"No way!" Jagged Stone snapped, spinning to face away from Bob Roth, the beaded tassels on his epaulets swinging wildly and clattering together with the momentum.
"You don't have a choice, Jagged."
"No way am I doing a collaboration with a baby faced nobody," Jagged insisted, tossing a disgusted look at the album Bob Roth was holding.
"This 'baby faced nobody' just pushed you off the top spot on the billboard charts."
"And? That doesn't make him a true rocker like me! I've been making music since this guy was in diapers. Besides, Penny thinks everything I do is killer." He gestured with his thumb to Penny, who stood nearby with a supportive smile.
"Penny might be your agent but I'm your real boss! The bottom line is Bob Roth records cannot afford to be number two in sales, or to back a number two rock star! Get real, you're going to have to modernize your music, change the way you look!"
"You wanna talk about real? I'm a genuine rock and roller! Not some pop star in diapers! And the artwork you came up with is a waste of my time!" Jagged gestured to the eight foot tall posters on display to his left. "This looks like a perfume ad!"
"That's what people want these days!"
"Well I don't! My album covers are raw, they exude the smell of sweat and leather!"
"You do know that if your next album doesn't rank number one in sales, it'll be the last one you ever do for Bob Roth records!"
"I'd rather put out nothing at all than do a ridiculous collab with an overglorified DJ!"
Penny, seeing disaster coming on, jumped in, placing a hand on Bob Roth's arm endearingly. "Bob, Jagged and I had an idea. It's concept is modern, but it also respects Jagged's own rugged style."
Jagged sighed, but accepted Penny's diversion. "The schoolboy who made these glasses has real talent. He can design the cover of my new album."
"A school boy?" Bob asked, sounding incredulous.
"See, that's exactly it. He's the same age as Jagged's target audience. This is his address."
She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him. He looked reluctant, but when he scowled, Fang hissed and snapped his jaws threateningly at the man's feet, sending the record label rep out of the room.
"Okay, fine, but just think about that duet with Mister X Y."
"You want me to…" Wei Ying trailed off, pointing feebly up at his own face.
He was dreaming. He was like eighty five percent certain he was dreaming. There was no way that Bob Roth of Bob Roth records was standing here, in Uncle Jiang's study, oblivious both to Madam Yu's petrifying glare and Wei Ying's strange feeling of being disconnected from his body.
"Design Jagged Stone's next album cover."
Yep. That's what Wei Wuxian had thought he had said. He reached down to subtly pinch his own thigh through his skinny jeans. It fucking hurt. Why the hell had he pinched himself so hard? Oh, yeah, because Bob Roth was standing right in front of him saying-
"Jagged requested you specifically."
He was going to faint. He was absolutely positively going to faint and Bob Roth would rescind the offer because he didn't want someone who fainted like a distressed maiden to design Jagged Stone's next album cover.
"He kept talking about the shades you made, and said you had raw talent. So, what do you say, kid?"
"I-me?" He squeaked out. A rather unimpressive reaction.
"Yes, and we need a proposal by this afternoon. Are you in for it?"
He nodded mutely, shaking his head up and down wildly.
"Alright," Uncle Jiang said, patting the still mute Wei Wuxian on the shoulder warmly. "Why don't you go get started and I'll talk about contracts and compensation with Mister Roth."
"Contracts? Compensation?" Bob Roth snapped as Wei Wuxian was gently ushed out by his Uncle.
"We're not signing anything until we see the final product!"
"I hope you don't think I will allow you to take advantage of my-" the door snapped shut, leaving Wei Ying to stand hollowly outside the study door, frozen, until both his siblings peered around the corner and saw him standing there, stunned.
"A-Xian, what is it?" Yanli asked, taking a few tentative steps forward.
From the way that Jiang Cheng was looking worried and not mocking what Wei Wuxian was certain was a ridiculous expression, the two of them didn't think any meeting involving Madam Yu, Uncle Jiang, and an adult they'd never met before, but whom had a sour disposition, was likely to be good new for him.
Honestly, heading into the meeting, he'd thought the same thing.
"That man was Bob Roth, from Bob Roth records."
"The Bob Roth? As in Jegged Stone's record label Bob Roth?" Jiang Cheng asked, gaping.
"Yeah."
"Oh my God, did you do something to Jagged Stone when we did that work experience thing? Did you poison Fang?"
"What? No, I made him those shades, remember?"
"Did you poison him? Use lead paint?"
"No!" Wei Wuxian snapped, feeling defensive now. "He liked them! Mr. Roth came down here to personally ask me to-" he hesitated, still hardly daring to believe it.
"I need to give the kid reference material-" Mr. Roth said, voice too loud, startling all three children in the hall.
They spun around to face the adults, wearing matching guilty expressions. Bob Roth came up short, blinking in surprise when he saw that there were somehow more children than he'd been expecting. He made a slight sound of annoyance before thrusting out a CD case.
"Here, this is the way we want to take this new album. New album, new Jagged. Do you think you can work with that?"
Wei Wuxian ignored Jiang Cheng's incredulous gaping as he took the album in hand, starting in surprise when he was looking down at the bland and dispirited Mister X Y album cover.
"I- are you sure? This doesn't seem like Jagged's style, more like a perfume ad."
"That's the idea kid," Bob Roth said, "this is what's selling these days."
"Um, okay?" Wei Wuxian said nervously, still eyeing the album with obvious distaste.
"Alright, well, you can come to The Grand Paris when you have the proposal ready."
He lumbered past the kids, almost knocking into Yanli, who stepped deftly out of the way. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng both stepped forward to tell them off but were stopped by her gentle but firm fingers around their wrists.
"A rockstar! Of all the undignified, disgraceful, disreputable- I always knew he would bring shame to our family!" Madam Yu said, disgusted. She strode away, but Wei Wuxian was too busy being hit by a delayed wave of elation to care, despite his confusion at his reference material.
"What is going on?" Jiang Cheng asked once his mother was out of earshot.
"Your favorite singer, Jagged Stone has asked for A-Xian specifically to design his new album cover."
"What?" Jiang cheng snapped, eyes bugging out of his skull.
"He said he was very impressed by A-Xian's talent and artistry when he made those sunglasses. He said he would like a proposal by the end of the day, so perhaps you should get to work."
Wei Wuxian felt a familiar seed of dread as he saw the stormy expression fall over Jiang Cheng's face as he took in the look on Jiang Fengiman was giving Wei Wuxian.
"Ahahaha," He said nervously, ducking away and darting down the hall. "I'll just go get to work on that!"
His voice was too high pitched. Jiang Cheng was scowling, Jiang Fengiman was looking confused but pleased, and Jiang Yanli's brows were drifting together in concern. He needed to get out of here. Too much had happened at once, he needed the quiet of his room, or the throbbing base of his favorite song.
He dashed up the stairs, Mister X Y cd tucked against his chest, thinking of Lan Zhan's cool calm demeanor and how he'd know what to do. It wasn't until he'd shot off fove messages to him that he realized he wouldn't be getting any response. Lan Zhan was still grounded, would still be grounded until the end of the week. He groaned miserably and threw himself backward in his wheely chair so hard that he toppled over and crashed to the ground.
"Ha! That's what you get!" Plagg said, flying out of his pocket to mock him. "What are you being so mopey for, anyway? Don't you like this Jagged Stone guy?"
"Of course I do, but now Jiang Cheng is mad because- well now Jiang Cheng's angry and Madam Yu is going to be difficult, and I'll probably screw it all up anyway so why even bother? He'll probably hate it and I won't get a second chance."
"What a load of crap," Plagg said, casually snakking on a cheese wedge. Wei Wuxian glared at him. "What? I'm right? How are you gonna know if he hates it if you don't try? And Madam Yu is always difficult so there's no change there. And what do you care if your brother is jealous? That's his problem."
Wei Wuxian shot him a disapproving look.
"You wouldn't understand."
"Oh, yes look at me, a being so ancient and powerful I personally destroyed the dinosaurs. I couldn't possibly understand all your teenage angst."
Wei Wuxian threw a pillow at him. Plagg didn't even bother to dodge, just phased through the pillow. He heard the sound of something crashing to the ground that he would have to pick up sooner or later, but for now Wei Wuxian remained glumly tangled in his wheely chair where it had fallen.
"I wish Lan Zhan wasn't grounded. He'd know what to do."
"I just told you what to do, make the album cover! The only sure fire way to make your favorite singer hate you is to say you'll do it and then don't!"
Wei Wuxian screamed into his hands.
"What do you know?"
"I know the genie in the bottle. He's a loser."
Wei Wuxian scoffed, unsure if he was being serious or just trying to get a laugh out of him.
"Did you really kill the dinosaurs?" He asked through his hands.
"Yup! Sure did. Master always said I'm far too powerful to be released into the world without a holder."
Wei Wuxian sat up. "You are seriously telling me you are single handedly responsible for a mass extinction event?"
"Yup."
"And you want me to listen to your advice?"
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean! I was young, and I learned!"
"Yeah, right."
Seemingly unshaken by learning that he was sharing a room with a creature that had wiped out an entire planet once upon a time, Wei Wuxian set his chair up and sat down in front of his drawing tablet. He decided to put on the Mister X Y album to set the mood and instantly regretted it. It was terrible. Unable to stand it for longer than ten minutes, Wei Wuxian was forced to physically eject the cd and play more palatable music on his phone.
He wasn't a fan of electronic music on the best of days, but even for a genre he didn't like, Mister X Y's music was bad. Wei Wuxian sat back and eyed Plagg critically.
"Triassic or Cretaceous?" He asked.
"Gazuntite."
"No, that wasn't a sneeze. Which mass extinction did you case? The triassic or cretaceous?"
"How should I know? Those names didn't come until millennia later. I was on to bigger and better things."
"What, like sinking Atlantis?"
"Who told you about that? Have you been talking to Sugar Cube?" Plagg snapped, sitting up suddenly.
"What? No, who is Sugar Cube? I was just joking! Did you really-"
"Sugar Cube is Mister Bug's kwami," Plagg interrupted.
"Their name is Sugar Cube?"
"Technically her name is Tikki."
"Hm," Wei Wuxian replied, deciding against pressing into the Atlantis matter any further and turning back to face his tablet.
The end of the day came torturously slowly, but it came, and Wei Wuxian had a piece of art that he did not like and did not believe in, but was nonetheless what he had been asked to create. He supposed that sometimes as an artist- if he intended to pursue art as a career- that he would have to do art he didn't like to please a customer at some point. Might as well start now.
With anxiety churning in his gut and Plagg wiggling in his pocket Wei Wuxian hitched a cab to Le Grand Paris hotel where Jagged Stone was staying.
"What happened to the raw impulsive artistry that made these shades?" Jagged asked, frowning at Wei Wuxian's album cover proposal.
"Well…" He started, casting an unsure look at Bob Roth.
"Jagged, you said it yourself that Wei Wuxian represents your target demographic. This is the best version of what's selling these days!"
Jagged looked from Bob Roth to Wei Wuxian, who was squirming under the hand that Bob Roth had placed on his shoulders.
"Wei Wuxian, don't listen to Bob," he said, taking hold of his wrists and tugging him forward, out of the older man's grip. "Do another one for me, will you? Jagged style?" Wei Ying nodded, wide eyed, unable to speak so close to his celebrity crush.
Penny very kindly led Wei Wuxian out after that, telling him "just do your best, alright? Don't be nervous." Wei Wuxian nodded again, and the door was shut behind him.
"What the hell are you playing at, Jagged?" Bob raged.
Jagged reclined on the couch, electric guitar in hand, strumming idly.
"I'm doing things my way, Bob. I gave your way a shot and it was totally lame, not rock and roll at all. So now I'm doing things this way."
"And who the hell told you that you could do that? I'm your boss! If your next album doesn't top the charts it will be that last one you ever do with Bob Roth Records!"
"Then so be it! I'm sure another record label will be perfectly happy with a number two chart topper!"
Jagged turned his face away and strummed his guitar loudly every time Bob Roth tried to speak after that until the other man was forced to turn and leave in a huff.
After Bob Roth left Jagged Stone was still annoyed, so he decided to watch the interview that Y Z guy was doing with Nadia Chamack to confirm this kid wasn't worth his time and try to figure out what had Bob all stuck up his ass for some reason.
"So," Nadia began, "You knocked Jagged Stone off the top spot, what do you think of him?"
"Ugh, that old timer?" OLD TIMER? "What a has been! Jagged Stone, more like Ragged Stone!" The kid snorted at his own joke even as Jagged Stone cried out in outrage, fingers clenching his tablet too tightly.
"A has been?"
"He had his career but it's over now, he'll never be number one again, not as long as X Y is here!"
"Why. You. Little. Perfume ad!" Jagged gritted out. Tossing out his tablet so hard the screen shattered. The picture went all wacky, but as Jagged picked up his guitar and started to play, he heard the last of X Y's taunts.
"Hey Jagged, if you're out there watching this, why don't you come down to the Eiffel Tower tonight for my gig so you can hear some real music? I'll save you a front row seat in case your hearing is starting to go. You don't want to miss anything, my music is killer."
"He's stealing my catchphrases!" Jagged cried out, despite himself.
He renewed his effort to drown out the sounds of the baby brat on his tablet by playing even louder.
The door closed and the lock was clicked shut. The man standing in the dark didn't bother to turn on the light.
"Nooroo, Darkwings, rise!"
There was a rushing of stale air in the small room as magic condensed and transformed the shadowy figure into Hawkmoth.
Hawkmoth stood in the same single beacon of light, looking out of the same small, dirty window that he always did.
"I sense a disharmonious soul," he began, flicking open the glass dome on his cane and releasing a pure white butterfly. "Ideal prey for my little akumas."
Through the dim light he could hardly make out the condensing of dark magic, simply a shifting of shadows as he clenched his fist around the creature. Hawkmoth reached out with the end of his cane and flipped the latch with a practiced motion, lifting onto his toes to do so.
"Go find that Jagged Stone and rock his world!"
Hawkmoth chuckled at his own joke as he waited with baited breath for his akuma to reach its target.
"Guitar Villain," he crooned once the akuma had met its mark. "I am Hawkmoth. I'm giving you and your vicious crocodile the power to show the whole world that you are the number one rocker. All you have to do in return is give me the Ladybug and Chat Noir miraculouses."
"Yeah," Guitar Villain replied. "Let's rock!"
Hawkmoth snapped the window shut definitively, chuckling to himself.
Take that, Mister Bug and Chat Noir, I gave this one a fucking dragon.
Wei Wuxian was only a few blocks away from Le Grand Paris, already more confident with the plans he was making for Jagged's second album cover proposal when a huge shadow passed overhead and he saw- is that a fucking dragon? I'm going to have to be the one to deal with this, aren't I? He thought bitterly.
"Actually, sir, could you just drop me off over here? Yeah, thanks!" He payed the driver his fare and ducked into the nearest alleyway.
"Hey, do we have to? You know you're busy with this whole album cover-"
"Plagg, claws out!" Wei Wuxian interrupted.
Chat Noir used his stick to lift himself up onto the rooftops and chase after the dragon soaring over the Paris sky.
Wangji had just stepped out onto the curb, his Uncle's warnings still ringing in his ears when he saw it.
"You've disappointed me lately, Wangji. Seeing as you're not allowed to go anywhere else, I expect you to be waiting on the curb for the car to pick you up for dinner at precisely 7:30."
His stomach sank as the dragon flew into view, followed closely by his partner, jumping along on the roofs below it. He knew what he had to do, but there was no way that his uncle wouldn't notice his absence from dinner, nor any possibility of it going unpunished.
"Wangji, what are you going to do? Your uncle will be so angry if you miss dinner, but you have to defeat the akuma!"
"I can only try to finish this quickly."
"Chat Noir, what do you know?"
"Nothing, really," Chat Noir replied without breaking stride. "I haven't been able to catch up with him. I can tell you he shoots out sound waves that make innocent people headbang, though. And his dragon is weird, it looks more like a crocodile with wings."
"A crocodile?"
"Yeah, and look, the guy standing on it, he's playing guitar. I think he might be Jagged Stone!"
"Jagged Stone?" Mister Bug repeated. Wei Ying's favorite singer?
"I'm the one and only rocker this city needs! The name is Guitar Villain, don't you forget it!" The akuma cried.
"I think his name is Guitar Villain," Chat Noir parroted, flashing him what could only be described as a shit eating grin.
"Where is he heading?"
"I don't know yet! I was waiting for you to start the whole villain monologues about their motives and interaction!"
"Well, I'm here now," and in a bit of a rush.
Mister Bug reached out and grabbed Chat Noir by the waist, yanking him clase and wrapping his yoyo string around the dragon's middle before pulling them off the ground. Chat Noir made a strangled sort of sound in surprise but Mister Bug ignored it, his brain already trying to find a way to separate Guitar Villain from his guitar.
"Guitar Villain!" Mister Bug cried out as they landed.
Guitar Villain glanced over his shoulder. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Mister Bug and Chat Noir. Give me over your miraculouses!"
"Never!" Mister Bug wasted no more time in striking out with his yoyo, but it was blasted away by another beam of orange soundwaves.
"Now, Fang!" The dragon rolled over in the air and sent the two superheroes plummeting towards the earth.
Mister Bug threw his yoyo again and it wrapped around the top of a nearby building. Mister Bug braced for the now familiar jerk as he reached the end of the string and threw out an arm and caught Chat Noir around the middle, knocking the air out of him as they swung to the ground.
"So that went well for us," Chat Noir said when he caught his breath. "Although I do love it when you manhandle me." He batted his eyelashes, leaning closer on his stick. Mister Bug shot him an annoyed look, meeting his slit pupiled eyes with a frown.
"Focus," he snapped. "I need this over quickly."
"My Uncle always says haste makes waste, you know."
Mister Bug ignored him, but he did grab him again, pulling the two of them off their feet and back toward the fight.
They landed back on the dragon's back again, this time Mister Bug left his yoyo wrapped around the dragon to keep them steady, and if Chat Noir held onto him a little tighter than was necessary he didn't comment.
"What's next?"
"Attack him! His akuma must be in the guitar!"
Chat Noir wasn't too sure about the 'walk right across the back of a flying crocodile dragon' thing, but if that's what Mister Bug thought was best he was more than happy to give it a try. It wasn't as if there were too many other options up here, anyway.
Carefully, he let go of Mister Bug and began edging his way over Fang's back, knees bent to brace against the rise and fall of the dragon as it beat its wings. He got about halfway towards Guitar Villain before he lost his nerve and lunged the rest of the way, but something caught Guitar Villain's attention and Fang swerved, sending Chat Noir sailing over the edge toward the pavement.
He caught himself between two roofs, dangling above the street with his stick, watching as Mister Bug and Guitar Villain continued on over him. He sighed. "We really aren't killing it today." Chat Noir retracted his stick and flipped to the ground.
"Why don't you come down here and fight me, Guitar Villain?" Chat Noir challenged as he chased after him.
"Why would I do that when I can just fight you from up here?" He asked, sending another wave of headbanging music toward him.
He didn't seem to notice Mister Bug creeping up behind him, so Chat Noir kept doing his best to keep him distracted. While Chat Noir leaped and bounced and bounded off the walls and roofs around him to dodge the beams of music, Mister Bug leaped forward and tried to snatch the guitar away from Guitar Villain. At the last minute Guitar Villain caught sight of movement in the corner of his eye and shot a wave of orange sound at Mister Bug, sending him careening through the air.
Chat Noir bounded forward to try to catch him, but he was too far and too slow. Mister Bug slammed into the side of a building so hard the brick cracked. Another wave of sound slammed into him when he started to peel away from the wall, knocking him back again. Chat Noir shouted in alarm as the torrent of sound finally relented and Mister Bug dropped to the ground, dead weight.
Panic lancing through him, Chat Noir shot forward faster than he would have thought possible, arms extended. He hit his knees painfully beneath Mister Bug just in time to catch him clumsily and keep him from hitting the sidewalk. He screamed in pain as his knees cracked with the impact. Mister Bug collided with his chest and he grunted, awkwardly forcing his throbbing knees to support both their weights.
He staggered underneath all the weight and pain, barely making it three steps into a nearby alleyway before he collapsed again, Mister Bug stirring against his chest.
"Mister Bug, Mister Bug, are you alright?" He gasped desperately.
"I'm fine," Mister Bug managed between coughs. He tried to get to his feet, only to be yanked back down by Chat Noir.
"Huh uh, No way. Not until you can breathe again. What is with you today, you're never this reckless!"
"I need this over quickly!" Mister Bug snapped, jerking his hand away and getting back to his feet. His heart clench as he imagined his uncle and brother sitting and waiting in Le Grand Paris, growing more worried, and more angry.
"It will take longer if you keep being this sloppy! Do it right the first time, we're both already injured and neither of us has landed a single hit!"
Mister Bug gave him a sharp look, eyes travelling from the look of mixed concern and anger to where he was still sitting crookedly on the ground even as he lectured Mister Bug, who was standing. Chat Noir was right, in his rush to repair the evening and avoid getting into trouble again he'd failed in his duties as a superhero, and endangered not only his partner, but all of Paris. He'd known since the beginning that this role would come at a personal cost. He forced his personal feelings out of his mind.
"I apologize for my behaviour, Chat Noir. You're right. My behaviour was inexcusable, I have not been thinking clearly. You were hurt saving me, how are your knees?"
He knelt next to his partner, reaching out to touch the joint. Chat Noir let out a little pained noise when he squeezed the joint and he looked up in alarm.
"Are you okay?"
"Fine, I'm fine!" Chat Noir said quickly, nervously brushing his hands away. He reached behind his back for his stick and used it to push himself to his feet. He winced as his legs started to take weight, but he didn't sway, so Mister Bug decided to take his word for it. It's not like he could do it without Chat Noir anyway, a fact he would take better care to remember that in the future.
"So, what do you think we should do?" Mister Bug was momentarily stunned speechless by a series of emotions he couldn't name, after all he'd done today, Chat Noir still trusted his judgement and believed he would make sound decisions.
"I am not familiar with Jagged Stone, what do you think?" Mister Bug asked, another apology. I trust you too.
"I think he's heading to the Kids Plus TV building. His rival, Mister X Y, is on air there right now, and he's said some pretty nasty things about Jagged."
"You think he wants revenge?"
"Yeah, Mister X Y acted like a real asshole. We should call them now and tell them what's going on, we need to hide X Y."
"Alright, lead the way."
Chat Noir hesitated for a beat more before holding out a hand to Mister Bug. "You can get us there faster. Time is of the essence, right? I'll tell you the way."
Mister Bug took his hand, and just like that the two of them were off. While they swung across the city, wind whistling around them, Chat Noir pulled out his stick and used it to call ahead to warn the staff what was going on. Mister Bug watched the massive screen on the side of the building and several seconds after Chat Noir hung up Mister X Y walked off screen and credits rolled over the image of an empty studio.
Mister X Y was exiting the building right as the two of them landed at the front door.
"Mister X Y, you're in danger, we need to get you to safety, there's a super villain after you."
"So?"
"So you need to hide! Guitar Villain wants revenge!"
"What's he going to do, pulverise me with his evil guitar solo?" X Y asked snidely.
"Yes!" Mister Bug and Chat Noir replied together.
"Well I'm not sca-" the rest of his sentence was cut off when Fang barreled into him, capturing him in his mouth as he streaked past where the two superheroes stood, momentarily stunned, left only with the sounds of Guitar Villain's maniacal laughter.
"Let's go!" Chat Noir shouted, following Guitar Villain towards the Eiffel Tower.
Fang dropped X Y onto the highest deck on the Eiffel Tower with a reptilian smile. Guitar Villain strode down the crocodile dragon's long snout, smirking at Mister X Y's frightened whimpers.
"Now that I've finally got you, Mister X Y, are you ready for a show?"
"Are you… Jagged Stone?"
"Not anymore. Now I'm Guitar Villain. But don't worry, you don't deserve to come one of my fans, I have something much better in mind for you. Something with a little rock n roll!" His smile didn't reach his glaring eyes.
"No!" Mister X Y cried, skittering to his feet and fleeing as far as he could on the small platform.
Several blocks away Mister Bug and Chat Noir paused on a rooftop to assess the situation.
"Well, that rescue mission went great."
"It's not our fault he was being stubborn."
"Hm, I know a stubborn person," Chat Noir joked under his breath. Mister Bug glared at him.
"What? I meant my brother!"
"Oh, sorry, my brother says that about me."
"Well, he's right, I just wasn't going to say anything."
Mister Bug huffed in indignation and leapt toward the Eiffel Tower, leaving a chuckling Chat Noir in his wake.
As they crossed the Ponte D'Iena Mister Bug glared at the crowd assembled at the base of the Eiffel Tower. Didn't they know enough to evacuate? Or had they all been taken over by the powerful (and admittedly impressive) guitar solo Guitar Villain was currently playing from atop the highest platform on the Eiffel Tower.
"Can't they get out of here?" Chat Noir grumbled, apparently on the same line of thought as Mister Bug.
In addition to being liabilities, Mister Bug had never fought in front of such a large crowd before, and his earlier failings were still fresh in his mind. Was this what stage fright felt like?
Ignore them. They're not here, just like your recitals, or fencing tournaments.
The crowd road beneath them as they climbed the tower, heading for the observation deck.
"Hello, Paris!" Guitar Villain shouted to a cacophony of cheers, contradicting Mister Bug's theory that they were held in place by magic. Were they all really just… so oblivious to the danger here? Did they think this was a publicity stunt?
Actually, given what little information on the man he'd absorbed from listening to Wei Ying's excited rambling, that might not have been too far fetched.
The guitar solo stopped and Guitar Villain disappeared momentarily. A long wide plank of wood was extended from the platform and moments later Guitar Villain could be seen forcing Mister X Y down it's length backwards. The man's arms were bound tightly to his torso and he was obviously petrified of both Guitar Villain and the edge of the plank.
"You said your music is the only killer music around, right?" Guitar Villain growled, marching out onto the unsteady wood plank himself.
"I didn't mean it! We- we can do the duet in your style!"
"Too late! I'm going to show you what killer music really is! Ultimate solo!"
Guitar Villain began playing his guitar, banging his head back and forth violently, releasing a sound wave so powerful Mister Bug could hear the faint sounds of the plank beginning to crack underneath Mister X Y's feet. Mister Bug and Chat Noir were forced off their feet, stumbling under the force of the sound, clinging tightly to the steal beams of the Eiffel Tower to keep from tumbling hundreds of feet into the crowd.
Fang the dragon swooped through the air, unaffected.
"How are we going to get close?" Chat Noir shouted in his ear.
"We need to either use the dragon or get rid of it!"
Mister Bug Chat Noir's wrist with one hand and wrapped his yoyo around the dragon's snout with the other, pulling the two of them through the air. This time they both managed to land with sure feet. Mister Bug tightened the string around the dragon's mouth and set his feet against the ridged spine, face set in focus.
Chat Noir pressed in close, only for balance obviously, and gripped Mister BUg by the shoulders. He wanted to wrap his arms around his waist and hold him tightly, but he had the feeling that would be a touch too invasive.
"Looks like the bug tamed the dragon," he said instead of hugging Mister Bug tightly.
"Mn," Mister Bug replied as he pulled hard on one side of his makeshift reins, forcing Fang to sweep to the left. Chat Noir tightened his grip on Mister Bug's shoulder in preparation for whatever he was going to do next.
He was still wildly unprepared when Mister Bug flew Fang directly into the closer knit girders of the Eiffel Tower, lodging him in at the neck and flinging the two of them forward. They hit the opposite side of the tower painfully, groaning as they sat up.
"Well that worked I guess," Chat Noir commented. He took a moment to crack his neck before following Mister Bug, finally, up to the platform where Guitar Villain was still tormenting Mister X Y.
"Lucky Charm!" Mister Bug said when Chat Noir joined him.
A bottle of extreme hold hair spray fell into Mister Bug's outstretched hand as the guitar solo started picking up the pace.
"Are you going to do his hair?" Chat Noir asked sarcastically, surprised when Mister Bug frowned.
"Yes. Chat Noir, keep him occupied."
Chat Noir nodded. He leapt around the tower as Mister Bug climbed higher for a better vantage point.
Chat Noir leapt into the fight, leaping high and swinging down hard at Guitar Villain's head. If he could knock him out it would be easy enough to take away the akumatized object, but X Y locked eyes with him, alerting Guitar Villain to his attack at the last moment. He spun on the spot and blocked the aerial attack with the neck of his guitar before throwing his weight behind it and forcing Chat Noir back through the air. The plank wobbled dangerously beneath them as Chat Noir landed in a crouch, one hand lowered to the ground for balance as he slid all the way back until his boots hit the metal fencing of the Eiffel Tower.
"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir shouted, and for one wild moment Mister Bug thought he was going to destroy the plank they were standing on and send them all plummeting into the crowd below.
Instead he raised his claws to meet the orange wave of sound that Guitar Villain shot his way. He braced with his entire body, free hand holding onto his other wrist, wielding a single fist roiling with destructive energy against the akuma's attack. It didn't work. Chat Noir was thrown back against the fence in the same way Mister Bug had been slammed into the wall, pummeled between unstoppable sound and an immovable object.
Seeing his partner in need, Mister Bug stopped waiting for an opportune moment and leapt onto the plank himself. It shook violently from the impact, but Guitar Villain didn't even sway. (The same could not be said for Mister X Y, who shrieked and fell onto his bottom.) Guitar Villain shot another wave of the orange sound waves at Mister Bug. He dodged, but winced when he heard Chat Noir get hit again. Sorry, Chat Noir, he thought, but he didn't allow himself to become distracted.
Do it right the first time, Chat Noir had said.
So he did. Mister Bug ducked under the oncoming soundwave attacks and pulled up beside Guitar Villain, spraying the entire can of hairspray onto Guitar Villain's head until it was practically glued to his face.
"Ah, I can't see!" He shouted, bringing his hands to his face to claw at the hair.
The guitar clattered to the ground as the plank beneath their feet and finally started to fracture at its weakest point beneath Mister X Y. He screamed as it finally gave way and he started to fall. Mister Bug flicked his wrist carelessly and wrapped the yoyo around Mister X Y's abdomen and brought him down right on top of the guitar, snapping it's neck. Behind him he heard Chat Noir snort at his antics and he dropped his yoyo down beside him, opening up the glowing pink void within it.
He caught the akuma with a swing of his arm and released it with a press of his finger, murmuring "bye bye, little butterfly," to himself as it flew away.
He glanced around briefly at the state of the four of them, Jagged Stone now reverted to himself and looking confused, Chat Noir grinning but looking worse for wear, X Y still looking panicked, then threw the red and black spotted hairspray into the air above him.
"Miraculous Ladybug!"
The magical ladybugs deposited the four of them onto the observation tower, returning the plank back to wherever Guitar Villain had found it.
"Pound it!" Chat Noir said, looking proud. Mister Bug brushed his knuckles against his partners, nodding once.
"What's he doing here? He's crazy!" Mister X Y said, scrabbling away rather pathetically from Jagged Stone, who stood proud and upright.
"Thank you," he said, tossing his hair.
Mister Bug sighed, glad to finally have finished the fight, before realizing, with dawning horror, that the sun had fully set. It was well past 7:30.
"Mister Bug, are you alright?" Chat Noir asked, looking concerned as Mister Bug's face fell.
"I missed dinner… and curfew," he managed, forcing his breathing steady. He swallowed the lump in his throat with much difficulty. Even Jagged Stone was looking concerned by his expression, and wasn't that concerning.
"Your family is strict, isn't it?" Chat Noir asked, looking worried. All Mister Bug could manage was a nod. Chat Noir placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know it must be hard, not being able to complain to anyone about getting in trouble for saving the world, so how about this: tonight at nine thirty, we'll both transform and you can call me to tell me how it went. It's always easier when you have someone to talk to, right?"
Mister Bug nodded once before he had realized what Chat Noir had said, and before he knew it he was being pulled in for a hug. Mister Bug patted his back awkwardly before pulling away and saying he really needed to get home now. Hope, foolish hope perhaps, made him swing by Le Grand Paris to see if Xichen and Uncle were still in the dining room, waiting. They weren't. The fight had lasted hours.
Mister Bug dropped into an alleyway near his home and transformed back. He and Tikki exchanged a severe look. There was no point pretending to have been home the whole time, his room would have been checked when they got home.
"I'll be with you, Wangji," Tikki had said. Wangji nodded, then braced himself and strode into the courtyard.
He kept his breathing even as he mounted the steps, keys already in his hand to open the door when it swung open and his brother flung himself out of the door and threw his arms around Wangji's neck. This reception differed enough from his expectation that he stumbled back a step before righting himself.
As quickly as the hug had started, however, Xichen was pulling back, glaring with eyes full of furious (worried?) tears.
"Where have you been?" He asked, voice harsher than it had ever been.
Wangji reeled, thrown off by the hot and cold reaction so that he fumbled with his prepared story.
"I-" What had the story been?
"You went chasing after the akuma again, didn't you?" Xichen said, more accusation than question.
Yes. "I saw the dragon and-" transformed to fight it, "was worried about you and Uncle" about your reactions, "so I tried to get to you" tried to get to you quicker by fighting sloppily, "but things got worse and I was forced to reconsider" was forced to rethink my strategy "I could only make my way home once the akuma was defeated." The final words, at least, were blissfully truthful.
"If you saw the akuma you should have gone back in the house where it was safe! We were calling the landline for hours before the let us leave the restaurant. You would have known we were alright if you'd stayed put like you should have. Instead of running towards danger again."
Wangji tucked his hands behind his back to conceal their shaking. Never, in his entire life, had Xichen actually shouted at him before. They'd never even fought before he'd gotten his miraculous. He wished, briefly, to give it away to release this responsibility, but he shoved the thought away. When Tikki had offered him the Miraculous he'd known what the consequences would be and he'd accepted them. He could not go back on his word now.
"I apologize. I didn't mean to worry you, but you ended up worried anyway. I will accept punishment."
A flash of strong emotion he couldn't read flashed across his brother's face before it settled into something alarmingly blank. "Come on, come inside."
"How angry is Uncle?" Wangji asked, doing his best to keep his voice level. Xichen sighed, and at last Wangji recognized something familiar in his expression (pity, concern).
"Furious."
Wangji gave one stiff nod, then started up the stairs to his uncle's office. Xichen sighed again and Wangji remembered he was clenching his hands together behind his back, tight enough to leave bruises no doubt. With difficulty he unclenched his fingers and brought his fists down to his side as they reached the top of the stairs. Xichen reached out and placed a comforting hand on Wangji's shoulders. Wangji steeled himself again before entering his Uncle's office.
It was strange, Wangji thought one very unpleasant hour later, the things that would break you. He had stood, impassive, through his uncle's shouting, being called a disappointment, compared to his father, and the extension of his grounding. These things, though they had all hurt, had been expected and had not broken him. He bore them without complaint and with dry eyes.
It wasn't until his uncle sat heavily in his desk chair, looking very tired and suddenly much older, and said, in a gentle voice, "your dinner is being kept warm in the oven," without looking at him that Wangji's eyes started burning.
He stood now, staring down at the plate in the oven- one of their own, and somehow that made it worse, that his food had been transferred with care from whatever cheap plastic to go containers the restaurant used onto one of their own plates and left in the oven to warm rather than been shoved carelessly into the refrigerator.
So that he would have a warm meal waiting for him, whenever he returned home.
He took the plate from the oven, nearly dropping the plate due to his blurred vision, and sat alone at the kitchen counter, struggling against the hitches in his breath.
They'd gotten his favorite.
Wangji slipped out of his bed and into his bathroom, closing the door softly behind him. Tikki smiled warmly before he whispered his transformation words.
Chat Noir picked up on the second ring.
"Hey there, Bugaboo, how are you?" He asked, clearly shooting for normalcy.
"Don't call me that. I'm alright."
"How did it go?"
"Badly, they were furious. I'm grounded but…"
"But?" Chat Noir pressed gently.
"But they brought food home for me. My favorite. They put it on one of our plates-" his voice cracked and he hated himself for it, "and left it in the oven so it would still be warm when I got home." He was grateful beyond belief that Chat Noir could not see the way he flushed red as he failed to choke back tears, unable to explain why that detail affected him so.
"Oh, Bug. You know you don't have a choice about lying to them," Chat Noir said, somehow getting to the root of the matter without him having to say it. "They take care of you because they love you, and you protect the city they live in because you love them."
"I know, I just-" he started, pausing to get a hold of himself.
"It's hard."
"It's hard."
"I didn't think it would be this hard, either, to keep things from them. Like I keep things from my sister all the time. 'No, I didn't eat the last pop tart, no I didn't spill nail polish on your carpet, no I didn't take your eyeliner are you sure it isn't under your bed?'" Chat Noir broke off when he heard the quiet chuckle that Mister Bug hadn't been able to repress. "I did buy her new eyeliner."
"I'm sure she appreciated it."
"Mn. She cooked me soup even though I didn't deserve it because I was the eyeliner thief all along." Mister Bug smiled. Somehow he got the feeling that Chat Noir's sister did know he'd been the eyeliner thief and decided to make the soup anyway.
Like how Xichen and Uncle knew Wangji would refuse to promise this would never happen again, and they kept his food warm anyway.
"Are you close with your sister?" He asked, unable to stop himself.
He knew it was dangerous to know too much about one another, but sitting on the cold tile floor of his bathroom, talking in hushed tones so his brother wouldn't hear through their shared wall, he felt he could allow himself the small comfort of hearing his partner rave about someone he clearly loved dearly.
"Oh yeah! She's the best! My hero! Chat Noir's hero is his big sister! Is that silly?"
"No, my older brother has always been my hero as well," Mister Bug admitted.
"He won't stay mad forever. Not even my foul tempered younger brother stays mad at me for too long, and yours is much nicer when he's mad than mine is." He chuckled to himself, like he'd told some kind of joke.
"We lost our parents when we were young, he's looked out for me ever since." There was silence on the other end of the line for long enough that he thought he'd misspoke.
"It's the same for me. My parents died when I was little. I don't remember them. My current family adopted me."
"I'm sorry."
Mister Bug treasured the memories he had of his mother, he couldn't imagine not having them.
"Me too."
Wei Wuxian felt an odd mixture of heavy and light the next morning as he trod the path between his home and Le Grand Paris hotel. He knew how important keeping his identity a secret from Mister Bug was, for both of them. Had he overshared? Mister Bug hadn't said anything, but he'd also been emotionally compromised last night. Had Wei Wuxian taken advantage and pried into things Mister Bug hadn't wanted to talk about?
No. No, Mister Bug had offered the information about his parents, and Wei Wuxian had reciprocated. And besides, he thought, there were probably, sadly, a ton of orphans in Paris. Telling his partner that his parents had died when he was small hardly counted as endangering his secret.
He glanced down at the album cover in his hand and felt a smile twitch his lips. This was something he was proud of, and he was equal parts excited and nervous to show Jagged. On one hand, since he'd actually worked hard to produce something he was proud of it would probably kill him, but on the other hand, if Jagged loved it his soul might just leave his body, but like, in a good way.
His foot tapped impatiently against the elevator floor as he waited for the doors to open on Jagged Stone's floor and when they did he was almost too nervous to step into the hallway. He wished Yanli was here. Or Lan Zhan. Or Mister Bug. The first knock on the door was embarrassingly faint, and he had to take a moment to steel himself before knocking again. (Not like a coward this time.)
Penny opened the door and he was immediately starstruck by her awesomeness.
"Hello Miss Penny!" He exclaimed, grinning.
"Good Morning, Wei Wuxian, please come in, you're right on time!" She led Wei Wuxian over to the red velvet couch where Jagged Stone reclined comfortably, smiling warmly at him. Bob Roth was looking sour, but Wei Wuxian ignored him.
"What have you got for me this time?" Jagged asked, looking nothing like the villain who had tried to straight up murder someone last night. (Other akuma's had wanted to be mayor, or for people to be nice to birds, but not Jagged. No, he had wanted to kill.)
Wei Wuxian held out the album with bated breath, biting back a smile as Jagged's face lit up.
"Oh yeah, you did it, son!"
Wei Wuxian grinned.