planning to do once she's back in office

Max Makes Mechs:
This includes class trips and fundraisers, seating arrangements, and classroom policies. Just try not to scream

Max Makes Mechs:
[image]

Max Makes Mechs:
[image]

Max Makes Mechs:
[image]

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
I CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE THIS!

Son of Poseidon:
I'm fine working at the hotel, but look at what jobs she's having us do

Smol Thespian:
She has me on trash duty!

They See Me Rollin':
Oh, like hell I am cleaning her bedroom!

Red Emo Bangs:
And I have to help move around the gym equipment!

Red Emo Bangs:
Look at me! I'm scrawny and hate heavy lifting! I will throw my back out in a hot second!

Red Emo Bangs:
Please don't make me move anything!😭

Son of Poseidon:
No one's gonna make you, buddy!

DJ Lahiffe:
Shit, I gotta teach yoga to seniors

DJ Lahiffe:
Nothing against old folks, they're cool

Smol Thespian:
I'd LOVE to teach yoga! It's like she assigned us stuff she knows we'll hate

Alya-is-Blogging:
Trash duty?!

Alya-is-Blogging:
Do I look like I touch garbage?

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Fuck no

Blonde Wonder:
And would you look at that

Blonde Wonder:
Chloé put me and herself down together for the front desk!

DJ Lahiffe:
Tough break, madame first lady

Max Makes Mechs:
Oh, that's not the worst of it

Max Makes Mechs:
[image]

Purple Emo Bangs:
Great, another stuffy rich white guy hotel

Purple Emo Bangs:
No offense, Adrien

Blonde Wonder:
None taken, we suck

They See Me Rollin':
My dad went there for a Historians Conference, and he HATED it!

They See Me Rollin':
The food sucked, they don't play any good music, and he says he got followed around a lot

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
... I beg your pardon?

Smol Thespian:
What?

Max Makes Mechs:
Oh, God

Alya-is-Blogging:
Alix... Please don't tell me...

They See Me Rollin':
... So an Arabic guy walks into a fancy hotel and the white manager asks him-

DJ Lahiffe:
Great, so a hotel with racist staff. Wonderful.

DJ Lahiffe:
I ask that you note my sarcasm

Blonde Wonder:
Noted

Smol Thespian:
Noted

Son-of-Poseidon:
Does Chloe even know?

Son-of-Poseidon:
I mean, I don't like to think anyone's that bad

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
For her sake, I hope she didn't know

Briar Rose:
Now I'm definitely not helping to raise money for a trip there.

Buff But Sweet:
Like hell I'm spending even a minute there

Son of Poseidon:
Max, bestie, tell me there isn't more

Max Makes Mechs:
Okay, I'll show you

Max Makes Mechs:
[image]

Son of Poseidon:
Max, WHY?!

Red Emo Bangs:
OH FUCKING HELL NO!

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Couldn't have worded it better! She can't make me leave my design book at home!

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
"So I don't fall behind" my ass! I get good motherfucking grades!

DJ Lahiffe:
It'll be a cold day in hell before I give up my headphones!

DJ Lahiffe:
I don't even use them during class

Purple Emo Bangs:
I'm not dying my hair back

They See Me Rollin':
Same here!

Smol Thespian:
Me neither

Red Emo Bangs:
She can pry my sketchbook from my cold, dead, clammy hands!

Briar Rose:
She can't stop me from wearing my perfume!

Buff but Sweet:
If she can get these rules past the school board, she can

Blonde Wonder:
Guys, she's gonna make me sit up front with her!

Alya-is-Blogging:
My curves are a distraction?!

Alya-is-Blogging:
Alright! How many guys here find my curves distracting?!

DJ Lahiffe:
I always make respectful eye contact!

Max Makes Mechs:
Boys

Son of Poseidon:
No way! I'm not like that!

Blonde Wonder:
Nathalie gave me ALL the talks about consent and harassment

Blonde Wonder:
Plus, I'm Ace

Buff but Sweet:
Mylene is and will always be my #1

Red Emo Bangs:
In terms of romantic and sexual feelings...

Red Emo Bangs:
Guys > Girls

Alya-is-Blogging:
Okay, that's what I thought

Alya-is-Blogging:
So, I can't show off my midriff, but she can stroll in wearing some skinny jeans?!

Red Emo Bangs:
This reeks of jealousy

Alya-is-Blogging:
YES!

Alya-is-Blogging:
Thank. You. Nath.

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Alya, I say this respectfully and in the most pansexual way possible, but you have the thighs of a goddess

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
And any girl who tells you otherwise is jealous

Alya-is-Blogging:
Giiiiirl! ☺️

Blonde Wonder:
Body positivity makes me go 'Brrr'

Buff but Sweet:
Then in that case...

Buff but Sweet:
Myléne, you are gorgeous, and I love your dimples

Smol Thespian:
Ohmigosh!

DJ Lahiffe:
And Nath, ur thickness is unparalleled

They See Me Rollin':
Nath, you can crush a melon between your thighs

Red Emo Bangs:
Thank youuuu!

Blonde Wonder:
Was that a compliment, or fact?

Red Emo Bangs:
Can't it be both?

Blonde Wonder:
😲

Buff but Sweet:
Fuck

Smol Thespian:
IVAN!

Alya-is-Blogging:
Share with me your secrets, oh great one!

Red Emo Bangs:
Sure. Pretty soon, you'll be able to crack skulls.

Blonde Wonder:
... While I am curious, let's put a pin in that

Max Makes Mechs:
He's right. Unless we want to suffer for the school year, we need to pick a new Grade Rep

Max Makes Mechs:
That means no backing down despite any stunt Chloé might pull

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Well, I'm a no-go because of my clothing commissions, work for Bug & Cat Chat, and I gotta help my parents at the bakery

Max Makes Mechs:
Not me. I have dozens of projects to work on

Smol Thespian:
I already plan on running for Theater Club President

Purple Emo Bangs:
Don't feel like making a speech

Red Emo Bangs:
Same

They See Me Rollin':
I just don't feel like it

Alya-is-Blogging:
I wouldn't know the first thing

DJ Lahiffe:
Nope

Buff but Sweet:
Not a valid reason, Nino

DJ Lahiffe:
Fine, I still need to make edits to our movie before the deadline in like four days

DJ Lahiffe:
I can't be bothered coming up with a campaign

Buff but Sweet:
Better. And you guys know I have to take care of my nana

Son of Poseidon:
I would run this class to the ground

Son of Poseidon:
So... Adrien?

Blonde Wonder:
...

Blonde Wonder:
Shit, am I the only one left?

Briar Rose:
Unless you're too busy...

Blonde Wonder:
Nothing except the occasional photo shoot, but those are usually on weekends

Blonde Wonder:
And I DO like having power

They See Me Rollin':
I just felt a chill

Alya-is-Blogging:
... Is it too late to say I wanna run?

Buff but Sweet:
Probably

Blonde Wonder:
Okay! I'll run for Dictator and beat Chloé in the election!

Red Emo Bangs:
🤣

DJ Lahiffe:
I'm with Nath on this one!

Mari-is-Designing-&-Blogging:
Phones down! I see Miss Bustier.

Everyone put their phones away as the redheaded teacher walked into the classroom, panting and with a couple of strands of hair loose from her usual bun. "Sorry I'm late, everyone. My car decided to be a little you-know-what and not start."

"So you ran?" Alya asked.

"I didn't run cross country in University for nothing, Alya," she said while repinning her hair. "It's been a while, but I am still in the best shape of my life."

Kim looks impressed. "Future goals, teach."

She waves him off with a bright smile. "Anyway, I'm sure you all know, each grade is holding their grade representative elections." Everyone in the room gave a collective groan, with the exception of Chloé and Sabrina. Honestly, Caline couldn't blame them. Chloé probably has to be one of the worst grade representatives. She doesn't listen to her fellow students' concerns and has countlessly abused her power to make their school lives miserable. She's tried going to Damocles about this, but even back then, he was still under the mayor's, and by extension, Chloe's thumb.

Here's hoping the mayoral elections will turn out differently so things can get back in order around here.

"And," Mme. Bustier continues, ignoring as Chloé preens in her seat. "I'm sure you all know Chloé is running for the grade representative position again with Sabrina as her deputy." In other words, Chloé forced Sabrina to run for the deputy position so none of the other students will "bother" her with actual concerns in the classrooms. "But, just as a formality, do we have any other candidates?"

Chloé looks around at the classroom smugly. As if these losers would dare to run against her, not unless they'd like to get kicked out of their clubs-

"I nominate myself for Grade Dictator!"

And just like that. Her entire world came crashing down. Her Adrikins is running against her?!

Mme. Bustier suppressed a laugh when she saw Chloé's expression. "Adrien you can't nominate yourself. Or be a dictator."

"Hey, Chloé's been running the class," Kim quipped, making the blonde girl let out an enraged snarl. "And if he can't nominate himself, then I will! I nominate Adrien Agreste for Grade Dictator!"

"Again, we have representatives, not dictators-"

Marinette raises her hand. "I second! Adrien Agreste for Grade Dictator! Adrien Nation forever!" The students all cheer and chant 'Adrien Nation' while Chloé looks and wonders what the hell is happening. Mme. Bustier just sighed and took a sip of her coffee, wondering if teaching University students would have been easier. Although she can't deny it, she'd like to see how this goes.

With a fond smile, she continued, "Well then, Adrien, you and Chloé will have a week to put together your campaigns, earn votes, write a speech, and on the day the votes are all counted, we'll see which of you wins."

Chloé scoffed and turned her nose up. "It'll be me." After all, her daddy always wins those mayoral elections, and he will again despite what these losers are saying. Andre Bourgeois has many ways of getting what he wants, and that means he can get her what she wants.

🗡🦋

"So, that wasn't a dream? I actually ran for Class Dictator?"

Nino and Marinette were having trouble containing their laughter. "Dude!" He wheezed while slapping his hand against the stair railing. "You got everyone to chant, 'Adrien Nation' on our way to our next class, vowed to banish Chloé when she tried to get you to drop out, and we got it all on video!"

"I already made some concept designs for your posters." Nathaniel shows him what he's designed on his tablet. "I kinda want it to look like those Obama Hope posters. But, it's really up to you."

Adrien scrolls through the different sketches for his poster designs, looking more and more impressed by the next. His finger stops over a medium-shot rough sketch of him wearing a blazer with the school's crest stitched to the right, and there's a transparent overlay of France's flag. "... Can I see how this'll look with the flag behind me?" Nathaniel nods and gets to work. "Okay, I've got a poster guy. What else do I need for my campaign?"

"A memorable slogan," Juleka adds before looking back down at her journal. "Ivan, Rose, and I may have workshopped a bit."

"I can make pins, shirts, and other stuff out of Nath's art," Marinette offers. The other artist beckons her over to check out some of his designs.

Max types something on his laptop. "You're going to want a PR manager. If you had to choose, the likely choice would be Alya." The auburn-haired girl quirks an eyebrow. "Think about it, you are the most social-media savvy person in the class. Your posts and stories get over five-thousand notes, so it's clear you know what the common people like." Alya beamed with pride.

"Alright. I'll be the best PR Manager you'll ever have, blondie!" She tussles his hair, making him laugh. "First thing's first, you're going to need an Instagram account for your campaign. Post occasional stories of your promises to the students of our grade, make polls, and make sure to promote your art team's projects on the side." Marinette and Nathaniel give him a thumbs up. "It shows you care about the needs of others, and you do, but we've gotta let everyone know it."

Adrien nods the entire time as he's creating his new Instagram account. "Got it. Anything else?"

"Only this." Kim clears his throat before yelling through cupped hands, "HEY, EVERYONE! Adrien Agreste is running for Grade Representative!" The students in their grade start to gather around. "If you want a fair and impartial representative, vote for him!" Everyone in the courtyard cheers and starts chanting Adrien's name, even those who aren't in his grade.

"Yeah!" Marcelle thundered. "Off with Bourgeois' head!"

Austin B claps. "So far, I'm in."

"Make sure to follow Adrien @Agreste4Dictator on Instagram," Alya announces, showing everyone the new account on her phone. "Don't let the name fool you, he's a benevolent dictator, people! Remember, if you want fairness and someone who doesn't use their family's influence to make their classmates carnies for a fundraiser, vote Adrien Agreste to be your representative!"

Lacey gave a low whistle. "That'll be hard to beat, Ismael."

"I'll get you fifty followers on your Twitter election account before the end of study hall," Simon told the shorter boy. "Fifty-four if I can somehow convince the Austins."

"I'll be honest, I think I might have been high on my allergy pills when I said I'd run for representative," Ismael admits with a shrug.

Aurore nodded. "Yeah, you were pretty drowsy this morning." She tussles his hair a bit.

"Plus, I ain't competing with Mr. Sunshine over there. And knowing Chloé, she'll try to win by any means." Ismael discreetly points to Chloé standing far away from the crowd with Sabrina. The blonde girl looks a mix of enraged and betrayed. "And I don't feel like having my secrets getting exposed and shit, alright?"

Reshma puts her hands on her hips with a raised eyebrow. "What secrets do you have that I don't know about?"

Ismael chuckled. "Some secrets of mine are better left unheard, Resh."

🗡🦋

For three days now, Adrien has been working to gather potential votes. So far he has his classmates and Mendeleieve's students on his side. Marcelle is working to convince her classmates to vote for him, assuring them that Chloé definitely won't get revenge on those who voted against her... Hopefully.

His parents couldn't be prouder and were thrilled he was finally taking an interest in a school activity. Emille had bragged a couple of times that she had been the student body president when she was a student, and it took a fancy bottle of wine from Gabriel to get her to stop mentioning it every hour.

The only thing concerning him was how Chloé had been quiet lately. Adrien honestly expected her to send a limo after him while he was walking home and have one of her father's security guards pull him in like in one of the political corruption movies. Then she'd blackmail him with incriminating photos that are no doubt photoshopped or just ones from when he was a child and did stupid stuff as every child does.

It was almost like she expected to win. And speaking of, today marks the end of the mayoral elections. If Andre Bourgois wins again, Adrien will be wondering if there's been a gas leak or something. And there probably is if the school's fencing team instructor tried running for mayor when he has no experience... Seriously, what is up with this city?

"What do you think? The blue tie, or the red?" Marinette asked as she and Reshma held both ties up to the blonde's shirt collar. "I mean, red is one of the school's colors, but blue gives off a calm demeanor."

"Split the difference and go with black?" Mireille suggested. "It's timeless and goes well with any color." She makes quick work of tying the necktie around Adrien's neck in a perfect Windsor knot. "See?" The girls nod and give his look a thumbs up.

Mme. Mendelieve's students, plus Marcelle, were offering their services for Adrien's campaign as well. Simon and Alya worked together as his PR team, Marinette, Reshma, Mireille, and Aurore worked on his outfits, Juleka, Marc, Jean, Ivan, and Rose helped with his speech and slogan, and Kim, Marcelle, and Denise worked as his in-school bodyguards in case Chloé was up to any tricks. Because when Chloé Bourgeois is quiet, you know something is wrong.

"Okay, you're on in thirty seconds," Simon reminds him as Alya gets her tablet set up for the live stream. "Let's make that face a little less shiny." Reshma gets out her powder and dabs a little on Adrien's face. "Perfect. Twenty-one seconds."

"Got your speech memorized?" Marc asked.

Adrien nods. "Sure do, thank you again, you guys."

"Twelve seconds, blondie," Alya said.

"Don't forget your button." Marinette quickly pins one of the buttons she and Nathaniel made on his shirt. "And you're set."

Alya counts down on her fingers. "Five. Four. Three. Two." She points to him.

"Hello, Francoise DuPont. My name is Adrien Agreste, and as you all may know, I am running for the seconde Representative position. Now, I know some may think-"

"Is that why you ran in the election, Mr. D'Argencourt?!"

It was Nathaniel who summed it up the best. "Are you shitting me, man?" Alya subtly tilts her tablet over to the exchange between Nadja Chamack and Armand D'Argencourt.

"Was this nothing but a ploy to seek revenge on your ancestor's behalf?"

"This will be very fun to watch," Cosette said to the viewers.

In the comments section, people who didn't go to the school but were invested in the election are wondering how Nadja and her cameraman managed to sneak into the school without being noticed and if the school even had security.

"Part le fer! Wherefore art thou hither?"

Jean gestures for Alya to turn her tablet toward him. "For those who need a translation, he's saying, 'Why are you here?'"

"Do you have anything to say about your rankings in the polls?" The anchorwoman holds her microphone a little too close to the man's face, and Marinette and Nathaniel couldn't help but roll their eyes. Knowing her personally from babysitting Manon, they've come to the conclusion that Nadja Chamack is a bit... Over the top.

"Hey!" Mme. Mendleieve shouted from the second level of the school. A second later and the fencing teacher probably would have taken matters into his own saber. "How did you two get into the school?" She starts to storm down the stairs, prompting Nadja to drag her cameraman out. "Do not let me catch you in here again! The nerve of some people," she muttered.

Alya turns her tablet to Simon. "Everyone, we'll be back in a moment once we're someplace quieter. Thank you." She ends the live stream. "Okay, that could have gone better, but we had no idea Nadja Chamack of all people would be here."

"She was bound to show up here one day," Marinette sighed. "With all the Akuma victims that go to this school, I honestly should have seen this coming. Plus, y'know, our fencing teacher did run for mayor."

A look of suspicion crosses Denise's face for a moment. "Come to think of it, does he even have any experience in politics? While I can respect someone wanting to reclaim their family's honor, this is just over the top."

"From what I heard, his ancestor, Darkblade, ruled over Paris with an iron fist back in the Dark Ages," Alix notes with a look of disgust.

Simon adds, "Until some rich guy used his money to buy the people's loyalty and get them all to overthrow him. Honestly, if I were born during those times, I'd side with the rich guy. I mean, right?"

"For real, can't believe I'm saying this, but Bourgeois would make a better ruler than that guy," Ismael remarked. "Didn't Darkblade have three wives all at once and force everyone to follow his religion?"

"It was four wives, actually."

"I think he tried to wage a war for no reason."

"Oh, and he sacrificed his dogs."

"And forced one wife to shave her head since she was having 'impure thoughts.'"

Simon waved them off. "Guys, you know those are only rumors... Probably."

While his friends were discussing the fencing teacher's diabolical ancestor, Nathaniel was wondering when now would be a good time to go and Akumatize Mr. D'Argencourt. He can't just sneak off, he'd be noticed right away because he just had to wear this bright purple hoodie.

But, if the outcome of the election turns out the way he expects, Mr. D'Argencourt will be so enraged, that he'll be the perfect bait for his Akuma!... There's also the chance he'll put Paris back in the dark ages, force women into unflattering skirts, and do hell-only-knows to people who aren't Catholic. Well, as long as he keeps the man on a tight leash, that'll surely never happen. Hopefully, after Theo's interview with Marinette and Alya, future Akumas know better than to ever cross him.

🗡🦋

This was meant to be a celebration party. Now the wine just tastes bitter on her tongue.

Demeter grabbed the bottle from her clenched hand and took a swig. "I can't believe we lost," Caline bemoaned while Jean-Pierre shook his head. "Th-they all saw the video, right? This must be a mistake!" She gestures to her television screen, the image of that man standing at city hall and still wearing that damn sash mocking her.

Fred topped off his glass. "The people have spoken, I guess." He chuckled a bit. "Remember back when we were sixteen and protested against the mayor at that time-"

"Because he wanted to tear down a park to build condos," Demeter reminisced with a laugh. "I seem to recall Caline pulling down a construction worker's pants." The redheaded teacher choked on her drink while laughing at the memory, making the purple-haired woman smirk as she recalled the day. "Yes, that very same man shoved me, you got angry, and pantsed him in front of a camera crew."

Jean-Pierre slapped his leg as he laughed. "His heart-printed boxers were on tv for two weeks!"

"Oh, what I wouldn't give to get away with that stuff now," Caline sighed. "If you look up my name, all anyone would see is a gif of me pulling down the mayor's pants in front of everyone. Plus, I wouldn't want to embarrass Chloé like that."

"Yes you would," Fred remarked with a smug smile.

"Immature much?" She snarked, then took the wine bottle to top herself off.

🗡🦋

"Of all the crafty shit she could pull, she just had to do this?" Alya throws her hands up in exasperation. "Adrien, your folks must have hundreds of connections, yet you didn't think to do this?" She gestures to the booth in the middle of the main floor of Hôtel de Ville where rock legend, Jagged Stone himself is there, signing autographs on CDs for DuPont's seconde class.

Alya and Simon knew it just was not in Chloé's nature to be quiet for this long. Here she comes out of nowhere, bragging on her Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat that not only did her father win the election, but Jagged Stone is also at City Hall signing autographs for the launch of her campaign!

"And remember, everyone! Everyone who votes for me gets a ticket to Jagged Stone's next concert!" Chloé announced and holds up a stack of tickets for every student to see. Noticing Adrien standing by the front door, she winked and blew him a kiss. In response, he flipped her off.

"Hey, I don't use my connections to get what I want," Adrien said in defense. "Besides, are people really going to be swayed by tickets when they have a CD of songs from his best album?"

Max types something on his phone. "Not to worry, everyone. According to the polls, Adrien is still ahead. Chloé's gained five more potential voters because of this stunt and they're latching onto the hope that she'll give away the tickets if they vote for her, but the majority really do want a change."

"Well, in that case, I'm getting myself a CD." Cosette and a few others stroll over to the booth. "Remember, do not be tempted by the tickets."

Austin Armbruster scoffed as he and his friends walked past them with their autographed CDs. "We could easily buy out the entire stadium for a private concert. Nice try, though, blondie!"

After getting his CD signed, Nathaniel snuck away into one of the bathrooms on the first floor as soon as he noticed his Miraculous glowing again, much brighter than last time. Mr. D'Argencourt was pissed... That or those who didn't vote for Andre Bourgeois are enraged like anyone after hearing the results of an election when the person they voted for didn't win. Either way, he's still getting an Akuma.

"How do you think Mr. Bourgeois even won?" Nooroo wondered. "Rogercop showed everyone the video that Nino took, right?"

Nathaniel bit his lip in thought. "Yeah, there's definitely up here. I mean, if I'm running for office and a video of me transforming into Monarch gets out into the public, no one's voting for me. He threatened people's jobs and tried to instigate an unlawful search of minors. Something's not right."

"Well, you can figure that out later," the Kwami chirped.

"Nooroo, Wings Rise." Fortunately, none of the bathrooms here had cameras, but he's got to make this quick just in case someone comes in. Monarch sends his Akuma off, and in no time, it finds a disgruntled Mr. D'Argencourt slicing a poster of Mr. Bourgeois into pieces with only his saber. 'This should be easy.' "Hello, Darkblade. Let me be the first to apologize for your loss-"

"I dost not need the pity of a villain who hath terrorized this city for too long!"

... Okay, that was to be expected. "... Okay, but-"

"Dost not speak another word, thou knave!"

Monarch grits his teeth. This guy is really starting to get on his nerves right now. For someone so turned on by the Dark Ages, one would think he'd respect Monarch because of his whole Prince get-up. It's like the guy would rather bow down to some dude in a powdered wig wearing a French Revolution Era outfit!

"Thy majesty, Pray, forgive me!"

'... What?' Monarch was confused by the sudden 180 until he saw something that made him jump out of his skin. He was right outside City Hall. And Mr. D'Argencourt was bowing to him?

'Okay, that's more like it, but this is weird.' He didn't leave the room, and it doesn't feel like he's... There. It was like when he tried out Max's virtual reality goggles, he was there, but at the same time, not there. He gives a quick look around before he catches his reflection in a car's window. That's him, just not in his usual outfit. His clothes are now a purple and black version of an aristocratic outfit from 10th-century France.

'... Yeah, this is definitely weird.' Seeing the fencing instructor still bowing before him, most likely expecting some sort of punishment, Monarch awkwardly told him, "Uh... Hey, get up. I'm not gonna cut off your head, or anything, alright? Just... Accept my Akuma, Darkblade, and we can pretend this never happened. Unless," he adds with a smirk. "You'd rather defy your Prince-"

"No, sire! On my honor, I shall be indebted to thee when the flag bearing the emblem of mine ancestors lies once again upon the roof of City Hall!"

'What is with this guy?' "Yes, you do that." When he cuts off communication, Monarch finds himself back in the bathroom and in his normal clothes. "What the hell? Wings Down." He catches Nooroo in his cupped hands. "Nooroo, what the hell was that, and how do I do it again?"

Nooroo looked eager as he got to explain his powers some more. "It's how few holders of the Butterfly Miraculous are able to get their Champions. They can appear as sort of a hologram but with mass."

"Mass?" The Kwami nods.

"It helps to convince potential Akumas. When Mr. D'Argencourt saw you dressed like French royalty from the Dark Ages, he respected you and accepted your Akuma."

Nathaniel looked uneasy before asking, "Isn't that kind of manipulative?" Before Nooroo could answer, he held a finger up. "N-nevermind, don't answer that." Suddenly, there was a crash outside. "And, there's Darkblade." He slips out of the bathroom, going unnoticed as all the students in his grade are staring out the door and windows at the good-sized army Darkblade had managed to put together. "That was quick," he murmured to himself.

"O-ye, o-ye!" One of the knights bellowed. "Darkblade shalt speak now! Listen or be imprisoned!"

Darkblade steps to the front and points at the building with his sword. Although looking closer, he seems to be pointing it at Mr. Bourgeois. "Henceforth, my flag shalt fly over thy kingdom! Bourgeois, pathetic knave, come hither and do battle!"

"What did he say?" Asked the mayor.

Jean was the one to answer. "Oh, he's gonna plant his flag in place of the French flag on top of the building, he called you a miserable and dishonest man, and he wants you to sword-fight him."

Now that, he understood. Mr. Bourgeois quickly shut his doors. "Ask my secretary for an appointment!" He yelled through the solid wood.

'Coward,' many of the students thought. Seeing them starting to advance, Marinette's quick to react. "Everyone! Barricade the doors with whatever you can find! Hurry!" Denise, Kim, Ivan, Marcelle, and the other physically fit students from the other classes run to grab the heavy stuff while the others work to push any cabinets around up against the windows.

And while Marinette lead everyone, Adrien couldn't help but watch her with awe. The way she immediately took charge, the fire in her eyes... 'She'd be a way better Grade Rep.'

The barricades didn't stop the knights from trying to break down the doors with whatever they had, but they hindered them a bit. Amidst the chaos, Max runs into a coat closet to transform and sneakily makes his way out through one of the windows to ward off the knights.

"So." Ikati Black slides down his pole and lands behind the knights. "I take it you all are heavy metal fans," he quipped before lengthening his staff to use as a makeshift sword against the knights' very real swords. Now he's wishing he had spent more time playing Wii Sports. The sword fighting wouldn't be realistic, but it sure would've helped him in this situation.

He deflects a few strikes with his staff and even splits it in two when the knights start coming at him in fours. "Where are you, Scarlet?" Ikati Black smacks another knight away, and when he does, he notices Darkblade approaching two civilians who were trying to hide. Before he could go to help them, the Akuma tapped their shoulders with his sword, and in a flash of green light, they turned into knights.

"... Shit."

🗡🦋

"Lacey, how's the climbing gear coming along?"

"I'm working with what I got." She holds up a braided rope made from some of the decorative plant vines and roots. This building is lousy with them.

Marinette moves over to Cosette, Reshma, Jean, and Juleka using their nail files to sharpen the ends of some mops and brooms to a fine point. "Keep those spears coming, guys. Austins..." Her voice trails off when she sees them doing absolutely nothing. Tomassian is at least trying to dial for help, but the Akuma must have messed with the signal, so he won't be reaching anyone. "... Nevermind. Marcelle, Marc, Kendra, Simon, Nath, Alix, Denise, what's it looking like outside?"

"They have what appears to be a trebuchet," Simon answered without missing a beat. This made everyone stop what they were doing.

"Repeat that," Nino requested after a beat of silence.

"You heard me!" The redhead screamed. "Brace for impact people; they're loading a fucking car!" He gets off of Denise's shoulders and drops to the floor. Everyone else follows his example, and just in time as a car was hurled right through the wall and skidded along the floor. The Knights shouting, "Part le fer!" could be heard as they loaded another car into the medieval weapon.

Rose voiced everyone's thoughts when she yelled, "RUN!" The students and those still in the building ran up the stairs to the second level of city hall. Chloé was the fastest out of everyone, only because she kept pushing everyone out of her way so she could get to the first room and lock herself inside.

"Did this girl seriously just..." Austin Boulet grabs the doorknob and tries to open the door, but it won't budge. "Bourgeois! Open this damn door before we all die!"

"As if! Find your own panic room!"

The Austin in yellow sputtered for a moment. "OPEN! THIS! DOOR!" He demanded, slamming his fist against the door with each word.

"Forget it," Austin Armbruster tells his friend then whispers, "Let the little brat die alone." His friend smirked and followed the group to find a new room to hide in, but by that time, the knights have already broken into the building after hurling another car. While everyone was piling into the rooms, Darkblade seized seven more people, including Marinette, Denise, and Jean.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!" The bluenette screamed. She scratched and kicked at the knights holding her, but her attacks were no match for their armor. Alya tried to go and help her friend, but Mr. Bourgeois quickly shut the door so no other knights could get in.

Darkblade hefts Marinette up by the back of her shirt. "A feisty wench, this one is." The bluenette scowled.

"The fuck did you just call me, you rusty tin-can?!" She lands a kick to his crotch, but as suspected, he didn't even flinch. "... Jean, Denise, help me out."

Jean writhed around in a knight's hold in a vain attempt to avoid Darkblade's sword while Denise couldn't even yank their arms out of the knight's hold. "Dealing with my own problem-!" The words died in their throat when Darkblade's sword tapped them on the shoulders, turning Jean into another one of his knights.

Marinette blanched when the sword made its way to her next. There was only one thing she could do at that moment now. "... My last words are Chloé Bourgeois sucks!"

Denise felt their blood run cold when their friends turned into knights right in front of them. So, deciding to take a page out of Marinette's book before they could get knighted, they yell, ¡Te amo, Simon O'Connor!"

🗡🦋

"You unbelievable spineless coward of a man!" Nino yelled at the mayor, but he wasn't listening. Andre was trying to get a hold of the police so they could save Chloé... Chloé, but not them. "HEY! Are you listening to me?! You just shut the door on three students and four innocent people! And might I add one of them was helping to keep us safe and alive?!"

Ivan grunts as he, Marcelle, and Victoria push a cabinet up against the door. "Nino, maybe save this for later?"

Simon screamed into his hands while pacing around the room. "No! No, this needs to be said! Right here, right now! Bourgeois, you got a messed up kid! You know that?"

The man had the nerve to look aghast. He stares down the redhead, trying to look intimidating. "Young man, I will not be spoken to that way! Need I remind you, I am your mayor?"

"Bitch, he didn't vote for you," Cosette hissed, making him gasp. "Hell, my parents didn't vote for you after they saw that video!" She looks over at Reshma and gestures for her to pull out her phone. No way this is going undocumented. "And it's pretty obvious to see why since you just ran up the stairs like a coward instead of letting students, minors, go first, you let your daughter lock herself in a room alone so she could leave us to perish..."

While Cosette ranted, Alya was trying to coax Sabrina into calming down. When Chloé shut that door on everyone, Alya knew something was wrong with Sabrina when she saw the look of horror and betrayal cross her face. It was like she couldn't believe Chloé would stoop that low or something. "Hey, 'Brina, look. I'm here."

"I-I th- I thought she'd he-help me. Sh-she d- she didn't even ask for me! We're supposed to be friends," The ginger rambled. She was staring off into space, looking at nothing. Alya wasn't even sure if she was aware of anything right now; it was like she was completely in shock.

The creole girl sighed. It was bound to happen one of these days, she supposed. "C'mon, 'Brina. Let's sit you down, okay?" She brings the ginger over to a table and has her sit down on it. "Alright, there you go... This is gonna sound weird, but... You wanna braid my hair?" This seemed to snap Sabrina out of her daze and she gave the other girl an odd look. "My sisters always liked braiding my hair whenever they were in a mood. It's calming for them, so... Wanna try it out?"

Sabrina looked a little apprehensive for a moment. Then she took a few strands of the soft hair and got to work on making a small braid.

"And another thing, Bourgeois!" Cosette continued. The mayor was now backed into a corner while Mireille was trying to restrain them. "Why don't you discipline your daughter, huh? What? Are you scared of her, or something? You get so tired of hearing her scream and whine, that you just pander to whatever the hell she wants?!"

"Part le fer!" Everyone heard before a boulder was hurled into the room next to theirs.

"CHLOÉ!" The mayor cried, making Cosette tense a bit.

Then, allowing everyone to take a breath of relief, Chloé screamed, loud enough that it could be heard through the walls. "Daddy! Get me out of here! Why didn't you losers warn me?!"

It was quiet for a moment.

"Is this girl serious?" Marc whispered to Nathaniel. It seemed like the worst possible moment to try and start a conversation, but maybe it would help. What he was forced to see when Myléne was Akumatized had left him unable to get a good night's sleep. Understandable since every time he went to bed, all he could see was a bloody hole in Nathaniel's neck and his eyes rolled back into his head as he lay on the cold, hard ground. This honestly seemed like his best chance at getting the nightmares to stop... Kinda unfortunate that it had to happen during an Akuma attack, though.

To his relief, Nathaniel didn't seem appalled by the question. "Hey, I'm not surprised. Honestly, I'm kinda all for Dark Blade's whole 'eat the rich' thing."

"What?!" Reshma screamed.

"No one's eating the rich, Resh," Ismael promised. He whispers to her, "Although should we get hungry, we're eating uinlan-quay first." Discretely, he points to the redheaded Austin trying to push through the crowd so he can be closest to the window for his escape.

Messing with the spikes on his bracelet, Marc continued, "Um... I never actually apologized for what happened on Valentine's Day. I-I just figured if this whole thing goes South, and we're all knighted, I should tell you-"

"Marc, don't say that." The noirette tried so hard not to smile like an idiot when Nathaniel rested a hand on his shoulder. "First, I know what happened wasn't your fault." A strange look crossed his face before disappearing as quickly as it disappeared. "Second, we're getting out of this." He points to Lacey opening one of the windows and throwing down her braided rope. Adrien is handing students the makeshift spears in case they run into any knights on the way down.

"We're uh," he chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Pretty resourceful for teenagers. Now come on. Let's get the hell out of here."

Marc gave a determined nod and followed him over to the window.

"Alright, Ivan and Alix are getting Chloé out of the other room right now," Adrien tells them and points. The three of them are shuffling along the ledge of the building to the rope. "After them, you two go. I messaged Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black; they're gonna fight any knights in our way, but we're gonna have to do some fighting, too, and then we'll head to my place. The security system is top of the line, and there are plenty of rations to go around while we wait for the heroes to fix everything."

Alya gave a low whistle while Sabrina worked on her seventh braid. "Damn, blondie."

"Someone's gotta take charge with Marinette gone," he reasoned.

"We're definitely screwed if she's a knight, you guys," Ismael remarked. "I'm just pointing that out. Yes, Denise will punt us across the city, but that girl is an evil mastermind." A few students nod in agreement.

"Your turn, guys!" Ivan hollered once he, Alix, and Chloé made it to the ground, unaware of the knight coming up behind them until Scarlet Beetle's yoyo wrapped around their torso and yanked them aside.

Marc went down the rope first, followed by Nathaniel who was handed a finely sharpened spear from Juleka. A quiet gulp escaped from his mouth when handed the weapon. He had practiced with his cane only three times and was still just getting the hang of it. But, he might as well use some of the moves he learned.

'Knees bent. Move from your elbow and shoulder. Move fast to try and disarm... You've got this.'

He almost didn't. The two had encountered their first knight when they made it to the eleventh arrondissement, and with Marc defenseless, Nathaniel took to fighting them off. He had lost his balance two times, almost had his head chopped off, and kissed the concrete when he veered out of the way of a swing. It took a while, but Nathaniel managed and even successfully disarmed a knight! Now he had a sword, which was badass, and he's definitely keeping it.

🗡🦋

"Dude! You need to teach me how to do that!" Nino exclaimed while walking into the foyer with the others who had made it. He had been right behind Marc and Nathaniel when he saw the usually passive artist disarm a knight who had to be twice his body weight like it was nothing. "I'd kill to have skills like that!"

Alix gave the redhead a friendly punch on the shoulder and chuckled. "Dude? Badass! You'll learn how to street fight, but not how to rollerblade?"

Nathaniel looked around the room and saw a few pairs of eyes on him, most of them disbelieving. Which, is pretty valid. He's not on the athletic side, so hearing that he disarmed someone with boosted strength and agility, wearing armor and carrying a sword was bound to make some people skeptical until they saw the broadsword in his hand.

He gave a sheepish smile. "Fight or flight, I guess?"

"I call bull!" Exclaimed Ismael.

Gabriel Agreste shouted over the loud murmurs in the room. "Is that everyone? Tell me before we activate the security system!" To show he's serious, he holds up his tablet with the screen showing a blue screen with a glowing handprint icon. The students and city hall staff look around, trying to see who's missing besides those they saw get knighted. "Alright, if that's it..." He presses his hand against the screen, and the students all flinch when the doors and windows are suddenly barred with some strong-looking metal.

"What is that, steel?" Lacey wondered as she looked at the bars through one of the windows.

"Tungsten, actually," Emille bashfully admitted. "Celebrity families come with highs and lows. One of those lows is stalkers who claim that your son is their own," she adds bitterly as a few unwanted memories resurfaced. The thought of some deranged woman sending a letter claiming Adrien as her son sickened her to no end. She and Gabriel could hardly rest when she found the letter and that's when they decided to amp up the security. The metal bars may have been much, but one can never be too careful, especially with Monarch running around now.

Alya shuddered as she thought back to Valentine's Day, and all of those freaky letters. She looks at Adrien to make sure he's okay, but, his mind seems to be somewhere else at the moment. He's got his 'thinking' look on. "Everything cool, blondie?"

Adrien suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and quickly ushers Alya over to a quieter part of the room. "Do you think this is everyone? I-I know some must have gotten knighted- Maybe I should have put in a better system to make sure everyone got here safe, or-"

"Adrien." She grips his shoulders to get him to look at her. "Okay, let's chill for a moment, alright? First, why are you stressing? You've got the majority of our grade to safety, you were on point with that escape, and contacting Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black? Fucking genius," she beamed. "So... What's up?"

"... You think Marinette could have done this better?"

Alya gave him a soft smile. "Hon, she's only human. She does the best she can, and so do you. Let's focus on the positives right now. When Marinette got knighted, you stepped up as a leader, showing everyone once again how good a fit you are for Grade Rep. Now," She cups his cheeks and gave them a little squeeze. "Quit being mopey, and take me to the game room so I can see if I can beat Mari's high score."

"Attacking the girl while she's down?" Nino tsked. "For shame, Alya, for shame."

"You hush," she scoffed and looked off to the side... Where she caught sight of Chloé making her way up the stairs while Adrien's family was trying to calm down some of the more anxious students... And, she was making her way toward Adrien's room. 'Not on my watch, boo,' she thought to herself, knowing her intentions. "Real quick, blondie, mind if I use your bathroom?" Off his nod, she made her way up the stairs. She wasn't going to hurt Chloé, no... She just wants to have a little friendly chat.

"Alright, you've got yourself a two-handed sword," She heard Nathalie telling Nathaniel as she showed him how to hold his new weapon. "So, have your right hand at the top end of the grip and the left hand at the bottom. You'll have a much firmer hold on the sword and it'll be difficult for your opponent to knock it out of your hand." The redhead nodded and readjusted his grip around the weapon.

🗡🦋

"Cursèd, colorful acrobats!" Darkblade exclaimed when Ikati Black ruined his knights' formation by using cataclysm on the ground beneath them so they would fall into the sewers, taking out about a quarter of his army. It wasn't a lot, but it was a start. Dark Blade tapped two cars with his sword and turned them into catapults. At his command, knights start loading themselves in. "PULL!"

"That's not gonna end well." And Ikati Black was absolutely right when both knights slammed none-too-gently into the wall with an "Oof!" before sliding down. "See? Now, come on! We need to get to the roof before he sets down the flag!"

"On it!" Scarlet Beetle threw his yoyo to mess with the catapult's aim, making causing the next knight to land in a fountain. He yanked on his yoyo hard until the string cut through the wood, destroying the first catapult. Before he could destroy the second, Darkblade caught the end of his yoyo and flung the spotted hero into a brick wall.

"Scarlet!" Ikati Black cried and surged forward with his staff split in two. He deflected the other knights' attacks so he could get to Darkblade, but one managed to overpower and pin him to the ground piercing their sword through his tail and into the ground. This left Darkblade able to catapult himself up to the roof with his flag, shouting something about, "Stripes," "coat of arms," and "reign supreme."

Before the knight who took Ikati Black down could deliver a blow, Scarlet Beetle's yoyo wrapped around their arm, and they were thrown to the side. "Th-thanks," he stammered.

Scarlet Beetle took the sword out from the ground and swung it over his shoulder. "No problem." He helps his partner up and has him wrap an arm around him. Ikati Black just barely noticed the quick awkward look that crossed his face but didn't say anything as he propelled them up to the roof. Before Darkblade could make it to the flag, Ikati Black threw his staff, hitting the knight's hand so he'd drop his flag and become aware of their presence. "It ends here, Darkblade!"

"Villains! Thou impress me not!" He hits the tip of his sword against the roof, and at his command, four knights come out of hiding, restrain the heroes, and toss their weapons to the side, leaving them completely defenseless as they were forced to watch Darkblade's, and by extension, Monarch's victory. "By the blade of darkness..." He picks up his flag and approaches the French flag. "I hereby declare all peoples of this kingdom are henceforth mine!" Once the flag is replaced, the skies are suddenly turned dark without a single cloud in the sky. From down below, civilians were turned into knights when the darkness spread to them and made their way to city hall to await the head knight's orders. Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black pale when it finally hits them. They failed.

Scarlet Beetle called for his Lucky Charm in vain, but it was useless unless he was holding his yoyo.

Ikati Beetle wasn't doing any better. He was racking his brain for some sort of idea to get them out of this, but... He had nothing. He used his power, Scarlet can't call for his Lucky Charm, and now Paris is under Darkblade's control! A quiet whimper escaped through his lips and he turns to Scarlet Beetle, "Scarlet, I'm sorry!" He blurts.

"It's okay," he assured. "There's no way we could've-"

"No! I-I mean, I'm sorry for what happened on Valentine's Day!" His vision was slowly starting to be obstructed by tears. "I'm sorry for taking advantage of you like that, for-for kissing you while you were under an Akuma's control, and then not stopping, and waiting so long to apologize! Scar-"

"I should be the one who's sorry!" Scarlet Beetle exclaimed, squeezing his eyes shut to hold back his tears. "I wrapped my arms around you! I basically forced you to stay on top of me! Then I acted all cold and awkward around you, and I didn't even say why..." A tear finally makes its way down his cheek. "Overall, Ikati... I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry before-" He shudders a bit when Darkblade approaches. "That."

Although they couldn't see it, Darkblade was smiling like a madman under his helmet. He was the winner, Monarch's successful Akuma, his key to victory. And once he takes the Miraculous, he shall be forever in the Prince's debt. Before he could grab the earrings, though, his arm violently jerk back with a yelp. "Pray tell, what- AAH!" He fell to his knees and gripped his arm.

"Look!" Ikati Black jerks his head towards Darkblade's arm. Dark purple veins are forming along the armor and are already spreading up to his shoulder. "What's happening?!"

Scarlet Beetle couldn't take his eyes off of the Akuma. "I-I don't know!" Hoping the knights were good and distracted, he kicked them in the shin, making their grip loosen so he could toss them over the side of the building. He yanked the knight restraining Ikati Black away and did the same so they could rush to Darkblade's aid. If this turns out to be a trick, it'll be a cold they in hell before they can trust Akumas when they say they're hurt.

"Scarlet, I can't get his armor off!" Ikati Black exclaimed as he tried to remove a gauntlet, but even with his enhanced strength, it wouldn't budge. "Darkblade, you need to tell me what's wrong!"

Darkblade couldn't get a word out before a sudden flash of purple light hit them. The heroes look and find... Monarch. He was just standing there by the flag, but... There was something off about him. For one, he's purple and see-through! Also, there was an eerie feel to him, the way he seemed to look past Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black and at Darkblade with so much malice in his eyes. The heroes were about to grab their weapons in case this was some sort of trick, but then Monarch just held his hand up and put his thumb and pointer finger together, and the purple veins spread through half of Darkblade's body, making him scream in agony.

Ikati Black bared his teeth and surged toward the villain. "CUT IT OUT!"

"..." Monarch took all of his blows without so much as wincing when the staff hit him, and he just continued to walk towards Darkblade while Scarlet Beetle put himself between the two. Scarlet Beetle's yoyo bounced off of him each time until finally, he was standing over Darkblade. The Butterfly holder kneeled down, and the heroes waited for his next move. They just weren't expecting, "You were a mistake," Monarch whispered, and put his hand on the sword's blade. It glowed a bright purple as he forced the Akuma out.

Scarlet Beetle was stunned for a moment before he remembered the Akuma and made quick work of catching, purifying, and spreading his Cure around the city. During all of that, Monarch had disappeared.

"... Why did he do that?" Ikati Black wondered.

🗡🦋

There was so much blood... So much screaming... Nathaniel was vaguely aware of all that was happening around him during that moment. The skies turned dark, there were flashing red lights. A wailing noise... Marcelle was kicking and screaming while being dragged away by Simon as heavy tears streamed down her face. And there's Marc. He's on his knees with a sword sticking out of his chest.

That's a sword.

It's sticking out of his chest...

Oh, and Alix. His best friend, her leg was just cut off... That's not good. And Chloé and Alya are just lying on the stairs with huge gashes on their back.

Also, it looks like there's a knight in front of him, but they're on the ground. And a hand is missing.

Nathaniel didn't know what happened next, or how he was able to make it into the kitchen without being spotted, but he made it... Also, there was... Blood? On his sword? That's weird, but then he saw Nooroo, and he looked really scared. He was telling him to say something, and then the next minute... His senses returned. His Akuma killed and injured his friends. He killed and injured his friends. The entire fucking foyer is covered in blood, he probably cut off a knight's hand, and he launched Paris right back into the Dark Ages!

He did the one thing he could do at that moment... He screamed. Loudly. Then everything just sort of blacked out for him until the next thing he knew, he was back in the kitchen with a bunch of glowing butterflies swarming around him. Monarch called off his transformation and was met with a very frantic Nooroo asking if he was alright. And to be honest, Nathaniel wasn't entirely sure. He just walked back into the foyer where everyone else was as pretty shaken up at the moment.

The knights were gone, that's good. His friends are all healed up and there are no blood splatters. He doubts any of them will forget what happened here, though.

"Hey," Alix finally said. She was quiet for a moment before pointing to his hand. "Still got your sword." The redhead looked down and saw that he did, in fact, still have the sword he took from that knight earlier and then used to cut off a hand. And it was clean, so that's a plus. "... You good?"

'Not really.' "Yeah... You realize my mom's gonna flip out when she sees me with this, right?"

Alix managed to snort a laugh, making Nathaniel smile a bit. "Hey, if she doesn't let you keep it, I'll take it off your hands, bud."

"Is everyone alright?" Asked Nathalie. "Physically, I mean!" Everyone gave a murmured round of "Yes," and "I'm good." "Okay, I'd suggest calling your parents and having them give you rides home."

"And I'll just take this," Alya piped up as she snatched a green journal out of Chloé's hand while she was still sprawled out on the stairs. "Blondie! This yours'? Found Chloé snooping through your room, wrestled it from her a bit." She tilts her neck and it emits a pretty loud crack. "I figured she was looking for blackmail material, and I was right when I saw her with your diary."

Adrien happily took it. "Thanks, Alya, but this isn't my diary. Just cosplay ideas." He flips through the pages so the creole girl can see different rough sketches of costumes, most of which she recognizes from animes like My Hero Academia and SK8 the Infinity. "Also, I live in a multimillion-euro mansion, do you think I'd just leave my diary out in the open like that?" He scoffed. "Come on."

"You know," she chuckled. "Most guys wouldn't admit to owning a diary."

"I can admit it because no one will ever find it, or both keys."

🗡🦋

Mme. Bustier had "calmly" and "kindly" coerced principal Damocles into letting the seconde class have a week off from school after the events that took place during Darkblade's attack. When they returned, a couple of the other students tried to give their two cents and downplay what went down, but an icy cold glare from Mme. Mendeleieve managed to quiet them down.

Other than that, they returned to school just in time, because the polls for Grade Representatives are in. The terminale representative is Beck King, a well-liked student and sibling-like figure to the younger students with a promising hockey career, and acting as their Deputy is their classmate, Ferdinand Prince. The premiére class voted for Willow Lovat, and she chose Corey Jones as her Deputy, an easy election as last year, Willow was voted Most Levelheaded in the superlatives and it had been unanimous. The troisième class voted in Neil Nye as their rep, and it was a close call considering three of the most popular students in their grade were running, but he had two master manipulators for campaign managers and one hell of an artist to make his posters. For his Deputy, he chose Erin, whose friends had been forcing her to run for Representative, but she was more of a "Behind the scenes" type of girl.

And finally...

"WHAT?!" Chloé exclaimed when she saw the results on the school's blog. "How could I lose?! I gave you all Jagged Stone CDs and tickets to his concert!"

"You didn't give us the tickets," Austin Quinlan reminded her with his hand on his hip. "You'd only give them to us if we voted for you. And we didn't, but that didn't apply to the CDs, so... Yeah, you lost."

"Also, Adrien's speech? Hands down, the best one I've heard," Alix adds, making other students agree with her. Juleka, Marc, Jean, Ivan, and Rose couldn't help but beam with pride knowing they helped to write an election-winning speech.

Ivan shyly raised his hand. "It also didn't really help you in the polls when you locked yourself in a room and left us to get attacked by a bunch of knights." A frown crossed his usually gentle expression. "Also, Alix and I rescued you, and neither of us heard a 'thank you' for it. So, you got your answer on why we didn't vote for you."

"Then your dad acted kinda cowardly back there," Marinette said. "I mean, the man's decent with politics, but kinda lousy with relations with the citizens."

Mylene shows the bluenette her phone. "You won't be saying that when you hear about this sanitation program he's been planning."

Not wanting to hurt her pride even more, Chloé stormed off in a huff, only to stop when she noticed Sabrina wasn't following her. "SABRINA!" She tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the ginger to follow, but she was caught looking between her and Alya. The bespectacled girl gave her a gentle look that said, 'I'll trust you.' And it didn't take long for Sabrina to make her choice.

She went with Sabrina. Chloé shot Alya a smug smile before continuing to storm off.

Alya sighed, and Nino put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you tried. But relationships like theirs'? It takes a while, you know?"

"I guess. But, hey, let's not mope around. We've got a certain blonde to congratulate." She jerks her head in Adrien's direction as students are already wishing him good luck, asking what his first act will be, and who he's choosing for his deputy. He answered the second question pretty quickly and now, Reshma was being swarmed with questions. Apparently, Adrien had heard about how she tried to run last year, but couldn't due to Chloé. She quickly accepted, figuring this was the closest she would get to the action.

🗡🦋

"Looks a lot like him," Nooroo murmurs, resting on Nathaniel's shoulder as he sketched Darkblade. "Another one to the list?"

"It'd be stupid not to add him." Nathaniel pauses on shading just to stare at his sketch and wonder, 'What the hell was I thinking?' "... I basically helped kill most of my friends," he said to himself.

"Nathaniel-"

He cut the Kwami off, "Don't try that, Nooroo, please. I always thought Copycat was my worst, but this guy? I gave this guy a bunch of armed knights, he sent Paris to the Dark Ages for a brief moment, and then his army fucking slaughtered my friends." A sob escapes through his lips, making Nooroo hurry to hug him. "How many more people am I going to hurt just to make that damn wish, Nooroo? I-I thought I had a hold on him, but I couldn't get away, and his knights weren't- they weren't supposed to-"

"Stop it!" Nooroo shouts, silencing Nathaniel. "Nathaniel, I won't lie, this was probably your worst move, but you can't beat yourself up over this. People will get hurt, I can't lie to you about that, but unlike you, those who got their wish never cared what happened to people in the line of fire. They let families die, children, they burned homes." Nooroo tried not to shudder at the memories, but his friend needed to hear this. "You stopped Darkblade before it could get any worse-"

"Remind me, how did I do that, again?" He wipes away a tear with the pad of his thumb. "My memory's still kinda blurry."

"Call it an emotion surge," the Kwami starts to explain, looking relieved. "Your powers are linked to emotions, others, and your own. You're not limited to only creating Akumas, much like how Scarlet Beetle's not limited to his Lucky Charm. He has his Miracle Cure and any other hidden powers there are to discover. Same for Ikati Black. Holders unlock new powers the more they use their Miraculous. That day, you experienced an emotion surge. It sort of overrides your Akumas when you feel a strong burst of emotions like what you felt when the knights hurt your friends."

Nathaniel mirthlessly laughed. "Good to know. How many other powers can I expect to unlock?"

Nooroo looked up in thought and hummed to himself. "... The most I've ever seen one holder unlock was... Ten, I believe." The redhead choked on his spit. "You've already got Akumatization, Emotion Lacing, Influence, and Emotion Surge. I consider that impressive, especially at your age. A lot of my holders were in their twenties or older."

"... Good to know," Nathaniel said before closing his sketchbook. "Okay, mom's still out with her friends; let's work on my stance."

"I'm ready when you are, Nath," the Kwami chirped.

"Nooroo, Wings Rise."

Chapter Text

"Alright, Kim... Truth or dare?"

"Hmmm... Dare," he challenges, showing no fear in his eyes like Nino and Max. They knew better than to ever choose 'Dare' when playing with Marinette, but Kim was all in for it. "Lay it on me, Mari!"

The bluenette smirks before popping a gummy bear in her mouth. "I dare you... To run outside and say raccoons took your titties." After a beat of silence, Nino bursts into laughter while Max shakes his head and wonders how he became friends with these guys. Not that he's complaining, of course. Plus, this dare sounds funny as hell, and it's the weekend. Homework was done, their class presented their particle physics projects, they were waiting to hear who won the film contest, and they were still sort of recovering from the incident with Darkblade...

After all of that, a break seemed well-deserved, and the four childhood friends decided to spend their weekend having a sleepover at the Dupain-Cheng's loft apartment.

With a determined look, Kim slipped on his pink faux-fur slippers and made his way out of the living room, looking Marinette right in the eye as he did.

Nino snickers. "He is not..." The trio rush over to the window and wait for Kim to walk out through the bakery entrance. To his disbelief, he does. "Okay, so he's outside, but he's not gonna-"

"HELP! RACOONS TOOK MY TITTIES!" Marinette and Max laugh while Nino just stares.

"He actually did it."

From downstairs in the bakery, they hear Sabine hollering, "Kids! No crazy dares!"

"Yes, auntie Sabine," Kim responds on his way up the stairs before looking at Marinette with a mischievous grin. "It's payback time, Mari!" He declares. "Just you wait!"

Marinette only laughs harder before resting her chin in her hands. "Kimmy, you're forgetting. You, the Queen of Dares taught me everything you know. You can't touch me when I know all of your moves," she says ominously.

Max sucks in a breath and leans away from the bluenette. "You've got that look on your face, Mari; I don't like that look."

"Ah, you love it!" She snickers. "Now hit me, Kim! And just to save time, I'll pick dare."

"Okay, okay, okay," he says, bouncing a bit on the sofa. "I dare you to-"

"Marinette!" Tom calls from downstairs. “Myléne and her father are here!" With a look of realization, Marinette shoots up from her seat.

"Shit, I almost forgot," she mutters and rushes upstairs.

Kim and Nino look confused until Max explains, "Last week while Mari and I were training for the tournament, she got a commission from Myléne's dad to repair his hat for his routine. Remember? The troop M. Hapréle is in is putting on The Mime's Excellent Adventure later in the afternoon." Kim and Nino nod, now recalling Myléne's announcement on the group chat.

The bluenette runs back downstairs with something in her hands and then heads down to the bakery. Deciding to say a quick hello to the Hapréles, the boys follow Marinette into the bakery. The rainbow-haired girl beams when she sees her other friends.

"Hey, guys! Having another sleepover?" She giggles and points to Nino's pink bunny slippers. He doesn't look the least bit embarrassed and poses as if he were a foot model.

"Thank you again, Marinette," Fred says while reaching into his pocket for the payment. "If I had shown up with my hat looking such a way, Sarah would have my... You know what," he mutters. Myléne frowns a bit, but her expression disappears as quickly as it appeared.

Marinette shrugs a bit. "Hey, it's no problem. The tear wasn't too bad." A few customers in line at the counter show some intrigue as she talked and presented her work. "And I sewed that pocket on the inside as you asked."

Fred grins and hands Marinette a white envelope. "Saving me at the last minute." Just for laughs, and because he already has an audience, he mimes that that hat is inside a box.

"Oh my God!" Kim squeals. "He's doing it!" Max laughs a bit at his friend's excitement.

Tom and Sabine can't help but watch with matching smiles as the man opens the imaginary box and looks like he's gasping with delight. When she came to France for University, watching the mimes perform had always been one of Sabine's favorite activities. And when Tom heard about this, he took her to several different shows. To this day, they keep the tickets in a memory album.

When the show concludes, everyone in the bakery gave Fred a round of applause, and naturally, he bows. "Thank you, everyone! And remember to catch the troop's production of The Mime's Excellent Adventure. Trust me, you will not want to miss it." With a tip of his hat, he and Myléne leave the bakery. Customers are abuzz as they continue with their orders.

"Mari, please be my best friend and help me pick out an outfit for tonight," Kim pleads.

"Step into my office, love."

The two go upstairs with Max and Nino following a few steps behind. While Marinette is giving Kim some outfit ideas, Nino smirks and whispers to Max, "Gonna ask him out?" making the shorter boy's eyes widen, the only tell-tale sign that he was blushing due to his skin being too dark to tell. "Triple dog dare ya, Maxy."

Max sighs, knowing Nino will never let him live it down if he refuses the dare. Besides, Plagg is poking at him to do it, too, so... "Fine," he whispers. "Just don't say anything."

"I would never." That tone of voice is not convincing Max one bit.

🎭🦋

"Fred! Where are you!" Sarah demands.

"I-I'm on my way; I just had to pick up my hat-"

"Enough with the excuses!" Myléne grimaces at the implication her dad is lying. "I need you here now!"

"It's not an excuse," he says calmly. "I know the bus is leaving in less than half an hour. I'll be there-" The line cuts off. Fred sighs but feels a little better when Myléne takes his hand. "It's fine, dove-"

"No it's not," she asserts. "Sarah's always accusing you of shirking your job, but you have valid reasons! Remember when I needed to go to the dentist and they gave me laughing gas? You had to take care of me, and she didn't believe you, even when I took your phone and told her!"

The man smiles at his daughter, proud of her for sticking up for others, even him. He tries not to burden her with these sorts of things, but stuff always manages to come up in conversations. Sometimes Myléne was too smart for his own good.

Being a single father, Fred had to work twice as hard to make sure they lived well. And while some friends offered to help out, he'd rather not be a bother. So, he took up whatever jobs were hiring, substitute teacher, repairman, and waiter. While each job paid well, he just couldn't find it in his heart to stay away from the theater and auditioned to be in a mime troupe. Doing community theater back in University paid off because now he's a member of one of the most popular miming troupes in Paris.

And, yeah, sometimes he runs late to a rehearsal, but only because of his other jobs. He's made sure to email Sarah in advance every time he thinks he might be late, but then she calls asking why he's late and each explanation is met with dismissal and accusations of him neglecting his job.

Putting those memories aside, for now, Fred bends down to hug his daughter, prompting her to hug him back. "Dove, let's not worry about that for now. I know I won't." He reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out something that brings a smile back to the blonde's face. "Not when I've got my lucky charm." He takes off his hat and places the small photo of Myléne in the inner pocket.

"Everything will be alright," he promises her and then checks his watch. "Okay, I should be there just in time. I've got front-row seats reserved for you and Ivan. Love you, Dove."

"Thanks, dad. Love you, too," she says and waves him off as he sprints down the sidewalk. "I'll see you there." Her smile slowly begins to drop, having the terrible feeling something would go wrong today.

🎭🦋

"What are you, a size two? I hate you," Marinette throws a pair of her jeans back in her closet with a huff. "Maybe I should take up swimming. Seems to be doing wonders for you." The athlete smirks and crosses one leg over the other, not noticing the flustered look on Max's face.

"Oh, it's not swimming, I'm just blessed." 

"I'll say," Max murmurs, only to get a quick nudge in the arm from Nino. He whispers, "Don't be thirsty," without looking up from his phone.

Marinette, not wanting to watch this any longer looks in her closet again. "Okay, full-on honesty. Would it look like I'm trying too hard by wearing a black and white striped shirt to a mime show?"

"No."

"No."

"I didn't think about it until you mentioned it," Nino adds, still not looking up from his phone. It was then Marinette notices the dopey-looking grin on his face.

"And who are you texting, Monsieur Lahiffe?"

He glances at her with an arched eyebrow. "Nunya business, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng," he retorts with a smirk before looking down at his phone again. Max sneaks a glance over his shoulder and says, "He's texting Alya." Nino's eyes go wide before he elbows him in the shoulder. "Dude!"

This quickly catches Marinette's attention. She rides his swivel chair over to where her friends are sitting and rests her chin on the back. "You have my attention. Tell me, Nino. Why are you texting Alya?"

"I am also texting Adrien," he retorts, putting a lot of emphasis on the blonde's name.

Max smirks. "But he's mostly texting Alya." The other boy groans while Kim and Marinette giggle before a thought occurs to the bluenette.

"Hey! Why aren't I in the group chat?" She pouts. "I thought the four of us were tight." Nino points to the pink phone on her desk hooked up to the charger. "Ooh... Right. Man, I've gotta stop sleeping with my phone on," Marinette chuckles. "Now, what's got you smiling like a dummy?"

"Alya's just asking if we'd like to go to the zoo Wednesday after school," he groans like a child being teased by their parents about a crush. "Her dad's got a job there, says he can get us tickets half off to check out the new panther exhibit." Hearing this, Marinette squeals.

"Tell her yes! I love black cats!" She spins around in her chair, giggling like a maniac.

"Well, these black cats can rip your flesh off of your bones," Max points out and pushes his glasses up a bit, but Marinette continues spinning in her chair and shows no sign of stopping. "And, she's not listening to me. Would they mind if Kim and I tagged along?"

Nino starts typing. "Just texted them."

"Ooh, meeting the dad," Kim teases as he pokes at his friend's side, earning himself some slaps on the arm. "I see you, lover boy. I bet you're gonna get the classic shovel talk and everything. Five euros says he arm wrestles you."

"Twenty says he stares you down," Max adds. Knowing the genius' success rate with betting, his friends decided not to place any bets against him after Ivan lost fifty euros after betting that Marinette wouldn't be flashy with her coming out. The next week, she runs into the school waving around a demiromantic flag and wearing a pansexual flag-inspired outfit. Then she screamed, "I run this CITY!"

Never take bets against Max Kanté.

"Anyway," Nino says to get his friends back on track. "Alya said it's fine. So, it looks like it'll be the six of us. "Now, Mari, about that shirt. That's a try-hard move." In response, she throws a ball of yarn at him. "You know I'm right."

🎭🦋

"So, what's his excuse this time?"

Sarah muttered something under her breath. "Said he had to pick up his hat." She sighs and rubs her temples, prompting Chris to put a comforting hand on her should. "I swear, that man is a great actor, but his punctuality is some of the worst."

"Hm... He is a great actor, isn't he?" Feeling her tense up a bit, Chris smirks before putting on a more neutral expression. "I mean, he's always coming up with so many excuses, that one might think he's not as committed to the troop. He leaves early, misses parts of his costume, and misses a couple of rehearsals because his daughter's sick. So much for one man, but..." Chris sucks a breath in through his teeth. "I won't make any speculations yet. If he wants to ruin any future productions, that's on him."

It looked like Sarah was considering his words for a moment. Perfect. But then she sighs and says, "Be ready to take his place if he doesn't get here in the next five minutes, okay?" Getting a tip of the hat in response right before Chris gets on the bus, she checks her watch with a ticked expression. "You better get here, Fred."

Little did she know that a certain someone was sending a text that would ruin a man's career.

🎭🦋

Aya Kurtzberg is and will always be a woman who enjoys making a big deal out of everything. When her son came out, she threw a small party to celebrate and commissioned a pink, purple, and blue cake from the Dupain-Chengs; when her brother got to perform in his first Broadway show and he got the call in a grocery store, she made a whole announcement over the intercom and called everyone a loser; and when her sister came out as gay, she commissioned cupcakes- also from the Dupain-Chengs- with images of famous lesbians printed on fondant icing.

She likes to go all out, sue her.

So, when her son is digging through his closet for something to wear and hating everything he tries on, Aya immediately knows what's up and squeals because her baby has a crush! She suspected it for some time ever since the school year started, but wanted to be sure. Now she was sure!

"What's their name? Are they in your class? Are they Jewish?"

Nathaniel only groans as he takes off yet another sweater. "Not telling you, no, and I don't know his religion."

"Well, is he smart? Does he know who he is?"

"Huh?" Nathaniel thinks her question over for a moment. "... Y-yes?"

Aya grins. "Perfect! Now let me help you pick out an outfit because sweetie- I say this with so much love- but your fashion sense is no bueno." Nathaniel rolls his eyes. "What about that lilac sweater you picked out last week? That looked cute. And then pair it with some ripped jeans and maybe your white Doc Martens." She tilts her head toward the pair of boots in his closet. 

Immediately, Nathaniel scours through the pile of clothes on his floor for the rest of his outfit while Aya smirks. "Sweetie, I've been on quite a number of dates. I know what I'm doing by now." After giving Nathaniel a kiss on the forehead she leaves the room, allowing Nooroo to come out of hiding.

"She's right, you know," he teases and barely flinches when a hoodie is thrown at him since he phases right through it. "Nath, I thought you didn't want to date Marc."

"I don't," he says a little defensively before softening his tone. "I mean... I can still be close to him, like friends, or something. That way, there's no weird emotional outbursts during any dates, I won't have to worry about him calling while I'm Monarch, and... Any other stuff I can't think of," he murmurs while putting on his sweater and then clipping his Miraculous onto it.

Nooroo tilts his head in confusion. "But don't friends still call and hang out with each other? That's kind of like dating someone."

"... I'll cross that bridge later." Before he can put his boots on, his Miraculous glows a bit, making him a little nervous as he glances at the sword sitting on his shelf and unwanted memories start to come up. "... Should I?" The Kwami makes an unsure sound. "It's been long enough, right? You think people are okay?"

"Some are still a bit on edge. See who it is and what happened."

"Alright." After listening for his mom, Nathaniel closes his door. "Nooroo, Wings Rise." He looks through his bag and nearly panics when he doesn't find an origami butterfly. Fortunately, there's one left at the very bottom. "Man, I've got to make more of these." He fuses it with magic and sends it on its' way. "Alright, let's see who it is this time."

🎭🦋

"Enough is enough, Hapréle. Chris will be the lead tonight at the production. At least I can count on him." And she hung up without another word.

Fred just lost one of his favorite jobs. He was tricked by a man he believed to be his friend. And worse, he's probably disappointed Myléne. He's not sad or angry... He's numb, so numb that he doesn't feel his phone slipping out of his hand or notice the Akuma fusing with his hat.

"Um... Hi?"

"... Hello."

"H-hey, aren't you one of the mimes in that show-"

"Not anymore. I was cut from the show and any future shows," he says a little too calmly for Monarch's tastes.

"Oh... I'm so sorry. Hey, do you mind if I-"

Fred cuts off whatever he was about to say next, "Go ahead." And he leans against a lamppost and then slides down onto the ground. The man remains unaware of the uncertainty Monarch was feeling and allows the villain to do whatever it is he's doing.

"... Are you fucking kidding me?!" He hisses, sounding like he's trying very hard not to yell. This helps to snap Fred out of his mood a bit. "You had valid excuses for being late! What the hell?! Okay, where do these people get the fuck off?! You're a single father for hell's sake! Sometimes braces need tightening, your kid might have been exposed to lice, they got into a fight and you want to hear if they won, or- Oh yeah. You're trying to make ends meet for your damn kid! What does this Sarah lady know?! Oh, and I don't know who Chris is, but take him out!"

"Are you okay-"

"Don't ask me that; I ask you that! Clearly, he tricked you! You arrived like two fucking minutes before the bus should be leaving at the "meeting spot"! What Chris and Sarah did was spit in the faces of single parents everywhere!" He sighs a long-suffering sigh, having Fred wondering what this child went through to feel such strong emotions about single parents. "Look... I won't force you to take the Akuma, but just know, they deserve whatever's coming to them. I'll give you a few minutes to decide, but-"

"I'll do it," Fred says without missing a beat, startling Monarch.

"Oh. Are you sure?"

For a moment, Fred wasn't sure until he looked up and saw a poster for the show hanging off another lamppost. He glares at it and says, "I've never been more sure of anything." This allows Monarch's Akuma to take effect and turn him into Mal Marceau. Immediately, he mimes removing a sword from its' scabbard and slashes the poster with it before moving on to many others in the area.

Civilians are quick to move out of the way and run to safety while others record and send the footage to Bug and Cat Chat.

🎭🦋

"Okay, honesty time. "Nino inspects his reflection in the floor-length mirror. "Does the beret look like I'm trying too hard?"

"Very much." Marinette switches it out for a red cap. "Wanna go back to the cap? It's always been your signature piece."

"Yeah, but I've just been feeling the beanies lately; I don't know."

Right as Nino was about to pick out another hat, Marinette gets an alert on her phone. She checks and sees about five videos being sent in by civilians of Monarch's latest Akuma. By the looks of it, this one is inspired by a mime. "Shit!"

"Everything alright, Mari?"

She groans. "There's an Akuma, and Kim and Max just left!" Nino facepalms. "I mean... The Akuma's a mime, and it looks like they've got a grudge against the troupe Myléne's dad is in." She shows him one of the videos. "See? They're just slashing any advertisements. So, maybe they'll be safe."

Nino mutters a quick prayer under his breath for his friends and Fred and sighs while Marinette sends out an alert on the blog. "Here's hoping. So, what do you feel like doing until then?"

"I can kick your butt at Super Smash Bros for the eighty-seventh time." Seeing his dark expression, she smirks. "Winner gets bragging rights and their favorite of the loser's clothing."

"... Deal."

🎭🦋

"Hang on!" Feeling Max's arms hooking around his waist, Scarlet Beetle swings to the rooftops with his yoyo and narrowly avoids getting hit by the barrage of invisible projectiles that literally seem to have come from out of nowhere. Once he lands, he immediately starts checking over Max for any injuries. Although, that might be hard considering whatever the Akuma was throwing at them is invisible. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, but I don't think he was aiming for me." He points to the remains of the posters shredded, shot at, or burned by the mime-themed Akuma. "Either he's a self-hating mime or he really hates the performers in that troupe."

"Yeah, well... Better safe than sorry, right?" He flashes the shorter boy a kind smile, not noticing how flustered he looks at the moment. "I'll be sure to come back for you when this is over," he promises before swinging after the Akuma, leaving Max in his love-induced dazed until Plagg slapped him across the cheek.

"Hey!"

The Kwami smirks and flies around him a few times. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time. And I thought you had a thing for Kim."

"I can have a real crush and a celebrity crush, Plagg," he points out in a matter-of-fact tone. When Plagg wouldn't wipe the smug look off of his face, Max rolls his eyes and says, "Plagg, Claws Out." Ikati Black vaults after Scarlet Beetle, only to find him veering out of the way of... Nothing.

With a quick scope around the area, Ikati Black notices what appears to be a mime-themed Akuma judging by the light makeup and iconic striped shirt. So, if he has to guess, his powers have something to do with miming. And if the theater club's charity mime night has taught him anything, it's that this Akuma is miming shooting arrows.

Now knowing what he's up against, Ikati Black vaults his way over to join the fight and help deflect any arrows.

Scarlet Beetle greets him with a smile. "Nice of you to join, Ikati. I think this guy is pretty self-explanatory." He throws his yoyo at the mime Akuma's hand and grabs what he hopes is the bow. Feeling the extra weight, he cheers a little to himself and pulls the bow toward him before tossing it aside. With the Akuma now unarmed, he throws his yoyo at him, only to have the end grabbed by some sort of rope.

Scarlet Beetle gets pulled toward the Akuma and wrapped in the rope. To anyone watching, this must look very strange.

"Grab his Miraculous! Hurry!"

Seeing the Akuma reaching for his earrings, Scarlet Beetle is quick to jump. And using his unrestrained legs, he gives the Akuma a powerful kick to the jaw, sending him skidding along the ground.

Ikati Black beams, not noticing the perplexed look on his friend's face. "Nice one, Scarlet!" Just as he's about to go and restrain the mime while he's down, he bumps into something, sending pain to his forehead. "What the hell?" He rubs the space where a bruise is sure to form with one hand and presses his other hand against some sort of invisible wall. "What is this?"

"Uh, Ikati?" Scarlet Beetle waves his arms around. "The rope is gone. I-it was wrapped around me like a second ago." Noticing Ikati Black's situation, he gets a running start, shoulder first, and ends up shoulder-ramming the invisible wall. "Okay, so that's a problem."

The mime bounces back to his feet and approaches the heroes, stopping just a foot away from them before holding up something else he's miming. He points it at the invisible wall and turns it, making an audible click. With a tip of his hat, he turns on his heel and leaves.

Scarlet Beetle blinks in shock. "Did... Did he just lock us here?!" He moves around to see if it's just the one wall, but to his disappointment, there are three more walls boxing them in. Ikati Black extends his staff, only to have it hit the invisible ceiling. "Okay, I'm starting to not like mimes."

"This is humiliating," Ikati Black mutters and covers his face when civilians start coming out of hiding. "A box?! This is the oldest miming trick there is- Whoa!" Suddenly, just as his fake ears pick up the sound of a car's tires screeching, he falls to the ground. The invisible wall he was leaning against had disappeared. "... What the fu..." The word dies on his tongue when he sees children are present. "What the heck?"

Scarlet Beetle helps him up, and the other wastes no time pulling him and rounding the corner to the street where he heard the tires. It has to be a coincidence he heard that just as the wall disappeared- Nope. Not a coincidence because that mime is driving down the road in a damn invisible car!

"He's not getting away this time!" Scarlet Beetle throws his yoyo once more and to his luck, it latches onto the bumper of the invisible car, the rope getting longer the further it gets. Once Ikati Black wraps his arms around his waist, the yoyo's string locks at its current length, and the invisible car pulls the two heroes along, making it seem as if they were water-skiing.

The yoyo starts to reel them in, getting them closer to the car so they're only about five feet away, just enough for them to leap onto the roof and catch a glimpse of what he's driving after, a bus containing members of the mime troupe. From this angle, they catch a glimpse of something glimmering on the brim of the Akuma's hat. It's Marinette's signature but in white.

'M. Hapréle?' They think. They have the same face structure, but what grudge could Fred have against his own troupe? Looks like they'll figure out later... Or now because he's getting out of the car and onto the roof of the bus! When the car starts to swerve, Ikati Black hops in behind the wheel.

Using muscle memory from when his mom gave him driving lessons, Ikati Black's able to find the gear shift and breaks. And just in time before the car could crash into a nun walking along the sidewalk with some schoolchildren.

Scarlet Beetle pants heavily from the adrenaline, then addresses the nun and children. "Are you guys okay?" For an answer, he gets a fainting nun. "... Great." With a shout, he falls to the ground, right on top of Ikati Black. "What's he doing now?!"

"My turn," Ikati Black says determinedly and embeds his staff into the ground, making cracks along the pavement. Turning to Scarlet Beetle, he tells him, "I'll track the bus and send you my coordinates. We'll surprise attack him." With his partner's nod, Ikati Black's staff elevates him high above Paris. He adjusts his vizor and has them zoom in on the possible streets the troupe's bus could be on. Once he finds it, he shifts his weight and falls just on the edge of the bus right as the Akuma is cutting a hole through the roof.

The Akuma tilts his hat forward a bit, pulls up his slacks, and puts his fists up. Ikati Black can only groan as he presses a button on his staff to call Scarlet Beetle. "Scarlet-" He dodges a punch. "We just passed by the Cabellos' cafe!"

"Copy! I'm on my way!"

Noticing a new object being mimed, Ikati Black spins his staff as a shield before he's hit by whatever blunt object the Akuma has. Althewhile, he's wondering where the Akuma could be. If he is Fred Hapréle, then it might be in his hat since no other article of clothing really stands out. Before he can speculate some more, Scarlet Beetle drops in out of nowhere and knocks the Akuma back.

"I was handling him on my own, thank you very much," Ikati Black tells him, but there was a hint of playfulness in his voice.

Scarlet Beetle smirks and rests a hand on his hip. "No shame in having some luck on your side, Ikati. Anyway, I'm thinking the Akuma might be in his hat."

"My thoughts, too," the other hero nods. He goes to test this theory, only for the mime to roll off the side of the bus and embed the object he had mimed earlier into the steel wall, giving him a ledge to stand on.

Through the unfinished hole in the roof the Akuma had made, Ikati Black picks up someone calling out, "Fred?" Well, that confirms who the Akuma is, but not why he's after the troupe. His thoughts are interrupted by the mime who just punched through the glass window with nothing but a gloved hand, and is now choking one of the performers.

"Whoa! Too far! Take it down about ten notches! Let's not kill anyone!"

'Oh, but he deserves this,' Mal Marceau thinks at Monarch as he watches the life slowly drain from this pathetic leech's eyes. 'You were right. Scum like him, spitting in the faces of single parents is nothing to tolerate. He'll never understand the struggle, the stress, the nights you spend crying until your tear ducts can't go on any longer.'

For a moment, Monarch was quiet, but then pain surges through Mal Marceau's arm, causing him to loosen his grip on Chris' neck.

"You will kill no one. Have I made myself clear?" And judging by his tone, there was no room for arguing. When Mal Marceau nodded, he was relieved of his pain when Monarch cut off communication. Now aware of his surroundings, he sees that he's wrapped in Scarlet Beetle's yoyo and no longer standing on the ledge he's made for himself.

'Did I black out?... No matter. Monarch says I can't permanently harm the bastard. He said nothing about seriously injuring him. I just need to get away from the heroes.' Plan set, he kicks his foot up and down a bit. Once he feels a ball against the toe of his shoe, he kicks it right at Scarlet Beetle's head, making his yoyo loosen around him so he can escape and slip right through the open window of a car passing by, startling the driver and his child.

Mal Marceau points to the bus and gestures for the driver to follow it, but not before miming a helmet to put on the child's head.

Realizing his strategy, Ikati Black pulls back the half-cut metal flap of the bus' roof so he and Scarlet Beetle can enter. They're immediately confronted by a panicked woman with a dark red bob. "Scarlet Beetle, Ikati Black! What's happening?!"

"Fred's off his nut," mutters Chris. "That's what's happening." The man is rubbing his neck where a handprint has already formed from when the Akuma had choked him. As he muttered more profanities under his breath, Ikati Black was trying to push aside the unsettling feeling he gave him.

"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet," Scarlet Beetle says, trying to placate him before turning back to the woman. "Madame..."

"Sarah Balasko," she confirms with a sigh, and Scarlet Beetle realizes she's M. Hapréle's manager. "I have some part in Fred getting Akumatized, but only because this is the sixth time this month he's been late, and my patience was wearing thin! I have given that man more than enough chances, but when it's not him needing to get his car fixed, it's him attending a mandatory PTA meeting, or he's taking his daughter to the dentist!" The more she talked, the more the heroes were leaning toward the Akuma's side. "And all without a heads up in advance to let me know he's going to be late to a rehearsal!" ... Okay, mixed feelings so far.

Out of the corner of his eye, Scarlet Beetle notices Chris's skin turning a sickly shade. 'What's going on here?' Having always been tall for his age, Scarlet Beetle had no problem using his height to his advantage when it came to intimidating schoolyard bullies, or in this case, a man who might just have some serious explaining to do.

"Chris," The man jumps at his name and looks up at the hero. "Any reason M. Hapréle seemed so angry at you earlier?" He glances out the window and sees the car Fred hijacked is still following the bus. Without breaking eye contact with the Akuma, he yells to the bus driver, "Step on it!" before turning back to the sweating man. "Now... Do you want to explain that?"

"He's... He's just upset Sarah gave me his role," he manages to say. "As she said, Fred is always late, so this was inevitable."

The heroes share a look. They don't know what it is, but they do not like this man. Before Scarlet Beetle could interrogate him any further, a loud pop is heard followed by the bus jerking to one side, making it go out of control and causing many cars to skid to stops or drive away.

"Does this guy have a gun?!" Ikati Black screams and stabs his staff through the floor and into the ground as it looks like the bus driver is out of it at the moment. The momentum still had the bus skidding, slower by the second until they end up right in front of the Eiffel Tower. "That," he pants. "Was close." Noticing Chris weakly trying to sneak out through the window, he slams his hand down on his shoulder and has him sit back in his seat. "We're not done with you yet. Let's go, Scar."

The heroes get off the bus and find the Akuma getting out of the car with what looks like a sword ready.

Scarlet Beetle calls for his Lucky Charm, one of the strangest ones in his opinion. It's a shoebox that doesn't even have a nice pair of heels. Still, he looks around to see what there was to use. There's Sarah's glasses, the bus' light, a poster for the show, and... The Eiffel Tower.

"... No. Nononono! No! There is no way in hell!" He grabs the objects illuminated by his Lucky Vision before hefting Ikati Black over his shoulder, startling the shorter hero. "Come on, I've got a better idea!" Before the Akuma could slash him with his sword, Scarlet Beetle takes off with his yoyo.

"Everything alright, Scarlet? What happened back there?"

"You do not want to know." And he leaves it at that. When he hears a familiar WHIZZ sound, he turns and sees the Akuma chasing after them with what he thinks is his own version of his yoyo. "Ikati, are there any demolition sites around here?"

Despite his confusion, he nods. "There's one not too far, why?"

"We're going to destroy something no one will actually care about." Ikati Black blinks in surprise. When they make it to the demolition site, it seems the crew is all set to dismantle the old building. 'Not just yet,' Scarlet Beetle thinks and gets to work on creating what his Lucky Charm is telling him to while in mid-air. Once he and Ikati Black land on the ground, he activates the flashlight in his yoyo to project a massive poster on the side of the building, confusing the demolition crew. "Hey, M. Hapréle! What do you think of the poster?!"

The Akuma skids to a stop when he lands and lays eyes on the poster. Just the sight of it has him seething through his teeth with rage, the first sound he's made this entire time.

Blinded by his own anger, Mal Marceau mimics a massive longsword and cuts the building in half without a second thought... Only to realize the horrible mistake he's made as bricks start raining down around him. While the demolition crew ran to safety, he creates a shield and covers himself with it to avoid the debris. So focused on surviving, he doesn't notice Ikati Black using his staff to grab his hat.

"Nice work there, Scarlet." Ikati Black tears the hat in half, but to his confusion, no Akuma flies out. That was when Scarlet Beetle noticed a small piece of paper on the ground. A photo of Myléne.

"Well, it was better than getting him to slice the Eiffel Tower in half," he says so nonchalantly before tearing up the photo and releasing the Akuma. After quick work with purifying the Akuma and using his Miracle Cure, everything damaged in the fight goes back to the way it was before, even the building. "Could you imagine? That'd be so stupid."

"Scarlet Beetle? Ikati Black?" Fred steadies himself with help from one of the demolition crew members, giving him a quick thanks as he walks him over to the heroes. "What happened?"

Ikati Black was about to answer, but is stopped by a shout, "Dad!" Without warning, Fred was tackled into a hug by Myléne. Not too far away was Ivan, who gave the man a look of concern. "Ivan and I saw Bug and Cat Chat, and we just knew it was you! What happened?"

Fred opens his mouth to say he wasn't sure until everything hit him like a bucket of water being dumped on his head. "... Chris texted me and said the troupe's bus would meet up at a different location. And when I called Sarah to ask where the bus was, she acted as if she didn't know what I was talking about." He feels Myléne stiffen in his arms and gently combs his fingers through his hair.

"Dad... You need to quit." The blonde pulls away so Fred can see the stern look on her face. Y-you can't keep working for someone who doesn't believe you and working with someone who-"

"Okay."

"I mean Chris is just a son of a- What?"

Fred chuckles lightly. "I said I'm going to quit. You're right, Dove. I gave that troupe the best years of my life. Yes, I may have other commitments, but I make sure to stay on top of my work so our performances can be some of the best. And if Sarah wants to act as if I'm the most incompetent employee in all of Paris, then that is on her. I email her any time I am going to be late, yet-"

Ivan suddenly interrupts his rant. "What's her email?" He asks while looking down at his phone.

Fred, Myléne, the heroes, and even the very invested demolition crew arch their eyebrows. Fred answers, "[email protected]"

"... There's no underscore on her website." The burly young man holds up his phone, showing Sarah's website, and as he said, Sarah's email has no underscore. "Let me guess. Chris helpfully reminded you that there was no underscore in her email address."

It was one of the crew members who summed it up best. "Man, you got played."

🎭🦋

"Sarah, please! I can explain!"

"I will not hear any of it, Chris!" If Monarch were known for striking twice in one day, then Paris might be in trouble with how angry Sarah was. "YOU were sabotaging rehearsals! YOU were sabotaging performances! YOU were sabotaging a man's future all because of jealousy?! All this time, I believed Fred was shirking his responsibilities with inane excuses and no explanation, but here I find you forging my fucking email?!" It was no use as parents tried to cover their children's ears thanks to Sarah's powerful voice. "I want you to clean out your locker, grab your last check, and expect nothing but the worst I have to write on your recommendation letter!" Without a word, the disgraced man walked away from the forming crowd with his tail tucked in between his legs.

Now that leaves one more thing.

"... Fred, I-"

"I'd like my apology after the show," he says, much to the woman's disbelief.

"You're staying?" There was a glimmer of hope in her eyes, making Fred smile.

"I am."

🎭🦋

"Nino, I'm digging the outfit." He shoots Alya a pair of finger guns as she sits down next to her. "Was this Mari's doing, or all you?"

"A little bit of both," he admits. "She wanted me to wear something other than baggy jeans or sweat pants, and I refused to go without a cool shirt." He gestures to the graphic tee showing Static Shock's logo. He notices Alya's eyes glimmering under her glasses and asks, "I'm guessing you're a fan?"

So as not to disturb anyone, she happily flaps her hands. "I've read and watched everything! The early two-thousand's cartoon series was phenomenal, especially with that open ending. Oh! And that down-to-earth episode where they talked about gun violence often being the result of bullying is definitely something to remember. Though, Sons of The Father is something everyone needs to watch, kind of like Troq from Teen Titans..."

Nino wasn't sure exactly why, but he could listen to this girl gush about superheroes for hours. He just might.

Adrien fistbumps Marinette and passes her some popcorn. "Nice call with the shirt."

She gives a simple shrug. "I know what my friends like. Speaking of, I've gotta find someone to set you up with." While the blonde gawks, she looks up and wonders who'd be a good match. "Oh, when you get the chance, you've got to meet Luka. I think that's a match made in heaven, cuz..." She gives his hair a light tussling. "You're like a little brother to me."

"Uh, I'm pretty sure I'm a few months older than you," he says in a matter-of-fact tone. "And how could some guy I've never met compare to the badass before me?"

Suddenly, Nathaniel pipes up. "Are we talking about Luka? Oh my God, they are so fucking hot."

"I'd let him do many things to me without question," Max states without a second thought, making Juleka choke on a Skittle. "I'm serious, Luka can kick and punch me, and I would thank her many times."

"Same," Kim adds before tossing a piece of popcorn into his mouth. "Hey, remember during summer and he wore those shorts?" The memory has the guys in the class, even Ivan nearly drooling. "God, they hid no secrets-"

Juleka flicks the athlete on the side of the head. "That's enough out of you; let's just watch the show and not talk about my brother's ass in a pair of shorts." To make her feel better, Rose leans over to kiss her on the cheek, making Juleka's black lips curl into the faintest smile right as the curtains open."

"I'm actually serious," Marinette whispers to Adrien. "You'd like Luka."

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

"Welcome back to everyone's favorite live game show: The Challenge!" Alec greets the audience with his usual pristine white smile. "You all know the rules, but for the newbies, here's the sitch! We call up several nominated lucky guests to the show, and based on a challenge set up by the viewers, they have to show their unique talent to a randomly selected celebrity guest to get the reaction the viewers want! You lose, then suffer total humiliation! No pressure!"

Some pressure on Nino's end, because he was one of the "lucky" guests for this week's show! He doesn't want to do this, but playing his music on live TV could get him recognized and make or break his career!... Well, so far, he's deejayed Sweet Sixteens, Mitzvahs, and the occasional wedding on a weekend, but still! Who the hell even nominated him to get challenged by a bunch of random people?!

Marinette's not that evil, Kim is way too sweet to spring that on him, Max has way better things to do with his time, and Alya took one look at Alec and said "Nope." Adrien likely knows Alec personally, and he knows none of his other friends would do something like that. So who decided to punish him for no reason?!

"Nino!" His thoughts come to a quick stop when Myléne grips his hands tight, and he's brought back to reality. He's in the dressing room with his friend, best friend, his third and fifth best bros, and girlfriend. There's a timer on the wall counting down the minutes until his utter humiliation, and his equipment is resting on a cart, ready to be rolled into the studio where his pants will probably drop on live television because he didn't wear a belt!

'Why didn't I wear a belt?!'

"Okay, I need you to calm down for me," she gently coaxes, looking him right in the eye. "Can you do that for me?" Nino gives a jerky nod of his head, but it's enough for her. "Okay, good. Let's just breathe; breathe like when we're meditating, okay?" She takes a few deep breaths in and out, trying to get him to follow her patterns. Nino's breathing comes out choppy, but he manages. "Good. Okay."

"It's not too late to back out, you know," Marinette offers with a sniffle. Alya holds her phone up she Nino can see her better.

"N-no way. Alec already said my name, people are expecting me, and if I back out, the guy's never gonna live me down!" Myléne mutters a few unsavory things about the man under her breath. "I've got to do this!... Or I could fall down the stairs. Where are the stairs?!"

Alya and Adrien grip his arms when he attempts to escape.

"Not happening." Alya tilts her head toward the couch. She and Adrien have Nino sit back down while Ivan guards the door. "Nino, you are going to do amazing out there." Alya sits next to him and takes his hand. "And Alec can go and... I don't know, sit in honey. Let the bugs get him." Marinette snorts out a laugh. "You're the best and only deejay I know, so in three minutes, get your ass out there, do that mother-fucking challenge, and show this whole city the amazing guy you are!!"

The moment would be sweeter without all of his friends in the same room, but it was still sweet nonetheless. So, feeling more determined, Nino squeezes Alya's hand, a silent message to let her know that he's okay. "I will."

"YEAH!" Myléne cheers and pumps her fist in the air. "And while you're at it, maybe humiliate Alec a bit. Some backhanded compliments if you can pull it off." The tension in the room begins to dissipate as the group starts laughing, coming up with all the ways Nino can subtly flip Alec off. "Stare him dead in the eye and readjust your glasses with your middle finger! It'll be perfect!" When she's in a smaller group of people, Myléne can be surprisingly bold.

Alya nods in agreement before demonstrating with her glasses. "A timeless classic. Rude, but also sophisticated."

"Well, that makes insulting him in another language look like amateur hour," Marinette snarks. "But, hey, flip the guy off. You do you."

"Guys, I love all of these ideas, but I think we're missing the bigger issue here," Nino tries to remind them, but when they all look confused, he just comes out and says, "Who nominated me?!"

Marinette holds her hands up. "Don't look here, man."

"I had enough trouble just forcing myself to get up for this," Ivan admits with noticeable bags under his eyes. No doubt he was up late last night working on another poem. "I'd say an Austin, but Austin Quinlan had you deejay his party last year."

Before they all could speculate some more, a woman with a clipboard and headset pokes her head into the room. "You've got one minute, M. Lahiffe." And she left without another word.

Startled, Nino looks up at the countdown and sees that he does, in fact, only have one minute left. "Shit! How did the time go so fast?!"

"Nino, bro, I am morally obligated to slap you if you do not calm down," Adrien warns. "What have we been saying? You've got this!... I need you to say it."

"I've got this."

"Say it like you mean it!"

"I've got this!"

"Louder!"

"I've got this!!"

"You what?!"

"I've got this!

"TEN PERCENT MORE!"

"I'VE FUCKING GOT THIS SHIT!"

"Uh..." They all turn back toward the door where the same woman from earlier is walking in again. "I just dropped my pen in here..." She reaches down to pick her pen up off the floor. "... Thirty seconds." And she leaves again.

Adrien awkwardly coughs into his fist. "Okay, let's... Let's start rolling your equipment out, yeah?"

🃏🦋

"Uuuuugh... Guys... Help me... Get me out of here- Uuuuuuuuugh."

"Honey, we're sorry you got stuck with assholes for siblings," Aurore says while gently combing her fingers through Cosette's hair while she remains facedown on the couch, continuously groaning. "But this is your chance to prove them wrong, you know?"

"Uuuuuuuuuuuugh... Push me down the stairs, please."

Marc shakes his head even though they can't see him. "Not happening. You're gonna get up on that stage and wow everyone, and I do mean everyone. Because let's face it, your makeup art is on point. I would murder for your smokey eye technique."

"Yeah." Ismael sits by Cosette and gives them a little nudge with his elbow. "And after you win and move on to the next round, we'll stop by your place and rub it in Yvette and Jordyn's dumb faces. We'll be like, 'Hey! Check it out! Your sister fucking won the stupid, pointless game show you nominated her for because you're assholes who wanted to see her fail!' How does that sound?"

"... Pretty damn good."

"Of course it is! But real talk, though, first, you gotta learn to groan right if you're gonna be all mopey."

"Hey, it groans fine," Denise chides.

Ismael makes an unsure sound. "It just sounds weird."

"Uuuuugh. How was that?" They can almost hear her smirking.

"So you groan, then, Ismael," Jean snickers, playing along. "If you're so good at it."

"Aaaaagh."

Aurore arches an eyebrow. "That's a groan?"

"Yeah. Aaaaagh."

Deciding to join, Marc steps in. "I'll do it. Let me do it. Uuuuuugh..."

"Aaaaaagh..."

"Uuuuuuuhh..."

For a while, everyone is just groaning in their own way- some a little weirder than others- until Cosette just bursts into a fit of laughter that has everyone else laughing along with them. She lifts her face off the couch cushion and readjusts her beanie. "Alright, no more weird groaning! I'm fine!"

"Good, because we have only got about twenty minutes," Reshma reminds them. "Now, let's fix up your face a bit before it's time for you to go on. Your eyeliner got a bit smeared." As she's looking through her purse, the television in the room switches from the timer to the studio.

"Hey, check it out!" Jean cheers. "It's Nino!"

🃏🦋

"So, the challenge the viewers have chosen for you is... To get the mayor of Paris, André Bourgeois, to dance!" Nino's jaw drops. Who are the people in charge of this show?! He looks up at the screen where André Bourgeois' image is displayed. Judging by the lackluster applause from the live audience, no one is too glad to see him. "Thank you for agreeing to play with us today, sir! What are Nino's chances tonight?"

"Zero. I despise dancing," he huffs. "The last time I set foot on a dance floor, Madonna was in kindergarten."

'How old is this guy?' Ivan wonders to himself.

Nino arches an eyebrow in a challenging fashion. He looks the man dead in the eye and pushes up his glasses with his middle finger. "Game on, old man." He heads over to his turntables and picks out a record. He's got just about every genre from rock, punk, pop, techno, and a little classical. 'Alright, let's see if Antonio Vivaldi's Winter gets that stick out of your ass.' 

He looks to his friends for some reassurance and starts the song, but backs the melody up with some techno. So far he's got most of the live audience already dancing a bit or nodding their heads to the beat, pretty good considering he's not going for such a big reaction. He just wants to see the mayor humiliate himself. Maybe he'll quit mid-show and think he's turned his camera off, but it's still on, and he's dancing and humming the tune.

Oh, one can dream.

"Victory! Challenge conquered by Nino Lahiffe!"

'Huh? What?' He turns around and sees the mayor still in his chair, not at all dancing. Did he miss it? Sometimes he gets a little caught up in the music, but-

"You moved your head to the beat, Mayor Bourgeois! That counts as dancing!"

'Does it, though?'

The mayor sputters a bit. "That is not true! My neck had an itch, that was all!"

"Relieving and itch to the beat counts as dancing, too!" Alec exclaims with a smirk and approaches Nino, who is looking very confused. "Nino, congratulations! You'll be returning in one week to meet your next challenge! And now, for our next contestant..."

Nino just sort of tuned him out as he made his way back to the group where he was met with congratulatory pats on the back along with a kiss from Alya as they were escorted back to the green room. "Uh, thanks, guys. But it doesn't feel like I won this. I mean, who counts nodding your head to the beat as dancing?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Ivan about to raise his hand, only for Myléne to shake her head. "Kinda feels like he just wanted to mess with André."

"Valid," Adrien nods. "But, on the upside, you probably got more people to hear your music. So... Feel good about that." When he shrugs, he slings an arm around his shoulders. "That's the spirit. Now let's watch this guy, alright?" The others turn their attention toward the TV screen, showing a flamboyantly dressed man already being humiliated by Alec. "Poor guy."

"I-I could use my skills to get people to do what I want, but it's only for entertainment purposes, and the person I'm hypnotizing needs to consent-"

Alec is quick to cut him off. "So, your challenge today, Jacques Grimault, is to use your skills to bring a pompous brat of a celebrity to this very TV set!"

Alya tilts her head. "Simon Cowell?"

"Everyone, throw your hands in the air for teen pop music sensation, Xavier-Yves Roth, mononymously known as XY!"

"Fuck," Myléne groans, startling her friends. "Not this guy! If I had to choose between eating rusty nails and listening to his music, I would put ketchup on the nails!" She groans louder when XY and his smarmy face appear on the screen. "Your music sucks!" Ivan looks at his girlfriend fondly. It was always lovely to hear her be so outspoken.

XY dismisses her with a quick, "Buy my next album!" His eyes linger on Jacques for a moment before he sneers. "What donation bin did this clown crawl out of? Look, my old man told me this was an interview, but if prancer is going to steal my screentime, then-"

"Settle down, XY," Alec tells him and gives Jacques a firm pat on the back, making him almost drop his cards. "Or better yet, Jacques! See if you can bring the kid here with your hypnotic persuasion, and, I don't know. Have him do a little dance for us!" Jacques averts his gaze while shuffling his cards.

"I-I told you, I don't force people to-" He's cut off by a scoff from XY, who gives a slow clap of his hands.

"Wow, a shy hypnotist! I've seen it all! Hey, here's a tip for you, Fairy Houdini. Stand in front of a mirror and hypnotize yourself into actually being worth my or anyone's time!" He gives a quick thumbs down. "I'm out!" And his screen cuts off, leaving Jacques humiliated in front of not only the live audience, but the thousands of people watching the show. And Alec was doing nothing to help.

"Oof. Tough break, Si! Looks like XY has turned on your challenge. Game over! Pack your stuff!" When Jacques remains still, he snaps his fingers and has a security guard lead him off of the stage. "Well, since that took less time than expected, we're gonna have a little break before we introduce our next contestant who was nominated by their dear brother and sister! So, don't go anywhere!"

🃏🦋

"That. Was cold," Aya states when the live show switches to a commercial. Devorah uses up all of her willpower to not throw the last bit of popcorn at the screen and just pinches the bridge of her nose. "Okay, that poor man didn't even get a chance, and those two just shut him down!"

Nathaniel shrugs his shoulders. "What do you expect, mom? It's Alec Cataldi. It's like he feeds off of the humiliation of others. He knew what was going to happen with Jacques." Omar nods in agreement. "He did the same with Aurore, you know."

"Well, if Alec keeps acting the way he does to others," she says while getting up off the couch. "Then Monarch is going to have a field day. Does anyone want more popcorn?" When her friends and son all raise their hands, she takes the bowl and then heads into the kitchen.

The incident with Dylan last week had shaken Aya's nerves, not that she'd ever admit it, but her employees/friends were all very perceptive. It was obvious she hadn't gotten any sleep judging by the heavy bags, and when a plate dropped, she had put Omar in a headlock. Everyone in the diner was quite surprised that such a petite woman could neutralize a man twice her size.

It took a bit of convincing from them, along with Nathaniel's puppy eyes to get her to take a day or two off so she could relax after such a traumatic experience. She was stubborn but eventually gave in and closed the diner for a day... After Maya and Omar wrapped her in a weighted blanket and dragged her away from the diner.

"Okay, before the show comes back on, someone's gotta explain it to me again," Maya requests. "Do people go online and nominate someone? How do hundreds of people all pick three random contestants to go on the show? Do those people audition and post videos online, or... Wh-what happens?"

Devorah puts her hands up. "Oh, you're asking the wrong girl. I only watch that Steve Harvey fellow." She bites her lips just thinking about the man. "What I would not give for a night in bed-"

"Devorah," Omar says sternly and gestures to Nathaniel. "There is a child present."

"I'm almost sixteen."

"And you're still the same shaggy-haired kid in my eyes." He tussles the boy's red locks, prompting Nathaniel to slap his hand away. “Now, as for the show, I'm pretty sure they select... I wanna say celebrities, local celebrities, and young start-ups. I heard that Lahiffe boy is slowly making a name for himself with his music." Maya nods, beginning to understand.

"That, or Alec is botching it just to embarrass people," Ezra claims then takes a sip of his soda. "I agree with Nathan; this guy is awful to humiliate people for views, so I wouldn't put it past him to select people at random for his crappy-ass show."

Devorah points to him. "Now that sounds like a conspiracy theory."

Nathaniel laughs a bit and turns his body slightly so they won't see his Miraculous glowing. He really should've anticipated this. "Hey, I'm gonna use the bathroom real quick," he murmurs, just loud enough for Omar to hear, and heads upstairs. By the time he's in the upstairs hallway, Nooroo comes out from hiding behind his bangs. "We've really gotta find you some better hiding spots."

"Well, why didn't you wear a hoodie? Those are my favorites."

"The air conditioner's busted," he explains for the fifth time. "Do you wanna be drenched in my sweat?" Nooroo remains silent and folds his arms with a pout. "Just as I thought. You ready?"

"When you are."

"Nooroo, Wings Rise." Just in case someone does come upstairs, he heads into the bathroom and locks the door. "Make this quick, little guy," he pleads to the newly made Akuma and sends it on its way. He counts ten seconds in his head before he feels a connection. Jacques Grimault. Oh, he's got a few ideas for this guy.

"I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time."

"No... Just in the middle of my pride being wounded."

"Yes, I watched the show, and those two were out of line. My sympathies," Monarch says genuinely but also trying to speed things along. "Look, and feel free to say no, but if you'd like, I can help you prove how amazing your talents as a hypnotist are. And once you've finished showing those who've doubted you your power, all you have to do is bring me Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's Miraculous. Do we have a deal, Simon Says?"

"... Simon Says yes."

"Wings Down. There," he chirps as Nooroo goes back to hiding behind his bangs. "Quick and easy." After running his hands under the water for a few seconds, Nathaniel heads out and back downstairs where he catches the adults watching his latest Akuma interrupting the next guest on Alec's show. Maybe he should have waited so they could show off their talents, but it's fine. Nino and them are safe in the green room, and with the hardly lethal powers he gave Simon Says, then-

"Nathan, don't you know them?" The redhead perks up in alarm and pales at the sight of Mme. Mendeleiev's students all running around the studio to avoid Simon Says' cards, or to disorient him by the looks of it. The way they all scattered around the studio looked so organized, and while Simon Says was trying to hit Cosette, Jean, and Simon with his cards, Denise and Marc were helping those still in the studio escape- Wait, MARC?!

"Simon says you are slow. As slow as a turtle!" The next card he throws manages to hit Jean, and his movements are now all in slow motion.

'... Shit.'

🃏🦋

"Open already!" Alya continues to hit the vent screwed to the wall with the chair, creating many dents, but not getting it to budge. Meanwhile, Ivan and Nino were busy keeping the door barricaded from the people under Simon Says' control. With one final huff, Alya gripped the chair legs as tight as possible, and flings it at the vent, finally getting it to come loose and fall to the floor. "Let's go before that Harry Houdini motherfucker gets us!"

"Wait! What about the others?!" Marinette shouts from where Alya's phone is set facedown on the floor. They all glance at the television right as Aurore pushes an audience member out of the way before a card can hit them. "You should at least give them a hand, right?"

Adrien bites his lip. "Uh... Okay. No man left behind, I guess."

"No man left behind," Nino repeats and readjusts his beanie. "But, Mari? We're hiding out at your place and eating all the pastries we can find!" Before she can retort, he asks, "Ivan? Do you mind being a human tank?

"That, I can do." He hits his fist against his palm for emphasis, and Myléne gives him a quick peck on the cheek for good luck.

After he checks to make sure the others have grabbed some sort of makeshift weapon, Ivan opens the door and is already met with a small mob of hypnotized people trying to push their way into the room. He barrels his way through the crowd with the strength of an American pro football player while also incapacitating a few with a couple of swift kicks to the shins.

Nino, Alya, Adrien, and Myléne follow him into the studio with little to no casualties, only needing to whack a few hypnotized people out of their way with the staff Nino made out of a lamp.

Alya points and yells, "Denise! On your left!"

They sidestep out of the way just in time before one of Simon Says' cards could hit them. They shoot Alya a smile as thanks. The rest go to help the group get the audience members to safety while also neutralizing anyone under Simon Says' control.

Aurore and Nino go back to back. With her parasol and his makeshift staff, they knock away cards that bounce off of different surfaces. "We're thinking the Akuma is in his card deck since he had them with him when he left-" She smacks a card away. "But we aren't seeing it on him!"

Nino narrows his eyes at the Akuma. There are no visible pockets on his outfit, but the card deck could be anywhere. If he's based on a magician, then the deck could be in his hat, sleeves, or tucked under the lapel of his tailcoat. There could even be secret pockets in the lining of his jacket like some magicians have. Monarch is undoubtedly creative enough to put those in.

"Alright, let's take a risk and see if they're in his hat." Nino takes a quick look around the room to see if there are any more bystanders. When it's just his friends, the other class, and the Akuma's minions, he takes the opportunity to charge at Simon Says. Whatever cards he threw at him, he'd block or avoid.

When he managed to get close enough, Nino knocked the small top hat off of the Akuma's head. And to his disappointment, no cards spilled out. "Shit." His arm was suddenly in Simon Says' grasp, and he met his unnatural eyes with cartoon hypnotism swirls in place of pupils.

"Simon Says," he croons and summons- No, draws a card from his glove. "You're one of my soldiers."

And just like that, Nino had taken out Lacey and Ismael with two quick swings.

"Nino!" Alya cries.

Cosette pales. "Oh, fuck, he's got Nino." Without even thinking, they grip the strap of their makeup bag and give it a few swings around. "HEADS UP!" Nino doesn't react in time when the somewhat heavy bag nails him right in the face before he can attack Mireille, knocking him out.

That only leaves Simon Says. Mireille looks through the bag, finds what they are looking for, and throws it at Simon Says before he can throw another card. The blush hits him right in the face and clouds his vision, allowing the group to escape into the emergency stairwell with no casualties... Other than the fact that Nino's under the control of an Akuma and Jean is moving one inch a minute.

"Okay," Simon huffs once they all make it down the stairs. "Note time." Alya whips out her phone to send out an alert on the blog. "The cards only seem to work on organic objects. They bounced off of the walls and any weapons we had, so, look out for that."

"Also," Aurore adds, "If Simon Says' attire is magician-based, his card deck could be where a magician may hide their decks for sleight of hand tricks. Minus the hat, of course."

Lacey smirks. "I don't mind giving the guy a pat down." Reshma and Mireille choke on their own spit. "Look, did any of you see how thick that guy was?" This time, Adrien and Marc blush. "His thighs were fucking insane, like a god's, or something."

Ivan looks anywhere but Lacey to get the mental image out of his head, and notices something off about Jean. While his movements are slow due to the effects of the card, he's still able to blink at a normal speed and is doing it rapidly. "Jean? Are you okay?"

When some blinks are short and some are long, Ivan realizes, "I think Jean's using Morse code."

"Okay," Cosette points to him and nods. "That is cool."

Adrien steps closer so he can see what he's saying. "V... E- Wait, start over. G... L... O... V... E... Glove?"

Ismael immediately understands. "He's saying the cards are in one of his gloves! A lot of times for card tricks, magicians hide their cards in their hands. So, maybe that's where they are." Alya types all of this information down. "Though, I doubt any of us are crazy to get that close to the guy." He opens the door to the back alley where the group is met with a toned-down version of when Magician of Misfortune went on his rampage. "Especially when he's done all of this in just a few minutes."

"Honestly? That's valid," Myléne says without missing a beat. "XY just humiliated him on the air, so of course he wants to prove his worth as the greatest hypnotist of all time. What better way than this? So, what now?"

"We get home, and we wait this out," Marc explains. "There's no telling what Simon Says can do after he hits people with his cards. One command could turn all those he hit with his cards into his army. He'll likely be looking for more people to have them do all sorts of bizarre things before he delivers a command like that."

Alya thinks this over. It's true, they don't know the extent of Simon Says' powers. Monarch's creative, not just in the appearance of Akumas, but also their powers and drawbacks. Princess Fragrance, for example. Who would've thought of those perfume grenades?

"He's right," she says. "But we wouldn't wanna all be hiding in the same place, especially if it's cramped. That'll just give Simon Says a chance to get us all at once if- no, when he fids us, because we can't all fit in that space unless it's a building we can hide in, but a lot of shop and home-owners tend to lock their doors and don't let anyone in or out." She notices a few of them thinking it over, so she adds, "And if we're all split up, we can warn the others if we see Simon Says. Groups all tell their locations, and those who know the area can give out any info on hiding spots. Smaller groups, easy hiding."

Mireille mimes dropping a microphone.

"Hey, I'm all for that," Ismael says, already taking Reshma's hand. "Divide and conquer."

Aurore arches an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure that's not what that means."

"Uh, we divide, and then we conquer Simon Says." Ismael just gives her a look that says, "Your move." The two stare each other down until their faux-serious looks melt away into smirks. "I'll look it up, and if I'm wrong, I'll buy your lunch on Monday."

"Deal," she chirps and gets back into planning mode. "Okay, Alya's plan is the best and only plan we've got, so... I'm in."

"Same."

"Here-here."

"I vote for hiding at the bakery."

The groups were quickly and easily formed with Alya, Adrien, Ivan, and Myléne already in one; Denise, Simon Marc, Reshma, and Ismael were in another; that left Jean, Cosette, Mireille, Aurore, and Lacey in the third. They ran off in different directions, making sure to keep their phones on them just in case someone called or texted to warn them of Simon Says' whereabouts.

They all felt some bit of relief when they saw Scarlet Beetle swinging overhead with his yoyo.

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Simon Says carelessly flicks another card at an unsuspecting civilian. Another spectacular show of his power as he made the fool bark like a dog. With a toss of his, frankly, flawless locks, he glides down the streets and soaks in all of his work. He just wants to savor it all for a few moments more before he finds that brat, XY.

The absolute gall, the nerve of that boy to insult him and mock not only his impeccable choice of fashion in front of millions but his skills as a master of hypnotism! Him! The greatest hypnotist known to man! And if he won't admit his talent, he'll just make him. And, who knows? If he has time, he'll go after the wretched loins that created the little tyrant.

Needing to burn off some steam, Simon Says pulls out a few cards and says a command for each of them before he starts throwing them all at random. He doesn't care who they hit; he just wants results. Besides, the more people he has under his control, the better. Of course, that'll only be a last resort if getting to XY proves to be more difficult than he anticipated. He almost scoffs at his own thoughts when suddenly, he catches something out of the corner of his eye.

He almost thinks he should call off his card when he sees a young redheaded boy climbing out of what looks like his bedroom window and expertly climbing his way to the top of the roof. But, no, the next thing he does is get on a clothesline between his home and the one across and starts tightrope walking.

Relieved, Simon Says scopes out the area for any other civilians to put under his control, but it seems as though the streets are clean.

Humming, he starts to make his way to Le Grand Paris. He recognized the furniture in the background from when XY was on screen.

The heroes won't know what hit them.

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"And we're telling YOU! That you need to haul ass unless you want your son to suffer the hands of an Akuma!" Ikati Black screams at the top of his lungs and jams his finger into Bob Roth's chest with each syllable.

Ikati Black can admit that, occasionally, he can lose his temper. It's been happening ever since his 'Lion Phase,' as Plagg put it, and even before during his debut when he put Roger in his place. He won't say things got tense, but he will say that he was in the presence of some stupid adults and one teenager who looked like an adult.

Bob Roth, though? "GOD! How fucking arrogant can you possibly be?!"

While the two go at it, Scarlet Beetle glances at XY, noticing that the blonde looks much more scared than his father said he was. Bob Roth had scoffed at the idea of running from an Akuma, claiming he and his son weren't cowards against some, 'Fairy-looking S.O.B.' and even had the gall to try and coerce XY to do a live-stream to taunt and tempt the Akuma to come after him. After that, Ikati Black had just about enough of the guy, slapped XY's phone out of his hand, and just started tearing into the man.

The hoodie-clad hero scratches the back of his head, thinking about what he wants to say for a moment. "... Uh, I can sneak you out while they-"

XY scoffs, his expression morphing into one of confidence. "Please. Like I'm about to run from that guy." He picked his phone up off the floor from when Ikati Black slapped it out of his hand and pulled up the latest post on Bug & Cat Chat. Scarlet Beetle can't help but notice the little red checkmark under the musician's profile, meaning he's subscribed to the blog. "Are you seeing him right now? What's he gonna do, whip his hair in my face?"

While Scarlet Beetle, as Kim, didn't have much of an opinion on XY, he knew the guy was just a bit too proud for his own good. Likely a trait he picked up from his dad due to years of his influence. Without reading any of those celebrity articles, anyone with eyes can tell that Bob Roth is one of those slimy music producer types, from the tacky gold chain to those God-awful sunglasses. He's the kind who's money-hungry and grabs onto the chance to make even more no matter what. That includes pushing his own son into the spotlight and mooching off of his success.

Scarlet Beetle scrolls to an earlier post and shows it to the blonde. "He also has hypnosis powers and can make you do as he pleases." That looked like it got XY's attention, judging by the slight shift of his eyes. When it looked like he was about to say something, there was a knock at the door.

Ikati Black and Bob Roth look from the door to each other.

The leather-clad hero snarls, "Don't you fucking do it."

But his warning means nothing to the man as he storms over to the door. The moment the door opens all the way, a flurry of Simon Says' cards flooded into the room. Bob Roth ducks out of the way just before the first one could hit him, leaving Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black to deflect them before XY got hit.

Bob Roth meanwhile, made a hasty retreat for the door while the heroes handle Simon Says. Whipping out his phone in record time, he starts to dial the police. 'If those two won't do anything about these over-emotional freaks,' he thought, 'I'll get them out of the way myself.' "Answer already!" He shouts when the phone rings for the third time.

Finally, someone answers. Before he starts making demands, his phone is no longer in his hand, disappearing with a white blur. "What the?" He turns and pales at the state of his phone, now embedded in the wall by a white card. "Fuck!"

"Such language," a voice croons. "I can see where your dreadful son gets it from."

"C-come out, you damn fairy! You think I won't kick your sissy ass?!" Bob Roth put on a show of bravery, but him backing toward one of the elevators and hastily pressing one of the buttons did nothing to help sell his act. Relief washes over when the door slowly opens. He runs inside and hits the lobby floor button without a second thought. With the doors beginning to close, he thought that was the end of it until a gloved hand cut through when they were only inches apart, and a second hand helped pry them open.

"Kick my sissy ass?" Simon Says clicks his tongue and uses his cards to keep the doors open. "So much anger in such a small, insignificant man. Oh, the things I could do to you." When he notices him about to make a futile escape attempt, Simon Says flicks one of his cards at the sleeves of Bob's cheap white jacket, pinning him to the wall by it, making sweat gather on his forehead. "... But... Where's the fun in that? You're already a deplorable excuse of a human being who ruins talented people."

He grips his face with his thumb and finger. "And you conceived a carbon copy of yourself to humiliate and bring down others. Such behavior cannot go unpunished, Roth." He says the name as if it were poison on his tongue. Simon Says whips out another card and uses it to pin Bob Roth's other sleeve to the wall while the man sweats some more. "Ugh," he scoffs and presses every single button in the elevator. "Clean yourself up."

The Akuma turns on his heel and leaves. Once he's a few feet away, he calls off the card he used on the elevator doors, making them shut.

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