Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

While Lila had decided to stay in school, Marinette had reached Master Fu's massage parlor… where the old guardian sensed her presence before she even opened the door.

"Hello again, Ladybug." the old guardian greeted his red-tipped-haired pupil, sitting in the middle of the room like he usually did when she visited and lifting his gaze from his cup to watch as Marinette entered the room.

"Hello, Master Fu. I think I have something that you might be interested in seeing." Marinette replied, closing the door behind her and pulling out the book from her bag to show it to him. At the sight of the book in Marinette's hands, Master Fu gasped in shock before rising to his feet and walking towards her.

"I can't believe it! I haven't seen this book in 172 years." Master Fu uttered in awe as he took the book from Marinette's hands, opening it up to look through the pages.

"So you do know what it is?" Marinette asked, Tikki flying out of her purse as she spoke.

"Indeed I do." Master Fu admitted, followed by him gesturing to his tea table and the two of them sitting down on opposite sides of it. "As you know, when I was much, much younger, I made a mistake that destroyed the guardian temple and also resulted in two of the Miraculous lost that same day." the Guardian began to explain, opening the book to the start of it.

"However, I didn't mention how another thing was lost that day… the ancient spellbook." Master Fu added, turning to one of the pages within the book and landing on the one with an ancient Turtle Miraculous Holder on it.

"Tikki said earlier that it holds secrets of the Miraculous. But all I've seen that it has are drawings of old superheroes and a bunch of strange symbols." Marinette brought up, pointing to the symbols written on the page presented.

"Not strange to a Guardian." Master Fu simply stated, a smirk appearing on his lips. "Back in the days, I was never allowed to even have a look at it, but I know enough to be able to partially decipher the code." the guardian explained, revealing his previously unmentioned skills and causing a smile to appear on Marinette's and Tikki's faces.

"As Tikki has said, these pages contain various spells and techniques capable of giving the Miraculous Holders special abilities we haven't known about. Until now, that is!" Master Fu elaborated, turning the pages to show the images depicting different transformations of each Miraculous. "Obviously, this book is invaluable." the old master breathed, leaving Marinette in awe.

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Meanwhile at the Agreste Mansion, things were not looking good for Adrien. After Plagg had explained how important his father's book was, Adrien had immediately tried to leave his room to go and find it. But before he could even mutter the words to transform, his father barged into his room with a scowl, followed by Nathalie as she held a tablet in her hands. The next few minutes after that consisted of Adrien meekly sitting in his desk chair while Nathalie revealed images from his father's office… specifically of Adrien taking the spellbook out of the safe.

"Why did you take the book?" Gabriel calmly inquired of his son, facing the wall of windows and holding his hands behind his back while he retained his unnerving posture.

"I… I just wanted to know what you were hiding behind that portrait that was so important." Adrien replied, trying to explain his actions to his father as he stewed in silent fury. "You never told me about those things." the blonde muttered to himself, mopily looking down at the floor before looking back at his father.

"I was intending to give it back to you, I swear! But then... I lost it." Adrien explained, hoping his words would help get him out of punishment.

"How can I possibly trust you again, Adrien?" Gabriel questioned, still facing the windows while Adrien curled in on himself with his father's words.

"Sorry... I'll get you another copy." Adrien offered, still hoping to settle the score between him and his father.

"It's one of a kind! That book is the source of my inspiration." Gabriel nearly shouted, his voice filled with thinly veiled rage towards his son's ignorance of how special the book was.

"I didn't know that. I hardly know anything about you, Father." Adrien softly remarked, feeling even more guilty than he had before.

"And how exactly is it an excuse?! I know you struggle too, and this is why I not only took time away from my work. But, clearly against my better judgment, I allowed you a greater freedom of actions, something which you repaid by betraying my trust!" Gabriel exclaimed, his anger growing and making Adrien feel smaller than before when Gabriel turned his cold glare at his son. "You won't be returning to school. You'll be home-schooled again… with Nathalie." the fashion designer decided, composing his rage long enough to make the announcement, leaving Adrien crushed before his father and Nathalie exited the room while the poor boy sulked.

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Back at Master Fu's massage shop, the old guardian had started reading through the spellbook with Marinette still sitting next to him while Tikki and Wayzz were playfully chasing each other around the room. However, the more Master Fu read through the book, the deeper his brow furrowed in thought while Marinette was curious about what he was thinking.

"Is everything okay, Master Fu?" Marinette asked, hoping to satisfy her curiosity and pulling the guardian's attention from the book and directing it onto her.

"Yes, everything is fine, Marinette. I was just thinking." Master Fu assured, which did little to quell Marinette's worry/curiosity.

"Thinking about what?" Marinette asked, hoping he would explain.

"A little theory I had since Hawkmoth first appeared." Master Fu began, a small sigh leaving his lips before he looked back at the pages within the book. "Ever since he arrived, I've always believed that he must have also possessed this spellbook and the Peacock Miraculous as well since they were all lost on the same day." the guardian explained, leaving Marinette in shock with his words.

"Wait a second… You mean whoever owned the spellbook could be Hawkmoth!?" Marinette exclaimed, her eyes widening at the implications… especially since they were against her crush.

"How did you discover this book, Marinette?" Master Fu questioned, causing Marinette to have a flashback of how she got the book in the first place.

"I... uh... I found it, lying on a bench in a park… close to the school." Marinette replied, lying to her mentor with a stutter and pulling Tikki's attention away from playing with Wayzz and back to her holder.

"You didn't see who it belonged to, then?" Master Fu inquired, an eyebrow raised at the nervous girl.

"No. No, I...didn't." Marinette lied, causing Tikki to look at Marinette in bewilderment.

"What a shame. For a moment, I thought we were about to discover the identity of Hawkmoth. We would've had a chance to defeat him." Master Fu muttered in disappointment, leaving Marinette less than pleased with his reaction.

"Uh... I could investigate if you want." Marinette offered, hoping to brighten Master Fu's sudden sour mood.

"A wise idea, Marinette." Master Fu cheered, followed by him closing the book before looking at her seriously. "But you must be very careful. If you succeed, you may find yourself face to face with Hawkmoth." the old guardian warned, hoping to prevent Marinette from getting herself into any unnecessary danger.

"I'll be careful, I promise." Marinette assured her mentor before quickly standing up to leave the shop, Tikki following her. As soon as Marinette exited the building; Tikki flying back into her purse, she started frantically running down the streets of Paris, heading back home in a panic.

"Why did you lie to Master Fu?!" Tikki worriedly questioned her holder, popping her head out from Marinette's purse while trying to consult the panting girl.

"I couldn't tell him that Adrien was the one who had the book. Adrien can't be Hawkmoth!" Marinette explained in her panic, only to stop as she arrived at her school. "But what if he is?" the designer gasped before hiding behind a Gabriel advertisement pillar, starting to think about the possibility.

"Th-That would mean that I'm crazy in love with a supervillain! I can't be crazy in love with a supervillain…" Marinette exclaimed, her mind spiraling as she imagined Adrien being Hawkmoth. "Not only would Jim have a field day with this, I... I'd have to fight him and…" the pigtailed girl continued, now realizing the outcome of the idea being true.

"Calm down, Marinette. I'm sure there's an explanation." Tikki said to her holder, interrupting Marinette's spiraling thoughts so that she would refocus on the task at hand. Thankfully, it had worked if Marinette taking a few deep breaths to center herself was any indication.

"Thanks, Tikki. I needed that." Marinette thanked, now able to think of a solution to her current problem. "But now, I need to get to the bottom of this!" the red-tipped-haired girl announced, eager to clear Adrien of the accusations he had unknowingly earned.

"Do you know where to find Adrien?" Tikki asked Marinette, happy that she was now working to solve the problem instead of fretting over it.

"I know that boy's schedule by heart." Marinette proclaimed, a smirk appearing as she placed her hand over her heart while looking at her kwami.

"Let's go." Tikki cheered, prompting Marinette to run out of her hiding place and towards the school.

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It had taken her a bit to sneak around the fencing class practicing in the school quad, but she eventually made it to the locker rooms. However, she was disheartened to see that out of the several fencing students present in the room, Adrien wasn't among them.

"Okay, something's definitely up. Adrien never misses his fencing lessons." Marinette quietly remarked to Tikki, finding Adrien's unexpected absence disturbing.

When seeing that her original idea of trying to find Adrien wouldn't work, Marinette exited the locker rooms and began searching the hallways for any sign of Adrien. She had just started searching the upper-level classrooms when she heard the unmistakable sound of Chloé's voice as it loudly echoed within the school halls. With her curiosity piqued to find out why Chloé was so upset and proclaiming 'This is a terrible tragedy!', Marinette ran over to where the crying voice was coming from. The pursuit was rewarded when Marinette was greeted by her classmates crowding around a crying Chloé, holding her phone while Sabrina attempted to comfort her, when arriving at the classroom.

"What's up with her?" the designer asked Nino after walking up to the group, not understanding why Chloé was so upset.

"Adrien's never coming back to school! Ever!" Chloé wailed before she continued crying, inadvertently answering Marinette's question.

"His dad grounded him!" Kim explained, reporting what Chloé had told them earlier before her breakdown.

"For life." Max simply added with a readjustment of his glasses, leaving Marinette in shock at the answer.

"What? Why?" Marinette questioned.

"Something about losing this important book that belongs to his dad." Nino elaborated, pulling Marinette's attention onto him with his words.

"His dad?" Marinette softly said, taking the new information before it finally sunk in. "Ha! Phew!" the designer breathed out with relief, now having all the pieces to the confusing puzzle she had given.

" 'Phew'?!" Chloé irately exclaimed at Marinette, causing everyone in the room to stare at the pigtailed girl and un-nerve her at the sudden attention.

"Uh… 'Phew', because I was scared it was super serious." Marinette quickly replied, hoping to explain her relief about this misfortune befalling Adrien, but soon realized that what she had just said wasn't any better. "I mean, yeah, sure, it is serious but it's not like he's sick or anything, you know. Surely we can fix this, right? We won't just stand by and let this happen!" She sheepishly added while backing away from the group, going towards the classroom door before running off and leaving her now confused classmates.

As soon as she cleared the classroom, Marinette raced to the girl's bathroom, quickly looking around to make sure no one was there. Once she was sure she and Tikki were alone, Marinette entered one of the stalls and closed the door before letting Tikki out of her purse.

"So it wasn't Adrien's book. It was his father's! Adrien isn't Hawkmoth!" Marinette exclaimed, followed by a sigh of relief. "I knew it! Adrien doesn't have an evil bone in his body." the designer gushed, hugging herself with a love-sick smile before turning to face her kwami.

"Except, Adrien did take the book without his father's permission. At least according to Nino." Tikki remarked, bringing up that little missed detail in Marinette's relief.

"Well, he must've had a good reason to do it." Marinette rebutted, her arms lowering back to her sides as she defended Adrien. The boy was usually well-behaved, so he had to have a good reason to have borrowed the book without his father's permission. But it did little to sway Tikki from what she had to say next.

"You realize that if we apply Master Fu's theory to this discovery, it could mean that Adrien's father could be Hawkmoth!" Tikki exclaimed, shocking Marinette with her accusation.

"No way! It couldn't be!" Marinette argued, finding her kwami's claim a little outlandish. 'But then again…' the designer thought to herself, soon spiraling down the rabbit hole of that possibility being a reality.

"Hmm, an eccentric artist who never leaves his home. Mysterious, very intelligent, but cold, even with his son." Marinette mused out loud, now seeing that Gabriel being the one behind Hawkmoth's mask could be true. "This is a strong lead, Tikki!" the pigtailed girl announced, convinced it was worth investigating.

"Please be careful, Marinette!" Tikki warned, hoping that her holder would be mindful of her safety.

"I will be, don't worry." Marinette assured her kwami, activating her Ladybug disguise before saying… "Tikki, spots on!" the red-tipped-haired girl shouted, transforming into her superhero alter ego.

Once she was in her superhero persona, Ladybug threw her yo-yo out of one of the bathroom's open windows and made her way up to the school rooftop. Upon reaching the tallest point of the school, she landed in a crouch before she attempted to call Chat Noir to tell him of her theory/discovery. But she had been greeted by the familiar sound of 'Has the cat got your tongue, leave a message' from Chat Noir's voicemail, instead.

"Chat Noir, I think I know who Hawkmoth is! Get your whiskers over here fast!" Ladybug spoke to the voicemail box, hoping her partner would get to her as soon as possible with the message she left. With the message sent, Ladybug closed her yo-yo and began pacing the roof, waiting for her partner, eager to see if she was right.

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Over at the Agreste Mansion and inside Gabriel's atelier, the fashion mogul was looking at the Klimt-style painting of his wife in thought while Nathalie stood behind him.

"What will you do without the book?" Nathalie questioned her boss, only to be responded by Gabriel opening a blank sketchbook in his hands to stare at them before quickly closing it back up.

"You know where this goes." Gabriel simply stated before handing the book to Nathalie, having a plan already in mind.

Once Nathalie took the book from him, Gabriel walked over to the other side of his office while she walked toward the painting, pressing the buttons in the portrait to enter the lair. After she descended into the secret elevator; the floor hatch closing behind her, Gabriel started to trash his office by grabbing the pictures off the wall and throwing them to the floor. The sound of sad piano music could be heard from upstairs as the fashion designer continued his rampage, leading to him walking to a hidden cupboard near the back corner of the office.

Upon opening it, he briefly stopped trashing the room to take out a drawing Adrien had made of him and his parents when he was younger that sat on a shelf inside the cabinet. It was only a minute after he had begun staring at the picture that a small smile appeared on Gabriel's face, only to be shaken away before he threw it to the ground to focus on the task at hand. No sooner than he had done so, he proceeded to smash other objects around the room, all with an eerily calm fury.

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Unbeknownst to Gabriel, the piano music playing throughout the mansion had only been Adrien's playlist as it played on his speakers. It was a method Adrien recently discovered to avoid anyone coming in and 'disturbing his practice'. In this case, Adrien had only put it on so that he could try and think of a way to get out of trouble with his dad.

"Look on the bright side. Your father could've found out about me! It's a good thing we kwami's can never be filmed or photographed." Plagg brought up as he sat on the end of the Foosball table Adrien was playing around with to try and spark some ideas on how to make things right. "Ah, those photographers have no idea what they're missing!" the cheese goblin added in the hopes of cheering up his holder and banishing the seemingly mopey expression on Adrien's face, leaning back to watch as the boy scored a goal. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"I've gotta find that book, or I'll never be allowed to return to school." Adrien stated out loud, stepping away from his foosball table and surprising Plagg.

"Look Kid, I'm all for finding the book, but 'returning to school'?! Are you crazy?!" Plagg exclaimed, flying up from his lounging to float in front of Adrien out of shock. "No more homework, no more alarm clocks! We should be celebrating!" the black kwami cheered as he loop-de-looped through the air, trying to convince Adrien that he was better off without going to school.

"Hey, I know!" Plagg said before he flew off, only to return carrying a jar of Camembert balanced on top of his head. "I named this piece 'El Plaggo'. It's been maturing for nine hundred and ninety-nine days!" the cheese-loving kwami announced, the horrid fumes of the cheese filling Adrien's nostrils and making him recoil away from the 'best' of Plagg's stash. But before the boy could say anything, Adrien suddenly hears loud noises outside his room and runs to the door.

"What was that?!"Adrien exclaimed once he exited his room, his bodyguard standing right next to it before they both ran downstairs to see what was going on. However, just as they ran towards Gabriel's atelier, they were stopped/greeted by Nathalie; who had exited the lair underneath the house just a few minutes ago, as she guarded the door.

"Your father is very busy." Nathalie explained just before the sounds of objects breaking had died down, which settled a little of Adrien's current worries. "Shouldn't Adrien be practicing his piano right now?" the stoic assistant questioned Placide, drawing a nod from the beefy man before he quickly escorted his charge upstairs. But as Nathalie silently watched them, Adrien sadly glanced back at the door and decided to fix things as soon as he was back in his room.

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Meanwhile in Gabriel's office, the middle-aged designer had neared the end of his smashing things to pieces inside his atelier. To finish off his rampage, he had thrown a stone mannequin to the floor in displeasure, the statue breaking it in two before one last mannequin was toppled over concluding the seeming tantrum. With the space disorderly enough in Gabriel's eyes, he calmly walked over to the portrait of his wife and pushed the buttons to enter his lair, the designer now disappearing into the floor and descending below the house.

Shortly after entering his lair, Gabriel transformed into his villainous alter ego and walked up to the center of the observatory-esque space. As soon as he was in the center, the lair window opened up and disturbed the butterflies resting on the floor around him to start fluttering around the villain.

"I feel...the wrath of a father betrayed by his son. What perfect prey for my akuma!" Hawkmoth exclaimed; with what could have sounded like… excitement, as a butterfly flew into his open palm before he turned it into an akuma. "Stay close, my little akuma!" the resident supervillain ordered his little parasite after letting it fly out of his hand and head towards the window. But instead of exiting the lair, the akuma stopped short and took to hovering at the opening.

"Dark wings, fall!" Hawkmoth shouted as he drew his arms into his chest before he transformed back into his civilian self, Nooroo coming out of the Miraculous and now facing the all-too-familiar man.

"Uh, why is the akuma still here?" Nooroo meekly questioned his holder, nervous to see the corrupted butterfly still inside the lair. All the purple kwami had gotten in response was Gabriel removing his candy cane-themed ascot and simply stating…

"I must become someone else to lead them astray." Gabriel replied with a mischievous smirk, his Miraculous glinting in the light coming from the lair's giant window.

"I don't understand, Master." Nooroo admitted in a frightened tone, not at all eager to find out what Gabriel was planning while the fashion designer reached for the broach on his suit's undershirt.

"Nooroo, I renounce you…" Gabriel proclaimed as he took off the Butterfly Miraculous, causing Nooroo to get sucked into it before putting the Miraculous into a small box. "...temporarily." the cold-hearted man added in a menacing tone, followed by a spotlight shining on the empty replacement notebook he had given Nathalie as it rested on a small table behind him. After closing the lid of the box holding his Miraculous, Gabriel walked over to the table and grabbed the book, placing the box onto the table before opening the book towards the akuma.

"Come to me, my little akuma, and evilize me!" Gabriel commanded the akuma, causing the little bug to fly into the empty sketchbook and transform him into an akumatized villain.

"I am now… the Collector!" The Collector proclaimed with a flourish, showing off his new form to a non-existent audience. "My book of inspiration has been taken from me, so I shall build a new one! And perhaps pick up a Miraculous or two while I'm at it!" the nearly monochrome akuma continued before laughing evilly to himself at his plan.

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While Gabriel was putting his plan into action, Adrien had been escorted back to his room and was left alone to his own devices. But while Placide I.T. was still standing guard outside of his room, the model already had another way to escape his 'incarceration' and evacuate his room to find the spellbook he had lost.

"My father's angry because of me! He won't forgive me until I find that book." Adrien exclaimed as he used a remote to open his window, opening them wide in preparation for his egress.

"Only one problem, you're grounded." Plagg reminded his holder, even though he had a pretty good idea of how his holder would work around that little detail.

"Adrien is, but Chat Noir isn't." Adrien replied, a sly smirk on his face before activating his Chat Noir disguise and calling out… "Plagg, claws out!" the blonde boy shouted, triggering his superhero transformation.

As soon as he was decked out in the familiar leather of his super alter ego, Chat Noir jumped up onto the sill of the open window in preparation to leap out into the city to begin his search. But before he could, he received a notification from his staff and opened it up to see that he had received a message from Ladybug, prompting him to click on and raise his staff to his ear to hear what it was about.

"Chat Noir, I think I know who Hawkmoth is. Get your whiskers over here, fast!" the recorded message from Ladybug played, surprising Chat Noir with the news.

"Wow! I guess the Spellbook will have to wait a bit longer." Chat Noir remarked after he lowered the staff from his ear and extended it to vault off towards the rooftops, leaving his room before chaos could break loose within his own house.

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Just seconds after Chat Noir had left the Agreste Mansion, The Collector had returned from his underground lair to start the chaos part of his plan. And that started with kicking down the door Nathalie was guarding, knocking her down to the floor as The Collector made himself known to the remaining inhabitants of the mansion.

"Nathalie! You'll be the first of my many inspirations to come." The Collector proclaimed from the demolished doorway, causing Placide to run to the rail of the second floor to see what the commotion was.

"Mr. Agreste?" Nathalie breathed out in surprise whilst still being sprawled across the floor, having not been told the plan her boss had come up with and resulting in her reaction being genuine.

"You will call me...the Collector." The Collector replied as he stepped into the entry space of the mansion, followed by him throwing his sketchbook at Nathalie as she tried to get to her feet to escape.

But she only had a second to gasp at the book coming at her before it touched her, making her disappear into thin air as the book boomeranged back to The Collector. Upon catching his book, the akumatized fashion mogul looked within the book to see a terrified Nathalie appear on the first page, smirking at his successful capture. A glance back up at the second level of the house then revealed Placide making to head down to attack the Collector, resulting in the akuma doing the same to his son's bodyguard as he did to Nathalie. With no one left to capture, The Collector closed the book after he caught it again and stalked up the stairs towards Adrien's room.
"Adrien...I have a great collection I want to show you." the nearly monochrome akuma tauntingly spoke as he knocked on the door, thinking his son was still inside.

When he didn't receive an answer, The Collector furiously kicked open the room door and stomped inside to find his son. But after entering the room, he saw that his son was nowhere to be seen and that the piano music playing had been from a CD player perched on the instrument. Furious to see that Adrien had once again snuck out and disobeyed his orders, the Collector angrily swiped up the CD player, adding it to his collection with a growl before exiting the mansion.

Once The Collector had left the mansion, he immediately went off on a rampage to draw out Ladybug and Chat Noir, starting at the Louvre. As he arrived at the museum and trapped the Louvre pyramid within the pages of his sketchbook, the pedestrians in the surrounding area started screaming and ran away with fear. The Collector's rampage continued into the actual museum, where he started to collect famous monuments and objects; the portrait of the Mona Lisa included, into his book. He continued with his collecting by extending it to famous people when he spotted Jagged Stone doing a concert at the Trocadero with his crocodile, Fang, trapping them as well. The more The Collector trapped within his book, it was no surprise that he soon ended up at the TVi studio, where Nadja Chamack was about to make a news report on his exploits.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news. I'm Nadja Chama—" Nadja greeted the audience at home, unaware of The Collector entering the filming area until he approached her and trapped Nadja in his notebook. With the reporter gone, The Collector turned to face the camera as it continued to run.

"Since the book that used to fill my life is gone, I'm going to use your life to fill up this new one!" The Collector proclaimed, followed by him continuing his rampage through the city.

Said rampage led to The Collector arriving at the Hôtel de Ville, where Mayor Bourgeois was about to deliver a speech in regards to what had happened at the TVi studio. Considering the majority of the city had seen what happened, he thought that it would be a good idea to assure anyone to remain calm. But before Mayor Bourgeois could even get past the greeting of his speech, The Collector had trapped him within his sketchbook, causing Lieutenant Roger and the other pedestrians to gasp at his disappearance.

Quickly following the Mayor's entrapment, The Collector decided to finish off his rampage with a bang and trap the Eiffel Tower within his book's pages. So once he arrived on a rooftop across from the monument, he threw his sketchbook right at the Eiffel Tower and made it disappear in a flash before the book boomeranged back to him. A quick look within the book greeted The Collector with the sight of the iconic landmark, resulting in a malicious grin appearing on his face.

"Nothing can inspire me more than imprisoning Ladybug and Chat Noir in these pages forever." the akumatized fashion mogul announced out loud, jumping off of the rooftop he was on to look for said heroes.

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While all the chaos was happening in the city, Ladybug was still over at Collège Françoise Dupont, now pacing the rooftop as she waited for her partner. But she soon grew more impatient the longer she had to wait for Chat Noir, leading to her angrily pulling out her yo-yo to dial him up again.

"Chat Noir, what did you do?" Ladybug nearly growled, only to be alerted by the sound of someone approaching her from behind and being greeted by Chat Noir's arrival. "Chat Noir, did you get my messages?" the spotted heroine greeted her partner, immediately calming down from her earlier rage as she put her yo-yo away.

"Yeah, and I can't wait to know more, M'Lady-tective." Chat Noir purred as he walked up to her, stopping just a foot away from Ladybug before he pulled out his staff and used it as support while flirtingly leaning towards Ladybug. "So, who's the suspect?" the feline asked, eager to start the investigation as soon as possible.

"Gabriel Agreste." Ladybug simply replied, causing Chat Noir to gasp in surprise before almost tripping after hearing the suspect's name. "You know, the fashion designer?" the red heroine clarified while Chat Noir managed to stop himself from falling and turned away from his partner to stare at the roof in shock.

"How did you reach this conclusion?" Chat Noir questioned, his heart hammering in his chest at the accusation made against his father.

"Well…" Ladybug stammered, not sure of how to explain her process of thinking Gabriel Agreste was a suspect.

"Do you even have proof?" Chat Noir continued to interrogate, finally turning his slightly panicked gaze to Ladybug and unnerving her even more than she had been a second ago.

"Look, I can't tell you all the details right now, okay?" Ladybug finally replied, which only seemed to make matters worse.
"Why not?" Chat Noir nearly growled, his eyes narrowing at Ladybug as a large number of emotions went through the feline's head.

"It's a long story, and we don't have the time for me to tell it if we are to see if it's even correct." Ladybug explained in hopes of pacifying Chat Noir's sudden curiosity, only to be responded with him looking off to the side again. At the sight of her partner's reaction, Ladybug sighed to herself and tried a different approach. "Chat, I know I've asked a lot of you when having faith in my reason to not elaborate on my connection to the Trollhunter, but I need you to just trust me a little bit more. This is a serious matter that I don't take lightly at all, okay?" the spotted heroine admitted before taking a step towards Chat Noir and placing a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his sour demeanor for a precious few seconds.

"You got 2 minutes, so you better have a good reason why you think Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth." Chat Noir managed to let out, hoping that Ladybug had good reasoning behind her theory.

"Thanks, kitty." Ladybug replied, grateful that he was giving her a chance to explain and decided to not waste any more time. "So while I can't yet tell you my main reason for suspecting him, it has led me to think on a lot of things and it all makes sense." the red heroine began, diving headfirst into her explanation to avoid any questions Chat Noir had that would derail her roll.

"First off, Gabriel Agreste is a secretive man and he never leaves his house. Secondly, when we were fighting against Simon Says, I noticed that Hawkmoth didn't interact with him after Gabriel Agreste was captured." Ladybug continued, listing off some of the recent red flags she had noticed. "Adding on to that particular akuma, he seemed rather interested in my earrings when we were speaking in his office before you arrived. Not to mention afterwards he tried to get a look at your ring before we left that day." the spotted heroine added, causing Chat Noir to recall that certain interaction and go through it step by step within his thoughts.

"Now that you mention it…" Chat Noir mumbled, now seeing that she had some strong points to her theory… much to his displeasure.

"And get this." Ladybug said as she pulled out her yo-yo and pulled up an article on Gabriel Brand, quickly showing it to Chat Noir. "Check out his brand's logo." the red heroine pointed out, zooming in on the images of Gabriel's fashion design logos to reveal that they looked eerily similar to…

"A butterfly?" Chat Noir breathed out, left stunned by the revelation before he had flashbacks of the butterfly patterns on furniture inside his house. With all the evidence stacked against his dad, all Chat Noir could do was sigh in defeat, now knowing that Ladybug had quite a bit to go off of.

"You okay, Chat Noir?" Ladybug asked, noticing the less-than-pleased reaction he had and snapping him out of his warring thoughts.

"Yeah, it's… nothing." Chat Noir hastily reassured, hoping to avoid her questions. "Why do you ask?" he questioned, now a little nervous that he had been too obvious about his secret identity and she figured him out.

"You're concerned about Gabriel Agreste being Hawkmoth. Almost like you're a little… too invested in this." Ladybug explained, giving him a side eye as she spoke and making Chat Noir panic that she might figure him out before she huffed in thought. "I don't know. Maybe you should sit this one out if it's bothering you." the spotted heroine offered, which was an even worse thought to Chat Noir than her finding out his identity.

"What, no! I'm fine!" Chat Noir protested, not wanting to be put to the side for this crisis.

"Are you sure?" Ladybug asked, thinking about what was best for her partner's well-being since he seemed so tense.

"Yeah, totally." Chat Noir assured, which seemed to work just the tiniest bit in settling some of Ladybug's worries. "However, your points are pretty solid, and worth checking out." the hero in black declared, now all the more eager to get through this investigation as soon as possible.

"Good. I was thinking of going to The Agreste Mansion to ask Mr. Agreste some questions. Figured it would be a good place to start." Ladybug explained, outlining her plan of trying to find out the truth to Chat Noir in hopes that it wouldn't rub him the wrong way.

"Good call. We better head over now." Chat Noir agreed, happy that Ladybug was taking a more cautious approach to this matter before turning to face the end of the roof. "I don't know about you, but I think it's time to get to the bottom of this." the feline said with grim determination, prompting him and Ladybug to leave the school to go and make their way to the Agreste Mansion to start their investigation.

But while jumping across the rooftops, the two heroes were unaware of The Collector watching them as he hid behind a statue near the school. At the sight of the heroes making their way to his house, the supervillain couldn't help but grin evilly at his desired outcome.

"My plan is working perfectly!" The Collector purred to himself with sick glee before jumping out of his hiding place and following after Paris's protectors, eager for the chance to defeat them once and for all!!

Chapter Text

Unaware of The Collector watching them, Ladybug and Chat Noir had arrived at the Agreste Mansion and entered Gabriel's atelier through a conveniently open window. But they were surprised by the many broken pieces of furniture and statues littering the trashed area that greeted them on arrival.

"Whoa, what happened here? Looks like somebody had a little tantrum." Ladybug exclaimed, shocked by the state of the room while Chat Noir started walking around in seeming aimlessness. His unusual state only seemed to worsen when he spotted the painting of him and his family lying on the floor just inches away from his feet, causing Chat Noir to sigh at the sight with heartache.

"Chat…" the spotted heroine began when she saw Chat Noir's melancholy, placing a comforting hand on her partner's shoulder and causing him to turn and face her in response. "Are you sure you're okay, kitty?" Ladybug asked, hoping that he was going to be in the right mindset for why they had come to the mansion in the first place.

"Yeah. Let's keep going." Chat Noir replied, looking back at the floor before Ladybug gasped in realization and took her hand off of his shoulder.

"He's got a son! Let's go check his room; make sure nothing's happened to him." Ladybug quickly decided, followed by her running out of the room with Chat Noir tailing behind her. But when she and Chat Noir entered the front hall, they were greeted by the sight of The Collector at the top of the main stairs.

"What the…" Chat Noir muttered to himself in shock after he and Ladybug skidded to a stop at the foot of the stairs simultaneously. "Who are you?! Where's Gabriel Agreste?" the hero in black growled at the intruder, pulling out his staff and triggering both heroes to stand at the ready for an attack.

"There is no more Gabriel Agreste. There is only...the Collector!" The Collector proclaimed from his perch before he threw his sketchbook at the heroes, trying to trap either one inside of it.

Thankfully for them, they jumped back and managed to dodge the hit, which led the sketchbook to trap the mansion's front door instead. After the door had vanished, the book boomeranged back the way it came and hurtled towards Ladybug and Chat Noir once more. Thinking fast, Ladybug knocked Chat Noir to the floor just before the sketchbook came at them and returned to The Collector.

"You won't be able to escape!" the akumatized fashion designer yelled at the heroes as they got up from the floor and leapt towards the open doorway, throwing his book at them once more.

While the flying book continued to chase Ladybug and Chat Noir around the room, The Collector had tried to attack them on his own as well, making Chat Noir fling him to the side before his book came back to him. Seeing the turn of events, both heroes vaulted up and away from it using their weapons and landed on the upper level of the house, soon running along the balcony area to avoid being captured by the book. About halfway across the balcony, Ladybug and Chat Noir jumped back down into the foyer and were met with The Collector once again before he caught his book again. After the akuma had his weapon again, the two heroes tried to get away and soon found themselves entering the large dining room next to the foyer, only to be quickly cornered by their foe. With limited options left, Chat Noir decided to take the offensive approach and got ready to throw his staff at The Collector as he stood on the other side of the room.

"Wait!" Ladybug shouted to Chat Noir, hoping to stop him from doing something stupid. But she was too late and Chat Noir threw his staff towards The Collector anyway, only for the akuma to use his book as a shield and trap the weapon inside his sketchbook, leaving the superheroes in shock.

"Nice piece, wouldn't you agree?" The Collector taunted the heroes as Chat Noir's staff appeared on the open book's pages, followed by him throwing the book at them again.

Left without a weapon, Chat Noir had to think fast and throw one of the dining table chairs at the Collector to prevent himself from getting captured. Thankfully it had worked and the chair was trapped inside his sketchbook as well, allowing Ladybug and Chat Noir the opening they needed to run back into the main hall. As they did, they didn't catch The Collector retrieving his book and then erasing the trapped chair from the book's pages, making it vanish completely. But that didn't matter to them much at the moment as they hid behind the side of the main staircase, hoping to get enough time to catch their breath and come up with a plan.

"The akuma's gotta be in that book!" Ladybug exclaimed after they hid themselves away, kneeling close to the ground to avoid detection.

"Yeah, but if we touch it, we'll disappear!" Chat Noir remarked, bringing up that little detail they needed to remember. However, that didn't stop Ladybug from calling on her…

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug shouted, summoning her powers and receiving a set of bike pedals. "A pedal?" the heroine in red muttered to herself in confusion after the object landed in her hands. But seeing as it would help save the day, she rolled with it and looked around to try and figure out what to do with the pedal.

"I have no idea what to do with this." Ladybug reported, coming up empty on how to use the strange object. "We need to stall him." the spotted heroine decided, hoping that she could come up with the solution during the fight. Unfortunately, their break was interrupted when The Collector threw his sketchbook at the staircase and made it disappear, revealing the heroes to him once again.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir, you shall be the masterpieces in my new book of inspiration." The Collector proclaimed before throwing his book at them again, continuing the fight.

Once again, Ladybug and Chat Noir were left with the option of trying to avoid getting touched with The Collector's book, leaping and/or swinging around the room to avoid getting captured. But after having enough of being on the defense, Chat Noir tried going on the offensive and tried to attack The Collector, leading to the akuma calling back his book to try and capture the feline. But no matter how many times he tried to do so, Chat Noir nimbly avoided the book's touch and slinked around his akumatized father with ease. Deciding to try a different approach, The Collector flipped his book into his left hand and caused Chat Noir to try and grab it, unknowingly falling for the trap the akuma had set.

With Chat Noir now in front of him, the akuma tried swiping at the feline hero with his book, soon cornering him against a decorative pillar. But just seconds before The Collector could touch Chat Noir with his book, Ladybug threw her yo-yo at him and quickly wrapped it onto his arm, stopping him before she pulled his arm back. The force behind the pull was enough to drag the akuma away from Chat Noir and make him lose his grip on his sketchbook, causing the book to start flying around the room again. As it did, The Collector tried to punch at Ladybug in the time it took the book to return to him, forcing her to jump back away from him and duck as the book flew back to its master.

Seeing the opportunity as Ladybug tried to attack him, The Collector then tried to touch Ladybug but failed to do so when Chat Noir joined the fight again and distracted him. Giving Ladybug the chance to evade the akuma's attempt, Chat Noir also managed to kick the sketchbook away from The Collector's hand, sending it up into the air. However, The Collector kicked Chat Noir away from him and jumped up to reach for his book, leading Ladybug to use her yo-yo to grab ahold of his ankle and pull him down to the floor. But while on the floor, the akuma managed to grab his book and used it to free himself by trapping Ladybug's yo-yo inside, making her shriek at the loss of the balance her yo-yo string gave her.

"My collection's growing!" the akumatized fashion mogul purred in delight as he rose to his feet, showing off Ladybug's yo-yo as it appeared within his book's pages.

"No!" Ladybug cried in disbelief, only to have to avoid The Collector throwing his book at her again. The fight continued from there, leading The Collector to continue chasing Ladybug and Chat Noir and forcing them to jump up to the second floor.

"So that must mean...Gabriel Agreste can't possibly be Hawkmoth, since he's been akumatized!" Chat Noir exclaimed as he and Ladybug crouched behind the balcony railing, realizing that this little incident proved that his father was innocent.

"You call Agreste turning into The Collector good news?!" Ladybug nearly shrieked as she gawked at her partner, appalled by his happiness at this akumatization.

But they didn't have time to dwell on it anymore when The Collector made the railing in front of them disappear, forcing them to run away into Adrien's room. Upon entering the room, Ladybug and Chat Noir quickly barricade the entrance by using the furniture in Adrien's room, hoping to prevent The Collector from entering. However, as soon as they had finished, Ladybug took one look around the room and soon realized…

"Gabriel Agreste's son isn't at home?" Ladybug worriedly observed, standing in the middle of the room.

"Maybe The Collector's already captured him." Chat Noir supplied, hoping to avoid his identity being found out for who knows how many times that day and unintentionally causing Ladybug to gasp in shock at the thought.

"You think he'd take it out on his son?" Ladybug fretted, hoping that it wasn't the case.

"Uh…" Chat Noir began, only to be interrupted by the sound of the bedroom door opening beyond the barricade behind him.

"You cannot escape from me." The Collector threatened with an evil laugh, followed by him making the objects blocking his way disappear. But as he did, it finally gave Ladybug the time she needed to think of a plan.

"What if he has no pages left in his book?" Ladybug wondered out loud, soon looking around the room and spotting certain objects that helped her finally figure out a plan.

But as she figured out what to do, The Collector had managed to free himself from the barricaded entrance, soon entering the room and beginning the chase again. However, Chat Noir had kept up to the top of the skate ramp surrounding the entryway while Ladybug hid behind the TV out of the Collector's sight. Unfortunately for her, it didn't work and he saw her attempt to hide from him.

"But before I immortalize you, allow me to seize your Miraculous for Hawkmoth." The Collector sinisterly requested the spotted heroine, unaware of her edging to the other side of her hiding place and look around to see Chat Noir now standing on the upper-level balcony.

"Chat Noir, I need ammunition!" Ladybug called out to her partner, resulting in The Collector trapping the TV within his book and chasing Ladybug around the room.

"You need what?" Chat Noir questioned, not getting what she meant when she said 'ammunition'.

"We're gonna complete his collection!" Ladybug explained as she grabbed a magazine, rolled it up and threw it at the wall of discs behind Chat Noir while flipping off of the wall and landing on the floor during the chase. The magazine then caused a few of the discs to fall to the ground, to which Chat Noir finally caught onto her plan.

"Very smart M'Lady, quite ingenious." Chat Noir complemented, impressed with her idea.

"Less talking, more doing!" Ladybug yelled to Chat Noir as she continued to jump away from The Collector, soon leaping up onto the upper-level balcony with the akuma following behind her.

As she kept running from The Collector, Ladybug managed to detach Chat Noir's tail from his suit as she ran past him and jumped down from the balcony to land next to the Foosball table. Meanwhile, Chat Noir had given her a chance to do so by continuing to fight The Collector on the upper level, soon throwing him onto the rock-climbing wall and then tumbling to the ground. With his opponent out of the way for a little bit, Chat Noir had the chance to do his part of the plan and call on his…

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir shouted, summoning his powers and using them on the bookshelf, the discs all dropping down to his feet.

Down on the ground level, Ladybug had used the time it took for The Collector to recover as well and got to work attaching the pedal and Chat Noir's tail to the Foosball table, creating a makeshift catapult. Once it was ready, Ladybug moved the contraption into position in front of the recovering akuma and just under where Chat Noir was on the balcony above.

"Ready, Chat Noir?" Ladybug called up to her partner, getting ready to start firing at The Collector when he sent down the discs.

"I'm always ready for you, M'Lady!" Chat Noir replied in a flirty tone, prompting Ladybug to start cranking the makeshift device.

From there, Chat Noir immediately started throwing numerous discs into the catapult, letting Ladybug fire them right at The Collector as he approached Ladybug. As he did, he unknowingly fell for Ladybug's trap and started capturing the flying discs with his book, thus neutralizing the pages inside the closer he got to her.

"Come on! Come on!" Ladybug pleaded out loud as she kept sending discs at The Collector, hoping that he would run out of pages soon.

"No more ammo!" Chat Noir yelled, looking down at the empty floor with worry while The Collector finally closed in on Ladybug.

Not wasting any more time, he trapped the Foosball table inside his book and then approached a now cowering Ladybug as she tried backing away from the akuma coming towards her. But thankfully for her, when The Collector touched her with the book, it didn't trap her and caused him to look and see that the pages of his notebook were now filled up.

"It's already full!?" The Collector exclaimed in surprise, followed by him trying to remove one of the discs from his notebook to clear some space for his soon-to-be victim. With the opening presented to her, Ladybug then kicked the notebook out of his hand and sent it towards Chat Noir. "My book! No!" the akumatized fashion designer shouted in anguish as the feline caught the book before throwing it back to Ladybug, who then ripped the book into two and forced the akuma to fly out from it.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug cried out as she threw the bike pedal Lucky Charm into the air, summoning the magic cure to turn everything back to normal.

Alongside the mansion's restoration, Chat Noir's staff and Ladybug's yo-yo had been returned to them too, which had pleased them immensely if Chat Noir happily kissing his weapon was any giveaway. But Ladybug only took note of it and only fondly smiled at his antics as she prepared to cleanse the akuma.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma!" Ladybug proclaimed as she opened her yo-yo to reveal the sparkling pool of cleansing energy inside, spinning it around in preparation.

"Time to de-evilize!" she shouted before she threw her yo-yo toward the akuma, catching it in her yo-yo. "Gotcha!" Ladybug cheered when the yo-yo was back in her hand. A second later, she opened her yo-yo once again, setting the white butterfly free.

"Bye, bye little butterfly," Ladybug said as the butterfly flew out the open bedroom window, turning around just in time to see The Collector turn back into Gabriel. With the threat now taken care of, Ladybug walked over to her partner, unaware of his intensely focused gaze on the previously akumatized fashion designer.

"Pound..." the spotted heroine cheered, raising her fist to Chat Noir for their usual post-battle ritual. But she was completely ignored by her feline companion when he rushed over towards Gabriel.

"Are you okay, sir?" Chat Noir asked, kneeling next to Gabriel as he soothed a headache before realizing who was in the room with him.

"Chat Noir, Ladybug, what happened to me?" Gabriel questioned the heroes, playing it off like he was a normal akumatized victim to avoid suspicion.

"You were akumatized by Hawkmoth. But don't worry, it's over now!" Chat Noir explained to him, relieved that his father was safe.

"Thank you. Thank you, both of you!" Gabriel said, turning up the act to an 11 as he stomached the need to thank his enemies for 'saving' him. But his false gratitude was quickly replaced by worry when he realized that his son was nowhere to be seen. "Adrien...where is my son?" the fashion designer fretted as he rose to his feet, his worry clear as day to the heroes and making Chat Noir panic to come up with a plausible excuse for his absence.

"He...must be hiding?" Chat Noir nervously guessed, hoping that it would be enough of a satisfying answer.

"Chat Noir is right, otherwise your son would have reappeared right here." Ladybug agreed, unknowingly making the feline's heartbeat lower to a more natural pace due to her unintentional help.

"Nothing must happen to him. He's too precious to me." Gabriel stated as he put his hands on Chat Noir's shoulders, who could only smile at the amount of care his father had displayed for him. But the sweet moment was interrupted by the beeping of Ladybug's earrings, making her notice that the last two spots were about to wear off.

"We're about to transform back. Goodbye, Mr. Agreste." Ladybug farewelled, warning Chat Noir of their limited time before she started making her way to the window.

"Don't worry yourself, sir. I'm sure your son is safe and sound." Chat Noir assured Gabriel as he gently removed the older man's hands from his shoulder and ran to the window, vaulting off after Ladybug while thinking that everything was now fine with Gabriel. But due to their hasty departure, they failed to witness Gabriel smiling evilly to himself when he was finally alone.

"See you very soon!" Gabriel sinisterly purred, a malicious glint appearing in his eyes before he walked out of the room.

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After Ladybug and Chat Noir had parted ways, the spotted heroine made her way back to Master Fu's massage shop, intending to tell him the truth about how she got the Spellbook. And while Tikki and Wayzz were playing on the gramophone that kept the Miracle Box hidden, Marinette did exactly that while explaining what had happened just minutes before.

"So, since Gabriel Agreste was akumatized, he can't possibly be Hawkmoth!" Marinette exclaimed as she sat on her knees across from Master Fu, finishing off her recount of what had happened during The Collector's akumatization.

"Indeed. I'd say it's safe to say that he isn't who we are looking for." Master Fu agreed, now put at ease with the information. "But… how did you find out that Gabriel Agreste was the owner of the Spellbook?" the guardian questioned, having that one little detail nagging in the back of his mind.

"At first, I thought the book belonged to Gabriel Agreste's son, Adrien, since he had it with him at school before it was stolen by the person me and Tikki got it back from." Marinette explained while Tikki flew back to her side, finally admitting to how she got the book in the first place. "But when you said that whoever had possession of the Spellbook could be Hawkmoth, I panicked since…" the designer trailed off, not knowing how to finish her sentence in a way that didn't sound like she didn't trust the old master.

"You are close with Adrien." Master Fu supplied, making Marinette nod in agreement to his guess. "I see. You were afraid in case the one you love turned out to be Hawkmoth." the guardian observed, a sly smirk appearing on his face and leaving Marinette shocked.

"Wha... Uh, no, uh, how did you know that? I mean, I don't love him at all." Marinette denied with a nervous laugh, unsettled by the giggling master's 'dead on the mark' observation before realizing that her fibbing was doing nothing to help her at that moment. "Oh, all right, yes, Adrien is amazing. I couldn't stand the thought of him being a supervillain." the pigtailed girl admitted, a frown now present on her face as she hunched in on herself in slight embarrassment.

"You know, Marinette, if we want to be stronger than Hawkmoth, we must trust each other." Master Fu said, pulling Marinette out of her sulking and directing her attention back to him.

"I know." Marinette grumbled. "But now, Adrien will never be able to come back to school because I can never give him that book back. I'll never see him again!" Marinette wailed in despair before falling to the floor, whimpering and sobbing at the terrifying thought.

"There isn't a single problem that can't be solved, Marinette." Master Fu assured his pupil, rising to his feet and standing over her as he spoke.

After hearing Master Fu's words, Marinette picked herself up and dried her tears as she watched the guardian walk over to his corner table and place the Spellbook on top of it. From there, he also pulled out his phone from his pocket while Marinette walked over to him and started taking pictures of the contents of the Spellbook's pages.

"These modern inventions are quite incredible. I do believe we'll be able to use the information within these pages to its fullest degree." the old man happily remarked as he kept on taking pictures while Marinette and their kwami's watched, eager to get started in studying the pages afterwards.

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After a while, Master Fu had taken pictures of all the pages of the Miraculous Spellbook and copied the information within it. But he couldn't seem to find a way to get the information on the enchanted pages of the book photographed as well, leading to the pictures of those pages showing up completely blank to even the kwamis. After deciding to figure out that problem for another day, Master Fu gave the book back to Marinette so that she could finally give it back to Mr. Agreste. This led to her standing in the Agreste Mansion's foyer… right in front of Gabriel himself as she tried to explain the "incident" of her coming to possess the spellbook, Nathalie standing just behind her boss.

"So, when Adrien put the book down and walked away, I wanted to take a peek." Marinette explained, taking the blame for what Lila had done while her hands and arms were flung around the air during her talking due to her nerves. "You see, I thought it was a portfolio with lots of pictures of him 'cause he's so cute. Uh, but you already knew that." the red-tipped-haired girl added, only to see Gabriel's unamused glare at her and end up nervously giggling in response.

"Anyway… when he came back, I was scared he'd see me staring at his book so I hid it in my backpack and I know it was a dumb thing to do." Marinette continued, finishing her explanation. "I really am sorry." she apologized.

"I see. So, you're one of his admirers?" Gabriel finally spoke, unintentionally hitting the nail right on the head with his assumption.

"Admirers? Yeah. That's the word." Marinette replied, followed by her finally giving the Miraculous book back to Gabriel, who passed it to Nathalie for safekeeping. "You won't say anything to him, will you?" the designer meekly asked, to which Gabriel responded with a shake of his head and eased some of her worries.

"Are you going to let Adrien come back to school?" Marinette questioned, hoping that the answer would be a 'yes' with the return of the book.

"Well, considering he didn't lose my book as it was borrowed by you… yes, I will." Gabriel decided, leaving Marinette so relieved that she couldn't help the joy-filled laugh spewing past her lips.

"Thank you!!" Marinette cheered, grabbing her bag before Nathalie walked over to guide her out the door. But just after she crossed the threshold, the lingering question in the back of her mind had rushed to the surface of her thoughts, begging to be answered. "Hmm, can I ask you a question? The pigtailed girl asked as she turned back around to face her idol, leaving Gabriel nodding in permission.

"I flipped through the book and it looked awesome. Those illustrations of legendary heroes are super...inspiring." Marinette remarked, letting herself gush at the images within the book. "But I couldn't help but wonder where you got it from." the red-tipped-haired girl admitted, revealing her question to the fashion mogul.

"I found it while I was on a trip overseas with my wife. I've never seen another copy of it." Gabriel simply explained and left it at that.

"Well then, you're very lucky to own it." Marinette replied, followed by her waving 'goodbye' before finally leaving the estate, the gates closing behind her.

"It was really brave what you just did for Adrien." Tikki praised her holder, poking her head from Marinette's purse now that they were alone.

"Thanks, Tikki. But all that matters to me is for Adrien to be allowed out of the house again." Marinette said, a soft smile gracing her face as she slowly walked away from the Agreste mansion, heading back home after such a long day.

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Shortly after Marinette had left the mansion, Gabriel had called for Adrien to join him in his atelier to discuss things going forward. This had resulted in the blonde standing a few feet behind Gabriel as he returned the Spellbook to its shelf.

"I'm sorry I became so furious over a book." Gabriel apologized as he closed the safe back up, pulling the painting over it to keep it hidden from view once more.

"In hindsight, I shouldn't have taken it without your permission. I was just curious." Adrien replied, realizing his fault in the matter too. "If you don't mind me asking…" he began, only to stop short in the hopes of not overreaching into his father's matters with his question.

"Go on." Gabriel said whilst not turning to face his son, allowing Adrien to ask his question and get it out in the open.

"Other than the book being your main source of inspiration… why were you so angry that I took it?" Adrien asked, wanting to know the deeper reason for his father's ire towards him losing the book.

"That book… was the very last gift your mother gave to me before...before she disappeared." Gabriel answered, explaining his earlier anger-filled actions to Adrien. "All I have left of her is this book...and you." he softly added, finally turning to face Adrien after he spoke.

"But I know I can't keep the book or you locked up in this house forever." Gabriel finished, now fully facing his son as Adrien started to connect the dots of what his father was insinuating.

"Does that mean you'll let me go back to school, then?" Adrien questioned as Gabriel walked up to him, the fashion mogul nodding his head as he placed his hands on his son's shoulders. "Thank you, Father!" the boy happily exclaimed as he hugged his father in gratitude, followed by Gabriel returning it a second later. It looked like Adrien's luck was now turning for the better.

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Well after her visit to the Agreste Mansion, Marinette had arrived back home and went to work on the homework she had received before classes ended that day. In doing so, she cleared the remainder of her night after dinner with her parents to have the time to have her usual video call with her brothers. So after she changed into her pajamas, Marinette glided into her desk chair and opened up her computer to await the telltale sign of Jim calling her. Thankfully, she didn't need to wait long for the screen to show said sign and quickly clicked it to allow Jim and Toby to appear on the screen.

"Hey guys." Marinette greeted the two boys, only having seconds to take note of their shocked/worried stares at her.

"TWO AKUMAS IN ONE DAY! AGAIN!!!" Jim exclaimed, throwing his free hand into the air as he ranted. "HAS HAWKMOTH GONE LOCO?" the Trollhunter asked out loud, lowering his hand to rest it on his side before letting Marinette have the floor again.

"Nice to see you too, Jim." Marinette replied, a fond eye roll and soft chuckle accompanying her response to her brother's reaction. "But yeah, I'm honestly wondering about that myself." she admitted, placing a hand to her forehead to soothe a small headache coming on as she thought about her crazy day.

"This is the second time you've had to deal with two akumas on the same. We're honestly getting worried that Hawkmoth is getting too despite for our liking." Toby admitted as he and Jim pulled their lunches from their bags. The menu that day was a repeat of simple PB&J sandwiches, veggie sticks and chocolate chip cookies, all due to Jim being too tired that morning from yesterday's training to do something more adventurous.

"I don't blame you. Even I'm getting worried too." Marinette responded, voicing her like-minded concerns about her current predicament.

"In any case, care to share what happened?" Jim asked before biting into his sandwich, hoping to finally know the more nitty-gritty details of the back-to-back akumas of the day.

"Will do. But I got to warn you… it's pretty intense. Especially with Volpina." Marinette warned the two boys, deciding not to outright say that she didn't want to explain some details of what happened.

"Then you better spill the beans!" Toby exclaimed, following Jim's example and biting into his sandwich too. "And don't skimp on the details!" the rounded boy added, his mouth full of food and drawing a laugh from Marinette at his atrocious manners.

But despite the little laugh she had, Marinette made use of their remaining call time to explain what had happened that day. She obviously started with the events leading up to Volpina, including mentioning Lila and the little charade she had played. Needless to say, the boys weren't too happy with Lila or with how Marinette had handled things at the start. But they were even more appalled when they heard Volpina had been actively trying to kill their sister during their fight, triggering some of their protective instincts towards Marinette.

However, their ire had been settled a bit by the time Marinette got to the part of the Spellbook and the whole debacle with The Collector. Upon hearing of what the Spellbook could offer her and Chat Noir, both Jim and Toby were glad to hear that Marinette and her partner now had an advantage over Hawkmoth. After explaining the enchanted pages dilemma, Marinette asked Jim if Blinky would be interested in finding a spell to allow them to read what was on the pages, to which he was all too eager to help.

But when reaching the part of Gabriel Agreste being akumatized into The Collector, it had left a very mixed reaction from both Jim and Toby. On one hand, they were surprised to hear how badly the fashion designer had reacted to the book being taken and lost. On the other hand, Jim had found the whole retelling a little more illuminating on Adrien's private life than he expected… leaving him unsettled by said information.

"And that's about all of it. Any questions?" Marinette asked, having finished her retelling while the boys had reached the end of their lunches.

"Several… actually." Jim replied, finishing off the last of his cookies before continuing. "First one… do you really think having a crush on Adrien is worth it if it's caused so much trouble?" the Trollhunter asked, now finding Adrien even less worthy of his sister's time thanks to this incident.

"Not this again! Jim, how many times do I have to tell you that I can't control who I fall for!" Marinette whined, already fed up with Jim's constant disapproval of her dating Adrien… even when they were not dating yet!

"That may be true… but you can certainly control who you fall out of love with." Jim pointed out, making Marinette huff at him in annoyance before lifting her hand to her head to soothe another oncoming headache.

"Dude…" Toby began after finishing his lunch, deciding to step in and try to resolve this escalating argument before it started. "I know that you're not a big fan of Adrien. But it's Marifairy's choice to be into him, and we have to respect that." the geology nerd said, his reasoning making Jim sigh in both exasperation and contemplation.

"Are you saying this because it's the right thing, or because you don't want to lose our bet?" Jim asked, a questioning eyebrow raised at Toby as he spoke.

"I really really really REALLY want to win our bet…" Toby admitted, clasping his hands in front of him as he confessed his reasons for defending Marinette's choice. "And it's the right thing." he finished, which sealed the deal in getting Jim to relent.

"Ugh, fine… I'll try not to go on about this with you, Marinette." Jim said, deciding to try and let the matter go… for now.

"Thanks, Jimbo!" Marinette cheered, happy that they wouldn't be arguing about this anymore.

"In any case, I don't have to worry too much about him if he's back to being homeschooled. So it's in my best interest to not stress about it." Jim happily remarked, blissfully leaning back against the bike railing he and Toby were sitting next to while a wince appeared on Marinette's face.

"Um, actually…" Marinette began, immediately pulling Jim out of his relaxed state.

"What did you do!?" Jim quickly questioned, knowing full well what that certain expression usually meant.

"I wasn't about to be the person to prevent Adrien from going back to school. So Master Fu copied the pages of the book and I…" Marinette regaled before trailing off towards the end of her confession. But that was all Jim needed to connect the dots she left behind.

"You gave his dad the book back!? Just so Adrien could go back to school?!" Jim yelled in shock, sitting up straight as Marinette nodded in confirmation. "That's…" he began, yet again ready to criticize the boy his sister was crushing before he had to stop himself.

"Very… nice of you, sis." Jim tensely finished, deciding to keep his promise even if it killed him at that moment. "I sure hope he's groveling at your feet for what you did for him." the Trolllhunter added, only for Marinette to look away to the ground and give away her answer yet again.

"HE DOESN'T KNOW!?!?!" Jim shouted, eyes bulging at his sister with the news.

"I'm with Jim on this one, Mari. Why doesn't he know?" Toby asked, shocked that Marinette repeated 'The Scarf Incident' and didn't tell Adrien what she did for him.

"Mainly because I asked his father to not say anything." Marinette replied, shrugging her shoulders. "And I also didn't want him to feel like he owed me for helping him out. Him being my friend is more than enough reason for me to do that." the designer explained, leaving both boys speechless with her admission.

"Ugh, you are making it very hard to not break my earlier promise! Why do you have to have such a heart of gold?" Jim rhetorically questioned his sister, honestly blown away by how much kindness she showed daily.

"It was just the right thing to do. You know I would have done the same for you guys too." Marinette answered, not thinking too much of her brother's remark.

"True. But seriously, Adrien has no idea what he's missing." Toby added, making Marinette's cheeks turn red at the compliment.

"Thanks, boys. That means a lot." Marinette thanked them, only for the lunch bell on the boy's end to ring. "Looks like the fun's over." the pigtailed girl pointed out, making the boys groan at their predicament.

"And much too soon for our liking." Toby whined, followed by him and Jim starting to pack up their bags.

"In any case, we better get to class before we miss the final bell." Jim said, hoping to avoid being late again as he and Toby rose to their feet, the Trollhutner still holding his phone in his hand.

"Fair enough. See you guys tomorrow." Marinette farewelled, waving to them.

"Bye, sis!" Jim and Toby replied, waving back to her as well before they hung up the call.

With that part of her nightly routine taken care of, Marinette turned off her computer and headed to bed. As she slipped under the covers and happily drifted off to sleep, she was also excited for what would come the next day, and couldn't wait to wake up the next morning.

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(Time Skip)

The next day at Collège Françoise Dupont, the students were ecstatic by the sight of Adrien's car pulling up on the front curb, immediately revealing that he had returned. Just as Adrien stepped out of his car, everyone ran up to greet him, Nino being the first to share a hug with his best bud. However, he was pulled aside by Chloé before she leapt into Adrien's arms, overjoyed to see him and taking a selfie of them after she was lowered to the ground. Following the heiress's greeting, the crowd of remaining students also surrounded him, glad to have Adrien back with them.

But while Adrien was being greeted by the masses, he was unaware of Marinette watching from behind the school's front doorway with Alya by her side. When she saw that Adrien had indeed returned, she couldn't help the sigh that escaped her and leaned back against the wall in relief.

"Looks like someone is happy to see Adrien back at school." Alya happily remarked as she gently grasped her best friend's shoulders, a soft smile gracing her face.

"That I am, Alya! That I am!" Marinette cheered, followed by her hopping up into the air with a whoop of joy.

"Okay girl, calm down!" Alya said with a chuckle, smiling as she gently pulled Marinette back to the ground. "Now we better get to class before we are late." the reporter added, bringing Marinette's glee-filled attention back to her.

"Alright, you have a point. Let's head on up." Marinette agreed before the two girls made their way up to their homeroom class.

It didn't take them long to arrive at their classroom door, considering they were previously standing by the stairs leading up to where their classroom was. But after they walked inside, they soon saw that no one else except for Ms. Bustier was in the room. However, they weren't surprised since they knew that they were all still greeting Adrien at the front of the school and simply made their way to their desks, their footsteps alerting their teacher.

"Ah, hello girls!" Ms Bustier greeted them, turning her attention away from the whiteboard to greet them.

"Hello, Ms!" the girls replied, climbing up the stairs to their joint desk.

"Oh, Marinette! Before you sit down, could you come here please?" Ms Bustier questioned, surprising the pigtailed girl

"Sure, Ms." Marinette responded with a nod, placing her bag into her seat before walking up to her teacher's desk and standing in front of it. "So, what is it you wanted to speak to me about, miss?" the designer questioned, a slight tinge of nervousness lacing her voice.

"I was wondering if you would be keen on showing Lila around the school at some point?" Miss Bustier explained, surprising Marinette with her teacher's request.

"But… wasn't her first day, yesterday?" Alya spoke up, herself confused by Miss Bustier's request as well.

"Yes, it was." Miss Bustier confirmed. "However, I don't know if you've heard that she had been akumatized that same day too." the teacher revealed, leaving Alya shocked.

"Oh my gosh! That's horrible!" Alya gasped out, which left Marinette feeling guilty for her part in the new girl's akumatization.

"Indeed. Which is why I thought that it would be good for Lila to have someone to help her feel safer here." Miss Bustier continued, followed by her clasping her hands together before she finally said… "And I thought of no one better than our very own class representative to be the one to do so."

"That's a great idea, miss!!" Alya cheered, oblivious to Marinette's wide-eye staring at their teacher.

"Thank you, Alya." Ms. Bustier thanked, only to turn her attention back to Marinette. "So, what do you say?" the teacher asked, bringing Marinette out of her shock and back to the matter at hand

"Uh…" Marinette began, not sure of how to respond.

On one hand, she was still a little wary of Lila and her actions from the previous day, especially her actions as Volpina. But on the other hand, she was just as much to blame for what had happened and she knew it too. And in true Marinette fashion, her guilt had won over her decision.

"I don't mind showing Lila around, miss." the designer finally answered, making a smile appear on Ms. Bustier's face.

"Wonderful! I'll let her know that you'll be meeting up with her at lunch." Ms. Bustier announced with a smile, happy that Marinette had agreed.

"Sounds great. I can't wait." Marinette replied as she went back up to her seat, sliding next to a baffled Alya while Ms Bustier went back to writing on the board.

"Gurl, are you okay?" Alya questioned her bestie, drawing the pigtailed girl's attention to her.

"Yes. Why?" Marinette asked, an intrigued eyebrow raised at Alya.

"It's just… you weren't exactly Lila's biggest fan yesterday. And now you are willing to be her guide around the school? It's a little unusual." Alya pointed out in a quiet voice, hoping to not worry Ms. Bustier about the information since she asked Marinette to show Lila around. "So, what's going on?" the reporter once again inquired.

"Nothing's going on, Alya. I just want Lila to feel welcome after what she went through." Marinette replied, purposely excluding the part where she felt guilty about the day before. "No one deserves to be akumatized, let alone on their first day of school." the red-tipped-haired girl stated, which seemed to settle Alya's worries.

"Okay. But you'll tell me if something is wrong, right?" Alya asked, responding with Marinette pulling her in for a side hug.

"You'd be the first to know." Marinette announced, bringing a smile to Alya's face. "After Jim and Toby of course." the designer added with a sly smirk, causing an appalled expression to replace Alya's smile

"Oh, you little sneak!" Alya exclaimed before she started tickling Marinette, leading the two girls to loudly laugh as it 'escalated'.

"Alright, I yield! I YIELD!!!" Marinette shrieked in her laughter, having enough of the tickling assault and unintentionally drawing their teacher's attention.

"Girls?" Ms Bustier called to the two girls, making both Alya and Marinette turn to face her. "If you'd please settle down before class starts?" the red-haired woman requested, a playful glare and smirk appearing on her face.

"Sorry miss." Both girls apologized, quickly settling down in time to watch as their classmates started coming in for the start of their lesson.

"You were joking, right?" Alya quietly whispered to Marinette, once again drawing her attention to turn and face Alya once again. "You'd tell me first of something going on?" the bespeckled girl asked, a little worried that Marinette was serious before.

"Of course, I would." Marinette assured, earning a sigh of relief from Alya before she turned to face the board. 'As much as I can, anyway.' the designer thought to herself as she copied her best friend, the lesson finally starting when everyone; Adrien included, were in their seats and ready to learn.

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On the other side of town within the Agreste Mansion, Gabriel and Nathalie were in the fashion mogul's atelier while he looked through the pages of the Miraculous book on his computer monitor. At the sight of the digital version of the Spellbook, however, Nathalie was left in slight confusion since she didn't know that her boss had it to begin with.

"Sir, if you already had a copy of the book, why'd you go through all that trouble?" Nathalie asked, genuinely curious about Gabriel's actions while watching him turn to face the portrait of his wife.

"I did what I had to do to keep my secret." Gabriel simply replied after he reached the portrait, followed by running his fingers along the surface of the canvas in search of the hidden buttons within.

Upon finding them, Gabriel pressed them and activated the code that opened the secret floor hatch below him, taking him right to his lair. After arriving in the secret area beneath his own home, Gabriel took out the jewelry box continuing his Miraculous and opened it, allowing an orb of purple light to appear and transform back into Nooroo.

"Happy to see me again?" Gabriel greeted the newly corporeal kwami floating in front of him, a smug smirk playing at the edges of his lips.

"At your service, Master." Nooroo sadly replied, bowing his head to his holder. Not even a second after Nooroo had greeted his captor, Gabriel walked to the center of his lair and pinned his Miraculous back onto his suit's undershirt.

"Nooroo, dark wings rise!" Gabriel proclaimed, causing Nooroo to be absorbed back into the Miraculous and transform Gabriel into Hawkmoth once more. With his transformation complete, the resident supervillain directed his gaze towards the open lair window and looked out at the city with a glare.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir — you almost managed to find out who I am. But now I am more above suspicion than I've ever been." Hawkmoth stated out loud, glad that his plan had worked in keeping his illicit activities under wraps for now. "As of today, nothing will prevent me from getting your Miraculous, and making my greatest wish come true!" the city's supervillain exclaimed, opening his arms wide as he made his announcement.

"All I need to do now is wait for my next prey." Hawkmoth concluded, followed by a deep cackle as he continued to glare out at the city, eager to make good on his threat.

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After the school day had ended, everyone had gone back home. Following Ms. Bustier's request for Marinette to show Lila around the school, the designer had done so during lunch and the two of them seemed to hit off pretty well. But that was pushed to the back of Marinette's mind as she transformed into Ladybug and made her way to meet up with Chat Noir at their usual patrol spot. Thankfully for Ladybug, she didn't have to wait for her partner to arrive as she spotted Chat Noir heading towards the Eiffel Tower just after landing on the monument herself.

"Hey, kitty!" Ladybug greeted her partner after he landed in front of her on the highest platform of the Eiffel Tower.

"Hello, M'Lady! I hope that you've had a good day." Chat Noir replied, giving her a bow as he greeted her like the gentle cat he was.

"It was pretty good. How about yours?" Ladybug fired back, their usual banter starting up once more now that they were alone without the worry of cameras catching them.

"Same here." Chat Noir said, followed by his face growing to accommodate a look of thoughtfulness. "But I think we need to talk about yesterday." the feline added, reminding Ladybug of the promise she made to him yesterday.

"Yeah, we do." Ladybug admitted, walking to the edge of the platform they were on and sitting down on it, looking out at the city as she waited for Chat Noir to continue.

"So, now that we aren't being chased by an akuma… care to explain how you ended up thinking Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth?" Chat Noir asked as he followed her example and sat next to her on the edge of the platform.

"I will after you tell me why you were acting so strange about it. You worried me yesterday." Ladybug countered, hoping to find out the root of why Chat Noir was acting strange the previous day.

"Fair enough. I guess my head wasn't really in the right mindset yesterday." Chat Noir remarked, looking back and realizing why Ladybug was asking such a personal question.

"So… care to tell me?" Ladybug questioned.

"It's… complicated." Chat Noir admitted, not quite used to talking about his home life but was willing to give it a shot so that the girl he loved would be at ease. "I can't explain much since it ties to my civilian life. But our earlier situation had hit a little too close to home for me." the hero in black began, starting to explain his home life's previous state as generically as possible.

"I lost my mom a while ago… leaving me alone with my dad. He wasn't the most affectionate person in the world, which put a strain on our relationship before my mom left." Chat Noir explained, treading the waters with how deep he could go with this type of explanation. But he seemed to have done a good job if Ladybug's concerned-filled features were anything to go off of.

"Chat… I'm so sorry." Ladybug apologized, placing a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"It's okay. He's recently been more open with me and we've been getting better at talking to each other." Chat Noir assured her, a small smile appearing on his face due to her concern. "But from what I had heard, Adrien and his father have had a similar situation to mine and it…" the feline trailed off, not knowing how to explain this part.

"Stirred up some lingering feelings?" Ladybug supplied, causing Chat Noir to nod and prompting her to pull him into a tight hug. "I'm sorry, kitty. I didn't realize…" the heroine in red began, surprised by what she had learned of her normally outgoing partner and also glad to see a more sensitive side to him.

"Hey, it's okay. No harm done, right?" Chat Noir replied as he hugged her back, appreciating the support Ladybug was giving him before he pulled away from the hug. "But now that I opened up to you, care to share your story?" the hero in black asked, hoping to redirect the topic to Ladybug's reasons for suspecting Gabriel Agreste in the first place.

"It's only right." Ladybug said, feeling like she needed to be open now that he had been with her. "So, the main reason why I thought Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth was mainly because of a theory Master Fu had." the heroine in red revealed, which seemed to leave Chat Noir quite surprised.

"Wait… what?" Chat Noir exclaimed, finding her explanation the last thing he expected to hear.

"Want me to explain?" Ladybug questioned, an amused smile gracing her lips due to his reaction.

"Yes, please!" Chat Noir said, wanting to know the details of this revelation.

From that point on, their conversation dove deep into Ladybug's interaction with Master Fu the previous day, including how Volpina had been akumatized as well. Considering Lila's ties to the book, Ladybug felt like she had to explain how she ended up looking like a real Miraculous Holder in her time as an akuma. Upon hearing of the part about Lila stealing the book; and subsequently realizing that he didn't lose it at all, Chat Noir had to suppress his shock/slight anger at the information before Ladybug kept going.

When asked how she came into possession of the book that started the whole of yesterday's mess, Ladybug also revealed that Marinette was the one who got the Spellbook off of Lila. She also went the extra mile and said that 'Marinette' had flagged her down after Volpina had been taken care of and gave it to her after she had a look through it, hoping to keep her identity a secret for that much longer. But while Chat was left in awe of Marinette's part in this, Ladybug took to skipping over it to explain what Master Fu had told her after she gave the book to him.

The explanation had finally allowed the feline to see why their mentor had Ladybug thinking Gabriel Agreste was their enemy… and he couldn't blame her for doing so after her retelling. Needless to say, despite the mess the Spellbook had caused and the reveal of how significant it was to their cause, it stunned Chat Noir and further intrigued than what Plagg had already told him of it.

"And that's how I ended up thinking Gabriel was Hawkmoth." Ladybug concluded, finishing her retelling of the events leading up to their encounter with The Collector and her earlier theory. "But it obviously ended up being false, so we're back to square one on the suspect list." the spotted heroine sighed, slumping over in defeat at their situation.

"Hey, we'll figure out who Hawkmoth is at some stage." Chat Noir announced, placing a comforting hand on Ladybug's shoulder as he spoke. "But we'll do it together." the feline added, making a smile appear on Ladybug's lips.

"Thanks, Kitty. I don't know what I would do without you." Ladybug praised, glad to have such an understanding and supportive partner in Chat Noir.

"You're welcome, M'Lady. But I do have one last question." Chat Noir said, hoping to have the last lingering thought in the back of his mind since their resolve.

"Go on." Ladybug said, encouraging him to continue.

"From what I heard, Adrien was let back into school. But if Master Fu has the book, why did Gabriel let his son go back to school?" Chat Noir inquired, now curious as to how his father had gotten the book back when the obvious choice for Master Fu to have made was to keep the book instead.

"Oh, that." Ladybug said, seeming not keen on revealing that detail before she continued. "Remember when I said that Marinette had gotten the book off of Lila and gave it to me after Volpina was freed?" Ladybug asked her partner, causing Chat Noir to nod and prompt her to continue telling him what happened.

"Well, when she found out what had happened, she flagged me down and asked for the book back so she could return it to Gabriel Agreste." Ladybug explained, Chat Noir listening with rapt attention. "So after Master Fu copied down the pages, I gave it to her so that she could give it back to its rightful owner, settling the matter once and for all." the red heroine finished, leaving Chat Noir in surprise with the new information.

"Really? She returned the book to him?" Chat Noir asked, causing Ladybug to nod 'yes' in response. "Does Adrien know?" the hero in black inquired, even though he already knew the answer.

"No, he doesn't." Ladybug replied, leaving Chat Noir needing to fake being shocked at her confession.

"Why not?" Chat Noir questioned, wanting some kind of answer as to why his classmate would not want him to know.

"Probably because she is his friend and it was the right thing. Plus, the added part of her not wanting him to feel like he owes her anything." Ladybug pointed out, thinking it was such an obvious answer.

"Yeah. But… don't you think he should know?" Chat Noir asked, finding the fact of him being left in the dark about this a little disturbing, even if Marinette had her reasons for keeping quiet.

"Maybe…" Ladybug replied, seeing Chat Noir's point. "But it was Marinette's choice. So we should respect it." she added, hoping it would be enough of an answer to satisfy her partner.

"Touche." Chat Noir replied, his gaze quickly wandering to the ground below the tower as his thoughts swirled around his head.

"In any case, we better get started on our patrol." Ladybug decided, hoping to drop the matter and focus on their duty to the city. "I'll take the west, and you take the east." the spotted heroine said, taking out her yo-yo as she spoke.

"Sounds good." Chat Noir agreed in what seemed like a distracted tone, not watching Ladybug as she got ready to leave. But before she got ready to throw her yo-yo out into the city, she saw that her partner hadn't moved yet.

"Chat, are you coming?" Ladybug asked, pulling Chat Noir's attention back to her.

"Yeah… I'm coming." Chat Noir replied, assuring Ladybug that he would be helping out. "But you go on ahead. I'll catch up." he added, wanting to take a moment to think before heading out.

"O…kay. I'll see you out there." Ladybug said, finding Chat Noir's behavior strange before she swung off the monument, leaving Chat Noir by himself.

"Yeah… see you out there." Chat Noir muttered as he turned to gaze over in the direction of the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, his thoughts solely on the girl who had helped him.

"She did that for me? And didn't even want any recognition for it?" Chat Noir breathed out, not believing his classmate/friend was so kind to do that for him that a happy smile appeared on his face. "Wow… Marinette is amazing!" the feline gushed, happiness flooding him at the new information he had received.

With that, he used his staff to leap off the Eiffel Tower with a joyful shout, heading down his designated patrol route. His mood even lasted well after he met back up with Ladybug before heading back home and falling asleep with a smile. And if Marinette had woken up to find a pink rose on the shelf above her bed, who's to say there was a connection to Adrien's gratitude for her help?

Chapter Text

A few weeks after Marinette's encounters with Volpina and The Collector, things over on Jim's end of the globe were finally getting interesting. After the incident in Toby's dentist's office, the boy and their Troll friends had kept trying to find evidence to prove their claims to Vendel, only to come up empty. But that was all going to change on one fateful night…

Well after the day had turned into night, a pair of glowing yellow eyes were aimed at the Nuñez house before a goblin quickly scuttled towards the home. When the small panting creature had reached the front porch, it jumped to the thick pole of the awning and rapidly climbed up to the second story. The goblin then scampered onto the roof and peered inside the first open window it came across, finding a young girl lying under the covers of her bed. Disappointed in not finding its target right away, the green pest continued running along the roof and reached another open window, seeming to have been waiting for the creature's entry.

Upon seeing the sleeping inhabitant within the room, the intruding goblin let out a pleased laugh before crawling up the window and into the room. After entering the room, the goblin's eyes scanned the walls covered in stars coming from a rotating mobile above a baby's crib, before jumping on top of it. Now perched on the mobile, the goblin jumped down to the crib and peered down to find a blonde-haired child peacefully sleeping within, a small bunny with the child as he lovingly embraced it. Hearing the movement, Baby Enrique; the baby the goblin had come to take, sadly awoke and cooed at the invading creature, his pacifier popping from his mouth.

"Aw…" the goblin cooed at the baby reaching for him, his long limbs easily balancing him on the ledges of the crib while he smiled widely at Enrique. "Ooh! Chaka, Chaka, Chaka, Chaka." the little green pest purred, Enrique having no idea that he was in such a dangerous situation as he kept trying to reach for the leader of the goblins.

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The next morning came very quickly after the goblins' leader had invited himself into the Nuñes home, but no one had been made aware of what had happened. This also included Jim and Toby, who were spending their afternoon after class watching the new and improved Vespa slowly circle in the window of their town's dealership.

"Check that baby out." Toby said as they watched the Vespa through the window in front of them, their reflections bouncing off the glass surface while Jim exhaled.

"Vespa 300 GTS Super. Single-cylinder catalyzed four-stroke Quasar engine. Hmm…" Jim gushed, his nerdy side showing as he listed off the winning qualities of the vehicle he and Toby were staring at, both boys smiling at it. "Can you imagine me going down the road on that? Wind whipping through my hair, Claire holding tight to my back…" the Trollhunter said, already thinking about the scenario he was describing and imagining it happening in real life.

"And me, cruising in the sidecar next to ya." Toby cut in, trying to dream as Jim did but ended up earning an adorable glare from his best friend instead. "Oh. You imagined you and Claire alone, didn't you?" the geology nerd realized, followed by Jim moving away from the window as he let out a large sigh.

"What are the chances of your mom getting you one for your birthday?" Toby wondered as he stepped between Jim and the window, pointing at the display behind him.

"Only slightly worse than me winning the lottery and buying it myself." Jim admitted, not hopeful of his chances.

"What about your grandma? You know she wouldn't be against you following in her footsteps in the motor vehicle department." Toby pointed out, knowing full well of Jim's paternal grandmother's hobbies. "Heck, she'd probably give you a motorcycle instead!" the rounded boy exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air in his excitement.

Fun little fact, part of Jim's love of Vespas had come from his Grandma Gina when he first saw her rolling up to his house on her motorcycle when he was 8. Ever since then, he had fallen in love with the class of vehicle and wanted one of his own, which had left Gina very pleased to hear. But there was only one problem with Toby's idea…

"Yeah… over Mom's dead body. As much as she loves Grandma Gina, I don't think she likes her enough for her to get away with that." Jim replied, already envisioning the clash between his family members on that matter.

"Good point." Toby muttered, now seeing that his best friend had a point. "Well, how much have you saved?" the geology nerd asked, bringing the conversation back to the possibility of Jim buying the Vespa himself.

"Only 328 bucks and 32 cents." Jim reported in a less-than-hopeful tone, knowing the odds were against him. "By the time I have enough, these things will drive themselves." the blue-eyed boy sighed, only for his attention to be caught by an unusual sight he saw in the window of the displayed Vespa. The sight that had caught the Trollhunter's eyes was a goblin carrying what sounded like a swaddled baby as it ran across a roof that was in Jim's view of the reflective window.

"Do you see that?" Jim exclaimed to Toby, pointing at the window's reflection as the Goblin ran off and startling Toby enough to turn in the direction Jim's finger pointed.

As he did and missed the evidence, Jim turned away from the reflection to try and spot the goblin again, his eyes quickly catching the leader of such revolting creatures once again. Once Jim had the goblin in his sights again, he could only watch as the creature ran across a power line after making sure no human had seen him, the baby still in his arms.

"Goblin!" Jim cried out when he confirmed what the figure he had seen was before taking off in the same direction that the goblin had been going.

"What?" Toby said, quickly turning away from searching the window as his friend ran after the evil creature.

"It's a goblin, with a baby!" Jim exclaimed as he chased after the retreating pest, Toby following after his friend.

"Come on, Jim! It's just a bird!" Toby yelled to his friend as he lagged behind, thinking that Jim had become delusional since the rounded boy didn't see the goblin.

But that didn't stop Jim from continuing his chase, soon turning to head down an alleyway in his following of the triumphantly laughing creature. Despite the height disadvantage, Jim kept on following after the goblin but had to stop when he reached the edge of the alley, finding no goblin for it was too quick for him. Having no other option left, Jim searched the area of the alley and soon found a small stuffed animal lying helplessly on the concrete a few feet away from him. The boy then gently retrieved the stuffed bunny, staring at it just as Toby had finally caught up to his best friend.

"Chill out, man! I think you're starting to hallucinate!" Toby exclaimed after he approached Jim, thinking his best friend was too stressed recently to be thinking straight. "What would a goblin want with a baby?" the geology nerd ranted, all while Jim took his time inspecting the small child's toy and Toby had caught sight of the stuffed animal in his hands.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out." Jim declared as he looked up where the goblin had been, right as Toby peered over his shoulder to see the object in his hands.

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A while after Jim saw the goblin and the baby, the two boys made their way down to Heartstone Trollmarket for Jim's daily training session. This one proved to be a doozie when Jim found himself reaching for a crevice on a stone climbing wall in the Hero's Forge, a canyon underneath him to encourage him to not fall. Thankfully for the Trollhunter, while he had to scale up the wall in his armor, the wall proved to not be as smooth as it looked from far away, and he had a safety line wrapped around him just in case. The only downside was that the armor had made it more difficult to pull himself to the top.

"Let me get this straight…" Jim grunted as he pulled himself to the ledge his hand was holding onto, just starting his climb while telling Blinky what he had seen.

But before he could continue, his senses had caught the sound of gears turning within the walls and tipped him off to the stream of fire that followed the noise. The boy only had a nanosecond to release his left hand on the wall and swing away from the fire, resulting in him being barely grazed by the obstacle. After a few fear-filled seconds of watching the flames, the stream finally died out and allowed Jim to swing himself back into place and carry on up the wall.

"They steal babies... so they can replace them... with changelings?" the armored boy questioned as he kept climbing, going over what Blinky had explained to him while his mentor, Aaarrrgghh!!!, and Toby watched from above.

"Precisely, Master Jim." Blinky confirmed from the top of the climbing wall, well above Jim as he reached the ⅛ mark.

"Uh, allegedly steal. I just saw a bird." Toby countered, sitting next to Aaarrrgghh!!! while the large Troll kept a hold of the safety line around Jim's waist. "Plus I think you're still on edge because Adrien is still going to school with Marifairy and you're trying to find something to distract yourself." the rounded boy added with a sly smirk, causing Jim to look up at him and lose focus on his climbing.

"TOBY, THIS IS NOT THE TIME!!!" Jim shouted at his best friend, an annoyed glare sent Toby's way while the two Trolls in attendance looked at the second boy with curious expressions.

"Who is this 'Adrien' fellow, Tobias?" Blinky asked, intrigued by the new name Toby had mentioned and what the connection between them and Jim's sister was.

"Oh, he's the guy Marinette's crushing on." Toby explained as he pulled out his phone and opened up his gallery app, showing Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!! a picture of Adrien he had found in his spare time.

"Lady Marinette has a suitor?" Blinky nearly cheered, excited to hear that Marinette seemed to already be turning heads with her natural charm.

"NOT A SUITOR!!!" Jim yelled up to the others, slowly making his way up the wall while glaring at Blinky for suggesting such a thing.

"Eh, as much as I hate to agree with Jim on this, he's right." Toby unwillingly admitted, a frowny pout present on his face. "Marinette's got her eye on him, but Adrien doesn't seem to yet." the rounded boy explained, putting his phone back into his pocket.

"Is that why Master Jim seems to not like talking about him?" Blinky questioned Toby, genuinely curious as to why his pupil was so tense on this particular subject.

"More like I think he's unworthy of dating my sister." Jim elaborated as he reached for another ledge, only to hear the telltale sound of the flame spout activating and making him swing away to avoid the stream of fire once more.

"Unworthy?" Aaarrrgghh!!! asked, still keeping a hold of the safety line while Jim swung back into place after the flames died down again.

"Marinette's tried so many times to either get him to notice her or tell him how she feels. And every time, it fails spectacularly." Jim regaled, continuing to climb up the wall and reaching the first quarter mark of his climb. "To top it all off, Adrien is oblivious to all of this!" the Trollhunter ranted, gripping the rock a little tighter as he suppressed the growl he was about to let out.

"Oh, my!" Blinky yelped, shocked by the news.

"Okay, he's a fixer-upper. But who isn't?" Toby pointed out, trying to not only persuade his Troll friends but also Jim to give Adrien a chance for Marinette's sake.

"He's more like a demolition site, Toby." Jim argued, lifting himself further up the wall and all the closer to his friends at the top. "Granted, I like him as a person. But I don't like the idea of him dating her with all that's happened up till this point, and since he's also childhood friends with Marinette's bully." the blue-eyed boy added, all while trying to keep his focus on not falling from the wall.

"Yeah, but he's the total opposite of Chloé, and easy to get along with." Toby rebutted, now placing his head in his hands as his limbs rested on his thighs by the elbows in his exasperation of Jim's stubbornness.

"Perhaps you need to ease up on him, Master Jim." Blinky spoke up, feeling like Jim was being unreasonable the more he heard about this boy Marinette had her eye on.

"Marinette's already asked me to do that. Her love life is the one thing we can't agree on." Jim remarked as he reached for another ledge, soon stopping to catch his breath for a second before continuing forward. "Especially since I think Chat Noir is a better match for her." Jim added before he started climbing again, a tense frown appearing on his now concentrated expression.

"Her partner?" Aaarrrgghh!!! asked, remembering the previously mentioned name from an earlier conversation between the Trolls and two boys.

"He's done so much more for her than Adrien ever will, and has helped her to embrace the more confident side of herself when she's Ladybug." Jim explained, diving deeper into his somewhat dislike of Adrien. "That's why I'm so hard on Adrien… he's got a lot to improve on." the Trollhunter stated, still climbing up the wall.

"If I may ask, Master Jim… how old is this Adrien?" Blinky inquired, deciding to take a new approach to his information gathering.

"He turned 14 shortly after Marinette started school this year." Jim replied, taking a second to look up at his mentor above him.

"And if I recall correctly, you said that Marinette is 13?" Blinky recalled, lifting his top left hand to his chin as he looked up at the ceiling in thought.

"Yep, that's right. Turning 14 in a few weeks." Toby confirmed, turning his head towards Blinky while not taking it away from his perched hands.

"In any case, I feel you are being too hard on the poor boy, Master Jim." Blinky admitted, leaving Jim shocked.

"WHAT!" Jim exclaimed, so distracted that he grabbed the wrong ledge and nearly slipped off of the rock wall.

"THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING!!" Toby cheered, finally taking his head out of his hands while Jim managed to catch himself from falling. Once he did, Jim frantically clung to the wall and once again stopped to catch his breath, waiting for his heart rate to slow to a more manageable pace.

"Blinky… why are you…" Jim stammered, still trying to get his racing heart under control.

"Master Jim, you are still young and are still making mistakes. Both Marinette and Adrien are no exception from what I'm hearing." Blinky explained, hoping that his perspective would help Jim be more open to this Adrien boy. "If anything, I have to go with Tobias on this one." the six-eyed Troll added, causing a wide smile to appear on Toby's face after he spoke.

"YES!!!" Toby hollered, jumping up from his sitting down to jump up and fist bump into the air.

"Oh, come on!!! Really?!" Jim whined, not believing Blinky was not taking his side of the argument.

"Call me a sucker for the underdog." Blinky said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, referencing his constant support of Jim against the masses of Heartstone.

"What about you, Aaarrrgghh!!!? What do you think?" Jim asked the large Troll, surpassing the halfway point as he continued up the wall.

"Impartial." Aaarrrgghh!!! replied, still holding onto the rope around Jim's waist as he decided to not take sides in this battle.

"Really!? No one is with me on this?" Jim ranted as he kept going up, feeling a little ganged up at the moment while Toby laughed at his frustration.

"Sorry, Jimbo!" Toby apologized, even though his cheery-sounding voice seemed to not carry the same sentiment.

"Yeah, yeah. No need to rub it in." Jim groaned, still climbing up the wall. "Can we get back to talking about what I saw earlier?" the Trollhunter requested, hoping to redirect the focus on more important matters.

"Yes, of course." Blinky said, watching as Jim reached a new ledge on the wall and climbed up to stand on it. "As I was about to say before we went into our tangent, for a Changeling to maintain its appearance in our world, no harm must come to the human child in theirs." the six-eyed Troll yelled down to his charge

"I assure you, there is no safer place for a baby to be than the bowels of the Darklands nursery." Blinky added while Jim had begun creeping along the rock wall in search of his next handhold.

While he kept his back pressed against the wall, Jim slowly inched to the excess safety line dangling in front of him so he could use it to climb to the top. However, as he was about to reach the safety rope, another fire stream erupted from the wall behind him, frightening Jim as he pressed himself even closer to the wall out of reflex.

"Well, that's good to know!" Jim loudly stated before he went back to his attempt to grab a surefire way to the top.

"Whoa! Hold on, there." Toby spoke up, starting to feed Aaarrrgghh!! one of the old VHS tapes he brought in his backpack. "Okay, suppose they did take the baby to the Darklands. Isn't that where Gunmar is trying to escape from?" the rounded boy questioned as he continued to feed the large troll.

"The doorway to his realm is sealed for now, but it doesn't exonerate the cracks that inevitably form over time." Blinky solemnly replied, revealing the dark truth that has allowed evil forces to run rampant amongst Troll Kind and the world above all this time. "Cracks that allow small things to pass." the blue-skinned Troll added, bringing his fingers up to his face and nearly pressing them together for emphasis.

"Small, like babies and goblins." Aaarrrgghh!!! clarified, holding his hands in such a way as to demonstrate just how big the things the aforementioned cracks could let pass, leaving Toby in surprise.

"So, if we can find out whose baby was stolen, we'll find a changeling in its place, right?" Jim pitched in as he kept creeping around the rock pillar, only for the sound of more gears turning to echo around him followed by an array of fire blasts appearing.

However, Jim was quickly cornered when the fire appeared on both of the farthest sides and the ones closest to him, pinning him from going any further. But by now he had the pattern down and knew that the next one would appear right where he was standing, which was seconds away from frying the Trollhunter. So with no other choice, Jim jumped from the rock just as the last torch blew, grabbing onto the rock above him and clinging onto it.

"And once we have the changeling…" Jim grunted out as he kept clinging onto the rock, only to discover he had nothing to grip onto and started slipping off the rock. "…we'll have the proof to finally convince VenDEL-" the Trollhunter continued, his words cut short as he let out a piercing scream while tumbling off the rock and into the lonely, dark, trench below. But before Aaarrrgghh!!! could save him, the rope slipped from his hand.

"JIM!" Toby screamed, throwing his bag behind him and running to catch the end of the rope, even going as far as jumping over the edge of the bridge on top of the wall Jim had been climbing.

"NO!" Aaarrrgghh!!! yelled, quickly catching Toby before he fell as well. Luckily, Toby had managed to catch the rope, causing the Trollhunter to bounce to a stop and hang more than fifty feet from the ledge. "Got him!" the large Troll's deep voice reported, followed by him setting Toby back on the ground before pulling Jim up to safety.

"I told you I'd fall." Jim remarked to Blinky once he was with his friends, hanging in mid-air as he faced his mentor walking up to Aaarrrgghh!!!'s side.

"You fell because you knew you could. What if you're endangered and we aren't there?" Blinky argued while Aaarrrgghh!!! lowered the Trollhunter to his eye level, pointing out the flaw in Jim's retort. "Next time, we will climb sans the safety line." the six-eyed Troll declared as he walked past the pouting Jim, who was still hanging from the rope in Aaarrrgghh!!!'s hands.

"We will?" Jim repeated, shooting an incredulous look at Blinky before he folded his arms across his chest.

"The only lesson learned here today is that, with this many changelings, Arcadia is far more dangerous than previously thought, for the both of you." Blinky said, realizing the growing threats surrounding the two boys and the need to take action against them. "As Jim has Draal now to protect his home, Tobias, you will now have Aaarrrgghh!!! to protect yours." the four-armed mentor decided, causing Toby's face to light up with joy.

"Really? For real? We're gonna be roomies? Yeah!" Toby cheered, excited to have someone to hang out with him at home. "High-five, big guy!" the geology nerd exclaimed, holding out his hand for Aaarrrgghh!!! to return the gesture. But when the two of them high-five in celebration, Aaarrrgghh!!! made the fatal mistake of letting go of the rope, causing Jim to scream as he fell once again.

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While Jim was having a less-than-stellar time with his training, matters on Marinette's end were about to take another interesting turn. Things in Paris had grown pretty quiet after the duel akumatizations of Volpina and The Collector, but it still left both Adrien and Marinette on edge for what would happen next. But they decided to put those worries on the back burner when Marinette's dad came to their class to give the students pastry lessons, which quickly captured the student's attention.

"I'll let you in on a little secret. I always add cream to the chocolate to make the ganache extra velvety. Then I let it infuse for one minute." Tom told the class as he stood behind the teacher's desk, using it as his baking station as he whisked the ingredients in a bowl while the class surrounded him.

"I love it when your dad comes to class and gives us pastry lessons!" Alya whispered to Marinette, filming Tom as he worked so that she could try the recipe out at home.

"So does he!" Marinette replied with a giggle, followed by her turning her attention back to her dad like most of the other students. The key word being… most.

"Urgh! Do they seriously think I'm going to get my hands dirty, cooking like some maid?" Chloé questioned aloud, standing in the back of the group since she was the only one uninterested in the lesson. "If I want a croissant, I'd just make my butler get it for me." the heiress snootily remarked, turning her head away from the lesson to further demonstrate her dismissal of it.

"He's not making croissants, Chloé. Those are macarons!" Rose said in a chipper voice, taking a risk in correcting the blonde brat since she was, unfortunately, standing next to her. But after doing so, the girl in pink turned back to watch Tom as he began to pick up the pace of his baking.

"It's all done with a flick of the wrist. But you mustn't go too fast or you might splash yourself!" Tom explained to the students, rapidly whisking the contents within his bowl while he spoke.

"And soil my Chenal pants? Who's he kidding?" Chloé whined, crossing her arms over her chest as she turned her focus away from the lesson again. However, no one had paid her any mind this time, having had enough of Chloé's complaining and ignoring her.

"Look at this lovely emulsion." Tom said after he finished his whisking, showing the inside of the bowl to the students and leaving them surprised.

"It's beautiful!" Rose gushed, unaware of Chloé walking away from the group and standing near the windows. But while nearly all of the students had been oblivious to Chloé stepping away, Marinette had heard her footsteps and turned her attention away from her dad to watch Chloé as she dialed someone on her phone.

"Now we need to chill it for half an hour." Tom declared, having finished that part of the macarons. "Marinette?" the baker said, suddenly pulling Marinette's attention back to him.

"Yes, Dad?" Marinette replied, eager to help.

"Could you put this in the school cafeteria fridge for me, please?" Tom asked as he handed the bowl of combined ingredients to his daughter. "In the meantime, I'm going to show your friends how to whip up egg whites!" he added, capturing everyone's attention long enough to miss a smug smiling Chloé joining back up with the group once more.

"Of course!" Marinette said, now walking to the classroom door to carry out her task. However, once she was out of the classroom and in the hallway after closing the door behind her, Tikki flew out of her holder's purse just as Marinette reached the stairs leading to the cafeteria.

"Mmm, can I get a taste?" Tikki asked Marinette, entranced by the contents of the bowl after smelling it.

"Not yet, Tikki. Control that sweet tooth of yours." Marinette chided her kwami, softly booping Tikki's head with her finger and causing the little god to giggle. However, the sweet moment between the kwami and the girl was interrupted by the shrill sound of the fire alarm going off.

"Hide, Tikki!" the designer ordered her kwami, which Tikki followed by flying right back into Marinette's purse just as students started coming out of the surrounding classrooms.

"Quietly, students. Single file line, please. Just keep moving." Miss Bustier instructed the students, they and Tom followed her orders and headed down to the courtyard below. As they did, Chloé, who was the first one out of the classroom, had managed to send a glare at Marinette before going down the stairs, followed by the rest of the students.

"I hope it's only a fire drill." Tom voiced as he approached Marinette's side, causing the girl to softly growl at Chloé with the dreading feeling that it most likely wasn't.

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Needless to say, it wasn't a fire drill.

"So, some smart aleck had the bright idea of calling the fire department." Mr Damocles angrily announced once everyone had gathered in the courtyard, explaining the false situation to the students and causing them to gasp in shock. "Somebody amongst us thought it would be funny to waste the fire captain's valuable time." the principal deduced, immediately triggering Marinette to turn her head around to glare at Chloé as the heiress filed away at her nails unbothered.

"Yes, in fact, if you wouldn't mind I…" The fireman began, hoping to get back to work now that he was not needed to stop any fires.

"Hold on! I want the guilty party to apologize to you." Mr Damocles exclaimed, halting the fireman in his tracks. But despite Mr Damocles's hopes, no one had spoken up to take the blame.

"I'm sure it was Chloé. I saw her on her phone right before the alarm went off!" Marinette whispered to Alya through the quiet, hoping that Alya would side with her on this.

"You seeing her make a phone call isn't solid proof." Alya pointed out while readjusting her glasses, causing Marinette to sigh in frustration when she realized that her best friend was right.

"Mr. Damocles, sir?" Chloé spoke up, loudly breaking through the rest of the student's silence and drawing everyone's attention to her.

"Yes, Miss Bourgeois?" Mr Damocles questioned in a tired-sounding voice, hoping that she had something of importance to say.

"I saw a student leaving the classroom right before the alarm went off. It must have been her." Chloé claimed, shocking the principal with how relevant her words had been.

"Really? Who was it?" Mr. Damocles immediately interrogated, hoping to resolve the matter quickly.

"Let's see if she'll come clean." Chloé coyly remarked, a sly smirk appearing on her lips. "What do you say, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" the blond brat accused in a taunting tone, prompting all of the students; Marinette included, to gasp in shock.

"Marinette, do you have something to tell the firefighter captain?" Mr Damocles inquired, his voice taking on a disappointed air to it just as Marinette turned to gawk at her principal.

'He can't be serious, right!?!?!' Marinette thought to herself in disbelief, appealed that he was so quick to believe Chloé.

"Wait, excuse me, sir!" a voice to Marinette's right spoke up, causing everyone to turn and see that it had been Adrien. "It couldn't possibly be Marinette. Why would she disrupt her own father's cooking class?" Adrien argued, immediately coming to Marinette's defense.

"And I know for a fact that Marinette didn't even have her phone on her when she went out of the classroom."Alya added, following Adrien's example when seeing her bestie in a tight spot.

"Mr. Damocles, I must be heading out." The fireman spoke up, once again trying to leave so he could get back to work.

"Just one more second. We're very close to discovering the truth." Mr Damocles replied, once more denying the fireman his right to leave and causing him to sigh.

"Oh well, we all know it can't be me!" Chloé stated, even though everyone else knew that was the most bald-faced lie she ever said.

"I'm not gonna let her get away with this." Marinette whispered-growled to Alya. I've gotta tell…" the designer decided, only to be stopped by Adrien placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Hang on, Marinette. We don't know for sure if it was her." Adrien whispered in her ear, hoping to stop an unnecessary clash between the two girls from happening.

"He's right. Let's not stoop to her level." Alya agreed, turning to glare at a snickering Chloé. But that was the least of their problems when the fireman started to leave and Mr Damocles had enough of no one coming forward.

"Fine. Since no one is owning up, the whole school will be punished." Mr. Damocles declared, causing both the fireman and the student body to sigh in disappointment. However, one person was even more outraged than the others.

"What?! I'm not so sure my father will react kindly to me being punished without any proof!" Chloé threatened as she pulled out her phone from her pocket to call her dad, not at all happy to be included in the punishment.

"Oh, no! Please, don't disrupt the busy mayor!" Mr Damocles begged, immediately frightened by Chloé's threat before composing himself. "The whole school is punished except for Miss Bourgeois!" the principal corrected, once more making the students outraged with the unfair treatment.

"That's more like it." Chloé said, a smug smile on her face before she hung up her phone while Mr Damocles turned to face the fireman once again.

"Now you know how we deal with anyone who misuses the fire department's time." Mr Damocles told the fireman, happy to have solved the issue and ensured it wouldn't happen again.

"Okay, great! Bye!" The fireman yelled out as he ran to the exit, glad to finally be free to go back to work. Once head left, the students were now left to spread out to take part in the punishment Mr Damocles had in mind for them, all while Chloé and Sabrina stayed right where they were. Needless to say, the whole situation that just went down had left quite a few students unsettled; Adrien and Alya included.

"Do you see what just went down?" Alya questioned Marinette once everyone else was out of earshot, now convinced that her bestie was right and Chloé was at fault.

"I know." Marinette said, leading Alya to believe she was talking about the same thing before spying on the love-sick smile plastered onto the pigtailed girl's face. "Adrien just talked in my ear!" she squealed, holding the ear that Adrien had been close to as her face erupted into a cheery red.

"Seriously, Marinette?" Alya mumbled in annoyance, not believing that her best friend was choosing now to drift off into La La Land.

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A while after the earlier incident in the courtyard, the students of Collège Françoise Dupont were sentenced to work on cleaning the whole school from top to bottom. Well… everyone except Chloé, who was lounging on a bench and scrolling away on her phone when Rose came over to try and clean the surrounding area.

"Can't you see I'm trying to relax here? Go sweep somewhere else, Cinderella!" Chloé belittled Rose when she spotted her from the corner of her eye, making the poor girl whimper before she walked away with tears in her eyes. Unbeknownst to her, Adrien had been cleaning a line of windows nearby and saw the interaction between Chloé and Rose, leaving him angered by what he had seen enough to walk over to the heiress.

"Adrikins!" Chloé cheered, leaping up from the bench and latching onto the boy in an iron-like grip as she hugged him. "Have you come to join me?" the blonde brat questioned in a sweet-sounding voice, all while neither of them noticed Marinette staring at them from a distance, growling as her face turned red with fury.

"No, I'm not." Adrien managed to say, pulling Chloé off of him. "Were you the one that called the fire department?" the model asked while a stoney glare was painted across his face as he asked.

"Of course, it was me who did it. So what?" Chloé replied, unbothered by Adrien's blatant annoyance and anger towards her little 'joke'.

"And it doesn't bother you that everyone's being punished because of you?" Adrien scolded, appalled that Chloé was unbothered by the consequences of her actions on the rest of their classmates.

"No. Why would it? They all seem to enjoy getting dirty and making cookies. How's it any different than getting dirty and cleaning floors?" Chloé questioned, turning to gesture out at the working students. "They should be thanking me if anything." the heiress said with a self-satisfied smile, causing Adrien to sigh in disappointment while placing a hand on his shaking head. He didn't like what he was hearing and knew he needed to do something about it.

"Chloé, how long have you and I been friends?" Adrien asked, a tired look in his eyes thanks to Chloé's statement.

"Since we were adorable little tots, Adrikins." Chloé nearly squealed, turning her gaze back to him before 'adorably' pouting at him. But her show of sweetness did nothing to deter Adrien from finally saying…

"Well, I'm sorry Chloé, but I can't be friends with someone who treats other people like this. You've gotta be nice to people!" Adrien explained to his childhood friend, having enough of her behavior towards their classmates.

"N-Nice?" Chloé stammered, not used to hearing the word before turning back to see the hateful glares of their classmates being sent her way.

"Yes, nice. It's not that hard." Adrien stated before walking away to continue his share of the work. As he did, he missed Chloé sitting on the bench she had been previously lounging on, a blank depression on her face as she started thinking about the meaning behind Adrien's ultimatum.

Chapter Text

Very soon, the students had finished cleaning the school and were released for the rest of the following day since the firman incident had interrupted the rest of their classes. In fact, they were released so early that Marinette had to wait two hours for lunchtime to arrive to have her usual catch-up with Jim while her parents were still working in the bakery. Thankfully, she had just finished eating her lunch when her phone started buzzing to alert her that her brother was finally calling her. Seeing the familiar sight, prompted Marinette to press the 'Receive Call' button, letting Jim appear on her phone screen as she sat on the dining room table.

"Hey, bro! How's it going?" Marinette greeted the boy, placing her phone against the potted plant so she could have her hands free.

"Pretty good Mari, pretty good. How was your…" Jim began, only to trail off when he saw the background behind his sister. "Wait… are you at home, right now?" the junior chef asked, an inquisitive eyebrow raised at Marinette.

"Yeah… it's a bit of a long story." Marinette bashfully replied, rubbing the back of her neck as she sat on one of the table's stools.

"What happened? Another akuma at school?" Jim questioned, hoping that it wasn't the case since it was starting to affect Marinette's attendance.

"More like Chloé deciding to make life miserable for everyone… again." Marinette revealed, a sigh escaping her lips afterwards.

"Oh boy… what did she do now?" Jim asked with a roll of his eyes, already tired of Chloé's latest stunt before he even heard what it was.

"Want the short version or the long version?" Marinette inquired, a soft smile appearing on her lips.

"Either one will do depending on how much time you have." Jim answered, willing to hear anything his sister could give him considering how entertaining her recounts had been recently.

"Well, I've got the girls coming over to do a photo shoot for my in-progress fashion blog in a half-hour, so… probably the short version." Marinette admitted, scratching her chin in thought as she determined the best option for their limited time.

"You're finally getting your fashion blog up?" Jim asked, his eyes lighting up at the new information on Marinette's fashion career.

"Yep! The girls are so excited to help out." Marinette said, joy bleeding into her voice. "Even Sabrina's coming over to help!" the designer squealed, pulling her fists to her chest in her excitement.

"How about Lila? Did you invite her?" Jim queried, a little curious if his sister had done so after she gave Lila the tour of the school since they seemed to get along that day.

"I did. But she said that she's already got something going on, so she won't be here later." Marinette responded, her smile faltering before turning into a pout as she placed her arm on the table by the elbow and leaned her head on it.

"That sucks. But maybe she'll make it the next time." Jim encouraged, hoping to cheer her up.

"Here's to hoping." Marinette said, her mood turning a bit brighter with her brother's encouragement.

"In any case… care to explain what Chloé did this time?" Jim asked, now wanting to know what happened more than ever.

"With pleasure if I get to vent." Marinette said, her smile returning with the open invitation.

So for the next half-hour, Marinette went into heavy detail about Chloé's stunt with the fire department. This was mostly due to Marinette being upset that her long-time bully had interrupted her dad's baking lesson, and how close she had been to Adrien afterwards. Jim wasn't interested in the Adrien parts and ignored them. But he was more invested in Chloé's behavior just because she didn't want to get her hands dirty. However, when the conversation had finally turned to what Jim had been up to, it had left Marinette a little more than unsettled. While it was nice to hear that Toby was finally getting a roommate in Aaarrrgghh!!!, when Marinette learned the information Blinky had told Jim earlier, their talk took a dark route.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait… Do you mean to tell me that you saw a goblin stealing a baby? Just so it could swap it out with a Changeling?" Marinette recalled, trying to make sure she had all the facts right.

"Unfortunately." Jim replied, a grim expression present on his face.

"And Blinky specifically said that's how the Janus Order has infiltrated the human world?" Marinette continued, her anxiety and worry starting to climb higher the more she dwelled on the issue.

"Pretty much." Jim confirmed. "But on the plus side… if we find out which baby in town was stolen, we'll most certainly find a Changeling in its place." the Trollhunter pointed out, bringing up one of the few positives of this new circumstance that had come along.

"While it's great you got such a good opportunity, the only clue you seem to have is a stuffed bunny." Marinette reminded him, pointing out the flaw in his plan. "How exactly are you going to see who it belongs to? Put up 'Found Plushy' signs all over town?" the designer jokingly questioned, only for a nervous expression to replace his previously grim one.

"No…" Jim said, his eyes darting to the side before catching the 'Spill the Beans' look Marinette was sending his way. "Not anymore, now." the boy guiltily added, his head now hanging in shame.

"Jim… really?" Marinette groaned, her eyes closed as she pinched the bridge of her nose after hearing Jim's ridiculous plan.

"Well, what else am I supposed to do? The bunny doesn't have any address tags for me to return it to." Jim exclaimed, defending himself with the only leg he had to stand on.

"Okay, fair point." Marinette sighed, releasing her nose before placing her arm back on the table. "But seriously, be careful. If you do find another Changeling, it will most likely be as vicious as the one that was in Toby's dentist's office." the pigtailed girl warned, hoping beyond hope that her brothers would be airing on the side of caution this time around.

"I know. But we'll be okay." Jim assured her, a small smile on his face as he offered what comfort he could.

"You better be." Marinette said, playfully pointing a finger at her brother through her side of the screen just seconds before the doorbell rang. "Sounds like the girls are here." she remarked, turning her head to the door after hearing the bell go off.

"In that case, I'll let you go. Hope you'll send Tobes and me the final pictures." Jim exclaimed, all too eager to get a sneak peek before the blog went up.

"You best believe I will." Marinette confirmed, a bright smile appearing on her face with Jim's request. "See you tonight, Jimbro." the red-tipped-haired girl concluded, waving 'bye' to her brother.

"See ya, sis." Jim farewelled with a wave as well, followed by Marinette finally hanging up the call. Once the screen was turned off, she grabbed her phone and put it in her back pocket before going to open the door, soon being greeted by the majority of the girls in her class.

"Hey, girls! Are you guys ready for this?" Marinette greeted them, causing wide smiles to appear on their faces.

"Heck yeah, girl!! Let's get this photo shoot started!!" Alya cheered, now leading the girl group to enter the apartment and head up to Marinette's room for the photo shoot, eager to have some fun.

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While Marinette and her friends were about to start their photo shoot, things over at Le Grand Paris were about to take an interesting turn. On the ground level of the building, Artemis arrived at the hotel, walking through the front entrance with slight annoyance on her face. Even after having dropped Rayla off with Nox in Stone Arc after hearing the incident, this was the last thing Artemis had expected to happen that day.

As she walked, she was dressed in a black dress shirt with the sleeves tucked up to her elbows, and light gray pants with the cuffs rolled up to her ankles. She also had tan thick-strap sandals covering her feet, with a matching 1-inch-thick belt around her waist to tie the sandals to the outfit. Accessory-wise, she had a black canvas purse with a tan strap settled on her left shoulder, a silver watch on her left wrist with a set of bangle bracelets on both arms. To top off the look, small silver hoop earrings adorned her ears and were revealed by her usually braided hair, with the only other color of the outfit being a peridot pendant on her neck. One of her usual fancy casual outfits. As she walked into the lobby, she caught the attention of Armand as he stood behind the front desk. Once he saw her, the butler knew that something was going on that he wasn't aware of.

"Madam Artemis. How nice to see you, again." Armand welcomed, causing Artemis to stop walking to the elevator and turn to face him.

"Hello, Armand. It's nice to see you too." Artemis replied as she started walking over to the front desk, her annoyance lessening. "Though I wish I was here under different circumstances." the Changeling in disguise sighed, reaching the desk in a few strides.

"What has happened?" Armand asked, worry etching along his face.

"I got a call from Chloé's school." Artemis revealed, now leaning her back on the front desk while looking at the wall on the other side of the lobby. "Mr Damocles said that there was an incident and had to punish the whole school since no one came forward to take the blame." she explained, tiredly regaling what she had been told.

"Oh, my!" Armand gasped, his right hand flying to his face out of shock.

"But the reason he called me was because Chloé had threatened to call André if she wasn't part of the workload." Artemis elaborated. "And this has me thinking that Chloé might be responsible for the incident at her school." she admitted, having already gone through the possibilities earlier.

"This might explain why Mademoiselle Chloé seemed to be in such a down mood when arriving home." Armand reflected, remembering how Chloé had been so quiet earlier.

"What do you mean?" Artemis asked, turning her gaze towards the butler.

"When she came home earlier… she was not acting like she usually does. It was a little unsettling." Armand admitted, concern painted across his face while Artemis's annoyance faded even more.

"Okay… so obviously something happened after the incident." Artemis observed, now starting to see the bigger picture before finally making her decision. "I'm going to talk with her. Care to help me out?" the woman asked Armand, hoping that he could help her out with this one.

"Of course, Madam." Armand agreed before walking out from behind the front desk to join Artemis in walking to the elevator, the two of them quickly heading up to Chloé's room.

Surprisingly, there hadn't been anyone else who needed to use the elevator when they were heading to the upper levels of the hotel, so they arrived in little to no time at all. But upon opening the door, they were greeted by Chloé sulking on her couch as she kept thinking about what Adrien had told her earlier. Without a second thought, Artemis entered the room and walked over to her honorary niece, kneeling right in front of her.

"Need to talk about what's running around your head at the moment?" Artemis softly asked, prompting Chloé to look up and see her.

"Auntie Arte? What are you doing here?" Chloé wondered, her face retaining a pout from her sulking.

"Your school called…" Artemis began, followed by her rising from her kneeling to sit down next to Chloé on the couch. "…And told me about what happened today." the Changeling continued, causing Chloé to wince at the mention of the incident she caused and bury her head in her arms as she waited for the lecture.

"But judging by your current state… whatever happened afterwards seems to have been a more effective consequence than what I had in mind." Artemis observed as she gently placed her hands on the girl's shoulders, a look of concern etched across her features. "Want to tell me what happened?" she softly asked.

With a nod being Chloé's response, the heiress dropped her knees from her chest and started to explain what happened that day during class. Granted, she tried to tell a version of the events where she didn't do anything wrong, but Artemis saw right through it immediately. Despite the need to coax the truth out of her honorary niece, Artemis finally got her to say the true version and gained the full picture of what happened. But it didn't mean she liked it.

"And now Adrien says… I have to be nice to everyone… or he won't be my friend anymore!"
Chloé exclaimed whilst eating a plate of luxury chocolates, which Armand had gotten while the blonde brat was telling Artemis what happened. "How can he do this to me?" the heiress cried after finishing another chocolate, only to start weeping. Neither adult present was happy with what they heard.

"Perhaps Mademoiselle would seek comfort with Mr Cuddly?" Armand inquired as he offered the yellow teddy bear to Chloé, the girl suddenly delighted when she saw the toy and grabbed it from her butler to hug it. As she did, Artemis smirked and grabbed one of the chocolates dusted with actual gold from the tray Armand was holding, her giant sweet tooth calling for the luxury brand treat.

"Well from the sounds of it, Adrien has a good point." Artemis said before she popped the golden chocolate into her mouth, drawing Chloé to look at her aunt in shock/disbelief. "Don't give me that look. You and I both know that when it comes to treating your peers with respect and kindness, you're lacking in that department." the older woman pointed out, making the heiress slouch in on herself in shame of the reminder. Seeing the girl so downtrodden, Artemis couldn't help the sigh that escaped her as she once again placed her comforting hands on Chloé's shoulders.

"Look Chloé, you have been acting the way you have been for years and it hasn't done you any favors. Don't you think it's time to change your current behavior?" Artemis asked, hoping that her honorary niece would listen to her this time.

"Maybe…" Chloé meekly replied, only to bunch in on herself again. "But how am I going to do that? I don't know the first thing about being nice!" the blonde brat whined, hiding herself and Mr Cuddley behind her knees again in defeat.

"If you would allow it, Mademoiselle, we could teach you how to be nice." Armand spoke up, drawing both female's attention to him since it was the second time he had spoken since the conversation started. "And keep your friendship with Adrien, too." he added, hoping that it would encourage the young girl to truly try to be nice.

"W-why would you do a thing like that, Jean-Jacques?" Chloé questioned, her eyes wide in curiosity at his offer.

"Because that's what being nice is all about, Chloé." Artemis responded, causing Chloé to gasp in understanding.

"I'm sure Mademoiselle can remember when she was a little girl when Mr Cuddly was always nice to Mademoiselle when she was sad." Armand said as he gently took Mr Cuddely from her grasp. "Mr Cuddly can teach you how to be kind to others!" the butler added in a cheerful voice, waving the teddy bear around as a parent would with their child to catch their attention. While Artemis was a little bemused by Armand's technique, Chloé started reminiscing about when Mr Cuddly used to comfort her as a child… one of those times being when her mother had left.

"I remember, Jean-Luc! Adrien's going to see just how nice I can be." Chloé cheered, triggering Armand to sigh in relief while Artmeis just sighed in acceptance.

'At least she's eager to try.' Artemis thought to herself, happy that Chloé was going to attempt to improve herself.

The next couple of minutes had the three of them talk to decide what to do to kick-start Chloé's show of niceness. One of the main reasons why it took a little longer than the adults thought was because Chloé's first idea had been to shower the school with diamonds from André's mayoral helicopter the next day. After convincing her to drop the idea for several reasons, which were safety concerns and to prevent André's credit score from receiving such a damaging blow, they finally settled on a party instead. But following the main preparations to get the party ready by that night, they hit a snag when they started setting up the invites to a party.

"Urgh! The baker girl as well?" Chloé groaned.

"It's what Mr. Cuddly would do, yes." Armand replied, encouraging Chloé to be inclusive.

"Besides, you've already got invites set up for the others. It would be the route that makes the most sense if you want to prove you're trying to be nice." Artemis pointed out, which convinced Chloé to compile and send an invite to Marinette with a sigh of defeat. "Now all that's left is to get the party set up." the Changeling remarked, lighting a fire under the trio's proverbial butts to start getting ready for the soon-to-be-arriving guests.

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Minutes before Chloé had sent the invites, the majority of girls in Ms Bustier's class were up in Marinette's room in the middle of a photo shoot. With Alya being the only one with ample experience with using a phone, she had taken the role of the photographer while the others modeled off Marinette's hat designs. Soon enough, they had enough photos of the hats and decided to focus on one of the other design categories Marinette had ready.

"And these are jewels I designed that you can customize yourselves." Marinette explained as she sifted through her jewelry box to retrieve the mentioned accessories. "I got some inspiration from Pandora jewelry when making these." the designer admitted as she found what she was looking for, followed by her walking over to Rose to place one of the necklaces around her neck.

"Oooh. They are so cute." Rose squealed, holding the necklace in her hands to take a closer look at the charms while Marinette had given Sabrina one too.

"Alright, now strike a pose!" Alya said once the two girls were ready, taking a picture of Rose and Sabrina as they modeled the necklaces. "This one would make an awesome homepage image for your future blog. Wouldn't it?" the reporter cheered after taking the picture, showing it off to Marinette before a notice from Chloé appeared on her phone screen.

"Chloé?" Alya muttered in confusion.

"What does that bratty snob want?" Marinette wondered aloud, leaning away from Alya out of her habit of avoiding the blonde brat's toxic behavior.

"Chloé's inviting me to a party." Alya replied after opening the message, disbelief lacing her voice while her words left Marinette in shock. A second later, Sabirna's phone buzzed too.

"Same here." Sabrina reported after pulling out her phone to see what the alert was. No sooner than she did, everyone else besides Marinette had received the same message.

"That's so nice of Chloé!" Rose gushed, feeling happy about Chloé deed.

"Chloé and nice in the same sentence? Can't be her." Marinette remarked, not believing one bit that this occurrence was Chloé's doing.

"Maybe somebody hacked her phone then." Mylène suggested, trying to offer some logical explanation for this strange event. Immediately after Myléne spoke, Marinette pulled out her phone and checked her messages just in case.

"I haven't received a text." Marinette said, feeling slightly relieved that she was spared from what could only be a prank.

"Then that means it must be from Chloé!" Alya laughed, triggering the others to laugh at her joke too… at least until Marinette received a message from Chloé too.

"Ewww, She invited me!" Marinette yelped, nearly dropping her phone in disgust.

"Awesome! This will be so much fun!" Rose cheered, excited for the party.

"Wait! You're actually going to go?" Marinette questioned the others in disbelief, surprised that they were so willing to attend.

"She probably wants to say sorry for this morning. Maybe she's nice." Mylène theorized. "Very, very, deep down." the girl with rainbow dreadlocks added, being realistic as well as optimistic.

"Chloé? No, she's the exact opposite of nice!" Marinette argued, not buying this act for a second. "Whatever, you guys can go but don't count me in." the pigtailed girl declared, turning away from the other as she crossed her arms over her chest in defiance.

"Marinette, I know you and Chloé don't get along. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad to go to the party to support what seems like Chloé's attempt to change her ways." Sabrina spoke up, hoping to convince the stubborn girl to try and make an effort to see if Chloé could improve.

"Also, if I could become a better person, maybe Chloé can? I did more than enough bad things to warrant your mistrust." She went on.

"Well…" Marinette began as she glanced at Sabrina, her stubbornness lessening the more she thought about it.

"At least try to keep an open mind?" Sabrina asked, offering a sort of compromise. "Besides, think of this as a perfect opportunity to milk Chloé's spontaneous kindness for a little bit." the ginger-haired girl pointed out, which seemed to be the final nail in the coffin to fully sway Marinette's decision.

"I suppose it wouldn't be too much of a pain to go to the party." Marinette mused aloud, her hand rising to her lips as she pondered Sabrina's argument. "Oh alright, I'll go." the pigtailed girl announced, finally relenting as she let her arms drop back to her sides before turning to face the group again.

"Awesome!!" All the girls cheered, only for Alya's phone to suddenly buzz again. Upon the new alert, the reporter pulled the device out of her pocket to see what the alert was about.

"Probably a good thing you decided to go." Alya said to Marinette after reading the message she had just received.

"Why?" Marinette asked, a curious eyebrow raised at her best friend.

"Because Nino just texted me and said he's going to the party with Adrien." Alya revealed with a sly smile, causing Marinette to scream in shock before she quickly composed herself.

"O-okay, maybe giving Chloé one more chance will be worth it after all!" Marinette exclaimed, followed by Alya and the other to giggle at her antics. With the unexpected party invite, the girls decided to have the rest of their photo shoot at a later date before they all returned home, eager to get ready for the party Chloé would be hosting.

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However, while the students of Collège Françoise Dupont were getting ready for the party, a certain emotional manipulator could feel the conflicting emotions stirring among the teens. Needless to say, after he had shifted around said emotions to find out what was causing them, Hawkmoth was left very intrigued by what he learned.

"A party being thrown by the most spiteful girl in all of Paris? Such a fertile breeding ground for negative emotions!" Hawkmoth exclaimed as his lair window screen opened, letting the late afternoon light stream into the space before he turned one of the fluttering butterflies into an akuma.

"Fly away, my evil akuma! Finding a victim to evilize should be a piece of cake!" the resident sociopath practically gushed as the akuma fluttered out of his lair and made its way to the ensuing Ground Zero of his newest victim.

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Just as the sun started setting on the city, Le Grand Paris was all aglow as Chloé's party was beginning, the guests cheering as they started flooding into the main lobby. As more guests arrived, Chloé was watching the crowd on the balcony above the main staircase with a look of contempt.

"Mademoiselle should go downstairs and greet her guests in a welcoming manner with a hug and a kiss." Armand suggested to his superior, he and Artemis standing behind her while Chloé turned to face them in shock at her butler's words.

"Uh, you're kidding, Jean-Claude. Do you actually expect me to let their cheeks touch mine?" Chloé whined, letting her usual high and mighty behavior come to light.

"Well, that's what Mr. Cuddly would do." Armand said, lifting the teddy bear as he spoke and causing Chloé to sigh with resignation.

"Not to mention that this would be a great way to show your friend, Adrien, that you are trying to be nice." Artemis spoke up, adding an extra incentive as she pointed to the door as Adrien, Marinette, Alya and Nino arrived at the party. After turning around and spotting the blonde model, Chloé was all the more eager to comply.

"Oh alright." Chloé said, relenting to greet her guests if it meant convincing Adrien to still be friends with her. With that in mind, she quickly climbed down from her perch and started greeting her guests, slowly making her way towards the quartet that had just arrived.

"I know I said I would try and keep an open mind, but this whole party thing seems way weird." Marinette admitted as she and Alya stood with Adrien and Nino by the refreshment table in the middle of the lobby, still not sure of Chloé's sudden good deed.

"Well, I've known Chloé for a long time. She can be cool, sometimes!" Adrien replied, hoping to settle Marinette's worries. But before he could say anything more, Chloé gleefully leapt onto Adrien's back.

"Adrikins!" Chloé squealed before she let him go to greet the slightly shell-shocked Adrien by kissing him on the cheeks. "What do you think of me hosting this party? Real nice of me, right?" the heiress inquired, finally letting the boy go long enough for him to gather his previously scattered thoughts.

"It's awesome, Chloé!" Adrien said, a small smile on his face whilst not noticing Marinette softly growling at Chloé out of jealousy.

"Hey, there!" a voice off to the right greeted Chloé, causing the group to turn and see Rose walking over to the blonde brat. This was then followed by the girl in pink to kiss her host on the cheeks, prompting Max and Kim to follow her example, too.

But after the two boys had made their greetings, Chloé had taken a few steps away and unintentionally ended up standing right in front of Marinette. The two girls were surprised to encounter each other unexpectedly… and so were everyone else in attendance. Needless to say, the whole school was aware of Marinette and Chloé's dislike of each other and were on the figurative edge of their seats for what was to come. However, a glance behind Marinette had Chloé spotting Armand waving Mr Cuddly at her to remind her of the nice thing to do, prompting her to hesitantly lean in to kiss Marinette's cheeks.

With Chloé going for a greeting, Marinette leaned away out of both reflex and to try and run away… but one glance at Adrien and Sabrina; who had walked over to stand behind the model, had her doing the same. The process was slow; the guests watched in suspense the whole time, but the two girls finally exchanged their kiss cheek greeting. Immediately after, they both quickly turned away from each other and spat in disgust before whipping their mouths clean of the other's presence.

"HA! I should have got you guys on video!" Alya cackled, finding the greeting between the two girls hilarious.

"Don't rub it in." Marinette mumbled to Alya, still rubbing her cheek to get rid of the lingering presence of Chloé greeting. All the while, nobody seemed to notice Artemis as she stood up on the balcony, trying and failing to keep her laughter down due to the scene she had just witnessed.

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Well after the greeting between the two girls, the party had moved up to the dining hall of the hotel. Once all the guests were present, Nino took center stage at the DJ set up and started cranking out the tunes so that everyone would enjoy themselves as they took part in either dancing or video game battles. The host of the party had even gone the extra mile to have a ball pit installed too, which a large majority of the younger students enjoyed playing in. But one of the hosts was not satisfied by the sight of her guests having fun.

"I did it. Adrien seems happy. Are we done now?" Chloé whined as she, Armand and Artemis stood off to the side of the celebrating teens, whipping her cheek clean from earlier.

"If we may be so bold to suggest, Chloé?" Artemis spoke up, grabbing Chloé's attention and her nod to continue.

"To reaffirm Adrien of her kindness, perhaps Mademoiselle might go and check that her guests are having a good time." Armand continued, he and Artemis having come to the same idea while earning a glare of slight disgust from Chloé.

"And why would I do that?" Chloé questioned, not understanding how much good manners could connect to being nice.

"Because that's what Mr. Cuddly would do!" Armand responded, waving the toy around to affirm his suggestion. At the sight of her beloved teddy bear, Chloé quickly shoved it out of sight to keep it a secret.

"Alright! Fine, I get it!" Chloé replied as she looked around to make sure no one saw Mr Cuddly, followed by her taking a deep breath and walking towards her partying guests.

Looking around, Chloé spotted Nathaniel leaning against the refreshments area and decided that he would be a good place to start. So she walked up to behind the bar and slammed her hands on the counter to grab the redhead's attention, only to hear him scream out of shock before turning around to see Chloé behind him.

"Having a good time?" Chloé forced out, a fake smile plastered on her face and scaring Nathaniel even more than her usual antics. But before he could reply, Myléne had thankfully come spinning over to the refreshment area.

"Whoa! All this dancing made me thirsty." Myléne remarked as she approached the table, unaware of the near exchange she had interrupted before quickly grabbing a cup of juice and finding it to be a little too warm for her liking. "Do you know where the ice cubes are, Chloé?" the rainbow-haired girl asked, which seemed to snap Chloé out of her sudden silence.

"How should I know? I'm not your servant! Go and find them yourself!" Chloé snarled at Myléne, dropping back into her usual snottiness as she turned away from Myléne with crossed arms and her head held high. "And if you're so hot, why don't you take off your fake sheepskin sweater? Throw it in the trash where it belongs!" the blonde brat rudely added, causing Mylène to gasp in shock at her words. Unbeknownst to them, the akuma Hawkmoth had sent out had arrived and started flying close to Mylène when it sensed her hurt feelings.

"Ahem!" A couple of voices to Chloé's left quietly spoke up, causing the heiress to turn and see Armand crouched behind the bar and waving Mr Cuddly at her. Another glance also had her spotting Artemis pointedly glaring at her as she stood just behind Adrien, who had come to grab a cookie from the table. Seeing their looks of encouragement, contempt and surprise, Chloé immediately chuckles nervously to defuse the tension she created.

"I'm totally joking. I love mutton!" Chloé exclaimed while she patted Mylene's head, lying through her teeth to keep the peace before she finally stopped. "I'll get you those ice cubes!" the blonde girl softly declared, walking away to bring ice for Mylene's cup. Once she was gone, Mylène, Adrien and Artemis all sighed in relief whilst the akuma finally flew away from her.

'That was close.' Artemis thought to herself as Adrien walked away, only to suddenly spot the akuma fluttering its way towards the ceiling.

"Of course, Hawkass would try something like this." the Changeling softly complained with a groan, placing a hand on her head to soothe an oncoming headache. "So much for having a quiet night." Artemis breathed out in resentment before she started to follow the akuma, hoping to make sure it didn't cause any trouble.

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Back over in Hawkmoth's lair, the supervillain himself was left speechless with how fast he felt Myléne's negative emotions fade away. To say the least, he wasn't happy.

"What are you doing, Chloé Bourgeois? Where's that natural cruelty I'm counting on?" Hawkmoth growled, both shocked and confused by how his akuma's first attempt of the night had failed so quickly.

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While Hawkmoth was left to wait for another potential victim, things back at Le Grand Paris were continuing to remain civil. But as Marinette stood off to the sidelines with Alya, she was still not convinced that Chloé was acting the way she was out of the goodness of her heart. Her gut feeling was confirmed when she saw how Chloé had bent like a willow branch when she noticed Adrien nearby.

"This BFF act she's doing is just one big charade. She's just doing it to please Adrien." Marinette observed with a scowl and her arms crossed over her chest, now seeing that her small hopes that Chloé was willingly trying to change had been for naught.

"How funny. That reminds me of a girl who didn't want to go to a party until she heard Adrien would be there." Alya teased, pointing out that Marinette had displayed similar behavior herself.

"Please don't compare me to Chloé." Marinette said, pouting at Alya's remark while the reporter giggled at the designer's reaction. "Besides, I agreed to come to the party for Sabrina's sake… Adrien being here was just a bonus." the pigtailed girl reminded her bestie, only to look back over at the refreshment area just as Chloé had returned with a bucket of ice cubes in hand.

But instead of Chloé giving Myléne a few ice cubes as they expected, the blonde brat just dumped the ice cubes onto Mylène in an impertinent manner. The girls could only watch as Mylène and Nathaniel gasped in surprise before Chloé walked away again.

"See? She's not even really trying." Marinette remarked, causing Alya to nod in reluctant agreement before they decided to walk over to the other side of the room.

As they did, the two girls failed to notice Artemis had seen what Chloé had done and abandoned her pursuit of the akuma to rectify the offense. While doing so, the sorceress also covertly created some ice cubes with her magic, using the water in the air as she grabbed a cup to hold them in after she finally reached Mylène and Nathaniel.

"I'm sorry for Chloé's behavior. Here are your ice cubes." Artemis apologized to the two teens, handing the cup of clean ice cubes to a now smiling Myléne.

"Thank you, ma'am." Myléne said, causing Artemis to smile before walking away. But as she left, it was only then that Artemis realized that she had lost sight of the akuma, leaving her to start searching the room for the infected bug.

While Artemis was distracted, Kim had walked up to the DJ booth and requested Nino to play slow-dancing music, to which the boy happily complied. As the music started playing and the teens on the dance floor had paired up, Kim quickly made his way over to Chloé as she grumpily sat on a bar stool off to the side.

"Chloé, how about a dance with an awesome guy?" Kim asked the heiress, chivalrously bowing to her while Chloé rolled her eyes at his request.

"I'd love it! Where is he?" Chloé rudely replied before pretending to look for the boy, immediately shooting down Kim's offer and causing the boy's mood/confidence to plummet.

Unbeknownst to Kim, while he was looking down at the floor and sighing dejectedly, he unfortunately attracted the akuma to start fluttering above him. However, Armand had appeared behind the counter once again and waved Mr Cuddly at Chloé, reminding her to be nice before Chloé sighed in defeat and turned to face the jock.

"Oh! Here he is, right in front of me." the blonde brat exclaimed in mock joy, making Kim sigh in relief before Chloé grumpily pulled him towards the dance floor.

Thanks to Chloé's acceptance of Kim's request to dance, the boy's negative emotions disappeared and caused the akuma to fly away, which angered Hawkmoth to no end. But that was the least of anyone's concerns as Chloé started dancing with Kim, who was leaning as far back from the jock as possible before spotting Adrien watching off to the side. At the sight of the model, Chloé waved at him, to which he responded by giving her a thumbs up and a wink, proud of her for being kind. But unknown to him, Marinette and Alya were standing right behind him while Alya tried hyping Marinette up enough to take the chance presented to her.

"Go over and ask him, girl!" Alya quietly encouraged her best friend, nudging the red-tipped-haired girl to ask her crush for a dance.

"Uh, what?! Adrien?! No, you're crazy!" Marinette protested, only for Alya to shove Marinette towards Adrien since it would be the only way for something to happen. Fortunately for Alya, it did the trick as both teens gasped in surprise after Marinette accidentally bumped into Adrien, which caused the boy to turn around and spot her as she recovered from the collision.

"Hey, Marinette. Wanna dance?" Adrien asked the designer, surprising her that he was the one to ask her instead of her botching an attempt to do the same.

"I, uh…" Marinette stuttered, once again finding it hard to just say 'yes' before Adrien gently grabbed her wrist and led her to the dance floor.

The moments it took them to reach the center of the dance floor seemed to pass in slow motion for Marinette, seeing as she couldn't believe she was about to dance with Adrien. Once they arrived in the last open spot on the floor, Adrien gently took Marinette's hands in his own and the two of them started slow dancing with each other around the room. As they danced, Marinette was still in shock that she finally got to spend her day with Adrien, but pushed her racing thoughts to the back of her mind as she smiled up at the boy she was dancing with. However, as soon as Chloé spotted them, she wasn't happy with what she saw.

"What?! I am speechless!" Chloé shrieked, shocked when seeing Marinette was the one dancing with Adrien instead of her.

"Thanks! You're a pretty good dancer, yourself." Kim replied, thinking Chloé was talking about him while she growled out of anger and jealousy the more she glared at the happy pair.

Thankfully, it took all of her willpower, and Armand's continuous waving of Chloé's teddy bear from the ball pit that she kept dancing with Kim. And the added glare from Artemis; who had abandoned looking for the akuma and focused on reigning Chloé in, as she stood behind the ball pit had helped too. However, neither Adrien nor Marinette noticed the adult's intervention as they kept dancing, soon turning and seeing Chloé not causing any trouble.

"See? Chloé's on her best behavior tonight." Adrien said to Marinette, causing her to look around and see that Adrien was right, followed by her turning her gaze back to Adrien to smile up at him.

But as Adrien returned the gesture, neither of them had seen Alya and Nino; who had a chance to step away from his DJ booth to dance with Alya, passing by them. When they finally did notice their respective best friends, it was when Alya spun around the two of them and readjusted their hold on each other. Only after placing Marinette's hands on top of Adrien's shoulders and putting Adrien's hands on her bestie's waist did Alya deem her job done before continuing to slow dance with Nino.

Both Marinette and Adrien were left shocked by Alya's bold move, but Adrien recovered quickly and responded by leaning in close to Marinette. It took Marinette a second to process what was happening and confirm it wasn't a dream, but she found herself leaning into Adrien as well, blushing like mad while she and Adrien kept dancing. Off to the side, Artemis had been watching the scene between the two lovebirds play out and couldn't help the stray tear that escaped her as a watery smile appeared on her face. Deciding to play cupid alongside Alya and Nino, the Changeling discreetly waved her hand to summon her powers and pointed the black glow at the ceiling above the dancefloor.

A second later, rose petals started falling around the dancers, creating quite a romantic moment for those participating and leaving onlookers in awe of the sudden spectacle. Seeing the joy her little spell had caused, Artemis smiled as she continued to watch Adrien and Marinette dance, a feeling that the older woman hadn't felt in a long time starting to bloom within her. But not everyone was a sucker for romance like Artemis. As soon as Chloé saw the scene happening between Adrien and Marinette, she finally snapped.

"I'm not letting her dance with Adrien under my roof!" Chloé seethed, pushing Kim aside before angrily walking towards Marinette and Adrien.

"Hey, this song's not over yet!" Kim complained, not happy that Chloé had walked out on him. But just as Chloé was about to reach the dancing lovebirds, Armand appeared between them and Chloé.

"If I re-say, Mademoiselle…" Armand began, still blocking Chloé's path and further angering the girl.

"Move, Jean-Jacques!" Chloé demanded, only for Armand to pull out Mr. Cuddly again.

"Oh, please, Chloé, dear! You've been such a good little girl! Mr. Cuddly is so very proud…" Armand cheered in a squeaky voice, catching Marinette, Adrien and everyone else's attention to look and see Chloé's teddy bear.

"Oh, no…" Artemis breathed out in dread, immediately walking over as Chloé tried to hide her teddy bear from anyone noticing. But it was too late…

"Is that your teddy bear, Chloé?" Kim questioned from behind the heiress, causing everyone to start laughing at Chloé and her teddy bear. Needless to say, Chloé wasn't happy with the outcome at all.

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"I've had it with your stupid teddy bear, your stupid advice, and you, Jean, whatever your stupid name is!" Chloé yelled at Armand, the two of them and Artemis in the kitchen after moving there to settle the matter between them.

"Chloé, calm down!" Artemis advised Chloé, trying to keep the peace between the three of them.

"But, Mademoiselle, I was only trying to help." Armand nervously spoke up, still holding Mr Cuddly in his hands as he defended himself.

"There's no more Mademoiselle, no more help, no more anything! You are FIRED!" Chloé angrily announced, having enough of Armand's help now that he embarrassed her in front of the whole school. "Now get out!" the blonde brat demanded, followed by her angrily stomping out of the kitchen and leaving the upset butler behind while Artemis tried to comfort him.

"I'll go and talk to her. There's no way I'm letting her get away with this." Artemis assured Armand, quickly exiting the kitchen to find Chloé while the butler looked down at the floor in despair.

But as she went out the door, the akuma flew in as it finally closed and fluttered to Armand, landing onto Chloe's teddy bear still in his grasp. A second after the akuma had been absorbed into the plush toy, Armand angrily looked up from the floor as the link between him and Hawkmoth was created.

"Ah, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed." Hawkmoth happily remarked from his lair, the butterfly mask appearing on Armand's face. "Hello, Despair Bear. I am Hawkmoth." the resident supervillain greeted his latest victim.

"You've always been such a good influence on Chloé. But now you get to be a bad influence on everyone! And a very evil one at that!" Hawkmoth explained, outlining Armand's new powers and skipping over the usual requirements needed for his 'generous donation'.

"With great pleasure, sir!" Armand darkly replied, happy to have such an opportunity before he was transformed into Despair Bear, shrinking into the size of a doll and landing on the floor in his new puppeteer-controlled bear suit.

"You've been very naughty, Chloékins! And Despair Bear is not proud of you." Despair Bear exclaimed from within his new puppet. "The time has come to make you pay!" the bear-themed akuma declared, controlling the toy to exit the kitchen to start causing some chaos.

Chapter Text

While Despair Bear was being akumatized, the rose petal spell Artemis cast had faded away and the partygoers had started dancing again after Nino went back to manning the DJ booth. As such, no one had seen Despair Bear leaving the kitchen to search for a victim to taunt Chloé, his gaze falling onto Sabrina before he attached himself to her leg, her eyes now bright green due to her being controlled. Seconds later, Sabrina is under the akuma's mind control power and forced to walk around looking for Chloé, quickly finding Artemis and Chloé while they are talking off to the side.

"What you just did was out of line, Chloé! Armand was just trying to help you." Artemis yelled at her honorary niece, her eyes filled with thinly veiled rage.

"But he humiliated me in front of everyone! How are you okay with that?!" Chloé cried, not believing that Artemis was taking Armnad's side in this.

"Look, while I'm not a fan of his techniques and he could have chosen a different way to encourage you to continue being nice, you didn't need to fire him." Artemis sighed, placing her hand on her forehead out of frustration. "Not to mention you brought that one upon yourself when trying to break Adrien and that girl apart." the Changeling added with a raised eyebrow at Chloé, neither seeing the mind-controlled Sabrina coming towards them.

"Easy for you to say, Auntie Arty, you're not the one in my shoes." Chloé replied as she looked down at the ground, actually having a good point for once. "Either way, now I don't have to be worried about being embarrassed anymore!" the heiress exclaimed, looking back up at her aunt just as Sabrina got close enough to the discussing females, the redhead pulling out a hairbrush from her purse.

"Come here, Chloé." the mind-controlled Sabrina said as she held up the brush towards Chloé, drawing both female's attention to her and leaving them unsettled by her request.

"Sabrina? What's gotten into you?" Chloé wondered aloud, her concern bleeding into her voice before she took a few steps back from the suddenly approaching Sabrina.

"Let me brush your hair! I promise I won't hurt you!" Sabrina urged, her vacant stare giving away that she wasn't in her right mind before she lunged at Chloé.

"Ahh! Somebody stop her!" Chloé shouted, holding Sabrina away from her while Artemis grabbed ahold of her as well, this being the second time that she needed to keep the redhead away from her niece.

"Sabrina, snap out of it!" Artemis pleaded with Sabrina as she kept a hold of her while Chloé ran away, only for the bespeckled girl to break free from her hold on her and start chasing Chloé.

As the bewitched Sabrina chased after Chloé, they ended up running in between Marinette and Adrien as they kept dancing, drawing their attention to the two girls. Just as Artemis was approaching the two previously dancing teens, Chloé had found Kim and hid behind him, causing the jock to spot the controlled Sabrina coming towards them. Say what you want about Kim's intelligence, but he was smart enough to know that something was up.

"If you touch one hair on Chloé's head, you'll have to answer to me." Kim threatened Sabrina, blocking the redhead from getting any closer to the blonde brat. But unknown to him, Kim's courage had caught Despair Bear's attention.

"Oh, what a gentleman. Despair Bear praises a knight in shining armor." Despair Bear cooed evilly, followed by him controlling his bear puppet to grab onto Kim's leg to gain control of the jock, all while Artemis Adrien and Marinette had witnessed the deed.

'Oh great. Just great!' Artemis thought to herself before walking towards Chloé and Kim, hoping to find a way to help distract the akuma so that Adrien and Marinette could have some time to transform. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait any longer for the two secret heroes to get their butts in gear.

"Uh, I just remembered that I promised I'd do a favor for my brother." Marinette fibbed, turning to face Adrien as she made an excuse to hide and transform.

"No problem. I have something to do, anyway." Adrien replied, using the opening Marinette had unknowingly given him to do the same thing. " But… save me the last dance when you're done?" the green-eyed model asked, causing Marinette's cheeks to turn red as she stared at him in awe.

"Abosutely." Marinette managed to get out, only to then remember the new akuma was still in the way of that happening. "Um… bye!" the red-tipped-haired girl yelped, both she and Adrien discreetly left the dining hall to find places to transform into their respective alter egos. As they did, Sabrina shook off the lingering presence of her being controlled and found herself in the middle of the dance floor and in front of Kim and a cowering Chloé.

"Chloé?" Sabrina questioned, confused as to why she was not standing off to the side of the party anymore.

"Don't you come near me!" Chloé cried, still hiding behind Kim and having no idea that he was under Despair Bear's spell.

"Why? What's going on?" Sabrina inquired, further confused by Chloé's sudden fear of her as she tried to take a step forward.

"Kim, do something!" Chloé demanded, stopping Sabrina in her tracks.

"Would you like to dance, Chloé?" Kim creepily asked the blonde brat, slowly turning his head to reveal his newly green-colored eyes and causing Chloé to whimper at the sight of them. She was in deep trouble for sure.

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While Kim had been taken control of, Marinette had reached the stairwell and let Tikki out of her purse so that she could transform. Never in her life had she wanted to defeat an akuma so quickly… especially since she had a dance with Adrien afterwards.

"I... I've gotta transform, Tikki." Marinette stammered after she closed the door behind her, hoping to take care of the akuma as soon as possible. "Too bad I had to stop dancing with Adrien. It felt like I was dancing on a little cloud! An out-of-body experience! It was like…" the designer gushed, her thoughts now focusing on the greatest interaction between her and Adrien to date… which made it even harder for Tikki to snap her holder out of her joy.

"Marinette, focus." Tikki interrupted, bringing Marinette out of her love-sick rambling just in time to hear people screaming just beyond the stairwell door.

"Okay, back down to Earth." Marinette stated after slapping her cheeks, her thoughts now clear before she pulled out her runestone necklace and activated her Ladybug disguise. Right after the spell had taken effect, she said… "Tikki, spots on!" the pigtailed girl shouted, her words echoing through the empty stairwell as she transformed into Ladybug. Immediately after turning into her alter ego, the red heroine ran out of the stairwell and jumped back into the fray.

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After Marinette had transformed and went back to the dining hall, she was greeted by the sight of the possessed Kim twirling Chloé around the dance. That is if you can call being roughly thrown around while lively music played twirling, which is what Kim was being controlled to do while Artemis tried to catch him.

"Kim, stop! You're going to hurt her at this rate!" Artemis shouted as she tried to grab ahold of PossessedKim and get Chloé away from him, only for him to sidestep away from her and spin Chloé away from him. Surprised by the sudden move, Artemis had to catch herself from falling to the floor just as PossessedKim pulled Chloé back to him with a twirl before dipping her.

"Let go, you evil derp! You're messing up my hair!" Chloé shrieked while trying to pull herself away from Kim, greatly pleasing Despair Bear as he watched from Kim's eyes through his bear puppet.

"I hope you're having fun, Chloékins!" Despair Bear taunted before pulling some of the rungs controlling his puppet, forcing PossessedKim to toss Chloé into the air above him

"CHLOÉ!!" Artemis cried out as the screaming blonde brat spun in the air, worried for the girl's safety. Thankfully for Chloé, Ladybug had used everyone's collective distractedness to race over to the ball pit and used her yo-yo to grab Chloé's leg, quickly pulling her into the pit before she could touch the ground.

"About time, what took you so long?" Chloé interrogated the heroine in red after she recovered from her descent into the ball pit, spitting a ball out of her mouth before she spoke.

Upon seeing Chloé being saved, PossessedKim immediately began to run towards the heiress to continue tormenting her. But in doing so, he failed to see Chat Noir arriving before he used his baton to trip the mind-controlled jock, sending him into the ball pit and flinging Despair Bear onto a nearby wall.

"That's a very slippery dance floor!" Chat Noir quipped as he spun his staff around himself, trying to lighten the mood.

After her partner's little joke, Ladybug then tried to use her yo-yo to capture Despair Bear, only for the akumatized butler to keep evading her attempts as he moved around the room. Just as Chat Noir started chasing after the stuffed toy, some of the party-goers started screaming in fear at the sight of Despair Bear, only to back himself into a corner near a group of frightened teens.

"Move aside. All of you!" Ladybug shouted at the teens as she and Chat Noir held their weapons at the ready, prompting Artemis to race over to help guide the kids away.

"You heard the lady in red, clear the floor!" Artemis exclaimed, leading the teens away from the area and towards the back of the dining hall while Ladybug and Chat Noir looked for Despair Bear. But when they finally had no one blocking their view, the two heroes came up empty as they searched the corner of the room for their foe, leaving them puzzled. That is until…

"Look out!" Chat Noir yelled before pulling Ladybug to the floor, just in time for the chair that the feline had spotted in the corner of his eye to fly over their heads. Looking at where the chair had come from, both heroes were stunned to see that Despair Bear had taken control of Max as the resident genius was now standing on top of the bar with another chair in his grasp.

"How about a little game of flying chairs?" PossessedMax tauntingly questioned the two heroes as they crouched on the ground, ready to throw a second chair.

Wasting no time, Ladybug quickly tied her yo-yo around PossesedMax's leg in an attempt to catch Despair Bear as he latched onto it, mere seconds before the akuma leapt from his victim's leg to avoid capture. But he had done his retreat so quickly that Ladybug couldn't stop her yo-yo from wrapping around Max before pulling him off his feet, soon realizing that Despair Bear had moved on. Unfortunately, this delay in reaction was just long enough for Despair Bear to latch onto Artemis's ankle, forcing her to run over and try to roundhouse kick Chat Noir in the gut. Fortunately for Chat Noir, he saw her hit coming and managed to block it, only for his mood to drop even further when seeing her now green-colored eyes.

"Oh come on! Out of all the people he could have taken control of, why her!?" Chat Noir whined, followed by PossessedArtemis putting her foot down before trying to punch him, which he managed to block once again.

"Can you blame him? She's a beast!" Ladybug remarked before throwing her already retrieved yo-yo at Artemis, quickly trapping the Changeling in disguise with the weapon before she could attack Chat Noir again. But when his latest puppet was captured, Despair Bear released Artemis from his control and went to find a new one while Artemis snapped out of his control.

"What the…" Artemis began, only to look around and see her current predicament. "Uh, could you let me go, please?" the older woman asked Ladybug, sending an unamused glance to the spotted heroine upon realizing what must have happened.

"Sorry." Ladybug bashfully apologized, letting the Changeling go before she was suddenly grabbed from behind by a now mind-controlled Alya. Thinking quickly, Ladybug pulled herself out of Alya's arms and grabbed a hold of the reporter instead, keeping her from attacking. Unfortunately, before she could do anything more, Despair Bear abandoned his grip on Alya's ankle and escaped again.

"Huh? Ladybug, what happened?" Alya wondered after she gained control of herself again, leaving Ladybug and Chat Noir miffed at the sudden change before they started searching the room for the stuffed toy puppet.

After a few seconds of looking, they had just caught sight of the akuma right before he latched onto Ivan's leg, trapping the beefy boy in Despair Bear's control.

With the husky teen under his spell, the akumatized stuffed toy puppet had Ivan prepare to throw a coffee table at the two heroes. But thanks to Chat Noir's quick reaction, he ran over to PossessedIvan and stopped him from throwing the table by slicing it in half with his staff, followed by pinning him to the wall seconds afterwards. Unfortunately, Despair Bear abandoned his puppet and released Ivan from his control, leaving the poor boy in confusion.

"Huh, Chat Noir?" Ivan breathed out, wondering why he suddenly found himself at Chat Noir's staff point.

"Where'd he go?" Chat Noir wondered aloud, looking back at Ladybug and prompting her to start looking around the room for Despair Bear.

But when she turned her back to Chat Noir, everyone suddenly gasped at something from behind her. While it caused Ladybug to file it away for the moment, it prevented her from turning around before she felt her partner grab her arm, surprising her from her search.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Ladybug tensely questioned Chat Noir, turning to face him as she spoke. But when she faced her partner, Ladybug couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her when she saw the telltale green color of Despair Bear's control in Chat Noir's eyes. "Oh, no!" the spotted heroine exclaimed, shocked that her partner was under the akuma's control while Artemis facepalmed herself in frustration.

'Marone! Can this kid not get either killed or controlled by an akuma just once!?!?!' Artemis complained in her thoughts, dragging her hand down her face in her frustration just as Hawkmoth decided to step into the action and speak to Despair Bear.

"Despair Bear, if you want to continue playing this game, give me Ladybug's Miraculous!" Hawkmoth said to Despair Bear as he remained within his puppet, greatly pleasing the akumatized butler before he cut off communications again.

"Oh, pretty earrings." Despair Bear cooed before he started pulling on the ropes controlling his teddy bear puppet, forcing Chat Noir to strike and try to take Ladybug's earrings.

Considering Ladybug was looking right at PossesedChat Noir, she managed to lean out of the way before the feline could even touch her earring. But after the failed first attempt, the mind-controlled hero kept swiping at Ladybug, forcing her to move out of his reach whilst still having her arm held in PossesedChat Noir's iron grip.

"Chat Noir, it's me! Stop it!" Ladybug pleaded to her partner, still dancing around him to avoid his grabbing strikes.

Having had enough of the game of 'Chat and Mouse', Ladybug finally used his grip on her arm to twist Chat Noir's arm the other way, making him wince in pain. Using her new hold on PossesedChat Noir, Ladybug whipped him around and forced him to bend over in front of her, keeping his arm behind his back to prevent him from escaping. But that didn't stop him from being able to use his main powers, seeing as she only had a hold of his non-ring hand.

"Cataclysm!" PossesedChat Noir exclaimed, summoning his main power before he tried swiping at Ladybug to use the destructive energy on her, causing everyone in the room to gasp in shock.

As he did, everything seemed to go in slow motion as PossesedChat Noir's hand grew closer and closer to a surprised Ladybug's face. Fortunately for her, once Chloé had seen PossesedChat Noir call upon his go-to move, she ran over to the two heroes and grabbed ahold of the feline's tail.

"Paws off, kitty!" Chloé yelled as she yanked on PossesedChat Noir's tail, pulling him away from Ladybug just seconds before he could touch her.

When she did, PossesedChat Noir had been thrown off balance and tried to keep himself from falling, only to fail and land on a nearby couch. Upon landing on the couch, his Cataclysm hand had also landed on the piece of furniture and destroyed it by accident, wasting his power while Chloé and Ladybug watched the scene in shock. Neither of them could have predicted Chloé being the one to help save Ladybug from a certainly fatal blow.

"Thank you!" Ladybug breathed out in relief, turning her gaze over to a still stunned Chloé. At hearing her idol's words, Chloé immediately snapped out of her shock and felt pride swelling within her.

"Hey, I was nice, just then. Did you see it?" Chloé asked the crowd, only to be responded by everyone except Artemis fainting out of shock and relief. "You're all so lame." the heiress complained, followed by Ladybug calling on her…

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug shouted, calling on her own powers and receiving… "A fork?" the spotted heroine remarked in confusion, the object landing in her hand just as Artemis approached her and Chloé.

"Not exactly the best thing to defend yourself with now is it." Artemis pointed out, feeling bad that Ladybug had gotten such an obscure item.

"You little brat!" Despair Bear yelled at Ladybug through PossesedChat Noir, prompting them to engage in a chase that had Ladybug going up the stairs to the roof with her mind-controlled partner hot on her heels. As they left, both Artemis and Chloé watched as the two heroes disappeared up the stairs, left with the gut feeling that Ladybug would need an assist this time.

"She's crazy to think she's ever going to make it without us. We've got to help her!" Chloé declared, turning her gaze to her aunt in the hopes that she had the same idea.

"For once I'm going to have to agree with you, Chloé." Artemis admitted, an amused smile appearing on her face before cracking her knuckles. "Come on!" the older woman shouted, the two of them racing up the stairs after Ladybug and PossesedChat Noir.

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Up on the roof of Le Grand Paris, night had already come as PossesedChat Noir had arrived at the top of the stairs and ran onto the pool deck of the roof as he continued chasing Ladybug. But upon arriving, he soon saw that Ladybug was nowhere to be found on the deck area, completely missing the spotted heroine as she perched herself at the top of the stairwell entrance. With PossesedChat Noir still looking for her, Ladybug used the opportunity to look around for clues to figure out a plan on how to defeat Despair Bear. Her efforts were rewarded when she spotted a deck umbrella, Despair Bear's puppet clutching onto her partner's ankle and the fork in her hands lit up in her mind's eye, helping her settle on her plan.

"Got it!" Ladybug cheered to herself, followed by her jumping off of her perch and zooming towards PossesedChat Noir, throwing her yo-yo at him while his back was turned.

After she threw her weapon at him, PossesedChat Noir heard the sound of the yo-yo zipping through the air and turned around just in time to pull out his staff and block the blow. But even with her first attack being thwarted, Ladybug spun through the air as she hurtled to PossesedChat Noir, quickly maneuvering herself to try and kick him instead. The move had forced PossesedChat Noir to block the hit with his arm, pushing Ladybug to land on the deck and continue their fight. However, while being locked in a dance of trading blows, neither hero had seen Chloé and Artemis arriving on the roof as well. That was quickly changed when Chat Noir threw his staff and Ladybug, causing her to evade the weapon spinning towards her and let it head towards the new arrivals.

"Hey, stop!" Chloé shrieked at the two heroes, only for Artemis to tackle them both to the ground before PossesedChat Noir's baton hit the wall beside them, followed by it bouncing back to the feline.

When he caught his weapon, PossesedChat Noir started trying to hit Ladybug with it once again, the heroes continuing their fighting before Ladybug leapt over her mind-controlled partner. As she flew above her possessed partner, Ladybug used the fork on Despair Bear's puppet's head, grabbing a loose thread and tying it around the prongs as she backflips to the other end of the deck.

"Naughty, naughty, Ladybug!" Despair Bear taunted through PossesedChat Noir, using his puppeteer controls within the teddy bear to force the feline hero to turn and face Ladybug once again.

Unfortunately for the akuma, it left his victim open for Artemis to get off of Chloé to sneak up behind PossesedChat Noir and grab him from behind.

"Figured you'd need a hand." Artemis said to Ladybug, keeping ahold of the controlled hero to give Ladybug some time to enact her plan.

"Thanks, Miss Queen." Ladybug thanked the Changeling in disguise before throwing the fork to attach to the deck umbrella she spotted earlier. "Chloé, would you be so kind?" the heroine in red requested, causing the blond brat to pop out of her hiding place behind the umbrella before PossesedChat Noir broke free from Artemis's hold. Now freed from his captor, the mind-controlled feline started attacking not just Ladybug, but Artemis as well, completely ignoring Chloé as she finally caught onto what Ladybug needed.

"Okay, Ladybug!" Chloé replied with a salute as she rose to her feet, followed by her spinning the umbrella with the string attached to the teddy bear puppet's head to unravel the doll.

Thankfully, Ladybug's plan was working like a dream while she and Artemis kept fighting PossesedChat Noir, still evading the hero in black's advances. But just as Artemis was about to sweep kick the feline, PossesedChat Noir managed to counter by kicking Artemis back towards the door she and Chloé exited from. The blow had left her stunned long enough for him to strike at Ladybug with his staff, forcing her to grab it with her hands while waiting for Despair Bear to fully unravel. She didn't have to wait long, because that last move PossesedChat Noir had caused the last of the Despair Bear's puppet to unravel, letting the head fall to the floor.

"No! Stop! What's happening?" Despair Bear shouted from within his puppet's head, now tangled up in the puppeteer rigging as he found himself detached from Chat Noir's leg, freeing the hero from his control. This is what happened seconds later when the bright green of Despair Bear's control had faded from Chat Noir's eyes.

"Ladybug? What are you doing?" Chat Noir uttered in confusion when he found himself holding her at staff point, immediately abandoning the attack.

"Oh, nothing. Just saving your skin with the help of our new helpers." Ladybug cheerfully explained as she pointed to Artemis and Chloé, happy to have her partner back to normal. Upon being mentioned by the red heroine, Artemis gave them a two-fingered salute while Chloé playfully bounced her hair just as Chat Noir had turned to see who his partner was referring to.

"Give me your Miraculous! You haven't defeated me yet!" a nearly quiet squeaky voice demanded, causing everyone to look around to find the source of it until Ladybug looked down at Chat Noir's foot and found the real Despair Bear.

"You might want to watch your step, Chat Noir." Ladybug playfully said to her partner, a smug smile on her lips as she pointed at the tiny akuma as he kicked at Chat Noir's boot. Following Ladybug's pointing finger, it didn't take long for the rest of the occupants of the roof to see Despair Bear either, drawing a few giggles from Artemis and Chloé.

"I've got this guy under control." Chat Noir assured before he reached down to pick up Despair Bear, prompting the akuma to yell at them in protest while Ladybug reached down to grab the remainder of Despair Bear's puppet. A quick yank from the spotted heroine had then detached the string from the villain's puppet's head, causing the akuma to fly out of the toy and up into the air above them.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma." the spotted heroine exclaimed as she opened her yo-yo to reveal the sparkling pool of cleansing energy inside of it. "Time to de-evilize!" the heroine in red shouted before she threw her yo-yo toward the akuma, catching it in her yo-yo.

"Gotcha!" Ladybug cheered when the yo-yo was back in her hands. A second later, she released the purified akuma, setting the white butterfly free.

"Bye, bye little butterfly," the spotted heroine said as the butterfly flew away, right before throwing the Lucky Charm up into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug cried out, summoning the cleansing cure and the magic ladybugs. Immediately, the damage done to the hotel thanks to Despair Bear had been restored and he was turned back into Armand. Unfortunately, Chat Noir still had a hold on him and it caused both him and the butler to topple to the ground when he grew to his normal size. The cure also restored Mr Cuddly to his former glory, which Ladybug picked up from the ground and held out to Chloé as the heiress approached her.

"Thanks for helping me out there. That was very nice of you." Ladybug said to Chloé, grateful for the proper help she had given this time around.

"I know, wasn't it?" Chloé remarked as she grabbed Mr Cuddly from Ladybug, preening with the compliment from her idol while Artemis rolled her eyes as she stood behind her niece. But before the older woman could say anything, Armand had taken the floor.

"Mademoiselle, I must confess. I don't remember anything!" Armand admitted, walking over to his superiors in hopes of finding out what had happened.

"Probably a good thing, Armand…" Artemis began, prompting everyone else to turn and see her frowning at Chloé as she leaned against the stairwell entrance. "…considering Chloé is the reason you were turned into an akuma in the first place." the Changeling finished, followed by Chloé shrinking in on herself at the remark.

"Auntie Arty-" Chloé started, hoping to alleviate some of her punishment.

"Don't you think you have something to say to Armand, young lady?" Artemis interrupted, a raised eyebrow directed at Chloé to help encourage her to do the right thing.

"Yeah. I do." Chloé realized with a sigh, Artemis's tactic working like a charm as the blonde brat turned towards Armand. "Jean-Luc, I'm sor… I'm sooriiiee." the heiress stammered out, not used to saying the word 'sorry'. But after taking a deep breath, she was determined to try again.

"I'm… sorry!" Chloé finally managed to spew out, now starting a chain reaction to her apology. " I'm sorry for firing you and causing you to get akumatized. So consider yourself re-hired and a raise to boot. I hope you can forgive me." the blonde girl concluded, leaving nearly everyone on the roof flabbergasted at her words.

"Mademoiselle is so kind! Thank you!" Armand exclaimed, happy that Chloé was being so generous before the girl in question smiled at him and turned back to Artemis.

"And I'm sorry to you, Auntie Arty. You've only been trying to help me, and I haven't been making it easy on you tonight." Chloé continued, making Artemis raise an eyebrow at her in intrigue before she kept on going. "But I'll try to be more open to your help from here on out." the heiress promised, causing Artemis to sigh in relent as she gestured for her honorary niece to walk over to her. Immediately, Chloé perked up and went over to her aunt before Artemis pulled her in for a hug.

"Admittedly, you can be a right little brat at the best of times. But you're a work in progress and still figuring things out." Artemis reflected, a small smile appearing on her face as she looked down at the teen in her arms. "As long as you keep trying to change… that'll be enough of an apology to me." the older woman conceded, bringing a smile to Chloé's lips.

"Thank you, Aunty!" Chloé squealed, hugging her aunt tighter before Ladybug and Chat Noir's respective miraculous beeped in a warning.

"Gotta get going!" Chat Noir exclaimed.

"Yeah, me too!" Ladybug replied, followed by the two of them leaving just as Artemis and Chloé pulled away from their hug and watched them go.

"Now… I think that having an akuma at my party would have left everyone in a less-than-pleasant mood. What do you say to having a special guest come in to rectify that, Auntie Arty?" Chloé asked as she placed herself right next to Artemis, looking up at her for approval as she held Mr Cuddly in her arms.

"Depending on the guest, I think that's a wonderful idea." Artemis responded, a pride-filled smile appearing on her lips.

"Wonderful!" Chloé cheered, quickly turning to face Armand. "Don't let the guests go away, Jean-Baptiste. They mustn't miss what's coming up next!" the blonde girl squealed as she pulled out her phone and quickly dialed a new up number.

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Down in Hawkmoth's lair, let's just say that the resident supervillain was left infuriated with his latest defeat, now sulking in the dim light the night sky had given his lair.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir, if you haven't been helped, defeating you would have been child's play!" Hawkmoth vented to his remaining butterflies, once again using them as a therapy device to cope with his consent failure. "So you better watch out. Your day of devastation is coming soon!" the evil version of One Punch Man proclaimed before his lair window closed, plunging him into total darkness.

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Shortly after Chloé had made her call, Tom Dupain arrived at Le Grand Paris and was able to finish his earlier lesson on how to make macaroons. Needless to say, the students of Collège Françoise Dupont were happy with the second opportunity to learn from Tom.

"Great job, kids. You've done some really good work." Tom congratulated after tasting the student's finished product, causing everyone to cheer in accomplishment. As they did, Adrien had taken to standing off to the side with Chloé, Artemis and Armand, happily watching his classmates enjoy themselves.

"It was a great idea to invite Marinette's dad!" Adrien said to Chloé, glad that she had come up with the idea all on her own out of the goodness of her heart.

"I know! This way, I can make up for calling the fire department, and the disaster that happened earlier." Chloé proudly elaborated, a smile beaming across her lips as she stood next to Adrien. "I'm nice now, did you notice, Adrikins?" the blonde asked her childhood friend, hoping that he was happy with her progress.

"I did, and I'm proud of you, Chloé. I think you've proven that you're capable of making an effort to be nicer to everyone." Adrien replied, happy that Chloé was trying to change for the better.

"Aww, Adrikins!" Chloé gushed. "So we'll always be best friends forever, right? Pinky swear?" the heiress inquired, holding her pinky towards Adrien.
"Pinky swear!" Adrien happily replied before wrapping his pinky around Chloé's to seal their pact, unaware of Artemis shaking her head at them in exhaustion.

'Wrong move, kid.' Artemis thought to herself just as Chloé exhaled in relief and sauntered off towards the other students to judge their macarons.

Her criticism had gotten a mix of reactions, from Kim sighing in disappointment while hunching in on himself, to Mylène crying and fainting. But with her criticism 'Urgh. Too disgusting to comment' for Marinette before moving on to Rose, Adrien could only sigh to himself in acceptance as he walked over to Marinette.

"Well, it's a start, but I don't think she'll fully change her ways just yet." Adrien mussed aloud while Marinette made faces behind Chloé as she walked away, only to turn around with a nervous giggle when hearing her crush behind her. "May I?" the model asked Marinette, leaning close to her and triggering her to start blushing again.

"Yeah! Sure! I mean... Uh, what?" Marinette stuttered, not quite sure what he was referring to.

"Have a macaron!" Adrien replied, clearing any misunderstanding.

"Yes, of course." Marinette replied, grabbing one of the plates of macarons before her shaky hands caused her to accidentally drop the treats on the floor. But thankfully for Adrien, he managed to catch one. "Oh, sorry, I'm so clumsy!" the designer apologized, embarrassment flooding her thoughts after her blunder.

"It's okay." Adrien assured his friend, followed by him eating the macaron in his hand. "Wow, this is really good. Your baking is as good as your dancing." the green-eyed boy exclaimed, delighted by the treat before departing to mingle with the other students. Once he was gone, Marinette sighed to herself in joy, falling back into her usual Adrien-centric La La Land in these types of situations. She might not have had another dance with Adrien, but his complementing of her baking skills was even better. But before she could go any deeper, Marinette was snapped out of her daydreaming by someone chuckling next to her.

"I remember being madly in love many years ago. You will never forget that feeling." the voice remarked, causing Marinette to look over her shoulder and see Artemis, which made her stare at the older woman in worry. "Don't bother trying to hide it… it's written all over your face that you have feelings for that boy." Artemis said in amusement, which had the designer blushing.

"I'm that obvious?" Marinette asked, bashfully scratching the back of her head while looking at the floor.

"Painfully." Artemis stated, prompting Marinette to groan and slouch in on herself in embarrassment. "But don't worry, your secret is safe with me." the Changeling assured Marinette, who immediately perked up at her words.

"Thank you…" Marinette replied in a happier tone, only to realize that while Ladybug knew her name… her civilian self didn't. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I got your name." the pigtailed girl said, greatly amusing Artemis since she knew that the girl already did. But she decided to go with the bit anyway, for identity's sake.

"Artemis. Artemis Queen." Artemis responded, using every bit of her self-control to not start giggling. "And you are?" the older woman asked, keeping up with the charade.

"Marinette. It's nice to meet you." Marinette replied as she held out her hand for Artemis to shake.

"Likewise." Artemis said, followed by her shaking Marinette's hand.

"So… how did you and Chloé end up being so close?" Marinette asked Artemis as they let go of their hands, going on in pretending to be clueless about the older woman's connection to the Bourgeois Family.

"Friend of the family." Artemis explained, following Marinette's example before pointing to the second plate of macarons in front of them. "May I? I have a huge sweet tooth." the Changeling requested, bringing a smile to Marinette's face.

"Of course." Marinette replied with a nod, leading to Artemis taking one of the macarons "When did you meet Chloé's parents?" the red-tipped-haired girl questioned, hoping to learn a bit more about this mysterious woman.

"I met André nearly 30 years ago, and we've been close friends ever since. His wife, however, is a whole nother story." Artemis explained, her voice turning more tired towards the end before she bit into the treat, quickly being greeted by the explosion of flavors. "Oh my goodness! This is amazing!" the older woman squealed in joy, her eyes lighting up before she popped the rest of the macaron into her mouth.

"Thank you!" Marinette replied, a wide smile appearing from the praise as she placed the plate of treats back on the table. "So, you don't like Chloé's mom?" the designer asked, causing a look of disgust to show up on Artemis's face.

"Absolutely not!! She's a total pain in my behind!" Artemis growled, turning her gaze to the side as she seethed in place. But she took a breath and calmed down enough to turn her attention back to Marinette. "Do you mind if I take another macaron? If I'm going to be talking about her, I need more sweets." the older woman inquired.

"Take as many as you like." Marinette said, causing Artemis's expression to perk up immediately.

"Thank you." Artemis responded before taking a few more macarons from the plate.

"Why do you and Chloé's mom not get along?" Marinette asked, still hoping to learn more about Artemis's joint past with Chloé's family.

"Let's just say that we don't ever intend to become friends." Artemis elaborated, a tired look on her face as she lifted a hand to her forehead to soothe a new headache before she tossed one of the macarons in her hand into her mouth, tensely chewing it.

"I know the feeling. Chloé seems to take a lot after her mother in that regard." Marinette said, now relating to Artemis when learning about that new information. "She's been bullying me for years and it's only gotten better this year." the pigtailed girl vented, leaving an unsettled feeling in Artemis with her testimony.

"I'm aware of Chloé's behavior at school. It had gotten worse last year since I wasn't around as much as I used to be." Artemis explained, knowing of Chloé's past deeds and finding that they hit a little too close to home with her.

"Thinking back, she definitely was at her worst last year." Marinette reflected, her lips pursed as she thought back on the previous year. "You two are close enough that your absence would have affected her so much?" the red-tipped-haired girl asked, intrigued by Artemis's statement.

"I might not be her aunt by blood, but she's always considered me family. Especially when her mother left." Artemis replied with a soft smile as she reminisced on her past interactions with Chloé, only for it to drop when thinking about Audrey. "But that's no excuse for what she's done, and I intend to help her improve her ways as soon as possible." she declared, changing the subject from Audrey for the sake of her sanity.

"For me and my classmates's sake, I hope you're successful." Marinette said, crossing her arms over her chest as she spoke.

"I've had to raise my highly spirited 8-year-old for a while now. I think I'll be fine." Artemis assured the teen, followed by her popping another macaron into her mouth.

"You have a child?" Marinette questioned while Artemis finished chewing her treat.

"My ward, Rayla." Artemis replied after finishing her macaron. "She's highly intelligent for her age, and is constantly trying my patience with how many times she's snuck out of the house." the Changeling regaled, a tired expression appearing on her face while Marinette was left unsettled.

"Sounds like she's…" Marinette trailed off, her mind thinking back to what Jim had told her earlier about the Changelings but held her tongue. "… A handful." the designer nervously finished, finally finding the right words that wouldn't out TrollKind.

"She is, but I wouldn't have her be any other way. Life's more exciting thanks to her rambunctiousness." Artemis admitted, a fond smile appearing as she thought about her ward. "However, that doesn't mean it makes finding her a permanent babysitter easy." the Changeling sighed, her earlier happiness fading a bit.

"A permanent babysitter?" Marinette wondered aloud.

"Rayla tends to make her babysitters quit just after I hire them. It's honestly very frustrating." Artemis explained, venting some of her frustrations in their conversation as well. "Especially when I have to go out of town for business." she added, followed by her eating the last macaron in her hand to soothe the edge of her nerves. But after hearing her predicament, Marinette got an idea.

"You know…" Marinette began, causing Artemis to turn her gaze back onto Marinette. "I often babysit my mom's friend's kids. I could babysit your ward if you want." the pigtailed girl offered, shocking Artemis.

"Um… you did hear what I just said, right?" Artemis asked with an eyebrow raised at a nodding Marinette. "Are you sure you'd be able to look after my ward?" the older woman inquired, hoping that the teenager had a good idea of what she was getting herself into.

"I'm sure. Otherwise, I wouldn't have offered my services." Marinette replied, which seemed to settle some of Artemis's skepticism.

"Alright… if you're sure." Artemis said, confirming their agreement. "In that case, we should exchange contact info so that I can tell you when I need you." the Changeling brought up, pulling out her phone from her canvas bag.

"Sounds good." Marinette responded, followed by the two females exchanging their contact info.

"It was nice to meet you, Marinette. Thank you for the macarons, the conversation and your offer." Artemis thanked as she put her phone back into her bag, glad to have had such a successful night.

"You're welcome, Miss Queen. I hope to meet your ward soon." Marinette happily said, despite the underlying feelings of suspicion and anticipation in her gut for her first interaction with Artemis's ward.

"Speaking of my ward, I have to pick her up from my friend." Artemis remarked, now realizing how late it was getting. "I hope to see you again soon." the older woman said, glad to have had such a nice talk with Marinette.

"Likewise. I hope you have a good night." Marinette replied with a smile.

"You too, Marinette." Artemis stated, sharing the sentiment before she walked away from the table towards the dining hall exit. As she did, she turned her gaze back over to Marinette just as Alya joined up with her best friend, which had her distracted long enough to accidentally bump into Adrien.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Adrien exclaimed, the two of them stumbling back from each other before they caught themselves from falling.

"It's okay. I was the one who wasn't looking where I was going. My apologies." Artemis apologized, assuring Adrien that he wasn't to blame for their stumble.

"Let's just call it even. Sounds good, uh…." Adrien trailed off, realizing the same thing Marinette did earlier and needing to act like he didn't already know her name.

"Artemis Queen." Artemis replied, holding her hand out to the boy in front of her. "And that sounds perfect to me, kid." the Changeling said just as Adrien took her hand and shook it, followed by Artemis narrowing her eyes at him as she inspected his features, unsettling him.

"Um… is something wrong, ma'am?" Adrien asked, feeling like a fly on a wall all of a sudden.

"Oh, sorry for staring. It's just…" Artemis began, quickly sighing in amusement before leaning closer to Adrien's face. "The resemblance is truly uncanny. You look just like her." the older woman remarked, a fond smile erupting on her face.

"Like who?" Adrien questioned, now curious as to who Artemis was talking about.

"Your mother. A spitting image of her if she was a male." Artemis replied, which left the boy speechless and wide-eyed. "And I bet you inherited her temper as well." the Changeling slyly commented, her fond smile turning into a look of reminiscing as she crossed her arms over her chest and softly shook her head in remembrance.

"You knew my mother?" Adrien asked, finding this new information quite shocking since his mom never mentioned her before.

"Indeed. I was an old friend of hers before she passed away. She and I were very close." Artemis revealed, causing Adrien to gape at her.

"Then how come I never met you before now?" Adrien questioned, wanting to know the reason why she was kept a secret from him.

"Several reasons, Adrien. But both your mother and I agreed that things would be easier if you didn't know me." Artemis admitted, her arms going back to her sides as she spoke.

"You know my name?" Adrien inquired, further shocked by Artemis's confession before she smirked at him.

"Don't be so surprised. Just because you don't know me… doesn't mean I didn't get to know you when you were a baby." Artemis said, a soft chuckle escaping her at Adrien's cluelessness about the possibility. "Plus, I was there with Emilie the day you were born. Perks of being her closest friend." the older woman added, leaving Adrien's head spinning with all that he had learned in a few short minutes.

"And speaking of old friends…" Artemis started, followed by her leaning in towards Adrien once again. "I hope that poor cheese-obsessed glutton of yours isn't too exhausted after dealing with Despair Bear." she whispered to the model, causing Adrien's eyes to widen ever further and his pulse to skyrocket.

"Wait… what!?" Adrien stammered, only for a smirking Artemis to start walking away before he could ask if she was referring to what he thought she was referring to.

"See you around, kid." Artemis farewelled, making her way to exit the dining hall while Adrien quickly found a corner to talk to Plagg about what could be a potentially dangerous situation.

"Plagg, you heard what she said, right?" Adrien worriedly inquired of his kwami, the flying black cat poking his head out of Adrien's shirt as he looked out of his hiding spot to watch as Artemis said goodbye to Chloé before leaving.

"I did. You might want to find out how she knows your Chat Noir as soon as possible." Plagg suggested as he watched Artemis alongside his holder, unsettled by this woman too. "Otherwise this might get uglier than the idea of me eating…ugh… American cheese!" the black kwami exclaimed, gagging in the middle of his remark.

"My thoughts exactly, Plagg." Adrien replied as he gently pushed his kwami back into his shirt and walked out of his hiding place to follow after Artemis, hoping to get to the bottom of this.

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After exiting Le Grand Paris in his tailing on Artemis, Adrien found an empty alley to transform into Chat Noir and quickly continued to follow her from the rooftops. The chase soon led to him watching Artemis entering an alleyway a few buildings away from the hotel, where she stopped in front of a tarp-covered object. But instead of reaching for the tarp, Artemis took a step back and stood right in the middle of the alley.

"I know you're up there, kid. Come on down." Artemis called out without turning around, leaving Chat Noir shocked that he was discovered. However, he still climbed down into the alley and landed behind her.

"How did you know I was there?" Chat Noir asked, impressed by her discovering his presence.

"You don't live for as long as I do without learning how to keep an ear out for people sneaking up on you." Artemis explained in a playfully sly voice, turning around to face the feline hero. "Not to mention I knew you would be too curious for your own good, Adrien." the older woman added as she crossed her arms over her chest, a smirk on her lips as she leaned her back against the tarp-covered object.

"So you do know who I am." Chat Noir said, now having full confirmation that Artemis knew his identity.

"I literally just referenced Plagg to you a few minutes ago." Artemis deadpanned, staring at him with a tired look that had Chat Noir wincing.

"Good point." Chat Noir muttered, seeing that she was right. "So… how and when did you find out my identity?" the hero in black questioned, hoping to find out if he had been so careless without realizing it.

"I've been watching over you since your mother passed away, so I've known since the beginning." Artemis revealed, assuring the boy that he didn't do anything wrong. "Plus, you gave yourself away when you used the name of the hero in the bedtime stories Emilie told you when you were a kid." the Changeling teased, a smirk reappearing on her face just as Chat Noir's face turned red in embarrassment.

"How the heck do you know that!?" Chat Noir exclaimed, his eyes wide in mortification.

"I already told you, your mom and I were good friends." Artemis said as she had to stop herself from giggling at the poor boy, her smirk turning into a wide smile.

"Such good friends, that she told you such private things but never told me about you? Kind of suspicious if you ask me." Chat Noir remarked, pouting as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the ground at his feet.

"Glad to see you're skeptical. It's a good quality to have as a Black Cat Miraculous holder." Artemis observed, giving him a look of thoughtfulness as she smiled at how cautious Chat Noir was being.

"And another thing… How do you know about the Miraculous? I was under the assumption that there weren't any holders for the past 200 years." Chat Noir brought up, hoping to find out how she knew about Plagg and subsequently the Miraculous.

"You're correct. There hasn't been a Miraculous Holder until you, Ladybug and Hawkmoth." Artemis confirmed, glad that the boy was asking the big questions instead of leaving things alone. "But as to my knowledge and connection to the Miraculous, I'd rather leave that a mystery." the Changeling continued, staying adamant about keeping those details about her a secret, much to Chat Noir's slight frustration.

"Oookay…" Chat Noir drawled out, skeptical of Artemis's response before shaking it off. "So… are you going to tell anyone that I'm Chat Noir?" the feline hero asked, hoping that his secret would still be as such.

"Of course not. Telling people who you are goes against my promise to your mother." Artemis replied, intent on assuring the hero in black that he didn't have to worry about his identity being outed by her.

"Whew, good." Chat Noir breathed out in relief, only to think Artemis's words through more thoroughly. "Wait, what promise did you make to my mother?" the feline asked, focusing on the new information.

"When she fell ill and before I left to find a cure for her sickness, she asked me to keep you safe. While Emilie trusted Placide to do that well enough, she knew I'd be more discreet about it." Artemis responded, leaving Chat Noir in more confusion than he had been a few seconds ago.

"Why would she trust you to do that?" Chat Noir questioned, wondering why his mother was so secretive about her supposed friend and yet still trusted her with his safety.

"It's… complicated." Artemis admitted, looking off to the side as she spoke. "One of these days, I'll tell you everything. But now is not the time." the older woman stated, reverting her gaze to Chat Noir as she uncrossed her arms from her chest and took a step over to him.

"When will be the right time?" Chat Noir inquired, starting to get a little fed up with Artemis's crypticness.

"I know you're a curious kitty, kid, but you need to have some patience. All will be revealed in time." Artemis assured as she placed a hand on Chat Noir's shoulder, hoping that it would pacify him for now. Thankfully for Artemis, it seemed to work if Chat Noir's sigh of reluctant acceptance was anything to go off of.

"Fine, I'll wait." Chat Noir relented, pouting at the thought of needing to wait to find out more. "But you will keep my identity a secret, right?" the hero in black asked, hoping to confirm it before the conversation was over.

"I'm no snitch. Your secret is safe with me." Artemis assured him before walking back over to the tarp-covered object, quickly grabbing the tarp and pulling it off the object.

Once the tarp was removed, it revealed the object to be a black Kawasaki Ninja 250/300 motorcycle with sea green and neon green lotus flower pinstriping all over it. Upon seeing the vehicle, it had caused Chat Noir to look at it in awe and a dropped jaw.

"Whoa! Sweet ride!" Chat Noir exclaimed, prompting Artemis to turn and face him as she folded up the tarp.

"This old thing? Thank you." Artemis said as she put the tarp away in her motorcycle's side pouch, followed by her walking it to the edge of the ally before stopping short. "I hope you stay safe out there, kid. Hawkmoth is getting more desperate as of late." the Changeling added, voicing her concerns as she looked at Chat Noir over her shoulder.

"I'll do my best." Chat Noir assured, only to suddenly be left unsettled by her choice of words. "But you're not going to stop me from fighting akumas? I thought you said that Mother asked you to protect me." he asked, wondering why she wasn't demanding that he give up his ring for his safety.

"She did, but you chose to become Chat Noir. Who am I to take that away from you?" Artemis rhetorically questioned, a smirk on her lips as she nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. "Especially when you're doing a pretty good job for a beginner, aside from your tendency to get hit by the akumas." the older woman added with a raised eyebrow, once again teasing the poor boy as she kept her grip on her motorcycle's handles while turning her body towards him.

"No need to bring it up." Chat Noir mumbled, now feeling a little embarrassed at the remark again.

"Either way, I know you'll do great. So keep up the good work." Artemis encouraged, a soft smile replacing her smirk and leaving Chat Noir more at ease.

"Thank you for the compliment. It means a lot." Chat Noir thanked Artemis, followed by her nodding in response before taking her black helmet out of the motorcycle's side bag. "Will we ever cross paths again?" the feline asked, wondering if this was a one-time interaction or the first of many.

"Like I said, I promised your mother the last time I saw her that I'd look out for you. You better believe that we will." Artemis replied, confirming that they would talk again before putting her helmet on and starting up her motorcycle. "See you around, kid!" the Changeling yelled over the engine as she swung her leg over to sit on the saddle seat, followed by her revving the engine and driving out of the alleyway.

Once she was out of the alley and in the middle of the street, Chat Noir watched as Artemis did a quick doughnut to adjust her path before zooming down the road, leaving him behind. Poking his head out of the alley, Chat Noir kept an eye on Artemis as she continued to escape his line of sight, soon sighing to himself in thought as he leaned his back against the alley wall.

"Claws In." Chat Noir breathed out as he sank to the ground, turning back into Adrien before an uncomfortable-looking Plagg popped out of his ring and floated next to him.

"You okay, kid?" Plagg asked, his eyes filled with an uncharacteristic amount of concern from the kwami that Adrien hadn't seen before, but was grateful for nonetheless.

"Not really." Adrien admitted, his thoughts still swarming as he took in all that he learned. "If they were such good friends, why would Mother not tell me about Artemis? And if her past is so sorted, why would my mom be friends with her?" the model wondered, starting to spiral down into a cyclone of 'what ifs' and uncertainty.

"Easy kid. You have plenty of time to figure this out." Plagg promised, trying to snap Adrien from his spiraling. "At least we know that she won't tell anyone your identity." the cheese-obsessed imp remarked in a tense voice, bringing his holder some semblance of calm with the assurance. But it wasn't a lot.

"How do you know we can trust her? You didn't even see or talk to her!" Adrien nearly yelled, still worried that Artemis keeping his secret was too good to be true.

"Something about her seems… eerily familiar." Plagg explained, his ears lowering a bit as he looked off to the side and trailed off a bit as he thought of the right analogy. "In any case, I think we'll be fine." the black kwami said, deciding to ignore his uncomfortableness and calming Adrien down from his panicking.

"If you say so." Adrien sighed, his heart rate finally lowering to a steady pace. "But that still doesn't explain the logic behind all of this. And if she was such good friends with my Mother, why hasn't Father or Nathile talked about her?" the boy wondered aloud, still trying to wrap his head around all of this before Plagg flew up to his eye level.

"Looks like that's something we have to figure out together." Plagg stated as he placed his small appendage onto the side of Adrien's nose, patting it as he reassured Adrien that he wasn't alone. The small display of affection was enough to bring a smile to Adrien's face.

"Thanks Plagg. You're the best." Adrien thanked his kwami, petting his little friend's head with his finger and earning a purr from Plagg. "Come on, let's go home. It's been a long day." the blonde Adonis announced, rising to his feet so that they could make their way back.

"Sounds good to me." Plagg agreed, flying back into Adrien's overshirt before the model walked out of the alley and headed back to the hotel, meeting up with his driver to head back to his house. But while he looked out the window of his car, both Plagg and Adrien couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of their minds that Artemis might not be as helpful as she seemed to be.

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(Time Skip)

A while after Adrien's conversation with Artemis, Chloé's party was finally over and everyone went home after the long night. In the time after that, Marinette called her brothers during their lunch break and told them about what happened at the party, especially the parts when Marinette got to dance with Adrien. While they were both happy for her, Jim had a bit of a hard time voicing it since he still disapproved of the idea entailing Adrien and her dating. But he was happy for her nonetheless and both boys were intrigued by the new information she found out about Artemis, especially in regards to her ward. With that being said, the siblings decided to leave a pin in that tidbit until Marinette got the Gaggletacks from Styx, which she would check on in a few days. Things for them had been improving a lot lately since the release of Jagged Stone's latest album when it was revealed that Marinette had designed it.

Being related to her had earned Jim and Toby a bit of popularity amongst their peers who were aware of their relation to the designer. Even Steve backed off a bit after the announcement on the news. Unfortunately, the news Jim had received the previous day had soured the feeling of pride he felt on his sister's behalf, which had hung over him like a dark cloud for the whole day. So after their daily video call, with Jim and Toby's school day nearing an end, they went over to their lockers to grab their books for the next period in hopes of distracting themselves for a bit. But when Jim had opened his bag to put his textbooks inside, the stuffed bunny that he had found had dropped onto the school floor, letting out a squeak and grabbing his attention.

"Ugh! You're still carrying that germ-infested thing around?" Toby questioned with a groan, watching as Jim picked it up from the floor.

"I am going to find out who it belongs to, and when I do…" Jim declared as he knelt on the floor.

"Maybe you didn't see what you thought you saw." Toby interrupted, hanging his weight on his locker door. "You've been spending so much time in Trollmarket, that maybe your mind is starting to play tricks on you." the rounded boy theorized, watching as Jim looked down at the toy while silently doubting himself.

"Maybe you're right." Jim spoke, starting to think that Toby was right while they both closed their respective locker doors.

"You have Suzy Snooze?" a voice suddenly chimed in, causing Jim to turn around to find out who had spoken, quickly spotting Claire behind him. "My brother's bunny! I've been looking all over for him." Claire exclaimed, surprised to find the stuffed toy in Jim's possession.

"You've been looking for this? " Jim asked in a surprised tone as he handed the bunny to Claire, who quickly took it from him.

"Yeah. He's been acting so weird without it." Claire replied, unintentionally causing unrest in the two boys. "Where did you get it?" the girl asked.

"What do you mean, he hasn't been himself? Exactly how has he been acting?" Jim interrogated in a ramble, not bothering to notice a nervous-looking Toby walking up to his friend's side.

"Easy, Jim!" Toby exclaimed, tensely chuckling as he put his hand on Jim's shoulder before the boy glanced at him with a surprised look. "Always concerned about the children." the geology nerd remarked, hoping to ease the awkwardness Jim had most likely caused before turning his attention back to Claire.

"But just for clarification, are you super sure this is his? I mean, you could probably pick this up at, like, any store." Toby questioned the Hispanic girl, looking to see if Jim's suspicions were indeed valid.

"I think I'd know the stuffed bunny I grew up with." Claire replied, sending Toby's hopes down the drain just as Mary ran up to Claire, pushing herself into the conversation.

"Claire, I'm so sorry, but I can't babysit tonight. I can't. I really can't!" Mary wailed, forcing Claire to turn her attention away from the two boys and face Mary with a mix of emotions written on her face.

"You promised! My parents have a work thing and the Papa Skull concert is tonight! Papa Skull! I, like, live in their shirt every day!" Claire exclaimed, finding Mary's sudden unavailableness a major inconvenience for her evening plans.

"Sorry, but Hank invited me to ice cream! 'Tight jeans' Hank, Claire!" Mary squealed, revealing what was so important that she couldn't help out her friend. "And you know I've already got the perfect dress ready to go!" the girl cheerfully added, posing many times as she declared her love before she suddenly got a text.

"Now Dean is inviting me to a movie! And it's before my date with 'Tight Jeans' Hank!" Mary exclaimed after pulling her phone from her pocket to see who had texted her. "Now I really can't babysit tonight!" she loudly added, causing Clarie's mood to further drop.

"Really, Mary!?" Claire nearly growled as she sent a glare Mary's way.

"I'm sorry Claire! Love just can't decide!" Mary cried, feeling bad for bailing on Claire but not bad enough to cancel her dates. However, while the two girls were talking amongst themselves, they had missed Jim and Toby's inquisitive stares on them.

"Do you believe this?" Jim whispered to Toby in shock, keeping his stare on the two girls.
"I know. Mary Wang's a player?" Toby remarked in intrigue, following Jim's example and keeping them from making eye contact with one another.

"No!" Jim exclaimed, appalled that that was what Toby was focusing on at the moment. "She doesn't know her brother's gone because Claire's brother is a changeling!" the Trollhunter griped to Toby, realizing what was going on now that he had all the evidence. In light of the epiphany, Jim suddenly had a crazy idea.

"Claire, I can babysit!" Jim yelled out, quickly throwing himself back into the conversation between Claire and Mary to make his offer.

"Tonight? Really? You would?" Claire asked excitedly, quickly turning to face the boy in her joy. "Wait, have you ever babysat before?" the Hispanic girl questioned, realizing that she needed to make sure her baby brother would be in good hands.

"Uh, yeah, totally! They call me Jim the Baby-handed." Jim replied, using the name Bagdwella had called him for added credibility. But at the sight of Claire's unamused face, he decided to try a different tactic. "Plus, my sister's babysat plenty of kids before. She's taught me everything she knows." the blue-eyed boy added, causing Claire's face to light up at his claim.

"Wait, I think I saw a girl that looked like your sister on the news when they talked about Jagged Stone's new album. They said that she designed the cover." Claire recalled, holding the stuffed bunny close to her chest as she thought back on the matter. "Was that girl your sister, or someone similar looking?" she asked, bringing an amused smile to Jim's lips.

"Yep, that's her. She got commissioned for it by the rockstar himself." Jim admitted, which Claire suddenly squealed in response.

"Oh, my gosh! I can't believe your sister is a famous album cover designer! That's so cool!!" Claire exclaimed, nearly jumping up and down at the news. "You must be so proud of her!" the Hispanic girl remarked, clutching the stuffed bunny closer to her chest in her excitement.

"You have no idea." Jim muttered in pride, sending a knowing glance at Toby before turning his attention back to Claire."Trust me, your little brother will be in good hands." the Trollhunter assured his secret crush, causing her expression to light up even further.

"You are a lifesaver, Jim! I could kiss you!" Claire squealed, quickly planting a kiss upon Jim's rosy cheeks in her gratitude. "Just come by my house at six, no sooner. Thank you, Jim. Thank you!" she exclaimed as she walked back over to Mary, not seeing Jim pressing his fingers against the spot Claire's tender lips had pressed against. But as Claire and Mary left, Toby finally turned in the direction of his best friend to address the elephant in the room.

"He's not a changeling, Jim." Toby stated to his best friend, still thinking that Jim was wrong for making the assumption.

"Only one way to find out." Jim stated before leaving a dumbfounded Toby behind, who stood in place as he watched his best friend leave, his lips parted in confusion. One way or another, the truth would be discovered that night.

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When classes had let out for the day, Toby and Jim had raced back home to prepare for their respective evening plans. But while Jim's plans included learning all he could about taking care of a baby, Toby had to prepare his house to welcome Aaarrrgghh!!! since he was moving in that night. Which had Toby leaving his house a little bit before to pick Aaarrrgghh!!! after it was ready, hoping to sneak him in while his nana was still out. Due to Toby's excitement to have a roommate, they thankfully arrived at his house rather quickly.

"Nana, I'm home! It's your Toby-Pie!" Toby excitedly shouted as he pushed the kitchen door wide open, soon falling quiet when he didn't hear his guardian respond. "I have a giant troll with me!" the rounded boy exclaimed, double-checking if his nana was really out of the house. Upon receiving nothing but silence even after screaming the truth, Toby ducked behind the door to look at Aaarrrgghh standing behind him.

"Alright, big guy. Coast is clear. Let's go." Toby cheered before stepping into the kitchen, leaving the door open for Aaarrrgghh!!! to slowly appear in the doorway.

"Nana?" Aaarrrgghh!!! wondered out loud, cautiously watching as Toby pulled open the fridge door and rummaged through it in search of food.

"Don't worry, big guy. You'll love her. As long as she never sees you, which she won't. She's legally blind." Toby assured, slamming the fridge door shut with his foot while his pudgy arms had been occupied with an assortment of food. Once the fridge was closed, Toby continued to lead the way through the house, the two soon arriving at the stairs leading to the second level.

"Also, Nana's not big on stairs. She maybe comes up once a month to clean. The entire upper floor is pretty much ours." the geology nerd stated as he started climbing up the set of stairs to his room, Aaarrrgghh!!! slowly following behind while Toby tossed him an apple. But they quickly hit a snag when Toby reached the top of the stairs and Aaarrrgghh!!! tried to follow, finding that he couldn't fit through the stairwell.

"Oh! Sorry." Aaarrrgghh!!! apologized, his already unsettled nerves feeling bad for the disadvantage his size had brought to the small house. But Toby wasn't phased at all due to his excitement and didn't worry about it.

"Blinky was totally right. I do need a troll bodyguard. A troll-guard!" Toby exclaimed just as Aaarrrgghh!!! continued to squeeze his way through the small space he was unfortunately given, but was able to climb up to the top of the stairs. "And this is my-Excuse me- our room." the rounded boy said as he and Aaarrrgghh stepped into his room, showing the vast troll where he was going to stay.

"We got everything. Rock collection, video games, and movies." Toby excitedly rambled as he started showing off all the items that he possessed, unaware of Aaarrrgghh!!! hearing soft humming. Curious, the large troll leaned down and peeked into the doll house across from Toby's bed, finding that it was Gnome Chompsky who was humming as he danced with his girlfriend-Toby's doll.

"Hmm?" Aaarrrgghh!!! muttered in questioning, watching as the gnome weirdly danced away from his line of sight before turning his attention back to Toby. As he did, Aaarrrgghh!!! was greeted by the sight of Toby holding a box with a hat stacked on top of it in his hands.

"And this is where the magic happens." Toby mysteriously announced, waving his free hand around his magic kit. "I got the vanishing coin, classic rope trick, and the floating ball!" the geology nerd excitedly prattled on, listing the close-up magic tricks he had before finishing off his demonstration by reaching into the hat and pulling out the said floating ball.

"Ladies love the floating ball." Toby stated as the ball instantly lifted from his hand and hummed in the air, leaving Aaarrrgghh!!! perplexed.

"Huh?" Aaarrrgghh!!! said, dropping one of his stoned eyebrows as he looked at the floating ball in bemusement before Toby stood professionally and flung his hand towards the troll. Immediately, the ball flew right at the giant troll before stopping short; since it could only reach so far. But thinking that the ball would hit him, Aaarrrgghh!!! jumped back away from it.

"Oh!" Aaarrrgghh!!! cried after his back hit the front corner of the room, which also resulted in him knocking into the Gnome residence and causing the house to shake. "Mm, blood magic?" the large Troll questioned Toby, holding the dollhouse under his arm while Gnome Chompsky angrily chattered at Aaarrrgghh!!! from inside his house.

"No, no. It's just a trick, see? For fun." Toby explained as he walked to the other side of the room, followed by Gnome Chompsky opening his patio door to angrily chatter at Aaarrrgghh!!! with a raised fist. After his angry yelling, Chompsky went back inside his house, only for Aaarrrgghh!!! to drop the house back to how it had been before, knocking the Gnome around again.

"I know it's a little cozy, but that's part of the charm." Toby supplied, hoping to further convince Aaarrrgghh!!! that they could make their new arrangement work while the gnome continued to chatter away. "So, what do you think, roomie?" the rounded boy hopefully asked while Chompsky settled down, only for the mountainous troll to look around the small room before trying to sit up to his full height and hit his head on the ceiling. As Aaarrrgghh!!! groaned in pain, Toby's excitement had immediately dropped.

"I get it. This place cramps your style." Toby sighed before placing his magic kit onto his bed, hopping on the edge of it afterwards. "It's just been me and Nana here for a while and with both MariFairy and Jimbo getting roommates in Tikki and Draal… I guess I was just excited to have a roomie too, you know?" the geology nerd sadly admitted, causing Aaarrrgghh!!! to gasp at the small story.

Admittedly, Aaarrrgghh!!! felt out of his element when inside the small house, despite being warmly welcomed by Toby. But seeing Toby's earlier excitement fade a bit because of his hesitancy on their new living situation, made him feel bad for not being more accommodating to his friend's wishes. So with that in mind, Aaarrrgghh!!! decided to show he was willing to make things work before stepping over to the chubby teen with a moan.

Once he was standing next to Toby, Aaarrrgghh!!! smiled at him as he sniffed the hat, causing the ball within it to levitate and catch Toby's attention. Lost for words, Toby kept watching the large troll perform the trick before his large take of breath had ended, causing the ball to drop back into the hat.

"More magic?" Aaarrrgghh!!! asked, which had Toby lightening up at the question.

"Thought you'd never ask!" Toby said with a chuckle, happy to show off his skills.

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Time had quickly passed after Aaarrrgghh!!! made his request to Toby, and the day soon turned into early night when Jim began making his way to Claire's house. As he did, Claire had started to give her baby brother his dinner while waiting for Enrique's sitter to arrive, hoping to have him settled before she left. Fortunately for Claire, it didn't take Jim long to reach the Nuñez residence with help from his bike, if the sound of a knock on the door was any indication.

"Hey, Claire!" Jim called from outside, alerting Claire to his presence as she was about to feed her baby brother another spoonful of food.

"Jim! Come on in." Claire happily replied, to which Jim responded by opening the door and walking inside while she kept her focus on Enrique. "I put his routine up on the fridge. After playtime, you just have to put him down. He's a good sleeper." the Hispanic girl explained as she cleaned up her brother's face, followed by giving him the last of the mushed food in the bowl she had in her hands. With her brother well-fed, Claire finally took her attention off of Enrique and turned to face Jim as he walked towards her.

"On the fridge. No problemo." Jim assured her before Claire lifted a sheet of paper from her purse.

"Phone numbers are here for emergencies. Whatever you do… do not call my parents first!" Claire stressed while standing up, a serious look in her eyes as she glared at Jim to convey her point.

"Oh, because they don't know you're going to the concert, do they?" Jim questioned with a small grin, pointing his finger accusingly at Claire.

"You're not the only one hiding a secret." Claire remarked before she handed the slip of paper and the bowl to Jim, eager to get going. "So, if your secret is eating babies, now is the time to tell me." the brown-eyed girl joked, letting out a pity laugh at the weird look he gave her before he mimicked her awkward laugh, neither of them seeing a Vespa stopping in front of the house.

"Hm, good enough for me." Claire decided, eager to go to the concert before her eyes trailed out to the window, spotting the Vespa outside. "Oh, there's my ride." she exclaimed, followed by her making her way to the front door.

"Don't worry. He's buckled in well. Besides, he'd rather play with his food than eat it." Claire began to explain to Jim as she walked past him, not noticing the boy's eyes turned to watch Enrique jumping around in his bouncing chair. "My parents are at some kind of fundraiser, so they won't be back until 'late' late. I'll be two or three hours max." the Hispanic girl assured while she fixed her hair in the hallway mirror, hoping to go over the basics before leaving.

"What else am I forgetting? What else?" Claire wondered after finishing her hair, trying to think of more things to help Jim out if needed. "He also loves games. Peek-a-boo, hide-and-seek… things like that." she went on, finally recalling the thing she was trying to remember while Jim walked up to her with an assuring smile on his face.

"I've got this. Enjoy the concert." Jim encouraged, opening the door for her and settling Claire's worries since she knew her brother would be in good hands.

"And help yourself to anything in the fridge." Claire warmly said, grateful for the favor Jim was doing for her whilst they stared at one another, sharing a tender moment. But it was quickly interrupted when a pitchy horn sounded from the front of the house. 'Stupid Steve.' the girl groaned in her thoughts, not happy with how impatient he was being.

"I'm coming! Shish-kebab!" Claire exclaimed before walking out the front door with Jim walking her out, heading down the stairs to Steve as he sat on his Vespa and looked ready to go.

"What?" Jim exclaimed from behind her, causing Claire to turn her gaze around to see his suddenly appalled expression when he caught sight of Steve.

"What's up, my Juliet?" Steve greeted Claire, speaking with the lisp as he waved at her from his Vespa.

"You're going with him?" Jim nearly whined with shock, immediately making Claire feel bad about her choice of dates for the concert.

"He, um, bought the last tickets." Claire meekly explained as she headed to the back of the Vespa, lifting the helmet that was on the back before sliding it on her head.

"Like my ride, buttsnack? Last on the showroom floor. Handles like a dream. No big deal." Steve taunted Jim, letting out a laugh while waiting for Claire to sit down.

"Thanks again, Jim! You're my hero!" Claire called to Jim, wrapping her arms around Steve's waist for safety before he started his engine and sped off.

"Buttsnack!" Steve insulted as he drove off, causing Clarie to send a dirty glare at the blonde olf who was mocking the guy doing her a major personal favor.

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After the Vespa carrying Claire and Steve had left his line of sight, Jim walked back into the house and closed the door with his elbow with a scowl. The last thing he expected to happen was Steve taking Claire to the concert, and his rotten luck had been all too eager to make it come true. But when he was inside, he walked back over to Enrique while the baby had been sucking on a spoon, soon cooing and reaching for Jim. In response, the Trollhunter knelt on the floor near Claire's baby brother and stared at Enrique with a calculating look on his face.

"I'll give you this much. You seem a little too adorable and drooly to be a changeling." Jim admitted in reluctance, still thinking he was right. "Hey, are you now, or have you ever been a shape-shifting troll creature?" the blue-eyed boy interrogated Enrique, waving his finger in front of the baby before he abandoned his spoon to suck on the boy's finger. At the adorable move, Jim couldn't help the warm-hearted laugh escaping him before pulling away his finger from the baby.

"Oh, man, what was I thinking? You're no monster." Jim wondered out loud, now thinking he was going crazy like Toby had said. Regardless, he had brought the Gaggletack with him… he might as well make sure he had nothing to worry about. "But just in case…" the Trollhunter began, reaching for his bag off to the side.

"…want to play the horseshoe game?" Jim asked the baby in front of him as he dug into his backpack, only to find the Gaggletack missing. "Huh. That's weird. It was just here." the blue-eyed boy said as he looked into his bag, perplexed by the disappearance of the artifact before looking back at Enrique as he lifted his gaze off the backpack as Jim did. However, Jim's eyes quickly fell onto the buckle hanging on the sides of the bouncing chair, noticing that it was suddenly no longer clipped together.

"Wait a minute. You were buckled in a minute ago. This is supposed to be childproof." Jim observed, his suspicions quickly reignited with the new evidence presented to him. "Where did you hide it? Speak." the Trollhunter questioned the baby, witnessing Enrique's eyes seeming to almost pop out of his head before he regained himself and giggled.

"Oh, you want to play games, do you? Then let's play." Jim declared, happy to accept Enrique's silent challenge and unknowingly getting himself into a load of hurt shortly.

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Back over at the Domzalski household, after Toby had shown Aaarrrgghh!!! his magic kit, he decided to continue his roommate bonding with the large Troll with video games. However, Toby's choice of War Dudes seemed to be a less than ideal one as he picked the Two Players option, followed by the loading screen as blood splattered onto the letters. The choice was further proved to be poor when the game shouted 'Fire at will!' to signal Toby and Aaarrrgghh!! to start playing the game, where Aaarrrgghh quickly found it difficult to play.

"Eat a grenade, scuzzweed! Ba-boom!" Toby insulted the game, playing the console with ease as he mimicked the sound effects. "Oh, no! I'm drawing enemy fire! Go get the laser sword! Now, Aaarrrgghh!!! - Where are you, wingman?" the rounded boy pressured the large Troll, oblivious to his struggle.

"Wingman?"Aaarrrgghh!!! repeated as he glanced over at Toby, unfamiliar with the term.

"My partner, my comrade, my comrade in virtual arms." Toby explained, taking his attention off of the game to define the term. "We've got to work together, wingman…"the geology nerd further elaborated before his attention turned back to the screen to keep playing the game.

"To kill the cyber ninjas!" Toby darkly exclaimed, his face reshaping into a grin as he kept his eyes on the screen while fiercely clicking the buttons.

"Kill?" Aaarrrgghh!!! breathed out in dread, the vast Troll's eyes widening at Toby before glancing at the chubby child's fingers.

As Toby kept playing the game, it gradually got more and more violent as NPCs shouted commands and orders for even more violent actions. Needless to say, this alongside Toby's chanting of 'Kill them all!' was leaving Aaarrrgghh!!! more and more uncomfortable. It wasn't until Aaarrrgghh's attention moved towards the screen when it showed two guns and drawn-out people getting shot down, that things took a turn for the worse. As if things seemed to go in slow motion, Aaarrrgghh's mind had become focused on nothing in particular, overwhelmed by a sudden feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. The large Troll's green eyes suddenly shrunk and the world seemed to spin around him as he began to pant as growls ran out from his throat.

Seconds later, Aaarrrgghh!!!'s eyes closed for a mere second before they opened, revealing his green-friendly eyes to now be nothing but a black abyss with a speck of neon green blending in with them. Alongside his eyes, the carvings in his skin had adopted the glowing green as well just as Aaarrrgghh!!! looked down at the controller in his hand, quickly crushing it into nothing with his other fist. Following his destruction of the controller, the ancient troll panted in anger while his carvings still glowed green as he started to settle down. But unknown to Aaarrrgghh!!!, Toby had seen the whole thing and slowly appeared beside him, his mouth agape as he stared at the large troll.

"Okay, we can pause it." Toby said, clicking the button and watching Aaarrrgghh as he transformed back into his old, loving self. His eyes quickly twisted into the small window of the dollhouse, just to see Chompsky hide in the corner as he cowered away with his doll. Needless to say, the whole room was now filled with a tense atmosphere.

"Wow. When you get into a game, man, you really, um... commit." the rounded boy remarked, hoping to break the tension as he glanced at the broken controller in the pacifist's hands, prompting Aaarrrgghh!!! to look at it as well.

"I'm sorry." Aaarrrgghh!!! apologized, followed by him quickly hiding his face in his hands in shame. "Pacifist, pacifist, pacifist." he mumbled to himself, remembering who he was and who he wanted to stay before letting out a heartbreaking moan that left Toby shocked to see Aaarrrgghh!!! so distraught.

"No, hey, hey! It's cool, dude. Is something wrong?" " Toby assured his friend, standing up to step towards the pacifist and tapping his small hand against Aaarrrgghh!!!'s rocky shoulder. But his hopes of consulting the large Troll have dashed away when Aaarrrgghh!!! said nothing in response.

"Come on, I'm your wingman. Look, I get it. You get angry. Everybody gets angry." the rounded boy said in trying to get Aaarrrgghh!!! to open up to him, only to see that it wasn't working. "Is that why you're a pacifist?" Toby asked Aaarrrgghh!!!, trying to get to the bottom of his sudden behavior before he suddenly stood up.

"I should go." Aaarrrgghh!!! stated, turning to leave. Toby, however, disagreed about the soon absence and quickly stood in front of him, blocking Aaarrrgghh!!!'s path.

"You know what I think? This game's lame. How about we play something else?" the geology nerd suggested, hoping to convince Aaarrrgghh!!! to stay.

It was then that Toby realized that in his excitement, he had failed to take in how Aaarrrgghh!!! was possibly feeling too. Lord knows how often he felt like that, so he'd be darned if his new roommate had felt like that because of him. With that in mind, Toby skipped over to the T.V. set and started sifting through his collection of games for a better one to play.

"I've got Bubble Buddies, or maybe Go-Go Sushi?" Toby offered, holding up the respective games before settling on Go-Go Sushi. "You have to dodge sushi as you're serving hungry tourists. It's awesome!" the rounded boy explained, reminiscing on the times he, Marinette and Jim had played the game over the years and thoroughly enjoyed playing it.

"And the best part is, we're on the same team." Toby exclaimed, now recalling that it was the one game Marinette couldn't beat him and Toby in since it required teams to play. But that didn't stop her from earning the top score in the end.

Nevertheless, as soon as Toby put the game into the player, Traditional Japanese music started playing in the background as Aaarrrgghh!! kindly smiled at Toby before joining him in playing. Shortly after joining the game, Aaarrrgghh!!! and Toby were once again sitting in front of the television and playing the game. However, this time, Aaarrrgghh!! had a great smile on his face as he learned the controls of the game, having a much easier time than with the war game.

"Oh, no! I'm drawing spicy tuna fire! You gotta ask for tips, wingman! Ask for tips!" Toby exclaimed as the game picked up, the screen showing two cats carrying bowls as they dodged incoming sushi before Aaarrrgghh!!! let out a laugh

"Sushi." Aaarrrgghh!!! cheered as they shared a fist bump, now enjoying himself with the new game. "Shrimp." the large Troll mumbled as they turned to face the screen again, only for Toby's phone to begin ringing as they played. With practiced ease, Toby picked up the device and wedged it between his shoulder and ear after seeing who was calling him.

"What's up, Jimbo? Everything okay with Enrique?" Toby greeted his best friend, still not taking his eyes off the screen.

"I kind of just lost the Gaggletack." Jim admitted from beyond the phone, his voice echoing and causing Toby to instantly freeze in place after hearing the news.

"What do you mean, you lost it?" Toby questioned, finally taking his focus off of the game and placing his hand onto his phone to keep it from falling to the floor after abandoning his playing.

"No! What in the world?" Jim yelled from his end of the phone, forcing Toby to pull his phone away from his ear and look up at Aaarrrgghh!!! in worry.

"You don't happen to have another Gaggletack, do you?" Toby nervously asked Aaarrrgghh!!!, wincing at the look his new roommate was now giving him.

Chapter Text

While Toby and Aaarrrgghh!!! left the boy's house to get another Gaggletack, Jim had taken Enrique up to his room and placed him in his crib to search for the artifact he lost. But after searching almost every inch of the nursery room, Jim had only one place to look in, which had Enrique laughing at him as he clapped his little hands.

"You hid the horseshoe in the diaper bin, didn't you?" Jim questioned Enrique as he knelt in front of the bin in question, who seemed to cheer 'yes' in response before he pulled the container towards him. "Because you're just a normal baby, and that's what normal babies do." the Trollhunter loudly remarked, trying to reason with himself in a last-ditch effort to convince himself that Enrique was a normal baby. But after he slowly lifted the diaper bin cover, Jim quickly closed it and plugged his nose.

"Ooh, doggy! Oh, it is really packed." Jim exclaimed, only to sadly resign himself to sticking his hand inside to continue his search. As he did, Jim was too occupied to notice Enrique rolling around his crib before suddenly disappearing, which he finally noticed when his eyes had moved away from the bin to the empty crib. "Enrique?" the blue-eyed boy called out in confusion, shocked to find the baby not where he had left him.

"Enrique!" Jim exclaimed, standing up from the floor to look around the room. "Great, just great! Claire's going to kill me!!" the boy whined to himself, followed by him starting his search for the phantom-esque child.

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Down in Heartstone Trollmarket, Aaarrrgghh, and Toby had finally arrived and found Blinky, quickly filling him in on Jim's predicament. Upon learning of what Jim had gotten himself into, the three of them headed over to RotGuts to receive a new Gaggletack for Jim. Thankfully, they soon arrived at the front of the shop and walked up to the large door before Blinky's small blue hand wrapped around the handle, knocking it against the metal door.

"Uh, excuse me, uh, Mr. RotGut. It is with great respect that we return to you to ask for another Gaggletack." Blinky greeted the shopkeepers behind the door, explaining why they had returned.

"Go away. We're closed." Gut yelled from the other side of the door, causing Blinky to frown at the answer.

"You haven't closed your apothecary since the wart outbreak of 1982!" Blinky argued, pointing an accusing finger at the door in front of him before remembering his manners. "I urge you, if we do not acquire one at this very moment, we may be dealing with an exigency that could shut you down indefinitely." the six-eyed Troll begged, one of Rot's eyes appearing in one of the windows above the group as he spoke.

"What's an exigency? Should I be scared?" Rot asked, now worried by the scenario Blinky was describing.

"Indeed." Blinky confirmed, glad that at least one of the owners was open to listening to him.

"It doesn't matter. We already gave them a Gaggletack. I told you never to give out free merchandise." Gut belittled Rot, his eyes switching around the windows in the door as he argued with his second-in-command.

"But you said you had a bag of -" Blinky began, only for the shop owners to shut the windows before he could finish speaking. "...them." the four-armed Troll concluded, his hopes of resolving the matter quickly now going down the figurative drain.

"Stand back. I think I know how to deal with this." Toby said, pushing his way through to stand in front of the shop doors. "I wonder if Styx from Stone Arc would be willing to help us out. From what we've heard, she's the better version of you guys." the rounded boy called out to Rot and Gut, trying to catch their attention with the mention of their supposed rival.

"That hack of an apothecary owner!? She is the poorer version of us!!" Gut exclaimed from behind the door, opening one of the windows to glare down at Toby. "Besides, she wouldn't have any Gaggletacks. She sold them to us!" the green-skinned Troll proclaimed, eager to shoot down the boy's claims.

"Newsflash, she's got some in stock now!" Toby exclaimed, sort of fibbing about the matter-even though Marinette had told him and Jim that Styx was in the process of getting the artifacts-to catch the two Troll's attention. "So unless you want to lose the business of the Trollhunter, I suggest you help us out!" the geology nerd lightly threatened, causing Gut's single eye to narrow even further at him.

"If that's how it is, then there is no way we're giving you anything!" Gut roared at Toby, never feeling so insulted before. But that was the 'in' Toby needed to seal the deal.

"I thought you might say that." Toby slyly remarked before waving to Aaarrrgghh!!! over to him, who hummed and realized what Toby or in other words, his Wingman asked for.

"Mm!" Aaarrrgghh!!! muttered, pulling a sack out from behind him before slightly sniffing the bag, only to stop himself from eating the whole thing.

"How about a bag of sweaty, tasty, slightly moldy argyle socks to sweeten the deal?" Toby offered Rot and Gut, which seemed to go over better with the stingy owner.

"Argyle?" Gut asked in excitement, followed by another door opening above him to reveal an equally excited Rot.

"Argyle, Gut! That's argyle! Mm…" Rot squealed, both him and Gut watching as Aaarrrgghh!!! waved the bag around to further entice them. Right then and there, Toby knew he had them right where he wanted them.

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Back over at Claire's house, Jim had finished searching the nursery for Enrique and finally decided to extend his search to the rest of the house.

"Enrique! Oh, Enrique?" Jim called out as stepped out of the nursery and entered the hallway, soon arriving at the stairs. "Huh." the Trollhunter softly muttered as he peered down the steps, followed by him creeping down the wooden staircase and ending up in the living room

"Enrique?" Jim said as he looked behind the living room couch, only to turn around when he heard a baby giggling nearby. The Trollhunter stood up from the piece of furniture and searched the rest of the vacant area before scratching his head in perplexity. Suddenly, a sound erupted from another room, metal clattering together in the kitchen.

"What's that sound?" the blue-eyed boy wondered out loud before he ran into the kitchen, soon peering over from behind the dividing wall before resuming his search for the missing baby.

When he started to walk around the center island, a small paper coffee cup suddenly rolled to Jim's feet, prompting him to pick the item off the floor. But when he knelt and reached for it, a cat suddenly pounced on the piece of trash and surprised Jim enough to let out a yelp before falling back on the floor. However, the cat was also surprised as well and jumped into the air before it dashed away, disappearing from the kitchen altogether. Seconds after, a large thud sounded above the boy and was followed by the echoing of child laughter alongside pattering footsteps.

Finding the sounds strange, Jim stood up from the ground and ran to the steps to reach the second floor to investigate. Upon reaching the second floor, Jim was greeted by the sight of nothing unusual at all, causing his nerves to skyrocket at the chance of being caught by surprise. As such, the sound of a small crack from outside startled the fifteen-year-old, causing Jim's eyes to dart over to the window. Once he did, he was immediately put more at ease when he spotted Toby, Aaarrrgghh, and Blinky waving at him, prompting him to race outside and meet up with them.

"Thanks for helping me out. I owe you guys." Jim thanked after he joined his awaiting friends, glad that they got there so quickly.

"Think nothing of it, Master Jim." Blinky said, setting the artifact in Jim's hands. "Now that we've brought the Gaggletack, where is the child?" the six-eyed Troll asked, eager to see if Enrique was truly a newly swapped Changeling.

"I sort of just lost him." Jim shamefully admitted, bashfully rubbing the back of his neck as he watched Blinky and Aaarrrgghhh!!!'s-who was holding a pair of bushes to hide- hopeful faces marred with confusion.

"Are you not babysitting?" Blinky questioned his charge, disappointment appearing on his face alongside his confusion.

"Well, I'm not saying I'm good at it." Jim remarked in his defense, an innocent, yet adorable wince accompanying his words.

"I don't understand how the baby could elude you if you were rightfully sitting on him." Blinky replied, causing Jim's face to immediately turn from embarrassment to confusion upon hearing his mentor's understanding of babysitting.

"Babysitting doesn't literally mean you sit…" Jim began to explain, only to realize that it wasn't the right time for him to correct Blinky. "Never mind. Just keep an eye out while Toby and I handle this." the Trollhunter directed, followed by him and Toby heading off back to the house. But when they arrived, they quickly found that they had been locked out after Jim twisted the golden handle, now looking at it with confusion when it didn't open.

"What?" Jim muttered, followed by him frantically pulling at the doorknob before pressing his foot on the door to pry it open. Unfortunately, it was an utterly useless move on his hand and failed right away. "Do you see this? The little poop-bag locked us out!" the blue-eyed boy yelled as he quickly faced his plump friend at the foot of the front steps, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"He's been playing me all along, hook, line, and sinker." Jim realized, which had left Toby appalled by his best friend's words.
"Jim, he's a baby, not a poop-bag! Get a hold of yourself. He can't even reach the lock." Toby berated, only to end up watching as Jim looked around for another way inside, soon spotting the windows next to the door.

"I'm telling you, Tobes, he's a changeling and he knows about the bridge." Jim said as he walked over to the glass pane and tried prying it open. When that failed, he gave up on the window and hopped off the side of the railing on the porch before glancing at Claire's awaiting window. "We'll have to climb through Claire's window." the blue-eyed boy decided, which didn't have Toby jumping up and down in agreement.

"Climb? Sure, why not pole vault while we're at it?" Toby patronized Jim, finding the plan way too crazy for his liking. "Get your head in the game, Jim!" the geology nerd exclaimed, hoping to drive some form of sense into his best friend's skull.

But that didn't deter Jim from going full steam ahead with his plan to use Claire's window, even though he realized that climbing up would be a hazard for them. With that in mind, they went back to their Troll friends and had Aaarrrgghh!!! lift them to the roof.

"Pole vault." Aaarrrgghh!!! mentioned as he lifted the two boys, Toby and Jim almost magically floating the small section of the roof, leading to Claire's window. After Aaarrrgghh!!! had helped them up, they stepped onto the roof, Toby suddenly lost his balance but was saved by a large finger after it pushed him back safely.

"Thanks, wingman." Toby thanked his friend, he and the thick hand shared a high five before he followed after Jim as he climbed to Claire's room, the Trolhunter quickly opening the right one up before climbing in. "Whoa!" the rounded boy breathed out as he stared into Claire's room, still standing outside as he waited for Jim to enter the room so he could as well.

"Dude... holy…" Toby managed to say, in awe of how his night was turning out while Jim stealthily walked into the room as Toby instantly fell through the window. "Ow!" the rounded boy yelped, rolling to the floor and stopping at a surprised Jim's feet. Once Toby had dusted himself off, he rose just as Jim pulled out the Gaggletack and started looking around the room in awe.

"Whoa..." Toby gasped out.

"Hey, little guy, where are you?" Jim called out, ignoring Toby's strange behavior as he started creeping around in search of Enrique. Toby, however, had forgotten the mission and had taken to poking Claire's bed.

"Ooh." Toby said, followed by him positioning himself over the soft cot and still acting very giddy. "Ah! I'm in a real girl's bedroom!" the geology nerd squealed, in shock that he was where he was at that moment.

"Oh, Eli totally owes me five dollars." Toby exclaimed as he leaned back on the bed, supporting his weight with his arms as he swung his legs around in his excitement.

"You do remember that you've been in Mari's room before, right?" Jim questioned Toby, looking away from his search to remind Toby of that little fact.

"She's our sister. That doesn't count." Toby replied as he straightened himself into a proper sitting position, followed by him gasping as he picked up something from her nightstand. Upon closer inspection, Toby popped the item open and revealed it to be a pink colored lipstick tube.

"What!?" Toby drawled out, speechless by his discovery.

While Toby was snooping around, Jim held the Gaggletack at the ready while he kept looking around, only to turn around at the sound of a baby crying. But as he slowly turned around, he was suddenly greeted by the sight of his best friend standing next to him, the lipstick in his hand. Upon a second look at Toby chuckling in delight, Jim gasped when he saw the large gash of pink wiped from the top of his lip to the chin decorating his best friend's face. It was just after Toby licked where he marked his lip that he saw the 'Are you serious' look Jim was sending his way before he pointed to his own mouth to alert Toby of the lipstick on his face.

"This is what a girl's lips taste like!" Toby squealed after he cleaned the makeup off, prompting Jim to groan before heading towards the baby's cries. Seeing Jim head towards the door, Toby followed after his best friend as they headed into Enrique's room, only to find him lying helplessly in his crib.

"Aw, there, there. Did the nasty Trollhunter-man scare you?" the chubby teen cooed to the baby as he shoved his way through past Jim, picking up the baby and pressing the little one against him. "Oh, come here, come here, little baby boy. Don't worry. Don't cry. Shh. Come here. Yeah, yeah. Come here, come here." Toby whispered to Enrique in comfort, unaware of Jim watching the baby sucking on Toby's shoulder before lifting his head and spitting out to the Trollhunter. Needless to say, Jim did not believe the act.

"Oh, hey, little guy!" Jim greeted Enrique, his face changing from serious to happy before he rapidly pulled up the Gaggletack, glaring at the baby as he showed it to him. Immediately, a suddenly shocked Enrique let out a deep grunt before he covered it up with a loud sob.

"Hey, what are you doing? You're freaking him out." Toby berated Jim, turning around to see why Enrique was all of a sudden crying and seeing the Gaggletack in his hand.

"He is freaking me out! He made me stick my arm in a diaper bin!" Jim exclaimed, followed by him holding his hand up to his friend who curiously sniffed it before retching away.

"Oh, no. Made you, Jim? Really? You're better than that." Toby chided his best friend, quickly turning his focus back onto the child. "Who's a little baby boy? You're a little baby boy. You're such a little baby." the geology nerd fondly said to the baby, the words instantly soothing him and leaving Jim frustrated that Toby didn't believe him.

"That's it. I've got to do this. It won't hurt him." Jim decided before he advanced on Toby and Enrique, triggering the baby to begin crying again while trying to escape Toby's grasp to avoid the relic.

"Hey! Stop-! Slow! Hey, can you not--?" Toby stammered as he moved around to make sure Enrique didn't fall to the ground, all while gently shoving his friend back at the same time as he kept trying to touch the child with the horseshoe. "Dude, get away from him! You're scaring Enrique!" the rounded boy reprimanded Jim, Enrique climbing onto Toby's head before Jim jumped at him and caused the three to flip around the room. Due to the tumble, Jim had landed upside down in the chair but quickly picked himself back up, watching as Toby stood back up with Enrique still on his head.

"Alright, come to daddy, poop-ling!" Jim grunted while tossing the shoe in his hands, diving for the pair across from him.

Unfortunately for him, Toby jumped out of the way and whimpered in worry as Enrique fussed in his hands, the baby trying to pull himself free. During the struggle, however, Jim used Toby's distractedness to slowly walk towards them and hold out the Gaggletack at Enrique It was only after the baby had kicked Toby in the face before falling to the ground, that Jim had an opportunity to press the artifact against Enrique's head after the pudgy man had caught the baby, trapping him.

A flash of lightning suddenly shot from the Gaggletack and the baby, now revealing the changeling to the two boys while Toby still held the creature in his hands. Once the light had died down, Toby and the Changeling quickly made eye contact, causing the boy to scream and flinch away before he dropped him when the monster let out a snarl.

"Oh, no, that is not Enrique!" Toby screamed as he ran behind Jim, shielding himself behind the Trollhunter as he stepped up to the crib, noticing that a blanket had managed to drape over the creature during the fall. But as Jim finally made it to the side of the crib, the Changeling popped out from the covers and growled at the two boys with a glare.

"Stupid flesh-thing!" the Changeling snarled before he jumped from the crib, both Toby and Jim letting out a scream as the troll jumped onto the edge of the crib, the two boys falling to the floor. Seconds after landing on the crib, the little Changeling leapt onto the lamp before twisting around on it and knocking it over, landing on the floor to scamper away.

"Oh, no! That is not Enrique!" Toby once again pointed out while he and Jim picked themselves up to chase after the imposter. They soon found themselves running around the upstairs section, quickly reaching the stairs and looking down at them in their search.

"Where'd it go?" Toby wondered, only to follow after Jim as he turned the corner to reach the end of the hall.

"There!" Jim shouted quickly spotting the tiny pest as he stood under the table decorating the end of the long hallway. Upon hearing the two boys, the Changeling turned around and faced them, resulting in revealing the cat Jim had seen earlier sticking out from the troll's large mouth.

"Put... the... kitten... down." the Trollhunter ordered as he and Toby advanced on the Changeling, only for the small Troll to spit the kitten right at Jim's face, making him fall to the ground with a yelp. Using the distraction to his advantage, the Changeling jumped onto Toby and kicked him down just as Jim managed to get the cat off. Nevertheless, he was then pounced on by the pest and pinned to the ground as the Troll's small hands pressed hard into Jim's neck.

"You're a real killjoy." NotEnrique whined before he let go of Jim and ran away, quickly evacuating the area while Jim and Toby recovered from his attacks.

"That is not Enrique!" Toby shouted again, only to fall silent when Jim pulled out his amulet.

Liking what his best friend had in mind, Toby rose to his feet at the same time as Jim before they left the hallway to chase after the wild Changeling, not noticing the unfazed cat lying back in its original spot. Beginning the chase again, the boys spotted the small Troll just before he slid down the staircase railing, prompting the two boys to go after him via the stairs.

"For the glory of Merlin, daylight is mine to command." Jim proclaimed as he and Toby chased after the Changeling knocking down the hanging items, his armor quickly appeared as they fell down the stairs.

Due to the fall, the two boys had made it to the ground floor of the house, quickly recovering before they continued their chase. After they picked themselves up, Jim and Toby ran towards the living room, only to find that he had managed to climb up on the archway above them before swinging down to kick them to the floor. The Changeling let out a long laugh at the fallen teens as he flipped himself onto the ceiling, crawling on it upside down with Jim and Toby already on his trail. Seeing the boys chasing him, the Changeling continued his fun in tormenting them by jumping down from the roof, all while the two friends dived for him.

The little pest had managed to miss the oncoming collision, leaving Jim and Toby, however, to knock into one another, followed by Toby crushing Jim onto the floor on the landing. Following the crash, the Changeling jumped onto Toby and bounced on him a couple of times before the rounded boy tried to grab him, quickly landing on the ground near the boys. Once the Changeling was off of them, Toby and Jim quickly picked themselves off the floor just as their foe blew a raspberry, only to run off to the office across from the living room. From there, the tiny Troll jumped onto the office chair and got comfy, stopping his pursuers in their tracks as he twisted the chair to face them.

"Do you realize how good you boys have it here? It's a party compared to those troll-turds in the Darklands." the pint-sized Changeling admitted, holding a bottle in one hand and an open magazine in the other.

Despite the Troll's words, Toby let out a scream as he ran up to the troll, only to end up tipping the chair over after the Changeling jumped out of the way.

Seeing his friend in trouble, Jim ran towards them just as the little laughing pest laughed and jumped all over the room, taking Jim for a ride as he kept on trying to catch him. Meanwhile, Toby had finally recovered from his fall and stood up while Jim kept chasing after the Changeling, only to find that he had the magazine the Troll had been reading in his hands. Curiosity got the better of him and he took a peak at the contents, soon appalled by what he saw.

"No, hey! You're a very bad baby!" Toby exclaimed after he looked at the cover of the magazine, spotting the sexy girl on it that confirmed that the contents were inappropriate for a child. "My word!" the geology nerd gasped, only to look back into the magazine anyway and flip the page while Jim still went after the Changeling.

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While Jim and Toby were chasing after the tiny pest of a Changeling, Blinky and Aaarrrgghh were standing in the bushes outside of the Nuñez Household and were watching the whole thing. However, when Jim froze in front of the window while many things were being thrown at him, Aaarrrgghh frowned and finally had enough of watching.

"I'm going in." Aaarrrgghh!!! stated before standing up, only for Blinky rapidly to stop him.

"No! We're not his safety line. This is a good test for our Trollhunter and Jim must learn to stand on his own." Blinky said, hoping to prevent future habits from growing and encourage Jim's growth of independence. "So stay hidden." the six-eyed Troll added, watching as Aaarrrgghh held two bushes over his face in an attempt to hide him.

"I mean, lie low." Blinky clarified, finding his companion's hiding arrangements to be inadequate.

"Lie low." Aaarrrgghh!!! Repeated before crouching lower to the ground, which didn't help hide the large Troll that much better. But seeing as they were limited in their choices, Blinky left things well enough alone before turning to watch the chaos happening inside.

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Back inside, the chase after the small Changeling; now repeatedly dubbed NotEnrique, had moved into the kitchen, where the Troll had started throwing things from the fridge at Jim.

"Where's the real Enrique, you filthy rugrat?" Jim interrogated the Changeling, holding a large circular pan over his head as a shield while random objects were thrown at him. Upon finishing his question, NotEnrique threw more objects at Jim, forcing the boy to dive behind the island counter for cover.

"As if I'd ever tell you!" NotEnrique spat, followed by him throwing more objects at the two boys taking refuge behind the counter, soon leading to a cake platter falling beside Toby.

"Ooh, cake!" Toby cooed as he picked up the slice, it having landed on the floor perfectly.

As he started to bite into the treat, Jim peaked his head around the counter to glare at NotEnrique as he summoned his sword to his hand, the weapon appearing in a cloud of blue smoke. With a determined glare sent at his foe, Jim jumped out from behind the island and quickly sliced the milk carton NotEnrique threw at him with Daylight, blue smoke surrounding him afterwards.

"Don't make me use this." Jim warned NotEnrique, the smoke dissipating as he continued glaring at the Changeling in front of him.

"You can't touch me. I'm her baby brother." NotEnrique cockily replied, knowing that he was in the clear no matter what he did. "Plus, what do you suppose is gonna happen when they come home and see something's happened to their precious?" the tiny Troll remarked, climbing the shelves within the fridge before letting out a laugh.

"I'm untouchable, baby." NotEnrique proclaimed, Jim frowning at the statement and knowing he was at a loss. But that didn't stop Toby; who had finished the cake slice, from helping solve that dilemma, soon appearing behind Jim with a broom.

"Jim, catch!" Toby yelled, tossing the broom to his friend whose sword evaporated and was replaced by a normal household item.

"Uh…" NotEnrique muttered, now at a loss since Jim went with the non-lethal tactic.

But his surprise quickly evaporated when Jim swung the broom at him, forcing the Changeling to avoid being hit by jumping onto the top of the fridge. Following this, the small pest hopped onto the divider of the cupboards and used his new position to kick the fridge door into Jim's back, making him stumble with a yelp of pain. Quickly recovering, Jim turned around and smacked at the area where NotEnrique last stood, only for the Changeling to pull himself into the cupboard with a laugh. Immediately, Jim's metal-coated hand reached for the handle and pulled the small door open, leading to him finding nothing there except for cans and glass containers. Having failed to find his prey, Jim tried looking in another cupboard, which proved the right choice when he found his target buried under some more tin cans when opening it.

But before he could even grab at him, NotEnrique pushed all of the cans out of his hiding place, all of them falling onto Jim and forcing him to protect himself with his arm before he was knocked to the floor. With the blue-eyed boy down, NotEnrique jumped down to the floor with a laugh, only to suddenly be caught by Toby, who had been prepared with a large pot and slammed it on top of the pest. However, Toby's joyous moment of catching the Changeling was over when large dimples started appearing from the inside created by NotEnrique's fist, causing the outside to blister. This was followed by the Changeling suddenly hopping around the kitchen, a screaming Toby holding onto the bouncing pot with all his might.

As the pot bounced around, Jim recovered and climbed out of the way as it neared him, allowing the pot to lead Toby out of the kitchen and right into Enrique's bouncing swing. When passing by it, the swing was caught on the boy and Changeling, stopping them from going any further before the swing acted like a slingshot and sent the two back into the kitchen with screams. As the two flew back into the kitchen, they passed by Jim in the process, who watched with shock as they crashed into the wall. But before he could help his best friend, Jim's phone suddenly started going off, causing the boy to turn his head when hearing it over all the commotion. Just as Toby and Enrique started fighting each other behind him, Jim's hand fell to the back of his armor in search of his phone, finally finding it to see who was calling before answering it.

"Oh, hey, Claire! How's the concert?" Jim greeted his crush, the music of the event blaring through from the other end

"Jim, my parents just called. They're coming back early. I'm leaving now." Claire informed Jim, who listened to her panicked voice before his eyes grew wide in realization alongside his agape mouth as he let his armor disintegrate back into his amulet. But the situation was made worse when Toby ran past him, screaming as he tried to pry NotEnrique off of his head. "Who's there? What's that music?" the Hispanic girl questioned the boy, only to be responded to by NotEnrique turning the volume button on a stereo he was suddenly lying on.

"Tell her how you were elbow-deep in me dookie-bin." NotEnrique taunted the Trollhunter, music coming out of the speakers before he started dancing and turned the volume up louder.

"Are you having a party?" Claire angrily interrogated Jim from his phone, sending the Trollhunter's nerves through the roof when he heard Claire's question.

"No! No, no party! Gotta go!" Jim rapidly denied, quickly hanging up the phone before picking up the wide pan lid he had used earlier and using it as a shield again to prevent the silverware thrown at him from hurting him. With the added protection to his now unarmored self, Jim started to advance on NotEnrique once again, hoping to catch him before the Nuñez Family returned home.

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While Jim and Toby were still trying to catch NotEnrique, Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!! were still watching the disaster going on inside the house. But after they saw Jim get plowed down by the small Changeling, Aaarrrgghh!!! had seen enough of the fight to know that the boys needed help.

"Enough's enough."Aaarrrgghh!!! declared, lowering the bushes he was hiding behind while Blinky looked at him with wide eyes.

"Aaarrrgghh!!!, what about our lesson?" Blinky questioned, hoping to talk his friend out of interfering.

"Need help." Aaarrrgghh!!! stated, worried that if they didn't help now then something terrible would happen.

"But we are helping them by not helping." Blinky argued, closing his eyes and raising his top-right point finger in the air as he made his claim.

But when he opened one of his eyes, Blinky had found Aaarrrgghh!!! slowly creeping away from him and heading towards the back door of the Nuñez residence. Immediately, the tinier troll scoffed and followed after his friend, quickly blocking the door just as Aaarrrgghh!!! was about to punch it down.

"Can't you see? By coddling a pupil, we're only stunting-" the six-eyed Troll tried to reason with his large companion, only to yelp and jump back when a knife prodding through the door poked him in the leg. "Aaarrrgghh!!!, remove this door immediately!" Blinky shouted, now seeing that Aaarrrgghh!!! was right and stepped out of the way so the larger Troll could take care of the door.

"But be careful. Human houses aren't built to withstand troll-" the four-armed Troll warned Aaarrrgghh!!!, prompting him to tap his finger against the door instead of punching it down, which caused it to land between a suddenly surprised Jim and Toby. "... strength." Blinky finished as the two boys turned their attention to Aaarrrgghh!!! and him.

"Oops." Aaarrrgghh!!! muttered, feeling bad for playing a part in trashing the house while NotEnrique had stopped throwing stuff at the teens when seeing the larger Trolls.

"Stupid, smelly trolls!" NotEnrique complained from his perch on the center island, dropping the cans in his hands and backing away.

"Their door! What did you guys do to their door?" Jim groaned, pressing his hand to his forehead in exasperation while Aaarrrgghh!!! stepped aside to let Blinky enter the kitchen.

"We... Uh, we're here to... help." Blinky bashfully explained with a nervous laugh, followed by him picking up the door as Jim pouted.

"Well, I don't remember inviting these two to dinner!" NotEnrique remarked from the other side of the kitchen, causing them to all look and see he was back in the fridge. "First course, frozen peas!" the tiny Changeling taunted his foes as he hopped up to the freezer and grabbed a box of the frozen veggies, quickly perching himself onto the top of the appliance.

"Don't make me climb up there, foul beast!" Blinky threatened as he walked to stand with Jim and Toby, the two boys preparing themselves for attack with their respective weapons; Jim the pot lid and Toby a chicken leg.

Taking the first attack, Toby quickly bit into his chicken leg for good luck and threw it at NotEnrique, which proved to be ineffective when he ate it in one gulp. Retaliating, the Changeling then jumped from his taller pedestal to the lamp on the ceiling, quickly loading his mouth with peas before launching them like a machine gun at Blinky. The tiny projectile's aim rang true when it hit the second-largest Troll's eyes.

"My eyes, my eyes! Green balls of madness! They hurt very badly!" Blinky wailed while he covered his eyes, stumbling around until the three of them took cover behind the counter just as Aaarrrgghh!!! had managed to get past the small doorway and join them.

Above them, NotEnrique laughed at his pursuers and loaded more of the green bullets into his mouth, now shooting at Aaarrrgghh!!! due to him being a bigger target. But just as the gray-skinned Troll had picked up a plate to use as a shield; which did no justice to protect the large troll from the peas, Toby got an idea.

"Aaarrrgghh, it's just like our video game." Toby mentioned, causing Aaarrrgghh!!! to come out from beneath his small plate and gawk at him in confusion. "You with me, buddy?" the rounded boy asked, which the large Troll finally understood and smiled at his stout friend.

"Sushi." Aaarrrgghh!!! replied, exciting Toby for their team-up.

"Yeah!" Toby exclaimed, the two sharing a high-five before diving into their hastily made plan.

"Draw fire?" Aaarrrgghh!!! Asked as he balled his fist, offering to run distraction.

"No, it's my turn." Toby said as he balled his fists too and stood up with a proud smile. Seconds later, he ran out of the group's cover and caught NotEnrique's attention to have the little pest continuously blast at Toby with peas.

"Oh, it's hailing peas and I hate peas!" Toby whined as he ran to the other side of the kitchen, only to trip and fall over onto the floor. "Oh, ooh, ow!" the geology nerd wailed in mock pain, still being pelted with the peas.

On top of the lamp, while NotEnrique continued aiming the peas at Toby, he was oblivious to Aaarrrgghh!!! sneaking out of the group's hiding place and standing right underneath him. As such, he was unprepared for Aaarrrgghh!!!'s large fist crushing the Changeling into the ceiling. Just as the fist retracted from the squished pest, NotEnrique wheezed with the breath knocked out of his lungs before he fell off the lamp. But before he could land on the ground, the little Troll fell onto an awaiting plate in Aaarrrgghh!!!'s hand, his arms and legs going stiff and sticking up in the air upon impact. When seeing that their plan worked, Toby joyously laughed as he joined his large proud-smirking friend's side.

"Way to go, wingman!" Toby cheered as Aaarrrgghh!!! lowered the disoriented Changeling towards him, fist pumping in the air as NotEnrique went limp.

"Boom, boom!" Aaarrrgghh!!! added in equal excitement, the two fist-bumping just as Jim stepped up to a recovering NotEnrique.

"All right, enough! Where's the bridge?" Jim interrogated the now recovering Troll, who was now sitting on the plate in Aaarrrgghh!!!'s hand with a grin.

"What bridge? London Bridge? I hear it's falling down." NotEnrique mocked, which earned him Aaarrrgghh!!!'s hand pressing down on him. "Ow! Fleshbags... no sense of humor." the tiny pest whined, trying to ease the pressure being put on him with his arms and minimal strength compared to Aaarrrgghh!!!'s.

"Where is the bridge?" Jim questioned again, his voice bleeding with the same intensity as the glares he and Blinky were giving the Changeling while Aaarrrgghh continued to crush him.

"Give me a break! I don't know anything. - It's me first day." NotEnrique groaned while still being crushed, the energy being used to speak while trying to save himself from the pressure causing him to wheeze and gasp for air.

"Squeeze him till he pops!" Blinky commanded Aaarrrgghh!! as he stepped beside Jim, not satisfied with the answers they were being given. The large troll followed the order and pressed down on NotEnrique, the smaller troll's eyes began to bulge out of his sockets before he pushed the hand off of him.

"Okay, okay, okay! Can't blame a guy for looking out for himself." NotEnrique exclaimed, finally ready to talk.

"But you can't tell anyone I told you. I got a pretty sweet deal going here. If the bossman hears I squealed, he'll feed me to Bular." the tiny Changeling explained, unknowingly giving away a pretty big chunk of information to the group.

"Bular's working with someone else?" Blinky remarked, intrigued by the information.

"Who? Who is Bular working with?" Jim interrogated, wanting to know more than what NotEnrique had let slip while the small Troll realized that he already squealed without realizing it.

"Oh, er… Forget I said anything." NotEnrique nervously replied as he cleared his throat, only for the interrogation to be interrupted by the sight of headlights appearing on the wall behind Aaarrrgghh!!!.

"Oh, no, someone's home!" Jim exclaimed, everyone's gaze turning to the front door as they heard a car pulling into the driveway.

"I suggest we make our egress." Blinky said, seeing that it would be wise for him and Aaarrrgghh!!! to escape before they are discovered.

"Egress?" Aaarrrgghh!!! questioned the new word, unfamiliar with it.

"It means to exit." Blinky explained before he started to head for the door, grabbing NotEnrique as he went.

"Whoa! I'm supposed to be babysitting it!" Jim protested when seeing Blinky trying to run off with the tiny pest, grabbing onto NotEnrique's legs while Toby and Aaarrrgghh!!! exited through the back door.

"And I need the proof for Vendel!" Blinky argued, the two of them engaging in a tug-of-war when pulling on either end of the Changeling, causing him to yelp in pain.

"And I need not to be split in two." NotEnrique yelled, trying to swipe either of them off of him just as they heard the front door unlock. Upon hearing how close the Nuñezs were, Blinky let go of NotEnrique and allowed Jim to take possession of the squirming Troll.

"Okay, you have to go now." Jim muttered to the others while NotEnrique continued to push out of his grip, but the boy had a tight hold on him despite getting punched and kicked in the face.

"With haste." Blinky declared, prompting the others to leave while NotEnrique managed to free himself to try and land on the floor, only for Jim to catch him by the legs and hold him away from his body.

While the tiny Changeling struggled in Jim's grasp, Aaarrrgghh!!! was soon having trouble putting on the door after Blinky and Toby already left. But thankfully for him, he figured out how to put the door back into place and they left in time, all while the Changeling continued to struggle against the Trollhunter.

"Claire, we're home!" a male voice called out, making both the tiny Troll and boy freeze in their tracks when they heard Claire's parents walking towards the kitchen.

Not wasting any more time, Jim quickly pressed on NotEnrique to get him to change back into his baby form, leading the two of them to struggle against one another until he did. But when Jim heard Claire's parents gasp from behind him when seeing the sight of their trashed kitchen and finding him holding their child, he knew he was in trouble.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Nunez. Heh." Jim nervously greeted the couple as he turned to face them, NotEnrique assuming his 'Baby' act and sitting peacefully in his arms just as something fell off the counter nearby. "I'm Jim, the babysitter." the blue-eyed boy meekly explained, which did nothing to erase the shocked looks on the adult's faces. Even when Claire ran into the kitchen in a panic seconds later did they not move. If anything, Claire witnessing the scene had only made things worse when she saw the mess surrounding Jim.

"Fudgeknuckle!" Claire swore, left in shock like her parents while Jim nervously chuckled to himself as Enrique cooed in his grip.

'This… is a disaster.' Jim thought to himself, already knowing that he was in deep trouble.

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(Time Skip)

After a long scolding from Claire's parents and Claire's angry rant to Jim for throwing a party and leaving such a mess, Jim finally left the Nuñez house with his head hung low. Seeing as it was only an hour after 6:00 pm, after he met up with Toby, Blinky and Aaarrgghh!!! Jim had suggested going down to Trollmarket to do some training to get his mind off of this terrible night. Granted they had finally found a Changeling to prove that the Killahead Bridge was in Arcadia, but the cost had been the progress he had made with Claire and any hope of getting on her parent's good side.

Feeling bad for his pupil, Blinky had agreed to the training and the group headed down to Trollmarket, hoping that it would help Jim feel a bit better. Unfortunately, it didn't do much when the six-eyed Troll saw that his pupil was too distracted to focus on the training dummies. So after an hour, Blinky cut training short and sent Toby and Aaarrrgghh!!! home so that he could speak to Jim in private.

"Master Jim, I'm sorry that tonight didn't end the way you expected it to." Blinky apologized to his pupil, watching as Jim's armor disappeared into a cloud of blue smoke as he took his amulet off of his chest.

"To be honest, I sort of expected things to end up a complete mess if Claire's brother did end up being a Changeling." Jim admitted as he picked up his bag on the side of the Heroes Forge, placing the Amulet of Daylight into the front pocket before scratching the back of his neck."But I didn't expect it to be this bad." the Trollhunter sighed, his gaze going down to the floor in shame.

"Regardless, there must be something I can do to make it up to you." Blinky replied, insistent to cheer Jim up. It seemed to work when Blinky saw the blue-eyed boy's eyes seem to light up when he looked up at his mentor.

"Well, there might be one thing you can do." Jim said as he slung his bag onto his shoulder, feeling a bit better thanks to Blinky's offer.

"Name it." Blinky declared.

"I don't know if you can recall, but Toby mentioned that my sister's birthday is coming up soon." Jim said, reminding the four-armed Troll of their conversation the previous day.

"I do recall." Blinky replied, an intrigued eyebrow raised at Jim as he waited for his pupil to further explain.

"Well, I was wondering if you could help me in finding her a gift." Jim finished, leaving Blinky confused by his request. The last thing he had expected Jim to ask was advice on finding a gift for a female, even if it was for the current Ladybug Miraculous holder.

"I must admit that I don't understand why you are asking me for help." Blinky responded, shrugging his shoulders in his perplexion at the request.

"Due to tonight and recent events, I have been hung up on the possibility of something happening to Marinette outside of her transformations." Jim elaborated, voicing his concerns caused by both Hawkmoth's latest double akumas a day and Changelings becoming more of a frequent problem. "So I was hoping you could help me in finding her a weapon to defend herself with without outing her identity." the Trollhunter concluded, admitting to his desire to help his sister out in that department and prevent the ensuing spiral of panic Marinette would have if such a situation arises.

"When you put it like that, you've come to the right place." Blinky replied, now eager to help Jim in his endeavor when hearing the specifics of his request while he placed one of his upper hands onto his shoulder. "Let us go to the armory and see if we can find an appropriate weapon for your sister in there." the six-eyed Troll announced, gently leading the way towards the city's go-to place for available weapons.

"Sounds good to me!" Jim exclaimed, happy that his mentor was all for helping him; and subsequently his sister, out.

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Unbeknownst to anyone in Arcadia, the real Enrique was sleeping in the Changeling Nursery deep within the bowels of the Darklands, happily sucking his thumb. Seconds after he finally fell asleep, a goblin scuttled towards the babe and stood over him as they covered him up with a blanket, humming a melody.

"Chaka, chaka…" the goblin softly sang as he took care of Enrique, soon looking away from the baby and focused on the rest of the nursery. As the little creature did, it was greeted by the sight of the many other babies - more than a lot - that had been stolen too, all kept captive in the Darklands and unknowingly awaiting rescue.

Chapter Text

In the weeks following Jim's babysitting blunder and Despair Bear's akumatization, it seemed that things on both Marinette's and Jim's respective sides of the world were going smoothly. However, when Jim was working to mend bridges with Claire and focus on his schoolwork while Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!! were working to show NotEnrique to Vendel, things were picking up in Paris.

As luck would have it, the City of Love was celebrating Valentine's Day. While it was a bit of a concern to both Marinette and Adrien in regards to Hawkmoth possibly akumatizing someone heartbroken that day, they had bigger things to worry about. This is what Adrien had been focusing on in class instead of participating in the Literature lesson Ms Bustier was teaching that day, which just so happened to be themed around the current holiday.

"Now, as we have discussed, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess in most fairy tales. Can anyone tell us why?" Miss Bustier questioned the class, leaning against the front of her desk as she faced her students

"Because only love can conquer hate!" Rose replied as she enthusiastically stood up from her seat, followed by her swooning at the thought.

"Correct, Rose." Miss Bustier said, happy that she was paying attention to the lesson while the girl in pink sat back down. But no sooner than she did, Max had stood up from his seat, too.

"Technically speaking, this reasoning is only exhibited in about 87% of all fairy tales and-" Max spoke up, assuming the posture of a proper professor as he made his point.

"Thank you, Max. That's enough." Miss Bustier interrupted, while glad that Max was getting so in-depth with the lesson but not needing to know the specifics of the subject. But after she had said so, Ms Bustier had noticed Marinette trying to look over Adrien's shoulder as he wrote something on a piece of paper, clearly more focused on that than the lesson.

"Adrien, I hope what you're writing has to do with my lesson." the teacher remarked as she stepped towards the model, causing Marinette to gasp when she saw Miss Bustier approaching Adrien. "Can you tell me what I just said?" Miss Bustier asked, now standing in front of Adrien's desk before the blonde finally looked up from his writing.

" 'That's why in most fairy tales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess because only love conquers hate.' " Adrien recited in a tired voice, revealing that he had been listening the whole time. A little habit he had picked up during photoshoots when the photographer rambled on about things while he waited for them to decide what to do.

"Very good, Adrien!" Ms Bustier praised just seconds before the bell rang, surprised that he seemed to be so good at multitasking. Once the familiar sound echoed through the school, all of the students started packing up to head home. "Now, everyone, don't forget to finish Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault tonight. Happy Valentine's Day, students!" the red-haired teacher farewelled the teens as they left the classroom, herself following soon after them. But the same couldn't be said for either a still-writing Adrien or a still-curious Marinette.

"Hey, go ahead, I'll meet you outside." Marinette said to Alya, eager to see if she could find out what her crush was up to.

"No problem, gurl." Alya replied, followed by her slipping out of her seat and walking to the door.

Now that everyone else had left the room, Marinette continued trying to peek over Adrien's shoulder as he kept on writing what he was working on earlier. However, her efforts were rewarded when a now frustrated Adrien crumpled up the paper, rose from his seat and grabbed his bag to exit the room, tossing the paper into the garbage can as he went by. Seeing the opportunity presented to her, Marinette couldn't help the joyous chuckle escaping her before making her way to the trash can to find the paper Adrien had thrown out. But had she been more aware of her surroundings, the designer would have seen Chloé and Sabrina walking up to Adrien as he just stepped out of the classroom.

"Hi Adrien, sign here please." Chloé greeted Adrien, Sabrina holding the unrolled end of a poster towards him and drawing out a sigh from the poor boy.

"Oh, come on, you know I hate signing autographs, Chloé." Adrien nearly whined, not interested in doing that particular requirement of his model profession… even if it was for his childhood friend.

"Oh, that's not what this is." Chloé assured the boy. "This is a petition against cruelty to hamsters. Have you seen some of the ugly sweaters they are forced to wear? It's appalling." the blonde brat explained, clearly lying. But Adrien didn't have the energy to argue with Chloé about the matter and begrudgingly signed the poster, quickly walking away afterwards.

As soon as he was gone, Chloé squealed in excitement and yanked the poster out of Sabrina's hold to hug it in her joy, causing Sabrina to smile as well due to her friend's good mood. However, the moment was spoiled when they noticed Marinette still digging through the trash can, who had just found the paper Adrien had thrown out and uncrumpled it to read it.

"Well well, Marinette, looking for something to eat?" Chloé taunted from the doorway, forcing a surprised Marinette to hide the paper behind her back before turning around to face them. "Or maybe you're looking for some better clothes!" the heiress further mocked, followed by her laughing before she ran off with the poster in hand, leaving Sabrina behind with an angered Marinette.

"Ughhh!" Marinette growled, furious with Chloé's teasing while Sabrina shrank in on herself in regret for not calling Chloé out.

"Sorry!" Sabrina called out to Marinette, quickly scampering off to go after Chloé and finally leaving the pigtailed girl alone in the classroom with her kwami.

"Don't even give Chloé time of day, Marinette. She doesn't deserve it." Tikki told her holder as she poked her head out of Marinette's purse, easing some of the edges of Chloé's words achieved as the girl took a deep breath and calmed down.

"You're right, Tikki." Marinette admitted with a smile, only to redirect her focus onto the paper in her hands to begin reading the contents of the page, Tikki flying out to float and read alongside her. " 'Your hair is dark as night, your pretty bluebell eyes, I wonder who you are beneath that strong disguise. Every day we see each other and I hope that you'll be mine. Together our love could be so true, please, will you be my Valentine?' " the red-tipped-haired girl read aloud, her voice rising several octaves higher towards the end of the poem in shock.

"Whoa, now that's a love poem." Tikki exclaimed, also surprised with how heartfelt Adrien's now-revealed poem had been.

"Who could he be talking about? Hair as dark as night, bluebell eyes?" Marinette wondered, re-reading the poem to make sure she had the details right.

"Uh... you?" Tikki deadpanned, knowing that there was no one else Adrien could be talking about. But it seemed Marinette didn't think so, who nervously laughed off the notion.

"Me? No way. There are plenty of girls at school with dark hair and blue eyes." Marinette dismissed, not wanting to get her hopes up on the possibility. As much as she hated to admit it, Jim was right when he said that Adrien was oblivious to her feelings for him, and it had left a little seed of doubt in her mind in response.

"Yeah, but bluebell eyes…" Tikki pointed out, calling out the more in-depth details of Adrien's poem and triggering Marinette to start entertaining the possibility.

"Okay, I'll give you that one. But what do you think he means by 'strong disguise'?" Marinette rebutted, causing Tikki to sigh in slight exasperation. Looks like there was a little more convincing to be had.

"This is poetry. He means who you are deep down inside." Tikki explained as she hovered a few feet away from her holder, having been around enough creative people as her holders to know the meaning behind the writing style. "He wants to get to know you, Marinette! He's talking about you!" the red kwami cheered as she fluttered around Marinette, triggering the girl's excited squealing as she jumped up and down in her joy.

"OH MY GOD! Pinch me!" Marinette squealed, soon falling into a fit of joyous giggles until… "AHH, NOT LITERALLY!" the designer shrieked, followed by her pouting at a giggling Tikki as she rubbed her arm.

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Outside of Collège Françoise Dupont, Marinette had joined back up with Alya and they walked towards her house together, the pigtailed girl now holding the letter to her chest. But as they exited the school, the two girls couldn't help but notice Max and Kim standing on the sidewalk on the side of the school premises, looking like they were up to something.

"Operation Valentine's Day is commencing." Max proclaimed as Marinette and Alya stopped a few feet from the two boys, pulling out a heart box behind his back and holding it towards Kim. "According to my extensive research and cross-referencing of online shopping sites, this particular jewel was ranked highest in popularity." the resident genius revealed to the jock as he handed the box to Kim, who opened it to see the jeweled brooch inside.

"That's perfect, Max! I bet I'll hit a home run with this one!!" Kim exclaimed when seeing the brooch, eager to give it to the girl he wanted as his Valentine. "Love is like baseball, right? You gotta have a strategy or you'll strike out. But if you aim right, you'll hit it out of the ballpark and score!" the jock rambled, clearly not used to being in a relationship while he and Max were unaware of their conversation, exciting Alya.

"Oh yes, Kim. Lovely metaphor." Max complimented with a wince, triggering Kim to look at him in confusion while Alya dragged Marinette with her as she walked over to the boys.

"Meta-who?" Kim questioned his friend, only to be surprised by Alya grabbing his hands to look at the jewel in the box.

"Ooh! Sparkly! Is that for moi?" Alya gleefully wondered, both she and Marinette staring at the jewel in wonder before a surprised Kim backed away from the excited girls.

"Negative Alya. The recipient of this gem has already been determined." Max said, clearing up any confusion in regards to who was getting Kim's gift. "It's–" the resident genius began, only for Kim to quickly grab Max and slam his hand onto the shorter boy's mouth, cutting him off.

"Shh! Keep it on the down-low!" Kim told his friend, not wanting the name of the girl he was giving the brooch to get out. But the information already given was enough to get Marinette and Alya excited.

"Scoop! Kim's got a major crush!" Alya exclaimed, followed by her taking a picture of the jock with the phone in her excitement. "Who's the lucky lady?" the reporter questioned, a sly smile present before Marinette pushed Alya's camera arm down.

"It's gorgeous Kim. She's going to be ecstatic!" Marinette cheered, confident that Kim would be successful in his romantic pursuit, causing Alya to giggle while Kim bashfully rubbed the back of his head.

"Technically, she's still gotta accept it." Kim replied, knowing that there was still that little detail to take care of. Upon the mention of it, however, he quickly grabbed Max in a panic. "But what if she says 'no'!?" the jock questioned his friend, both Max and Alya looking worriedly at him.

"She won't Kim, no way! Don't hold back, Kim. Go for it, no regrets!" Marinette suddenly exclaimed as she fist pumped into the air in her encouragement, leaving Alya shocked. But it seemed to work since Kim was now rearing to go to get his and Max's plan rolling.

"Operation Valentine's Day is underway!" Kim hollered before high-fiving Max, followed by him starting to jog in place and holding a map the bespeckled boy had given to him.

"Now remember, her route is highlighted here in yellow and yours is in red." Max explained, pointing to the corresponding routes traced on the map. "If you run at ten miles per hour, you're going to gain a four-and-a-half minute lead on her." the resident genius continued, causing Kim to look up from the paper to see Max's encouraging smile.

"Halt and wait here facing northwest -- the third most romantic spot in Paris." Max stated as he pointed at where both mapped routes ended, quickly giving Kim a thumbs up alongside Marinette and Alya as they stood behind the smaller boy. "Go go go!" the bespeckled boy cheered, causing Kim to pick up the pace in preparation.

"Thanks, you guys!" Kim shouted before running away, heading out to intercept his crush. Once he was gone, however, Alya finally had the chance to catch Marinette's attention by elbowing her in the ribs, eager to bring up the elephant in the room the reporter had spotted.

"I know someone good at dishing out advice who can't take some herself." Alya slyly remarked as she pointed to Adrien exiting the school and entering his car, the door closing when he was inside. With his charge inside, Placide I.T. quickly drove away, leaving the two girls alone now that Max had left too. But now that they didn't have anyone in earshot of them, Marinette came to a decision.

"You're right. It's time I told him." Marinette replied, immediately catching the smug Alya's attention.

"SAY WHAT?!" Alya squawked, eyes wide as dinner plates due to her best friend's declaration.

"I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna tell Adrien my true feelings!" Marinette reiterated, holding the poem within her grasp close to her chest in her excitement and leaving Alya in further shock. "Well... I'm gonna write them on a card, that is." the pigtailed girl elaborated, taking a realistic approach to her decision. Nevertheless, a still-shocked Alya had finally let the announcement fully sink in and quickly recovered enough of her sanity to smile at her bestie.

"Heck yeah, you are!" Alya cheered in motivation, excited that Marinette was taking such a big step.

"Yeah!" Marinette parroted, followed by the two of them sharing a fist bump

"OPERATION VALENTINE'S DAY!" Alya & Marinette cheered, performing their secret handshake before running off to get Marinette's confession underway.

But had Alya and Marinette lingered around for a few more minutes, they would have seen a cluster of girls surrounding the corner post housing a poster of Adrien. As the girls grouped around the poster, they couldn't help but ogle over the image of their school's resident celebrity and wish he was theirs.

"He's so cute!" one of the girls squealed, practically groveling at the foot of the poster.

"Keep dreaming all you want girls, but the boy is mine." a shrill voice behind the girls called out, forcing them to turn around and see Chloé and Sabrina standing behind them. Seconds later, the heiress snapped her fingers, signaling Sabrina to unroll the poster in her hands and show it to the girls. A loud collective gasp occurred upon the sight of what was on it.

" 'To Chloé, the most awesome girl in the world and the love of my life. Signed, Adrien.' " a second girl read aloud, revealing what Chloé had tricked Adrien into signing earlier and triggering all the girls to begin crying their eyes out. But it didn't seem enough for the blonde brat, who saw one girl trying not to burst out crying.

"Uh, she's not crying enough." Chloé said to Sabrina, who frowned at the sort of silent demand as she brought the poster towards the one girl, who immediately cried even more. All of the girl's suffering had caused Chloé to laugh, soon having enough watching their pain and deciding to walk home, eager to get her new poster framed.

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While Chloé was causing her usual brand of suffering, both Alya and Marinette had arrived at the red-tipped-haired girl's house to enact Marinette's plan. But when Alya had gone to get the perfect card for her confession, Marinette was sitting at her desk and trying to think of what to write in her love letter to Adrien, all while Jim was on a video call, too.

"Dear Adrien, dear Adrien... Dear Adrien…" Marinette muttered aloud, tapping her pen on the paper she had in front of her before sighing as she crossed out what she had already written. " I'm no good at this love letter writing thing... I sound like a total dorkasaurus!" the designer groaned as she slouched onto her desk in her despair, leaving her brother amused.

"Only when you say words like 'dorkasaurus'." Jim remarked with a chuckle from Marinette's phone as it leaned against the base of the girl's computer, well used to Marinette's freakouts in the love department. But his words had only earned a glare from his sister before she turned her chair away from Jim in frustration.

"Relax, Marinette. He's only teasing." Tikki assured Marinette, flying to float next to her holder while Jim realized that he might have gone a little too far.

"Sorry, sis. I didn't mean to be rude." Jim apologized, hoping to soothe the little offense he had caused and seeming to lighten Marinette's mood a bit.

"Thanks, Jim. I know it isn't easy for you to stand by me on this, but I appreciate your help." Marinette said to her brother, finally turning to face him with a small smile, which he returned in kind.

"While I don't like you having a crush on Adrien, it's great that you're attempting to tell him. So stop worrying about it so much and say how you feel about him. " Jim replied, hoping to encourage Marinette to be brave… even if it was with the guy he didn't think was right for her. But he promised to not argue about it anymore, and Jim intended to keep that promise.

"He's right. Just think of Adrien and speak from the heart." Tikki encouraged, causing Marinette to smile at her kwami for the kind words. But while looking at Tikki, her gaze spotted Adrien's letter pinned on her corkboard on the wall across from her and triggered a gasp of realization to pass through Marinette's lips.

"Adrien's letter! That's it! Why didn't I think of that before? I'll answer his poem!" Marinette exclaimed, rising out of her seat in her exhilaration of having a solid basis for her confession letter.

"Marinette!" a voice called from below, once again causing Marinette to gasp as Tikki hid before the trapdoor opened up, Alya entered the room with a grin. "Check it out!" Alya cheered, pulling out a pink heart-shaped card from behind her back and showing it to her best friend.

"It's perfect! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Marinette squealed, her joy skyrocketing now that she had the perfect card for her perfect letter.

"Okay, okay, we get that you're excited, Mari. Now get to writing before the postman gets there!" Jim reminded his sister, pulling Marinette out of her excitement for a brief moment to regain her composure.

"Right, got it." Marinette replied, quickly going over to her chair and sitting down while Alya hovered behind her as she and Jim; as much as he could, watched as Marinette wrote the love letter. "Voila!" the pigtailed girl announced when she finished the poem, Alya squealing after reading the final product.

"Don't forget to sign it!" Alya brought up, pointing to the card to make sure Marinette would remember considering she had a track record of forgetting to do so.

"Hang on, let me see it first!" Jim whined, now fully invested in Marinette's confession before his sister lifted the card to her phone, showing the letter to Jim for him to read it. "Again, I don't think you and Adrien should be dating… but that's a goddamn great poem." the Trollhunter approved, blown away with how romantic the poem had turned out and earning a bright smile from Marinette.

"Thanks, Jim. Despite your blatant dislike of the boy I'm interested in, your and Alya's encouragement means a lot." Marinette thanked as she placed the letter back onto her desk, only seconds before a ladybug flew inside the room and distracted Marinette as it landed on the letter.

"Oh, this is a good omen! Ladybugs are good luck!" Alya exclaimed as she leaned over Marinette's shoulder to get a better look at the ladybug, the little beetle crawling over Marinette's letter and minding its own business. "Especially in the love department!" the reporter slyly drawled out, a smirk on her lips before taking a step back from her best friend.

"Really?" Marinette questioned, unfamiliar with the tidbit Alya had just dropped.

"Yeah! You of all people should know about ladybugs." Alya remarked as she pulled out her phone and started searching for something, sending both Marinette and Jim into a panic.

"R-really? Wh-why do you say that?" Marinette stammered out as she nervously rubbed the back of her head, starting to think the worst and Alya had figured out her identity. But her worries were put at slight ease when Alya turned around and faced her to say…

"Since ancient times the ladybug has been a symbol of love, guiding hearts on the path to devotion." Alya read from her phone, followed by her turning the screen to show the Ladyblog to Marinette. "It was on my blog this week. You read it, didn't you?" the bespeckled girl asked, unknowing to the relief she had just given the two siblings.

"Oh yeah, yeah, of course." Marinette replied, glad that her initial fears were wrong as she turned her attention back towards her computer, sighing in relief alongside Jim.

"Chiudine uno(Close one)." Jim & Marinette muttered to themselves, glad to have dodged such a bullet.

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Over at the Agreste mansion, Adrien had long returned home and had raced up to his room, hoping to finally figure out how to confess to Ladybug on this certain holiday. In case it wasn't obvious, the letter he had been working on in class had been intended for Ladybug instead of Marinette; even though they are the same person. But seeing as Adrien didn't know that, he had planned on telling Ladybug his true feelings on the day practically made for love and romance.

The only problem was… Adrien couldn't figure out how to make such a declaration that seemed to encompass all that he felt for his spotted partner. And Plagg wasn't helping either with his incessant talk of how cheese was easier to understand than the fairer sex.

"So she's got eyes, arms, legs, big deal! How can you possibly be in love with Ladybug? You don't even know who she really is!" Plagg whined as he floated in front of Adrien's largest computer screen, his holder leaning on his arm while trying and failing to write another letter to Ladybug.

"You don't know anything about love…" Adrien sighed dejectedly, having enough of Plagg's naysaying before the black cat flew to Adrien's right.

"Oh sure I do, I love Cheddar, I love Swiss and I love Camembert." Plagg proclaimed, hugging the slice of aforementioned cheese in his grasp before a pouting Adrien sent him a glare. "Plus, with all the looks I've seen your dad's assistant give your dad, I'd say that's more than enough to say I know what love is." the black kwami announced, earning a surprised stare from his holder at the news.

"Wait, what?! Since when did that happen?" Adrien nearly shrieked, his pencil dropping from his hand as he leaned towards his floating kwami in the hopes of getting more answers.

"Kid, it's painfully obvious! Seriously, she looks at him like he's the one who hung the stars in the sky!" Plagg exclaimed, recalling the numerous incidents that he'd poked out of Adrien's shirt and saw Nathalie fondly gazing at her boss. Needless to say, Adrien wasn't convinced of the obvious fact.

"Plagg, stop joking…." Adrien began to say, only to stop and think about Plagg's words. As he did, the boy began to realize that he was right. Now remembering the at-the-time weird looks he'd seen Nathalie give his father and certain mannerisms one wouldn't see with normal boss/assistant relationships, it left Adrien shocked.

"Oh…. Okay, now that you mentioned it, I see what you mean." the blonde model breathed out, now looking to the ground as he processed his not-so-great epiphany while Plagg gave him a deadpanned look. "But maybe it's a good thing! I've always thought of Nathalie as part of the family, so it would only make it official if they did end up together! They're practically soulmates!" Adrien excitedly rambled, now happy at the prospect of his dad finding happiness again thanks to Nathalie.

"Unlike you and Ladybug, huh?!" Plagg remarked, teasing his holder. At the snide remark from his kwami, Adrien glared at him as stood up from his chair with a sigh, causing it to spin as he headed for the window. "Aww, the poor boy's frustrated because he can't finish the poem for his masked sweetheart?" the cheese-obsessed sprite mocked as he landed on the top of Adrien's swivel chair, watching as Adrien rested his arm and head against the window in his distress.

"I don't need a poem when I can tell her to her face... I love you." Adrien nearly whispered in a love-sick tone, now deciding to go the simple route as he envisioned the ideal outcome of his confession to Ladybug.

"Bleh, gross. You're making me lose my appetite." Plagg whined from his perch, not wanting to deal with such matters before he tossed the wedge Camembert he was holding into his mouth, golfing it down in one go. "Almost." the black kwami muttered, his mouth full of his favorite food as he watched his holder dive deeper into his love-sick fantasy.

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Meanwhile, at the Pont des Arts, Kim had arrived a few minutes earlier and was now waiting on the side of a rail guard fence for his intended Valentine. Fortunately for him, Max's calculations were correct in his wait time and he soon saw Chloé walking onto the bridge, who was on the phone with someone.

"That's right, in a 24-karat gold frame." Chloé spoke to the person on the other end, obviously talking about the poster she conned out of Adrien while Kim rushed toward her. "Deliver it to Le Grand Paris Hotel and bill it to Daddykins… uh, I mean, Mr Bourgeois." She outlined, still walking along the bridge before she stopped after noticing Kim standing in front of her, his gift for her hiding behind his back.

"What are you doing here?" Chloé snobbily questioned the jock, hanging up her call as her intense stare had now left Kim feeling nervous.

"I-I…" Kim stammered, already forgetting what he had planned to say due to his nerves.

"You-You…" Chloé mockingly parroted, quiet board of Kim's inability to say what he wanted to say. But it didn't stop Kim from gathering up his courage and clearing his throat to finally say what he wanted to say to her, only to kneel in a puddle of water. Despite the little mishap, Kim carried on and pulled the box from behind his back, holding it out to Chloé.

"Will you be my Valentine?" Kim asked the blonde girl, presenting the jeweled brooch to Chloé.

Unfortunately, before he could get an answer, a passing biker went through a puddle and splashed water on Kim's face and the left side of his body. After wiping the dirty water from his eyes, he still held the gift to Chloé, only for a chip bag blowing in the wind to land and stick on his face, further embarrassing Kim.

"Don't move!" Chloé said with a gasp, followed by her taking a humiliating photo of Kim and then sending it to the whole school with a press of a button. "Wait till everyone gets a load of this! Hahahaha!" the heiress laughed, not at all caring about Kim's heartfelt gesture.

"No offense, Kim, but my heart's saved for someone more awesome than you." Chloé admitted as she walked past Kim and headed to the bridge exit, only to turn back to say… "Don't you just hate how harsh love can be?" the blonde brat mocked, laughing once again as she left behind a heartbroken Kim. As soon as she was gone, the poor jock took the brooch out of the box and into his hands, throwing the box and the chip bag away from him as he began sobbing his heart out.

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Down below the city, the window within Hawkmoth's lair opened up, once more disturbing the resting butterflies to flutter around the space as their master stood in the center. Admittedly, Hawkmoth had spent most of the day in his lair waiting for someone to be rejected or be the victim of a harsh break-up… and his patience had finally been rewarded.

"Ah, Valentine's Day… the day of love and the day of fools. So many delusions, and so much disappointment all at once." Hawkmoth mused aloud, glad to finally be able to have a chance to cause some discord. "My evil akumas, you are going to have such a field day." the resident super-terrorist exclaimed as he transformed one of the butterflies into an akuma, charging it with power before it fluttered free from his grasp.

"Fly away my little akuma, and evilize him!" Hawkmoth commanded the akuma, the demonic insect flying out of the lair and heading off to find its target. Fortunately for the akuma, it soon reached the Pont des Arts bridge and found the sobbing Kim, quickly entering the brooch and making the connection between the jock and his new master.

"Dark Cupid, I am Hawkmoth." greeted the man as mad as a hatter to his newest minion, the telltale butterfly outline appearing on Kim's face. "I can give you the power to shoot your arrows, pierce love and impale friendships. But there is something you must do for me in return." Hawkmoth offered, already hooking the broken-hearted boy wanting revenge.

"No love affair or friendship will escape my fury. No one will ever love again!" Kim angrily proclaimed, standing up from the ground and holding the brooch to his chest as he was transformed into Dark Cupid.

Once the transformation was complete, the newly christened Dark Cupid spread his huge wings and took off into the air, beginning his reign of terror on any couples he saw. With one hit of his arrows, the numerous couples he had spotted were subjected to unbreakable feelings of hate and turned against each other, their lips turning black being the only other sign of the akuma's powers. As he continued his hate-filled assault on love, Dark Cupid couldn't help the maniacal laugh that escaped him as he flew through the city, unaware of Hawkmoth's delight in the chaos happening.

"Perfect!" Hawkmoth exclaimed, happy with how Dark Cupid was doing so far. "It won't be long before Ladybug and Chat Noir show up to meet their doom!" the resident supervillain evilly remarked, followed by a maniacal laugh of his own as he awaited the ensuing confrontation.

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As Dark Cupid started his rampage, back over at Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, Marinette and Alya ran down the stairs and entered the bakery. But as they made their way over to the front door to get to the nearby mailbox to send Marinette's letter, they passed by Tom as he carried a tray of heart-shaped candy apples to the shop front.

"Candy apples, girls?" Tom asked the giggling girls, halting them in their tracks so Marinette could stop and take two of the candy apples from the tray in her dad's hands.

"Thanks, Papa." Marinette thanked, kissing the big teddy bear of a man on the cheek before she and Alya exited the bakery. Due to the bakery's proximity to the Place des Vosges, the two girls had quickly arrived and stood in front of the mailbox, intent on sending Marinette's letter to Adrien. That is if she could get over her fear of putting the card through the mail slot.

"Come on, Marinette! Do it before you chicken out!" Alya encouraged Marinette, who was still a little scared of sending the letter. But after taking a deep breath to center herself, Marinette handed the candy apples to Alya and finally put the love letter in the mailbox. "Yeah!" the reporter cheered, followed by Marinette's celebration.

"I did it!" Marinette squealed, the two of them hugging each other in their joy. But the moment was quickly interrupted when both of their phones rang, prompting them to pull them out and see Chloé had texted them.

"Chloé? Since when did she start texting us so regularly?" Alya wondered aloud after she and Marinette pulled away from each other, the two of them opening the message and shocked by the humiliating photo of Kim the blonde brat had sent out. "What a witch!" the bespeckled girl growled, immediately feeling bad for the jock.

"And I was the one who told Kim to do it! I didn't know he was talking about her!" Marinette exclaimed, feeling even worse for her part in this disaster.

"Dang, I hope Adrien doesn't do the same thing to you." Alya remarked, only to realize that was the last thing she should have said to her highly emotional best friend. "I mean…" the reporter began, only for Marinette to start panicking and run back over to the mailbox.

"WHAT HAVE I DONE!?" Marinette wailed as she tried to get the love letter out of the box, climbing all over it in her panicked state.

"Girl, calm down! I was totally joking!" Alya assured the designer, who was too immersed in her attempted retrieval to focus. "Kind of…" the ombré-haired girl muttered while Marinette finally calmed down enough to listen to her.

"But the point is that Adrien would never do that to you." Alya reminded Marinette, looking up at the girl perched on the top of the mailbox. But as she did, Alya suddenly noticed Dark Cupid in the sky right above them. "What in the world is that?!" the reporter shouted, pointing up at the akuma and directing Marinette's attention to Dark Cupid just as he saw the candy apples Alya was holding.

"All hearts must be destroyed!" Dark Cupid exclaimed as he pulled out an arrow and shot it at Alya, hitting her in the chest and knocking her back a few steps.

"Alya!?" Marinette yelped, climbing down from the mailbox to check on her friend, who was now looking at the ground. But her worry was responded to by Alya shoving the candy apples onto Marinette's shirt, the treats sticking onto the fabric like glue. "Hey, seriously?!" the pigtailed girl whined, trying to pull the candy apples off of her.

"You're not my BFF, you're a joke! Adrien's gonna laugh his head off at your lame attempt at poetry!" Alya yelled at Marinette, her head rising from looking at the ground to reveal her now snarling black lips to the red-tipped-haired girl before running away with a cackle.

"Alya!" Marinette exclaimed, appalled by Alya's strange behavior before she looked back up at Dark Cupid. "What did he do to her?" the designer worriedly wondered, her stare scanning over the flying akuma as he shot another arrow until she spotted a familiar-looking brooch on his quiver strap.

"I've seen that jewel someplace before." Marinette mused to herself as Tikki flew out to float next to her holder, only to suddenly remember from where and who had it last. "It's Kim's pin! He's been akumatized!" the pigtailed girl cried, watching as Dark Cupid flew away to find more targets.

"This is not good! We gotta find him, fast!" Marinette exclaimed as she finally pried the candy apples off of her shirt, throwing them to the ground as she ran into the park and found a place to transform. Once she was sure no one would see her, Marinette activated her Ladybug disguise rune and quickly said…

"Tikki, spots on!" the red-tipped-haired girl proclaimed, finally transforming into Ladybug. After that, Ladybug jumped out of her hiding place and landed on a rooftop, running across them before she spotted Dark Cupid and followed him. Looks like she wasn't getting the holiday off, after all.

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Ladybug's chase of Dark Cupid was long and sort of tedious. However, it soon led them to the outside Le Grand Paris, where Chloé was standing at the door awaiting the deliverers of Adrien's portrait. But when the deliveries unloaded it, the heiress was less than pleased with the final result.

"Ugh! I never said 18-karat gold!" Chloé complained, her extensive knowledge of jewels and precious metals coming in handy for once. "Those gold tones will never match my 24-karat toilet! Idiots!" the blonde brat whined, unaware of Dark Cupid standing on a roof above and spotted her. Still fresh from his heartbreak from Chloé, the winged akuma didn't waste any time shooting an arrow at her, only for Ladybug to throw her yo-yo at him, making him miss.

"Ladybug!" Dark Cupid shouted in anguish, turning to face the spotted heroine behind him after the arrow hit the delivery truck, the impact drawing Chloé, Sabrina and the delivery men's attention.

"Stop, Kim!" Ladybug demanded from across the same rooftop Dark Cupid was on, her yo-yo spinning next to her to form a shield.

"I'm not Kim, I'm Dark Cupid, and I'll never stop!" Dark Cupid proclaimed, his words frightening the delivery men to place the framed poster against a lamppost before driving away. "If I can't have love, then no one can!" the evil cherub snarled at the superheroine, both not paying attention to Sabrina dragging Chloé into the hotel when the blonde brat tried to grab the poster to take with her.

"Okay, Dark Cupid, I get it. Chloé totally burned you. But that doesn't mean you have to take it out on all of Paris!" Ladybug observed while the two girls entered the hotel, retracting her yo-yo in a show of non-violence to her adversary to persuade him to stop his rampage… hopefully.

"Oh yes, I do! And I won't stop until everyone's heart is crushed." Dark Cupid announced, Ladybug's attempt at a peaceful solution now thrown away. "Say adios to your loved ones. From now on, you'll hate them!" the winged akuma shouted at the heroine, lifting his now-loaded bow at her.

But when he attempted to shoot his arrows at Ladybug, she dodged them with a throw of her yo-yo. The fight between them soon escalated when Ladybug jumped down to one of the roof windows on the building and lept toward Dark Cupid as he fired more arrows at her. Dodging the arrows, Ladybug managed to jump into the air and throw her yo-yo at the akuma, who managed to quickly evade it with a lean to the left. After the failed attack, Ladybug let herself drop to the other side of the building roof, landing on the edge of it before her enemy flew back into the air and started firing at her again. Thanks to her yo-yo, Ladybug was able to shield herself from the arrows as she leapt to the top of the roof, soon having no choice but to run along them to escape her pursuer.

Running across the rooftops with Dark Cupid following behind her while shooting arrows at her, Ladybug had only managed to get across two roofs when she miscalculated a jump. Said fall had led a screaming Ladybug to fall towards the busy street below, only to save herself at the last minute by catching herself on a roof gutter with her yo-yo. Fortunately for the spotted heroine, her new hiding place had prevented her from being spotted by Dark Cupid after he flew higher into the air to get a better view. You can imagine his surprise and anger when he couldn't find Ladybug, furiously scanning the city below him before Hawkmoth decided to… offer some words of encouragement.

"If you want to continue destroying love, bring me Ladybug's Miraculous, or I'll remove your powers!" Hawkmoth threatened his akuma, quickly cutting off the link so Dark Cupid could do just that. But as the evil cherub flew over the city in his search, he passed right over Ladybug as she hung upside down from her yo-yo cord, who was glad that she was in the clear.

"Falling for me already, my lady?" a voice below Ladybug spoke, causing the heroine in red to see Chat Noir leaning on the building wall right below her while standing on his staff, which was wedged beneath a window ledge. At the sight of her partner, Ladybug couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you, kitty." Ladybug remarked as she swung herself uptight, lowering herself towards the feline.

"Same here. I need to talk to you." Chat Noir admitted as he grabbed her hand and pulled Ladybug down next to him.

"It's gotta wait. Dark Cupi-" Ladybug began, only for Chat Noir to hush her as he pulled the red heroine close.

"Sorry, but I swore to myself that I'd tell you as soon as I saw you." Chat Noir said, leaving Ladybug speechless as she awaited what her partner had to say. "Ladybug, I-I…" the hero in black began, only for his eyes to drift to the side and spot Dark Cupid come at them.

"Look out!" Chat Noir shouted in warring, quickly spinning him and Ladybug around to shield her with his body as the arrow Dark Cupid shot at them drew near, taking the hit instead of Ladybug. It had taken Ladybug longer than she'd care to admit to process what had happened, but by the time Dark Cupid had passed by them, the deed had already been done.

"Chat Noir!? Chat, are you okay?!" Ladybug fretted, still wrapped in Chat Noir's arms as he tried battling the effects of the hate arrow.

"Ladybug, I—I…" Chat Noir strained to say, his arms tightening around Ladybug before he finally succumbed to the effects of the arrow. "I LOATHE YOU!" the hero in black growled, his lips turning black due to the spell.

"Chat Noir, snap out of it!" Ladybug cried, only for Chat Noir to squeeze Ladybug incredibly close to him and nearly suffocate her.

"You're nothing, Ladybug, and nothing to me! I hate you!" Chat Noir yelled, Ladybug squirming in his grasp before jumping onto his foot, making him cry in pain and let her go.

Now free, Ladybug pushed Chat Noir off of her and she used his staff to launch herself into the air, grappling her yo-yo onto the roof above her while the feline held onto the wobbling staff to keep himself from falling. Pulling onto the yo-yo string, Ladybug launched herself into the air above the building and flew through the air before spotting a street lamp below her. With a flick of her wrist, the spotted heroine threw her weapon at the lamppost and used it to redirect herself to fly through the front door of Le Grand Paris, rolling into the middle of the lobby.

"Ladybug, it's about time! Where have you been?" a voice near her wondered, causing Ladybug to look up and see Chloé coming out from behind the decorative table in the middle of the lobby, Sabrina coming out as well now that the city's superhero was here.

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Back over with Chat Noir, the feline was still holding on to his staff and waiting for it to stop wobbling so that he could stand on it without worry. Thankfully, he didn't need to wait long for that to happen, followed by him crouching onto the weapons before he retracted it, still giving him something to stand on before grabbing onto the building wall. Once he had a good grip, he fully collapsed his staff, put it on his back and climbed up the wall to the roof… where he was met face-to-face with Dark Cupid as he stood just in front of the roof ledge. Seeing the opportunity presented to them, that was the moment Hawkmoth chose to butt in on Dark Cupid again.

"Offer to help him in return for Ladybug's Miraculous." Hawkmoth ordered Dark Cupid through the psychic link between them, causing a smirk to appear on the akuma's lips at the idea before the butterfly outline disappeared.

"I can help you crush Ladybug, but you must give me her Miraculous in return." Dark Cupid offered Chat Noir, holding his hand out to the hero in black.

"No… problem." Chat Noir agreed with a sly smirk, cackling as he grabbed the akuma's hand and pulled himself up to the roof. With the new partnership created, Chat Noir and Dark Cupid headed out into the city, searching for Ladybug to end this fight. In any case, it had left Hawkmoth feeling very giddy at how well things were turning out for him.

"Yes. Yes! And once I have Ladybug's Miraculous, taking Chat Noir's will be child's play!" Hawkmoth exclaimed as he rested his cane across his shoulders, eager to see the outcome of Dark Cupid's alliance with the possessed Chat Noir.

Chapter Text

With Dark Cupid and his new accomplice looking for Ladybug, the heroine herself was still hiding in Le Grand Paris's lobby, but had one thing to take care of before going back out to fight.

"You gotta get out of here. Your friend Kim has been turned into Dark Cupid and I don't know what he'll do if he finds you here." Ladybug warned Chloé and Sabrina, hoping that they would clear out and get to safety.

"Moi? But how could he possibly have a vendetta against me?" Chloé questioned the heroine, clearly not remembering what she had done to Kim earlier.

"Who doesn't?" Ladybug muttered to herself, not having enough patience to deal with Chloé's lies and behavior. But she didn't have much choice after the heiress came over and wrapped her arm around Ladybug's shoulders, keeping her from leaving.

"Duh! It's because of this. Everyone would love to get their hands on it." Chloé remarked, pointing to the poster of Adrien just outside the hotel and leaving Ladybug surprised by the sight of it. "That's Adrien, a super hot and rich guy in my class! He's hot for me of course." the blonde brat explained, thinking Ladybug wasn't familiar with the famous model.

"Not according to the poem." Ladybug remarked under her breath, tired of Chloé's lying before Sabrina pushed herself between them.

"It's alive!" Sabrina cried as she pointed at the poster of Adrien as the poster as it began to seemingly walk into the hotel, the two non-superheroes running back to their hiding place.

While Ladybug quickly stood at the ready, the poster came through the lobby door and from behind it emerged Dark Cupid, who flew into the air above the girls. The evil cherub then started to fire his arrows at Sabrina and Chloé, forcing Ladybug to deflect them with her yo-yo by using the weapon as a shield. After a few arrows, Ladybug lowered her shield and ran towards Dark Cupid, leaping into the air and landing on the akuma before springboarding off of him to land on the ground behind him. After she landed, the spotted heroine grabbed Chloé with her yo-yo, wrapping the heiress in the cord and dragging her towards herself.

"Daddy!" Chloé shrieked as she was dragged out of the hotel by the retreating Ladybug, soon pulled back to her feet and freed from the yo-yo.

"Run, Chloé, run!" Ladybug shouted to the blonde brat, Chloé following the order and running away with Sabrina; who had escaped Dark Cupid's fire, following behind. Ladybug was looking to follow too, but she was stopped by Chat Noir when he dropped down from above and stood in front of the red heroine.

"Well, well, Ladybug." Chat Noir greeted the spotted hero in a mocking tone, resting his staff along his shoulders while Dark Cupid flew above them in his pursuit of Chloé.

"I don't want to fight you, Chat Noir. You're my friend!" Ladybug warned the feline, her yo-yo held tight in her hand in the event she needed to defend herself from her partner. Despite the training they had received, Ladybug was still having a little trouble in her close combat attacks when going against Chat Noir. Needless to say, she was worried.

"Ugh, that friendliness. It's so revolting. You are definitely not and have not ever been my friend!" Chat Noir snarled, pacing the ground as he lazily twirled his staff behind him before driving it into the ground in his hate-filled rant.

Following that, Ladybug started to spin her yo-yo into a shield before Chat Noir leapt into the air with help from his staff, swinging his staff directly at Ladybug. Fortunately for her, she dodged it by using her yo-yo to pull herself onto a lamppost next to her, making Chat Noir pierce the ground instead. Seeing that Ladybug had evaded him, Chat Noir looked up just in time to see the red heroine jump onto the roof and run away, the hero in black now pursuing her. The chase continued across the rooftops, with Chat Noir trying to hit Ladybug with his staff any chance he could.

"You are a coward, you know that right? You're running away from me instead of facing me like a true hero!" the feline hero shouted at his prey, running on all fours.

"It's not cowardly. It's a smart tactic." Ladybug called back, jumping over a gap in the rooftop path before she kept running.

"Like it's a smart tactic for you to use me as a human shield!?" Chat Noir shouted as he kept chasing her, jumping over the same gap with a flip through the air for dramatic flare.

"I've never once wanted to do that! You're the one that is always insistent on protecting me!" Ladybug protested as she ran, still trying to keep ahead of her possessed partner.

"But you've never stopped me, have you?!" Chat Noir angrily questioned her before throwing his staff at her, the weapon flying right at the back of Ladybug's head before she felt its presence.

"You never gave me a chance to stop you!" Ladybug yelled back as she turned to catch the staff, only to throw it back at her partner for him to play fetch and buy her some more time to get away.

"If the mighty Ladybug really cared, you would have found a way! The only explanation is that you don't and haven't cared about me since the day we met!" Chat Noir growled as he went back for his staff, fortunately only needing to go back a building or two to retrieve his staff and continue the chase.

"I do care about you, kitty! More than you could possibly know!" Ladybug cried out as she wiped a few stray tears leaking from her eyes, hurt by his words as she kept running on the rooftops.

"LIAR!" Chat Noir bellowed, now increasing his running to be nipping at her heels as the chase continued.

But after a few more buildings, Ladybug found herself at the end of their path, having to stop herself from falling off and heading to the ground below. With the rooftops now at an end, Ladybug had no choice but to stand her ground and use her yo-yo to grab Chat Noir's staff to keep him from attacking her and try to pull him towards her.

"Why are you so full of hate, Chat Noir?!" Ladybug questioned her possessed partner, Chat Noir managing to hold his ground despite her pulling and not moving from his spot.
"Because hate conquers all!" Chat Noir declared, a manic look in his eyes that left Ladybug unsettled.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but hate doesn't conquer all. Love does!" Ladybug argued, still trying to pull Chat Noir towards her. But it was at that moment, that she remembered what Miss Bustier and Rose said earlier in class about love, giving her a crazy idea

"You're just buying time! Fight!" Chat Noir yelled, followed by him breaking his staff in two to release the grip Ladybug's yo-yo had on his weapon. But all that did was let Ladybug retract her weapon and put it back on her hip, which she took in stride to enact her plan.

"I'll do better than that." Ladybug remarked after she put her yo-yo away, a smirk appearing on her lips before she started advancing on the hero in black.

"Huh?" Chat Noir wondered aloud, only to start backing away as Ladybug walked up to him.

"Come on, kitty kitty, just a peck…" Ladybug said to the feline as she walked towards his retreating form, soon trying to kiss him. But due to Chat Noir backing away a little bit quicker and jumping away, she missed. "Dang it! So close!" the spotted heroine muttered to herself in frustration, followed by her following after him as he kept back away from her, now in worry.

"Get back, you savage!" Chat Noir fearfully exclaimed after he reached the edge of the roof, trying to hold his ground but ultimately turning tail and running away from her.

"Here, kitty kitty kitty! Come here!" Ladybug called out as she ran after Chat Noir, the chase between them spanning across the rooftops as she tried to catch him and break the spell.

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While Ladybug was trying to break the spell on Chat Noir, Dark Cupid was flying above the streets of Paris after spotting Chloé running away from him.

"You can't outrun me, Chloé!" Dark Cupid called out to the escaping girl, taunting Chloé from above.

But while the heiress was trying to escape Dark Cupid, she rounded a corner on a city block and failed to see a flower stand in her path due to her keeping her eye on the akuma. As a result, Chloé crashed into the stand, getting covered in the pitted soil as she tumbled to the ground in front of several surrounding civilians.

"Help!" Chloé pleaded as she looked up at the civilians, only for them to see Dark Cupid coming towards the scene and run away as fast as they could. Now wondering why they ran away, Chloé picked herself up and turned to see Dark Cupid hovering behind her, his bow drawn and aimed at her.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Chloé. Now you'll get what you deserve." Dark Cupid declared, ready to fire the arrow at the blonde brat.

"MY HAIR!" Chloé suddenly whined, stopping Dark Cupid from firing the arrow as he stared at her in shock and surprise. "There is nothing worse in this world than a bad hair day!" the blonde brat exclaimed as she rose to her feet.

"First, Ladybug wrinkles my new jacket, second, you totally ruined my hair!" Chloé complained, having had enough of being thrown around that day. "Just go ahead and just change me already! This day can't get any worse." the blonde brat relented, throwing her arms wide open and giving Dark Cupid an easy target. But to her surprise, he didn't take the shot.

"I don't need to waste this arrow on you. Your heart is so dark and shriveled that there's no room for love." Dark Cupid realized as he put the arrow back in his quiver, followed by him laughing at the blonde before he flew away, leaving Chloé in shock due to his words.

"Ugh! How dare you talk to me like that?" Chloé yelled at the retreating akuma, running after him before she suddenly bumped into Sabrina, falling to the ground again. "Why are you just standing there? Help me up!" the heiress demanded the redhead, only to look up and see Sabrina's lips were now black. She had been hit by Dark Cupid!!

"Ha! Do you think I'd help someone as stuck up as you?" Sabrina mocked Chloé, quickly pulling her phone out of her pocket and taking a picture of Chloé's current appearance. "Wait till everyone gets a load of this!" the bespeckled girl remarked, unknowingly repeating Chloé's earlier words to Kim before running away with a cackle.

"Ughhh… this is just perfect." Chloé groaned as her head lowered to the ground, realizing that this was karma for what she had done that day.

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A ways away from where Chloé had fallen, Chat Noir was still being chased by Ladybug up on the rooftops. But when they had reached the front of the Agreste Mansion, Ladybug finally caught up to her rogue partner and threw her yo-yo at Chat Noir's leg while mid-leap in the air. The weapon was then tied around the feline's ankle before Ladybug tugged back on it, forcing Chat Noir to drop towards the ground, his staff escaping his hand before he was quickly tied to a lamppost. With her possessed partner now unable to get away, Ladybug perched herself on top of the lamppost and lowered herself to Chat Noir, hanging upside down in front of the now frightened feline.

"No, NO!" Chat Noir exclaimed when he saw Ladybug in front of him, now trying to break free from his binds.

"Don't worry, I'm not looking forward to it either." Ladybug tiredly assured, followed by her leaning closer to Chat Noir so she could kiss him. But her efforts were resisted when Chat Noir leaned away from her attempts, dodging the pecks before Ladybug decided to grab ahold of his nose to prevent him from dodging anymore. "I can't believe I'm doing this. Jim's going to have a field day if this gets out." the spotted heroine muttered to herself, a little annoyed that her first kiss wouldn't be with Adrien instead of being used to save her partner.

But regardless of how she felt about the situation, Ladybug leaned in towards a whimpering Chat Noir and tried to kiss him again. Seconds before she could, however, one of Dark Cupid's arrows appeared between them and prompted a surprised Ladybug to quickly right herself before dropping to the ground. While Dark Cupid drew closer, he fired more arrows at Ladybug, forcing her to retract her yo-yo and release Chat Noir in the process of dodging the volley sent her way. Now freed, Chat Noir retrieved his fallen staff and joined back up with Dark Cupid in front of the free-standing fountain while Ladybug retreated behind one of the surrounding trees.

"How are you gonna fight both of us now, bug eyes?" Chat Noir taunted the hiding superheroine, he and Dark Cupid fist-bumping each other before the hero in black called on his… "Cataclysm!" the feline shouted, summoning his powers with a manic grin.

"I've often wondered what would happen if I used my Cataclysm on someone." Chat Noir admitted aloud with a smirk, looking at the bubbling power in his hand in thought. But while Chat Noir and Dark Cupid waited for Ladybug to come out and fight them, the heroine in red decided to fight fire with fire and call upon her…

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug proclaimed, calling on her powers and receiving…"A candy apple? What am I supposed to do with this?" the spotted hero wondered to herself when the object landed in her hand, unsure of how it would be helpful.

"Think, Ladybug…" Ladybug muttered before peeking out from behind the tree to look around and come up with a plan. No sooner than she did, the fountain, Chat Noir's ring and Dark Cupid's brooch were highlighted within her mind's eye, causing the gears in her brain to work overtime. "Got it!" the red heroine exclaimed when she had her plan, quickly coming out of her hiding place with her yo-yo at the ready.

"I've got a Valentine's gift for you!" Ladybug taunted her foes, spinning her yo-yo into a shield just as Chat Noir and Dark Cupid both charged at her.

The akuma took Ladybug's left while Chat Noir took the right, Dark Cupid firing his arrows at her as he glided through the air. With the new volley of arrows, Ladybug used her yo-yo to protect herself from all sides as Dark Cupid flew around her to try and find an opening, only to stop and fly higher into the air. Thinking she could finally catch a break, the heroine in red still kept her eyes on the akuma and failed to see Chat Noir trying to strike at her from behind. Fortunately for Ladybug, she had spotted him advancing in the corner of her eye and managed to evade Chat Noir's Cataclysm by limboing just before he could use it on her.

After Chat Noir had passed by Ladybug, she righted herself and grabbed him by his belt, pulling him back towards her before using him as a springboard to fly into the air. While she flew through the sky, Ladybug passed by the hovering Dark Cupid and threw her Lucky Charm at the evil cherub's head, the candy apple sticking to him. In response, Dark Cupid pulled the candy apple off of him while Ladybug sailed towards the statue on top of the fountain, only to see that the Lucky Charm was stuck to his hand now.

"Looks like you've got yourself in a sticky situation!" Ladybug slyly remarked after she landed on the statue, watching as Dark Cupid removed the candy apple from his hand and tried to shoot an arrow at her. Unfortunately for him, the akuma's hand got stuck to the bow and prevented him from firing the projectile at his enemy.

"Ladybug!!" Dark Cupid roared in frustration, only for Ladybug to jump down from the fountain statue and land on one of the decorative sphinxes near the bottom.

"And now, for the pussy-cat!" Ladybug said, watching as Chat Noir fully recovered from her earlier jumping on him before he stood back onto his feet with a snarl.

Wasting no more time, Chat Noir pounced toward Ladybug with a yell, forcing the red heroine to jump to another one of the decorative sphinxes as he landed on the one she was previously on. Chat Noir repeated the action and forced Ladybug to jump clear from the fountain altogether, leaving her open for him to pounce on top of her, sending them both to the ground. After a fair bit of rolling, the two of them ended up with Chat Noir crouching on top of Ladybug and pinning her to the ground with his Cataclysm at the ready to use.

"Chat Noir, her Miraculous!" Dark Cupid demanded as he flew to the ground, landing in front of the fountain.

"With pleasure!" Chat Noir replied, focusing on Ladybug while Dark Cupid washed his hands clean of the stickiness from the candy apple in the fountain. "Finally, I'll find out who you are, Ladybug!" the hero in black declared, using his free hand to touch Ladybug's earrings and making her nervous.

"Your little secret will be out of the bag!" Chat Noir exclaimed. But before Chat Noir can even start taking her earrings out, Ladybug uses the opening presented to her and grabs his face, pulling him in to kiss him.

If you'd later ask Ladybug why she took so long to break away from Chat Noir instead of just giving him a peck, she would deny it with a passion that she enjoyed it. But regardless of how long the two heroes were kissing, the spell was broken a second after Ladybug finally pulled away, Chat Noir's black lip stain dissolving in a flurry of bubbles.

"Huh? Wh-what am I doing here?" Chat Noir questioned after letting Ladybug out from under him and looking around to see he was not where he previously was. But Ladybug didn't give him much more processing time as she stood back onto her feet and grabbed Chat Noir's hand, lifting him onto her shoulders and carrying him.

"No time! The quiver pin, Chat Noir! Now!" Ladybug explained before she threw Chat Noir at Dark Cupid, making the poor feline scream as he sailed through the air and landed right on top of the akuma. "Grab it! Grab the pin!" the heroine in red yelled, watching as Chat Noir accidentally destroyed the sash with his Cataclysm after knocking the evil cherub to the ground.

"No!" Dark Cupid cried when he saw that his pin was left vulnerable, only having a second to try and grab it before Chat Noir took the pin off of him.

"Sorry, I'm going to need that." Chat Noir said to the akuma, turning his attention back to his partner. "Happy Valentine's Day!" the hero in black cheered, throwing the quiver pin to Ladybug and prompting her to catch it.

"Awww, you shouldn't have…" Ladybug squealed in fake joy, followed by her letting the jeweled pin drop to the ground "Whoops!" the spotted heroine cried in false despair before she stomped on the pin to release the akuma, letting the corrupted insect fly into the air.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma." Ladybug exclaimed as she opened her yo-yo to reveal the sparkling pool of cleansing energy inside of it. "Time to de-evilize!" the heroine in red shouted before she threw her yo-yo toward the akuma, catching it in her yo-yo.

"Gotcha!" Ladybug cheered when the yo-yo was back in her hands. A second later, she released the purified akuma, setting the white butterfly free. "Bye, bye little butterfly," the spotted heroine said as the butterfly flew away, right before throwing the Lucky Charm up into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug cried out, summoning the cleansing cure and the magic ladybugs. Immediately, the damage done by Dark Cupid was reversed, releasing the couples affected by the akuma's hate arrows from its spell and snapping out anyone else put under the spell too. This also included snapping Alya out of the trance as she was about to cut a picture of her and Marinette in half and bringing Sabrina back from her scribbling on Chloé's framed Adrien poster.

However, the cure was unable to restore the framed piece of paper, leading Chloé to sob in despair at the sight of the now-ruined poster. The last thing to be restored to normal was Kim, who was quickly transformed back to his normal self and left confused as to why he was not at the Pont des Arts bridge… until he saw Ladybug and Chat Noir nearby.

"Pound it!" Ladybug & Chat Noir cheered as they fist-bumped each other, just seconds before Ladybug's Miraculous beeped its first warning.

"Oops! Gotta run!" Ladybug exclaimed, quickly turning to find a place to hide.

"Wait, Ladybug!" Chat Noir called out to Ladybug, stopping her in her tracks before she turned to face him. "I gotta tell you something." the feline began, hoping to finally tell Ladybug his true feelings for her.

"Look, Chat Noir… about the kiss…I had to break the spell, or…" Ladybug stammered, not sure of how to explain herself.

"Kiss? What kiss?" Chat Noir questioned, revealing that he didn't remember what had happened just moments ago… much to Ladybug's relief. "No, I just wanted to say…" the hero in black continued, only for the beep of his Miraculous to interrupt him.

"You might want to watch out, Chat Noir. Your ring is flashing." Ladybug warned, grateful for the escape from the conversation presented to her just as her own Miraculous beeped in a warning.

"Yours too!" Chat Noir pointed out, causing Ladybug to laugh at their situation.

"We're about to turn into pumpkins, and I'd rather not see that." Ladybug quipped, a smile on her face due to her relief before she turned to leave. "I'll see you later, kitty." the spotted heroine farewelled, triggering the both of them to run away in opposite directions to find places to transform back to normal.

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Meanwhile in Hawkmoth's lair… let's just say that the resident terrorist was not happy with having the Miraculous so close in his possession, only to be thwarted yet again.

"Grrr... blasted Ladybug! Blasted Valentine's Day!" Hawkmoth shouted in anguish as the lair window closed up, leaving him and his multiple remaining butterflies in darkness yet again. But despite his most recent defeat, it wouldn't stop him from trying again at a later date… as usual.

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A while later at the Place des Vosges park, Marinette had just arrived when she saw the postman appearing to open the mailbox full of letters. But instead of going over to retrieve her letter to Adrien, Marinette just watched him from the corner of the park's gate entrance.

"Hey, here's your chance to get your card back!" Tikki exclaimed from Marinette's purse, poking her head out and bringing her holder's attention to her.

"Yeah. But that was before…" Marinette began, leaving Tikki to look up at her in confusion as she turned away from the park entrance and abandoned her observation of the mailman.

"Before what? Tell me!" Tikki begged, wanting to know what Marinette had to say.

"I realized that even with all this hate everywhere, love still wins. But if I wanna win over Adrien, he needs to know the truth about how I feel." Marinette explained, revealing that she was going to take the risk and let Adrien discover her feelings for him.

"Ah! This is a big day!" Tikki cheered, happy that Marinette was taking such a big step. With that, Marinette headed back home to rest after the long day she had… only to realize that she might have not signed the card after she stretched herself onto her chaise.

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Meanwhile, in the Agreste Mansion, Adrien returned home after the fight and was greeted by Plagg recounting what had happened. But he excluded the kiss and instead focused on when Chat Noir was rude to Ladybug.

"Can you believe all the horrible thoughtless things you said to Ladybug!?" Plagg laughed as Adrien mopily trudged over to his bed, the black kwami eating a piece of Camembert after he retold the earlier events. But Adrien was not as amused as his kwami… if anything he was appalled by his unconscious actions.

"You think it's funny, huh? Ugh!" Adrien groaned in despair, landing face-first on his bed as he began moping about his chances of being with Ladybug now thrown into the trash.

"What's the big deal?" Plagg questioned, floating above his holder and not understanding why Adrien was so upset about earlier. "You weren't even yourself when you did this, and she knows it! Besides, you've got so many cards from all these lady fans of yours! Take your pick!" the small flying cat encouraged as he flew to the stack of aforementioned cards that Placide I.T. had brought up, trying to cheer Adrien up before he started digging through the cards.

But as Plagg dug through the cards, he came across Marinette's heart-shaped one and tiredly tossed the card to Adrien while he was still face down on his bed. However, when he felt the air shift around the card as it landed next to his head, Adrien opened his previously closed eyes and saw the card, further left surprised when he opened it to read it.

"Whoa, hold up! Someone answered my poem? But I threw it away!" Adrien exclaimed, rising from his bed in surprise and sitting up before he started to read the poem. " 'Your hair shines like the sun, your eyes are gorgeous green, I look at you and wonder about your innermost thoughts and dreams. Yes, your Valentine I will be, our love will be so true, together for eternity, my heart belongs to you.' " the blonde read aloud while Plagg flew to his side, Adrien gasping in shock, surprise and flattery after reading the poem.

"Ugh! Well, anyone who writes as sickeningly sweet as you must be your soulmate." Plagg groaned, finding the piece of literature too sweet for his tastes… even after having hopeless romantics for all of his holders throughout history. You'd think he'd be used to it by now.

"But it isn't signed…" Adrien observed after looking at the bottom of the card, disappointed that he didn't know how had given him such a thoughtful poem.

Seconds later, a ladybug flew into the room and landed on the card, surprising Adrien with its presence before it flew away again. Left in awe by the little beetle, Adiren got up from his bed and followed the ladybug to the window, stopping to watch it fly away in wonder.

"Do you think it could have come from Ladybug, Plagg?" the model wondered, swooning as he leaned against his window and sank to the floor, all while Plagg watched him in exasperation.

"Oh, please." Plagg remarked, finding Adrien's behavior a little over the top for an unsigned card. But unbeknownst to either the kwami or boy, they had no idea how right Adrien's guess had been.

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After Marinette had realized that she might have not signed the letter to Adrien, she immediately called Alya over to tell her the news. Needless to say, when the two girls met up in Marinette's room, Alya spared no mercy in interrogating the designer about when she wrote the letter earlier.

"What do you mean, you don't remember? Did you sign the card or not?" Alya questioned Marinette, standing behind the pigtailed girl as she tried to recall if she had.

"I don't know! The ladybug came along while I was writing, then you were yapping about your blog, and then… It's all a blur!" Marinette exclaimed, admitting to not remembering if she had at all. "In any case, I think it's safe to say that I didn't sign it." the red-tipped-haired girl decided, immediately causing Alya to laugh hysterically at the news.

"I don't believe you! The girl didn't even sign it!" Alya crowed, her voice high due to her laughter. "I love you and all, but sometimes you seriously bug me! You know that right?" the reporter asked, triggering the both of them to laugh at the turn of events.

'Yet another love confession attempt down the figurative drain.' Marinette gloomily thought to herself amid her laughter, disappointed in her inability to tell Adrien how she felt.

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(Time Skip)

A while after Alya had come to Marinette's house, the reporter left and Marinette proceeded with her usual routine before night would come around. Despite the earlier events of the day, Marinette had planned to head down to Stone Arc to see if Styx had gotten the Gaggletacks in… seeing as she had a hunch on a possible Changeling. So she had to wait for night to come to sneak out when her parents were asleep, which would make sure Marinette didn't need to be extra careful in sneaking out. During that time, she had her usual video call with Jim and Toby, who were still recovering from their introduction to NotEnrique and were struggling to sneak him to Trollmarket. After the botched babysitting job Jim had done, the Nuñez's became very protective of their youngest child and barely left him alone anymore. However, that didn't stop them from trying to get the proof needed to convince Vendel about the bridge, much to Marinette's fondness for their tenacity.

But when her parents finally went to bed, Marinette quietly climbed up to her balcony and transformed into Ladybug, soon swinging over to Notre Dame. The trek to the iconic area wasn't very long since Marinette's house was across from Notre Dame, so Ladybug arrived rather quickly. Upon landing next to the alcove hiding Stone Arc's entrance, Ladybug pulled out her Horngazel and opened the door to the hidden city, climbing down the stairs towards it. After she reached the bottom and began making her trek towards Styx's stall, she was intrigued to find the city buzzing with activity and yet not Nox at his stall when passing by. Taking note of that detail, Ladybug continued on and soon arrived at Styx's stall, seeing the familiar white-skinned Troll carrying a box of her wares to the front.

"Hello, Styx!" Ladybug greeted the shopkeeper, causing Styx to look up from her task to see Ladybug coming toward her.

"Well, well well, if it isn't one of my favorite customers. How are you, Ladybug?" Styx asked, setting the box in her arms onto the counter with a smile.

"Doing… good, thanks for asking." Ladybug hesitantly replied, looking off to the side as she spoke. However, despite her words, Styx could tell something was wrong… but decided to let her bring it up if she wanted to.

"So what brings you this time?" Styx questioned as she placed her hands on the shop front countertop, leaning over it towards the spotted heroine.

"Sorry to say that this isn't a social visit. I'm here to see if you have the Gaggeltacks in stock." Ladybug explained, earning a smirk and an amused nod from the shopkeeper.

"You truly are the embodiment of your Miraculous, seeing as they came in just this morning." Styx reported, happy to share the news and causing a relieved smile to appear on Ladybug's face.

"Really? That's great!" Ladybug cheered, grateful for the news and to find that her visit wasn't in vain.

"They're in the back for safekeeping. Come on in." Styx said as she gestured for Ladybug to come with her, leading them both into her shop. But as she walked in, Ladybug soon saw that Maray wasn't inside the shop.

"Where's Maray? She's usually with you." Ladybug asked, curious to not see the little Troll girl anywhere in sight while Styx entered the back room to get the Gaggletacks.

"She's asleep at home. Wednesdays are the only times I come in for the nighttime business hours, and I usually manage by myself." Styx explained from the back room, her voice carrying through the open door while Ladybug arrived in the center of the shop to wait.

"Good to know for future reference." Ladybug admitted, filing away the new tidbit for later use.

"Indeed." Styx agreed, followed by her coming out of the back room with a wooden chest in her hands and waving her hand to summon a table to appear in front of Ladybug. Once the table was in place, Styx placed the chest onto the table and placed her hands on the sides of it while Ladybug took a step forward. "And here they are. Fresh from Scotland's Trollmarket." the white-skinned Troll declared, which only seemed to leave Ladybug confused by the news.

"Scotland? Why not Heartstone?" Ladybug asked, intrigued by the origin of the relics.

"Eh, Gut said 'No' when I asked him to send two over to me. So I had to go to someone else." Styx replied, a tired tone filling her voice as she opened the chest to reveal the pair of Gaggletacks lying on a bed of velvet fabric. "In any case, my supplier in Scotland is more reliable for these relics." the shopkeeper admitted, all while Ladybug smiled at the sight of the Gaggletacks.

"I'm just glad Chat and I got them now. This will help take a load off on finding possible Changelings." Ladybug admitted as she gently touched one of the Gaggletacks with a faraway look in her eye, which Styx saw and decided to dig a little bit.

"Something tells me that there's something else weighing down on you." Styx observed, shocking Ladybug out of her staring at the relics and back at her. "Care to share?" the white-skinned Troll asked, causing the heroine in red to slump over herself a little.

"You know how I said that I was doing good?" Ladybug asked, to which Styx nodded in reply. "Admittedly, I've been better." the spotted heroine explained, a frown appearing on her lips and earning a wince from Styx.

"Oh… what happened?" Styx questioned, grimacing at the young heroine in anticipation of what news she had.

"Are you familiar with any human holidays?" Ladybug asked, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

"Several actually, thanks to the salvage runners talking their mouths off at the pub." Styx replied, taking her hands off the table and placing them on her hips.

"Well, today was Valentine's Day. The holiday where humans-" Ladybug began to explain.

"I'm well aware of what happens on Valentine's Day, so you don't need to explain." Styx interrupted, already well versed in the holiday thanks to her time living up on the surface. "The holiday is so well known down here that Nox is taking Tarnite out on a date outside of the city." the shopkeeper brought up, surprising Ladybug with the news.

"That explains why I didn't see him when coming over. Good for them, though." Ladybug observed, glad to know why Nox was absent when she passed by his stall on the way over.

"Yes. It's about time their courting started getting deeper." Styx said, reflecting on how long it took the two Trolls to get together despite clearly having feelings for each other for years. "Anyway, continue with your story." the white-skinned Troll encouraged, hoping to focus on Ladybug's story.

"Long story short, someone got akumatized into a hate-spreading akuma and managed to hit Chat Noir, putting him under his spell. And to break the spell, I…" Ladybug continued, glad to focus on her tale before she trailed off towards the bit she was still hung up on, looking to the ground with red cheeks.

"Let me guess… you had to kiss him?" Styx guessed, causing Ladybug to look at her in shock.

"How did you guess that!?" Ladybug gasped, her eyes wide.

"Normally, any spells revolving around hate tend to be cured with love. Especially true love." Styx explained, revealing a well-known fact in sorcery. "And from the sounds of it… that's what brought Chat Noir out of the spell on him." the shopkeeper cheekily observed, a smirk on her lips as Ladybug looked at her like she was crazy.

"NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! I'm in love with someone else!" Ladybug exclaimed, appalled by Styx's claim while the Troll giggled at her reaction.

"Well, it doesn't seem like it if that kiss is bothering you so much." Styx pointed out, holding back a full laugh before she placed her elbows on the table in between her and Ladybug, leaning over it while still smirking. "Tell me… was it a peck on the lips or full-on?" the white-skinned Troll asked, steepling her fingers together and placing her chin on top of her joined hands.

"… Full-on." Ladybug muttered, once again redirecting her gaze to the floor.

"And did you pull back right away or did you linger?" Styx gently pressed, an eyebrow raised at the young heroine as she dug for more information.

"... Lingered." Ladybug softly admitted as her cheeks turned red, now feeling embarrassed.

"And was there a bit of ton-" "Styx!" Ladybug shouted, glaring at the smirking troll.

"Forgive an old woman for her nonsense Ladybug, it was too fun not to ask," the troll teased. "But regardless, there you have your answer… you might be falling for your partner." Styx announced, lifting her head from her hands and standing up straight once more.

"I'M NOT!!" Ladybug shouted, looking up from the ground and back at Styx, her cheeks still a fiery red. "It… probably has something to do with him being more open with me lately." the red heroine supplied as she turned away from Styx, trying to reason with herself why she hadn't taken a professional approach to kissing her partner.

"Yeah! I'm just unconsciously being more affectionate to him. That's it." Ladybug declared, not seeing Styx face-palm herself due to how ridiculous Ladybug sounded.

'Never in my life have I seen someone in such deep denial!!' Styx internally growled, finding Ladybug's reasoning to sound more like a rambling of denial. 'But… I'll take what I can get with these two.ʼ the shopkeeper thought to herself, letting her hand drop from her face and return to her side.

"Whatever you say, Ladybug." Styx finally replied, having had enough of Ladybug's denial and hoping to help her out a little bit. "But can I offer a little bit of advice?" the while-skinned Troll asked, causing Ladybug to nod 'yes'.

"Believe it or not, I was madly in love once… and had my fair share of challenges because of it. A lot like you, actually." Styx regaled, leaving Ladybug in surprise at the new information about her shopkeeper friend and how she seemed to be able to relate to her.

"How did you manage?" Ladybug questioned, wanting to know if she could use the same method to help herself out.

"I carried on through the challenges, worked through them and took the support my partner had given me. And I know if you don't let today get you down… you'll be just fine." Styx replied, having faith in Ladybug being able to get through her struggles in the love department. "A big part of growing up is understanding that life doesn't always go the way you planned it. So you just gotta roll with what you get, and make the most of it." the shopkeeper advised, leaving the spotted heroine in deep contemplation as she thought through the advice she had been given.

"Well when you put it like that, it does sound pretty easy." Ladybug admitted, deciding to take the advice to heart to continue working through her struggles. "Thanks, Styx. You seem to always know just what to say." the spotted heroine thanked the Troll, glad to have someone listen to her problem since she knew Jim would only use it as ammunition for his claims on Chat Noir being a better match for her.

"My pleasure, Ladybug." Styx replied, happy to help out. "Now you better get going before it gets any later. Deya knows that tomorrow might have more challenges ahead." the white-skinned Troll added, allowing Ladybug to remember that she did have school the next morning and needed to get home and get a good night's sleep.

"Yeah, I better get home." Ladybug replied, reaching to close the chest holding the Gaggletacks and pulling it into her arms. "It was nice catching up with you, Styx." the heroine in red cheerfully remarked, causing a smile to appear on the Troll's face.

"You too, Ladybug. I do hope you come back down for a social visit soon." Styx responded as she watched Ladybug walk to the exit of her shop.

"Will do! See you later, Styx! And say 'hi' to Maray for me, too!" Ladybug exclaimed as she neared the shop front, stepping past the threshold.

"Absolutely! See you soon!" Styx called out while Ladybug finally exited the tent, followed by her sighing in exasperation after the heroine was out of earshot."These two are going to be the death of me if they keep being so oblivious!" the shopkeeper groaned as she sank onto the table in front of her, banging her head on it in her frustration. But after a good minute of her mopping, Styx lifted herself from the table and lightly rubbed her dully throbbing forehead before dragging her hand down her face.

"Here's to hoping that will change soon." Styx voiced before she stepped away from the table, waving her hand to put the table back where it previously was and start packing up some of her wares. After the little chore, Styx went back to the shop front and waited for more customers to come, hoping to get her mind off of the headache that was Adrien and Marientte's love life.

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On the other side of the world in Arcadia, Jim was climbing down the stairs to the kitchen, hoping to get some breakfast started before heading to school. But before he reached the bottom of the stairs, he spotted Barbara in the dining room while on the phone, who hadn't heard or seen him yet as she was occupied.

'Wonder who's she talking to?' Jim wondered as he peeked around the stairs, watching Barbara as she walked around the dining room while holding her phone close to her face.

"So, why did you want to call me Walter?" Barbara asked the person on the other end, now revealing to the eavesdropping Jim that she was talking to his history teacher.

'Stirckler? Why's he calling mom, now?' Jim wondered to himself, now leaning his ear past the stairs to listen in on the conversation.

"Well, I'm sure you are aware that it's Valentine's Day. I was wondering if you were free and would like to accompany me to dinner at that new restaurant tonight." Strickler spoke through the speaker of Barbara's phone, unknowingly giving Jim the answers he desired… even if he didn't like what he was hearing so far.

"Like… a date?" Barbara bashfully asked her friend, her cheeks dusted with a red glow at the prospect.

"If you want it to be… then yes." Strickler replied from his end, causing Jim's eyes to widen and his jaw to drop to the floor like an anvil when hearing Strickler confirm the status of the meet-up.

'WHAT THE-!' Jim yelled in his internal monologue, having to pull himself back from the end of the stairs to prevent revealing himself to his mom and subsequently his eavesdropping.

"In that case, I would love to have dinner with you tonight." Barbara announced, a smile on her face as she spoke.

"Wonderful! I will come to your house at 7:30 to pick you up for dinner." Strickler declared, his voice carrying his shared excitement for their now official date.

"And they say chivalry is dead." Barbara teased, causing Jim to roll his eyes and quietly groan before continuing to listen to his mom's reply. "7:30 is perfect. I'll see you then!" the doctor happily continued, practically buzzing.

"Until then, Barbara. Adieu!" Strickler farewelled Barbara, the call ending seconds after and letting Barbara happily sigh to herself with a smile on her lips before she walked to the kitchen, unaware of Jim still processing. It did take him a few seconds to take in the conversation he just heard, but Jim managed to compose himself to climb down the rest of the stairs and stand at the foot of them.

"Well, it's official…" Jim muttered to himself as he began to walk to the kitchen, "I owe Mari 20 euros." the Trollhunter finished as he entered the kitchen and headed over to join his mom, starting to make them breakfast while his mind was still on the conversation he just heard. While he was happy that his mom was joining out on a date… Jim didn't like the idea of it being with Strickler.

Chapter Text

In the three days since Dark Cupid, things were relatively quiet in the City of Love in both akumas and news about the… exchange between Ladybug and Chat Noir. Despite no one being around for the final confrontation, Marinette had assumed at least one person would have seen or taken a picture of her and Chat Noir kissing. So the fact that nothing of the sort seemed to be breaking the internet, had been a little unsettling for Marinette to say the least. Especially when Nadja had come to her and Chat Noir about a request she had. 

The day after Dark Cupid was defeated and after Ladybug gave Chat Noir his Gaggletack, Nadja managed to flag the two heroes down while they were doing patrol. At their response in landing in front of her on the studio roof, Nadja wasted no time in asking them to participate in an hour-long interview on Sunday. Both heroes agreed and were quite excited about it… Marinette especially since she saw it as a way to reassure the public that she and Chat Noir would protect them and one day defeat Hawkmoth. 

Soon enough, the day had arrived and Marinette's excitement had soared through the roof and she ended up working on Toby's 'Geode Beanie' to burn off her anxious energy. This is how Tikki had found herself watching a commercial for the interview; dubbed Face To Face, on the girl's computer while Marinette worked. But when ComercialNadja had announced there would be 'sizzling hot information' revealed about the city's favorite superheroes, the little Ladybug kwami was left shocked.

"Sizzling hot revelations?" Tikki exclaimed as she filtered around Marinette's computer screen, shocked by the news.

 
"Can you believe it, Tikki? An entire hour-long special about me and Chat Noir! Pretty exciting, huh?" Marinette said as she worked on Toby's beanie in the corner part of her work area, most of her focus wrapped up in her task while Tikki flew over to her.

"Marinette, you're a superhero, not a star! You have to remain a mystery to protect yourself from Hawkmoth and his supervillains." Tikki reminded her charge, flying around Marinette and drawing the girl's focus onto her as the kwami warned her about the consequences of participating in the interview.

 
"Don't worry, I only accepted this because I want the people of Paris to know that Chat Noir and I will always do whatever it takes to keep them safe." Marinette assured her kwami as she placed her project off to the side and held out her hands for Tikki to rest on her palm as she calmed her down. Thankfully for the designer, it seemed to have worked when Tikki's worried gaze had lessened.

"Just be careful tonight, okay?" Tikki requested, hoping that Marinette would be wise in the questions she answered.

"I know, Tikki. The only thing I need to worry about is getting Alya to help me babysit Manon tonight while I'm at the show." Marinette admitted as she picked up her phone to check her babysitting schedule, making sure she had their arrival time right. "Nadja should be here soon to drop Manon off." the pigtailed girl observed. 

To make a story short, after Nadja confirmed the date for the interview, she asked Marinette to babysit for that night right after the girl got back home from the TV studio. Seeing as she wouldn't be in two places at once, Marinette knew that she would need a little help with this one to keep her identity a secret… so the first idea that came to mind was asking Alya for help.

"MARINETTE!" a voice below her trapdoor called out, alerting Marinette of the arrival of the five-year-old girl she was going to be in charge of.

"Speak of the devil." Marinette muttered to herself before turning off her monitor after hearing Manon's voice, allowing Tikki to hide while she stood up from her swivel chair. Seconds after she did, Marinette's trapdoor opened and revealed Nadja and an excited Manon; who ran up the stairs into the room after her mother opened the door.

"Marinette!" Manon cheered as she ran to her babysitter, leaping onto Marinette to wrap her in a tight hug, nearly knocking the red-tipped-haired girl off of her feet.

"Hello, Manon. Hello, Mrs. Chamack. It's nice to see you again." Marinette greeted the two, managing to catch herself from falling while Nadja entered the room too. "I just saw your ad for your show tonight. It looks great!" the designer complemented the reporter, gently setting Manon back onto the ground.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry to rush off, but I'm running late. Thanks again for watching Manon." Nadja thanked before she handed Manon's backpack over to Marinette.  "I've put a bunch of things for her in her bag and she's already had dinner. Oh, I'm so glad you were free tonight." the news anchor praised after taking a quick time check on her phone, hoping to arrive on time for the interview.

"Not a problem! I had no other plans at all." Marinette replied as she walked over to her desk and placed Manon's backpack onto her chair, chuckling nervously at the fib she just told. But as she rubbed the back of her head, Manon grabbed her hand and started to tug on Marinette's arm, hoping to get her to play with her.

"I better get going. I've got a lot riding on this interview. I need all of Paris in front of the screen tonight." Nadja exclaimed in anticipation, quickly turning to the still-tugging Manon. "Sweetie, just for tonight, you're allowed to watch some television with Marinette." the reporter said to her daughter, grabbing Manon's attention from pulling on Marinette's arm long enough to hear what Nadja had to say before her face lit up with excitement.

"Yay! Mommy's gonna be on TV with Ladybug and Chat Noir!!" Manon cheered as she suddenly climbed on top of Marinette's shoulders, surprising Marinette and reminding her of how Maray had reacted to first meeting Chat Noir.

'They would definitely get along if they ever met.' Marinette internally remarked before refocusing on Nadja. "You'll do great, Mrs. Chamack. Besides, you already have two viewers." the pigtailed girl declared with a giggle, Manon holding onto the side of her head with her tiny hands.

"Wish me luck and tell all your friends to tune in." Nadja happily replied, walking over to the trapdoor and going down the stairs as she waved at the two girls.

"I will!" Marinette assured as she waved back to Nadja, watching as the reporter left the room and closed the trap door behind her. Once she was gone, Manon climbed down from Marinette's shoulder and started running around the room, quickly jumping on the chaise whilst Marinette dialed Alya on her phone. "Hey, Alya! Are you still free tonight?" the red-tipped-haired girl asked, hoping to put her only plan into action.

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While Marinette was getting Alya to come over to her house and help look after Manon, Nadja finally arrived at the TVi studio. But as she sat on one of the two couches set up for the interview and the staff were getting ready, Nadja was nervously making sure her questions were ready.

"We're on the air in 10 minutes and still no heroes in sight. Are you sure you have this in control, Nadja?" a voice coming from Nadja's earpiece spoke while the reporter ate one of the chouquettes set out for pre-show refreshments, immediately catching Nadja's already nervous attention.

"Yes, Arlette. I got this, as promised. The biggest audience of the year!" Nadja assured her boss, looking up at the control box above the studio as she responded to Arlette's query.

"Well let's hope so if you want to keep this show prime-time in the future." Arlette remarked, cutting off the exchange.

With the freshly made warning, Nadja sighed to herself after looking around at the empty couch opposite her, hoping that Ladybug and Chat Noir would arrive soon. Her prayers seemed to have been heard when Nadja decided to check something on her tablet and was shocked to find Chat Noir suddenly appearing on the couch. Due to his sudden arrival, Nadja yelped and almost dropped her tablet out of surprise.

"Which way did you come in?" Nadja questioned the feline as he playfully spun his belt-tail around, frozen in place from having to catch her tablet.

"Secret Celebrity Door." Chat Noir simply replied as he grabbed one of the assorted sodas on the refreshment table, gulping down the drink after opening it. "I see Ladybug's running a little behind." the hero in black remarked as he closed his soda bottle after taking a sip, leaving Nadja concerned.

"I thought you'd be arriving together." Nadja said, her tone filled with worry when seeing Ladybug hadn't arrived yet.

"Don't worry, she'll be here." Chat Noir assured as he placed his soda back onto the refreshment table between them, hoping to ease some of Nadja's worries. "In the meantime…" the feline began, followed by him rising from the second couch and leaning over the table between them, getting up close to Nadja. 

"Wanna hear a secret?" Chat Noir asked, prompting a slightly uncomfortable Nadja to nod. "I love the bakery these croquettes are from." the hero in black revealed, grabbing one of the pastries from the refreshments and popping it into his mouth before going to sit back on the couch, leaving Nadja amused.

 
"Is that the sizzling hot information I've been promised?" Arlette spoke through Nadja's earpiece, bringing the new anchor out of her previous amusement and back to the fact that her boss wasn't happy.

"No, of course not." Nadja told Arlette, once again turning to face the control box in hopes of pleasing her boss.

"Well, you know the rules. Primetime, prime info. No info, no more show!" Arlette warned through the earpiece, earning a small glare from Nadja.

"We're on the air in 5 minutes." a cameraman announced, prompting Chat Noir to try calling Ladybug to see her ETA. But she doesn't pick up.

"I'm sorry, she's not picking up." Chat Noir apologized, himself now worried too.

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Unbeknownst to anyone at the TV studio, the spotted heroine hadn't even left her room thanks to Alya arriving to help her out. Grateful for the help, Marinette had quickly set her room up for a viewing party while Alya had taken to playing with Manon on the blanket Marinette had placed on the floor in front of her computer.

"Super Manon to the rescue, woohoo!" Alya exclaimed as she laid on her back, Manon in her grasp as she held the five-year-old above her to micking flying in the air.

"To the Eiffel Tower and beyond!" Manon cheered while Marinette climbed down from her loft bed with pillows in her arms, posing like Superman just as the designer sat next to them.

"Glad you could come, Alya!" Marinette said as Alya gently placed Manon onto the ground between the two best friends, both of them lying on their sides while the pigtailed girl anxiously sat on her knees.

"Of course! Watching your favorite superheroes on TV with my favorite girls is way more fun than doing it at home!" Alya declared before she started tickling Manon, causing her to laugh while Marinette looked at her computer screen as it played another ad for the Face-To-Face segment.

"Mommy, there's mommy!" Manon exclaimed, rising from the floor to point at Nadja when she appeared on the monitor, unaware of Marinette gulping anxiously at the commercial.

"Why can't I get an exclusive interview like that for my Ladyblog?" Alya complained with a sigh as she rearranged herself to watch the screen whilst leaning her head on her arm, seeming to forget that Ladybug had given her a solo interview. But to be fair, she was most likely thinking of an interview with both of them, so Marinette chose to ignore Alya's remark to focus on getting to the interview in the first place.

"Speaking of things to do, I forgot to tell my parents something. They're in the bakery downstairs." Marinette nervously announced, standing up from the ground as she explained herself. "Do you mind keeping an eye on Manon while I'm not here?" the red-tipped-haired girl asked as she walked towards her trapdoor, Alya looking at her in concern.

"How long are you going to take?" Alya questioned, wondering why she would ask that.

"It can sometimes take a while… especially if they don't understand me even when I explain whilst stuttering." Marinette explained as she started climbing down the stairs leading to the kitchen. "I should be back in a little bit." the designer assured, stopping before she could go past her trapdoor's threshold.

"Alright. But don't take too long. The show is about to start." Alya lightly scolded her best friend, amused by the excuse Marinette had given her but accepting it nonetheless.

"You got it!" Marinette replied, quickly leaving the room and heading to the ground floor. Once she was halfway there, Marinette stopped to let Tikki out of her purse. "Alya's such a good friend, I feel so guilty for inviting her over just so I can leave her with Manon." the pigtailed girl admitted while Tikki hovered next to her, feeling bad that she was blindsiding her friend.

"Then again… Alya is Ladybug's biggest fan. She'd be crushed if her favorite superhero didn't turn up for her favorite TV show. So I got to go!" Marinette reasoned with herself out loud, now deciding to go to the interview as she pulled out her disguise rune necklace and summoned her Ladybug disguise.

"Just say the words, Marinette." Tikki said to her holder, awaiting when Marinette would say… 

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette proclaimed, finally transforming into her alter ego before heading outside. Once she was free from the confines of the bakery, Ladybug leapt onto the rooftops and flung her yo-yo into the city, flying away to the TV studio.

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Due to the time that Ladybug left her house, she was set to arrive a minute before the broadcast started. But that didn't stop Nadja from worrying since her show was about to go live soon and one of the stars wasn't there yet

"Going live in one minute…" a cameraman announced, the crew still working around Nadja and Chat Noir to make sure everything was perfect for the show.

"One minute from the greatest fail in TV history." Arlette said from Nadja's earpiece, unamused by Ladybug not arriving yet and leaving the news anchor nervous. Luckily for her, a sudden opening of the studio doors revealed Ladybug to the occupants of the studio, the spotted heroine walking in with a bashful smile.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Nadja. I had to take care of something before arriving." Ladybug apologized as she approached the second couch, sitting beside Chat Noir as she spoke to the relieved Nadja.

"I thought you decided to stand me up, M'lady!" Chat Noir playfully remarked, glad to see she had made it after all.

"And let the audience down? Never!" Ladybug countered, leaning back on the couch with a smirk and slyly placing one of her legs on top of the other.

"Saved by the bug!" Arlette remarked from Nadja's earpiece, pulling the reporter out of her relief. "Now, I'm counting on you to raise those ratings sky-high and make that red turn green." the TV executive reminded the news anchor from the earpiece, triggering Nadja to look at the ratings watch on her wrist, hoping for the ratings to increase when the broadcast started.

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As the live stream was about to go on the air, over in Arcadia, Jim and Toby had gathered with their Troll friends in Jim's basement, waiting for the broadcast to start. So while Jim got the computer set up, Toby, Blinky, Aaarrrgghh!!! and Draal gathered around him too, snacks for both species spread around them to enjoy during the show.

"Man, I can't wait for the live stream! This is going to be so awesome!" Toby exclaimed from his spot sitting on the ground in front of the Trolls, excited to see Ladybug and Chat Noir on live TV. while Draal glared at him in reluctance.

"I still don't understand why you are excited to see a fleshbag viewing program. Even if it is about Ladybug and her partner." Draal admitted, sitting on Aaarrrgghh!!!'s right with a look of contempt despite his slight intrigue.

"I believe Master Jim said that Lady Marinette is hoping to use this 'live stream' as a way to assure that she and Chat Noir will protect everyone." Blinky answered from his spot sitting on Aaarrrgghh!!!'s left, remembering what Jim and Toby had explained earlier that day.

"Yeah, that's right." Jim confirmed, slightly turning his gaze away from his computer to address his friends. "Plus, the live stream is an excuse for Nadja to take a deep dive into more personal details to further appeal to the City of Paris." the Trollhunter added with a shrug of his shoulders, quickly finishing setting up his computer when the Paris News website appeared and clicking on the live stream.

"Secret identity?" Aaarrrgghh!!! asked as he grabbed one of the VHS tapes Toby bought and ate it, bringing up the biggest concern the two boys had in the back of their minds.

"Don't worry, buddy! MariFariy is too smart to let her identity slip. Same with Chat Noir!" Toby assured the large Troll, patting Aaarrrgghh!!! on his arm. "At least that's what Mari said earlier." the rounded boy quickly added, now seeing that they might want to be a little more wary of their trust with Chat Noir since they hadn't met him in person yet.

"In any case… I'm excited to see how this goes." Jim said as he sat next to Toby, pulling the blanket of snacks in front of them just as the live stream started. "Speak of the devil, here it is now!" the blue-eyed boy announced, prompting the group to gather close to get a good view of the screen.

"Oh, this is quite thrilling!" Blinky exclaimed, balling his four fists and pulling them into his chest in his excitement.

"Shush!" Aaarrrgghh!!! gently ordered his old friend, the six-eyed Troll compiling so that they could all start watching as the opening titles appeared.

"Good evening. I'm Nadja Chamack and this is Face To Face!" Nadja greeted the audience at home, waving to them with a warm smile. "For our first edition, I welcome the beloved guardians of Paris - Ladybug and Chat Noir." the seasoned reporter said as the camera switched to show the previously introduced superheroes as they waved to the camera and the audience as well.

"There they are!" Toby cheered as he pointed at the screen, happy to see his and Jim's sister and her crime-fighting partner on screen.

"Huh… I thought the Black Cat would be more impressive." Draal observed, an unamused pout on his stoney features.

"Believe it or not, he's full of surprises from what Tobes and I have seen from previous akuma attack videos. And Mari vouched for him too." Jim told Draal, looking away from the screen to defend the boy who worked with and protected his little sister on the daily. "Don't leave him down for the count just yet." the Trollhunter added before looking back at the screen.

"Thanks so much for accepting this exclusive live interview." Nadja said to the two heroes, the camera switching to show both groups to the audience.

"Thank you, Nadja. We're honored to be here." Ladybug replied, the camera shifting to a close-up of her face while she sat straight and stiff on the couch due to her lingering nerves on the interview.

"And hello to all my fans!" Chat Noir slyly quipped, the camera repeating what it did with Ladybug and focusing on him as he blew a kiss towards the camera with a wink.

"Flirtier than I thought he'd be." Jim remarked, an intrigued look present on his features while Toby was more bemused if anything.

"More like cocky, if you ask me." Toby muttered, finding the little action Chat Noir had done to be a little weird.

"I'm sure thousands have tuned in to watch you tonight." Nadja told Ladybug and Chat Noir, the camera switching back to her as she spoke.

"Don't encourage him, Nadja, or the cat won't stop purring all night." Ladybug light-heartedly advised while the camera switched back to her, sending a pointed glance at her partner.

"Don't listen to her. Bugaboo's just a spot jealous." Chat Noir playfully replied, a smirk on his lips when the camera focused on him again as he nearly pinched his fingers together to add emphasis to his claim.

"Hey, I thought we agreed on no more Bugaboo calling, pussycat." Ladybug remarked with a cheeky side-eye, mischievously ringing Chat Noir's bell when the camera shifted to show the both of them.

 
"But it's so cute." Chat Noir teased with a chuckle, neither them nor the audience seeing Nadja glancing at her watch to see the ratings for the show slightly increased. But to prevent anyone from noticing her distracted attention, the reporter refocused on the interview and giggled at the heroes' interaction to calm her nervousness. 

"It's obvious you two are very close." Nadja observed, glad to have something to go off of before the real interview started.

"She has no idea how right she is." Jim remarked, leaving him and the others to chuckle at the statement.

"Considering they fight akumas almost every day, it makes sense that they have formed such a rapport between them." Blinky pointed out, seeing how the two Miraculous Holders were so close in such a short amount of time.

" 'Rapport'?" Aaarrrgghh!!! repeated, once again unfamiliar with one of Blinky's fancier words.

"It means banter amongst allies. An exchange of barbs and/or quips between them." Blinky quickly explained, turning to face his friend in his explanation.

"Guys, shush! They're about to get started with the good stuff!" Jim exclaimed, causing them all to refocus on the screen just as the interview started to pick up.

"People know you but they don't really know you. We see you saving Paris but we don't know anything else about you." Nadja began, now diving deeper into the reason for the interview in the first place while the camera shifted different angles during her talking.

"We won't be keeping anything from you, Nadja." Chat Noir responded, well used to the art of interviews while the camera shifted to show him and Ladybug.

"Well, we do have to keep a few secrets, including our identities of course." Ladybug added, reminding Chat Noir that they couldn't go overboard. But regardless of their response, Nadja was happy to see her watch display that the ratings of her show are frequently increasing, the answer seeming to please the audiences.

"Absolutely! Now, how about we start with a few questions from your biggest fans?" Nadja questioned while the camera focused on her as she gestured to the big screen behind them, eager to get to the more interesting parts of the hour she had with the two heroes.

"Yup, let's do it." Ladybug agreed when the camera focused back on the heroes, both her and Chat Noir liking the idea.

"This should be intriguing." Draal remarked in growing amusement, placing a hand to his chin out of habit.

"I wonder who they'll get first!" Toby nearly squealed, practically buzzing in his figurative seat while Jim glanced at him in amusement.

"Ten euros says that it's Chloé." Jim declared with a smirk before leaning back onto Aaarrrgghh!!!'s right arm, placing his hands behind his head to cushion it against the stoney limb.

"Twenty says that it's Alya." Toby argued as he grabbed a bag of chips from the snack pile, turning his newly intense gaze onto his best friend.

"I'll take that action." Jim announced, the two of them shaking hands before turning their attention back to the screen. 

They were just in time to see Nadja swipe an automatic remote control from her tablet to open up the first community call for the interview, the display showing Chloé in her room. 

"Called it!" the blue-eyed boy cheered, fist-pumping the air while Toby's confident face quickly disappeared.

"DAMN IT!! Toby cried as he threw his arms into the air in anguish, only to lower them with a pout before he pulled out his wallet and took twenty euros out to give to Jim. The Trollhunter took it with a satisfied smirk and tucked it into his back pocket before focusing on the live stream again, Toby popping open the chip bag and starting to mopily eat the contents.

"Hello, caller." Nadja greeted Chloé, who waved at the audience from the monitor display."State your name and your question." the seasoned reporter requested the heiress, which only earned Nadja a glare from the girl.

"Seriously Nadja? Surely, no one would be the first caller but me. I'm only the most prestigious fan of Ladybug." Chloé declared, leaving Nadja a little unnerved at the criticism, 

"Oh yes, of course. Hello there, Chloé Bourgeois. Daughter of the mayor of Paris…" Nadja replied after the camera switched to her, introducing the blonde brat to the few people in Paris who didn't know of her.

"And don't forget my daddy is the manager of the Grand Paris, the best luxury hotel in the entire city." Chloé bragged with a wink when the camera focused on her again, adding to the list of things she was well-known for. 

"Err, thank you for reminding us. What is your question, Chloé?" Nadja asked after the camera focused on her again, eager to get through this part of the interview as quickly as possible.

"Oh, I don't have a question. I just wanted to say hi, since as you all know, we're such very good friends - Ladybug, Chat Noir and I!" Chloé admitted, the camera switched to show an uninterested Ladybug and a waving Chat Noir before he noticed his partner's annoyance, immediately stopping his waving. At the sight of the heroes' reaction, Nadja checked her watch out of reflex and saw the show ratings were slightly decreasing, leaving her worried.

"Uh, thank you, Chloé Bourgeois - next caller…" Nadja said as she grabbed her tablet to move on to the next caller, which left Chloé unpleased by the news.

"Hey, I'm not finished, who gives you the right to-" Chloé shouted in outrage, only to be cut off when Nadja disconnected the call between them and Chloé.

"Nasty girl!" Aaarrrgghh!!! remarked as he took another VHS tape, finding Chloé to be less than pleasant before eating his snack.

"You got that right, big guy!" Jim & Toby replied, patting Aaarrrgghh!!!'s arms in their agreement. But as they did, Alya had appeared on the monitor display after Nadja had connected to the next caller.

"Hi there, Ladybug and Chat Noir." Alya greeted the heroes, immediately sending Ladybug into a panic at the sight in front of her. "I'm Alya and I was wondering if you two could grab me an interview for the Ladyblog. You know, since I have way more viewers than Nadja!" the aspiring reporter requested, causing Nadja to gasp upon hearing the hopefully unintentional slander against her.

"What do you say?" Alya asked, not noticing the tense look dancing in Ladybug's eyes.

"Now that's a brave fleshbag! She's got guts to say that." Draal observed as he took an aluminium can from the snack spread and pooped it into his mouth, impressed with Alya's bold words.

"Yep. That's Marinette's best friend for you!" Jim cheered, amused by the turn of events happening on the screen.

"Err, yeah, sure Alya. We'd love to do that." Ladybug finally replied to Alya, the camera shifting to focus on her and her panicked state.

"That totally rocks. Thank you, thank you!" Alya squealed when the camera switched back to her, only for Manon to appear on the screen too.

 
"I'm on TV?" Manon asked in a wonder-filled voice, quickly spotting her mother. "Mommy!" the five-year-old greeted Nadja, surprising both her and Ladybug.

"Oh, boy! This is going to be awkward." Toby managed to say while laughing, wiping tears of joy from his eyes and leaving the Trolls confused by his reaction. 

"Why's that?" Blinky asked, intrigued by Toby's remark.

"Marinette's supposed to be babysitting that little girl." Toby revealed, Jim unable to stop his giggles while the Trolls present winced at the news.

"Oh dear." Aaarrrgghh!!! muttered.

"Manon? But, where's Marinette?" Nadja questioned her daughter, not seeing Ladybug lean over the side of the couch to hide her panic-filled face.

"She had to go tell her parents something." Manon innocently explained.

"Err, yeah, and sometimes, it can take a while." Alya added as she lightly pushed Manon out of the screen as she explained, all of them unaware of Arlette telling Nadja to get the real scoop from the reporter's earpiece. Hoping to stop a disaster from happening, Nadja disconnected the live call between her, Alya and Manon.

"Phew, that was close. Here's to hoping that things go smoothly from here." Jim sighed in relief before grabbing a bag of gummy worms, opening it while everyone focused on the broadcast again.

"Uh, Ladybug, Chat Noir… it seems that a lot of fans think of you as a couple of superheroes." Nadja spoke after the call was disconnected, drawing the two heroes' attention back onto her. "But also, and I quote unquote, as a couple. Period." the news anchor finished, causing Ladybug to shriek upon hearing that accusation when the camera focused on her and Chat Noir again.

"What?" Ladybug squawked, her eyes wide.

"Can you confirm that you're dating here, tonight?" Nadja asked after the camera shifted back to her. All Jim, Toby and all three Trolls could do was stare at the screen with wide eyes.

"You and your big mouth, Jimbo." Toby muttered as he side-eyed Jim, spotting the gummy worm hanging out of the corner of Jim's mouth before he slurped it up, not taking his eyes off of the screen. But seeing that Jim's attention was taken, Toby merely went back to watching the feed.

"I'm very sorry Nadja, but we're superheroes. We're not here to answer such personal questions." Ladybug replied to Nadja, her voice immediately taking on a defensive tone to it.

"Meow, m'ladybug's grown claws." Chat Noir teased, hoping to lighten the atmosphere a bit."But in all seriousness, we aren't dating." the hero in black confirmed, even though he wished it was the opposite. But he was a gentleman, and it was best to not egg on Nadja to dig into something that wasn't true… yet.

"At least he's being honest about it." Jim remarked as he set his gummy worms to his right and took one of the sodas from the snack spread, starting to drink it and not take his eyes off the screen.

"We're here to assure all Parisians that they're safe and that it's only a matter of time before we defeat Hawkmoth. And that's all there is." Ladybug declared as the camera focused on her, hoping to end any accusations of the idea immediately.

"Fine. But how do you explain these photographs then?" Nadja asked before she used her tablet to send a photo onto the big screen, quickly displaying a photo of Ladybug and Chat Noir kissing in the Dark Cupid attack. 

At the sight of the photo, Jim immediately did a spit-take, Toby's jaw dropped like an anvil and the Trolls; save for Draal, stared at the screen in shock before Jim paused the feed.

"WHAT THE HELL!!" Jim shrieked with wide eyes, whipping his mouth of the spit-out soda.

"Whaaaaat!" Toby rasped out, not believing what he was seeing.

"Oh my goodness!" Blinky gasped, his top two hands rising to cover his mouth in shock.

"Romance in the air!" Aaarrrgghh!!! mumbled, a small smile appearing on his face.

"What are they doing?" Draal wondered as he glared at the screen with confusion since he was unfamiliar with human courting habits, finally pulling Jim out of his shock.

"I'll explain it later, Draal." Jim assured his friend, his hand rising to his right temple to soothe his now pounding head. "Oh my god! I can't believe Mari never told us about this!" the Trollhunter exclaimed, now a little giddy since the picture just gave him even more reason to support Chat Noir in wooing his sister.

"She probably didn't because she knew you wouldn't let it go." Toby brought up, which Jim was about to protest but quickly saw his best friend's point.

"Eh, you got me there." Jim relented, waiting for when they all were comfortable again before starting up the feed again, just in time to see Chat Noir's shock-filled face.

"WHAT!? When did that happen!?" Chat Noir exclaimed, not remembering the kiss at all while Ladybug gasped in shock.

"I was saving you, not kissing you!" Ladybug explained in infuriation, hoping to salvage the situation as much as possible. But amidst their bickering, Nadja noticed that her rating watch standard had improved, prompting her to display more images of Ladybug and Chat Noir on the monitor display. The superheroes gasped out of shock upon looking at the images.

"Now I see why you prefer Chat Noir over this Adrien fellow. Him and your sister are quite the pair." Blinky admitted, causing Jim to look over at his mentor with hopeful eyes.

"Does this mean you and Aaarrrgghh!! on my side in this debate, now?" Jim asked, hoping that it would be the case.

"No." Blinky & Aaarrrgghh!!! replied, much to Jim's dismay.

"Oh come on!" Jim whined, only to turn his gaze onto Draal. "What about you, Draal?" the blue-eyed boy inquired, his hopes of having someone on his side riding with the crystal-backed Troll.

"Don't bring me into this. I have no interest in playing matchmaker for your sister." Draal said, dashing a now moppy Jim's hopes into the gutter.

"I just can't win." Jim groaned as he went back to watching the feed, now shoving gummy worms into his mouth to ease his disappointment.

"It's so obvious that you're both in love." Nadja announced as the camera focused on her, only to earn Ladybug getting out of her seat in rising anger.

"Oooh, wrong choice of words, Nadja." Jim and Toby remarked with a wince.

"These are just a bunch of photos taken out of context! We're only doing our job. We save the city every day, we're not a couple." Ladybug argued, having enough of Nadja's pestering of them dating.

 
"But hopefully, one day…" Chat Noir trailed off with a smile, his hopes of having a romantic relationship with Ladybug refueled thanks to the reveal of the kiss they had shared,

"Chat...not now!" Ladybug nearly growled, turning her anger-filled glare onto him thanks to his added insinuation.

"Not the time!" Aaarrrgghh!!! muttered, Blinky grabbing one of the aluminum cans and eating it with a nod in agreement.

"Why won't you tell the truth?" Nadja interrogated, rising out of her seat too.

"But it is the truth, Nadja." Ladybug declared, now on her last nerves with the seasoned reporter to get her point across.

"C'mon, the audience awaits your answer." Nadja pressed after glancing to her top right, clearly trying to get enough ratings to save her proverbial skin.

"Okay, she's getting on my nerves, now." Jim admitted with a near growl, glaring at the screen and Nadja with how pushy she was being. Yes, he wanted the claim of Ladybug and Chat Noir dating to be true, but not like this.

"Not just with you. Mount St. Marinette is going to blow!" Toby exclaimed, pointing at the screen just as a look of pure anger washed over Ladybug's face. 

"Oh, boy." All of them breathed out, now worried about what would happen next.

"This interview is so over." Ladybug announced, her patience finally ran out before she grabbed Chat Noir's arm, forcing him to leave along with her.

"Uh, sorry. When duty calls we gotta get going!" Chat Noir supplied Nadja as he was dragged off the studio stage, hoping to soften their sudden departure but also understanding why Ladybug was so anxious to leave.

"Hey… Wait you two, the show is not over yet! Your fans will be disappointed if they don't get an answer." Nadja protested, trying whatever method she could to get them to stay while the camera shifted to show Ladybug opening the studio door to leave.

"If they are true fans, they'll understand." Ladybug responded in a tired tone, looking back at Nadja before letting Chat Noir go.

"The Lady's Right!" Chat Noir agreed, and the pair then submissively exited the studio before the feed cut to black. After the show stopped being broadcast, advertisements started showing up, perplexing the whole group occupying Jim's basement.

"Well, that could have gone better." Blinky noted, nervously rubbing the back of his head while everyone else just nodded in agreement, having nothing else to say. 

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Back in the TV studio, things could have been going better for Nadja, who was frozen in place due to her shock and disbelief at how badly the interview went. She could practically feel Arlette's disapproving stare bearing down on her.

"Well, say 'bye-bye', Nadja. This is officially your first and last primetime show." Arlette announced from the control box, walking off before the technicians turned off the studio lights and leaving Nadja to sob in disappointment in the darkness.

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Below the city, the window within Hawkmoth's lair opened up, disturbing the resting butterflies to flutter around the space as their master stood in the center. When hearing about the interview on Paris's superheroes and his greatest enemies, Gabriel had been keen on watching in the hopes of finding some sort of weakness against them. But he was happy to have been given another opportunity to akumatize someone else, regardless.

"A journalist ridiculed by Ladybug and Chat Noir. Now that's the perfect prey." Hawkmoth exclaimed before he turned one of the many fluttering butterflies into an akuma. "Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize her!" the resident supervillain commanded the akuma, the corrupted insect followed the order and left through the lair window, flying through the Paris night sky.

It didn't take long for the akuma to reach the TV studio, seeing as it was near Le Grand Paris Hotel. But once it arrived, it slipped into the building through the ventilation shafts and exited them once it was in the studio the sobbing Nadja was in. Upon seeing its target, the akuma wasted little time in flying towards her and landing on Nadja's watch, absorbing into it and forming the psychic link between her and Hawkmoth.

"Prime Queen, I am Hawkmoth. I see Ladybug and Chat Noir have denied you the answers you deserve." Hawkmoth greeted the news anchor, the glowing pink butterfly symbol appearing on Nadja's face. "Steal me their Miraculous and will get your scoop." the purple psycho offered, immediately catching Nadja's warped interest

"The highest ratings will be mine." Nadja proclaimed with a twisted smile, transforming into her new akumatized form.

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Meanwhile, on the roof of the TV Studio, Ladybug and Chat Noir vaulted through the air until they reached the studio roof, perching themselves on the edge when arriving at the top of the building.

"Are you okay, M'Lady?" Chat Noir asked Ladybug, wondering why she was acting so tense… even though he had witnessed the reason why.

"No! Nadja was willing to do anything to ensure her show would be a success and I'm not about to answer any more of her prime questions." Ladybug ranted, fed up with the questions Nadja was asking and not liking that they were making it seem that she and Chat Noir were dating.

"That's the price of success my lady, the price of stardom." Chat Noir replied, having already been conditioned to this treatment due to his civilian profession. But it didn't seem to put Ladybug at ease… if anything, it only made her angrier.

 
"We're superheroes, not stars we should be doing our job not looking like fools on TV!!" Ladybug shouted as she paced the space in front of Chat Noir in infuriation, only to glance at him with worry. "How you are so nonchalant about this is a little concerning to me, to be honest." the spotted heroine remarked in a concerned tone before she stepped to the edge of the roof and threw her yo-yo out into the city, quickly swinging away and leaving Chat Noir behind.

"Wait, I wasn't planning on getting home so early!" Chat Noir called out to Ladybug, now following after her with help from his staff. "Why don't we get some ice cream? I know the purrfect place!" the feline asked in the hopes of spending some time with Ladybug now that he found out about the kiss between them, his dreams of them being together closer than ever. But as they left the studio, they were unaware of the creation of their newest foe.

Chapter Text

With Ladybug and Chat Noir jumping across the rooftops, over in Marinette's room, Alya and Manon had recovered from their earlier shock of what happened at the end of the interview and were now channel surfing. But Alya's efforts were in vain when she couldn't find anything good to watch, and Manon started to be affected by the late hour.

"Ugh, my interview would've been so much better." Alya whined after finally turning Marinette's computer, Manon laying on her back as she started to doze off.

"Why can't we see Mommy on TV anymore? And where's Marinette?" Manon asked as her voice decreased in volume, followed by her yawning and soon falling asleep.

"I'm sure she'll be back soon before you can say super Mano- " Alya assured the five-year-old, only to see that Manon was now sleeping. Softly smiling at the snoring Manon, Alya gently picked the child up and carried her to Marinette's chaise, laying her down on the elongated chair. But the moment was interrupted when Prime Queen suddenly appeared on the computer screen.

"Welcome to a new show! Hosted by me, Prime Queen!" Prime Queen announced with an evil laugh, immediately catching Alya's attention as she turned to face the computer screen and see the latest akuma.

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Back on the rooftops, Chat Noir and Ladybug had just arrived on a rooftop across from one of the city's numerous jumbo screens and were greeted by the sight of Prime Queen. Upon seeing the new akumatized villain, the two heroes stopped running and were still shocked.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news!" Prime Queen quipped to the audience at home before cackling, immediately giving her true identity away to Ladybug and Chat Noir.

 
"Nadja?" Ladybug and Chat Noir gasped in surprise, them and nearly everyone in Paris shocked by the revelation while still watching the feed.

"Tonight, Ladybug and Chat Noir disappointed all their loyal fans by refusing to admit their love for one another." Prime Queen accused before jumping towards the back of the studio she was occupying to let the monitor previously behind her show Chloe's room on its screen. "I've prepared some trials just to see how far they're prepared to keep the truth hidden from us." the akumatized news anchor proclaimed as she grabbed a coil of cable from the edge of the cameras' feed, the big monitor revealing a now scared Chloé before Prime Queen began her plan.

Turning to the monitor behind her, Prime Queen reached her hand into the screen, suddenly going through the screen and appearing in Chloé's room with a smirk. Upon seeing the akuma entering her room, Chloé couldn't help the whimper coming from her mouth as Prime Queen stood in the center of her room. But Chloé's fear didn't last long.

"Hey! You're not allowed to come in here!" Chloe shouted at Prime Queen, the heiress's complaint being responded to by the akuma tugging on the substitute rope in her hands. "Security!" the blonde brat called out, only for Prime Queen to throw her cable rope at her, the coils wrapping around Chloé before the akuma pulled her towards them.

"Let's welcome our very first guest, Chloé Bourgeois, who's apparently a personal friend of our two superheroes." Prime Queen announced once Chloé was in her clutches, turning to face the heiress's TV-turned-monitor to address the frightened audience watching her broadcast. 

"I certainly am." Chloé claimed, adopting her normal holier-than-thou attitude despite her current situation.

But Chloé's claim and Prime Queen's belief in the said claim did nothing to impress Ladybug while she and Chat Noir still stood on the roof across from the jumbo screen in front of them.

"Just proves that you can't believe everything you see on TV." Ladybug remarked, both appalled and unamused by the scene she was witnessing. However, regardless of how she felt, Ladybug still kept watching simply out of necessity to understand what she and Chat Noir were getting themselves into.

"Well then, dear Chloé, let's find out if you really can count on them as true friends." Prime Queen said to the blond brat, snapping her fingers at the monitor and causing the screen to change to a subway car.

Seconds later, Prime Queen jumped through one of the screen displays on the subway, scaring the few passengers in the car with her before pulling Chloé through. Fortunately for the passengers, the subway train stopped at a station and opened its doors, prompting everyone to run out and leave the train empty. However, their fleeing was perfect for Prime Queen's plan, who quickly dropped Chloé to the floor of the now empty subway car, angering the heiress.

"Hey, watch it! You're wrinkling my clothes! Do you realize how much they cost?" Chloé ranted to Prime Queen as she changed the screen display to show the train driver, the blonde brat watching as the akuma did a few stretches before diving into the screen and leaving her all alone.

Following Prime Queen's jump, she arrived at the front cabin of the train and scared the driver into running away in fear at the sight of her coming out of his console screen. With the driver gone, Prime Queen grabbed the accelerator lever and pushed it up, causing the subway door to close before going at full speed, sending Chloé falling to the floor again.

"Ugh, this can't be happening to me! I never, ever take the subway train! It's so, so, not me!" Chloé whined from her new spot on the floor, only to find a wad of gum stuck on the jacket. "Ugh, gross." the blonde brat cried, followed by her trying to get back onto her feet and attempt to get the gum off of her jacket just as Prime Queen appeared on the subway's numerous screen displays.

"Welcome, to the subway of suspense! If it reaches seventy miles per hour, you can say goodbye to your precious little friend." Prime Queen illustrated to the viewers, the camera cutting to show the speedometer and how fast the subway was getting before the akuma looked at her ratings watch. "Well, well, look here, the ratings are rising! More and more of you want to know if our superhero friends will get here on time. The suspense is killing her!" the akuma proclaimed as she showed the slowly increasing ratings to the audience, followed by an evil laugh as the camera switched to show Chloé worriedly leaning against a support pole.

"Ladybug! Chat Noir! Are you willing to travel through the screen to save your darling Chloé?" Prime Queen threateningly inquired the two heroes, the camera switching back to her during her rant before going back to Chloé again/

"Ladybug, Chat Noir! I beg you to save my jacket!" Chloé begged, waddling towards the screens as she made her plead, all while the subway was getting faster and faster.

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Now well-informed on the latest akuma's powers and goals, Ladybug and Chat Noir were ready to face off against Prime Queen. Thinking fast, Chat Noir pulled out his staff and extended it to the screen in front of the two heroes, soon discovering that it could go through it as Prime Queen had done earlier. With the discovery, the feline retracted his weapon to its normal size and turned to his now skeptical partner.

"Ready to take the leap M'lady?" Chat Noir questioned Ladybug with a bow, which didn't do anything to put her worries at ease.

"What if it's a trap? I think I'd rather get there by my own means." Ladybug admitted, pointing out that the offered path seemed a little too easy for her liking. 

"There are many, many subway lines in Paris, which means at least one hundred and forty miles of rails. If we want to get there in time to save Chloé, I don't think we have a choice." " Chat Noir lightly argued matter-of-factly, seeming to win over Ladybug's logical side and annoy her that he had a good point at the same time.

"Just admit you love being on TV." Ladybug replied in a slightly exasperated tone, even though she had to concur with his plan.

"I don't get stage fright, Bugaboo." Chat Noir teased, putting his staff away before they both backed away from the edge of the roof. 

Once they were a good distance away, Ladybug and Chat Noir ran back towards the end of the roof, jumping off from it with a shout. Seconds later, the two heroes found themselves sailing through the air towards the jumbo screen, soon going right through it and disappearing from onlookers' sight.

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Their choice proved to be the right one when they ended up getting spat out into the subway train that Chloé is held captive in. Not wasting any more time in dawdling after their landing, Ladybug and Chat Noir drew out their weapons and stood at the ready, only to see Prime Queen nowhere in the vicinity.

"Ugh, finally, what took you so long? Hurry up and get me out of this underground nightmare!" Chloé demanded when she saw the two heroes, quickly responded by the train rattling around. "Woah!" the blonde brat yelped as she fell to the floor, revealing a laughing Prime Queen stepping out from one of the screens on the other end of the subway car.

"You're about to be the stars of the highest-rated show in all of TV history!" Prime Queen proclaimed to the two heroes after walking to the door between the two display screens, showing off the rising ratings on her watch arm and revealing her akumatized object.

"The akuma must be in that watch! I'll deal with Prime Queen." Ladybug whispered to Chat Noir, outlining her plan and earning his approval.

"I'll deal with the door." Chat Noir said before Ladybug started spinning her yo-yo into a shield so that she and the feline could advance on the akuma. 

While Ladybug ran through the middle of the seating aisle towards Prime Queen, Chat Noir pounced across the seats towards the door. Once she was close enough, Ladybug threw her yo-yo at Prime Queen, only for the akumatized news anchor to jump back into the display to her left, forcing the yo-yo to crack the glass door of the car. Just as Ladybug cracked the screen Prime Queen escaped from, she spotted her face occupying all of the screen displays, Chat Noir reached the cracked door and tried to open the door, finding it locked. 

"We're trapped!" the feline fearfully exclaimed, turning back to face Ladybug and seeing Prime Queen occupying all the train's screen displays.

"The rules for my show are simple. Admit the truth live on TV that you're dating and in love and I'll stop the train!" Prime Queen outlined, giving her ultimatum to the two heroes.

"A superhero never lies! We won't admit to something that's not true." Ladybug replied, both out of her desire to not feed Nadja's fantasy and hopes to end any thoughts to the contrary.

"I want my scoop!" Prime Queen screamed from the screens, infuriated by Ladybug's denial while the train kept speeding up.

"I'll use my powers to destroy the door." Chat Noir decided, immediately standing ready to use it while keeping his eyes on Prime Queen to make sure she wouldn't try anything.

"No wait, we might need it for an emergency." Ladybug spoke up, halting Chat Noir from using his powers.

"Yeah, like right now!" Chat Noir exclaimed, which only earned a concerned glance from Ladybug.

"We have to lure her over here first or we'll never capture her akuma!" Ladybug explained, pointing out that they needed to focus on defeating Prime Queen; which would fix everything in the end. "So let's just play along with her. At least it'll buy us some time." the spotted heroine said, finally deciding to swallow her pride to defeat Prime Queen and leaving Chat Noir a little confused in the process.

"Meaning?" Chat Noir questioned, not sure of what Ladybug meant before she took a step forward.

"Okay, Prime Queen… you win." Ladybug announced, followed by her grabbing ahold of Chat Noir's hand and leaving him shocked. "I confess, Chat Noir and I are dating. Like you said. we are… in love." the heroine in red continued, triggering Prime Queen to stop the train immediately.

The sudden stop quickly resulted in not only Chloé falling over again, but also Chat Noir and Ladybug being thrown back to the end of the car. But as Ladybug was leaning on her partner's chest, she suddenly heard a rumbling sound coming from Chat Noir's body before it abruptly stopped seconds later. It was then that Ladybug could deduce the sound could only be one thing.

"Did I just hear you purr?" Ladybug asked Chat Noir in bemusement, lifting herself from his chest to give him a judging glare… even if she sort of found it adorable in private.

"Uh, no way!" Chat Noir nervously denied, hoping to cover up the uncontrollable cat behavior that slipped past his usual control.

 
"Our two heroic lovebirds are saving their fans' lives by admitting their true feelings. Our viewers are going crazy!" Prime Queen practically squealed through the screen, causing the two flustered heroes to look up at the screens just as a picture of them holding hands appeared. "But, our TV ratings haven't maxed out yet. You must do better!" the akumatized reporter declared, the rating meter on the side of the screen just starting to reach the bottom of the green section.

"Then come and join us, Prime Queen. You're the host and the star of the show after all. Then you'll have your ratings." Ladybug slyly remarked, hoping to draw the akuma out by using her hubris to her advantage. But while it intrigued Prime Queen, Hawkmoth decided to step in to prevent her from falling right into Ladybug's trap.

"Order them to give you their Miraculous!" Hawkmoth ordered, quickly cutting off the link to leave Prime Queen to her own devices once more. 

"My show, my rules, Ladybug! To prove that your feelings are genuine, you're going to have to take off your masks. Which means you must both give me your Miraculous!" Prime Queen proclaimed, leaving Ladybug and Chat Noir immediately appalled by the idea.

"Not a chance, Prime Queen!" Ladybug snarled, not willing to comply with the request.

"Wait, I know how we can prove our feelings." Chat Noir exclaimed, followed by him gently grabbing Ladybug by the shoulders and turning her to face him. "Pucker up!" the feline cheered to Ladybug before closing his eyes and leaning in to attempt kissing her, Prime Queen watching in anticipation while Ladybug was giving him an unimpressed stare.

"Not a chance, kitty." Ladybug deadpanned, snapping Chat Noir out of his attempt and causing him to look down at the floor disappointedly. But he wasn't the only one disappointed seeing as a frowning Prime Queen turned off the screens, leaving them black and catching the heroes' attention.

"Is the show over?" Chat Noir wondered aloud, knocking on the screen while Ladybug's panic started to grow.

"If we can't get to her, we'll never be able to capture her akuma!" Ladybug panicked, her hands reflexively going to hover around her head before the screen suddenly turned back on and revealed Prime Queen once more.

 
"My dear viewers, you are in for the reveal of a lifetime!" Prime Queen proclaimed through the screen, laughing as the camera zoomed out to show she was in the Louvre Museum before opening a sarcophagus with Alya tied up inside.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir help me, please!" Alya pleaded through the screen; struggling with ropes before Prime Queen slammed the sarcophagus lid close.

 
"Oh wait, isn't this the girl who started the famous Ladyblog? The first one who ever filmed Ladybug?" Prime Queen rhetorically asked in a mocking tone, knowing full well who she had captured.

"Alya!" Ladybug cried in worry, panicking even more at the sight of her best friend captured.

"Next trial, your Miraculous! Or else your biggest fan will be mummified!" Prime Queen threatened with a cackle.

After she did, Prime Queen commanded the screen Chat Noir was leaning his hand against to become a new portal, which caused him to almost fall through before catching himself. But a second after pulling his hand back from the portal, the screen was quickly filled with static to block their destination from view.

"Let's leap in before she runs!" Ladybug exclaimed, hoping to quickly defeat Prime Queen to save Alya as soon as possible. But regardless of their inability to see where they would end up, Chat Noir nodded and they jumped through the screen… leaving a still-tied-up-Chloé behind.

"Hey, wait! What about me? Someone get me out of here!" Chloé whined when she saw that Ladybug and Chat Noir had left her, hopping along the train car floor on her knees in hopes of getting someone's attention to help her.

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Unfortunately, Ladybug and Chat Noir's luck in traveling through the screen portals didn't continue from the first one, resulting in them landing at a location other than the Louvre. When they recovered from the fall, the two heroes found themselves inside the Le Grand Paris's kitchen walk-in freezer, leaving them worried.

"We're not at the Louvre…" Chat Noir observed as he and Ladybug rose to their feet, his hands immediately going to his arms to retain his rapidly declining body warmth.

"It was a double-cross!" Ladybug growled in fury while she stepped to the door and tried to open it, only to find it bolted shut even after she pulled on the handle. But the sound of a laughing Prime Queen appearing on the newly placed screen in the freezer caught both hers and Chat Noir's attention, causing them to face the akuma. 

"Uh, is now a good time to use my powers?" Chat Noir asked, offering to free them from their confines while Ladybug mimicked him and placed her hands on her arms to keep herself warm.

"There's no point! We're probably far away from the Louvre! By the time we get there, it'll be too late to save Alya!" Ladybug ranted in frustration, her panicked state rising in intensity by the second. 

"So, a kiss then?" Chat Noir slyly suggested, followed by him moving close to Ladybug for a kiss.

"Still not a chance, Chat Noir." Ladybug deadpanned once more, still unimpressed by Chat Noir's attempt to steal a kiss from her. Shot down yet again, Chat Noir pouted as he looked down at the ground in disappointment… which was short-lived when Prime Queen decided to continue with her plan.

"The time has come to push those ratings sky-high!" Prime Queen proclaimed, fully catching the heroes' attention once again. "Let's try this again. Remove your Miraculous and reveal your true selves! The whole world is watching you!" the akumatized news anchor demanded while showing off the rapidly rising ratings on her watch, earning another visit from her butterfly-themed benefactor.

"The perfect plan, Prime Queen. They're cornered! Their Miraculous are mine!" Hawkmoth declared, his whole demeanor buzzing with excitement due to how close the Miraculous was within his grasp. With that said, he cut the link off and left Prime Queen to continue her plan.

"There's no use looking for a way out!" Prime Queen maliciously assured the captive heroes, spinning and pushing the sarcophagus holding Alya captive to the ground.

"Ow!" Alya yelped from inside the sarcophagus after being tossed around, all while Prime Queen adjusted the sarcophagus to lay across one of the numerous screens in her lair.

"Unless you want to see your biggest fan in deep water." Prime Queen threatened before snapping her fingers, the screen in front of the sarcophagus changing to display the Seine and shocking Chat Noir and Ladybug. From there, the akumatized reporter placed her foot onto the end of the sarcophagus and pushed it through the screen, the container slowly creeping off the edge of the screen and towards the river.

"Hurry up, you two. Don't wanna keep your audience waiting." the evil news anchor taunted the two heroes, pushing the sarcophagus even further off the edge of the screen. Seeing how close Alya was to being drowned, Ladybug finally had enough of standing by and doing nothing.

"You're right! Lucky Charm!" Ladybug proclaimed, summoning her powers and receiving… "A tape roll? What am I supposed to do with this?" the spotted heroine wondered aloud after the object had landed in her hands. But true to form, Ladybug quickly started looking around the freezer for things to work with for her plan, leading to all of the storage tubs lighting up in her mind and giving her the inspiration she needed.

"Of course!" Ladybug cheered, followed by her running to the storage tubs and pulling out the drawers in search of what she needed.

"Hurry up, she's about to push Alya in the water!" Chat Noir anxiously reported to the searching Ladybug, standing off to the side as he watched his partner work.

"Give me one minute!" Ladybug told her partner, still running around the freezer and going through the tubs.

"That's too long!" Chat Noir cried, his worry rising higher with each passing minute.

"Listen to the cat." Prime Queen suggested, her pushing the sarcophagus even further through the screen adding emphasis to her words as the heavy container leaned over the edge and towards the river. 

Feeling the weight of Prime Queen's threat, Ladybug continued to frantically pull out tubs in the hopes of finding something to use in her plan. Her efforts were rewarded when she came across a storage tub with a frozen pizza box inside. 

"Voilà!" Ladybug cheered in accomplishment, quickly removing the pizza from the box and giving it to Chat Noir before taping the box onto the screen, making it go dark on the other side. At the sight of her view of Ladybug and Chat Noir taken away, Prime Queen pulled the sarcophagus back from the screen edge and ran to the newly darkened screens.

"What's happening?" Prime Queen wondered as she knelt next to one of the screens that were connected to the one in the walk-in-freezer, not liking that she had no way of seeing her foes.  

"Fine, you win, Prime Queen. We'll remove our Miraculous. The whole world will see us without our masks!" Ladybug announced from behind the black screen, cheekily tossing the tape roll in her hands while Prime Queen listened agitatedly.

"And we're about to kiss! Shame you're missing it!" Chat Noir taunted alongside his partner behind the black screen, both him and Ladybug flanking the covered screen in preparation for Prime Queen's arrival.  

"So unlucky!" Ladybug teased, adding the final nail in Prime Queen's coffin as the akuma looked at the halting ratings on her watch. Right there and then… she made her decision.

"If you're lying, you're going to regret it." Prime Queen threatened before punching through the box, her hand suddenly getting grabbed and pulled on by Ladybug, bringing the akumatized news anchor through the screen. Seconds after Prime Queen landed on the freezer floor, Chat Noir used his staff to break the screen, making it go dark in its newly shattered state.

"And now you're stuck with us." Chat Noir proclaimed before Prime Queen jumped to her feet to try attacking them.

The akuma tried going for Chat Noir first, who merely dodged her punches before she moved on to Ladybug instead. But that proved to be the wrong choice when Laddbug ducked from her punch and grabbed Prime Queen's arm, slamming into it so that she could tuck it under her armpit and kick at the akuma's legs. Once Prime Queen was taken off balance, Ladybug jumped up and flipped the akumatized reporter to the ground, subduing her so that Chat Noir could use his staff to destroy her watch, letting the akuma escape. With the akumatized villain taken care of, the hero in black could finally use his…

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir shouted, calling on his powers and using them to destroy the freezer door, freeing them in a shower of ash. "Ladies first!" the feline said with a smile, bowing to Ladybug as he figuratively held the door open for her.

"Thank you, kitty!" Ladybug replied as she walked out of the freezer, quickly spotting the akuma fluttering away from them. "No more evildoing for you, little akuma." the spotted heroine exclaimed as she opened her yo-yo to reveal the sparkling pool of cleansing energy inside of it. 

"Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug shouted before she threw her yo-yo toward the akuma, catching it within her yo-yo and pulling it back to her. "Gotcha!" the heroine in red cheered when the yo-yo was back in her hands. A second later, she released the purified akuma, setting the white butterfly free. 

"Bye, bye little butterfly," Ladybug said as the butterfly flew away, right before throwing the Lucky Charm up into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" the superheroine cried out, summoning the cleansing cure and the magic ladybugs. The resulting blast of energy quickly turned everything back to normal, sending Chloé back to her home, and Alya back to Marinette's house. It also restored the Louvre to normal and turned Prime Queen back into Nadja once more. 

"W-w-what just happened?" Nadja stammered, rubbing her head in confusion before she noticed Ladybug and Chat Noir standing nearby.

"Pound it!" Ladybug and Chat Noir cheered, doing their celebratory fist bump at their job well done.

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Meanwhile, in Hawkmoth's underground lair, the resident super terrorist was currently seething about his latest defeat, not happy to be thwarted by his enemies again.

"Prime Queen turned out to be bad news." Hawkmoth observed in quiet anguish, barely holding back his anger while the surrounding butterflies flustered around him. "But soon, I'll be broadcasting the end of Ladybug and Chat Noir!" the madman proclaimed as the lair window closed up, leaving him in darkness with his numerous butterflies yet again. Here's to hoping that he will be more successful next time… NOT!

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Back over in Marinette's house, a newly freed Alya had taken to watching over the sleeping Manon, only to be pulled out of her sentry duty when Marinette came up the stairs.

"I'm so sorry Alya! I had no idea it would take so long to talk to my parents!" Marinette apologized as she climbed back into her room, prompting Alya to stand up and walk over to her.

"You won't believe it, I was taken hostage by a supervillain!" Alya exclaimed, grabbing Marinette's hands in her excitement/disbelief.

"What? You're kidding!" Marinette gasped in fake surprise, already fully aware of that little tidbit since she helped save Alya in the first place.

 
"No joke! You missed everything!" Alya griped, letting go of one of Marinette's hands in her rant. "Luckily, Ladybug saved me!" the reporter added, so wrapped up in her recount of events that she missed Marinette's relieved smile before she hugged Alya.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you." Marinette apologized, feeling bad that Alya was involved in the crossfire with this akuma.

"No biggie, girl." Alya assured Marinette, pulling out of their hug to pat the designer on the head. "But the next time we decide to spend an evening together, you're not allowed to go anywhere near your parents." the bespeckled girl declared before pulling Marinette into a hug, making the designer laugh before hugging her bestie back.

"Deal." Marinette replied, happy to compile with Alya's demand.

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Well after Alya had fallen asleep and Nadja had picked up Manon, Marinette had taken her phone and climbed up to her balcony so that she could partake in her usual video call with Jim and Toby. While she was always happy to talk to her brothers, the designer knew they would have seen the Face-To-Face disaster alongside Prime Queen's livestream and would be all for pestering her about it. So she would rather deal with it head-on and get through it in the limited time she had to talk to her brothers before going to bed, seeing as she had school the next day. Fortunately for Marinette, she didn't need to wait very long after the clock struck 9 pm for her phone screen to notify her that Jim was calling, prompting her to answer it.

"Hey guys! I see that Blinky, Aaarrrgghh!!! and Draal are with you guys." Marinette greeted her brothers as she sat in her balcony's sling chair, spotting the three Trolls sitting behind the two boys as they sat in front of Jim's computer.

"Care to explain what the heck happened on your end with Nadja and Prime Queen!?" Jim asked with a questioning eyebrow raised at her in intrigue, unknowingly playing into Marinette's expectations for how the video call would go.

"Nice to see you're focusing on the lingering issues, Jim." Marinette sighed with a fond roll of her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the conversation that was about to take place.

"Can you blame us, MariFairy? The fact that it seems like the majority of Paris is shipping you and Chat Noir, it's no surprise that Jimbo's only bringing it up now." Toby revealed, both he and Jim surprised that so many people were so invested in the love life of Marinette's alter ego. "Quite frankly, I'm surprised that he hasn't talked about it." the rounded boy admitted, a slightly amused pout occupying his face as he looked off to the side in thought.

"In any case, I don't think I need to fill you in on what happened with Prime Queen. Right?" Marinette asked, which was responded to by the whole group nodding to confirm her query.

"Nope. But could you clear up a little debate between us?" Jim questioned in the hopes of settling an ongoing matter between him and the rest of the basement-dwelling group, earning a nod from his sister. 

"Okay, but make it quick. I've got school in the morning and I want to go to bed at a reasonable time after tonight." Marinette replied, a yawn passing through her lips alongside an accompanying free arm stretch towards the end of her sentence.

"Fair enough. We won't keep you too long." Toby assured, not looking for them to be the reason for Marinette turning into a zombie the next morning.

"Great. So what's the argument about?" Marinette inquired, hoping to settle the matter quickly.

"Before Prime Queen first appeared, Master Jim and Tobias were in a heated discussion of whether or not you are in love with Chat Noir." Blinky began, which only earned Marientte face-palming herself in exasperation when hearing about the recurring argument.

"Oh god… not this again." Marinette groaned, dragging her free hand down her face before narrowing her eyes at her two brothers. "Let me just set the record straight for everyone here… Chat Noir and I are not dating!!! I only said that to pacify Prime Queen and lure her to me and Chat Noir." the designer announced, making sure to make sure her words couldn't be taken in any other context to be misinterpreted.

"Not in love?" Aaarrrgghh!!! wondered out loud, a frown appearing on his stoney face for the second time that night.

"No, Aaarrrgghh!!!. We aren't in love." Marinette confirmed, her face adopting its own pout at the sight of the suddenly melancholy Troll.

"Awww…" Aaarrrgghh!!! sighed, his shoulders sagging as he looked down at the ground in disappointment. 

"Sorry, big guy. While I know you are impartial in this debate and a big softie, I can't admit to something that's not true just to please everyone else." Marinette explained, seeming to have worked in cheering Aaarrrgghh!!! a little bit if him looking back up at the computer screen again was a sign of his improving mood. "By the way… I've been meaning to ask something." the pigtailed girl admitted, catching her brother's and Trolls' attention.

"Go on, sis." Toby encouraged, wondering what she had to say.

"I'm aware of Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!!'s views on this particular matter. But admittedly, I'm wondering what Draal thinks about this." Marinette admitted, recalling what Jim had told her after Despair Bear and causing the group to turn and look at the crystal-backed Troll in anticipation of his answer.

"In all honesty… I'm starting to side with your brother on this matter." Draal revealed, immediately causing Jim's face to light up with excitement and earning a displeased groan from Toby and Marinette

"FINALLY!!! ABOUT TIME SOMEONE HAS MY BACK ON THIS!!!!" Jim cheered, throwing his hands into the air in his celebration while Marinette could only shake her head at Draal's answer.

"While I'm glad you're being honest, Draal, I can see that I totally walked into that one, didn't I?" Marinette questioned aloud, knowing that she wouldn't have been subjected to Jim's response to Draal's answer if she hadn't asked in the first place.

"It would appear so." Blinky replied, a small wince occupying his face while Jim turned his attention back to her.

"Hey, no one else has sided with me on the matter of your love life… of course I'm excited!!!" Jim exclaimed, his smile now permanently adhered to his features now that he wasn't alone on the 'Pro Chat Noir' Train.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… too bad it's not going to happen." Marinette replied, a tiredly fond head snake accompanying her eye roll at Jim.

"We'll see about that." Aaarrrgghh!!! muttered, earning a surprised glance from her, Blinky and Toby.

"I thought that you were impartial, Aaarrrgghh!!!." Blinky spoke up, eyes wide at Aaarrrgghh!!!'s words while the large grey Troll merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Support both sides!" Aaarrrgghh!!! replied, a bashful smile on his face while Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose to stop a headache from forming.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder why everyone is so invested in my love life." Marinette voiced, once again earning the group's attention. "Jim and Toby I can understand for obvious reasons, but I didn't expect you guys to be so involved." the red-tipped-haired girl admitted, intrigued by the Troll's deep involvement in her love life that could and would certainly rival that of the City of Love's devotion to it. 

"Marinette, you are one of the first Miraculous Holders in nearly 200 years. And us Trolls have had our kinds' Miraculous Holders frequently develop what you humans call 'romantic feelings' for each other many times." Draal spoke up, diving into a little bit of lore regarding his mother's teammates in the hopes of explaining Blinky, Aaarrrgghh!!!, and his recent interest in Marinette's affairs. "It is to be expected that us Trolls would be interested in whether or not history repeats itself." the crystal-backed Troll continued, prompting Blinky to nod at his words.

"He's right, Lady Marinette. Especially when Draal is the byproduct of such a pairing, even if his father was only the Trollhunter." Blinky added in agreement, recalling such incidents from the Trolls's extensive past with the magic jewels. " Not to mention how these pairings have proven to be stronger when fighting together rather than alone. It's in our kind's best interest to see if our protectors can work together when needed, despite their affection towards each other." the six-eyed Troll finished, leaving Marinette to nod in thought from the explanation she had heard.

"Okay, fair enough. But I can tell you with absolute certainty that Chat Noir and I will not end up together." Marinette sternly assured them all, followed up by a pointed glare directed at her brothers and the Trolls sitting behind them. "And I don't want to hear another word on this debate you guys have going, okay?" the designer questioned, causing everyone on the other end of the call to nod in agreement to her terms, Jim's a little less eagerly however. 

"Jim…" Marinette drawled out, sending a heated glare in her blood brother's direction and prompting him to sigh in relent.

"Fine… I'll try not to bring it up anymore. But I make no promises if it brings itself up." Jim promised in the hopes of appeasing his sister. Fortunately for him, it seemed to have worked.

"At this point, I'll take what I can get." Marinette sighed, even though she was glad he was going to try not to go on about it for the sake of her sanity. "So other than what happened tonight… how have things been going since finding out about NotEnrique?" the pigtailed girl asked, hoping to redirect the conversation onto her brother's side of things now that the matter was resolved… for the time being.

"Not too bad, actually. But we did have an incident down in Heartstone." Jim replied, reflecting on what happened the previous day before they all joined up to watch the live stream.

"Oooh! Do tell!!" Marinette squealed, excited to hear the story so that she could take her mind off of Prime Queen once and for all.

"With pleasure!" Toby declared, happy to go into heavy detail about the aforementioned incident that had occurred while Jim was down in the Hero's Forge for training. From that point on, the video call consisted of a humorous recount of the accident they all later agreed to never speak of again before Marinette finally went to bed, happy to sleep off the recent akuma attack.

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(Time Skip)

The Saturday after Prime Queen's akumatization, Marinette, Alya and Manon had gathered at the pigtailed teen's house so that Alya could show them her latest video. Once they were in Marinette's living room, Alya wasted no time in playing the first episode of Nadja's new show; Side by Side, excited to share it.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news! Hi, I'm Nadja Chamack, and this is Side by Side." Nadja greeted the audience at home, the camera focusing on her after the opening titles. "Today, I'm joined by Alya Césiare, who created the Ladyblog! Together, we'll be looking back over Chat Noir and Ladybug's greatest feats." the news anchor elaborated as the camera panned over to Alya as she sat on the other end of the couch she and Nadja were sitting on, neither she nor the audience aware of Arlette praising her through her earpiece.

"Hello Nadja! Hey, fans!" Alyq welcomed, glad to be on the show. "So, first of all, I gotta set the record straight. Chat Noir and Ladybug are not a couple!" the aspiring reporter announced, hoping to finally set the record straight on that particular subject.

"Well… not yet at least. Sorry to break the news." Alya added with a small laugh, knowing that there would be a few people unhappy with the news. 

But that didn't matter to the girls watching the video-considering it had already happened- while Manon climbed onto the back of the couch, only stopping when she saw the video playing.

"Hey, that's you with my mommy!" Manon squealed, pointing to Alya's phone before the reporter passed it over to Marinette.

"That's right, small fry!" Alya confirmed, lightly booping Manon's nose while Marinette smiled at the display in her hands.

"Well done! Now everyone's going to know about the Ladyblog!" Marinette praised her best friend, glad that Alya would be getting the recognition she deserved and happy that the misunderstanding about her and Chat Noir's relationship status was put to bed.

"You want an autograph?" Alya asked as she pulled out a notepad and pen from her bag with a smirk, amusing Marinette and exciting Manon.

"Of course!" Marinette cheered, all on board for supporting her best friend's progress and boosting her ego a little.

"Me first! Me first!" Manon practically begged as she waved her hand in the air, leaning over the crest of the back of the couch in her excitement and causing the two teens to laugh. All in all, it was a good day for both Marinette and Alya. But with Marinette's birthday the next day, who knows what would happen?

Chapter Text

The day after Alya had shown the video of her participating in Side-by-Side with Nadja to Manon and Marinette, the Sunday after Prime Queen had arrived. And with that Sunday's arrival, came Marinette's first birthday as a Miraculous Holder! 

Needless to say, she was super excited about what the day had to offer, especially since she had an inkling about one of those predetermined events. But she was waiting patiently in her room for the time to come, folding up some spare laundry while her parents worked in the bakery on a 'secret' project. 

"Marinette, this is quite a special day for you!" Tikki squealed as she flew to Marinette's side, excited for her holder's birthday.

"Yes, Tikki! It sure is." Marinette agreed as she knelt next to her chaise, folding the last of the laundry before checking her phone. "Hmm, still no call…" the designer observed with a perturbed look before grabbing it and going up to her balcony, Tikki followed behind.

"There's a ritual we kwamis perform on a day like this." Tikki proclaimed after flying through the trapdoor, watching as Marinette placed her phone on her balcony side table before leaning over her balcony rail. 

"Oh really? That's nice." Marinette replied distractedly as she looked over her balcony and at the street below, searching for something.

"But I don't know if you humans would like it. I wonder if you guys even give each other presents on your birthday." Tikki coyly announced, immediately catching Marinette's attention from her searching and directing her gaze onto her kwami.

"Oh really, Tikki? You got me a birthday present?" Marinette asked with a squeal of joy, surprised by Tikki's words as hopped up and down in place as she spoke.

 
"A kwami specialty." Tikki proclaimed, proud of herself while Marinette clasped her now fidgety hands together and pulled them to her chest.

"Oh, that's so awesome! What is it?" Marinette excitedly asked before lowering herself to her knees, responded by Tikki zipping over to her and doing a small dance in the air while humming. As the red kwami neared the end of the dance, Tikki rose higher into the air whilst rapidly spinning before splitting something into Marinette's hands after she stopped.

"Miraculous birthday, Marinette!" Tikki cheered as she lowered herself back to Marinette's eye level, a little bit of her spit dripping on her chin. But her cheery mood was taken down a few pegs when she saw Marinette looking at the spit-covered object with shock and slight disgust. "Oh no, you don't like it, do you?" the red kwami asked, crestfallen by Marinette's reaction to her gift.

 
"No, I love it! It's amazing!" Marinette quickly assured Tikki, hoping to salvage the kind gesture her kwami had given her. "But… what is it?" the pigtailed girl asked, still confused about what Tikki had gifted her.

"A Kwagatama. A great symbol of friendship among us kwamis." Tikki began, the spit covering the Yin-shaped charm evaporating to reveal the little red charm in Marinette's hands. "We take a hair from our Miraculous holder and join it to the hairs of all the former Miraculous holders. And with them, we grow a magic resin for a few months and-" the ladybug kwami explained, deep-diving into the backstory of the charm before she suddenly noticed Marinette focusing on her phone and not listening to her.

"I know you don't wanna tell me because you don't want to hurt my feelings, but it's obvious you don't like it." Tikki spoke in a disappointed tone as she turned away from her holder, pulling Marinette's attention from her phone and back to her sad kwami.

"I'm sorry, Tikki! I-I really do love your gift." Marinette apologized to her little friend, upset that her occupied thoughts had offended Tikki. "It's just that Alya should already have called me by now. We're supposed to be taking her little sister to the 'dentist' at four o'clock today." the red-tipped-haired girl explained as she rose to her feet, putting the Kwagatama into her side pocket as she grabbed her phone off of the side table.

"Do you humans always celebrate your birthday by going to the dentist?" a puzzled Tikki asked her holder, now curious about how many odd ways humans celebrated their birthdays.

 
"No, of course not, Tikki. It's a secret code! They're actually throwing me a surprise birthday party!" Marinette cheered, clearing up Tikki's previous confusion and replacing it with a perplexed look at the girl.

"But how can it be a surprise if you know about it?" Tikki questioned as she floated in front of Marinette, already familiar with the definition of the word 'surprise' and not seeing the point of such an event if one of the main requirements was not in use.

"Normally, it would be the case for the surprise not to be given away. But my classmates aren't exactly the sneakiest in these matters." Marinette explained, followed by her reminiscing on past occurrences of when her classmates had tried surprising each other with special events.

"What about the dentist?" Tikki asked, still focusing on that part of the conversation.

"It's a fake-out!" Marinette replied. "See, Alya's gonna pretend to take me to the dentist, but she'll really be taking me to my surprise party!" the designer elaborated, finally clearing up all the confusion around the concept of how a surprise party works.

"What if you're wrong?" Tikki inquired, pointing out that there was such a possibility.

"Impossible. All the signs are there, Tikki." Marinette proclaimed, eager to share her findings with her kwami. "To start, I recall catching Juleka holding a bicycle pump behind her back when I saw her on Friday in the locker rooms." the pigtailed girl began as she started going back down into her room, continuing her and Tikki's conversation as they came down from outside.

"Perhaps Juleka has a bicycle!" Tikki countered, flying back into Marinette's room after the girl climbed down from her loft bed and to the ground floor of the room.

"No, Tikki! Obviously, she was planning to use the pump to blow up balloons! A surprise birthday party always has balloons!" Marinette exclaimed, followed by her casually sitting on her chaise as she continued her explanation. "Also, that same day, I caught Nino listening to my favorite song!" the red-tipped-haired girl reported, remembering the shocked look Nino had given her that day when she snuck up on him and pulled his headphone off of his ear to confirm the song he was playing.

"Perhaps it's his favorite song, too!" Tikki lightly argued, flying down to Marinette's side and snapping the girl out of her reminiscing. 

"Are you kidding? He hates it!" Marinette exclaimed after turning to face Tikki, knowing her childhood friend well enough to know his tastes in music. "He has no reason to listen to it unless... He's making a playlist for my surprise party! It's Elementary, my dear Tikki!" the designer declared, her excitement going through the roof the more she talked about her upcoming party before she caught the skeptical look Tikki was giving her.

"Okay, if you're so sure that you're right, then why was Alya having a secret convo with Adrien that day too, huh?" Marinette questioned her kwami, knowing that Tikki was aware of that incident too and couldn't deny how weird it had been to see Alya and Adrien whispering to each other before spotting her. "The fact that they switched the conversation to dentists when they saw me just proves that something was up! Which means... He's going to be there!" the pigtailed girl squealed, already imagining how amazing her birthday would be if her crush was there to celebrate with her.

"Or it means Alya is taking her sisters to see Adrien's dentist!" Tikki rebutted, still taking a logical approach to Marinette's findings and causing the girl to fall back off of her chaise in frustration.

"Fine, you know what? There's one no-fail way to find out if there's a surprise party in the making." Marinette announced after Tikki flew down to her, still clinging to her hopes of proving Tikki wrong before she rose to her feet and headed downstairs to the bakery.

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"Watch their faces." the red-tipped-haired girl whispered to Tikki after they arrived at the ground floor of the building, followed by Marinette flinging open the door connecting to the bakery. "Mom! Dad! Do you know anything about Alya planning a surprise party for my birthday?" Marinette asked her parents after opening the door, catching her parents in the middle of decorating a large cake before they froze in place when hearing her. Immediately, Tom grabbed the cake and hid it in a garbage bin behind him before sitting on it with the lid on top, all while Sabine leaned on the counter nearby.

"Uh, oh, uh... Party? Uh, what party? Uh, which Alya, again?" Tom stammered, showing off exactly where Marinette and Jim got their 'superb' lying skills from before Sabine threw a strawberry at him.

"You're overdoing it... we're talking about her best friend!" Sabine whispered aside from her husband, hoping to salvage any hopes of keeping Marinette's party a secret.

 
"Alya! Of course, Alya! We haven't seen her in years!" Tom exclaimed with a nervous laugh, clearly lying through his teeth while Sabine sighed in defeat. But that was all the confirmation Marinette needed to prove to Tikki that she was right.

"See? Parents always know when there's a surprise party in the works." Marinette said to a now convinced Tikki, just seconds before the doorbell rang behind them. "And now, on the other side of this door, check out who's coming to get me! Just in time for the party!" the designer happily cheered to her kwami as she twirled to the door, reaching for the doorknob to open it.

"It's-" Marinette began as she opened the door, only to come face to face with her… "Grandma?!" the pigtailed girl exclaimed when seeing the smiling silver-haired woman standing at the door, a motorcycle behind her while sunglasses covered her eyes.

"Mom?" Tom uttered in shock as he stuck his head around the corner, coming over after hearing his daughter announce the woman's arrival.

"Gina?" Sabine breathed out as she mimicked her husband and stuck her head around the corner, both parents watching as an excited Marinette laughed in delight and hugged her grandmother.

"Marinetta! You're so tall for your age!" Gina greeted her youngest grandchild, pushing up her sunglasses and speaking with an Italian accent. "Did you and Jim get my letters from Patagonia?" the silver-haired woman asked as she broke away from their hug and led them arm and arm into the bakery.

"Yes! And the ones from Australia, Bali, and Estonia, too!" Marinette happily replied, so excited to see her grandmother that she didn't notice her parents standing nearby and smiling at their reunion. "Did you really get chased by a bear?!" the red-tipped-haired girl questioned Gina in awe, causing her grandmother to laugh at her curiosity and interest in her adventures.

"Yes. But we wound up as good friends in the end." Gina assured Marinette, prompting the teenager to hug her grandmother with a smile while Tom snuck over to them.

 
"Mom. It's her birthday, remember?" Tom worriedly whispered to his mother, hoping that in all her adventures, she didn't forget about it.

 
"Why do you think I'm here?" Gina tensely questioned her son before breaking away from hers and Marinette's hug to give her granddaughter a package from inside her motorcycle helmet. "Happy birthday, my little fairy!" the elderly traveler cheered, Marinette excitedly taking the package from her grandmother's hands. 

"My Inuit friend knitted it, especially for your tenth birthday!" Gina joyfully announced, only to find Tom leaning close to her again.

"Uh, she's fourteen." Tom whispered to her, startling Gina at the news.

"My. How time flies." Gina remarked in her surprise while Marinette opened the package, immediately finding the pretty shirt inside to be much too small for her.  "That's okay. I'll ask my friend to make another one." the silver-haired adventurer bashfully said, waving off the blunder with her hand before reaching for the shirt.

"No, it's awesome! I can make this work. It's perfect, Grandma. Thank you." Marinette assured her grandmother, still appreciating the gesture regardless of the mix-up and knowing just what to do with the tiny shirt to use it properly. 

"Ah, good!" Gina sighed in relief, glad that little issue was taken care of. "And your Nonna has also brought you your favorite candy!" the elderly traveler sang as she dug into her bag and took out a candy tin before placing it in Marinette's hand.

"Oh!" Marinette exclaimed, followed by a nervous laugh at the sight of the treat. 

"You still love them, right?" Gina asked in a hopeful tone.

"Yes, yes of course…" Marinette nervously replied, not having the heart to tell her grandmother that she grew out of those particular candies ages ago.

"And that's not all, my fairy!" Gina announced, placing one of the two helmets she brought into the bakery with her onto Marinette's head. "We'll have a wonderful day, you and I! Just like the last time!" the silver-haired adventurer cheered, excited to spend time with her youngest grandchild for the time she was in the city while Marinette passed her new shirt to her mother.

"Well go to the merry-go-round and to the zoo, then-!" Gina rambled as she took Marinette's hand and began to lead her to the door, gently dragging a surprised Marinette behind her as she processed the outdated itinerary planned for her.

"Uh, mom?" Tom spoke up from behind the exiting females, stopping Gina in her tracks before she turned to face her boy. "Can I have a word, Mom? Uh, just the two of us." the bulky baker nervously asked, earning a heated glare from Gina as she fully turned around to face her son.

"What, Tom? Do you think that I don't know my Marinetta anymore because I'm always traveling?" Gina questioned her son, making the poor man even more nervous upon hearing the accusation.

"No, mom! It's just-" Tom tried to explain, hoping to quietly let his mom in on the surprise birthday party plan.

"You think she doesn't want to spend time with her Nonna, is that it?" Gina dramatically accused her son, turning away from him as she placed the back of her hand on her forehead.

"No! Of course, I want to spend time with you!" Marinette quickly replied, hoping to not hurt her grandmother's feelings by attempting to spend time with her. "Besides, it's not four o'clock yet." the designer remarked, pulling her phone out of her pocket to check the time before Gina resumed her normal demeanor and turned to her son.

"There. You see?" Gina said to Tom with a satisfied smirk, happy to have gotten her way. "Now let's go, Marinetta! We're going to have a ball!" the elderly traveler announced with a flourish of her hand, followed by her taking Marinette by the hand again and leading her out of the house for their day out.

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Like Gina had promised, both she and Marinette spent the day all over Paris, taking part in the activities  Gina had mentioned earlier. But it did have to wait until after Marinette convinced her grandmother to stop at the post office so that she could mail the completed 'Geode Beanie' to Toby. Once that was taken care of, their day out had begun. First was the merry-go-round near the center of the city, then to the zoo, and reached the halfway point when they reached the Pont des Arts where Gina was getting ice cream for her and Marinette. 

But while Marinette was waiting on a bench a few feet away from André the Icecream man's cart, she pulled out her phone and checked on it for the fourth or fifth time during her time with her grandmother. Upon turning it on, Marinette was disappointed to find that it was a little bit past 4 pm and still no messages.

"It's four o'clock." Marinette sighed to herself before Tikki poked her head out from her jacket. "Maybe you were right, Tikki. I jumped to conclusions, and there was no surprise party." the pigtailed girl reflected aloud before spitting out another one of the candies Gina had given her into the wrapper, putting it in the tin alongside the others she had done the same with earlier.

"Why don't you tell your grandmother you don't like this candy?" Tikki asked her holder, watching as Marinette placed the cap back onto the tin before putting it back into her helmet.

"I don't want to hurt her feelings. Neither Jim nor I get to see her very often, so we make the most of the time we have with her when she visits." Marinette explained, looking over to see her grandmother and André laughing together before her phone rang, causing her to yelp in surprise and nearly drop her phone before answering it. "Alya!" the red-tipped-haired girl exclaimed when hearing who was on the other end, happy to hear from her best friend.

"Hey, girl! Sorry, I'm running late." Alya apologized, the sounds of chattering and clanging filling the background of her end of the call. "Can you meet me at the park? We'll, -" the reporter began, only to stop when something loud popped behind her. 

"-jam straight from there to the uh, dentist!" Alya hurriedly continued what she was saying, hoping to avoid questions on what caused the sound. But the sound was all Marinette needed to figure out that her hunch was right 

"Yes, uh, yes! Awesome! To the dentist! Totally! I'll be right there!" Marinette exclaimed as she jumped up from the bench in her excitement, hanging up her call and hopping around in excitement while Tikki flew back into her jacket. But while hopping around, Marinette had turned around and found herself face to face with Gina as she stood in front of her with their ice creams in hand. "Oh! Uh- I'm so sorry, Grandma. I have to go to the dentist with Alya-" the designer tried to explain, leaving Gina flabbergasted at Marinette's words.

"Surely you're not going to the dentist on your birthday! I still have to take you to see the trains at Gare de Lyon Station!" Gina exclaimed, hoping to talk her out of leaving to spend as much time as she could with her granddaughter.

"Well, in all honesty, I suspect that the dentist thing is a fake-out since I'm very certain Alya and my classmates are throwing me a surprise party. After seeing some weird things happen at school and- " Marinette elaborated, only for Gina to sigh in disappointment before her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I get it, my fairy. Don't worry about me. Run along now and go meet your friend." Gina interrupted her granddaughter's rambling, obviously saddened by the news but not wanting to keep Marinette from having fun on her birthday.

"Are you sure?" Marinette asked, worried that her grandmother would take offense to her leaving so suddenly.

"Go on. I'll hold on to all of this and we'll catch up with each other later." Gina assured the girl, prompting Marinette to abruptly hug Gina tightly.

"Oh, thank you! You are the best grandma in the world!" Marinette cheered before running off, leaving a distraught Gina all alone on the bridge.

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After Gina had taken the time to process Marinette leaving to join up with Alya, she decided to go back to the bakery to continue her sulking. But by the time she was arriving back, Tom was putting the candles and finishing touches on the cake for Marinette's party.

"Tom, that's the motorcycle! They're coming back! Marinette can't see the cake!" Sabine exclaimed when she rushed into the bakery, leaving to open the door while Tom picked up the cake in a panic to look for where to hide the desert. This resulted in him stuffing it in the garbage again just as Gina walked through the door… all alone.

"Uh, where's Marinette?" Sabine asked in a concerned tone, watching as Gina walked to the stairs to the apartment and stopped when she heard Sabine's question.

"Tom was right. She's too old now to spend time with her Nonna…" Gina answered dejectedly before she slowly started climbing the stairs, leaving Sabine shocked.  

"What? No, no! Tom never said that." Sabine worriedly exclaimed before Gina gave her a sad smile.

"That's sweet of you, Sabine. But it's not a big deal. That's life." Gina sadly reasoned before turning to go up the stairs. "I'll be up in the apartment if you need me." the silver-haired adventurer announced as she sadly went upstairs, leaving a concerned Sabine to walk up to Tom in the bakery as he stood gloomily over the trash can.

"You should go and speak to your mother, she's u-" Sabine started to suggest to her husband, only to turn her gaze to Tom and see the cake in the garbage. "Oh no!" she cried, Tom sharing the sentiment as he stared down at the ruined cake.

"I know, and it's almost time for the party!" Tom whined, slumping over in defeat.

"It's okay, I can help you! We can manage, and we'll take Gina to the party with us!" Sabine assured her husband, placing a comforting hand on Tom's arm. Thanks to his wife's sweet words, Tom smiled at Sabine before the two of them fist-bumped, quickly starting to fix the cake for their daughter's party.

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While Sabine and Tom got to work fixing the cake, things over at the party were picked up upon the arrival of the guest of honor. As soon as Marinette met up with Alya at the Place des Vosges, the reporter wrapped a blindfold around her eyes and led the blind Marinette to her surprise party. When the blindfold was taken off, Marinette was delighted by the sight of all of her friends; Sabrina included, in attendance and was further delighted to see Adrien smiling and waving to her, too. From there, the party was in full swing. 

But while Marinette was celebrating with her friends and receiving gifts, her grandmother Gina had taken to sitting on the chaise in Marinette's room, sulking about earlier events. While she didn't spend as much time as she wanted with either of her grandchildren, she had hoped that they hadn't grown out of spending time with her yet. But it seemed that her hopes were dashed away when Marinette went off to join up with Alya. 

As Gina looked around sadly at her granddaughter's room, she grabbed the tin of Befana sweets she gave Marinette before her gaze landed on the too-small shirt she also gifted Marinette as it sat on the laundry pile. Seeing the shirt alongside the much larger ones, Gina sighed to herself as she opened the tin and went to eat one of the candies, only to discover that Marinette had not been eating them as she did. Upon seeing the uneaten candies, Gina sadly put the lid back on, feeling even worse than before.

Unknown to her, Gina's sadness was a blaring siren to Hawkmoth, who could sense the silver-haired adventurer's despair from across the city. Not wasting a second more, the resident supervillain headed into his lair and transformed into his evil alter ego, arriving in the center of his lair as the window opened up.

"What could be more powerful than a grandmother deserted by her own granddaughter? Perfect fodder for disappointment and misunderstanding!" Hawkmoth exclaimed as the butterflies surrounding him took flight. Letting one of them land in his open hand and transform it into an akuma. "Fly away, my little akuma and evilize her ailing heart!" the superpowered terrorist commanded his akuma, the parasite-ask insect flying out the window and out over Paris towards its target.

Fortunately for the akuma, it didn't have to fly very far to reach the Dupain-Cheng residence in record time. Once it arrived, the akuma flew through Marinette's open window and fluttered towards Gina, landing on the candy tin and creating the link between her and Hawkmoth.

"Befana, I am Hawkmoth!" Hawkmoth greeted his newest minion. "I'm restoring your matriarchal power as a grandmother. You will use these candies to reward the deserving and punish the ungrateful." the resident supervillain explained, catching Gina's warped attention the more he spoke.

"As for my reward, you will bring me the Miraculous of those pesky little kids, Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Hawkmoth finished, now sealing the deal between the two of them.

"You're right, Hawkmoth. The time has come to teach them all a lesson." Gina proclaimed, followed by her transforming into Befana.

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Down in the bakery, Tom and Sabine were completely unaware of Gina's akuma utilization as they finished decorating a third cake to replace the previous attempts. Fortunately for them, they had just finished putting the sprinkles and strawberries on when Sabine was seated on Tom's shoulder to reach the top of the cake to put the candles on.

"Tada!" Tom & Sabine cheered when the last candle was placed, proud of themselves for completing their daughter's birthday cake.

"Good job, partner!" Sabine praised Tom as she was lowered to the ground, patting his chest with a smile. "Now we'd better get going, the party awaits us!" she exclaimed while walking towards the door, Tom following behind with the cake in his arms.

"Oh, wait, we've gotta tell Mom." Tom said, now remembering that his mom was still upstairs before a motorcycle-esq broomstick flew through the bakery door, Befana riding on top of it.

"Naughty son! Don't tell your mama what to do!" Befana snarled at Tom as her motorcycle hovered in front of him and Sabine, both of them startled by her presence.

"Mom-!" Tom yelped before he slipped on a rolling pin, causing the third cake to land in the garbage yet again while he was sprawled on the floor. Seeing her son's predicament, Befana laughed as she dismounted her vehicle and stood above her son.

"Do you know what naughty boys get?" Befana questioned Tom in a threatening tone, waving her candy gun before she spun the cylinder of her gun to land on black and fired it at Tom, turning him to coal. "Coal!" the witch-themed akuma exclaimed before turning to face a terrified Sabine while she was cornered by the register.

"You have nothing to fear, my fairy. You've always been good to me." Befana assured her daughter-in-law as she flicked her wrist to rotate the cylinder of her gun to white, firing at Sabine and turning into an angel-like fairy with a white mask covering her face. With her new fairy at her side, Befana smiled at FairySabine as she walked over to her motorcycle."So, now tell me. Marinetta isn't at the dentist, is she?" the akuma interrogated her new minion, hopping onto her vehicle while FairySabine hovered nearby.

"No, mistress." FairySabine confirmed, causing Befana to rev her engine in preparation to take off.

"Then take me to her!" Befana demanded, both her and FairySabine flying out of the bakery in search of Marinette.

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Over at the Place des Vosges park, Marinette's surprise party was well underway when Adrien had pulled the guest of honor aside to give her his gift.

"Happy birthday, Marinette." Adrien said to Marinette with a smile, amused by her staring open-mouthed, at the small blue box in her hand. It wasn't until Alya's hand reached over and closed her mouth that Marinette snapped out of her love-sick trance.

"Open it, Marinette!" Alya quietly encouraged her best friend, drawing a giggle from Marinette. However, before she can open Adrien's gift, the sound of someone singing interrupts the party, startling everyone to look up and see FairySabine above them. 

"La Befana comes at night, on her shaky broom in flight. She gives candy to those who are dandy." Befana sang as she flew in to circle over the partygoers, hopping off her flying motorcycle and landing in front of Marinette.

"Grandma!?" Marinette shrieked in shock when she recognised the akuma walking towards her, most of the others running off at the sight of Befana.

"You lied to your grandma, Marinetta." Befana practically snarled at her granddaughter as she drew nearer, nobody seeing Adrien running off in the background as the akuma stood a foot away from Marinette.

"No, I- I didn't know Alya was throwing a surprise party for me." Marinette protested, shocked that her grandmother had turned into a supervillain.

"She's for real, ma'am!" Alya exclaimed, moving in front of Marinette to protect her.

 
"And all those candies you pretended to be eating?" Befana questioned as she flicked her wrist, the barrel of her gun changing to black while Marinette looked at the ground in her guilt.

"I'm sorry, grandma. I didn't want to upset you." Marinette admitted in a shame-filled tone, which earned her Befana's gun pointed blank at her.

"I'm not your grandma anymore. From now on, I am only Befana! And I'm going to punish you for all those lies!" Befana proclaimed, just seconds before she tried to shoot at Marinette with a coal blast. However, thanks to Befana holding her at gunpoint, Marinette managed to duck and avoid getting hit… only for Mylène to get hit instead and turn into a coal statue.

"No!" Marinette cried when she saw what happened to Mylène, knowing that her current state was because of her actions and making her feel even worse. While Marinette was processing what had just happened, Adrien had found a hiding place behind a tree and let Plagg out of his outer shirt, hoping to take care of the akuma quickly.

"We didn't even get in on the buffet!" Plagg whined while watching Adrien pull out his disguise rune, complaining about his missed chance to pig out on food. 

"Party's over, my friend!" Adrien said to his kwami while activating his Chat Noir disguise, the glamor covering his civilian self before saying… "Plagg, Claws Out!" the model yelled, transforming into Chat Noir and managing to not catch anyone else's attention before leaping out from behind the tree to get into the fray.

While Adrien was turning into Chat Noir, Befana started chasing after Marinette as the girl tried to escape with her friends, only to be blocked off by FairySabine after Alya had left the scene. Seeing the predicament his friend was in, Chat Noir leapt from his hiding place and landed on one of the speakers Nino had set up around the DJ booth, gaining the high ground.

"It's rude to leave while Befana's still speaking to you." Befana scolded Marinette, pointing her gun to shoot at the girl again before Chat Noir's staff knocked her aim away, forcing her to look at him.

"Hey, I never knew grandmothers could be so nasty." Chat Noir snarked at Befana from his perch on top of the speaker, smirking at the witchy akuma as she looked at him with interest.

"You would look wonderful in white, my pretty kitty." Befana mused aloud as she rotated the cylinder of her gun to white again, firing at Chat Noir before he easily but barely dodged it.

"Eh, not convinced. I'm much more into black. It makes my eyes stand out, don't you think?" Chat Noir teased Befana, tilting his head while pointing to his eyes to add ephesus to his claim. This only fueled the fires of Befana's limited tolerance of distractions and prompted her to fire more fairy bullets at Chat Noir, forcing the feline to jump from his perch and dodge them.

"Take care of this pesky pussycat!" Befana commanded FairySabine, causing her minion to fly away from cornering Marinette and try to get Chat Noir after he reached the rooftop above the party area. Upon seeing the FairySabine heading towards him, Chat Noir immediately jumped up to dodge the incoming fairy.

"Hey, I thought fairies were supposed to be nice!" Chat Noir shouted at FairySabine after landing back on the rooftop, only to be knocked down when she circled back and plowed into the feline, making them fall into the treetops. But while Chat Noir was busy with FairySabine, Befana started chasing after Marinette after the teen realized that she was able to escape, firing coal shots at the designer that missed her by mere inches.

"You're not getting away unpunished, Marinetta!" Befana taunted Marinette as she ran away, soon tripping and falling to the ground while dropping Adrien's present in the process. But as she picked herself up and saw the present next to her arm, Marinette didn't even have time to reach it before Befana turned it into coal. "You don't deserve all these presents, you spoiled little brat! Now, for what you really deserve." the akuma declared when Marinette turned her attention back to her, followed by an attempt to fire her gun at her granddaughter again. When she tried to, however, Befana found that it was empty, forcing her to reload from the candy tin at her waist.

"Don't worry. You'll get what's coming to you." Befana assured Marinette as she loaded her gun, the girl quickly crawling to hide under one of the refreshment tables. As soon as she was out of sight, Tikki flew out of Marinette's jacket and worriedly hovered next to her holder.

"This isn't how I envisioned my birthday party going." Marinette muttered to her kwami, disappointed that her birthday was going so badly.

"You need to transform!" Tikki said to her holder, hoping that Marinette would soon grant herself the means to better protect herself just as the table started to turn into coal. Seeing her hiding place compromised, Marinette scampered out from under the table and hid again behind one of the speakers flanking the DJ booth.

"Do you lie only to me?" Befana questioned aloud to her hiding granddaughter, walking towards Marinette's hiding place and scaring the poor girl.

"Chat Noir!" Marinette cried out to the feline, looking around to find him still trying to fend off FairySabine just a few feet away.

"Stay put, I'll be right there!" Chat Noir assured Marinette after pushing FairySabine back, only to be attacked once again. "Uh, soon!" the hero groaned after being thrown to the ground again, leaving Marinette unsettled by her chances of escape. Those chances decreased when Befana turned the speaker Marinette was hiding behind into coal, the speaker crumbling into dust under Marinette's touch.

"Or do you also lie to your parents and your friends, too?" Befana interrogated Marinette as she advanced on her, having no idea how right she was while Marinette backed away from her and found herself cornered by the second speaker. Fortunately for her, Alya and the class were hiding behind a nearby bush, able to hear and see Marinette's current predicament.

"We gotta help Marinette!" Alya quietly announced to the rest of their classmates, all of them immediately on board with the idea. With the plan quickly thought of amongst them, the class all went to work while Befana had her prey right where she wanted her.

 
"The time has come to teach you a lesson." Befana declared as she raised her gun at Marinette, only for a plate to fly past her and nearly hit her. A glance to her left soon revealed that it had been Alya who had thrown the plate at her, with more to follow with the stack in the reporter's arms.

"Marinette is not a liar!" Alya shouted at Befana, continuously throwing plates at the akuma while the witch kept evading them.

"Someone has to teach you table manners!" Befana snapped before she shot the final plate held in Alya's hands, turning it and the bespeckled girl into coal as she made to throw it.

"Alya!" Marinette wailed when she saw her best friend turned into coal, only to see Kim coming up to the stage and trying to jump on Befana to grab her gun. Unfortunately for the jock, Befana saw him and shot at him, turning him into coal too. "No, Kim!" the pigtailed girl cried, shocked to see Kim turned into a coal statue while Befana twirled her gun in her hand.

"That's what you get for stealing candy, you bunch of ill-mannered kids!" Befana snarled at the rest of the class, pointing her finger at them all as they came out of hiding after their failed rescue attempt.

"Don't touch Marinette! She's the nicest person in the world!" Rose cried, hoping to appeal to Befana's softer side.

"That's very disrespectful, to speak up without permission!" Befana exclaimed, startled by Rose's rudeness. "But then again, it's quite noble of you to stick up for your friends." the witchy akuma thought aloud, now unsure of how to deal with Rose before she made her decision.

"Okay. I shall make you a fairy." Befana decided with a flick of her gun, the barrel turning white before she shot at Rose and turned her into another white, angel-like fairy as she had with Sabine. "You are going to help me discipline your friend." the akuma proclaimed with an evil laugh, Fairy-Rose turning her masked face to her now scared classmates. But during the commotion, Marinette had used the opportunity to jump down from the stage and crouch behind it, ready to transform and end this nightmare.

"Tikki-" Marinette began, pulling open her jacket to let Tikki fly out before hearing something land on the ground behind her. Turning her head, she was greeted by the sight of FairySabine sprawled on the ground just seconds before Chat Noir dropped down in front of her.

"Sorry, I kept you waiting. We need to find you a better hiding place." Chat Noir greeted the damsel currently in distress, holding out his hand for her while extending his staff for their escape. "Shall we?" the feline asked, prompting Marinette to nod as she grabbed his hand, leading to her being swept into Chat Noir's arms before he lifted them away from the scene with his staff. But as they left, the sound of the staff extending had caught Befana's attention, allowing her to see them escape.

"Marinetta is getting away with the kitty! Catch them!" Befana demanded her fairies just as a recovered FairySabine joined up with FairyRose, forcing them to try and follow the order and go after the retreating pair. However, as a last-ditch effort to help their class president, the rest of the partygoers had managed to catch the fairies with some of the banner decorations tied to the minion's ankles.

"Marinette is cool, so don't touch her." Juleka said to the fairies, she, Alix and Sabrina holding onto FairySabine's bindings while trying to pull her to the ground.

 
"We won't let you hurt Marinette!" Max yelled to Befana, him, Nathaniel, and Ivan mimicking the girls and holding onto FairyRose.

"Is that how you speak to your elders? How rude." Befana critiqued, unhappy with the teens' behavior before she flicked her gun barrel back to black and turned them all into coal, freeing her fairies in the process. "Maybe this way you'll learn to keep quiet." the witchy akuma remarked before putting her gun away, hopping onto her motorcycle to join her fairies in their pursuit of Marinette and Chat Noir.

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During the end of Befana's rampage at Marinette's party, Chat Noir was now running across the rooftops with Marinette in his arms, hoping to find a good hiding place for her. While he knew she could handle herself thanks to their time working together on the Evilustrator sting operation, Chat Noir wasn't about to let his friend get turned into coal on his watch. So the best option was to hide her until Befana was defeated.

"You must be a really cool girl if your friends are protecting you like that, Princess. So why's your grandma flipping out?" Chat Noir asked Marinette as he ran towards the Eiffel Tower, hoping to get to the root of Befana's akumatization and ire towards her granddaughter.

"It's because she wanted me to spend more time with her." Marinette explained as she held onto the feline, already feeling guilty about her part of the mess she was in. "In my defense, she surprised me with her visit and I tried to explain that I had a prior engagement." the red-tipped-haired girl added, trying to find some way to defend herself from the misunderstanding. 

"I'm sure you did, little lady. But sometimes, people can take things the wrong way." Chat Noir replied as he kept running, giving Marinette a downward glance as he did. "All you can do is try to fix things afterwards." the hero in black advised as they reached the end of the rooftop, the Eiffel Tower right across from them before Chat Noir leapt off the roof. 

As the two of them fell towards the ground, Chat Noir grabbed his staff from his back and used it to pole vault him and Marinette the rest of the way to the monument. Seconds later, they landed on one of the tower's viewing decks,  Chat Noir letting Marinette down from his arms when they were on solid ground again.

"Thanks for saving me back there, Chat Noir." Marinette thanked her saviour, glad that he had been there to help her escape.

"Think nothing of it. Who am I to let someone get attacked by an akuma? Especially on their birthday!" Chat Noir remarked, earning a pointed yet fond glare from Marinette.

"Remember, you're referring to my grandmother." Marinette reminded Chat Noir, which had him smirking at her with a soft chuckle as he was amused by her small-sounding threat. 

"I know." Chat Noir assured her before getting his head back into the game. "But don't worry, I promise to turn your real grandma back to normal soon." the feline declared before bounding to the railing and hopping up onto it, ready to head out and battle against Befana. But just as he was about to leave, he stopped short. 

"Oh, I almost forgot." Chat Noir realised with a soft palm hit on his forehead, quickly looking back at Marinette. "Happy birthday, Princess." he said, a smile appearing on his face and triggering one to form on Marinette's as well.

"Thank you, Chat Noir." Marinette reiterated, watching as Chat Noir left the tower completely before letting Tikki out of her jacket. "It's time to save my Nonna!" the designer declared, pulling out her disguise rune to activate her Ladybug disguise so that she could finally say… 

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette shouted, transforming into Ladybug and swinging off to join Chat Noir in freeing her grandmother.

Chapter Text

Whilst Chat Noir and now Ladybug were making their way towards Befana, the witchy akuma was now flying above the city, flanked by her fairies in the sunset-coloured sky. As she made her way through the city, Befana had taken to gaining more minions and punishing more offenders, proudly singing as she did.

"La Befana comes at night, on her shaky broom in flight." Befana sang whilst flying in the sky above Paris, turning a young boy who accidentally littered and a little boy teasing a little girl into coal. "She gives out candy to those who are dandy." She continued as she turned a teen helping a woman and her baby and a firefighter saving a little girl's cat into more fairies, the two flying up to join her ranks.

"And only gives coal to brats with no soul." Befana belted out just after turning a man honking his car horn into coal, happy with herself for taking care of such a rude man.

But her feeling of accomplishment was short-lived when she suddenly came face to face with Chat Noir's staff, the weapon being extended in her flight path and knocking her off her bike. Fortunately, FairyRose and Fairy Sabine swooped down to catch her, carrying Befana up to the roof Chat Noir just happened to be perched on.

"Chat Noir comes in, unexpectedly," Chat Noir crooned, singing to the same melody as Befana while posing as an opera singer with his staff in hand, but stopping short when he realized he didn't have a rhyme. "Uh, how do I make that rhyme?" the feline wondered to himself, just seconds before Ladybug suddenly arrived and landed beside him.

"Fighting evil with his lady!" Ladybug sang, finishing his song as she mimicked his pose and spun her yo-yo into a shield behind her.

"Of course! Not bad, Bugaboo!" Chat Noir praised, drawing a smile from the spotted heroine just as Hawkmoth decided to step back into the action upon Ladybug's arrival.

"Ladybug has joined the party at last! Bring me the Miraculous, Befana!" Hawkmoth ordered his akuma, thrilled that he had the chance to get both magic jewels while Befana was not as eager yet.

"You didn't say the magic word!" Befana practically sang, catching Hawkmoth by surprise at the back talk before he reluctantly cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Please." Hawkmoth indignantly forced out while hunching his shoulders in annoyance, leaving Befana delighted by his manners.

"Much better, Hawkmoth!" Befana praised the terrorist, cutting off contact with him before directing her focus to Chat Noir. "You little thief! Where have you hidden Marinetta?!" the witch akuma demanded as she pointed at the hero in black, glaring at the one who helped her granddaughter escape punishment.

"I forgot." Chat Noir playfully lied, shrugging his shoulders with a look of faux forgetfulness.

"Watch out, or you'll be getting a time out of your own" Ladybug warned Befana as she stopped spinning her yo-yo and held it in her hands, pulling the string out in preparation for the ensuing fight.

"Take care of these little villains." Befana commanded the fairies behind her, her minions quickly starting to attack Ladybug and Chat Noir in a flurry of white feathers, forcing the two heroes to dodge them. While the heroes were fighting off the fairies, Befana was trying to figure out where Chat Noir had hidden Marinette. "Now… What does the villainous cat burglar do when he feels threatened?" the akuma mused aloud, her gaze soon wandering off to the side and spotting the Eiffel Tower.

"He climbs!" Befana exclaimed in triumph, now knowing where to look. With her destination set, Befana started running across the rooftops towards the monument, soon jumping onto her motorcycle after it automatically flew back to her side and headed for the Eiffel Tower. But after he dodged another fairy, Chat Noir looked behind him and saw Befana escaping, only to realize where she was heading.

"We can't let her get to the Eiffel Tower!" Chat Noir yelled to Ladybug, who had just dodged another fairy and landed back on the rooftop.

"And why not?" Ladybug questioned her partner, only for them both to duck from another one of the fairies. When he was in the clear from the fairies, Chat Noir extended his staff and lifted himself into the air, restless to start going after Befana.

"Because that's where I hid her granddaughter!" Chat Noir exclaimed to Ladybug, leaping to go after Befana mere seconds later and unknowingly catching Ladybug off guard.

"Wait no, she's-!" Ladybug shouted, only to clap her hand over her mouth to stop herself from giving herself away. Having no other choice, Ladybug quickly dodged another fairy and followed after Chat Noir, hoping to stop him from getting into trouble.

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Over at the Eiffel Tower, Befana had arrived and was now flying around the Tower in search of Marinette, hoping to finally punish her.

"Where are you, Marinetta? Befana has a special treat for you!" Befana called out, holding her gun at the ready before she felt someone drop onto the back of her bike.

"Can I hitch a ride?" a voice behind Befana asked, causing the akuma to turn and see Chat Noir sitting behind her. Upon seeing him, Befana tried to aim her gun at him, the feline merely avoiding her aim before reaching over to the handlebars. "Your granddaughter isn't here. Let me show you the way." Chat Noir offered before he revved the engine, soon steering the bike away from the monument.

"Pets are not allowed on board!" Befana yelled at Chat Noir, quickly taking back control and spinning the bike through the air, causing Chat Noir to plummet to the ground. Thankfully for him, Ladybug caught him and swung them both to perch themselves on the Eiffel Tower. "What a sweet Ladybug you are. You'll make a perfect fairy!" the akuma praised Ladybug just as her fairies joined back up with her, flicking her wrist to change her gun barrel to white before firing fairy shots at both heroes. Seeing the shots aimed at them, Ladybug and Chat Noir either lept or swung out of the line of fire, moving around to avoid them and accidentally splitting up.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Ladybug shouted from high up, having landed on the top of a viewing platform above Befana and her fairies.

"You can't turn down a gift, you rude little imp!" Befana scolded Ladybug, now rescinding her decision to change her into one of her minions before turning to her fairies. "You take care of the kitty, my fairies, while I punish this polka-dot brat!" the witch ordered her minions, before going to pursue Ladybug.

As she did, the fairies began to attack Chat Noir, whom they were unable to touch as he took to using the inner support beams of the monument to his advantage. But while Chat Noir was dodging the fairies and making his way up to one of the viewing platforms, Befana was hot on Ladybug's heels. The spotted heroine had decided to take the high ground and climb up the side of the Tower, using her yo-yo to pull her up while Befana kept firing coal shots at her from close behind. With each shot, Ladybug dodged them all. However, what neither hero nor akuma had counted on, was the missed shots stopping at a certain point in the air before falling back towards them. Seeing the volley coming back at her, Ladybug dived into one of the gaps in the tower to escape the shots aimed at her, leaving Befana to frantically dodge them instead.

"Hmm…" Ladybug muttered to herself as she watched Befana dodge the last of the falling shots, only to swing away when she attempted to fire at Ladybug. But upon doing so, Ladybug's luck saved her again when Befana discovered that she was out of ammo once again. With a small reprieve due to Befana needing to reload, Ladybug joined up with Chat Noir just as he jumped onto the viewing platform she landed on too.

"Chat Noir! I saw Befana dodging her candies. Even she can't touch them!" Ladybug reported to her partner, both her and Chat Noir turning to watch Befana refill her gun.

"The candy tin. The akuma must be in there." Chat Noir announced.

"Of course!" Ladybug exclaimed, followed by her calling on her… "Lucky Charm!" the spotted heroine shouted, only to catch a tuba in her arms after it appeared in the air.

"You didn't tell me you played the tuba." Chat Noir joked while Ladybug looked at the instrument in perplexion.

"I don't, but it looks like I'm gonna have to learn." Ladybug replied, only for them both to be surprised by Befana's coal shots hitting the area around them, making the metal platform under them turn into coal. With a well-placed hit from three of the fairies, the coal platform crumbled away, forcing the two heroes to fall to a lower level, now surrounded by Befana and her fairies.

"Very naughty. I'm going to have to take your toys away from you." Befana taunted the heroes as they recovered from their fall, hopping off her motorcycle in front of them. Now cornered, Ladybug looked over her shoulder in search of her Lucky Charm, soon finding it on the ground below them. In her search, she also saw the elevator doors, and the underground fire hydrant light up in her vision, giving her the plan she and Chat Noir needed to win.

"Okay. You win, Befana." Ladybug declared just as Befana towered over her and Chat Noir, quickly winking at the shocked Chat Noir gawking at her. When seeing his lady's wink, Chat Noir caught onto her message and went along with it.

"I- I did lie, I'm sorry. Your granddaughter is here." Chat Noir stammered out, worried that his partner's plan might not work since he didn't know all of the details yet. But he trusted Ladybug with his life… so he had to trust Marinette's life with her as well.

"Never too late to tell the truth, right?" Ladybug questioned Befana, who looked at them with a stoney glare.

"I don't believe you." Befana announced, prompting Chat Noir to rise to his feet.

"I'll take you to her myself." Chat Noir offered as he held his hands up in surrender, followed by him walking off to 'lead the way'.

"Keep an eye on the ladybug." Befana said to her fairies, following after Chat Noir and keeping him at her gunpoint. However, the moment Befana was out of earshot, Ladybug turned back to the fairies with a chuckle and used her yo-yo to pull a fire hose towards her.

"Sorry guys, I've gotta put you all in time out!" Ladybug exclaimed as she spun the hose and yo-yo in opposite hands, soon attacking the group of fairies with both to make sure they wouldn't interfere with her plan.

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While Ladybug was incapacitating Befana's minions, elsewhere in the Eiffel Tower, Chat Noir had led the akuma to a supply closet in an effort to keep her distracted. But seeing as he had no idea where Marinette was hiding after he left, Chat Noir was worried that he might have truly led Befana to her granddaughter. Seeing he had no choice, however, the feline apprehensively opened the closet door… thankfully seeing the real Marinette wasn't inside and sighed in relief.

"What is the meaning of this?! She isn't here!" Befana demanded the hero in black, appalled to see that Chat Noir had been wrong.

"I guess I'm a compulsive liar?" Chat Noir offered with a shrug, causing Befana to growl at him in frustration before pointing her gun at him.

"You better tell me where she is or-" Befana threatened, her gun centimeters away from a fearful Chat Noir's face before the sound of the elevator behind them caught her attention. "There you are!" the akuma exclaimed, releasing her hold on Chat Noir just in time to run to the elevator and see it going down to the ground floor.

"Nice try, Marinetta, but you won't get away that easily!" Befana declared as she ran to the glass guard wall and jumped over it, landing on her motorbike with a cackle before circling back around to head off the elevator.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir ran to the guard wall just as Ladybug joined back up with him, worriedly looking down in search of any sign of Marinette being in the elevator. Upon seeing her partner worried for her civilian self's safety, Ladybug joined his side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Chat Noir. Marinette's safe." Ladybug assured, seeming to put Chat Noir at ease for the moment. "But we've got to finish this fight before we can call it a day. Come on!" the spotted heroine urged, hooking her yo-yo onto the guard rail and leaping over it to lower herself to the ground, Chat Noir following suit.

But while they were making their way to the Eiffel Tower's base level, Befana had already arrived at the elevator door exit, hopping off her motorbike with a spin.

"I'm waiting for you, Marinetta." Befana sang as she readied her weapon for when the doors opened, waiting to shoot whoever was inside. But she was surprised to see who was actually in the elevator when the doors finally opened. "What?" the witchy akuma breathed out in shock, now face to face with her fairies tied up inside the elevator. Unknown to her, Ladybug and Chat Noir had made it to the ground floor land behind her, followed by Ladybug throwing her yo-yo to the Lucky Charm tuba.

"Chat Noir! The fire hydrant!" Ladybug yelled as her yo-yo grabbed the tuba, bringing it back to her while Chat Noir now had an inkling of what she had in mind.

"My pleasure!" Chat Noir purred, followed by him calling on his… "Cataclysm!" the hero in black proclaimed, summoning his powers of concentrated bad luck.

With his power in hand, Chat Noir used his free hand to pull the cover off the fire hydrant, pressing down on the hydrant with his Cataclysm and causing a fountain of water to appear from it. Hearing the commotion behind her, Befana turned around just in time to see Ladybug slam the tuba down on the torrent of water, sending a jet of the liquid straight for Befana. In an attempt to block the water, Befana used her gun to stop it from touching her and subsequently tried to turn it into coal in the process. However, the shot backfired on her, not only turning the water and tuba-which Ladybug quickly let go of when it started to turn-but Befana herself too.

"Noooo!" Befana cried as her body was turned into coal, her powers turned against her. When seeing Befana's coal statue, Ladybug giggled with joy that her plan had worked and walked over to grab the candy tin from CoalBefana's waist.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma ." Ladybug exclaimed as she broke the tin in half, releasing the akuma before she opened her yo-yo to reveal the sparkling pool of cleansing energy inside of it. "Time to de-evilize!" the spotted heroine shouted before she threw her yo-yo toward the akuma, catching it within her yo-yo and pulling it back to her.

"Gotcha!" Ladybug cheered when the yo-yo was back in her hands. A second later, she released the purified akuma, setting the white butterfly free. "Bye, bye little butterfly," the heroine in red said as the butterfly flew away, right before throwing the still coalified Lucky Charm up into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug cried out, summoning the cleansing cure and the magic ladybugs.

In no time at all, the Miraculous Ladybug undoes all the damage caused by Befana, turning the fairies back into civilians and taking them back to where they were first transformed. Next were the coalified civilians, who were restored to their human selves as the cure swept by them, followed by restoring the damaged property during the fight. Finally, coal Befana was turned back into regular Befana and soon turned back into Gina, her motorcycle receiving the same treatment. Upon being turned back to normal, Gina looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings in confusion, only to spot Ladybug and Chat Noir off to the side, giving her some idea of what happened.

"Pound it!" Ladybug and Chat Noir cheered, fist-bumping each other in celebration of a job well done.

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Back inside Hawkmoth's lair, after watching the fight end and the heroes reign victorious, the resident superterrorist was less than thrilled by the result.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir... you've escaped punishment yet again!" Hawkmoth growled, clenching his cane in both hands in his anger. "I won't sugarcoat the truth, but next time I will destroy you and have your Miraculous!" he angrily proclaimed as the lair window closed, leaving him and his little butterfly buddies in the dark once more.

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A little while later after the commotion had died down, everyone joined back at the park to continue Marinette's party, the sun having set a little bit ago. Granted, Marinette had come back a little later than the others, but it was only so that she could execute an idea she had come up with earlier that day. Fortunately for her, it didn't take long and she was back at the party, watching as Nino played music and the guests were having a good time while looking for her grandmother. It didn't take long to spot Gina standing at André's ice cream cart, who had come by to offer ice cream to the partygoers, and started talking with the vendor himself.

"So, how about you, André? Do you have anyone to share your ice cream with these days?" Gina asked the ice cream man, casually leaning against the cart while Marinette walked over to her.

"Actually, I have yet to find the perfect blend of flavors." André admitted, only for Marinette to come in and hug her grandmother tightly from behind.

"Grandma!" Marinette cheered, causing Gina to smile as she turned around and faced her granddaughter.

"My sweetie!" Gina greeted Marinette, hugging her back before seeing her new purse. "What did you do with that tee shirt?" the silver-haired adventurer asked in wonder as she pointed to the new version of the purse Marinette was wearing, seeing that it was made from the shirt she had given her.

"I fixed it up, Grandma. I've been sewing ever since the last time you came to visit." Marinette happily explained, causing Gina to smile while tearing up.

"You're so grown up, Marinette. And I bet my little knight, Jim, is too." Gina said, wiping a tear from her eye at the thought of her grandchildren being so capable and mature now. "You know what? There'll be no more merry-go-rounds or zoos. For your and Jim's next birthday, I'll take you two on one of my trips!" the elderly traveler announced, mimicking a scout as she made her promise and causing Marinette to hug her again.

"Thank you, Grandma!" Marinette thanked, glad that she and Gina had reconciled. "But you know, it doesn't matter where you take us. It's always unforgettable with you," the designer stated, knowing that she and Jim would have fun with their grandmother no matter what.

However, the moment between them was put on hold when the other guests began singing 'Happy Birthday' while Marinette's parents brought the cake. Once her parents were just in front of her, Ivan and Kim lifted Marinette to the top of the cake, allowing her to blow out the candles on the large dessert. With the candles taken care of, the two boys gently set Marinette back on the ground, the guests all clapping while she blushed at all the attention. But after Marinette got used to it, she looked off to the side and saw Lila coming into the park with a gift in hand.

"Lila, you came!" Marinette exclaimed, walking over to greet the late arrival and drawing everyone's attention to the two girls.

"Well, I was planning to get here earlier. But then I saw the akuma attacking, so…" Lila trailed, a bashful smile present as she explained her lateness.

"Yeah, I don't blame you for staying away. If I were you, I would have too." Marinette replied, understanding Lila's apprehensiveness about coming to the party while an akuma was around.

"In any case, I'm glad to see things have been taken care of." Lila continued, her earlier bashfulness lessening. "Also, Happy Birthday." the olive-eyed girl said, holding out her gift to Marinette in her hands.

"Thank you, Lila!" Marinette responded, surprised by the gesture before taking it out of Lila's hands. The gift turned out to be the type of gift box that opened with a lid. But when Marinette opened it, she pulled out a beautiful red and black mask that looked like it was flowing fire, with a golden rod that allowed whoever was wearing it to hold it close to their face. "Oh my! A Carnevale mask!" the pigtailed girl squealed, in awe of the beautiful present.

"You know what it is? I'm surprised." Lila admitted, shocked that Marinette easily recognised it.

"My grandmother is Italian, so I've always been connected to that part of my heritage." Marinette explained, happy to share that little bit of information about herself.

"Molto bene! Immagino che tu non conosca l'italiano? (Very good! I don't suppose you know Italian?)" Lila asked, effortlessly transitioning to Italian to see if she could catch Marinette by surprise.

"Fluente, in realtà. Mi è stato insegnato quando avevo quattro anni. (Fluent, actually. I was taught when I was four.)" Marinette replied back, mimicking Lila's transition and leaving the Italian girl impressed.

"Impressive. Remind me to keep my eye on you." Lila remarked, a happy smirk on her face upon the discovery of someone to practice Italian with.

"Will do. And thank you so much for your gift, Lila. I love it!" Marinette exclaimed, glad that she and Lila seemed to be getting along for the most part after… the Volpina incident.

"I'm glad to hear it. Happy Birthday, Marinette." Lila parroted before she walked away, hoping to avoid admitting she gifted Marinette the mask because it reminded her of Ladybug and she wanted to get rid of it. But as she left, Adrien took the opportunity to step towards a smiling Marinette.

"While we are still on the subject of gifts…" Adrien spoke up, causing Marinette to turn around and see him holding out his earlier gift to Marinette, the small box having been restored by the Miraculous Ladybugs earlier. "You never got a chance to open it with all that was going on." the blonde model pointed out, triggering a delighted Marinette to take the box from him and open it. After she did, Marinette was surprised to find a handmade charm bracelet inside, raising it to her now wide eyes to get a good look at it.

"I always carry the lucky charm you gave me with me wherever I go, and I think it works pretty well." Adrien explained as he pulled out the charm bracelet Marinette had given to him earlier, smiling as he did. "So... I figured it was my turn to make one for you." the green-eyed boy elaborated, leaving Marinette literally speechless at his heartfelt words.

"You're so wonderful... Oh, uh- it's wonderful, what a charm! Uh... luck charm! I-I'll wear the charm um, with luck!" Marinette stammered, having trouble regaining her thoughts to say a complete sentence due to Adrien's gift for her. "Basically, um... thank you." the red-tipped-haired girl managed to spew out, her cheeks a fiery red as she smiled up at her crush.

Unbeknownst to her, Marinette's parents and grandmother were behind her and watching the little interaction between her and Adrien. Needless to say, they found the moment very cute.

"Aww…" Tom sighed with a smile, Sabine giggling next to him while a smiling Gina stood next to them. She didn't need to be around all the time to know that her little fairy was in love, and she was glad to have found out.

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After the last of the gifts were given to Marinette, Nino hopped up to the DJ booth and started playing music again, all of the guests now dancing along. However, Marinette was among the only ones not dancing as she sat with Tikki in the trees nearby, gazing at the bracelet Adrien gave her.

"Do you realize? He made it just for me, with his own hands." Marinette gushed to her kwami, followed by her leaning her elbow on her knee and leaning in on herself. "Adrien…" Marinette sighed dreamily with a love-sick smile, her eyes not leaving the gift in her hand.

"Yeah, well, it's kind of a weird gift if you ask me." Tikki remarked as she floated in front of her holder, clearly still miffed about that morning and pulling Marinette's attention back to her.

"Heh, no weirder than yours, Tikki." Marinette playfully retorted with a wink, leaving Tikki offended and causing her to turn away from her. But her sour mood improved when she glanced back and saw Marinette holding out the kwagatama at her, now on a necklace around her neck. "But that doesn't mean they're not both precious to me." the designer added, proudly displaying Tikki's gift and leaving the red kwami excited.

"So you really did like the gift, then!" Tikki cheered, loop-de-looping through the air in her joy.

"Of course I did." Marinette replied as she tucked the kwagatama back down her shirt, the new necklace now sitting alongside her disguise rune one. "The most important thing about a present, Tikki, is the person who's giving it." the pigtailed girl told her kwami, pulling her into a hug with a bright smile.

Unknown to her, on the other side of the park, Adrien had taken to not dancing as well and was standing under a grove of trees as well. But if anyone were to spot him, they would notice him looking at the charm Marinette gave him, smiling at it fondly as it rested in his hand.

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(Time Skip)

Not long after Marinette and Tikki's heart-to-heart, the party had dwindled to an end. Everyone helped clean up the park from the celebration and quickly went back home to get a good night's sleep before school the next day. However, when the whole Dupain-Cheng family headed back home to do the same, Marinette received a notification from her phone just as she was about to video call Jim. Without thinking, she pulled it out of her purse and opened it to find a strange text in her and her brother's group chat

Group Chat: Arcadia's Unlucky Trio

Jimbo: Hey, sis! Happy Birthday! I hope you had a good time with your party, and hope you still have some energy for one more surprise.

Upon reading the text, Marinette was left puzzled by Jim's choice of words and immediately opened up the group chat to send a text of her own.

Group Chat: Arcadia's Unlucky Trio

MariFary: Uh, I'm still hyper from the cake Mom and Dad served at the party, so I do have some energy left. Why?

Toby Pie: It's a surprise! So you'll have to come down to Stone Arc to find out!

MariFairy: Should I be worried?

Jimbo: Don't worry, it's a good surprise!

MariFairy: Alright, I'll head down now. TTYL❤️

Toby Pie: Bye 😘

Jimbo: TTYL ✌️

With her curiosity piqued, Marinette gently woke up Tikki from her sugar crash nap and headed up to her balcony, grabbing her Horngazel as she went. Transforming into her alter ego, Ladybug then threw her yo-yo towards Notre Dame. Once it was attached to a good anchor point, Ladybug tugged on the string and sent herself flying towards the famous church, soon landing next to Stone Arc's hidden entrance. Her excitement started to rise as she opened her yo-yo and pulled out her Horngazel to stab it into the hidden alcove wall, drawing the semi-circle and opening the door to the hidden city.

Climbing down the stairs to Stone Arc after the door closed behind her, Ladybug soon reached the bottom and stood at the observation area overlooking the city with a smile. Following that, the spotted heroine pulled out her yo-yo again and opened it up to her communication app to get back in contact with Jim and Toby.

Group Chat: Arcadia's Unlucky Trio

MariFary: Alright, I just arrived at Stone Arc. Where do you want me to go?

Toby Pie: Head over to the Gyre Station! Your surprise is waiting there!

MariFairy: Okay, I'm on my way.

Now knowing where to go, Ladybug began making her trek towards the Gyre station.

As she walked through the market, she was intrigued to find that a good portion of the city's market was empty of any shopkeepers, including Nox and Styx. While it left Ladybug even more curious about the unusual absences, she continued to the Grye station and soon arrived. But when she got there, she saw nothing out of the ordinary right off the bat, leaving her confused before she pulled out her yo-yo again.

Group Chat: Arcadia's Unlucky Trio

MariFary: So, I just got to the Gyre Station and I don't see anything unusual here. What is my surprise, exactly?

It didn't take more than a second to get a reply from her brothers.

Group Chat: Arcadia's Unlucky Trio

Toby Pie: Look to your left.

" 'Look to your left'? How could he know where I'm standing at this very mo-" Ladybug wondered aloud, looking at her Bugphone in perplexion before turning her gaze to the left… only to drop her yo-yo in shock when seeing who was there with her.

"SURPRISE!!" Jim and Toby cheered, standing off to the side with gifts in hand, Blinky, Aaarrrgghh!!!, and Draal smiling behind them.

"JIM! TOBY! OH MY GOSH!!!" Ladybug squealed before running towards them and tackling them.

"WHAA!!!" Jim and Toby yelped when she made contact, the three teens falling to the ground in a heap of laughter and tangled limbs.

"Could have been a little gentler there, sis." Jim playfully remarked while they managed to sit up on the ground, their arms resting on each other's shoulders while their Troll friends came towards them.

"Sorry! I just can't believe it! You guys are here!" the spotted heroine exclaimed, pulling them both in for a side hug.

"Oh, come on MariFairy! Like we wouldn't visit you on your birthday now that we have a way to travel across the world in no time at all!" Toby exclaimed, revealing how they got there so fast. "Also, that Gyre-thing is a violent way to travel!" the rounded boy added, a look of horror passing over his features.

"Now you know how I felt when using it to get to Arcadia for the duel! I couldn't breathe the entire trip." Ladybug replied, recalling how horrible her first and only trip on the Gyre had been.

"Hate Gyre, too." Aaarrrgghh!!! said, relating to their shared hatred of the mode of transportation.

"Yes, Aaarrrgghh!!! has similar reservations about the Gyre too." Blinky spoke up, further explaining his companions' aversion to the Gyre.

"Not that I blame him. This trip was brutal." Draal reflected, watching as Ladybug, Jim and Toby rose to their feet after their tumble.

"Either way, I'm glad to see you guys here too! I can't believe you're all here!" Ladybug cheered, going over to the Trolls to hug Aaarrrgghh!!!, the large Troll returning the sentiment.

"It would be rude of us to ignore a Miraculous Holder's birthday!" Blinky proclaimed, receiving a hug from Ladybug as well and finding himself unable to figure out how to respond before she finally let him go. "Not to mention such a wondrous occasion of 14! That is when young Trolls learn how to speak!" the six-eyed Troll added, watching as Ladybug went to give an awkward hug to Draal, who seemed to have been even more apprehensive than Blinky had been.

"Well, what do you know?! Definitely a step up from what they do at 16." Ladybug remarked, quickly pulling away from Draal with a smirk directed at a now-intrigued Jim.

"Wait, what happens when a Troll turns 16?" Jim questioned, wondering why his little sister had mentioned something that specific.

"Oh, they-" Blinky began, only for Ladybug to quickly cover his mouth with her hand.

"You'll find out next week." Ladybug slyly replied to her brother, causing Draal to chuckle at their interaction.

"Your sister is quite sneaky, Trollhunter. I like that." Draal snickered, raising a hand to his mouth to cover the smile appearing.

"Thank you, Draal." Ladybug thanked with a bright smile, Blinky taking her hand off his mouth now that she prevented him from answering Jim's question.

"Haha. If you're going to be like that, I guess you don't want your birthday gifts." Jim lightly threatened, causing Ladybug to roll her eyes at his 'threat'.

"Oh come on, Jimbo. You know I was only joking, right?" Ladybug playfully inquired, crossing her arms over her chest and popping her hip to the side.

"Yeah, I know. Still…" Jim trailed off, triggering the spotted heroine to sigh in relent.

"Okay, you big softy. I'm sorry." Ladybug apologized, a smile appearing alongside her now softened eyes.

"Better. Now, come here, you!" Jim exclaimed, pulling his little sister in for a hug. "I'm just glad to see you in person for once." the Trollhunter admitted, Ladybug smiling at him.

"Me too." Ladybug responded, hugging him back.

"Okay, enough of the mushy stuff! It's present time!" Toby announced, causing Ladybug and Jim to pull away before he handed her his gift. "Open mine first!" the geology nerd encouraged, watching as Ladybug took the gift from him with a chiding smirk.

"Thanks, Toby." Ladybug thanked, followed by her opening the box and seeing an array of her favorite American candies. "Oh my gosh, Tobes! Thank you! I can't tell you how long I've been craving these!" the heroine in red squealed, already unwrapping a Hershey's Kisses and popping it into her mouth.

"My pleasure, Mari! Plus, I got double the amount since I figured Tikki would like them too." Toby added, earning a wide smile from Ladybug at his words.

"You are so thoughtful, Toby-Pie. How you don't have a girlfriend yet, I have no idea." Ladybug exclaimed, which had Toby sighing in contempt at the reminder of his relationship status.

"I'm wondering the same thing, too." Toby replied, quickly pushing those feelings down the next second. "Happy Birthday, MariFairy." the rounded boy said, prompting Ladybug to pull him in for a comforting hug.

"Alright, if we keep up with the hugging, we'll be here all night. And I'm excited for you to see what I got you." Jim said, causing Ladybug and Toby to pull away and fondly yet pointedly glare at him.

"Okay, Mr. Impatient. No need to get your pants in a bunch." Ladybug teased Jim as he handed her his gift, taking it and opening it to see a few piles of different colored fabrics inside, shocked by the sight of them. "Jim… please tell me you didn't use your Vespa money to get me this." the spotted heroine breathed out in disbelief, pulling out the fabric and feeling the texture on her cheek, finding the texture softer than anything she had ever felt.

"Calm down, I didn't spend any of my money on this part of your gift." Jim assured Ladybug, hoping to prevent her from feeling guilt when she didn't need to.

"But this fabric is so soft! Not even Vicuña fabric is this soft!" Ladybug exclaimed, her eyes wide at Jim's dismissive behavior. "Where did you get it for free?" the heroine in red questioned, hoping that Jim didn't make any black market deals to get the fabrics for her.

"Believe it or not, Heartstone has a group of textile Trolls. They can create any type of fabric that is requested of them." Blinky began, taking the floor to explain where Jim got the fabrics. "When Master Jim asked for help on finding your gift, I remembered her mentioning your tailor skills on passing and thought to bring him there." the four-armed Troll elaborated, triggering Ladybug to pull him and Jim in for a tearful hug.

"Thank you! I already got the perfect project in mind for these!" Ladybug cheered, grateful for the heartfelt gift she had been given.

"Not all of it!" Aaarrrgghh!!! spoke up, drawing the group's attention to him.

"Wait, what? There's more?" Ladybug inquired as she pulled away from hugging Blinky and Jim, curious as to what was left to find in the box in her hand.

"Look at the bottom." Jim said, causing Ladybug to move the fabric out of the way and see a rose gold handle resting on the bottom of the box.

"Uh… very cool?" Ladybug uttered in skepticism, gripping the strange object tighter and accidentally activating it and revealing it to be a rope dart.

Upon closer inspection, Ladybug took note of the short yet wide dagger made of rose gold with a black iron handle and pommel decorated with delicate turquoise swirl inlays. While the dagger part rested in Ladybug's hand, it was connected to the 16ft cord made of braided rose gold, with a counterweight dropping to the floor made of black iron and shaped like a faceted teardrop. The sight of the beautiful weapon in her hands caused her eyes to widen in delight.

"Oh. My God! A retractable rope dart!" the spotted heroine squealed, a bright smile appearing on her lips.

"Like it now?" Jim slyly asked, a smirk on his face as he took in Ladybug's reaction to her final gift.

"Like it? I love it! It works just like my yo-yo!" Ladybug cheered, stepping back to try it out. Thanks to her practice with the yo-yo, her skills were being put to use with the familiar feeling weapon as she spun the counterweight around her and used it on a miscellaneous stone. The counterweight of the rope dart effortlessly shattered the stone, turning it into gravel before she pulled it back and held the weapon in her hand. "Oh, I am loving this!" the heroine in red purred, grinning at the new weapon in her grasp and leaving the rest of the group amused.

"Figured you'd like it. Blinky and I saw it in the armory and knew it was the best fit." Jim explained. "Plus you can use this as a means to protect yourself when not transformed." the blue-eyed boy added, making Ladybug's smile wider.

"It's perfect, Jim. Thank you!" Ladybug thanked them again before pulling them back into another hug. "Definitely could have used this earlier today, though" the spotted heroine admitted, causing the others to look at her in intrigue.

"Why do you say that?" Draal asked, an eyebrow raised at the ladybug heroine.

"Eh, had to deal with an akuma targeting me today." Ladybug replied, causing Jim and Toby's eyes to widen at her in shock.

"An akuma on your birthday?! Seriously?" Toby shouted in his disbelief, shocked at the new information.

"And why were they after you? Did you offend someone?" Jim questioned, wanting to know why his little sister was put in danger.

"That's the awkward part… it was Grandma." Ladybug admitted, which earned another shocked stare from her brothers.

"Grandma came by?" Jim inquired, interested in the update on their world-traveling relative.

"Yep. And she's planning on visiting you the weekend after your birthday so that school doesn't prevent you guys from hanging out." Ladybug reported, giving Jim a heads-up to Gina's future arrival in Arcadia.

"While it's nice to spend time with Grandma, how did she end up getting akumatized?" Jim asked, hoping to find out what happened to cause one of his family members to be akumatized.

"It's a bit of a long story. How long do you guys have?" Ladybug wondered, her hand going to bashfully rubbing the back of her neck as she spoke.

"It's Sunday on our end, so there's a bit of time." Toby replied, now excited to get all the details on the new akuma.

"How about I give you guys a tour of Stone Arc and explain what happened?" Ladybug questioned, hoping to spend more time with her brothers and their friends now that they were on the same side of the globe.

"I can get behind that. It would be nice to see what Stone Arc's like." Jim admitted, eager to see the Trollmarket Ladybug protected.

"As would us! While I've been here once before, I didn't get a chance to see the city properly." Blinky added, revealing a little bit more about himself and his past travels. "Not to mention it is Aaarrrgghh!!! and Draal's first time here too." the six-eyed Troll revealed, prompting Aaarrrgghh!!! and Draal to nod in confirmation.

"Okay, we need to fix that right away!" Ladybug exclaimed, now hoping to help her sort-of Troll friends see a new local. "Lucky for me, I was shown around both the well and unknown places of the city thanks to Tarnite and Maray. I can't wait to show them all to you guys!" the heroine in red explained in her excitement, eager to start the tour while winding her new rope dart into a coil and placing it on her waist, followed by her putting her candies into her retrieved yo-yo for later.

"Then what are we waiting for? Lead the way, sis!" Jim cheered, causing Ladybug to take his and Toby's hands and lead the group down the path away from the station to show them Stone Arc.

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A while later, the tour of Stone Arc was winding down to an end as Ladybug kept leading the Trollhunters around the city, regaling what happened with that day's akuma attack. When Ladybug showed the Trollhunters every place she had been shown prior, they were all impressed with the variety of places Stone Arc had to offer, taking plenty of pictures too. But as they were heading back to the Gyre Station, Jim had taken the opportunity to recount some of the points Ladybug had skimped over in her explanation of her day.

"Wait, so you mean to tell me that you turned our grandmother into coal?" Jim questioned Ladybug, walking backwards next to her as he made his inquiry.

"It was the only way to defeat her! It's not like I liked doing it!" Ladybug exclaimed as she flailed her arms out in front of her, defending her previous actions

"Yeah, but there had to have been a better way to go about it! I know there have been times where I could have done things differently, but still." Jim argued, causing Ladybug to glare at him just while Toby walked just behind them with Blinky, Aaarrrgghh!!!, and Draal alongside him.

"You try going a day in my suit, and see how easy it is! You wouldn't last five minutes." Ladybug declared, pouting at Jim while still glaring at him.

"I'd say the same, but the only way for that to happen is if I die." Jim retorted, leaving Ladybug loss for words at his response/

"Okay, fair point. Let's just say that we both have done things we aren't proud of, okay?" Ladybug offered, drawing a smirk from Jim at her surrender.

"Fine by me." Jim replied as he held out his hand to her to shake, the two siblings doing so and settling the matter between them. "But on an unrelated note… I'm guessing Adrien was there at the party?" the Trollhunter asked in an aloof tone, not really wanting to know the answer to that question.

"Yes, he was. And he gave me a lucky charm bracelet like the one I gave him." Ladybug smugly responded, pulling out her yo-yo and opening it to reach inside and grab her new charm bracelet to show it off.

"Aw, now that's sweet." Toby cooed, finding the gesture Adrien had done to be so romantic while Ladybug put the charm back into her yo-yo, only to look over at Jim with an intrigued stare.

"What, no comment about how I should move on to Chat Noir?" Ladybug teasingly questioned Jim, putting her yo-yo back onto her waist as she sent him an amused smirk.

"Not today. It's your birthday and I'm getting tired of trying to convince you otherwise." Jim replied, softly chuckling at Ladybug's skepticism of his unusually passive behavior.

"So, does this mean you approve of him dating me if and/or when he returns my feelings?" Ladybug asked in a hopeful voice, her eyes wide as she focused her attention on her older brother as they walked along the path.

"Let's not get carried away, sis. I'm already tolerating him being your friend, but I don't want to get your hopes up for something that might not happen." Jim warned his little sister, going with the realistic approach to his side of the argument.

"You are still young, Ladybug. Who knows what will happen later." Aaarrrgghh!!! advised, offering his own pearl of wisdom to the discussion.

"Either way, I'm crushing on Adrien and that's that." Ladybug declared, only to look back over at Aaarrrgghh!!! again. "But as you said, Aaarrrgghh!!!, that doesn't mean it won't change when I'm older." the spotted heroine reflected, realizing that she had no idea what would happen as time passed by.

"Eh, I'll take this as a win." Jim said with a shrug of his shoulders, relenting on the argument for now.

"Of course you would." Ladybug muttered to herself in slight annoyance just as they approached the city's tavern, loud cheering coming from the establishment.

"Hey, what's going on in there?" Toby wondered aloud as he walked up to Jim and Ladybug's sides, curious to find out what was going on.

"Don't know. But that's probably where everyone is." Ladybug replied, letting her hand drop and looking over at the tavern with her own curiosity rising.

"It seems fun! Let's check it out!" Toby exclaimed, hoping to conclude their time in Stone Arc with a bang.

"Why not? We've got the time." Jim responded, happy either way they decided to go. Looking around, Ladybug could also see Blinky, Aaarrrgghh!!!, and Draal nodding their heads in agreement with the idea, cementing her choice in the matter as well.

"Alright, let's head in!" Ladybug announced, the group erupting into cheers before they walked into the tavern, immediately greeted by the sight of the majority of Stone Arc's shopkeepers occupying the tavern.

"Whoa! This place rocks!" Toby declared, looking around the place in awe before they all saw some of the shopkeepers surrounding a table in the middle of the establishment, chanting about something.

"And the ale here smells glorious!" Draal exclaimed, quickly walking over to the bar to grab one of the fine-aged beverages the tavern had to offer.

"Didn't see that coming." Jim softly remarked, a little surprised Draal's first thought was ale when coming into the pub.

"Seeing as he had been kicked out of Heartstone, it's understandable he misses certain things." Ladybug observed, trying to see things from Draal's point of view for once before they witnessed the crystal-backed Troll down a whole tankard of ale in one go. "And Troll ale happens to be one of them.'' The heroine in red lightly jabbed, causing the others to chuckle a bit before she saw Nox and Tarnite off to the side, watching the commotion in the middle of the tavern.

"Hey, it's Nox and Tarnite!" Ladybug happily cried as she pointed to the couple, the others turning to see who she was referring to.

"Are they the two Trolls you said are dating?" Toby questioned Ladybug, recalling one of their earlier video calls when she first brought them up.

"Yep, that's them." Ladybug confirmed before cupping her hands around her mouth. "NOX! TARNITE!" the spotted heroine yelled, waving at them when they looked over and spotted her before coming towards the new arrivals.

"Ah, Mistress Ladybug! What a pleasant surprise!" Tarnite bellowed as he and Nox walked over to them, happy to see the familiar face of one of their city's protectors.

"Nice to see you again, Mistress Ladybug!" Nox said when he and his partner reached the group, sharing the sentiment alongside Tarnite.

"You too, Nox. Same to you Tarnite." Ladybug greeted back, happy to see the two of them together. "I see the two of you are going out for the evening." the heroine in red noted, a smile gracing her lips at their presence.

"Yes, we are. Ever since we expressed our mutual feelings, we've been spending as much time together as possible." Tarnite explained, smirking up at Nox while they held each other's hands and causing Ladybug to hold back her squeal of joy.

"I'm happy for you two. May you have many happy years together!" Ladybug cheered, happy for the two Trolls that had quickly become friends to her before the crowd suddenly roared, drawing all of their attention to the commotion.

"Another win! Come on, you lot! Challenge me!" a Troll in the center shouted to the masses, clearly unsatisfied by the effort put against them before someone stepped up. "Oh, now that's more like it! Set us up!" the same Troll proclaimed, the surrounding spectators clearly eager to see the outcome.

"Uh, care to explain what's going on in there?" Ladybug asked the two local Trolls, hoping to find out what was causing so much excitement.

"Oh, it's just the weekly arm wrestling contest." Nox replied nonchalantly, leaving the humans surprised by the answer.

"Weekly arm wrestling?" Jim and Toby parroted, looking up at the bigger Troll in wonder.

"Every week, the shopkeepers have a contest of strength after the long hours they work. It's a great way for them to blow off steam." Tarnite explained, revealing one of their city's usual activities after dark.

"Does Nox participate?" Ladybug questioned, wondering if that was the reason why they had a date at the pub the last time she saw him.

"At times. But Styx is playing tonight." Nox admitted, which only seemed to confuse the teens even more at his statement.

"Why does that have anything to do with it?" Toby asked, intrigued by the mention of the shopkeeper Ladybug often interacted with.

"Styx is the reigning champion. No one has beaten her." Nox regaled, the group watching as the crowd parted to show Styx about to go against; surprisingly, Vorgar.

"Vorgar is here too!?" Ladybug squawked, her eyes widening at the sight of the Leader of Stone Arc grasping Styx's hand and the referee starting the match.

"Indeed. Even great leaders know when to have some fun." Tarnite stated, leaving Ladybug to consider his words before the ambassador suddenly saw Jim, Toby, Blinky, Aaarrrgghh!!! and Draal; coming back with a tankard of ale, next to her. "Oh, I must apologize. I didn't realize you had brought guests with you." the pale-green Troll apologized, hoping that he didn't offend the visitors with Ladybug… along with Jim and Toby.

"Are they with these fleshlings, too?" Tarnite inquired, pulling Ladybug out of her thoughts and nodding in confirmation.

"I'm glad you asked, Tarnite. I'd like to introduce you to the Trollhunter and his team." Ladybug announced, presenting her entourage to the Troll couple and leaving them blown away.

"The Trollhunter!?" Nox and Tarnite exclaimed, glancing at their guests in awe.

"Yep. This is the Trollhunter himself, Jim. Our joint best friend and honorary brother, Toby. Jim's mentors, Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!!. And our ally and friend, Draal." Ladybug continued, pointing to the respective parties as she introduced her brothers and friends to Nox and Tarnite.

"It is an honor to meet you all, and to have your presence grace our humble city." Tarnite proclaimed, bowing to the visiting group.

"Your city is far from humble. It's amazing!" Jim complimented, glad to be seeing the hidden city of Trolls that Ladybug and Chat Noir were protecting alongside Paris.

"Thank you for your kind words, Trollhunter. If I may be so bold, might I ask what brings you here to Stone Arc?" Tarnite questioned, rising from his bowing and looking at the skinny boy with a raised eyebrow.

"My friends and I came to celebrate Ladybug's birthday, and she decided to give us a tour of the places she was shown." Jim explained, shocking both Nox and Tarnite with the news.

"Wait… it's your birthing day, Mistress Ladybug?" Nox inquired, leaving Ladybug to blush at the sudden attention.

"Yes… yes, it is." Ladybug confirmed, rubbing the back of her neck bashfully while looking over at the crowd watching Vorgar attempting to win Styx's title.

"Now we have even more reason to celebrate! Not only is the newest Trollhunter visiting our city for the first time, but one of the first Miraculous Holders in 200 years is celebrating her birthing day! What an occasion!" Tarnite gushed, his excitement pouring out of him before he went over to Styx and Vorgar, who were still in the middle of their arm-wrestling match.

"I've never seen him so excited." Ladybug remarked, amused by the ambassador's elation while Nox was chuckling alongside her.

"I haven't seen him this excited since I first asked him out for drinks." Nox recalled, watching his mate make his way through the crowd surrounding his boss. "It's quite amusing." the large shopkeeper Troll fondly stated while they all smiled as Tarnite finally came up behind Vorgar, she and Styx locked in their wrestling and neither budging.

"Vorgar… I have wonderful news!" Tarnite announced, earning a groan from Vorgar as she tried to put more weight on her opponent's arm.

"Tranite, can't you see I'm busy? I'm sure it can wait." Vorgar nearly growled, her intense gaze completely focused on a smug-looking Styx as she fought against her strength.

"It really can't." Tarnite argued, prompting Styx to look behind Vorgar and see Ladybug with her brother and his team of friends.

"Well, it will have to." Vorgar strained to say, only to be surprised when Styx started laughing while her arm still didn't budge despite her wavering focus. "What's so funny, Styx." the leader of Stone Arc tensely interrogated, still trying to push Styx's arm down to the table.

"I'm laughing because you have no idea who you are ignoring." Styx cheekily replied before she glanced over Vorgar's shoulder, her arm still not budging despite her sudden movement. "Hello Ladybug! Nice to see you again!"
The white-skin Troll greeted the superheroine, causing Vorgar to immediately turn her head to the side and glance at Ladybug and the Trollhunters.

"Ladybug! You're here!?" Vorgar exclaimed in surprise, her concentration subsequently lost and allowing Styx to easily beat her.

"HA! I win again!!" Styx declared, the tavern roaring with cheers while Styx grabbed her tankard of ale. "You really are a lucky charm, Ladybug! Vor almost had me there." the green-haired Troll admitted before she took a sip of her drink, prompting Vorgar to look back at her with a challenging stare.

"If that's the case… rematch later?" Vorgar offered, causing a smirk to appear on Styx's lips as she put her tankard down and cockily leaned back in her seat.

"You're on. But you might want to find out why one of our city's protectors is here." Styx pointed out, herself also intrigued by the presence of Ladybug's company. "And accompanied by friends from out of town too." the white-skinned Troll observed, causing Vorgar to turn her attention back to Ladybug and see the unfamiliar faces with her.

"It would appear so." Vorgar agreed, standing up from her chair and walking towards Ladybug and the Trollhunters. "It is good to see you again, Ladybug. Mind introducing your friends?" the graying dark violet-haired Troll asked, hoping to find out who Ladybug had with her before Tarnite stepped in between them.

"May I, Mistress?" Tarnite inquired Ladybug, earning a nod from her and causing Tarnite to smile before turning to the whole tavern. "Allow me to present the human Trollhunter with his mentors and friends." the ambassador announced, gesturing to each party and leaving everyone except Vorgar in shock.

"So this is the famous human that has been chosen by the Amulet of Daylight." Vorgar noted, finding his presence intriguing instead of shocking like the other locals before arching one of her eyebrows at him. "Honestly, I thought you'd be taller." the leader of Stone Arc admitted, earning a wince from Jim at the critique.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Jim stated, choosing to take the path of less resistance in the hopes of not causing any animosity between him and Vorgar. "And you must be Vorgar. You are even more impressive up close." the Trollhunter complimented, earning an amused smirk from the Troll towering over him.

"Hmm, a charmer are you? Very nice." Vorgar responded in kind, adjusting her gaze to look back at Ladybug. "You have a good choice in allies, Ladybug." the graying dark violet-haired Troll stated, impressed with Ladybug's ability to find fun, yet trustable allies.

"Thank you, Vorgar." Ladybug thanked, glad to have earned Vorgar's approval on her brother. A far cry from how Vendel thinks of him, to say the least.

"So, what brings you to Stone Arc for the first time?" Vorgar questioned Ladybug, now hoping to get the reason behind the Trollhunter's visit.

"It's Mistress Ladybug's birthing day!" a voice behind them announced, causing everyone to look over in surprise and see it was Nox who had spoken. "What? It's true, isn't it?" Nox rhetorically questioned, nonchalantly taking a tankard from a passing waitress and taking a sip of ale from it.

"A little blunter than I would have liked. But yes, it's my birthday and they came to celebrate." Ladybug confirmed, turning to face Vorgar again and seeing the excitement building in her features.

"Oh my goodness! This calls for a celebration!" Vorgar exclaimed, turning to Styx with a gleeful smile. "Care to give us a hand, Styx?" the leader of Stone Arc asked, earning a soft smirk from the local arm-wrestling champion.

"My pleasure!" Styx proclaimed as she sat up straight in her chair and waved her hand to summon her powers, the tavern suddenly full of hanging lanterns and glowing crystal centerpieces. "I say this calls for a toast, huh Vorgar?" The white-skinned Troll questioned the city leader, the occupants of the tavern looking at her decorations in awe before looking at Vorgar in suspense.

"I agree." Vorgar stated, prompting Styx to snap her finger and summon everyone a tankard of ale; Jim, Toby and Ladybug getting theirs filled with non-alcoholic apple cider. With the drink in her hand, Vorgar raised her tankard into the air, triggering the others to do the same.

"Here's to the unexpected first visit of the new Trollhunter, and the celebration of Ladybug's first birthday as a Miraculous Holder. May they both live in glory for all time!" the graying dark violet-haired Troll declared, everyone cheering in agreement and lifting their tankard before taking a swig of their drinks. After the occupants of the tavern finished their drinks, they all slammed their cups onto any surrounding counters, the cheering continuing before Styx rose from her seat.

"Now I don't know about you lot, but I think a celebration is also in order." Styx announced before snapping her fingers again, causing music to start playing and the crystal centerpieces to start glowing. "Let's party!" the green-haired Troll exclaimed, prompting a good amount of Trolls to start dancing, including Aaarrrgghh!!!, Nox, and Tarnite.

While most of the occupants of the tavern took to celebrating, Vorgar, Styx, Blinky and Jim stand off to the side while Toby and Ladybug join in. But the majority of them couldn't help the smiles appearing on their faces when watching Ladybug pull Draal with her to join the fun, the crystal-backed Troll obviously nervous. Seeing Ladybug be so inclusive to Jim's former enemy, Styx glanced down at the Trollhunter with a smirk.

"Not going to join the fun, Trollhunter?" Styx asked, intrigued by his wallflower attitude despite coming to Stone Arc to celebrate Ladybug's birthday.

"I'm not much of a dancer." Jim admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in his bashfulness before glancing back to his celebrating friends. "Plus, this is a good way for Ladybug to start getting along with Draal more. I want them to get past the earlier issues they've had." the blue-eyed boy added, earning a thoughtful nod from the weirdly somber Styx.

"You've got a strong bond with Ladybug, don't you Trollhunter?" Styx asked, prompting Jim to look up and smile at her.

"You bet." Jim declared, only to realize who he was talking to at the moment. "And you must be Styx. Ladybug's told me about you." the Trollhunter said, which had Styx smirking at him as she finger-gunned him.

"Right back at you, kid. Though she was a bit more stingy on the details when talking about you." Styx replied, which Jim was already aware of thanks to his earlier video calls with his little sister.

"Eh, not complaining. If it helps keep her identity safe, I'm fine with it." Jim replied while he looked back at the dance floor, seeing Draal starting to loosen up with help from Ladybug, Toby and Aaarrrgghh!!! and started dancing with them.

"Too bad Chat Noir couldn't have attended. I'm sure he would have loved this." Styx remarked as she gazed at the dancing visitors, her mood seeming to drop when she saw Draal trying to match Ladybug's lead.

"I'm sure he would. But while I share the sentiment, I think it's best if he doesn't find out that today's Ladybug's birthday." Jim countered, earning an intrigued look from Styx and a solemn nod from Blinky.

"Why's that?" Vorgar asked as she leaned over Styx's shoulder, stepping into the conversation now that her curiosity was piqued.

"Identity issues." Blinky and Jim simply stated, which was all the two female Trolls needed.

"That must make it difficult for them to work as well as they do, huh?" Styx questioned, interested to see if any underlying and/or concerning issues needed to be dealt with.

"At times, yes. But they seem to work with it since they are on equal footing." Jim reported. "At least that's what I'm told by Ladybug." the blue-eyed boy added, clarifying that he's only been on the outside looking in this whole time before turning to the dance area and seeing Draal finally having some fun with their friends.

"But regardless of what's going on, I'll always be there for her if and when she needs help." Jim announced, earning proud smiles from Blinky, Vorgar and Styx due to his supportive words.

"Can't argue with that. Good luck to you then." Styx replied before she took one last sip from her tankard and headed to egress from the tavern, leaving the rest of them to watch the celebration. From then on and before the Trollhunters had to go back, the rest of their time in Stone Arc was filled with partying and pictures capturing all the action. In Ladybug's opinion, despite the akumatization of her grandmother, it was the best birthday she ever had!

Chapter Text

In the week after Marinette's birthday, things had quieted down a lot on both the sibling's sides of the globe… which had them on pins and needles. While they were glad for the break, considering both Marinette and Jim had grown to expect some form of violence at the drop of a hat, they didn't like the week-long quiet. Granted, the newly given free time the siblings had was spent in training, so it helped ease the edge off their shared tensions. But it soon became a distant thought in the back of their minds when Jim's birthday drew nearer with each passing day… neither of them having any idea how eventful it would truly be.

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The sun had already risen on Arcadia hours ago… bringing a new danger along with it. But Jim was unaware of it as he slept comfortably in his bed, only to be startled out of his slumber when hearing a loud growl nearby. Upon being rudely awakened and calming his racing heart, Jim's electric blue eyes quickly twisted to the door, finding his mother arriving.

"Wake up, wake up!" Barbara sang as she walked into her son's room, a tray in her hands as she advanced towards him. "Don't want to sleep through your birthday! the doctor nearly squealed, sitting on Jim's bed.

"Birthday?" Jim asked gently, an unsure smile gracing his still-tired face.

"And the big day you start with–" Barbara began as she raised the tray in her hands from her lap and up to Jim. "Mom's special birthday pancakes!" she proclaimed, handing the tray to Jim with a large smile.

However, as her son took the breakfast tray from her, he looked at the meal with a sad look. A candle had been stuck in the stack of flapjacks and a trail of syrup had created a disturbing smile, the eyes of the pancake no help at all as one slowly dripped. In summary, the decoration on the meal had caused the simple food to look - well there were no words Jim could describe how it looked except…

"He looks like he's screaming." Jim observed, wincing at the face on the top pancake.

"He's excited." Barbara stated, hoping to ease the awkwardness already building. "I know, you'd rather forget your birthday. But you're 16! This is a big one and we should do something tonight!" the ginger-haired woman declared as she stood up from Jim's bed and headed to the door, placing a book that had been lying helplessly on the floor back onto a shelf. 

"Oh, Mom, you know I don't want to-" Jim whined, only to be cut off when his mother opened his window, letting the fresh air flow in and greet the birthday boy.

"This isn't up for discussion. No one should be alone on their birthday." Barbara argued with a smile, Jim groaning with a roll of his eyes while his mother headed to the door. "When you've had your fill, I have another surprise for you downstairs." the doctor announced as she headed down the steps, Jim sighing to himself again before glancing at his pancakes, the candle still lit ablaze. Deciding to try and be a good sport for his mom, Jim took his fork and poked into the food just before the familiar call of the walkie-talkie pulled him from his misery.

"Warhammer to Trollhunter. Copy?" Toby called out from the device, causing a suddenly surprised Jim to dive into his desk chair.

"Copy. What is it, Tobes?" Jim replied, picking up his own to speak to his best friend in the hopes of distracting himself from his birthday.

"Look out your window!" Toby commanded excitedly. Immediately, the Trollhunter quickly stood over his desk and peered out his window, only to find Toby standing in his room waving his arm happily as he held up a paper birthday cake. 

The drawing itself had been made with two layers and three candles were cut out on top, with the first layer having been bitten into and missing a piece while saying: Jim. Fortunately, the bottom layer was still intact and had the number Sixteen written. Even seeing it from his window, Jim was amused to see the cake drawing his best friend had made for him.

"I think a bird or something tore away a piece of your drawing, Tobes." Jim remarked in amusement, Toby happily smiling despite the critique. 

"Ah, that was Aaarrrgghh!!!. He thought the cake was real." Toby explained through the device. "Or maybe he just likes the taste of paper." the rounded boy mumbled into the walkie-talkie, watching as Jim turned his back to the window.

"Any word from Claire?" Toby asked from beyond the walkie-talkie, wondering if his best friend had been lucky in that department since the babysitting flop.

"No, she's not returning any of my texts. It's not like I destroyed her house or anything." Jim responded, jumping off from his desk and falling back into his desk chair, the object rolling with him. "Oh, wait. It is." the Trolhunter added, mock perking up before dropping back into his chair in sadness.

"Dude, you didn't destroy her house. Her fake baby brother did." Toby countered from his end, Jim turning to watch as his best friend tried to get the large paper cake back inside the window but failed miserably.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to mention that." Jim sarcastically agreed, spinning his chair in a slow circle while still talking to Toby.

"Have you thought about it? Telling her, I mean?" Toby asked from beyond the walkie-talkie, Jim listening before he dropped his head back with an exaggerated sigh.

"Telling her baby brother's been swapped for a shape-shifting changeling troll because of me?" Jim yelled into the two-way device, watching Toby finally manage to pull his destroyed artwork inside the house. "Is there a Hallmark card for that?" the blue-eyed boy continued, his voice sounding deeper through the speaker than it actually did at that moment.

"If there isn't, there should be." Toby joked from the other end, hoping to raise Jim's spirits a bit. "In the meantime, ignorance is bliss, and I've got a birthday gift for you that Aaarrrgghh!!! cannot eat." the geology nerd announced, a swish being heard on his end as he threw the half-eaten cake drawing onto his bed.

"Toby-Pie! Why is this box empty?" Nana called from downstairs, her voice so loud that Jim could hear it from his end of the walkie-talkie and drawing a groan from Toby.

"Ugh, Aaarrrgghh!!! ate the kitty litter again. Gotta go. Warhammer out." Toby explained, signing off while Jim was still in his chair, his body hung forward before setting down the communication device on his desk. But with the conversation between them done, Jim had nothing preventing him from getting ready for the day, quickly getting changed for what was sure to be an interesting day.

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Now dressed for the day, Jim headed downstairs to see what his mom had in store for him. As he climbed down, the birthday boy spotted Barbara sitting at the dining room table with an identical stack of pancakes in front of her before shoving a fork full into her mouth. But as she ground the food with her teeth before swallowing it, her curious smile turned into a look of disgust. This was followed by her glance at the stairs and capturing the view of her son coming to the ground level of the house. 

"Oh! Wait right there! Let me get your presents ready in the garage." Barbara mentioned as she happily hopped out of her chair, causing Jim to freeze in his tracks as she walked over to the young boy.

"The garage?" Jim parrotted in a hopeful tone as he bounced off another step, followed by him picking up the magazine in his school bag as it sat on the bottom step. 

"I know you've wanted this for a while, and now that you're the big one-six, maybe it's time. I think you'll get a lot of mileage out of it." Barbara called out from the garage, causing Jim to look up from the Vespa on the magazine's front page before heading to the garage, his excitement growing at the sound of an engine running.

"DID YOU SERIOUSLY GET ME A...?" Jim exclaimed as he ran to the opened side door to the garage, thinking that his mom really did get him his biggest wish.

But when he stepped into the designated room, his smile dropped when he found no Vespa and saw his mom standing over something on the other side of the room. Seconds after he stepped towards his mom, Barbara turned around and revealed Jim's gift, holding a fancy blender in her hands.

"The Food Magic 3000!" Barbara announced, introducing the kitchen gadget to him before the lid dropped to the floor. "From those cooking shows you like. It slices, it dices…" the doctor rambled, listing off the finer points of the blender before noticing Jim's less-than-pleased face.

"And… you hate it." Barbara said, her excitement dropping when she saw Jim's reaction to the gift.

"No, no, Mom, it's great!" Jim hurriedly replied as he unconsciously tucked the magazine in his hands under his arm, causing Barbara's eyes to catch sight of the Vespa magazine and connect the dots.

"Oh, no! You were expecting a...:" Barbara gasped, taking a step back from her son in her self-disappointment. "With the garage and the mileage…" the ginger-haired woman went on, now realizing that her earlier choice of words hadn't helped in convincing Jim to expect otherwise.

"It's fine. I also wanted one of these." Jim mentioned, gently pulling the machine from her hands after placing the magazine down.

"We'll get a Vespa someday, Jim. Just- You know I hate the idea of you on one of those things." Barbara said, assuring Jim that his dream would happen eventually… just not that day.

"I know. But the Food Magic is perfect, Mom, really. I can't wait to cook you something with it." Jim replied, hoping to allay his mom's worries just seconds before the bottom of his new blender fell off. Seeing the small mishap, neither mother nor son couldn't help the chuckle that escaped them while Barbara picked up the bottom bit, handing it to Jim to reattach it.

"Well, I know you'll like this next gift better." Barbara declared, turning around to grab a soft-looking package from the work table behind her and holding it out to Jim. "Marinette sent it a month ago so that you could open it on your actual birthday." the doctor announced before Jim placed the Food Magic to the side and grabbed the package from Barbara, opening it and gasping at the item inside.

"Mari, you shouldn't have!" Jim exclaimed as he pulled out the handmade leather biker jacket from the paper, his eyes and smile wide in his joy.

At first glance, Jim could see that while the black leather jacket was simple in design, it was also made with subtle nods to his Trollhunter duties. Turning it around, he spotted embroidered blue metallic crystals on the shoulder blades of the garment, clearly mimicking Draal's back crystals. Looking at the numerous zipper charms, he also saw that they were carved to look like tiny versions of his amulet. If that wasn't enough, Jim's inspection of the jacket had found a hidden embroidered portrait of Blinky under the lower side pocket flap, and one of Aaarrrgghh!! under the left side of the folded collar. And to top it all off, Marinette had managed to make the usual metal buttons out of blue geodes, mimicking the inner gem of the amulet. In any case, Jim was in awe of the gift his sister had made him.

"Looks like she spoiled you this year." Barbara happily noted as she watched Jim take off his usual jacket and put his new one on, wrapping his arms around himself and clearly loving the feel of it. "You look so grown up in that." the ginger-haired woman managed to say, getting choked up and starting to tear up a bit when seeing Jim wear his new jacket.

"Mom…" Jim softly chided, zipping up his new jacket as he tried to prevent his mom from crying.    

"Sorry. I still just can't believe you're 16 already." Barbara said as she wiped the tears about to fall, a watery smile appearing as she took him in. "Where did the time go?" the doctor breathed out, amazed that her baby boy had already grown up.

"Oh, now don't be like that. You'll always be my mom." Jim stated, holding back a few tears of his own as he hugged her in hopes of easing some of Barbara's melancholy.

"And you'll always be my boy." Barbara muttered in reply, returning the hug just as Toby came barreling towards them.

"Jim! You've got to come quick! There's an emergency in...." " Toby yelled as he ran into the garage, trailing off when catching sight of Barbara still hugging his best friend. "The place. With the thing. Not even an emergency." the rounded boy continued, quickly calming down and trying to cover Trollmarket up.

"Hey, is that a Food Magic?" Toby asked, hoping to divert attention away from his almost blunder.

"3000. I'll leave you boys to it." Barbara said before she gently patted her son's chin and backed up to the door. "But, tonight we're celebrating, Jim!" the ginger-haired woman declared, doing a funky dance that the two boys watched with a disgusted look. 

"Looking forward to it." Jim mentioned in his disturbed state, the two watching the door close and finally leaving them alone.

"Nice jacket, by the way, dude." Toby remarked, turning away from facing the door and addressing the new garment.

"Thanks. Mari made it." Jim said, smiling before he flexed his muscles to show it off.

"She really outdid herself. It looks amazing!" Toby cheered, slightly jealous that Jim got such a sweet gift while he had yet to get anything special this year, only to refocus on the reason for his arrival. "But seriously, we've got a Defcon One situation in Trollmarket." the geology nerd grimly reported, shocking Jim.

"How do you know?" Jim fearfully questioned his best friend, his arms dropping to his sides.

"I just do! Come on!" Toby exclaimed before taking Jim's hand and pulling his friend away, the simple action causing the Food Magic 3000 to fall from its stand from the resulting gust of air. 

Neither boy paid attention to that, however, as they ran to their bikes lying on the grass next to the outside of the garage, unaware of something watching them. But the boys had no idea they were being watched, resuming taking off to Trollmarket to take care of the emergency.

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Upon arriving in Heartstone Trollmarket, Jim donned his armor and the two boys made their way to the Hero's Forge… only to be greeted by a horrifying sight. Trolls of all sorts were running from either swinging or retracting axes, trying to save themselves while Toby and Jim stood at the arena entrance with shock and fear. Their worry was only made worse when Blinky pushed himself through the mess and made it to his Trollhunter.

"It's too late, Master Jim. Aaarrrgghh!!! has lost his mind! Save yourself!" Blinky fearfully exclaimed, giving some context to the situation before a stranded Troll had been thrown into the air behind him.

"I thought Aaarrrgghh was at your house!" Jim yelled to Toby, who nervously smiled before letting out a scream and pushing Blinky out of the way just as the crazed Aaarrrgghh!!! jumped at Jim with a growl. Seeing the large Troll coming at him, the former fifteen-year-old jumped away before he was crushed,  backing away from Aaarrrgghh!!!. 

"Oh, my gosh. Was it the kitty litter?" the Trollhunter fearfully asked as he backed away, his back soon pressed against one of the haywire blades and keeping him from escaping.

With nowhere to go, Jim was left open for Aaarrrgghh!!!'s large hand to grab the boy's slim waist, pulling him too close for comfort before letting out a booming roar. The mighty breath that escaped Aaarrrgghh!!! ruffled Jim's hair, causing the boy to use his hands as protection while being pushed back by the roar. But instead of the worst outcome that Jim had been expecting, a floor panel lifted into the air behind the vast troll. As it did, the underside was spinning, showing off the countless amount of balloons connected to it and the purple lighting illuminating it. 

"What the?!" Jim squawked when he saw the colorful display, breathing deeply within Aaarrrgghh!!!'s hold while the large Troll seemed to calm down. As amusement park theme music suddenly started playing, off to the side of the arena, Blinky and Toby grabbed onto a pair of ropes and pulled them down. This resulted in a sign written in different colored Troll runes folding out from the top of the Soothscyrer in the middle of the raised floor panel, confetti raining down from it as well. 

"SURPRISE!" Every one of the previously panicking Trolls yelled out, some of which holding balloons of their own.

"Happy Birthing day, Master Jim!" Blinky congratulated, causing Jim's face to twist with confusion before he realized what had just happened.

"What?" Jim said, only to let out a breathless yelp as a now smiling Aaarrrgghh!!! lifted him onto his hairy shoulder.

"Good actor." the large but loveable troll mentioned, causing Jim to let out quick breaths to calm his racing heart, the action causing his shoulders to lift and drop tremendously.

"Tobias and Lady Marinette informed us of your human surprise birthday customs." Blinky explained as he and Toby stepped in front of his 'master'.

"Seeing as Marinette got one, she and I both figured you deserved one too." Toby remarked as he waved around a deep blue balloon, earning a wide-eyed stare from the still-tense Jim.

"Wait, Mari was in on this?" Jim yelped, not sure how he felt about his little sister being a part of this heart-attack-inducing plan. 

"She suggested the party idea… How it was executed was up to us." Toby elaborated, clearing the way for Blinky to retake center stage.

"Are you not surprised?" Blinky gleefully asked, hoping that he and the other Trolls did a good job.

"Uh... That would be one word for it." Jim replied with a nervous chuckle, still processing what had happened.

"I was convincing." Aaarrrgghh!!! added as he reached for Jim, gently setting him back on the ground. 

"Sixteen years! A propitious milestone." Blinky proclaimed happily as Jim walked over to him and Toby. "Sixteen is when young trolls master command of their bowels." the six-eyed Troll added while Toby handed Jim the balloon in his hand, both boys making a sound of disgust at the news. 

"I'm guessing that's the thing Mari said I'd find out today." Jim noted, now realizing why she had stopped Blinky from saying it earlier. "Got to say… not what I was expecting." the Trollhunter admitted, earning a bashful wince from Blinky.

"The Hero's Forge!" a voice from the other side of the arena cried out, easily recognized as Vendel's before the Elder Troll stepped into view, the party immediately shutting down. "Sacred proving grounds for Trollhunters past, present, and future… reduced to mockery." Vendel groaned in disappointment as he strolled over to the Trollhunter, using the sharp point on his staff to pop the balloon in Jim's hand. 

Upon seeing Vendel's unpleasant manner, Jim backed away from the elder and joined his friends as they stood behind him. Unbeknownst to Jim, Blinky was now worried due to Vendel's reaction to the party, all while Toby and Aaarrrgghh!!! had no fear while the larger Troll grabbed one of the loose balloons.

"Balloons." Aaarrrgghh!!! said before he bit into the latex ball of air, causing it to burst into pieces. "Pop." the gray Troll cheered, amused by the result of his balloon snack.

"You will remove them post-haste. I don't want anything to delay the Trollhunter's training." Vendel demanded before turning around to leave, prompting all of the celebrating trolls to sigh in defeat. But despite the reaction to Vendel's words, the Trollhunter noticed Blinky flinching before looking at the ground, suddenly finding it interesting as Aaarrrgghh!!! and Toby headed off to remove the balloons.

"He didn't mention Claire's brother." Jim said, using his hand to shield his mouth from Vendel if the elder troll had ever turned around and prevented him from hearing him. 

"In his defense, he's never met Enrique." Blinky rebutted, hoping to ease the inevitable shock Jim had received when he realized what his mentor actually meant.

"You mean to say that you didn't tell him about Enrique?" Jim questioned Blinky, followed by a thunderous pop echoing behind them, causing Jim to turn his focus to Aaarrrgghh!!! and Toby. The sound happened to be the result of Aaarrrgghh!!! putting a large white balloon in his mouth, instantly popping it while Toby rode on his back and held a smaller balloon. 

"Mm, it pops." Aaarrrgghh!!! hummed before turning the large stone floor, causing another balloon to hang above them while Blinky continued. 

"Vendel doesn't believe we have a changeling problem, Master Jim. He certainly won't simply take my word that Claire's brother has been replaced with one."  Blinky explained, Jim slouched at the news while Aaarrrgghh!!! continued to pop balloons with his mouth behind him. "I am planning on telling him today, however. So don't worry about it, for now." the six-eyed Troll assured his charge, earning a small smile from Jim at his words.

"But he's right about your training, and what better way to celebrate your birthing day than to work on forestalling your dying day." Blinky declared as he placed comforting hands on Jim's shoulders, pulling him in for a side embrace before the birthday sign fell behind the pair. 

Seconds after, the sound of rapid balloon popping had occurred, causing Blinky and Jim to Aaarrrgghh!!! and Toby to see that they finished off the air-filled balls. Both mentor and trainee were left slightly amused by the sight of Toby smiling as he sat high on a proudly smiling Aaarrrgghh's shoulder, an orange balloon still in his hand. 

"Mm…" Aaarrrgghh!!! purred in contentment, cutely popping his lips to mimic a balloon burst.

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A little bit later, Jim had begun his training just as a large shined blade lifted from the ground, a panicked look crossing his face before running after Aaarrrgghh!!!. But right off the bat, Jim was distracted.

"You will not always be the quarry, Master Jim. The hunted must become the hunter! Speed and precision are the goals of this drill, Master Jim. You must catch Aaarrrgghh without reliance upon your amulet or the sword it manifests." Blinky explained while Aaarrrgghh happily ran through the activated arena, letting the large blade drop and swing by, missing him but stalling Jim. 

"If you are without your weapon, the environment can be your weapon!" the four-armed Troll exclaimed, he and Toby watching from the sidelines while the blade in Jim's path lifted to reveal Aaarrrgghh!!! waiting on the other side. But before he could even move an inch towards his target, a large ax came swinging down right at the Trollhunter.

"Whoa!" Jim yelped as he bent backward, the ax barely missing his face as he evaded the weapon with wide eyes.

"A weapon you use, I mean." Blinky clarified, his and Toby's face filled with fear as they watched Jim's quick dodge. Once the danger passed, Jim stood back up and continued to chase after Aaarrrgghh!!!, causing the large Troll to climb on top of a retracting blade, using it as a ride away from the Trollhunter. However, as Jim looked for a way to catch him, Blinky seemed to notice his less-than-focused state.

"Master Jim does not appear to be himself. I expected the celebration of his birthing day to add some spring to his step." Blinky observed, distressed to see Jim so distracted while Toby could only sigh.

"Birthdays aren't Jim's thing." Toby admitted, earning an intrigued glance from Blinky. "Celebrating other's birthdays, he's all for. It's celebrating his own that's the problem." the rounded boy finished off, both him and the six-eyes Troll watching as Jim had managed to climb up to one of the raised platforms, only to fall onto another one below it.

"For creatures with such a short lifespan, I would think they would be cherished." Blinky said, not understanding what he had been told while they watched the platform Jim was on tipping to the side, throwing him to another one that Aaarrrgghh!!! happened to be on.

"Uh, not for Jim. His birthday always reminds him of the fact that he can't celebrate it with his whole family anymore." Toby explained, the center training platform grinding to a halt just as Jim recovered from his fall and stood face to face with Aaarrrgghh!!!.

"What do you mean?" Blinky asked Toby, further intrigued by the new information he was learning about his charge.

"When Marifairy was born, Jim's family had made it a point to travel to Arcadia so that the two of them could celebrate together." Toby began, regaling his earliest childhood memories with the Lake Dupain-Cheng siblings with a fond look in his eyes while Aaarrrgghh!!! joyfully leapt out of Jim's way, landing on a higher platform. 

"But when human children reach the age of six or seven, they start their schooling. As much as Dr L, Tom and Sabine wanted their kids to spend time together, they also knew that their schooling was more important." the geology nerd explained, his fondness fading away into a more somber expression as Aaarrrgghh!!!'s platform was lowered to Jim's level, followed by the Trollhunter's platform tipping to the side again.

"With that in mind, they limited visits to just during the summer. So when Jim turned seven, that year was the last time Jim got to spend his birthday with not just his mom, but his dad, step-mom and little sister." Toby concluded, leaving Blinky shocked by what he had just learned while Jim caught himself from landing on the ground and swung himself back onto an un-tipped platform. 

"And sure, it doesn't mean he can't enjoy it, but I think he's been too preoccupied with being the Trollhunter to really do so this year." he added, which sealed the deal in souring Blinky's earlier good mood.

"I had no idea. So that's why Master Jim was eager to surprise Lady Marinette on her birthing day?" Blinky asked Toby, turning his saddened gaze from Jim's chasing just seconds before the center platforms lowered back into the floor.

"Yep. But I don't suppose you'd be able to remedy that, would you?" Toby questioned the Troll, watching as Jim stumbled back from another swinging ax while Aaarrrgghh still had the upper hand in the training, the boy easily falling onto his back.

"I believe I might know just the thing." Blinky declared after some thought to the request, turning his focus back to Toby. "Do you mind if I borrow your phone, Tobias?" the six-eyed Troll inquired, Jim rising from the ground and looking for a way to head off Aaarrrgghh!!!.

"Not a problem." Toby agreed, having an inkling of what Blinky had in mind as he handed his phone to him, mere seconds before Jim climbed onto the only remaining swinging ax.

"There you go, Master Jim!"  Blinky cheered when he saw Jim's new perch, his bombing encouragement surprising Aaarrrgghh!!! from the break he was taking to look up and see the Trollhunter on the ax above him. "Now that's how you-" the four-armed Troll began to say, only for Jim to decide to leap off and get the jump on Aaarrrgghh!!!... but it was done at the wrong time and he began falling to the ground. 

Luckily for him, Aaarrrgghh!!! had been there to catch him just in time.

"Gotcha." Aaarrrgghh!!! muttered as held Jim in his large hands, the boy's face dropping in disappointment when Aaarrrgghh said that simple word. But despite seeing the look on his pupil's face, Blinky and Toby could only smile at seeing Jim unharmed.

"I'll get right onto that matter we discussed." Blinky declared to Toby, prompting the rounded boy to lean over and open his contacts, clicking on Marinette's. No sooner than he did, it started ringing and seconds later… Marinette picked up the call.

"Hey Tobes! What's up?" Marinette greeted, unaware of who was actually calling.

"I'm afraid I'm not Tobias, Lady Marinette." Blinky replied, earning a second of silence from the girl on the other end.

"Is that you, Blinky?" Marinette asked.

"Indeed. I apologize for the sudden call, but I was wondering if you could help me with something of vital importance." Blinky requested, which had Toby eyeing him in a way that said he was going a little over the top.

"Depending on what the matter is, of course." Marinette replied, causing Blinky and Toby to smile at her words.

"Perfect!" Blinky declared, quickly falling into explaining his idea in full detail.

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While Blinky was getting Marinette to say 'yes' to his plan; which worked out well since her weekend was free for once, things on the surface were taking a turn for the worse. Deep within the woods outside of Arcadia, Strickler walked through the dense foliage and reached a small clearing near an open sewer pipe, planning to meet up with Bular since he called a meeting. The Changeling just stepped over a fallen tree and fixed his coat when he stepped over to a formation of rocks, dusting off his sleeves before looking around. 

Bones were the first thing he noticed as they were scattered near the small formation, wreckage and dust also lying around a damaged sewer gate. As the teacher drew nearer to the wreckage, he noticed something glinting in the sun and bent down to pluck the item from the ground. Upon closer inspection, Strickler frowned at the glass-like scale in his hand.

"This is a scale, isn't it? You've summoned a stalkling." Strickler angrily accused as he turned his head to the mouth of the damaged sewer exit, Bular stepping out of the shadows to reveal himself.

"Only to do what we should have done long ago." Bular gravely stated from his place in the shadows, causing Strickler to rise from the ground and stomp over to him.

"Stalklings are as dangerous and unpredictable as they are uncontrollable." Strickler furiously exclaimed to his unwanted colleague, stopping his march when both of them heard a familiar screech in the sky seconds later. With his face twisted in anger, Strickler looked up and found the beast flying in front of the sun, which earned a scoff from the teacher before glaring at the bigger Troll.

"We agreed that any attempt on the boy's life would bring too much scrutiny." the Changeling reminded Bular, stepping closer to the Gumm-Gumm prince and holding the scale out to him, secretly trying to protect Jim from this new threat.

"Which is why I summoned the Stalkling." Bular tiredly explained to Strickler, turning his gaze from the flying Troll and back at the Changeling. "I'm sick of hiding in shadows while this fleshbag stumbles closer and closer to my father's bridge." the Gumm-Gumm snarled, having enough of the close calls they've had with Jim's search for proof of their plans before turning to look up at the circling Stalkling.

"When she gets her prey alone, no one will ever see or hear from the Trollhunter again." Bular declared, Strickler glaring at him in anger for defying his wishes. "Lest they find his rotting bones, of course!" the dark Troll evilly added, cackling while the teacher worriedly looked up at the Stalkling in fear for Jim's life. But neither Bular nor the Stalkling cared for his input as the snarling beast flew away, looking to quickly take care of her prey.

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While the Stalkling was in search of its prey, Toby had decided to help Blinky execute one of the birthday surprises he had in store for Jim by asking the birthday boy to meet him near the Vespa dealership. Blinky wasn't the only one who had a gift planned for Jim, which Toby thought was the perfect excuse to put his plan in motion. Fortunately, Toby didn't have to wait long for Jim to make his way across town to meet him in the alley opposite the dealership… unaware of the Stalkling landing on the roof just above Toby's head. But despite the growl it let out as it watched Jim slowly ride up to his friend, neither boy heard it while Toby looked up from his watch to smile at the arriving Jim. 

"All right, chief. Are you ready for your birthday gift?" Toby gleefully asked Jim after he stopped his bike with a squeal, shaking a yellow folder in his hands as he spoke.

"Are we…  gonna sue someone?" Jim worriedly questioned his best friend, not sure of how to feel about the folder in the bouncing Toby's hands.

"Nah, that's your gift for your 20th. I'd need Marinette to help me with that one." Toby assured Jim, revealing that he seemed to have a few different plans for future gifts. "Hey, give me your wallet." the rounded boy requested, earning a perturbed look from Jim.

"Maybe you don't know how this whole gift thing's supposed to work." Jim said as he climbed off of his bike, taking off his helmet to put it off to the side.

"Don't worry, I've got it wired. Now give me your wallet." Toby replied, his confidence and all-knowing look winning Jim over as he reluctantly set his wallet in his friend's hands. 

With the wallet in hand, Toby opened the leather pouch and looked into it, his gaze quickly falling onto a familiar content inside before he looked at Jim with a smile. He simply then pulled out a picture of Jim and his whole family on Barbara's med school graduation day, the Trollhunter dressed in overly fancy clothes compared to the rest of his family. Immediately, Toby let out a sudden mocking laugh, causing Jim's eyes to grow in size before he gathered himself and frowned.

"Sorry… I couldn't help myself!" the geology nerd admitted as he put the photo back into the wallet, continuing his search for what he truly needed, smiling while shaking his head in annoyance. But it didn't last long when Toby pulled out Jim's learner's license, tucking that into his folder and closing the pouch back up. "Cool. We're ready." Toby declared as he handed back Jim's wallet, walking off to the end of the alley.

"Not this again," Jim mumbled to himself, now having a good idea of what Toby had in mind before his best friend backtracked to him. 

"Ha-ha!" Toby cheered, followed by him and Jim walking out from the alley and to the dealership, spying a man shining the headlight of a Vespa displayed at the front. "Good day to you, sir! Lovely weather we're having." the rounded greeted, causing the man to turn around to face the two boys. 

"You again?" the Vespa dealer groaned when seeing them, Jim giving Toby a suspicious look while he smiled up at his friend in the hopes of getting him to trust in his plan. "Look, I already told your friend that he can't do a test drive unless you have a learner's permit." the dealership worker said, clearly tired of telling Toby the same thing over and over before the rounded boy pulled out Jim's learner's permit from the folder.

"Hot off the press." Toby announced as he held the car out to the dealer, the worker taking it from the boy and looking at the card to make sure it was legit. Seeing that it was, the Vespa dealer glanced back at the smiling teens, still not satisfied.

"Okay, but I also need an insur-" the Vespa dealer began as he handed back the card to Toby, who took it and gave it to Jim to put back into his wallet.

"An insurance card? Luckily, he's still on his mother's plan." Toby interrupted while pulling out a slip of paper from his prepared folder, leaving the dealership worker stunned before he continued. 

"Here's his Social Security card. Trust me, he's got good credit. And just for the fun of it, I also have his library card, along with signed testimonials from his teachers, family and friends." the geology nerd went on, handing the respective cards to the worker and showing off the alleged documents as he handed the folder to the man, leaving Jim impressed. Shocked at how prepared Toby had been, the Vespa dealer snatched the folder from Toby's hand and suspiciously raised the folder to scan over everything he saw. 

"Happy birthday." the Vespa dealer mentioned to a nervously smiling Jim, approving of the documents. "But he's still only 16. I need a signature from a parent." the dealership worker announced, still denying Toby's request due to his desire to protect the merchandise. But Toby saw this coming and was prepared for it.

"Would you accept the signature of Mr Franklin and Mr Jackson?" Toby questioned as he pulled out the wad of crumpled money from his pocket, the dealership worker inspecting him with a raised eyebrow before pointing at the boys.

"Thirty minutes. And it better not come back with a scratch." the Vespa dealer warned before he tore the money from Toby's hands and replaced it with a set of keys, the two best friends sharing a celebrating high five.

"Enjoy the ride, birthday boy." Toby proclaimed happily as he dropped the keys in Jim's hand, gently nudging him on the shoulder. He never should have doubted Toby's persistence.

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With thirty minutes on the clock, Jim wasted no time in getting his helmet and starting up the Vespa, soon riding down the street and enjoying the fact that he was riding his dream vehicle. Glancing at the speedometer with a grin as he sped through town, Jim decided to have a little bit more fun with his limited time in the Vespa. He was the Trollhunter, he was already risking everything so why not give the Vespa a little action? While it was a stupid idea… it would be worth it. 

A sly grin appeared on Jim's face before he sped up the Vespa, finding himself weaving through construction roadblocks and enjoying himself. The sudden turns and following tricks soon led him to the bridge over the canals, passing through the traffic with ease while making his way to the other side. But the fun was over when a shadow cascaded over him, Jim's grin turning into confusion as looked up to see what had made the shadow, his hand covering his forehead to cut the glare. Unfortunately, he was greeted by a creature flying in front of the sun, coming right at him.

"What the?" Jim mumbled before realizing that the creature's claws were aimed at him, causing him to scream while quickly swerving and ducking from the mysterious creature trying to pull him from the scooter. Fortunately for him, Jim managed to drive off before it could grab him, coming away unscathed and crossing the bridge towards the outskirts of town.

"What the heck! What was that?" the Trollhunter questioned aloud, quickly fixing his side mirror to see if it had still followed him. But while doing so, Jim had twisted his mirror a little and found Steve in it and he rode behind him. "Steve?" Jim yelped, shocked by said bully's presence as he pulled up beside him.

"Nice wheels, understudy. I knew you wanted to be me, but this is pathetic." Steve taunted Jim, still having the ridiculous lisp while Jim kept a lookout for the flying creature.

"This is not a good time right now, Steve." Jim told the bully, his eyes locked on the sky in search of the crazy dragon-like creature.

"Time for what?" Steve interrogated, the two boys being the only ones now occupying the road cutting through the forest.

"Whatever this is!" Jim hastily replied, which only seemed to rile up Steve instead of persuading him to leave.

"Whoa! Are you calling me out? You want to race?" Steve demanded, his Vespa swerving a little as he yelled at Jim, clearly not able to handle the vehicle. 

"No! What I want is to have nothing to do with you!" Jim frantically replied as the two drove down the street, their engines humming as they sped up and the creature's shadow passed overhead.

"You think you can take me, buttmunch? Bring it!" Steve challenged Jim, speeding off past the Trollhutner with the simple line while Jim focused on the skies rather than Steve. 

"I don't want to bring anything!" Jim called out to Steve, his eyes suddenly catching the Stalking in the rearview mirror. Terrified of it, Jim immediately sped up, easily passing Steve and instantly making him think it was truly a race. 

"Oh, yeah, I'm totally gonna crush you!" Steve proclaimed with a grin, showing his gap before he picked up speed, drifting around Jim who still had no care for the race. But after Steve passed by him and swerved into the other lane; the one he wasn't allowed to drive in, a car suddenly came by. With a shout from the driver, Jim's eyes grew wide as he watched Steve evade the incoming car and his Vespa started going haywire.

"My wheels!" the blonde olf cried, his vehicle going off the road and causing him to hit the thick root of a tree, flying from his bike while Jim drove past him. In the end, Jim was all alone again… leaving him an easy target for the pursuing creature.

"Uh…" Jim gulped when he saw his situation, followed by him frantically fixing his mirror and finding the Stalking right on his tail and swooping down at him. 

Seeing the threat chasing him, Jim's hand tightened around the handle as he sped up and drove away from the beast, who still managed to have a good distance from him. Hoping to avoid the threat, Jim tilted his head just in time to see the creature diving down at him, finally giving Jim a good look at what it looked like. But Jim didn't have much time to take it in before the creature moved in front of him and opened its paws, ready to take the boy away. Fortunately for Jim, he managed to move around the large Troll-bird, forcing it to nearly crash into the cement before it lifted itself from the ground again. 

Once back in the air, the creature attempted to take Jim again while the boy tried to escape, managing to get a claw to grip Jim's shoulder and lift him and the Vespa off the ground. But with how awkward the angle was, Jim managed to get the creature to lose its grip and drop him back on the ground, the flying Troll-bird flapping up into the air above. As the creature prepared to attack again, Jim finally had enough and pulled out his amulet. 

"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!" the blue-eyed boy shouted as he kept driving his borrowed Vespa, a wave of blue light surrounding him and blinding the creature for a moment as Jim donned his armor. 

Now armed with his sword, the Trollhunter swung his weapon in the hopes of hitting the new enemy, still managing to keep his dominant hand on the Vespa controls. 

After a few swings, the familiar sound of his sword managing to cut something finally occurred before the creature cried out in pain before tumbling to the ground in front of the Vespa. Seeing the beast coming at him, Jim swerved around it and drove past, leaving the creature behind as it let out a piercing roar before it took off into the skies to find a place to lick its new wound. With the threat no longer chasing him, Jim's armor faded away as he slowed down the Vespa, breathing heavily and watching his surroundings to make sure it was gone. Once his heart was at a more manageable pace and the creature was gone, Jim drove off, hoping to find out what just attacked him.

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Back down in Trollmarket, Aaarrrgghh!!! was standing at the exit to the Gyre station, a sack in his hands as he waited for something. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long when a glowing red Gyre came shooting in, docking at the station and slowing to a halt. Once it stopped and the glow faded, Blinky could be seen in the cockpit, waving at his large friend with a smile.

"Got her?" Aaarrrgghh!!! asked his friend… only to be responded to by the sound of retching in the back of the Gyre, earning a wince from both Trolls.

"Yes, I did!" Blinky replied as he walked away from the cockpit, opening the Gyre side door just as a shaken Ladybug walked up to him.

"Ooooh… I knew I shouldn't have eaten earlier." Ladybug moaned as she slouched in on herself, she and Blinky walking down to the ground while she wiped her lost lunch off her mouth.

"Apologies for the rough ride, Mistress Ladybug. I would have thought you'd be used to it after experiencing it before." Blinky apologized profusely, feeling guilty that Ladybug was feeling crummy.

"I've only been on a Gyre once before, Blinky. But I thank you for the apology." Ladybug remarked before she composed herself, resuming her usual state of decorum now that she could see straight again. "In any case, I'm glad that you came to get me to surprise Jim. I didn't know beforehand if I would have enough time to visit him." the spotted heroine admitted, happy that she had the chance to spend time with her brother on his birthday like so many years ago.

"My pleasure, Mistress Ladybug. When Toby explained Jim's aversion to his birthing day, I knew seeing you would be a welcomed surprise." Blinky responded, glad to hear that Ladybug was still happy to be there before a look of thoughtfulness passed his features. "But there is another reason I requested your presence." the six-eyed Troll announced, earning an intrigued look from Ladybug, a questioning eyebrow raised at Blinky. 

"Why is that?" Ladybug asked, her arms crossing over her chest as she probed for answers.

"It has something to do with the contents of the bag Aaarrrgghh!!! is holding." Blinky explained, followed by him pointing to the bag in the large Troll's hands and causing Ladybug to walk towards him. Seeing Ladybug approach, Aaarrrgghh!!! held out the bag to her, allowing her to open the top a bit and suddenly see NotEnrique squirming inside. 

"OY, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" NotEnrique hollered when he looked up and saw Ladybug, prompting her to quickly close the bag and look at Blinky in bemusement.

"So this is the little imp that ruined Jim's chances to woo Claire, I'm assuming?" Ladybug inquired Blinky, drawing a nod from the second largest Troll in the vicinity.

"Yes. NotEnrique has proven to be quite the handful. Even in the short time he's been with Aaarrrgghh!!! and I." Blinky admitted, earning an amused smile from a suddenly chuckling Ladybug.

"Toby must have named him then." Ladybug mumbled to herself, looking at the ground while softly shaking her head at the news, soon looking back up at the two Trolls. "So I'm guessing you're going to pester Vendel about the bridge again… with both myself and NotEnrique as proof?" the heroine in red questioned, her mind working overtime to figure out what Blinky had in mind for her presence in Heartstone.

"Indeed. Though I believe we'll need some help from a certain kwami companion of yours to seal the deal." Blinky responded, now hinting at how they could finally convince Vendel of their claim.

"Whatever you need, I'm willing to provide. Now, let's go find Vendel and put this matter of proving the threat of Killahead Bridge real to bed." Ladybug declared, eager to make it happen as soon as possible.

"Let us go!" Blinky exclaimed, causing them all to leave the station and head out to find Vendel.

It took them a while to search the market for Vendel, but after Blinky, Aaarrrgghh!!! and Ladybug peeked around a corner, a grin appeared on Blinky's rectangular face. Immediately, the others in the party knew that he had found Vendel, soon seeing Blinky gesturing to follow him to leave the corner, the six-eyed Troll walking proudly towards the elder of the city.

"Ah, Vendel! Just the troll we've been looking for." Blinky loudly greeted the aging Troll while Aaarrrgghh!!! and Ladybug followed behind him, the dead look written on Vendel's face growing worse when he heard Blinky speak.

"Don't stop looking at my account." Vendel tiredly suggested as he continued to walk, a stack of books in his hands. 

"But it is imperative that you look upon this." Blinky announced when he and his companions caught up to the old Troll, causing Vendel to stop walking and turn to see as Aaarrrgghh!!! pulled out NotEnrique from the sack. 

"Easy on the scruff!" NotEnrique whined from Aaarrrgghh!!!'s hold on him, only to flip out of the large Troll's fingers and onto his fist. "And what are you staring at, Grandpa? Have you ever seen a Changeling before?" the tiny Changeling snarked at Vendel when seeing the old Troll staring at him, climbing onto Aaarrrgghh!!!'s back before he inspected the area. 

"So, this is Trollmarket." NotEnrique mused aloud, taking in the sight of the hidden city before Aaarrrgghh grabbed him, holding the little pest in front of Vendel to make sure he saw him. 

"A changeling?" Vendel exclaimed, clearly shocked at the tiny Troll's presence.

"Yes, it is. Just as Jim and Blinky have been trying to tell you all this time!" Ladybug said as she came out from behind Aaarrrgghh!!!, further shocking Vendel with her presence.

"Mistress Ladybug! You are here as well!?" Vendel questioned the heroine, processing all that he had just been shown.

"Indeed. It is truly an honor to meet you in person, Vendel. I am grateful to have the opportunity." Ladybug greeted the elder of Heartstone with a bow, effortlessly switching to Troll after her many hours of practicing and leaving the four Trolls impressed.

"It is an honor to meet you in person, as well. Your Trollish is impeccable, My Lady." Vendel complemented, mimicking her bow out of respect to the Miraculous Holder.

"Ladybug is fine if you don't mind, but thank you." Ladybug said as they rose from their bowing, still not used to the fancy titles the Trolls referred to her by. "As to why I'm here, I came to confirm that the Bridge truly was in the museum that night my brother went after the Goblins." the spotted heroine announced, earning a questioning glance from Vendel.

"And how do you propose your plan to prove that? I've already seen the photos you provided." Vendel reminded the teen hero, which only caused her to smirk up at the old Troll towering over her.

"I'm sure my kwami, Tikki, would love to confirm that she and I both saw the bridge that night. Would that finally be enough proof for you?" Ladybug asked, once again leaving Vendel shocked and prompting Blinky to smile as he stepped forward to join the conversation again. 

"You called me crazy, but who's the mad troll now, huh? Behold! I have proof!" Blinky joyfully remarked while NotEnrique struggled in Aaarrrgghh!!!'s grip, quickly finding that he couldn't escape.

"Put that thing away!" Vendel demanded the group, pulling them off to the side of the main path just as NotEnrique hit Aaarrrgghh!!!'s fist out of frustration. "What are you trying to do? Incite a panic?" the elder of Heartstone interrogated Blinky, wondering just how desperate he was to risk causing an incident just to prove he was right.

"Ey! I only came here 'cause you promised me socks to eat." NotEnrique whined from Aaarrrgghh!!!'s hand, glaring at Blinky to make good on his promise.

"And you'll get them." Blinky tensely assured the Changeling, slightly turning his heated gaze from Vendel to NotEnrique as he spoke.

"They better be argyle." NotEnrique said before Aaarrrgghh!!! shoved him into the bag again, only for his fist to pop out of it a second later. "And smelly!" the tiny pest added as he pointed an accusatory finger at Blinky, his arm popping back into the bag before Blinky rolled his eyes at the demand. With a sigh of annoyance, Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo and opened it, reaching into her weapon and retrieving one of the socks Blinky had gotten for NotEnrique, stuffing it into the sack.

"There's more where that came from if you keep quiet." Ladybug said to the tiny pest, feeling the sock getting yanked from her hand before she pulled her limb out from the sack again.

"Now that's more like it! These clowns could learn a thing or two from you, bug girl!" NotEnrique exclaimed from within the bag, causing the group to collectively roll their eyes at him before Blinky turned his focus to Vendel. 

"Do you finally believe me? Changelings, therefore bridge." Blinky stated, causing Vendel to grab Blinky by the shoulders and move him to the other side of the alcove they were using. 

"Bridge, therefore panic." Vendel countered, pushing Blinky into the alcove wall. "Have you heard nothing I've said?" the old Troll questioned Blinky, neither seeing Aaarrrgghh!!! opening the bag to check on NotEnrique… only to find it empty.

"Hole." Aaarrrgghh!!! reported, looking at the chewed-through puncture at the bottom of the sack and drawing Ladybug's attention to it as well.

"Where did the little pest go?!" Ladybug quietly exclaimed, trying not to interrupt Vendel and Blinky's conversation while they started searching for the small Changeling.

"But for once, you're right. And the horror of it. The threat of Gunmar's exile is right over our heads and all Trollmarket has to protect it is your human Trollhunter child." Vendel grimly stated, Blinky listened with an unamused look while his words pulled Ladybug from the search for NotEnrique.

"Hey, that's my brother you're talking about. While I don't mean to offend you, Vendel, I encourage you to have more faith in him." Ladybug advised, gazing at Vendel for the less-than-flattering comment about Jim.

"Mistress Ladybug is right! You can trust the Trollhunter. In the face of the greatest danger, he will stand steadfast and gallant." Blinky declared, only to have Jim come running in screaming, getting the whole group's attention.

"Blinky! Blinky, you have to save me! A huge troll bird, like a jetliner with claws, just tried to kill me!" Jim panicked, forcing Blinky to quickly cover Jim's mouth with his multiple hands as he nervously smiled at Vendel at the sudden awkwardness. But the panicking mood Jim was in suddenly eased up when he saw Ladybug standing next to Aaarrrgghh!!!. "Ladybug? What are you doing here?!" the Trollhunter questioned, his eyes wide when he saw his little sister.

"Surprise!? Happy Birthday!?" Ladybug bashfully cheered, doing a nervous jazz hands before Jim pounced on her.

"Oh, you have NO IDEA how happy I am that you're here! I need your help!!" Jim exclaimed, hugging her so tightly that she could barely breathe in his arms.

"How could I not be put at ease by such gallant bravery?" Vendel rhetorically inquired Blinky, a flat tone filling his voice as he glared at the six-eyed Troll. 

"I'm… glad to see… you too, Jim. But I… can't BREATH!!" Ladybug managed to say, each word forcing out more air from her lungs and pulling Jim out of his relief.

"Oh, sorry!" Jim yelped, quickly pulling away and letting Ladybug take a deep breath. "Better?" the blue-eyed boy asked, placing a hand on her shoulder to keep his sister steady.

"Much, thank you." Ladybug replied, her breath now regular before she turned her gaze to her brother. "But what's this about a Troll bird thing attacking you?" the spotted heroine questioned, her worry for her brother now eclipsing her earlier desire to breathe.

"Stalkling." Aaarrrgghh!!! simply stated as if the creature was nothing to worry about, turning in circles in search of Not Enrique as he spoke. Fortunately for the large Troll, Aaarrrgghh!!! found the tiny Changeling cuddled on his shoulder, sleeping soundly before he pulled him off and awoke the little pest. "Very nasty." the gray Troll added as he held NotEnrique in his hand, the tiny Troll blowing a raspberry at him.

"Stalkling?" Jim and Ladybug parroted in confusion, unfamiliar with the creature.

"Stalkling?" Blinky repeated in shock and worry, two of his hands covering his wide mouth out of reflex. 

"It was flying in daylight. How could it fly in daylight?" Jim questioned the Trolls, prompting Vendel to pull out one of the books he had been holding and flip to a certain page. 

"Stalklings are one of the few species of troll immune to the effects of sunlight." Vendel explained as he held the book out to Jim and Ladybug, the two of them looked at the photo depicted. 

"That looks not nearly as scary as what attacked me." Jim admitted, causing Ladybug to look at him in worry about the news.

"That's because those unlucky few who are caught alone with it never live long enough to depict it." Vendel replied, closing the book before looking at Jim in intrigue. "I'm curious. How is it that you're not disembowelled?" the elder of Heartstone asked, only to earn a mortified look from Ladybug.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that!? I'm not sure if I heard you right when you said, 'disembowelled'!" Ladybug squawked, not believing that this new threat was capable of doing that to its victims.

"I hit him with my sword, I think." Jim said in reply to Vendel, once again placing a comforting hand on Ladybug to calm her down before she spiraled into a panic.

"You struck a blow against a Stalkling? What gallant bravery!" Blinky proclaimed, hoping Vendel would finally believe that such a human could protect Trolls. 

"Well, it was more like luck than–" Jim began to admit, looking up from his sister to give an accurate recount of what happened.

"Incredibly heroic and brave and Trollhunter-ish." Blinky interrupted, cutting his master off again to add another little lie as he wrapped Jim and Ladybug in his arm, leaving both humans utterly lost on why Blinky had been acting this way. 

"We shall see." Vendel said, earning a worried look from Ladybug as Blinky let them go from his hug.

"Why do you say that?" Ladybug questioned the elder, worried for the answer.

"Once a Stalkling marks its target, it... well, stalks it till death." Vendel replied as he walked away, leaving both Jim and Ladybug shocked by the news.

"That doesn't sound good!" Jim cried, not hesitating to put his two cents on the news. 

"Uh, no doy, Sherlock!" Ladybug exclaimed, glaring at her brother for stating the obvious before focusing on the matter at hand. "What are we going to do!?" the spotted heroine inquired the Trolls with them, hoping they had an answer to fix their new problem.

"Fear not. As long as Master Jim is not alone, he will remain unharmed." Blinky assured the siblings.

"You mean, I can't be alone for the rest of my life?" Jim questioned Blinky in disbelief, he and Ladybug appalled by the statement.

"Is that a problem? You seem quite social." Blinky asked Jim, both of the humans stares speaking at themselves as if they were speaking the word: 'really' to the mentor Troll.

"Where the heck did you get that idea from?!" Ladybug yelled at Blinky, not believing that the Troll truly thought that was the case. "No offense, Jim." the heroine in red apologized, turning to her brother when she realized that she inadvertently offended him.

"None taken." Jim grimly replied, knowing that she was right. But that wouldn't help him in the long run if he was going to survive the day… let alone any day after.

Chapter Text

Now that he knew of the threat sent after him, Jim immediately told Toby what happened earlier and all about the Stalkling. But that was only part of their current concerns, seeing as they had to get to school on time. As luck would have it, Jim's birthday had coincided with a half day of lessons that the teachers were using to partake in a morning meeting. So after what would have been lunchtime, Jim and Toby headed to their classes, hoping to keep their minds off of the Stalkling threat or any other issues for a little bit. But it seemed that they wouldn't get their wish when Toby's phone started buzzing while Jim was putting a textbook into his locker, the rounded boy's face immediately dropping when he saw who it was.

"Ugh, this Vespa guy keeps calling about paying for the damage." Toby complained, earning a wince from Jim at the reminder of the earlier attack.

"Ugh, the mirror. He noticed?" Jim questioned Toby as closed his locker, still wearing the jacket Marinette gave him while turning to face his best friend.

"Yeah. You know the $328.32 you saved up? He wants all of it." Toby reported, causing Jim to quickly scoff before facepalming himself in frustration. "I told him you became a monk and renounced all earthly possessions, but he didn't believe me!" the geology nerd rapidly added, hoping it would ease the blow before they started walking down the open hallway.

"So how are you doing with that whole death-bird thing?" Toby asked Jim as the bell rang behind them, wondering how he was processing his new reality.

"I'll live. I'll just never be alone again. Claire and plenty of other people are at rehearsal, I can call my mom to pick me up after, and you'll ride with me to school." Jim replied, listing off the numerous ways he could keep avoiding the Stalkling for the time being.

"Okay, and then what? What happens if you have to go to the bathroom? Do you have to take a chaperone?" Toby questioned, nitpicking Jim's plan to prevent any opportunity for attacks by the Troll-bird. "Not it, by the way." the rounded boy quickly exclaimed, throwing his arms up out of dramatic flair as they stopped in front of two large doors. 

"Don't worry, Tobes. I think my escort has that part covered." Jim assured his best friend as he raised his hand to an earpiece in his ear, pressing a button and connecting to the caller on the other end. "How's it looking up there, sis?" the Trollhunter inquired the person on the other end, looking up at the roof and spotting a flash of red and black polka dots near the edge.

When learning of the Stalkling's hunting habits, Ladybug decided to extend her visit for as long as possible as a means to provide Jim with some extra protection. The Trollhunter immediately jumped at the offer, with the underlying hope of having the chance to spend time with his little sister outside of their respective jobs. So that's how Ladybug found herself camped out on the roof of Arcadia Oaks High, scanning the skies for any sign of the assassin Troll-bird with a pair of binoculars she borrowed from Toby.

"Nothing yet. I think you might have scared the Stalkling off when you hit it earlier." Ladybug reported as she lowered the binoculars from her eyes, her Bug Phone at her ear as she relayed her findings. "But you know I can't be your escort forever, right? I do have to go back to Paris before the end of the weekend here." the spotted heroine reminded her brother, sinking back behind the roof railing to keep out of sight and keep some of the sun's rays off of her in the provided shade. 

"I know. But the Stalkling has to lose interest eventually, right?" Jim asked with a shrug, hoping that it would be the case. 

"Hideout amongst people until the troll bird gets bored. Heroic plan, Jimbo." Toby remarked, pointing two fingers at Jim with a playful grin. 

"That won't be the case all the time. We need to find a way to kill this thing." Ladybug said, knowing that there was only one way to prevent the Stalkling from even trying to kill Jim.

"This coming from the one who can resurrect people from the dead with her powers?" Jim playfully remarked, hoping to lighten the mood before resuming their conversation. "But I thought you didn't want me killing anything. Now you're okay with it?" the blue-eyed boy questioned Ladybug, recalling his little sister's aversion to the tactic used by Trollhunters past.

"I'm not okay with you killing those who don't deserve it. When it comes to someone attacking you guys, or a threat made of pure evil like the Gumm-Gumms, you have my enthusiastic permission to dispatch them." Ladybug replied, clearing up the small confusion of her opinion on the matter. "Plus, if I ever get my hand on the person who sent this killer Troll-bird after you, they will not be receiving any mercy from me." the heroine in red admitted in a suddenly cold tone, leaving the two boys unnerved by how fast she switched from happy and cheerful to angry and cold in a matter of seconds.

"I wouldn't put it past you. I've seen you when you're mad." Jim replied, goosebumps appearing on his arms when remembering those times.

"Same here. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'll feel sorry for Bular if you do." Toby spoke up, managing to hear that part of the conversation and adding his two cents in before they heard the door next to them open up.

"There you are!" a voice coming from the doors exclaimed, causing the two boys to turn and see Claire running up to the two boys, interrupting their conversation. 

"Claire!" Jim cried out in a bit of shock, surprised to see his crush talking to him. "I-- I thought you said you weren't ever gonna speak to me again." the Trollhunter recalled, which didn't stop Claire from walking until she stopped right in front of him. 

"Actually, I said I hoped I'd never see you again." Claire corrected, earning a wince from Ladybug as she listened in from the earpiece in Jim's ear

"Oooooh. Exactly how bad was the babysitting flop?" Ladybug questioned her brother through the earpiece, which he ignored for the time being to focus on the girl in front of him.

"Well, looks like you've got a second chaperone for the bathroom. Adios." Toby farewelled before walking away, his best friend rolled his eyes at the remark. Ah, that kind of friendship where you could make any face and the others would know not to take it too seriously… those are the best. But that was the least of Jim's worries seeing as Claire used the opportunity to address the last time they spoke.

"I was upset. You and Toby totally trashed my house. My parents blamed me for leaving Enrique with you. I would've gotten in less trouble if you'd let him get kidnapped." Claire ranted, having no idea how on the mark she truly was at the moment regarding her brother.

"Really?" Jim squeaked in disbelief, only to catch himself from out the truth to her right then and there. "I-I mean.. No, you're right. You're right. You're totally right. Toby and I should never have used your house for, um... for a rave. I'm sorry, again." the blue-eyed boy apologized profusely, bashfully rubbing the back of his head while Ladybug had to hold back a snort of laughter.

"Smooth… real smooth, bro." Ladybug rhetorically complimented her brother, causing Jim to turn away from Claire and press the earpiece button again.

"You're not helping!" Jim hissed through the earpiece, hoping to keep their communication on the down low for now. 

"I wasn't trying to." Ladybug teased before Jim rolled his eyes as he turned to look at Claire again, allowing her to continue.

"Uh… who are you talking to?" Claire asked the boy, not missing his sudden turning away from her and spotting the earpiece wedged into his ear canal.

"Oh, um… my sister?" Jim replied in uncertainty, a nervous toothy smile appearing on his features.

"You two seem to call each other a lot, don't you?" Claire remarked, finding their constant contact a little peculiar despite their 'on the other side of the world' sibling status.

"Eh, when you've done video calls twice a day since you were 8 and 6 respectively, it becomes second nature." Jim replied, already used to the routine he and his sister had and knowing it would be a hard habit to kick if he tried… not that he would of course. "But she was mainly calling to see if I got the birthday gift she sent me." the Trollhunter explained, earning an intrigued stare from Claire as she processed the information.

"Birthday gift? Today's your birthday?" Claire asked, now realizing what Jim meant.

"Yep, the big one-six." Jim bashfully cheered, doing a small jazz-hands with another nervous toothy grin. "Hence the need for a wardrobe change." he added after his little gesture, quickly showing off the new jacket was wearing and leaving Claire amazed.

"Whoa, this is amazing! Your sister made this for you?" Claire questioned in her awe as she stepped up to him, inspecting the new garment.

"Yep! She tends to be very invested in the works for those she cares about." Jim proudly stated, a light pink dusting his cheeks at the reminder of his sister's love for him he was wearing.

"It shows! It looks so cool! But also… familiar too." Claire inspected with a curious eyebrow, seeing a lot of familiar stitch work the more she looked at the jacket. "Has your sister made anything for people here in school?" the Hispanic girl asked, looking back at Jim for an answer.

"Absolutely! You know that dress Mary mentioned she had for her date with that Hank guy?" Jim inquired, which had Claire staring at him with a bemused look at the change of subject.

" 'Tight Jeans' Hank? Yeah, I do." Claire replied, willing to go along with the sudden detour in their conversation if it got her answers.

"Mari made it for her when she was here last summer." Jim explained, leaving Claire in shock by the answer.

"Seriously? I honestly thought she got it from a luxury boutique with how pretty it looks!" Claire squealed, excited by the news seeing as she was a tiny bit jealous Mary had something so nice in her closet that turned out to be affordable too.

"Yep, she's got a gift!" Jim chuckled, loving the fact that Claire was being so open to him again after the previous incident.

"I can imagine she had a hard time doing it since I know Mary tends to be focused on multiple things at once. Trends especially." Claire remarked, which earned a tired sigh from Ladybug on the other end of Jim's earpiece.

"That wasn't an easy one, I'll tell you that! She couldn't settle on what she wanted and was always changing her mind while I was still working on it!" Ladybug ranted, having heard all of the conversation between her brother and his crush from Jim's earpiece and adding her two cents in.

"Eh, nothing she couldn't handle." Jim rapidly said to Claire, relaying Ladybug's rant the best way he could to avoid offending anyone… especially Claire's friend. She was just starting to talk to him again, so he wasn't looking to screw that up so soon!

"Either way… do you think she'd be willing to make something for me?" Claire asked with a blush, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear out of a nervous habit.

"You better say 'yes' Jimbro! And say that she'll get it for free since she's the love of your life!" Ladybug exclaimed from the earpiece, causing Jim to turn to the side and press the button on the device on his ear.

"I can't say that!!" Jim hissed out, trying to keep Claire from hearing that little detail. "For several reasons, actually." the blue-eyed boy muttered, his earlier desire to keep his crush on Claire under wraps being taken over by his realization of wanting his sister to not garner a reputation of giving her work away for free.

"Just say that 'I'd love to'!" Ladybug exclaimed in exasperation, even though she understood what Jim was doing. Nevertheless, Jim turned back to Claire and said…

"She'd love to!" Jim relayed with a smile, bringing a wide grin to Claire at the news.

"Awesome! You wouldn't be willing to give me her number so that I can contact her?" Claire questioned as she pulled out her phone from her bag, holding it out to Jim with excitement.

"Not at all!" Jim blurted out before he took the phone, putting Marinette's number into her contacts.  "There you go." the Trollhunter announced, followed by him handing the device back to Claire.

"Thanks." Claire said as she put her phone back into her pocket. "But back to what I was saying before, I asked around. And the thing that's got me confused is that I couldn't find a single person who was at your party." she stated, stirring Jim's panic into a frenzy when she brought up that fateful night.

"Be straight with me. What really happened?" Claire questioned Jim, her eyes squinting at the boy in suspicion as she moved closer to him in the hopes of getting some answers. 

Truth be told, Claire had been onto him ever since she received that letter, and she wanted to know what was going on with the mysterious boy in front of her. And it wasn't like Jim wanted to keep the truth from her. He loved Claire and wanted to tell her everything… yet, he didn't know how and mostly he was afraid that she would think less of him after he did. Fortunately for Jim, the sound of the auditorium door opening caught their attention, taking them away from the conversation.

"There you are, Jim! So glad you're here!" Miss. Janeth sighed in relief and she popped out from the doors, happy to see Jim for once. "I hope the two of you are ready to recreate the tragedy of true love. Places in five!" the drama teacher exclaimed before heading back into the auditorium, leaving Jim confused by her statement.  

"What's she talking about?" Jim asked Claire, a look of confusion present on his facial features. 

"Steve totaled his Vespa, and he's got a concussion. Ms. Janeth said that he can't be Romeo anymore and we can't do Romeo and Juliet without Romeo, Jim." Claire explained.

"Uh, okay, but I'm still confused." Jim replied, still confused by how that affected him while Ladybug groaned at his stupidity.

"Seriously?! How can you not connect the dots right in front of you!?" Ladybug nearly screamed at him, having heard the entire conversation and knowing exactly what Claire meant. "You're the understudy for Romeo, remember?" the spotted heroine reminded her brother, causing Jim's eyebrows to rise in realization. 

"With Steve gone, I need you to come back to play Romeo." Claire told Jim, confirming what Ladybug had said moments ago. "Please! I'm willing to beg!!" the Hispanic girl pleaded, placing her hand on his shoulder and leaving the boy surprised. 

"No problem! Let me just see if I can get my mom to pick me up." Jim hastily replied, pulling out his phone and holding it up to his ear with a nervous smile. But he was only pretending to call his mom, continuing his call with Ladybug to think of a new plan. 

"Cosa ne pensi? (What do you think?)" the blue-eyed boy asked his sister, easily switching to conversing in Italian to see what she thought of the news in private.

"Penso che dovresti provarci. Avevi comunque intenzione di andare alle prove, e questa è la tua occasione per sistemare le cose con Claire! (I think you should go for it. You were planning on going to rehearsals anyway, and this is your chance to fix things with Claire!)" Ladybug said as she leaned against the roof railing, copying her brother's example whilst not bothered by the news at all and encouraging her brother to take a leap of faith. "Se zia Barbara non può venirti a prendere, posso accompagnarti a casa. Nel frattempo terrò gli occhi aperti per lo Stalking.(If Aunt Barbara can't pick you up, I can escort you home. In the meantime, I'll keep a lookout for the Stalkling.)" the heroine in red added, which earned a wince from her brother at her comment.

"A questo proposito, stavo pensando… (About that, I was thinking…)" Jim trailed off, snapping Ladybug out of her temporary ease.

"Pensando cosa?(Thinking what?)" Ladybug questioned, sitting up as her face contorted in her tense curiosity.

"Dato che Stallkling non si è ancora presentato e sarò alle prove fino a tardi… forse potresti tornare a casa e prenderti una pausa?(Since the Stalkling hasn't shown itself yet and I'm going to be in rehearsals until late… maybe you can go back to the house and take a break?)" Jim suggested, causing Ladybug's eyes to widen at his words.

"Jim, sei pazzo? Non mi prenderò una pausa mentre la tua vita è in pericolo!(Jim, are you crazy? I won't take a break while your life is in danger!)" Ladybug exclaimed, finding Jim's idea to be idiotic, to say the least.

"Starò bene per le poche ore durante le prove. (I'll be fine for the few hours that rehearsals go for.)" Jim assured Ladybug, hoping that she would listen to him and trust that he would be fine. "In più, ti meriti un po' di tempo libero.(Plus, you deserve some time off.)" the Trollhunter remarked, earning a deadpanned look from Ladybug on the other end of the call… not that he could see more than he could feel it through their connection.

"Ho già avuto parecchio tempo libero dopo la Befana. Sei più importante per me. (I've already had plenty of time off since Befana. You're more important to me.)" Ladybug countered, unwilling to budge on the matter.

"Lo apprezzo, ma starò bene. Promettere. (I appreciate it, but I'll be fine. Promise.)" Jim reiterated to Ladybug, which seemed to be the final nail needed to convince Ladybug to ease up if her drawn-out sigh was anything to go off of.

"Uffa... va bene. Tornerò a casa. Anch'io avevo intenzione di trovare un po' di tempo per conoscere meglio Draal. (Ugh… fine. I'll head back to the house. I have been meaning to find some time to get to know Draal better, too.)" Ladybug admitted, trying to convince herself that she could leave her post for a little bit.

"Vedere? Funziona alla grande!(See? It works out great!)" Jim exclaimed, glad that his sister was relenting to his offer.

"Ma prometto che verrò prima della fine delle prove per tenere gli occhi aperti per lo Stalking. Mandami un messaggio 20 minuti prima che tu abbia finito.(But I promise I'll come before rehearsals end to keep a lookout for the Stalkling. Text me 20 minutes before you're done.)" Ladybug said, making sure that she could still protect him after her break was up.

"Lo farò. Ci vediamo.(Will do so. See you then.)" Jim farewelled, cutting off the call and prompting Ladybug to swing off the roof towards the suburbs, followed by the boy texting his mom to see if she could come later than planned. As soon as Barbara replied 'yes', Jim put his phone away and turned to Claire. 

"Alright, we're all set! Lead the way, Juliet!" the blue-eyed boy announced, the two of them walking into the auditorium and ready to start rehearsals.

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While Jim was in the middle of the rehearsals, Ladybug arrived back at the Lake Residence and landed on the roof of the house, already returning Toby his binoculars. Looking down to make sure no one was there to see her enter the home, the spotted heroine jumped down to the ground and made her way to the basement window. Knowing that Draal would be inside, gave Ladybug all the motivation she needed to take a deep breath and knock on the window pane, needing to wait a few seconds before seeing Draal's silhouette appear.

"Don't worry, Draal. It's just Ladybug." Ladybug called out to the Troll on the other side of the window, triggering it to open and reveal the upper part of Draal's face, looking at her in surprise.

"You better come inside before someone sees you." Draal said as he moved out of the way from the window, letting Ladybug slip in and land next to him. "What are you doing here, Ladybug?" the crystal-backed Troll questioned the heroine, closing the window behind him to make sure they wouldn't be spotted.

"Originally, I had come to surprise Jim for his birthday. But then we learned that Bular sent a Stalkling after him and-" Ladybug began to explain, causing Draal's features to erupt in shock.

"A Stalkling? Here in Arcadia?" Draal exclaimed, Ladybug nodding grimly in confirmation. "That coward, Bular! Sending such an uncontrollable beast to do his dirty work!" the red-yellow-eyed Troll growled, his fists clenching in his anger.

"I know. It's a low blow and I can't wait to beat Bular into a pulp for it." Ladybug admitted, earning a pleased grin from Draal when he heard her declaration. "But we can't do anything about it now except figure out a way to defeat this crazy Troll-brid." the spotted heroine decided, calming down from her show of anger.

"Then why did you come here?" Draal inquired, curious as to why she was in the Lake's basement instead of looking for answers.

"Well, I was on sentry duty for Jim. But after he was reinstated as Romeo, Jim insisted I take a break while rehearsals take place." Ladybug explained as she walked over to the furnace, which earned an unimpressed stare from Draal.

"That doesn't sound like a good reason to leave him unprotected." Draal observed, not liking the sound of Jim's seeming cockiness.

"I'm aware of that and I agree. But I had my own reasons to agree to the break." Ladybug replied as she leaned against the heating system for the house, further intriguing Draal at her admission.

"And what are they?" Draal asked, his arms crossing over his chest as he raised an intrigued eyebrow at Ladybug.

"I was hoping… that we might get to know each other a bit better." Ladybug nervously replied, looking up at the Troll as she twiddled her fingers while Draal stared at her in shock. "We're already connected by your mother using the Ladybug Miraculous, and our affiliation with Jim. But now you and Jim have become friends, I wanted to try settling any lingering issues and become your friend too." the heroine in red said, explaining her reasons for her desire to get along with Draal.

"Starting with a gesture of my goodwill to you." Ladybug added, straightening herself from her leaning to walk over to the blown-away Troll. "Tikki told me that she only got to meet you when you were a baby. I was hoping that meeting your mother's kwami would be a good way to do that." the spotted heroine said, leaving Draal in further shock when hearing what she had in mind.

"The Kwami of Creation? Would you truly allow me to meet her?" Draal asked, his voice growing quiet at the thought of meeting the kwami his mother worked with and befriended.

"She was your mother's kwami first… that more than gives you the right to meet her." Ladybug replied with a smile, quickly taking a step back to say… "Spots Off." the superhero muttered, transforming back into Marinette and allowing Tikki to fly out of her earrings to float next to her, causing Draal to stare at the kwami in awe.

"Draal, this is Tikki, the Kwami of Creation. Tikki, I know you have already seen him before, but this is Draal 'the Deadly', the son of Kanjigar 'the Courageous' and your former holder, Red Scarab." Marinette announced, introducing the two to each other for technically the first time.

"Hello, Draal. It's nice to see you again!" Tikki greeted Draal, happy to see the son of her former holder again after so long.

"And it is an honor to meet you and remember it, Lady Tikki." Draal responded to the kwami, bowing to the little fairy-like creature and drawing an amused smile from Tikki.

"Your mother was my holder once, so there is no need to call me by that stuffy title, Draal." Tikki said with a giggle, prompting Draal to rise from his bowing. "Look at you! The last time I saw you, you were such a tiny little thing!" the red kwami squealed, zooming over to flitter around Draal and bringing smiles to both him and Marinette at her seeing her so excited.

"As you can see, I've grown." Draal replied with a chuckle of his own, only for his delight to plummet seconds later. "Though I'm sure I have disgraced my family with my previous actions." the crystal-backed Troll muttered, looking to the ground in shame while Tikki and Marinette couldn't help but feel empathetic for him. 

"While your actions were less than pleasant, they do not define you unless you let them. All that matters is how you learn from those experiences." Tikki said as she settled down from her fluttering and floated in front of Draal's face, placing a comforting paw on his nose. "Yes, you have grown. Grown into a fine warrior that both your parents would be proud of!" the little kwami cheered, a soft look appearing on her tiny face.

"Out of all their achievements, Maal and Kanjigar always said that you were their greatest one." Tikki announced, bringing a watery smile to Draal due to her heartfelt words. 

"Thank you, Tikki." Draal replied, a tear coming to his eye before Tikki flew over to his cheek and hugged it, the crystal-backed Troll cupping her with his hand while Marinette teared up at the scene. At the sound of her sniffling, they turn their attention to the human girl, amused by her reaction to their reunion.

"Sorry about that… I didn't think I'd be so choked up when witnessing your introduction/reunion." Marinette rambled out as she wiped her tears away, both Draal and Tikki smiling as they broke their hug.

"It's alright, Marinette. No need to worry." Draal replied, Tikki floating next to his shoulder. "And I can't thank you enough for letting me meet my mother's kwami. I'm truly grateful to you." the crystal-backed Troll thanked the human girl, bringing a smile to Marinette's lips.

"It was my pleasure, Draal. Merely a gift from a friend." Marinette replied, only to stop when she realized that she might have jumped the gun a bit. "That is… if you wouldn't mind that happening?" the designer asked, hoping that they could consider themselves that.

"I wouldn't mind that at all, Little Ladybug." Draal responded, earning a sudden perturbed look from Marinette at the teasing nickname.

"I'm not little! Why is it that people keep saying that?" Marinette whined, having already been called little by a few of the Trolls in Stone Arc after Jim's visit.

"Well you are little compared to me, so it is an accurate moniker." Draal pointed out, which Marinette couldn't help but slump over a bit at the slightly stinging truth.

"Okay, fair enough." Marinette muttered, seeing that he was right. "But how have you been since the last time I saw you? Manage to get out of the basement a little bit?" the pigtailed girl asked her newly made friend, straightening up as she tried to change the subject.

"Not unless I'm helping train your brother. He's progressing well, but still is easily defeated." Draal regaled as he sat on the floor, a small sigh escaping him as he spoke due to how limited his daily activities were. "What about you? How is your training with Chat Noir and the Guardian going?" the blue Troll inquired back, wondering if she had a more exciting week than him.

"Did Jim tell you about that?" Marinette questioned as she walked towards Draal, knowing that there was no other way for him to know that.

"He tends to vent when we spar. It was annoying at first, but it's grown on me that I expect it to come." Draal explained as Marinette plopped down to the ground and sat beside him, a small chuckle escaping him when reminiscing what usually happened between him and Jim's training.

"Same thing for me with Chat Noir's puns." Marinette muttered, finding herself chuckling before refocusing on the conversation. "It's been going well for me since Hawkmoth went silent for the time being, but I haven't been able to relax about no akumas attacking. It's been a while since he's gone quiet for this long." the red-tipped-haired girl groaned, leaning back in her frustration.

"Have you tried training with the rope dart Jim gave you for your birthing day? I'm sure it would be just the thing to keep your mind sharp and occupied from the quiet." Draal suggested, causing Marinette to sit back up and crane her neck to look him in the eye.

"I haven't trained with it. I assumed that my experience with my yo-yo would be enough for me to use the rope dart effectively." Marinette admitted, which had Draal snort at her assumption before shaking his head at her.

"A rope dart is more challenging than your yo-yo, mainly because your Miraculous allows you to have control over your weapon as long as you are focused." Draal stated, turning his body to face the young Miraculous Holder next to him. "Not only that, the yo-yo is less dangerous than the dagger attached to your new weapon… which can hurt you if you are not careful." he advised, earning a thoughtful look from Marinette as she mulled over his words, soon seeing that he was right.

"I don't suppose you'd be able to give me a few pointers on how to avoid that, would you?" Marinette questioned as she stood up from the ground, pulling out the handle of the rope dart from a holster hidden in her blazer.

"Smart move to have it close and in easy reach. You never know when your opponent can strike you when you least expect it." Draal complimented the girl, standing up as well and stretching to rid himself of locked muscles. 

"Thanks. It was Tikki's idea." Marinette thanked, followed by her extending the weapon to its full length. "So is that a 'yes' to my request?" the designer inquired, drawing a smirk from Draal as he took a few steps back.

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help you learn how to use every tool at your disposal?" Draal questioned before he got into a fighting stance.  "Show me what you got." he said, now ready to block any attack Marinette had to offer before she returned the smirk and copied his stance. But before she was about to call on Tikki, Draal held up his hand to stop her.

"No powers, please. I'd like to see how you do on your own, seeing as that is the main point of having a weapon outside of your transformations." Draal explained.

"Fair point." Marinette replied, complying with Draal's wishes and waving Tikki off to have her float on the sidelines and watch. "But full warning, I'll probably mess up a lot." the pigtailed girl warned Draal, hoping that he would go easy on her.

"That is why we train. To improve what's already there." Draal responded, assuring Marinette that her skill level wouldn't be a problem. "Now, let's see what we have to work with." the crystal-backed Troll egged on, prompting Marinette to spin her rope dart and lunge at him for an attack, leading to a full-on sparring match as the day passed by from the basement window.

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After a while of going against Draal in their sparring, Marinette started to get the hang of her rope dart and found herself able to avoid cutting herself with the dagger every time it was pulled back to her. It wasn't much in the grand scheme of things, but it was the progress that she needed to promote her desire to get better at it. But after their training session, Marinette received the text Jim promised to send her and soon left, insisting Draal come along too. Fortunately, the sun had set a little bit before Jim texted her and a storm front was rolling in, which allowed the crystal-backed Troll to accompany Marinette, the two taking the time to walk there.

"I must say, you did well for your first time using a rope dart outside of your transformation." Draal praised Marinette as they entered the town square, Tikki sitting on his shoulder and eating a cookie in preparation for Marinette needing her.

"Thanks for the compliment. Can't say that my body can relate." Marinette said as she rotated her right shoulder, trying to rid it of a lingering ache. "I don't think that my arm's been this tired since I first became Ladybug." the red-tipped-haired girl admitted, now stretching her back to wake herself up a bit more from the taxing training. While most of it was in the basement, they did take it up to Jim's backyard for more space… where it really picked up speed.

"Learning new things tends to prove challenging when you attempt to try them in a different way than you've grown used to. But I'm sure you'll figure it out soon." Draal assured the human girl, the trio making their way across the square to use some of the back allies to keep themselves hidden while Marinette looked up at him in awe. 

"Thanks, Draal. You never cease to amaze me with how understanding you can be." Marinette gushed… only to recall an event that proved otherwise. "Well, not all the time… but still." the designer bashfully added, scratching the back of her neck when recalling Draal's first meeting with Jim.

"I appreciate the sentiment, thank you." Draal said as they reached the back allies, not taking offense from the small reminder of his previous actions. "But there are things I don't have any understanding of." the crystal-backed Troll admitted as they started making their way to the school.

"Like what?" Marinette asked as they crept through the allies, wondering what Draal meant by his words.

"I do not understand your brother's reaction to an image shown during that human broadcast a week ago." Draal replied, surprising Marinette so much that she stopped in her tracks at the reminder of that day.

"Uh… which image are you referring to?" Marinette nervously asked, Draal stopping too when seeing her reaction.

"From what I can remember, it was you and Chat Noir touching lips." Draal admitted, prompting Tikki to look at them both in amusement when his answer caused Marinette to groan.

"Yeah, I should have guessed that." Marinette mumbled to herself as she looked at the ground, followed by her looking back up at her towering companion. "I know the photo you're talking about and I'm still trying to wrap my head around how the station got a hold of that." the pigtailed girl ranted, frustration lacing her voice as she tried to figure that little mystery out.

"To put it simply… She and Chat Noir were kissing in that image." Tikki announced, finally finishing her snack.

"TIKKI!" Marinette squawked, gawking at Tikki while Draal turned his stare to the little kwami in curiosity.

"What? It's the truth, right?" Tikki teasingly questioned, crossing her little nubs as she playfully side-eyed her holder.

"Yeah, but you didn't need to say it so bluntly." Marinette whined, a little upset that Tikki hadn't spared any tact in her reply while Draal turned to stare at her in confusion.

" 'Kissing'? What is this 'kissing'?" Draal inquired, which had Marinette redirecting her attention back to her Troll friend in surprise.

"You don't know? I thought Jim would have told you by now." Marinette admitted, shocked that Draal wasn't aware of the significance of the image. "But in summary, when two humans fall in love, they tend to show their mutual feelings by putting their mouths together. A kiss." the red-tipped-haired girl explained, tapping her fingers together and making small kissing hand gestures as they continued walking.

"And depending on how much you like them, the longer the kiss. Sometimes for hours from what I've heard." Marinette concluded, leaving Draal appalled by the new information.

"Disgusting. Killing sounds easier." Draal gagged out as he started walking too, revolted by the human courting custom.

"Eh, you're not wrong. Especially when I've failed to tell the boy I'm in love with how I feel." Marinette replied as she crossed her arms and looked to her right, thinking about her recent failures in romance. "Though seeing as both you and Jim think I should move on to Chat Noir, you're happy about that, right?" the designer asked, looking back up at Draal as she spoke as she remembered which side was on in the ongoing debate of her love life.

"Neither your brother nor I can change your mind. While I would like to see you paired with someone capable of fighting alongside you, your life is your own to do with as you please." Draal said to Marinette, making it clear his point of view on the matter and bringing a smile to Marinette's face with his empathetic declaration.

"Thank you Draal. I'm glad that you are less invested in suggesting otherwise than Jim was." Marinette thanked the Troll, happy that he was going to be more supportive of her choices in love than Jim. "And I have to admit you're a good teacher. I'm disappointed that we might not have many more chances to train together." the pigtailed girl admitted as she stepped over a large pothole, having enjoyed her time training with Draal that day.  

"What if we didn't?" Draal questioned Marinette as he stepped over the pothole, causing her to look up at him in intrigue. "I could train you alongside your brother so that you can improve your use of your weapon, and any other skills you see fit to learn." the crystal-backed Troll offered, Marinette's intrigue turning into awe as they stopped just at the near end of the back allies, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor.

"You'd really do that? Are you sure?" Marinette asked, surprised that he was willing to help her in that way.

"It would be my honor to help train you when it would help ensure the Surface World and Trollkind's safety. And to ensure you could keep yourself safe, too." Draal responded.

"Who knew you were such a softy." Marinette remarked, her smile turning brighter. "But I would be the one honored to have you train me, and I'll talk to Vendel about pardoning you before I leave so that you can use the Grye." the red-tipped-haired girl announced, blowing Draal away with her response to his offer.

"I don't know what to say… Thank you, Marinette." Draal managed to get out, his throat threatening to close up with the emotions he was feeling.

"You're welcome, Draal. That's what friends are for!" Marinette cheered before she hugged Draal, whose arms hovered over her before awkwardly returning the hug. "Now come on. The school is just past those buildings." the pigtailed girl exclaimed as she pulled away from the hug, the two of them continuing through the backstreets.

With how close they were, Marinette and Draal soon arrived at the street across from the school, quickly crossing it and hiding in the trees next to the building. Seeing as they had time before the students started leaving the school, it gave Marinette time to turn into Ladybug, the transformation finishing just as the doors opened. Now suited up and prepared for an attack, Ladybug and Draal watched as everyone left in different directions in the hopes of heading home before the storm hit.

"Great rehearsal. Memorize, memorize. Opening night's just around the corner, thespians." Ms Janeth loudly encouraged the students as she walked to the exit, clearly happy with their progress before an echo of the Stalking's roar caught Ladybug and Draal's attention.

"You heard that too, right?" Ladybug questioned her companion, wondering if it was just her imagination running wild… and hoping it was the case too.

"Yes." Draal replied, confirming Ladybug's current fears.

"It's here." Ladybug breathed out before frantically looking around to try and find it, only to come up empty thanks to the night surrounding them. "God, I wish I had Chat Noir's night vision right now!" the spotted heroine growled in frustration before she and Draal focused on Jim and Claire, who seemed to have heard the roar too.

"What was that?" Claire wondered, holding her books to her chest while Jim looked up to try and find the Stalkling.

"Uh, maybe I can walk you home?" Jim quickly offered Claire, hoping to kill two birds with one stone by spending time with his crush and not being alone.

"I think my parents would kill you if they saw you with me. And anyway, they're picking me up." Claire replied, unknowingly crushing Jim's hopes.

"Oh, no, no, no. My mom's picking me up, too. I just... Maybe we could keep each other company." Jim bashfully suggested, his nerves clearly going through the roof from where Ladybug could see him.

"O… kay." Claire reluctantly responded, followed by another soft growl filling the night. At the sound of the beast hunting him, Jim's frantic eyes turned to watch the sky above, causing Claire to grow even more suspicious of his act. "Uh... Are you all right?" the Hispanic girl asked Jim, forcing him to look back at her.

"Uh, yeah, just, um... I'm worried about the weather." Jim fibbed in the hopes of preventing Claire from digging further, only for the sound of the car horn of Claire's parents to signal their arrival as they pulled up to the curb.

"Thanks again for stepping up today. You really saved the play." Claire thanked Jim before she started making her way to her parent's car… which would leave Jim alone.

"Claire, wait!" Jim cried as he reached out to her, trying to get her to leave before his phone rang, causing him to pick it up and listen to who was on the other end. With how far away Ladybug and Draal were, they couldn't hear who was on the other end of the call. So they could only wait for some kind of sign of who it was.

"WHAT!?" the Trollhunter exclaimed, lightning crackling behind him before he listened on, not seeing Ladybug and Draal's joint worried stares. " By myself?" Jim squawked before the call hung up, giving Ladybug a pretty good idea of who had just called her brother; 

"Oh, that doesn't sound good." Ladybug gravely remarked before she and Draal crept over to the building, hiding in the darkness near the school entrance while Jim ran to Claire's car.

"Wait, wait!" Jim yelled as he ran to the car, easily catching it and prompting the two adults to lower the side window to see what he wanted, glaring at the poor boy. " Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Nunez! I was hoping maybe I could catch a ride?" the blue-eyed boy requested, which allowed Ladybug and Draal to see Claire mouthing: 'What are you doing?!' to Jim while her parents kept glaring at him, only to leave him there.

"Wait, wait, wait! - But it's my birthday!" Jim cried out, running after the car as it left. But once it was out of sight, Ladybug put her fingers to her mouth and let out a shrill whistle, catching Jim's attention and causing his head to turn and see them at the school. Grateful for the sight of his sister and friend, Jim immediately runs over to them.

"Thank God you guys are here! Mom can't pick me up!" the Trollhunter breathed out in relief, wrapping his arms around Ladybug for a hug to comfort himself. "Please tell me you heard the Stalkling too!?" Jim questioned, hoping that he wasn't just being paranoid.

"We did. And I think I have a crazy idea that just might work in killing this thing." Ladybug announced as she pulled away from the hug, earning a sigh of relief from Jim. 

"Then let's hear it!" Jim cheered, hoping to resolve the matter once and for all.

"Full warning, you're not going to like it." Ladybug said with a wince, knowing that her plan was flimsy at best before she dragged him to her and quietly told him and Draal her plan. Once they were in the know of the plan, Jim went to get his bike, unlocked it from the bike rack and slid his helmet onto his head as quickly as he could before he dialed Toby's number.

"Come on, Tobes. Pick up. Please, pick up!" Jim chanted to himself in desperation, looking around for the Stalkling before he was sent to Toby's voicemail. 

Sighing in frustration, Jim put his phone back into his pocket and began biking away from the school, lightning lit up the sky right as the form of the Stalking appeared above him. Unbeknownst to the Troll-bird, Ladybug and Draal were able to see it from their perch on the school roof, now knowing where to look.

"There it is. Let's go!" Ladybug exclaimed, followed by her and Draal jumping to another building to follow after the Stalkling and Jim. 

Since the town of Arcadia was rather small, it didn't take Jim long to reach the town square, passing by the center statue with the large Troll Dragon giving chase. When he sensed a presence other than the blowing wind behind him, Jim looked back behind him and came face to face with the Stalkling, the beast illuminated by a bolt of lighting. Jim gasped when he saw it coming towards him and pedaled faster, soon finding himself needing to duck to the right when the Stalkling was about to grab him with his claws. After the failed attempt, the beast flew back into the sky to try again, giving Jim the chance to try and ditch the Stalking by quickly turning down another street. But as he went by, the streetlights started to shut down one by one after he passed them.

"Now what?" Jim gasped out, finding his luck at the moment to be extremely bad as he flew by the buildings. But in his haste to get away from the Stalkling, Jim had forgotten that the street he was on was where the dealership of Vespas was, prompting the dealer to run out as he saw him go past.

"Hey, you! Get back here!" the Vespa dealer yelled, running out of his place of business while Jim completely ignored him in favor of saving his own life.

"Oh, I'm really hoping Marinette's plan works!" Jim muttered to himself as he kept on pedaling, hoping that his sister's luck would rub off on him just this once.

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While Jim was running for his life, Toby was holed up in his bedroom with Aaarrrgghh, the two of them in the middle of a video game match of Go-Go Sushi. Considering he was aware of Ladybug escorting Jim home, Toby didn't see any reason to worry about his safety or have his phone on him. In fact, it was the main reason why Toby didn't answer Jim's numerous calls, seeing as he put his phone on his dresser behind them while he and his large friend played.

"Spicy tuna! Spicy tuna!" Toby exclaimed to Aaarrrgghh!!! as the game picked up, the two got closer to the climax of the match before everything shut off from the power outage.

"Aw…" Aaarrrgghh!!! whined when he and Toby saw their game was turned off alongside the lights, Toby's phone lighting up again to show Jim trying to reach him one more time.

"Oh, man! Stupid storm." Toby complained as they looked around the dark room, their eyes suddenly catching the light from Toby's phone before getting up from the floor and walking over to pick it up. No sooner than he did, Toby opened the call and was greeted by Jim's panicked voice.

"Tobes, please pick up the phone!" Jim begged from beyond Toby's phone, Toby now listening with fear. "This thing is following me! Mari's got a plan, but we need backup, NOW!!" the Trollhunter exclaimed before the call suddenly cut off, causing Toby to gasp in shock.

"We gotta go!" Toby fearfully declared as he turned to Aaarrrgghh!!!, prompting the two of them to race out of the house to get to Jim before it was too late.

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Back outside, Jim had just reached the outskirts of the main town as he continued to run from the monster, soon reaching the start of the bridge above the canal. All he needed to do was cross it and he'd be able to make it to safety… hopefully.

"Sixteenth birthday, but do I get a Vespa?" Jim muttered to himself, beginning to rant about how his day turned out as he made it to the edge of the bridge. "No. I get a killer flying troll on my tail!" the blue-eyed boy complained as he looked behind him, only to see the Stalkling was no longer there. But that soon changed as soon as he turned to face the road ahead and saw the Stalking was now a few feet ahead of him, ready to grab him. 

It was just the opening Ladybug's plan needed.

"MARI, DRAAL, NOW!!" Jim yelled out as he pulled on his bike brake, stopping before he reached the bridge.

With the signal giving them the go, both Ladybug and Draal came out of hiding and jumped off of a building roof behind him screaming, flying through the air towards the beast. Their aim rang true when Ladybug landed on the Stalkling's back while Draal got its legs, Jim watching the struggle in awe from his parked bike.

"Man, this thing is uglier than I could have imagined!" Ladybug remarked while she tried to keep a hold of the Stalkling's body despite the thrashing. "KEEP IT STEADY, DRAAL!!" the heroine in red shouted at Draal, trying to climb up the beast's body to reach its neck.

"I CAN'T HOLD ONTO IT FOR LONG! HURRY!" Draal yelled back, the Stalkling's legs starting to slip from his grasp just as Ladybug managed to sit on the back of the bucking Stalkling.

With her legs clenching onto it, Ladybug pulled her rope dart from her waist and took the dagger into her hands, raising it above her head and hoping to plunge it into the creature's neck to kill it. But before she can, the Stalkling finally breaks free from Draal's hold and takes to the air, quickly throwing Ladybug off itself and sending her to the ground. As she fell with a scream, Ladybug's rope dart fell to the ground while the beast flew higher just, letting Draal catch Ladybug before she hit the asphalt.

"Well, that didn't work." Ladybug mumbled in disappointment, only to look up and see the beast going at Jim. "JIM, RUN!" the spotted heroine cried in warning to her brother, getting out of Draal's arms just as Jim tried to escape the scene.

But he only got a few feet before he was yanked from his bike by the Stalkling, Jim screaming in fear as he was taken into the air. 

"NO!" Ladybug and Draal shouted as they watched Jim kicking around in the Stalking's grip, the creature flying upward into the storm clouds. 

Despite his panic, Jim looked down at the ground and his companions, spotting Draal trying to jump at the Stalkling to help him. Unfortunately, the beast dodged him, forcing the crystal-backed Troll to fall back to the ground next to the worried Ladybug.

"WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME!?" Jim fearfully questioned the Stalkling, causing it to roar at Jim as it kept climbing higher and tightening its claws around the boy's arms. "HEY! WATCH THE JACKET!! IT WAS A GIFT!!!" the Trollhunter berated the Stalkling when he felt its claws almost pierce through the leather of the garment, not wanting his sister's gift to be subjected to the Stalkling's plans for him, too.

As it climbed, however, Ladybug decided to use her yo-yo before it could get out of her throwing range, managing to grab onto its leg and pull her up the beast with a tug of the string. While Draal worriedly watched the two teens head up into the stormy sky, Ladybug's yo-yo managed to get her up to the Stalkling enough to grab onto it. But once she grabbed ahold of the Stalkling's leg and untied her yo-yo from it, the creature snapped at her in the hopes of getting her to let go. Thankfully, Ladybug managed to barely dodge its snapping jaws… only to accidentally drop her yo-yo in the process.

"DAMN IT!" Ladybug cursed as she watched as her yo-yo fell to the ground, her only remaining weapon unable to help her and Jim as the Stalkling climbed higher.

Bolts of light continued to flash in the sky as the beast flew higher and farther away from Draal's jumping range, leaving the two teens on their own. With his and his sister's new predicament, Jim swung his legs around as he hung in the Stalkling's claws, managing to pull out the amulet from his back pocket, holding it tight in his hand.

"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command, because I REALLY, REALLY DON'T WANT US TO DIE!" Jim proclaimed, the amulet glowing as a bright blue light covered Jim as he donned his armor, shocking the Troll-Bird and momentarily blinding Ladybug. 

The light surprised the Stalkling so much that it let Jim go with a shriek, the Trollhunter falling from its grasp with a yelp despite his escape. But it wasn't long until the Stalkling grabbed him once more, this time sideways with one of his legs and sword arm dangling from its claws. Seeing the precarious position Jim was in, Ladybug jumped from the creature's leg and landed on its back, trying to distract it by pulling on its horns, and forcing its head back with a pained roar. 

With the distraction Ladybug gave him, Jim swung his sword arm to slash the creature's leg, causing it to let the entire upper part of him go. However, the Stalking tore its horns from Ladybug's grasp and caused her to fall off its back, forcing her to yelp in shock before she grabbed onto its tail before she could fall off. Without Ladybug interfering, the Stalkling started to swing a now screaming Jim around the air with just one paw, treating him like a rag doll before climbing higher with the siblings.

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Down on the ground where Jim and Ladybug wished they were, Toby was fiercely moving on his bike while Aaarrrgghh!!! followed him. As he rapidly pedaled through the neighborhood, Toby looked at the tracker in his hand to see where his best friend was, soon seeing Jim's icon getting closer to his.

"This way!" Toby shouted to Aaarrrgghh!!!, prompting them to go even faster. 

Fortunately, they were close to the scene of the crime, soon arriving at the bridge with serious looks plastered on their faces before Toby saw Draal standing in the center of the bridge. As they got closer both Toby and Aaarrrgghh!!! could see Jim's bike and helmet were lying discarded near Draal, all while he kept looking up at the sky with Ladybug's yo-yo and rope dart in his hands. 

"DRAAL!" Toby called out to the crystal-backed Troll, pulling Draal's attention from the sky to look and see them coming towards him. "Where are they?!" the rounded boy worriedly questioned Draal, stopping his bike next to him while a concerned Aaarrrgghh!!! skidded to a halt as well.

"Up in the sky thanks to that vial Stalkling! And I can't see them thanks to the storm!" Draal replied as he pointed up, causing Toby to look at his phone to see if Jim was still in the area. Suddenly a large screech above them caused the trio to look and see the Stalking, Jim and Ladybug in the sky like Draal had said.

"If they're up there, how do we get up there?" Toby wondered aloud, frightened for his siblings' lives as he watched Ladybug swing herself onto the Stalking's back again, the beast still climbing higher with them.

"No wings." Aaarrrgghh!!! grimly replied, the three of them unable to do anything when they were down on the ground. They could only watch.

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Up in the sky above the trio, Jim tried to take another swing at the Stalking after Ladybug was off its tail and was fully let go from its grasp. Yet, it wasn't even a second later that Jim was grabbed again and tossed around the sky a few times, lightning striking around them in the process. It wasn't until the beast had Jim's shoulders held in its claws that it was satisfied enough to fly higher, the air getting thinner and thinner as they went.

"Please let me go. The air... I can't-- I can't breathe." Jim pleaded, gasping out every word as he couldn't even hold his head up anymore.

"Jim… we got to…" Ladybug gasped out, also feeling the effects of the limited air as her grip on the Stalking's neck scales started loosening. While the Miraculous were powerful, they didn't grant Ladybug the power to survive long in the thin atmosphere they were currently in, which was apparent when she started to slip from the beast's body.

Hearing his sister starting to pass out and another lightning bolt striking, Jim managed to wake himself up from his near faint, seeing the Stalkling going higher still. But when realizing that Ladybug was unable to help, Jim started looking around for some idea of how to take out the Stalkling.

"You don't need weapons. Your environment can sometimes be a weapon." Blinky's words echoed in Jim's head as he fought to keep his eyes open, the boy's heavy breathing and the creature's wings flapping being the only things the teens could hear as Jim suddenly had an idea. As he eyed the lightning and then his sword, Jim quickly moved his sword to point to the sky, catching Ladybug and the Stalking's attention. 

"Oh, I really don't like that you look in your eyes right now." Ladybug tiredly groaned before Jim managed to free his arm, twisting his body to a better angle for his plan while hanging in the Stalkling's grasp by only one arm.

"Hope your luck is contagious, sis! Get ready!" Jim exclaimed, prompting Ladybug to let go of the Stalkling's neck scales and jump down, holding onto its other foot and hanging next to Jim 

"DO IT!" Ladybug shouted, causing Jim to hold out his sword to the darkened sky.

"Here goes… everything!" Jim chanted… seconds before a bolt of lightning struck his metal sword. 

The bolts of energy ran through his sword, up to his body and reached past the hand that was joined with the Stalking's foot, affecting both it and Ladybug. Both siblings screamed in pain as the electricity passed through them, their heads dropping and their eyes sliding shut after the initial blast had passed through them, going into unconsciousness seconds after. Above them, the shrieking Stalkling struggled against the light current too before it dropped Jim and let Ladybug fall off of it, woozily flying around until it turned to stone and died instantly. 

With the Stalkling's storified body falling to the ground, it was playing catch up with the falling Jim and Ladybug, who were unmoving as the boy's sword followed them. But due to their unconscious state, the siblings couldn't see Toby, Aaarrrgghh!!! and Draal watching them with shocked faces as they got closer to where their friends were. As Toby continued to pedal while Draal and Aaarrrgghh!!! followed behind, bolts of lightning striking near the falling teens and lighting up the area to show their current condition to their friends.

"HURRY!" Toby shouted at Aaarrrgghh!!! and Draal, the two Trolls hopping over the chubby boy before running to the teens, hoping to catch them. "HURRY, HURRY!!" the geology nerd begged, now pedaling behind the two Trolls as they raced to catch Jim and Ladybug in time.

Determination flooded through Aaarrrgghh!!! and Draal before they started running quicker, Jim and Ladybug suddenly dropped faster the closer they got to the ground. Thinking quickly, the two Trolls hopped up to the light poles on the bridge, each going on one side of the bridge to prevent any lag in following one or the other. From there, they hopped from light pole to light pole as they neared the falling teens; Aaarrrgghh!!!'s carvings glowing bright green as he went, before they jumped into the air. With the timing of their jump, the two Trolls easily caught Jim and Ladybug before landing on the street, their fist cutting through the cement as they were pushed back from the impact of their catches.

"JIM! MARINETTE!" Toby yelled out as he skidded to a stop, Aaarrrgghh!!! and Draal revealing his friends as they were limp in their hands. But he didn't have to wait long for Jim to awake from the blast he and Ladybug received, a small shock of lightning still running through him.

"Gotcha." Aaarrrgghh!!! said happily, causing Jim to smile up at him.

"Yeah, Aaarrrgghh!!! Yeah, Draal!!!" Toby yelled with excitement as they smiled at one another, which prompted the group to turn to the aforementioned Troll and the still limp Ladybug.

"Mari, you okay!?" Jim called to Ladybug, earning a pained cry from her as she awakened and tried to sit up in Draal's hands, sparks dancing along her body.

"Define 'Okay'?" Ladybug groaned, causing the five of them to all laugh with relief. They were all okay! 

But the moment was suddenly interrupted when Jim's sword finally appeared and stuck into the ground in the middle of the group, causing the five to jump back in shock before it evaporated. As if to add to the relief, the dead Stalking soon dropped to the side of them, prompting the five to watch over the side of the bridge as its body broke into countless pieces once it made contact with the ground. 

"Chalk this up to one of the weirdest birthdays we've had." Ladybug remarked now that she was back on her feet, leaning over the rail to glare at the Stalkling remains before her head tweaked to the left from a lingering shock.

"Agreed." Jim added as he nodded his head, his body going through a lingering shock too with his right eye twitching as a result.

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Below Arcadia and in the Hero's Forge, Jim, Ladybug, Toby and Aaarrrgghh!!! had been summoned by Blinky after the Stalkling had been defeated. But upon arriving at the Forge, Blinky placed his hands in front of Jim's eyes and led him to the center of the arena, the rest of the group standing off to the side to watch.

"Blinky, what are you up to?" Jim asked as he was embraced with two of Blinky's arms, the Troll guiding him while keeping him blind.

"You shall see in a moment." Blinky assured his pupil, finally stopping them when they reached a certain point and leaving Jim worried all of a sudden.

"This better not be another surprise because I really don't think I can handle any more." Jim begged, unaware of the proud smile Blinky had on his face at the moment.

"No, no. If my calculations are correct, there's only a few more minutes left until the end of your birthing day." Blinky stated before he uncovered Jim's eyes and let the boy go, only for the Trollhunter to keep his eyes screwed shut in fear of opening them. "Time for one more present." the six-eyed Troll declared, causing Jim to finally open his eyes and find the sight of a pile of Vespa pieces lying around a box in front of him.

"I know it doesn't look like much-" Blinky began, only for a happy smile to grow on Jim's face when he saw his gift.

"Wait." Jim interrupted, running up to the pile while Blinky smiled at his growing excitement. "That's a 150 G.S. Four-speed gearbox, classic long saddle... original handlebar headlamp unit! These are the pieces of a 1955 Vespa!" the Trollhutner exclaimed after he knelt to the ground and listed the contents of the pile, turning around to face his mentor when he realized what his gift was.

"I thought perhaps one day we could build it together." Blinky modestly explained, glad to see Jim was so happy about his final gift. "After your training, of course." the blue Troll added as he stood formally, followed by Jim running up and hugging the troll tightly.

"Thank you. Thank you! This is the best gift I've ever gotten!" Jim cheered as he held onto Blinky happily, bringing a smile to everyone in the arena… Blinky especially after he got over his initial surprise from the hug he received.

"Oh… You are welcome, master Jim." Blinky chuckled as a smile grew on his face too, hugging Jim back without hesitation as he looked at the human he was growing fond of. All the while, Toby, Ladybug and Aaarrrgghh!!! watched the two interacting with bright smiles.

"I knew we'd turn it around." Toby stated as they happily watched, glad that Jim's birthday had finally turned out good in the end.

"When is your birthing day?" Aaarrrgghh!!! asked his chubby friend, looking down at Toby with a curious smile.

"Like I'd ever tell you, wingman." Toby playfully scoffed at his friend, the two of them sharing a quick fist bump before turning to watch Blinky and Jim still hugging. While he's distracted, Ladybug waves Aaarrrgghh!!! to lean in towards her, quickly whispering the day to him before Blinky and Jim break the hug and head over to them.

"Thank you for your help, sis. I don't think things would have gone as well as they did if you hadn't stayed." Jim thanked his sister just as a smiling Aaarrrgghh!!! lifted his ear away from her, causing Ladybug to put all her focus on her brother.

"That was all you, Jim. If it wasn't for you, we would have been killed." Ladybug countered, recalling how her plan had failed in the end and only got them into more trouble.

"That was all luck!! Pure dumb luck that my idea didn't kill us." Jim argued back, sticking by his claim that his sister's presence was the main factor in their survival. "But regardless of how we survived, we still have some time before you have to go back." the blue-eyed boy stated, earning an amused look from Ladybug at his words.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Ladybug asked, intrigued with the idea her brother seemed to have in mind.

"How about a tour of Heartstone? Seeing as you showed us around Stone Arc and you didn't have a chance to see it when you first came so it's only fair." Jim offered, causing Toby's eyes to widen in excitement at the idea he proposed.

"Yeah! That's a great idea!" Toby cheered, also wanting to spend more time with their sister before she left again. At the sight of her honorary brother's excitement, Ladybug couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her before she covered her mouth with her hand to hide her wide smile.

"I don't see why not. As long as Hawkmoth doesn't decide to send an akuma, of course." Ladybug replied, lowering her hand from her mouth so that she could accept the offer. "But we should probably put those Vespa parts somewhere safe before another Troll comes by and tries to eat them." the spotted heroine suggested as she pointed to the mentioned parts, earning a laugh from the group before they did just that. 

Deciding on a hiding spot was simple, seeing as Blinky thought to put them in his library for safekeeping until he and Jim started to work on it. With that in mind, the group gathered the parts and made their way there. Once the Vespa parts are safely stored in a private area of Blinky's library, they walk back out into the market to start the tour.

"Alright, let's get this party started!" Toby cheered, clapping his hands in anticipation before turning his gaze to Blinky. "Blinky, how about you take the lead on this?" the geology nerd suggested, earning an excited grin from the four-armed Troll.

"My pleasure!" Blinky proclaimed before he took the lead, the group starting to walk behind him. "We shall start the tour at the Heartstone, our market's source of light!" the six-eyed Troll decided as the others followed behind him in their eagerness for the tour, Jim and Ladybug resting their arms over each other's shoulders as they walked side by side.

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While the Trollhunters and Ladybug were going about Heartstone, things were starting to take a dark turn on the surface lands. The main point of this was at the airport near Arcadia, where a woman stood behind a customs desk, her face void of any emotion as she sat there lazily.

"And welcome to America." the woman broadly greeted a guest, handing them their passport. "Next!" she called out after the guest left, allowing a person in a hat with a long coat to walk up to her desk. 

"Business or pleasure?" the woman asked the new person at her desk, leaning her head on her arm as she looked up at him in boredom.

"Perhaps a bit of both?" the man; Otto Scaarbach, stated as handed her his passport, tipping his hat to her in a cheerful tone.

"Oh, boy." the woman mumbled, already tired of his joyful mood as she took the passport. "Anything to declare?" she asked as she stamped his passport, only to be responded to by him speaking to her in Troll… the first word being: Gunmar. 

At the sound of the phrase, the woman's eyes grew in shock before she gathered herself and spoke back in their foreign language. If anyone else was watching the two, they would have seen Otto's eyes change into the yellow color of a Changeling's before they went back to normal, showing the true nature of the two adults. They would have also seen Otto pull out a briefcase from behind him, placing it on the woman's desk before opening it and facing the contents to the woman. Inside the case, the item within glowed a bright light blue as the woman was shocked by the sight, her eyes reflected the same yellow color as Otto's seconds later.

"The Eye Stone…" the woman said with a grin, her excitement coming to the surface of her usually emotionless face.

"It is almost complete." Otto added with a chuckle, revealing his part in the grand plan to free Gunmar.

"And Gunmar will rise again." The woman finished as he closed the case the two grinned evilly at each other at the declaration. Gunmar… was almost here!

Chapter Text

In the week following Jim's birthday Stalkling surprise, both world-saving groups had fallen into a new rhythm after that fateful day. As Ladybug had promised, she managed to find some time to talk to Vendel before she left so that Tikki could confirm she saw the bridge the night of the museum break-in as well. While Vendel had already believed them after NotEnrique's reveal, the Kwami of Creation's retelling was the final nail in the coffin for him to start doing something about it. She also talked to Vendel about letting Draal back into Heartstone so that he could freely use the Gyre to come to Paris, which he agreed to right away.

With Draal coming to train her on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and her usual sessions with Master Fu and Chat Noir moved to the weekends, Marinette's weapon skills increased significantly. However, there was always room for improvement and Draal suggested that she find a way to practice her skills outside their training sessions. So this is how Marinette found herself in her school's locker room, dressed in fencing gear and looking for a fencing helmet for the yearly tryouts of D'Argencourt Academy.

"This fencing gear really suits you, Marinette." Tikki praised her holder, floating near Marinette as she searched the assorted helmets provided for those trying out for the team that was placed on a table in the middle of the room.

"Thank you, Tikki! But let's hope wielding a saber is easier than finding a helmet that fits." Marinette said as she grabbed a helmet and placed it on her head, which slipped to the side, drawing a disgruntled noise from Marinette while Tikki giggled at the mishap.

"I gotta ace these try-outs! D'Argencourt is the most prestigious fencing teacher in all of Paris! I've only got this one shot to show them what I've got and get onto the team!" the designer exclaimed as she pulled the helmet off, holding it in her hands while talking to Tikki.

"You've been reviewing the fencing forms and rules all week with Jim and practicing with Draal as well! It's going to be great!" Tikki cheered as she floated above the fencing equipment table, smiling excitedly at her holder for trying something new.

"You're right. I'm going to make quite an impression on both the team and Adrien!" Marinette agreed, then slammed the helmet in her hands down onto the table, upsetting the others laid out and causing them to roll off the flat surface. Immediately, Marinette scrambled to catch them all before they fell off, only managing to catch three out of the whole amount… which had been helpful to her in the end.

"Ah, here we go! This one should fit perfectly!" the pigtailed girl declared as she spied the helmet she had caught on her foot, putting the ones in her hands back onto the table to grab it.

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After finding the proper helmet, Marinette put it off to the side to pick up the fallen helmets and put them back on the table for the other students trying out for the team. Once Marinette's mess was cleaned up and she had her equipment, she went to the school's center quad area, where Mr D'Argencourt and his senior students were waiting to greet the recruits.

"I am the fencing master, Mr. D'Argencourt." D'Argencourt greeted the recruits as he passed between them and his existing students, both groups lined up and focusing on the experienced fencer. "As I'm sure you're aware, we have only one open spot on the team this year. So, to select the best possible candidate, I will observe the beginners performing several attacks on the experienced students." he explained as he stopped and faced the challengers, not seeing or caring that Marinette was looking around the quad in search of something.

"Where's Adrien?" Marinette wondered to herself, concerned to not see her crush or any sign of his presence since the experienced students were all wearing their helmets over their faces.

"Now pair up so we can begin!" D'Argencourt ordered his existing students, gesturing with his arm to spread out and pair up with one of the six recruits that had moved to the fencing mats at the back of the quad. But after finding an open mat, Marinette continued looking around for Adrien when one of the students approached her, clearly her opponent to test her skills.

"Seems like you're looking for someone?" the arriving fencer observed, his helmet keeping his face hidden as he walked up to Marinette and caught her attention.

"Yeah, I thought my friend Adrien was here." Marinette replied, turning to face them. "He's a boy this tall, blond, nice, super handsome?" the red-tipped-haired girl rambled as she gestured to Adrien's height, putting her hand to her cheek when she reached the last gush about the boy she was crushing on.

"Thanks for the compliments!" the fencer happily said as he lifted his helmet, revealing him to be Adrien and causing Marinette to yelp in surprise when she saw who her opponent was. "I didn't know you were into fencing, Marinette." Adrien continued, so surprised to see her there that he didn't notice Marinette was frozen in place due to her shock of seeing him and realizing that she gushed about Adrien to Adrien himself!!!

"A-Adrien! Nice to fencing, I'm totally into you!" Marinette managed to get out, only to quickly replay it in her head and see that it was the last thing she needed to have said. "Uhh, I mean, it's nice to see you!" the designer quickly corrected, unable to stop herself from fidgeting around sporadically through the whole greeting. But despite the awkwardness, Adrien couldn't help the gentle chuckle and smile that escaped him due to Marinette's quirkiness, causing Marinette to giggle and blush too.

"And to answer your earlier question, I'm totally into fencing! My brother, Jim, has recently been… getting into the sport, and I've been helping him review the forms." Marinette went on, playfully holding the saber in her hand and stabbing the air beside her to emphasize her claim. "Guess you could say that the interest rubbed off on me." the pigtailed girl added bashfully, turning her focus back to a smiling Adrien.

"Well, looks like I have to thank your brother for helping me potentially have a good friend on the team to talk to after practice." Adrien noted, happy at the prospect of spending more time with Marinette outside of class… platonically of course!

"If I end up getting on the team, then yeah!" Marinette exclaimed, maneuvering her grasp on her saber to adjust her gloves and looking at the ground to hide the fire-red blush on her cheeks at the thought.

"Get into position!" D'Argencourt called out to the teens, prompting Marinette to awkwardly put her helmet on before glancing at Adrien, momentarily forgetting how to do the stance when in front of her crush.

"Bend your knees, then stretch your left foot back and turn it outwards." Adrien advised her, Marinette doing so and earning a smile from the boy. "Perfect! Now, put your saber forward, like this." the blonde model continued as he stepped up to her side, putting his arm around her to have her lean forward and using his other hand to guide hers so her saber was pointing out.

While Marinette already knew how to use a sword thanks to Draal, all those lessons went out the window when the blushing and giggling Marinette found herself being touched by Adrien. But after he stepped away now that she was in the right stance, Marinette was able to compose herself and pull down her helmet to keep her blush hidden and get her head back into the game. She wanted to get on the team to improve her skills, not just talk to Adrien… meaning Marinette had to focus and prove herself.

"Greet each other!" D'Argencourt commanded his students, crossing his saber arm over his chest and then snapping it out to his side to demonstrate the traditional fencing greeting. Following the command, Adrien and Marinette greet each other like their instructor had done, now standing at the ready. "En garde! Prêt, allez!" the master fencer declared, casting all the students to begin fencing while he walked around and watched. But while Adrien had his helmet down and was ready for an attack, Marinette stood still despite the match already starting. Seeing that Marinette wasn't budging, Adrien straightened up and pushed up his helmet to speak to her.

"Go on, Marinette. You're supposed to touch me." Adrien encouraged, hoping that she would finally move.

"Touch you?! Yeah…" Marinette gushed with a giggle, her covered face preventing Adrien from seeing her goofy grin before he smiled at her and pulled his helmet back down.

With his helmet down and his face protected, Adrien waited until Marinette was focused again before he attacked, lunging at the girl with his saber. Seeing the attack coming, Marinette's fighting instincts kicked in and she quickly dodged Adrien's advance, followed by knocking his sword back. After Adrien's saber was out of the way, Marinette proceeded to strike at her opponent's chest and touched the end of her weapon at his just as D'Argencourt came to observe them.

"Attaque! Touche. Point!" D'Argencourt announced as he indicated to Marinette, causing the two of them to turn to him as he declared her the winner of the first round. "Continue!" the instructor ordered, walking away to observe another pair.

"Thanks!" Marinette said to Adrien as she pushed up her helmet, thinking he had helped her impress D'Argencourt.

"All I did was lunge. You've got good reflexes!" Adrien replied with a smile, also pushing his helmet up to make sure his words were clear before putting his helmet down again for another round. "En garde!" the Adonis declared, readying himself before Marinette put her helmet back down and copied his stance.

"Prêt… allez!" Adrien exclaimed, prompting him and Marinette to start their new match.

Deciding to take offense, Marinette lunged at Adrien and aimed for his chest again, which Adrien managed to block with his saber. Following that, Adrien pushed Marinette's saber back and attacked her back by tapping her helmet with his saber, forcing her to duck out of the way and use her saber to block the attack. After that, Marinette used her saber to push Adrien's weapon out of the way and used the new opening to hit his chest again, earning another win.

"Attack, parry, riposte, counterattack. The point goes to you, Marinette." Adrien congratulated Marinette as she took a step back, impressed by her skills and reflexes.

"I don't get it. You hit me first." Marinette pointed out as she once more pushed her helmet up, her ignorance of the sport causing Adrien to also push his helmet up again.

"With saber fencing, the attacker doesn't necessarily win the point even though he touched his opponent first. You took the initiative, so we say that you had priority. I can only parry or riposte, so I lose." Adrien explained as he bent his saber a few times, which only earned an unsure look from Marinette at his words.

"But everything's happening so fast. How can you know who won the point?" Marinette questioned Adrien, not getting how this sport worked the more she learned about it. While she had read up on the forms and learned the rules… it seemed that there were still new things to discover on the fly.

"We don't always know for sure. That's why you can also abstain." Adrien replied with a shrug of his shoulders, followed by him lowering his helmet. "Shall we continue?" the model asked as he now stood at the ready for another round, prompting Marinette to nod as she lowered her helmet and got ready to fence too.

"En garde! Prêt… allez!" Adrien shouted, once again causing the two of them to face off against each other.

This time, however, Marinette was more at ease in showing off the skills she learned from Draal, despite knowing she had developed a tendency for more devastating blows. When Adrien went to lunge his saber at her in the hopes of taking the offense, Marinette stepped to the side and almost literally danced out of the way of the advance. Seeing the way Marinette evaded his attack, Adrien had to catch himself from falling off of the mat entirely, soon finding that they now swapped sides as Marinette stood ready for another attack. But just as he raised his saber and set up for another attack, Marinette thrusted own her saber at his and managed to twist hers around Adrien's. With a spin of Marinette's wrist, the designer pulled Adrien's saber out of his hand and caught it with her non-dominant hand. Now disarmed, Adrien had little chance to protect himself from Marinette as she held her saber at his throat while she held the other one behind his neck, ending the match.

"Wow…" Adrien breathed out in shock, looking at Marinette in awe. "Despite doing so many illegal moves just then, that was incredible!" the model praised, prompting Marinette to suddenly drop the sabres in her hands and back away from him in shock at her actions.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry! I don't know what came over me!" Marinette rambled as she pushed her helmet up, her eyes wide as she realized she had shown off a little too much.

"It's okay! It's okay! Nobody got hurt, so that's the main thing." Adrien replied, pushing his own helmet up as he tried to assure Marinette to not be so worried. "Those moves you just did… no offense, but I would have never expected you to know how to do them. Where did you learn how to do those?" the green-eyed boy asked, curious as to how his usually nervous friend was so skilled in weapon dueling. But upon being asked the question, Marinette's eyes widened with worry.

"Oh, uh… funny story about that…" Marinette stammered, unsure of how to explain herself without giving away her connection to the Trolls.

"Hey, you! Are you Mr D'Argencourt, the fencing master?" a shout echoed through the courtyard, preventing Marinette from continuing her half-baked explanation. At the new voice interrupting the fencing tryouts, everyone looked to find the source of the shouting and saw a figure in red fencing gear standing on the scoring box, carrying a red saber in their hand. "I wanna join your team." the newcomer declared, everyone left in shock by their brazen attitude.

"Only the best are admitted here, you knave." D'Argencourt told the newcomer, turning to face them with a glare.

"And I was… everywhere I went." the newcomer proclaimed, demonstrating a saber greeting with a quick spin of their wrist to show off their skills.

"Part le fer! This whippersnapper has some nerve!" D'Argencourt exclaimed, returning the greeting with a new intrigue on the new challenger as they walked up to him. "All right! I may consider your admission, shall you defeat one of my students." the fencing master declared as he pointed his saber at the newcomer, followed by his turning to face his students and step to the side to allow them to stride forward to the now silent students.

"Which one of you is the best combatant?!" the newcomer demanded, causing all of the students to shuffle around and sidle away to reveal Adrien, who yet again lifted his helmet at the nomination.

"Adrien, would you please give our visitor a lesson in chivalry?" D'Argencourt requested his best student, drawing a smirk from Adrien at the challenge before lowering his helmet.

"I shall, Sir." Adrien responded before walking up to the scoring box, everyone now coming to gather around to watch the ensuing match.

While the students were gathering to watch the face-off, the new opponents quickly attached themselves to the scoring box and stood beside it to begin their match. As a precaution of the equipment, both Adrien and the challenger touched their sabres on the other's shoulder, testing the box to make sure it was working and would keep a proper score. With a bow following their test, the challenger and Adrien walked to their sides of the fencing mat, both fencers preparing their saber blades in the process. But unlike Adrien, the challenger swung their saber around in a flamboyant display of their skills, clearly having a lot more practice than anyone there.

"Great. There goes any chance I had of making the team. This guy's obviously better than everyone." Marinette groaned when she saw the new fencer's demonstration, now looking down at the ground in disappointment.

"It's not over yet, he still has to beat Adrien." a student to Marinette's left spoke up, offering some solace to the designer before they turned their focus back to the match about to start.

"En garde!" D'Argencourt began as he lifted his hand into the air, prompting Adrien and the challenger to stand ready. "Prêt... allez!" the instructor declared, slicing his hand down and starting the match.

With the go-ahead to attack, Adrien and the challenger lunged at each other and went headfirst into their match in a flurry of sabres. Right off the bat, the dueling fencer's blades met in the middle of their clash, followed by Adrien moving back for another attack while the challenger advanced on him. With a block from Adrien, he prevented the challenger from hitting him and took offense from there, pushing the fencer in red back to their side of the mat. But after Adrien tried to strike at them twice, they both managed to land a hit on each other and earn a point each, both point buzzers going off at the same time.

"Simultané! Par un toucher!" D'Argencourt declared, causing Adrien and the challenger to return to their starting points while preparing their blades for another round.

"I could have sworn Adrien touched him first…" Marinette observed, finding D'Argencourt's ruling to be incorrect… purely from her observing of the match.

"I'm not sure if he did. But you never question the referee's decision." the student to Marinette's left spoke up while Adrien and the challenger now stood ready for another match, D'Argencourt raising his hand into the air once more.

"En garde! Prêt... allez!" D'Argencourt shouted, pulling his arm down to start the match.

Immediately, the challenger and Adrien lunge at each other once more, their sabres meeting in a dance of danger as they try to get the edge on each other. But after an exchange of strikes, backsteps and advances, the match ended when both fencers lunged past each other, neither one seeming to land a hit while both sides of the score box lit up. Due to the result of the match, everyone looked up to the fencing master and referee to decide who had won, which caused a nervous look to appear on D'Argencourt's face.

"Uhh... Abstention!" D'Argencourt finally declared, seeing as he wasn't sure of who the winner was.

"What's happening?" Marinette asked the student to her left, unsure of what the decision was.

"Mr D'Argencourt isn't sure who won, so he's chosen to abstain. This is a tight match." the student to Marinette's left explained while Adrien and the challenger went back to their respective side of the mat, the third match about to start.

"En garde!" D'Argencourt began, once again raising his arm into the air.

"Wait!" the challenger interrupted, drawing everyone's attention to them. "I request that we do it the old-fashioned way. We'll be much more at ease without the machine." they offered, leaving D'Argencourt intrigued by the idea.

"Adrien?" D'Argencourt said as he turned to the boy in question, wanting to see what he thought of the option provided

"Fine with me." Adrien replied before he unplugged his body cord, letting it fall to the ground before the challenger unplugged their own.

Once the challenger was freed from their confines, they further showed off their saber skills by backflipping to their end of the mat and swinging their saber with expert skill. But while Marinette was impressed by the challenger's skills, she was left displeased by the new turn of events that was about to take place.

"But how will we know who touched the other one first?" Marinette asked the student on her left, not liking how there would be an even more unclear match about to happen.

"By watching very closely." the student to Marinette's left replied, both Adrien and the fencer in red now standing at the ready for their biggest match against each other yet.

"En garde... Prêt... allez!" D'Argencourt proclaimed, the third and final match now starting with a downward swing of his hand.

For the third time that day, Adrien and the challenger lunged at each other and clashed their sabres, neither of them holding back their blows. But the challenger was more eager to wail on Adrien, their strikes becoming more and more violent as they pushed Adrien off of the mat and towards the side of the courtyard. It wasn't until Adrien swung his saber at the red fencer that they used the opportunity to duck from the blow, followed by them slamming into Adrien's gut to push him back further.

Thanks to the hit, Adrien's back hit a post and only had seconds to recover before they attacked him again, the blonde model narrowly dodging his attacker. The fight between them continued as it suddenly made its way up the stairs to the upper levels, the challenger forcing Adrien to backtrack up to the second level the more they attacked him. But after having enough of pushing Adrien back, the challenger decided to mix things up and used the stair railing to jump ahead up to the second level, blocking Adrien from going further.

"Is this what fencing's all about?!" Marinette wondered aloud in amazement, everyone else watching in the same amount of awe as her.

"Part le fer! This IS what fencing's all about!" D'Argencourt exclaimed, now just as excited as his students before they and the fencing master went to the base of the stairs to watch the exciting match. But while Adrien and the challenger were caught in a flurry of parry and trust, Marinette ran up to the group and found herself unable to see over the other students. Not liking her inability to see the match, Marinette's gaze turned from the fencers and spotted the stairs on the other side of the courtyard, quickly heading over to get a good vantage point.

Meanwhile, the fight between Adrien and the fencer in red was picking up when they managed to push Adrien back from their little exchange. As a result, Adrien found himself pinned between the challenger and the railing of the stairs, holding his opponent's saber back with his own with both hands.

"Is that all you can do?" the challenger questioned Adrien, pushing their weight onto him until he was almost over the railing.

Thinking quickly, Adrien managed to push back against the challenger enough to use his saber to force the newcomer to back off him, causing the red fencer to slide towards a wall behind them. Now free from his former predicament, Adrien decided to go further up the stairs and to the library, the challenger following after him. Unbeknownst to the dueling fencers, Marinette had reached her first flight of stairs while the fencers, tryouts and Armand were still at the base of the other stairs. But with the new move Adrien had made, Marinette continued while the other's excitement had grown to new heights.

"The fateful moment has arrived!" D'Argencourt declared. But his words had caused the students to push past him and climb the stairs to keep watching, trampling the fencing master in the process.

While D'Argencourt was groaning in pain from being stepped on by the students, the challenger in red and Adrien reached the top of the stairs to the library. Upon reaching the top, they continued to fence against each other furiously, the challenger slamming Adrien into a wall before he spun them around and burst into the Library, Adrien knocked the challenger inside.

After being thrown to the ground, the fencer in red recovered by rolling into a ball and skidding across the ground by their knees before Adrien attacked them. From there, the two fencers began making a mess of the library, sending books flying off the shelves and even pushing a cart out into the hallway, which nearly hit Marinette when she arrived at the door.

Thankfully she had managed to dodge it… which let it continue falling down the stairs towards the gathered students and an approaching D'Argencourt. But after he pushed his students aside so he could see, they then fled from the incoming book cart before it hit the fencing master and slammed him into the wall at the bottom of the stairs.

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While D'Argencourt was once again in pain, things up in the library were getting more heated as the challenger and Adrien were still fencing, with only Marinette to watch. The fight kept on increasing in intensity as Adrien and the red fencer's sabres kept clashing against each other, followed by them trying to put more force in their strikes and drawing close to one another. When that didn't work, the fencers took a step back and still kept on dueling, their blades not touching each other as they tried landing a blow to the other. But soon enough, the challenger and Adrien finally moved back from each other, taking the opportunity to take a breath.

"Let's finish this off!" the challenger shouted as they pointed their saber at Adrien, clearly eager to finish the fight and prove themselves worthy.

For the fourth and final time that day, the dueling fencers lunge at each other, their blades clashing against each other as the fencer in red keeps on aggressively attacking Adrien. It wasn't until the challenger blocked a strike aimed for their head that they turned their body just as Adrien went to attack them again… both sabres seemingly touching the other at the same time. Marinette could only watch in awe as the match ended, the challenger slipping away from Adrien and turning their attention to Marinette.

"Who got the first hit?! Who?!" the challenger yelled, causing Adrien to look over at her as well and leaving Marinette flabbergasted by the sudden attention.

"Uhhh, I...!" Marinette stammered out, unsure what to say now that she was put on the spot.

"Who touched first? Tell us now who won!" a voice to Marinette's right cried out, leading them to see D'Argencourt appearing on the floor as he crawled up the stairs in pain. But after Marinette looked between the challenger and Adrien, while she was nervous and previously tongue-tied, she quickly made her choice.

"Neither of them!!" Marinette shouted, leaving everyone to stare and/or gasp at her in shock at her response.

"WHAT!?" the challenger yelled, their voice filled with rage before Marinette took a step from the doorway and closer to them.

"Look, I'm not going to lie. That was the most amazing fencing match I'll ever see!!" Marinette admitted, excitedly throwing her arms at the previously fighting fencers. "And while I love our friend here's 'going for the throat' attitude, it doesn't change the fact that rules were broken in this match." she went on, her earlier admiration fading into a more serious mindset.

"For starters, Fédération Internationale D'escrime: t15 states: The point in line position is a specific position in which the fencer's sword arm is kept straight and the point of his weapon continually threatens his opponent's valid target. Neither of you did that." Marinette stated, going into a long recount of the many rules she went over with Jim over the weekend. "t16: The field of play should have an even surface. You both were jumping around and running upstairs. Plus t18: The combat area of the piste is 1.50 meters wide. You didn't even use the piste." The red-tipped-haired girl went on, using her hands to list off the other violations during her informative rambling before turning to D'Argencourt still on the floor.

"And to top it all off, our challenger here did a corps-à-corps at the near start of the match, and Adrien did so when pushing them into the Library. Those all disqualify them and make neither of them the winner." Marinette declared, now turning to the previously fighting fencers with a wince. "I'm sorry, but you both lost." the designer concluded in a somber tone, followed by D'Argencourt rising to his feet at the news.

"Well… this is quite the predicament. But seeing as Miss Dupain-Cheng was the only one to witness the end of the match, she has the last word." D'Argencourt declared in a miffed tone, quickly turning to the newcomer with a frown. "On that note, I cannot permit someone so willing to break the rules to join my academy." the fencing master decided, prompting the challenger to sigh in defeat at the news before walking up to Adrien, offering their hand for a post-match shake. After Adrien took it, the fencer in red then calmly walked out of the room, only for Adrien to remove his helmet once they were gone.

"Are you sure about the call you made, Marinette?" Adrien asked his friend as he took off his helmet, walking over to Marinette and D'Argencourt with a perturbed look.

"I'm quite sure, Adrien. When it comes to subjects I'm passionate about, I take them seriously. Even when I've just started taking interest in them." Marinette replied, which earned a disappointed look from Adrien at the news. "However, while you ceased to do rule-abiding sport fencing, the duel showed that you both were of very similar skills. Should it have been a first blood drawn match or even duel to the death, either of you would have been as likely to lose as to win." the pigtailed girl added, leaving both Adrien and D'Argencourt staring at her in both surprise and shock at how casually she had spoken about such duels.

"Uh, that was… a little morbid there, Marinette." Adrien managed to say in a cautious tone, causing Marinette's eyes to widen at his remark before turning to face him in a growing panic.

"But that doesn't mean the challenger doesn't deserve a second chance." Marinette rapidly replied, hoping to draw the subject away from her surprising aloofness to violence. 'Maybe hanging around Draal so much is rubbing off on me a little too much.' she thought to herself, looking at the ground while Adrien's face lit up at her suggestion.

"You're right." Adrien realised, Marinette's words working to cheer him up as he turned to face D'Argencourt with renewed hope. "While they were a little overzealous, they deserve another chance to try out." the green-eyed boy said to his fencing instructor, earning a solemn look from D'Argencourt.

"As I have said, the referee has the last word. And as exciting as the match was, Miss. Dupain-Cheng is right about the rules having been broken during it." D'Argencourt declared, dashing both Marinette and Adrien's hopes before a small smirk appeared on the man's face. "But if you were to take part in a decisive match and follow the rules this time, I might reconsider my decision." the experienced fencer offered, causing both Marinette and Adrien to smile at his words before the model went after the challenger to tell them the news. But after he leaned over the railing to see where they were, Adrien spotted the red fencer was about to leave the school, stabbing their saber into the ground and leaving it as they stomped out of the school in anger.

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Below the city, the window within Hawkmoth's lair opened up, disturbing the resting butterflies to flutter around the space as their master stood in the center. Even before the match started, Hawkmoth could sense the warring emotions stirring and knew that there would be someone he could akumatize afterwards. And his hunch turned out to be right.

"A champion whose victory has been stolen." Hawkmoth mused to himself, his hopes of a powerful akuma rising when sensing the red fencer's pulsing anger. "Crushing defeat is the ideal steel with which to form a blade of revenge." the resident supervillain went on as he turned one of his butterflies into an akuma, letting it flutter free after the transformation.

"Fly away towards this spite and petulance, my little akuma, and evilize that fencer!" Hawkmoth commanded the akuma, willing the corrupted insect to fly out of his lair's window and into the streets of Paris.

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Back over at Collège Françoise Dupont's library, Adrien turned to face Marinette and D'Argencourt, determination filling his features.

"I'm going to offer them a decisive match. I'll be right back." Adrien announced before he ran after the challenger, grabbing their saber from the ground as he went. Fortunately for him, Adrien had just reached the school's front threshold when he spotted the red fencer about to get into a car matching the color of their uniform.

"Hey! Wait! Your saber!" the blonde model called out as he caught up to them, seeing the challenger throw their gloves into the car before removing their helmet.

Once they did, the fencer in red turned to look at Adrien expectantly, revealing their… her face in the process, leaving Adrien momentarily stunned by her appearance. But neither of them saw Marinette; who had changed out of her fencing gear and felt guilty for her previous actions, running up to the school entrance and seeing the scene at the foot of the steps. Regardless of her being shocked to see the identity of the challenger, Adrien had finally gathered his wits and tried to speak.

"Let's do a... decisive match?" Adrien offered to the female fencer, noticing the ring on her right hand holding her helmet as he spoke.

"No." the girl simply replied, leaving Adrien shocked by her response. "You inspired me to act in a dishonorable fashion. You are a bad influence, Adrien. And now I have disgraced my family. So I must flee Paris at once to make amends for my terrible behavior today." " the challenger stated, her stare burning right into Adrien's soul with how intense it was.

"Goodbye." the red fencer added in a short tone, getting into her car before it drove off and left Adrien at the curb.

"H-Hey! What's your name?!" Adrien called out to the retreating fencer, his grip on her saber tightening as he futility reached out for them. But while he was occupied, Marinette was shocked stiff just as Tikki flew out of her purse.

"You might have a chance on the fencing team after all, Marinette!" Tikki exclaimed as she flew next to her holder, only for her and Marinette to see Adrien getting into his own arriving car where Placide I.T. was waiting for him. But after hearing Adrien shout 'Follow that car!' to his bodyguard and watching the car drive off, Marinette saw the akuma Hawkmoth released flying past her.

"An akuma!" Marinette shrieked with a horrified gasp, now running after it before ducking into the metro station to transform. "Better capture it before it turns someone into a villain!" the red-tipped-haired girl exclaimed, Tikki zipping to fly beside her again after the little sprint.

"At your service, Marinette!" Tikki announced after Marinette found a place to hide herself from view.

"We better do it quickly! Adrien is in danger!" Marinette fretted as she activated her disguise rune necklace, followed by her saying… "Tikki, spots on!" the designer shouted, transforming into Ladybug and exiting the metro station to use her yo-yo to get to Adrien as quickly as possible.

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While Ladybug was racing over to protect her crush from the akuma, the challenger was still in her car, calling her mother just as the car stopped at a stop light.

"I'm not available at the moment. Leave a message." the voicemail said to the red fencer, leaving her even more disheartened by the dismissal of her mother.

"Mother, you thought I was good enough, but... I lost. I won't be joining the D'Argencourt Academy." the challenger reported to the voicemail, followed by her hanging up the call and sitting back in her seat, her emotions a brewing storm beneath her seemingly calm exterior. But just seconds after she looked at the ring in her hand, the akuma had finally caught up to her car and slipped in through the closed window, flying into her ring.

"Riposte! I am Hawkmoth." Hawkmoth greeted the fencer as the glowing butterfly outline appeared on her face, the psychic link between them created and enacted. "I'm giving you a second chance to prove that you are the best fencer of all! But in return, you must bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous." the purple-clad villain offered to the red-clad duelist, immediately grabbing her now-twisted attention.

"On my honor, Hawkmoth! I shall be victorious!" the challenger proclaimed, the telltale purple aura covering her body and transforming her into Riposte. After the transformation was complete, the lights changed and the car started moving again… only for the newly made akuma to slice open a new sunroof into her car and leave to enact her revenge.

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Unknowing of Riposte coming after him, Adrien's car was still following after the red fencer's car, all while the blonde model was skimming through his phone. He was currently looking through a set of logos for anything similar to the one he saw on the red fencer's ring and soon found the right one, clicking on it right away and ending up seeing an article about it.

"She's the only daughter belonging to a family of prestigious fencers. Her mother and grandfather were both world champions." Adrien read aloud after Plagg popped out of hiding and laid on his holder's shoulder, the kwami now intrigued by the news Adrien just shared. "I've read about them before! She and her mother just moved to Paris! How incredible!" the green-eyed boy breathed in amazement, looking at his kwami while he spoke.

But he was pulled out of his awed state when he heard a shout from outside the car, causing Adrien to only have seconds to react before the car was suddenly cut in half. Thanks to the car still running when it was cleaved, the front half spun away from the back half until it crashed into the street while the back half stopped and launched Adrien out of his seat. Fortunately, Adrien had come away from his tumble to the ground unscathed and the red fencer's saber in his hand… only to turn and see Riposte standing atop the back half of the wrecked car.

"I'm taking you up on your offer of a decisive match!" Riposte declared to Adrien, pointing her sword hand at the fallen boy while the nearby civilians fled the scene.

"I- I can't fight you like this! You're not... yourself." Adrien stammered out as he rose to his feet, not looking for a fight against the akumatized fencer in front of him.

"Fight!" Riposte demanded, about to lunge and attack Adrien and drawing Hawkmoth's attention in the process.

"Halt, Riposte!" Hawkmoth shouted from the link between them, making the platinum-plated akuma stop in her tracks. "You may seek your revenge, but only after you take hold of Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous first." the resident terrorist reminded his newest minion, hoping to keep his son away from danger. While he was normally a man of his word, Hawkmoth had no intention of honoring any deal that would put his son in danger.

"Understood, Hawkmoth." Riposte replied, having no idea of Hawkmoth's true motives before she saw Adrien trying to flee from her. But before he could get far, Riposte jumped from the wrecked car and blocked his path. "Where do you think you're going? Stay there. Nice and patient." the metal-coated akuma threatened Adrien as she pointed her sword at the boy, causing him to flinch back from her just seconds before a familiar yo-yo wrapped around Riposte's blade.

"How'd you like to start a duel with me?" a familiar voice shouted from behind Adrien, causing both him and Riposte to turn and see Ladybug perched on a billboard pillar behind Adrien. But when she tried to disarm Riposte with a tug of her yo-yo, her weapon slipped off the blade, surprising Ladybug with the unmoving sword. "It's merged with her hand." Ladybug breathed out in shock, which left her open for Riposte to strike at both Adrien and Ladybug, cutting a poster display apart after they jumped/ducked away from the blow.

"Give me a moment, Adrien. I must finish her off first!" Riposte snarled as she watched Ladybug land on the street, a glaring Adrien landing on the street on her left while she kept her stare on the spotted heroine. "But don't worry- I haven't forgotten about you! I WON'T BE LONG!!" the platinum-plated akuma yelled before she lunged at Ladybug, rapidly attacking her and forcing her to defend herself with her yo-yo while being pushed back by Riposte.

"Don't let her close in on you! Fight back!" Adrien shouted to Ladybug as he rose to his feet, quickly throwing the challenger's saber to Ladybug. Thankfully after dodging an array of strikes, Ladybug backflipped away from Riposte and caught the saber after she was a fair distance away, now having an offensive weapon to help her.

"Thank you, but now get out of here." Ladybug told Adrien, holding the saber at the ready before looking at Riposte with a stoney glare. "She doesn't deserve you." the heroine in red mumbled to herself before she moved in to attack Riposte, using her yo-yo to shield herself from the akuma's attacks. But the protection her yo-yo gave her didn't last long when Riposte saw an opening and took it, knocking Ladybug flat on her back.

"Watch out Ladybug!" Adrien shouted as Ladybug recovered a little from her fall, causing her to look up and see a flying Riposte coming right at her!!!

With Ladybug not having time to react, Adrien's protective instincts kicked in and he dove at his secret partner, the two of them rolling out of danger right before Riposte could skewer Ladybug. But that didn't mean that both of them came out of the attempted attack unscathed… which Adrien discovered after he lifted himself off of Ladybug and felt a sharp pain in his left ankle.

"Ouch!" the model yelped, holding his ankle to soothe the pain while Ladybug lifted herself into a crouch and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You're hurt!" Ladybug cried in panic, now feeling guilty that she was the reason he got injured.

"I'm fine. Don't worry." Adrien groaned, trying to assure Ladybug to not worry about him and to focus on getting the job done.

"I need to get you as far away from that girl as possible." Ladybug declared, turning her gaze back to Riposte to glare at the akuma as she struggled to free her bladed arm from the stone she stabbed it into.

"Sounds like a plan." Adrien replied, rising to his feet with help from Ladybug before she threw her yo-yo around a chimney stack in preparation for their escape.

After her yo-yo was secure, Ladybug pulled Adrien close to her, causing the two of them to blush and smile sheepishly at each other at their proximity. But they both shook themselves out of their daze and Ladybug carried them away with a tug of her yo-yo, the two lovebirds flying away. Meanwhile, Riposte finally managed to get her bladed arm out of the road, lunging at the spot where Ladybug and Adrien had been and growling in anger when she saw they had escaped.

Chapter Text

After they fled from Riposte and reached a rooftop far enough away, Ladybug gathered Adrien into her arms before they landed behind a chimney. Once she was stable enough to rise to her full height, Ladybug turned to the chimney and set Adrien down against it, out of sight for the time being.

"Thanks for the save, Ladybug." Adrien said now that they were out of danger for the time being, praising his secret crush for their quick escape.

"My pleasure." Ladybug replied, a blush appearing on her cheeks before she shook it off and refocused on the task at hand. "But what kind of fencing was that?" the spotted heroine asked the boy, hoping that he would have some idea of how to defeat Riposte.

"Nothing like I've ever seen before." Adrien admitted with a shrug of his shoulders, clutching his hurt ankle to alleviate any pain he could.

"It's going to be hard for me to fight and protect you at the same time. I'm going to need some help." Ladybug mussed aloud, followed by her attempting to call Chat Noir and only getting his voicemail instead. "Where are you, Chat Noir?" the heroine in red muttered to herself, frustrated that her partner wasn't picking up.

"Maybe he's busy?" Adrien bashfully supplied with another shrug of his shoulders, pretending to think for a minute to cover his identity all that much longer. But the moment was interrupted when their hiding spot was sliced up into pieces, the chimney crumbling away to reveal them to Riposte.

"Allow me to explain the rules to you. You're not allowed to call it quits at any time!" Riposte declared, causing the two surprised teens to turn and face her. "Adrien is mine and I will defeat both of you and prove I am the best fencer!" the metal-coated akuma yelled at the two, prompting them to rise to their feet while Ladybug stood protectively in front of Adrien.

"Nobody's denying that, at all! My friend Marinette was just being honest and adhering to the rules." Adrien protested from behind Ladybug, trying to set the record straight once and for all.

"You know, from the sounds of it, it looks like you're getting bent out of shape about your part in breaking the rules. That's not anyone's fault but your own." Ladybug remarked, causing Riposte to growl at them and leave them unsettled.

"In any case, I'm sure Marinette wasn't trying to humiliate you." Adrien nervously added, now trying even harder to ease things over with reason.

"Of course not!" Ladybug squawked in an offended tone, turning to face Adrien just as he looked at her questioningly. "I mean, I'm sure that was the case." the spotted heroine rapidly continued, laughing nervously as she tried to keep her identity a secret.

"It's too late! The damage has been done! And this time… I shall be the referee!" Riposte shouted as she pointed her sword at them, soon lunging to attack the two and prompting Ladybug to prepare to do the same.

"Stay back, Adrien." Ladybug advised Adrien before she, too, lunged forward to engage Riposte in battle.

Meanwhile, Adrien used the opportunity to get away from the fight to find a place to transform, which caused his twisted ankle to act up. But he pushed through it and limped away, hoping to step in and help Ladybug as soon as possible. While Adrien was trying to hide, Riposte and Ladybug were still in the middle of their fighting, the spotted heroine using her yo-yo to defend herself from the akuma's attacks. After being backed up to the edge of the roof, Ladybug shifted herself to avoid going over and soon found herself backed against another chimney.

Now that Ladybug was cornered, she had to evade Riposte's strikes and strike back with the red fencer's saber, distracting Riposte long enough to throw her yo-yo a third cluster of chimneys behind her. With Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped around the structure, she pulled it tight and brought all the rubble onto Riposte, trapping her beneath it. Once Riposte was pinned, Ladybug went off to find Adrien; who had found a good hiding place behind a second chimney stack that was near the fight.

"You're sure taking some risks today, kid." Plagg warned his holder after popping out of Adrien's pocket, seeing the look of pain passing through the boy's features.

"Don't really have a choice, do I? Ladybug needs me." Adrien argued with his kwami, taking his hero duties seriously considering Ladybug was pitted against an offensive akuma. That was usually his area of expertise and while Ladybug was getting better, she still had a bit to go on her offensive attacks.

"Plagg, c-!" "Adrien!" Ladybug's voice called out, halting Adrien from transforming when he heard how close she was before she leaned around the chimney stack and found him.

"Adrien, you okay?" the spotted asked, concerned for his safety when seeing the surprised look on his face and not seeing Plagg zip back into Adrien's uniform pocket.

"Uhh, yeah, and you?" Adrien nervously replied, trying to play off his attempt to transform as an arm stretch as she stepped up to him.

"I'll feel better once you are safe, far away from that girl." Ladybug admitted, looking back at the rubble pile to ensure Riposte couldn't see them. "Come on, let's go." the red heroine declared as she swung her yo-yo to another chimney and pulled Adrien close to her again. Once more, the two shared a blushing smile at each other before they shook themselves out of their shared distractedness and swung off, hoping to get far away before Riposte could free herself.

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Thanks to their head start, Ladybug and Adrien had arrived at the Louvre Palace, finding themselves sliding down the side of the Louvre Pyramid. It didn't take long for them to reach the bottom and find themselves in front of a crowd of pedestrians, who were shocked by their presence and Adrien's hurt state.

"Akuma alert! You must leave now! Evacuate the premises calmly!" Ladybug shouted at the crowd, holding Adrien in a way to prevent him from putting too much hoping to get everyone out of the vicinity before Riposte found them.

"This way ladies and gentlemen." Officer Roger; who had been amongst the crowd, ordered the pedestrians, now beginning to direct citizens away before an 'Akuma Alert' siren started to sound off.

Fortunately, every one of the occupants of the museum had exited the premises quickly and calmly, which allowed Ladybug and Adrien to enter without worry of the citizens getting hurt. But that didn't help Ladybug's worries to keep Adrien safe, seeing as she took them deeper into the museum to find him a place to hide.

"A safe place, a safe place…" Ladybug muttered to herself as she and Adrien arrived at the Egyptian wing of the Louvre, her eyes darting around to find anything that would do the trick. "There!" the spotted heroine cheered, seeing an open sarcophagus display across from them and quickly walking towards it to place Adrien inside.

"I'm sorry, but at least you'll be safe in here!" Ladybug apologized to Adrien before she began closing the lid, knowing that this was a less-than-ideal place for Adrien to be in. But it didn't seem like Adrien was focused on that when he grabbed the lid and stopped it from closing all the way.

"Please be careful, Ladybug." Adrien warned the heroine, knowing she'd be alone in the fight until she finally left the exhibit so that he could transform. However, seeing as Ladybug didn't know that, she had assumed he was just being his normal caring self and blushed at the attention.

"I'll be fine, thank you. Now you stay out of harm's way, okay?" Ladybug replied to Adrien, a little surprised by his concern before refocusing on the task at hand and finally closing the lid, leaving Adrien inside. But before she went off to face Riposte, a smiling Ladybug couldn't help herself when she placed a kiss on the sarcophagus's face, pretending it was Adrien if she dared actually kiss him. Knowing her love was safe, Ladybug left the exhibit, looking to defeat the akuma as soon as possible.

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Outside the Louvre, a newly freed Riposte rapidly approached the landmark and spotted the police had formed a blockade in front of the pyramid. That alone gave away Ladybug's location to the akuma, leading to Riposte jumping into the air above the Louvre and slicing off the top of the Pyramid to land in the museum. Fortunately for Riposte, she didn't need to look hard for the superheroine, seeing as she found Ladybug waiting for her with the challenger's saber in hand.

"Where did you hide Adrien?!" Riposte demanded from Ladybug as she stood up from her landing, pointing her bladed hand at the heroine in red with a snarl.

"You actually think I'd tell you? This is just between you and me, Riposte!" Ladybug challenged the akuma, spinning her yo-yo behind her as she held the saber out at Riposte.

"You think you can defeat me? Fine" Riposte replied, amused by Ladybug's challenge. "I'm going to defeat you and take your Miraculous! Then I'll go and find him!" the platinum akuma declared with a smirk, standing ready to attack a suddenly enraged Ladybug.

"I won't let you lay a hand on him!" Ladybug yelled at Riposte, knowing she'd rather die than let that happen before they lunged at each other, engaging in their ongoing battle once again.

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Back at the Egyptian exhibit, Adrien had waited long enough to make sure no one was in the vicinity and was looking to transform to help his partner take care of Riposte.

"It's time we went and joined Ladybug." Adrien declared within the darkness of the sarcophagus, reaching for the lid to lift it off and leave the small space. Normally, Adrien hated being locked up or being stuck in small spaces… but seeing as Ladybug was only thinking of his safety and his feelings for her, he let it slide.

"Didn't you hear what she said? She said to wait here! You can't disobey her!" Plagg protested as he flew out of Adrien's pocket, hoping that Adrien would decide to take it easy this time due to his injured ankle.

"I've gotta help her!" Adrien argued back as he went against his usual routine of activating his disguise rune, itching to get out of his confining hiding spot as soon as possible to do just that. "Plagg, claws out!" the green-eyed boy shouted, transforming into Chat Noir in a flash of green light while still inside the sarcophagus.

Once his transformation was complete, Chat Noir opened the sarcophagus display and peeked around before getting out, glad to see no one was there. After he closed the lid, the feline hero began running to the exit, only for his ankle to act up again when he reached the bottom step. Groaning at the pain shooting up his leg, Chat Noir stopped in his tracks before pushing down the crippling feeling and continued to find and join up with Ladybug. He just hoped he wasn't too late.

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Over in one of the Louvre's Painting galleries, Ladybug and Riposte were still locked in their fight, the akuma pushing the heroine back into the decorated hallway. But despite Ladybug using her yo-yo to defend herself, they skidded to a stop in the middle of the gallery and Riposte used their new position to try getting past Ladybug's defenses. With devastating slashes and strikes, Riposte pushed Ladybug back to the gallery wall before the red heroine pushed back with her borrowed saber.

Unfortunately, Riposte managed to push Ladybug to the ground, the red fencer's saber lodging itself into a painting above her and leaving the heroine defenseless. Now without a weapon in Ladybug's hands, Riposte went to attack Ladybug with her bladed hand… only to be blocked by Chat Noir and his staff.

"Chat Noir!" Riposte shrieked after Chat Noir pushed her away from him and Ladybug, enraged by his presence and interference.

"A fencing tournament at the Louvre? How come I wasn't invited?" Chat Noir rhetorically wondered while Ladybug rose to her feet, holding his staff at the ready for another attack.

"Let me guess: you were late because you were at the groomer again?" Ladybug countered as she pulled the challenger's saber out of the painting, now copying his stance.

"I was preening myself, M'lady. You know how long it takes cats to get ready." Chat Noir quipped back, adjusting his stance before he and Ladybug went to attack Riposte now that they had a fair fight.

Due to being attacked by both heroes, Riposte could only defend herself from the blows Ladybug and Chat Noir gave her, using her sword arm to block them. Unfortunately for the akuma, Chat Noir's fencing skills were enough to push her against the other wall of the gallery, leading Riposte to find herself cornered by the heroes.

"Checkmate, Riposte!" Ladybug exclaimed, keeping Riposte at the end of Chat Noir's staff and her borrowed saber.

"You've got the wrong sport, Ladybug! I think you mean: attaque toi!" Riposte yelled before she slammed into Chat Noir, knocking him back and making his injured ankle act up while he was kneeling.

"Chat, are you okay?" Ladybug asked her partner, turning to him out of her concern.

But her distractedness was just enough for Riposte to take advantage of it and attack Ladybug once again, sending the red hero flying out of the room. Thankfully, Ladybug managed to catch herself in a tumble to prevent herself from crashing into a stone stairwell, looking up to see Riposte exiting the gallery. Following her exit, Riposte then stabs an alarm button near the gallery exit with her blade, bringing a security gate down between them and Chat Noir.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir shouted as he limped to the bars, his hands wrapping around them to keep them occupied in his worried state now that he was separated from his partner again.

"Ready to lose, Ladybug?" Riposte snarled at the heroine before she once again picked up the fight against Ladybug, the akuma's strikes forcing their battle into the lower levels of the Louvre. Once they were out of view, a concerned Chat Noir decided to get back into the fight and called on his…

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir shouted, summoning his main powers. From there, he used the Cataclysm on the bars, rusting them into dust and allowing himself to get through before limping after Ladybug and Riposte.

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While Chat Noir was slowly making his way to Riposte and Ladybug, the two battling females had made it back to the Egyptian exhibit. But just as they reached the threshold, Riposte shoved her past it and sent Ladybug flying into the exhibit and landing on her back on the wing floor, the borrowed saber falling out of her reach. And as Riposte stood at the top of the steps to the exhibit, Ladybug recovered from her fall and growled at the akuma before worriedly glancing at the sarcophagus behind her. However, her concern for Adrien had clued Riposte in on where Ladybug hid the model.

"Of course." Riposte purred in satisfaction, followed by her jumping around near the ceiling of the room until she passed Ladybug and reached the sarcophagus. "The hour of revenge has struck!" the metal-coated akuma proclaimed before she lunged at the sarcophagus, ready to hack it into pieces.

"NO!" Ladybug screamed as she watched Riposte slice apart the sarcophagus. But to her immediate relief and shock… the sarcophagus was empty, much to the surprise of Ladybug and Riposte. But after she got past the shock, Ladybug quickly rose to her feet and threw her yo-yo at the alarm button, using the same trick Riposte did to trap Chat Noir. As the security gate was lowered and blocked the akuma from her, Chat Noir caught up with them and slid down the stair banister to land behind Ladybug.

"He's gone!" Ladybug exclaimed as she faced Riposte, spinning her yo-yo into a shield behind her before looking back at her partner.

"Uhh, who?" a flustered Chat Noir asked, already having a feeling he knew who Ladybug was referring to when he spotted the destroyed sarcophagus.

"Riposte is trying to get revenge on Adrien Agreste! I hid him inside the sarcophagus, but now he's gone!!" Ladybug frantically explained to her partner, fearing for her love's life now that he wasn't where she left him.

"Maybe he was feeling a little... claws-trophobic?" Chat Noir supplied, earning a perturbed stare from a now speechless Ladybug before Riposte turned to face the heroes again.

"Let's look for him together, Ladybug- and finish this match!" Riposte declared before she cut apart the bars and freed herself, one of the bars nearly hitting Ladybug in the process. But after she dodged it, Ladybug had enough of Riposte's actions and finally made the call to summon her…

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug exclaimed, throwing her yo-yo into the air and allowing her powers to manifest… "A radiator?" the spotted heroine wondered aloud after the Lucky Charm fell into her hands, the weight of it nearly taking her with it to the floor.

"Great. That should really heat things up." Chat Noir quipped, trying to lighten the mood while Ladybug glared at him for the remark. But she didn't let that distract her for long as she looked back at Riposte, her vision focusing on the akuma's sword arm and kick starting her planning process.

"The akuma has to be in her sword!" Ladybug announced to her partner, determination filling her features.

"Then why don't we get to the point?" Chat Noir jovially replied, earning a small laugh from Ladybug before they and Riposte began attacking each other again.

When the two clashing parties met, Ladybug blocked Riposte's blade with the radiator when she tried to slash at the heroine, followed by Chat Noir jumping into the air and trying to attack the akuma from above. But Riposte blocked Chat Noir's kick and pushed him back, quickly going to stab at Ladybug with her bladed arm again before she used the radiator as protection yet again. This continued for the following blows Riposte tried to land on Ladybug before Riposte managed to kick the red hero back from her. Then, Chat Noir recovered from his earlier blow and tried hitting Riposte with his staff, only to be blocked by her sword arm and pushed back from her once again.

"Grrr, she's too quick!" Chat Noir growled in frustration when he landed in front of Ladybug, brandishing his staff for defense in case Riposte took to the offense after their attacks.

While Chat Noir was on sentry duty for the moment, Ladybug now had the chance to do what she did best and look for a solution to defeat Riposte. Looking around the room, her Lucky Charm visualization alights on Chat Noir's tail, Riposte's sword arm, and the radiator in her hands, giving all Ladybug needed to come up with their end game plan.

"I need your belt, Chat Noir!" Ladybug shouted to her partner, causing him to side-eye her in the understanding of her request.

"Get ready!" Chat Noir replied before he and Ladybug rushed Riposte again, starting to remove his belt as he ran.

As they did, Riposte tried to strike at them while they drew near, causing Chat Noir to jump and spin in the air to avoid being hit while Ladybug slid under the strike. During that point, Chat Noir removed his belt and Ladybug threw the radiator into the air above them, which led to them switching objects when Chat Noir tossed his belt to Ladybug after she avoided the hit. Once the belt was in Ladybug's grasp, Chat Noir caught the radiator and got ready to use it against their opponent.

"En garde!" the feline hero declared as he swung the radiator at Riposte, causing her to run her sword through it when she attacked him. While Riposte's sword arm was going through the Lucky Charm, Ladybug jumped out from behind him and hooked Chat Noir's belt around the guard of Riposte's sword.

"Prêt!" Ladybug exclaimed after she landed and crouched on the ground in front of Chat Noir, continuing the fencing greeting Chat Noir started now that Riposte was trapped.

"Allez!" Both heroes finished before they pulled back on Riposte's bladed arm and yanked the akuma's sword to the side, snapping it in two and knocking her back. After Riposte landed on the ground, her sword fell to the side and the akuma flew out, the insect fluttering out into the open once more.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma." Ladybug exclaimed as she ran her finger down the middle of her yo-yo to reveal the sparkling pool of cleansing energy inside of it. "Time to de-evilize!" the spotted heroine shouted before she threw her yo-yo toward the akuma, catching it within her yo-yo and pulling it back to her.

"Gotcha!" Ladybug cheered when the yo-yo was back in her hands. A second later, she released the purified akuma, setting the white butterfly free. "Bye, bye little butterfly," the heroine in red said as the butterfly flew away, right before throwing the radiator Lucky Charm up into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug cried out, summoning the cleansing cure and the magic ladybugs.

Immediately, the damage the fight had caused to the city and the Louvre was repaired, leaving no trace of the chaos that had happened. Even the severed top of the Louvre Pyramid and the demolished intersection where the fight started were restored to their former glory. The final act the Miraculous Cure did was turn the defeated Riposte back into the red-clad fencer, the evil aura fading away after the cure took effect.

"What happened?" The challenger wondered when she saw that she was not in her car anymore, followed by her seeing Ladybug and Chat Noir in front of her.

"Pound it!" Ladybug and Chat Noir cheered, doing their post-battle fist-bump ritual before Chat Noir's ring bleeped in its final warning.

"Gotta go. Have a vet's appointment to get to. Take care of the young lady, will you?" Chat Noir spewed out before he ran out of sight, leaving Ladybug to approach the challenger and kneel in front of her before she put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, everything's okay." Ladybug assured the challenger, drawing an awed stare from the red fencer as she faced Ladybug.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir hastily ducked out of sight from the girls and hid behind one of the cat statues flanking the exhibit entrance. Now that he was sort of alone, Chat Noir used the opportunity to whisper…

"Claws in." Chat Noir quietly proclaimed, turning back into Adrien and catching an exhausted Plagg in his hands.

"Ohhhh... All this sport has made me hungryyyyy." Plagg whined, wriggling around in Adrien's hand.

"Later. Shh!" Adrien ordered his kwami before putting him in his uniform pocket, glad that he had the foresight to not use his disguise rune to further hide his identity before he saw Ladybug and the challenger approach.

"You go on. I have to find someone." Ladybug told the challenger, leading her to the exit and not seeing Adrien hiding behind the statue.

"Thanks." the challenger replied before she left, now allowing Ladybug to start factually looking around the exhibit for Adrien.

"Where could he have gone?" Ladybug wondered to herself, prompting Adrien to finally step out from behind the cat statute and into sight.

"Ladybug?" Adrien called out, causing Ladybug to sigh in relief as she turned to the sound of his voice and saw him.

"There you are!" Ladybug breathed out, happy to see her crush safe and sound as she walked towards him.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I figured it would be better to escape before Riposte came along." Adrien explained as he walked up to Ladybug, meeting her halfway as he spoke. "Besides, I… hate to be locked up." the green-eyed boy meekly added, scratching the back of his head awkwardly before he looked at her sheepishly and Ladybug gasped at him in shock.

"I'm so sorry! You did the right thing." Ladybug frantically replied, shaking her head in shame for putting Adrien through that. But in Ladybug's mental bashing of herself, she failed to see Adrien move as if to say something, only to opt from saying it and decide on something else instead.

"S-so, uh... So Chat Noir finally turned up, huh?" Adrien awkwardly remarked, trying to avoid the potential identity reveal since what he wanted to say and do was something he was used to doing as Chat Noir. But despite the awkwardness, Ladybug perked up at the mention of her partner.

"Yes, thankfully! Between you and me, he's much better at fencing!" Ladybug happily admitted before she mimed a fencing technique, causing Adrien to chuckle at the complement of his alter ego.

"And... Riposte?" Adrien asked.

"The girl is safe." Ladybug assured him, followed by her earrings beeping their last warning. "Oh no! I'm about to change back!" the spotted heroine exclaimed in worry, only to glance between Adrien and the ground to her right as she gathered her wits when she realized she still had some time before her transformation ended.

"You should be the one to return that." Ladybug said to Adrien as she pointed to the challenger's saber resting on the ground a few feet away, prompting Adrien to walk up to the sword and pick it up. Once he did, the model turned to look back at Ladybug and saw her stop at the top of the exhibit's exit stairs to look back at him. "Bug out!" the red heroine farewelled with a smile and waves before departing.

As she did, Ladybug didn't have the chance to see Adrien smile after her, blowing her a kiss now that she had departed.

What else can he say? He's in love!

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With Ladybug gone and with the challenger's saber in hand, Adrien headed outside the Louvre while the Akuma announcement rang through the building. Once he passed through the museum, Adrien found himself exiting the Louvre and saw the red fencer standing outside the Pyramid.

"I'm at the Louvre. Come when you can." the challenger spoke into her phone, calling her chauffeur before she hung up and looked at the ground with a sigh. When he saw the red fencer putting her phone back into her pocket, Adrien took the opportunity presented to him and stepped towards her.

"Excuse me?" Adrien spoke up, causing the challenger to jump with a gasp before turning around to see Adrien walking up, holding her saber.

"Listen, I- " the red fencer began, only to find herself unable to say anything before they both stood in front of each other awkwardly.

"I'm sorry." Both fencers said, the challenger bowing respectfully as she spoke while Adrien held out the challenger's saber to her with both hands. Upon hearing the others saying the same thing as them, Adrien and the red fencer looked away from each other bashfully before Adrien decided to take the floor again.

"Perhaps you'll agree to take this back now?" Adrien asked the challenger as he held the saber closer to her, triggering the red fencer to reach for her saber. But she then turns away, clutching her hands to her chest.

"No, I lost. You keep it." the challenger replied, turning her gaze from Adrien in shame.

"We both did, and I think that if we didn't break the rules, you would have won." Adrien countered, hoping to convince the red-clad fencer to not be so stubborn in her 'I lost the fight' mindset.

"That's not what your friend saw." the challenger argued, turning to look back at Adrien as she spoke.

"Actually, after the match between us, she said that if the circumstances were different, then either of us could have won." Adrien replied, leaving the red fencer surprised by the news. "And while I don't mean to be judgy, she was eerily casual when talking about 'first blood drawn' or 'battle to the death' matches. It was… surprising to say the least." the model admitted, looking off to the side with a disturbed look on his face when thinking back on his last encounter with Marinette.

"Truly? I thought only my mother was so casual about such matters," the girl said, smirking slightly.

"Yes, well, while Marinette can get easily flustered and has her quirks, she's kind and mean well." Adrien continued, pushing down his earlier recollection in the hopes of explaining things to the challenger. "Today was her first-ever experience with proper fencing so she was a little nervous to make a good impression. But she'd never cheat, and is always looking to do the right thing." the green-eyed boy concluded, leaving the challenger to look at him in surprise for a moment before it shifted into a smile.

"You like her a lot, huh?" the challenger asked, finding Adrien's long-winded explanation endearing as well as slightly amusing.

"Marinette? Yeah, of course! She's a very good friend! And you'll really like her too, once you get to know her." Adrien said, looking off to his top right towards the beginning of his reply before looking back at the red fencer as he neared the end. But regardless of his dodgy eye contact, Adrien once again held out the fencer's saber to her. "But please, take it. It rightfully belongs to you." the blonde model urged, causing the red fencer to glance between Adrien and her saber for a moment before finally taking it back.

"Thank you. And I'll be happy to get to know your friend Marinette!" the challenger happily responded, the two of them bowing to each other before Adrien held out his hand to her.
"I'm not sure if you remember from earlier, but my name's Adrien. What's yours?" Adrien said, finally properly introducing himself to his previous opponent.

"Kagami." the red fencer; now revealed to be named Kagami, replied, taking Adrien's proffered hand and shaking it just as Kagami's car arrived. With the vehicle's arrival, Kagami let go of Adrien's hand and walked to her car, only to look back at Adrien after she opened the passenger door. "Get ready for that decisive match!" Kagami playfully called out to Adrien, a mischievous smile appearing on her lips.

"I can't wait, Kagami." Adrien replied, earning a nod from Kagami before she got in her car, which drove off a few seconds later while a smiling Adrien watched it go.

But unbeknownst to Adrien, Marinette had found a hiding place outside of the museum and turned back into her civilian self. However, she didn't expect to find herself able to hear Adrien and Kagami's conversation, despite her hiding place being near the entrance of the Louvre. Needless to say, when Marinette found out that Adrien was freaked out about her earlier remark and saw her as only 'a very good friend' she found herself sinking to the ground in distraught.

" 'Eerily casual about blood matches' and 'A very good friend', huh? Not exactly the impression I wanted Adrien to have of me." Marinette spoke aloud, hiding herself behind her knees while Tikki floated near her left shoulder.

"At least now you know how much Adrien values your friendship." Tikki pointed out, which only caused Marinette to slump in on herself even more.

"I know! Great, so he likes me. But I don't want him to merely like me!" Marinette exclaimed, looking at her kwami with a mopy frown. "I mean- I do, but, you know, I want him to LIIIIIIKE me!" the designer exclaimed, widening her arms to emphasize her words before hugging herself, unaware that Adrien's driver was pulling up and he left during her rambling.

"In that case, you might have to work on your fencing!" Tikki teasingly remarked after Marinette let her arms drop to her sides, causing her holder to laugh and point her finger at Tikki like a saber.

"On your guard, Tikki!" Marinette exclaimed, leading to her and Tikki pretending to fence with Marinette's finger and Tikki's whole arm while continuing their laughter. But just seconds after Marinette poked Tikki's stomach, her phone started ringing an alarm, causing her to check it to see what the notification was. "Oh shoot! I'm going to be late!" the pigtailed girl yelped when she saw it was the reminder of her training with Draal in 15 minutes, quickly standing up and running from the Louvre courtyard after Tikki flew back into her duffel bag. Once her kwami was tucked into her bag, Marinette raced back to her house in the hopes of not missing her training session, needing to blow off some steam.

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(Time Skip)

It took a little bit to get back home from the Louvre, but Marinette made it to her house with 5 minutes to spare. After sneaking into her room to drop off her things, she changed into a pink tank top, white sports bra, baggy dark gray linen track pants and pink trainers decorated with her signature cherry blossoms and white accents. Now in more appropriate attire, Marinette placed her rope dart into her duffle bag and snuck back out of her house, heading to the alleyway behind the bakery to open the one sewer hole in the vicinity. Thanks to her time as Ladybug and her previous training with Draal, it was easy for Marinette to lift the metal disc out of the way and start climbing down the ladder until she was far enough to cover the hole up again. With no one in sight to see her, Tikki flew out of Marinette's duffle and floated near Marinette as she reached the bottom of the ladder… which was actually quite a long way down.

Unknown to the people walking on the streets above, there was an abandoned vent shaft in front of Marinette's family bakery, which was like the one in front of Guard de Nord station. While it was sealed off decades ago before Marinette's family took residence there, when she and Draal were looking for a good spot to train they stumbled on it rather quickly… like it was meant to be. It was close to Marinette's house and school while also being close to Stone Arc's underground entrances so that Draal could get to the Gyre Station afterwards. Granted, they did need to take out the machines that were left over from the vent shafts' active glory days and open a passage to it from the sewers, but it left behind a large space for them to train in. The area itself was quite tall, which led to the sewers under Marinette's house running deeper to compensate for it, allowing the newly made passage to go to the bottom of the chamber.

In the end, they had a space out of the public eye and hidden enough to prevent someone from stumbling into it by accident. Regardless of how they ended up getting the space, she and Draal were using it to its fullest potential. They were even planning to add some mechanics like the Heroes Forge had so that they could really heat things up later on. But that was on the back burner as Marinette and Tikki went through the tunnel to the old vent shaft, soon coming out the other side and seeing Draal waiting for them.

"I was beginning to think you'd be late this time, Little Ladybug." Draal remarked as he watched Marinette enter, a small smirk present on his features.

"Sorry, I'm cutting it so close, Draal. Had a little situation happen at fencing tryouts." Marinette apologized as she walked to a pile of rubble and set her duffle bag next to it, that being their rest area for the moment until they continued with the renovations.

"That was today? How did it go, if you don't mind me asking?" Draal asked, recalling what Marinette had told him a few days ago about a chance to practice outside their sessions.

"It was good at first. I managed to show off the skills you've been teaching me lately." Marinette reported as she dug through her bag, pulling out a bag of cookies for Tikk to snack on while they trained. "But it didn't go very well… and I really want to blow off some steam right now." the red-tipped-haired girl added as she pulled her rope dart out of her bag, followed by her reaching behind the ruble to grab one of Draal's spears to toss to him.

"Very well. Now let's spare." Draal replied as he caught his spear, waiting until Marinette was in front of him before the both of them stood ready to start sparing.

After Marinette took the first move, their practice went on from there and grew more and more intense as time passed by. But due to her eagerness to blow off some steam, Marinette was more distracted than she usually would be and had quite a few near misses from Draal. Unfortunately for Marinette, however, Draal finally knocked her to the floor and held her at spearpoint after a while of her luck-infused evading.

"Ow, I think I landed on my tailbone!" Marinette yelped after she landed on the ground, her rope dart skittering out of her reach while she placed a hand on the sore spot on her back.

"Were this an actual battle, Little Ladybug, you would have been deprived of your left leg, right hand and your ears." Draal lectured Marinette, tapping the mentioned areas with his spear to add further emphasis before she pushed the bladed point away from her in frustration. "Clearly, you are more distracted than you say you are." the crystal-backed Troll observed as he let a pouting Marinette get up from the ground, his face contorting in concern as he watched her sit up.

"It's nothing, really." Marinette groaned in an attempt to avoid talking about it, earning an 'I don't believe you' look from Draal. Seeing her friend's skepticism, Marinette sighed in relent and hunched in on herself. "Things… got a little heated up when an unexpected arrival named Kagami came to the tryouts." the designer grudgingly admitted, straightening herself and sitting up to look up at Draal with a pout.

"Seeing as you said today was a chance to earn a spot on the team, I don't see why it was unexpected." Draal responded, curious as to why Marinette was so upset.

"It was unexpected because she showed up during the tryout and demanded to be let onto the team." Marinette explained, mopily placing her chin in her hands. "When D'Argencourt said no, she insisted and he decided to let her challenge the best of his class to earn her spot on the team." the pigtailed girl went on, now getting into the deeper issues of her sour mood.

"However, the best fencer on D'Argencourt's team is Adrien. So it led to them having quite the match against each other when Kagami suggested fighting without the scoring box, especially since they were so evenly matched." Marinette elaborated, Draal staring at her the whole time now that he was entrapped in the story. "Admittedly, Kagami's cutthroat attitude during the match was admirable, and I can see her doing well in a match to the death with how skilled she was. But it didn't go well and she ended up being akumatized… which is why I got here so late." the red-tipped-haired girl concluded, a nervous smile on her lips towards the end.

"Sounds to me you had quite the day." Draal noted, earning a small nod from Marinette in confirmation. "But it seems there is more to the story." the large blue Troll stated as he finally sat down, patting the ground next to him after he set his spear aside.

"Yeah, there is." Marinette softly admitted before she scooted over to Draal, Tikki flying to her side after finishing the cookies her holder brought for her.

"So what is the problem?" Draal asked, his curious eyebrow raised at her drawing a sigh from Marinette.

"The reason why Kagami got akumatized… is because when she and Adrien were going towards the end of their match, I ended up being the only witness to how it ended. And I ran my mouth in saying that neither of them won after the amount of rules they broke." Marinette explained, once again placing her head in her hands as she folded in on herself in shame. "Kagami didn't take it well and while she was offered a rematch, she didn't take it and got akumatized due to her anger at how she acted during the match. And on top of that, she targeted Adrien and demanded the decisive match while powered by the akuma!" the designer rambled on, which left Draal shocked by the news before composing himself to respond properly.

"Not very honorable from the sounds of it. But why are you so disturbed by it?" Draal questioned his pupil, unsure of why Marinette was truly so hung up on it… other than her crush being in danger, of course.

"I'm distracted because it was my ruling of the match that caused her to be akumatized! I can't stop thinking if I made the wrong call, or if I should have been more lenient in my judging!" Marinette exclaimed, throwing her arms out in front of her amid her frustration. "But then I remember that I'm used to fighting without traditional human rules ever since becoming Ladybug! So does that make me a hypocrite or was I subconsciously just trying to keep Kagami from getting on the team just so I had a chance to do so?" she ranted before bunching in on herself again, placing her chin on top of her knees with a frown.

"I'm just confused if what I did was the right thing if it ended up causing so much destruction and putting the love of my life in danger." Marinette confessed, followed by her burying her head behind her knees. Seeing his friend's distress, Draal placed a comforting hand on Marinette's shoulder, bringing her to look up at him again at the sudden physical contact.

"If you want my advice, I'd say you did the honorable thing to begin with." Draal spoke, earning a surprised stare from Marinette at his words. "Yes, it did cause a bit of a mess. But you remained true to your morals and thought you were doing the right thing." the crystal-backed Troll went on, trying to get Marinette to see that she didn't need to worry so much about the outcome.

"But what if I was being a hypocrite?" Marinette countered, still not convinced that Draal's words were true.

"When it comes to the life or death battles with akumas or Gumm-Gumms, you can't fight by the rules since you can't count on your opponent doing the same. But this wasn't life or death, it was a fencing match. A very different scenario seeing as it is simulated combat instead. So it makes sense safety-wise to further stick to your morals and the rules of engagement." Draal explained, having more experience with combat and the corresponding morals than Marinette did. Considering that his father was the previous Trollhunter and that Draal accepted Jim's challenge and respected the outcome, it made sense to Marinette that he would know about these things.

"Yeah, you have a point, Draal. Thanks for the advice." Marinette thanked him, grateful for his insight into the situation Marinette had gotten herself into. "But honestly, I think it was a good thing that I didn't get on the team. I'd probably be distracted by Adrien all the time." the red-tipped-haired girl announced as she let her legs drop to the ground, trying to see the silver lining in the outcome of the day's events.

"Probably for the best… you still have a way to go before you can wipe the floor with them when it comes to your swordplay." Draal teased, a chuckle slipping past his lips while Marinette sent an unamused glare at him.

"Ha ha, very funny." Marinette deadpanned, causing Tikki to giggle at the two's interactions. "Speaking of which, shall we continue? I've got a clearer mind now." the designer declared as she rose from the ground, letting Tikki fly back to her bag while her holder held out a hand to Draal.

"Thought you'd never ask." Draal happily replied as he took her hand, getting up from the ground before they grabbed their weapons. With their minds cleared and refreshed, Marinette and Draal continued sparring, the Ladybug Miraculous Holder more focused now that she talked about her lingering feelings about the day.

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After a while more of training, the hour grew late enough that Marinette had to get back home for dinner, leaving Draal to head back home to Arcadia. Making his way back to Stone Arc was easy thanks to Draal making an access tunnel to a salvage runner track to the city from the abandoned ventilation shaft, followed by a quick trip to the Gyre station. But after arriving back in Heartstone's gyre station… It was a different story compared to how he was treated in Stone Arc.

Now that he had left the station, Draal glumly sighed to himself before heading to the market to make his way through to the exit to the surface. As he did, Draal could hear no-so-quiet whispers about him from bystanders, dragging his previously good mood as he went on his way.

"Well, if it isn't the dishonored son of the former Trollhunter. How have you been, you worm?" a voice to Draal's right snidely remarked as he passed through the market, causing the blue Troll to look and find it was one out of a group of Trolls loitering by a stall who had spoken to him.

"None of your concern, if that's what you want to know." Draal replied to the group that addressed him in a short tone, turning away to walk away from them.

"How can we not help but wonder about you? First an arch enemy of the Trollhunter, then turned ally of both him and the current Ladybug Miraculous Holder, and now training both while Ladybug has helped you get back here." another Troll; Bagdwella, remarked, an intrigued smile present on her face as the group started following the retreating Draal.

"I got to say, this is quite the long game you played. Truly, I didn't think you had the brains for it considering you tend to think with your muscles." a third Troll; Krax, ridiculed Draal, his smug smile deepening when the subject of the group's scrutiny stopped in his tracks.

"There is no long game!" Draal snapped as he turned and growled at his unwanted tormentors, but was still holding back from attacking the Trolls while he took a breath to calm down. "I've just been given a second chance and I don't intend to waste it." the crystal-backed Troll admitted, his hands balling into fists before they relaxed, showing he was now calm despite the harsh words. But that didn't stop the trio of Troll's smiles from leaving their face at Draal's reaction.

"Well then, if that's the case… I'd be wary of that temper of yours. You never know when things can change at the drop of a hat." the first Troll mockingly advised Draal as the group turned to leave, only to stop and look over their shoulder at the son of the former Trollhunter. "Especially when it comes to how sensitive humans can be." the belittling Troll added with a mean laugh, prompting Bagdwella and Krax to do the same before finally leaving, Draal glaring at them as they did.

Thanks to the unexpected delay, it took a little while for Draal to arrive at the surface. But he made it back to Jim's house thanks to the tunnel he dug into the boy's basement, and settled in to fall into a fitful sleep. Just before he could, however, Jim came down to the basement to put some stuff his mom had found lying around in the corner of the basement. Needless to say, upon seeing Draal still in his basement, Jim was surprised to see him.

"Draal… I didn't think you'd still be here." Jim cautiously admitted as he walked towards the crystal-backed Troll, placing the box in his hands at the foot of the stairs.

"Why's that?" Draal asked as he lifted himself from the floor, arranging himself to sit up.

"Well, Mari told me that she helped you get back into Trollmarket… and I thought you would have gone to live down there again." Jim explained, rubbing the back of his neck out of nervousness. "So… why are you here if you don't mind me asking?" the Trollhunter questioned his friend, earning a sigh from Draal at the query.

"Admittedly, I was thinking about it." Draal began, meekly looking at the ground. "But despite your sister's efforts, I'm still not fully welcomed in Heartstone. Some of the other Trolls don't accept how I've been allowed back." the large blue Troll finally admitted.

"Is that the only reason?" Jim inquired, now standing in front of Draal as he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"…No. I… also feel… safe here, living in your basement. Despite everything that's happened between us… you, your sister and the others still befriended me, even when I didn't deserve it." Draal replied, looking up at Jim with a soft smile as he spoke.

"Well, you made it easy when you came to repent for your actions. But what sealed the deal is you opening up to us and showing us who you really are. That's what matters to us in the end." Jim stated, crouching on the floor to meet Draal's eye level and bringing a fond smile to his Troll friend's lips.

"Thank you… Jim. I needed to hear that." Draal said as his eyes grew a little misty before Jim hugged him, surprising Draal before he returned it a few seconds later, the two of them sharing a sweet moment.

Chapter Text

In the days following Riposte's akumatization and the later akumatization of Robostus on Wednesday, things were once again quiet in the city of Paris. Granted, Marinette and Adrien's days were filled with school assignments and training sessions, but it was a nice break after the killer akuma they recently faced. But unknown to either of the teens, the quiet would be broken up when a certain Changeling magic user and her Half-TrollDragon ward were doing an inventory check on their potion ingredients.

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Up in their highrise apartment near the Seine, Artemis and Rayla were currently in their home using their Friday afternoon to do inventory. It was actually one of their quiet days after Artemis needed to kill off the fifth… no… sixth Changeling spy that was sent after Marinette. But that one was even more satisfying to kill, seeing that they almost caught Adrien when he was in mid-transformation into his civilian form when she found them. Just like the ones before, the spy was easy to kill and dispose of, freeing up the caretaker and ward duo's weekend for their chores… specifically in their hidden library and ingredient storage.

Thanks to an expansion spell Artemis stumbled onto a few years back, she was able to keep the majority of her ancient tomes, spell and potion books, and more rare ingredients close at hand. All it took was a concealing spell to keep the newly created library hidden from the naked eye, only accessible by Artemis and Rayla themselves. The enchanted space sat between Artemis's bedroom and the second spare bedroom, the usually locked dark mahogany door hidden from sight. Behind the door, the library and ingredient storage room was easily bigger than the entire apartment combined, taking on a cave-dwelling appearance that resembled Artemis's stall in Stone Arc.

Only one-third of the room was taken up by ingredient storage, comprised of long rows of mahogany shelves and moving ladders attached to them. The rest of the space was the vast amount of books, tomes, texts and other artifacts Artemis collected over her years on the run. Every single one of the acquired items sat on beautifully intricate shelves carved out of the room's cave-like walls, with tall mahogany shelves in between them. The floor of the room was covered in long bright-colored carpets that stretched to the back of the room, giving the room a bit of color under the raw crystal chandeliers hung on the ceiling above.

There was also a study area in front of the library, filled with long desks of dark mahogany and cushioned chairs of the same wood. In the middle of this space sat a glowing white crystal, surrounded by stone masonry to provide another place to sit while being near another source of light. Flanking the space were cushioned seating areas carved into the cave-like walls, the assorted throw pillows adding another touch of comfort to the space since Rayla often occupied those spaces when reading. But at the moment, Artemis was up on a ladder connected to the numerous rows of ingredients, in her true form and comfy clothes sans the socks as she looked through the shelves in her monthly inventory.

"Any luck up there, Artemis?" Rayla called up to her caretaker, also in her true form and dressed in her comfy clothes as she stood at the base of the ladder while holding a list of depleted ingredients.

"No, unfortunately." Artemis replied as she took two vials of ingredients from a basket, only to find them empty of any content. "And you can put powdered Nadder spines and Speed Stinger venom on the list, too." the sorceress reported, leaning back from the shelves with a groan while Rayla did just that.

"Everything okay?" Rayla asked her caretaker, looking up from her writing and at the frustrated Artemis.

"Yes, everything is fine. Just… It looks like I might be completely out of ingredients." Artemis sighed as leaned back to the shelf and continued her search, finding herself running her hand on top of her hair in her exasperation. But after taking a moment, she looked back down at Rayla, a tired smile on her face. "Throw the list up here please?" the Changeling asked, causing Rayla to toss the clipboard and list to Artemis, who caught it with ease before looking over it to confirm her conclusion.

"Well, that settles it…" Artemis began before she slid down the ladder, landing right next to Rayla with a sigh. "I'll need to go on that supply run after all." the graying-haired woman declared, earning an eager look from her ward at her words.

"And mayhaps you'll let me come with you this time?" Rayla asked, an impish look appearing on her face as she clasped her hands and leaned toward Artemis in the hopes of her answer being 'yes'.

"Rayla… we've talked about this. While I've decided to let you come with me to certain places now, you know the rules about this particular location." Artemis reminded her ward, causing the Half-Troll's eager posture to drop like a rock.

"Yeah, yeah… 'not until my 14th birthday'. I know." Rayla replied, hunching over herself in disappointment. "But I know everything there is to know about that place! I'm dying to go there!" the white-haired girl whined, looking back up to her caretaker amidst her begging.

"Knowing everything about a place is different to applying that knowledge to your survival, Rayla." Artemis lectured the eight-year-old, placing a comforting hand on Rayla's shoulder as she knelt next to her. "And while your books depict its inhabitants as approachable, they can be a little hostile at times. So until you're older, you're not coming with me on my monthly supply runs." the sorceress concluded as she moved Rayla to stand in front of her, holding both of her shoulders as she looked at the girl with concern.

"… Fine. I'll wait." Rayla relented, looking off to the side with a frown.

"Look on the bright side…" Artemis said as she placed a hand under Rayla's chin, moving her ward's gaze back onto her. "You'll get to spend the weekend with Marinette." the Changeling announced, to which Rayla immediately perked up at the news as she looked at Artemis with wide eyes.

"Really!?" Rayla exclaimed with a smile, only for her face to suddenly fall into confusion. "Wait, I thought you said that you wanted to see how she'd do on a trial run first." the Half-Troll added, recalling what Artemis had told her after she picked her up after Chloé's party.

"I'm willing to make an exception for this." Artemis replied with a sly smirk, prompting Rayla to wrap her into a bear hug.

"Thank you!" Rayla squealed while a fond-smiling Artemis hugged her back, glad to see her so happy.

"You're welcome, Rayla." Artemis said before they pulled away from their hug, followed by her lifting a hand to ruffle Rayla's hair much to her ward's dismay. "Now, care to help me get ready to go so that I call Marinette to come over tomorrow to care for you this weekend?" the graying-haired woman questioned Rayla, watching as the eight-year-old fixed her hair from the ruffling. Once that was done, Rayla immediately nodded 'yes' in reply to her caretaker's idea.

"Sounds good to me!!" Rayla cheered before she grabbed Artemis's arm and dragged her out of the library, the Changeling chuckling at her excitement as she followed behind and closed the library door as they left.

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It took a while, but Artemis and Rayla got everything ready for the magic wielder's supply run, packing an enchanted satchel with all she needed. But now came to the part where Artemis would contact the one person taking care of her most precious possession, her ward. This is how Marinette found herself being pulled out of her before-dinner design frenzy by the sound of her phone vibrating, interrupting her work and nearly causing her to mess up on the stitching. With practiced ease, Marinette placed her current project; Toby's Geode Hat, off to the side of her desk and picked up her phone to answer it.

"Hello, Marinette Dupain-Cheng speaking." Marinette absentmindedly greeted the caller, not seeing who it was before picking up the call and raising it to her ear.

"Hello there, Marinette. I don't know if you remember me, but this is Artemis Queen." the caller; now revealed as Artemis, replied, bringing Marinette out of her absentmindedness and becoming fully alert to who she was speaking to.

"Chloé's aunt from her 'I'm sorry' party? Yeah, I remember you." Marinette recalled, now eager to talk to the intriguing woman on the other end of the call.

"Good to hear!" Artemis exclaimed, her voice carrying a note of relief. "How've you been by the way? Is your day going well?" the older woman asked, sparking a bit of small talk before getting to the main reason for her call.

"It's going well, thank you for asking. How about yours?" Marinette questioned, returning the banter.

"Same here, thank you for asking. But since you've asked, it's part of why I'm calling you." Artemis admitted, hoping to get down to business now that pleasantries were taken care of. "Remember how you offered to babysit my ward at Chloé's party?" the Changeling-in-disguise inquired, earning a smile from Marinette at the reminder.

"Of course!" Marinette cheered.

"Well, something has come up and I need to go out of town for the weekend. I know it's a little last-minute, but I'm taking you up on the offer." Artemis revealed, leaving Marinette shocked by the news.

"Oh… so soon? I would have thought you'd want to do a practice run before a full weekend. No offense, but after you told me that your ward is a little… wild… I thought that you'd want to see how things would go." Marinette remarked, a little surprised that Artemis was going head first into babysitting her ward.

"Usually, that would be the case. But even if we've only met once, I feel like you are a very trustworthy person. And my judgment of someone's character is always spot on." Artemis stated, once again causing Marinette to smile at her words.

"That's good to hear." Marinette replied, glad to hear that she trusted her already.

"Thank you. So, are you free this weekend to watch over Rayla?" Artemis asked, her hopes of such a thing happening bleeding into her voice.

"Absolutely! I'd love to look after your ward!" Marinette exclaimed, catching Tikki's attention from her nap in her little doll bed on Marinette's headboard shelf.

"Wonderful! I'll text you the address for my apartment and I'll expect you here at 7:30 am tomorrow." Artemis replied, giving Marinette the details of how and when to meet her before she left for her trip.

"I'll be there! See you then, Ms Queen." Marinette happily responded, rising from her chair amidst her eager reply to Artemis's request.

"See you tomorrow, then. And thank you again!" Artemis farewelled before she hung up, cutting the call off and letting Marinette place her phone on her desk with a sigh before Tikki flew over to her.

"Sounds like your weekend is going to be entertaining." Tikki remarked as she floated next to her wielder, intrigued by the new child Marinette was going to be looking after.

"Yeah… entertaining." Marinette trailed off, looking to the side as she thought about her new job.

"Is everything okay?" Tikki asked, her earlier excitement for Marinette turning into concern with the reaction she received.

"Everything's fine Tikki. I just…" Marinette began, only to come short of the right words to describe her currently warring emotions. "After Ms Queen told me how smart her ward, Rayla, is… I've kind of been suspecting that she's Changeling. Especially after Jim's first encounter with NotEnrique." the designer finally admitted, managing to figure out how to put her thoughts into words.

"Oh… When you put it like that, it makes sense why you'd be nervous about this." Tikki noted, now understanding her holder's dilemma. "But then, why did you say 'yes' to begin with?" the red kwami asked Marinette, confused as to what Marinette had to gain from this if she put her suspicions on the back burner.

"I said 'yes' because it's the perfect opportunity to see if she is." Marinette explained as she walked to the end of her desk and reached for her bag, pulling out the Gaggltack she got from Styx. "It's a good thing I got this from Styx when I did, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do so." the pigtailed girl stated as she turned the horseshoe around in her grip, inspecting the artifact with a critical eye.

"And what if she isn't a Changeling? What then?" Tikki questioned, wondering what Marinette had planned if her suspicions were proven incorrect.

"Then at least I don't have to worry about one being so close." Marinette replied before her phone buzzed, prompting her to pick it up and saw that Artemis had texted her the address. "One way or another, we'll find out the truth tomorrow." the red-tipped-haired girl declared, now glad to have the chance to settle the dreaded possibility that had been plaguing her for the past few weeks for good.

"Marinette! Dinner's ready!" Sabine called from downstairs, catching Marinette and Tikki's attention from their conversation.

"Coming Mom!" Marinette hollered back, quickly putting the Gaggletack and her phone onto her desk before she headed to her trapdoor to go downstairs for dinner. As she did, Tikki went back up to her pillow to take a nap, eager to pass the time before her holder came back and laid out her game plan for the coming day.

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(Time skip)

Well after dinner at the Dupain-Cheng household and Marinette's daily video call to Jim, Friday night soon turned into Saturday morning. And in true Marinette fashion, she ended up sleeping in till 8:00, leading to her racing around to get dressed for the day and run to Artemis's apartment after plugging in her address into her map app. By the time she arrived at the apartment's door, out of breath and leaning against the doorframe in exhaustion, it was already 8:30. Seeing that she was an hour late, Marinette's head hung low as she cleaned herself up and knocked on the door, alerting those inside that she had arrived. No sooner than she did, the door opened up to reveal a smiling Artemis.

"Ah, right on time!" Artemis greeted after she opened the door, leaving Marinette to gawk at the older woman as she backed away from the door to let her in.

"Wait, I thought you said to be here at 7:30. I'm an hour late!" Marinette exclaimed as she walked into the apartment, observing Artemis's current attire out of habit from her design work. Said attire that Artemis was wearing was a simple sea-green dress shirt with the sleeves rolled to her elbows and tucked into black pants, with black boots and a gold buckled black belt.

"I might have overheard some of your classmates mention you have a habit of being late. So I made accommodations for it." Artemis replied as Marinette stopped just at the edge of the living room and turned to face her as she closed the door, amused by her reaction.

"Oh… well, thank you for being so understanding." Marinette replied in her miffed state, surprised that Artemis was being so calm about her habit of being late.

"It's no problem. Besides, you are doing me a huge favor so it's the least I could do." Artemis said as she waved off Marinette's concern with her hand, leaving Marinette to smile at her.

"My pleasure." Marinette cheerfully stated, happy that she didn't make a bad impression already. "So… how long are you going to be gone, if I may ask?" the designer questioned as she saw Artemis walking to the living room and pulling a small suitcase from behind the couch.

"I'll only be gone for the weekend, but I'll be back late Sunday night." Artemis explained, kneeling next to her bag to make sure she had all that she needed for the trip.

"Got it." Marinette responded with a nod, only to bashfully look off to the side out of reluctance to continue her questioning for a few seconds. "Are there any rules or guidelines I need to know?" the pigtailed girl continued, now finding her voice to learn all she needed to take care of her future charge.

"A few, yes." Artemis replied, gesturing to the couch as she rose to her feet. "Have a seat, this might take a few minutes." the Changeling said as they both went to sit on the couch, followed by Artemis pulling out a layout of the apartment and what looks to be the roof of the building from the table.

"As I've already told you before, Rayla has a habit of sneaking out when she's bored. But while I believe she won't be so inclined to do so this time, you should know her usual escape routes." Artemis began, now turning her focus onto her layout plan and causing Marinette to do the same. "The one she uses the most is the front door at the time when her sitters have gone home after the first day." the graying-haired woman explained as she pointed to the corresponding spots, Marinette nodding as she took in the information.

"But since our apartment is on the top floor, she is just as partial to the rooftop access hatch at the end of the upstairs hallway. From there, Rayla goes down the fire escape to the ground level. If she does sneak out that way while you're still here, you have about 6-7 minutes to get to the bottom before her, via elevator." Artemis went on, leaving Marinette surprised by the news while neither of them heard the sound of tiny footsteps coming towards them.

"Rayla's that quick?" Marinette squawked, in awe and concerned by the time estimation before a pair of amber eyes peeked out from behind the couch.

"You know it!!!" A voice behind Marinette speaks up, causing her to jump and land on the floor before she saw Rayla poking her head from behind the couch. "Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you." Rayla cried as she came out of her hiding place, worried that her little prank had caused Marinette to get hurt.

"I'm fine. You just surprised me." Marinette said as got up from the floor, Rayla coming around the couch and sitting on Artemis's right. "So you must be Rayla." the red-tipped-haired girl remarked as she sat back onto the couch, dusting herself off with a small smile.

"That's me! It's nice to meet you, Marinette!" Rayla happily cheered as she held out her hand to her new babysitter, trying to not make any more of a bad first impression.

"You too, Rayla." Marinette responded, taking the eight-year-old's hand and shaking it. "So your caretaker here says you're quite the troublemaker. Should I be worried?" the designer teasingly asked.

"You'll be fine, don't worry." Artemis assured, prompting Marinette to nod in reply before she continued. "As I was saying, the upper spare room is off-limits. That's where my office is and I'd rather not have anyone going in there while I'm gone." the greying-brown-haired woman began, pointing to the corresponding spots on the floor map.

"Understood. Anything else?" Marinette asked as she looked up from the paper, wanting to know everything.

"Up on the roof, there is our building's community garden. So if Rayla does want to go up there, be careful of the other resident's crops. But she normally likes to do that on our balcony/patio area over there." Artemis continued, now pointing to the balcony behind her as she spoke. "If you do decide to spend time out of the house, I ask that you refrain from going to sketchy places. It's not that I think you would, I usually say that to every babysitter I leave with my ward." the Changeling lectured, once again causing Marinette to nod in understanding.

"In terms of schedule, we like to play things by ear. But lunchtime is at noon, dinner is at 6:30, and breakfast tomorrow is at 8:00." Artemis went on, now getting into the more personal things of Marinette's duties. "Meal-wise, Rayla is a picky eater and usually has cereal for breakfast when I'm out of town. For lunch and dinner, there is a folder of recipes and the ingredients to make them in the kitchen." the older woman outlined, gesturing to the kitchen behind Marinette and causing her to turn to see where she was pointing.

"In the kitchen. Got it!" Marinette replied, turning her attention back to Artemis and Rayla.

"After that, Rayla tends to go to bed at 8:00. And while she doesn't admit it, Rayla likes to hear a story before falling asleep. Her preference is nothing cliche, only stories of real-life instances that have happened to you." Artemis concluded with a smirk, giving Rayla a teasing side-eye while she looked off to the side to avoid anyone seeing her reddening cheeks.

"I can do that." Marinette assured her, leaning to see past Artemis's side and look at Rayla with a soft smile, the eight-year-old seeing the gesture and returning it in kind. "Is there anything else I need to know?" the designer questioned, straightening herself and focusing on Artemis again.

"One last thing, yes." Artemis said as she pulled out a paper with a key attached to it from her black purse, handing it to Marinette. "Here is the emergency contact if things get out of hand, my number on speed dial, and Rayla's number if she does sneak off. And here is the key to the apartment for tomorrow." the Changeling stated, listing off the contents of the list while Marinette read it over and detached the key from the paper.

"Got it. Is that everything I need to know?" Marinette inquired as she put the paper and key into her purse, hoping to keep them safe until they were needed.

"The most important things, yes." Artemis confirmed before an alarm from her phone went off, causing her to check it to see what the noise was about. "And I need to get going before I'm late for my flight." the Changeling nearly yelped when she saw that it was her departure alarm going off, Rayla winking at her before she sneakily returned it in kind. With the little message sent between them, Artemis stood up from the couch and closed her purse, Marinette and Rayla following suit before they walked to the front door. But when Artemis reached the door, she turned around and Rayla came running over to hug her goodbye.

"See you soon, Artemis." Rayla farewelled, hugging her caretaker tight while Artemis knelt to wrap her arms around her too.

"You too, Rayla. And remember from this point on, Marinette is in charge." Artemis reminded her ward before pulling back from the hug. "So no tricks, no lies, no trouble, and please no sneaking out, okay?" she lectured Rayla, earning an eye roll from the half-Troll in mock annoyance.

"I promise." Rayla replied, holding her hand over her heart and raising the other into the air as she made her swear.

"That's my little spitfire." Artemis praised with a smile before they hugged again, only for the older woman to pull back and stand up to leave, followed by her placing a kiss on the top of Rayla's head. "Alright, I'm off. You are officially in charge for the weekend, Marinette." she declared, turning her attention to the 14-year-old one last time before she left.

"Understood. And don't worry, I'll make sure no disasters happen." Marinette promised, walking up to the pair to place a hand on Rayla's shoulder as a means to reassure Artemis was making the right call.

"I have every confidence you will." Artemis announced as she opened the front door, taking a back step to exit the apartment. "See you Sunday night." she farewelled, closing the door behind her after she left the apartment.

Once the door was closed, Artemis quickly used her magic to transform her suitcase and purse, turning them back into her mission satchel before walking away to the elevator. Upon Artemis's arrival at the elevator, she pushed the down button and caused the doors to open before she stepped into the carriage, turning to face the open doorway and gaze at her front door out of slight hesitation. But she pushed those thoughts down and pressed the close door button, knowing her ward was in safe hands.

"Good luck, Ladybug." Artemis whispered as the elevator doors closed, her worries easing a bit more the closer she got to the bottom floor.

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Seconds after Artemis closed the apartment door, Rayla and Marinette awkwardly turned to face each other, unsure of how to proceed now that Artemis was gone. Marinette was especially hesitant to interact with Rayla due to her suspicions of the eight-year-old being a Changeling. But she was looking after her for the weekend, so she needed to make an effort… whether she was Changeling or not.

"So… How has your day been so far?" Marinette asked, hoping to make conversation and break the ice a little bit.

"Well, pretty good, thanks for asking. Even though I wanted to go with Artemis this time." Rayla replied, her posture adopting a more annoyed demeanour as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked off to her left with a pout.

"How come you wanted to go with her?" Marinette questioned, intrigued by the new tidbit as she looked down at the eight-year-old in front of her.

"Oh, I usually want to go with her on her trips. It's half the reason why I sneak out from home." Rayla explained as she reverted her gaze up to Marinette, her arms dropping back to her sides. "But she's going on her monthly trip, and it's to a place I've always been fascinated about." the half-Troll huffed, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Really?" Marinette wondered.

"Yep. And between you and me, that's the most interesting place she's travelled to." Rayla replied, leaving Marinette intrigued by the comment.

"Just how many places has she been to?" Marinette asked, curious about someone who seemed to share her grandmother's interest in world travel.

"Tons! I've actually got an album in my room to document where she's gone." Rayla recalled before she grabbed Marinette's hand. "Come on! I'll show you!" the eight-year-old exclaimed before she took her new babysitter to her room, only letting Marinette's hand go long enough to head over to her bookshelf and search for her album.

"Your room is so cool, Rayla. It reminds me of my friend Adrien's room, but… cosy and warm." Marinette remarked as she looked around, walking into the middle of the room and spinning to take it in while Rayla searched for her book.

"Thanks!" Rayla squealed, turning her attention away from her search and onto Marinette for the moment it took to reply. "And that album should be here somewhere. I just need to remember where I put it last." the Half-Troll reported as she turned back to her shelf, resuming her searching and using her loft staircase to try and reach for the higher shelves in case she put it up there and forgot she had.

"Take your time, we have all day." Marinette assured her charge, quickly pulling out her Gaggletack from out of her jacket when she was sure Rayla wasn't looking. 'Time to see if I'm right.' the pigtailed girl internally declared before she started walking towards Rayla, holding the horseshoe out at her as she drew nearer. But as soon as she was close enough to her target, Rayla finally found the book she was looking for.

"Here it is!" Rayla announced before she pulled out the book from the shelf above her, only to accidentally hit Marinette in the face when the weight of the book nearly dragged her to the ground. Upon impact, Marinette was sent to the floor with a groan, the Gaggletack skidding across the floor to the windows while Rayla managed to catch herself and the book, only to see Marinette's condition.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!! Are you alright?!" the white-haired girl worriedly rambled as she dropped the book and raced down the staircase to help Marinette sit up.

"I'm okay, don't worry. I've had worse hits." Marinette replied, hoping to assure Rayla that she knew it was an accident. But a wipe of her face with the back of her hand had found that her nose was now bleeding, concerning both girls. "Okay, now that might be a small problem." the red-tipped-haired girl observed in an unsettled tone, leaving Rayla panicked when she saw the blood.

"Oh god! I am SO SORRY!! I'll go get the first-aid kit!" Rayla cried before running off to the bathroom, hoping to help fix the mess she caused.

"You don't need to… and she's gone." Marinette trailed off, pinching her nose to stop the blood flow while Tikki flew out of her purse to hover over her.

"Are you okay, Marinette!" Tikki asked, concerned for her holder.

"I'm fine, Tikki. It's just a nosebleed. It could have been avoided if I was more patient." Marinette said as she tilted her head back, trying to avoid blood dropping onto her clothes while taking note of what she could have done better.

"Still, getting hurt shouldn't have happened." Tikki countered seconds before they heard footsteps coming towards the room.

"We'll talk about this later. Hide Tikki!" Marinette yelped in a horse whisper, prompting Tikki to hide back in her purse just as Rayla came back into the room, a red first-aid kit in hand. "Rayla, I'm okay. I just need to clean up the blood and-" the designer began, hoping to ease some of Rayla's guilt.

"No! It's my fault you're hurt and I need to help!" Rayla interrupted as she knelt next to her, placing the kit onto the ground and opening it to pull out a box of NasalCease bandaids. Following the instructions, Rayla prepped the dressings for Marinette to stick up her nose to stop the bleeding, having some experience with using them from her own previous nose bleeds. "There! Now keep those in for thirty minutes and the blood should stop." the eight-year-old instructed Marinette, handing them to her babysitter.

"Got it. Thank you, Rayla." Marinette replied before she did as she was told, Rayla smiling before she started putting the first-aid kit away. "You're surprisingly really good at first aid." the pigtailed girl observed, watching Rayla work once her bandages were set properly.

"Thanks. Artemis owns and operates a dojo and taught me how to care for injuries in case of emergencies. Plus it helped that I begged her to learn when she came home with a really bad cut from a weapons training accident." Rayla explained, closing the first-aid kit and putting it onto her bookshelf to put away later.

"You know… the more I learn about Artemis, the more she is a mystery to me." Marinette noted, looking at the ground as she tried to process all she'd learned about Rayla's caretaker.

"Yeah, she has that effect on people. But once she lets you get to know her, she's a total softy." Rayla said, smiling when remembering how Artemis's first impressions usually went.

"I'll take your word for it." Marinette replied as he rose to her feet, just seconds before Rayla saw the Gaggletack on the other side of the room.

"Oh, did you drop this?" Rayla asked as she walked over and picked up the Gaggletack, only for nothing to happen when she touched it, leaving Marinette both surprised and relieved.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry about that." Marinette apologized as she took the horseshoe from her, hiding it away in her jacket again. "But how about we put this little accident behind us and have a look through that album you mentioned?" the red-tipped-haired girl inquired, causing Rayla to perk up and rapidly nod 'Yes'.

"Absolutely!" Rayla happily responded before she grabbed the album from the floor, followed by her dragging Marinette to sit next to her on her bed.

Soon enough, Rayla started to flip through the album Artemis used to document her travels, showing pictures she took of the places she visited. However, when they were towards the end of the book, there were pictures with Rayla in them too, some of which had both of them shown together.

"Looks like you've been going with her on some of her trips." Marinette pointed out as she looked at a picture of Artemis and Rayla at the pyramids, happy to see a change in the pattern.

"That's only been recent. But yeah, I've gone with her on some of her trips and it's been a nice change from staying home all the time when Artemis needs to travel." Rayla stated as she continued flipping through, landing on the last photo of the album that depicted the eight-year-old mimicking the 'Christ The Redeemer' statue in Brazil.

"That's… really cool." Marinette replied, a little concerned as to why Artemis had only now started taking Rayla along with her on her seemingly frequent business trips. "You know, I think she would get along with my grandmother, Gina. She's a world traveler too." the designer remarked, trying to distract herself from those thoughts before they led to her running her mouth off.

"Wait, really?! Awesome!! How many places has she been to?" Rayla rapidly asked, gently taking the album to place it on her right so that she could turn her body to fully face Marinette and listen to her with rapt attention.

"Probably not as many as Artemis, but quite a few." Marinette replied with a smile, amused by Rayla's curious nature. "And she sends me and my brother all sorts of cool trinkets from the places she visits when she can." the pigtailed girl added, earning an intrigued stare from Rayla at her words.

"Is that where you got that horseshoe from, if you don't mind me asking?" Rayla questioned, which had Marinette immediately sidelined by the question and quickly went quiet.

"Uh… no. It's not." Marinette stammered, not sure of how to play off her earlier suspensions. "It was for… a… failed design concept I had." the red-tipped-haired girl finally answered, hoping that it would be enough to satiate Rayla's curiosity.

"A failed design concept? Are you a designer?" Rayla inquired, which relieved Marinette that she seemed to have believed her response.

"Yeah, I am." Marinette replied, a smile on her face as she spoke.

"No way! THAT'S SO COOL!!!" Rayla squealed, her hands clenching in her excitement as she held them close to her chest. "Do you have any designs I could see?" the white-haired girl excitedly questioned Marinette, a wide smile appearing on her face.

"I actually do! My sketchbook is in my bag in the living room." Marinette replied in equal excitement, leading to the two of them heading out of Rayla's room and back to the living room so that Marinette could get her bag. Once Marinette had her bag in hand, the two girls sat on the living room's loveseat couch so that she could pull out her book to show her designs to Rayla.

"Whoa!! These are so cool!" Rayla gushed as she watched Marinette flip through the pages, her eyes lighting up at the designs within. "OH! Is that dress inspired by a geode cavern?!" the Half-Troll asked as she pointed to one of Marinette's Stone Arc and Heartstone-inspired designs.

"Yeah… you could say that." Marinette confirmed, trying to keep the true origins of the design inspiration a secret despite her amusement at Rayla's reaction. "You seem to have a lot of knowledge of nature. Not many kids your age have that much interest in the earth." the designer noted, impressed by Rayla's delight in the subject.

"Thank you! I've always loved the beauty of nature, so seeing someone else be inspired by it is always cool to see." Rayla explained, a fond smile on her face before it was filled with sudden realization. "Oh, wait!" the eight-year-old exclaimed, only to run off to her room a second later and quickly came back with a book in her hands before sitting down next to Marinette again.

"I'm a little bit of an artist myself." Rayla admitted as she opened the book she grabbed, showing it off as her sketchbook to Marinette and leaving her speechless. "What do you think? It's not much, but based on what my last babysitter said, I'm a good artist for my age." The white-haired girl rambled as Marinette looked through the pages, bashfully looking away from her babysitter in an attempt to avoid any negative critique.

"They were right. Your work is amazing!" Marinette exclaimed, amazed by the artwork Rayla was showing her. "May I?" the pigtailed girl asked as she gestured to the book, to which Rayla nodded and handed the book to her.

"Not even my friend Nathaniel is this good! Your detailing is so intricate." Marinette complimented as she flipped through the book and suddenly landed on Rayla's recent portrait of Artemis in her training gear, now in the last stages of completion. "Whoa… This looks so life-like!" the red-tipped-haired girl gushed, raising the book to her eyes to get a closer look at the piece-in-progress.

"Oh! That one's not finished yet. It's a dabble in watercolors that I've been working on." Rayla shyly admitted, rubbing the back of her head amid her nervousness,

"This is watercolors? You are really good at this! It's so detailed and beautiful that I thought it was normal paint!" Marinette squealed, still looking through the book while Rayla started looking through her sketchbook in return.

"So, if this was a dabble in watercolors… what does your normal paintwork look like?" Marinette asked, looking up from Rayla's book and prompting the younger girl to do the same with hers.

"I got one in here that I used my go-to paints for." Rayla replied as she reached over to flip through the pages. "Any other time I use normal paints, I use them on canvas. But this painting was small enough to fit into my book." the Half-Troll explained, soon landing on a painted picture of a dragon.

At first glance, the dragon was of eastern origin and lacked any wings while its body was a beautiful red-orange color, its eyes a piercing glowing gold. It had whisker tendrils coming out from above its lip and dark red horns sitting on its head, a beautiful white pearl resting in the black claws of its right upper paw. The base color of its body scales was metallic red-orange, but they had a beautiful gradient to metallic gold with the gradient being swapped with black in some scattered places. To finish the look, dark gray fur went along its back to its tail, around its neck and on the back of its four elbows, adding to the majesty of the beast.

"Whoa! This is amazing!" Marinette breathed in amazement, lifting her hand to gently run her fingers along the painting.

"Thank you! It's my second favorite to date." Rayla responded, happy that her work was being enjoyed by her babysitter.

"I can see why! It looks so real!" Marinette gushed. "You have so much talent, Rayla! I know you'll make it far in the art world if you choose to." the designer stated, leaving Rayla in awe of her supportive words.

"Thank you, Marinette!" Rayla squealed. "Um, could I see your favorite designs?" the eight-year-old asked, bashfully twiddling her fingers as she waited for a response.

"It would be my pleasure!" Marinette happily answered, followed by her flipping through her book to show Rayla her favorite design. From there, they found themselves going into a spiral of sharing their creative work.

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After finding common ground with each other, Rayla and Marinette found themselves enjoying their time together immensely. Most of their time before lunch was spent sharing how they first started practicing their artistic talents, which left Marinette surprised when she was told where and whom Rayla first learned from. When going into sharing more of the creative hobbies they did, it led to both Marinette and Rayla introducing new mediums to each other. Such an exchange was Marinette teaching Rayla how to knit, while Rayla taught her how to weave metal rods and glass into jewelry, their crafting filling the main area of the apartment with their creations.

When lunch passed, Marinette asked Rayla if she wanted to try teaching her how to paint like her, to which the half-Troll immediately said yes and raced to her room to bring out her art supplies. The remaining time before dinner was spent with Rayla and Marinette finding themselves painting the Paris skyline from the apartment balcony. It wasn't until it was 5:00 that they needed to take a break so that Marinette could get dinner started, which would give their paintings time to dry for the next layer of paint. After taking a picture of their subject for later reference use, Marinette and Rayla headed to the kitchen.

At first, Rayla was content to watch as Marinette worked. But she was surprised when her babysitter asked if she wanted to help her. Rayla immediately said yes and raced to Marinette's side, becoming her sous-chef as they made dinner together. With two people on the task, the meal of a ratatouille stew was made a good 5 minutes before 6:30, giving Marinette and Rayla time to set the table before serving. After the two girls sat down to eat, the whole pot was empty in no time at all with how well the recipe turned out. But that still left clean-up for them to do now that their meal was done.

"That was delicious! I hadn't had ratatouille in a long time, but Artemis has a really good recipe." Marinette announced as she put away the plates, Rayla putting the cooking pot away in the lower cabinets in the meantime.

"I'll let her know that you liked it. Maybe she'll let you borrow it." Rayla said with a smile as she closed the cabinet door, followed by her rising to her full height.

"Thank you, but I think I'll be okay." Marinette assured Rayla as she finished putting the dishes away, now turning to face her charge with her chore completed. "But I am interested to see how dry our paintings are." the pigtailed girl admitted, a smile appearing on her lips at the thought.

"Let's go and see!!" Rayla squealed, running over to grab Marinette's hand and pulling her back out to the balcony. Once past the doorway out, the two of them went to the balcony railing and reached their paintings, the canvases drying in the dusk wind. "Looks like the first layer is almost done drying!" the eight-year-old cheered, jumping up and down in her excitement.

"I'm still in awe of how you make your own paints. While I know it's possible to do so, I've never seen the process in person." Marinette remarked as she looked over at the paints Rayla had in her supplies, all of them in frosted bell jars before looking back at the paintings. "Their color is still so vibrant even as it dries! It's incredible!" the red-tipped-haired girl gushes as she walked over to the art supplies and picked up the jar of red paint, lifting it to her eyes to better look at it.

"Thank you! I did try using the paint you find in stores, but it just didn't feel right using those. Too unoriginal, if you know what I mean?" Rayla asked, gathering her supplies to put them back into the wagon she brought them out in.

"Totally get it. I know if I could make my own fabrics, I'd only use those in my designs." Marinette admitted, knowing exactly how Rayla felt in terms of creative freedom. "Though I have to ask, where do you get the materials to make your paints?" the designer queried, her curiosity on the subject growing as she helped put the supplies away.

"After I started showing off my artistic talents and Artemis helped me develop them, she started bringing back things from her monthly trip that I could use to make paints when normal paints wouldn't cut it. She was even the one to teach me how to make them into paint." Rayla explained, grabbing the last of her brushes and putting them into their designated area of the wagon's basket before turning to face Marinette again. "I know Artemis may be peculiar to most, but she's always been supportive of my passions and cares about those around her more than herself." the white-haired girl added, revealing the hidden soft side she knew her caretaker tends to keep to herself most of the time.

"It clearly shows. Even if she seems a little overprotective of you, it obviously comes from a place of love." Marinette noted as she placed another jar into the wagon, knowing that Artemis's actions spoke volumes about how true Rayla's words were.

"Yeah, I know. But that doesn't mean it doesn't get boring." Rayla admitted with a sigh, watching as Marinette picked up the last jar of paint. "Especially when she goes on business trips and sticks me with babysitters who bore me to death." the Half-Troll added, a pout replacing her earlier smile as she crossed her arms over her chest in her annoyance at the subject.

"You're the first babysitter I've had that's been interested in what I would like to do. All the others either only pretended to be interested or only had little experience with my hobbies." Rayla admitted, not shy to say that she didn't like her past babysitters. "Not to mention you let me help you in the kitchen! Before you, Artemis was the only one that let me do that!" the eight-year-old gushed, her arms dropping to her sides again as her smile returned while Marinette finished loading the wagon.

"Well, they probably didn't want you to get hurt. The kitchen can be a dangerous spot if you're not careful." Marinette theorized, hoping to cushion some of Rayla's ire to her previous babysitters. "But I started learning how to cook when I was a little younger than you, so I'm more lenient about it." the pigtailed girl admitted as she picked up the wagon handle, getting ready to pull the cart back into the apartment.

"Look, all I'm trying to say is that you're the best babysitter I've had to date! I've never really connected with the otherones like I did with you." Rayla admitted, the two of them walking alongside each other to go back into the apartment while Marinette pulled the wagon behind them.

"And I can say for certainty that you're the most interesting kid I've babysat for. I hope that your caretaker keeps me on so that we can keep having fun together." Marinette replied as they passed through the balcony doorway, making their way through the back of the living room towards the bedrooms.

"I'm sure we will. That way we can keep doing things like this." Rayla said, already imagining how great it would be for that to happen. "Speaking of doing cool stuff… are you still doing that 'Geode Hat' design you showed me?" the white-haired girl asked, the two of them arriving at her bedroom door.

"Yeah, I am. Though I need to make a fake geode crystal for the decorative piece on the side." Marinette admitted as they entered Rayla's room, the two of them walking towards the younger girl's closet. "I'm planning on going to this geode store I found to get the right crystals I need to make a mold of them to make from resin. But I don't know when a good time would be." the red-tipped-haired girl mused aloud, her mind trying to think of some way to eventually go to the shop.

"Why not tomorrow? Artemis did say you can take me out as long as the places are on the up and up." Rayla offered as she opened her closet door, revealing the similar set-up it had to Artemis's walk-in before they headed inside. And while the two of them walked to the back of the walk-in closet; which housed all of Rayla's art supplies away from her clothes and shoes, Marinette thought it through and came to her conclusion.

"Well, I don't see why not. It's just a geode shop so I'm sure it'll be fine." Marinette decided as she parked the wagon, causing Rayla to squeal and pull Marinette into a hug.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!" Rayla squealed, wrapping her arms around Marinette's waist and tightening them around her like a vice.

"Okay, okay, I know you're excited, but could you not crush my waist into a pancake?" Marinette asked, starting to feel pain from Rayla's tight hug but still happy to see her so joyful too.

"Sorry! I'm just glad that you're including me in the process." Rayla apologised, quickly letting Marinette go.

"Of course! It's the least I could do after you helped me inspire some new designs." Marinette replied, knowing Rayla would help pick out the right geodes due to her vast knowledge of nature. "But how about we finish cleaning up our crafting frenzy so that nothing is lost? Sound good?" the designer asked, hoping to finish that next chore before heading home for the night.

"Sounds good to me." Rayla replied, followed by the two of them leaving Rayla's room to go and clean up their mess in the apartment's main area.

It turned out to be quite a lot more than they thought, soon seeing that they had done a lot of experimenting in their crafting frenzy. The time passed by so quickly and it was already 8:00. But just when Marinette finished her part of the cleanup, she turned to check on Rayla and found her already asleep on the couch midway through clearing the last bits of her share. Smiling fondly at Rayla, Marinette walked over to her charge and gently shook her shoulder to awaken her, causing Rayla to stir enough to open her eyes.

"Huh… wha?" Rayla muttered, sleep filling her voice as she wearily looked up at her babysitter.

"You nodded off there. How about I finish up here and you get ready for bed?" Marinette softly asked Rayla, hoping that the eight-year-old would choose to go to bed.

"Nooo… I want to…" Rayla protested as she started to lift herself from the couch, rubbing her eyes a bit to clear her sleepiness. But it did little to help wake Rayla up from her sleepiness.

"No buts. You need to go to bed." Marinette lightly argued, knowing she needed to go to sleep as soon as possible.

"Okay…" Rayla groaned in relent, slowly getting up and making her way to her room while Marinette finished up.

Seeing as it was the last stretch, it didn't take long for Marinette to finish cleaning up, concluding the task by taking the nearly completed pair of portraits inside the living room. After she did, Marinette went to check on Rayla and found her changed into her pyjamas and sacked out on top of her covers. Smiling at how cute Rayla was, Marinette crept over to her and lifted her from her bed to pull the covers back, followed by her tucking Rayla under them.

"Sweet dreams, Rayla. See you tomorrow." Marinette whispered before reaching for the lamp, turning the light off before sneaking out of the room and closing the door behind her. With that, she exited the apartment, eager to tell Jim about how well her day had gone after she got home.

Chapter Text

The next day came sooner than Marinette expected, but she was glad not to have to wait so long to get back to looking after Rayla. Granted, she did need Tikki to wake her up after her first alarm went off, but Marinette still made it to Artemis’s apartment an hour before breakfast needed to be served. As soon as she arrived, Marinette checked to see if Rayla was still asleep and wasn’t disappointed when she saw the eight-year-old lying on her stomach all spread out on her bed, covers kicked away as she snored. Knowing that Rayla was still sound asleep, she went to the kitchen to start making breakfast for the two of them. It wasn’t until she was halfway through cooking the bacon that she heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen, causing her to turn around and see a slightly groggy Rayla coming towards her.

“Good morning, Rayla.” Marinette greeted her charge, followed by her flipping over the strips of bacon cooking in her pan.

“… Morning…” Rayla yawned as she stretched her back, followed by rubbing her eyes to clear up her lingering sleepiness. “I didn’t think you’d be here so early.” the eight-year-old admitted after her arms fell back to her sides, straightening her posture as she spoke.

“Artemis said that you usually have breakfast at 8:00, so I made sure to be on time today.” Marinette replied, turning her attention back to cooking their breakfast.

“Fair enough.” Rayla remarked as she walked to stand behind Marinette. “Can I help, please?” the Half-Troll asked, drawing Marinette’s attention back to her with a concerned glance.

“Are you awake enough to not burn or cut yourself?” Marinette asked, causing Rayla to nod ‘yes’ in reply. “Then come on over.” the pigtailed girl said, waving Rayla over before she lifted the pan from the oven top and took the already-cooked bacon off of it before putting more in.

“Have you cooked bacon before?” Marinette inquired, hoping to avoid Rayla hurting herself by cooking something she didn’t know how to do.

“Yep. Loads of times.” Rayla responded, recalling her times helping Artemis in the kitchen.

“Good. You can finish the bacon while I start the pancake batter. Then we can cook those together.” Marinette

“Not a problem!” Rayla announced, followed by her going to get a step ladder to avoid needing her face so close to the pan while Marinette started making the pancake batter.

It took a few minutes, but the batter was ready by the time Rayla was done with the bacon and put it off to the side with the sausages before putting the plate back into the oven on low heat. From there, the two girls make the pancakes in no time at all and soon sit down to eat the fruits of their labor, Rayla taking the first bite of the delicious food.

“Mmh! So good!” Rayla squealed, quickly taking another bite of their breakfast while Marinette took her first bite.

“That’s what teamwork gets you. It’s always better to do things together than alone.” Marinette replied, happy that Rayla was enjoying their shared work in their meal before taking another bite. It wasn’t until they finished a good portion of their meals that Marinette decided to suggest a plan for the day ahead. “So, after we finish up here and you get changed, we’ll go take the metro to the geode shop. Sound good to you?” the red-tipped-haired girl began after she finished another bite, almost done with eating her food.

“Sounds good to me! I can’t wait!” Rayla exclaimed, starting to wolf down her food and leaving Marinette a little surprised.

“Whoa! Easy there! You don’t want to lose a finger there.” Marinette chided her ward, only to start finishing her plate.

Seconds later, they finish up their breakfasts and clean up, soon leading Marinette to wait for Rayla to get dressed for the day and change from her pyjamas into her usual attire. Just as Marinette finished putting away the pans, Rayla came out of her room and was now ready to head off.

“I’m ready! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” Rayla cheered, jumping up and down in her excitement and earning a smile from Marinette as she walked up to her.

“Okay, okay! Just give me a minute to make sure I’ve got the address in my phone.” Marinette replied as she pulled out her phone to make sure that her directions were on, hoping to settle some of Rayla’s over-excitement. When that little chore was done, Marinette looked back at the impatient Rayla. “Alright, let’s head out.” the designer declared, prompting Rayla to grab her hand and pull her out of the apartment, only stopping so that Marinette could lock the door. Once that was done, Rayla dragged her to the elevator, the two of them going down to the ground level to find the nearest metro station.

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Thanks to the map Marinette had pulled up, it didn’t take long for her and Rayla to arrive at the geode shop she had found earlier that week, the name of it being ‘Geodes in the Sky with Diamonds’. If it wasn’t for Rayla pulling Marinette down the street from the metro station, they would have arrived at the shop a little later. But Marinette didn’t mind arriving sooner, seeing as it would let her and Rayla start looking at the available geodes together. The two girl’s excitement only grew when they opened the front door and walked into the store, immediately greeted by the light and airy shop interior.

With the shop front made of large windows, the light caught on the wall’s main paint color of an almost off-white cream that matched the shelves lining the back and sides of the shop. Near the front entrance of the shop, the cashier counter stood on the right of the door and in front of the shelves lining the wall, the counter wrapping around to the wall and joining the shelves. Off-white paneling decorated the front counter while a wood-block top sat on top of it with an old-timey copper register sitting at the end, the counter design being carried through to the shelves' inner ledges too. While the shelves lining the walls held an assortment of large geodes on display, the space between them had rows of bins matching the shelves that held the smaller-sized ones for sale. The only wall of shelves that didn’t have larger geodes on display was the one lining the back wall, where the slightly bigger geodes that a customer could buy were displayed.

“Whoa! This place is amazing!!” Rayla gushed, her eyes sparkling when she looked around the shop.

“Yeah, it is. It looks even better than the pictures on their website!” Marinette agreed, which seemed to summon a girl to come out from a hidden door in the back and see them as she came up to the register.

“Oh, hi there! Welcome to Geodes in the Sky with Diamonds!” the stock girl greeted them as she came up to stand behind the register. “How may I help you two lovely ladies?” she asked, smiling at them as they walked up to the counter.

“Oh, thank you for the offer but I think we’ll do fine on our own.” Marinette replied, hoping to start looking.

“Not a problem. I’ve got some things I need to move around in the back, so just ring the bell if you need help and I’ll come out.” the stock girl explained as she reached behind the counter, pulling out a bell to place next to the register.

“Got it. Thank you!” Marinette cheerfully responded, followed by her and Rayla heading over to the geode bins while the stock girl headed back the way she came.

“So, what type of geodes are you looking for?” Rayla asked, the stock girl heading into the back room while the two girls arrived at the bins.

“We’re looking for geode crystals like this.” Marinette began as she pulled out her phone from her purse, pulling up an image of the geodes she had in mind. “But slightly smaller so that the resin version won’t be heavy on the hat’s brim.” the pigtailed girl further explained, Rayla leaning in to get a closer look at the photos.

“Does the color matter if you’ll make a resin version of it?” Rayla questioned, leaning back now that she had a good look at the geodes Marinette was looking for.

“Not really. I’m mostly looking for the right size for the geodes.” Marinette replied as she put her phone back into her purse. “But if you do find a geode the right size with a pretty color, that will be even better.” the red-tipped-haired girl added, eager to get started.

“Got it!” Rayla proclaimed, followed by her and Marinette to start looking through the geodes available.

The two of them soon find themselves drawn into the many colors and shapes of the geodes. Marinette even went as far as pulling out her sketchbook from her bag to draw up new design ideas, taking pictures of the inspiration sources for later reference. But while Marinette was occupied with drawing a design inspired by a fiery orange jasper, Rayla wandered back over to the bins to try and find the right-sized geodes. She had arrived at a bin for assorted geodes and started picking through them for any smaller crystal-shaped geodes, admiring them in the light as she did so.

But as she did her searching, Rayla started becoming more interested in how pretty the geodes looked, which soon led to her sniffing a malachite shard and finding it to smell amazing. Making sure Marinette wasn’t looking, Rayla took a bite out of the malachite and had to catch herself from moaning at the delicious taste. From there, Rayla started snaking on more of the assorted geodes, taking a sample from each bin as she went by them. Just as she took a white quartz crystal from the bins, Marinette finished her design and looked back at Rayla just as she picked up the geode, her eyes widening at the piece in Rayla’s hand.

“Oh my gosh!” Marinette squealed, immediately stopping Rayla in her tracks.

“I WASN’T GOING TO EAT IT!” Rayla blurted out, going ramrod straight while her arms snapped to her sides in her panic… yet still managing not to drop her collection.

“Wha…?” Marinette began, finding Rayla’s reaction a little peculiar while the eight-year-old regained her composure.

“Uh… I mean I was… just about to show it to you. Is this close to what you need?” Rayla asked as she walked up to Marinette, holding out the geode to her now that she managed to reroute focus onto the object in her hands.

“Yes, it’s exactly the right size I need for the second-largest geode for the mold!” Marinette exclaimed, taking the geode from Rayla’s hand and raising it to her eyes for a closer look.

“Awesome!” Rayla cheered, only for Marinette to see the other geodes in her hands and send a curious glance at her. “Oh, I found these when looking for that quartz crystal. I was just admiring them before I put them back.” the white-haired girl explained when seeing Marinette staring at the stones in her hands, bashfully scratching her neck as she looked at the ground.

“Who says you have to?” Marinette questioned, drawing Rayla’s shocked attention back to her. “Seeing how much you love nature, I don’t see why I have to be the only one to get geodes from here.” the designer declared, leaving Rayla excited by her words.

“Really!? Thank you!!” Rayla exclaimed, jumping up and down in her excitement.

“Alright, calm down, now. It’s no problem at all.” Marinette said with a smile, trying to calm Rayla down a little bit despite her fondness showing through. “Now how about I help you pick out some more while we look for more of the geodes I need.” the pigtailed girl offered, a smirk on her lips as she placed a hand on Rayla’s shoulder.

“Absolutely!” Rayla happily replied, prompting the two girls to go on in their search of the bins for more geodes, now adding to Rayla’s growing collection in the process.

Soon enough, they find the geodes Marinette needs and ones Rayla could add to her collection, soon going to the check-out to ring the bell and call the stock girl to ring them up. Seconds later, she came out of the back room and started walking to the cash register, a smile on her face.

“Did you find everything you need?” the stock girl asked as arrived at the register, ready to help them if needed.

“That and a little bit more, too.” Marinette remarked, watching as Rayla placed her collection onto the counter while she put her geodes next to them.

“Ooo, those are some nice finds. You’ve got a good eye for these.” the stock girl commended, admiring the geodes Rayla put on the counter.

“Thank you.” Rayla replied, beaming at the compliment.

“Now, how are you paying? Cash or credit?” the stock girl asked as she started ringing up the collected geodes, making sure to get their prices right.

“I’ll be paying for mine with cash, and Rayla here is insistent to pay for her new collection with her own money.” Marinette explained, giving Rayla a playful side-eye.

“You shouldn’t have to pay for me when I’ve got money of my own.” Rayla countered, returning the side eye Marinette was giving her.

“Aren’t you a sweet little thing? That’s very mature of you.” the stock girl remarked as she finished ringing the geodes, starting to calculate the separate prices after putting Rayla’s geodes into a leather pouch.

“That she is. And quite cheeky when she wants to be.” Marinette chided, causing Rayla to playfully stick her tongue at her while the stock girl finished calculating the separate prices.

“Okay, for the three geodes you’ve got, that’ll be 30 euros. And for the assortment of geodes and leather pouch, that’ll be 60 euros.” the stock girl announced, followed by both Marinette and Rayla taking out their wallets and pulling out the money owed. “Thank you for shopping at Geodes in the Sky with Diamonds. Hope you have a wonderful day!” the shop employee cheerfully said as they handed the money to her.

“Thank you!” Marinette & Rayla called out as they took their purchases from the counter, walked to the front exit and left the shop.

“That shop was really cool! I can’t wait to tell Artmeis about it!” Rayla exclaimed as she swung her bag a little, circling Marinette as they walked along the sidewalk.

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, Rayla. I know I certainly did, too.” Marinette admitted, watching Rayla move around her with impeccable grace. “But I’ve still got to get the stuff to make the resin copies. How about we continue our little outing?” the red-tipped-haired girl offered, immediately halting Rayla in her circling at the idea of continuing their outing.

“I’m all for it!” Rayla declared, only to suddenly climb onto Marinette’s shoulders, leaving the girl surprised at how easily she had done so. “Lead the way!! Whoo!!” the Half-Troll cheered, allowing Marinette to get over her shock and smile up at her charge’s excitement.

“As you wish, little lady!” Marinette happily replied, starting to walk down the sidewalk to their next stop.

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After their extra little stop at another store for the supplies to make the mold for the resin geode, Marinette and Rayla soon found that it was already lunchtime after they left the store. Seeing as they were a good ways away from Artemis’s apartment, Rayla led them to one of the restaurants she and her caretaker frequented. Fortunately for them, it wasn’t that far away from the shop they just left and they soon arrived at the restaurant to find a table to sit at inside.

“This place is nice! I can’t believe I’ve never known about this spot!” Marinette exclaimed as they found a booth and sat down, in awe of how nice the restaurant was despite not hearing about it until then.

“Really? It’s right across the Seine from your family bakery. I would have thought you’d know about it.” Rayla replied, leaving Marinette flabbergasted at her words

“How did you…” Marinette began, a little surprised that she knew about her family bakery despite not telling her about it.

“Artemis did her research on you after making that offer to her. While she had a good idea of who you were person-wise, she still wanted to know certain things.” Rayla explained, settling Marinette’s concerned curiosity about Rayla’s ample knowledge of her.

“Fair enough.” Marinette remarked, only for a waitress to come over to their table.

“Well, what do you know? My favorite little troublemaker has graced me with her presence.” the waitress greeted the pair, causing Rayla to smile at the seemingly familiar face.

“Hey, Amanda! How’s it hanging?” Rayla responded to the waitress; now revealed to be Amanda.

“Doing well, thanks for asking.” Amanda reported, followed by a smirk to appear on her lips. “And I assume you’ve snuck away from your newest babysitter, again?” the waitress asked, placing her free hand on her hip while the other was on the underside of a tray.

“Um actually, she hasn’t.” Marinette spoke up, nervously waving to catch Amanda’s attention. “Hi, I’m Marinette, Rayla’s new babysitter.” the designer greeted the waitress, causing Amanda’s smirk to immediately fall from her face.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to be rude. I’ve just been so used to seeing Rayla either coming into my restaurant alone or with Artemis that I didn’t expect her to be here with anyone else, let alone her babysitter.” Amanda explained amid her apology, hoping to smooth things over with Marinette. “The little troublemaker must really like you if she hasn’t snuck away already. How long has Artemis been on her trip?” the waitress questioned Rayla, her smirk returning as she spoke.

“It’s the monthly one, and she’ll be coming back tonight.” Rayla responded, earning Marinette an impressed stare from Amanda.

“A full two days! That’s a record!” Amanda crowed, impressed with how long Marinette had lasted. “I bow to your ability to win over Rayla’s favor. Not many people can do that.” the waitress proclaimed as she bowed to Marinette, leaving the girl in question a little surprised at the gesture.

“Um… thank you.” Marinette replied, not knowing what else to say while Amanda righted herself.

“How about I start you off with some mocks, while you figure out what to order? On the house!” Amanda declared, feeling in a giving mood in light of this occasion.

“ ‘Mocks’?” Marinette asked, unfamiliar with the term.

“Mocktails, aka Non-alcoholic cocktails. Basically fancy sodas.” Rayla explained, already well-versed in the beverage.

“Well, if it isn’t too much trouble, then that would be great!” Marinette decided, liking the idea.

“It’s no trouble at all. Rayla and Artemis are frequent regulars here, and any friend of theirs is welcome here, too.” Amanda assured Marinette, hoping to keep her from being weird about getting a free drink. “I’ll be right back with your mocktails.” the waitress said, heading off to the kitchen and leaving Marinette and Rayla alone at their table again.

“But we didn’t pick them out!” Marinette called out, now realizing that little detail was missing.

“Amanda’s not just the owner, she’s also the mixologist and bartender here. All she needs is one look at someone and make them a drink they’ll love!” Rayla spoke up, revealing a little bit more about their hostess for their meal and reliving Marinette’s earlier worry. “Plus, she already knows my usual, so…” the eight-year-old trailed off, which gave her babysitter a good idea of what she meant.

“Okay, I’ll go with you on this one.” Marinette decided, throwing caution to the wind before her thoughts went back to Amanda’s earlier remark. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did Amanda mean by, ‘Not many people can win your favor’?” the pigtailed girl asked her charge, which caused Rayla’s excited expression to drop a little.

“Oh, that.” Rayla muttered, lifting her menu to hide her face behind it. “Well, the truth is that I don’t really know anyone enough to call friends other than the adults Artemis and I usually interact with.” the white-haired girl answered, looking off to the side as she responded.

“What about from school? Do you have any friends from there?” Marinette questioned, now curious to know more about this intriguing young girl.

“I don’t go to public school. I’ve been homeschooled all my life.” Rayla admitted, putting her menu down and still avoiding eye contact with Marinette.

“Wait, really?” Marinette nearly squawked just as Amanda came back over to them with two mocktails on her try, one a fiery red-orange and the other a bright pink.

“Here we are! Your usual cherry hibiscus mocktail for you, Rayla. And here is a pink grapefruit and rosewater for you, Marinette.” Amanda reported, placing the drinks onto the table as she said which was which.

“Thanks, Amanda!” Rayla thanked, reaching to grab hers and immediately taking a sip from it.

“Have you decided what you want to order yet?” Amanda asked, hoping to get their meals started.

“My usual, please.” Rayla said as she placed her glass down on the table again, followed by her handing back her menu to Amanda.

“You got it.” Amanda replied, taking the menu before looking at Marinette. “And what about you?” she asked.

“I’ll have the club sandwich without mayo and a side of fries, please.” Marinette responded, following Rayla’s example and handing back her menu to Amanda as well.

“Not a problem. Anything else?” Amanda inquired, placing the menus under her tray arm.

“No, we’re good.” Marinette & Rayla replied, happy with their orders.

“Alright, I’ll get your orders out in no time at all!” Amanda announced.

“Thank you!” Marinette & Rayla thanked before Amanda left the table, letting Marinette refocus on her conversation with Rayla.

“So, you’ve never gone to a real school before?” Marinette questioned Rayla, now getting back to their earlier exchange.

“No, I haven’t. Artemis has been teaching me for as long as I can remember.” Rayla admitted, rubbing the back of her neck as she spoke. “But it’s not going to be like that for much longer. I’m going to be going to public school after spring break!” the white-haired girl exclaimed, excitement filling her features while Marinette’s blooming worries were put to rest at the news.

“That’s great!” Marinette cheered, only for her brain to process her words. “Wait, ‘after spring break’? That only gives you a semester before summer break. Why wait so long to enroll you?” the red-tipped-haired girl queried, her curiosity growing the more she learned.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m smarter than the average eight-year-old. Thanks to Artemis homeschooling me, I’m ahead of the curve.” Rayla explained, absentmindedly playing with her drink straw as she focused her attention on Marinette. “As such, the plan is for me to spend a semester in second grade to foster my social skills and spend time with kids my own age. After that, I will head up to fourth grade next year.” the Half-Troll elaborated, leaving Marinette surprised.

“Fourth grade?! You’re two grades further up than other kids your age?!” Marinette exclaimed, eyes wide at the sudden jump in grades Rayla was going to have.

“Yep! And I take pride in that!” Rayla announced, leaving her straw alone as she threw her arms into the air in her excitement. “Either way, I’m still excited to go to school for the first time. Even though it's nerve-wracking too.” the eight-year-old admitted, now slouching in her seat while Marinette smiled at her.

“You know, you remind me of my friend Adrien. He didn’t start going to public school until this year, too.” Marinette replied, reaching over to place a comforting hand on Rayla’s shoulder; who perked up at the familiar name.

“Really?” Rayla asked as she sat up, her face filled with wonder at the new information on her favorite hero.

“Yep.” Marinette said as she reached for her mocktail, taking a sip from it and instantly fell in love with the flavor. “You weren’t kidding! Amanda is really good at matching people with their perfect drinks.” the designer praised, followed by her taking another sip.

“Told you!” Rayla exclaimed, happy that Marinette enjoyed her drink. “But how come your friends only just started going to school? Why not start sooner?” the white-haired girl asked, wanting to know more since Artemis didn’t tell her much about Adrien or how she started watching over the boy.

“From what I’ve been told, his family was a little overprotective of him growing up. So much so that he had to sneak out to get to his first day of school!!” Marinette replied, releasing some of the negative thoughts on how unfair Adrien’s situation was. Don’t get her wrong, she knew he was better off than the majority of their class, but he was more down to earth than any of them despite his vast wealth.

“Wow, that does sound a lot like me! This Adrien guy sounds awesome!” Rayla squealed, amazed that she had so much in common with Adrien already.

“Yeah, he is. But before he opened up to me about his inexperience with going to school, I didn’t like him at all.” Marinette admitted, bashfully looking to the side as her cheeks turned a little red. “Now, we are friends and it’s been… really nice having him around in class.” the red-tipped-haired girl trailed off in a fond-sounding tone, taking another sip from her mocktail.

“And by that you mean you’re in love with him, right?” Rayla nonchalantly asked, causing Marinette to look at her in shock and keep herself from doing a spit take. “It’s painfully obvious to everyone.” the white-haired girl remarked, an eyebrow raised at Marinette in a ‘You aren’t as slick as you think’ way.

“That’s what Artemis said to me too when we first met, but yes, I’ve got a crush on Adrien.” Marinette responded, confirming Rayla’s suspicions with a bemused smile. “But I shouldn’t be surprised that you figured it out. Seems like everyone except for Adrien knows how I feel about him.” the designer mused aloud, chuckling a little despite the awkwardness of her situation.

“Doesn’t help that your eyes seem to turn into hearts and your face melts into a love-sick smile when talking about him.” Rayla teased with a giggle, only to see Marinette’s blush getting worse before she stopped. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” the Half-Troll assured her babysitter, which seemed to calm her babysitter down from her embarrassment.

“Thank you, Rayla. I’m glad that you and Artemis are keeping my little secret.” Marinette said, a smile appearing on her lips at the promise. “Honestly, you two are so alike it’s scary.” the pigtailed girl remarked, leaving Rayla to return the smile at the comparison.

“Seeing as I’ve been in her care for a long time now, it makes sense.” Rayla thought aloud, her face filling with fondness as she reflected on her time in Artemis’s care.

“Speaking of that, how did you end up in Artemis’s care? Are your parents…?” Marinette began, trying to tread lightly in case the subject was sensitive.

“I don’t know. I never met them.” Rayla responded, once again leaving Marinette shocked by her reply

“Wait, really?” Marinette asked, prompting Rayla to nod before taking another sip from her drink. “But then, did Artemis–” the red-tipped-haired girl started to question.

“Artemis didn’t know them when they were alive… at least that’s what she told me when I asked. She said that she was on a trip when she found me as a newborn and took me in.” Rayla interrupted, already knowing the question Marinette was about to ask after hearing it a lot beforehand. “It’s actually part of the reason why I haven’t gone to public school yet. Artemis tends towards being a little overprotective of me since she found me, having lost a few people in her life before that day.” the white-haired girl elaborated, placing her mocktail back onto the table with a small frown.

“Because she doesn’t want that for you?” Marinette asked, now gaining a better understanding of Artemis’s reasons for being overprotective of her ward. ‘Seriously… is this a thing amongst rich parents?’ the designer thought to herself, surprised to find that Adrien’s dad wasn’t the only one to act the way he had with his child.

“Exactly. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t try to find my birth family. When she first found me, she tried to do a background check to see who or where my birth family was.” Rayla continued, slouching into her side of the booth as she spoke. “But I didn’t have anything on me to point in the right direction, nor did I have a note with me. The only thing I had was the blanket I was wrapped in, my name stitched on the bottom corner.” the eight-year-old concluded, once again looking to the side as she explained her backstory.

“That’s awful! What kind of parent does that to their child!?” Marinette exclaimed in mortification, furious that she now knew someone with such horrible parents.

“I don’t know. But while I’m curious about my birth family to find out more about where I came from, I have no intention of going back to them.” Rayla admitted, sitting up in her seat again as her features filled with resolve. “My life is here in Paris… with Artemis.” the white-haired girl added, her cheeks turning red at the mention of her caretaker.

“Sounds like you two are closer than I thought.” Marinette observed, seeing Rayla’s fond-looking expression.

“As much as she insists otherwise, Artemis is the only one I’d consider my mom. I just wish she would let herself accept that instead of just pushing the thought away the second it’s brought up.” Rayla explained, revealing how she really felt about Artemis and her taking care of her over the years. “But she’s been burned a lot before… so she’s skeptical of letting people become that close to her.” the Half-Troll revealed, earning a sympathetic smile from Marinette.

“Well, sounds to me that you’re the only one who can. Considering how protective she is of you, I’d say that you’re getting closer to breaking those walls.” Marinette said, once more placing a hand on Rayla’s shoulders to comfort her.

“You really think so?” Rayla asked, looking up at her babysitter with hope-filled eyes.

“I know so! I believe in you, Rayla!” Marinette declared, causing Rayla to pull her in for a hug.

“Thank you, Marinette!” Rayla squealed in happiness, prompting Marinette to return the hug before they pulled away just as Amanda came over with their food.

“Here you are, ladies! One bacon cheeseburger with camembert and a side of fries for Rayla, and a mayoless Club sandwich with a side of fries.” Amanda announced, placing the food on the table as she said which is which. “Enjoy your meal!” the restaurant owner cheerfully said after the food was served.

“Thanks, Amanda!” Rayla replied, earning a smile from Amanda before she left them to dig in.

“You have camembert on your cheeseburger?” Marinette questioned her charge, finding the choice of burger components a little strange.

“I abhor the standard cheese they put in their burgers. Plus the camembert adds an extra gooey factor to the burger that I can’t get enough of!!” Rayla excitedly explained before she took a bite of her burger, gleefully moaning at the taste as it touched her taste buds.

“What type of cheese do they usually put in it?” Marinette questioned as she lifted her sandwich from her plate, eager to take a bite.

“Processed American.” Rayla simply replied, causing Marinette to halt in her tracks at her answer.

“Ew… no wonder you like the camembert better. That stuff is nasty!” Marinette recoiled, her face scrunching in disgust as she glanced over at Rayla before finally taking a bite of her sandwich, finding herself immensely enjoying the flavor of it.

“Right!? Why that abomination they call cheese exists, I have no idea!” Rayla joyfully agreed, followed by the two of them laughing before eating their meal, time passed by as they continued getting to know each other better.

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(Time Skip)

A little while after their conversation and being served lunch, Marinette and Rayla paid for their meals and started making their way back to Artemis and Rayla’s apartment. When they got back, they immediately started to work on the mould for the resin geodes in the hopes of it drying before Marinette had to leave. Thankfully for them, they managed to find a silicone that would cure in the oven for about six hours. But before that, Marinette and Rayla set the geodes they found in the shop into the right spots, connecting them with air-dry clay shaped into a rock base. After the clay dried and the geodes were ready, the two girls mixed the components to make the silicon and poured it into the casing for the mould so that it could cook.

Once in the oven and the timer set, the two girls sat on the living room couch and watched the newer Ghostbusters movie. But despite the action of the movie, the day’s earlier events finally caught up with Marinette and Rayla, causing them to fall asleep on the couch. It wasn’t until a few hours later that Artemis finally arrived home, opening the door with an exhausted groan before she trudged into the apartment’s main area. But her exhaustion was cleared away when she saw her ward and Marinette sacked out on the couch, Rayla smuggling deep into Marinette’s side.

“Aw!!” Artemis breathed out, a smile appearing on her face before she walked over and gently shook the girl’s shoulders to awaken them. “Hey, there sleepy heads.” the Changeling greeted them, which caused Rayla to smile when seeing her.

“Artemis!!” Rayla cheered, jumping up to hug her and fully awakening Marinette.“When did you get back!?” the white-haired girl inquired.

“Just a few seconds ago.” Artemis replied, pulling back from the hug while Marinette sat up and smiled at them. “And seeing as I didn’t get a single call about you running off, did you have fun with Marinette?” the graying-haired woman questioned, a smirk and raised eyebrow replacing her smile.

“I had the best time with her! She even let me help her with her latest design project!” Rayla squealed, only for Marinette’s phone timer to go off. “Oh! The mold is ready!” the Half-Troll announced as she jumped off the couch, running to the oven while Marinette stood up and watched her.

“The mold?” Artemis wondered, turning her attention to Marinette for an explanation.

“I’m working on a geode-based design and needed to use geodes to make a fake geode for decoration on the side of the hat.” Marinette explained as she grabbed her sketchbook, flipping to the right page to show the design to Artemis.

“Very impressive. You’re quite talented.” Artemis praised Marinette, dazzled with the design she was shown.

“Thank you.” Marinette replied, happy for the kind words.

“So, did you bring the materials needed to do so with you today?” Artemis asked while Marinette rose from the couch, interested in what they were up to during her time away.

“Well, we went out to go to a geode shop and craft store earlier to get the supplies, and we found a silicone that can be baked to speed up the process.” Marinette explained the two of them walked over to the oven, where Rayla was excitedly waiting for them. “And now it’s all done.” the pigtailed girl concluded before she and Rayla grabbed oven mitts and opened the oven, pulling the silicone mold out to place it on the counter.

“I’m impressed. I honestly can’t wait to see the finished product.” Artemis admitted as she watched Rayla and Marinette take the casing off of the mold, letting it cool

“I’ll send a picture of when it’s done.” Marinette promised as she pulled the geodes and clay base out of the mold, leaving the mold hollow before she placed the geodes into the sink to cool. “There, it’s done!” the red-tipped-haired girl announced, lifting her hands away from the mold now that it was cleared.

“It looks so cool!” Rayla gushed, leaning over the counter to get as close to it as possible. “Can we do the resin geodes now?” the eight-year-old asked Marinette, turning her gaze onto her as she spoke.

“I wish we could, but it takes a while for resin to cure. A couple of days at least.” Marinette replied, a remorseful wince appearing on her face.

“Not to mention, it’s getting late and I’m sure Marinette needs to head back home.” Artemis added as she pointed to the balcony windows, causing the girls to turn and see the setting sun.

“Aww…” Rayla whined, slumping over herself in her disappointment.

“But, I know you’ll be able to do loads more fun stuff like this in the future.” Artemis assured her ward, to which Rayla immediately perked up at the words.

“Does this mean that Marinette’s my permanent babysitter?” Rayla questioned, her eyes now sparkling in her excitement at the possibility.

“Well, considering she has done a good job of keeping an eye on you, and you haven’t snuck away from her… I’d say that is the case.” Artemis replied with a smile, only to turn to Marinette. “If that’s alright with you, Marinette?” the sorceress inquired, hoping that she would be willing.

“I’d love nothing more! I adored my time with Rayla.” Marinette happily answered as she bent down to hug Rayla, the eight-year-old nuzzling into her in response.

“Oh, you have no idea how happy that makes not only Rayla, but me as well!” Artemis exclaimed, her emotions running on high now that one of her recurring problems finally had a permanent solution. “From here on out, you’re my go-to for Rayla’s babysitter.” the older woman declared, causing twin smiles to appear on Marinette and Rayla’s faces at the news.

“Thank you, Miss Queen.” Marinette said as she rose to her full height, glad that things went so well.

“Call me, Artemis. You’ve earned it.” Artemis responded, a fond smile appearing on her features. “But, we’ve kept you too long already. You better get going before it gets any later.” the Changeling reminded the designer, now remembering the growing late hour now that the last lingering detail was taken care of.

“Yeah, probably a good idea.” Marinette reflected, followed by her starting to pack her bag with Rayla helping her out. Once she’s ready to go, the fourteen-year-old then gifted the geodes she used for her mold to Rayla as a memento of their project together, who gives her another hug. After the last hug, the two girls pulled away and Marinette began walking to the door, Artemis and Rayla joining her.

“Thank you again for looking after Rayla on such short notice.” Artemis reiterated as she took out her wallet from her purse, pulling out 300 euros and holding it out to Marinette.

“Whoa! This is way too much! I can’t accept it.” Marinette insisted when she saw the amount being offered to her, eyes wide at Artemis’s generosity.

“I insist. And I’ll keep insisting every time until you just take it with a simple ‘thank you’.” Artemis smugly said, causing Marinette to sigh in relentment before she finally took the money.

“Thank you, Artemis. I can’t wait for when you need me to come by again.” Marinette happily declared, putting the money into her purse before getting the apartment key out to give back to Artemis.

“Rayla and I can’t wait either. We’ll see you next time.” Artemis assured the teenager as she took the key back, putting it into her purse for safekeeping.

“See you then.” Marinette replied, followed by her looking at Rayla once more. “And I promise we’ll have even more fun next time.” the designer pledged to Rayla, earning a smile from the Half-Troll as she came up to hug her one last time.

“Come back soon, okay?” Rayla requested, prompting Marinette to kneel and hug her back.

“Don’t worry, I will.” Marinette promised before they broke away from their hug, which left Marinette the opening to turn to leave. “Goodbye! See you next time.” the pigtailed girl farewelled, opening the door behind her.

“Bye!” Rayla called back while she and Artemis waved goodbye, prompting Marinette to return the gesture as she left through the door, closing it behind her. Now back to just them, Artemis looked down at her ward with a warm smile, pride filling her features.

“I see that my trust in you not causing any trouble was well placed.” Artemis remarked, placing her hands on her hips with a smirk.

“Hey, I know I can be difficult, but seeing as I asked you to get Marinette to babysit me, why would I drive her away like the others?” Rayla rhetorically questioned her caretaker, earning an amused guff from Artemis at her reasoning.

“Heh, good point.” Artemis replied, her smirk turning more light-hearted the more she entertained Rayla’s antics.

“How was your trip, by the way? Did you get everything you needed?” Rayla asked, hoping to finally find out the outcome of the reason why Artemis went out of town.

“That and more. Speaking of which…” Artemis replied with a relieved sigh, followed by her reaching into her satchel and pulling out a cloth bundle from it. “I recall you saying you were nearly out of black paint, so I made a little detour before heading home.” the older woman explained while Rayla excitedly took the bundle from her hands and opened it, gasping when she saw the contents.

“Night Fury scales!! EEEE!!!” Rayla squealed, throwing her arms onto Artemis and hugging her tight. “Thank you, Artemis!! It’s just what I needed!!” the white-haired girl gushed, taking care not to spill her new gift from its pouch.

“There’s more at the bottom.” Artemis said with a smile, prompting Rayla to pull back from the hug and reach into the bundle, finding a tooth and claw from the same dragon at the bottom of it. “I thought you’d like another addition to your collection.” the graying-brown-haired woman added, earning another hug from Rayla.

“THANK YOU!!!” Rayla shrieked in joy, happy to have the extra present while Artemis knelt to hug her back.

“Okay, okay, you’re welcome.” Artemis chided her ward, glad that she was happy before she pulled away. “Now I don’t know about you, but I feel like a movie night is in order after my latest trip. Why don’t you put your gifts away and change into your pajamas? You can tell me how it went before we start.” the sorceress offered, placing her hand on Rayla’s shoulders as she spoke.

“Sounds good to me, Artemis!” Rayla cheered before she ran off to the hidden library, Artemis smiling after her before she followed behind her. Needless to say, she was eager to put her haul into her inventory and change into her comfy clothes so that she could finally relax and spend time with her ward.

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Following their time in the library, Artemis and Rayla changed into their comfy clothes and joined back up on the living room couch, snacks spread out on the table in front of them. Now that they were prepped for their movie night, Artemis pulled Rayla in for a cuddle.

“So, how did things really go with the Little Ladybug?” Artemis asked her ward, arms wrapped around her as she leaned against the arm of the couch with pillows adding a layer of comfort between her back and the hard armrest.

“A little rocky at first, but we got past that and started having a good time.” Rayla admitted, snuggled in her caretaker’s arms while she was curled up in her lap.

“Why did you have a rocky start? Did you try sneaking out?” Artemis questioned, now worried that something happened and they covered it up in a joint effort.

“No, I didn’t. It was mostly due to me… accidentally… causing her to have a nosebleed.” Rayla bashfully explained, earning a wide-eyed stare from Artemis at the news.

“What?!” Artemis squawked, only to start laughing at what she just heard. “How did that happen?!” the older woman managed to spew out in her bout of laughter, trying to regain her breath at how ridiculous the story was.

“I was showing her the album of your trips. When I pulled it out of my bookshelf, she got too close when it nearly dropped out of my hands.” Rayla hurriedly explained, her voice raising a higher pitch as she sat up from Artemis’s embrace.

“Oh oh oh! Oh my goodness! I sure hope she’s okay!” Artemis hollered, unable to stop her laughter.

“She’s fine. I used first aid right after it happened.” Rayla assured her caretaker, letting herself drop back into Artemis’s shaking chest.

“What was she doing so close to you in the first place?” Artemis inquired, her laughter finally dying out a little bit.

“Oh, that’s because she tried to use that Gaggletack you gave her on me.” Rayla nonchalantly replied, which caused Artemis to do a double-take at the words just spoken.

“Wait… WHAT!!” Artemis yelled, only for her laughter to return with a renewed fever. “SHE THOUGHT… YOU WERE A CHANGELING!? OH MY GOD… I DIDN’T THINK SHE’D THINK THAT… WHEN I FIRST MENTIONED YOU TO HER!!” the sorceress screamed amid her laughter, soon finding herself about to fall off the couch before she stopped herself from falling.

“What! You’re the one that caused Marinette to think I’m a Changeling?!” Rayla cried in shock, eyes wide at the admission Artemis had made in the middle of her growing amusement.

“Not on purpose, I promise you that.” Artemis assured as she started to calm down from her laughter, lifting herself fully back onto the couch. “I’m assuming the new Trollhunter has run into a newly placed one and warned her of them. I didn’t think that when I talked you up, she’d become suspicious of you.” the older woman theorized as she got comfy again, Rayla cuddling into her once again.

“Well, her suspicions were put to rest when I picked up the Gaggletack and gave it back to her without anything happening. From there, we got along like a house on fire!” Rayla explained, which helped calm Artemis down from her overwhelming mirth.

“In any case, I’m sorry that Marinette was suspicious of you because of me. Honestly, I don’t blame her for being as such after my explanation.” Artemis apologized to Rayla, finally able to say full sentences now that she got all her giggles out. “But it seemed to have worked out in the end, so I’ll let it slide.” the graying-haired woman decided, reaching a hand to ruffle Rayla’s hair.

“Whew, that’s good to hear.” Rayla replied with a giggle, raising her arms to try and stop Artemis from messing up her hair.

“By the way, how come Marinette gave you the geodes after the mold was complete?” Artemis asked as she complied with Rayla’s efforts and stopped messing with her hair, letting her ward fix it to how she had it before.

“Well, funny story actually. While we were at the geode shop, I found something interesting.” Rayla regaled, leaving Artemis intrigued by her words.

“And what’s that?” Artemis inquired, a curious eyebrow raised at Rayla.

“I found out how delicious they are! I ended up buying a whole bunch while we were there, under the guise I found them pretty.” Rayla explained, gushing about her latest find before realizing how it sounded.“Not that I don’t find them pretty, obviously. But I had to say something other than I wanted to eat them.” the eight-year-old rapidly amended, even though Artemis knew what she really meant and was more interested in the discovery.

“So, you managed to eat them? Without feeling sick?” Artemis asked, raising a hand to Rayla’s forehead to check her temperature if it suddenly started to rise by just the mention of her worries.

“Yeah! If anything, they made me feel stronger.” Rayla replied, taking Artemis’s hand off of her forehead with a roll of her eyes in fond exasperation. “Why are you asking, though?” the Half-Troll questioned, a little suspicious of Artemis’s sudden mother henning.

“I have been looking for a better alternative to those rocks you’ve been eating for mineral nutrition for a while now, and it sounds like you finally found it.” Artemis admitted, letting her hand drop to her side instead of circling Rayla’s waist like her other one. “Geodes and polished gems are clean minerals, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before! Not to mention the potential event of you eating magic gems to help increase your existing magic, instead of relying on your rune necklace to fuel you.” the Changeling ranted to herself in self-loathing for missing such an obvious solution, hitting her forehead with the bottom of her palm.

Since Rayla was half TrollDragon, it made it hard for Artemis to find ways for her to eat normal human foods while also maintaining a balance of Troll foods as well. It had been a challenge on the account that Rayla found she didn’t like much of what normal Trolls ate to be palatable, preferring human foods instead. This led to Artemis needing to incorporate minerals into her food, which is why she left Marinette a selection of altered recipes to choose from, having perfected them years ago. But now, Artemis had a more viable solution that would not only keep Rayla healthy but also make her stronger in the long run, too.

“Does that mean you might be willing to teach me how to use magic sooner?” Rayla queried her caretaker, looking up at her with a wide-eyed pleading stare.

“For now, I’m just glad we have a healthier way for you to gain the minerals you need. But while I make no promises, we’ll see how things go later on.” Artemis promised Rayla, a grateful smile appearing on her features as she pushed some of Rayla’s stray hairs away from her eyes.

“Thank you!” Rayla squealed, hugging Artemis and eliminating any space between them before her caretaker hugged her back. “So, how was your trip to the Hidden World? Was it tricky?” the white-haired girl asked, pulling back from the hug to learn more about Artemis’s latest excursion out of town.

Ever since she was a toddler, Rayla has always been fascinated by dragons and the wonderful species they are. Her love for them only increased when she learned she was a TrollDragon, which was pretty close to an actual dragon in her book. From there on, Rayla read every book on dragons and their ancestral home she could get her hands on, learning everything she could about them as a means to feel more connected to her heritage. Seeing as the only place TrollDragons resided in was Stone Carver Bridge, it didn’t give Rayla many opportunities to learn more about herself since it was risky to even visit the city. So learning about dragons and the Hidden World was the next best thing.

“Better than normal, actually. The hardest part of it was getting the claw and tooth from a Night Fury nest.” Artemis admitted, followed by her placing her right hand onto her left shoulder and rotating the sore joint to relieve the pain from landing on it during her trip. “But I managed to get them off of a well-guarded skeleton. Must have been the remains of the last alpha of the flock.” the older woman noted, which had Rayla looking up at her in awe.

“So cool!!! How are you so good at this!?” Rayla gushed, wondering how she was so lucky to have such a cool caretaker.

“Many years of training, and honing my skills.” Artemis replied, enforcing the need for Rayla to complete her training before she could go on more dangerous adventures. “Something that you will be very soon.” the graying-haired woman promised before she pulled Rayla in for another hug, the eight-year-old quickly returning it when hearing her words.

“Now, how about that movie? While it was an easy trip, I’m looking forward to having a quiet evening with you.” Artemis said as she pulled back from the hug, Rayla still smiling up at her when hearing the suggestion.

“Here, here!” Rayla happily cheered before she grabbed the T.V. remote, now surfing through the movies they had until they spotted a good one. “Oh, how about that one?” the Half-Troll inquired, pointing to Alice Through the Looking Glass when it showed up on the screen.

“Sounds like a good one. Let it play.” Artemis declared, prompting Rayla to click on it and let the movie begin. While the opening titles played, the two of them grabbed their snacks before Artemis grabbed a blanket for them to snuggle with together, now ready for their quiet night in.

Chapter Text

After her eventful weekend babysitting Rayla, followed by a training session with Chat Noir and Master Fu Sunday night, Marinette was grateful to manage a full night’s sleep. But all good things must come to an end, and Marinette’s surprisingly akuma-free night’s sleep was over when her alarm went off the next morning. Fortunately for Marinette, she woke up on the second alarm ring for once, sitting up in her bed with a yawn after turning it off.

“Good morning, Tikki. How’d you sleep?” Marinette happily greeted her kwami, letting her arms rise into the air as she stretched out of her post-sleep stiffness.

“Very well since there wasn’t an akuma attacking last night.” Tikki chirped, rubbing any leftover sleep from her eyes while still lying on her little bed on the shelf above her holder’s bed. “How about you? This is the first time you’ve woken up on the first alarm.” the red kwami remarked, a rueful smile gracing her face.

“Same here, actually. Usually, it's harder to wake up in the mornings, but I feel fully rested.” Marinette announced, her bubbly demeanor practically pouring out of her.

“That’s great Marinette!” Tikki exclaimed, happy to see Marinette so chipper.

“Thanks Tikki. And here’s to hoping my day goes well, too.” Marinette said as she pushed her covers off of her, eager to start the day.

“Marinette! Breakfast’s ready!” her mother called from downstairs.

“Coming, Mom!” Marinette replied, getting up from her bed and heading to her trap door to go downstairs as her mother requested. But as soon as Sabine saw her daughter wide-eyed and awake, she was left surprised. “Morning, Mom!” the designer greeted her mom as she walked over to her, kissing the baffled Sabine’s cheek.

“Uh, good morning, honey.” Sabine answered in an unsure tone, watching as Marinette walked over to the table and sat down for breakfast. “Seems like you had a good night’s sleep. You never come down the first time I call you after your alarm goes off.” she observed, intrigued by her daughter’s sudden punctuality.

“Just had a very restful night last night. Nothing more.” Marinette replied before she started eating breakfast, slightly amused by her mom’s skepticism.

“Really? So there isn’t anything exciting going to happen in school that could have prompted your early rise?” Sabine asked Marinette, gently probing to find out if there was any reason for the girl’s early rise out of bed.

“No, Mom. There won’t be anything exciting happening at school. I just slept very well.” Marinette assured her mother, followed by taking another bite of her meal.

“Oookay. But I’m still a little wary of you being early for once.” Sabine admitted as she walked over to the sink, starting to do the dishes sitting inside.

“Eh, fair enough.” Marinette replied. 

With her mom pacified, Marinette finished eating her breakfast and quickly washed the dishes before going up to her room to get changed for the day. Now dressed in her daily attire and packing her bag, Marinette headed back downstairs while Tikki quickly hid in her purse. Once she reached the bottom, Marinette quickly went over to the dining table and kissed her mom goodbye just as the light-color-eyed woman sat down for her morning cup of tea.

“See you tonight, Mom. Love you!” Marinette farewelled, turning to head over to the door.

“Have a good day, honey!” Sabine responded, smiling as she watched Marinette open the door and look back at her.

“You too, Mom!” Marinette called back, closing the door behind her and letting it click into place before heading down to the ground floor. Despite the laid-back pace Marinette had while going down the stairs, she still made it down to the bakery in record time and entered the kitchen through the back door. In doing so, she passed by her father while he was kneading a batch of bread dough.

“Are you heading to school, sweetie?” Tom asked his daughter, looking up from his kneading to greet her as she walked to the front counter.

“Yep. Hoping to get in earlier for once.” Marinette replied, grabbing a disposable rag from underneath the counter to clean it before any customers came in.

“That’s my little girl!” Tom praised, followed by his gaze going off to the side and spotting a box of macarons sitting next to him. “Oh! Before I forget, I’ve perfected a new macaron recipe and set some aside for your class.” the teddy bear of a burly man announced, wiping his hands of any flour or dough while Marinette finished with the counter.

“Oooh! What flavor are they?” Marinette squealed, throwing the rag into the waste bin near the door as she walked back to her father.

“Blackberry Lavender with Lemon filling. It took a while to make sure the lemon wouldn’t overpower the whole treat.” Tom admitted as he grabbed the box and held it out to his daughter, bashfully rubbing his neck when he explained why it took so long to make the new treats. 

“Mmm, sounds delicious! I can’t wait for my classmates to try them!” Marinette cheered, taking the box from her dad. “Thanks, Papa! I’ll see you after school!” the pigtailed girl farewelled, leaning over the prep table to kiss Tom’s cheek before heading to the front door.

“Love you, Marinette! Have a good day!” Tom called out, smiling as he watched Marinette head off for school.

“I will, Dad! Love you, too!” Marinette happily replied as she opened the door, waving to her dad before walking through the door and leaving the bakery. 

Now outside of her home, Marinette started her trek to school, ending up having no trouble getting there unlike the last time she brought macarons to school. But after walking up the school’s front steps and entering through the front door, she found no one was there yet. The trend continued when Marinette climbed up the stairs to her classroom, finding it empty like the rest of the school.

“Huh, looks like you’re so early that you got here before anyone else!” Tikki observed, poking her head out from Marinette’s purse to look around.

“Figures it would be one extreme to the other in terms of my attendance.” Marinette remarked ruefully, a cynical huff escaping her as she took in her surroundings. “But at least I don’t have to worry about racing just as the bell rings.” the red-tipped-haired girl added as she headed to sit down in her chair, looking on the bright side as she set the box of macarons in front of her before checking the time.

“Looks like it’s still a good 45 minutes before class starts. Plenty of time to work on some of the derby hat designs I discarded.” Marinette commented, opening her bag to get out her sketchbook from within.

“I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about those.” Tikki admitted, watching her holder as she worked.

“Eh, I've just been too busy. And since Toby’s ‘Geode Hat’ is almost done, I know I’ll be itching to work on something else afterwards. What better way than improving perfectly good designs?” Marinette asked her kwami, knowing that the embodiment of creation would be all for it.

“Sounds good to me!” Tikki cheered as she flew out of Marinette’s purse to sit on the girl’s shoulder, eager to watch her holder work while keeping an eye out for any more early arrivals. 

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Due to Marinette being so early, she easily slipped into her designing frenzy while waiting for her classmates to arrive and for class to start. It wasn’t until the last five minutes before class started that one of her classmates finally arrived, which had Tikki flying back into her purse before they entered the room. Upon feeling Tikki’s presence leaving her shoulder, Marinette was snapped out of her frenzy and closed her sketchbook just in time to see Lila coming through the door.

“Hey there, Lila.” Marinette greeted Lila, prompting the Italian girl to look up from the floor and see her.

“Oh. Hello, Marinette. I didn’t expect you to be here so early.” Lila admitted, intrigued by Marinette’s sudden punctuality like her mom was. 

“Eh, had a good night’s sleep for once.” Marinette replied, putting her sketchbook back into her bag now that one of her classmates was there.

“Good for you.” Lila replied in a bored tone, not very interested in learning the answer before seeing the box of macarons on Marinette’s desk. “What do you have there?” the olive-eyed girl asked, an eyebrow cocked at the box in question.

“Macarons for the class. My papa perfected a new recipe and gave me some to share with the others.” Marinette explained, opening the box and holding it out to her. “Care to try one?” the designer asked, hoping that Lila would be open to the offer.

“Hmm, why not.” Lila said before taking one of the macarons and biting into it, her face immediately lighting up in delight when it met her taste buds.

“I take it that you like it?” Marinette asked, steepling her fingers and letting her chin rest on her hands as she smiled at Lila; who quickly schooled her face to hide her enjoyment of the treat.

“It’s not as delicious as the many fancy desserts I’ve had on my travels… but it’s acceptable.” Lila announced before heading up to her seat in the back, leaving Marinette staring at her in perplexion. 

‘Oookay. That was an unnecessary lie.’ Marinette thought to herself before seeing the rest of the class starting to come in, triggering Alya’s eyes to widen when she saw her best friend sitting in her chair.

“As I live and breathe, Marinette is here before all of us!” Alya gawked, causing everyone’s eyes to widen when they landed on Marinette, shocked to see her before the bell even rang. “Are you feeling okay, gurl?” the reporter asked her bestie, a concerned look appearing on her features as she took in Marinette’s presence.

“I’m fine, Alya. I just had a good night’s sleep and came in early.” Marinette assured Alya, a fond eye roll following her words. “Jesus, can’t I come into school early and not get stared at like I’m a body-snatching alien?” the pigtailed girl questioned her classmates, not understanding why everyone was taking her punctuality so weirdly. 

“Not when you usually arrive to class so late, dudette.” Nino remarked with a smirk, immediately shutting down Marinette’s argument to the contrary.

“Well, if that’s how it is, then I guess you guys don’t want any of the surprises that I brought in today.” Marinette lightly threatened, turning away from her class with a faux pout and crossing her arms over her chest.

“Surprise? What surprise?” Kim yelped excitedly, his eyes lighting up as he pushed Max and Alix out of the way and scrambled up to the front of Marinette’s desk.

“Oh, just my Papa perfecting a new recipe and giving me a box to share with you guys.” Marinette said as she turned to face the excited Kim with a smile, followed by her holding out the box to her classmates. “Blackberry lavender macarons with lemon filling, anyone?” the red-tipped-haired girl asked her classmates, smiling at them as she offered the treats to them. 

“Heck yeah!!!” Alix exclaimed as she pushed past Kim, taking the first one before he could and prompting the class; sans Chloé, to immediately swarm over the box. After the ‘macaron sharks’ finished their frenzie and took one each from the box, it left only four extras behind.

“These are so good, Marinette! They’re officially my second favorite flavor.” Adrien praised the midnight-haired girl, which left Marinette intrigued instead of flustered like everyone expected her to be.

“What’s your favorite then?” Marinette asked, hoping to learn a more personal detail about her crush without needing to use sneaky methods to do so.

“Passion Fruit.” Adrien stated, taking another bite from the treat while his four immediate friends looked at him funny.

“Ewww!” Nino yelped in disgust. “No offense, my dude, but passionfruit macarons are terrible! Not even Marinette’s parents can change my mind on that!” the DJ announced, popping the last bit of his macaron into his mouth with ease.

“Oh don’t be such a baby, Nino. They aren’t that bad.” Alya chided the boy, fondly smiling at Nino’s overreaction to the aforementioned treat. “But I have to agree with Nino, passionfruit definitely isn’t my favorite macaron flavor either.” the reporter admitted before she finished her macaron, finding herself agreeing with Nino on the matter regardless of his reaction.

“They do have a point, Adrien. I can say with certainty that Passionfruit is the worst seller in my family’s bakery.” Marinette concurred, looking back on how well that flavor usually went in her family’s bakery.

“Eh, to each their own. At least I know that I’ll be able to get my favorites at your family’s bakery, Marinette.” Adrien said, shrugging his shoulders when hearing his friend’s opinions and recounting with passion fruit macarons before finishing his treat.

“Better yet, I could always bring you some at least once a week.” Marinette bashfully offered, closing the box as she rubbed the back of her neck. “If you want me to, that is.” the designer added with a matching smile, causing Adrien to light up at her proposal.

“That would be great! Thanks, Marinette!” Adrien exclaimed, coming up to Marinette’s side and pulling her into a hug.

“Y-y-you’re w-w-w-w-welcome, Adrien.” Marinette stammered in surprise, managing to tentatively hug him back. But amid their hug, Marinette looked to the back of the class and saw Lila rolling her eyes at her, leaving her feeling less happy about being hugged by Adrien before Ms Bustier entered the room.

“Good morning class.” Ms Bustier greeted her students, her work bag slung over her shoulder as she faced them.

“Good morning, Ms Bustier!” the entire class replied, smiling at their teacher.

“Now while I’m sure you all have a good reason why you all haven’t gotten into your seats yet, class is about to start. So I think it would be best for you to sit down before the bell rings.” Ms Bustier suggested to her students, prompting the class to agree and go to their seats while the ginger-haired woman saw the remaining macarons in the box Marinette brought with her. “Oooh, could I please have one too, Marinette? They look so good.” the teacher asked, bringing a smile to Marinette’s face at the request from her instructor.

“Help yourself, Ms Bustier.” Marinette replied as she held the box out to her teacher, letting her take two of the remaining treats inside.

“Thank you, Marinette.” Ms Bustier thanked her pupil, happy to have some of the early morning surprise Marinette brought with her.

“My pleasure, Ms.” Marinette happily chirped, watching as Ms Bustier walked over to her desk before chancing another look at Lila behind her, who was still sending her an unamused look.

“So, how did your new babysitting gig over the weekend go? I’m eager to hear how this Rayla character played you like a fiddle… much like a certain five-year-old you frequently look after.” Alya asked her bestie as she sat in her seat next to her, hoping to grab Marinette’s attention away from Lila when she saw her stare at the girl in the back.

“It went really well, actually. Rayla was a total sweetheart and was truly an absolute angel.” Marinette reported, turning away from looking at Lila just as the boys sat down in their seats in the row in front of the girls.

“And by ‘absolute angel’, you mean total nightmare like you were forewarned?” Alya questioned, thinking that Marinette was holding information from her about how her weekend actually went.

“No, she was surprisingly very well-behaved. So much so that I'm now her permanent babysitter.” Marinette assured her best friend, a small smirk on her lips due to Alya’s gentle prodding.

“Awesome, girl! I’m so proud of you!” Alya exclaimed, hugging her best friend when hearing of her new job opportunity. “And how much did you get paid, if you don’t mind me asking?” the bespeckled girl asked, pulling back from the hug and resting her chin on her propped-up arm while smirking at her best friend.

“300 euros. A bit too much if you ask me.” Marinette replied, causing Alya’s eyes to bulge out of her sockets when hearing her answer.

“Seriously? That much? Dang! Maybe I could fill in for you if you can’t make it once.” Alya remarked, impressed by the pay Marinette received as she let her arm fall to rest on the desk while turning to look at the board in front of the class.

“Hmm mmm, that sounds great.” Marinette half-heartedly agreed, turning to look back at Lila again just as she got her books out of her bag. But upon hearing Marinette’s distracted tone, Alya turned her attention back onto her friend.

“You okay, Marinette? You’ve been looking over at Lila a lot this morning from what I’ve seen.” Alya asked with a raised eyebrow, concerned about Marinette’s peculiar behavior towards Lila.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just… thinking about Lila’s reaction to the macarons.” Marinette replied, going with the first thing that came into her head as an excuse.

“But she didn’t get one… did she?” Alya questioned, looking at Marinette with a critical eye at her statement.

“She came in before you guys did and I gave her one.” Marinette answered, shrugging her shoulders as she spoke.

“And what? She didn’t like it?” Alya continued to probe, hoping to learn why Marinette was so hung up on Lila at the moment.

“No, she liked it. But it looked like she was holding back from admitting it.” Marinette replied as she took one of the last macarons from her box, discreetly taking the last one to give to Tikki hiding in her purse.

“Why would she do that?” Alya wondered.

“I don’t know. But I feel like that’s not the only thing she’s hiding.” Marinette noted, her fingers flying to her chin in thought.

“Whatcha girls talking about?” Nino asked the girls, both he and Adrien turning to look at them in curiosity.

“Oh, Marinette’s harping on Lila having a weird reaction to her macarons.” Alya said, answering Nino’s question and surprising the boys… Adrien especially.

“It’s not exactly that, but yes.” Marinette confirmed, clearing up any confusion. “Not only that, she’s admittedly piqued my interest regarding her behavior since coming here.” the pigtailed girl added, further intriguing the boys about her concerns.

“How so?” Adrien asked.

“Well, she was rather chatty on her first day, talking about all of her exploits and all that. But now she’s as quiet as a mouse and barely talking to anyone.” Marinette explained, taking the now empty pastry box from her desk and putting it into her bag to throw away later. “It’s rather strange for someone who presents herself as self-confident.” the red-tipped-haired girl noted, putting her bag back under her desk before looking back at her friends.

“Maybe she’s still getting used to being here? I know that it’s taken me a while to get used to attending public school.” Adrien suggested, now going with the ‘Wondering What’s Going On With Lila’ train.

“Yeah, but not everyone’s been homeschooled since they were a kid like you, dude. Maybe she’s actually more private than we were led to believe.” Nino recommended, providing a non ‘rich kid’ perspective to the mix.

“In any case, I feel like she’s deliberately keeping everyone at an arm’s length away from her and it’s rubbing me the wrong way.” Marinette admitted, letting her arms rest on the desk as she leaned over to be closer to the group.

“Well, if anyone can break through her walls, it’s you Marinette.” Adrien remarked, causing Marinette to blush at the praise and tuck a stray hair behind her ear. “But you might want to be careful. Lila might not be as open to your friendship as you think.” the green-eyed model warned, abruptly pulling Marinette out from her little drift into LA LA Land.

“I appreciate the concern, Adrien, but I can handle myself.” Marinette assured Adrien, leaving him to sigh in relent at her stubbornness.  

“I do not doubt that. But that doesn’t stop me from worrying about one of my closest friends.” Adrien said, looking off to the side in concern for his friend while Nino and Alya stared at him weirdly.

“You’re never worrying about me that much.” Nino remarked, curious as to why Adrien was being so protective of Marinette over them.

“Well, you tend to be more careful than Marinette here.” Adrien replied, only to quickly turn to Marinette when realizing how he had sounded. “No offense, of course.” the model rapidly amended, bringing a smile to Marinette’s face at his worry about offending her.

“None taken. I’m aware that I tend to get carried away at times.” Marinette said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. “But don’t worry, I promise I’ll be careful.” the designer promised, bringing a small smile to Adrien at her words.

“In that case, I wish you luck.” Adrien replied to Marinette, hoping that she would be successful in her endeavor.

“Thanks, Adrien. Something tells me I might need it.” Marinette observed, causing Adrien’s smile at her to become a bit bigger before he and Nino turned back to face the front of the room. But now that the boys were not focusing on the girls, Alya looked at her best friend with an ecstatic smile. 

“Did you just talk to Adrien without stuttering the whole time?” Alya quietly asked her best friend, which made Marinette realize that she was right seconds later.

“Oh my god, I did!! I didn’t even realize I was!” Marinette squealed at the same volume, turning to face Alya with excitement bursting through the figurative seams of her face.

“Oooh, I’m so proud of you girl!! Looks like today really is your lucky day!” Alya congratulated, clasping hers and Marinette’s hands in her joint elation for her friend.

“Looks like it is!” Marinette agreed before she and Alya let their hands go and turned to face the front, the bell ringing just as Ms Bustier came to stand in front of her desk like always. ‘Let’s hope it keeps going for the rest of the day.” the pigtailed girl thought, her eyebrows furrowing in contemplation while focusing on her teacher.

“Alright class, let’s first start today off with our usual morning practice.” Ms Bustier began, prompting the class to quiet down and listen to her intently. “Now, who would like to volunteer to start us off?” the ginger-haired woman questioned the class, hoping for them to step up.

“Oh! How about me and Chloé, Ms?” Rose joyfully requested, rising from her seat and letting her hand rise above her.

“Wonderful idea, Rose!” Ms Bustier replied, allowing Rose to get up from her seat and grab a suddenly miffed Chloé from her seat along the way.

“Wait a minute, I didn’t agree to this!” Chloé yelped as she was pulled to the front, soon finding herself going along with the morning ritual while Marinette looked back at Lila again, her brain going a thousand miles a minute to come up with a plan. 

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(Time Skip)

For the next two hours after classes started, Marinette was sitting on pins and needles in wait for a chance to have a proper conversation with Lila. Granted, art class had provided a fun distraction from that since Lila was more relaxed in that period than she was at the start of the day. But now that morning break arrived, the designer decided to use the time as her moment to finally talk to the Italian girl, spotting her sitting alone on one of the benches along the sides of the quad.

“Are you sure that befriending Lila is a good idea, Marinette?” Tikki asked her holder, poking her head out of Marinette’s purse after making sure they were alone.

“Of course I am, Tikki! Why wouldn’t it be?” Marinette questioned her kwami, looking down at Tikki with an inquiring stare

“Well, she seems to not like Ladybug after being turned into Volpina, remember?” Tikki reminded Marinette, making the girl wince.

“I do. But she doesn’t know that I’m… you-know-who.” Marinette pointed out, whispering the last bit in case someone passed by.

“Exactly! Don’t you think it’s a little devious to befriend a girl in your civilian self when you chewed her out as Ladybug?” Tikki questioned the girl, her eyes filled with concern at the idea her holder was proposing.

“Maybe a little. On the other hand, I feel like part of the reason why she’s so quiet is because of that.” Marinette admitted, re-averting her gaze to Lila sitting in the quad below.

“Guilt isn’t a good reason to befriend someone.” Tikki chided, drawing Marinette’s attention back to her.

“I know. But I want to make things right, regardless.” Marinette said, knowing that Tikki had a point. “Besides, how else am I going to do that when Ladybug can’t be close to anyone other than her partner and the Trollhunter?” the red-tipped-haired girl rhetorically asked her little friend, leaving Tikki at a loss for words for a moment.

“Okay, you have a point. But please be careful with what you say. I don’t know how you’ll be able to explain why you want to befriend her without a jumbled-up excuse of how you’re not Ladybug.” Tikki warned, unsure of how this upcoming talk between her owner and former adversary would go.

“I appreciate the warning, Tikki. And like I promised Adrien, I will be careful.” Marinette reassured her kwami, followed by her turning to look back at Lila once again. “Now let’s do this.” the designer announced, clasping her hands together in anticipation before she started heading down to the quad. As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, Marinette quickly walked over to Lila, who was on her phone while eating an apple unaware of the approaching girl.

“Hey again, Lila.” Marinette greeted the Italian girl, causing Lila to look up from her phone and finally see her.

“You again?” Lila said, followed by a tired sigh. “What do you want, now? Is this because of the macaron earlier?” the olive-eyed girl asked, putting her phone into her bag as she broadly addressed Marinette.

“Sort of.” Marinette replied, prompting Lila to look at her in intrigue. “Mind if I sit?” the pigtailed girl asked, knowing that Lila was now hooked on learning more.

“Go ahead. I get the feeling you will even if I say ‘no’.” Lila wearily replied, her eyes rolling as she scooted over to free up some room. 

“Thanks.” Marinette said, quickly sitting beside Lila before she had a chance to back out of hearing the designer out.

“So why are you here with me and not with your friends?” Lila asked, still looking at Marinette with a broad stare as she waited for her answer.

“I saw you sitting here and thought you were lonely.” Marinette replied, setting her bag onto the floor next to her feet.

“Seeing as I chose to sit alone, I would think that’s not the case.” Lila remarked before turning to face Marinette, staring her down with a glare. “So tell me the truth. Why did you really decide to sit with me?” the Italian girl interrogated, crossing her right leg over her left and propping her arm on her knee to playfully rest her chin on it.

“Okay, fine. I thought you could use a friend.” Marinette admitted, earning a perturbed look from Lila upon her confession.

“Why… would you think that?” Lila hesitantly questioned Marinette, not expecting her reason for approaching her.

“Well, you were very chatty on the first day of school when talking about your exploits, but then you haven’t talked to anyone else.” Marinette recalled, listing off Lila’s actions on her fingers. “It was… a little weird, to be honest.” the red-headed girl nervously remarked, earning another stare from Lila.

“Oh, so you think I’m lonely and weird just because I haven’t talked to anyone?” Lila questioned with a narrowed stare, unnerving Marinette a bit with her query.

“That’s not what I meant. What I’m trying to say is that I can understand wanting to be alone, but the way you’ve been acting is a little unusual.” Marinette elaborated, surprising Lila with how good her point was.

“Okay, I’ll give you that.” Lila relented, letting her body revert to how it was before she asked her first probing question. “But that doesn’t mean I want a friend.” the olive-eyed girl added as she turned her attention away from Marinette, missing the look of perplexion that crossed her features.

“Why not? Everyone needs a friend.” Marinette stated, scooching a little closer to Lila.

“Let’s just say that I don’t have much luck in keeping them. But why are you so keen on being mine?” Lila continued to prob Marinette, turning her stare back at Marinette in slight annoyance.

“Well, the thing is…”  Marinette began, only to trail off when trying to think of a proper explanation. “I was interested in the stories I heard the others say about you and I wanted to get to know you better?” the designer nervously explained, finally having a plausible explanation. But it seemed to do the opposite of appeasing Lila’s questioning and had her eying Marinette in disdain, followed by a tired sigh.

“Alright, I’m going to stop you right there. I know you know I was lying on my first day of school.” Lila said, completely blindsiding Marinette at how fast Lila figured out her… fib.

“Wait… what!? How the heck did you know?” Marinette gawked, looking at Lila with wide eyes as she tried to comprehend what just happened.

“Let’s just say I’m…” Lila began, smirking as she leaned in close into Marinette’s personal space. “… very good at reading people when it comes to them believing my lies.” the Italian finished, leaving Marinette blushing at their proximity and her lidded eyes.

“Oh… that’s… really cool.” Marinette stammered out, leaning back a little from Lila due to her uncertainty about her current predicament.

“Also, you’re not as sneaky as you might think yourself to be. I saw you tailing me when I went out to meet up with Adrien.” Lila stated as she finally backed up from Marinette, resuming her previous sitting position while Marinette kept staring at her in surprise. 

“Ah, I see.” Marinette said, taking in the new information. ‘Note to self: ask Draal to help me improve my skills in sneaking around .’ the pigtailed girl internally noted, keeping that in mind for later before focusing on the conversation again.

“Okay, you know I followed you. But that doesn’t mean I know you were lying.” Marinette remarked, still hoping to save face with Lila on her… less than ideal habits.

“That would be the case if I didn’t see you hiding behind the trash can next to the bench Adrien and I were sitting on. So I have to assume you’ve seen Ladybug chewing me out.” Lila rebutted, immediately leaving Marinette unable to come up with an argument.

“Yes. Yes, I did. That’s exactly right.” Marinette tensely agreed while her gaze drifted to the side, deciding to just roll with the excuse given to her instead of trying to reinvent the wheel. But despite her choppy response, Lila was still sending a cheeky stare at Marinette. 

“Huh, you’re very intriguing, Marinette.” Lila remarked with a smirk, making Marinette stare at her in worry.

“What makes you say that?” Marinette asked.

“If you know that I lied, why haven't you tried outing me and trying so hard to befriend me? You don’t strike me as the type to support liars.” Lila observed, her right hand going to her chin in thought.

“I don’t, I’ll give you that one.” Marinette relented, shrugging her shoulders at Lila’s remark. “And call me crazy, but I think if I tried to tell the others, they wouldn’t be so quick to believe me.” the red-tipped-haired girl added, earning an amused smirk from Lila at her claim.

“You seem confident in that claim.” Lila stated, her amused eyebrow cocking at Marinette as she spoke.

“Let’s just say that when it comes to counting on my classmates to help someone who’s being bullied, they tend to leave the bullied to fend for themselves.” Marinette replied, leaning to rest her elbows on her knees as she recalled the previous school year.

“And from the sounds of it, you’re speaking from experience.” Lila noted, hitting the nail right on the head.

“You could say that.” Marinette tiredly breathed out, looking off to the side with a pout.

“Why tell me that if I can use that against you?” Lila asked, now staring at Marinette with slight concern about how easily she admitted to her classmate’s gullibility.

“It’s called giving someone the benefit of the doubt. I don’t expect you to understand that when you seem to not feel guilty when lying to my friends.” Marinette replied, sitting up as she turned to send a pointed stare at Lila.

“Oooh, the little kitten has claws. I didn’t expect you to be so blunt.” Lila praised in a softly mocking tone, smirking at Marinette for being so out of the character model she assumed she was.

“Eh, I’ve gotten a little more self-confident this year.” Marinette replied, reclining on the bench and letting her hands go to rest behind her head.

“It shows. I’ll admit, I didn’t think you’d be so intriguing.” Lila admitted, her fingers thrumming on the bench as she continued to look at Marinette with an intrigued smirk.

“Does that mean you might be open to being friends?” Marinette asked, a smile appearing on her face at the possibility.

“Oh, absolutely not. Me being friends with a goody two shoes like you would not be ideal for me.” Lila replied while she started packing her bag, her denial of Marinette’s offer causing the designer’s face to drop in disappointment.

“But you just said I intrigued you.” Marinette stated, not understanding why Lila was still being standoffish.

“That doesn’t mean I think you’re worth the trouble. Who's to say you won’t drop me when it suits you?” Lila questioned as she continued with her bag, all while Marinette stared at her in disbelief.

“In what part of the conversation we just had… would make you believe that?” Marinette asked Lila incredulously, not understanding how she came to that conclusion.

“Call it self-preservation. I like to be a few steps ahead.” Lila replied, standing up from the bench with her bag slung over her shoulders.

“That’s a lonely way to live, you know.” Marinette stated, looking at Lila with concern.

“Well, it’s how I’ve had to live.” Lila said, a sad look in her eyes before shaking it off and focusing on Marinette again. “See you around, Gatto Curioso (Curious Cat).” the olive-eyed girl farewelled, walking away from the bench and leaving Marinette behind.

“She could have at least given me a better nickname.” Marinette muttered in frustration, crossing her arms over her chest while looking off to the side.

“That’s what you got out of that conversation!? Not that Lila seems to want to be left alone?” Tikki questioned her holder, poking her head out of the purse as she looked up at Marinette incredulously. 

“No, I got that. But with the way she talked about it, it seemed like she'd been burned by a past friend.” Marinette said, revealing that she still intended to befriend Lila despite being brushed off by the Italian girl.

“Or maybe she’s just not keen on making friends.” Tikki argued. “Marinette, maybe you should leave things well enough alone.” the red kwami added, trying to get her holder to drop the matter for fear of her unintentional deception being discovered by Lila. And with how perceptive Lila proved herself to be, that would happen sooner rather than later.

“No way, Tikki! I’ve already made up my mind to become Lila’s friend, and I fully intend to do so. I’m not giving up after one brush-off!” Marinette fired back, her stubbornness now coming into play after hearing Tikki’s argument. “One way or another, I will break through her walls!” the designer declared, jumping up from the bench in her excitement seconds before the bell rang across the school.

“Oh, boy.” Tikki sighed, knowing that there wouldn’t be any stopping her holder when she had her mind made up.

“We’ll talk more about this later Tikki. I better get to Science class before Ms Mendeleiev has an excuse to give me detention.” Marinette said as she grabbed her bag, racing to her next class before she was late.

‘I just hope you know what you’re doing, Marinette.’ Tikki thought to herself as she ducked back into Marinette’s purse, trying to trust her owner’s judgment.

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From that point on, Marinette was even more eager to befriend Lila. But Lila had also taken to avoiding her from then on too, hoping to dissuade Marinette from keeping up her constant attempts. Unfortunately for Lila, she forgot her lunch at home and had to eat in the cafeteria, giving Marinette the opening she needed… if Mr Pigeon didn’t get akumatized again. Having no other choice, Marinette abandoned her lunchtime attempt with Lila and headed off to fight the most ridiculous akuma to date.

The fight ended up lasting longer than either hero expected it to. It took over three hours to defeat Mr Pigeon after he decided to bomb the whole city with bird poop, which left Ladybug and Chat Noir pulling out stray civilians from the large droppings. By the time Mr Pigeon was defeated for the 30th time, the school day was over and the two heroes went back home, going back to school only to get their bags. After that, Marinette was left to wait a while to meet up with Draal for their Monday training session, which wasn’t too long after she finished her homework. But even while she changed into her training attire, Marinette’s mind was still hung up on trying to connect with Lila and came up empty. With no new ideas, the pigtailed girl asked one of the wisest people… well, technically Troll, she knew if they knew what to do.

Now that she decided to ask Draal for advice, Marinette was all the more eager to head down to their sewer training arena and meet up with him. After Marinette made sure that her duffle bag was packed and put her rope dart inside alongside Tikki, she snuck down the steps to the side door of the building and left. Following that, she went to the alleyway next to her house and entered the sewer system with ease before climbing the ladder down to the abandoned ventilation shaft. Once she entered the training area, Marinette saw that she and Tikki were the first ones there, smiling to have beat the usually punctual Draal to their meet-up. Fortunately for her, she and Tikki didn’t have to wait long for the crystal-backed Troll to arrive after sitting down near the pile of rubble serving as their rest spot, seeing him come through the other exit.

“Looks like I’m the one early for once, Draal!” Marinette greeted her trainer, causing Draal to look at her in surprise while a bag was slung over his shoulder.

“It appears so, Little Ladybug. What’s brought about this sudden being on time?” Draal cheekily questioned the human, smiling at her punctuality.

“Woke up on time for once and it snowballed from there.” Marinette explained, rising from her seat to approach Draal.

“Let us hope that it continues from here on out.” Draal said… only for the three occupants of the secret arena to stare at each other blankly and burst out laughing seconds later.

“Yeah, like that would actually happen!! You know I’m notorious for being late to most things!” Marinette managed to say during their laughter, knowing that she wouldn’t be that lucky.

“Yes, I’m aware. Even I didn't think that would ever happen.” Draal admitted with a lingering chuckle, smiling at their teasing of the Ladybug Miraculous Holder.

“At least you’re being honest.” Marinette said with a fond roll of her eyes, smirking at the critique.

“In any case, we should take advantage of you being on time and get started.” Draal declared, finally schooling himself to resume his usual state of professionalism.

“I agree.” Marinette replied, now coming to stand next to Draal after their laughter.

“But before I forget, your brother asked me to give these to you.” Draal said before he let his bag drop to the floor, opening it up to take out a large number of books from within. At the sight of the books, Marinette gasped in delight.

“More volumes of a Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore! I was wondering when Jim would send over the ones he finished.” Marinette squealed as she took the books from Draal, causing her to see some of the numbers on the book spines. “Ooooh! Volumes 5-10! Blinky said that they have more information about the Troll Miraculous holders.” the red-tipped-haired girl gushed when seeing the first half of the books, excited to start reading them as soon as possible.

“They do indeed and are very accurate. Quite a good read.” Draal remarked, happy to see Marinette excited to learn more about her predecessors.

“You can read?” Marinette questioned Draal, staring at him in surprise upon the discovery.

“Yes, I can.” Draal replied, sending a deadpanned look to his human pupil.

“No offense, but you don’t strike me as the type to read.” Marinette remarked, walking back to their resting spot to put the 10 books Draal gave her into her bag. “Then again, these volumes are about your mom and the Trolls she worked with, so it makes sense.” the designer mused aloud, Draal coming towards her as she worked.

“Hmm, fair enough.” Draal noted as he walked over to the rest area, seeing she had a point.

“Alright, now that the books are safe, can we start our training now? I need to ask you for some advice.” Marinette said as she took her rope dart out from her bag, turning to the crystal-backed Troll to get ready to train.

“What kind of advice?” Draal asked as he reached their rest area, grabbing his spear from his bag before setting it down next to Marinette’s duffle.

“It’s kind of a long story.” Marinette admitted as she looked up at Draal, rubbing the back of her neck in nervousness.

“Well, you’re going to have to fight and talk. My best advice tends to appear when I’m training.” Draal advised as they walked to the center of their training area, the two of them soon standing at the ready.

“Works for me!” Marinette declared before she leapt into action, letting her rope dart out as she jumped into the air and swung it as she did. But before she can hit Draal, he blocks her advance with his spear.

“So what do you need help with?” Draal asked, pushing Marinette away from him and forcing the girl to land a few feet away from her sparring partner.

“There’s this girl in my class named Lila. I think I’ve mentioned her before, right?” Marinette inquired of her teacher, swinging her rope dart’s counterweight above her head before swinging it at Draal.

“The girl that was akumatized into Volpina, correct?” Draal recalled as he held out his spear to let the counterweight wrap around the pole part, recognising one of Marinette’s go-to moves.

“Yeah, that’s her.” Marinette confirmed, pulling back on her rope dart in the hopes of getting it unstuck from Draal’s spear. 

“Then why are you asking for advice? From what I remember you telling me, she doesn’t seem like the type to waste time over.” Draal stated as he pulled back on Marinette’s rope dart, pulling her into the air in the process.

“ SHE’S BEEN QUIET LATELY, SO I THOUGHT TO BEFRIEND HER !” Marinette yelled as she flew through the air, managing to free her rope dart from Draal’s spear too. “But she’s not exactly very open to the idea.” the pigtailed girl elaborated as she threw her dagger at the wall, letting it bury itself into the stone before she let herself fall along the rope and stop at the counterweight.

“And the reason why you are asking for my advice is because…?” Draal probed as he turned to face Marinette, watching as she sailed through the air and landed safely on the ground, pulling her weapon free from the wall afterwards.

“Before you became friends with me and Jim, did you have any friends already?” Marinette asked as she ran up to Draal, jumping to land on his chest and front-kicking him in the chin before flipping back from him while Draal stumbled back.

“Not as many as you’d expect. With my parents being who they were, making true friends was not as simple as you’d think.” Draal said as he caught himself from falling, spotting Marinette landing on the ground across from him.

“Good point. But you must have some idea of how to befriend former advisors. You did so with me and Jim so easily.” Marinette countered, getting ready to attack again with a spin of the dagger part of her weapon.

“I might have some experience, yes.” Draal replied, spinning his spear and taking a run at Marinette this time. “But why are you so keen on befriending this girl?” the large blue Troll questioned as he stabbed his spear at Marinette, who dodged it like she had done so with Adrien in her fencing tryout.

“I was the reason why Lila got akumatized, so I feel like I need to make amends with her.” Marinette explained as she used the rope of her rope dart to wrap it around Draal’s arm, pulling it close towards her.

“That was when you were Ladybug, and she doesn’t know you are the one to chew her out.” Draal countered, surprised when Marinette’s move almost let her grab his spear from his hand. “Guilt isn’t a good reason to befriend someone.” the crystal-backed Troll chided Marinette as he pulled his spear away from her, quickly knocking her to the ground and pinning her.

“I know that. But it’s more than just feeling guilty.” Marinette fired back as she managed to get her legs underneath Draal’s stomach, bucking him back from her and freeing herself. “Lila’s so closed off compared to how she was on the first day of school.” the red-tipped-haired girl went on as she scrambled to her feet, spinning her rope darts counterweight behind her in preparation for another attack.

“Normally, I would be happy that she is not lying to my class. But she’s now too quiet because of what I did to her as Ladybug.” Marinette continued to regale, watching as Draal recovered from her earlier move. “The fact that I’m the reason why she’s keeping to herself is only part of the reasons why I’m trying so hard to befriend her.” the designer stated as she swung her counterweight at Draal as he came at her, hitting him in the gut and making him double over in pain.

“And… the other… reasons?” Draal wheezed out, recovering from the hit before going to attack her again.

“I know what it’s like to be lonely after someone hurts you so personally.” Marinette admitted as runs up to Draal, quickly grabbing his arm to the ground and taking his spear before he could use it again. “Especially when I took it as far as I did.” the pigtailed girl added as she twirled away from Draal, throwing her rope dart at him and tying his arms up. 

“After thinking about my actions, I found that I was acting a lot like Chloé when I chewed her out.” Marinette reflected as she sweepkicked Draal, knocking him to the ground and raising his acquired spear to his throat. “Sure, I can argue for setting the record straight about my non-existent connection to Lila at the time. But that doesn’t make how I treated her right.” the red-tipped-haired girl concluded as she let Draal go, winning the first round between them.

“I can relate. It’s how I felt after losing the duel against your brother.” Draal admitted as he stood up to his full height, Marinette giving him back his spear afterwards.

“And you managed to befriend us quite quickly. So why isn’t it working with Lila?” Marinette wondered, hoping he would have the answer.

“It might have to do with the possibility that Lila isn’t as open as you and Jim.” Draal theorized, leaving Marinette silent as he continued. “Everyone is and acts different from each other from what I’ve seen, and it can lead them to take certain events any way that suits them. That being said, it’s best to just let them decide when to open up to those willing to be there for them.” the large blue Troll explained, causing Marinette to scrutinizingly stare at him. 

“Meaning?” Marinette questioned, not quite seeing the point Draal was trying to make.

“She’ll come to you if and when she’s ready to befriend someone. You just have to be patient and set aside your personal feelings on the matter.” Draal clarified, prompting his pupil to nod at the thought of the idea her friend was giving her. “It’s worth it in the end.” the crystal-backed Troll stated, sealing the deal.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her all day, Draal!” Tikki exclaimed from her perch on the pile of rubble in the resting area, finishing off one of her many cookies.

“Really, Tikki? Do you have to say ‘I told you so’, right this minute?” Marinette asked her kwami, both she and Draal looking at Tikki with different looks from the other… one with annoyance and the other with amusement.

“Yes, because me and now Draal have given you the same advice. Maybe now you might take it.” Tikki lectured her holder, sending a knowing smirk at Marinette.

“Okay, fair enough.” Marinette relented, shaking her head at how smug her kwami was being. “But in all seriousness, I see what you two mean. I’ll apologize to Lila for coming out so strong and lay off on the befriending.” the designer announced, leaving both Troll and kwami to smile at her statement.

“That sounds like a reasonable idea. Let us hope it ends up working out in your favor.” Draal said, liking that Marinette was listening to his and Tikki’s joint advice

“I’m hoping it does too, Draal. I’m hoping it does too.” Marinette said, smiling up at her friend with a hopeful look in her eyes. “But in the meantime, why don’t we try that fight again? I think I could have done a few things a bit differently.” the pigtailed girl noted, rolling her shoulder to loosen them out before said second attempt.

“Yes, several actually.” Draal remarked, earning a pointed glare from Marinette.

“Must you be so critical?” Marinette questioned, rolling her eyes at his bluntness

“You’re the one who wanted me to train you. This is how I do it.” Draal stated, proceeding to stretch his arms across his chest as he spoke.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m just teasing.” Marinette said, brushing off the criticism in favor of focusing on their sparing.“Now let’s tee off. I’m itching to retry that move I did with my rope dart earlier. Maybe I could use it again in a fight if I get it down.” the red-tipped-haired girl teased as she checked her weapon, making sure it was ready for another round.

“Be careful. I might use that against you.” Draal fired back, smirking at their little rapport.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. How else am I supposed to get better?” Marinette rhetorically questioned Draal, who chuckled at her in amusement as they got ready to face off again.

“Indeed.” Draal replied as the two stood at the ready, eager to face off once again.

“By the way, do you think you could help me with my stealth skills at a later date?” Marinette quickly asked Draal, suddenly remembering Lila’s observation of her sneaking around as she brandished the dagger of her rope dart, counterweight spinning behind her once more.

“It would be my pleasure!” Draal declared with a spin of his spear, followed by the two of them leaping back into action.

Chapter Text

After her training session with Draal; with a total of 3 out of 6 matches against her opponent, Marinette headed back home for dinner. Following that was her usual video call with Jim and Toby for their daily recap, where she told them her plans to leave Lila alone from then on before going off to patrol with Chat Noir. While the boys were a little miffed to hear Marinette was already throwing in the towel, they understood and supported her. The good mood resulting from the video carried on to Ladybug’s performance for patrol, leading to her and Chat Noir having a little race through the city afterwards. When the time came to go back to her house, Marinette only had seconds to mutter her de-transformation phrase before flopping face-first onto her bed and falling asleep.

The next morning was more befitting Marinette’s habits, starting with her sleeping through her first three alarms like clockwork. Snowballing from there, Marinette raced to eat breakfast and arrived at school seconds before the bell rang for the first period. With her being late, Marinette didn’t have a chance to talk to Lila before class or during their mid-morning break on account of needing to help Alya with proofreading her upcoming article for the Ladyblog. Fortunately for Marinette, no akuma attacked that day and left her lunch break free to finally talk to Lila after once again letting Jim know she wouldn’t be present for their usual call.

“Alright, here we go.” Marinette quietly declared with her lunch tray in hand, prompting Tikki to pop her head out of her holder’s purse and look up at her.

“Good luck, Marinette.” Tikki encouraged the girl, a smile appearing on her tiny face.

“Thanks, Tikki.” Marinette thanked her kwami before finally walking over to Lila, causing Tikki to hide back inside Marinette’s purse just as Lila looked up from her lunch and saw her coming.

“Oh my god.” Lila groaned to herself, shaking her head with a roll of her eyes before going to glare at the incoming Marinette. “Has anyone told you that you are annoyingly persistent?” the Italian girl tiredly questioned the girl in front of her, having had enough of Marinette’s attempts despite it only being the second day of trying to connect with her.

“Many times as of late.” Marinette replied as she placed her lunch tray on the table next to Lila, sitting next to her seconds later. “But it hasn’t failed me yet, and I am determined to break through your walls.” the designer declared, earning a tired sigh from Lila in response before deciding to tell Marinette to bugger off.

“Look, I already told you-” “But, I’m willing to let this be the first time.” Marinette interrupted, to which Lila immediately stopped talking and stared at her in shock.

“I want to say I’m sorry for how I was yesterday. I was being overzealous when trying to offer my friendship to you and that wasn’t what I wanted to do at all.” the designer continued, further leaving Lila surprised by her words when hearing the apology.

“Okay…?” Lila said in a skeptical tone, leaning away from Marinette a little out of worry about the girl having been replaced by a body snatcher.

“After your akumatization, I admittedly felt sorry for you at the time and wanted to help you feel more welcomed here. And since our talk yesterday, I had some time to reflect and realized that I was forcing my friendship onto you.” Marinette explained, bashfully rubbing the back of her neck as she spoke.

“Well, I wouldn’t say you went that far. You were only a little pushy.” Lila reflected as she looked down at her tray, now playing with her food with her fork. “But why were you acting like that?” the olive-eyed girl asked, sending an intrigued stare at a suddenly silent Marinette.

“I know what it’s like not to have any close friends. Up until this year, I was an outcast in my year group and was only acquainted with my classmates except Nino.” Marinette admitted, looking at the floor to her left for a second before redirecting her focus back onto Lila. “I was hoping to help you not feel the same way here, but then ended up not listening to you when you said you wanted the opposite.” the pigtailed girl added, offering a small smile to the Italian to try and smooth things over a little.

“So, I hereby announce that I’ll be leaving you to do your own thing. You don’t have to worry about me bothering you about being friends again.” Marinette declared as she got up from her seat, followed by grabbing her lunch and standing up from the bench. “But maybe we can become friends later on.” the red-tipped-haired girl said, now going to leave Lila on her lonesome. However, just as she was about to take another step…

“Wait.” Lila spoke up, suddenly grabbing Marinette’s wrist and stopping her in her tracks. “Okay, I’ll admit it. I am lonely.” the Italian girl finally said, causing Marinette to turn and face her with an expectant look in her eyes.

“Growing up, I moved around a lot because of my parent’s job working in the Italian embassy.” Lila began, looking at the ground as she started her tale. “While I got to go to many cool places, I didn’t stay long enough to make any permanent friends. At best I spent eight months in a single school before moving again.” the olive-eyed girl went on, a small rueful huff escaping her lips afterwards.

“After the second or third move, I started lying about my life to make myself look better to my classmates. Figured it would be the best way to have some form of friends in the short time I was there. But it never worked in keeping in touch with them after I left.” Lila remarked, now looking back up at Marinette before letting her hand go. “So when my parents were stationed here indefinitely, I decided to throw down roots and make myself appealing enough to have people trying to befriend me.” the Italian explained, a frown appearing on her face the more she spoke about her situation.

“Unfortunately, it backfired when Ladybug called me out on my lie about her and I knew that I couldn’t try that here without repercussions.” Lila noted, pouting as she remembered that day. “So I decided to keep to myself to prevent losing the little admiration from our classmates that I have. I already messed up once, I can’t afford to do so again.” the olive-eyed girl concluded, bringing a small smile to Marinette’s face when hearing Lila’s confession.

“See, now was that so hard to admit?” Marinette asked Lila, who looked at her in surprise before it suddenly turned into a smirk.

“You little minx!” Lila exclaimed, impressed by Marinette’s unintentional trick. “That was a good misdirect. Props to you.” the Italian girl praised, bowing her head at Marinette in respect.

“Thank you. Contrary to your earlier belief, I can be sneaky when I want to be.” Marinette said as she sat down next to Lila again, glad to have a new opening to connect with her.

“Clearly. You got me good.” Lila admitted.

“But I wasn’t trying to trick you, though. I did intend to leave you to come to me when you were ready.” Marinette clarified, hoping to avoid any misunderstandings going forward.

“Well, that’s nice to know.” Lila replied, a slightly amused smile replacing her smirk. “And I suppose I’d be willing to open up a bit more if you are.” the olive-eyed girl decided, her arms rising a bit from the table as she shrugged her shoulders in a yielding manner.

“What do you want to know?” Marinette questioned the chestnut-haired girl, willing to abide by her offered quid-pro-quo.

“First off, why did you stalk me on my first day?” Lila began, now looking to probe Marinette for how she found out about her lies so quickly.

“To be honest, I was only following you when I saw you take Adrien’s book from him in the library.” Marinette admitted, directing her gaze to her lunch so that she could eat while explaining herself.

“So you were eavesdropping on me and Adrien?” Lila questioned, eyebrow cocked at Marinette as she stared at her.

“I was in the library to get a book for class and just happened to be near you. I didn’t even hear your conversation with Adrien.” Marinette explained before she put a forkful of pear salad into her mouth, trying to be as truthful as possible. “Though, I have to ask… why did you throw Adrien’s book into the garbage? I get that you needed to keep Adrien from seeing it, but you could have slipped it into your bag.” the designer asked, hoping to scratch that particular itch she had about that day as she chewed her mouthful of food.

“Eh, I panicked. Was the first thing I could think of.” Lila admitted, shrugging her shoulders.

“I wish it wasn’t. My arm ended up stinking for the rest of the day when I got the book out of it.” Marinette complained as she ate her lunch, wincing at the reminder while she could feel Tikki squirming around in her purse.

“Was wondering what happened to that book. Especially when I heard what happened to Adrien after he lost it.” Lila mused aloud, her gaze looking at Marinette once again as she followed her example and resumed eating her own lunch. “Were you the one who gave it back?” the Italian girl questioned, even though she knew that was most likely the case with what she already heard about Marinette.

“Yeah, I was.” Marinette replied as she started eating her main dish, confirming Lila’s suspicions.

“And I’m assuming that Adrien knows?” Lila continued, letting herself lean towards Marinette while sending another critical glance at the other girl.

“No, I asked his father not to say anything to him about it.” Marinette answered, leaving Lila surprised and gawking at her once more as she kept eating.

“So they don’t know that…” Lila trailed off.

“That you took it? No. Why would you think I would rat you out?” Marinette questioned Lila, not seeing how she would assume that.

“Can you blame me? I didn’t exactly act very law-abiding that day.” Lila pointed out, a tired eye roll accompanying her statement before getting to the remaining parts of her lunch.

“Okay, good point.” Marinette relented, knowing she was right before spearing the last of her salad with her fork. “But I didn’t see the reason for throwing you under the bus for a misguided attempt to make yourself more appealing.” the pigtailed girl stated, leaving Lila to look at her cheekily once again.

“Sounds like you have a rep for letting others walk away from their wrongdoings.” Lila observed as she watched Marinette eat her last forkful of salad, taking it all off the utensil with no problem.

“It’s something I’m not proud of, but I’ve only just been putting my foot down about the misdeeds I see.” Marinette admitted, taking care to make sure not to let any small bits of food escape her mouth as she spoke.

“How come?” Lila asked as she reached for her bowl of fruit, followed by stabbing her fork into it to grab some of the pieces within.

“Like I said before, I was an outcast in my year group up until this year. But that was because Chloé used me as her punching bag for years.” Marinette revealed, watching as Lila started eating her fruit and stopping when hearing Marinette’s recount of her past years at school.

“I saw that name when researching the class ahead of my first day. She’s the Mayor’s daughter, right?” Lila questioned Marinette, earning a surprised stare from her upon hearing the Italian’s words.

“You researched our classmates?” Marinette interrogated Lila, sending an inquisitive eyebrow at her while she began eating her fruit bowl too.

“Are you judging?” Lila asked, sending a deadpan stare at Marinette before eating a strawberry from her provided fruit bowl.

“No, I’m just surprised.” Marinette replied, impressed by Lila’s preparation for their class. “But yeah, Chloé is the Mayor’s daughter. And that came with its own set of problems.” the red-tipped-haired girl added with a sigh, resting her cheek on her propped-up hand as she did so.

“What sort of problems?” Lila questioned as she finished eating her strawberry, followed by going for the last pieces of fruit and eating them.

“Since Chloé’s dad is the mayor, she thinks she’s above everyone and that they should be revering her like a goddess.” Marinette explained, looking at the ground off to her left as she told Lila about the hierarchy of their school. “But while she bullied the entire school, she liked to take out her wrath on me the most.” the designer admitted with a frown, re-averting her stare back onto Lila as she spoke.

“And that’s why you said the others wouldn’t be the first to help you. They let you be bullied to avoid being her patsy.” Lila breathed out in realization, her eyes wide as she looked at Marinette in shock and slight… wonder?

“Pretty much.” Marinette confirmed with a curt nod, a forlorn look in her eyes.

“And here I thought I had bad luck with making friends.” Lila remarked as she put her bowl back onto her tray, her lips pursed together as she winced at the news. “But, why are you still friends with them if they didn’t help you?” the olive-eyed girl probed, curious to know the answer seeing as Marinette didn’t seem tolerant of disloyalty.

“I told you yesterday that I like giving people the benefit of the doubt. Plus, I don’t blame them for staying out of the way. Chloé was a total bitch and I wouldn’t wish my three years of torment onto anyone.” Marinette elaborated, reaching for a grape from her fruit bowl and popping it into her mouth.

“Wow… You are the most forgiving and also the most unpredictable person I’ve ever met.” Lila observed, not believing how kind Marinette was as she gawked at the girl with concern.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Marinette said, finishing her grape before going to reach for the last of her fruit.

“It’s not.” Lila countered, sending a deadpanned look at Marinette. “I’m almost scared to hear about your love life.” the Italian added as she grabbed her glass, lifting it to her mouth to take a sip of water.

“That’s less complicated. I’ve only had a crush on one guy in my life.” Marinette simply replied, immediately causing Lila to spit-take in surprise and turn to gawk at her in disbelief.

“Seriously!? You’re 14 and haven’t had a crush on anyone except for one guy? That can’t be right. There had to be more than that!” Lila squawked, throwing her hands at Marinette as she processed the new fact about the designer.

“Well… I admittedly entertained a passing interest in Kim last year.” Marinette shyly admitted, once again looking at the floor while rubbing the back of her neck.

“ ‘Passing interest’ is another way to say you had a crush on him.” Lila argued, pointing an accusatory finger at Marinette now that she learned of this little tidbit.

“Not in this case, thanks to Chloé.” Marinette sighed, letting her arms rest on the table as she looked at her tray in slight dismay and ruefulness while Lila’s eyes lit up with her growing interest.

“Okay, now I got to know what happened.” Lila declared, an excited smile appearing on her face as she leaned towards the midnight-haired girl for an answer. But seconds after Marinette looked back at her, the bell rang throughout the school before she could respond to Lila’s question.

“Looks like that might have to wait a little bit.” Marinette remarked as she glanced up at the bell, a small smirk on her lips before giving Lila a side-eye as she backed away from her.

“Ugh, why does the bell ring at the worst possible times?” Lila groaned, her hands clenching on air as they flew above her head in exasperation.

“You seem disappointed about not opening up to me when you weren’t so keen to do so earlier.” Marinette remarked, her smirk growing as she looked at Lila cheekily and caused the chestnut-haired girl to glance at her again and let her arms fall back to the table.

“What can I say? You’ve piqued my interest.” Lila replied while the surrounding students started leaving the room, recovering her composure as she sent a new smirk at the class representative for her retort. What could Lila say? She was starting to enjoy the rapport she and Marinette were having at the moment.

“In that case, how about you come to my house after school? I can tell you more then.” Marinette asked slyly, leaning against the table with her right palm opening up to face the ceiling while resting her arm on its elbow.

“You’d invite me to your house the very day I decided to be open to you?” Lila questioned Marinette incredulously, throwing her left hand at the girl with a critical glare before it suddenly fell. “Oh, what am I saying, of course you are.” the Italian girl mumbled with a sigh, her hand dropping to her side once more.

“So does this mean you are accepting my invitation or not?” Marinette retried, wanting to get a definite answer to her previous request.

“With a cliffhanger like that, how can I not? Besides, I don’t need to head home until 5 pm. So I don’t mind the time killer till then.” Lila happily replied, the last of the other students finally leaving the cafeteria.

“You could have just said a plain old ‘yes’, but I get the message.” Marinette commented before she stood up from the table, grabbing her tray once she was up. “So, I’ll meet you at the front of the school after class is over?” the pigtailed girl asked Lila, who followed her example and stood up from the table to leave as well.

“Sounds like a plan. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m excited to hang out with you.” Lila announced, bringing a smile to Marinette’s face as they walked up to put their trays into the dirty dishes pile.

“Same here, Lila. Same here.” Marinette replied as they walked out of the lunch room and headed off to class, unaware of a smiling Tikki poking her head out of Marinette’s purse and looking up at the two girls.

‘That turned out better than I thought it would.’ Tikki internally remarked, happy that Marinette’s apology went so well. ‘Here’s to hoping it goes well.’ the red kwami thought to herself before heading back into her holder’s purse, hoping that it would be the case.

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Now that she finally connected to Lila, Marinette’s excitement was basically bursting through every one of her pores as she went through her remaining classes. Fortunately for Marinette, art and math classes went by rather fast compared to how they usually did when she had something to do after school. So when the bell rang, the secret superheroine was speeding through packing her bag to get out of the math classroom to make sure she wasn’t late to meet up with Lila. It didn’t take long to see Lila coming out of the front door after she arrived at the bottom of the stairs, smiling at the Italian as she joined her.

After they met up, they made their way over to Marinette’s house in no time at all… which surprised Lila to find out how close Marinette lived to school. Seeing as she was late most of the time, it didn’t make sense on paper for Marinette to live so close and not get in before the bell rang. Once the shock passed, the two girls went inside the bakery and Marinette introduced Lila to her mother as soon as they approached the front counter. Following a pleasant introduction of the two females, Marinette and Lila headed up to the apartment part of the building with mixed berry and chocolate tarts and various pastries to boot. From there, it was tricky to open the trapdoor to Marinette’s room with the trays of treats in their hands, but the girls managed to make it inside with little trouble.

“Well, here we are! Come on up!” Marinette chirped as she stepped into her room with one of the trays, Lila following after her with another.

“It’s so… pink.” Lila noted as she looked around the room, slight apprehension filling her inspection.

“It’s my favorite color.” Marinette stated, setting her tray on her desk with a smile.

“Clearly.” Lila remarked as she did the same.

“But I have been thinking of repainting them to a different color. Maybe cream white or pale pink to let more natural light in.” Marinette admitted as she knelt on the floor, starting to unpack the backpack full of her school stuff for later.

“Eh, it suits you. No need to change it.” Lila assured her, placing her own bag beside Marinette’s desk chair and stretching her tired arms above her head as well.

“Thanks, Lila. And please make yourself at home. You are a guest here after all.” Marinette said as she finished unpacking her bag, rising to her feet. “Have a seat and relax.” the red-tipped-haired girl urged her guest as she cracked her back, gesturing to her chaise with her right hand.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Lila happily replied while grabbing a tart and sitting down, soon looking around the room to take it in before taking a bite from the treat. “Mmm, that is really good! Your parents are top-notch bakers.” the olive-eyed girl praised, her eyes lighting up in her delight.

“What happened to having tried better deserts?” Marinette questioned her guest, sending a smug smirk at Lila as she regained her normal posture.

“That was meant in terms of fanciness. But in terms of taste and homey feels, these take the cake!” Lila joyfully corrected once she swallowed the first bite, her left pointer finger rising from her hand to emphasize her claim. But when Lila took another bite, Marinette couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her lips at the compliment on her family’s creations as she walked over to the chaise after grabbing one of the trays.

“I’m glad to hear it. And I’m sure my parents will like to hear that later as well.” Marinette said as she sat down next to Lila, her left leg coming to rest on top of her right one in the process of setting the tray down in between them.

“Wonderful.” Lila cheered before taking another bite from her tart, once again looking around the room as she finished her mouthful. “And just for the record, other than the color of the walls, this room is really cool.” the chestnut-haired girl clarified, casually leaning back on the chaise with her free hand.

“Thanks. Would you like a tour?” Marinette offered, biting into her tart with a stifled moan of enjoyment.

“Maybe another time. I’m more interested in that story you were about to tell before lunch ended.” Lila responded before popping the last of her tart into her mouth and eating it, eager to continue their little conversation from lunch.

“I figured as much.” Marinette reflected, following Lila’s example and tossing the last of her tart into her mouth to eat in one gulp. “Alright, I’ll tell you. But keep in mind that only one person I’m close with knows this, so I’m trusting you not to blab about this.” the designer stressed as she turned her body to fully face Lila, who quickly nodded in agreement.

“Normally, I would promise someone to do so and use the information against them. But I’m starting to like you, so I won’t say anything.” Lila stated, which brought a cautious look to Marinette’s features at her claim.

“That’s… reassuring?” Marinette replied, her voice filled with unsureness from hearing Lila’s words while rearranging her legs to sit more comfortably.

“That’s all the promise I can give you until I know your story.” Lila said, reaching for another tart from the tray. “So, spill the tea, please.” the Italian girl requested, turning to face Marinette and placing her chin on her propped-up arms as her elbows rested on her knees.

“Okay, fine.” Marinette relented, knowing that it would be best to get it over and done with as soon as possible.“It started at the end of last year when I had started to branch out from the timid behavior I was known for because of Chloé’s bullying.” the pigtailed girl began, leaning into the back of her chaise as she reluctantly started her story.

“It wasn’t very much, seeing as I was still being bullied by Chloé non-stop. She did everything imaginable to make my life a living Hell.” Marinette went on as she reached for a croissant from the tray, taking a bit out of it. “She would stuff my locker with cockroaches, send anonymous tips to Mr Damocles to rat me out for being late, cover my chairs with all sorts of horrible stuff so that it would ruin my clothes.” the red-tipped-haired girl continued while eating her pastry, taking care to not let any of her food fly out of her mouth as she spoke.

“And to top it all off, she basically did everything possible for me to get stuck with detention and make me afraid to even come to school.” Marinette huffed, the hand holding her croissant resting on her left knee while her right arm waved around in the air next to her to add emphasis to her tale.

“Wow… and here I thought some of the snotty girls at my old schools were bad.” Lila remarked, staring at Marinette with slight worry after hearing how she was treated. “But what does that have to do with your so-called ‘passing interest’ with Kim?” the olive-eyed girl questioned her host, not understanding why she was still talking about Chloé’s treatment of her in the years previous.

“Well, I tried to see if he was worth investing a crush on and asked if he wanted to hang out at the pool.” Marinette replied as she took another bite of her pastry with a rueful smile, clarifying that little detail before she frowned to herself. “But… it didn’t end very well.” the designer trailed off, looking at the ground just in time to miss Lila’s curious stare.

“What happened?” Lila asked, followed by taking a bite out of her second tart.

“After I asked Kim to hang out, I can only assume Chloé told him some really bad advice that he used. When we finished our swim in the pool, Kim and I went to hang out on the top of the diving platforms and he gave me what I thought was a gift.” Marinette explained, stuffing the last of her croissant into her mouth and eating it in two seconds flat before going on. “The gift turned out to be a small box full of black widow spiders.” the pigtailed girl shamefully admitted, looking at her suddenly twiddling fingers with a somber look in her eyes.

“Oh… my god!” Lila shrieked, appalled by what she just heard.

“I was so freaked out that when I was trying to get them off me, I slipped from the platform and landed right into the pool.” Marinette regaled, her gaze going from her hands to the floor amid her distress of remembering that day. “And the cherry on top of it, I saw Chloé smiling as she watched and recorded the whole thing as I fell.” the red-tipped-haired girl cried, throwing her arms out in her disbelief of Chloé’s past deed.

“That’s horrible! Why would she be so mean to you?” Lila exclaimed, letting her tart-occupied hand drop to the chaise while her other hand flew into the air between them when gesturing to the girl across from her.

“I don’t know. But that was the worst she has ever been since I’ve known her.” Marinette replied in a tired voice, placing her right hand on her forehead to soothe an oncoming headache. “Honestly, if it wasn’t for Alya, I wouldn’t have become more confident in myself.” the designer admitted, letting her hand drop from her head and back to her side.

“Does she know about this?” Lila asked, an inquisitive eyebrow cocked at Marinette.

“No, she doesn’t. Only one person does.” Marinette answered, reaching for another tart to soothe her already frayed nerves.

“Who is it?” Lila probed, taking another bite of her tart amid her curiosity.

“Remember how I said I was an outcast in my year group up until this year? Well, I did have one close friend in the year above.” Marinette continued, followed by her taking out half of the tart in her hand in one bite after she spoke. “Her name was Socqueline Wang. Her mom is friends with my mom and we were friends by default. But we were really close when going to school together.” the pigtailed girl went on, revealing yet another tidbit of her life to Lila.

“She was there when I asked Kim to hang out with me and warned me that it was a bad idea.” Marinette admitted, looking off to the side with a soft smile as she remembered her supportive friend. “Obviously, I didn’t listen to her. But even then, Socqueline came to the pool to comfort me after the incident… and more too.” the red-tipped-haired girl trailed off, not quite yet wanting to admit the remaining details of that day.

“By that, you mean?” Lila asked before taking another bite of her tart, still wanting to know more.

“Socqueline prevented the video from being posted by breaking the phone Chloé used to film my fall, but it really pissed her off. Had I listened to her, I would have avoided being burned like that and she wouldn’t have been suspended thanks to Chloé forcing Mr Damocles to do so.” Marinette explained, only to look away from the ground and back at Lila. “Socqueline only tried to help me and she got punished for it.” the designer stated, a sad look in her eyes as she spoke.

“What a spineless coward.” Lila snarled, once again shocked by how bad Marinette had it before this current school year.

“Yeah, he can be.” Marinette agreed, a wince appearing on her features at the thought before finishing her second tart.

“But if your classmates know how Chloé treated you, does Adrien know since he’s new this year? I know you said Alya doesn’t know, so I’m curious about his take on this.” Lila questioned Marinette, also finishing her tart as she waited for an answer.

“I… never told him.” Marinette shamefully admitted as she looked at the ground on her right, her hands clasping together in front of her out of nervousness while Lila gawked at her in surprise.

“Why not?” Lila inquired as she schooled her shock to a more manageable level, going to reach for a chocolate croissant from the tray.

“I’m not proud of how timid I was in previous years. While the rest of the class knows about Chloé bullying me and knows what happened at the pool last year, I don’t want my newest friends to know about it.” Marinette elaborated, her hands releasing themselves while she sat up from her reclined posture.

“Fair enough. I know I’d want as few people to know about my embarrassing moments.” Lila reflected, knowing that she definitely had a similar desire thanks to her interaction with Ladybug. “And that’s not even going into how Kim was so horrible to do that to you. Why did he even think that was such a good idea?” the chestnut-haired girl probed, genuinely curious as to why Marinette was still friends with him from what she’d seen in class and at the girl’s birthday party.

“In Kim’s defense, he apologized to me profusely after he saw how badly I reacted to his… little joke. He’s a good guy once you get past the bad sense of humor and obliviousness.” Marinette assured Lila, looking back at her with a lopsided smile to carry her point across. “At least I’ve grown from that part of my life and I'm now stronger because of it.” the pigtailed girl announced, her smile turning genuine as she reflected on her growth.

“Not to mention how I’ve gotten a lot better at designing since last year, too.” Marinette added before pointing to the designs pinned on the wall near her desk, causing Lila to avert her gaze to said wall while getting another pastry.

“These are yours? I honestly thought that a professional made them.” Lila gushed, taking a bite out of her treat as she took in the designs.

“Yeah, they’re mine. Some of my best work to date.” Marinette confirmed, smiling with pride. “Especially this one.” the red-tipped-haired girl continued before getting up from her chaise and going to her desk, quickly pulling the ‘Geode Hat’ from its storage box to show it off.

“Oh my…” Lila breathed out as she stood up from the chaise as well, setting her remaining pastry down while staring at the hat in awe as she walked towards Marinette. “This is amazing!” the Italian girl squealed, reaching out for the hat when she was close enough.

“May I?” Lila requested, looking at Marinette for consent to touch the hat.

“Of course. But it’s not finished yet, so please be gentle.” Marinette said as she handed the hat to Lila, who gently took it and raised it to her eyes for a closer look.

“It’s so pretty. And the detail is so intricate!” Lila raved as she turned the hat around in her hands, taking in every little detail she could.

“Thank you. It’s definitely taken me a while to get it to this stage.” Marinette confessed, bashfully rubbing the back of her neck while her cheeks turned red in her flustered state at the compliment. “I call it the ‘Geode Hat’, by the way. It’s inspired by a geode exhibit I saw last year.” the designer explained, prompting Lila to look up from the hat and back at her.

“Is this a commission or something more prestigious?” Lila asked, even more curious as to who would be receiving this piece of art.

“No, it’s a gift actually.” Marinette replied.

“For who?” Lila probed, a questioning eyebrow sent in Marinette’s direction.

“Someone I’m close to. He’s the one who took me to the exhibit that inspired it in the first place.” Marinette admitted, her smile growing when remembering that time with Toby and Jim the previous summer.

“They sound like they’re really nice if they helped inspire such a beautiful piece. I can’t wait to see what it looks like when finished.” Lila said, still amazed by the design in her hands.

“He is, and thank you. I’m excited for the finished product, too.” Marinette concurred, watching as Lila kept on admiring her work. “But this isn’t the only geode-inspired design I have.” the pigtailed girl slyly revealed, causing Lila to once again look up from analyzing the hat and back at her.

“It isn’t?” Lila asked as she handed the hat back to Marinette, now even more curious as to the specifics of her host’s claim.

“No, it’s not.” Marinette confirmed as she placed the hat back into the box, then went to her bag to get her sketchbook out from inside. “Care to see them?” the red-tipped-haired girl questioned Lila as she went through her book, soon landing on the aforementioned designs.

“Considering how beautiful your ‘Geode Hat’ is, how can I say ‘no’?” Lila rhetorically queried, knowing that she would love nothing more.

“Then sit down and get comfy. This might take a little bit.” Marinette instructed her guest, prompting Lila to sit down on the chaise before Marinette sat next to her, eager to show her the designs she had made so far.

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After Marinette and Lila sat down on her chaise, the up-and-coming designer continued to show the Italian girl the rest of her geode-inspired designs. Her non-geode-themed designs were shown after those, once again leaving Lila amazed by what she saw in both talent and vision. By the time the girls finished eating half the pastries, Lila asked to see any other finished designs and was even more in awe of the pieces when she found herself faux-modeling them.

“Marinette, these are amazing! And I’ve seen a lot of good pieces in my time.” Lila praised, taking off a dark gray and cerulean ombré cardigan that Marinette knitted herself and folding it before putting it onto the desk.

“How, if you don’t mind me asking?” Marinette probed, coming over to put her designs away now that Lila was done trying them on.

“My mère works at Style Queen magazine as a personal stylist. She’s taken me to her work many times and I’ve been able to see all the looks they use in their magazine.” Lila explained, which left Marinette so shocked by the news that she almost dropped the contents in her arms.

“No way! Your mom works at the magazine company of the most influential and harshest fashion critic in the world?! That’s amazing!” Marinette gushed, holding her designs close to her chest as she hopped up and down in her excitement. But when she finally processed Lila’s statement, Marinette’s excitement suddenly dropped. “Wait a minute… didn’t you say that your mom was a diplomat at lunch?” the designer questioned Lila, remembering that little detail while she sent a skeptical look at her guest.

“Yeah, I did. And before you ask, she’s still working at the embassy here in Paris.” Lila reassured, which only left Marinette even more confused.

“So… how is that possible? Do you have two moms or something?” Marinette asked. “Not judging by the way. I’m just trying to make sense of this.” the pigtailed girl quickly amended, hoping to avoid offending Lila.

“Fair enough. And to answer your question, I actually have three moms.” Lila replied, once again leaving Marinette in surprise at the reveal of new information.

“Really? Wow. I got to say, I didn’t expect that.” Marinette said as she put her designs away, a mirthful look on her face before looking back at Lila.

“No one really does. But when I do tell people, they aren’t very open to hear about how it’s possible.” Lila admitted, thinking back to the few times she spoke about her family’s past while Marinette sent her a soft smile as she came up to her guest.

“Well, I can say for certainty that the more you get to know me, the more you’ll realize that I won’t be like that.” Marinette assured Lila, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “So if you are open to talking about it, I would love to hear the story about how you ended up with three moms.” the pigtailed girl said as she gestured to her chaise, eager to hear about Lila’s family situation since it was similar to hers.

“It’s not a very complicated story.” Lila admitted, watching as Marinette took her hand off of her shoulder and grabbed the second tray of pastries before going to sit on her chaise.

“I don’t care. I want to know anyway.” Marinette reiterated, sitting on her chaise and placing the tray next to her before patting the spot next to it for Lila to join her.

“Alright. I suppose I could tell you if you are being so insistent.” Lila reasoned as she walked over to the chaise, a half smile appearing on her face at how encouraging Marinette was being. “It all started around 15 years ago when my bio parents were placed on the same assignment at the Italian embassy.” the olive-eyed girl began, sitting on the chaise and grabbing one of the croquettes from the tray.

“They worked in different departments before then and hadn’t met until they got the assignment. But they hit it off right away and slept together after the assignment was done to prevent any messy conflicts.” Lila continued before popping the croquette into her mouth, eating it rather quickly. “Afterwards, my mama fell pregnant with me and told my dad. While he wasn’t looking for a permanent relationship with my mama, he promised to be there for me growing up.” the chestnut-haired girl regaled, finishing her pastry before reaching for another one.

“So after I was born and when either of my bio parents got transferred, the other would request a transfer to the same place as well. However, that didn’t really happen until I turned 4 and let me spend a little bit of my childhood in my birth country.” Lila went on, her hands moving around in the air to emphasize her point. “As to my ‘more than one mom’ situation, it’s a bit less complicated. My mère is actually my godmother and my bio mom’s best friend since college. Meanwhile, my maman is my stepmom after my dad married her four years ago now.” the Italian girl added, her fingers playing with her croquette before eating it while Marinette stared at her in awe.

“Wow, that’s quite the story.” Marinette said, having been absentmindedly eating pastries while listening to her guest’s story. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your family like? Are your parents nice? Do you have any siblings or are you an only child?” the red-tipped-haired girl rambled on, wanting to know more about Lila’s interesting family.

“Okay, slow down there. One question at a time please.” Lila said in slight amusement, her hands waving in front of her in a manner to suggest to Marinette to calm down.

“Sorry. I tend to get a little carried away when it comes to matters like this.” Marinette bashfully admitted, rubbing the back of her neck with a nervous smile.

“It’s fine. I actually enjoy the questions. Not many people want to know more after the initial story.” Lila said, smiling at how interested Marinette was in her life story.

“Like I said, I’m not most people.” Marinette replied, returning the smile.

“No. No, you are not.” Lila mussed aloud, a small huff of amusement escaping her while reaching for a chocolate cookie from the tray. “But to answer at least two of your questions to start, I’m an only child at the moment but my papa and maman are trying for a baby right now.” the olive-eyed girl replied with a smile, taking a bite out of her cookie afterwards.

“Aw!!” Marinette squealed, her fondness for children coming into the open.

“As for my parents, they are all very nice. First up, my dad is a gentleman but can be a little of a pushover when it comes to women. Especially when they are badasses.” Lila continued, listing off her parents with her fingers.

“Sounds like a smart man.” Marinette remarked, smirking a little at the summary of Lila’s dad.

“He is. Meanwhile, my mama is very independent and a real go-getter since the embassy is usually a man’s world. Ergo, she’s always working hard to be at the top of her game.” Lila regaled before taking another bite from her cookie, only for her admiring smile to fade a bit. “But it does mean she tends to be home late on workdays. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of her for going for the top. But I do wish she was less busy so that she could spend more time with me.” the chestnut-haired girl quietly added, looking at the ground with a frown.

“That’s understandable. What kid wouldn’t want to spend time with their parents?” Marinette wondered with a sympathetic look in Lila’s direction, having heard a few similar situations beforehand that had tugged at her heartstrings like Lila’s tale.

“Exactly.” Lila said after looking up from the floor, smiling at how understanding Marinette was being. “However, while my mère is as ambitious as my mama, her job’s more flexible and allows for her to spend more time looking after me when mama has to do long hours. Then there’s my maman, who is deaf and an art teacher for the speech impaired. She’s a total sweetie and very patient with others. She even taught me how to paint.” the Italian girl gushed, showing just how proud she was of her family.

“That’s awesome! Your family sounds so cool.” Marinette praised Lila, impressed by her story. “Though I do have one last question.” the designer said, reaching for a croquette from the tray and popping it into her mouth.

“Shoot.” Lila said, finishing her cookie in one last bite.

“Are all your parents Italian? I’m only asking because it kind of sounds like it.” Marinette asked.

“Not all of them. My bio parents are straight-up Italian, yes. But my maman is French-Italian while my mère is only French. Seeing as two of my parents are from France, it made learning French a necessity.” Lila replied, earning an understanding nod from Marinette.

“Makes sense. At least you’re bilingual, too.” Marinette pointed out, grabbing a croissant from the tray. “By the way, how many languages do you know?” the pigtailed girl questioned, raising the pastry to her mouth to take a bite from it.

“French and Italian, obviously. French Sign Language from my maman, and English from when I spent time in Australia.” Lila answered, listing off her current skill set in languages.

“That’s so cool! Normally kids our age only know one or two languages.” Marinette praised, swallowing her first bite before taking another.

“Thanks. But what about you? I know you speak French and Italian, but are there any others you know?” Lila asked, interested in how many other things she and Marinette shared.

“Well, there’s English, a little bit of Spanish from a school elective class and Chinese from my mom’s side. Plus a more obscure language that I’m almost fluent in.” Marinette replied, earning an intrigued smile from Lila at her answer.

“Which one?” Lila probed, letting her arms rest on her thighs while leaning towards Marinette with interest.

“I’d rather keep that to myself if you don’t mind.” Marinette said, leaning back a little out of nervousness. In hindsight, she probably shouldn’t have hinted at her skills in speaking Troll in the first place.

“Ooooh, it must be juicy.” Lila purred, which forced Marinette to hide her panic to avoid tipping her off. “But I won’t press. You’ve already shared a lot with me today that I’m happy to wait to find out.” the olive-eyed girl decided, which had Marinette relaxing from her panicked state.

“Thank you, Lila. And you’re lucky to have such a diverse family, by the way.” Marinette sighed out, grateful that she wasn’t going to press any more. “You know, it’s great that Adrien and I aren’t the only ones in our class who know more than two languages. It definitely makes things more interesting.” the red-tipped-haired girl remarked, causing Lila to smile at her words.

“Thanks, Marinette. You’re the first person to say that to me. And while I know how my family came to be is a little unconventional, I wouldn’t trade them for the world.” Lila said, smiling as she thought about said family.

“I know how that feels. Believe me.” Marinette mumbled to herself, smiling to herself as she glanced at the floor before going to look back at Lila. “And while we are talking about family, did you practice any modeling with your mère when at her work? You’re a natural at it if you don’t mind me saying.” the designer observed, a probing eyebrow cocked at Lila in the hopes of getting her to answer.

“Aw, thank you! You’re so sweet for noticing. And yes, I did mock-model some of my mère’s outfits to help her see how they’d look on someone. When my mère said that I was doing a good job, I started working on it ever since.” Lila regaled with a proud smirk, her right hand going to rest on her center clavicle while shrugging her left shoulder.

“Well, it definitely shows. You could be a professional.” Marinette noted with a smile, only for her eyes to widen in thought. “Hey… I just got a crazy idea.” the pigtailed girl announced, her hand rising to her chin in thought while looking to the side.

“How crazy? Should I be worried?” Lila asked, her arms falling to her side as she looked at Marinette with slight concern.

“Not if it works.” Marinette simply replied, which worked to soothe Lila’s worries for the moment.

“Alright, I’ll bite. What’s your idea?” Lila questioned Marinette, now interested in what the designer had in mind.

“You know your way around a catwalk, right?” Marinette rhetorically asked, to which Lila nodded in confirmation. “And I’m a designer in need of a top model for my website. How about we work together and get both our names out into the fashion world?” the red-tipped-haired girl asked, earning an awed look from Lila when hearing the idea.

“That’s actually a great idea.” Lila said, impressed by the thought. “Wait, didn’t you already ask the girls to help model your designs?” the chestnut-haired girl asked, recalling the time the girls of their class helped out and she declined to attend.

“Yeah, but I’m looking for a permanent model for the bigger designs. And seeing as you have experience, you’re the perfect candidate.” Marinette clarified.

“Well, I do love to show off in pretty clothes. Plus your designs definitely fit that criteria…” Lila trailed off in thought, her gaze shifting to the side before finally making a decision. “Alright, I’m in.” the Italian girl announced, smiles appearing on both girls’ faces.

“Great!” Marinette cheered, happy that Lila had agreed to her offer.

“On one condition.” Lila spoke up, interrupting Marinette’s happiness for a second.

“Name it.” Marinette said, willing to bend if Lila’s request was manageable to put in place.

“I want us to be partners. That way if either of us gets noticed by a big brand name, we both get to work with them.” Lila pitched, crossing her arms over her chest with a smirk to boot as she made her case.

“Sounds like a fair trade to me. You got a deal, Lila.” Marinette declared, followed by her holding out her hand to Lila.

“Wonderful!” Lila cheered, causing the two of them to shake hands just seconds before Lila’s phone buzzed “Oh, shoot! I gotta get going. My mom will be home soon.” the olive-eyed girl fretted after seeing what the alert was, getting up from the chaise and started packing her bag to leave.

“This was a really fun hangout, Marinette. You really know how to entertain a girl.” Lila complimented her host, having found herself enjoying her time at the Dupain-Cheng house.

“Thanks. I’m glad you had fun.” Marinette said, glad to know Lila was happy with their hang out. “So, I’ll see you at school tomorrow, partner?” the designer asked, a playful smile sent Lila’s way.

“You better believe it. Can’t very well leave my new partner in the dust now, can I?” Lila replied as she slipped her bag onto her back, followed by her heading over to the trapdoor and kneeling to grab the handle. “See you in class, Marinette.” the chestnut-haired girl added as she opened the door, now starting to head down the stairs to leave.

“See you tomorrow, Lila! Arrivederci! (Goodbye!)” Marinette farewelled, waving ‘bye’ as she watched Lila leave her room.

“Arrivederci.” Lila warmly answered before finally leaving the room, letting Tikki fly out of hiding and float next to Marinette when the door closed behind her.

“Looks like I finally got through to Lila!” Marinette squealed as she stood up from her chaise, now starting to clean up her and Lila’s mess.

“I’m proud of you, Marinette. You really made a connection to her.” Tikki praised her holder, smiling at Marinette with pride.

“Thanks, Tikki. And who would have thought we’d have so much in common? I never thought I’d find someone who I could relate to in terms of family dynamics. Other than my brother, of course.” Marinette prattled on, her joy of finding someone else she could relate to filling every inch of her body.

“It’s nice to see you so excited. While I’m still a little cautious of Lila, I can’t wait to see what comes next now that you two are friends.” Tikki said, glad to see Marinette happy that Lila was willing to be her friend.

“Me too, Tikki. Me, too.” Marinette chirped, her smile growing wider as she finished her cleaning. “In the meantime, I’ve got homework to do before dinner comes. And I don’t know about you, but I’d like to avoid another late-night homework catch-up.” the designer stated, followed by her looking at the kwami to see the fond smile Tikki was sending her.

“Then let’s get cracking.” Tikki declared, prompting Marinette to get her homework out and start working on it until dinner time.

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While Marinette was starting her homework, Lila made her way to the apartment’s side door and avoided running into Marinette’s parents with ease. Sure she had hit it off well with Tom and Sabine, but Lila was looking to get out as fast as possible and without any more pastries than she already ate. Fortunately for the Italian girl, she was successful in evading the Dupain-Cheng’s continued hospitality and started walking back home with a small spring in her step.

“That hangout was more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Who knew Marinette was so full of surprises.” Lila said aloud to herself, having found herself truly enjoying her time at Marinette’s house. “But she is also so naive to think she can trust me so much from the get-go! What kind of idiot would tell a stranger something so personal when they haven’t told their closest friends?” the Italian girl wondered incredulously to no one in particular, her hands going out in the air in front of her as she spoke.

See, the thing about Lila was that while she was truthful to Marinette about some things about her life before coming to Paris… there were still things left to be discovered. In actuality, Lila was never burned by anyone in her old schools. She was the one who burned anyone who tried to befriend her when she found out about their deepest darkest secrets, destroying their reputations. And once her family had to leave, she didn’t have to worry about any of her past deeds being heard about in her new schools, allowing her to do it all over again. Wherever Lila went, chaos followed in her wake and she had been looking to do the same in Paris if not for Ladybug’s exposure of her lies.

Fortunately for Lila, no one else in her class had heard about the incident. But it left her in a sort of purgatory on how to move forward, seeing as she knew she couldn’t rely on her normal web of lies to get her ahead of her peers. At first, she thought to try and convince Adrien that she was trustworthy and work on befriending him to get more popularity. But that all went out the window when Marinette, the only other person in the whole school who knew about her lies, came to Lila in the hopes of befriending her.

“Although… She is very intriguing and seems to have quite a few surprises.” Lila mused aloud, her hand rising to her chin in thought. “Not to mention she could very well be my ticket to getting into the Agreste fashion business with that website of hers.” the olive-eyed girl added, going over all the positive possibilities before she made a definitive choice.

“But then again, the whole class is in her back pocket and would do anything for her if asked. If she were to find out I was using her, I could very well say ‘goodbye’ to any popularity from there on.” Lila realized, her eyes widening at the thought of losing any progress she managed to save at this point.

Despite what someone on the outside looking in would see, Lila wasn’t a fool who would jump at any opportunity she got if it meant a small chance of getting ahead in life. She was smart enough to know that she couldn’t truly rely on anyone except herself to get what she wanted and knew when to make the right move in her favor. But thanks to Marinette unknowingly accelerating her plans, Lila wasn’t sure what to do next after learning all she did about the baker’s daughter.

“So do I continue getting closer to her and get more integrated with the class, or not to avoid risking exposure?” the chestnut-haired girl wondered, her hand dropping back to her side as she spoke. But after a few seconds, she still couldn’t reach a decision.“Ugh, why is it so hard to decide how to go about with Marinette? Why can’t she just be a normal patsy to use to get more popularity?” Lila groaned as she kept walking, throwing her hands into the air above her in frustration. However, as her arms came back to her sides, a smirk appeared on the girl’s lips.

“And yet… that’s what makes her so intriguing.” the Italian girl remarked, huffing to herself in amusement at the thought while her gaze drifted to the ground passing under her feet. “Might be best just to see how things go from here and see what’s the right option further down the line. Seeing as I’m here to stay, it might be worth the gamble to get close to Marinette if it helps me in the long run.” Lila declared, finally deciding to keep playing it safe until an opportunity came up that she couldn’t refuse.

“After all, what’s life without a little bit of risk?” Lila questioned herself as she neared her house, soon entering the building and making her way home. One way or another, she would get what she was owed… whether she liked it or not.

Chapter Text

The week following Marinette's time babysitting Rayla, there wasn't much action for either hero other than keeping an extra sharp eye out for Mr Damocles in his pursuit of becoming a superhero himself. Yes, their meddling did unintentionally lead to his akumatization into Dark Owl. Still, all turned out well after their suggestion for Mr Damocles to focus on safer options to show his heroism. But now it was the weekend, and Marinette intended to make the most of her rare free time since becoming Ladybug to spend with her gal pals. This led to Marinette sitting with most of her female classmates in her room, a spread of treats her parents made for the occasion in the middle of their group. 

Well, that actually wasn't so simple. 

"You really want to invite Sabrina and Lila?" Alya asked her incredulously, "I know Sabrina has been decent for a while, but she still follows Chloé around. As for Lila, she's… Well, I don't know what her deal is. But if you decided to work with her, she must be nice."

"I know," Marinette answered, "But if we don't have Sabrina feel like part of the group, she can't feel safe leaving Chloé, as for my partnership with Lila, I want it to only be the start of getting her to be part of the class. So, what do you think girls?" she asked her female friends 

"Alright," Alya said, while Juleka, Mylene and Rose nodded too, "At least we're sure Adrien will only be a minor topic with these two there." Juleka mumbled, much to Marinette's embarrassment. 

"At the end of the day, it's gonna be a hang out at your house, so it's your rules first," Alix added, "I have no problems with Rossi, and as long as Sabrina will continue to not be a bitch to us, or try to use the hang out to embarrass us to please Chloé, she can come too." 

Despite her words, the girl's look was all but casual "Hey Marinette, I know I benefit from it so you can ignore me if you think it's none of my business, but… Be careful about your kindness."

Thankfully, Lila was easily able to get Alix to warm up, and the others were quick to accept Sabrina once she apologized for her wrongdoings. It did help that she looked so pitiful, which made being angry against her feel a bit wrong. 

"Okay, Alya. Truth or Dare?" Alix asked the fiery ombre-haired girl, a smirk on her face alongside her impish side-eye.

"Truth. I'm not taking a dare from you after the one you gave Marinette." Alya replied, a wince appearing as she recalled the dare of the two of them arm wrestling… with Marinette winning.

"Good call." Alix remarked with a fond eye roll. "So your truth is… what's the deal with you and Nino? Ever since Animan was akumatized, you two have been pretty chummy with each other." the roller-blading inquired, prompting the others to become interested in the answer.

"OOOOH, I've been wondering too!"  Mylène exclaimed, propping her head in her hands while her legs idly swung in the air behind her.

"Well, if you must know, Nino and I are now official!" Alya announced, causing all the girls except Marinette to squeal. 

"About time! I was wondering how long it would take for you two to start dating!" Marinette cheered as she took a soda can and opened it, leading the others to stare at her in shock at her words.

"Wait, you knew, Marinette?" Sabrina questioned, absentmindedly taking one of the cookies from the snack spread and raising it to her mouth to bite into it.

"I knew that they were locked in a cage during Animan thanks to Ladybug's efforts to keep them safe, but I had a suspicion that their time together would lead to them getting closer. Looks like I was right." Marinette admitted with a smirk, followed by her taking a sip from her soda.

"Either way, that's great Alya! We're happy for you!" Rose cheered, earning a nod of agreement from Mylène and Juleka alongside Lila and Sabrina's 'hmm hmm's.

"Huh, looks like Ladybug might have some good points after all." Lila muttered to herself, looking off to the side while grabbing a macaron from the snacks.

"Speaking of certain opinions of Ladybug…" Alya began, her attention turning to the Italian with a mischievous look in her eyes. "Lila, truth or dare?" the reporter asked, pointing to the girl in question.

'Might as well get this over with.' Lila mused to herself, knowing there wouldn't be any avoiding Alya's questioning. "I chose truth." the olive-eyed girl responded, tossing her macaron into her mouth.

"Why is it that you seem to not like Ladybug, even though you claimed to be her best friend?" Alya questioned while Lila chewed her treat, her eyes glowing with her curiosity.

"Oooooh!" All the girls cooed, the only one not doing so being Marinette; who just winced at the question since she knew the answer.

"Let's just say we had a… falling out. And now we're not friends anymore." Lila revealed, leaving the girls shocked by her admission.

"Oh, what happened?" Rose asked in a concerned voice, wondering what happened to cause such 'seemingly good friends' to break apart.

 "It's just… complicated. I'd rather not get into the details." Lila declared, earning solemn nods from the girls surrounding her.

"Of course, you wouldn't! We won't dig any more." Mylène assured Lila, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder with a soft smile while the others continued to nod in their support.

"Thanks, girls! You're the best!" Lila said, a grateful look appearing on her features at her friends. "But how about we get back to our game, huh?" the Italian girl inquired, hoping to avoid any more questions about her fake friendship with Ladybug while she turned her attention to Marinette.

"Marinette, truth or dare?" Lila asked the pigtailed girl, resting her head onto her propped-up arm as it rested on her criss-crossed knee.

"How about we go three-for-three with truth?" Marinette replied, placing her soda on the floor before casually leaning back with a smirk.

"Alright, then! Let's go with a classic truth or dare question." Lila decided, looking to take advantage of Marinette's casual reaction to either leave her stumped or find out the answer to a hunch she had. "Do you have a crush on someone?" the olive-eyed girl questioned with a sly smile, causing Marinette's cheeks to turn a brilliant red before her hand nearly slipped out from under her amid her surprise at the question. 

"Well…" Marinette began, catching herself from falling to the floor and nervously sitting up straight again. "There is this guy in our class." the designer bashfully admitted, looking at the floor as she rubbed the back of her neck and her cheeks color started to fade a little bit.

"Adrien, right?" Alix sneakily questioned, prompting all the girls to chuckle at the suddenly shocked Marinette.

"What!? But how did you know?" Marinette squawked, her eyes wide as she snapped her gaze from the floor and onto them.

"Well, it is pretty obvious." Mylène replied amid her chuckling, her smile as infectious as the others while Marinette panicked at the news.

"So, do you think… Adrien knows too!?" Marinette gasped in mortification, her hands flying to her face to cover her face in her shame.

"No way! Boys never pick up on things like that." Rose cheerfully assured, the last of the girls chuckles finally dying out before they 'mm-hmm' in agreement and Marinette sighed in relief.

"Thanks, girls. That means so much to me." Marinette said, a smile appearing on her face after she let her hands fall back to her sides. "Huh, that wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to tell you. Way easier than telling Adrien I like him." the pigtailed girl breathed out in relief, once again leaning back where she sat now that the cat was officially out of the bag.

"Considering Jim has an easier time talking to Claire, I'd say you're the only one in your family with such problems." Alya remarked as she grabbed a choquette from the snack pile and popped it into her mouth, only for Marinette's face to morph back into shock at her words.

"ALYA!" Marinette shrieked, once again sitting up from her reclined posture as she sent a glare towards her best friend for her blatant slip of the tongue.

"What?" Alya questioned Marinette, only to suddenly realize her blunder. "Oh…" the ombre-haired girl muttered with a wince, turning her attention to the other confused-looking girls in the room.

"Uh, who's Jim?" Sabrina asked, sending an arched inquisitive eyebrow at the two girls. At the questioning stares from their friends, Alya's reporter instincts immediately caved in to spill the beans.

"Well, we might as well tell them. The cat's out of the bag now." Alya declared, turning to face the other girls with an excited smile. "But FYI, this is seriously hush-hush, top secret, classified information." the reporter chided, hoping to prevent the present girls from running their mouths off for Marinette's sake.

"Wait, Alya!" Marinette exclaimed, halting her best friend from saying anything else before leaning towards Alya's left ear. "Do you think this is such a good idea?" the red-tipped-haired girl asked Alya in a horse whisper, her eyes flitting back to the others amid her nervousness. 

"They would find out about it eventually, right? Why not let it happen sooner?" Alya pointed out in a matching whisper, leaving Marinette speechless in her reasoning and nodding in agreement with the idea. "But remember girls, your lips are sealed. Got it?" the fiery-ombre-haired girl reiterated to the others, earning a round of 'Mm-hmm's' from them.

"All yours, girl." Alya announced after she turned her attention back to her bestie, her smile easing Marinette's lingering nerves about telling their girl group about her family's past.

"Thanks, Alya." Marinette thanked, followed by her turning her gaze back to the others, specifically Sabrina since she asked the question to begin with. "To answer your question, Sabrina, Jim is my older brother." the designer proclaimed, causing all the girls except for Alya to stare at her in shock.

"You have a brother?" Juleka questioned, her voice soft yet filled with awe at the news she and the others had just learned.

"Yeah, I do." Marinette confirmed as she got out her phone from her back pocket, pulling up a photo of her and her brothers from last summer. "That's me in the middle, my brother Jim on my right, and our long-time friend Toby on my left." the pigtailed girl said as she pointed to the person she named, a smile on her face as she shared this part of her life.

"Wow, I thought you were having a laugh, but the resemblance is nearly uncanny not to be true!" Alix crowed, scooching closer to Marinette to get a better look at the two boys in the picture, specifically the one with the same hair and eye coloring as her friend.

"You'd be surprised by how many people say that when first meeting us. But seeing as Jim is two years older than me and I have more Asian features, that's not the case." Marinette replied as she put her phone away, amused by Alix's comment while the others drew closer as well.

"Wait, he's sixteen? I would have thought he was older than that seeing as we haven't ever met him before." Mylène commented, her features now full of confusion at Marinette's admission of the age difference between her and her brother.

"Is he a child prodigy and studying abroad?" Rose inquired, causing Marinette to suddenly let out a laugh at the idea.

"Sorry Rose, but my brother can't even get an A+ on his math homework on a good day, let alone have the intelligence to be in college already." Marinette guffed as she wiped away a stray tear of joy from her eye, her laughter dying down now that she got it out of her system.

"Then why is it that we haven't met either Jim or Toby before? Surely we would have at some stage." Sabrina asked, hers and the other's curiosity growing the more they learned about Marinette's previously unmentioned brother.

"That's because they don't live in Paris. They live in the States in a town called Arcadia Oaks, located in California." Marinette answered with a slight smirk, now starting to have a little fun with giving confusing answers as she straightened her posture from her earlier laughter. 

"So, your brother isn't smart enough for college, but he and Toby can live by themselves with no problem at only 16?" Lila inquired, continuing the sort of interrogation with how little the explanation was making sense despite always gaining more information with each question answered. 

"Oh no! Toby lives with his nana and Jim lives with his mom." Marinette assured, once more throwing a wrench into the girl's understanding of her familial connections.

"But, your mom is here in Paris. How does that make sense?" Juleka brought up, hoping to finally get an answer that would crack this new headache of a story wide open. Upon being asked the question, Marinette knew she couldn't keep messing with the others and chose to end her little game. 

"Well, the thing is, Jim and I are only half-siblings. Same dad, different mom." Marinette finally admitted, once again leaving all the girls except for Alya to stare at her in their combined shock. "And before you bring up the fact that my parents have been married for 20 years, at least let me tell you the full story before you say anything, okay?" The red-tipped-haired girl questioned the group, to which the girls nodded and patiently waited for her to continue.

"Now, my family's complicated story starts on the day of my parent's wedding, where my Aunt Barbara; Jim's mom and my dad's oldest friend, was my mom's maid of honor." Marinette began, now getting into the nitty gritty of her family's complicated past.

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"And that's all I've got to say for the moment. I would say more, but I'd rather have Jim and Toby around to talk about those." the designer finished, steepling her fingers and resting her elbows on her knees as she spoke. "That's about it for that story. Any questions?" Marinette asked, smiling at the speechless girls in front of her like she hadn't dropped such a major bombshell on them.

"None from me. I'm just… surprised." Alix uttered, looking Marinette up and down in her surprise as mentioned above as she processed the information.

"Does anyone else know about this?" Mylène inquired, finding her voice again as she brought up the only remaining question she had. 

"Pretty much everyone in Arcadia knows about my family's complicated story, seeing as it is a small town. But nobody over here in Paris except my old friend from last year Socqueline, Nino, Alya, Adrien and now you guys know this story. All in the order I've told them." Marinette replied as she once again leaned back where she sat, once again leaving the others shocked by her answer.

"Heavy." Juleka breathed out, looking at the ground in front of her.

"I didn't think you'd be holding that kind of personal info back for so long. Especially when Chloé was bullying you, too. It must have been horrible!" Rose nearly wailed, feeling bad that Marinette had to keep such things from them and not share that part of her family with them.

"Well, I'm not scared of Chloé anymore. I promise you that." Marinette assured Rose, smiling when Juleka pulled Rose in for a hug to soothe the pixie-haired girl's guilt.

"Then how come we can't tell anyone else about this?" Sabrina asked, bringing up the current elephant in the room while Rose had calmed down and pulled away from Juleka's hug.

"Because while I'm not scared of Chloé, I'm worried about what she can do to twist the story I just told you into something that can harm my family." Marinette admitted, followed by her averting gaze to the floor. "I know you say she is trying to change her ways, Sabrina, but she's still got a lot to do before I believe that." the pigtailed girl added, ignoring the Tikki-and-Adrien-sounding voices in her mind.

"Look, I know I'm always quick to defend Chloé, but I think you're wise not to let this information fall into her hands. I know better than anyone the time of pain she can inflict." Sabrina replied with a melancholy smile, prompting Rose to pull her in for a side hug with Lila joining in a second later.

"Thanks, Sabrina. And you must know by now that Chloé isn't your only friend anymore. You have all of us, now!" Marinette declared, which caused all the remaining girls to pile in on the 'Hug Sabrina Train' and bring a happy smile to the ginger-haired girl's lips.

"You girls are the best." Sabrina declared as they all pulled away from the hug, happy to have such a great group of girls to call friends. "And we promise to keep your family's private information a secret. Right girls?" the bespeckled girl questioned the others, earning nods of agreement from all of them and settling Marinette's lingering nerves on the matter.

"Again, thank you so much, girls. That really means a lot to me." Marinette replied, happy that more people knew about her brothers. In her opinion, it was about time that she opened up about it more.

However, Lila was giving her a strange look. 

"Um, Lila, is there an issue?" Marinette asked, looking confused at the other girl's reaction. 

This quickly changed as she smiled, shocking Marinette by giving her a bise. 

"Non preoccuparti Marinette, è semplicemente che sei il mistero più bello della mia vita (Don't worry Marinette, it's simply that you're the loveliest mystery of my life)." 

Marinette couldn't help but blush, "Wait wh-, are you…" 

"I always talk in Italian to people I think are my friends," Lila said smoothly, "The fact you understood it is merely a bonus."

Alix's snickering only made Marinette feel more embarrassed. 

"Now that that's settled, how about we focus on something more fun?" Alya asked the group as she sat next to her bestie again, steepling her fingers and setting them on her criss-crossed legs with a smirk.

"Like what?" Rose wondered, curious about what Alya had in mind.

"Like getting Marinette on a date with Adrien!" Alya announced, which immediately caught Marinette off guard.

"Alya… " Marinette began in a warning tone, not liking the sound of what Alya had in mind.

"Girl, come on! You've just told everyone here about your brothers! Why not continue the high by getting a date with your crush?" Alya exclaimed, encouraging Marinette to take another risk that day.

"Because today was meant to be a girl's day, and a girl's day only. Not everything revolves around Adrien, you know." Marinette remarked, hoping to for once have a day where her brain didn't focus on her crush like it always did as of late.

"Well, I don't see the harm in it. I think it would be fun to try!" Lila spoke up, having found Marinette's crush on Adrien intriguing and was interested in seeing how much of a chance she truly had against her. "What's say, you girls?" the Italian girl asked the girl group, leaving Marinette surprised since she recalled Lila's earlier attempt to win Adrien over… despite its limited success.

"I'm down for it!" Alix proclaimed, knowing that whatever happened would be either entertaining or a total disaster. The odds were 50/50 for either option.

"Me too!" Rose cheered, fully on board when romance was involved.

"Same here!" Juleka & Sabrina declared, eager to help Marinette after she helped them out with their problems.

"We know we can always count on you, Marinette. So you can count on us too." Mylène assured the pigtailed girl, happy to join in on the plan they would come up with.

"Aw, thanks, girls." Marinette squeaked out, her cheeks red at all the support she received.

"So… you have any ideas on making that happen?" Lila asked Marinette, seeing that she was now interested in trying to get Adrien's attention.

"Oh, maybe a few." Marinette bashfully admitted, glancing over at a now overly excited Alya as she squirmed around in her spot, barely able to contain her eagerness. If they were going to do this… why not do it right? 

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After their game of truth or dare turned story hour, Marinette and Alya combed through the designer's extensive collection of plans for possible dates with Adrien. However, it proved a challenge since Marinette had forged keeping an ear out for Adrien's weekend plans in favor of keeping her focus on hanging out with the girls. It wasn't until they called Nino for an update on where Adrien currently was that they finally found the right plan to use, followed by gathering the group of girls at Marinette's chaise to hear it.

"Right, so let's get down to business!" Alya declared, bringing everyone's attention onto her and Marinette as they stood in front of the latter's pull-down chart, facing the gathered girls surrounding the chaise. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to arrange a ridiculously romantic date between Marinette and Adrien!" the reporter announced, pacing the floor in front of them like a general would do with their troops in a mission briefing.

"You're up, Marinette." Alya said, prompting Marinette to step forward while she walked back to the left side of the pull-down chart.

"Alya and I have come up with a plan. It's called 'Operation: Secret Garden'." Marinette announced, reaching for her chart and pulling it down to reveal a perfect map of Trocadero to the girls.

"Excuse me, but why do we need a plan? I mean, can't Marinette just go up to Adrien and ask him out?" Sabrina spoke up out of curiosity, which unintentionally caused all the girls besides Marinette to start laughing.

"Sabrina, this is Marinette we're talking about here." Alya replied to Sabrina's question, her and the other's laughs dying down as she pointed to the now red-faced designer. "No offense to her, but she can't talk to Adrien normally even if her life depended on it!" the fiery-ombre-haired girl remarked before continuing the explanation of their plan. 

"Now, each of you will have a codename based on a flower. Alix, you'll be 'White Daffodil'. Mylène, you'll be 'Yellow Sunflower'. Juleka, you'll be 'Purple Aster'. Rose will be 'Pink Rose', obviously. Sabrina will be 'Blue Hyacinth'. And Lila will be 'Orange Lilly'" Alya said, pointing to each girl as she gave them their respective codename. 

"Um, why isn't my name just 'Rose'?" Rose asked, wondering why they didn't just go with simple flower names instead.

"Because plain 'Rose' is your real name. It won't be a codename if we call you just 'Rose'." Alya explained, prompting Rose to think about the reasoning for a moment and soon see the logic behind it before nodding in understanding.

"Now that codenames have been given, it's back to the plan, ladies!" Marinette declared, pulling everyone's attention onto her as she whipped out a pencil from her back pocket. 

"Thanks to Nino's intel, we've learned that Adrien; Codename 'Gold Buttercup', has a photo shoot at the Trocadéro fountains this afternoon." the red-tipped-haired girl began while Alya placed a sticky note drawing of Adrien on the map, pointing at it with her pencil as she spoke. "His bodyguard; Codename 'Nanny', will be waiting for him on the other side of the esplanade in the car; aka the 'chariot'. He's supposed to take 'Gold Buttercup' back home after the photo shoot." Marinette continued as she pointed to the corresponding spots on her chart, causing Alya to place a drawing of said bodyguard near the top of the map. 

"Except that's not gonna happen." the designer announced, covering the second drawing with her hand to emphasize her point. "And this is where you guys come in." Marinette stated as she turned her attention to the girls, who nodded their heads in agreement while waiting to hear their parts of the plan. 

"Step one: 'Violet Aster' and 'Orange Lilly' will have a fake 'No Parking' sign. They'll go over to—" "Um, who's 'Violet Aster' and 'Orange Lilly' again?" Mylène asked, raising her hand as she interrupted Marinette's explanation and Alya's demonstration with the drawings of Juleka and Lila.

"Juleka and Lila, of course!" Rose replied, leaving Alya and Marinette impressed by her retention of their plan thus far.

"Rose is right. And just to make sure no one is confused again, Alix is 'White Daffodil', Mylène is 'Yellow Sunflower', Juleka is 'Purple Aster', Rose is 'Pink Rose', Sabrina is 'Blue Hyacinth', and Lila is 'Orange Lilly'." Alya recited, once again pointing at the girls in order of their codenames. "Everyone got it?" the reporter asked, to which the girls nodded again before letting Marinette continue. 

"So, step one is 'Violet Aster' and 'Orange Lilly' putting the fake sign next to the 'Nanny's chariot'. Step two 'Yellow Sunflower' will go find a police officer and tell him that the car is illegally parked." Marinette explained, pointing at the drawings Alya placed on the map as she outlined the plan to the others. "Step three: He'll go and tell 'Nanny' to move the 'chariot' to another spot, and there'll be no more 'Nanny'." the pigtailed girl proclaimed while Alya took away the drawing of Adrien's bodyguard, causing the girls to nod their heads in understanding. 

"Step four: 'Tiger-Lily' will let us know as soon as 'Gold Buttercup' is done with his photo shoot." Marinette continued.

"Just for the record, I'm 'Tiger-Lily'." Alya said as she placed a drawing of herself on the map, pointing at herself to avoid any more confusion. "But, instead of meeting up with the 'Nanny', Adrien's gonna find… 'Lotus'!" the ombre-haired girl added as she moved the drawing of Adrien to the near top of the map, followed by placing a drawing of Marinette next to it. 

"That's Marinette!" Rose cheered, earning an approving pat on the head from Juleka as she sat behind her.

"But when 'Gold Buttercup' sees that the 'chariot's' gone, he'll just text his 'Nanny', won't he?" Alix asked, using 'quotes' hand gestures for the codenames before Marinette chuckled at the idea in mock evil triumph.

"Impossible. 'Gold Buttercup' always leaves his personal items in the car when he's on a photo shoot, even his phone!" Marinette countered, mimicking Alix's hand quoting as she revealed just how prepared this plan was despite it being so last minute. "Such a professional!" the red-tipped-haired girl sighed adoringly, praising Adrien's commitment to his profession.

"She knows everything about Adrien! A little creepy, no?" Lila whispered as she leaned towards Rose, prompting Sabrina and Alix to nod in agreement.

"Yes! It's so romantic!" Rose squealed, not even registering the thought of how Marinette even got that type of information and leaving Lila, Alix and Sabrina concerned for the blonde's mental state.

"Anyways, when 'Gold Buttercup' sees 'Lotus' and greets her, this is where 'Pink Rose' and 'Blue Hyacinth' will spring into action!" Alya continued, pointing to Rose and Sabrina amid her explanation.

"You two will give the signal to the rickshaw driver to come and park in the 'Nanny's' car spot, then all I need to do is say to Adrien—" "Bdi-di-di-di, di-di-di-di, di-di-di-di-di-di-di-dii!" Alix interrupted with a silly expression, causing all the other girls to laugh at Marinette.

"She's right! That's usually how it goes!" Alya remarked after her laughs died out, wrapping an arm around Marinette's shoulders while the latter merely gave them a playful glare.

"But this time I'm ready! I've got you guys with me. I'm gonna do it, I promise!" Marinette declared, to which the girls cheered in excited encouragement. "So back to the plan, I'll suggest that we ride home together and point out the conveniently placed rickshaw right next to us." the designer went on, Alya once again moving the drawings around to illustrate her plan. 

"We then find ourselves taking a romantic ride along the banks of the Seine and over the Pont des Arts bridge, where we just happen to run into André, the sweethearts' ice cream maker!" Marinette explained in an increasingly love-sick tone, watching as Alya moved the drawings of her, Adrien and the rickshaw to the aforementioned bridge and a drawing of André the Ice Cream Maker. "And then, 'White Daffodil' skates by and showers us with rose petals!" the pigtailed girl concluded, her eyes sparkling at the idea while Alya moved a drawing of Alix around the ones in her dominant hand.  

"It's gonna be perfect!" Marinette sighed in her patented love-sick tone, Alya placing the drawings off to the side now that the plan was explained. 

"It's...it's... so beautiful!" Rose blubbered out, tearing up after hearing the possible date between Adrien and Marinette.

"Any questions?" Alya questioned the group, to which Juleka raised her hand and earned a frustrated facepalm from Alix. 

"Which flower am I, again?" Juleka asked.

"You're 'Purple Aster'." Rose replied. "That's right, right?" the pixie-cut-haired girl inquired as she turned to Marinette and Alya.

"Yep!" Marinette confirmed, smiling at Rose's retention.

"Yes!" Rose cheered triumphantly before all the girls stood up and walked over to Marinette and Alya, putting their hands in the middle of their group.

" 'Operation: Secret Garden', here we come!" Marinette announced, causing the girls to raise their hands into the air and cheered in excitement.

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A little while later, the girls gathered all they needed for the plan and made their way to Trocadéro in no time at all. When they arrived and were getting ready to set the plan in motion, an unaware Adrien was still in the middle of his photo shoot… which he wasn't all that invested in.

"Come on, more happy! Smile like you're smelling a delicious lunch in ze kitchen!" Vincent exclaimed while Adrien was leaning against one of Trocadéro's many half walls, the boy's model smile plastered on his face as he tried to follow the 'suggestion'.  

'Anything to make this end faster.' Adrien thought to himself as he adjusted his posture and tried doing a bigger smile to please Vincent's strange prompt. 'Why father has me doing so many of these unnecessary photoshoots, I will never understand.' the green-eyed boy thought to himself, trying to figure out the method behind his father's ideas. 

The majority of the time, Adrien didn't have much of a problem with photoshoots if they involved his father's designs and/or a certain theme to it. But those didn't happen as often as he would have thought, leading him to be subjected to many of his photoshoots just of shots of him in different locations in Paris playing the part of a teenager. More often than not, those lasted at least an hour on a good day if he was lucky and didn't give him much of a break in between since Vincet tended to get a little carried away in the 'moment'. This was one of those times… which was proven when Vincent was starting to not like the photos he was getting of him.

"Ah! No, no! Something is not right!" Vincent grumbled as he took a look at his latest photo, soon looking around for inspiration. "We need a…A lollipop!" the photographer trailed off in his search, only for his gaze to land on a nearby truck selling lollipops. 

With that, Vincent zoomed over to the lollipop truck to retrieve one of the sweets to use as a spontaneous prop, leaving Adrien staring at him in confusion when hearing the idea. Seconds after Vincent left, a mother walked by him with her baby, August, in a stroller, unaware of the peculiar scene that just took place. Regardless, Adrien was glad for the short break and waved at baby August, who returned the wave while shaking his rattle and earning a chuckle from the model.

'Cute little guy.' Adrien thought to himself, smiling at the friendly little infant before Vincent suddenly returned with the lollipop in hand. 

"There!" Vincent cheered, holding the lollipop out to Adrien and pulling him out of his thoughts. 

But Adrien wasn't the only one who heard Vincent. Baby August heard him too while his mother kept pushing the stroller away, now chanting 'lollipop!' in hopes of getting one too. Unfortunately for him, he was ignored by both his mother and Vincent and could only try to turn his head around his stroller to stare at the treat while the photoshoot continued.

"Lollipop! Lollipop!" August whined the further he and his mother got from the photoshoot, accidentally dropping his rattle in the process and forcing his mother to stop and pick it up.

"No, August. Lollipops are not for babies." August's mother gently chided her baby, walking to the side of the stroller and kneeling to pick up the toy to give it back to her son. "Your snack is a delicious bottle of milk." she said as she reached into her giant purse and pulled out a bottle of milk, feeding it to her baby to soothe his craving before continuing on their stroll. 

Unbeknownst to either the attendants of the photoshoot or the mother and son, Marinette and her friends had finished their preparations and were now in position. Granted, they had a small hiccup in getting communications set up between them, but they figured it out and were back on track. However, it wasn't until Alya and Marinette were in their perch at the top of Trocadero and spying on Adrien that they started to enact the plan.

"Are all the flowers planted?" Alya questioned the others, pressing on her earpiece to connect to the connected call between them.

" 'Violet Aster' and 'Orange Lilly' planted." Juleka responded, both she and Lila standing behind the cart holding the fake 'No Parking' sign a little ways away from the Agreste car. 

" 'Yellow Sunflower' planted." Mylène confirmed as she hid behind a tree that Officer Roger was standing a few feet in front of, ready to play her part.

" 'Pink Rose' and 'Blue Hyacinth' planted!" Rose and Sabrina cheered at the same time, standing next to the waiting rickshaw on the opposite side of where Juleka and Lila were. Upon hearing their friends were ready, Marinette couldn't help the excitement bubbling within her as she hid with Alya at the Trocadéro.

"Perfect! 'Violet Aster' and 'Orange Lilly', you're clear to proceed!" Marinette exclaimed as she pressed her earpiece to join the call, prompting Juleka and Lila to push the cart with the fake sign toward the Agreste car. 

But as if there was some kind of cosmic force against Marinette's plan, the wheel of the cart quickly got stuck in a slot on a manhole cover. As soon as Juleka and Lila realized they couldn't move the cart, they soon found themselves trying to push it free with limited success.

"Um, guys, we've got a problem." Juleka grumbled, connecting to the call again to get Marinette and Alya's attention.

" 'Violet Aster', 'Orange Lilly', what's going on?" Marinette asked as she and Alya turned away from their spying, concerned about what had happened to have already derailed the plan.

"The cart is stuck in a grate. We need a little help here!" Lila explained while she and Juleka decided to try and carry the fake sign themselves, only to rapidly have difficulty lifting it from its base.

"Uh oh!" Myléne muttered out of concern when she looked over at the pair to check on them, followed by her catching up with Juleka and Lila to help carry the sign after they pulled it free. If it weren't for Myléne grabbing the top part, the two girls would have dropped the sign and the loud noise would have given away their plan. But thankfully that didn't happen and the three girls walked over to the Agreste car with their surprisingly heavy cargo.

"What's this sign made of?" the girl with rainbow braids asked Marinette and Alya through the call in a strained voice, genuinely curious as to why their prop was so cumbersome to carry.

"Metal, like normal road signs are made of. Why?" Marinette replied, leaving the other girls surprised by her answer.

"Couldn't you have made it out of cardboard or something? It's a little overkill." Lila managed to groan out, a little concerned about Marinette's commitment before she noticed Officer Roger walking away. "Go and get the police officer, Juleka. We'll take care of this." the Italian girl said to Juleka, moving to take her end of the sign so that Juleka could get Roger. 

As soon as Juleka left, both Mylène and Lila struggled to carry the sign over to the Agreste car, their strength rapidly draining. But knowing that the problem was being taken care of, Marinette and Alya turned back to their spying on Adrien.

"Caution! The photoshoot of 'Gold Buttercup' will be over soon!" Marinette warned the others, watching as their timetable started to decrease the closer Adrien grew to finish his shoot.

"Aw, seriously? Enough with the chit-chat and get on with it!" Alix groaned through the earpieces, bored out of her mind as she leaned against the bridge railing and waited at her post near André the Ice Cream Maker's cart. But while all that was happening, Marinette's phone started ringing in her purse and pulled the girl's attention away from their already derailed plan and onto it. Out of reflex, Marinette took her phone out of her purse and lifted it to her eye level, only to wince when she saw that Jim was trying to call her.

"Dang it. It's noon already?" Marinette wondered as she looked at her phone clock, confirming the time while Alya leaned over her shoulder and saw who was calling.

"Heads up girls. 'Lotus' is going to be offline for a few minutes." Alya warned the others as she once again pressed on her earpiece, earning a smile from Marinette at her assistance.

"What's going on?" Alix asked, the sound of her moving from her reclined posture out of intrigue being heard from her end.

"Daily video call with Jim. I'll tell you guys about it later." Marinette explained before she turned off her earpiece, hoping to take care of the call quickly so that she could fully focus on the plan. "Keep the girls on track while I take care of this, please?" the red-tipped-haired girl asked her BFF, her hands coming together pleadingly. 

"You got it." Alya replied, earning a grateful smile from Marinette before she stepped away and picked up the video call.

"Hey, Jim. How's it going?" Marinette greeted her brother, waving to him like she always did.

"Going good, little sis. How did your hang out with the girls go?" Jim responded with a smile, clearly sitting in his bedroom if the wall behind him was any indication to Marinette.

"It's technically still in progress, actually. And while I'd talk to you for longer, we've got an operation going on at the moment." Marinette admitted, the nervous smile appearing on her features immediately giving her away to her brother.

"As in one of your convoluted plans to get a date with Adrien?" Jim asked in a tired tone, his earlier good mood disappearing at the news.

"… Maybe?" Marinette bashfully replied, earning a disgruntled sigh from Jim at her response.

"Mari… I thought you said you'd be ignoring your crush for the weekend." Jim recalled in exasperation, resting his right elbow on his desk and placing his head onto his propped-up arm with a frown.

"I was planning to. But after a little game of truth or dare, it led to where we are right now." Marinette explained in an effort to defend her actions, earning another sigh from her older brother.

"Which plan are you doing?" Jim questioned, clearly unhappy but willing to hear what she had in mind if it wasn't too outlandish.

" 'Operation: Secret Garden' thanks to a quick call to Nino to confirm Adrien's location." Marinette replied, which left Jim relieved by the news.

"And how's it going so far?" Jim continued, hoping for his sister's sake that things were going well at the moment.

"A small snag at the start, but it's being taken care of." Marinette reported, looking over to Alya and receiving a nod to confirm her claim. "But I'm surprised that you're taking this so well. I would have thought you'd be more irritated about this." the designer remarked, sending an intrigued eyebrow in Jim's direction as she spoke.

"I'm just letting you do your thing and playing the waiting game for what happens, okay? " Jim replied, raising his hands in surrender to confirm his intentions. "While I'm not happy that it's taking you so long to tell Adrien how you feel, I'm glad that you're trying to do so." the Trollhunter admitted, smiling at Marinette at his encouraging words.

"Thanks, Jim. And it's definitely a step up from your current interactions with Claire." Marinette teased, earning an annoyed eye-roll from Jim at the reminder of his limited success.

"Not much of a difference, but yes." Jim replied, deciding to not bring up how well the play rehearsal on his birthday had gone between him and Claire. "Not to mention this one is one of your more tame plans in the long run." the blue-eyed boy remarked, earning a copy of his earlier annoyed reaction from Marinette.

"Ha, ha. Very funny, Jimbro." Marinette sarcastically replied, a small pout appearing on her features before it turned into an amused smile when she saw Jim's playfulness.

"In any case, should I let you go so that you can focus on your plan?" Jim inquired, smirking at Marinette since he already knew the answer.

"Yes, please! Say 'hi' to Toby and them for me, okay?" Marinette requested, eager to get her focus back on the task she currently had at hand.

"Will do. See you later!" Jim farewelled, waving bye to her and prompting her to follow suit.

"Bye!" Marinette replied in kind, letting Jim hang up seconds later. When he did, Marinette put her phone away in her purse and walked back to Alya. "Okay, I'm back. What's happening?" the pigtailed girl asked, hoping to get a quick catch-up in the short time she was offline.

"Fortunately, you didn't miss much. Juleka just caught up with Sabrina's dad." Alya replied while Marinette turned her earpiece back on, which proved to be true when both girls heard Officer Roger greeting Juleka.

But their hopes of Roger being quickly alerted to the fake sign were dashed when Juleka could only manage to mumble her findings due to her shyness. However, it did buy Myléne and Lila more time to carry the sign to the car, especially when Officer Roger thought Juleka was talking to him about pigeons. Unfortunately, the little misinterpretation left Marinette and Alya a little impatient as they waited for her to finally point out the fake violation.

"Come on! Do it now!" Marinette encouraged Juleka, momentarily forgetting that others were listening in on the call.

"Okay!" Rose cheered from her end, causing her and Sabrina to signal the rickshaw driver to start driving towards the Trocadero. Upon hearing Rose's words, Alya turned away from her spying and pressed on her earpiece with a frantic look on her face.

"Not you, 'Pink Rose'! We were talking to 'Violet Aster'!" Alya exclaimed in a loud yet horse whisper, causing Rose to gasp at her blunder.

"No, wait! Come back!" Sabrina called to the rickshaw driver while she and Sabrina started to chase after him. 

While the two girls were going after the runaway rickshaw, Mylène and Lila had just managed to finally reach the Agreste car and hold up the sign. But since the sign was so heavy while carrying it, it took both of them to keep it from falling to the ground while waiting for Juleka to direct Officer Roger's attention to it.

"Come on, 'Violet Aster'. You can do it!" Mylène motivated the purple-tipped-haired girl through the connected call, immediately giving Juleka the confidence she needed in that moment.

"ILLEGALLY PARKED CAR!!!" Juleka shouted at Roger, leaving everyone surprised by her loud volume.

"Yes!" Marinette squealed, proud of Juleka while she angrily pointed to the Agreste car and the fake 'No Parking' sign in front of it.

"Oh!" Officer Roger blurted out when seeing the sign, missing Mylène and Lila trying to act nonchalant while holding it up when they realized that Juleka was pointing at it. "Thank you, young lady." the policeman praised Juleka before walking to the car, eager to uphold the law.

"Great job, 'Violet Aster'!" Marinette congratulated her friend, happy to have the plan back on track for the most part.

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Unknown to any of the girls, August's mother had reached the steps leading out of Trocadero and was struggling to pull the stroller up with her. However, Adrien did notice them and grew concerned about her difficulties before moving to try and help her… which didn't please Vincent in the slightest.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Look at me! Give me your best smile!" Vincent lightly demanded the model, forcing Adrien to reluctantly go back to posing with the lollipop while August noticed it again despite the distance between him and the candy.

"Lollipop! Lollipop!" August cried out in desire, waving his arms and bottle around in his whining.

"No, August. Mommy told you already. You're too young for lollipops." August's mother reminded her baby, which only worked in making August loudly wail at her response, tears flowing from his eyes. As a result, August's tantrum did manage to catch Marinette's attention, causing her to look down from her perch and see him and his mother below her.

"That poor lady. She could really use a hand." Marinette said as she rose from her and Alya's hiding place, her desire to help others outweighing her hopes of a date with Adrien.

"If you do that, Adrien will see you!" Alya argued, grabbing Marinette's arm to stop her from leaving. 

Fortunately for Alya, it bought August's mother enough time to finally make it to the top of the first set of stairs, which allowed the mother to soothe her son once more.

"Oh, here you go, honey." August's mother gently cooed to August as she reached to get a full bottle from her bag, feeding her baby again to calm him down. Upon seeing August's mother taking care of her baby, a smiling Marinette settled down and rejoined Alya in their hiding place, glad that the small crisis was solved… for now.

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Back over in the Parisian streets in front of Trocadero, Officer Roger had arrived at the Agreste car and leaned down to see Placide I.T. through the side window.

"Sir, move this vehicle right away. This is a no-parking zone!" Officer Roger ordered the bulky man, pointing to the sign that the nervously smiling Mylène and Lila were holding up. When he saw the sign that he wasn't sure was there when he arrived, Placide I.T. groaned in annoyance before deciding to heed the officer's order to avoid a ticket. But when he was about to drive away under Roger's directing arms, Placide immediately stopped when the rickshaw driver was passing by and he almost ran into them.

"Hey, watch it!" the rickshaw driver shouted at Placide, shaking an angry fist at the man trying to leave his previous parking spot.

"He's right! Be careful!" Officer Roger yelled in agreement with the rickshaw driver, neither aware of the bodyguard continuing to lose his patience. Meanwhile, Rose and Sabrina finally caught up with the driver and immediately sat in the rickshaw's passenger seat when they saw the unpleasant scene taking place.

"U-turn, please." Rose told the driver, prompting him to drive the rickshaw back toward where he started and finally let Placide I.T. drive away to find another parking spot. With the traffic crisis averted, a pleased Roger finally walked away from the area, which allowed Myléne and Lila to finally fall to the ground in exhaustion.

"Bravo, girls! Step two, commence!" Marinette cheered when the first part of the plan had finally worked, turning to rejoin Alya and continue spying on Adrien. 

But while Vincent was still taking photos of Adrien, Marinette once again noticed that August's mother was still having trouble lifting her stroller up more steps. The problem only got worse when the mother's phone suddenly dropped from her purse, prompting Marinette to immediately rush over to help her.

" 'Lotus'— Uh, Marinette! Stay here!" Alya exclaimed, fruitlessly reaching out for the runaway Marinette to stop her. But her efforts were in vain when the designer reached the mother and son, quickly picking up the woman's phone and giving it back to her.

"Hello, ma'am. Need a hand?" Marinette asked as she walked to the front of the stroller, the mother smiling at her in gratitude while she knelt in front of August. "Hello, little guy!" the red-tipped-haired girl happily greeted Baby August before she lifted her side of the stroller and helped the mother carry it the rest of the way up.

"Thank you so much!" August's mother praised Marinette, grateful for the assistance. But while Marinette was doing her good deed, Alya spotted Vincent finally waving off Adrien from the area, the photo shoot now finished.

"Look out, 'Gold Buttercup's' on the move!"Alya warned Marinette, which surprised her enough for her grip on the stroller to accidentally loosen. 

Fortunately, Marinette managed to get a better grip on the stroller, but the sudden movement caused August to drop his bottle, letting it tumble to the bottom of the steps. And just as August started to cry again, Adrien started climbing the stairs to the top and was about to walk up to where the bottle landed. 

"Sorry about that!" Marinette said to the mother, racing down the steps she just climbed and grabbed the bottle before Adrien could see her. With the bottle in hand, Marinette ran back up to August's mother, who was grateful for the assist. "Here you go!" the designer chirped as she handed the bottle back.

"Thank you, young lady." August's mother replied, taking the bottle from Marinette's hands before she ran off to hide before Adrien saw her.

"You're welcome! Bye!" Marinette called out as she left, leaving August's mother to try and calm down her crying son. But as soon as Marinette found a good hiding place, she gasped when she saw that the Agreste car had come back to its original location. "Red alert! The 'Nanny's' back!" the pigtailed girl yelled into her earpiece, causing all the girls to gasp at the sudden hiccup in the plan.

Immediately, they got to work making sure the car left again, starting with Mylène, Sabrina, Lila and Rose putting the fake sign back up while Juleka went to find Roger again. Fortunately for the girls in charge of the sign, Juleka was a bit faster in getting Roger's attention on the matter and brought him over to the car just as Placide I.T. slammed the door to stomp over to retrieve Adrien. But the bodyguard's hope of getting out of there before Roger saw him was dashed away when he heard the telltale shrill call of his whistle.

 "Hey you, mister!" Officer Roger called to Placide, drawing the burly man's attention onto him. "I've tried to be lenient but you've asked for it, now!" the policeman said in his irritation, now beginning to write up a bunch of tickets for Placide's 'violations'. But seeing as Placide was more focused on leaving with his charge, he angrily growled at Roger as he walked away to find Adrien, his anger rising as he went.

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While Placide I.T. was making his way to Adrien, his anger at how stressful his day turned out quickly turned into a beam of negative emotions that his employer/secret supervillain senses for miles. In no time at all, Gabriel transformed into his Hawkmoth persona and entered his lair, the window opening to reveal the city of Paris to him.

"A man who takes his work very seriously, whose blood is boiled by the slightest shortfall." Hawkmoth reflected as his uncorrupted butterflies started aimlessly fluttering around him. "That's what I call an easy target for my dear akumas." the discount version of Crazy Quilt declared, turning one of his butterflies into an akuma and letting it flutter free after the transformation.

"Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize him!" Hawkmoth commanded the akuma, willing the corrupted insect to fly out of his lair's window and into the streets of Paris towards its target.

It didn't take long for the akuma to reach the Trocadéro, seeing as it was only a short distance away from the Agreste Mansion. But as soon as it arrived, it zeroed in on Placide I.T. while he was still looking for Adrien; who had passed by August and his mother as they neared the exit. Unfortunately for the mother, August was still wailing even after she tried so hard to calm him down from his lollipop cravings.

"You're being quite stubborn today, August." August's mother remarked as she stopped walking to try and calm down her son again, kneeling to be at eye level with her baby just as Adrien reached the top of the stairs. 

But Adrien's happy mood from being freed from his photoshoot was put on hold when he saw the akuma descending toward his bodyguard, unaware of Marinette seeing it too. However, a miracle seemed to have taken place when the aggravated man caught sight of Adrien, immediately calming down and forcing the akuma to fly away from him.

"What happened? His emotions just vanished!" Hawkmoth exclaimed from his lair, not understanding why his akuma failed to infect its target. Unknown to him, however, the corrupted bug had now set its sights on the crying August, whose emotions were reaching new heights amid his tantrum. 

"Lollipop! Lollipop! Lollipop!" August whined while his mother took a moment to gather her wits, hoping to think of a way to calm her son down. But the moment she closed her eyes, it allowed the akuma to fly into August's ID bracelet and establish the psychic link between him and the now-stunned Hawkmoth. 

"This wasn't what I had in mind…" Hawkmoth muttered to himself in surprise, having been taken aback by the turn of events. "But why not? After all, what could be more emotionally powerful than a baby throwing a giant temper tantrum?!" the resident supervillain remarked, deciding to go along with it and see what happened.

"Gigantitan, I am Hawkmoth!" Hawkmoth greeted Baby August, deciding to go the normal route of how he addressed his akumatized minions.

"Hawk...Moo?" August questioned, clearly not understanding what was going on.

"No, not 'Hawk Moo'. Just Hawkmoth." Hawkmoth corrected, already having second thoughts about this akumatization. "Well, you're going to be...big and strong, and you'll get to do...whatever you want. But in return, you must bring me back Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous." he continued, hoping that his explanation would be enough to stick in August's limited attention span.

"Lollipop?" August asked in reply to Hawkmoth, thinking that the 'Miraculous' was actually another word for the treat. He was a baby after all.

"No, not lollipop! Miraculous! Mi-ra-cu-lous!!" Hawkmoth reiterated, which seemed to do the trick in getting August to agree with the deal as he was suddenly engulfed by the telltale dark aura of an akumatization. 

"My little baby!" August's mother gasped as she backed away from the transforming baby, shocked and frightened as he grew in size and transformed into Gigantitan.

"LOLLIPOP!!!" Gigantiatan screamed once his transformation was complete, causing everybody around him to start running away from the giant baby. But just as Placide I.T. rushed to stand in front of Adrien to protect him from the akuma, Gigantitan started his tantrum-infused rampage. "Lollipop!" the giant baby demanded as he neared his concerned mother, forcing Marinette to jump in and save August's mother from being stomped.

"Kids these days. They grow up so fast! Am I right?" Marinette nervously remarked to August's mother, hoping to ease some of her worries while Gigantitan kept on in his running amok. 

Seconds after Marinette helped the mother to her feet, Gigantitan had circled back towards the exit of Trocadero, where Mylène, Rose, Juleka, Sabrina and Lila saw him and immediately tried to run away. But just as they were about to, Alya suddenly started recording the giant baby for another post for the Ladyblog, not expecting to get such an up-close encounter that day. Fortunately or unfortunately for her, Myléne broke away from the group and dragged her away just as Gigantitan's sights landed on one of the statues lining Trocadero. 

"Lollipop!" Gigantitan cheered as he pulled a statue from its pedestal, quickly sucking on it and soon finding it disgusting. "Bleugh!" the onesie-clad akuma spewed out before he threw the statue to the ground, crying while the gold-plated monument embedded itself into the ground near Adrien and his bodyguard.

"Lollipop!" Gigantitan wailed, only to look down and see Adrien and Placide I.T. standing near him. "Ooh?" the giant baby cooed before he reached down and picked up Placide I.T., lifting the poor man to his mouth and starting to suck on him, much to Adrien's concern. Thankfully, Gigantitan quickly found Placide as unappetizing as the statue, pulling the man out of his mouth upon the discovery.

"Bleugh!" Gigantitan whined, followed by him throwing the bodyguard away. Fortunately for Placide, he landed in a tree and was relieved to be free from the giant akuma… despite being covered in saliva and a little traumatized by the experience.

"August!" August's mother cried to her empowered child, trying to reach him so that he would turn back into her sweet little boy again. She would have gotten closer, but if it wasn't for Marinette stepping in to hold her back from getting hurt by mistake, she most certainly would have.

"Stay out of danger, ma'am. Ladybug and Chat Noir will be here any moment now and save your little August." Marinette advised the mother, followed by her getting her to safety before she could transform into her super alter ego. 

Meanwhile, Adrien used the chance of his bodyguard being stuck in a tree to find a place to transform into his superhero persona, hoping to take care of this akuma as soon as possible. Fortunately, the Trocadero was cleared out enough that he could hide behind the side of the Trocadéro without being seen, leaving Adrien the perfect place to transform. This is what he planned to do after waiting for Gigantitan to move away a little more, opening his overshirt to let Plagg fly out and float in front of him.

"Oh come on! I was just about to take a cheese break!" Plagg complained, holding a piece of cheese in his stubby arms to confirm his statement.

"Aw, don't be such a baby, Plagg! We've got work to do." Adrien chided his kwami, pulling out his rune-stone necklace and activating his disguise before saying… "Plagg, claws out!" the green-eyed model proclaimed, transforming into Chat Noir and literally leaping into the fray.

Chapter Text

While Chat Noir was joining in the fight, Alya, Juleka, Mylène, Rose, Sabrina and Lila had managed to gather in a group huddle just around the corner past Trocadero. But when they were in the middle of their relieved group hug, Rose quickly noticed that someone was missing.

"Girls, where is 'Lotus'?" Rose asked the others as they pulled away from the hug, causing Alya, Juleka, Mylène, Sabrina and Lila to stare at her in confusion as they momentarily forgot who Rose was referring to. "Marinette, where is she?!" the girl in pink exclaimed, reminding the girls of their missing friend and prompting the group to run back the way they came to find Marinette.

But when they reached the Trocadero, they stopped in their tracks when they saw Gigantitan in their path, who quickly noticed them. Upon seeing the girls, Gigantitan leaned down and tried to grab them out of curiosity, but they quickly ran away before he could, screaming as they went.

"Lollipop!" Gigantitan cried as he got up to follow the girls, only to stop when he suddenly heard the sound of a bell jingling behind him.

"Well, you're the biggest rugrat I've ever seen." a voice behind Gigantitan remarked, causing the onesie-clad akuma to turn and see Chat Noir standing on the near top of Trocadero and jingling the bell he wore.

"Kitty!" Gigantitan cheered as he waddled over to try and reach for the feline superhero, resulting in Chat Noir leaping up to the top of Trocadero when Gigantitan was about to grab him.

"Let's go splish-splash, mega-baby." Chat Noir quipped as he pulled out his staff, followed by his jumping onto Gigantitan's forehead before heading down to the ground, landing in a crouch. "You can't catch me!" the hero in black lightly taunted Gigantitan, who did well in getting the giant baby to start following him while he used his staff to keep ahead of the akuma.

"Let's get our feet nice and wet! But we can't squish anyone, okay?" Chat Noir called out to Gigantitan as he led the baby away from the monument, unaware of Marinette hiding behind a pillar while watching him work.

"He's luring him to the river where there's nothing to destroy. Nice move, kitty!" Marinette praised her partner when she realized his plan, glad that he had a solid plan in mind.

"Looks like that romantic outing with Adrien is on hold." Tikki remarked as she flew out of Marinette's purse, floating next to her holder in wait for her transformation.

"Indeed. We'll be pausing for an epic battle with Chat Noir instead." Marinette agreed as she pulled out her rune-stone necklace, donning her disguise before calling out… "Tikki, spots on!" the red-tipped-haired girl shouted, transforming into Ladybug and heading off to join Chat Noir in defeating Gigantitan.

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Just as Ladybug used her yo-yo to swing out of her hiding place, she was immediately greeted by the sight of Gigantitan still in the vicinity of Trocadero, having caught onto Chat Noir's plan. So instead of following the superhero, the giant baby took to trying to grab Chat Noir, who found himself jumping out of the way of his grasp.

But it proved to be the wrong choice when Gigantitan caught him in mid-jump, followed by him bringing the feline towards his mouth.

"Lolli!" Gigantitan cheered, about to suck on Chat Noir as he had with Placide and the statues earlier. Seeing the little pickle her partner was in, Ladybug landed on the bottom of Trocadero and decided to step in.

"Well, hey there, kitty cat!" Ladybug called to both her partner and the giant baby, grabbing both of their attention and drawing them to her. "I see you're not much of a natural with kids, are you?" the heroine in red playfully teased Chat Noir, amused by his attempts at babysitting.

"Are you kidding? We were just playing a fun game of tag!" Chat Noir replied, using the distraction his lady provided to reach for his staff and use it to escape from Gigantitan's hands, now free to fight once again.

"Taking in his costume, I'd say the akuma's probably in his bracelet." Ladybug observed while Chat Noir landed next to her, quickly throwing her yo-yo to tie the string around Gigantitan's left hand while he was still distracted from Chat Noir's sudden escape. Upon seeing the yo-yo wrapped around his wrist, Gigantitan looked over at the superheroes in shock, which prompted Hawkmoth to step in to guide the baby akuma.

"Gigantitan, watch out for the very naughty Ladybug!" Hawkmoth warned his latest akuma, to which Gigantitan headed the advice and lifted his hand to suddenly fling Ladybug into the air. From there, he threw her and her yo-yo away from him, resulting in Ladybug landing on the Trocadéro roof and barely catching herself from falling off before Chat Noir went to join her.

"Whoa-ho, nice flying. Looks like you're not much of a natural with kids either." Chat Noir teased as he extended his staff to send him up to the roof of Trocadero, stepping onto it with ease after his weapon returned to its compact size.

"Ha-ha!" Ladybug sarcastically laughed, not finding his tease funny at all while they didn't hear thundering footsteps coming towards them. "For your information, I never babysat anything heavier than ten tons." the spotted heroine chided her partner, which fell short when he pulled her away from the roof edge just as Gigantitan reached up to grab her.

Thanks to Chat Noir's interference, Gigantitan soon started to get frustrated when he couldn't find either of the heroes to play with, trying to climb higher to grab them. The giant baby's strategy only worked a little bit since the two heroes backed away from his hands as they crept closer to them. But while Gigantitan was distracted, Ladybug noticed that he was using the arm with the bracelet around it, leaving it open for them to get the akuma.

"Yes!" Ladybug cheered, leaping over to the bracelet to grab it. As soon as she landed on Gigantitan's arm, he once again threw her off of him and into the air screaming towards the ground. However, her time in the air gave her an idea of how to defeat Giganitan before she finally hit the ground, landing in a crouch just before Chat Noir joined her again.

"Change of plans! To calm the baby down, just put him in a playpen." the red heroine declared, both heroes rising to their full height as she spoke.

"And exactly where will we find a playpen his size?" Chat Noir questioned, his arms extending outward to emphasize the akuma's largeness as he brought up that tiny detail.

"The Eiffel Tower!" Ladybug simply replied, her arms extending out to point at the monument across from Trocadero. "We'll pen him up in there with my yo-yo string, and lull him to sleep any way we can. Then when he's getting sleepy...BAM! You'll use your Cataclysm to destroy his bracelet!" the spotted heroine explained, hoping to get through with this akuma as soon as possible.

"Interesting idea, M'Lady. But how are we gonna get him there?" Chat Noir asked, yet again bringing up a flaw in Ladybug's usually flawless planning while more loud footsteps drew near. "Don't you have a simpler plan? How about your Lucky Charm?" the hero in black inquired, pointing to Ladybug's weapon just as Gigantitan came up behind them.

"If this is too complicated, just copy what I do." Ladybug replied before she lept away just as Gigantian approached them, leaving Chat Noir confused by her reply.

But deciding to just go with it and also seeing the akuma about to grab him, Chat Noir followed her lead and escaped Gigantitan before he could grab him. He landed next to Ladybug just as Gigantitan looked at his empty hands in dismay, giving them the chance to enact Ladybug's plan.

"Yoohoo!" Ladybug called to the giant baby, immediately catching his attention.

"Over here, little guy!" Chat Noir hollered to Gigantitan, waving his arms to further entice him to follow them. Fortunately, their efforts worked and Gigantitan started coming towards them, the two heroes backing away as they led him to the Eiffel Tower.

"Once we get him in his playpen, I'll sing him a lullaby." the feline hero said as he gestured for Gigantitan to keep following them, earning a slightly amused side-eye from Ladybug.

"Uh, we want to calm the baby down, not burst his eardrums." Ladybug replied as she waved her arms above her head, finding her partner's idea unlikely to work.

"What? I have a great voice, you know?" Chat Noir playfully argued, turning his mischievous smile at his partner while still leading Gigantitan to his trap. "Maybe I'll meow you a serenade one of these days." the hero in black added, earning an amused chuckle from Ladybug.

All the while, they still manage to keep Gigantitan's attention on them and lead him towards the Eiffel Tower with no problem. That is until the akuma's foot bumped into the lollipop truck from earlier, causing him to stop following the heroes and look down at it instead. Upon seeing Gigantitan focused on the truck instead of them, the heroes try to regain his attention while the akuma knelt to the ground to see all the lollipops inside the truck, completely entranced.

"We're losing him, Chat Noir!" Ladybug exclaimed in worry, their efforts to get Gigantitan to follow them failing now that he saw the object of his desires. Seeing their predicament, Chat Noir suddenly ran off to find something to catch Gigantitan's attention, hoping that it would be enough. While Ladybug was left to wait for Chat Noir to come back, Gigantian was thankfully still at the lollipop truck and trying to get the treats inside.

"Lollipop!" Gigantitan cheered as he reached for the truck, only to accidentally crush the truck with his large hand instead, turning it into a pile of scrap.

When he saw the truck destroyed, Gigatitan was about to cry about it when he suddenly heard a car honking, prompting him to look down to see the Agreste car below with Chat Noir inside honking the horn. Immediately, the giant baby akuma perked up and waddled over to the car while Chat Noir slipped out the other side so that Gigantitan could play with the car, making 'Vroom' noises as he did. Needless to say, Hawkmoth wasn't happy that his akuma was so easily distracted, growling in annoyance at him while face-palming himself at his misfortune. How he hadn't blown a gasket with this akuma's behavior by now, he had no idea. But that didn't matter much to Gigantitan as he played with his new toy while sitting in the middle of the empty Parisian street.

"Good thinking, kitty!" Ladybug praised her partner when he met back up with her at the start of the bridge between Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower, glad that his idea had worked.

"Thanks! I loved playing with cars when I was a kid, so I thought he would too." Chat Noir explained with a spin of his baton, putting it back on the small of his back while he and Ladybug watched Gigantitan play.

"Vroom! Vroom!" Gigantian cooed as she started moving again, pushing the car in the direction of the Eiffel Tower as he crawled.

"Look! He's going to his playpen all by himself! Good job, kitty!" Ladybug applauded Chat Noir, who chuckled giddily since he didn't think his idea would work so well.

But the moment was put on hold when he saw that Ladybug had already left, to which he immediately followed after her to reach the Eiffel Tower. While they were making their way over to trap Gigantitan, the akuma had already arrived at the monument and was still playing with the car. However, the fun was interrupted when Hawkmoth regained some of his lost composure and tried to get Gigantitan's attention again.

"No! Stop playing! Attack the kitty cat and ladybug!" Hawkmoth demanded from his lair, almost begging the giant baby to listen to him.

"Vroom!" Gigantitan cooed again, completely ignoring Hawkmoth's demand as he sat in the center of the area below the Eiffel Tower, still playing with the 'toy' car.

"NOOO!" Hawkmoth yelled in frustration, cutting off the link just as Ladybug and Chat Noir arrived at the Eiffel Tower to enact the rest of the plan.

"Here we go!" Ladybug shouted before she threw her yo-yo at the Eiffel Tower, the weapon encircling it several times in her yo-yo string to pen up Gigantitan.

Amid the yo-yo's encircling, Gigantitan heard the wheezing of the weapon and looked up from his playing to find that he was being trapped. But by the time he caught on to what was happening, the 'playpen' was complete and Chat Noir was wolf-whistling in amazement at Ladybug, impressed that she actually managed to trap the villain. But seconds after he applauded her, Gigantitan walked up to the string and started pulling on it hard, causing the Eiffel Tower to be cut by the indestructible material.

"Hurry, Chat Noir! Use your Cataclysm on his bracelet!" the heroine in red ordered her partner, the Eiffel Tower now starting to creak and tip to the side.

"At your command, M'Lady!" Chat Noir replied, quickly summoning his… "Cataclysm!" the hero in black yelled, his power consolidating in his hand seconds after.

With his power in hand, Chat Noir lept into the air and landed on Gigantitan's hand, eager to use his Cataclysm on the bracelet. But before he could, Gigantitan shook his arm around in the air and sent Chat Noir hurtling off into the distance before he could do anything. Now that Gigantitan didn't have any more distractions, he used his enormous strength to put more pressure on Ladybug's yo-yo string… soon breaking the Eiffel Tower's supports. Ladybug could only watch as the whole tower started to fall behind the temperamental toddler, shocked that her plan had failed so badly.

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While the brunt of Gigantitan's chaos was taking place at the Eiffel Tower, Alix was still waiting for her cue for Marinette's plan at the Pont des Arts bridge. But she had no idea of the action and dangerous situation she was missing, which she would have preferred instead of waiting around the bridge.

"Did she take the rickshaw ride with Adrien or not?" Alix whined as she leaned against the bridge railing, looking over at André as he finished making an ice cream cone before she groaned again.

However, her boredom was soon cured when both she and André suddenly heard screaming cutting through the quiet surrounding them. Immediately looking up to find the source of the scream, Alix was just in time to see Chat Noir hurtling through the air and crash-land onto the ice cream cart, leaving both her and André surprised by his sudden arrival. Soon enough, the initial shock had passed from the trio and Chat Noir quickly noticed the ice cream André was still holding in his surprise.

"I hear your ice cream's the best in Paris, André." Chat Noir said to André as he took the cone from the vendor, hoping to get a quick refuel before heading back to the fight. But when he tried to eat the sweet treat, the feline hero failed to see that he grabbed it with his Cataclysm-infused hand, inadvertently destroying it instead.

"Uh, thank you, Chat Noir." André awkwardly thanked the hero, both grateful for the compliment but also still unsure of what just happened. Regardless of the vendor's confusion, Chat Noir lifted himself from the damaged ice cream cart and used his staff to transport himself back to the Eiffel Tower. There was still an akuma to defeat after all, and he couldn't very well let Ladybug face it on her own, now could he?

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As Chat Noir was making his way back to the fight, Ladybug was having a hard time getting Gigantitan to stay in one place while waiting for her partner. This resulted in her being pulled behind Gigantitan by his yo-yo-wrapped waist, digging her heels into the ground in a fruitless effort to stop him. She even went as far as grabbing hold of a lamppost to better assist her, only for that idea to fail when her grip on the post caused it to be nearly ripped out of the ground when Gigantitan wouldn't stop. Fortunately, Ladybug kept a hold of the post and her yo-yo string, which caused Gigantitan to finally stop in his tracks… and catch Hawkmoth's attention once again.

"Turn around! Look at the mean Ladybug and grab her!!" Hawkmoth demanded after the link was activated again, causing Gigantitan to finally turn around and see Ladybug as she clung to the nearly destroyed lamppost.

"Lollipop!" Gigantitan cheered, quickly stomping over to Ladybug just as she was about to slide off the lamppost to escape. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough and Gigantitan grabbed both her and the lamppost, pulling the post out of the ground in the process of bringing the heroine towards him.

"Hey, silly baby! This isn't a delicious lollipop!" Ladybug exclaimed in a panic while Gigantitan lifted her towards his toothless mouth, her plea turning into screaming when she saw she was about to be sucked on.

"Woohoo! Super-size!" A voice behind Gigantitan called out, causing the giant akuma to pull Ladybug away from his mouth to turn around to see who had spoken to him. As soon as he did, both Gigantitan and Ladybug were greeted by the sight of a rickshaw coming towards them… but not just any rickshaw. Upon closer inspection, Ladybug was ecstatic to see her friends were the ones coming to aid her, with Alya driving while the others were sitting on the passenger seat and holding onto the fake No-Parking sign.

"Hold on tight, Ladybug!" Rose and Sabrina shouted as the rickshaw drew nearer, the two of them sitting at the bottom of the rickshaw while the others were in the actual seat.

"Thanks, girls!" Ladybug sighed in relief, watching as Alya reached Gigantitan's feet and quickly turned the way she came to further entice the onesie-clad akuma. Fortunately for both the polka-dotted heroine and the girls on the rickshaw, the distraction immediately worked.

"Lollipop!" Gigantitan exclaimed when seeing the 'No-Parking' sign the girls were holding and ran after them, dropping Ladybug so he could better follow the girls.

While he was distracted, the newly freed Ladybug managed to land on the sidewalk with ease… as well as dodge the falling lamppost mere seconds later. Once she had, Ladybug couldn't help but smirk at the akuma as she imagined Hawkmoth losing his shit over how badly Gigantitan was listening to him. But her little petty train of thought was interrupted when Chat Noir finally returned to the fight and landed next to Ladybug.

"Glad to see you're okay, kitty." Ladybug greeted her partner, happy he was back.

"Thanks, M'Lady." Chat Noir replied in kind, only to realize that they still had an akuma to defeat. "But we don't have much time left before Gigatitan catches up with those girls or for when I transform back. We need a new plan." the hero in black pointed out, his ring alarm sounding seconds after he spoke to alert them of their little remaining time.

"Okay, enough with complicated plans. Sometimes it's best to just get straight to the point." Ladybug decided, pulling out her yo-yo to call on her… "Lucky Charm!" the spotted heroine shouted, summoning her powers in a flash of light and receiving…

"A roll of gift wrap?" Ladybug observed in confusion, unrolling a small part as she inspected the Lucky Charm.

"Great! Now figure something out so we can wrap this up." Chat Noir quipped, pulling out his staff and standing ready to fight while Ladybug sent him a deadpan glare at his puns.

But she put aside her annoyance and looked around for inspiration for her next plan to strike. Fortunately, it didn't take long for her to spot another lamppost, and Chat Noir's bell to realize what the roll of gift wrap was for.

"Got it!" Ladybug exclaimed, her plan now plain as day as she pulled Chat Noir along to get it underway.

While Ladybug and Chat Noir were getting the Lucky Charm plan set up, Gigantitan was still chasing the rickshaw around the Trocadéro. But after so many loops around the area, Alya was starting to lose steam in her efforts to keep ahead of Gigantitan, especially when she had five girls sitting in the passenger seat. Needless to say, the reporter was getting too tired to continue the chase.

"Girls...I can't do it anymore!" Alya panted out in exhaustion, giving the girls a warning before she slammed her hands onto the front wheel brakes, sending the rickshaw rear into the air. "RUN!!!" the fiery-ombre-haired girl yelled as they were all thrown out of the rickshaw, letting the fake sign fall to the ground while getting out of the way of the approaching Gigantitan. Luckily, Gigantitan was more focused on the sign to pay attention to their retreat, picking it up from the ground with a toothless smile.

"Lollipop!" Gigantitan squealed in excitement before he sucked on the fake sign, his joy not lasting long when he realized it wasn't a lollipop at all.

Disgusted, Gigantitan threw the sign away and started to cry again at his failure to get the sweet treat. But his crying was interrupted when he suddenly heard Cat Noir's bell jingling again, causing the akuma to look over at the feline hero as he leaned against a post a little ways away from him.

"Who wants a nice tasty lollipop?" Chat Noir tempted Gigantitan, pointing up at the top of the lamppost to get the akuma to see the brightly colored wrapping on the top of it.

"Lollipop!" Gigantitan cheered when seeing the polka-dotted gift-wrapped lamppost, quick to believe that it was truly a lollipop as he walked over to it.

As Gigantitan drew near, Chat Noir took a step back to let the akuma pull the 'lollipop' from the street and peel off the wrapping to suck on the treat behind it. But when he did, the only sweet thing it revealed was Ladybug, who had been perched on the top of the lamppost in wait for Gigantitan's folly.

"You've heard of the Trojan Horse, right?" Ladybug quipped as she leapt from the lamppost, landing on Gigantitan's hand to punch the release button on the bracelet and letting it fall to the ground. "Now meet the Parisian lollipop!" the red heroine declared before she jumped down from Gigantitan's hand, extending her leg and slamming it onto the bracelet. Thanks to the force behind her fall, Ladybug was able to break the bracelet when reaching the ground, letting the akuma fly free once more as she rose to her feet and pulled out her yo-yo.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma." Ladybug said as she ran her finger down the middle of her yo-yo to reveal the sparkling pool of cleansing energy inside of it. "Time to de-evilize!" the spotted heroine shouted before she threw her yo-yo toward the akuma, catching it within her yo-yo and pulling it back to her.

"Gotcha!" Ladybug cheered when the yo-yo was back in her hands. A second later, she released the purified akuma, setting the white butterfly free. "Bye, bye little butterfly," the heroine in red said as the butterfly flew away, right before throwing the Lucky Charm up into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug cried out, summoning the cleansing cure and the magic ladybugs.

Immediately, the damage to the Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower was repaired, followed by the numerous street lamps, signs and statues that Gigantitan had ripped out of the ground. It even included André's ice cream cart too, leaving the vendor happy to continue selling his icy treats to the public. The final act the Miraculous Cure did was turn the defeated Gigantitan back into August, the evil aura fading away after the cure took effect. But the cure failed to stop August from turning back in mid-air, leading him to fall right into Chat Noir's awaiting arms below.

"Kitty!" August cooed when he saw who his savior was, reaching up to play with his bell and causing Ladybug to smile at the pair.

"Okay, I'll admit it. You are a natural with babies after all." Ladybug admitted as she leaned against Chat Noir, earning a pleased chuckle from her partner at the praise.

"August!" A voice suddenly called out, prompting the two heroes to turn and see August's mother running towards them to get her son.

"Mama!" August cheered when he saw his mother, reaching out to hug her while she took him from Chat Noir and snuggled him close. But while Ladybug and Chat Noir were smiling at the tender scene, the moment was interrupted when her earrings started ringing their second to last warning.

"We gotta get going. Bye-bye, little guy." Ladybug farewelled as she and Chat Noir waved goodbye to August, followed by them leaving to detransform.

"Thank you, Chat Noir! Thank you, Ladybug!" August's mother responded with a smile, grateful for them saving her son.

"Thank you!" August parroted, waving bye to them as well.

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Meanwhile, down in Hawkmoth's lair, the resident superterrorist was left less than pleased by the result of his latest attempt at getting the Miraculous. But truth be told, he was a little bit glad that the heroes reigned victorious once again, his dramatic tendencies detesting the thought of his winning akuma being a baby.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir, Gigantitan may not have been big enough for the job, but I promise my next villain will be more than you can handle!" Hawkmoth declared before the lair window closed, leaving him and his butterflies in darkness once more. However, as soon as the last rays of light were blocked off for the lair, Hawkmoth let out an unexpected sigh of exhaustion. "Dark Wings, Fall." the resident terrorist muttered, his transformation fading away and turning him back into Gabriel before he walked to the lair's exit panel.

"Maybe akumatizing a baby wasn't the best idea." Gabriel thought aloud as he placed a hand on his forehead to soothe an oncoming headache, followed by exiting his lair and returning to the mansion.

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With the akuma defeated and the danger passed, both Marinette and Adrein went back to their business before the attack began. But while Adrien was now back where he started before leaving Trocadéro, Marinette was quick to meet up with her friends again at the side of the garden's entrance.

"Hey, guys!" Marinette called to her friends as she ran toward them, causing them to start chuckling with happiness and relief when they saw her safe.

"Marinette!" Rose squealed when she reached them, pulling her in for a group hug.

"We were so worried about you!" Mylène added amid the hug.

"Yeah, where were you?" Alya asked as they pulled away, letting Marinette finally explain her sudden disappearance from the attack.

"I was worried, too. I looked all over for you guys!" Marinette said, her excuse managing to toe the lines of truthfulness since she was worried about them after they interfered in the battle. "But I'm so glad everything worked out okay." the designer breathed out in relief, glad that they were okay now.

"All except for your date with Adrien." Alya remarked, pushing her glasses back to the bridge of her nose to keep them from falling.

"Oh yeah. Where did he go?" Lila questioned as she looked around the area, Alya's words reminding the group of why they were even there in the first place before Rose saw the boy in question approaching.

"Oh! There he is!" Rose announced, pointing to him as he reached the top of the stairs once more.

"Maybe we can finish the job after all." Sabrina said as the girls watched Adrien making his way to the Agreste car to leave.

"Awesome. Let's do it!" Juleka agreed, which immediately rubbed Marinette the wrong way when hearing the suggestion.

"No. No more complicated plans. Sometimes it's best to just get straight to the point." Marinette told her friends, quoting herself from earlier and leaving them speechless before she pulled out her sketchpad from her bag. With the book in hand, Marinette walked out from their sort-of hiding place just as Adrien was about to reach the car, making sure it looked like she was just walking up from the gardens too. "Hey, Adrien!" the pigtailed girl greeted the blonde, causing him to turn and see her just after the girls hid behind one of the pillars flanking Trocadero to watch their interaction.

"Is she gonna do it?" Mylène whispered to the others, all of them sitting on pins and needles in anticipation.

"It's just like a romantic movie!" Rose squealed, her excitement barely contained in her whisper as they kept on watching.

"Marinette! What are you doing here?" Adrien greeted Marinette as she walked up to him, unaware of Alya, Juleka, Mylène, Rose, Sabrina, and Lila watching them from afar.

"I came here to do some sketching! I can't believe we've run into each other here!" Marinette explained as she held out her sketch pad, using it to add credibility to her little story. "But, since we're here, would you like to—?" the red-tipped-haired girl began to ask, only for her flow to be interrupted when Adrien's bodyguard impatiently honked the car horn behind them.

"Hang pout? I mean, hang about? No, hag out?" Marinette nervously stammered out, now floundering to say what she really wanted and leaving Adrien a little concerned by her sudden loss of words before Placide I.T. honked the horn once again to tell Adrien to hurry up. "Oh, forget it. Better not keep your guard waiting." the designer said with a nervous chuckle, knowing that she wouldn't be able to Adrien now.

"Uh, okay." Adrien replied skeptically before turning to walk to his car, unaware of Marinette sighing in disappointment as she realized she still couldn't ask Adrien out. Not only that, she could feel her friends' annoyed stares at her as well, which didn't help her crummy mood. But it seemed as if fate was smiling down on Marientte when Adrien opened the car door and said…

"But we can take you home if you want." the green-eyed boy offered, leaving Marinette shocked and her hidden friends to be filled with glee once again. However, the only one who didn't share the joy was Lila, who hid her disbelief behind her plastered excitement. But despite Lila's displeasure, Marinette was immediately inclined to agree to the offer being made, until…

"No, it's okay! I'll take a rickshaw home. Thanks!" Marinette replied, leaving her surprised by her response and her friends annoyed with her once more.

"Okay, then." Adrien said as he got into the car, managing to hide his slight disappointment in her response with a smile. "See you Monday at school!" the green-eyed boy farewelled before closing the car door, letting the car drive off while Marinette waved 'bye' to Adrien. Once the car was far enough away, Marinette's friends came out of hiding and joined her just as her smile slowly turned into a frown.

"Why did I say 'no'? I'm so lame! I could have ridden home with him in his car!" Marinette wailed in the comfort of her friends, turning to face them as she curled into herself in shame.

"Well, at least you managed to get a few full sentences out without losing your cool." Alya pointed out, hoping that at least one positive would cheer Marinette up from her despair.

"Two full sentences out of three! Not bad!" Rose added, proud of Marinette's progress while Myléne and Sabrina placed comforting hands on the designer's shoulders.

"You'll get there in the end." Sabrina assured Marinette, Myléne nodding in encouragement alongside her.

"Sure will." Juleka added, bringing a smile to Marinette's face at their kind words.

"Thanks, girls." Marinette said, thanking them before they were suddenly showered with rose petals, causing the group to turn around and see Alix behind them as she threw another handful on them.

"Don't tell me. 'Gold Buttercup' left the flowerbed with the 'Nanny', right?" Alix asked while using air quotes again, even though it was clear her assumption was correct.

"Yep, but it's all good." Lila said before she and Alya stepped to the curb and signaled for the rickshaw driver to come by again, their efforts were not in vain when the diver parked on the curb seconds later.

"Come on, BFF, let's take a ride home on the rickshaw!" Alya exclaimed as she climbed into the passenger seat, bringing another smile to Marinette's lips at the idea.

"At least I didn't say coleslaw, instead. Now that would have been embarrassing!" Marinette remarked as she and others climbed aboard, the girls laughing in amusement before the driver took off. The only one not on the rickshaw, however, was Alix, who chose to follow after the group on her rollerblades and throw more rose petals at them as they enjoyed their ride.

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(Time Skip)

A little bit after the girl's rickshaw ride around Trocadero, Marinette suggested that they have a sleepover at her house to make up for their hang-out being interrupted. Immediately, they all were in on the idea and quickly split up so that they could get permission from their parents to go to the last-minute sleepover. Fortunately, their parents were okay with the sudden change in plans and they packed up their overnight bags before heading back to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. This is how Marinette found herself once again grouped up with the girls in her room, all of them dressed in their pajamas this time. But just as they were going through movies for later, Marinette noticed that the clock was five minutes away from turning to 9 o'clock… her usual check-in time with Jim and Toby.

"Um… hey, guys?" Marinette began as she leaned against her chaise, drawing the group's collective attention to turn away from her array of movies to face her.

"What's up, Marinette?" Lila asked, sitting on Marinette's right as she placed a DVD case she had in her hand back into the pile.

"I was just letting you guys know that I might have to step out in a few minutes." Marinette said, immediately leaving the girls confused by her words.

"How come?" Sabrina questioned the group's host, sitting on Lila's right as she wondered why she wanted to do so before Alya's eyes widened in realization.

"Wait… is it nearly 9 pm, already?" Alya cross-examined from Marinette's left, prompting her to nod in confirmation and leave the bespeckled girl excited while the others looked at the pair in skepticism.

"Why is that a concern?" Alix questioned Alya as she sat cross-legged next to Sabrina, now seeing that she knew Marinette's reasons for wanting to leave the room.

"Remember when I had to step away from the plan earlier?" Marinette asked the groups, earning nods from all of them in response. "Well, that was because I usually have a check-in call with Jim and Toby every day at noon and 9 pm. It's how we remain close despite living on opposite sides of the world." the pigtailed girl explained, reminding them of a tidbit about her and her brothers that she mentioned in her earlier regaling.

"Oh, yeah. You mentioned that earlier when telling us about them." Myléne replied as she was flanked by Alix and Juleka, both her and the group now recalling when she told them.

"If that's the case, why do you have to step away to talk to them? We already know about them, so why not talk to them here?" Lila inquired, curious as to why Marinette was seeming to be still so secretive about her family despite already telling them about her brothers.

"I didn't get a chance to tell them I told you guys when he called earlier. " Marinette admitted, looking off to the side as she rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. But to be fair, she was too focused on her Adrien plan to tell Jim about her friends finding out about them… which wasn't a good reason when she thought about it.

"Then maybe you can tell them now? I know I'd love to meet them." Rose excitedly requested as she lay on the floor next to Juleka, her hands clasping together pleadingly in front of her while Marinette contemplated the idea.

"Same here!" Juleka added from Alya's left, to which the others nodded in agreement and led to Marinette's final decision.

"Well, seeing as you guys know, I don't see why not." Marinette finally decided, not seeing the harm of letting her brothers meet her friends and pleasing the others. "I'll just give them a heads up before they call so that they aren't surprised by you." the red-tipped-haired girl advised as she pulled out her phone, opening up the group chat she shared with her brothers.

Group Chat: Arcadia Oaks Unlucky Trio:

MariFairy: Hey guys! So I might have failed to mention something during the last video call.

Jimbo: What is it?

MariFariy: I told my gal pals about you guys.

TobyPie: Wait… WHAT!?!?! You never mentioned anything about telling them!

MariFairy: It was unexpected. But I trust them not to spill, so don't worry about it.

Jimbo: Not that I'm upset about you telling more people you trust, but how did that end up happening?

MariFariy: It came up during our game of Truth or Dare. But they said that they wanted to meet you guys. Are you okay with them joining our call this time?

TobyPie: I'm all for it!

Jimbo: Me too. As long as we're careful not to let anything out about you-know-what and you-know-who during the call

MariFairy: Fair enough. And just a heads up, Lila is fluent in Italian so we can't swap over to it during the call since she'll understand us.

Jimbo: No Italian. Got it. Class is about to end soon. We'll see you in a minute.

MariFairy: See you then!

With her brothers warned about her friends, Marinette put her phone away and looked back at her friends with a smile.

"Okay, the boys have been warned and they'll be calling in a minute." Marinette reported as she stood up from the floor and got her computer from her desk, setting it on her chaise so that they could all see Jim and Toby.

"So they weren't surprised by us knowing?" Sabrina asked, impressed that Marinette didn't seem to have any trouble warning her brothers.

"Oh, they were definitely surprised. But after I explained that I trusted you guys, they were cool about it." Marinette clarified as she went to plug in her computer, which earned quite a few surprised looks from the girls.

"Really?" Alya gawked, watching as Marinette made sure her computer was ready.

"Believe it or not, Jim and Toby have always encouraged me to be more open. They're glad that you know." Marinette replied after she turned her computer on, only for it to start ringing to show Jim and Toby were now calling her. "Speak of the devil, that's them now." the designer announced as she went to her desk and used her mouse to click on the receive call button, letting Jim and Toby appear on the screen seconds later.

"Heya, sis!" Jim and Toby greeted Marinette, watching as she sat down next to her chaise and on Alya's right to allow the girls a good view of the two boys.

"Hey, boys! Nice to see you again!" Marinette welcomed her favorite boys, which led to her quickly noticing Toby had the 'Geode Beanie' she sent him. "Oh, I see you got the beanie, Tobes!" the pigtailed girl pointed out, smiling when she saw Toby proudly wearing her gift to him.

"Yes, I did! And I absolutely love it! So glad that you and Jim didn't spill the beans about it!" Toby gushed as he took off the beanie and proudly displayed it to their audience, leaving the girls impressed by Marinette's work.

"Glad to hear it! But just to let you know, that's only part of the set I'm making for you." Marinette slyly remarked, a smirk appearing on her lips when Toby's face erupted in excitement.

"There's more!! Oh, now you got to tell me!" Toby nearly squealed, the screen suddenly shaking as he took Jim's phone out of his friend's hand and lifted it to his face.

"Can't do that! Otherwise, it won't be a surprise." Marinette chided the rounded boy, earning a disappointed groan from him before he handed the phone back to Jim. "But I'm getting off track here. I still have to properly introduce you guys to the girls!" the red-tipped-haired girl exclaimed as she gestured to the group behind her, the boys perking up when seeing them as they got out their lunches.

"You guys already know Alya, of course." Marinette began, gesturing to the ombre-haired girl on her left.

"Obviously, girl!" Alya smugly replied, followed by her turning her attention to the boys. "Hey, boys! How's it hanging?" the reporter greeted the boys, waving at them with a crooked smile.

"Doing good, Alya. nice to see you again." Jim responded while he and Toby returned the favor, waving at Marinette's best friend while getting out their lunches. Thanks to a late-night training session that left Jim knackered, the menu of the day consisted of tacos from Toby's favorite taco truck with a bag of chips each and a packet of cookies to share that they bought on the way to school. But it would do the trick in giving the boys a boost of energy to finish their day at school, so they wouldn't be too picky about it.

"Same here." Alya fired back, happy to see the boys again after the last time she was over at Marinette's for a sleepover before the girl in question took things from there.

"But you still have yet to meet the others. Jim, Toby allow me to introduce you to my friends, Rose Lavillant, Juleka Couffaine, Alix Kubdel, Mylène Haprèle, Sabrina Raincomprix, and Lila Rossi." Marinette continued, pointing to each girl as she introduced them to her brothers and turned to the girls afterwards. "Girls, meet my brothers, Jim and Toby." the designer concluded, not needing to point to who this time after having shown her friends the picture on her phone.

"Hello!" all of the girls greeted Jim and Toby while waving at them, Alya being the only one not doing so since she already met them.

"Hey there!" Jim responded, Toby following the girl's example and waving at them too while he directed his attention onto Marinette. "So these are your gal pals, huh? About time we get to meet them." the Trollhunter playfully teased his sister, a smirk appearing while Marinette rolled her eyes at his behavior.

"We'd say the same thing, but we found out you guys existed only today." Alix remarked, lifting her soda can towards the screen with a wink.

"Ha! Good one!" Toby chuckled, shooting a finger gun and returning the received wink at the pink-haired tomboy.

"Thanks." Alix replied, smiling at the compliment.

"So, Marinette's told you about us?" Mylène asked the boys, wondering how much they already knew about them from Marinette's account.

"Of course! She's told us all about you guys!" Jim exclaimed. "And don't worry, only good things of course!" he assured them, easing the girl's worries of making a bad impression.

"Well, that's good to hear." Juleka sighed in relief, a hand going to her heart out of unintentional reflex.

"But she's only told us the basics about you guys. So we're excited to learn more." Toby elaborated as he pulled out his first taco, unwrapping it to take a big bite out of it after he spoke.

"So are we!! I want to hear all about how you two grew so close while being so far away." Rose gushed, laying on her stomach and using her arms to prop up her head while her legs swayed side-to-side behind her.

"It wasn't easy. I'll tell you that." Marinette remarked, leaning her head towards her computer as she sent a pointed glance towards her brothers.

"And it definitely has its fair share of embarrassing moments." Jim added, nodding sagely at his sister's words as he copied Toby and pulled out his own taco, eager to chow down after a long first half of their day.

"Oh, you have to spill the beans now! I want to know everything!" Alix playfully demanded the two boys, triggering all of the other girls to eagerly nod to confirm their shared curiosity.

"Okay, you asked for it." Toby declared, swallowing his mouthful of taco before whipping his mouth clean to start regaling his, Jim's and Marinette's past adventures.

As the call goes on, the three siblings go over the deeper details of their bond, explaining the video calls in full detail and their many adventures when together. Then it took a turn back to the girls so that Jim and Toby could get to know them too, seeing as this was their first time meeting them. Marinette even got a chance to tell the boys about the Gigantitan attack, bearing the usual insider scoop she always gives them, of course. Upon reaching the part about how the plan to get Marinette a date with Adrien ended, Jim and Toby were both surprised and dumbfounded to hear Marinette refused to ride home in Adrein's car. Granted, Jim was a little less upset about it, but he was still surprised by Marinette's actions since he knew her getting closer to Adrien was what she had wanted to happen. From there, the conversation turned back to the boys as they took the focus off of Marinette's mishap and revealed some of their own blunders. Needless to say, the girls of Collège Françoise Dupont were left baffled and amused by what they learned, especially the part about their trio's little moniker.

"And we've been as thick as thieves ever since, getting into all sorts of later hilarious accidents and earning the moniker, 'Arcadia Oaks Unlucky Trio'. However, that's a story for another time." Marinette concluded, hoping to spare her and her brothers from their more embarrassing moments for a little longer while the girls stared at them in awe.

"Wow. And here I thought there wouldn't be more to find out." Lila remarked, grabbing a cookie from the snack pile next to Marinette's movie collection and taking a bite.

"Let's just say our family is full of surprises." Marinette said, a small chuckle escaping her when thinking of her and Jim's secret responsibilities.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around how Adrien is Marinette's first-ever crush." Mylène admitted, only to turn her gaze to Alya. "And you knew the whole time and didn't tell us!" the girl with rainbow braids exclaimed as she pointed an accusing finger at the reporter, earning an amused smile from the girl in question.

"It wasn't my place to tell. Not to mention I had already spilled the beans about Jim and Toby in the first place, I didn't want to let another one of Marinette's private details out." Alya explained as she raised her arms in surrender, not wanting to stir any more trouble as she admitted to her mistake.

"Oh, so that's how you guys found out about us! I thought it was a little weird that it came out during a game of Truth or Dare." Toby admitted as he finished off his chips, causing Jim to nod in agreement as he opened the packet of cookies for them.

"Yeah, sorry about that. It slipped out after Marinette was asked if she had a crush on anyone." Alya elaborated as she looked off to the side, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment before she turned her gaze back to the boys. "And turns out, everyone except the boy in question knows." the fiery-ombre-haired girl announced, causing the two boys to let out amused huffs at the news.

"Can't say it's hard to see. No offense to Marinette, but she's not that great at hiding her feelings." Jim remarked with a roll of his eyes as he looked to the side, a small pout appearing on his face while Toby reached for the cookies.

"I'd say the same to you, Jimbro." Marinette teased her brother, prompting Jim to playfully stick his tongue out at her in response to her jab at him. "But regardless of how the girls know, they now know and I'm glad they do." the pigtailed girl said, which caused Jim and Toby to smile at her words before popping their cookies into their mouths.

"I'm just glad you're opening up to more people and making more friends. I'm proud of you." Jim confessed, leaving Marinette to blush at the praise while her gal pals merely smiled in response.

"I still can't believe that Marinette never told us about you guys. You're both a riot!" Alix cheered after she drank the last of her soda, crushing it in her hands before tossing it into the wastebasket behind her.

"We could say the same for you guys as well. I can say for certainty that I'm glad she's finally told you." Jim replied, nodding his head at Alix with a playful point of his finger before eating another cookie.

"Though no offense, I didn't think you'd tell Sabrina since she's…" Toby awkwardly trailed off, not sure of how to continue his remark that wouldn't seem too rude. But seeing as the group already knew what he was referring to, Toby found that he didn't even need to continue.

"Well, she's proven to be trustworthy. And I'm willing to give her a chance." Marinette told the boys, easing their worries about Marinette's choice of confidants for the moment.

"Thanks, Marinette. But I don't blame Toby for being skeptical." Sabrina said as she grabbed a croissant from the snack pile, tearing a piece off of it before eating it. "I know I would be." the bespeckled girl mumbled, looking at the floor in shame as she recalled her actions as Chloé's lackey/friend.

"Ooh, I like her, sis. She's got a good head on her shoulders." Jim declared, causing Sabrina to look up from the ground and beam at the compliment while Lila stared at him in surprise.

"That was so smooth. Looks like we've got ourselves a charmer here." Lila observed with a smirk, earning an unbelieving guff from Marinette at the comment.

"Hate to break it to you, Lila, but Jim's anything but smooth. If he was, he'd have a girlfriend by now. He's got the looks for it, after all." Marinette countered while Jim sent her a glare, having known her brother long enough to know the opposite of Lila's remark was true.

"Can't say you're wrong. He does look like he could be a model." Lila slyly remarked, causing Jim to blush at the compliment just as he was about to eat one of the last cookies in the packet.

"Um, thanks, Lila." Jim replied in an unsure voice, not used to getting such compliments… especially from girls.

"Sorry Lila, but while Jim doesn't have a girlfriend, he does have his eyes on someone. And I'd be a bad friend and sister if I didn't tell you." Marinette revealed, causing Lila to pout at the news before resuming her normal soft smile seconds later.

"Eh, fair enough." Lila said, hiding her slight disappointment to prevent any arguments about the subject. She did want to have a nice night, after all.

"Wait, you're not the only one of you two to have a crush on someone?!" Mylène questioned the three siblings, surprised by the new fact Marinette had revealed.

"Oh, yeah! Jim's been crushing on a girl in our class, Claire Nuñez, for years! Even longer than Marinette's been crushing on Adrien." Toby responded, finishing off his cookies while he gently elbowed Jim in the arm with a crooked smile.

"And like me, he is terrible at talking to her in comprehensible English." Marinette added, placing a hand on her forehead in exasperation. "Honestly, Jim and I share so many similarities that it's scary." the pigtailed girl muttered as she looked to the side in thought, trying to comprehend the idea despite it being her reality.

"But it's oh so cute!! You could almost be twins!" Rose squealed as she brought her hands to her cheeks, having moved to lay her head in Juleka's lap during the call.

"I can confirm that! These two already act so similar, that if it wasn't for Mari's picking up her mom's Asian features I would have thought that someone created a female clone of Jim when I first met them." Toby exclaimed, his arms flailing around amid his claim and causing Alix to turn her attention to Marinette.

"Is he always this dramatic?" Alix asked, an amused smirk appearing on her features while Marinette fondly shook her head 'yes'.

"Believe it or not, he's tame compared to Arcadia's resident conspiracy theorist, Eli Pepperjack. He may be on the small side, but he tends to get carried away by his theories." Jim spoke up after he ate the last of his share of the cookies, chuckling a little when recalling Eli's past tendencies.

"Sounds a lot like Alya." Sabrina remarked, causing all the girls to chuckle at her observation except for the girl in question.

"Oh come on! I'm not that bad!" Alya whined, rolling her eyes at their amusement at her expense.

"You were nearly crushed by Gigantitan's foot when you tried to film the akuma attack today! How is that not 'getting carried away'?" Marinette squawked, turning her body to throw her arms out at Alya in disbelief at her argument.

"Okay, good point." Alya mumbled in relent, causing the others to laugh just seconds before the end-of-lunch bell rang on Jim and Toby's end.

"Aw, man! I was hoping the bell wouldn't ring this time!" Toby whined.

"Same here. I was enjoying getting to know these fabulous girls Mari's befriended." Jim agreed as he started packing up his bag, causing the majority of the girls to blush at the compliment.

"Dang Jim, that was smooth! Why can't you say more stuff like that to Claire?" Marinette questioned the boy, genuinely curious as to why he couldn't say such things when it counted more often.

"No idea, sis. But as much as Tobes and I would love to keep on talking, we have to get to class." Jim reminded her while he and Toby finished packing their bags, rising to their feet.

"At least it's history with Strickler. Thank goodness we don't have English next!" Toby proclaimed, leaning in close to Jim to appear on his phone screen as well.

"Still don't get why you two hate it, but I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Marinette said, both she and the other girls watching as the two boys started walking towards their next class.

"See you then, Mari!" Jim replied, quickly turning his attention to the girls after. "A pleasure to meet you, ladies! I'm glad that Marinette's got such good friends by her side!" the blue-eyed boy exclaimed, leaving the girls smiling in response.

"It was nice meeting, you two! Hope we can all meet face-to-face at some point!" Mylène responded, the others nodding in agreement alongside her.

"We most definitely will! Bye, girls!" Toby farewelled while he and Jim waved goodbye, his smile showing just how excited he was by the idea.

"Bye!!" all the girls replied, returning the wave before the boys hung up the call, the computer screen turning black seconds later.

"Your brothers are so awesome, Marinette!" Juleka exclaimed once the call was over, having been reminded of her relationship with her own sibling after talking to Jim and Toby.

"Thanks, Juleka. I'm glad you all liked them." Marinette replied, happy that her friends seemed to have liked her brothers.

"Are you kidding? They're so funny! I still can't believe we've only met them today!" Sabrina gushed in agreement with Juleka.

"Not to mention quite charming, too." Lila added on, which earned another eye roll from Marinette.

"More like dorky. But that's on their worst days." Marinette countered, hoping to persuade Lila to not go down the route she had a feeling she was about to go down. Even if she was friends with Lila now, that didn't mean she was comfortable with the idea of the Italian girl flirting with her brother. "Either way, I'm glad that you know about them now." the red-tipped-haired girl said, glad to have the introduction between the two groups go so well.

"Same here! But despite only talking to them for half an hour, I'm feeling up for movies and nails!" Sabrina declared, eager to resume their sleepover.

"Sounds like a plan! Who else is in?" Alya asked, prompting all the girls to agree. That is until…

"Wait… did we ever pick out a movie?" Marinette asked the group, causing them to realize they didn't and earn a laugh from their host. "Okay, how about we find a movie and get right on it?" the designer suggested. Upon hearing the idea, the girls nodded and went through the movies, soon picking out Middle School: Worst Years of My Life before settling in and continuing their sleepover. And as the movie started, Marinette found herself smiling while surrounded by her friends, grateful to have people to place her trust in. At least… as much as she could.

Chapter Text

After the unexpected akumatization of Gigantitan, there wasn't another akuma for Marinette and Adrien to defeat for the rest of the weekend. However, that didn't mean that things in Arcadia would be the same in terms of being quiet. Granted, the weekend was quiet for Jim and Toby. Even when Jim's Grandma Gina; who had been staying in Arcadia while planning her tour of the western side of the world, took them out on Saturday for a day out. But while the weekend was quiet on Jim's side of the world, he was unaware of the trouble brewing now that Otto Scaarbach had finally cleared customs and arrived in Arcadia Sunday night.

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Thanks to Otto Scaarbach showing off the Eyestone to his fellow Changeling at the airport, it immediately grabbed the attention of airport security. As such, they called the police and confiscated the briefcase, delaying getting the Eyestone back from law enforcement. Sure, Otto could have had someone come in and steal it, but that would have drawn unwanted attention to the plan to get Gunmar out of the Darklands. So Otto waited until the police deemed the Eyestone safe, needing to wait almost three weeks before it was released back to him. Once he had the Eyestone in his possession, Otto hightailed it to Arcadia Oaks as fast as possible, arriving the next night. But due to how late he had arrived, it forced Strickler and Bular to wait and gather their associates to witness the Eyestone being placed on the bridge. 

This led to Strickler using the school's lunch break to take a walk in town, book in hand as he went to let those in on the plan know about the evening's events. After a little while, he soon found Councilwoman Nunez sitting on a bench in front of the museum, alongside her 'baby' and the last of Stickler's associates. Upon seeing the mother cooing happily at her 'child', Strickler used her distractedness to advance to that same bench.

"Que precioso." Ophelia cooed as she happily played with the Changeling child that she was unaware of, NotEnrique cooing happily in his disguise before she covered her eyes with her hands. "Boo!" the councilwoman softly exclaimed, uncovering her eyes with a soft and happy smile and causing the fake Enrique to giggle happily. 

"Si, guapo."Ophelia praised just as Strickler sat beside them, catching her attention easily. "Oh, hello." she greeted the man before slightly moving her stroller closer to her, only for her cell phone to suddenly ring while Strickler started to read on the bench, minding his business. At the sound of the cell phone, Ophelia immediately grabbed it and answered it.

"This is Councilwoman Nunez." Ophelia greeted the call, turning back to smile at NotEnrique just as he started blowing raspberries at her. "What's that? the councilwoman asked, standing up from the bench and focusing on her phone instead of her 'child' after she so deliberately moved the stroller close to her once a man sat beside her. But once she headed off and was far enough away, the stroller holding NotEnrique bounced as it turned to face Strickler, the sound of changing forms echoing alongside a flash of green light. 

"We are meeting today to activate the Eyestone." Strickler mumbled, shyly moving his eyes to face NotEnrique as he sat in the stroller in his true form. 

"You mean, we're gonna finally be able to talk to the big honcho?" NotEnrique asked as he pulled out his bottle, in awe of the news before he remembered one tiny detail. "Oh, I can't. Your prize pupil did a number on me new home and now I can't leave the house." the tiny pest said, finally reporting his mistake to the taller Changeling.

"You've been exposed!?" Strickler quietly scolded, not looking up from his book to prevent any onlookers from noticing the secret conversation. 

"What was I supposed to do? The fleshbags used a Gaggletack on me!" NotEnrique exclaimed before he sucked on the nipple of the bottle, swallowing down the formula to soothe his growing nervousness.

"Bular will be upset." Strickler stated, glaring at the tiny Changeling that was careless enough to get caught so soon.

"Wait! This could be a good thing! They think I'm helping them." NotEnrique quickly rebutted, placing his bottle on the safety bar of the stroller. "I've learned things." the little pest whispered, covering his mouth with the side of his hand as he leaned towards Strickler. 

"Like?" Strickler questioned, willing to give NotEnrique a chance to defend himself if it meant he had information they could use. As a result, NotEnrique looked back at Mrs Nunez to make sure she was still on her call before looking back at Strickler, happy to spill the beans while his 'mother' was speaking on the phone. 

"Mr. Six-Eyes and Big Scary Name…" NotEnrique began after taking another sip from his bottle, now starting to sing like a canary.

"Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!!" Strickler added in, looking up from his book for a second as he discreetly corrected his associate.

"Yeah, whatever. The big one don't talk much but the smart one's certainly taken to the boy. You should've seen how he and BugGirl stood up for him against the old goat man, Mr. Trollmarket." NotEnrique reported, immediately catching Strickler's absentminded attention.

"Ladybug and Vendel?" Strickler gasped, his eyes growing in recognition as he looked back at NotEnrique with shock. "Wait, you've been to Trollmarket? And you've seen Ladybug with the Trollhunter, too?" the history teacher interrogated NotEnrique, closing his book as he leaned towards the chuckling pest as he sucked on his bottle again. 

"They take me all the time now. From what I saw, BugGirl was acting pretty friendly with the Trollhunter. But she was only there for the Trollhunter's birthday and to confirm she saw Killahead Bridge." NotEnrique cheekily added, knowing he was in the clear with the quality information he had given.

"LADYBUG KNOWS ABOUT THE BRIDGE!!" Strickler nearly screeched, only to remember himself in his absurd panic before moving the stroller to face him. "From now on, you report only to me. Perhaps there are some things Bular doesn't need to know." the Changeling hissed, glaring evilly at NotEnrique before they heard Mrs Nunez coming closer while continuing to talk on the phone. Looking to see how close she was, NotEnrique panicked at the sight of her only a few feet away before tossing his bottle and covering himself with the blanket, keeping himself hidden as she came back to the bench.

"Go ahead and do that. Enjoy your day." Ophelia farewelled the caller as she returned to the bench, hanging up when she saw Strickler 'playing' with her 'baby' hiding under the blanket. Immediately, Ophelia looked at the man questioningly as she pulled the stroller back to her, checking on her baby when she found his blanket over his head while Strickler just smiled, trying to play off his peculiar actions.

"Who is a lovely adorable baby? Wish they could stay that age forever, right?" Strickler said to the mother, putting on an act that he had been playing with the baby all along before walking off, leaving Ophelia perplexed. But she filed it away as she took the blanket off of her 'son', who had changed back into his human form before the blanket was taken away and blew another raspberry at his 'mother', giggling happily. 

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Very soon after Strickler's encounter with NotEnrique, classes at Arcadia Oaks High were let out and the students went home. Unaware of the information learned about them and their allies, Jim and Toby were happily picked up by Gina and taken back to their neighborhood cul-de-sac before she went back out to gather supplies for her next trip. After she left and Jim said bye to his mom as she went in for a night shift, the boys went back to their houses for the night. However, Toby was able to relax and play video games with Aaarrrgghh!!! for the evening, while Jim had a training session with Draal. Normally, Jim would look forward to training with Draal, but after the day he had… he was less than focused on the sparring match between them. 

At first, the sparring match was going well. But Jim soon found himself desperately trying to block Draal's heavy hits, both grunting and groaning as their weapons clashed against one another. Finally, Jim stumbled back after Draal used his spear to push him away from him, the Trollhunter's chest glowing a magnificent blue in the fading daylight while his face contorted into a distracted expression. Fortunately for Jim, he quickly gathered himself after the forceful push and blocked Draal's two-pointed spear from piercing his silver armor with his sword. Pushing the weapon away from his small body, Jim then watched as Draal raised his arm and quickly let it fall to the Trollhunter's location. Luckily, the young boy dove away from the destructive path with a yelp, causing the spear to land in the soft dirt where he previously stood. 

Now out of the way and seeing Draal open for an attack, Jim then hoisted his sword above his head and swung at the large blue Troll. Unfortunately, his opponent quickly blocked the blow, the sword nicely fitting into the spear's gap as sparks soared from the sudden metal connection. With Jim's weapon locked in his, Draal moved his spear in the blink of an eye, making Jim lose his footing at the sudden move. His body then spun out of control, his sword pointed out away from him while his face was covered in fear and shock as Draal watched the young man tumble to the floor, his sword vanishing in thin air. Laying on the ground, Jim moaned in slight pain just seconds before Draal pointed the spearhead near Jim's exposed neck, declaring the win. The battle was, in fact, quick.

"I think I just broke my butt." Jim complained, Draal keeping his weapon pointed at the boy as he spoke. 

"Were this an actual battle, Trollhunter…," Draal began his lecture, followed by a spin of his spear to point the other end at Jim, who was startled enough to slightly back up from the Troll. "You would have just been deprived of your right leg, three fingers…" the crystal-backed Troll continued, smacking the blunt end of the weapon at the mentioned areas not as gently as Jim hoped he would. But just as Draal was about to forcefully point his spear at Jim's sensitive spot, the boy panicked and donned his sword, stopping the blunt end from traveling any further. 

"And your Gronk-Nukks." Draal concluded, huffing in disappointment.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just a little distracted tonight." Jim explained as he stood up from the ground, thinking such a battle was over. However, Draal used the distraction to take another hit on Jim, forcing the Trollhunter to roll to the other side and once again block his blows. 

"Bular will use your distraction as an opportunity to cleave your head from your shoulders." Draal scolded Jim as he kept attacking him, soon managing to sweep him off of his feet with his immeasurable arm and send Jim back down onto the ground, the boy defeated once again. 

"Oh." Jim spewed out after Draal finished his warning, his eyes huge and his eyebrows slanting profusely while his lips curved into a shocked, and distracted frown. 

"What has you distracted this night?" Draal questioned the boy as he held his hand up, which Jim simply grabbed as he peeled from the grassy plain. 

"You wouldn't understand." Jim replied, which seemed to be the wrong thing to say as Draal suddenly threw Jim to the other side of him with a growl, roaring as he pressed him back into the ground and pinned his arm behind his back. 

"I am a son of the former Trollhunter and Red Scarab, Trollhunter. I think I'd be able to help with your little trifle." Draal argued, holding his spear behind Jim's neck for added incentive.

"I'm a little preoccupied about kissing Claire." Jim finally admitted, causing Draal's eyes to grow wide at the answer. 

"Oh, romantic trouble." Draal remarked, pulling his spear back from the by and backing away to let Jim sit up. "You are lucky that my sessions with your sister have given me some sort of insight into these matters." the large blue Troll said as he picked up Jim and set him on one of the boulders near them, sitting down on the one in front of the boy.

"So tell me what's going on." Draal encouraged, hoping to help the boy he had become close to as of late.

"The school play, Romeo and Juliet. We're rehearsing the kissing scene. And I have to kiss her tomorrow." Jim explained before he flopped backwards from the rock and landed on the ground in defeat, dragging his hands down his face.

"That's why you are so distracted? A courting ritual?" Draal questioned the boy, earning a stare of perplexity from Jim as he lay on the ground. "Marinette explained what kissing was the last time she was here." the crystal-backed Troll admitted, leaving Jim a little relieved at the news.

"At least I don't have to explain what it is." Jim muttered as he sat back onto the rock, putting his sword away and letting his armor fade back into the amulet. "But Draal, I really like her. And if I blow our first kiss, I might not get a second or a third." the blue-eyed boy went on, revealing his fears about tomorrow to his large friend.

"You're afraid." Draal observed.

"I know, I know. The first rule of being the Trollhunter is 'Always be afraid'." Jim mopily ranted as he looked away from Draal during his explanation, afraid to show his despair. "But that's with Trolls, not girls. Girls are, like, the opposite of Trolls. Even after growing up with Mari, I'm still totally out of my element!" the Trollhunter whined, turning to face his protector once he was close to finishing his description. But after hearing Jim's worries, Draal tapped his finger against his chin in thought, his fingers making a small clicking noise as they did before he finally spoke.

"I once had similar stirrings for an Impure." Draal reflected, now having an inkling of what Jim was experiencing.

"Nomura, right?" Jim inquired the blue Troll, causing Draal to freeze at the question.

"H-how did you…" Draal sputtered out, surprised that Jim figured it out so quickly.

"It was obvious to me and Marinette when we saw you fighting her for the first time." Jim explained, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly with a lopsided smile. "Plus… we've got a bet going on." the blue-eyed boy added before he bashfully rubbed the back of his neck, admitting to his and Marinette's little guilty pleasure.

"In any case… I know of something that may help." Draal began, focusing more on helping Jim instead of harping on the fact that he was apparently an open book to the two siblings. "If these 'girls' require you not to be afraid then you need a Grit-Shaka." the crystal-backed Troll declared, confidently pointing at Jim as he spoke.

"Is that a protein shake?" Jim questioned, not familiar with the item Draal had mentioned.

"A Grit-Shaka is a totem used by the Gumm-Gumms. If you wear it, it banishes all cowardice. It makes you fierce and ready for battle." Draal explained, his arms moving to add imagery to his words before Jim pressed his fingers to his chin, thinking quickly about the information. 

"You wouldn't happen to have one of these, would you?" Jim asked Draal, the Troll humming as he copied Jim's actions with a grin. 

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Unbeknownst to Draal or Jim, Strickler arrived at the town museum just as the last rays of daylight turned into darkness, his long shadow appearing on the floor as he walked inside. As he walked, it didn't take Strickler to make it through the lonely hallway to reach where the finished Killahead Bridge was, Bular, Nomura, Otto, and the Goblin leader waiting for him.

"We've been waiting." Bular said to Strickler as he stepped up to the group, softly glaring at Bular before an excited Otto appeared next to the Changeling seemingly out of nowhere in pure excitement.

"Are we quite ready?" Otto asked his associate as he placed his hand upon Strickler's shoulder without hesitation, receiving a small nod from Strickler. "Then let's party." he nearly squealed as he did a little dance as he walked towards the briefcase continuing the Eyestone, unaware of Strickler's face twisting in awkward disgust at the man. But that didn't stop Otto from opening the small briefcase he placed on the floor, an excited gasp escaping his lips as he opened it and a soft glow came from inside. 

"The Eyestone! The last piece, it is complete." Otto gushed as he held up the triangular-shaped stone, the glow emitted further from it as it washed the room in blue waves of light. 

Suddenly, the shape levitated from Otto's hands, leaving the gathered group to watch with mouths ajar while Bular stood with anticipation, his excitement to see his father was growing rapidly. The stone was then slowly sucked into the rest of the bridge, filling the space made just for it just above the under crest of the structure. As soon as the stone settled into place, the blue smoke suddenly disappeared, hiding the only light source in the room while a giggling Otto couldn't hold his excitement at the sight. Neither could Strickler, who watched the bridge complete itself with a wicked smirk while Bular just chuckled at the accomplishment. 

But despite the bridge's completion… nothing seemed to happen, causing Bular's happy moment to die down as a small snarl echoed through the room. 

"It doesn't work." Bular snarled, displeased by the anticlimactic reaction while showing everyone else waited patiently. 

"Bular, patience." Otto chided the large Troll, closing the briefcase and standing to his full height just as all the lights suddenly died down around them. 

Seconds later, the Eyestone once again glowed a bright blue, small sparks of the same hue appearing as the glow spread like a disease and covered every crevice of the bridge with its sleek color. After covering the Killahead Bridge, the blue glow shined brighter, causing Bular to grin in satisfaction while Strickler couldn't help but show the shock that rested on his face. It was working!!! 

Streaks of blue then connected in the middle of the bridge, creating a large orb that quickly disintegrated and shot out the blue smoke at the Changelings and Trolls that waited. Once the smoke had passed, the orb then acted like a Supernova and the entrance to the bridge was covered in a wall of blue mist, allowing an outline of a figure to appear in it. One with thick horns proudly displayed while the true details of how frightening the figure actually looked were hidden. But it was all that the gathered villains needed to know who was behind the mist.

"Son!" Gunmar spoke as the smoke died down, a Goblin ran away from the scene out of fear when seeing such a king rise from his forever grave. 

"Father." Bular breathed in reverence, left speechless for a moment after hearing his father's voice after so long.

"His voice is so scary!" Otto spoke, sounding in love while Bular walked near the bridge and kneeled in front of the projection of his father. 

"Father, your release from exile will soon be at hand–" Bular began, only to be interrupted from his awkward position when Strickler walked forward. 

"Your dark excellence. I am humbly in your service." Strickler said as he stood in front of the bridge, Bular growling at him interrupting the first discussion he had with his father after so many centuries. "Killahead is nearly complete and you will soon be free." the Changeling assured Gunmar, everyone in attendance looking at the wall of mist in waiting for their lord's answer.

"This pleases me, Stricklander. You have done well." Gunmar praised Strickler, his voice deep, ferocious and nearly freezing a single man in fright.

"You hum–" Strickler began to reply, only for Bular to return the favor of his earlier interruption and nudge Strickler none too kindly away as he walked up to the bridge.

"Father, the mantle of Trollhunter has fallen to a human. And this Impure has ordered me not to harm the boy…" Bular reported to his father, gesturing to his reluctant partner in his father's release.

"Your Excellence, killing a human child will bring too much scrutiny down upon us--." Strickler argued, his hidden desires to keep Jim alive bubbling to the surface 

"He has forbidden me to take the Amulet from him. And to add even more to our problems, new Miraculous Holders have arisen!" Bular countered, waving his thick arm in front of Strickler to silence him. 

"Miraculous Holders? It's been so long since I last heard of their exploits." Gunmar breathed out, surprised by the news his son had given him. "Is this true, Stricklander?" the Dark Underlord questioned the Changeling, putting a suddenly nervous Strickler on the spot.

"Yes, but they are more focused on their own matters on the other side of the world in regards to a rogue Miraculous Holder causing mayhem in Europe. They won't be a problem." Strickler replied, quickly hiding his worry as he assured Gunmar that things were still going to plan.

"It's only a matter of time before the Trollhunter allies himself with them! We need to take him out now!" Bular insisted, growing tired of Strickler's excuses to not kill the human Trollhunter already.

"Lord Gunmar, until the Bridge is complete, it is ill-advised to –" "Enough!" Gunmar roared, interrupting Strickler as more blue smoke rushed from the bridge, silencing them after Gunamr had run his fist into the barrier. 

"You make my exile even all the more intolerable for your bickering." the dark Troll berated the arguing pair, the smoke dissipating as he spoke. "Stricklander is correct. Nothing is more important than preventing our plan from being discovered by our enemies." Gunmar declared, leaving the history teacher smirking at Bular with the win.

"But from now on, my son will give the orders." the imprisoned Gumm-Gumm warlord continued, Bular cackling at the glaring Strickler now that he was put in charge of the plan. "I will speak with my son, alone. Now!" Gunmar roared as he grasped the barrier with his fist once more, causing Otto and Nomura to exit first to respect his orders. 

"As you wish, Your Greatness." Strickler replied to his dark lord with a bow, giving off a little sarcasticness as he spoke before glaring at Bular. 

After that, he left the two in peace, pissed that his role wasn't beyond the greatness he assumed it would be and absolutely sure that Bular couldn't handle it. Due to his anger, he completely ignored the snickering Otto, Nomura and Goblin as he went past the large drapes covering the museum wing the bridge was hiding, his face contorted with rage. But Strickler's displeasure was the least of either Bular or Gunmar's concerns as they began their discussion. 

"What has become of Stricklander? He appears to have grown soft." Gunmar observed, his voice still booming through the room despite his calmer tone.

"In his human guise, he has become the boy's teacher. I believe he has affection for the child." Bular revealed, rising from his kneeling to take a step towards the image of his father.

"You question his loyalties?" Gunmar questioned his son, intrigued by the news. 

"I do, Father." Bular replied with no hesitation, leaving Gunmar to humm in thought. 

"If his heart has turned, we must know. Test him." Gunmar ordered, leaving Bular excited by the plan his father had given him.

"With pleasure." Bular crooned, chuckling happily at the order as he placed his hand upon his heart to show his allegiance to his father. 

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The foreboding night soon turned into the following morning, which led to both Jim and Toby heading off to school for yet another long day. But unknown to either of them, their day would be anything but uneventful thanks to Draal giving Jim a Grit-Shaka the night before. However, Jim didn't have a chance to try it out until History class came around, being taught by Coach Lawrence instead of Strickler this time.

"Alright, Mr Strickler's out today, so I'm subbing. He asked me to fill in to teach you some history." Coach Lawrance explained to the students while he pulled down the projector screen, clearly not looking to do as he had been asked. "So without further ado, I present Gun Robot 3!" the gym teacher declared as he walked away from the screen, the lights suddenly dimming as an image of a cowboy standing in front of a large robot while the students cheered. 

As soon as the movie started, everyone went silent as it played, not warning to miss anything in their rare break from learning history. Jim, however, was not watching the movie, his focus on Claire as Mary leaned over and whispered in her ear while his nerves were still flying high. But Jim wasn't the only one not watching the film, seeing as a 'Geode Beanie' clad Toby was more focused on easing his friend's nerves. 

"So, today's the big day. El smoocho, doth yonder." Toby said happily to try and hype Jim up while the boy wrapped himself in the jacket Marinette sent him for his birthday, both boys having started wearing their gifts all the time after receiving them. Unfortunately, the Trollhunter ignored him in favor of opening his backpack and gazing down at the Grit-Shaka on top of his books, eager to use it. "Got any breath mints?" the rounded boy asked his best friend, holding some up as he brought up the idea of having bad breath to Jim, easily scaring him further. 

"No, but I do have sweaty palms." Jim replied, looking up from his bag and looking at the palms in question. "What if I do it weirdly? What if I can't breathe? Look at her! How can she be so calm?!" the blue-eyed boy panicked, throwing his head down in shame with a groan just in time to miss Claire nervously biting the end of her pencil. 

Contrary to Jim's observation, Claire was nervous about the kiss too. After the two made up after Jim's babysitting flop, the Hispanic girl was starting to see the boy in a new light and developed feelings for the boy. And Mary was all for the drama as she watched Claire squirming around with a satisfied smirk before Claire realized what SHE was doing and stopped her nervous actions. 

"Don't act coy, C-Bomb. I know it's all you're thinking about." Mary whispered as she took Claire's pencil, loving the sight of Claire being so nervous… especially about a boy.

"It's just acting, Mare. Nothing more." Claire chided her friend, taking her pencil back.

"Nothing more than a little of this." Mary teasingly questioned before she placed her hands on Claire's cheeks, pressing her lips into a pucker and blowing kisses to emphasize what she was saying.

"Mary!" Claire said with a small laugh, causing Mary to giggle too at their shenanigans while Jim hopelessly stared at his crush behind them. 

But Claire's laughter immediately stopped when she saw Jim looking at her, forcing the two future lovebirds to make eye contact before awkwardly turning away. Doing so allowed Mary to easily see how Claire shyly turned away from Jim, who grinned at how her friend's lips formed into a tight line as she tried her best to slouch and hide.

"What you two need is a little chemistry lesson." Mary decided, getting up from her seat with a mischievous smirk.

"Chemistry?" Claire wondered aloud, quickly mulling over Mary's words before she understood what her friend was getting at. "Wait, Mary, don't!" she hoarsely exclaimed, quickly dove over her desk trying to catch her but failing before Mary walked to stand beside Jim's desk. 

"Coach Lawrence? Jim took my seat." Mary cried out, pointing a finger at the poor boy who looked frightened by the accusation. 

"Lake, give her back her seat." Coach Lawrence yelled from Strickler's desk, his face hidden behind a book as he sat reclined on the desk and not even bothering to look up from the book. 

At the command, Jim simply stood from his seat and glared at Mary as he walked off, only to hit the desk beside him and almost knock the desk fully on its side, startling the kid sleeping in it. Following that, Jim quickly gathered himself and sat next to Claire just as she had looked away, too shy to face him just yet. As a result, the two sat in awkward silence before Jim nervously laughed at their proximity, to which Claire only responded by biting her eraser again and looking away. Upon Claire's reaction, Jim let out a soft sigh before turning to Toby with a shrug, looking to his best friend to have any suggestions for what he should do. 

"Talk to her!" Toby whispered, using his hands as a puppet to emphasize the obvious course of action now that Jim was so close to his crush.

Now having no other choice, Jim turned and looked at Claire as he inhaled, ready to speak to her. But nothing came out so he turned away and rested his chin upon his hand, not seeing Claire give him a quick side glance before the hum from the Grit-Shaka caught Jim's attention. Upon seeing the totem, Jim decided to finally use it and reached into his bag, quickly sliding the necklace out and making sure Claire didn't see it. After yet another nervous glance at each other, Jim finally put the necklace around his neck. 

As soon as he did, a weird sensation ran through Jim's body, his eyes flashing a different color before returning to normal. With the sudden surge of confidence coursing through him, Jim cracked his neck with a sly grin before turning to look at Claire once more. 

"So... this is awkward, right?" Jim smoothly asked Claire, causing her to cease her nervous habit and place her pencil in her notebook. "Stage kiss." the Trollhunter remarked, earning a nervous chuckle from Claire.

"And they say comedy is hard." Claire added in a small voice, glad that Jim was taking the lead in the conversation. 

"I know, right?" Jim replied, a cocky eyebrow raised at Claire alongside his smug smirk.

"Can you believe it? It's like the whole school is suddenly interested in our play." Claire said, in awe of how invested everyone was becoming in her and Jim's soon-to-be kiss before the boy slyly moved his desk right next to Claire's, their two friends watching from the back. 

"Full disclosure, Toby even gave me breath mints!" Jim whispered to her, causing Claire to giggle before a chortle slipped past her lips and she quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment at the sudden noise. But Jim merely let out a laugh at how cute she was, leading the both of them to start laughing while Toby watched them in awe. 

"Whoa!" Toby breathed out in shock, impressed by Jim's sudden confidence before he looked at Mary sitting next to him, who was not interested in anything but the screen. "Hey, Mary! You got a date for the play?" the geology nerd asked as he did the same thing to his desk that Jim had done, casually resting his hands behind his head. 

"If not, you do now." Toby smoothly announced, draping an arm around Mary's chair. 

"I'm in the play, you dork. Don't gross me out." Mary said simply, still not taking her eyes off the screen as she rejected Toby's advance.

"Noted." Toby replied, quickly moving his desk back and sitting awkwardly in his seat as he went back to watching the movie. 'Well, that didn't go so well.' he thought to himself, chalking the attempt to one of his least proud moments before looking back at Jim and Claire, smiling at how well things were going between them now.

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Soon enough, history class ended and the students filed out of the classroom for their mid-morning break and got ready for their next lessons. This is how Toby found himself bending down next to his locker and trying to pry it open to get his math textbooks with limited success.

"These things are like bear traps." Toby groaned just as Jim walked up beside him, blowing his fist and lightly slamming it in a rhythm against his locker door. Immediately, the small door creaked open for Jim after his little trick, allowing him to place his bag inside and leaving Toby amazed. "Whoa, you opened your locker on the first try! How'd you do that?!" the geology nerd asked his best friend, rising to his full height before Jim closed his locker again.

"Tobes, it's the Grit-Shaka." Jim said happily, gesturing to it with a toothy smile.

"That thing has a name?" Toby questioned, leaning in close to Jim and touching the totem in curiosity.

"It's like a courage totem. Draal gave it to me for the kissing scene today." Jim explained as he leaned against his locker, a smirk gracing his features. "And, oh, man, Tobes! You should've heard me with her in class! I was killing it!" the Trollhunter gushed, practically jumping up and down in his joy while Toby was left surprised by the sudden news.

"Wait, wait, wait. I'm sorry. Time out, time out. Draal, our Draal, is helping you with chicks? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Toby probed his best friend, not sure how this would turn out since he wasn't aware of Draal's previous experience in romance.

"Totally! It's supposed to make you brave, but, man, I am feeling really good!" Jim replied, ignoring Toby's skepticism as he started punching the air around him. "It makes me feel like I can do anything." the blue-eyed boy added while Toby knelt next to his locker again and tried the punching hack, only to be unsuccessful before Jim lightly pounded his fist onto the locker instead, opening it with ease.

"Wow. It made you cool." Toby breathed out in awe, standing up with a smile while Jim looked at his friend with a smile.

"Oh, I'm not just cool, Tobes. I'm crispy." Jim declared as he finger-gunned Toby just as the bell rang, only to walk out into the quad while Mary and Darci were passing by. "High-five!" the Trollhunter exclaimed, holding out his hand to the girls before they rejected his offer.

"Whatever." Mary scoffed, causing Jim to walk away unbothered by their rejection while they were unaware of Toby watching the whole interaction.

"Crispy?" Toby repeated, now concerned for his friend's surge of confidence before following after him. 

From that point on, Toby was a witness to all of Jim's Grit-Shaka-fueled exploits. It started with a visit to the teacher's lounge, where the rounded boy watched as Jim strutted in, poured himself a cup of coffee and ignored Señor Uhl and Coach Lawrance's protests of his presence. The awkwardness only continued when CockyJim kept on challenging the teachers before he drank his cup of coffee and left the room, the teachers staring at him in concern as he went. Next came Toby's algebra class, in which CockyJim invited himself along and made an even more peculiar scene as he cockily tried and failed to solve for X. Even as Ms Janeth called him out on his failed attempt and his attendance of the wrong class, CockyJim sat at the teacher's desk as if he was the smartest man alive.

But the cherry on top of the doomed-to-fail Jenga Tower that Toby's day had become was when lunchtime came around. It was a little earlier than normal, so the boys had time to eat before Marinette would call them. The only problem was that in Jim's nervousness about the kissing scene, he forgot to make him and Toby lunch for the day, forcing them to eat in the cafeteria… on Chicken Surprise day!! Needless to say, CockyJim ordered it and Toby followed suit out of solidarity, leading to the both of them spending the remaining time before Marinette's call in the bathroom as their body rejected the horrible food. Unfortunately for Toby, CockyJim was far less affected by the Chicken Surprise and went on to do even more reckless actions, leaving Marinette forced to call Toby since CockyJim wasn't picking up his phone.

However, as soon as Toby filled Marinette in on what was happening, she was not happy, to say the least.

"DRAAL GAVE JIM A WHAT!?!?! WHY DIDN'T YOU RIP THAT NECKLACE OFF OF HIM WHEN YOU FIRST SAW IT!?!?" Marinette exclaimed while dressed in her pajamas, nearly bursting Toby's eardrum at the question that he had to pull his phone away from his ear.

"What's the big deal about it? Sure it's making Jim really cocky, but why is it so bad?" Toby asked while he put his phone to his other ear, using his finger to clear the ringing in the first one he used. 

"It's a Gumm-Gumm totem!" Marinette exclaimed, immediately causing Toby's gut to be figuratively filled with lead when hearing the word 'Gumm-Gumm'. 

"Draal offered it to me earlier when I admitted to having trouble talking to Adrien. At first, I was tempted to use it, but I didn't, and you know why? Because it's a Gumm-Gumm artifact! Like Hell I was going to use that when our enemies did!" the designer went on, further leaving her honorary brother even more concerned.

"Look, Jim didn't explain that it was a Gumm-Gumm totem when he showed it to me. How was I supposed to know!" Toby squawked, throwing his arms out in front of him as he walked down the school hallways and defended himself.

"Okay, fair enough. I'm sorry for snapping at you." Marinette apologized, managing to calm down a bit now that she heard Toby's side of the story.

"It's okay. I know you're just looking out for us." Toby replied.

"Exactly!" Marinette exclaimed as she threw her arms at her computer screen, glad that Toby was being so understanding. "And while I know Draal was just trying to help, this isn't going to end well." the pigtailed girl added, earning a worried stare from Toby once again.

"Why not?" Toby questioned, wincing at the mere thoughts that came to him when thinking the worst.

"While I didn't use it myself, Draal explained how the totem worked on Trolls. Plus, seeing as Jim is human, the Grit-Shaka seems to be letting his intrusive thoughts take control of him from what you've told me." Marinette elaborated as she pressed her fingers to her chin in thought, her Ladybug mindset coming to the surface as she took in all the facts. 

"Yeah, that's not good. We better find him before he does anything more embarrassing and/or cringy stunts." Toby decided, his pace picking up now that he knew the stakes.

"That would be best, yes!" Marinette agreed, soon watching through Toby's phone as he zoomed down the hallways in search of Jim. Their search soon led to Toby finding Claire as she stuffed her items in her locker with a pout on her features, relieving the two before the rounded boy went to her.

"Hey, Claire, have you seen Jim? We kinda lost track of him." Toby panted out after his run, leaning against the lockers after the remaining food in his stomach started making him feel sick again after jogging around.

"Yeah, what's going on? He's been all over school making a spectacle of himself." Claire asked Toby, taking a book out of her locker and putting it in her bag. 

"It's a long story." Marinette groaned, causing Claire to look down and see her on Toby's phone.

"Oh, you must be Marinette! I'm–" "Claire Nuñez, I know. It's nice to finally see you sort of face to face." Marinette interrupted, eager to have a proper talk with the girl her brother was crushing on.

"It's nice to see you, too." Claire replied, happy to properly meet Marinette too. 

"Thank you! And I can assure you that Jim never acts like this. Today's a total fluke!" Marinette stressed, hoping to keep Claire from thinking Jim was too strange to even get to know.

"Yeah, well everyone's talking about him. I'm a little worried about him." Claire admitted as she grabbed another book from her locker, closing the door afterwards. 

"You're not the only one." Marinette & Toby agreed with a shared look of concern, watching as Claire put her books into her bag. But as she finished, speaking of the devil, the loudspeaker blared as the three looked up and heard Jim's voice coming out of it.

"Hey, everybody, Jimmy Dupain-Lake here. Just a quick reminder for everybody to keep it crispy." CockyJim greeted the school, prompting Toby to scoff before he and Marinette facepalmed themselves. "Also, I taught myself bass guitar in the band room. This one goes out to my Juliet." the Trollhunter added, causing Claire to gasp at the word 'Juliet' before CockyJim started strumming the guitar quite terribly, his singing voice not too bad compared to his guitar playing. 

"How'd you get in here?" another voice suddenly yelled through the loudspeaker, which was recognised as Principal Levit's as he interrupted the song. "Give me that thing!" Principal Levit demanded CockyJim, the struggle to get the instrument away from the teen being heard through the loudspeaker.

"You can't stop the passion, man! You can only fuel the fire!" CockyJim yelled out through the intercom, arguing with the teacher who had walked in on him.

"Yeah? Watch me!" Principal Levit argued back, fighting for the mic now that CockyJim's guitar was gone. But during all the commotion, Claire scoffed angrily at the argument before stepping away while Toby and Marinette watched the speaker, only for the two of them to see her leave.

"This is bad." Toby remarked, causing Marinette to look away from the loudspeaker and back up at him through his phone.

"No kidding." Marinette snarked back, only for CockyJim to suddenly run into Toby mere seconds later and nearly send them all to the ground. 

"Oh, there you are Tobes! Did you hear my announcement?" CockyJim questioned his best friend, the two of them managing to keep themselves upright despite their tumble.

"We both did, actually!" Marinette announced, immediately grabbing CockyJim's attention to look at the phone in Toby's hands.

"Oh, Mari Tarty! I didn't see you there! How are you?" CockyJim asked with a smile, which only earned a glare from Marinette at the greeting.

"Okay first off, never call me that again. That was super cringy." Marinette stated, leaving CockyJim slightly taken aback at the critique. "And secondly, you need to take off that necklace right now!" the red-tipped-haired girl demanded, further displeasing CockyJim with her response to his behavior.

"Nice to see you too, sissy." CockyJim shot back, still managing to remember common courtesy despite being influenced by the Grit-Shaka. "But why would I take it off? It's making me feel so good!" the Trollhunter announced, pumping his fist into the air as he spoke.

"That Grit-Shaka is a Gumm-Gumm totem! Why would you be wearing something that our enemies use?" Marinette questioned CockyJim with a look of complete disbelief, which caught CockyJim off guard with her words. 

"You mean 'my' enemies, right? You don't exactly face off against the stuff I do on the regular." Cocky Jim countered, immediately earning a glare from Marinette. 

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Marinette nearly growled, flabbergasted by the remark CockyJim. 

'Oh no!' Toby panicked internally, quickly looking at the two siblings with worry before looking around to make sure no one was nearby. "Look, how about we just take a breath and calm down while we get somewhere no one will hear us?" the rounded boy suggested, not even waiting for a response before he pulled CockyJim along with him to the empty locker room. 

"Okay, we should be alright now." Toby announced after making sure no one else was there, glad that no one would hear about their 'extracurriculars'.

"Good." Marinette said before turning her attention to CockyJim, her glare intensifying. "Now why would you say that the Gumm-Gumms are only your enemies? Seeing as you are my brother and they are attacking you, that makes them my enemies too!" the designer exclaimed, appalled by CockyJim's earlier remark.

"Are you kidding me? You're not over here enough for that to be the case!" CockyJim argued, leaning close to Toby's phone to focus on Marinette after the second boy lifted his device to CockyJim's eye level. "Honestly, you have it easy." the blue-eyed boy added, placing his hands on his hips as he looked off to the side.

"EXCUSE ME!?!?!" Marinette yelled, her eyes blazing in her sudden fury and causing Toby to wince from behind his phone.

"You go up against akumas and can fix everything afterwards. You've never had to kill anyone like me!" CockyJim stated, casually leaning against the lockers with a cocked eyebrow.

"Need I remind you that I was willing to kill the Stalkling sent after you? I'd say that counts for something." Marinette argued as she crossed her arms in front of her, not liking the tone CockyJim was taking when discussing her loyalty to him.

"Yeah, but you weren't the one to kill it! Unlike me, you've never had to kill anyone that was set on killing you!!" CockyJim claimed, which only seemed to fuel Marinette's rage towards him.

"Oh, that's rich coming from you! Apart from the Stalking, any threat you've had to face was because you provoked them thanks to your stupidity!" Marinette yelled from Toby's phone, calling CockyJim out on his past encounters with TrollKind threats. "I, on the other hand, have to face akuma that attack first and I've faced death more times than you have!" the pigtailed girl claimed, her voice rising in volume the more she went on while still making sure their parents couldn't hear their argument.

"At least all of Trollmarket doesn't think you're incompetent just because you're a human. They love you and barely tolerate me!" CockyJim fired back, glaring at his sister with a fury matching her own.

"Hey, don't say anything you're going to regret Jim. Girt-Shaka or not, I will put you in your place." Marinette warned, not willing to tolerate CockyJim's behavior even if he wasn't in full control of himself.

"I'm not scared of you. Why would I be scared of you when you run around in footie pajamas?" CockyJim mocked, stepping away from the lockers and approaching Toby's phone again. "Besides, it's not like you're protecting Paris alone. You have a lap cat doing all the dirty work while you hang back and do nothing!" the blue-eyed boy added, earning an infuriated death glare from Marinette and a fear-stricken one from Toby.

"Honestly, I'm surprised that fleabag hasn't-" 

"ENOUGH!!! I swear if you finish that sentence, you are going to regret it!" Marinette screamed, her rage reaching a new level before she remembered herself and her sleeping parents on the floor below her. Despite having the attic space to herself, it didn't mean the walls were thick to prevent their eavesdropping parents from accidentally hearing them converse.

"I'm not going to sit by while you insult my partner. You have no idea what we really go through on my end." Marinette continued in a calmer tone now that she got CockyJim to stop talking, hoping to get him to listen to her and see reason. "You have the freedom to feel whatever negative emotion you want while no one in Paris; especially me and Chat Noir, can't! You have more freedom than we do!" the red-tipped-haired girl declared as she threw her arms out at her computer screen with a huff, which earned an unamused eye-roll from CockyJim in response.

"Yeah right. And I bet it's so hard to catch a terrorist that most likely works out of his basement like a loser!" CockyJim ridiculed, crossing his arms over his chest and mimicking Marinette's earlier posture. "Your job is so easy, I could do it all alone with my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back." the Trollhunter claimed, pointing an accusatory finger at the girl behind Toby's phone screen.

"Jim, you're being ridiculous! While we are siblings, there are some lines I won't–" "Half siblings. And that's all we are on a good day. Other than that, we're barely around each other enough to be considered siblings." CockyJim snarled, causing both Toby and Marinette to be taken aback by the comment. 

"Woah, Jim that was too far! Apologize to her right now!" Toby demanded, having enough of CockyJim's rudeness and no longer wanting to stand on the side while the siblings hashed things out between themselves.

"No, it's fine Toby." Marinette spoke up in a watery tone, prompting the boys to look down and see her tearing up a little. "If that's the way he feels, then who am I to disagree?" the designer rhetorically questioned the geology nerd, having had enough of the otherwise hurtful conversation she just had with CockyJim.

"Glad to hear you finally see it my way!" CockyJim cheered, the bell ringing seconds later. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get to rehearsals. I've got some ideas I want to run by the cast." the Grit-Shaka-influenced boy announced, quickly walking away while Marinette wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"Toby." Marinette began, drawing Toby's attention to turn his phone screen to him and look down at it in his hands in worry. 

"Yeah, MariFairy?" Toby asked, eager to help her after the argument they just took part in.

"If you don't get that God-awful necklace off of Jim by the next time I call him, I will personally take the next Gyre out from Stone Arc and yank it off of him, myself!" Marinette warned Toby, her voice taking on a darker tone to it that let Toby know she meant business.

"Right, got it. I promise I'll take care of it!" Toby assured her, himself wanting to help get Jim back as well. "In the meantime, you might want to find a safe place to calm down before Hawkmoth sends an akuma after you. Otherwise, we'll have two big problems instead of one." the geology nerd suggested, which immediately appealed to Marinette since she knew her emotions were running high at the moment.

"Good idea. I'll head down to Stone Arc and stay until I calm down. But I'm counting on you, Tobes. Bring our Jim back." Marinette said, getting a resolute nod and salute from Toby in response before she hung up the call. Once the screen was blank, Toby put his phone away and ran off to get help from Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!!, hoping they could help in intervening CockyJim from any more reckless or hurtful actions. 

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While Toby went off to get help from their Troll friends, CockyJim soon arrived at play rehearsals and entered through the side stage door. As he did, he was greeted by the sight of Claire standing proudly on the stage as she spoke the starting lines of the kissing scene.

"Oh, be some other name. What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet." Claire proclaimed, speaking her lines with such passion that it moved the viewing cast members to tears.

"Not as sweet as thee, milady." CockyJim replied as he appeared from behind the curtain, causing Claire to smile as he walked towards her while hoping he was back to normal. "And Romeo is here and ready to bring the thunder!" the Trollhunter cockily announced, wrapping his arm around Claire's shoulders with a pose with a stack of papers in his other hand.

"That's not the line, Jim." Claire nearly stuttered as she stood uncomfortably in the boy's embrace, her earlier hopes dashed away when seeing the smirk on CockyJim's face accompanying his statement.

"Yeah, I had a few thoughts about the script." CockyJim stated as he pulled away from the girl, holding the stack of papers out for her to take one of the rewritten scripts of the play he had in mind. 

"You rewrote Shakespeare?" Claire questioned CockyJim as he handed one to the acting teacher as well, not liking what she was hearing at all. 

"I punched up the comedy, amped up the action... added a little more, je ne sais quoi, romance." CockyJim explained while Ms Janeth read through the provided script, walking back to a now furious Claire. 

"He rewrote Shakespeare!" Claire angrily exclaimed, walking to the edge of the stage just as CockyJim dove into a quick kiss, leading to him hugging himself as he made out with the air where she once was. 

"Oh. A car chase." Eli said excitedly, holding out another copy of the script that Ms Janeth had given out to the rest of the cast to read over. 

"What?" Miss. Janeth questioned, quickly going through the script again to see the aforementioned scene. 

"After a few hundred years, the play was just feeling a little dated, you know? And what's with all the deaths? Gosh! What is this, a tragedy?" Jim exclaimed as he resumed his arrogant manner, standing proudly on the stage as he made his case before Miss. Janeth stood up from her seat. 

"Be that as it may, Mr. Lake, we've spent months rehearsing the 'dated' pages." Ms Janeth reminded CockyJim, already having enough of his behavior before sitting back down in her seat.

"So, how about we do it the way it was originally written?" Claire suggested now that her earlier fury had died down a bit, hoping to get back to rehearsals as soon as possible.

"Sure. What say we bore the audience with your acting." CockyJim countered, immediately angering Claire once more.  

"What's going on? You used to be the nicest guy. Now you're throwing parties, trashing my house, and now this?" Claire questioned CockyJim as he started circling her, his face twisted in an emotion that you would never see on the real Jim. 

"Nice, right?" CockyJim asked, placing an unwanted hand on Claire's shoulder.

"This isn't you, Jim." Claire stated as she swatted CockyJim's hand off of her, trying to understand why he was acting this way when she knew he was the total opposite.

"It's me. It's totally me! Just the better me." CockyJim proclaimed, pointing to himself assuredly. 

"Well, it's not better." Claire argued, a stoney pout appearing on her face as she tried to talk some sense into the overconfident boy. 

"I know you think you're being cool–" "You're right. You're right. I'm not cool. I'm crispy!" CockyJim interrupted, sounding intoxicated before puckering up and leaning in quickly to capture her lips with his. 

"What!?" Claire shrieked incredulously before she grabbed CockyJim's waist and judo-flipped him to the stage, appalled by his untoward advance. But despite being thrown around, CockyJim's groan wasn't from pain but from the amusement that he had found from it, further angering Claire. "Call it what you want, but you're being a jerk." the Hispanic girl growled before stomping off, leaving the stage while CockyJim rose to his feet. 

"No kiss then?" CockyJim inquired in an attempt to push his luck, prompting Claire to throw the revised script into his face in response. "No skin off my back! Didn't want it anyway!" the blue-eyed boy yelled back as the pages fluttered around him, walking off the stage and leaving Miss. Janeth, Eli, and Mary watch with shocked expressions. 

"Aw! What about the car chase?" Eli pouted from the crowd.

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After the disaster at rehearsals, CockyJim soon found himself awkwardly waiting for his grandma to pick him up from school. Seeing as Gina wanted to spend as much time with her grandson, she insisted on dropping off and picking up him and Toby for as long as she was in town. But she was surprised when he texted her that rehearsal ended earlier than normal, which only grew worse when she saw CockyJim sitting on the steps with a frown as she pulled up.  

"Hello, my little knight! Is everything okay?" Gina greeted CockyJim, forcing the boy to quickly compose himself and stand up to walk over to her.

"Everything's totally fine, Granny Gina! Why wouldn't it be?" CockyJim responded to his grandmother, still sounding like he was intoxicated as he did in rehearsal minutes earlier.

'That's a new moniker.' Gina thought to herself, watching as her grandson finally reached her motorcycle. "Well, I saw the frown you had when pulling up. I was worried that something happened." the silver-haired adventurer said, earning an eye roll from the Grit-Shaka-influenced boy while he grabbed one of the extra helmets from her side bag.

"Eh, I just had a little incident during rehearsal. But it wasn't anything old Jimmy Dupain-Lake couldn't handle!" CockyJim assured his grandmother, who only stared at him in surprise at his words.

"Are you sure you're okay? You've never said your name like that before." Gina asked, not liking the sound or sight of how CockyJim was currently acting.

"Absolutely! Now how about we go and have a joyride? It would definitely be very fun!!" CockyJim cheered, pumping his free fist into the air in an attempt to appeal to Gina's more adventurous tendencies… as well as get her to ignore his new attitude.

"I don't see the harm in it." Gina decided, bringing a smile to CockyJim's face. "But where's Toby? I thought he would wait for you to finish rehearsal to ride home with us." the elderly traveler questioned CockyJim, which quickly reminded the boy of what happened in the earlier video call.

"Oh, we don't need to worry about him. He's already left to head back home." CockyJim lied as he hopped onto the motorcycle behind Gina, looking to avoid being ratted out by Toby. "Let's get this show on the road!!" the Trollhunter exclaimed as he finally put his helmet on, not seeing Gina glancing back at him with skepticism before she revved her motorcycle and they took off.

It didn't take much time for the two of them to go around the entirety of town 10 times thanks to CockyJim encouraging Gina to go as fast as she could. They soon got dizzy and went to get some ice cream, hoping to get their vision to stop spinning after their adventure. But when they were ordering their creamy treat and CockyJim was flirting with the teenage cashier in a… distasteful manner, that joined Gina's unsettled feelings and prompted her to try and say something about it.

"Jim… are you sure nothing happened at school today? You're acting very strange." Gina observed as she sat at one of the tables in the ice cream shop, her ice cream sitting in front of her while CockyJim walked over to her.

"I'm fiiiinne!! The only thing that happened at school today was me being my new awesome self!!" CockyJim replied as he sat in the chair across from Gina, sending a finger gun and a wink at the cashier.

"I see. And does this new 'awesome' self of yours include the… flirting you were just doing?" Gina asked her grandson, grabbing the boy's attention from his horrible flirting and directing it onto her with an intrigued stare. "If so, it was quite concerning the way you were just talking to that girl. Plus, I can recall that you mentioned having a crush on your co-star Claire for years." the silver-haired adventurer said, which immediately rubbed CockyJim the wrong way when being reminded of his earlier rejection.

"Well, I'm moving on! She rejected kissing me during rehearsals because she didn't like my new confidence." CockyJim announced, angrily digging into his ice cream to avoid being called out any more while Gina grabbed her ice cream and leaned back in her chair.

"And from what I understand, that's not the only thing you did today." Gina brought up, looking down at her cup of ice cream as she swirled her spoon around in it with a troubled look on her features. 

"What are you talking about?" CockyJim questioned, his anger eating halting after hearing her remark and letting his spoon drop from his hand.

"Your principal called the house while I was having tea and biscuits with Nancy." Gina revealed as she looked up from her ice cream, some of her frustration about her hanging out with her dear friend being interrupted leaking into her tone. "He explained that you have been acting poorly and recklessly all day. Walking uninvited into the Teachers Lounge, interrupting a math class that wasn't even your own, and hijacking the announcement room. What has gotten into my sweet grandson?" the elderly traveler lightly interrogated the boy, setting her ice cream back onto the table as her tone became more distraught at the thought of Jim acting out.

"Why do you care? You're the Queen of Recklessness! If anyone would understand my actions today, it would be you!" CockyJim fired back, putting his cup down as he glared at Gina for calling him out on his previous deeds that day when she'd done much worse.

"There is a little bit of recklessness when having some fun, and then there's just acting like a brat and not respecting those around you, Jim." Gina lectured the boy, only to glare at CockyJim as he blew a kiss to the cashier, who recoiled and turned away from him. "Which is what you were doing today." the silver-haired adventurer added, which got CockyJim to turn away from the cashier and focus on her once again.

"So what? Are you going to lecture me on how I'm wrong to be more confident and tell me to go back to being a total wimp? What makes you think you're qualified to tell me how to act?" CockyJim badgered Gina, slamming his hands onto the table in rising anger.

"Excuse me?" Gina incuriously questioned the boy, not liking the tone he was taking with her.

"You travel around the world all the time that you barely even know me! Not to mention you have gotten yourself into so many crazy and dangerous situations that you have no room to judge me." CockyJim argued, ridiculing Gina in the most insensitive way Gina had ever heard.

"My adventures are a far cry from the behavior you displayed today! And while I know I haven't spent much time with you as a typical grandmother does, that doesn't mean you can talk to me like that." Gina responded, trying to keep her voice from rising in volume despite being disrespected. 

"Seeing as you haven't asserted your authority either, it makes sense why you're so easy to not listen to. You are too easy to walk all over!" CockyJim exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air to emphasize his point. "No wonder you got akumatized so easily." the blue-eyed boy muttered as he folded his arms with a pout, causing Gina to gasp at the remark.

"Jim, that was very rude! I demand you apologize to me right now!" Gina demanded, hurt by the cruel words said by her own flesh and blood.

"So now you're becoming more assertive? A little late if you ask me." CockyJim pointed out, followed by him getting up from their table and walking to the door. "Talk to me when you stop roaming around the world like a homeless gypsy." the Trollhunter added as he left the ice cream shop, leaving Gina to stare at him in shock as he did.

Chapter Text

Unbeknownst to CockyJim and Gina, the Trollhunter was right about Toby leaving school already but not about him heading home after class. Like Toby promised Marinette, he raced down to Heartstone Trollmarket to find Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!! in the hopes of them being able to help get the real Jim back. It did take a bit to search their usual haunts, but he finally went to look for them in the Hero's Forge, where Aaarrrgghh!!! was lifting a large platform from the stone ground, a strained face present as he grew tired.

"Higher. Just a little higher." Blinky said from beneath the platform Aaarrrgghh!!! was lifting, popping his head out from beneath the rock that had left a gaping hole after his companion was unable to do so. 

"Arms hurt." Aaarrrgghh!!! groaned, letting the heavy platform lower just slightly due to his tiredness.

"Focus on how much Master Jim's arms will hurt should this training equipment malfunction." Blinky countered, a little appalled by Aaarrrgghh!!!' s wavering strength as he placed a hand on the bottom of the platform to prevent it from crushing him. 

"Blinky! Blinky! Wingman! We've got trouble!" a panicked voice coming towards them called out, the two Troll's current task being interrupted when they turned and saw Toby running into the arena. "It's Draal. I mean, it's Jim. But it's Draal's fault." Toby rapidly explained once he reached them, not even gasping for breath after his continuous exercise alongside Jim. A new personal best if he would say so himself.

"Did Draal kill him?" Blinky worriedly wondered, immediately thinking the worst when seeing Toby's worry. "Oh, I never should have consented to Draal supplementing Master Jim's training." the six-eyed Troll fretted, standing in the vast control panel under the platform. 

"He didn't kill him. He gave him something. It's like a totem. A 'great shake' or something. It's making Jim crazy." Toby elaborated, finally getting his point across to his Troll friends.

"Crazy?" Aaarrrgghh!!! asked, struggling to keep the rock up as he looked at his wingman. 

"Yeah! It's like he's drunk or something. He's completely without fear or impulse control. And he's totally 'crispy.' " Toby vented, his explanation leaving Blinky even more worried as he crawled out from the hole he was in. 

"Tobias, this totem… was it a Grit-Shaka?" Blinky asked, having an idea of what the 'great shake' the rounded boy was referring to.

"Yes! That's it!" Toby declared, happy that they knew what he was talking about.

"No fear." Aaarrrgghh!!! stated before he slammed the platform down, happy to be free from the task for the moment. 

"That's how it works on Troll physiology, yes. But how will it act on a human?" Blinky thought aloud, a questioning look appearing on his face as he pondered the idea.

"Not good, I'll tell you that much." Toby remarked, which worked to quell Blinky's query for now. "We've got to find Jim and get that thing off of him ASAP!" the rounded boy exclaimed, prompting him and the two Trolls to run out of the Hero's Forge to find CockyJim before he did any more crazy stunts. 

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Fortunately for them, it didn't take long to find CockyJim; who had made his way to Heartstone after his argument with Gina to get his mind off of the interaction. This is how CockyJim found himself sitting in Trollmarket's tattoo parlor, the jacket Marinette gave him tossed to the side and leaving him in his white t-shirt as a buff troll stood behind him with a large hammer and a chisel.

"Give me a tattoo of a broken heart. With a crack in the middle. And make it weep." CockyJim requested, followed by the troll getting ready to pound the metal into CockyJim's plushy flesh. 

"Cease this madness!" a voice quickly yelled out from nearby, causing CockyJim and the tattoo Troll to turn and see Blinky had been the one to interrupt them as he pushed a troll from his view, revealing his companions as well.

"Hey! Perfect timing, buds! Let's all get tats!" CockyJim said excitedly as he laughed, stretching his hand out to them. "Fellowship! High-five?" the Grit-Shaka-influenced boy cheered, only for his three friends to stare at him in concern.

"If you would give us a moment." Blinky mumbled to the tattoo Troll, who simply walked off at the request. Meanwhile, CockyJim gently patted his hand against his own since they were leaving him hanging, smirking despite the worried looks he received. "Great Gronka Morka, it's even worse than you said." the four-armed Troll said to Toby, his hand going to his forehead in an attempt to soothe his oncoming headache before turning to face his pupil. 

"Master Jim, the Grit-Shaka." Blinky demanded, holding out his top-right hand for CockyJim to relinquish the totem to him.

"Ha, ha! Cool, right?" CockyJim questioned as he pointed to it, grinning like the arrogant fool he was acting like. "I mean, crispy." the Trollhunter corrected himself, his voice deepening as he finger-gunned Blinky.

"I was thinking more along the lines of 'unholy' and 'disturbing.' "Blinky countered, glaring at the offending necklace in anger.

"Dangerous!" Aaarrrgghh!!! added in, his thick finger pointing at CockyJim while he protected the necklace.

"That, too." Blinky agreed, followed by him pushing his larger companion's finger out of the way before turning back to CockyJim. "Master Jim, that is a Gumm-Gumm totem, which is reason enough to be wary of it. But the fact that you are a human makes its effects unpredictable!" the six-eyed Troll lectured CockyJim, whose happy mood dropped when his friend had put a stop to his fun like many others tried to do so earlier, his face contorting into a mopey frown.

"And that necklace is not a good look for you." Toby said as he pointed an accusing finger at CockyJim, channeling the inner fashionista that he gained after years of helping Marinette with her designs. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What is this? An intervention?" CockyJim questioned his friends, all while pulling the large hand of the Tattoo troll near his back. 

"If need be." Blinky replied as he quickly pushed it away, denying CockyJim of his tattoo… which would have killed him if he got it the way Trolls do.

"Well, need not be! Mari, Claire and Grandma already tried that and failed. I'm fine. I am better than fine." CockyJim declared, neither party seeing the tattoo parlor Troll backing away in the hopes of avoiding any involvement in the growing tension between the Trollhunter and his friends. "And if you want the Grit-Shaka, you're gonna have to take it from me." the blue-eyed boy challenged the trio, standing up and keeping the amulet clenched in his hand behind his back.

"Come on, Jimbo. We don't have to go there." Toby said with a sigh, not wanting to fight his friend. But his hopes for that were thrown out the window when CockyJim pulled out the key to his armor, revealing it to the group. 

"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!" CockyJim proclaimed, speaking the incantation weirdly before the transformation began. "Holla!" the Grit-Shaka-influenced boy yelled as he was pulled from the ground and circled in metal, the armor connecting piece by piece as he grinned. 

"Or maybe we do." Toby spoke when Jim finally landed on the ground in a pose, totally done with his friend already.

"That's right! Uh-huh! I just went there!" CockyJim taunted as he stood with satisfaction, only for Aaarrrgghh!!! to growl as he gently shoved Blinky out of the way and started advancing on CockyJim.

"Be gentle with him." Toby said from the back, still hoping to settle this matter peacefully.

Once again, Toby's hopes were futile when he and Blinky observed CockyJim lettingAaarrrgghh advance before diving out of the way with an achieving laugh, knowing that the large troll had missed him. Turning around, Aaarrrgghh!!! was stunned to see he had failed to catch CockyJim, his target still free and kneeling on the ground across from him. With another roar, the large gray Troll dove at the Trollhunter again. But CockyJim jumped back from him, forcing Aaarrrgghh!!! to land on the ground before stepping on his back and jumping into the air to land directly behind him.

"A-ha!" CockyJim exclaimed excitedly before taking off, happy to have escaped for the moment while Blinky stared at the scene in awe.

"The Grit-Shaka has changed him, indeed. Master Jim was never this nimble." Blinky excitedly pointed out, punching the air a few times before looking at Toby with a smile and seeing the 'Not pleased' glare Toby was giving him. "I mean, this is terrible!" the four-armed Troll quickly corrected, following after CockyJim seconds before Toby called out to his friend to reason with him. They needed the normal Jim back.

"Master Jim, I beg you, do not lose yourself." Blinky called out to CockyJim as he, Toby and Aaarrrgghh!!! chased after the elusive boy through the Trollmarket. 

"Lose? I found myself! And I wasn't even looking for me." CockyJim stated as he kept running from his three pursuers, the shopkeeper Trolls watching them in wonder as if to know what was going on.

"The Grit-Shaka's effect on you is false, which makes it dangerous…" Blinky argued from behind CockyJim, who dodged an oncoming Troll in his path while the group still followed behind him. "You should always be afraid! If Bular attacked you in this state…" the six-eyed Troll continued to warn CockyJim, only to watch as he quickly turned a corner in the path and jumped off a small set of stairs, letting out a high-pitched 'Hiyah!' as he went.

"...you would not be able to defend yourself!!" Blinky finished as the group turned the corner and jumped down the stairs as well, Aaarrrgghh!!! quickly setting Toby on his back as he followed.

"Oh, yeah? I'll show you. I'm not afraid of Bular! I'm not afraid of anything!" CockyJim yelled behind him as he ran, so sure of himself before he turned his focus back onto the path ahead of him and caught sight of a few gnomes resting on a small shop canopy ahead of him. "Wait a minute." the blue-eyed boy muttered to himself in thought, followed by a laugh now that he had a plan in mind to lose his pursuers. 

With that, CockyJim summoned his sword mid-run and jumped into the air, letting his sword pull on the cloth canopy before letting it go, causing the gnomes to fly with a cheer. As they flew, they played into CockyJim's plan perfectly and started falling right towards Blinky, who let out a scream as he watched them fly towards him and his companions. Fortunately, two of them landed beside him, leaving only one to land right on his face. Blinky quickly lifted the small creature off with a yelp, watching as the gnome yipped and struggled in his grip with angry chatter.

"Scum of the Earth!" Blinky yelled before throwing it away from him, wiping his face from where the gnome had touched before gasping as a small crowd gathered around CockyJim.

"I'll show you! I'm not afraid of anything!" CockyJim announced, causing all the surrounding Trolls to listen to him intently. "I-I-I will fight Bular. I will end him today!" the Grit-Shaka-influenced boy declared, lifting his sword high and prompting one troll to cheer at the idea before he ran off.

"Jim!" Toby called out, hoping down from Aaarrrgghh!!! as he and his Troll friends watched CockyJim leave.

"That went poorly." Blinky remarked in a slouch, only to perk up when realizing something. "Fortunately, Jim has no means by which he can locate Bular." the four-armed Troll added, turning to his friends just as a more worried look crossed Toby's features.

"That's not exactly true." Toby said quickly, causing Blinky to panic.

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After filling Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!! in on CockyJim's possible informant, Toby soon found himself standing outside Claire's house, peering up at an open window.

"NotEnrique! Have you seen Jim?" Toby called up to the occupant of the room, causing a sudden flash of green to appear below the window before the Changeling popped out the window in its true form.

"Hey! Get away! You're gonna blow me cover!" NotEnrique shooed Toby away in a horse whisper, hoping to prevent anyone from seeing their exchange. 

"Come on! Did you tell Jim where Bular's hiding?" Toby questioned the little pest, already tired of his uncooperative behavior.

"If a bloke wants to commit suicide, who am I to stand in his way?" NotEnrique asked before he dropped from the window, leaving Toby in shock that the Changeling had sent his best friend to his death.

"Where did he go?" Toby continued to ask, hoping to get to CockyJim in time and stop him.

"I can't hear you." NotEnrique taunted from within his room, sitting on the side of his crib as he ignored Toby's badgering. Having no other choice, Toby pulled out the only card he had and took out a moldy sock from his pocket.

"I've got stinky sweat socks. Haven't been washed all week." Toby called out to the tiny imp as he waved the sock off like a prize, grateful for the knowledge he learned about Trolls when NotEnrique jumped back in the window with no hesitation.

"Give me, give me, give me!" NotEnrique demanded, eager to get real food for once. While he liked being the Nuñez's baby, it did have the drawback of not having any food he'd like without exposing him to his host family.

"Now, tell me where Jim is!" Toby ordered, willing to make a trade for the information. 

Thankfully, NotEnrique was all for squealing for the sweaty sock and told Toby what he wanted to know. Now armed with the information, Toby raced to the canals to meet back up with Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!!, hoping they could find CockyJim in time. This is how Toby found himself standing behind a sewer gate as he discussed the plan with his fellow partners.

"NotEnrique said we'd find him in the sewers. I'll scout from above while you and Aaarrrgghh search below." Toby said to Blinky and Aaarrrgghh were on the other side, going over the plan quickly so they could start.

"Good idea." Blinky quickly agreed, the two search groups taking their separate ways with Toby going down the canal while they headed down the sewer pipe.

"Jim, where are you?" Toby called into the air, heading to the top of the canal to get his bike while the skies darkened above him.

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Meanwhile, in the sewers, CockyJim was roaming through the tunnels in search of his intended target, his sword held out in front of him as he walked through the large tunnels with a chuckle. 

"I'm not afraid of you, Bular."CockyJim muttered to himself as he walked through the sewers, slashing his sword as he turned a corner. "Hey, Bular! Yo, Bular!" the Trollhunter called out, only to stop out of nowhere and quickly pull his sword out into a defensive pose, startling a poor mouse that was running by.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, you better scurry." CockyJim told the mouse, followed by him turning back to his pursuit. "Bular!" the blue-eyed boy shouted again, unaware of a Goblin hiding in the tubes above him and watching CockyJim as he walked by. 

"Bular!" CockyJim yelled once more, which could be heard throughout the tunnels and catching Blinky's and Aaarrrgghh's attention.

"Master Jim. Master Jim! Master Jim! Where are you?" Blinky's voice echoed through the swears, to which CockyJim ignored the faint calls as he turned another corner in his path.

"Bular! It is I, the Trollhunter! Your nemesis challenges you!" CockyJim loudly proclaimed before catching sight of the goblin that was watching him as it ran on the pipes along the tunnel wall, prompting the boy to slowly advance on it. As he neared the exit to the tunnel, CockyJim took a deep breath as he hid behind a corner and waited a few seconds before suddenly jumping out of his hiding place. "A-ha!!" the Grit-Shaka-influenced boy cried as he held out his sword in front of him, only to find nothing in the intersection of tunnels. 

Despite the setback, however, CockyJim smiled to himself in anticipation as he stood up straight again just as the Goblin landed on the ground a few feet away from him. It wasn't until the Goblin chanted 'Bular' that CockyJim turned to find the source of the noise, only to see the green-colored creature standing on his toes as Bular stalked into view with a huff. 

"There you are, you ugly Troll!" CockyJim taunted Bular; who stood straight up and growled at the Trollhunter pointing his sword at him. "Let's see how tough you are without cars to throw at people, shall we?" the Grit-Shaka-influenced boy challenged, spinning his sword around to show off his skills as he spoke before getting into a ready stance, just in time for Bular to start coming towards him.

"I saw the Bridge. I know what you and your pals are up to. But it ends tonight, baby!" CockyJim threatened his approaching foe, taking a few steps closer and allowing Bular's yellow eyes to land on the green item hanging from the boy's neck.

"A Grit-Shaka" Bular observed, followed by an amused chuckle. "Now I understand why you are so quick to race to your death." the dark Troll snarled, all for having an opportunity to take out the Trollhunter now that he actively sought him out.

"Excuse you! I'm not racing anywhere. And the only 'death' tonight, is gonna be your pride!" CockyJim declared, holding his sword up once more before he charged at Bular, who wasted no time charging back. 

Just as the opposing forces met in the middle of the tunnel, CockyJim swung his sword at Bular as he ran past him, the Troll easily dodging Daylight. CockyJim then turned around and advanced on Bular again, grunting as he kept swinging at Bular and not giving his enemy a chance to actually attack back. Annoyed by CockyJim's attacks, Bular swung his fist at the Trollhunter, shoving CockyJim back easily and leaving him unfazed by such a move, the boy letting out an 'Ooh!' as he stopped sliding back. 

Waiting in his crouch, CockyJim continued to battle Bular, letting the Gumm-Gumm prince charge at him with a feisty roar. But before Bular could hit him, CockyJim ran to the side of the curved wall and went along it with Bular following after him. CockyJim then used the opening and took a swing, striking Bular in the face and making him yelp at the sudden burning pain. 

"Ooh!" CockyJim mock-winced as landed behind Bular, who was busy wiping a drop of blood from the new cut just under his eye before growling in anger. "I bet that hurt–" the blue-eyed boy started to taunt his foe, only for Bular's arm to slam into his lithe frame before he could fully stand up. 

The impact sent CockyJim flying high through the tunnel, the boy screaming in pain before his body slammed into the concrete in the middle of the tunnel intersection. Once he landed, his sword followed his example and pierced the ground near Bular, causing it to fade away now that CockyJim didn't have it in his grasp. Even then, CockyJim's armor whistled as the blue smoke cleared from it, leaving the Trollhunter lying helplessly on the floor, unconscious.

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While CockyJimwas battling Bular, Toby was searching for his best friend up on the streets above, zooming out of an alleyway on his bike before stopping in the busy street. From there, he locked up his bike and started looking around for any sign of CockyJim, quickly running to a nearby manhole on the side of the street to start.

"Jim? Jim?" Toby called out through the manhole cover, peeking his eye through one of the holes in the center of the metal disc to try and find his friend. When seeing that Jim wasn't in the tunnel under the manhole, Toby moved on to a nearby sewer grate for better results. "Jim, where are you?" the rounded boy cried, only to hear a crash from a manhole cover in the middle of the busy road and gasp in shock as he lifted his head from the sewer grate.

"Oh no!" Toby breathed out in dread before running across the street, knowing that there was only one thing that could have made that sound. "Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!" the geology nerd whimpered in worry, prompting a car that almost hit poor Toby to honk at him as he passed by and fell onto his knees next to the offending hole.

"Jim? Jim!" Toby called from above, once again peeking through the manhole cover in the hopes of finding his friend.  "Jim!" he shouted again, this time in accomplishment when seeing CockyJim lying on the ground below and knocked into oblivion for a second. 

"Jim, wake up!" Toby shouted to Jim, causing him to lose focus on the manhole cover above him while Toby tried to pry it from the ground, groaning as he sat up and held his forehead in pain. 

But the pounding in his head was quickly overtaken by sheer panic when Jim looked for the one thing that he needed and found it missing from his neck.

"No, no, no." CockyJim; now back to being regular Jim, whimpered as his hand flew to his chest, looking for the Grit Shaka in a frantic state. Fortunately, he was able to find it quickly and saw it lying on the ground…  just as Bular's foot landed right behind it.

"Lose something, Trollhunter?" Bular taunted Jim, who yelped in fear at Bular before the Gumm-Gumm smashed the totem with his foot, twisting his heel to make sure it was destroyed. Squealing in his newly instated fear, Jim quickly tried to don his sword to defend himself, only for it to not appear and leave him completely defenseless while Bular advanced on him.

"Good. The fear will tenderize your flesh." the dark Troll happily remarked while Jim crab crawled away from him, stopping at the start of the tunnel intersection as he smirked at the frightened boy. "You'll taste… delicious." Bular purred before he licked his lips, causing the boy to shudder until he reached the center of the intersection, having nowhere else to go. 

"Jim!" the Trollhunter heard from up above him, immediately recognising the voice.

"Toby! Where am I? What's going on?" Jim called back up to Toby, who was still trying to get the manhole cover open now that he realized his friend was clueless, alone, and couldn't be saved if Toby did nothing. However, Toby's efforts did little to get the manhole cover open, forcing the boy to strain himself as he tried harder.

"I CAN'T GET IT OPEN!!" Toby panickily exclaimed to Jim, trying his best to help save his friend from his own stupid actions.

Down in the sewers below, Bular roared at Jim, forcing him to put his attention on the killer Troll as fear flooded through him. Seeing Jim's frightened stare, Bular finally lunged at him, ready to catch his prey. Unbeknownst to the two opponents, it forced Toby to try harder than ever to get the hole uncovered.

"FOR THE GLORY OF MERLIN!!!" the rounded boy screamed as he finally opened the hatch, flying back as the sunlight shone through the hole and Jim used his arm to shield himself from Bular's attack. 

Fortunately for Jim, Bular's face got caught in the sunlight, forcing him back from Jim with a growl before the Trollhunter looked up from his arm and watched the Gumm-Gumm back away into the shadows. The beast then suddenly roared at the boy in anger, causing Jim to flinch while remaining in the sunlight. But while Jim was occupied by Bular, Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!! had turned a corner and finally found the boy after looking to their right.

"Master Jim!" Blinky called out in relief when seeing Jim safely surrounded by sunlight, prompting them to start running to aid the boy in escaping Bular. 

Sadly, the Goblin that was spying on Jim was right above them and stopped them in their tracks by opening another cover, letting light fall in front of them. Upon seeing the new obstacle, Blinky let out a scream in shock before the Goblin left them stuck behind the light source, the pest scurrying away in delight.

"Master Jim!" the four-armed Troll called to Jim, who let out a noise in panic as Bular circled him as he lay in the light, the only protection he could use.  

Across from them, the evil troll then roared as Jim finally stood up, pulling out his sword and dragging it behind him while the boy tried to keep the furthest distance he could between himself and Bular. But he knew that while staying in the cage of light would keep him safe, it wouldn't last long when the sun finally set. He needed to get out as soon as possible.

"Jim, grab my hand! Come on!" Toby called to his best friend, holding his hand down to try and save him. "You can do it!" the rounded boy encouraged Jim, who then jumped high into the air towards Toby. But sadly, it wasn't enough and Jim landed back on the ground surrounded by sunlight, Bular still circling him with the tip of his sword dragging near Jim's feet.

"I can't reach! The armor! It's too heavy, Tobes!" Jim cried to his friend, only to jump back when Bular got ready to strike at him, the sword lifting from the ground and pointing at the Trollhunter.

"Pathetic that you meet your end in a sewer, Young Atlas." Bular snarled, glaring at Jim.

As if struck by lightning, Jim's mouth dropped in shock as quick flashbacks played in his mind… each one depicting a time when Strickler referred to him by that nickname. The most recent time Strickler was at the Dupain-Lake house. Jim sitting in the car after he and Toby had gotten arrested. Just after Toby's failed Changeling test on Strickler. All those memories played in Jim's mind like a broken record as his eyes became wide and filled with terror.

"Take care of your back, Young Atlas." Strickler had said in Jim's final memory, causing the boy to gasp as he held his head with his armored hand, all sorts of thoughts and feelings swirling around and keeping him distracted from his survival.

"Master Jim! You must get out of there!" Blinky screamed at him, snapping Jim out of his trance to look at his mentor.

Bular then used Jim's distractedness to draw out his second sword and scared the Trollhunter into trying to run away as Blinky ordered him to do. Unfortunately, Bular blocked him by swinging his right blade into the concrete in front of Jim, forcing him to dodge the killing blow and scramble back into the sunlight with a roll to the ground. He landed on the other side of the light and then tried to run away again. Yet, Bular was quicker, circling to cut off Jim from escaping and forcing him to run in the other direction before realizing he was trapped. 

With that knowledge, time seemed to slow down for Jim as he turned to face Bular, knowing that he needed to think of a way to escape with his life. Slowly blinking, Jim took a deep breath to center himself before watching Bular roar and prepare to swing his sword at him again. As the sounds of Jim's heavy breathing and a heartbeat flooded through his ears, Bular swung at Jim, causing him to jump back and land near the edge of the circle of sunlight, his body tense in waiting for the next attack. 

Bular then swiped at him again, which Jim countered by jumping back even further and landing in the center of the ring of light, Bular's blade nearly slashing him through the middle as he did. After the two attacks, the Trollhunter looked at his surroundings for a way to get close enough to Toby and escape to the surface, looking above him to judge the best way. His gaze then went back to Bular once again, leading to Jim putting the pieces together for his plan to get to safety, realizing something that could easily help him. 

Now armed with a plan, Jim stood his ground and waited for Bular to swing his sword at him again, the dark Troll quickly playing into his plan when seeing the easy mark Jim was leaving him. But as Bular swung again, Jim easily backflipped away from the sword, landing at the edge of the ring of sunlight and away from the blade. Fortunately, Jim's plan worked, leaving Bular's blade wedged deeply in the concrete and stuck within the stone. Upon seeing Bular struggle to free his weapon, Jim's eyes darted to the stuck blade and back up at Toby after making sure Bular was occupied.

"Jim, grab my hand! Now!" Toby yelled from above, still holding his hand to the boy now that Jim had a clear shot to get out.  

"I lost the Grit-Shaka."Jim began as he looked back at Bular, placing his metal foot on the blunter side of the blade as he pulled the amulet from his chest. "But I can still be brave." the blue-eyed boy declared as his armor disappeared, no longer protecting his human body as he glared at Bular.

In anger at Jim's defiance, Bular roared at the boy as he finally pulled his sword from the ground, not seeing that Jim was balancing on it in the process. So as Bular threw the now free sword, he had also thrown Jim into the air too, who quickly grabbed onto Toby's outstretched hand above him. With his best friend's hand in his, Toby quickly pulled Jim out of the sewer with a little struggle but managed to get his friend to safety before he could be pulled back down by Bular. But after Toby managed to get him and Jim out, the Trollhunter quickly realized that they weren't out of the woods yet as they fell backwards to the ground.

"TOBY, THE HOLE!! " Jim panickily shouted, not hesitating to get off of Toby and frantically kick the circular cover back onto the manhole, Bular roaring below as he did so.

As soon as the hole was fully covered up, Jim and Toby watched the now silent manhole with wide eyes until Bular's fist appeared and punched the cover-up into the air, startling the two boys. They shrieked in fright at Bular's fist but relaxed when they saw he still couldn't get out, prompting them to drop back to the ground after the heart-racing event, sighing in relief. But after Jim panted to catch his breath, he quickly sat up halfway in realization and looked over at the still-exhausted Toby.

"Strickler's a Changeling." Jim told his best friend, spilling the news he realized during the fight.

"I… never trusted… him." Toby panted out, still catching his breath after the heart-racing rescue he had done. "Also, you've been a real turd today." the rounded boy stated as he sat up a little too, looking at his friend with a glare.

"And I smell like one, too." Jim agreed as he sat up more from the ground, followed by him letting out a regretful sigh. "Thanks for saving my neck. I owe you one." the Trollhunter praised, knowing that he had a lot to make up for now that his Grit-Shaka-influenced exploits were over with.

"Yeah, great. Just don't ever say 'crispy' again." Toby requested, just glad to have his best friend back.

"Deal." Jim happily replied as he held up his hand to Toby, who smiled in return before the two high-fived and Toby dropped back onto the ground in relief. But the moment was interrupted right as a car pulled up and honked its horn at them, the driver commanding them they needed to move and prompting Jim to start standing up.

"Come on, let's head home. I've got a couple of apologies to make." the blue-eyed boy said to Toby as he rose from the ground, holding out his hand for his friend to take and lifting the rounded boy to his feet. Now having caught their breath, the two boys headed back to their homes, hoping to put this life-threatening encounter behind them. But unknown to them, Bular was still below in the sewers and was watching the surface with a growl of frustration before leaving with a laugh, seemingly pleased with himself.

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Now that Jim was freed from the Grit-Shaka and rescued from facing Bular, he and Toby raced back to their homes as fast as they could. They would have taken their time, but Barbara called Jim in the middle of their way over to let Him know that Gina was about to head out on her next trip. With that in mind, they picked up the pace so that Jim could make it in time to apologize to his grandmother before she left town. Fortunately for them, they made it just in time for Gina to walk out of the Dupain-Lake household with Barbara following beside her as they went towards the silver-haired adventurer's motorcycle.

"Are you sure you can't stay another day? You know you're welcome to stay for as long as you want, Gina." Barbara said as they walked to the curb, hoping to have Gina around longer since she enjoyed having her stay with them.

"I'm sure. I've already stayed longer than I should have and I'm itching to get back out on the road." Gina assured Barbara, her wandering nature having enough of staying in one place for so long… alongside her lingering feelings about her argument with Jim. Not to get Gina wrong, she loved spending time with her family and knew she tended to spend too much time on the road. But that didn't mean she liked it when said family brought it up when they were mad at her.

"Well if you need a place to stay while you're still traveling this side of the world, you're always welcome here." Barbara stated, bringing a smile to Gina's face at the offer.

"Thank you, Barbara. You and Sabine have always been so good to me." Gina thanked the ginger-haired woman, hugging Barbara tightly that the doctor returned in kind. "I'll see you again when I head back to EuroAsia." the elderly traveler said as she pulled back from the hug, stepping the last bit of distance over to her motorcycle as it sat against the curb in front of the Dupain-Lake household.

"See you then, Gina." Barbara farewelled the silver-haired adventurer, prompting Gina to hop onto her motorcycle and get ready to leave. But just before she could revv her engine…

"GRANDMA, WAIT!!" a voice near them shouted, causing Gina and Barbara to turn and see Jim and Toby approaching the house. But when seeing Jim coming towards them, Gina's face contorted with displeasure and caused the boy to frown in shame after he and Toby slowed to a stop.

"Jim, there you are. Where were you? I called you 10 minutes ago." Barbara questioned her son, not seeing Gina's expression while she hoped to get an answer for Jim's tardiness.

"Sorry, Mom. Something came up." Jim replied, quickly dismissing his mom's worry. "But I do have something to say to Grandma before she leaves." the Trollhunter admitted as he turned to face Gina, who looked at him in disappointment and a sad shake of her head.

"Jim, whatever you have to say-" "Grandma, I'm sorry!" Jim quickly interrupted, leaving Gina and Barbara to look at him in surprise while Toby proudly nodded at him.

"I'm so sorry for what I said to you earlier. I was having a bad day and I don't know what came over me." the Trollhunter elaborated, taking a tentative step towards his grandmother while rubbing his neck too. "I know that is no excuse for how I treated you, but I can't begin to express my regret for what I told you." Jim went on, his hands coming together pleading while he nearly went to his knees, begging for forgiveness.

"Can you find it in your big and loving heart to forgive me?" the blue-eyed boy asked, trying to pull off an unsuccessful version of puppy dog eyes while Barbara looked at him with a questioning stare.

"Jim, what are you talking about?" Barbara probed her son, not understanding what Jim was apologizing for and causing her son to panic and wince at the question.

"Well, um… funny story, actually." Jim began, not seeing the softening stare from Gina as he turned to face his mother. "You see the thing is…" the Trollhunter continued, his gaze darting to the side several times as he tried to think of a good way to explain his earlier actions.

"Oh, he merely said that he wished I wasn't so set on traveling to Mexico! Said that it was a waste of time when I already went to Spain." Gina spoke up as she hopped off her motorcycle, saving Jim from answering his mother. "There's nothing to worry about, Barbara." the elderly traveler added, allowing Barbara to sigh in relief before Gina turned to Jim and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Non so cosa ti abbia spinto a comportarti in modo così deplorevole, e non credo di volerlo sapere. (I don't know what prompted you to act so deplorable, and I don't think I want to know.)" Gina began in Italian, prompting Jim to look at the ground in shame. "Ma so che di solito sei un ragazzo dolce. Quindi lascerò stare questa cosa, mio piccolo cavaliere. (But I do know that you are usually a sweet boy. So I'll let this one slide, my little knight.)" the silver-haired adventurer assured him, leaving the boy relieved by her understanding.

"Grazie, Nonna! Prometto che non mi comporterò mai più come ho fatto, mai più!(Thank you, Grandma! I promise that I will never act like I did, ever again!)" Jim replied in Italian before hugging her tight, happy that Gina was forgiving him so easily.

"Ma attenzione, Jim. (But, be warned, Jim.)" Gina advised, quickly tightening her hug with a strained smile hidden in Jim's hair. "La prossima volta che dici o fai qualcosa di così rozzo, potrei non essere così indulgente.(The next time you say or do something so boarish, I might not be so forgiving.)" the elderly traveler warned Jim, who copied her strained smile while burying his face in her left shoulder.

"Giusto. Sì, capito! Prometto che non lo farò!(Right. Yep, got it! I promise I won't!)" Jim quickly promised, leading to let him go now that she had confirmation of him remaining a gentleman from here on out. "Se posso chiedertelo, hai detto alla mamma... quello che ti ha detto prima il preside?(If you don't mind me asking, did you tell Mom about... what the Principal told you earlier?)" the blue-eyed boy asked his grandmother, hoping to avoid that conversation for a little bit longer.

"Nonostante le tue azioni precedenti nei miei confronti, non ho detto a Barbara quello che hai fatto a scuola. Lei non lo sa.(Despite your earlier actions towards me, I haven't told Barbara about what you did at school. She doesn't know.)" Gina replied, causing Jim to let out another sigh of relief and placing his hand on his rapidly calming heart while doing so.

"Grazie, Nonna! Sei il migliore!(Thanks, Grandma! You're the best!)" Jim praised, earning a pleased smile from Gina at his words.

"Continua ad essere il ragazzo dolce che conosco, e parlerò alla pari. Va bene?(Just keep being the sweet boy I know, and I'll call it even. Okay?)" Gina requested, a playful look crossing her features and bringing another smile to Jim's face as well.

"I will! Thank you for forgiving me. I love you, Grandma!" Jim declared in English, hugging Gina once again.

"I love you too, my little knight." Gina responded in kind, hugging the boy back as well. "E ti suggerisco di fare ammenda con tutti gli altri che hai ferito oggi.(And I suggest you make amends with everyone else you have hurt today.)" the silver-haired adventurer whispered to her grandson in mid-hug, knowing that she probably wasn't the only one on the receiving end of CockyJim's attitude.

"Ho piena intenzione di farlo. Non preoccuparti di questo.(I fully intend to. Don't worry about that.)" Jim replied in the same quiet volume, an amused yet tired guff escaping his lips in the process.

"Bravo ragazzo!(Good, boy!)" Gina applauded Jim, pulling back from the hug and looking at both him and the others with them. "Now that we've cleared that up, I really do need to go. If I don't go now, I'll miss the curfew for passing the border." the elderly traveler announced, even if her earlier drive to head out had been soothed a little bit after Jim's apology.

"Still don't see why you need to go, but I hope you have a good time." Jim said, playing into the excuse his grandmother had given him earlier to sell the lie.

"I definitely will, Jim." Gina assured before looking over at Toby, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "And I promise I will bring back some spicy food for you on my way back, Toby." the silver-haired adventurer added, the rounded boy lighting up at the promise of authentic Mexican food.

"Awesomesauce! You're the best Gina!" Toby cheered, nearly jumping up and down in his joy.

"You're welcome, my boy. And please keep an eye on Jim. Something tells me he'll need it." Gina asked, glancing at her grandson with a 'You know I'm right' look that had Jim fondly rolling his eyes at her.

"Oh don't worry. I'm already on it." Toby promised Gina, earning a playful jab in the ribs from Jim in response.

"That's my boys." Gina praised before pulling them both into one last hug, soon pulling back and turning to hug Barbara too. "Goodbye, Barbara. I do hope you take care of yourself at the hospital." the elderly traveler said, bringing a soft smile to Barbara at the well wishes.

"I'll do my best. But Jim will most likely make sure I do." Barbara replied, glancing over at Jim with an amused glare. 

"Good to hear." Gina said before pulling back from the hug, taking a step back to take in the sight of her loved ones for the last time in a long while. "I'll see you all when I come back through." the silver-haired adventurer parrotted as she walked back to her motorcycle and hopped on, Barbara, Jim and Toby standing next to each other in wait for her to rev her engine. As soon as she does so, her bike starts up and the engine roars through the cul-de-sac.

"Goodbye, my darlings!" Gina happily cried out through the engine, quickly zooming off and leaving the three of them on the curb while waving 'goodbye' to her. 

"So… mind telling us what that conversation you and Gina had was about?" Barbara asked her son, waiting until Gina was far enough away before turning to find out the need to switch over to Italian mid-conversation.

"Oh, she was just reminding me to be myself despite having a bad day. Usual grandma stuff." Jim replied, knowing he'd be in trouble if she heard about his actions at school that day and still rolling with the excuse Gina had given him.

"Okay. But what happened at school today?" Barbara continued to question Jim, now concerned about what caused Jim to have a bad day in the first place.

"It was the kissing scene in rehearsals." Toby suddenly announced, causing Jim to turn and gawk at him for his bluntness.

"TOBY!" Jim shrieked, not seeing how that would help explain himself to his mom… in any sane way, that is.

"Oh. Say no more. I understand." Barbara replied, immediately understanding what Toby meant. 

"Good." Jim said, relieved that he didn't need to explain what caused his bad day. "Wait… what's that supposed to mean?" the Trollhunter gawked after processing the exchange that just happened, appalled by his mom's lack of confidence in him.

"Well, you do tend to get in your own head in these matters, Jim. And while I don't mean to be mean, you could stand to be a little more confident in yourself." Barbara remarked, which worked to soothe some of Jim's unsettled thoughts on the matter they were just talking about.

"You'd be surprised." Jim muttered to himself, the irony of his mother's words not lost on him after the day he had n before shaking the memories from the forefront of his mind. "But I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. How about I start on dinner?" the blue-eyed boy asked the two others with him, eager to relax after such a tiring day.

"Sounds good to me." Barbara replied, her long day at work leaving her famished as well.

"As much as I want to enjoy your cooking, Jimbo, I have to head back home." Toby said, followed by him lightly punching Jim's ribs. "See you tomorrow, dude." the geology nerd farewelled, turning towards his house to leave the mother and son pair to their own thing.

"See ya, Tobes." Jim replied, allowing Toby to leave while he and Barbara headed to their home's front door. 'And here's to hoping apologizing to Marinette goes as smoothly.' the Trollhunter thought to himself just as the pair headed inside, hoping to have the right thing to say in mind after a good meal and some time to process the dreadful news he learned that day.

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(Time Skip)

A little bit after Jim apologized to Gina, those who were working to free Gunmar from the Darklands had gathered back in the town museum once more. But when Strickler found out about the fight Bular had earlier with Jim, he was left enraged when he learned what Bular called Jim during it.

"You did what?" Strickler questioned Bular with utter shock, glaring at the smug Gumm-Gumm looking down at him.

"I called him Young Atlas." Bular repeated, unfazed by Strickler's reaction to the news. 

"But I call him that. Me, alone!" Strickler snarled, placing his hand on his chest as he referenced himself while speaking.

"You should have seen his face." Bular chuckled, still very pleased with himself as he watched Strickler begin to panic. 

"He'll know I'm working with you. He'll know I'm a Changeling." Strickler fretted, turning his body to face away from Bular as he thought about all the implications Jim would now know about before turning to face Bular again with a snarl.

"Of all the idiotic things you've done, you're imbecile–" "I GAVE THE ORDER!" Gunmar's voice boomed through the room, interrupting Strickler's rant while Bular moved out of the way to show Strickler the Lord of the Darklands still standing near the closed-off entranceway.

"Call it a test." Bular said as he looked down at Strickler, smirking at the Changeling's fear-filled face as he realized that Bular was merely following orders.

"Oh, a t--A test?" Strickler stammered out, his earlier fury snuffed out as he looked at Gunmar worriedly.

"To lead him to you. So that when the time comes, you will kill the boy and free me with his Amulet." Gunmar declared, leaving Strickler shocked by the order while Bular couldn't be more happy at seeing the proud Changeling's confident mask fall from his face. But Strickler knew he had no choice now. One way or another, the amulet would be used to free Gunmar… and Jim would have to pay the price.

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While Strickler was being given his ultimatum from Gunamr, Jim and Barbara had finished dinner and had gone up to their respective rooms for the rest of the night. As such, Jim found himself sitting in his room and working on some schoolwork while waiting for Marinette to call him, the amulet resting next to him as he worked. Luckily for the Trollhunter, he didn't have to wait for the telltale ringtone he set for his sister and quickly picked up his phone to answer the video call, wincing at the stoney pout Marinette greeted him with.

"Heeey, sis. How are you?" Jim nervously greeted Marinette with a wave, only to see she was still glaring at him disapprovingly while sitting in her school's boiler room. "You're still mad at me, aren't you?" the blue-eyed boy queried, wincing as he spoke. 

"What do you think?" Marinette retorted, an eyebrow arched at Jim amid her disapproving stare. "You better be back to normal or I will take the next Gyre out to take that awful necklace off of you myself! School and classes be darned." the pigtailed girl warned, her voice taking an assertive tone to it that had Jim nearly cowering away from his phone screen.

"I'm back to normal, I swear!" Jim cried out, throwing his free hand up in surrender with eyes wide in fright of her wrath.

"Prove it." Marinette challenged, not believing her brother despite his current state of worry.

"Sis, trust me when I say that I don't have the Grit-Shaka on me anymore! My earlier incident made sure of it!" Jim exclaimed, hoping to find some way to ensure he was back to normal. "I don't know how else to tell you the truth, but I will take any punishment you see fit to bestow on me for my behavior, for your fury towards my earlier actions is instilling the fear of GOD in me!!" the Trollhunter proclaimed as he placed his phone against his stack of textbooks, allowing for his hands to clasp together pleadingly in front of him.

"Yep. You're back to normal. The only person other than me that can panic like that is you." Marinette stated, her stare softening into a pleased smile now that she knew he was back to being her idiot of a brother. "But that doesn't mean you're off the hook with me, James Isaac Dupain-Lake Jr." the red-tipped-haired girl informed Jim, sending a hard stare at the boy while pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"Oof, you must be really mad. You never call me by my full name." Jim remarked, wincing again at the soft threat his little sister gave him. "At least you know I'm back to being me." the blue-eyed boy said, taking any positive point he could now that he wasn't a dead man walking anymore.

"That's the least of your concerns right now." Marinette countered, bringing Jim down from the small high he had from finding the one silver lining in the conversation.

"I know. And 'I'm sorry' is definitely enough to make up for what Toby said I said to you earlier." Jim replied, immediately catching Marinette off guard.

"Wait… you don't even remember what you said?" Marinette asked, surprised by the news that Jim wasn't in control of himself while influenced by the Grit-Shaka.

"Not until Toby told me. But I know that doesn't excuse what I said. I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am. You need to know that I didn't mean a thing I had said and wish I could go back in time and stop myself from saying that…" Jim rambled on, trying oh so hard to prove that he was remorseful of his actions towards his sister before trailing off.

"That we are only half-siblings on a good day?" Marinette inquired, making Jim wince at the reminder of the most horrible thing Toby said he had told Marinette.

"Yeah… that." Jim shamefully agreed as he looked down at his hands resting in his lap, not eager to see the stare he was sure Marinette was sending him. 

"You know, that was the cruelest thing anyone has ever said to me. Not even Chloé has hurt me like that, and she doesn't even know you exist." Marinette lectured her brother, getting her lunch out from her bag as she spoke. The menu that day was duck dumplings, steamed vegetables and assorted macarons for dessert. 

"I know." Jim replied, his eyes looking up at her through his hair.

"You really hurt me, Jim. I'm not sure if I should forgive you even if you weren't in your right mind." Marinette continued, causing Jim to look back down at the floor in shame before she sighed in relent. "But fortunately for you, I can't ever stay mad at you for very long." the designer announced, to which Jim immediately perked up.

"Does that mean you forgive me?" Jim asked, a hopeful glee filling his voice at the thought.

"I do. On the condition of you owing me a few more favors." Marinette stated.

"Seems fair to me. Even though I was being a complete idiot." Jim replied, bashfully rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't think you're off the hook yet. I fully intend to throw you into the Seine the next time you're in Paris." Marinette warned her brother, pointing a finger at Jim as she spoke.

"I'll be sure to mark it on my calendar." Jim assured her, his hand lowering from his neck and resting on his desk beside his other.

"Good. Now how about you tell me how Toby managed to get the Grit-Shaka off of you in the end?" Marinette requested, interested in how Toby had accomplished the feat. But upon hearing her question, Jim flinched and looked off to the side.

"Well… funny story about that." Jim began, leaning away from his desk with a grimace. 

"Please don't tell me you did something stupid while still wearing the Grit-Shaka." Marinette begged, a hand going to her forehead to soothe an oncoming headache at the thought.

"I feel like you know the answer to that one." Jim replied, looking back at his sister to confirm the worst.

"Talk. Now!" Marinette demanded, glaring at her guilty brother to explain what idiotic act he had done now.

With the demand made, Jim then goes on to explain the rest of the day after the last call between them, starting with how badly rehearsals went. Even though Marinette was glad that Jim had gotten a taste of his own medicine from Clare; earning another point for her in his sister's good graces, she was appalled to learn of the argument between him and their grandmother. After getting another ear full of a lecture for treating Gina so poorly and calming down when Jim told her he already apologized to her before she left, he continued to explain the lead-up to him losing the Grit-Shaka. Soon enough, Jim's recount ended at the near end of the fight between him and Bular, before the dark Troll's little trick to distract him.

"And that's about it." Jim concluded, earning a blank look of disbelief from Marinette.

"I honestly don't know what else to tell you Jim. Except that you were an even bigger idiot when the Grit-Shaka was influencing you." Marinette breathed out in irritation, her lunch all gone while she held her hands at her temples to soothe her ever-growing headache.

"I know. And I fully intend to never touch one ever again." Jim guaranteed, not looking to repeat this little incident any time soon.

"Ohhoh, no! After you nearly lost your life in a half-baked attempt to fight Bular alone, I don't want either of us to touch, look at, or even mention that abomination of a totem in passing ever again!" Marinette forewarned Jim, a hard look sent at her brother to make sure he got the message.

"Fine by me." Jim agreed with a soft smile, only for it to fall from his face when he realized he still had to tell her about what Bular said during the fight. "But there is something else you need to know." the Trollhunter began, looking down at the floor while nervously fiddling with his fingers. 

"What is it?" Marinette asked, causing Jim to hesitate to say it since he knew that she wouldn't take it well and was worried that Hawkmoth would sense her anguish. "Come on, spit it out! Lunch is going to end soon." the designer ordered, earning a disgruntled sigh to escape from Jim when he realized that she wouldn't drop the matter now that her curiosity was piqued.

"Bular called me 'Young Atlas' towards the end of our fight." Jim revealed, finally nipping the bombshell in the bud and causing Marinette to stare at him in shock.

"But, Strickler is the only one who calls you that. Why would Bular…" Marinette trailed off in thought, only to suddenly realize the truth and then stare at Jim in disbelief instead of her earlier shock. "No. Please don't tell me." the pigtailed girl begged amid her dread, shaking her head as she looked at Jim with pleading eyes.

"I'm afraid so." Jim replied, grimly nodding in confirmation.

"This entire time?!" Marinette probed.

"Seeing as Changelings are swapped out for human babies, I'd say 'yes'." Jim awkwardly answered, shrugging his shoulders with a wince.

"Strickler's a Changeling. The whole time we've known him." Marinette said in disbelief as she looked down at the ground, not believing the news despite saying it out loud herself. "I can't believe it." the red-tipped-haired girl breathed out in a surprisingly calm voice, immediately unnerving Jim.

"Oh, no. I know that tone. Mari, you need to calm down!" Jim begged his sister, already very familiar with her patented 'quiet anger' voice by now.

"I'm perfectly calm. How can I not be when finding out that our oldest family friend has secretly been a Changeling looking to free Gunmar from the Darklands for the entire time we've known him?" Marinette replied as she kept looking at the floor, her voice growing in volume as if to confirm Jim's assumption of her anger. "HOW CAN I BE ANYTHING BUT CALM!?!?!" the designer shouted, finally looking back at her phone with fury burning in her eyes.

"Sis, I know what you're feeling. Believe me, it was shocking to me too." Jim tried to reason with Marinette, hoping to calm her down before Hawkmoth sensed her anger. Yes, she had every right to be, but the last thing the world needed was an akumatized Ladybug.

"It certainly doesn't look like it!" Marinette snapped back, glaring at Jim for his calm attitude.

"Well, I've had time to process it a bit since finding it out. But that doesn't mean I like it." Jim countered, still trying to reason with her.

"Good for you. I'm really happy that you're taking this so well. Meanwhile, here I am about to not blow a gasket on how violating this betrayal is!" Marinette sarcastically fired back with another accusatory finger point, not having any of Jim's attempts to calm her down.

"Mari, you need to calm down." Jim repeated, his hands gesturing to do so as he spoke.

"NO, I'M NOT GOING TO CALM DOWN! You may have had time to mull it over, but I haven't! This affects me too, you know!" Marinette yelled, sending a sneer at Jim for his attempts to appeal to her logical side.

"I'm not saying that it doesn't. But Mari, you need to cool down before an akuma comes by." Jim pointed out, still trying to look out for her despite her constant brush off of his concern.

"To top it all off, he's probably known you're the Trollhunter this whole time and has spies watching me since I'm connected to you!!" Marinette interrupted, ignoring Jim due to her anger while not knowing how right she was about being surveilled by the Janus Order. 

"HE HELD ME WHEN I WAS A TODDLER! HE HAS BEEN AUNT BARBARA'S FRIEND SINCE YOU WERE A BABY, AND YET HE SENT BEASTS TO JUST KILL YOU! HOW CAN HE SAY THAT HE CARES ABOUT OUR FAMILY AND THEN GO OFF AND DO THAT?!" the pigtailed girl shouted, her anger rising to devastating heights as she threw her free hand into the air beside her.

"Mari." Jim tried again, only to look behind her and see his worst nightmare coming at his sister.

"THAT NO GOOD SON OF A-" "MARINETTE!" the Trollhunter hollered, his voice filled with fear.

"WHAT?!" Marinette snapped, unaware of Jim finally catching her attention from her rant.

"Look out behind you!" Jim cried out, pointing behind Marinette and causing her to look behind her and see the akuma Hawkmoth sent after her closing in.

"CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP!!!" Marinette yelped as she scrambled to her feet, her phone still hand in her hand despite her focus on the akuma. "Not today, bug!" the red-tipped-haired girl proclaimed, quickly swatting the akuma to the ground and stomping on it… hard! 

She then twisted her foot on the squished akuma for good measure, making sure it was dead before taking a couple of deep breaths and lifting her foot off of it. The sight of the darkened bug and the weird purple blood oozing out of it was a relief to both siblings, while Jim was further intimidated by his sister's act. Even Hawkmoth; who had witnessed the massacre of his akuma and felt the return of its energy to him, was left stunned by Marinette's actions and also intrigued by her. It left him feeling the need to keep a closer eye on her in the future, so he decided to look into this anomaly. But once she managed to calm down her racing heart, Marinette looked back to her phone and sent a grateful smile at Jim, unaware of Hawkmoth's new plans.

"Thanks for the save, Jim. Consider one of the new favors you owe me paid for." Marinette said, glad that she had him looking out for her as she sat back down on the floor to continue their call… avoiding the akuma's crushed remains just in case.

"That's the least of my concerns. Are you okay?" Jim asked, concerned with how fast Marinette calmed herself down from her anger.

"A little better now after the akuma scare. But nowhere near okay." Marinette replied, leaving Jim a little more at ease about her mental and emotional state. "Don't worry. I'll be fine once I get a chance to let out some steam." the designer added, assuring Jim that she would be okay.

"Fair enough. When do you get let out?" Jim questioned.

"Another hour after lunch. Ms Mendeleiev called in sick and couldn't find a sub to fill in." Marinette replied with a sigh, running her hand through her hair to push back her bangs from her forehead.

"Good. As soon as that bell rings, head down to Stone Arc to let it all out." Jim told her, earning a fondly exasperated eye roll from Marinette at the 'Mother Henning' he was doing.

"Believe it or not, Toby said the same thing after your last call. But don't worry, I will." Marinette assured her brother, still needling him for earlier but secretly happy that he was worrying about her so much.

"You'll never let me off the hook for that, will you?" Jim asked with a sigh, a fond tired smirk appearing on his lips.

"Not yet." Marinette replied, sending a smug look at him in response.

"Fair enough. Just make sure to take care of yourself, okay? I don't know what I'd do without the best sister in the world in my life." Jim said, earning a smile from Marinette as she leaned her back against the wall behind her.

"Thanks, Jimbro." Marinette replied, followed by the bell ringing seconds later.

"Looks like you got to go." Jim observed, a little glad that the call was coming to an end before Marinette found another reason to be mad at him.

"Yeah, looks like it. I'll see you then, Jim." Marinette answered, which suddenly triggered her to remember one last detail. "By the way, you know that bet on Aunt Barbara and Strickler getting together?" the pigtailed girl began, leaving a sour taste in Jim's mouth at the reminder.

"Yeah?" Jim replied, an eyebrow raised at her in questioning for why she was bringing that up.

"Consider it called off." Marinette declared, immediately reliving Jim with the news since he didn't tell her what happened on Valentine's Day. That alone would have won Marinette the bet and while Jim usually honored their wagers, he had a feeling that it would go south. Turns out he was right.

"You got it. See you tomorrow, Mari." Jim happily responded, waving goodbye to his sister.

"See ya tonight, Jim. I love you." Marinette farewelled, returning the wave and sending a smile to her brother now that they reconciled.

"Love you too, sis." Jim answered, allowing Marinette to hang up before going back to his schoolwork. But as he worked on his homework, the spying thing Marinette had brought up lingered in the back of his mind alongside Strickler's true alliances. Strickler wouldn't have sent someone to spy on his little sister, even though he was their enemy… right?

Chapter Text

The week following Jim's exploits with the Grit-Shaka was abnormally quiet, especially in regards to Strickler's inaction to Jim and Toby's knowledge of him being a Changeling. After Marinette had the chance to calm down from her rage at the betrayal, she was still upset about it but less so to the point that she could go on like things were normal. Fortunately for her, there weren't any akumas following that fateful call and had left both Marinette and Adrien some time to unwind a bit when they weren't training or studying. But the quiet was broken that fateful late Friday afternoon when a runaway bus full of passengers began crashing through the streets of Paris, needing help from the city's protectors.

Thanks to their powers, Ladybug and Chat Noir were able to quickly catch up to the runaway bus and land on the top of the roof, just in time to hear the driver shout about the busted brakes. Now knowing the situation, it gave the heroes all they needed to come up with a plan to save the bus full of civilians.

"Ready, Chat Noir?" Ladybug questioned her partner, followed by her running to the front of the speeding bus for her part of the plan.

"I'm always ready, my lady. Who needs brakes when they've got us?" Chat Noir quipped before throwing his staff to Ladybug, who caught it as she flipped off the bus and threw her yo-yo at it to wrap around the vehicle while falling to the ground.  

Once her yo-yo was ready, Ladybug's back met the ground seconds before the bus passed right over her, prompting her to quickly wrap her yoyo around Chat Noir's staff in the process. While the bus passed from above her, Chat Noir jumped from the back of the runaway bus and into the air just as Ladybug came out from underneath it and threw his staff at him to catch. As soon as Chat Noir caught his weapon, he extended his staff while in mid-air and let it go to rest in between two lamp posts, the yo-yo string tied to it keeping the staff from falling to the ground. 

Tension in the last-minute catching mechanism grew as the bus kept speeding down the street, which the heroes saw as Chat Noir landed on the ground next to his partner when it was about to hit three civilians. Luckily, the heroes' plan works as the lampposts, staff, and yoyo all manage to stop it from happening, forcing the bus to slow to a stop just inches away from the civilians. With the danger passed, Ladybug and Chat Noir sped over to the bus and released the vehicle of their weapons before escorting the passengers off the bus when its doors opened up.

"So, Ladybug, can I ask you something?" Chat Noir began as he helped an elderly woman off the bus, standing on the side closest to the front while Ladybug stood on the side across from him.

"Of course, Kitty. What's on your mind?" Ladybug asked, helping a shell-shocked teenager ease his way to solid ground.