Hawkmoth stood amidst a storm of white butterflies, contemplating in silence. The opportunity laid before him was a tempting one. Such raw pain mixed with anger and sorrow; it was the perfect catalyst for an akuma. And an excellent shot at capturing the Miraculous of Creation and Destruction. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to darken those pure white wings. There had to be a limit. A line he wouldn't dare cross, even to grant his deepest wish. The villain had always assumed that would eventually become his son. Evidently, the daughter of his old friend also qualified.

He thought back to the call Gabriel Agreste had gotten a month back. The angered and broken voice that came over the phone sounded nothing like the cheerful and outgoing Michael the designer had known over the years. He had sounded lost. Gabriel had coaxed the actor over and over to tell him what had happened, and the news he got nearly sent him into a rage as well. He had offered to fly out to LA that night, but Michael forbid it. Ellen was already doing everything in her power to straighten out the legal issues, and the actor knew how to handle the press as it was. He didn't dare drag his best friend into the heart of the storm. All that he needed was a safe place for his little girl to go until the storm blew over. Of course, the Agreste Manor was open if he so needed it. Still, Michael knew his daughter well enough to know her pride wouldn't allow it. So instead, the two men agreed to send Luna to Paris to live on her own, just close enough for Gabriel to keep a watchful eye out for her. The designer even suggested enrolling her in the same school as Adrien. They had pulled quite a few strings to get her in the same class, as well.

Hawkmoth ran a finger over the jewel of his cane. He went back and forth between his friendship and the love of his life, trying to find some middle ground he could live with. All too soon, his window of opportunity closed when the girl was comforted by a friend. The villain let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He no longer needed to question his moral ambiguity. Still, a dark pull on his heart told him he made a mistake in his stalling. Gritting his teeth, Hawkmoth made up his mind, then and there. He would do right by his friend and keep the young woman safe and content for now. However, if the opportunity ever came up again, he would not waste it, again.

"You wanted to see me?"

Adrien stood in front of his father's desk with a small frown. He hadn't expected the sudden call for his presence, especially just before school. Usually the elder Agreste was too busy with his work to even give his son a simple fair well. So, when Natalie had told him his dad was expecting him, he was more than a little surprised. He played with his bag strap, nervously. Part of him wondered if he was slipping in some way. Maybe the last shoot hadn't gone as well as he thought it did.

Gabriel stood, folding his hands behind his back. "Yes, son. I have a delicate matter I need to discuss with you."

The young model swallowed. "Is something the matter, sir?"

"Relax, Adrien," Gabriel said. "You aren't in any trouble. Unless there's something you need to discuss..."

"N-no, sir! It's just rare that you want to see me."

The boy rubbed his neck, awkwardly. Gabriel watched him for a moment before giving him a small nod.

"I actually wished to talk about Miss Galemore."

Adrien's brow furrowed. "Luna? What about her?"

The designer slowly stepped around his desk as he spoke. "I'm sure you've heard some of the rumors about her decision to stay here in Paris. They are more or less unfounded, of course, but regardless I had promised her father I would watch over her during her stay here. Be that as it may, I very well can't leave my work to follow her about."

"And you would like me to keep an eye on her for you," Adrien filled in.

"She is your classmate, now. It should be easy enough for the two of you to become close."

The blond scratched his brow. "I don't think she'll let me. She seems sure the tabloids will try hooking us up or something."

"Adrien, I wouldn't be asking this of you if it wasn't important. Miss Galemore is in a very vulnerable position. She will need as many friends as she can get."

Adrien studied his father. His mind went back to Luna's fight with Chloé.

I'm surprised no one here's gotten ahold of those pictures, yet.

"What exactly happened? What did Luna do?"

Gabriel pursed his lips. "It's not my place to say, son. I don't expect you to woo her. All I ask is that you try to be there when she need someone. Can you do that for me?"

Questions swarmed in Adrien's mind. What was his father not telling him? Was what Chloé had said about her true? What was going on? He wanted answers, but at the same time, he wasn't all that sure he wanted to know. His mouth pressed itself into a thin line. Finally, he gave a curt nod.

"Yeah, I can do that," he said, green eyes cast down. Hands gently grasped his shoulders as Adrien felt his father kiss his forehead. The tender action was so far out of the norm that the model had to look up to make sure it was still Gabriel Agreste standing in front of him. The light blue eyes that looked back at him held a love he hadn't seen since the incident with Simon Says. Giving his shoulders one last squeeze, his father stepped back.

"Thank you, Adrien. Now you should get going or you will be late for your classes."

Adrien blinked, then nodded absentmindedly. Saying a brief goodbye, he left his father's office and closed the door behind him. Fingers traced his forehead as he tried to figure out if he imagined it. He adjusted his school bag on his shoulder and sighed, then headed out to the running car.

Luna didn't really want to go back to school. As much as she hated to admit it, Chloé made her nervous, now. She didn't like that the pompous brat had gotten under her skin. She also didn't like the thought of Bourgeois having her hands on any of those pics. God, why did she have to be such an idiot?

Still, with Marinette and Alya on either side of her, Luna felt a little more confident walking the grounds of Collège François Dupont. The three of them made their way to class arm in arm. The blogger was rambling on about some new article she was putting together for the Ladyblog while the other girls listened. Every now and then Marinette would pull a face or roll her eyes, making Luna chuckle. The night they had spent together was exactly what she needed. Alya had been nothing short of a saint, planning everything from movies to board games to the incessant needling on Marinette's not-so-secret crush, all in an attempt to distract her. They had ended up camping out in the blogger's living room under a blanket fort screaming at the latest slasher film. The movie was soon forgotten in favor of a popcorn fight, and Alya's mom had to come down and demand the teens get some sleep, if only so they didn't wake any of Alya's sleeping sisters.

As they got to the classroom, Luna found she didn't want to let either of her new friends go. Still, she didn't want to give Chloé any sort of satisfaction. They parted and made their way to their seats. Luna did her best to ignore the smug look from the blonde in the front row. Someone really oughtta slap a bitch. She managed to make it to the back without incident and slid in quietly next to Nathaniel. The shy boy offered her a glance before returning to his artwork. The rest of the students soon trickled in, followed by their teacher. Setting her notes down on her desk, she cleared her throat.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng, Miss Galemore." Both girls' heads poked up. "I hope the two of you have a valid excuse for skipping out on my class yesterday."

"Luna wasn't feeling well, yesterday, Ms. Bustier," Marinette said, which was true enough. "I helped her home and made sure she was alright. I'm sorry for skipping like that."

Soft snickering was heard from the front row. Luna's eyes narrowed at Chloé and Sabrina as they were huddled together. The bespectacled girl caught her gaze before snickering under her hand again. Luna hugged herself.

"Miss Galemore, is that true?" Ms. Bustier asked.

"Yes, ma'am," the actress said.

"How are you feeling today?"

"...Better."

The teacher nodded. "Next time, ladies, please make a trip to the nurse's office instead of leaving the school. There's no need for both of you to miss class if only one of you is feeling sick."

Another giggle sounded. Luna felt herself shrink. She gave a small nod and stared at her desk. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to stay calm. She wasn't going to cry again. Not here. Soon, the lecture began, not that Luna paid that much attention to it. She was too busy counting her breaths to care. A tap on her shoulder pulled her back to reality. She glanced at the boy beside her who then slid something in front of her. Luna barely hid a snort of laughter. The artist had taken it upon himself to cheer her up with a drawing. The picture showed a very detailed Chloé with a few added features. A pig's snout and tusks morphed the girl into something hilariously grotesque. A few sound bubbles of the pig girl oinking were just icing on the cake. Nathaniel gave a small smile while she tried to keep from giggling too loudly. Luna picked up his pencil and scrawled a small "thank you" next to the drawing. She supposed class wouldn't be so bad, after all.