a/n: The second oneshot! This one was inspired by stories I've seen where Marinette has Jagged Stone call out Lila's lies by coming in to school. I wanted to do that, but with a bit of a twist :)

It was that time of the year again, when they talked about career paths and jobs to think about and explore at school. No one was expecting them to know exactly what they were going to do, but it was a chance for them to learn about other jobs outside of the ones their parents had. Their teachers talked about different careers in the field they taught, and they had the occasional presenter come in to talk about less common jobs that the students might want to consider.

And of course, along with those presentations, they asked students to invite parents or friends of the family to come in and talk about their jobs. Marinette had already had her dad come in the previous year and her mom's job was pretty much the same, which meant that if she wanted to have someone come in, she would have to ask another adult.

Lila, as might be expected, was making a big deal about the whole thing. Her mom was too busy to come in, naturally, and her dad was traveling out of the country- he had wanted her to come along, but she had wanted to stay with her friends, of course. Then she had asked Ladybug, because as her best friend, Lila had thought that she might have a chance. Lila had thought of Ladybug because of Alya, she had told her captivated audience, because she and Alya were such good friends and Lila had wanted to give Alya another chance to get an interview with the superhero since it had been a couple months since the last personal interview on the Ladyblog.

Unfortunately, Ladybug just couldn't spare the time to slip away from her regular life for a classroom presentation. That was a huge disappointment, of course, but maybe she could try again another time!

Marinette rolled her eyes as she listened. Alya was assuring Lila that that was understandable and that she really appreciated the attempt to get her an interview with Ladybug, and it was so sweet of her to try.

Just like always, Lila was claiming connections without anything to back it up and everyone was just lapping it up.

"I might ask Jagged Stone next, because I'm sure everyone would love to meet with him," Lila gushed, and everyone exchanged excited looks. "I mean, it's hard to know if he'll be able to come, since he's so busy and is always coming in and out of Paris, but I want to try for all of you!"

"Who wants to bet that Jagged Stone will be 'out of town'?" Adrien asked, sidling up to Marinette's side. "I mean, there's probably going to be at least a week's worth of 'oh, he's trying to clear his schedule' before she tells the class that."

Marinette glanced to the side. Adrien looked pretty downcast, and it was no wonder why. Last year, he had tried so hard to get his father to come, only to be disappointed. This year, he had tried to ask again, even asking if maybe Nathalie could just bring Mr. Agreste's tablet in and he could just give a short talk from the comfort of his office, but it was a no-go from the start.

Bringing an adult to talk wasn't a requirement, of course, but Adrien was definitely was feeling like the odd one out.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Marinette agreed. She glanced over at Lila, who was being assured by Rose that surely Jagged would do his best to come in for her. "And then it'll be a last-minute thing, and she'll feel so bad about letting everyone down-"

"-and everyone will rush over themselves to assure her that it's fine," Adrien finished. He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you're right. And if Jagged is in town, then she's going to claim that he has an appointment or something that he can't reschedule." He let out a long breath, glancing away. "She's not going to be the only one not bringing someone in. Father said no, and Nathalie apparently has a meeting to go to at that time, too, so she can't come."

Marinette felt bad for him. Having his adult figures being so flaky and unavailable, when Adrien was so eager to get that attention...that had to stink. Before she could try to comfort him, though, a thought struck her. "Wait, what about the Gorilla? He's bound to be free, right?"

Adrien worried his lip. "Yeah, but...Marinette, he can't talk. He's mute. There's no way that he could do a presentation."

"He could do a powerpoint!" Marinette pointed out. "With words on the slides. Then he wouldn't have to talk, just flip through the presentation. We wouldn't be able to do questions aside from yes or no ones, maybe, but that's fine. It might be worth asking."

Adrien had perked up, nodding. "Yeah! Okay, I'll ask and suggest that. I'll try not to get my hopes up because, well." He shrugged, and even though he was trying to hide it, Marinette could see the pain in his eyes. "My father's staff might be known for their punctuality when it comes to getting what he wants done, but not when it comes to what I want. The Gorilla is the best about that, though."

Marinette smiled as Adrien's enthusiasm returned. the light returning to his eyes as he considered how to ask the Gorilla. She was glad to be of help, of course, but now she had to figure out who she was going to ask to come in. Madam Chamack was a possibility, if she could get Alec to cover for her, and Alya would probably be super-excited to get to talk to an established reporter and maybe pick up some tips, but...

She shot another look in Lila's direction, trying not to scowl as Lila fluffed her hair and smiled at her audience. Truth be told, Lila's lies had given her an idea. It might not work, but, well, if it did...

It was worth a try.

As expected, Lila sadly announced to the class five days before their class's parent presentations that while Jagged Stone had done his best to be in Paris for their career day, his manager just wouldn't let him change his schedule around. He sent his regrets and wished them a rock 'n roll day, of course, but he just couldn't make it.

And also as expected, Lila shed crocodile tears over the fact that she now was the only person who wasn't going to have an adult coming in to present, only to have their other classmates rush to comfort her. It was understandable that she might have more trouble finding someone to could come in, because she hadn't been in the country long! Most of her contacts were scattered across the globe and had busy schedules, so they couldn't be expected to come in just for a classroom presentation. Because of time zones and busy schedules, none of them could Skype in either.

(Lila had glared at Marinette after she had made that (perhaps somewhat less than innocent) comment. Clearly she didn't appreciate someone trying to find a workaround to her lies and evasion.)

And then finally, finally, presentation day arrived.

"My presenter is going to be arriving late," Marinette told Ms. Bustier as soon as she arrived to class. "He'd like to go last, if that's all right?"

"That's fine," Ms. Bustier told her. "I think everyone else wants to do their presentation sooner rather than later so that they can get on with their day, so it actually works well. Are you sure that they'll be able to make it?"

Marinette nodded. "Yeah! Yeah, he'll probably arrive at school halfway through class and just wait in the hallway so that he doesn't interrupt, he said."

Ms. Bustier nodded in understanding, waving Marinette towards her seat as her attention moved on to the next couple adults entering the room. Marinette went, grinning at Adrien on her way.

The Gorilla had been more than happy to come in as Adrien's presenter, and Adrien had been over the moon when he told Marinette. Apparently his bodyguard was used to people not paying him much mind, so being asked was a real honor. He was happy, Adrien was happy, and Marinette was thrilled that her suggestion had turned out so well.

The day started out well, with a few parents starting the day off. Then there were a couple aunts and uncles, and then the Gorilla went. His normally stoic expression was clearly happy as he flipped through his presentation. A somewhat robotic voice read off the words on-screen for him, and he smiled even wider when his presentation ended and everyone applauded him.

Considering how long he had apparently worked for Mr. Agreste, Marinette wouldn't be surprised if he was used to going unappreciated.

There were two more presentations, and then it was Marinette's turn. She had texted her presenter as the previous person had wrapped up, and now she was watching as a shadow moved down the hallway towards the door. Everyone else turned to look as the handle turned, and then the door opened.

"Heya, kiddos!" Jagged Stone said cheerfully, sticking his head in. "Is this the right spot for my presentation?"

The great thing about Jagged Stone, Marinette reflected as "Uncle Jagged" very enthusiastically told the class about his first-ever CD, was that he was really good at blatantly ignoring awkward situations and confusion and just plowing on like nothing was wrong.

And boy, were most of her classmates confused.

Marinette worked to keep a straight face as she glanced from Jagged Stone to the rest of her class, the audience full of puzzled faces. While the realization of what must have happened had clearly sunk in with some people- in front, Adrien was clearly trying not to look too amused and across the aisle, Chloe had clearly caught on and was sending quite smug glances back at Lila- everyone else still seemed to be hung up on the fact that Jagged Stone was in their classroom when Lila had said that he wouldn't be in the country at all.

Well. Almost everyone else. In the back, Lila looked like she was torn between burning fury and terror. She had gone pale the moment that Jagged Stone had burst in, and now-

Well, now it was just a matter of time.

Marinette could almost see the thoughts running through Lila's head. There was no getting out of this, and Lila had to know that. As soon as Jagged Stone finished miming air riffs and headbanging his way through his presentation, there would be questions about Lila and her connection with him. Even if there wasn't time at the end for questions, there was no way for Lila to explain why Jagged Stone had come for Marinette after she had claimed that Jagged Stone couldn't make it, especially considering that Jagged Stone hadn't acknowledged her at all. It wouldn't be long before the other students and the teachers would start looking a bit harder at all of Lila's other stories. And once those stories fell apart...

Marinette was not going to start rubbing her hands together and cackling. She was not. She was a superhero, not a supervillain.

(Besides, Marinette had actually asked Jagged Stone to make sure that there wouldn't be time for questions. They wouldn't be about his job, anyway, just about Lila's supposed connections to him, and- well, Marinette didn't want to end an otherwise lovely presentations with shouts and accusations. Jagged's presence was enough to set things in motion.)

Next to her, Jagged Stone was still going strong. Now he was showing off some of the different vocal techniques that he had been taught over the years, running through his clean, classical singing, to a belt, to a more gravelly tone, and then faux-opera. There were a few styles that Marinette had never heard him use in any of his songs, but clearly he practiced them on a regular basis.

"Ah, sometimes I get stuck in one style and forget how awesome it sounds when I mix it up and do other stuff," Jagged Stone said contentedly once he had finished with a few lower growls. "It's easy to get stuck in a particular, comfortable style of singing instead of switching it up, but I don't want my songs to sound too similar, so it's good to practice and have the option to use different styles! I see different vocal coaches on a regular basis to practice and try to expand my range. Just like my instruments, my voice is a tool, too. Or maybe I could say it's more like a toolbox, and each style is a tool- and I want to have the best assortment of tools in my toolbox."

Marinette grinned. She could tell from the twitching of Jagged Stone's fingers that singing in the different styles had inspired a new song and he was itching to write it down. Clearly his hasty exit at the end of his presentation now wouldn't be just for show, and Marinette had to wonder how far he would actually get before giving in to the need to write his sudden burst of inspiration down.

If Jagged Stone lasted all the way to his waiting car, Marinette would count herself impressed.

"There are many things that are great about being a rock star," Jagged Stone continued, grinning widely as he started in on what definitely sounded like the wrap-up for his presentation. "The concerts, getting to travel, getting to meet all sorts of cool and talented people- like Marinette here!- and being in a position where I can help get them the attention they deserve... it's all very cool. But it's not all lights and hairspray and getting to sing my own songs on the worldwide stage."

Jagged Stone glanced over the class, eyes glimmering in excitement. Marinette tried not to frown in confusion. What did he have up his sleeve now?

"There's the tabloids, of course, and dealing with them is never fun," Jagged Stone told them. "That, and sometimes people who've never met me like making up little details about my life to make it seem like we're close or something. I've seen that plenty before, and it's always because people tend to treat people that have connections- real or fake- differently, giving them their way." His eyes slid over the class, and Marinette could tell that more people had caught on to what was going on. Next to her, Alya had gone stiff. "Even if there's nothing to back those claims up."

There was a long pause.

"But luckily, I know all of you would be too smart to fall for someone like that!" Jagged Stone chirped, beaming out at the sea of frozen faces. "I wish more people were that smart. So many ridiculous rumors about me wouldn't get anywhere if people just took a second to think about what they heard and consider if their 'source' is actually reliable!" Jagged Stone made a face, then shrugged. "But honestly, as annoying as it is when I have to deal with paparazzi or stalker fans or people trying to claim connections to me just to make themselves look good, I wouldn't trade my job for anything else. Being able to make a living out of writing and singing my songs- well, not everyone gets so lucky, and I remind myself of that every day."

"Thank you, Mr. Stone," Ms. Bustier said politely, stepping forward. She glanced at the clock. "I'm afraid that we're out of time for questions, but I would like everyone to give a big round of applause for Mr. Stone and for all of the other adults who took time out of their mornings to come in and talk to us!"

Marinette grinned, joining in with her other classmates as they applauded all of their presenters. That had gone perfectly.

"Well, that was...interesting."

Marinette grinned as she turned around to come face-to-face with Adrien. He looked amused as he watched Jagged Stone dart off across the courtyard. Students spun to stare as he passed, whispering to each other in clear disbelief. "Yeah, he did a really good presentation, didn't he? I mean, he went off script a little bit at the end there, but other than that he was pretty well behaved."

Adrien glanced over at her, a slight bit of confusion washing over his features. "Yeah, I- I noticed that he didn't actually address any of Lila's claims. I kind of thought that he would, and that was why you asked him to come in."

Ah. So that was why Adrien had come over. He seemed more curious than disapproving, though, so she was guessing that he liked her approach.

It was taking the high road but with a little push. Just a small one.

"I thought about it. After all, Lila has shown that she likes to just come up with more lies to cover when she's been called out, so absolutely demolishing her lies so that she wouldn't be able to find an out... it was tempting." Marinette tugged on the end of one pigtail as her gaze trailed around. The rest of their class- minus Lila, who had immediately fled to the bathroom, and Chloe and Sabrina, who couldn't be bothered to join- were gathered in a huddle in the hallway. Marinette could spot more than a couple phones out, presumably finally looking Lila's claims up for once. "But..."

"But?" Adrien prompted, and she could feel him stepping closer. "But you didn't."

"I decided that it could backfire. If anyone specifically called Lila out by asking about a specific story, they could be targeted by her getting akumatized again." Not that anything could entirely stop Lila from getting akumatized- after all, Marinette was pretty sure that Lila actively wanted to be akumatized, considering some of the timing and things that she had seen- but it might keep her rage from being quite so targeted. "And, well- mostly I wanted to make people come to their senses in a way that couldn't really be as easily framed as malicious, because I know Lila loves playing the victim. Maybe she wouldn't be able to get out of the lies, but she could try to take one last swing at me and claim that I was bullying her with using a celebrity to individually call out her lies, and I didn't want her to be able to do that." That was what Marinette had been most worried about, actually. After all, that would be a kind of over-the-top way to call Lila out, even if it had seemed necessary considering the fact that no one was listening to Marinette otherwise. That grain of truth might have been enough for Lila to take it and run with it.

Marinette wasn't about to allow that, so she had done her very best to flatten that possibility. She had asked Jagged Stone to ignore everything she had ever mentioned about Lila and instead give a completely normal presentation, no call-outs here, just a contact of hers who Marinette thought might give an interesting talk. If asked, she might bend the truth a little bit and claim that she had reached out to Jagged Stone before Lila had claimed that she was going to ask, instead of afterwards, but that would just be so that she wouldn't be demonized for actually making use of her connections for once.

"Nice thought," Adrien commented, sounding impressed. "That's totally something that she would try to do, you're right. And now- well, I bet she'll still try, but no one with any sense will listen."

"That's the hope." Marinette worried her lip for a moment, wondering if maybe she should go down to the bathrooms too and make sure that Lila couldn't get akumatized, but the thought was abandoned after a moment. It would be too hard to transform unnoticed with so many people milling around between classes, and knowing about the possible akumatization might give Lila- and therefore Hawkmoth- too many clues about her identity. Instead, she flashed a quick smile at Adrien and took a step towards their next class. "Should we head to Civics before Madam Mendeleev decides that we're all skipping and starts handing out detentions?"

Adrien laughed. "Yeah, we probably should. Lead the way."

As Marinette headed down the hallway, she couldn't help but smile. Everything had gone off smoothly, and now- well, now she could look forward to a future with far less manipulation from Lila.

And that sounded fantastic.