Chapter Fifteen
"So, I heard you got to work with Crimson Beetle yesterday," a voice suddenly said from behind Marinette as she got her textbooks out of her locker– causing her to let out a surprised yelp, jumping back. "Whoa, sorry, Mari, I didn't mean to startle you."
Marinette was staring up at Adrien, who had caught her before she had fallen onto her back, his arms linked under her shoulders. He gave her a soft smile, before pushing her back to her feet. She let out an embarrassed laugh, before closing her locker and turning to face him.
"S-sorry about that, I'm ridiculously clumsy."
"I'm the one that startled you," he said, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Just heard you were spotted with Crimson Beetle during the akuma attack, and I was a bit curious."
"Oh, not much happened," she said, heat facing up at the thought of her interactions with her partner. Being carried in his arms for what felt like most of the evening... it had certainly made her night despite all that had been said about Lady Noire. "He was just making sure Evillustrator didn't get me and all that, he did everything..."
Adrien raised an eyebrow, as if surprised at this, though she didn't know why he would be. Crimson was the hero after all.
"I thought you would have been the type to swoop in," Adrien said, a smile tugging on his lips. "I don't think I've ever seen you hesitate before."
"And what do you think I'd be able to do against an akuma?" She asked, bumping up against him, before trying to slip by him. She wasn't quite sure who had seen her last night and how far word had spread, but if it had reached Adrien probably more people than she expected knew about her 'date' last night.
"Did someone mention the akuma?" Alya said, jumping into the conversation. "I wasn't able to get any footage! Though someone submitted a small clip to the blog of Crimson Beetle, a civilian and Evillustrator running across the roofs last night."
"That was Marinette," Adrien said.
"What!" Alya turned towards her. "No way, girl! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was just so tired after everything that I went straight to sleep last night," Marinette said dismissively, shifting.
"How are you so relaxed?" Alya cried. "You were caught right up in an akuma attack– carried in the Crimson Beetle's arms?! What was he like? Was he as amazing as he always is? What did he say to you– oh my gosh you're blushing!"
"Alya!" Marinette yelped.
She grinned. "So is he just as charming up close as he is from a distance?"
"...He's a dork," Marinette said after a moment of thought, a smile curling on her face.
"What?" Adrien cried.
"Cheesy as roquefort," she said, her smile growing alongside her blush as she recalled his exaggerated bows and nicknames. "And... and really amazing."
"What happened?" Alya asked, leaning in closer. "Can I use you as a source for my article for the fight? How did you get caught up in all of this anyways? I mean, why would Nathaniel be mad at you?"
Her smile fell slightly at the mention of Nathaniel, and her eyes flickered around the locker room, but saw no sign of the artist. "Oh, well, um... Evillustrator asked me out on a date, and Crimson was doing what he could to get me away from him?"
"Did the akuma kidnap you or something?" Kim asked.
"No no, he asked me out," Marinette said swiftly. "I, well, said 'yes' because I didn't want to get on the wrong side of an akuma and all? In the middle of it all that's when Crimson– Beetle– showed up to get me away from it all, and he managed to defeat break akumatized as well, and yeah...?"
It seemed like a majority of her classmates were listening in at this point, clearly curious.
"It um, was actually all pretty interesting?" She offered when she saw they clearly wanted more. "Frightening, yeah, but Evillustrator's powers were pretty cool, and running across the roofs was like a rollercoaster."
"Gah, you're all acting like Dupain-Cheng did something impressive," Chloe said, all eyes flicking towards her as she stood in the locker room doorway. "For the record I was the one traumatized, she was too scared to even say 'no' to the stupid little akuma."
"Oh, like you would say no in the same situation?" Alya asked, rolling her eyes.
"Uh, duh," Chloe said, as she headed over towards her locker. "I wouldn't be caught dead on a date with an akuma, especially considering who was underneath. For someone to go out with moi... they'd be a lot more class– isn't that right Sabrina?"
"Of course," the girl said enthusiastically, following behind Chloe as she always did. "Someone like... Crimson Beetle himself! He was in Chloe's hotel yesterday– he acted as her personal guard!"
"Ugh, no," Chloe said, waving a hand. "Me and a hero would never work out," she glanced back at Sabrina. "Crimson Beetle is much too busy protecting the city– I'd need someone who could put me first."
"Yes!" Sabrina said enthusiastically. "No boy would be right for you unless they could take care of you!"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yeah– so no boy out there," she placed her purse into Sabrina's arms. "Anyways, let's let Dupain-Cheng enjoy her two seconds of fame, it might be all she ever gets. If you're all so impressed by her little date with the akuma then maybe she should go out with the real deal and not with the puppet."
With that she sauntered out of the locker room, Sabrina hurrying after her, and Marinette felt her gut twisting. That was the one thing she had been worrying about all night– facing Nathaniel today. She had only seen him for a few seconds after he had been akumatized, and she had no idea what she was supposed to say to him.
How she was supposed to turn him down.
Nathaniel was a good friend, and her closest when it came to art– but she had never seen him as anything but that. That realization that he had held deeper feelings had been startling– flattering– but startling. She had no idea where to even begin making sense of them, and now that he was no longer akumatized, she definitely felt that he deserved an answer. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, nor did she want their friendship to change, but she felt like both were unavoidable.
He wasn't in the locker room, though, and as the bell rang for them to get to class she wondered if he had taken the day off. That wouldn't be surprising, some of her other classmates had done so when they had been akumatized. Perhaps she would have more time how to figure out what to say to him–
But as she walked into class she saw him, up in the back row as he always was. He looked up as everyone started to enter the classroom. For a moment their eyes met, and he quickly looked back down at his sketchbook. A weak smile tugged on Marinette's lips, glad to see she wasn't the only uneasy one.
Four minutes left until class started– and she'd rather not spend the entire period dreading what she was going to say– so setting her backpack down at her desk she headed up towards Nathaniel, slipping into the empty seat next to him. He began drawing more furiously, and Marinette stared down at her hands, a few moments of silence passing between them.
"H-hi, Marinette," Nathaniel said quietly.
"Hi," she said back. "How are you doing?"
"Good," he said with a shrug. "Not as bad as it could have been... um, well, you know. Before the video. Only a few glares in the hallway?"
"Should be none," Marinette muttered. "I'm just glad your name wasn't broadcast everywhere; knowing Chloe, I wouldn't have been surprised."
"Y-yeah," he swallowed, before turning towards her. "M-marinette, I'm sorry. For whatever I might have done while akumatized. I was only angry at Chloe in the moment and I have no idea why I would be at you too, you didn't do anything to me–"
"Your akumatized self wasn't mad at me," she told him swiftly. Well, he had been after Crimson had stepped in, but there was no reason to make Nathaniel feel even more bad. "In fact, you were the nicest akuma I have ever come across. You, um, took me on a date."
Nathaniel let out a whimper, and looked like he wanted to sink into his seat.
"It... it was all really sweet," Marinette said softly. "I... I could tell it was what you probably wanted to do before you got akumatized. But... please don't take this the wrong way Nathaniel, but I'm not–"
"It's okay, Marinette," Nathaniel said with a pained smile. "I understand, and you can say no." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Honestly, after what happened yesterday, I wasn't sure if I could bring myself to follow through on asking you... again, apparently. I think I need time to figure things out, you know?"
She relaxed. "Y-yeah," she said, though she wasn't sure she knew. "I just, um, I didn't want to hurt you or anything, you really are an important friend to me–"
"As long as we can keep being friends," Nathaniel said, though he didn't look as sure as his voice sounded. "I really do admire you, and I'd hate to lose that."
"Trust me, our friendship isn't going anywhere," she said with a smile.
"Alright everyone, get to your seats," Miss Bustier said from the front of the classroom, standing up from her desk.
She stood up, the bell ringing as she headed back towards her desk. She glanced back at Nathaniel, who was putting his sketchbook away. That had gone... well. She couldn't have asked for it to go better, even though it hadn't been exactly smooth. She had a feeling that things wouldn't be the same between her and Nathaniel for some time, not with the knowledge of his crush hanging there in the air– but she had no doubt in what she said. Nathaniel was her friend, and that wasn't about to change.
"Okay, class," Miss Bustier said as she slipped into her seat. "We're going to talk about an upcoming presentation– and yes this is going to be a big part of your grade, so please make sure you pay attention."
A groan rang out throughout the class.
"Don't worry, you will have several weeks to prepare for it, so as you plan your time well it shouldn't impact your schedule. We're reaching the end of our World War II unit, which will be the focus of your presentation. I want you all to pick a different aspect of how France was involved in the war and..."
Marinette pulled out her notebook, turning her mind towards school.
"She... she just reads a lot of hero comics," Marinette said, trying to reason with Plagg as she found him upset over yet another one of Alya's BeetleBlog articles. "It make sense that she'd draw from that, now that there are actual heroes running about–"
"'Potential Former Villain Turned Hero?'" Plagg quoted loudly. "'From Dark to Light? What is Lady Noire's Origin Story?'"
"Exactly." Marinette said. "I mean 'origin story'? She's just pulling from classic hero tropes–"
Plagg wasn't done though, and began directly reading straight from the BeetleBlog article. "'The first time we saw these two heroes appear I was able to witness them close up, alongside who was akumatized. In the attacks that followed I have been thinking on what I have exactly been seeing, and have noticed some startling similarities between the energy that Lady Noire releases, and that of the akumatized victims when they're freed from Monarch's influence'–"
"I know what she wrote, Plagg, she was talking about it in class!"
"'Both of these energies are dark in color, and seem to also 'boil' and bubble when activated (see clips below), which makes me wonder if their powers are somehow similar in nature. Granted the effects are difference– mind control and destruction– but both of these results are neither pleasant nor desired, and vastly contrast with Crimson Beetle's healing abilities–"
"What's your point?" Marinette cried at Plagg, who looked up at her unhappy.
"My point? More like what's her point! Have you read this thing? Some 'reporter' this girl is? These are more half-baked theories drawn from nonsense. Right here she talks about the idea that you were a criminal that Crimson Beetle took under his wing to get you on the 'light path', and then down here she goes on about the possibility of your family having a villainous history only for you to be rescued by these 'heroes'–"
She pulled her phone away from Plagg. "They're just theories, Plagg, she's not saying that these are true. And honestly I recognized some of these backstory ideas from comics she talks about– Knightowl and Sparrow, Majestia– these are elements from popular stories. Alya is just drawing ideas from media she's familiar with. I don't see what the big deal is."
"Big deal, huh?" He huffed. "Don't act like you don't care about these, I see the way you tense up every time she mentions she's doing an article about Lady Noire; you don't like reading these."
"No, I don't," she said, turning her phone over in her hand. "But you know what? I'm not going to make a big deal out of it, because I know Alya. She's a good friend, and what she's writing about is just ideas and stories, not even she thinks they are facts. And... and she does have a point! Our powers do look similar to when the akumas are released..." She looked at Plagg. "That doesn't mean anything, right?"
"What?" His tail curled, voice dripping with distaste. "Do you think it makes us evil or something?"
"I don't get you!" Marinette snapped. "Half of the time you want cheese and pretend nothing matters, and then the other half of the time you only care about what people think!"
"I don't care!" Plagg shouted back. "You think I enjoy pointless gossip? I'm just saying that you have the ability to say something to your friend before this gets out of hand!"
"I have said things to her!"
"Then maybe she needs a good slap and–!"
"Don't talk about Alya like that!"
"Then she needs to stop talking about us like that!" He snarled, waving a paw at her phone. "If you don't stop this now, it's only going to get worse, Marinette. People are going to be more than just wary– and if you come crying to me, then don't expect me to care!"
Plagg turned, green eyes flashing as he dove down into the mattress, phasing through her loft and vanishing. She glared at where she watched him phase through, before turning away. If he wanted to blow things out of proportion that was his own problem, she didn't need to listen to him whine every time she wanted to talk about Alya, the first close friend she had in years.
She stared down at the article, at the two clips that showed her Cataclysm bubbling about her hand, and the second showing the energy of the akumatization dissipating from around Ivan. Alya had cut the clip short so it didn't show Ivan's face, a standard with all her videos that featured an akuma, and Marinette took a breath as she leaned back.
Alya was doing well with her blog, not only gaining thousands of followers in just a few months, but she had also gone back and edited her footage that showed faces of those who had been akumatized to either blur it out and cut it out completely if possible. She and Aurore had started working closely together as well, the blonde being credited in many of her articles. She had changed up her wording in all her old articles to shift any blame away from those who were akumatized– she was doing so much, and Plagg was acting like it was the end of the world because she noticed that their energies looked similar to Monarch's?
She really did wonder what that meant, though, but she highly doubted that Plagg would be of any help right now. She groaned as she flopped down on her bed, thinking about what Crimson had said regarding his kwami– sweet, supportive, playful– why couldn't Plagg be more like that at times?
Alya was literally shaking with excitement as she entered the library.
"Only you would be this excited about research," Nino said with a chuckle as she joined them at the table, Marinette sliding over so her friend could sit with her. Adrien gave a slight nod to her, but seemed absorbed in the book he was reading.
"Guys, I've struck gold," Alya whispered, setting her phone down in the middle of the table. "Literal gold."
"I didn't know World War II involved any gold rush," Marinette said, cracking a grin, but Alya just rolled her eyes.
"I'm serious," she said, leaning across the table to pull Adrien's book away from him. "Guys, I really think I'm onto something big here, and I want your guys' opinion."
"But the project," Adrien said, snatching his book back, they had only got the presentation assigned a week ago, but he didn't want to leave it until the last minute. "I only have a limited amount of time here in the library before my bodyguard gets here–"
"It's about La Résistance," Alya said. "As you know, for my research topic I decided to focus on the different underground publications the Resistance was publishing when Germany was occupying France. It's all really fascinating, there were multiple newspapers they were publishing, and I was able to find some actual photographs and scans of the papers–"
"You can tell us all about when you get to present," Marinette said with a grin. "We need to do our research too. Could you tell me where you found those photographs though? I think I might be able to use those with my–"
"I will gladly tell you," Alya said, putting an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close. "As soon as you let me finish, and you actually realize this is not just random history facts– I have a theory that's going to blow your guys' minds if you'd just let me talk."
"Of course you can," Nino said. "I love hearing you talk! I mean, um, I'd love to hear what you have to say."
"Thank you, Nino," she said. "Glad to see someone around here actually cares. Anyways, I was looking through some of these articles from the underground papers, and even a few reports from the Resistance, and I noticed some interesting phrasing throughout some of the articles, if you'd be willing to read them, Mari..."
Alya held up her phone to her, and Marinette frowned as she tried to read the tiny typing on screen, a collage of several old documents, cropped so only a line or two was shown. "'Germans reveal new possible unknown technology?'..." She quoted. "German forces send out monsters', um... 'More attacks from the German creatures'..."
Alya pulled the phone away before she could continue, seemingly too excited to wait for her to finish. "I found phrasing like this starting at the very end of 1940, about six months after the Germans first invaded, and it goes all the way up to 1944."
Adrien blinked. "How is that surprising? I mean, it was in the middle of a very brutal war, wording like that shouldn't be surprising considering the circumstances–"
"Hush you, I'm not done," Alya said. "But yeah, I was thinking the same thing, but then I was thinking... but then inspiration struck me– what in much more recent news has been addressed as monsters?"
"...Akumas?"
"Bingo!" Alya beamed.
"You think there were akumas in the Battle of France?" Marinette asked, blinking.
"No, they didn't start until December of 1940, at least that's what I'm thinking," she flipped through her phone. "At this point I was thinking exactly what you are all thinking– it's just all coincidence, so I kept on doing some research, when I found this:"
She held her phone out to Marinette for her read once more. "These are weather reports?"
"Weather predictions," Alya corrected. "I noticed that the underground paper would often report when there would be foggy days, which I didn't think much of at first, until I was looking at German-managed French sources– and realized the only people actually making accurate predictions of the fog were those in La Résistance, and the only weather they really ever reported on was in fact fog, strange, right?"
"I guess that is weird," Adrien said, crinkling his nose.
"So finally I decided to look up what the weather was during the years of German occupation, and here's what I found." She placed her phone in the middle of the table so they could all lean in and see. "1940 had a pretty normal year, compare that to the earlier years– 39, 38, 37... but then starting in 1941 all the way to 1944– there's triple the amount of fog in Paris! And looking at more recent years nothing has ever even come close to these records."
"Okay, that is pretty weird," Nino concluded.
Alya beamed at him, and he let out an uncertain chuckle.
"It gets better," she said. "Every time there's fog, it nearly always corresponds with an attack or raid from the Resistance. Yeah, maybe they were just taking advantage of the fog, but it just adds up too well. Look at these fog reports outside of Paris– lines up with movement from the Resistance still. I went looking for theories and I found two prevailing ones– one that the fog was actually smog from all the warfare in Europe, and then other people simply calling it a miracle seeing as it all lined up perfectly with the French Resistance. And you know what? It does feel like something miraculous– maybe even something magic."
Marinette felt Plagg shifting in her purse, and her heart was pounding in excitement, because it truly did seem like Alya was onto something.
"Okay," Marinette admitted. "Maybe your idea isn't as far fetched as I thought."
"Told you!" Alya said triumphantly, but her grin soon faded. "Unfortunately though, that's all I was really able to find. Strange weather and suspicious wording," she looked deflated. "I scoured the internet and all the records I could find for anything about butterflies... and nothing. Yeah I've only been looking for a week– but there's nothing!"
"I'm sure there's something more out there," Nino said. "Just, um, maybe not available to the public? Or just not online?"
"I did find some German records," Alya said with a shrug. "But guess who can't speak German? I tried running some of it through Google Translate but honestly it didn't work that well, and while a few of them had an English translation available, my English wasn't good enough to get anything from it. I can ask about the weather and order some food– not make sense of war documents."
"Do you know German, dude?" Nino asked, turning towards Adrien. "Didn't you say you know like a dozen different languages or something?"
"I know five," Adrien said, shifting. "German isn't one of them though."
Marinette let out a slight laugh. "That's still really impressive. I only know like two and a half."
"What's the 'half'?" Nino asked, blinking.
"English," Marinette said with a shrug. "Just what they taught us in school. My mom taught me Wenzhounese growing up, but honestly I think I've fallen a bit out of practice the last few years... like, when my mom speaks it I understand it, but I have a hard time when I try to speak it myself?"
"That's me and Japanese," Adrien said. "I can pretty much understand what they're saying in anime without subs, but I can barely string a few sentences together."
"Didn't peg you as an anime fan, Agreste," Alya said.
"Oh, trust me," Nino muttered. "Once you get him talking about it, he won't shut up."
Adrien perked up. "Oh! I know who knows German– you could ask Ms. Mendeleiev for help!"
Her nose crinkled. "Ms. Mendeleiev?"
"Yeah, she told me that she got her Master's degree in Germany, she might be able to help you."
"This is Ms. Mendeleiev we're talking about, dude," Nino said. "'Help' isn't really what she's known for. You could be having the best day and she could still suck all the life from a room."
Marinette and Alya shifted, muttering something in agreement. She was by no means a bad teacher, probably one of the better ones in the school, but she wasn't exactly the easiest to interact with. There wasn't a class in the school that hadn't gotten reprimanded or during a science lesson, and she gave no leeway when it came to homework and assignments. Marinette had been very grateful to have Miss Bustier as a homeroom teacher again this year.
Adrien sighed. "She's really not that bad, guys. Have any of you ever asked for help on an assignment or a concept you didn't understand? Because she's more than willing to help. Tell her it's for a school assignment and I think you'd be surprised at the help she will give you, Alya, even if it isn't for her class."
"...Do you know anyone else that knows German?" Alya asked.
"I'll go with you if you'd like?" Adrien offered. "She knows me pretty well."
"I'll come too," Nino offered.
"Me too," Marinette said, seeing no reason to be the odd one out.
They had to go sooner rather than later thanks to Adrien's packed schedule, checking out the books they'd want to look over at home. Marinette only had one, as she had already found a good amount of online resources for her project, and they all found themselves making their way towards the science classrooms. They found Ms. Mendeleiev at her desk grading papers, who looked up as they entered.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Hi, Ms. Mendeleiev," Adrien said brightly.
"Agreste," she said with a nod. "Brought some of your classmates, I see? Have they finally gotten a proper interest in Physics like you have?"
"Actually we were working on a project for Miss Bustier's class," Adrien replied. "We're all doing a different presentation about France during World War II, and Alya ran into some trouble with her research– you do know German, right?"
"Well enough," Ms. Mendeleiev, turning her gaze towards Alya. "What is it?"
"Well I found something I really want to focus my research on," Alya began uncertainly. "But I swear I've been through all of the French resources online that I could, and I found a few in German, and I ran them through Google Translate–"
"But that got you nowhere, and you want me to play translator?" Ms. Mendeleiev finished. "Google Translate isn't half bad– but it's best for little words and phrases, it won't get you anywhere otherwise." She sighed, turning back to her paper. "Print out one of the documents and get it to me before the weekend and I'll write you up some footnotes about what it says. I'm only doing one, though, so pick carefully. Professional translators would change you a hefty fee, so don't go complaining."
Alya perked up. "Really?"
"It's a simple concept, trading money in return for goods and services–"
"No, that you'll help me," Alya said. "Thank you so much, Ms. Mendeleiev!"
The teacher blinked, then shrugged. "You're putting in effort towards your project, I wouldn't want to be the one to stop that. Maybe consider the same dedication with your science homework, hmm?"
Alya let out a laugh. "Yeah, of course."
"Hate to cut things short, but my bodyguard will be here soon," Adrien said.
"We'll walk you out to meet the prison guard, my dude, don't worry," Nino said, and Adrien rolled his eyes.
"He's not that bad, Nino," he said as they exited the classroom.
Alya, on the other hand, was brimming with excitement. "Oh, I'll have to choose carefully, but I really think I'm onto something big. I just know akumas had to somehow be involved, I just know it."
"Or another source of magic," Marinette said. "If that was what was causing the fog."
"What if there's always been heroes fighting butterfly villains?" Alya asked. "Gah, I wish I knew how their powers worked! Are they genetic? Or maybe gifted or earned?"
"Didn't your theory post on the BeetleBlog say it had something to do with the jewelry?" Nino asked. "Since that's what the akumas are always after?"
"You read all that?"
"I read all of your articles," Nino muttered, adjusting his cap, and Marinette couldn't help but glance at him, slightly surprised as Nino's voice went quiet. She glanced at Adrien, who had a slight smirk on his face.
Nino and Alya, hmm? She could see that... if Alya was interested. She glanced at her friend, who was now excitedly talking about her latest theory– which was both closer and farther away from the truth than her previous ones. She had tried to ask Plagg if it was a problem with Alya guessing like this, but he had of course gotten huffy and just said that 'Blogger-girl knows nothing', and that 'if she did figure out something it wouldn't be anything that Monarch doesn't already know'.
"So the jewels have to mean something," Alya was telling Nino. "Or else Monarch wouldn't have such a fixation on them. All of the akumatized victims mention how she requests the 'miraculouses', and she's always referring to the ring and the earrings. As you saw in my current article I think that they help them channel their powers, because Lady Noire's Destruction always comes from her hand with the ring..."
Marinette touched her ring. Thin and rose gold, nothing like what it looked like the moment Plagg went inside of it, where it became bulky and black. The disguise magic was most definitely useful, but she couldn't help but wonder how her friends would react if they realized the ring was right next to them. She wondered how they would react if they knew that she was Lady Noire...
"Or if my alien theory is correct, then I think the 'jewelry' is technology that makes them look human," Alya continued. "Take away the jewelry and their true form is revealed– which is why Monarch has the akumas go after the jewelry!"
"You're still on that alien theory?" Adrien asked with a laugh. "Wasn't that your first one?"
"There's no evidence to disprove it!" Alya insisted as they headed outside. "Anything is possible– and I don't think aliens are too far fetched if magic is an actual thing!"
"I could see aliens being a thing," Marinette said, her mind still on Plagg.
"Thank you!" Alya said.
"There's my bodyguard," Adrien said, nodding as his limo pulled up. "I'll see you all tomorrow?"
"Better yet," Nino said. "See if your old man will let you hang out tomorrow after school– maybe we could take these ladies to the zoo."
Marinette held back a laugh as his eyes flickered toward Alya, who didn't seem to pick up on the small hint, just nodding. "Good idea, Nino– my dad works there, so I can get us some discounts. I'll see if anyone else wants to come too."
"I'll text you if Nathalie says I can come," Adrien said, giving them a final wave, before running out to the limo waiting for him. They all called out their own goodbyes, waving as well, but as soon as the door shut they all fell silent.
"I'm glad Nathalie lets him do things," Nino said softly. "But it's pretty messed up that he has to go through his old man's assistant instead of actually asking his father."
"You can say that again," Alya said.
The trip to the zoo hadn't gone exactly how Nino had hoped: he had been crossing his fingers that perhaps they could make it just the four of them (or even better, divide up into just the two of them...), but he wasn't disappointed with the way things were going. Adrien had been ecstatic that he had been allowed to come, and that was how Nino had learned that his best bro had not been to the zoo since he was a young child.
"My mom took me here once," he had told them as they stood in line. "But she hated the smell so we never went again."
He had then laughed, looking on excitedly, not even seeming to mind the November chill. Nino had noticed that he was wearing Marinette's scarf around his neck, though all of his other winter gear were clearly from the Gabriel brand. It had looked like a normal sweater to Nino, but Marinette had noticed right off that they were from a line that had yet to be released– though he had no idea how she memorized all that.
"I want to see something with claws," Kim declared once they were admitted into the zoo– and it turned out Alya's 'discount' had been able to get them in for free. "Or something fast– they have lions here, right?"
"If you want something fast I would recommend a cheetah or a falcon," Max said, adjusting his glasses and hat, before pulling what looked to be a strange camera from his jacket. "I want to see as many animals as I can– I want my next project to be able to recognize all living creatures, animals and humans alike, so this will be a good chance to collect data aside from pigeons and people walking their dogs."
"What would you like to see?" Nino asked Alya, but she just shrugged.
"I've seen nearly all the animals here," she replied with a smile. "My sisters and I come here a lot. Fall and winter are the best time of year to come– it's not as crowded as in the summer."
He wished he had known that her dad had worked here sooner– he would have picked somewhere new for her– why was it so hard to ask a girl out on a date? Alya was his friend, it was easy to talk to her, but yet when he wanted to ask her one simple question all of that went away. He just let out a sigh as he trailed at the back of their group, Adrien stopping the group to look at each exhibit– and Nino was grateful that Nathalie had let him come.
If he ever had the chance to speak to M. Agreste he'd have a few things to say.
"Ooo, hot chocolate," Alya said, her eyes flicking to a stand selling the beverage.
"You want some?" Nino ased, perking up. "I'll pay."
"Yes, you're officially my favorite person ever, Nino," Alya said, pulling her jacket closer around her.
"Does your offer extend to all of us?" Kim said with a grin. "Because I'd love a– ouch! Sheesh, when did you get that strong, Mari?"
He held up his hands as Marinette nudged him away, Adrien making shushing noise, causing Alya to give them a strange glance. Max wasn't paying attention, currently holding up his camera towards a group of zebras in the nearby enclosure. Nino dug for his wallet, heading over towards the stand selling hot chocolate.
"'Alya, you're just as hot as this drink'," Nino muttered under his breath. "Nope, that definitely sounds stupid. Um... 'I bought you this drink for now, but dinner's on me tonight', yeah, that might work–"
"Hello, young man," a warm voice greeted him as his turn came. "What can I get for you?"
He looked up into the bright green eyes of an older woman who was running the stand. "Um, two hot chocolate please."
She smiled, taking two styrofoam thermoses, and filling them up. "And I'm guessing that one's for the little lady you were muttering about."
Nino flushed in embarrassment. "You heard that?"
The old woman chuckled. "I have better hearing than most give credit for." She snapped the lid onto the drink. "If you want my advice, tell her sooner rather than later. I waited for my husband to make the first move... ah, we could have had more years together if I had just spoken up– both of us were afraid the other wouldn't return our feelings."
He laughed. "Trust me, I've tried."
She smiled, pushing the two thermos towards him, a chain connected to her bracelet clinking. "That will be eight euros– and good luck with the young lady."
He slid a ten euro note across the stand, snatching the change and the hot chocolate to rush back towards their group. They seemed to have grown bored of the zebras– well, more likely Kim wanted to move onto something more 'intimidating', their group inching away from the exhibit as they waited for him. Alya gladly took the hot chocolate from him, and though he had planned on what he wanted to say nothing came from his mouth as she took a sip.
"Thank you, Nino," she said, and he could only nod in return.
"Ooo– let's go see the black panther!" Kim said, looking down at his phone. "Apparently it's a new exhibit– and panthers are awesome."
"Well it's not really new, she's been around for a few months now–" Alya began– but Kim didn't let her finish as he took off running into the crowd.
"He just took probably the least efficient direction to reach the jaguar enclosure," Max said.
"Looks like we're taking the long way then," Marinette said with a smile. "Race you guys!"
Nino wasn't quite sure when Marinette had become so fast– he distinctly remembered always outpacing her in gym last year, but she zipped off into the crowd in just a blink. Adrien was soon to follow, while he, Alya, and Max shared a glance. None of them seemed to be in the mood for a sudden run, and they simply let Max take the lead, and it seemed like this was going to be the closest he got to being alone with Alya today.
The jaguar exhibit was the least crowded one they had encountered that day– mostly a few younger kids dragging their parents up to see the big cat, but no one seemed keen to linger. Nino honestly didn't blame them, the idea of black cats... well, some people were superstitious anyways, but when someone dressed as one could crumble buildings with a single touch... they were definitely more intimidating.
"Wow, they're beautiful," Adrien said, looking enchanted by the black cat. The feline was stretched on a large log running in front of the display glass, seemingly fast asleep. Despite her deep black fur you could still see the rosettes covering her body, the spots visible when the light hit her.
"Jaguars have the strongest bite of all big cats," Max said, holding up his strange little camera towards the animals. "They have a unique style of hunting as well– going straight for the skull rather than the neck like other big cats."
"Lovely," Nino said, swallowing slightly as he looked at the cat again. "Welp, I'm glad this one isn't hunting anything."
"I'd call them the true kings of the jungle," Alya said, looking at the jaguar fondly, and she pointed to a branch off of the enclosure. "They have a pool for this girl in that section over there, it's her favorite."
"While their main range is indeed jungle and rainforest," Max said. "They can live in a variety of habitats, including wetlands. They have a surprising range as well, not just native to South America, but also stretching up into Central America, and there have even been some reported sightings in the southwestern United States."
"That's like, um, Texas, right?" Nino said. "So, cowboy panthers?"
Max frowned. "Well, I believe sightings were in Arizona and New Mexico–"
"Hey, guys!" Kim's voice boomed behind them as he came running up towards their group. "How did you guys beat me?"
"We took the direct route instead of the scenic route you took–" Max began.
"A shortcut? Awesome! You'll have to show me!" Kim's eyes flickered towards the jaguar, and he pushed between Adrien and Marinette to get a closer look. "Aw, there he is– look at that panther, isn't he beautiful?"
"She's a girl," Alya muttered.
"Do you think I could outrun him?" Kim said with a grin. "This guy seems pretty lazy, sleeping the day away."
"Well considering that a jaguar can reach speeds up to sixty-five kilometers per hour, I doubt you'd have much of a chance," Max said.
"Nah, I think I could take this guy," Kim said. "This little panther ain't no threat– coddled in a zoo his whole life?"
"Her name is Bella," a voice grunted. "And I can promise you we don't 'coddle' our animals, young man."
The jaguar's eyes slid open at the sound of the voice, ears flicking up. A man was entering the enclosure from a side door, though there was still caging between him and the jaguar. With a yowl she sprang from her branch– easily clearing the gap from there to the door. Everyone jumped at the motion, but the man merely chuckled, before dumping the meat from the dish he was carrying into a tray, sliding it into the enclosure.
"There you go, girl," he said softly. "Eat up."
The jaguar let out a hiss at him, before immediately crunching into the meat. The zookeeper chuckled, leaning back against the wall to watch the animal eat.
"Oh wow," Kim said with a laugh. "Your own panther doesn't even like you!"
The man's eyes flashed. "I can see you know nothing about big cats, son. They don't tolerate anyone near their food. Not their keeper, not others they were raised with, not even their mates. And she's a jaguar."
"I thought those guys were spotted," Kim said, crossing his arms. "This is clearly a black panther."
The zookeeper took in a sharp breath. "There is no species out there known as a 'black panther', panthers refer to any of the five big cats, and a 'black panther' is either a melanistic jaguar or leopard, and Bella here is a jaguar."
"Here he goes again..." Alya muttered.
"Ha!" Kim said triumphantly. "That just shows how little you know! I can name more than five big cats! Tiger, lions, cheetahs, panthers, jaguars, leopards, pumas–"
The man's hands curled into fists. "Cheetahs aren't big cats, neither are pumas– and a panther is a genus, not a species!"
"Maybe the panther is a genius, but you sure aren't!" Kim laughed.
The whole exchange would have been funny if it weren't for the black butterfly that was emerging from the door behind the man, dark energy rippling from it. Nino jumped back the moment the movement caught his eyes, his empty hot chocolate thermos falling from his hands.
"Since when can those things squeeze through doors?!" Nino cried– but in retrospect perhaps calling out a warning out would have been a better idea.
The butterfly landed on the bracelet on the man's hand just as he looked down, eyes widening. A glowing purple mask flickered over his face, and the zookeeper grabbed his head with a groan. At his side Alya let out a choked: "N-no!"
Kim stared at the zookeeper as he went still, eyes narrowing as the purple mask glowed brighter. "...That's not good?"
"The best idea for this situation is to run," Max said, grabbing Kim's wrist. While his tugging didn't make much of a difference, Kim did follow his lead, turning and running away from the jaguar exhibit. No one needed to tell Marinette and Adrien– the two of them scattering in separate directions immediately– leaving just Nino and Alya. He grabbed her wrist– but Alya pulled her hand from him and bolted forward instead.
"Come on!" She cried to the man. "Fight it– you can fight it! Don't agree with what she's saying!"
The man looked towards Alya, and it seemed like a flicker of recognition appeared in his gaze, before it hardened into something more cold. "...Yes, Monarch..."
"Come on, Alya!" Nino cried.
"You go– he won't hurt me!" Alya said, eyes locked on the zookeeper as he turned, opening the door to exit the enclosure just as dark energy bubbled around him.
"I'm not leaving you alone with an akuma!" He cried, and Alya turned to look back at him.
They looked up to see the akuma exiting the enclosure, but no longer was it the zookeeper. Nino's mouth was dry as he saw a jaguar stepping towards them, deep purple eyes piercing into them. A bracelet of the same color was around its front leg, tail flicking behind them.
"And how do you two feel towards the creatures of this earth?" The akuma snarled. "Or are you ignorant of the life that shares this planet with us?"
"You know how I feel about animals!" Alya shouted at him, and his gaze narrowed.
"Um, do you know him or–" Nino began, when the jaguar-zookeeper snarled, and he held his hands up. "Yep! I love animals! Jaguars and foxes and... ladybugs? Amazing!"
The jaguar stepped towards them, and Nino's heart was hammering in his chest. Normal akumas were frightening enough– but what looked like a wild creature pacing around them was somehow even more terrifying. Alya held her ground, unflinching as the jaguar sniffed them, while it was taking everything Nino had not to turn and run.
"You put on a brave face," he snarled at Alya. "But I, Animan, can smell your fear. I can also smell that both of you are being truthful as well." He turned away, tail flicking, pacing over to where their group had been standing before. He sniffed the ground, before looking off in the direction everyone had run. "There's no point in wasting my time here, then– I have some prey to track down."
Then with a yowl the jaguar bounded forward, bolted off into the zoo with startling speed. Nino let out a shaky sigh of relief, legs feeling weak. Screams echoed across the park at the realization that an 'animal' was loose, but now that the threat was no longer in front of them Nino just wanted to find a place to hide.
But of course, Alya began running in the same direction that Animan had taken off in. He hesitated, before going after her.
The next thing he knew there was a blur of red was swinging down in front of them, grabbing the two of them with a single arm. The figure let out a slight grunt, landing in front of the open door to the jaguar enclosure. Nino's eyes widened as they were set down, finding Crimson Beetle standing in front of them.
"What do you two think you're doing?" He asked as he retracted his yoyo. "Running after an akuma like that?"
"Crimson Beetle!" Alya breathed. Green eyes narrowed in on her, and he let out a sigh.
"I know you like to play reporter, but that doesn't mean you get to put yourself in danger!" He said, eyes sweeping across the two of them. "In fact... the two of you can chill in here."
"Wha–" Was all Nino had time to say– before Crimson Beetle shoved them into the jaguar enclosure, shutting the door in their face– which clicked with a resounding lock.
"Wait!" Alya said, throwing herself at the door, but it didn't budge as she shook it.
"At least this is separated from the actual enclosure?" Nino said uncertainly, looking at the metallic wire barrier that sectioned the door off from the main enclosure. Still, sweat was forming on the back of his neck, and the smell inside was not delightful. His eyes scanned the jaguar enclosure– but he saw no sign of the big cat.
"Doesn't matter," Alya said, slouching against the door. "I doubt Bella is even in here– the akuma wasn't the only animal running about."
"What?" He asked, and she gestured towards the viewing glass– where the zoo had quickly descended into chaos. Nino's eyes widened as he saw what was unmistakably several giraffes walking across the square, and he quickly adjusted his glasses in time to see a rhino lumbering along. "Uh... that's not good?"
"He doesn't have the dexterity to let the animals out," Alya said. "So 'Animan' must be able to summon them or something."
"Let's just hope he can't control them," Nino said, voice rising an octave. "Or else the heroes will definitely have their work cut out for them."
"If Crimson Beetle would have given me just thirty seconds I could have told him that," Alya said in frustration. "I could have said where the butterfly was too!"
"I think they will be able to figure it out," Nino said, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, a jaguar wearing a bracelet isn't exactly normal?"
"I could have also told them that he was after Kim, or that... that..." Tears suddenly welled up in Alya's eyes– and she sunk to the ground with a sob. Panic ran through Nino, and he knelt beside her, but he had no idea what to say.
"Alya? Dude?" He asked softly, frantically patting his pockets in search of something, but it wasn't like he carried tissues on him. "Er– do you want some candy?"
He awkwardly held out the piece of candy he had found, and she started at it for a moment, sniffing. She then let out a small snort, uncertainly taking it, using the sleeve of her jacket to wipe away her tears. Her glasses were slightly crooked as a result, and she swallowed.
"Thanks," she muttered, looking away, and he sat down next to her. They sat there in silence for a moment, and Nino then grabbed his headphones.
"Um, do you want to listen to some music?" He offered. "I have a playlist I always listen to when I'm down– I dunno if you like the same bands though I have a lot of tunes and I'm sure there's something–" He grabbed his phone, scrolling through his playlist. "Or, um, I guess you could plug it into your phone and listen to your songs? You don't even have to use the headphones at all actually, I won't mind listening to your music if that will make you happy– not that I wouldn't want to listen to your music at all–"
He was both embarrassed and relieved as he heard Alay let out a laugh, her eyes still wet, but she adjusted her glasses as she gave him a small smile. "It's okay Nino, I'll be fine. Thank you though."
"Um, can I ask you what's wrong?" He asked uncertainly.
"Animan is my dad," she said softly, and Nino's eyes widened in realization. "I... I've seen people in our class get akumatized, but seeing my own dad..." she shuddered. "It was something completely different. The way he looked at me... he didn't want to, Nino– he didn't want to!"
He hesitated, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think any dude wants to, and you know it's not his fault."
"I kn-know," she whispered, drawing her knees up. "I... what's going to happen to him afterwards though? What if the zoo fires him? This is his dream job– he loves animals! You saw how passionate he got about it... I knew that what Kim was saying would get on his nerves– so why didn't I say something? Or distract Dad before he got upset? Or just not have invited anyone but our little group?"
"Um... well dude... that's a lot of if's," Nino said, trailing off as he tried to think of something to say. "Sounds like to me you're trying to blame yourself when there's none to take?"
"I wanted our video to change Paris' mind about akumas," Alya whispered. "But it didn't do enough... and now that Dad's been akumatized–"
"Whoa, dudette– don't act like it did nothing!" Nino said, cutting her off. "Your video did so much– it has what now, nearly two and a half million views? That's more than all of Paris! Your voice reached that many people!"
"Doesn't matter how many people that saw it if it doesn't help anyone," she muttered.
"Aurore is sitting with her class again," Nino began. "And her family is talking to her as well. Nathaniel and Kim weren't isolated from the class after their akumatizations– and I noticed that a lot of our school is no longer avoiding Ivan like the plague."
"I know–"
"Sure, the TVi station is as stubborn as ever, but they've been discreet in how they handle akuma-based topics. Nadja Chamack has gotten her whole newscast to use the terms 'victims' instead of 'villains', and other news stations are starting to follow suit. Alec is seeing his daughter again, he started that podcast and is using it to spread word about those akumatized, your blog is getting more and more followers everyday and you don't lay blame on the victims meaning that those that follow you feel the same–"
He paused from his list, looking at Alya with a soft smile, and she blinked. He flushed, looking away just as quickly, trying to regain his train of thought.
"Wh-what I'm saying is that you've done a lot," Nino said, adjusting his cap nervously. "You're one of the most amazing people I know, Alya. Don't you dare put yourself down, I... um, there's a lot of people that admire you."
She laughed. "Admire might be a bit strong, but thank you, Nino."
"I admire you," he blurted out. "A lot."
She raised an eyebrow at this, a slight smile playing at her lips, and he felt his heart skip a beat. "Really?"
"I may... kinda-sorta-have-a-huge-crush-on-you!" He blurted out. Her eyes went wide the same moment his did as they realized what had just been said, and heat flooded his cheeks. He pulled his cap down over his eyes, wanting to melt into the floor as she stared at him.
"You what?" She said, blinking.
"I like you," Nino said again. "You're brave, you're nice, you're smart, you're really really pretty– can you blame me?" He asked, and in his mind he was telling himself to shut up. "I keep trying to ask you out but I keep failing, but hey I finally actually managed to tell you this time and you know what I'm just going to shut up now."
Alya leaned back against the wall. "You like me," she said. "I... um– don't know what to say? I don't think anyone's had a crush on me since primaire? So, um– thank you?"
The two of them sat in silence, neither able to look at the other. It seemed like a good time for crickets to start chirping– but maybe the troop of passing howler monkeys was a pretty good substitute. Nino started fidgeting with his cap, feeling like he should say something, but he wasn't sure what. He felt much lighter now that he had finally gotten his feelings out– but he didn't know what to make of the response.
"Wait a minute!" Alya cried. "At Alix's birthday party– and the ice cream– that wasn't a joke?"
"Nope," Nino said, stomach twisting into knots at the reminder.
"Ah! And yesterday!" She tugged at her hair. "Oh my gosh, I'm so stupid! You were asking me out on a date, weren't you?"
"Yep."
"Gah, and then I just went and asked the whole class if they wanted to come!" She groaned. "I'm sorry, Nino– I'm such an idiot!"
"You're anything but that," he replied.
"Wait, both of those times you asked Adrien and Mari to go to... oooh," A grin spread over her face. "Are you trying to set them up?"
"Adrien is head over heels for Marinette," he replied.
"Oh yes, totally count me in," Alya said, sitting up. "They would be so cute together! Want me to play wingwoman? I could ask Marinette if she's interested in Adrien– and if she is then we totally have to get them together! Didn't both she and Adrien run off at the same time? What if they're hiding together?"
"I'm sure Adrien would love that," Nino said, shifting.
Then fell into silence once more. At least as close as one could get to silence when animals were running free in the zoo.
"So... um..." Alya began awkwardly. "Since the zoo date didn't work out... maybe we could go grab lunch sometime?"
Nino's eyes widened as he heard these words, his head whipping towards Alya. She glanced at him, and he felt heat rushing to his cheeks.
"I... I would like that."
"Cool, cool," she replied. "Um, maybe that new cafe that Rose was talking about?"
"Yeah. Sounds good. Saturday?" Nino offered. "I'll pay."
"Only if I get to pay next time," Alya said.
Nino liked the idea of a next time.
