After coming home late from the fight with Guitar Villain, Wangji's interactions with his family had been strained. Uncle was very clearly still furiously disappointed, and Xichen was stiff with Wangji's refusal to promise that it would never happen again. His late night conversation with Chat Noir had made him feel better at the time, but after nearly a week of walking on eggshells around his family his mood was starting to flag.
He had made up his mind to reach out to Xichen. As angry as he might be, he would never turn down an offered olive branch. So, Wangji hovered outside the closed kitchen door, already dressed for the day and scolding himself for his hesitation. Xichen would always welcome Wangji's company, no matter what, he knew that like he knew his own name. But his fingers still hovered above the door handle. Wangji didn't want to sit in the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between them; he wanted to sit in their usual comfortable silence.
They were different silences. They just were.
Reminding himself that just under a week ago he had wrangled a dragon, Wangji forced himself to push open the door, only barely hesitating when Xichen met his eyes.
"Wangji, I assumed you'd already eaten breakfast."
"Not yet, I wanted to eat with you." He was glad he'd managed to look up when he'd said it, because he was able to see the softening of his brother's expression.
"I would love that." He waited long enough for Wangji to eat his food and sit next to him before speaking again. "Was Wei Wuxian very excited when Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen were transferred into your class?"
"Very," Lan Wangji replied, thinking back to Wei Wuxian's excited shriek and Professor Ouyang's indignant squawk. "He was very disruptive all day."
Xichen laughed. "I had imagined he would be. After Professor Shen's sudden retirement I had considered moving them into a different class, but then I thought he might be even more disruptive if he found out he could have been in their class and missed out."
"Probably."
"Your class is staying after school to film a movie for the Paris Ameteur Film festival right?"
"Mn."
"Are you in the movie?"
"No, I was nominated to be producer on the grounds of having a 'responsible face.'"
"That sounds like something Wei Wuxian would say."
Wangji nodded. It had been Wei Ying's idea. "Wei Ying is playing the leading role alongside Nie Huaisang."
"Those two are sure to have great chemistry," he said, shooting Wangji a teasing look. Wangji returned him an unamused look.
"Luo Qingyang was also nominated, but she refused. She said she didn't trust anyone else to be the camera person, as she was the only one with experience."
"That's fair. She has become the number one source of news about Mister Bug and Chat Noir, and her footage is often used by mainstream news footage."
"She was very excited the first time it happened, it was all she talked about for a week."
"It's very impressive for a girl of her age to have risen to prominence in National Media like this. I imagine it will be very helpful on her college applications."
"Mn."
Xichen continued to chat, mostly one-sidedly, while Wangji ate until it was time for them to leave. Wangji placed his dishes in the sink to deal with later; it was such a relief to have the tension between the two of them gone. He would have to let Wei Ying and Chat Noir know about the change, lest the two of them worry.
Wangji smiled to himself at the thought of the two of them, he'd never imagined having this many friends to worry over him.
Wei Ying was waiting on the steps for him when Lan Xichen pulled into the parking lot. His mouth stretched into a grin when he saw the two of them interacting warmly as they got out of the car. He threw an arm around Wangji's shoulder, grinning, and leaned in to murmur into his ear.
"It looks like you two are getting along again!"
"Mn," Wangji replied, heedless of the involuntary shudder that traveled down his spine.
"That's great! And you're ungrounded the day after tomorrow, right? All you have to do is not chase after akumas for like two more days!"
Easier said than done, Wangji thought bitterly, thinking of the akumatization calendar in his Hawkmoth Notebook. So far akuma's had been appearing in a frequency of about once a week, and Wangji had begun to theorize about the recharge time for Hawkmoth's power. No akuma had appeared this week, and he was starting to grow antsy waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"Have a good day, Wangji! Good luck with your movie!"
"Thank you, Xichen."
"You two are so cute when you're getting along! Much nicer than me and my shit eater brother!"
"Shut the fuck up," Jiang Wanyin snapped, proving his point.
Lan Zhan stood frozen halfway between his brother's office and the door to his classroom. He'd eaten with the Jiang's everyday this week, and it had been wonderful to spend extra time with Wei Ying, despite Jiang Wanyin's entire personality, not to mention Jiang Yanli was lovely. Wei Ying was standing nearby, looking expectantly at him. He'd enjoyed watching Wei Ying talk animatedly to his siblings so much that he could feel his resolve starting to crack already but…
"Next time then?" Wei Ying asked, catching sight of the way he glanced back at Xichen's door. Wangji nodded gratefully.
He hadn't gotten to eat with his brother for a week (not that he'd been turned away, just that he'd wanted to avoid that tense silence) and he wanted to join him in his office again today to assure himself that everything really was back to normal.
Wangij stepped into his brother's office and stopped in his tracks when he saw the skype window with an image of Jin Guanyao pulled up on Xichen's screen. He held back his frown as Xichen lit up, fork paused halfway to his mouth.
"Wangji, I wasn't expecting to see you today! Come in!" He said, interrupting what had sounded like Jin Guangyao complaining about his terrible father. "A-Yao, I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll call you later?"
"It's fine, we'll talk later." The call cut out and Xichen closed the window as Wangji stepped further into the room, eyes still on the computer screen.
"I could eat with Wei Ying if-"
"No, no, it's fine. I can talk to A-Yao later. I'm sorry, I would have waited if I knew you were coming."
"It's no problem," Wangji said, sitting down, one eye still warily on the computer screen.
He had the feeling that the polite thing to do would be to ask about Jin Guanyao's health, since he had accidentally interrupted their lunch meeting (date?). Lan Wangji didn't ask.
Given the faint horror Wangji felt in regard to everything to do with Xichen's (maybe?) love life, he couldn't fathom Xichen's apparent delight in sticking his nose into Wangji's (non-existent) love life. He was always perfectly happy to bring up Wangji's unconfessed (and unadmitted) feelings and gently push him toward Wei Ying whenever humanely possible.
In contrast Wangji only had the vaguest of senses about Xichen. He knew he had stopped talking about Nie Mingue at around the same time he'd started talking about Jin Guangyao. He knew Nie Mingue and Jin Guangyao were feuding over something despite having been close for years before, and he could never quite bring himself to ask if the thing that they were feuding over was Xichen himself. Or even if his relationship with Jin Guangyao was a romantic one.
"I had expected you to be eating with Wei Wuxian today," Lan Xichen said, sticking his nose in like he'd somehow known Wangji had just been thinking about him doing that.
"He invited me, but I wanted to eat with you today."
Xichen softened as he heard the unsaid second half of that sentence.
"I'm sorry I've been so hard on you. I can't imagine what I'd do if something happened to you."
"I know, Xichen," Wangji said, eyes on his plate.
"It'll try to keep my head better in the future, if you promise you'll be more careful," Xichen said, trying to catch Wangji's eye.
"I will," Wangji said honestly. He'd been thinking all week on how best to avoid worrying his family without neglecting his duties to Paris. He was going to be very careful indeed.
"Well in that case, a truce?" Xichen extended his hand, an overly serious look on his face. Wangji felt the corner of his mouth twitch as he took Xichen's extended hand.
"A truce."
Not for the first time he wished that he could tell Xichen the truth, but Tikki insisted that Wangji's identity had to remain a secret, even from his family, even from Chat Noir. Hopefully one day, after Hawkmoth was defeated, he would be able to tell them everything. Until then he had to bear the burden of the mantle he'd chosen.
Several minutes later the bell rang and Wangji left his brother to his work and heading back to class.
"You look like you're in a good mood," Wei Ying commented when they met at the door for their next class.
"Mn. Xichen and I agreed to an official truce."
Wei Ying roared with laughter. "You two are so cute."
The sounds of Nie Huaisang's screams bounced off the stone walls of the classroom as their class heaved a collective sigh of exasperation. Wangji didn't sigh with them, but it was a near thing.
"Come on Huaisang, that's fifteen takes you've ruined! How hard is it to not scream like a little girl when something you know is going to happen happens?" Luo Qingyang asked.
Somewhere around take four Xichen had stuck his head into the classroom to check in about the terrified screaming and be sure they weren't murdering each other or something.
"I'm sorry, it's just so scary and loud! Maybe it's Wei Wuxian's fault for drawing such scary concept art!"
"That, at least, he had a point about. The concept art Wei Ying had drawn of their monster, Horrificator, was truly unnerving. A great slimy gelatinous monster with enormous jagged fangs that couldn't contain the disgusting ooze from inside its mouth. Wangji had wondered if Wei Ying intended to put the piece into their art show next week. However, with the way the piece had simply been taped onto a face mask that Su She was wearing it hardly looked frightening in combination with his poorly crafted costume (courtesy of Jin Zixuan).
"Come on, Huaisang, we need you to keep it together! You wanted to be the lead, so be the lead!" Jiang Wanyin said.
"I didn't think it would be this scary!"
"It's a horror movie! We only have until tomorrow!" Luo Qingyang said.
"Perhaps we could take the art off the mask," Lan Wangji suggested.
"Here," Wei Wuxian reached out and took the mask from Huaisang, gently peeling the art off and handing it to Lan Wangji. He took it carefully and set it to the side.
"Now let's get back to work! Horrificator Scene one, take sixteen, Action," Jiang Wanyin called, snapping his homemade clapper board.
Jiang Wanyin had been elected the Director because he had a very good stern (mean) voice.
"Listen to me, Officer Jones, I'm not afraid-AHHHH!" Nie Huaisang shrieked as Su She leapt up and roared at him again. Huaisang jumped back, a hand pressed to his chest as he struggled to catch his breath.
"And the Oscar for the most pathetic crybaby, afraid of his own shadow goes to Nie Huaisang!" Jin Zixun mocked. "Honestly, how are you the Police Chief's younger brother? He must be so ashamed of you."
Nie Huaisang gasped before turning to flee the room, tears streaming down his face. Wei Wuxian attempted to leap forward only to be caught by the shoulders by Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen.
"How about you shut your fucking mouth or I'll shut it for you!" Wei Ying roared, struggling against the hold of his friends.
"Oh, so what? He cried again, that's hardly unusual."
Jiang Wanyin's face was starting to turn red with rage, and having heard the stories of the violent temper tantrums he used to have as a child, Lan Wangji thought it best if he stepped in, lest Xichen walk in on them actually attempting to kill each other.
"Jin Zixun, that's enough!" Wangji snapped, gaining the attention of the entire classroom by the sheer incredulity that he'd actually raised his voice.
The exact moment that Jin Zixun remembered that he was talking to the headmaster's younger brother his mouth snapped shut with an audible click of his teeth. He sat down with a huff and Wangji turned to Wei Ying.
"Wei Ying, please calm down."
Wei Ying's wild expression softened considerably when his eyes landed on Lan Wangji, a fact that made Wangji's legs feel a lot like jelly, but he kept his face sternly neutral as Wei Ying slowly relaxed, sagging slightly against Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen.
"Fine," he replied eventually, pulling his arms sullenly away from the two holding him back. "What do you propose we do then, Lan Zhan? Huaisang ran away and you know what he's like, we'll never find him if he doesn't want to be found."
"I can do it," Jin Zixuan said haughtily.
Wangji had the distinct impression that he'd made Huaisang cry for this exact reason.
"Sorry, but the ugliest thing on screen should be the monster," Wei Wuxian said nastily.
"You son of a bitch," Jin Zixun snapped, "I'm better looking than all of you!"
"As if," Wei Ying said, crossing his arms. "I bet you're just hoping that when you kiss me you'll turn from that awful toad face you've got to a handsome prince!"
"Kiss you? Who the hell says I want to kiss you?"
"Didn't you even read the script, idiot?" Jiang Wanyin asked. "The play ends with a kiss between Agent Smith and Officer Jones."
"Kiss? I didn't write that," Song Lan said, flipping through his copy of the script.
"I did," Xiao Xingchen admitted sheepishly, smiling at his boyfriend. "I just thought it needed a little romance!"
"You think everything needs romance," Wei Ying said fondly.
"Why doesn't Lan Wangji do it?" Luo Qingyang suggested.
Lan Wangji hadn't thought it was possible for six words to elicit such a visceral panic in him. He stood, rooted to the spot, as the implications of those words reached his brain.
Kiss Wei Ying.
They wanted him to kiss Wei Ying.
Wei Ying, leaning in close, eyes falling shut, lips parting- Wangji was jerked from this line of thought by Wei Ying throwing his arm around Wangji's shoulder, forcing his already poor overworked brain even further into hyperdrive. Surely from this distance Wei Ying could feel the heat radiating from his ears.
"That's such a great idea! Didn't you guys see how cool he was when he fought Darkblade! He was totally like an action hero!"
"Are you kidding me? He's so stiff!" Jin Zixun protested.
"Yeah, but unlike you, Lan Wangji is handsome," Luo Qingyang said, throwing a disgusted look at Jin Zixun.
Wei Ying cackled and stuck his tongue out at Jin Zixun, mercifully straightening to stand on his own and freeing Lan Wangji's brain up for a bit more panicking.
He couldn't kiss Wei Ying. Not right here, not right now. Not in front of these people his brother included. He couldn't kiss Wei Ying without first having confessed his feelings. He wouldn't be able to hide them if he did this, and then it would ruin the relationship they had, Wangji's most important friendship, and then he'd have nothing again.
But at the same time, he wanted so badly to kiss Wei Ying.
He felt himself being helped into Agent Smith's jacket and he was led, rather helplessly, to Wei Ying's side. He heard, as if through water, Jiang Wanyin calling out the movie name and take number.
Lan Wangji was startled from his trance by the harsh sound of the clapper board.
"Ah, yes, a film shoot. The scenarios are fake, but this young man's fear and despair are very, very real."
Hawkmoth flicked open the glass dome on his cane and allowed his white butterfly to flap over to his palm. He closed his fingers around it, watching as the black light condensed between his fingers. He unfurled his hand to allow the pitch black akuma to take flight and stood on his tip toes to reach the latch with the end of his cane and let the akuma out of the window.
"Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize this misunderstood artist!"
"Why are you so easily frightened?" Nie Huaisang whispered to himself. His fingers clenched painfully around the porcelain of the sink, his shoulders shaking. "Why are you such a coward? Why can't you just be brave, like Da-ge?"
He hung his head, staring at the slightly gross drain of the public school sink, so he didn't see when the little black butterfly fluttered into the room and landed on his fan shaped hair clip, absorbing into the alloy and turning it black as night.
Nie Huaisang's head was forced back by the glowing purple butterfly outline, revealing to him the image of a masked man gazing dolefully at him.
"Horrificator, my name is Hawkmoth. Up until now you have felt fear, but now you will cause fear. All I need in return are the miraculouses of Mister Bug and Chat Noir."
"Okay, Hawkmoth," Nie Huaisang- Horrificator- replied, and was consumed by black light.
"This is so stupid!" Jin Zixun shouted, startling most people in the room. "He's so stiff! You can't seriously be thinking of actually casting him as the lead! We'll never get into the competition like this!"
"How about you shut up and sit down?" Jiang Cheng snapped.
Jin Zixun stormed out of the room, likely to place a call to his uncle to complain.
"Alright, Horrificator scene one, take seventeen," Jiang Cheng said.
Lan Zhan tried to put on a determined face as he turned to face Wei Ying, both of them holding up ridiculous water guns.
"Agent Smith, it's too dangerous, that monster could be anywhere!"
"I'm not afraid of that monster, Officer Jones-" Lan Wangji replied.
Even to his own ears the words sounded stilted and unnatural, but already Wei Ying was leaning in for their scripted kiss, his eyes falling shut. Lan Wangji's breathing stopped altogether as his heart turned over in his chest. In his panic he froze momentarily before lurching suddenly forward. His hands found their way to Wei Ying's shirt on their own, his water gun clattering to the ground as he was drawn closer by Wei Ying's hand on his waist.
A blood curdling sheik tore through the air and dragged Wangji back into reality. He wrenched away from Wei Ying, heart hammering, and hoped that no one had heard the frankly humiliating alarmed sound he had just made.
"What the hell was that?" Jin Zixuan asked, taking a step forward.
"We should check it out," Wei Ying said, wasting no time in striding out of the classroom.
Wangji followed him out, a bad feeling churning in his gut. His mind wandered once again to his akuma calendar. Luo Qingyang rushed out as well, eagerly filming everything. Wei Ying and Wangji came to a halt in front of a large pile of goo. Next to the goo lay Jin Zixun's phone, a half dialed phone number still displayed ominously on the screen.
"Something's not right here, this stuff isn't natural," Wei Ying said, sticking a finger directly into the substance without warning.
"I'll go get Xichen," Wangji said, turning on his heel and striding away.
He noticed, suddenly, that the school was too quiet. Even though school was over there were usually a few students straggling about, trying to complete extra-curricular activities. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he entered his brother's office, unable to shake the feeling he was being watched.
There was no doubt, however, that there was an akuma on the loose.
He was dismayed, though not entirely surprised, to find the office empty of anything besides a pile of goo. His fist clenched as Tikki flew out of his pocket to face him.
"Why are you taking off your shoe?" She asked as he began loosening his laces.
"I need them to believe that whatever has taken Xichen and Jin Zixun has also taken me so they won't question my absence."
"Now Wei Wuxian is missing too?" A voice called from the hall, momentarily distracting Wangji from his shoe. "What are we going to do?"
Wangji dropped his shoe on the ground, steeling himself as he straightened. "Tikki, Spots on!"
"We need to stay together," Mister Bug said, startling the group quite badly. They whirled, faces pale, then visibly relaxed when their eyes landed on the superhero of Paris. "You all need to evacuate while Chat Noir and I handle this."
"Not going to happen, Bugaboo," Chat Noir said, elevating into view on his stick nonchalantly, ignoring the stairs right next to him. "This goop has sealed us in and once it's dry it appears to be totally uncuttable. I already tried."
"Unfortunate."
"So we're trapped?" Xiao Xingchen asked, reaching for Song Lan's hand.
"May I have a sidebar?" Chat Noir asked, stepping onto the landing and steering Mister Bug further away from the group with a hand on his shoulder. "So how are things with your family?" He asked once they were out of earshot.
"Chat Noir, we're in the middle of an akuma attack," Mister Bug said, trying to appear stern despite the warmth suffusing his chest.
"Yeah, I noticed. Tell me."
"Better. My brother and I made up, though my Uncle is still being difficult."
Chat Noir smiled, relieved. "Good. I was worried about you."
"I appreciate the concern. How are your siblings?"
"My brother is no doubt annoyed at me for disappearing, but that's his natural state so we'll be alright."
"I'm relieved to hear it, may we discuss the akuma now?"
"You've got a one track mind, sir. Of course. I was thinking that we shouldn't stash the student's anywhere and leave them unattended. If the akuma found them they'd have everything all at once."
"Agreed. We shouldn't split up when we don't know what or where the enemy is." Mister Bug cast a look out at the gelatinous membrane that covered the open air skylight and windows, locking them in.
"I don't like being trapped in either," Chat Noir said, following his gaze.
"So what's the plan?" Luo Qingyang asked, giving up on pretending that she wasn't slowly sidling closer to them to catch their conversation on camera.
"We're sticking together," Chat Noir said. "We need to look for the students who have gone missing and try to find the akuma before it finds us."
"My brother is missing," Jaing Wanyin pipped up, voice annoyed but his brow furrowed and jaw set.
"And Lan Wangji hasn't come back from visiting his brother," Luo Qingyang put in.
"Well, let's check the headmaster's office first. Which way is it?" Chat Noir asked.
Mister Bug opened his mouth to answer, then snapped it shut again. It wouldn't do to seem too familiar with the layout of the school. Luo Qingyang replied instead and Mister Bug scolded himself for nearly giving something away.
Mister Bug and Chat Noir lead the way into the headmaster's office and Chat Noir's gaze immediately fell on Lan Wangji's discarded shoe.
"Uh-oh. This abandoned show seems like a bad omen," he said, hooking his claws through the laces and dangling it aloft for everyone to see.
"I think that's Lan Wangji's," Luo Qingyang put in. "Wei Wuxian asked him how he keot his shoes so clean this morning and he just said 'soap' and Wei Wuxian laughed for like five minutes."
"A riveting, though unnecessary story, thank you Miss Luo," Chat Noir said, setting Wangji's shoe down on the desk.
"We should search the rest of the school for clues," Mister Bug said.
The students followed Mister Bug and Chat Noir out of the classroom and down the stairs into the courtyard, the only sounds their hushed breath and quiet footsteps on the stairs. The membrane overhead cast a strange light on everything, making it all slightly pink.
They reached the ground floor and huddled together near the middle, all looking around tensely for clues, the students all hesitant to stray too far from the superheroes.
An eerie growl echoed off the walls and the students shouted in alarm, all pressing closer together as Mister Bug and Chat Noir readied themselves. The shadows beneath the landing shifted and several of the students screamed as the akuma showed itself to them for the first time.
Mister Bug took a step back in surprise. Impossible. This can't be happening. Beside him Chat Noir looked equally as stunned, but no doubt for different reasons. The akuma in front of them was Horrificator, the monster from their movie, the monster from Wei Ying's drawing. How could Hawkmoth have known? Could the akuma have been someone from their class?
Nie Huaisang?
Horrificator growled and threw its head back, roaring as the students screamed. The beast glowed and grew several feet taller. Mister Bug narrowed his eyes, spinning his yoyo so fast it was no more than a blur of light by his side. He'd seen something like this before, with Stoneheart. That akuma had grown in response to being attacked, but obviously this akuma was different. What was powering it?
The monster turned toward Luo Qingyang, who held her phone in front of her face, face entirely too excited for someone in grave danger. She stood her ground, not flinching when Horrificator roared so loudly in her face that her hair was blown away from her face.
"That was so cool, what a great shot!" She cheered, grinning, as an exasperated Chat Noir dragged her out of danger.
Horrificator, as much as a terrifying goo monster with enormous fangs could, looked rather put out, and shrinked several feet.
"It's fear that gives it it's power!" Mister Bug called, drawing the creature's attention to him. "I'm not afraid of you!"
Horrificator lashed it's long tail out and snatched Xiao Xingchen up, turning to flee as Mister Bug cast out his yoyo and wrapped it around Horrificator's arm, sprinting across the room and sliding between its legs to wrap the wire around a column and pull hard, yanking Horrificator's torso in his direction and opening it up to the oncoming attack of Chat Noir.
Horrificator turned and spat a long stream of goo at Chat Noir, flinging him backwards and effectively glueing him to the railing. Mister Bug started, eyes following Chat Noir, and Horrificator took advantage of his distraction to spin on the spot, dragging Mister Bug around and around until finally flinging him loose, throwing him at the basketball hoop. Mister Bug landed with his butt in the hoop and was promptly hit in the face with a torrent of goo that glued him in place.
Horrificator rounded on the students, growing in response to their fear. It leaned down, peering closely at Jiang Wanyin's face, sniffing curiously. It titled it's head slightly, then licked the entire length of his body like an oversized puppy before snatching up Song Lan and making its escape with its two hostages.
"The more people fear it, the more powerful it gets!" Mister Bug called across the gap.
"Good note, but we need to get out of this sticky situation," Chat Noir called back.
He pressed a button on the handle of his stick and extended it all the way across the gap between them until it collided with the glass backboard of the basketball hoop. Cracks splintered out from the point of contact, then all at once the hoop shattered and Mister bug was thrown to the ground. Mister Bug managed to right himself and land with grace before he flicked out his yoyo and pulled Chat Noir down by the ankle.
He did a front flip in the air like he was showing off and landed perfectly. Without waiting another second Mister Bug sprinted after Horrificator, heading to the door it escaped through and trying, unsuccessfully, to forced it open,
"It's no use, it must have sealed the door, but did you see how it left Jiang C- Wanyin alone?" Chat Noir asked.
"I did."
"I think it's Nie Huaisang," Jiang Wanyin pitched in, running to their side, still trying to wipe off the akuma slobber. "No one else would have known what Horrificator looked like."
"Horrificator?" Mister Bug asked.
"The monster from the movie we're making. My brother drew some concept art for it and the akuma looks exactly like it, Nie Huaisang is the only person who was missing at the time who would know what that looked like, and he left the room in tears because Jin Zixun was bullying him."
"I see, that's a really good lead, Jiang Wanyin, does that also explain why the monster didn't attack you?"
"I'm his best friend!" Jiang Wanyin replied. "And, I think I know where the akuma's lair is."
"I… actually know where his secret hideaway is, I just keep telling Wei Wuxian I don't. He likes to hide out in the boiler room when he's upset or skipping class."
"What?" Chat Noir cried, then looked nervously between their two confused looks. "I mean, haha, isn't it dangerous there? Like all hot and stuff?"
"No?" Jiang Wanyin said, looking at Chat Noir like he was crazy.
"Well, that's good then, because we should check there first. Can you lead the way?"
The remaining members of the group trekked across the courtyard to the boiler room door.
"Stay behind us," Chat Noir said to the students, who all nodded.
Luo Qingyang was still filming, standing at the front of the group of students, eagerly waiting for Mister Bug and Chat Noir to open the door. Chat Noir shook his head, and reached forward, flicking open the door and leaping back so Mister Bug could jump in, yoyo spinning out in front of them all as a shield. When no attack came he began walking slowly forward.
It became apparent almost immediately that they were in the right place. There were cocoons of slime just large enough to fit a human sitting down in them everywhere, and a great many more hanging from the ceiling. This place was clearly some kind of nest where it had taken back it's hostages for safe keeping.
"Hello, can anyone hear me?" Chat Noir asked, eyeing the cocoons with some horror.
"Chat Noir, is that you?" Su She asked from inside the nearest membrane. Mister Bug felt a little bad for not realizing until that moment that he'd even been taken.
"Yes, is everyone here?"
"Headmaster Lan?" Mister Bug called out.
"I'm here! My brother?"
"He's here," Mister Bug said, looking around awkwardly. "What about Wei Wuxian?"
"He's over here," Chat Noir replied.
Horrificator rose from the shadows, growling and hissing, and the students all made uneasy whimpers, which only caused it to grow even bigger.
"Show it no fear!" Mister Bug shouted, stepping forward to better protect the students, Chat Noir mirroring him at his side.
Horrificator began shooting out torrents of slime, some of which the superheroes deflected and some of which they deflected. Mister Bug leapt forward to engage it directly in combat, swinging his yoyo viciously in an attempt to entrap or entangle it. While the two of them were distracted Chat Noir began collecting smaller slime globs and throwing them at Horrificator. Horrificator was enraged and forgot about Mister Bug to chase after Chat Noir.
"Lucky Charm!"
A flash of red and pink light; and a card of guitar strings fell into Mister Bug's outstretched hand.
"Guitar strings?" Mister Bug mused aloud. "Music?"
"Huaisang's song!" Jiang Wanyin called out from behind one of the large modules. Mister Bug and Chat Noir glanced over at him. "His brother used to sing it for him when he had nightmares! It might calm him down enough to shrink him!"
"That's a great idea! I've always wanted to start a band!" Chat Noir said.
"Chat Noir, trap it!"
"Cataclysm!" He leapt up onto the catwalk and sprinted around the room, dragging his claws across the many pipes running from the floor to the ceiling. They fell in rapid succession, caging Horrificator in the middle of the room.
While he did this Mister Bug gathered everything he could think of to improvise instruments and distributed them among the students.
"You are familiar with the song?" He asked Jiang Wanyin.
"Yeah."
"Good, then you will lead."
He handed an orange cone to Jiang Wanyin and then strung the strings through a broom to create a guitar like object that would have given his uncle a hernia.
"The song is… Smelly Wolf," Jiang Cheng elaborated with some trepidation.
"Are you all familiar?" Mister Bug asked. All the students nodded and Mister Bug was caught between relief and feeling left out, he'd never even heard of Smelly Wolf. "Very well."
"I'll count us off. One, two, three, Smelly Wolf, Smelly Wolf, stinky breathy and slimy drool-" the students sang.
Mister Bug watched carefully, sighing internally as Horrificator began to slowly shrink in size until it was small enough to slip through the bars. Curiously the akuma leapt into Jiang Wanyin's arms, who caught him with some amount of surprise.
"Oh, look, that hairpin, that has to be the akuma," he said, jerking his chin to the object that had been revealed once Horrificator had shrunken small enough.
The pin was easy enough to snap between his fingers and release the akuma. He snatched it up in his yoyo and purified it.
"Bye bye, little butterfly," he murmured as it flew away. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
The room was engulfed in a swarm of magical ladybugs that restored Nie Huaisang, freed the captives, and removed the akuma saliva from Jiang Wanyin's clothes.
Chat Noir extended his fist and Mister Bug was all too happy to brush his knuckles up against it.
"Pound it!"
The door burst open and Xichen strode in, his whole body relaxing when his eyes landed on Wangji leaned over and putting his shoe back on.
"Wangji!"
"Xichen, you're safe!" Wangji said, abandoning his shoe endeavors to accept his brother's hug. "I was worried when I found your office empty."
"And now you know what it feels like, Xichen said, with no small degree of smugness.
Wangji fixed him with a stern look and did not dignify that with a response. Xichen laughed and strode around the desk to sit in his chair.
"I hope this whole ordeal hasn't put your movie too off schedule."
"Luo Qingyang is in the computer lab with Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen stringing footage together. She filmed the entire attack and they're hoping to piece everything together into a movie."
"How fortunate."
"How disappointing," Xiao Xingchen said, sighing lightly.
"I can't believe the mayor had the audacity to call it a cheap replica villain that was a disgrace to filmmaking! That was a real akuma!" Luo Qingyang raged.
Lan Xichen sighed. "Well, there's always next week's art show to make a good impression on the city board of education."
"Headmaster Lan this is a disaster!" Luo Qingyang said, huffing angrily.
"You still have the footage for your Ladyblog, at least," he replied.
"Yeah, whatever, that's great."
Lan Wangji laid on his bed, scrolling slowly through the litany of messages Wei Ying had sent him throughout the weeks he'd been grounded, a soft smile gracing his lips.
Ah, LAN ZHAN MY SISTER MADE SOUP
YOU REALLY HAVE TO TRY IT SOMETIME
…
AHFSCDGJHDJS
MY BROTHER DUMPED WATER ON MY HEAD AGAIN THE BASTARD
…..
Do you think insects have feelings?
…..
Hey wouldn't it be cool if I could invent a new musical instrument?
….
Lan Zhan I know you're having a bad day so here's thirty three pictures of rabbits I found on the internet since I know you like them! (They're on your binder cover).
Lan Wangji sighed happily, observing every bunny picture carefully, before scrolling through the rest of the message and falling asleep with a smile on his face.
Nie Huaisang sat alone in his room, brand new journal open in front of him ready to be filled with new information, fingers tapping irritably on the desk.
He'd been akumatized this morning, and the last thing he remembered before coming to in the boiler room was the silver masked face of Hawkmoth, accompanied by a terribly familiar voice.
Did he really think I'd forget him? Nie Huaisang thought angrily, glaring down at the sketch he'd done of Hawkmoth. He'd elected not to share this with Mister Bug and Chat Noir just yet.
Slowly Nie Huaisang navigated to the City Hall Facebook page and pulled up the opening ceremonies for the new park that had just finished construction. Several members of City Hall had spoken, but Nie Huaisang was only interested in one.
Pressing play only confirmed his suspicions.
He was going to need a plan.