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Part 1 of Welcome To The New Normal, Everything Is Fine
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2020-09-11
Updated:
2021-04-04
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53,569
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4/?
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The Totally Ordinary (And Not At All Chaotic Or Magical) Misadventures of Hex and Cerise Beetle [and Team Chaoss]

Chapter 4: any ordinary art school

Summary:

Plagg may have spoken too quickly about the state of the team’s synergy, which – with no leader and no structure – steadily begins declining. On the civilian side of things, an akuma attack displaces the students of Lune forcing some to seek educational refuge at François Düpont

Notes:

A/N: I feel like this is important to warn about in case I end up triggering anything or anyone: there are multiple instances of Xavin getting misgendered throughout the chapter that go uncorrected. Most of them are used to describe Xavin from another character’s point of view, because you know with human(oid)s and assumptions and whatnot?, so they are not spoken aloud. Then there are several Xavin hears but does not bother commenting on slash correcting. Unfortunately, there will be a bit more in the next chapter as well.

I have not seen the NY special but I’ve seen pictures. Suffice to say, I hate “Uncanny Valley’s” look so it’s getting a much-needed recoloring. Or I might just redo the whole damn thing. Also, I am going to assume – based on her image – that Aeon, who is absolutely getting a better name, can pass for human? Even if she hadn’t... whatever, it’s my AU and I say she can and has.

Chapter Text

The butler arrives in the suite pushing a food cart with several cloches on it. “Dinner has arrived. Courtesy of Chef Césaire.”


Before Audrey can open her mouth her phone begins vibrating on the table beside her hand. She glances at her phone then sighs, “dammit. I have to take this call.” Sighing again, she gets up. “I specifically told them not to call between five and seven. Unbelievable.” André and Chloé look up at her, “this’ll... take some time. Just go on and eat without me.” She accepts the phone call as she makes her way toward her bedroom.


“Papa.” André turns from the door Audrey just closed to his daughter, “I have a request, per se.” André raises an eyebrow. “I believe it would be beneficial to François Düpont if you were to close down every other collège in the city.”


André stares incredulously at his daughter, “what?”


“Hear me out.” The butler sets their cloches down in front of them before leaving. Chloé and André stare at the cloche in front of the empty, pushed-in chair before returning their attention to each other. “Karolina Dean attends Lune Collège of Arts, right? If Lune were gone along with her second and third option, all she’d have is François Düpont! I know you’re trying to get some sportsy kids in the school for all those ‘high-end’ programs Damocles had you pour all that money I could’ve used for shopping into. Karolina isn’t sportsy herself but she’s well-known and well-connected enough to spread the word to kids who are.”


“Chloé, I’m just as sick of hearing about Lune as anyone, but where in the world did you even come up with an idea like this?”


“It’s pretty genius, right? Sabrina helped, in a way. When we were comforting Adrikins, she mentioned how Oncle Gabriel is partially...” She pauses, “mostly at fault for Adrikins’ akumatization with how he hid all the bad things utterly jealous people say about his modeling career.” André nods slowly, “although between you and me, Adrikins could stand to make an expression once in a while. I mean he’s always just... standing there. For ten plus years? Somebody was gonna notice.” Chloé waves it off, “whatever. Not the point. The point is: Sabrina mentioned a shady classmate of mine who is staying with the Deans. Then I remembered how Damocles failed to get them involved with François Düpont four years ago before my enrollment.”


“Princess, I love your... ingenuity, truly I do, but I cannot conceivably close down every other collège in the city. It’ll be astronomically suspicious. And after my re-election I cannot afford any type of suspicion of any caliber let along something this large.” Chloé folds her arms over her chest glowering, “you heard Gabriel’s Agreste® public apology on Friday where he talked about enrolling Adrien at François Düpont to ‘teach him about all walks of life.’”


“What does that have to do with anything?”


“Think about it, Chloé. Adrien entering François Düpont the same day every other collège is no longer available?”


“But he’d already be enrolled before anything happened!” Chloé rolls her eyes, “ugh. Whatever. Fine. We should be able to close down some collèges, right? Or is that ‘suspicious’ too?”


“It all depends on what is done.” Chloé happily claps her hands together, “look, I know you want to help Adrien but—”


“No buts, Papa. Adrikins needs this! You have no idea how utterly awful people were to him! Glaring while he walked by and throwing stuff at him in class? He was close to a nervous breakdown! Although now that I think about it, getting akumatized means he actually did break down.” Chloé shakes her head, “doesn’t matter. I don’t know if he can handle a whole school year like that. And I know for a fact that I cannot and will not handle a school year where I have to run away from Adrikinumas at every turn.” André nods with a hum. “You know how much of a softie Adrien is. Wanting to be loved by everybody? Personally, I prefer to be feared. You get a lot more attention that way. Though being admired may have its own set of perks.” She pauses. “I’d assume. If akumas weren’t a thing, poor Adrikins would still be bawling his eyes out. The poor thing was a mess yesterday. It took more of those chalky sablés than both Sabrina and I could stomach to get him to stop. I honestly cannot believe he’s in this situation because of his horrendous taste in pâtissèries; if those can even be considered pâtissèries.”


André frowns, “I’m afraid he gets his lack of taste from his papa. Gabriel hasn’t been the same since the divorce, but even before then he wasn’t what anyone would call ‘doting,’ and he certainly wasn’t the one to let Adrien out of his sight long enough to learn things for himself. How he got custody over Émilie I’ll never know.”


“Maybe we should call Tante Émilie?”


No.” André shudders frantically waving his arms in front of his body, “I have too much on my plate without adding the Graham de Vanily Agreste family’s drama. Let’s focus on ways we can close down Lune. If there is any collège I want out of the picture it’s that one.”


Chloé squeals, “budget cuts!”


“I like it, unfortunately it won’t work. Although not a private collège, Lune is privately funded. I wasn’t even aware the school existed until it was already finished building.”


Chloé squints at her father. “...So a school building just got built without your knowledge? You’re the mayor!”


“Lots of things get built without my knowledge, Chloé. I can’t keep track of every paper I sign!”


“Well maybe you should, Papa. What about shutting Lune down because of building permits or something?”


“No, they submitted all of those. Everything is up to code.”


Chloé groans, “set it on fire?”


“We couldn’t afford to pay for its insurance.”


Chloé runs her hands down her face. “A gas leak?”


André hums, “now that is doable. It would require entering the school, however, and I don’t know anyone working inside the building. Which I believe was done intentionally. I could have Audrey check the school out. Attempt to teach a class on fashion or something? I’ll accompany her and...” André pauses and Chloé stares at him. He gasps then his eyes widen. “Wait. I just had an idea we don’t need to be present for! I heard Lune has an entomologist.”


“What’s an... enter-mo-logoist?”


“An entomologist is someone who studies insects.” Chloé shudders. “As we were looking for something to watch last night, I stopped on a channel that had a program on the world’s deadliest poisonous insects. We just find a way to get some and—”


“I like where you’re head’s at, Papa, but that’s utterly too much work and way too time consuming. I need Lune closed as soon as possible for my sanity’s sake. I will not have Adrien Agreste calling me nightly crying and interrupting my beauty sleep. Why don’t we just lie? Get some regular insects and make them look like the poison ones?”


André blinks, “huh. That’s a much better idea! It’ll save me a fortune too. Alright Chloé, we have less than twelve hours to make this work. I’ll ‘infect’ Lune and every other school in its surrounding area to prevent suspicion.”


“Insects dig into stuff, right? Couldn’t one of them cause a gas leak or fire or something?”


André smiles, “yes, they could. Glad to see being at François Düpont actually has taught you things. I was worried with the way Damocles runs that place.”


“Oh please, Papa! I haven’t learned any of this stuff from school. Sabrina and I watch forensics and murder mysteries during our sleepovers.”


André pauses, not sure how to proceed with that nugget of information, “I... see.” He clears his throat. “We can’t afford to mess anything up Chloé, and I mean that literally.”


“You’re worrying too much. We’re Bourgeois’ Papa, we can do anything!”


André smiles, “that’s my girl.”


🐈 & 🐞


“...I can’t believe—stop the car.” The black towncar pulls up to the curb and Teddy opens the door and hikes up his backpack as he exits. “I... I need to clear my head. I’ll walk the rest of the way.”


“Monsieur Theodoric, it is quite aways left. Madame Elle would not appreciate—”


“Appreciate? ‘Appreciate?’” Teddy angrily turns around. “I—no. It...” He takes a deep breath. “I know it’s not your fault so I’m not mad at you, but tell Madame Elle that I did not ‘appreciate’ being blindsided about you know who just... showing up!” Then he slams the car door and walks off.


With a sigh, Teddy runs a hand through his black hair. Barely out of bed an hour and he’s already having a shit day. Why would his mother think to bring... him here? Last Teddy heard, his maternal cousin was adopted by distant relatives after their grandfather’s death. That was four, maybe five, glorious years ago when Teddy thought he’d seen slash heard the last of him. He was taken to another continent for crying out loud! Hatred is a strong word Teddy only associates with beets and onions, but there is just... something hard to explain about his cousin that rubs Teddy the wrong way in every possible manner, and brings out an ugly side to Teddy he has no interest in exposing to his schoolmates. Having to not only live with but attend school...? It’s more than he can bear. This is his worst nightmare come to life.


Teddy suppresses a shudder. Just thinking about those heterochromatic, soulless eyes freaking out his classmates? [They say every family has one, right? That ‘black sheep?’ The weirdo you avoid at all the family functions? That was Teddy’s cousin; the son of his mother’s older brother who died before Teddy could learn to speak. Perhaps that’s what made his cousin... the way he is? Being moved around from family member to family member?] Whatever. Reasons don’t matter. Teddy will just have to make sure no one knows they’re related in any manner. Thank goodness they have different surnames. (And if anyone comments on them looking alike Teddy can always bullshit about ‘having one of those faces’ bs.)


As if the universe decided it wasn’t done toying with Teddy today, it suddenly begins to rain. Despite the forecast mention a zero percent chance of precipitation.


Teddy grimaces as he feels the rain almost instantly soaking his shoulders and head, even if the rain in question feels a bit... weird. Heavy. Slimy, even. He wipes some rain from his forehead and stares blankly at the bright blue color on his hands. What...? The exact moment he looks up in the sky, he sees a rainbow-colored figure soar overhead. What the hell...?


“Is anyone as excited about this as I am!?” The figure shouts giddily. Then the sky begins pelting hail... that are gumballs alongside the rain. Oh. An akuma. Yeah. He should’ve realized when he saw bright blue “rain.”


“Is it raining candy!?” Teddy sees Southpaw drop down onto the sidewalk across the street from him. She’s holding out her gloved hand feeling the rain and hall fall into her gloved palm. “Do we have to stop this one?” She pops a few gumballs in her mouth and starts chewing. “Not bad.”


People on the street are holding out their hands or opening their mouths to the sky, catching the candy rain.


Hit the deck!” Someone shouts.


The sky suddenly darkens and Teddy looks up and gasps at the humongous bright purple gumdrop falling from the sky... right above him. Well, shit. Other people around him scream. Out the corner of his eye, Teddy sees a blur moving closer then Aegis slides to a stop in front of everyone creating a shield over them. Teddy hears the squelch of the gumdrop hitting the shield then it explodes sending pieces of gumdrop all over the street.


The crowd breathes a huge, collective sigh of relief before cheering for the turtle hero.


Aegis spreads her arms out then the shield, and fortunately all the goo on it, disintegrates. She sighs then turns around. “Might be safer if you cleared the streets.”


“Aegis, look out—!” Someone screams. Aegis looks up at a bright green gumdrop about half the size of the one she just got rid of about to fall on her head. Before she can lift her hands something silver slices the gumdrop in half and the two still in tact pieces land each on one side of the hero.


“That was good timing.”


There are a few gasps. The silver thing – a baton – is being held onto by the cat hero—dammit, what is his name?—who fans the green goo off his baton with a shrug. Teddy blinks. Wow.


Teddy hadn’t paid much (or any) attention to the heroes when that kid attacked the school last week, too busy trying to find a way to find Johnny and escape the mob he somehow accumulated that swarmed him from all sides with their overall mission to “keep him safe.” Now though...? Now he’s gonna pay serious attention. Because, wow, just wow. Holy fuck – this hero, mask and all is beautiful.


The cat hero has messy dark brown hair with green and silver highlights, wearing an all-black leather catsuit with silver seams. There’s a green collar with silver spikes on it and a silver bell attached to it. His boots is silver with black seams. The tip of his ears and tail are green. There are even silver studded earrings at the bottom of his cat ears.


Behind the black mask is a pair of beautiful green eyes with dark green slit pupils.


Southpaw joins her teammates from the opposite sidewalk. People reluctantly begin to scatter, running toward the closest awning, knowing damn well they all won’t fit but be damned if they move any further to miss the heroes in action. Ironically for one Theodoric Altman, the awning he finds himself standing under is Elle Altman’s dance studio. At least he knows he won’t bump into his mother.


“So much for clearing the streets.” Teddy hears. That voice is gonna have a reoccurring role in his daydreams for the foreseeable future. And judging by the audible swooning, he isn’t gonna be the only one.


“Let ‘em watch.” Southpaw replies cracking her knuckles, “they’ll get to see us kick ass in real time.”


The akuma floats down so that they’re hovering over the three heroes (wait, Teddy may not have paid attention but he does know there was more than three), “aww.” They pout, “that’s no fun. I just wanna share all the candy I got!”


“‘Share?’” Southpaw tilts her head to the right. “Wait a sec—? You’re a happy akuma?!”


“I’m so happy right now! That new candy store is just the greatest! I got free candy just for being the tenth person who walked inside!”


Aegis frowns, “thought the baby was just a fluke, but I’m guessing Monarque can use any emotion for an akuma.”


“Are you for real?” Southpaw growls, “oh. That sick son of a bitch is going down.” She points up at the akuma, “listen up, Pal. If your wayward candy weather wrecks that new candy store before I’ve had a chance to go in there, you’re gonna meet the business end of my fists!”


The akuma tsks, “such a sour attitude. Ah! I have just the remedy~” The akuma snaps their fingers. The action has the goo rain and gumdrop hail stop completely; three seconds later, it begins raining sprinkles. “Here’s the extra sweet kind~”


“I hate sprinkles.” Hex mutters.


Southpaw gasps, “how can you hate sprinkles?! They’re nature’s—” Southpaw opens her mouth to catch a sprinkle then immediately recoils. She sticks her tongue out panting and fanning it off, “haw—haut!” She tries to blow on her tongue.


“You must’ve gotten the flavor that suits your mood, Little Mouse.”


She glares up at the akuma. With a sigh, Aegis creates a shield over the three of them. “I’d really appreciate if you didn’t do that again.”


Southpaw sighs. “Ah swaont.”


The akuma sighs, “this is boring. I want to share my candy!”


“You’re mucking up the whole city.” Aegis argues.


“But it’s free candy! Who doesn’t want that?”


“Did you even taste the candy you’re creating?” Hex asks.


The akuma blinks then frowns thoughtfully. However, before they can open their mouth the butterfly mask outline appears over their face briefly. When the outline disappears, the akuma beams. “I haven’t. Why not be my official taste testers?”


“Huck zhat—!” Southpaw wraps one end of her jumprope around the akuma’s foot.


“Ah! Let me go!”


“Not happening.” Aegis pops the bubble shield around her team then creates a new one around the akuma. They gasp then start screaming and banging their fists against the bubble shield.


Southpaw squeals, “you—” She gasps, “I can talk normal again!” With a sigh of relief, she squeals again. “Aegis, you’re so awesome! I didn’t know you could bubble people?”


“I can bubble anything, evidently.”


“They can breathe, right?”


“Well, I mean...” Aegis glances at Hex giving a one-shoulder shrug, “unconscious equals no more akuma...”


The mask outline reappears over the akuma’s eyes, “you’ll be sorry for this!” They scream as they continue banging relentlessly.


“And now we’re dealing with a pissed akuma.” Southpaw says with a sigh.


A portal appears and the horse hero flips out of it then gets from a crouch and flips their hair. Like last time, onlookers on the street swoon. “Must you do that every time?”


“Jealous?”


Aegis rolls her eyes. “Hardly.”


“Every hero needs a signature entrance~”


“Have you come here to take the akuma after we’ve done all the work again?”


“I think you’re jealous I got this kickass Miraculous and you’re stuck with bubbles.” The horse pokes Aegis in the cheek and she growls then the shield deteriorates.


They both gasp then the akuma creates a giant flan and hurls it in their direction. Hex chucks his baton at the flan splitting it in two and having it both pieces land around them. Aegis slaps the horse’s hand away, “you fucking moron! I had the damn akuma! I need to concentrate to keep my shields up.”


“Aww, didn’t realize I was so distracting.” Aegis creates a bubble shield around the horse then kicks it away.


“You’re distractingly annoying!”


Hex picks up his baton then looks over his shoulder, “if you two can’t hate each other and work together, I’m gonna split you up.”


“I don’t hate Teenage Miraculous No Fun over there. At least I didn’t before she trapped me in this damn bubble! Let me out!”


“You got the ‘better’ Miraculous, right? Why don’t you have some fun portalling yourself out?”


“That’s it! Aegis, go with Southpaw.” Aegis turns to him wide-eyed behind her goggles, “go.” Scowling, Aegis folds her arms over her chest as she starts to walking in the opposite direction, “and will you let her out of your shield? I swear this is worse than dealing with my little brothers.”


Aegis snaps her fingers and the shield disintegrates. The horse flails a bit before falling on her face. “I’m gonna kill her—”


Will you three help me!?” Southpaw screams as the akuma is flying around with Southpaw holding onto the jumprope wrapped around their left ankle.


“Why are you still holding onto that?” Aegis yells.


“I wasn’t, I grabbed him again!” Southpaw screams.


The akuma flies in a zig-zag pattern then loop de loops and does all sorts of spinning moves until Southpaw lets go. She screams flying in the air until Aegis creates a shield that she falls into. Aegis sighs in relief, accidentally breaking the shield causing Southpaw to fall on the horse. The rainbow, cotton candy akuma hovers over Aegis and Hex, butterfly mask appears over their eyes. “Oh my. Teamwork not going so well, huh?” Monarque’s voice taunts, “don’t worry your pretty little masked heads, you won’t be holding onto your Miraculouses for much longer.”


The horse gets up inadvertently causing Southpaw to roll off her and onto the sidewalk. She stomps over to Aegis, “you’re a real bitch, you know that?”


“Takes one to know one.”


Before the horse can step closer, Hex holds out his baton in front of him and extends it so that one end is near each girl. “Stay this far apart from each other or so help me—”


“Relax, Hex, nothing would make me happier.”


“I’m more than fine keeping distance from that knock-off Ninja Turtle. By the way, Hex, I’m going by Shroud. Seemed appropriate.”


“How you’re nowhere to be found unless you’re fucking something up? Yeah, it fits.”


“As entertaining as this is, I’m gonna need your Miraculouses.” The akuma traps the three of them in a bubble of bubblegum that forces the three of them closer together. “Don’t know why Monarque wants your Miraculi? Miraculous? Miraculous’? Miraculouses...?, and he didn’t tell me what the Miraculouses were.” The akuma shrugs, “oh well. Once you pass out from the lack of oxygen, I’ll search your bodies!”


“How are they saying that so cheerfully?” Aegis asks.


Hex’s left hand starts glowing. “Wait.” Shroud puts her right arm in front of him, “I got this.” Shroud unclips the horseshoe that was in her ponytail then shakes it. She flips Aegis off before hopping into the portal that closed behind her.


Aegis screams, “God, she’s so immature!”


“You’re keeping pace with her.” Aegis turns to Hex who shrugs, “you’re supposed to be the level-headed one, remember?”


“How can anyone keep a leveled head around someone that fucking obnoxious?” Aegis takes her shell off then slices the bubble in half with it. “Heads up, Asshole!” Hex ducks as Aegis spins with her shell until she lobs it at the akuma. Just before Aegis’ shell can hit the akuma a portal opens and Shroud exits. “Oh fuck!” Hex covers his face as the shell hits Shroud knocking her back into the portal that closes. “That was not on purpose!”


“I have an idea!” Hex glances at the Southpaw sitting on his shoulder whispering in his ear.


“Alright. I need a bubble.” Aegis warily creates a small bubble shield and several Southpaws jump in it. Hex’s left hand starts glowing coating the bubble with magic, then he throws the shield that hits the akuma in the forehead. The shield explodes and the Southpaws merge into one and she tackles the akuma to the ground. “Huh. Didn’t know that was her plan.”


“I thought she had to jumprope to return to normal size!?” Hex shrugs in reply.


Southpaw wraps her jumprope around the akuma’s neck. “You gave me a migraine! You’re making my team fight each other! You’re gonna make us late for school! And your gum lost its flavor way too fast! I’m pissed enough to get akumatized myself so you’d better tell me where your damn akuma is!”


Whimpering, the akuma shakily moves their right hand toward Southpaw. “I-It’s in the gumdrop bracelet.” Southpaw punches the bracelet and it shatters causing the akuma to fly free. Before it can infect Southpaw, Aegis traps it in a bubble shield then creates another shield over that shield. The purplish-black ooze breaks the transformation of the kid and Southpaw gets up then angrily turns to her teammates.


“I haven’t seen teamwork this bad since those old-school videos of the first fights of the X-Men! You and whatever she’s calling herself, need to work on your teamwork Aegis.”


Aegis scoffs, “fuck that. I’m not working on shit. She is the unprofessional clown, not me, and where the fuck is the ladybug? He didn’t show up again. That’s twice now. Is he on vacation or something?”


“The snake didn’t show up either.” Southpaw adds.


The three of them unlatch their communicators from their belts and look down at them. The only colored triangles are the three of theirs, not even Shroud’s is there. “Guess we can only communicate when they’re Miraculous is active?” Aegis guesses.


“I guess the bigger question is... who is cleaning up all this candy?” Hex says looking at the state of the street, covered with discarded confections.


🐈 & 🐞


Shroud falls out of her portal into the alley behind the comic shop. “Kaalki, dismount.” The horse kwami floats out her right lens of the glasses Miraculous the transformation breaks then shakes herself before flying to America. Kaalki opens her arms out wide creating a portal that envelopes America, then the two of them are inside the shop.


America doesn’t know whether the damn magical glasses gave her astigmatism or highlighted the ailment she already had but words became blurry whenever she read anything up close. And as she was living in a comic book shop, that quickly became tiresome.


Groaning, she sits up. Kaalki gasps. “Are you alright? How dare that ...Testudine assault you like this!” America winces as Kaalki pats her forehead and her paws come away red. “Master Fù!” She screams.


Whistling, Fù comes out of the backroom with a grey lotus shaped box that has hanzi written all over it. “Oh!” He sets the box down on the counter then walks over to America. “You’re injured.”


Kaalki flies over to Fù. “Wayzz’s hatchling did this!” All the other kwamis, minus the ladybug, are all floating around the Guardian concerned. The ladybug kwami, Tikki, hadn’t moved much since his partner split. The other kwamis, Kaalki included, tried cheering him up but nothing worked. The Guardian stated Tikki’s mood was caused by the beginning of a bond forming then getting abruptly cut like it was, and that his former partner would probably be just as morose. “This ‘Aegis’ needs to be swiftly reprimanded for intentionally injuring my Intended! Just look at what that monster did. This is an injury that’ll scar her beautiful face!” She flies back over to America and gestures to the long gash across the brunette’s forehead.


“Oh dear. And you’re saying Aegis did this deliberately?”


Kaalki nods nuzzling America’s face, “naturally! She’s jealous of how great my Intended is coming into her own and she wants her out of the picture!”


“That does not sound like Aegis—”


“How would you know? You didn’t even properly test her! You just tossed a Miraculous at some random kid! What if she’s not a right fight for Wayzz? What if she’s a danger to the entire unit?”


“Calm down, Kaalki. I will meet with Aegis, as soon as I discover her identity, and get a sense of the type of Miraculous user she is.”


You don’t even know who she is!?


“As you said, I simply ‘tossed a Miraculous at some kid’ and hoped it stuck.” Kaalki facepalms. “They were behind the counter so I did not see their face. I also do not know Hex’s identity yet, just in case you were curious.”


“Uh... isn’t the suit supposed to protect me from getting scraped up?”


Fù lolls his head from side to side, “to a certain degree, yeah.”


“‘To a certain degree.’” America repeats, deadpan, “of course. Shoulda read the fine print.”


Orikko flies over to America with the first-aid kit and begins treating her wound. “Did you at least retrieve the akuma?” America’s scowl is enough of an answer, and Fù knows it’s not because of the disinfectant Orikko sprayed on her wound. “Tikki. Someone find Tikki and have him search for the akuma.”


“Don’t you think the akuma might attach itself to Tikki’s sorrow and corrupt him?” Fluff asks.


Fù pauses, “Xuppu, go find Tikki and search for the akuma together.” The monkey kwami salutes then flies toward the backroom.


“Master, I’m gonna...” Ziggy jerks her head toward the doorway Xuppu flew down and Fù nods. Nodding, the goat kwami flies after Xuppu.


“While you were out dealing with the akuma I did some cleaning. Found some trinkets I could sell. Would it be odd if I sold magical objects along with comic books?”


“Not if the objects went with the comic books.”


Fù’s eyes widen in realization. “Oh! That’s good. I’ll just have to make sure none of the objects are capable of causing insurmountable chaos. I also managed to find Miraculouses thought to be lost. Take this for example!” Fù opens the lotus box and pulls out a brown and grey feathered quill. America takes a step back as a small ball of light begins glowing near the feather then a small brown bird...thing spins into existence. “Quill, the ostrich kwami.” The kwami spits out a black seed, “and his kwagatama.”


The kwamis all fly over to the bird in a group hug. “Pleasure to return to service, Guardian.” Once everyone separates, Quill holds out the seed to Fù who accepts it and inclines his head.


“We have not seen you since... the unpleasantness. I am happy to see you are well.”


“Likewise, Guardian. Though I must express some concerns. After the last bit of... unpleasantness, I remember being forced back into my Miraculous but I do not know how I was not forced back into my original Miracle Box with the power of the wish being finalized.”


“‘Wish?’ What wish?” America asks.


“There is a certain ...process that involves granting one’s greatest desire. The sages devised it but taught the kwamis nothing on how it worked.”


“That’s shitty.”


“Indeed.” Fù agrees, “I believe it was an attempt at a failsafe that went wrong.”


Quill turns to Fluff, “you were involved with the wish directly, do you remember?”


Fluff shakes her head, “like you, the last thing Sass and I remember is being forced back into our Miraculouses then our Miracle Box.” She frowns, “you could always ask your partner?”


Quill nods, “you’re right...” He flinches, “u-unless it might be... unpleasant for you, Master?”


“Unpleasant, you said?” Fù sighs heavily, “we must all deal with unpleasantness in our lives, Quill. Hurdles make us stronger. Yada yada. Struggle builds character; etc... disclaimer. So on and so forth.” He massages his temples.


“I am officially out of the loop.” America says.


“Apologies.” Quill states flying over to America, “Master Fù’s older brother Shin is a Sage and my partner. He did not believe Master Fù capable of becoming a Guardian and voiced it regularly.” America whistles. “For decades they fought constantly. Master Shin even sabotaged Master Fù’s chances at becoming a full-fledged Guardian several times. The most recent... unpleasant situation involved Master Shin stealing Master Fù’s Miracle Box then had that same Miracle Box stolen by the man who eventually made the wish.”


“And I thought my last foster family were assholes.” America mutters, “are you one-hundred percent sure a dude made the wish?”


Quill nods, “a young man. I can’t recall his face, but I can recall seeing striking blue eyes right before getting sucked back into my Miraculous. Blue eyes are very common.”


“Not to mention a ‘young man’ is any age before thirty.” Orikko mutters. “And almost forty years passed. While we know they’re still alive we could be looking at a guy between the ages of fifty and seventy-five. If my math is even remotely correct.”


“Have I made things worse?” Quill shrinks in on himself.


“Not at all. You’ve given us more than we previously knew.” Quill smiles at Fù. “I will video call my brother and hope he does not answer. In the meantime, I have a task specifically for you Mlle. Chavez.”


“I don’t like the sound of that.”


“It’s nothing frightful I assure you...” Fù pauses, “although...” America grimaces, “no, no.” He shakes his head. “It’s fine. I noticed, or rather felt, a large concentration of magical energy surrounding Collège François Düpont.”


“You mean that school all over the news with the dick-headed coward of a principal that’s the mayor’s left-hand toady?”


“Not... exactly as colorful as I would have described, but yes to all of that. That same school. I ...began scouting for a new ladybug around the school when I felt the magic.”


America raises an eyebrow. “Does Tikki know you’re looking into partnering him up again?”


“I don’t mean to sound callous, but I’m not particularly interested in Tikki’s feelings on the matter. Tikki needs to get onto the field as soon as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I grew fond of ...the ladybug user I selected rather quickly. His methods to keep from getting akumatized at the hypermarket were as ingenious as they were amoral. Nothing would make me happier than to see him return, but—I have not seen him returning.” Fù frowns, “I know my foresight abilities are limited, so there is a slim chance he could return but we cannot leave it to chance. Every time Plagg goes out there without Tikki it strains their bond. Which reminds me...” Fù rubs the back of his neck, “I need to find a partner for Fluff or I’d be a huge hypocrite.”


“So what am I gonna do at the school?”


“Investigate the sources of magic. In layman’s terms, I’m going to enroll you into the school.”


“Aw fuck. Really?”


“You’d have a much better chance of fitting in than I would. If you were to skulk around the school it would lead to suspicion, so you have to be on the inside.”


America grins at him and Fù looks taken aback, “actually, I think this is something we should investigate together .” Fù eyes her warily, “have more eyes looking out and etcetera. I’ll go to school as a student, if you go in as a professeur.”


“What could I possibly teach? Magic? How to sell comic books? I don’t have a license—’


“You can get one over the internet.” Fù furrows his eyebrows, “I’m not budging on this, man. I will not enter that hellhole alone...” Kaalki pointedly clears her throat, “dammit Kaalki, you know what I mean.”


“What about the shop?”


“You can always open it after school.”


Fù frowns, “school.” He sighs heavily, “alright, Mlle. Chavez, we’ll do things your way. I’ll see what François Düpont has to offer then fill in whatever role I can. After that, I get my necessary online degree.”


🐈 & 🐞


Vice Principal Bustier called the entire school to the assembly hall for a mandatory, emergency assembly before first period. On her way to the train station, Rose saw the streets covered in brightly colored confections. (She also saw some kids try to eat the aforementioned confections right off the street. Which, ewww. Free candy is one thing, but eating off the rarely cleaned streets is quite another.) The train was stuck at her stop for ten minutes because some of the akuma’s gooey candy seeped down onto the station. She’s certain if it landed on the track she’d still be stuck. Surprisingly, the akuma attack ended about twenty minutes before the school day officially began; so, even with the train delay, Rose wasn’t late for school.


This year, Rose was fortunate enough to be in the same homeroom as her best friend, Juleka. The past three years here they weren’t so lucky. Not being in the same class as Chloé this year was exceptionally lucky, but she was still in the same class as Sabrina; this makes the fourth year in a row.


Meeting up with Juleka at her locker, the two girls make their way to the assembly hall. As usual, the taller teen is decked out from head to toe in cool tones. Her pullover hoodie is all dark blue and her long skirt (or dress?) is black. Her backpack is all black with little bat wings at the sides. Last year, the school declared a no hat rule so Juleka could no longer wear her hood over her head. Lisa Düpont made sure to get Damocles to fine tune that rule so she could continue wearing her hijab to school. If there is one thing Damocles is known for... it’s being a kissass that does not argue with wealthy students. Chloé and Sabrina aren’t the only rich students Damocles gives leeway to; they’re just the two biggest infractors. Now given Lisa Düpont is the great-whatever to one of this collège’s co-founders who she shares a given name with as well? Yeah. The Düponts have money, more than the Bourgeois’, so Damocles was not gonna argue. Hell, no one was gonna argue since they’re one of the three richest families in the city. Rose looks up at Juleka putting on some dark purple glossy lipgloss. “I never understood why you don’t just go full-on gloth.”


“I like to...” The purple-haired teen pauses furrowing her visible ringless eyebrow, “full what?”


“Gloth. G-L-O-T-H. Glamour goth. Goth... but sparkly!”


“Why is everything sparkles with you?” Rose wordlessly points to the multi-colored highlights in her hair. “I’m sure if hair dye came out in glitter you’d get it.”


“Of course I would!” She gasps, “ooh! Should I patent that?”


“Might wanna test it out first.”


When they find a couple of empty seats in the back of the assembly hall, Rose opens her purse and takes out a tube of glitter then slathers it on her hands and runs her fingers through her hair. Juleka stares at her in horror.

The red-haired vice principal taps on the microphone and the feedback has the whole assembly hall cringing. “Good morning students!” The echo has the woman grimacing then tapping the microphone, “today...” The feedback causes her to make a face. A student walks on the stage with a new microphone, attaching it to the microphone stand, then walks away with the old microphone. “Test...?” When there’s no echo or feedback the woman sighs in relief. “Good morning students!” She pauses, presumably for some kind of response but gets none. “Today marks the first official full week of school! I have two important pieces of big news regarding this school year! First: After lunch, your homeroom professeurs will speak to you about the student union. Much like your class representatives, we will have representatives speaking for the needs of the entire student body.” Rose and Juleka exchange a glance. “The selection process is similar, however the entire school will cast the deciding votes in an assembly later in the week. Now onto the second piece of news. Due to the nature of these... akuma attacks...” All the students in the assembly hall surrounding him, turn to that Adrien kid Rose slapped last week, glaring. He’s seated at the opposite end of the row behind theirs in between Chloé and Sabrina. Both girls make shooing motions at the students as the green-eyed blond slinks down in his seat.


Oh great. When her mamans showed her the “apology” video that sounded more like Gabriel Agreste was blaming everyone and everything but himself for his son being the way he is. Rose thought when Gabriel Agreste said his son was to attend this collège he’d do it later in the year, not like right now. Hopefully he won’t be in their class. If he’s “friends” with Chloé Bourgeois, there is a pretty high chance of him being in Chloé’s class. If so, then it’s not Rose’s problem this school year.


“...we will implement akuma safety drills. These drills will be similar enough to our fire and earthquake safety drills. We hope. We will do all we can to ensure the safety of every student here at François Düpont, whether they become akumas or not. We will share the full details with you and your families when we have them. Now, onto a pleasant surprise! Today we have an extra special guest kicking off the school week! Please join me in welcoming Paris’ own rising star and François Düpont alum, Clara Nightingale!” The assembly hall breaks out into uproarious chanting of the singer’s name as the pink-haired teen idol dances her way up the stairs onto the stage.


“Hello, hello~” She sing-songs taking the microphone off the stand. The crowd continues to chant until Clara gestures for them to lower the noise, “I’ve still yet to become accustom to such a warm welcome! Today, I’m not just here to sing. Although that is my thing. Today my presence, is to talk to you all about acceptance—” For the second time in three minutes, the students in the surrounding area glare at the blond who sighs in resignation, “—it doesn’t matter who you are or the place that is home calls. Hatred and prejudice have no business in these halls! We are all here trying to learn, to see, trying to be the best versions of ourselves we can be! I would have been a lost little duckling unable to spread a wing. Had it not been for the phenomenal spur from Professeur Piper.” The assembly hall applaud when the aforementioned art professeur raises their hand in the air. “I would hate for short-sighted individuals with intentions so grey to blow someone’s chance of finding their way. Or worse, becoming one with such bothers that use their own insecurity and ignorance to spread their misery onto others. You are the generation of go-getters that will change the world for the better! Lend me your ear, we cannot and will not let one person ruin the school year!” The crowd cheers, “it is time to unfurl, we won’t let one person blanket the positivity from our world! End the strife! Cut the toxicity from your life! Freeing your soul is our primary goal! Stay on track. Fight back!” Clara shouts and the crowd cheers louder.


No! No, no, no—!” The vice principal snatches the microphone from Clara and the crowd boos, “there will be no fighting and no fighting back!” She says into the microphone before putting her hand over it, “you are expressly forbidden from singing that song here.” She hisses, “that is the furthest thing from acceptance. Are you trying to start a riot?”


No!” Clara takes the microphone back from the vice principal who stares at her wide-eyed, “I am not trying to start a riot, though I refuse to be quiet. I’m starting a revolution! That is the only solution!” Clara turns back to the crowd. “Add fire to the fuel! Rule the school! Let me hear your roars! Take back what is yours!”


“Never surrender!” The crowd responds. “Bring the pressure!”


“What are you doing!?” Bustier gasps.


The pink-haired teen side eyes the vice principal. “What you should have. This school is in dire need of a salve. The school is for the students first and foremost. You lost your integrity, Caline. You’ve become engrossed. The majority of your staff is compromised. To my horror and surprise. Slack-jawed gremlins poised in position to blindly follow an ill-suited leader and crooked politician. You made your choice so I will use my voice. I have not lost sight and will not turn a blind eye to the students who are in need of a guiding light!”


Clara


“—What do you think teaching your students that acceptance is expected from them, but tolerance is not expected from others will stem? What have you all become? This is not the François Düpont I graduated from! You sold your souls to achieve your goals. You and a few choice colleagues scrounge for extra days of paid vacation and cushy seats in the faculty lounge!”


“—Clara—”


“—You attempt to have my time here diminished when I am not even close to finished—”


“That is enough, Mlle. Nightingale.” Damocles marches his way on stage, holding another microphone, and the assembly hall boos. “I believe you have overstayed your welcome.” The boos intensify.


“Is that right? Well, aren’t you a sight? Your principal is trying to silence your word but it is not my voice that must be heard! It is not a crime nor unrefined to speak your mind!”


“Never surrender!” The crowd repeats. “Bring the pressure!”


Damocles motions for the security guards behind him to advance. Everyone stops and looks around when the lights cut out, then a spotlight shines on Clara with her eyes closed holding the microphone, “this the song your vice principal feared. So let me make my intentions clear.” She says into the microphone, “pressurize.” Clara opens her eyes, “now here’s the reprise!” The crowd starts humming along the appropriate tune. Even as security carry Clara off the stage, she continues to sing into the microphone.


🐈 & 🐞


Nadia fidgets in her seat looking out the window of the jet. “You can always change your mind.” The redhead in the seat across from the brunette says without lifting her head from her laptop.


“N-No...” The brunette takes a deep breath, “I want—no, I need to do this, Janet.” Her response causes the redhead to look up. “I want you to know I appreciate everything you’ve done for me since we’ve met. Taking me in. Adopting me. I will always be eternally grateful to have you in my life.”


“My mascara isn’t cryproof, Pupa.” Janet waves her hands in front of her eyes, “and you make it sound like we’ll never see each other again! I’ll only be a twelve hour plane ride away! Or if I find someone who knows how to portal, it’ll be even shorter! You’re not getting no getting rid of me so easily.”


Nadia chuckles, “I’d hope not.”


“What’s the deal with this ‘Lune’ school anyway? It’s in Paris, France. Which, I will admit, is better than Paris, Texas – which was where I originally thought of when you said the word Paris. Although the flight would be about half the time. Do you even speak French?”


Nadia nods, “it’s one of the nine languages Red Room taught me.”

“Nine, huh? You’d think an assassins’ guild would be more well-rounded than that. My finishing school taught me ten languages. What else does Paris have to offer that DC doesn’t? Is it because of that magical supervillain who weaponizes people’s emotions then uses them against the general public? Because I gotta say, that’s not good for anyone’s mental health.”


“Those attacks no different than what Enchantress does every Thursday.”


“True.” Janet frowns, “so tell me about this school? I take it the place isn’t any ordinary art school?”


“It’s in the top three best art schools in the world, and it just opened last year! It has every form of art ever explained and a few new ones! But best of all is the science program. Every conceivable science safe enough to perform in a classroom setting! Lune is the only school of it’s kind and depending on its success, other schools like it will be built all over the globe.”


“Well, that answered my next question.” Janet sighs, “you do you, Little Wings. If your heart is set on this I can call in a favor from Camilla.” She pauses, “or do I owe her a favor?” Another pause, “either way, I’ll make the call. Camilla has two great-grand—? Step-grand—?” Janet makes a face, “—she has two grandkids of her late sister and sister-in-law she’s looking after since their death almost two years ago now.” Nadia nods with a hum.


“Mme. van Dyne, we have arrived in Paris airspace.” The pilot says over the comm-system. “Hear what I said there? I called you madame. Can we get macarons before we go back to DC?”


“Come on Jay, you damn well know the answer to that will always be yes.” The pilot cheers then shuts off the comms. “I know! Before dumping you off at your fancy new school, why don’t we take in some sights? There is this talented little designer I’ve been keeping tabs on. She goes by MDC and she happens to live in the boulangerie pâtissèrie with the best macarons on the planet! Laura McKinney goes there every time she comes to Paris.”


“Laura? Isn’t she on the no-fly list?”


“No Honeybee. Well, I mean yes she is, but I said Laura McKinney. She’s a food writer. Ooh! This’ll be a great trip. I can do my two favorite things at once at the same place! Watching a genius at work and eat some of the treasures my ma grew up with and shared with me before her death. Huh. And now I’m gonna share those same treasures with my daughter. Full circle.”


Nadia sits up with a gasp looking up from her phone, “this McKinney lady is Audrey Bourgeois’ older sister! Why didn’t you lead with that?”


Janet rolls her eyes with a groan. “Audrey Durand. My mistake, Durand Bourgeois now. Nadia, My Darling Sunbeam, I didn’t introduce you to the wonders of fashion so you could laud one of my fashion nemesis...es.”


“Nemeses, and you two have vastly different styles! Besides, how could you not love her backpack collection? And she has a new collection coming in the spring that she named after her daughter.”


Janet huffs a laugh, “yeah, right. Okay. You want truth? That woman named her daughter after a wine.”


“Why do you hate her?”


“I don’t hate anyone, Nadia,” Janet pauses, “except maybe Enchantress,” Another pause, “and possibly Xavier. Point is, Audrey and I have ...issues because she has an issue with me being from Jersey!” Nadia tilts her head to the left, “I shit you not. Being a genius, I skipped a grade before it became taboo to so. I was like two years younger than all my classmates in beauty school. Being unfairly short did not necessarily work in my favor. Being smaller and younger, all the other girls looked down on me. I was working the stripes angle long before becoming Wasp and that became my thing. Audrey let her designs do the talking, which I respected. And she had her own putting gold in everything design. We never hung out or anything but we were assigned to work on a project together. I mentioned how I couldn’t wait to get back home and she scoffed, Nadia. Scoffed! Can you believe that? I’ve been taking so much shit from New Yorkers my whole life. Especially from ‘upper side’ snobs, looking down on my state! Do you hear about supervillain attacks in Jersey? No! Because people from Jersey have class! We don’t have Doom and all his goth metal! We don’t have The Fantastic Four’s tacky matching onesies; I feel so sorry for Sue. She’s an astrophysicist for fuck’s sake! She does not deserve to run around in a rubber blue onesie!” Janet takes a deep breath, “sorry. I have a lot of ...feelings about their outfit choice. Anyway, we definitely and thankfully do not have Doctor Strange doing ...Doctor Strange things! And we damn sure don’t have Tony Stark threatening to rip open the fabric of the universe every time he comes upon someone smarter than him!”


“Uh... didn’t you date Tony Stark?”


Janet groans, “don’t remind me. I used to have such questionable taste. It’s why I left New York. Toxicity central.” She shudders, “God, that relationship was about as bad as the one I had with Ha—hahaha.” Janet loudly clears her throat then looks back down at her laptop.


“Haha... oh! I know you and Hank didn’t have the healthiest or stablest of relationships, Janet. It’s okay for you to talk about him around me. Positive or negative. He made his decision and I made mine.”


“And really, it’s his loss because you’re a kickass kid. I mean, you’re a baby assassin for goodness sake! Who would not want to have you around? But what could you expect from such a goddamn weenie! He was one of those giant weenies on the street corner that promote their business with the wearable signs?” Nadia nods slowly. Clearly, Janet has thought about this. “I can come up with new terms to describe exactly how much of a weenie Henry Pym was... but we’re gonna land soon so I’ll save it for another time.”


“How did you two meet?”


“Science convention. My old man was one of those ‘poor’ scientists that often had his work overlooked or even stolen. I started making clothes in my...” She coughs into her fist, “redacted, and bought my dad his first real lab when I had enough money. Pym was at the convention blabbing about his whatever. I initially ignored him because I didn’t want to be there. But then when he and my dad started working together I saw him more and more and unfortunately developed a crush on him. When my dad was kidnapped after one of his inventions was stolen, I asked Pym to help me. He said no because I was ‘too young’ so I stole his Pym particles and injected them into myself and went after the kidnappers. When Pym caught up to me, after I already handled everything by myself, he lectured me about a whole bunch of stuff then he helped me get the hang of things. Once I had my powers down, I became Wasp. I convinced him to superhero-up with me and he was Ant-Man. I think? We didn’t date right away because he kept viewing me as too young.”


“Uh... what was the age difference between you two?”


“Holy hell, I don’t even know.” Janet taps her chin, “if I’d have to guess... I’d say about in the ten to fifteen years range, maybe? See. People are attracted to me because I’m that lovable air-headed self-made millionaire socialite. They seem to gloss over the fact that I have three PhDs in science and another three in fashion designing. Plus, you know, my father is a damn physicist and space scientist who taught me well.”


“I’m sorry. Forgive me for interrupting, but you have three PhDs in fashion designing?”


“I never joke about fashion, Nadia.”


“Noted.”


“I was very dedicated.” Nadia nods, “and still am. I’m seen as an air-headed fashion designer, right? Still sorta am, sadly. Back in my serial dating days, when I said something some constant hair-color-changing bimbo has no business knowing I got dumped.”


“How awful!”


“Yeah. I wasn’t like persistently coming onto Pym or anything. Hell, I left him alone after he rejected me even as he and my dad continued working together. I don’t know what caused him to change his view of me. Maybe it was pity. But I know I wasn’t as into him as I was when before the rejection but I don’t even know what made me say yes. I know I was still an air-head to Pym as well as the ‘young’ scientist. I never deluded myself into thinking I would ever be that bitch and change the person I was into. On the other hand, I wasn’t gonna stay with an asshole who doesn’t even bother paying attention to me. Maybe he thought he was doing me a favor or maybe he liked the idea of dating me more than physically dating me. I’m just grateful we never got married.” Janet wipes her forehead, “dodged a bullet there.”


“Weren’t you two engaged?”


“For two years. I thought of breaking up with him, but then he proposed and, again, I don’t know what made me say yes. Probably only put a ring on my finger to keep me around like an empty trophy case. Eventually, even supervillains started feeling sorry for me! That is when you know you need to put an end to shit.” Nadia makes a face. “oh no. Don’t worry. I put all that behind me. Looking back distracts you from seeing what’s ahead.” Janet cracks her knuckles, “having said that, if that motherfucker ever shows his face unprompted, I will blast him with these very same Pym particles he created.” She leans back in her seat with a smile. “Wow. How long did I have all that bottled up? Your therapist was right about getting everything off your chest.” Janet leans forward, “is there anything you want to rant about? I’m all ears.”


“Uh, no. I’m good but thank you.”


“Anytime. Ooh! I should ask Ororo if she wants anything~” Janet giggles to herself.


“What about Thor?”


“Hm? Oh.” Janet waves off Nadia’s concerned look, “I didn’t forget about him, Larvae. It’s just... Thor will eat almost anything whereas Ororo has a more refined, distinguished palate.” Janet shivers, “ooh. Just thought of a dirty joke. Gotta write it down before I forget.” Janet begins typing on her laptop.


Both Janet and Nadia’s phones ping at the same time. “Uh, boss...?” The pilot warns.


“One second. I don’t wanna lose my train of thought.”


“Sure, take your time. I do not think this is going anywhere.”


“And... done! Alright, what is...?” Janet picks up her phone then unlocks it. “What the fuck is this? Is this live? Why do the streets look like Delfino Plaza?’


“Huh. You’re right! They do!” The pilot replies laughing.


“Dell-fin-what?”


“Delfino Plaza.” Janet repeats. “It’s from Super Mario Sunshine; which I just realized, as I spoke the name, is before you were born. Let’s see, fourteen and twenty-twenty...? Yeah. Four years before you were born.” Janet skims the article on her phone, “motherfucking fuck. An ‘akuma’ made the streets filled with confections. What’s an ‘akuma?’”


“Akumas are what the magical butterflies that corrupt people’s emotions are called.” Nadia replies. Gasping, she holds the phone closer to her face. “The mayor has declared this akuma attack to be a ‘city-wide’ emergency.” Nadia’s eyes widen as she moves the phone back, “Oh no! Lune... it’s been temporarily closed down due to the akuma attack!”


“What? Oh hell no! We did not come all this way for nothing.”


🐈 & 🐞


The intercom crackles to life. “Attention students, this is Principal Damocles with an important announcement.” The man loudly clears his throat over the intercom, “as I am sure most of you are already aware, around six this morning there was an akuma attack in the fifteenth arrondissement.” Furrowing their eyebrows, Rose and Juleka stop walking then look up at the ceiling; as do several other students in the hallway. Rose notices Chloé and Sabrina among the crowd. “While the akuma’s candy weather has impacted the entire city, the origin of the attack appears to have it the worst. Several buildings in the arrondissement were forced to shut down due to being covered... in confections. One of these buildings... was Lune Collège of Arts.” Gasping in disbelief, Sabrina puts a hand over her mouth as she shakes her head. Chloé also puts a hand over her mouth to hide her disbelief, though – looking around – her disbelief may not be the same disbelief as her schoolmates’. This... This is even better than an infestation! Hell, this is even better than Chloé could have hoped for! Akuma attacks have caused thousands of euros in damages over the course of the past few weeks.


Her hotel was still repairing everything Balance sliced in half in her rage. Baker Street has the huge hole in the middle of the street where the giant akuma baby sat down to watch the impromptu puppet show. The hallway that akumadrien showed up in is littered with holes and blocked off by do not enter tape.


Hmm. Chloé has to wonder if her father went ahead and put the spiders in the school. Not like he could’ve predicted an akuma attack was gonna happen. Although given how this is the new normal, he should’ve anticipated one would be happening soon. Oh well. If he did plant the “poisonous” spiders, perhaps Lune will stay closed longer?


“—As Lune was just beginning their school year, like many other collèges in the city, an agreement was made.” Damocles pauses, probably for some kind of cheap dramatic effect, but Chloé already knows what he’s gonna say. Thank goodness too. Clara Nightingale was right about this school’s dire need for a salve, but it’s not the professeurs who are the problem. Okay. That’s not... entirely true. A lot of professeurs here suck, but they aren’t the only problem with this place. New blood, new talented blood will drown out the overwhelming ignorance Chloé has been subjected to for the past three fucking years. Not to mention with all the new students coming in, everyone will forget about Adrien’s... discriminatory faux pas. Hopefully.


Chloé glances at Sabrina who is staring at one of the intercoms in anticipation. Due to the assembly, Chloé didn’t get to finish telling her best friend about her idea. Although there may no longer be a need to do so, “...we will be temporarily housing several Lune students until their collège is safe to reopen.” The news gets mixed reactions from the hallway. “...I— Oh? I just received word that buses full of students are on their way here.” There’s a pause, “wait, did I read that correctly?” There’s an indistinct voice over the intercom, “there’s no way. What!? They’re... Oh my! I-I need to present myself to greet them!”


“Principal Damocles, the intercom is still on.”


“What? Is it? Dammit, this is just what I need...”
There’s some rustling in the background before the intercom promptly shuts off.


Students begin talking among themselves.


“I-I can’t believe it,” Sabrina says in awe. “We’re... We’re...” She furrows her eyebrows, “we’re gonna be sharing our school with students from Lune.”


Chloé puts a hand on Sabrina’s shoulder and the orange-haired teen blinks up at her, “...are you going to be alright?”


Sabrina stares until realization hits, “oh.” She scoffs, “please. Of course I will, Chlo. You know me. So I didn’t get into Lune?” She shrugs, “big deal. Their loss really. And it’s closed down now, so it no longer matters.”


Chloé squeezes Sabrina’s shoulder, “right. Their loss. You’re super talented, so to hell with them for not recognizing that.”


Sabrina smiles up at her, “thanks, Chloé.”


“Don’t mention it.” The blond squeezes Sabrina’s shoulder once more before happily clapping her hands together, “I’m so excited! New students. I hope there are some cute new students in my class.”


“Right. Your class.” Sabrina grimaces, “you got that new science professeur, right? With the wayward purple hair and glasses?” Chloé nods, “is she terrifying? I hear she’s terrifying. I don’t have her, thankfully, but I wanna know in case we get her subbed or something.”


“You know how unreliable gossip is, Sabrina. Especially in this place.”


“That’s why I’m asking you.”


“Ah. Makes sense. Professeur Mendeleiev is not terrifying,” Chloé pauses, “or, well, uh... she hasn’t been terrifying, yet.” The blonde gasps, “that reminds me! I completely forgot to talk to Papa about hiring her. Then again, he doesn’t even know about all the buildings being built around the city, so he may not know about all the professeurs in the collège he’s funding.” Chloé rolls her eyes, “can you believe that woman had no idea who I was?”


“Are you serious? Maybe she’s not from the city?”


“Uh, my maman is The International Queen of Fashion? I’d like to think my surname is easily recognizable.”


“You’d like to think so but...” Sabrina trails off with a shrug.


Chloé scoffs, “whatever. She’ll find out exactly who I am soon enough. Better get to class before the idiots roll in and pollute the air. See you at lunch. I have stuff to tell you.”


“See you at lunch.” They both head in opposite directions for their homerooms.


Sabrina walks into her classroom with her head held high. No time to dwell on the fucking “artsy” school rejecting her then shoving their fancy “artsy” students in her face! Chloé was right, it was their loss – not hers.


Some students are already in the classroom but Sabrina pays them no mind. Hers is the first seat as soon as you enter the classroom, meaning she’s free to ignore the chaos behind her.


Chloé once told Sabrina the front slash top of the classroom is where they belonged and who was Sabrina to argue? Her papa was the newly promoted Police Chief several weeks back and Chloé’s papa was the mayor, newly reelected – they were the two most powerful men in the city; if you exclude a magical butterfly slinging terrorist.


Rose Lavillant and her tall vampiric friend walk into the classroom together. As per the norm, the blonde is loudly talking a mile a minute animatedly. The professeur hadn’t bothered assigning seats to anyone but the blonde, putting her in the back due to her... “ability to project,” as he called it.


The gall of that multi-highlighted-hair-having ...bitch laying a hand on poor Adrien’s perfect face! Sabrina would’ve retaliated had everything not happened as fast as it did.


Sabrina stares at the empty desk in front of her. Huh. Professeur Chalmers is a stickler for punctuality. He’s the asshole who stands by the door and locks it one-tenth of a second after the bell rings despite seeing students approaching. Assembly or no assembly, the man would’ve been here behind his desk with his nose turned up sneering as he gazed around the room.


Students begin dredging into the classroom and Sabrina yawns. Adrien will likely be in Chloé’s classroom so Sabrina won’t have to babysit him. She still can’t believe he did that all for a piece of chalk tasting flour. Well, both his parents were dramatic. Why wouldn’t he be as well?


As much as Sabrina doesn’t want to share a classroom with people from the collège that rejected her, she is hoping for some cute boys to talk to. Ooh. Speaking of cute boys, Johnny Watts walks in with a yawn.


Yawning, Johnny shakes his whole body as he walks. Ramone is already inside at the desk in the back, across from Rose and Juleka, with her head down. They don’t always sit together in class, but Johnny’s feeling a little sleepy himself so he takes the seat next to his twin. (Though, one of them should be awake to tell the other what went on during class.)


He got up early thanks to that damn akuma attack, but Sass had him sit the fight out yet never explained why. The kwami wouldn’t even give him the bangle so he could transform! Johnny would’ve went back to sleep but he was too worried about the team. Then he saw the recorded livestream as he laid in bed and really worried about the team. Where the hell was the ladybug? And just what was keeping the team together?


He wouldn’t’ve been so tired if he, Ramone, and their great-aunt Camilla hadn’t been up watching old home movies until about two in the morning. Yesterday would’ve been their grandmother’s twenty-sixth anniversary and Camilla’s sister’s birthday. They celebrated their lives with their happiest memories.


Ramone pokes him in the arm, without moving her head, the second he sits down. She mutters something he needs to lean closer to her to hear, “how did you even know it was me?” He gasps, “you’re a witch!” Ramone pokes him in the cheek without moving her head, “alright, alright. I’ll ask around.”


Johnny looks around the classroom. Rose is gesturing wildly in the air and Juleka looks like she’s half-asleep as she leans back in her seat nodding.


The school’s power couple Elizabeth “Lisa” Girard Düpont and her on-again, off-again for the past three-going-on-four years boyfriend Remington “Rem” Hackett III Esq., walk in the classroom arm-in-arm. Without missing a step, Lisa slips a folded-up piece of paper onto Sabrina’s desk then they continue walking to the desk across from the orange-haired teen.


Sabrina scowls as she picks up the paper reading it.


Who knows what goes on with the rich students in this place? You’d think the black ones would have a bit more sense since there are so few of them in the school (rich or otherwise) but on Friday half the damn student body saw Lisa – proud grand-whatever of one of this school’s co-founders who she shares a name with – chasing after Teddy – yeah I’m the richest kid in the city but I’m totally cool, I promise – Altman screaming his name. No one dared to ask why. And Düpont is a trackstar so after she caught up with Teddy the hallways cleared. Zero witnesses. Plausible deniability.


Johnny is cool with Teddy but he’s more Ramone’s friend with them being all “sportsy” and whatnot.


Kitty walks in the classroom curly dark brown hair bouncing with every step. There’s even a well-timed hairflip as she turns to walk down the aisle. Her bored expression brightens when she sees him and she takes the empty seat at the bench in front of theirs. “Morning.”


“Morning. You wouldn’t happen to have any migraine pills, would you?” Johnny jerks a thumb at Ramone who lifts one hand to wave at the brunette but still doesn’t lift her head.


The brunette taps her chin in thought, “I know Marinette has some but her classroom is across the school.” Kitty looks around the class, “Alex?” The bespectacled teen with the light brown afro in front of Kitty shakes his head. “Rose do you have any migraine pills?”


The blonde pauses mid arm wave, “Juleka has migraine pills!” She chirps then lowers her hands. “How many do you need?”


The purple-haired teen opens the fannypack around her waist and pulls out a white bottle of ibuprofen. There’s no way Rose can stretch far enough to reach Johnny so he gets up and accepts the bottle from Juleka thanking her. “No big. I know what she’s going through. My migraines are a bitch to get rid of.”


“That’s why you got the extra super strong stuff.” Johnny whistles. Kitty puts her thermos on the desk as Johnny sits back down, “what’s this?”


“Tea. I put coffee creamer and sugar in it. It’s still warm. Might help with the migraine pills.”


Ramone lifts her head, “I could just kiss you Pryde. Aw to hell with it. I will kiss you.” The brunette laughs when Ramone leans forward to kiss her on the cheek. “I didn’t forget about you too Jules.”


Juleka blushes – at least Johnny thinks she’s blushing? Half of her face is covered by her hair.


After Johnny opens the bottle and shakes it until two pills come out Ramone takes a gulpful of Kitty’s nondescript creamer coated tea then the two ibuprofen pills. “I love you all.” Then Ramone puts her head back down.


Jubilation is the last to enter the class, as per the norm. She tilts her head to the right in confusion even as she makes her way to the bench in front of Rose and Juleka. Rose hugs the black-haired teen from behind. “You’ll never guess what I saw!” She leans back in her seat, “I saw the bus full of Lune students pull up.”


“So this is not a drill. It’s really happening?” Alex asks.


Jubilation shakes her head, “yup.” She loudly pops the p, “I saw it. Well, them. There was more than one bus. Two stopped here. I saw a couple more drive past. And some turned at the light by the boulangerie pâtissèrie.”


“Just how the hell did you see all that from here?” Jubilation looks up at Juleka.


“Oh. I left the school to get a closer look.” The others all nod, humming. “Once I saw Damocles I ran back inside the building.” She sighs, “I locked myself out by accident but fortunately I saw Professeur Chaplain taking his smoke break. Speaking of professeurs, not that I’m not super happy, but where is our professeur?” Everyone shrugs. “Well, this day seems to keep getting better and better.” She rubs her hands together, “new students and no sign of Chalmers?” Jubilation looks around, “wait! Where’s Ramone?”


Johnny jerks a thumb to his right and Ramone holds out her left hand giving Jubilation a thumbs up.


“Migraine pills didn’t kick in yet.” Rose says.


“That damn akuma gave me a migraine.” Juleka says rubbing her head, “Liberty was docked by the fifteenth arrondissement because The Captain was visiting a friend.”


“A friend—” Johnny yelps as Ramone tugs him toward her then slaps a hand over his mouth.


“How did she do that without moving her head?” Rose asks in awe, then she turns to Juleka, “but was it a friend with the eyebrow waggle and exaggerated wink?”


The purple-haired teen groans. “I’m gonna need the pills back.” Johnny gets up and hands the bottle back to Juleka, after taking two himself.


The door opens and the class freezes as an unfamiliar brunet with their brownish-red hair in a frizzy ponytail walks into the classroom yawning. “Morning class.” They say behind the yawn, “or is it afternoon?”


The class silently stares back at the brunet until Sabrina – naturally – jumps up gaping. No surprise there. Professeur Chalmers is one of Damocles’ pasties cheering on the Sabrina-Raincomprix-Can-Do-No-Wrong sidelines. Chalmers was rumored to go “golfing” with the newly “promoted” Police Chief biweekly, along with Damocles and some of the other vocal Mayor Bourgeois supporters teaching at this collège since no other school in city (possibly in the country) is willing to hire them.


The brunet puts their glasses down from their hair and puts them over their eyes. “Better. Whoa! What’s with all the confused faces?”


Everyone continues to stare, “oh, I get it! You probably think I just waltzed into the wrong classroom? Fortunately, this time, I can assure you I did not. Your old homeroom and world history professeur has been fired and arrested for being found hiding in the girls’ locker room in the gymnasium this morning.” The class gasps. “Never the ones you expect, am I right? We don’t know his exact reasons for... being there but it wouldn’t take a genius with an IQ of 163 like myself to draw some conclusions. Anyway, shortening the long story, I am taking over. I came from Lune, in case you were wondering. I did get interviewed for here about a week ago and felt like I bombed the interview so it is a bit ironic I am here. Thankfully, this school year just started so I don’t have to throw off anyone’s class rhythm or learning patterns. I’m a bit of a rambler, as I’m sure you have all realized already. My name is Professeur Stacey Yorkes. My daughter, who didn’t even try to attend Lune, is one of your classmates but I don’t wanna embarrass her or single her out by naming her.”


Either way, the whole class turns to Gert Yorkes, the bespectacled purple-haired girl sitting behind Düpont and her boyfriend, who facepalms. Her deskmate, Ivan, pats her on the shoulder consolingly.


“You. Girl standing. Why are you standing?” The class chuckles while Sabrina retakes her seat with a scowl. “I’m gonna go over the class roster, so bear with me for the next few minutes, alright?”


Sabrina raises her hand, “may I use the restroom?” (The class doesn’t notice the professeur’s eyes briefly flit to her daughter’s face or Gert subtly shaking her head.)


“Sure. Don’t take too long or you won’t be counted on the roster.”


🐈 & 🐞


Meanwhile, Chloé stopped by the office before heading to class to make sure Adrien was registered in her class. Chloé saw Nathalie, Adrien’s father’s personal assistant, standing there with a tablet with her boss’ face on it. Acclaimed fashion designer Gabriel Agreste is a known recluse who doesn’t even make digital appearances if he can help it. Many said his marriage with the very outgoing model and movie star Émilie Graham de Vanily was doomed to fail from the start. So people weren’t at all surprised by the very public news of the divorce last year, they were merely surprised they lasted as long as they had; nearly fourteen years.


When Chloé gets to the classroom, she sees (and hears) Alix and Kim in their seats yelling and pointing at each other. Teddy is seated across from them, to the left, shaking his head. Ugh. How can he stand the company of those morons? A “jock” he may be, but he’s not a dumb jock like those two. Hopefully, he’ll wise up when the new kids arrive and he sees there is much, much better company to keep.


Some other students enter the classroom.


Chloé fixes her ponytail, making sure she’s presentable.


“—Bustier wasn’t bad? Buster wasn’t bad!? Are you kidding me? Name one thing that woman taught us in three years of having her for literature, Kim. Just one.”


“One thing? That’ll be...” Kim furrows his eyebrows, “that’ll be...?” He repeats, now frowning. “I’m sure she...! Didn’t we learn...? Remember that time...? Huh. Damn. What do you know? I can’t think of anything. Weird.”


“It’s because she never taught us anything! All my literature notebooks are blank.”


“We have a different literature professeur this year.” Teddy chimes in, “so we might actually learn something.”


“Never thought I’d actually want to learn shit in school.” Alix mumbles.


Teddy sits back in his seat with a laugh. This bit of normalcy tacked on with the new normal of seeing the city’s superheroes in action (the cute one in particular) helped pushed the... unpleasantness of earlier this morning out of his mind.


A few more students start filing into the classroom. Alix and Kim begin arguing about something else. You really have to admire their tenacity. When Teddy turns to his left, stretching, he sees someone taking the seat in the row in front of him. With their back to him, Teddy can’t get a good look. Once the kid gets situated, they prop their right hand – adorned with silver rings – against their face as they look down at something. Before Teddy can try and get a glimpse of the unfamiliar brunet’s face, Chloé materializes out of nowhere right in front of him smiling brightly.


Wasn’t she in the front not ten seconds ago? Teddy is certain he saw her enter the classroom scowling, as per the norm. His sudden scream garners the attention of the class; well, most of the class. “Chloé... you startled me.”


“I realized.” Her smile widens. “How has your morning been so far?”


It’s an established, proven fact throughout François Dupont that Chloé Bourgeois is only nice to students worth a certain monetary value. (Theodoric “Teddy” Altman is the only son and second child of the richest woman in Paris, Elle Altman.) It’s another established fact that Teddy Altman, an almost all-around nice guy, is incredibly and rightfully distrustful of said niceness, but far too “polite” to be rude in a public setting.


Teddy gives a one-shoulder shrug, “it was alright, I guess. Got saved by the heroes.”


Chloé gasps excitedly, “you did?! Which one? Was it Hex? Did he save you all heroic like? I bet he did.” The blonde nods to herself, “he’s so graceful. Not at all like that Southpaw brute. Ooh. Or was it Aegis? She’s just so wonderful.”


“Aegis. It was Aegis.”


“What?!” Kim and Alix interrupt, with the former scooting all the way to the edge of the bench, “details!” They both yell.


“Um. Well, she put up a shield over me and a couple other people in the street.”


“Street...?” Chloé wrinkles her nose, “that means you were caught in all that taffy rain and gumball hail.”


Taffy!” Kim and Alix point at each other nodding, “that’s what it was!”


“...That would also mean you walked part of the way to school—”


“How would you know that? Do you have his schedule jotted down or something?”


Chloé rolls her eyes, “shut up, Swim Boy. Private. Conversation.” She glares at Kim before turning back to Teddy, “anyway, I have a proposition for you.” Alix elbows Kim gesturing to the blonde with an eye roll.


Teddy lolls his head from side to side, “let’s hear it.”


Professeur Mendeleiev only “assigned” seats to Chloé and Alya, as she was still keeping an eye on them. Not that it matters, Chloé always sits in the front of the class; it’s where she belongs after all. Unless the seats are at an angle, then Chloé will sit at the back which is also the top. Where Chloé also belongs.


Due to the number of desks versus students in the class (twelve two-person benches for only twelve students), Chloé had a bench all to herself. However, with all the new students pouring in, Chloé doesn’t want to get caught with someone who ends up annoying. It’s best to have the safest option, which has proven difficult as Chloé (just) realized her class is chalked full of people she cannot stand.


“Seating arrangements!” Teddy tilts his head to the right, “Theodoric Marcus Altman, with your status and looks, you are much too good to be sitting among the rabble,” Kim and Alix look at each other mouthing the word rabble questioningly, “it’s about time someone said that to you. Plus, our surnames guarantee us to be a the top of the pack. The alphas that the school knows we are. What I’m getting at is, wait for it... you should sit with me!”


Teddy’s eyes widen comically, “huh?”


Alix snorts, “is that a serious suggestion?”


Chloé scoffs, “I don’t recall asking for your opinion, Alixandriah.” Alix grits her teeth, muttering under her breath and Chloé smiles as she turns to the girl knowing full-well the pink-haired teen abhors being called by her full name (Chloé can’t blame her, spelling aside – she’s seen her student identification card before – it truly is an utterly horrendous name), “I’m talking to someone whose good deed of the day is giving you idiots any sort of attention. Besides, don’t you have to get arrested for something?”


Alix mock gasps, “you’re right! It’s gonna be your murder. They might even throw me a parade on my way to prison.”


“You wish you could reach me, Half-Pint.” Kim grabs Alix by the waist before she can lunge from the table. Smirking, Chloé turns back to Teddy who is still sitting there stunned, “anyway Theodoric, you are surely losing braincells sitting back here. I can feel myself dumbing down just in proximity to those two.” She jerks a thumb back at Alix and Kim who make faces behind the blonde’s back and she responds by flipping them off without looking. “You belong in the front of the classroom, like me! They should be looking at your back, not the other way around.” Chloé extends a hand. “Let’s go.”


Shaking out of his stupor, Teddy eyes Chloé’s outstretched hand warily then looks up at her smiling face and shifts in his seat, swallowing thickly. “I’m flattered, really, but... uh... I’m good.” He chuckles awkwardly, “hitting bit of a growth spurt and I don’t wanna block anyone’s way, you know?”


Chloé’s left eyebrow twitches and her smile strains, “don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Theodoric.”


Teddy gives her his own strained smile in reply. If their fashion designing mother’s weren’t close. “I’m not, Chloé.” They’re both just staring at each other for several seconds until Teddy cracks then massages his face. “Damn that hurt.” He sighs, “why do you even want me in the front? I thought you’d relish having the seat to yourself?”


“Are you kidding? Sitting by yourself is no fun. Especially in a class like chemistry. I miss sitting with Sabrina; she was such a desk hog though. And with Adrikins coming—”


He’s coming here!?” Chloé involuntarily flinches at the yelling coming from every angle of the classroom. She looks around and sees nine faces staring at her, outraged. Huh. This must be what Adrien felt in the assembly hall earlier?


“I saw him at the assembly. Bad enough he’s in the school no one wants him in but now they’re putting him in our class?! This is your doing, isn’t it?”


“For your information, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, I had nothing to do with this. Didn’t you see the video? Gabriel Agreste is solely responsible for Adrikins’ enrollment, so take your complaints to him for enrolling his son in a fine school where he can get a good education; then bitch at Damocles for accepting said enrollment and putting him in our class.”


“Since when has this been a fine school?” Kim asks and Alix shakes her head with a shrug.


Had Chloé known in advance it was Mlle.-Goodie-Two-Shoes-I-Bake-For-The-Homeless parents’ boulangerie pâtissèrie Adrien badmouthed, she never would’ve went through all this damn trouble trying to set things right. She would’ve just half-assed something and not given that ...homely little shop any unnecessary attention. All the “appreciation” and “support” posts on their social media accounts are utterly nauseating. Still, Chloé doesn’t hate the girl as much as she hates Césaire or Kubdel (for the moment), as this is the first time they’ve ever been in the same class, but far from the first time they’ve (negatively) interacted. [See cinquième’s/2018’s “Career Day” for more details.] Whereas she’s been utterly, utterly unlucky getting Césaire back-to-back and Kubdel three of her four years at this school with last year being her only reprieve; a reprieve that quickly got ruined by Césaire‘s presence.


To have all these... individuals in her class without Sabrina by her side? This school year surely would have been hell.


Chloé rolls her eyes, “look, I already said I’m not involved. Believe me or don’t, I won’t lose sleep over it.”


The blue-haired girl clicks her tongue then mutters something under her breath. Teddy sighs, “listen Chloé,” She turns to him, “if that kid is coming in this class then I don’t wanna be anywhere near him. Although now that I think about it, he’d be the one who wouldn’t want to be near me.”


“What?” Chloé groans, “oh my God! Seriously? Adrikins is not racist! He made one colossal thoughtless mistake he feels utterly, utterly sorry for. He shouldn’t be criminalized forever! He’s usually really sweet. He wouldn’t have a problem with anyone here!” Chloé looks around, “not you, not—”


“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!” Kim interrupts, “wait just one damn second. You start singling us out makes me think you might be the one with a problem with anyone who isn’t white, Chloé.”


What? That’s bullshit! Utter bullshit! Why would I even be back here talking to Theodoric and offering him a seat next to me if I had a problem with race?”


“Because he’s richer than you.” Alix and Kim simultaneously reply, deadpan.


“That’s your argument?” Chloé puts her hands on her hips, “if I were racist, I’d hate him and his family for that and I don’t. I mean, how could anyone hate Mlle. Altman anyhow? Besides, his money isn’t making me any less rich so I have no issue with it. Furthermore, as a shining diamond, I have to environ myself with other fabulously expensive jewels. Excluding other rich kids because of their race is utterly ridiculous.”


“So you’re not racist, but you’re classist? Makes sense.”


“What?” Chloe turns to the bespectacled brown-skinned brunet with the bright pink headphones around his neck seated two benches in front of the idiot duo, the bench in front of that weird art girl. Great. “The DJ” is in this class too? (She almost didn’t recognize him without a hat on.) “That’s not even a thing!”


He rolls his eyes behind his glasses and shakes his head. “We’re not even going there.” Alix responds instead, “if your friend is as utterly sweet...” Chloé’s left eye twitches as Alix perfectly imitates her voice, “...as you say, you shouldn’t have a problem with him sitting next to you. And if he’s not racist, which he is until proven otherwise, he’s still friends with you, and that’s reason enough to be cautious.”


“All my friends have class. Not something that could be said about you.”


“If ‘class’ makes people like you, I’ll pass; fuck you very much.”


Marinette gasps and everyone turns to her, “oh no! I just realized Chloé’s sweet, precious ‘Adri-kins’,” (Seriously?! What is it with people imitating her?) “sitting near you mean he’s sitting near me! I gotta move!” The blue-haired teen backward crab-walks up and over the desk and into the seat behind her without once looking back. The class applaud her in awe.


“This is ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! You losers should be grateful to be in Adrien’s presence! I’ll sit with him.” She turns back to Teddy, “I was trying to do you a favor, Theodoric. We’re getting new students, remember? My offer will only stand for a limited time. Remember that too.” She looks around the classroom, “and you will all discover just how great Adrikins is for yourselves! Then you’ll be tripping all over yourselves trying to befriend him!” Flipping her ponytail, the blonde returns to her seat just as the principal enters the classroom through the front door. The class immediately boos and the man does a wide-eyed double take.


“That’s enough! Quiet! Quiet I said or you’ll get detention!” The boos get louder and Damocles’ face begins turning red. “That’s it! Detention for all of you!” Someone pointedly clears their throat, “hm? Ah yes. My mistake. Detention for all of you, except Mlle. Bourgeois.” The majority of the students in this class are so used to that they don’t even bother acknowledging the blonde. Naturally, the first occurrence for some – four years ago – made her classmates understandably pissed as Chloé was the cause of the detention yet got exempt when her papa called with some bullshit “excuse.” However, once they got in detention and didn’t hear any nasally bitching they realized detention was bearable (then later became sometimes fun) because she wasn’t there.


Nevertheless, Chloé turns back to Teddy with a knowing smile and one-shoulder shrug before flipping her ponytail and turning forward again. Teddy runs a hand down his face. He usually got exempt from detention as well but went anyways. What was Damocles gonna do? Give him detention for attending detention? Before Damocles can open his mouth again the class starts up booing again. The man gets redder and redder. “—I am here to announce the new classmates for you!” He yells over the booing.


There’s a loud thud caused by Alya slamming to a halt into the opened backdoor. At the sound, the class stops booing and looks around until all eyes fall on the orange-haired teen crammed in the doorway. “Son of a bitch.” Alya winces peeling herself off the doorway.


Language, Mlle. Césaire.” Damocles chides with a frown.


“Alya, are you okay?” Kim asks, halfway out of his seat.


“Peachy.” She replies rubbing her side, “fuck.”


Mlle. Césaire!”


“What?” Alya looks up then squints at the principal. “Hold up. Why are you here?”


Damocles’ frown deepens, “if you will come in and take your seat I will tell you.”


Alya snorts then walks to the front of the classroom, stopping at the second row where Marinette scoots to the right letting the orange-haired teen take the seat near the wall. Alya thanks Marinette with a smile.


The principal clears his throat, “Professeur Mendeleiev had planned to come in after the planned assembly Clara Nightingale ruined—”


“She didn’t ruin anything, you had her carried off stage!”


“You are mistaken, Mlle. Bourgeois.” Damocles gives the blonde a pointed look. Chloé rolls her eyes then folds her arms over her chest slumping back in her seat with a huff. “As I was saying, Professeur Mendeleiev planned on coming in late but then the akuma attack happened close to her place of residence so she will be absent today.” The class murmur among themselves, “we have no extra professeurs available thanks to the akuma attack so I will be subbing in on this class.” Kim and Alix elbow each other with twin shark-like grins. “I do not know if your professeur will be out tomorrow as well, but I plan on finding out during lunch today. Now then, I have new students to present to this class!”


The backdoor loudly slams open and Lila swears under her breath. “Who is that?” Wait, is that Damocles? Lila pokes her head in the doorway, grimacing when she sees everyone looking at the door, looking at her. So much for sneaking into the classroom. Damocles tries to take a peek at the back of the classroom but can’t due to his height. “Who is that I said? Come inside the classroom immediately.” Blowing out a breath, the brunette complies then raises an eyebrow when she sees Damocles standing there red-faced.


“Why are you here? Where’s Professeur Mendeleiev?”


Damocles’ right eye twitches. “Professeur Mendeleiev is absent due to the akuma attack.” He states, “I am subbing in as your professeur.”


Lila scoffs, “good luck with that.” Damocles’ whole face twitches slightly as Lila walks to the front of the classroom. When she approaches the third row, she sees Alya whispering something to Marinette who giggles covering her mouth. With Damocles and the rest of the class still watching her, Lila doesn’t miss a step and continues walking until she wordlessly slips into the first empty bench. The empty bench that happens to be directly across from Chloé. Great.


“The Lune students are here?” Kim asks excitedly.


“Yes, M. Lê Chiên, but those are not the students I am introducing.”


“Why are all the Lune students coming in at once?” Chloé asks.


“I just said—”


“How did you even know where to put all the Lune kids?” Lila asks.


“Will we be getting some professeurs from Lune as well?” Alya asks.


“How many students from Lune are we getting?” Teddy asks.


I am not introducing the students from Lune!” Damocles yells.


The class falls silent until Alix asks. “We were gonna have new students, plural, before Lune got gunked up?”


Damocles takes a deep breath, “yes, Mlle. Kubdel. And if there are no more interruptions...” He looks around the classroom, “I would like to begin.”


The front door opens with a resounding thud and a tall white man with shiny black hair messily splayed over his face and over the oversized pair of circular black sunglasses walks in the classroom. “Hello class!” He says in English. Damocles stares wide-eyed at the newcomer until the man is standing right in front of him and he has to crane his neck back to see him fully. “Principal, yes?” Damocles nods slowly. “Excellent!” He bows, “thank you.” He says in French, “your services are no longer needed in this room.”


“My what!? E-Excuse me but just who are you?!”


“Oh! How rude of me.” He laughs, “apologies Monsieur. I am JJ, directeur of student welfare at Lune! As I heard you have an absent professeur this morning I have decided to dedicate my services to filling in. Not my normal forte but I could not help myself!”


Damocles regards the man strangely, “I appreciate that but—”


The man obliviously waves Damocles off, “no need for thanks! These little moonbeams mean everything to me and I need to make sure they are shining their brightest, even under these...” He pauses, “circumstances.” Damocles is taken aback. “Let’s begin with the introductions, yes? These four shining lights each have a different expertise!” The man motions at the door and four students enter single file.


Alya looks on, seeing two of the four new kids are black. There are, Alya counted, twelve black students in the entire school; five of which – including her – are in this class. There are so damn few of them they all know one another by name and exchanged contact information. The number did not increase from last year; however, Lila told her the number tripled between two years ago and last year when Alya hand a handful of other black students first arrived. Lune didn’t just talk diversity, it put its money where its art is. As one of its co-founders is not only black but a fucking superhero and a goddamn king, Alya wasn’t surprised. (She also sees that hot Japanese girl, Kagami, she met at Le Grand Paris a few weeks back, which is another pleasant surprise.)


Eyes widening, Marinette jumps up from her seat with a shout pointing at the first kid – the kid with the messy dark blue hair and bright green eyes – wearing a very familiar carnation pink and gold hoodie. Marinette begins babbling incoherently and Damocles looks close to bursting several blood vessels as he stares at her.


Mlle. Dupain-Cheng!” Mid-babble, the aforementioned girl slowly turns to the principal, “would you care to explain your... your... outburst?!”


“My wha—!? O-Oh. Right. Sure. I made that hoodie.” Everyone looks from one blue-haired teen to the other. “I shipped it off Friday, but I made a mistake in making it. In finishing it. I was trying to get in contact with the buyer after I realized I sewed my initials on the outside of the left sleeve rather than the inside.”


The kid in question holds out their left sleeve and examines it, as do the other students near them. The initials MDC are neatly and seamlessly sewed in with the rest of the gold lining of the sleeve cuff. “Huh. Thought it was done on purpose.”


Marinette frantically shakes her head, “no, no. It wasn’t. I made a backup sleeve after realizing I messed up but then I accidentally attached the messed up sleeve rather than the jacket’s actual sleeve.” She sighs, “I can give you a full refund or redo the jacket or—”


“Wait, wait! No, don’t do anything. I like the hoodie the way it is.”


Marinette tilts her head to the right, “y-you do?”


The kid nods. “As we were getting on the bus, I got so many compliments.”


“Wait a second.” Chloé turns to Marinette with narrowed eyes, “you made that hoodie? You? You Mlle.-I-Tripped-Over-the-Cuff-of-My-Pant-Leg, right outside this classroom just this morning, created something like that? With your own two hands?”


“I only tripped because my cuff unraveled!” Marinette replies then clears her throat, “b-but yes, I did make that.” She lolls her head from side to side, “I mean it was mostly the sewing machine, but yeah I put it together.”


“All you had to say was yes.” The blonde rolls her blue eyes. “I’ve seen my maman work with those teeny tiny old-school sewing machines. You’re the one that makes the sewing machine... do what it needs to do so, yeah, you did it with your own hands. Not that complicated of an answer.”


“It almost sounds like you’re complimenting her.” Alix adds.


Chloé scoffs, “something is obviously wrong with your hearing, Kubdel. Maybe all those blows to the head when you fail a skate trick or something.”


“Bitch.” Alix says through a cough.


“She has a website called designsbyMDC. That’s also her Instagram page where some of her clothes are.” The green-eyed blue-haired kid says. The class excitedly begin taking out their phones.


Alya gasps as she eyes the content on her phone screen, “holy shit, this stuff is incredible!”


“And all of it is gender nonconforming?” Alix gushes then stands at her seat, “do you take commissions? I need something with like wheels that are on fire!”


“Uh...?” Marinette turns to the pink-haired teen, “I take commissions, yes, but could you maybe draw me a picture of what you want that to look like...?”


“How much do you charge for stuff?” Lila asks, turning back to the blue-haired girl behind her, “is it on the website?”


“Ooh! I need a pair of these peony sunglasses!” Kim squeals, “they are so fucking badass! How did you make them?”


Everyone begins talking over one another until the directeur whistles loudly and the students abruptly stop talking to gape at the man. “Mademoiselle... Dupain-Cheng, was it?” Marinette nods slowly, “your work is remarkable. There’s a unique sense of panache about it. Have you been scouted?” Marinette tilts her head to the left, “for Lune.” He clarifies.


“F-For—!” Marinette’s eyes widen and she shakes her head.


“No? How odd. There is no way the scouters could have bypassed such talent. Wires must’ve gotten crossed somewhere and a mistake was made. Worry not, I will rectify it. That is part of my job after all. In the meantime, allow me to introduce my students. This fashionable fellow before is Marc Anciel, an aspiring writer.” Marc inclines his head with a bow then waves. “To his right, we have our resident technological expert, Max Kanté.” The man gestures to the short dark-skinned bespectacled teen with his hair in waves, “and we can’t forget his robot assistant Markov.” The blue-grey robot floating beside the aforementioned boy waves with its claw. “To the right of Max, we have our star rhythmic gymnast Kagami Tsurugi.” The short, blue-haired, brown-eyed teen with the freckles smattered across her nose and cheeks puts her hands at her sides then bows her head. Several students mimic the action back at the girl though they remain seated.


Alya looks up from her phone with a sigh and props up her face with her fist. “What’s up?” Marinette whispers.


“I met Kagami at Le Grand Paris when her maman became Balance.” Alya whispers back, “I don’t know if she remembers me.”


Marinette elbows her with a wink, “I’m sure she does. How could she not? You’re definitely someone that’s impossible to forget, in the best possible way.” Alya smiles at her.


“Lastly, to the right of Kagami, we have David Alleyne.” The tallest of the four teens, David is dark-skinned wearing a pair of circular glasses with yellow tinted lenses; his hair is in a curly tapered high top fade. “Any questions?”


Lila subtly pinches herself. Nope, not dreaming. That David boy truly is that hot. So she was right about François Düpont lacking in good-looking guys! She pinches herself again to make sure. Of course an “artsy” school would hoard all the attractive guys for themselves. Assholes.


Teddy slow blinks; brain booting up the “oh no, he’s hot” soundclip repeatedly on loop, eyes flitting between all three guys.


Chloé swallows the gum she does not remember putting in her mouth. She’s seen that hot girl before... but where? Not that the guys aren’t hot as well. But that girl...! Not many people can rock a bob with bangs.


Alix is fairly certain Kim passed out beside her, but she’s trying to sketch some kind of flaming wheel for her commission to Marinette. (Kim has not passed out, yet, but he is in one hell of a daze. So much beauty is... dizzying.)


Lisa is sitting there stock-still with her broken pencil in her right hand wondering if she’s artsy enough for Lune?


When Nino’s playlist ended, he had to sit there in silence staring at the new kids wondering if being hot is a prerequisite to attending Lune? Then he wonders if he charged his headphones last night?


Marinette is grinning and elbowing Alya who covers her face with her hands. Both unaware of the brown eyes watching them.


Billy is subtly looking for anything cat-themed on Marinette’s website to order.


Nathaniel hasn’t looked up once from his sketchbook since class began, and is very likely the only person to not know what the hell is going on presently.


Furrowing her eyebrows, Zariele slowly raises her hand and the directeur acknowledges the dark-skinned girl with the dark brown dreadlocks tied up in a ponytail, seated behind Alya and Marinette. “M. Directeur? You did not say what David does.” The majority of the students snap out of their stupors then look at their classmate before turning to the directeur who smiles.


“Ah. Yes. You noticed, hm? That was done deliberately. I’m afraid I cannot... legally disclose that information outside of Lune.” The class stares at the man. “Any... other questions? No? Moving on then.” Everyone seated plus Damocles are still staring at the man. “I see plenty of empty seats. Why not use this opportunity to expand the number of friends you have?”


“In other words, don’t sit next to one another.” Max translates.


The directeur points at him nodding. The four kids shrug before splitting up. Not sitting next to one another doesn’t mean they can’t sit near one another.


Chloé slides to the right, “this seat is empty!” She practically yells to Kagami. The blue-haired teen pauses then takes the offered seat. Chloé bats her eyelashes, “I’m Chloé Bourgeois. The only person in this class worth knowing.” She inches closer and Kagami instinctively inches back, “I don’t know how long you’ve been in Paris for but we customarily greet each other with a cheek kiss. May I?” Kagami nods warily. The blonde smiles then moves so that her left cheek briefly touches Kagami’s right then she mimics the action with their other cheeks before drawing back.


Max ventures to the third bench on the left next to the girl with the dreads. She smiles warmly at him and he feels his face heat up. He was originally going to take the seat behind Kagami but Markov subtly warned him that would be a mistake. Markov does not have prophetic abilities, at least none that Max coded, but his robot was designed to assist and advise him and when Markov gives him a warning, Max heeds it. Through his left hearing aid, Markov relays information on the vaguely familiar blonde with the ponytail and sunglasses on her head. (Ooh. Kagami’s gonna be pissed when he tells her. Then again, he can hear the girl talking from here so Kagami might just figure it out herself.)


Marc happily sits next to the cute redhead who was the only person blithely unaware of his surroundings. The seat also happened to be in front of another cute boy who wasn’t paying attention to what was around him. Oh! And he was also behind Max, so that was a win-win-win.


Lastly, David takes the seat behind Kagami. He was going to take the seat in front of the brunet staring mournfully at his pink headphones but Kagami looked like she was trying to process something so he sat near her just in case she needed to communicate. And sure enough, Kagami quickly signs to him while nodding along to whatever her deskmate is blathering on about.


Wait. What? Kagami must not realize she’s signing in Japanese sign language instead of French sign language.


As that short ruffled looking man with the thick eyebrows starts complaining to the directeur, David glances back at both Max and Markov. There’s no sign for akuma, at least not yet but Max does sign motorcycle. Markov draws out the outline of a building on his face before his face returns to normal.


Building? No, no. Not building but hotel. Hotel? Motorcycle? Wha—oh. David hums. Now he gets it. He’s seen that girl on a billboard advertizing Le Grand Paris Château – the hotel where Mme. Tsurugi was akumatized into Balance thanks to the mayor.


And the girl just mentioned her papa being the mayor.


The girl wasn’t involved so Kagami merely continues to semi-politely nod along to the girl’s bragging.


David looks around the classroom. The green-eyed brunette in the first row at the bench by herself waves at him. He hesitantly waves back. The two girls behind her – and directly across from him – are furiously whispering to each other. (That reminds David to check that website.)


Max appears to be getting along with his deskmate whereas Marc is sprawled out over his desk frowning. Looks like he isn’t getting along with his deskmate. Or more accurately, his deskmate has yet to acknowledge him sketching so astutely.


On the right side of the classroom behind David is an empty bench, behind that is the kid with the headphones also trying to get the attention of the sketching redhead. The brunette behind him is also sketching. And at the last bench, there’s a tall brunet and a short pink-haired girl tearing out pieces of paper from a notebook and neatly stacking them in the middle of their desk.


“Okay!” The stocky owl-faced man begins taking a step forward. “Now that we are situated, there are three more students I’d like to introduce.”


The man goes out in the hallway and returns with two white blonds. The class is wholly unimpressed watching the first blond – oh! It’s that racist model kid. Yeah, Marc is far from impressed himself. And to think he once smuggled a Pêche magazine with that kid’s face on it – miserably shuffle his feet as he enters the classroom. The pale, green-eyed blond is wearing a vintage collection Agreste® black rhinestone tracksuit. His hands are stuffed in the pants pockets. Marc rolls his eyes. Why wouldn’t the blond, The Adrien Agreste: Face of Agreste® (mid scandal mind you) be decked out in his father’s clothing from head to toe? Well, not literally to the toes as Gabriel Agreste went on a viral rant mid “apology” about how not every fashion designer has to design footwear as well. (Most say the jab was aimed at both Audrey Bourgeois and Elle Altman who both successfully launched support footwear earlier this year.)


The other white blond with the blue-eyes isn’t drawing much of an interest himself. Marc tilts his head to the right. He doesn’t recognize the kid.


Before the principal can introduce these new students, a cellphone begins blaring “Heartbeat” by Dazzler. Chloé gasps, frantically pulling her phone out of her purse then furrows her eyebrows and simultaneously sighs in relief when she sees her screen black. Who the hell has her ringtone? It’s one of Dazzler’s older songs, right before her we-don’t-talk-about emo phase. The directeur casually takes his blaring phone out of his breastpocket and stares at the screen (which might be a bit hard with him still wearing sunglasses?) “Ah! I must take this. Excuse me one moment.” Then he gracefully walks out of the classroom, phone still singing.


The principal clears his throat. “Now then, may I present your newest new classmates: Adrien Agreste and Chase Stein!”


Adrien is looking down at the ground and Chase has an arrogant smile on his face. Damocles claps them both on the back, “Messieurs, welcome to Professeur Mendeleiev’s class! As you can probably tell, your professeur is absent today. Why not use this time to tell your new classmates about yourselves?”


“I thought you said you had three new students?” Chloé asks with an eyebrow raised.


Damocles pauses and the smile slips off his face. “...I cannot find the third one.” The class stares incredulously at the man. Just how the hell did he become a principal? He nudges Adrien but it’s Chase that begins talking.


“Name’s Chase.” Lila nearly shrieks in horror when she realizes the seat next to hers is available. Any of these cute (but not as cute as her future husband) idiots could sit next to her! “My parents own Stein Incorporated. Sure you’ve heard of it. We just opened our first manufacturing factor in Marseille last week. I’ve been speaking French since I was three. I also speak several other languages...”


As the blond yammers on, Lila takes her phone out of her purse and types “Stein Incorporated” into a search engine. Are they dealing with “new money” like the Bourgeois’ or “old money” like Teddy’s family? The brunette skims the lengthy article about the new “tech” manufacturing building. When nothing of interest jumps out a her, she types “Chase Stein” into the search engine. Blah, blah, blah, blah... typical rich people stuff appear with their own links. Scandals. Fashion faux pas. Family “feuds.” Award shows. Who got caught at which “charity function” doing “what?” Celebrity “get-togethers” that snub other celebrities. [There is a ton of shit. People actually read all this stuff... willingly?] Before she’s ready to give up, she sees a picture of Chase (uncomfortably) smiling as a man who has a (strained) smile of his own with one visible hand white-knuckle gripping his son’s shoulder, and beside the man is a much younger- looking smiling blonde woman oblivious to the obvious tension in her family. The picture has their names Victor Jr. (bottom), Victor Sr. (left), and Janet (right.) Victor Jr.? Ah. Chase’s first name is Victor as well. Making him Victor Chase Stein Jr. The paragraph under the picture calls The Victor Stein (Sr.) a technological “wizard” yet doesn’t mention any of his “inventions.” And to be honest, Lila has never heard of this dude and she’s traveled all around the world. Ah. What is this? His mother is socialite turned engineer Janet (née: Bélanger) Stein. A “socialite” means “old money” then. Except if you’re Janet van Dyne or Audrey Bourgeois.


While on the subject of “old money,” Lila didn’t see anyone sitting by Teddy when she walked in the classroom. Lila may not be Teddy’s type, unfortunately, but that doesn’t mean they can’t become friends. After all, one can never have too many friends. If she wasn’t so used to sitting with Alya, she would’ve sat next to Teddy. Instead, she’s by herself not next to either. She may be sitting in front of Alya but the orange-haired teen has yet to acknowledge her presence; too busy whisper-giggling with “MDC.” Something Lila plans on rectifying. She moves some of the hair over her right shoulder to the left, near the middle of her back. Looking to the back right of her slightly, she sees Alya and Marinette still huddled together whispering furiously to each other.


When Chloé begins clapping loudly, Lila startles and a quick look around the classroom tells her several students startled awake at the noise. Lila checks her phone. Wow. The blond—Chase—successfully wasted nine full minutes bragging about himself. Or whatever the hell he was talking about. Good Lord, they have themselves another Chloé. Just what this class needs. Three Chloé’s. As if one weren’t bad enough.


Damocles, still holding onto the boy, startles himself awake as well. “T-Thank you, M. Stein.” He clears his throat, “M. Agreste, you’re up next.”


“Do I have to?”


“Yes!”


With a sigh of resignation, Adrien looks around the classroom searching the faces of his new classmates; courtesy of his father, not even subtly, wanting to ruin his life. Everyone looking back at him, minus Chloé giving him an encouraging smile and two thumbs up, are just staring expressionlessly back at him. Do the speech, just like his father said.


“I...” He gulps nervously, “I’m Adrien...” He takes a deep breath, “a-and I wanted to...” He sees Marinette stiffen before she (angrily?) looks up at him, and the bespectacled girl beside her doesn’t look all that pleased with him either. Do the speech, just like his father said. Don’t think about green-grey eyes or a green-grey-eyed akuma chasing after him. Do the speech, just like his father said. Chloé is motioning for him to say something but he can’t, he’s just... standing there.


Is the room spinning?


Someone coughs.


The room is definitely spinning.


Where did all the air go?


The last thing Adrien sees is Chloé looking at him with concern.


The class gasps as the blond falls forward hitting the floor with an audible thud before Chase or Damocles could move.


Adrien!” Chloé screams, scrambling to her feet and rushing over to the unconscious teen., turning him over “Oh Adrien! Why didn’t you fall backwards? Who knows what’s on this disgusting floor!” She snaps her fingers at Damocles, “stop staring and get him off this floor!”


Damocles struggles to get Adrien off the floor so Chase lends a hand and the two of them half-carry, half-drag Adrien to the empty bench behind David and just lay him out.


“Are you serious? Why aren’t you taking him to the nurse!?”


“The nurse is absent due to the akuma attack, Mlle. Bourgeois. M. Agreste will be fine.” Chloé grumbles under her breath before returning to her seat. “I will contact his parent and let him know.” With a sigh, Damocles gestures for Chase to sit and to Lila’s dismay it’s in the seat next to her. She plasters on a welcoming smile and introduces herself to the blond.


“I apologize for my sudden disappearance.” The directeur begins reentering the classroom. “I just received word of a new transfer student, but had to return here due to this morning’s akuma attack. We’re still getting things situated but please join me in welcoming Xavin Abari.”


Well, fuck. Teddy barely dodged the bullet only for it to recurve and hit him anyway. He squirms in his seat, though thankfully no one notices. His cousin—no, no... not his cousin, just some kid he doesn’t know that only sorta... kinda looks like him—gracefully – if not a bit stiffly – walks into the classroom. There’s an audible, collective gasp. Xavin has his hair in black, dark brown, and grey microbraids tied in a high ponytail with the sides and back of his head shaved off.


Damocles sputters as Xavin walks past him. “T-That is the name of the third student I was going to introduce! You mean to tell me he was to attend Lune after getting registered for here!?”


“That is exactly what I mean to tell you.” Damocles’ nostrils flare. “I also mean to tell you M. Abari was accidentally entered into your school system.”


“A-Accidentally? Accidentally!?” Damocles screeches, “how does one accidentally get entered into a school system?!”


“Hell if I know, Monsieur, this is your school.”


“Dumbacles is gonna blow~” Alix sing-songs to Kim who nods in agreement. If the man’s left eye twitches any harder it might just shut itself.


“Now I did not the opportunity to learn anything about you and I’m assuming your class knows nothing of you as well. You may choose to regale your new classmates with details of your life or not. There is no pressure.”


“...I choose to decline, if that is alright?”


“It’s more than alright!” The class collectively groan. “Public speaking is not for everyone. Please find a seat.” The class watch Xavin walk. The newcomer approaches the third bench on the right and pauses seeing someone unconscious in the seat. Xavin stares for a few seconds before taking a seat in the bench behind the unconscious blond, next to a student with a pair of pink headphones around their neck.


Damocles watches the students. The majority of them turn their attention to “The Directeur of Student Interests” or whatever his fancy title was. They’re just... waiting; waiting as patiently as this particular handful of attention deficient teenagers can wait. What makes this fancily dressed man so damn special? He’s wearing sunglasses indoors for crying out loud! Damocles recognizes more than half of these students simply because they are repeat detention offenders and regulars in his office. He must not have been paying attention when he put this class roster together. Most of his biggest troublemaker and migraine inducing students all in the same class? New students or not, he has a feeling this school year will be hell for him.


He feels for Professeur Mendeleiev. She doesn’t know these hellspawn the way he does.


Damocles clears his throat in a futile attempt to break whatever spell “the directeur” has over the students. As expected, no one pays him any mind. And the “directeur” isn’t even speaking! What the hell? Damocles clears his throat again, a bit louder this time. “Well, Monsieur Directeur, I suppose if you are intent on subbing in for this class I shall return to my office.” Oh great. Now everyone is looking in his direction. Because he’s leaving. Just as well, it’s honestly better for his mental and physical health to get the hell away from these little demons.


Damocles feels the students eyeing his retreating form. He makes sure to close the door behind him then all but sprints to his office for some much-needed ibuprofen.


The directeur rubs his hands together, “I’m sure you have some questions.”


Multiple hands go in the air and the hands go down when the directeur acknowledges Chloé, “do you think if Lune existed when Clara Nightingale was still in collège she’d be a student there?”


“Oh absolutely. Seeing a teenager that talented is what breathed life into our school. Though if I were to pinpoint Lune’s exact starting off point, it was watching an old homemade video of our very own Max Kanté at age eight constructing Markov.” The class turn to the aforementioned boy who rubs the back of his neck. Markov happily chitters beside him, black oval-shaped eyes becoming red hearts. “If a student can create a sentient robot without all the necessary components, can you imagine what he could do with everything he needed?”


“I’m sorry. Did you say eight?!” Alya asks turning around completely facing Max.


He was actually six, but no way he was going to say that out loud in front of a room of mostly strangers. “...I had no idea I inspired the creation of an art school,” Max says instead, as he adjusts his glasses, “I also had no idea my maman recorded me.”


Still facing Max, Alya raises her hand. “Uh, yes, you... turned around?”


Alya turns around slightly so she’s facing both the directeur and Max, “do you have to be ‘scouted’ by Lune to attend or can you go there and apply?”


“Both.” He pauses, “obviously, you can’t do either presently with the building covered in ...confections, and all scouting will simply put you on a list to be tested at a later date, but all you need to enroll at Lune is pass an artistic value test. And you must know a minimum of three languages.”


“Is this ‘art value’ test like ‘the bird scene’ from the series Victorious?” Lila asks, hand halfway in the air.


“That is one thing you can refer it to, yes. No two students are there for the same reason even if they are both, let’s say... music enthusiasts. One might play piano and the other might play the pan flute. Understand?” The students nod, “or... both might play piano but one does contemporary while the other only plays classical.”


The directeur nods at Kim who has a hand in the air, “how many programs are in Lune?”


“I don’t know off the top of my head, the school is always growing.”


Chloé raises her hand again and the directeur nods at her, “why do you need to speak three languages?”


“I never said speak, I said know.”


“What’s the difference?”


“The difference—” Chloé glares over at Alya, “—is that there are languages that aren’t spoken like all the sign languages.”


“That is correct.” Chloé narrows her eyes at Alya before turning back around. “And we scout students from all over the world, so knowing multiple languages helps break down language barriers.” Chloé taps her chin. That must be why Sabrina got rejected. She can barely speak English let alone a third language.


“There’s more than one sign language?!” Chase exclaims.


“There is more than one spoken language and people with deaf or hard-of-hearing people exist all over the world.”


Lila raises her hand and the directeur gestures to her, “personally, I believe even people without hearing impairments should know the sign equivalent to all the spoken languages they know.”


“That is something I also believe.” Lila smiles and Chloé rolls her eyes with a scoff.


I know sign of all the languages I speak.” Lila begins, hand still raised, “Ooh. One more thing: are we also getting some of Lune’s professeurs?”


“Yes. After all, they no longer have a collège to attend either.”


“So we’re gonna get taught stuff they teach at Lune?” Alix asks, “badass. Ooh!” She raises her hand, “sorry.”


“No worries. This is exciting for our students and staff as well.” The students excitedly murmur to one another, “however—!” He holds up a hand and the murmuring stops, “I have a feeling if the overall decision making is left to Damocles, with this being his school, it is very unlikely that many – if any – accommodations will be made.”


“Well that sucks!” Chloé yells, “there has to be a way to overrule that!”


“We wouldn’t have nearly enough professeurs and François Düpont isn’t the only collège we’re sending students to. Also, Lune wasn’t the only collège affected by the akuma attack this morning.”


“This place has nothing to offer your students, except on everything you shouldn’t do.” Alix says, “we should make a petition or something to get Damocles’ attention.” The pink-haired teen rips out a piece of paper from her notebook then scribbles her name on it.


“It makes me feel utterly unclean when I agree with Kubdel but...” Chloé shudders, “it needs to be said. That brainless jock is right, as rare as it happens.” She glares up at Alix, “this petition of yours better work.”


“Why don’t you just have your papa tell Damocles to step aside?” Lila asks, with an arm on Chase’s chest moving him backward so she can see Chloé. Kagami, to her credit, moves back as well. “We want these students to feel comfortable here for as long as we have them, right?”


Chloé narrows her eyes. “There’s something in your tone that’s irritating me...”


“For fu—oodness sake, Chloé, we’re telling you to complain to your papa about something, which is something you do regularly without prompting, and you don’t wanna do it?!” Kim yells.


Tell me!? No one tells me what to do!”


“That’s obvious or she wouldn’t be wearing that lilac eyeshadow.” Alya mutters to Marinette who chortles, covering her mouth with both hands.


“Fine, we’re asking.” Kim rolls his eyes, “whatever. You know you wanna learn some cool artsy stuff this school will never, ever provide. Remember how we have two free periods because there are no foreign language and only one art professeur in the entire school? This is only temporary and a once-in-our-lifetime-gig so we need to take advantage of it!” The rest of the students begin murmuring in agreement with Kim.


“If it’ll get you all to shut up I will ask!”

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