Marinette rubbed her best shot of Adrien fondly in her fingers. His smile illuminated the room, green eyes seeming to gaze at her lustfully. Marinette felt her knees weaken, and before she knew it, Alya was pulling her up.
"OMG GURL, GET YOSELF TOGETHERZ," she said, helping her love-sickened friend.
"Thanks, Alya," Marinette smiled, brushing off her perfectly clean pants. "I just get so shy and weak- even when Adrien's not even close to me! Oh, what am I going to do..."
Marinette covered her face as it stung with heat.
"It's okay, gurl," Alya patted Marinette reassuringly. "You just need to man up and at least hold a conversation with him, gurl!"
Marinette inhaled a short breath. "You're right. During lunch, I'll make an attempt to talk to him today!"
"That's the spirit, gurl!" Alya cheered.
Marinette grinned, feeling proud of herself. As they walked into Miss Bustier's room, she noticed something different about the class. Most of her classmates had strange expressions on their faces while looking to the back of their room. Marinette paused. A new student! His orange colored hair looked especially scraggly and not shiny. Marinette had never seen a person in Paris that didn't have shiny hair! Maybe that's why her classmates appeared intrigued. She grunted and sat down in her usual seat next to Alya.
"What do you think of the new student, gurl?" Alya whispered.
"I'm sure he's nice," Marinette said. "I don't know why everyone is being so judgmental."
"But did you see-"
"Good morning class," Miss Bustier announced, getting the class' attention. "As you may have noticed, we have a new student."
"Students," the new student corrected her, emphasizing the s.
The teacher stared at him with confusion. "Um, am I missing someone?"
"Yes, you actually are," he shot back. He proudly held up one orange with eyes glued to it. "This is Timos. Timos wants to learn just as much as I do, since he also has feelings!"
Miss Bustier ignored his ridiculous introduction, looking dumbfounded. "Class, this is Julius."
"And Timos!" Julius chimed in.
"Julius?" Chloe laughed. "More like Orange Julius!"
She cackled and Sabrina joined in, sounding like an angry chipmunk.
That reminded Marinette of ice cream.
"Hey, Chloe!" Marinette yelled. "Knock it off!"
"Does somebody have a crush?" Chloe said, starting a series of immature 'oohs'.
Marinette angrily blushed as Chloe and Sabrina ridiculed her. She rapidly glanced back at Adrien to see if his face betrayed any emotions such as jealousy, but his face remained neutral.
"Yeah, Chloe!" Adrien and Alya said, backing Marinette. "Stop it!"
Chloe growled because her soul mate was telling her to stop and turned around, defeated. But Marinette's efforts of standing up for Julius were useless. Face burning, Julius grabbed his orange and stormed out of the classroom.
"Nobody understands!" Julius fumed. "Timos is like family to me. My favorite orange!"
Back in his lair, Hawk Moth could sense anger and sadness. He stepped forward but tripped because the room was too dark. He liked having a window where light would dramatically pour through because it made him seem mysterious and brooding. Plus, his electric bills weren't as expensive. He began to monologue and that opened the window for some reason.
"Ah, a kid who wants his orange to be accepted like a regular person," Hawk Moth started, but paused. That was the weirdest thing he ever said. Hawk Moth didn't elaborate on how he could relate with that, because deep down he knew that kid was crazy. But, since Julius was the only sad and angry person in the entire city of Paris, he had no choice.
Hawk Moth stopped his daily routine to pull out the only school class in Paris' attendance list. Julius' name, excluding Marinette and Adrien, was the only classmate that hadn't been checked off yet.
How convenient, he thought as he did one of his signature arm thrusts. It used to be a thing he did for dramatic effect but then it turned into a bad habit. He once accidentally elbowed one of his patrons at work in the stomach.
He cupped a white butterfly in the palm of his hands and spread dark matter over it, turning it a sinister black.
"Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize that boy!" he shouted, stamping his cane down as he always did.
When the butterfly was out of sight, Hawk Moth returned to his game of solitaire.
5 minutes until lunch. Marinette's leg shook with anxiety. Alya noticed Marinette's jitteriness.
"Calm down, gurl," Alya murmured, comforting her nervous friend. "It'll only be weird if you make it, gurl."
"You're right," Marinette said, inhaling confidently. "I can do this."
The lunch bell had rung and a newfound dread stirred in her stomach. She couldn't do this! She started breathing hard. Adrien was conversing with Nino, about to walk through the doorframe and out into the hallway.
"Now's your chance, gurl!" Alya urged.
Marinette's feet remained glued to the floor, so Alya pushed her forward as she always did. Marinette crashing into the wall caught Adrien's attention. After Marinette brushed the non-existent dirt off her pants, she froze and turned bright red when she noticed Adrien staring at her with an inviting look on his face.
"Are you okay, Marinette?" he asked caringly, offering a hand.
Marinette was tongue-tied. "Uh- ooh- eee- ooh- ah, ah... TINGTANGWALLAWALLABINGBANG." She bolted out of the room, too embarrassed to stay.
"Stupid, stupid!" she muttered to herself as she fled.
Meanwhile, Julius was sitting in the lunchroom, talking to Timos.
"That Chloe was really mean," he said. "Do you think she's mean? I do. I don't find her attractive. No, you can't go out with her! She humiliated both me and you!"
Julius heard footsteps approaching him. He looked up, and it was his classmates Adrien and Nino.
"Do you mind if we join you?" Adrien said with a friendly smile.
"Sorry, this seat's taken," Julius replied.
Nino awkwardly shifted. "Maybe we should go over there..."
"By who?" Adrien pursued, not getting the hint.
"By Timos, of course!"
"Freak!" Chloe called out. "Orange Julius, the freak!"
Obnoxious laughter erupted from her and Sabrina. Feeling hurt, Julius ran outside. Nobody chased after him because they felt weirded out. Since he was too wrapped up in consoling himself and Timos, he didn't notice a black butterfly fly into his orange companion.
"Hello, Oranginator, I'm Hawk Moth," a deep voice said. "Nobody understands you." Hawk Moth paused, and muttered "I honestly don't either" before continuing. "I understand your frustration. But no longer will you be misunderstood by your peers! I will grant you this power if you do one favor for me... steal Chat Noir and Ladybug's Miraculouses!"
"But why can't you just steal it yourself..." Julius started, but then felt another force gaining control of him, so he quickly responded, "Yes, Hawk Moth!"
Julius stood up and dark matter dispersed from Timos to his entire body.
Julius' question made Hawk Moth stop and think. Why didn't he go and get their Miraculoses himself? He was way more powerful than all of the teenagers he had do his dirty work. Suddenly, he heard a knock on his door and his heart skipped a beat.
"Sir?" a voice none other than his assistant Nathalie asked from outside, hesitantly. "I couldn't help but pass by and notice that you were yelling rather intensely at something. Are you okay, and what exactly are you doing?"
"Uh, um..." Hawk Moth stammered. "Yes, I'm completely fine, Nathalie. Don't you know that it's rude to pry in other people's businesses? I'm having a heated discussion with a client and nothing more. I thought I told you to stay away from here!"
"Yes, but..."
"Go, now!" he yelled. "You're easily replaceable, you know!"
Silence once more. Hawk Moth gave a sigh of relief. Too close.
Marinette was sadly walking back to the cafeteria feeling defeated and humiliated, when all of a sudden she heard commotion. Her classmates were giving cries of urgency. She sprinted over to a locker to hide behind it and peeked to see what was going on. A giant version of Timos was walking around and shooting beams of orange light.
Julius must've been akumatized! Marinette thought. I have to get to somewhere safe to transform!
She ran quickly and quietly inside the girl's locker room and past a janitor that was cleaning up. Marinette carefully tiptoed her way behind a locker.
"Quickly and quietly, Marinette!" Tikki whispered, flying out of Marinette's bag.
"Right, Tikki," Marinette replied softly.
She placed her bag in a locker and mentally prepared herself.
"TIKKI, SPOTS ON!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her little kwami entered one of her red earrings. "YEAH!"
She shut her eyes as a non-existent gust blew her hair and five black ladybug spots appeared on the earring Tikki was inside. She waved her hands in front of her eyes and her signature ladybug mask materialized. The tight ladybug suit melded with her body, spreading to her arms, torso, and down her legs. Her yo-yo magically formed on her waist. She kicked high in the air, twirled gracefully, and kicked once more into a determined position.
When Marinette was done transforming into Ladybug, she noticed the janitor she passed staring at her with awe. She dropped her mop in shock at what she just saw.
Ladybug had no idea how to respond to this. Nobody had ever caught her transforming.
"I thought I was quiet!" she said to no one in particular.
"You screamed for this chick named Tikki to put your spots on," the janitor said, still in disbelief. "Screamed. I'm not sure if that's your definition of quiet or not, but I just want to let you know that's what you did. And, where did that wind come from? We're indoors but yet there was a giant gust of wind blowing your hair at one part of your transformation. Also, you danced. Danced! I don't think people twirl and do high kicks when they're trying to be subtle. So yeah. You weren't that quiet."
Ladybug stood there, staring at the janitor, unable to talk.
"So now that we've got that out of the way," the janitor said, "can I have your autograph?"
