"Now this is a party!"
Nino worked the DJ table at one end of the foyer while Ivan made balloon animals with Maylene at the other. Sabrina helped Chloe open up all the gifts her classmates had made and bought for her while the girls sat around, giggling and comparing wrapping paper. Nathanael handed Chloe the comic he had drawn for her, The Adventures of Princess Chloe now resting beside her as she sat on the counter and beamed. Adrien and Marinette danced to the jumpy music alongside Alix and Juleka. The hotel was overflowing with excitement.
This is my best birthday party ever! Why have I never invited the entire class over before? Not to mention all the gifts, heh-heh!
Even the new guy Joseph was enjoying the party. He stood off to the side of the gifts with Kim and chatted away about differences between Canadian and French gym classes. There was only one thing missing from the party.
Graham.
Alya handed wrapping to Lila and Rose and held her phone up. "Give me a big smile, Chloe, and tell us the best thing about today!"
Chloe grinned and gave the camera a queenly wave. "The best thing about today has to be how bright the hotel is thanks to the party! Never has this placed been filled with such life and colour! I feel ten years younger!"
"…So you feel like a six year old?"
Kim heard the remark and snickered, walking away from Joseph and to the counter. "A six year old hyped up on cake."
Chloe gasped. "I only had one piece!"
"One?! This is your birthday party! You have to at least have three! Then you can work if off in a three mile jog around the District."
"Ugh! What sort of monster are you?"
Joseph smiled as the entire party burst into a fit of laughter. He knew little about Chloe and had really only come to see Adrien and grab some cake, but she seemed a decent girl. He noted the way she giggled at the sight of Adrien and Marinette cuddling up close as they danced.
He never mentioned a girl in our pen pal letters.
He was about to join in on the dancing and show off some acrobatic moves he had been working on back home, when he saw something out the corner of his eye. He turned to the glass entrance to find a hooded figure standing outside. His heart skipped a beat.
Eye of Hera?
The outfit was too similar not to be the famed dancer. Graham had told him the truth about his faked death the last time Joseph was in Paris, pretending to be a master thief. Now he saw some eerie stranger wearing his performing outfit, coming towards the hotel? For a moment he raised his hands for a fight.
…What am I doing?
He chuckled at his insecurity. This was a party. Obviously someone had hired a dancer to work with the music. With no one by the doors he decided to greet the guy and let him inside. Once by the glass he let them slide open and stepped outside. The dancer came forward with his face hidden behind thick mesh and a butterfly sigil where his expression should have been. Joseph whistled at the sight. "You a fan of Eye of Hera?"
Performer said nothing as he whipped his arms towards the acrobat.
Adrien and Marinette were so lost in each other that they never noticed Joseph leave the hotel. Both were busy trying not to trip over each other's feet as the music slowed to a romantic crawl. Nino gave Adrien a thumbs up. He rolled his eyes before returning his gaze to Marinette. "How could I never see it before?"
"See what?"
"You and Ladybug as the same person. The more I think about it the more obvious it becomes. So brave and smart and talented…," he looked to his feet, "and me, making jokes and flirting all this time."
Marinette sighed and raised his head back up by his chin. "It will certainly take time accepting how corny your sense of humour is, but you and Chat are still the same hero, courageous and witty and loyal."
"Would you ever choose anyone else?"
"Not on your life."
They chuckled and rested their foreheads on one another. The music was beginning to pick up the pace. They would need to start jiving again to keep up-
Zzzziiiipppp!
The disks slipped off the DJ table and clattered to the floor. The entire foyer went silent. Adrien and Marinette glanced at Nino to find him gawking at the hotel entrance. "Nino, what-"
"Eep!"
Marinette, Adrien, Alya, Chloe and the rest of the class spun around as two figures stepped into the foyer: a masked figure in an Eye of Hera outfit with a butterfly on the mask, and Joseph with his arms bent behind his back, his hands unable to make contact. Performer gazed around at the classmates as they backed away in shock. Rose, the one who had made the 'eep' sound, shook in her shoes and leaned against Juleka. "G-G-Graham is an a-a-akuma!"
"Not possible," Max pushed his glasses up, "considering the terrible fire that took his life weeks ago. This has to be an imposter that HawkMoth has turned into a Graham replica."
The class was willing to agree – until the akuma spoke.
"I have come for the miraculous."
"N-No way," Lila stammered beside Nathanael, "t-that voice…it is Graham!"
Chloe, Alya, Adrien and Marinette all shared the same horrifying realization.
Povas got akumatized!
"You will call me Performer," he cinched the arms of Joseph tighter, "and you will bring me the miraculous of Ladybug, Chat Noir, Queen Bee and Vixen."
Joseph grit his teeth to keep from yelping in pain. His arms were on fire. He glanced at Adrien. If he did nothing, then his friend would have to reveal himself. He looked back over his shoulder at Graham. "No idea how you survived the fire, bro, but you can end this now by-"
"Oh," Performer cut him off, "I know how to end this."
SNAP!
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh something broke 0_0
Until the next chapter!