JuniorVB: Gracias!

To say the least, Chloé was having a rough morning. Technically, it started well over two weeks ago when Leda left her room and hadn't returned since. She hated to sound needy, but she missed her. And then there was that feeling in her chest and her stomach whenever they talked. Or whenever Chloé saw her. Or thought about her.

It was weird and she liked it and she didn't like that she liked it.

As she walked into school, a voice caught her attention.

"Hey, Chloé-"

"What?" Chloé snapped, spinning around to see Sabrina. She caught herself and sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, what's up?"

Sabrina raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything about her behavior. If anything, the apology was the abnormal part. "I wanted to know if you were planning on going to the fashion week gala in two weeks."

Chloé nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "Yeah, I'll be there. Wouldn't miss it. And we'll be on break so it's not like I'll have to worry about losing sleep."

Sabrina nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Chloé!"

Chloé almost did the same thing she did to Sabrina. Almost. Instead, her eyes widened in anger for a split second before she got them back to normal and turned to see a girl she'd spoken to maybe twice in her life. "He-ey," she greeted the girl. "Violet, right?"

Violet blinked a coupled of times and pulled back slightly, like she was surprised Chloé remembered her name. Chloé didn't blame her. "Uh, so you're not interested in Adrien anymore, right?"

"What would make you think that?" Chloé asked with a shrug and a slight shake of her head.

"Well, for starters, you didn't just try to murder me for even suggesting that," Violet joked. "But he seems like such a great guy and I'd love a shot at him. Not to mention he's rich-"

"Excuse you?" Chloé demanded.

Sabrina's eyes went wide, and she shrunk back. "Oh boy."

"You are seriously interested in him cause he's rich?" Chloé demanded. "You are exactly the kind of person Adrien doesn't need in his life! You want to know why I'm always around Adrien? Because he's too nice to protect himself from vultures like you! You are nothing but a gold digger, and I will always keep my eye out for people like you. If you ever talk to him again, I will end you."

Violet stared for a moment, lower lip quivering, before she ran off towards the bathroom.

"Harsh take down," Sabrina mused. "Deserved, but harsh. I need to stop at my locker. See you in class."

"Kay." Chloé walked into the room, spying nearly everyone there. The only people missing were Sabrina, Danielle, and Adrien. Then again, there were still five minutes left before class.

She moved to her seat, only to be surprised when Nino grabbed her wrist.

"Hey, uh..." Nino pursed his lips for a minute and tugged Chloé into Adrien's seat. "I was in the hallway and heard what you said to Violet. Shitty way to say it, but you stood up for my man Adrien. It means a lot."

Chloé gave him a single nod then slid out of the bench. "Sure," she replied, feigning apathy. "He's my friend, too." She moved to her own seat and pulled out her school supplies.

Suddenly, a series of dings came from her phone. She furrowed her brows and checked.

Akuma

Violet

Now violent

Stay safe

"Oh fuck!"

"Miss Bourgeois, I know class hasn't started yet, but please watch your mouth," Ms. Bustier snapped.

Chloé jumped up and moved for the door. "There's an akuma and Sabrina's out there!" she explained. Before she could open the door, Ms. Bustier slammed it shut.

"You are not going anywhere," she declared. "I am tired of my students disappearing during akuma attacks, and I will not let any of you put yourselves in danger. If I have to barricade this door, I will do it!"

Chloé watched Marinette sink down in her chair, and if she didn't know any better, she'd swear she just said "oh no."

It was a late morning for Danielle and Adrien. A power surge had caused their alarm clocks to reset and allowed their phones to die, meaning that while they both woke up to the sound of chirping birds instead of a blaring alarm, it also meant that Gabriel and Nathalie found them scrambling to get ready and missed breakfast.

By the time they finally got into the car and took off, they were both out of breath. Adrien glanced at his watch, then let his head fall back. "We might make it on time, but it'll be close."

Danielle snickered. "Like Ms. Bustier actually expects me to be there regularly."

Adrien cast an irritated glance at her. "Maybe not you, but I like to be present for class."

"It's just English," Danielle retorted as the car came to a stop- it was a pretty short ride to begin with. The two got out of the car and started running up the steps, only stopping when they crossed the threshold and saw Paris's latest chaos-maker.

"Oh this is bad," Danielle muttered as she watched the purple-skinned akuma grab a locker and throw it across the courtyard. "This is really bad."

Adrien looked from Danielle to the akuma, then back again. "The Gorilla should still be outside; I'm gonna go tell him!" he declared. "You should... take cover. Somewhere not out front!"

Danielle jerked her head to look at him. "Huh?" She didn't get a response, just the image of Adrien's back as he ran away. She shook her head and ran off down a hallway, transforming and changing before running right back out.

She got out just in time to see the akuma throw Sabrina across the room, knocking her into a row of lockers. She fell to the floor, unmoving.

"Oh my god," Leda whispered. "Oh my god."

Chat Noir landed next to her. "What just happened?"

"It threw a student; we need Ladybug to get here now!"

The akuma turned to them, and its eyes narrowed. It roared and advanced, causing Chat and Leda to jump out of the way. It slammed its fists into the place where they had been, cracking the concrete.

Leda pulled out her sword and sliced at the akuma, leaving a cut in its side. "Come on!" she yelled. "Come and get me!" She took a step back, holding her sword out in front of her. "Bet that hurt, didn't it!?" She scoffed. "Yeah, I've been dealing with the shit your akumas give my champions for the past month! So you wanna get Ladybug and Chat's miraculous? You're gonna have to get mine to be strong enough to do it!"

Leda turned and took off running, the akuma following close behind. She ran down the hall and out the back of the school, ducking behind one of the trees there.

To her shock, the akuma ripped the tree out of the ground and swung it at her, tossing her clear across the side street and into the next building. "Oh, where's Ladybug?" Leda moaned.

Chat Noir suddenly wound up next to in a very similar position. "Ladybug's not answering her yoyo."

"You can call her on her yoyo?"

"Yeah, and me on my baton. We were gonna try with you, but we thought we might get Hawk- watch out!"

Leda and Chat dodged the tree as it flew into the building, impaling it.

"This is bad!" Leda yelled, still dodging the akuma's attacks. "Sabrina's already been hurt! We need to end this!"

Chat jumped over a flying car, then rushed to save a thrown civilian, but another slipped by and skidded as they landed on the sidewalk. He set the other person down with a quick order to run before getting back to Leda. "If you have any ideas on how to get that akuma purified without Ladybug, I'm all ears." He took off running, then jumped onto the akuma and grabbed at its arm to keep it from grabbing another civilian.

I'd even bet you're powerful enough to send out multiple champions at once and call them back at will.

Leda nodded. "I know how."

Leda took a deep breath to steady herself, then moved her feet into the fixed position Mireille had taught her. She lifted her arms to shoulder-height, then turned her palms out towards the akuma.

"What are you doing?" Chat Noir asked, barely keeping a grip on the akuma's arm.

"Keep it busy!" Leda yelled back, bracing herself against a possible attack. Sure enough, the akuma threw Chat off and charged at her, only for Chat to rebound and hit it with his staff.

Leda winced, pain blooming in her mind, but she stayed firm on her feet, just turning to face the akuma whenever it moved. "Come on," she whispered, her voice a desperate plea. "Come on."

The akuma charged at her again, but just before it could reach, a black butterfly flew out of its backpack and the human left behind collapsed to the ground. Leda looked up, raising her hands towards the butterfly. The black bled out of its wings, leaving only white behind.

Chat ran up to Leda, eyes fixed on the butterfly. "Leda, that was amazing!" he cheered. He turned his attention to his teammate and realized her nose was bleeding and her eyes were glassy. "Leeds?"

Slowly, Leda turned her attention to him, her eyes moving jerkily instead of in one fluid motion. "I did it," she breathed. "She said I could, but I didn't believe her."

"Who, Leeds?"

Before Chat Noir got an answer, Leda passed out and fell into his arms. Panic seeped into Chat's heart. He picked up Leda and leaped off, running until he got back to his room. He laid her down on his bed and looked her over for any signs of injury.

"She'll be fine; it just takes time to recover."

Chat gasped and turned around, shocked to see his father standing by his desk. "Um, I, uh... Mr. Agreste! You're probably wondering what I'm doing here! You see, I'm..." He had nothing.

"Are you done fumbling for a lie?" Gabriel asked. Chat nodded. "Alright, since we've moved past that, get your cousin some water, Adrien."

Chat's jaw dropped. "You- how- but-"

"Water, Adrien," Gabriel reiterated. "She's going to have a migraine when she wakes up and water will help. Your mother used to get them all the time even without having her miraculous split in two."

Chat just blinked a couple of times, completely missing the sound of his miraculous giving out a last warning beep. Plagg flew out and clapped in his face. "Kid! Water! And get me some camembert while you're at it!"

That snapped Adrien out of it, and he rushed to the bathroom, getting a glass of water. He returned and placed the glass on the bedside table, watching his father close the curtains. The ritual seemed oddly familiar, but Adrien couldn't pinpoint where he remembered it from. He shook his head and went to the mini fridge in his room to retrieve some camembert for Plagg.

He heard the all-too-familiar beeping and knew Leda's transformation was out of time. A semi-transparent kwami flew out and flopped down next to Leda.

"Nooroo!" Plagg barreled into the purple kwami and wrapped them in a hug.

Nooroo let out a tired sigh and melted into Plagg's embrace. "Oh, I missed you."

"Get this kwami some soft pretzels!" Plagg shouted.

"I will call the chef," Gabriel promised, pulling out his phone as he spoke. "All four of you should be resting right now."

Adrien scoffed. "Not doing that until I know Leda's okay." He sighed, then tensed up. "Wait, you called her my cousin."

"That I did," Gabriel replied before turning his attention back to his phone. "Yes, Marcel, I'd like five large soft pretzels delivered to Adrien's room posthaste. He forgot to bring money to school for lunch and is suffering from low blood sugar." He hung up the phone and turned his attention back to Adrien. "When she wakes up, we're all going to have a little chat."

Danielle woke up with a pounding headache and sore muscles. She was almost certain she'd been hit by a bus. Slowly, she sat up, only to realize she wasn't in her own room. Adrien and Gabriel sat on the sofa in Adrien's room, Nooroo and Plagg on the coffee table in front of them.

"Oh... my..." She didn't manage to finish the statement, pain searing through her head. She cried out, ducking her head down.

Adrien jumped up and went to Danielle, rubbing her shoulder in an attempt to soothe her. "Hey, hey, it's alright, you're safe."

"Her safety isn't her concern right now," Gabriel whispered. "It's her head. Dealing in akumas is far more painful than handling champions." He walked up to the duo and brushed a strand of hair out of Danielle's hair. "You've been asleep for twenty hours."

Adrien looked to his father, eyebrows furrowed as a thought occurred to him. "That's the second time you've mentioned stuff about the butterfly miraculous; how do you know so much about it? It's not like you're-" Adrien cut himself off, skin turning pale. He repositioned himself, blocking Danielle from Gabriel's view. "Tell me you're not him. Please, tell me you're not."

"He's not," Danielle gasped, one hand still on her head like she was defending herself. "I thought he was, but he isn't." She whimpered, hiding her face again.

"There's medicine on the nightstand," Gabriel said, voice still quiet as a mouse. Danielle heard him, though, and she downed the pills, following it with the glass of water.

Adrien looked from Gabriel to Danielle and back again. "How do you know?" He didn't dare take his eyes off his father this time.

Danielle moaned. "Stop yelling!" She pulled a pillow over her head. Another mumbled response came out from under the pillow, but Adrien couldn't hear it.

"Huh?"

Danielle yanked the pillow away. "We were both with Ms. Bustier when she got akumatized," she repeated. "He couldn't have done it."

"Then who is Hawk Moth?"

"Stop yelling!" Again, the pillow went over Danielle's head.

Gabriel sighed. "She is sensitive to light and sound right now," he explained. "As for who Hawk Moth is, that would be my brother Isaiah."

Danielle shot up into a seated position, eyes wide in shock. Adrien's face bore a similar expression. "Your what!?" Danielle whimpered and covered her ears.

Gabriel sighed and sat down on the bed, gesturing for Adrien to do the same. "Adele and my brother were once miraculous holders," he explained quietly. "She had the butterfly, and Isaiah had the peacock. Adele and I became friends outside of magic, and she ended up choosing me to be her champion on several occasions. Isaiah became paranoid that she'd discovered his identity, so he came clean with her and vice versa. The three of us were very close, and they fought an organized crime ring up until Adele became pregnant.

"Fast forward to about a year ago, and Adele caught wind of a cult seeking to control the miraculous in Tibet. She went to investigate, but she left Nooroo in my care until she got back... obviously, she still has yet to return." Gabriel sighed and glanced down at his hands. "Isaiah wasn't informed of Adele's decision to leave, and he would have objected. He did object. He came here to get the butterfly miraculous so he could save Adele, but I wouldn't give it to him... so we fought. He got the butterfly brooch from me, but I got the peacock brooch from him."

Danielle furrowed her eyebrows together. "Then why was it in your desk drawer?"

"I managed to sneak into his apartment and get it from him, but when I tried to get it a day later from my desk, it was missing. Initially, I had assumed Isaiah had taken it back, but it seems you stole away half of it first."

Adrien rubbed at his face, trying to make sense of it all. "So you let Mom go to another country to fight a cult on her own?" he asked.

"Adrien," Danielle hissed.

"Sorry, no yelling," Adrien sighed, lowering his voice. He glared at his father. "How could you just let her-"

"Adrien," Danielle repeated. He looked to her. "She's her own person. She was and is capable of making her own choices. Besides, I doubt she would have agreed to let Uncle Gabriel come with her because if something did happen, she'd want him here to take care of you."

Adrien let out a dry laugh. "So it's my fault," he concluded. "Great."

Gabriel sighed and put a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "None of this is your fault," he said firmly. "You are a child, and your mother and I both made our own choices, just like Danielle said. Do not take this on like I know you take everyone's problems and mistakes on."

"He's right, kid," Plagg chimed in, finally floating over from the coffee table. "You can't control people, and you shouldn't try to. Leave that to your cousin."

A faint smile crossed Danielle's face. "Cheeky. Now can I go back to sleep?"

"Of course," Gabriel replied. "You'll need your strength for tomorrow."

Danielle's brows furrowed together. "Tomorrow? What's happening tomorrow?"

"You both begin training."