Smiling Agent

by Gale-Dragon

A popular book series known as Smiling Agent has finally been translated into French. Adrien would like to read more than what his father forces him to read, since those books just can't keep his interest. So the Miracuclass devise a way for Adrien to read the series under his overly-controlling father's nose. Still trying to win Adrien over and keep her hold on the class, Lila lie

2. Chapter 2

Smiling Agent Chapter 2.

~}I{~

Ms Mendeleiev looked over the list that Miss Bustier had given her and the other Dupont staff before looking at her co-worker and stated in an unsure tone, "This… Seems like something out of Orwell's 1984, yet at the same time, it feels… Mixed…"

Miss Bustier sighed before she asked, "It's the list for the shows and games that are throwing you for a loop too, huh?"

Ms Mendeleiev gave a nod before Damocles said as he took the list to look over again, "While we know that some parents can be strict on what they want their children to interact with, but from what Caline learned from Adrien about his Father's, uh, "parenting", and I use the term loosely… I can't help but agree that Mr Agreste is being completely controlling of his son." The Headmaster then had a thought before wondering, "Hang on… According to Adrien, these 'issues' have been going on for a long time… So does this mean that the missing Mrs Agreste was agreeing to and was partaking in those "parenting methods" that Mr Agreste is still doing?"

The other staff members glanced at each other as they all thought bout that idea... But since none of them knew anything about Mrs Agreste other than she's Gabriel Agreste's missing wife and Adrien's mother, they had to go with the logical assumption that she was on board with Mr Agreste's "parenting" in some way or another.

Miss Bustier sighed before she said, "And unfortunately, I'm not done with Adrien just yet…" When Ms Mendeleiev asked her to elaborate on that statement, the redheaded teacher explained, "From what I've been told, Lila has been pushing herself into Adrien's personal space when he doesn't want the attention."

Fred placed a hand to his chin when he asked, "Did he tell you this on his own or did you have to pry it from him?" It sounded like he had some kind of idea of whatever the situation was about but he needed to know more details to confirm.

Miss Bustier sighed when she admitted, "A little of both, to be honest, but mostly the latter." She slumped when she added in an unsure tone, "I had to prod him until he had no choice but to tell me, and even then the words he used were concerning…"

Damocles narrowed his eyes when he asked, "And what words did he use?"

Miss Bustier sighed when she explained that Adrien kept stating that the staff members of the Gabriel Brand had to tell Lila that she was being too clingy to Adrien, then added, "The only times he has told Lila to stop hanging off him was to tell her that he couldn't do things with her on one of his arms."

Ms Mendeleiev raised a brow when she asked, "He didn't directly tell Ms Rossi that he disliked it when she clings to him or that he was uncomfortable with the clinging?"

That was when the realisation sank into Miss Bustier's brain when she finally said, "THAT'S what felt weird when I was talking to him about that! He only said that the other members of the Gabriel Brand had told Lila to stop clinging to him! He never said that he asked her to stop!"

This was yet another red flag to add to the unwanted collection.

The Dupont staff glanced at each other, none of them were completely sure what to say about that. Oh, sure, they were all thinking that there was some deep-seated conditioning going on with the Agrestes. Still, the main issue was how to bring that to the School Board to launch a proper CPS investigation without Mr Agreste finding out so he could prevent countermeasures…

~}I{ Agreste Manor }I{~

During their study session, Nino finally asked Adrien, "Dude, what's really going on between Marinette and Lila?" The red-capped teen added, "And don't give me that whole "Marinette's just overreacting" excuse because you don't seem to believe that claim anymore. And given how pissed off she was earlier, I'm sure whatever Lila said to Marinette was on purpose to get her mad. There's also the fact that Lila seemed a lot more interested in pinning the blame on Marinette rather than admitting that she misspoke and should apologise for what she said."

Adrien slumped his shoulders when he said, "I'm sure that's the case… I don't know what happened between them other than Marinette calling out Lila on the lies, but I know Lila is intentionally angering Marinette to make her look bad. She's been doing that for a while…" He subconsciously rubbed his left arm.

Nino raised a brow at this when he asked, "How long has 'a while' been?" The red-capped teen couldn't help but think, 'And how long have you known about the lying?' He watched the blonde's expression.

Adrien shrugged his shoulders slightly when he said, "I'm not sure what happened between them exactly, but it was the day Lila was Akumatized into that Akuma that turns into people by kissing them." He shutters at that last part when he adds "I'm not sure if THAT power trigger was Lila's idea or Hawkmoth's but there's something there that I don't think is right." He subconsciously rubbed his left arm and then winced when his right hand ran over an odd spot.

Nino noticed this and asked, "Dude, did you bang your arm on something?" The red-capped teen then thought, 'Also going to bookmark that tidbit of information about that Akuma for later, but right now…'

Adrien tried to remember if he hit his arm on something during the recent Akuma battle. But he didn't think he did, same with his daily routine. That was when the blonde said, "I don't think so…" He rubbed that spot again and winced again. Why did it hurt when nothing happened?

Nino stood up from his seat when he said as he moved closer to the other, "Mind if I take a look? Maybe I can figure out what happened." Adrien told him to go ahead, not thinking about the consequences if it was something from being a Hero. Nino carefully rolled the blonde's sleeve up to get a better look at what was hurting his buddy. The red-capped teen froze at what he saw. 'Are those… Nail marks?' Nino thought as he took a closer look at the sickening number of red indents that stood out clearly on the blonde's pale skin. All of the indents curved slightly into small crescent moons, much like how nails curved around a finger as it grew out. Some of the indents looked like they were close to fading away while others looked like they were made within the past few days or so.

"Nino… What's wrong?" Adrien asked when he noticed how intensely the red-capped teen was staring at his arm.

In an uncharacteristically dead serious tone, Nino asked the blonde, "Adrien… Who did this to you?" The red-capped teen wasn't an expert on this kind of thing, but from what he did know the size of the nail marks were bigger than ones children could do but smaller than an adults. So maybe whoever was digging their nails into Adrien was either another teenager or possibly a woman with small hands.

Confusion plastered all over Adrien's face when he vocalised, "What are you talking about?" That was when he looked at his arm and saw the nail marks on clear display. 'Oh, I forgot about those since I haven't been forced to work with Lila the last shoot,' Adrien thought before he told his friend, "Oh, don't worry about those. They're nothing."

Nino gripped the blonde's sleeve a little tighter, wrinkling the fabric, at these words. The red-capped teen took a deep breath to calm himself before he said in that same tone, "Adrien, these are NOT nothing! Someone dug their nails into you! Someone HURT you!"

Adrien pulled his arm away when he said in a tone that clearly thought that the red-capped teen was overreacting, "Nino, they're nothing, so don't worry about them." He tugged his sleeve down during this.

Nino almost hissed out, "Adrien, how the hell can nail marks on your arm be "Nothing"?!" He pointed at the now-covered indents on the other's arm when he spoke.

Adrien stated as if he rehearsed the whole thing recently, "No blood came out of them, they can easily be covered for a photo shoot, and they aren't life-threatening."

Nino was baffled by what he had just heard! The red-capped teen took a deep breath yet again before he asked, "Adrien, who told you that crap?! Because, dude, someone digging their nails into you like that is never okay! It doesn't matter what excuse they use! If they are gripping you hard enough to leave any type of mark on you, then that is BAD! And seeing How Many nail marks you already have on your arm, this is a recurring problem!"

Adrien just stared at the red-capped teen when he said, "But, Father and Mother told me that anything that doesn't draw blood isn't important and as long as the booboos can be covered up by either make-up or a piece of clothing then they are fine until they disappear."

Nino processed what he heard again before he buried his face in his hands when he groaned out, "Oh, God! Adrien! That's… That's not right! That's NOT what a parent tells their kid when they're injured!" The red-capped teen was utterly baffled when he thought, 'Fucking hell! BOTH his parents told him that being hurt like that isn't important!? Fuck! I need to tell Mum!'

"Nino?" Adrien asked as he leaned closer to his friend before he asked in a concerned tone, "Are you sick? You're looking a little pale." He didn't understand why his best friend was getting so worked up over something that wasn't important.

Nino looked at the blonde with worry. His friend… Didn't understand how serious this kind of thing was… Not in the slightest… That was a clear sign that this has been going on for YEARS! Nino took a deep breath before he let it out and said shakily, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, but dude… You do have a lot of those nail marks that I can't help but worry about you. Ya'know." He couldn't help but be very concerned that his buddy couldn't understand why he was worried about him. That was when an idea came to Nino when he asked, somewhat changing the subject, "Say, how about we record our study session so we can use it as a reference in the future? If that's cool with you." The red-capped teen planned to use this to ask the other questions about his home life and how he was brought up to record the answers legally.

Adrien, who was none the wiser, thought that was an excellent idea and happily agreed to that. 'I'm glad Nino is looking better,' He thought as they set up for their study session. But Adrien couldn't help but wonder why Nino was upset about the marks on his arm. They weren't bad enough to draw blood so they weren't important.

As the teens started "Studying" Plagg, who was currently hiding behind the computer monitors, was shaking. The Kwami of Destruction's eyes were wide open, pupils dilated, his arms were wrapped around himself so tightly he might split himself in half, his tail was also curling around his tiny body, and his fangs bared over his lips to prevent himself from letting out a sound.

This entire time, Plagg thought his Holder was just too nice and too considerate to tell someone to back off if they were clinging to him, thus he advised the blonde to be more assertive. But… That was not the case… Adrien was Taught he should always be passive, Told to Let others have their hands all over him, and Told that getting injured in a way that doesn't disrupt photo shoots was Not important…

Plagg wanted to scream. Wanted to tell his Holder that his parents were wrong. Wanted to Cataclysm that damn bastard so Adrien could be free of him. That last one was tempting as hell and Plagg was almost ready to leave the room to do so, but the only thing stopping him was the fact that the raw Cataclysm from him would also destroy the mansion and hurt or possibly kill everyone inside… And… Plagg didn't want to hurt his kitten or his best friend who clearly cared about him more than the so-called father…

Plagg needed to tell Tikki and the Guardian about this… The sooner the better.

}{

After a while of studying and subtle questions, Adrien and Nino took a break. They went to the kitchen to get a snack, then they went to the home library. Nino had this weird mixture of impressed and disappointed. Impressed because the Agrestes had a decent-sized home library that was stocked with books and DVDs, but that was where the impressive part ended. The disappointment overtook everything because all the books that the Agreste had were classic literature… Only classic literature… Even the DVDs were just theatrical or faithful adaptations of the classic literature. Although there were a few DVDs of movies that Emilie had stared in on a shelf of its own. Yeah, sure there were a few original printed ones that were on display in sealed glass cases, but unless you were a bibliophile (a person who collects or has a great love of books) or were into that kind of thing, there wasn't much to really look at here… However…

"Uhh, Adrien…" Nino got out in uneasiness as he looked at the shelf that was neatly arranged with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls… Just those two novels… With seven different copies each… With the copies arranged by re-publication date or by colour, possibly both… Nino's brow twitched as he looked at the shelf below to see the same thing but with two different novels when he asked the blonde, "Why does your folks' library have… Seven of each book? Not including the original prints, of course."

Adrien glanced at the bookshelf when he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Oh, we have multiple copies in case more than one person here wants to read the same book. Mother and Father gave me the most recent re-prints to keep in my room for me to read." He seemed confused when he looked at Nino when he asked, "Don't you keep enough spare books in case your family wants to read the same book?"

The red-capped teen gave the blonde a worried expression on his face when he retorted, "My dude, you've been to my place… Did you see any sort of library like this?" As he indicated the Agreste library. Nino caught himself and took a deep breath before saying in a calmer tone, "Adrien… I think your folks are… A weird brand of extra… This is the first time outside of a public library where I've seen multiple copies of the same book on a shelf…"

Adrien had a bit of an 'ah-ha' moment when he got out, "Oh! That's why Chloe and Sabrina only had one copy of a book in their homes!" Nino gave his boi an expression of 'Are you seriously realising that now?' The red-capped teen couldn't help but wonder why Adrien's parents seemed so obsessed with classic literature. Despite possibly knowing the answer to the question, Nino asked the blonde about it. Adrien replied with the expected response, "Mother and Father said that the classics were worth the time to read them."

Nino had this expression that was this weird combination of 'saw that coming', 'disappointment', and 'that's not a real answer'. Plagg, who was hiding out of view from the teens' eyes had to agree with the red-capped teen on that, and the Kwami usually didn't read books! This made Nino wonder if the Agreste adults even bothered with looking at novels that were actually published within the recent decade.

The teens made their way back to Adrien's room to continue their study session.

Plagg decided to linger in the Agreste Library for a little while longer, puzzling over why his chosen's parents thought these 'classics' were the only genre of books that should be read. Sure, he'd read a few when he got the chance, but he didn't think they were fascinating enough to cause an obsession over… Now that Plagg managed to look at all the titles the Agrestes had, he realised that there was one branch of classic literature that was noticeably missing from this collection. The Kwami of Destruction scoffed when he grumbled out, "Humph! None of Will's plays are here! How can they be so obsessed with all this classic literature and not have his works!" He turned his nose up at the now sorry excuse of a classic literature library before he flew back towards Adrien's bedroom.

~}I{ Meanwhile }I{~

It was starting to become routine to the Ladybug pair. A welcomed routine compared to everything else.

Marinette sitting comfortably somewhere with Tikki either perched on her shoulder or resting in front of the book as they read it. The bluette wondered if the Kwami's reading speed matched her own because she was her Holder, but that didn't matter as long as they enjoyed the book.

}{ Smiling Agent: First Encounter Book }{

Well… I will have to admit, I never expected THIS to happen… Especially this quickly…

There sitting in the chair Smiling Agent usually sat in was a 7-year-old girl who looked quite similar to him in appearance, but didn't have his eyes staring right at me with almost an intense glare that a child like her shouldn't have. It was strange though, Smiling Agent didn't have that eye colour nor did his wife, who all three of us agreed to use the pseudonym Constrictor when referring to her.

"What?" the girl asked in a relatively thick accent. It was clear that the language she was speaking wasn't her first language… Or her second… Third, maybe? Possibly a fourth… I knew both Smiling Agent and Constrictor knew many languages and both had mentioned that they have been teaching their children those languages…

Oh, that was when I realised that I was somewhat staring at her the way she was staring at me. I was quick to apologise as I looked away from her. I ended up glancing in the direction of the other child in the room, a 3-year-old boy who was sleeping soundly in the little makeshift bed in the corner. He more-or-less had Constrictor's looks but Smiling Agent's hair, at least from what I could see…

How did I end up babysitting the two children of Smiling Agent and Constrictor?

Okay, technically, it was Smiling Agent's turn to watch them while Constrictor was on a quick away mission but we had our meeting today so he brought the two with him… So I got to meet the little ones… And then another agent came in and needed Smiling Agent for something important. So now I'm just making sure these two little ones behave while their parents are out… At least one was sleeping…

Okay, what did Smiling Agent say about not doing to individuals on the Autism Spectrum? Ah, right!

I asked the child if she knew who I was. Her response was oddly interesting when she said, "You're Отец's (1) writer friend who is documenting all of Отец's missions he's allowed to talk about." I did not expect the Smiling Agent to consider me a friend… Or tell his children this… I'm surprised.

The girl tilted her head to the side when she asked, "You didn't know you were friends?"

I admitted that I thought that her father and I were more along the lines of acquaintances, explaining my reasoning as I did. I watched as she thought the information over. She then gave a nod when she said, "That makes sense." She tilted her head to the side when she stated, "Отец told me that you have'ta use code names for him and Mãe (2), yes?"

It took me a moment to realise that she was talking about her mother. I shouldn't be surprised that this child was using those words, but it can still trip people up if they weren't aware she could speak several different languages. It still amazes me that she had that skill at her age.

I replied with a nod before I told her the Code Names I use for her parents, Smiling Agent and Constrictor respectively. She gave me a nod of approval, commenting that those codenames fit her parents perfectly. I was admittedly unsure about a child saying that about her parents, but considering who they were… Well, the context of information is important. That was when she asked a rather innocent yet important question.

"Did Отец and Mãe give me and my baby brother codenames?"

I smiled at her when I said that they used the codename Topaz for their son and Serpentine for their daughter.

She, Serpentine, laughed when she said, "Отец and Mãe made the right choice!"

That response baffled me for a bit. I didn't think she would laugh when I told her. Wait… Did she know what those gemstones mean?

With that, she smiled, just like her father.

}I{ Marinette's Room }I{

A cell phone ringing shattered the moment.

Tikki let out a whine as Marinette picked up her cell to see who was calling. To the bluette's surprise, it was Juleka. Strange, she usually texted… Did that mean that the call was important? Tikki noticed before she floated up to listen in as Marinette answered the phone with a, "Hello?"

Juleka's voice came in clearly through the phone when she said, "Hey, Marinette…" She must've been at her home on the houseboat because the bluette could hear the sounds of the Seine in the background.

Marinette glanced at Tikki before she said into the cell, "Uh, hi, Juleka… Is everything alright? You don't normally… You know…" As soon as that left her mouth, she immediately wished she worded that a little better.

"I know…" Juleka replied. Marinette heard a sigh before the girl on the other end of the line said, "Um, but this is kind of important and I wanted you to hear it from me… But given what you've said in the past… I… Don't think you'd be all that surprised by this…"

Tikki gave her Holder a worried look when the bluette asked, "Umm, okay… Uh, what is it?"

Juleka was quiet for a good 15 seconds before she finally said, "Um, well, after you… Uh, stormed off…"

Oh… Marinette knew where this was going. She was already rolling her eyes at the comment that had yet to be told.

But before the bluette could say anything Juleka said, "Lila… Lied about something that couldn't possibly be true…"

Oh… Marinette had the right idea but went to the wrong conclusion… The bluette took in a breath before she stated rather than asked, "And that raised some flags and got you thinking about some of the things she told you in the past." The bluette figured Lila lied about introducing Juleka, Rose, Mylene, and Ivan to Kitty Section or something along that line. While Kitty Section wore masks to the general public, it was an open secret to the class. Though from what Marinette heard in the halls, Lila wasn't even aware that she was classmates with the members of the masked rock band. So it wouldn't surprise her if Lila told the wrong lie to the right people. 'About time,' Marinette couldn't help but think.

Juleka's voice broke that thought train when she said, "Yeah… It kind of did… I mean… It was kind of… A big lie… And, well, considering how quickly and easily she made that lie… Not to mention the timing of it…" Juleka let out a soft sigh before she said, "It… Made a few of us wonder… If she could lie about something like That, then… How much of what she told us in the past were also lies? I'm sure that this doesn't surprise you…"

Marinette shook her head out of habit when she said, "No, it doesn't. I told all of you that she was a liar." She sighed when she added, "Listen, I get it. Everyone in our class has done some pretty amazing things, so it isn't hard for us to think that others can do the same. But she was leading you guys on and I didn't want any of you hurt because of those lies…"

Juleka's response was almost too quiet when she said over the phone, "You got hurt…"

"Huh?" was Marinette's response.

Juleka took a deep breath before she said, "Every time we brushed you off and told you to 'stop being jealous', that had to have hurt You… Especially since it wasn't jealousy…" Juleka sighed when she said, "I mean… The jealousy thing was the only thing that made sense but… Looking back on those now… Calling someone a liar over jealousy All the time doesn't make a whole lot of sense… Yeah, sure, if it were only moments where Adrien was strictly involved, then the whole jealousy thing would make sense, but… Most of the time you "Called Lila Out on Her Lies" had nothing to do with Adrien… It mostly had to do with her supposed connections, ailments, and accomplishments…"

Marinette was seeing where this was going when she asked, "You… Looked into Lila's claims after yesterday?"

There was some sound on the other end of the call. Marinette attributed that to the goth adjusting her phone. Then Juleka said, "Well, not everything, but… Uh, what I can remember at least… She… Made a lot of claims… So… It's hard to keep track of all of them… But the ones I could remember and look up…" Marinette heard the other girl sigh before her voice came back by saying, "But… I'm sorry… About brushing you off and… Not looking into a few things when I should have…"

Marinette allowed a small smile to appear on her lips when she said, "I accept your apology, and again, I can understand how you thought Lila could be like the rest of our class. But next time someone has concerns… Maybe take them to the side before they make a big scene and hear them out. I mean, okay, I know it's a little hypocritical of me to say that, given how I was acting, but… Well, you know, realising too late how I could've done things."

The bluette could hear Juleka smile when she said, "Thanks, Marinette… And… I'll tell our classmates about that advice, so expect a lot of apologies over the next few days."

"That's for the warning," Marinette said with a giggle before she told the other goodbye and hung up. The bluette looked at her Kwami, who was smiling back at her.

Tikki hugged her Holder when she said, "I am super glad that they've caught onto that annoying liar! Hopefully, it'll make them more aware of her intentions."

Marinette nodded before she said, "Agreed, while I know I can't make everyone believe me, but I'm glad they aren't going to brush me off anymore." She let out a sigh of relief when she added, "I'm also glad that Lila's lying has finally caught up with her." Tikki happily nodded.

Soon, the two went back to reading the book.

}{ Meanwhile }{

Juleka let her phone drop onto the mattress of her bed as she looked over at the others in her shared room. Ivan, Mylene, Rose, Nath, Alix, Luka, and an uneasy Alya were either standing by the walls or sitting on the beds. Juleka sighed when she asked, "So… What should we do about Lila?"

Luka held a finger when he said, "Let's wait on Nino's report from Adrien before we start." He glanced at Alya, who was uneasy about this whole thing, before he stated, "And no one is allowed to be mad at Adrien for possibly knowing but not telling anyone about it. From what all of you told me and what I heard from his song, he was not taught a lot about how the real world works outside what Mr Agreste deemed appropriate."

Ivan folded his arms when he stated, "Which wasn't much in all honesty. Just what pertains to working at the Gabriel Brand."

Mylene couldn't help but add, "Which also doesn't seem to include the basic fundamentals for a non-professional or work-related social situation…" She looked at her friends when she told them, "Remember how often Adrien had a lot of trouble talking to us about casual things like personal interests, hobbies, and media that we enjoy? Or was completely clueless as to how he should join a casual conversation? Those signs were not social awkwardness, that felt like he didn't know how to be anything but professional..."

Looking back on that now… Yeah, that was true… Should they alert the teachers about that? Yeah, they should, teachers are probably the best people they should talk to about these because they can talk to Adrien a bit more in-depth without raising too many concerns from him and they can contact the CPS if needed.

Rose then added, "Totally, when you look at those as a whole, then… Adrien not coming forward with his possible knowledge of Lila's lies does make sense…"

Alix folded her arms when she stated in a flat tone, "Ten Euros on Mr Agreste telling Adrien that all lies are like tabloids…"

Nath's lips pressed into a line when he commented, "That makes surprisingly a lot of sense and given how famous the Gabriel Brand is… I wouldn't put it past Mr Agreste to do just that."

Alix glanced at Alya, who was still looking pretty uneasy. The skater raised a brow when she asked the blogger, "You okay? I mean, I get that all this new... Information is a lot to take in... But, it seems you're processing it."

Alya bit her lips before she finally said, "It's not just that! It's trying to figure out why all the hate between Lila and Marinette! I mean, sure, Marinette can be a little extra when it comes to liars, but that's certainly Not a reason for Lila to be all spiteful!"

Rose did a calm-down motion when she said, "You're right, it is a little much over a disagreement on lying but there has to be a good reason for it..." She looks at Juleka when she added, "And hopefully, we can find a way to mend whatever happened between them..."

Nath couldn't help but chime in, "I still think the whole lying about knowing and helping the Arthur of the Smiling Agent series was super suspicious." He folded his arms when he added, "Lilaliterally pulled that one out of the air the moment she heard that Adrien was liking the first book, and I am going to have to agree with Kim on his points."

The group glanced at each other with uneasy looks in their eyes. None of them were sure what to think about that. But there were two things that they needed... One was more information and the second was to act as mediator between Marinette and Lila. Hopefully, they can do both at the same time.

}I{ Three B's Chat Group, 30 Minutes Later }I{

Brawn: "Good News!"

Brawn: "The teachers accepted my proposal!"

Brawn: "You may send your congratulations when you can."

Beauty: "That's great, Kim!"

Beauty: "I'm so glad the teachers loved your proposal! You worked hard on it!"

Brain: "Totally dude!"

Brawn: ?

~}I{ The Next Day }I{~

Everyone that was on the Liberty made a chat group specifically dedicated to figuring out the real issue between Lila and Marinette, plus the weirdness between Adrien and Lila.

True, it was going to take some work on everyone's part, but it would certainly be worth it. However, there was a rather major snag in this, at least for Alya. Marinette put in a seat transfer and had switched seats with Chloe. So now Marinette was sitting in the left front row with Sabrina while Chloe now sat in the right second row with Alya. The Houseboat group wasn't that surprised that their Everyday Ladybug didn't want to sit with the blogger, but the fact that Chloe willingly switched seats with the bluette did.

"What?" Chloe snapped in annoyance when she noticed Alya staring at her.

Alya was a little slow to say, "Uhh... Why did you switch seats with Marinette?" She just couldn't understand why the mayor's daughter would do something like this, or at least with the bluette.

Chloe folded her arms with a huff before she snapped, "None of your business, Césaire. Just be glad that you can sit next to me." She glanced at her new seatmate when she added. "I expect you to not drag me down and keep your nose out of my business."

Alya still wasn't sure what to think about this.

}I{

As the school day wore on, the Houseboat group tried to note every interaction between Marinette and Lila as well as Adrien's interactions with Lila, however…

Marinette was really hammering in that she would NOT be in the same spot as Lila outside the mandatory class time... While the Houseboat group could understand the why, they really wanted to find out the reason the two girls didn't get along... They knew that it couldn't just be over a few small lies, that they knew. Obviously, there had to have been some kind of big misunderstanding between Lila and Marinette that has been blown way out of proportion and are now seeing what they want to see despite any better judgment.

… … …

Yup, they were going to need more data... Ah, right, they still need to talk to Nino...

}{

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that, Nino," Miss Bustier asked, scrunching her eyes together before looking at the red-capped teen.

Nino took a deep breath before he said again, "Adrien has been told by both his parents that getting hurt isn't important unless it messes with a shoot or is bleeding." He held out his left arm and pointed where the helm of the sleeve was with his right index finger when he added, "And he had A Lot of nail marks on his arm, like someone was gripping him super tight often. most were fading but he had some that look relatively fresh."

Miss Bustier bit her lip before she asked, "Do you know who... Did those?"

Nino lowered his gaze when he replied, "No... I was too upset over the fact that Adrien thought it was perfectly okay to have non-bleeding injuries that I didn't ask..." He glanced up at the redheaded teacher when he added, "I don't know if it's because he's repeating what his folks told him or not, but it's making me think that whoever is gripping him tight enough to leave nail marks on him might be working for the Gabriel Brand or someone who has a lot of contact with Adrien."

Miss Bustier placed a hand on the teen's shoulder when she said in a serious tone, "Thank you for reporting this to me and I'll let the school Board know about Adrien's situation." she took a deep breath before she added, "I can't do anything about any abuse in the Gabriel Brand workplace, but when the CPS do get involved, they can do something about that." Caline smiled at the red-capped teen when she said," You can do your part by being there for Adrien, okay."

Nino nodded with a small smile before he looked away when he said, "I just wish I could do more..."

Miss Bustier couldn't help but mutter, "Same here... But let's do what we can..."

Nino then said softly, "I… Managed to record some… More information about Adrien's home life… All legal. I told Adrien it was for our study session…"

Miss Bustier told Nino that it was fine and it could be used.

}{

Marinette was reading 'Smiling Agent: First Encounter' at her desk as Tikki peeked out from the sweater the bluette was wearing to read the book too without being seen.

}I{ Smiling Agent: First Encounter Book }I{

It's strange. I never thought I would be eating a meal in this room... But then again, I hadn't had breakfast before coming here. So I wasn't complaining. At least, not out loud. I do kind of wish they could paint this room a different colour...

Anyway, I learned something... Interesting about Smiling Agent and Serpentine. Then again, I shouldn't be that surprised they share this particular interest, but the reason behind it was different between them.

"No thanks, it's a creamy feel. I don't like creamy feels," Serpentine stated bluntly when I offered her some of my tomato soup that had a big helping of cheese mixed in.

I asked her what she meant by 'creamy feel'? Sure it was a little creamy but it wasn't that big a deal. It tasted pretty good.

Smiling Agent chuckled when he explained, "She's talking about the texture of your dish. She doesn't like creamy things, nor do I."

Oh, okay, that's what the 'feel' part of Serpentine's statement meant. It wasn't that much of a surprise, I've heard that individuals on the Autism spectrum have issues with certain sensory stimuli. She must not like the feel of creamy textures on her tongue. I can understand that, I tend to dislike how dry foods feel in my mouth.

That was when I realised that Smiling Agent admitted that he also disliked creamy textures. So I asked him if there was a reason for that.

Smiling Agent shrugged when he replied, "Like my daughter," he ruffled her hair at this before he continued, "I also don't like how creamy textures feel on my tongue. Never did."

Serpentine ducked out of her father's touch before she stated, "Отец, don't go into details as to why. We're eating and you describe them as yucky enough to make everyone's appetite go away."

That was... A rather telling statement...

Smiling Agent chuckled when he said, "Yes, I do tend to be rather 'descriptive' in regards to certain things." He then added without much care, "But that seems to be the only way to get people to understand why I don't like them."

Serpentine then stated flatly, "Not like saying 'I don't like it' works. People just assume that you're picky when you say that rather than politely accepting that you don't like what they like and like things that they don't like." She took a bite of her food before she grumbled, "It would be nice if you don't have to literally throw up to prove you can't eat something for others to accept the 'I don't eat this' line."

I couldn't help but think how the heck could a 7-year-old say something That logical? I mean, she's not wrong and it would be nice if people were more willing to be courteous of others' food preference. I know I would love it if people would stop trying to force crackers on me even though I tell them I don't like them.

That made me realise something when I asked Serpentine what she meant by having to throw-up to prove that you can't eat something. To me, it sounded like she had more than just her issue with creamy foods.

Serpentine glanced up at her father as if asking permission to answer. That was when Smiling Agent said carefully in a stern tone, "My daughter is very intolerant to a food that is quite common and loved. So when she's offered something with this food, she has to refuse, which in turn, causes people to ask why she doesn't want it. Obviously, She tells them that she can't eat it or doesn't like it." He sighed as he continued, "However, since this food is so popular and loved, people assume that she's picky and there have been too many attempts by others to 'prove' that the food is 'delicious' by... Sneaking that food into something and giving it to her..."

Oh... I can see where this is going... I replied by asking if Serpentine vomited every time she ate this food item.

The 7-year-old girl folded her arms when she practically growled out, "Without fail! Between five to ten minutes after eating whatever had the stuff snuck in!" She rolled her eyes when she added bitterly, "And these people don't understand why I don't accept any food from them afterwards." Serpentine scoffed when she added in annoyance, "Like I have any reason to trust them with food after they snuck something I outright told them I can't eat."

She... Was right...

It didn't take much thinking to put together the fact that to her, the food item she couldn't eat was prison. So from her perspective, someone poisoned her to prove something that didn't exist in the first place. That would taint any food interactions afterwards with distrust and suspicion even if it was an accident…

But for someone to freak something that a person couldn't eat was not only one hell of a safety hazard but also the best way to lose any type of trust between people. So I certainly couldn't blame Serpentine for being suspicious of every food item that comes from the person who 'Poisoned' her.

I heard Smiling Agent sigh when he said, "I can't understand why it is so hard for others to respect one's dietary restriction or choice." He tapped his fork on the bowl he was eating from when he added, "Given that there are millions of people who can't eat certain foods, you would think people should be more compassionate of others."

I had to agree with that.

That was when Serpentine said, "Agreed, I know Отец would like it if people would stop offering soup dishes."

I asked Smiling Agent if he disliked soups for some reason.

He shrugs when he says, "I can't understand how people enjoy foods that have been soaking in liquids. Granted, they smell nice, but it's all soggy to me." He huffed when he added, "And the ones that have been submerged in the creamier ones are the worst, in my opinion."

Huh, so he didn't like soup at all...

Serpentine nodded in agreement when she said, "Creamy soups are gross feel,"

Ah! So both Smiling Agent and Serpentine hate creamy soups. Well, I guess it makes sense that they wouldn't since they both dislike creamy textures a lot.

That was when I heard Smiling Agent say, "If people could learn compassion, understanding, tolerance, and empathy, the world would be better."

With that, he smiled. But it was a sad smile.

~}I{ With Marinette }I{~

"What are you reading?" A familiar voice asked, interrupting the reading.

Tikki immediately ducked into the bluette's jacket as the Ladybug Holder jumped a bit.

Marinette looked up from the book to see Chloe and Sabrina looming over her. The bluette blinked in confusion when she asked, "Um, why do you want to know?"

As Chloe raised a brow as Sabrina replied with a tilt of the head, "Well, you didn't notice us when we came in because you were hyper-focused on the book..." the orangette seemed curious to know what the bluette was reading.

Marinette blinked again when she glanced at the pages of her book when she said wearily, "Oh, this is Smiling Agent: First Encounter..." She wasn't sure why she was telling those two this, but now that it was out there.

That was when Chloe got out in a sceptical tone, "You read Smiling Agent?"

Marinette got annoyed when she almost snapped out, "Of course, I do! It's a great book and I am looking forward to the rest of the series being translated."

Chloe couldn't stop herself from saying, "Wouldn't it be easier to pre-order them?" She shrugged when she said, "That guarantees that you will get them and you don't have to worry about keeping track of the release date. Unless you're worried about the pre-order price, it shouldn't be that big an issue."

Marinette stared at the blonde with a raised brow. Something was... Weird about this whole thing... Marinette was having a... Regular conversation with Chloe and Sabrina... No threats, no insults, and no unwanted torment…

It was so strange for the bluette!

Marinette slowly put the book down, making sure she kept her place, not breaking her contact with the two bullies. That was when she asked them in an unsure tone, "Do... Both of you read Smiling Agent?"

That certainly caused Chloe and Sabrina to realised what they were talking about.

Oh... Oh... Oh... Oh!

That caused Marinette to giggle in amusement as she got out, "I never thought either of you would read Smiling Agent!"

Chloe turned pink when she got out in a stutter, trying to keep her cool, "Sh-Shut up! What's wrong with liking a book?!" Sabrina tried to calm the blonde down.

Marinette managed to steady herself before she said, "Nothing's wrong with that. I'm just surprised that both of you would read Smiling Agent. The genre and type of storyline didn't seem like something either of you would read." She looked at the two when she said between giggles, "After all, both of you tend to talk about the latest Rom-com novel and Romance novels."

Chloe glanced to the side when Sabrina got out sheepishly, "Uh, yeah, we do. They're so... Very interesting and fun... And have a good plot…"

The smile on Marinette's face turned into an unsure frown. The bluette couldn't help but ask, "Do you... Even read them or just say that you do when you actually haven't?"

Chloe scuffed in annoyance when she folded her arms and snapped, "Okay! Fine! Neither of us read any of those non-creative and stereotypical shit that's just a photocopy of one another!" She huffed as her shoulders stiffened when she added, "I don't know how people can like those stories!" Sabrina looked at the blonde in worry.

Marinette couldn't help but stare at the two, but mostly Chloe, when she asked, "I... I don't understand." She blinked as she tried to digest this 'reveal' when she asked the big question, "Why would you lie about liking a genre you don't enjoy? And tell everyone that you read them?"

Sabrina's gaze kept switching from Marinette to Chloe, unsure if she should say anything or not. The blonde girl avoided the bluette's eyes, clearly uncomfortable with the questions for some reason.

Marinette knew that there had to be something major to get these two to become so tight-lipped. That was when she remembered the recent online scandal involving Audery the Style Queen before she asked the two before her, "Wait, are you pretending to read Rom-com and Romance novels because the Style Queen..." Marinette moved her hands to make air quotes when she continued, "Likes to "Read" them?" The bluette lowered her hands and watched the blonde and orangette's reactions.

Chloe was the one to respond first with, "Okay! Fine! I tried to read the books my mother said were Exceptional! I wanted to like them! But I just! Just couldn't like them! I couldn't!" The blonde was slumping when she said in a defeated tone, "I was hoping I could talk about these books with Mum and she would think I'm Exceptional for reading them...'

'Oh shit. That was a revealing comment!' Both Marinette and Tikki thought at the same time.

Sabrina's attention was on Chloe before she realised what the bluette did and asked Marinette, "Wait? You don't believe Audrey has read the books that she said were Exceptional?"

Chloe had a potent 'Wait? What?!' expression as her attention was back on the bluette.

Marinette potently shook her head when she stated, "Nope, and you want to know why?" Both Chloe and Sabrina nodded. The bluette huffed before she explained, "The Style Queen "claimed," that 'Gems of the Magical Hearts' was..." She paused for a moment before she pulled her phone out and searched for what she was looking for on the device. When Marinette found it, she read it aloud: "I quote, "An Exceptional tale of the love between two people that can conquer any obstacles", end quote." The bluette rolled her eyes when she added in more of an annoyed tone, "Anyone who has actually read 'Gems of the Magical Hearts' can tell you that the Style Queen has no right to make such an absurd and propaganda-filled claim when she obviously never read it (3)."

Sabrina and Chloe stared at Marinette for a good few seconds before the orangette asked in a confused tone, "Um, I'm... Uh, it sounds like... You, and a lot of people, are sure that Audrey... Never read 'Gems of the Magical Hearts' despite making such a... Statement... I guess?"

Marinette nods when she said, "As someone who has read 'Gems of the Magical Hearts', I can call bullshit on her completely misleading statement on a book she knows absolutely nothing about and has never read (3)." She flashed the two her phone when she added, "And I'm not the only one who's calling her out on that BS."

Both Chloe and Sabrina read the site on the bluette's phone and were very surprised by the petition that had exceeded the number of digital signatures they were asking for. The petition was asking fans of 'Gems of the Magical Hearts' to sign so they could have the national news do an article about the misinformation the Style Queen was spreading about a book that was clearly labelled as a different genre.

Chloe stared at the petition a little longer than she wanted to admit when She asked, "Wait? 'Gems of the Magical Hearts' isn't a Romance novel? And Mum never read it?! Why would she say all those things about the book when she never read them (3)?"

Marinette glanced off to the side when she said wearily, "Yeah, it's not… And I don't have a clue on why the Style Queen would do such a thing despite never reading it…" She bit her lips before she took a deep breath and said carefully, "And I don't want to spoil anything... But the... Best way to describe 'Gems of the Magical Hearts' would be to say that 'Madoka Magica' was the inspiration for it..."

That certainly caught both Sabrina and Chloe's attention. Their faces had a potent 'Oh! Shit!' expression as they processed that information.

Marinette pocketed her phone when she said, "An old friend of Nino, Kim, and I recommended 'Gem of the Magical Heart' to us a while ago. He's got a weird gift for finding cryptically, fascinatingly good books." She shrugged when she added, "Not my usual cup of tea, but it was so good that I had to finish the book."

Sabrina couldn't help but ask, "So... I'm hearing that it's good... Despite it being..."

Marinette waved a hand when she said, "I'd say give it a chance and read the first three chapters. I can't guarantee you'll like it, but it might help you figure out what you like reading."

Chloe glanced to the side when she stated, "I'll... Think about that..." She looked back at the bluette when she asked, "So... How many times have you read the First Encounter?"

Marinette rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly when she got out, "I... Lost count... After I stopped keeping track..."

Sabrina snickered when she said, "You too, huh." The blonde shushed the orangette. This in turn caused the bluette to laugh.

Tikki couldn't help but find this whole interaction fascinating. 'They are getting along, and over books!' The Kwami of Creation thought as she continued to watch the trio happily.

~}I{~

Adrien was scrolling through a list of audiobooks while he waited in his changing room for the photoshoot to start. As much as he wanted to listen to 'Smiling Agent: First Encounter' again, he didn't have it anymore due to it being borrowed from another. But he was sure that there were other audiobooks to listen to.

"Hey! What's that one about?" Plagg pipped up when he spotted one audiobook cover that caught his eye. The black Kwami was sitting on the blonde's shoulder during this.

Adrien scrolled back a bit until he saw the one that Plagg seemed interested in. He paused at it as he read the title of the audiobook.

'It's Perfectly Normal. Changing Bodies, Growing up, Sex, Gender, and Sexual Health." Written by Robie H. Harris with accompanying illustrations drawn by Michael Emberley at intracal parts. (4)

Now that he read the title fully, Plagg immediately knew what the audiobook was about. 'Ah, so it teaches about one's body and how it changes as one gets older. About time humans made a book about it,' The black Kwami thought, approving of this massive step forward in human social innovation. Well, not as massive as the wonders and anything to do with cheese, but still a big step forward.

Adrien, on the other hand, had no clue what the title meant. Well, half of it at least... He had no clue what the 'sex' word meant, but anything to do with health was a good thing. 'Oh, maybe it can help me with coming up with excuses to explain why my metabolism suddenly spiked to my doctor,' Adrien thought as he checked out the audiobook from the online library. The blonde was somewhat excited to listen to this audiobook!

~}I{ Smiling Suspicion Chat Group }I{~

Ladyblogger: "Okay, I know that it's only been one day..."

Rollersnake: "Alya, we just started, so don't even think about complaining about not having enough info."

Teddy Bear: "Alix, be nice."

Gothic Girlfriend: "But it is true."

Poison Ivy: "We knew this going in, so, ofc, we don't know everything yet."

LB Artist: "Fair, and remember, we're trying to be subtle about this investigation."

Tiny Actress: "Um, btw... Has anyone heard from Nino about his 'talk' with Adrien?"

Heartstrings: "I don't think so..."

Heartstrings: "We added him to this chat group, right?"

Gothic Girlfriend: "I'm sure we did, Luka,"

Poison Ivy: "His screen name is in the members list. Kim too, but he hasn't been active either..."

Anything's Possible: "Oh shit! I forgot about this!"

Anything's Possible: "And before anyone comments."

Anything's Possible: "I was busy with my presentation."

Anything's Possible: "Which, might I add, has been accepted."

Rollersnake: "Great for you, Kim!"

Rollersnake: "But wrong chat to post it in."

Anything's Possible: "I posted it in the class's chat too. The only ones who left a comment on it were the ones Not in this chat."

LB Artist: "Oh, he is right!"

Teddy Bear: "Sorry about that man."

Anything's Possible: "Hey, I get it, you all are in on this 'finding the problem between Nette and Lila so you can fix it and they can be friends' plan. But Please don't hyper-focus on it because it'll cause both girls to catch onto this."

Ladyblogger: "Okay, that's fair."

Tiny Actress: "Agreed."

Heartstrings: "Not to be that person..."

Heartstrings: "But Kim, do you know why Nino is late on his report from Adrien?"

Anything's Possible: "... Um... Yeah about that..."

Anything's Possible: "He... Got sidetracked by something..."

Anything's Possible: "He'll be a little late on that..."

Anything's Possible: "I don't know all the details, but..."

Anything's Possible: "Look, don't be mad at Adrien, he didn't know any better, but he's known about Lila lying to everyone since day one... And that the Akuma Lila turned into creeped him out... The one who looked like him..."

Anything's Possible: "Nino will give you more details, but that's about all I know... He's... Got a new project to work on, so I don't know how active he'll be with your mission..."

Teddy Bear: "Oh... Kay... That's..."

Rollersnake: "Okay, I am admittedly mixed between wanting to ask Adrien why he kept the whole 'she's been lying the whole time' to himself and if he's really okay about that Akuma."

LB Artist: "Hold On... Lila was that Adrien look-alike? And was Akumatized? WTF?! Why?"

Tiny Actress: "Wait... Didn't that look-alike act like all occ and was being a jerk to all of us?"

Poison Ivy: "Oh... Yeah... I kind of blocked that from my memory..."

Gothic Girlfriend: "I didn't know that the fake Adrien was an Akumatized Lila… Why would she do that to him?"

Heartstrings: "... There... There has to be a reason behind that... Especially since all of you have told me that Lila sees Adrien as a friend... Unless I missed something..."

Ladyblogger: "Weird... Lila told me that she knew about the shapeshifting Akuma posing as Adrien and helped Ladybug defeat it... Maybe her bad memory is acting up and misremembered what happened."

LB Artist: "Like she 'claimed' to have helped the author of Smiling Agent, Ladyblogger?"

Ladyblogger: "..."

Anything's Possible: "Hm... That's an oddly inconsistent piece of information..."

Rollersnake: "What are you talking about, Kim?"

Anything's Possible: "..."

Anything's Possible: "I'll get back to you on that. I've got a doctor's appointment in a few minutes and I can't be on my phone."

Anything's Possible: "Don't worry! I text what I mean once my appointment is over."

Heartstrings: "Fair enough."

~}I{ Personal Text Chat }I{~

Kim: "Hey, Nino..."

Kim: "You okay?"

Kim: "I know that what you found out was... Big, but..."

Kim: "Shit..."

Kim: "The Smiling Suspicions Group is waiting on your report from your 'talk' with Adrien about Lila..."

Kim: "But don't rush it or force yourself to post that."

Kim: "I told them it'll take a while because of a 'Project'. So tell them when you feel ready."

Nino: "Thank..."

Nino: "I mean it..."

Nino: "I forgot about that mission..."

Kim: "Hey man, I don't blame you for forgetting after learning that shit with the Agrestes."

Kim: "And I use the term 'shit' very, very loosely."

Nino: "Yeah, no, you're right...

Nino: "Miss B's reporting that to the School Board..."

Nino: "I hope they get the CPS involved..."

Kim: "Same, dude..."

Nino: "The only thing we can do rn is to be there for Adrien…"

Kim: "... I know, but it's needed…"

~}I{~

Tikki was conflicted about what Plagg told her during class when their Holders were completely engrossed with their studies. The little red sprite folded her stubby arms as she thought over those... Unpleasant facts...

}{ Flashback }{

Plagg practically dragged Tikki out of Marinette's bag from the bottom. Of course, the red Kwami gave him a good walk on the head for that! Plagg scared the living daylights out of her for his antics!

Once the Kwami of Destruction brought the red sprite to an empty classroom, he immediately told her what he learned yesterday.

Tikki reasonably thought that her counterpart was exaggerating, but the more he told, the less it felt like that...

Yes, Tikki was just as worried for Adrien as Plagg was. How could she not after the Kwami of Destruction told her? But she had to figure out how to tell Marinette so they could go to the Guardian without compromising Chat Noir's identity…

Tikki took a deep breath before she let it out slowly.

This was a delicate task. But she knew that she needed to do this.

~}I{~

Mr Damocles was filling out the report needed for the School Board so they can bring in the CPS for an investigation. The Headmaster took in a deep breath before he hit the 'send' icon on the computer.

Damocles slowly leaned back in his chair as he took a moment to... Reflect on the recent events regarding Adrien Agreste...

The Headmaster wished he could do more... He knew the teachers wished they could do more... But all they could do as of now is to be their for Adrien... Making sure he knew that they were there for the boy, in his corner, in his support...

Damocles took another deep breath, calming himself so he could continue with his paperwork. The Headmaster looked through the three 'Temporary Student' forms that were neatly filled out.

At least this was something good after a mess of bad.

~}I{~

During some downtime during the photo shoot, Adrien listened to this new audiobook. He was confused about the context, but when he realised what the audiobook was about, he blushed redder than the red shirt he was currently wearing. Adrien quickly paused it and tried to compose himself before he had to go back to the photoshoot.

The blonde debated on returning the audiobook early, but...

Adrien glanced to the side as he unpaused the audiobook, listening to it a little longer. Yes, the subject made the sheltered teen more than a little uncomfortable at first, but it was... Informative... Very informative...

'How... Why was I never told about the differences between girls and boys?' Adrien thought as the audiobook went over that topic. He wanted to listen to it longer, but when it was time for the photo shoot to continue, he had to pause the audiobook and go back to modelling.

Adrien was going to have to continue 'This is Perfectly Normal' later. He wanted to keep listening to it.

~}I{ Marinette's Room }I{~

The bluette in question was admittedly mixed about today.

Yeah, Lila was being her usual annoying self and tried to rile the Ladybug Holder up. Which is annoyingly becoming the new normal. Thankfully, Miss Buster had scolded Lila 'for being rude' to Marinette, which in turn, caused Lila to pull back on her stupid crusaid. The change in the normally cheery teacher regarding Lila's 'antic' did feel a little out of nowhere to the bluette, but she was sure as hell not complaining since it got Lila to stop.

But she somehow managed to find some common ground with Chloe and Sabrina that had nothing to do with Adrien! Marinette was so proud of herself for that! Her parents too!

A knock on the hatch sounded, causing Tikki to hide. As soon as the Kwami was out of sight, Marinette told the person to come in. Max popped in with Markov following with a present hello.

After closing the hatch behind him, Max asked, "Sounds like someone had something good happen," When he noted the good mood the bluette was in.

Marinette nodded with a smile when she said, "Yup, and surprisingly enough, it involves Chloe and Sabrina."

This confused both Max and Markov as Tikki flew out of her hiding spot. Marinette explained the whole book talk with the blonde bully and the orangette to the techie and AI. Max was pleasantly surprised while Markov commented that now he understood why a lot of the bullies' comments on the 'books they've read' were off from popular reviews. Marinette agreed and told them that she told Chloe and Sabrina to read 'Gems of the Magical Hearts' to see how the book really is.

Max raised a brow at this when he asked, "Are you sure that's a good idea?" He quickly added, "Granted 'Gems of the Magical Hearts' is a fascinating literary insight of the human psyche, but it can get rather dark."

Marinette agreed with the other human when she said, "Very true, but despite the dark aspect of the book, millions still read and enjoy it." She nodded her head towards her bookshelf when she added, "Plus, it would be good for both Chloe and Sabrina to read books so they can find out what they like and dislike while being more honest about what they enjoy reading."

Max conceded to that logic while Markov verbally agreed. The AI even admitted that he enjoys reading books with detailed world-building. This made Marinette giggle.

Tikki felt guilty about having to interrupt this good mood with her news... She really did, but... The well-being of the Black cat was more important.

So Tikki did...

As expected, Marinette got upset that her Hero partner was dealing with such an issue, especially his entire life. Max was a little skeptable at first, but he was told that Tikki sucked at lying and given the serious topic… Yeah, the techie was on board with letting the Guardian know this. Markov might not have understood how a parent could do such a thing to their own child, but he was aware that this was a serious issue.

Marinette had to tell Max that she'd have to reschedule their little meeting. The techie offered to cover for her while she talked to the Guardian.

With that, Ladybug headed off while Max and Markov watched in awe.

}I{ An Hour Later }I{

Marques Garde (5), though he was better known as the Gorilla to most people, was reading an average-sized book with a blank cover sleeve as he sat in a nice simple yet comfy chair inside his assigned room within the Agreste manor. It's been a while since he had the time to himself and he was taking full advantage of this to relax.

Marques turned the page of his little guilty pleasure. He very much enjoys any type of novel that involves gemstones, mysteries, and fascinating characters. Marques continued reading until he heard the door to his room open. He paused his reading to look up to see who came in.

Marques always thought it very strange that all of the doors in the Agreste manor didn't have locks or any way to lock them. Granted, he and the other staff members always knocked before entering a room, it was the polite thing to do after all, but it was weird that the only locks the bodyguard had seen were the ones on the gate and all the entrances to the mansion.

But that thought had to be pushed back for another day as Marques stared at an uneased-looking Adrien walking into his room. The bodyguard put the book down, not breaking his gaze on the teen before he signed, "Adrien, is everything alright?"

The blonde avoided eye contact with the bigger man when he got out as his emotions bled through his proper tone, "Uh, I... Um... Maybe..."

Marques' expression softened as he motioned for the teen to sit in the chair across from him. He watched his ward slowly move to the adjacent seat, taking note of all the micro tells that gave away the teen's growing uneasiness. Once Adrien sat in the chair, Marques signed out his question, "What's wrong?"

Adrien twisted the silver ring on his right ring finger, avoiding eye contact, and said, "Um... I... I've been... Sneaking... Audiobooks to listen to..."

Marques kept a cautious eye on the teen when he sighed in an upbeat motion, "Oh? That's fine, Adrien. You're allowed to read, or listen to, books that you want." The bodyguard smiled when he signed, "Don't worry, I won't tell your father or Nathalie." Marques was quick to notice how... Unenthusiastic Adrien's mood was... The bodyguard then signed in a more stern manner, "Is there something else that's bothering you? More serious than the audiobooks?"

Adrien looked away as he twisted the silver ring. He took several deep breaths before he finally said, "I... I accidentally checked out a... a... Sex ed audiobook..." Adrien cautiously glanced at his bodyguard, worried about how the other would react.

To the blonde's surprise, Marques' response was, "It's alright if you did." The bodyguard gave the teen a soft smile when he signed, "It's clear to me that you didn't know what kind of genre it was. It happens to the best of us."

This didn't seem to cheer Adrien up at all, which worried the bulky man. The teen twisted the ring on his finger yet again when he got out in an uneasy tone, "I guess... And... I... I'm glad I made that mistake..."

Those words made Marques' stomach feel like it was twisting itself into knots as his smile vanished. He quickly signed out, "Why?"

Adrien took a deep breath before he got out as he tried to steady his composure, "Well... For starters... I learned more about... Genders than I ever have in my life..."

Marques raised a brow at this, unsure what to think about that. He made a 'go on' motion, ushering the teen to continue.

Adrien was mindlessly twisting his ring by this point when he said slowly, "And when... I got to the part... A-about..." He brought his hands to his mouth as he took a shakey breath. Adrien tried to steady himself before he finally got out, "Sexual harassment..."

Marques could feel his heart stop. Reading the teen's body language and mood, the bodyguard put the facts together. Shakily, he signed, "Who touched you?" Marques didn't want to think that someone would do such things to a good kid like Adrien, but... The signs, the behaviours being shown, and what the teen was talking about…

If Hawkmoth was going to Akumatize Marques in to the Gorizilla again, the jerk better do it after he gets the name of the sexual harasser!

Adrien went back to twisting his ring again, no real pattern this time. Marques waited patiently for the teen to talk, and when he did, he said uneasily, "N-nothing t-to far! It's just... She..." Adrien took a deep breath to calm himself a bit before he said, "I-She just... So far... She's only... She touches me every chance she gets... N-not all are in... Places she sh-shouldn't touch... But... She's always touching me or trying to touch me..."

Marques was... Digesting this information... He quickly took apart what was told. From what he could figure out so far, whoever this person was came in contact with Adrien often. Given the pronouns. this person was female. Marques quickly racked his brain over all the women that could come in contact with Adrien before he finally asked the teen, "Adrien, who has been touching you?"

}I{ Meanwhile }I{

Wang Fu shakily poured some tea, nearly spilling a few drops as he did. He took a shaky breath as he handed Ladybug, his hands trembling. Wang took a deep breath before he finally asked, "I... Was unaware of Chat Noir's... Real home life..." He took a quick sip of his own cup of tea before saying, "I failed to look past the first impressions when I gave him the Black Cat Miraculous..."

Ladybug stared at the liquid in her cup when she said softly, "You didn't know... You couldn't have known... I'm the same... I didn't know and I didn't look deeper..." She sighed, closing her eyes as she remembered the happy banter between her and Chat Noir over their time together. The Ladybug Holder took a deep breath before she said, "He was always so... Upbeat, and happy, and funny... I never suspected someone like that was..."

She blamed herself for not noticing how much her Hero partner was suffering in silence...

Wayzz placed his hands on the red-clad hero's hand when he said softly, "You couldn't have known… You are young, your only knowledge of family is your own and you're slowly learning that not all families are like yours. And Chat Noir's home life was... Unhealthy for years and has been taught that that is normal. Not normal for everyone but his family's normal." The green Kwami took a breath before he added softly, "So he wouldn't know to ask for help... Even if he could trust the person with his life."

Ladybug gave Wayzz a small smile as she thanked him. Wang Fu, on the other hand, knew that it wouldn't be easy to remove Chat Noir from his current home. The Hero was too well-known in his civilian life, it would be too difficult to do anything without causing a media panic.

Wang took a deep breath before he said, "I will try to do the best I can to help Chat Noir. You can... Next time you have to fight an Akuma... Let him know that you're there for him... And if things get bad for him, you can give him a place to stay if he needs it...

Ladybug looked up and stared at the older man when She asked in shock, "Are you... Saying I can... That we can..."

Wang Fu nodded when he said,"As much as I want you not to before Hawkmoth is dealt with... It might be needed... To keep him as him..."

Ladybug was unsure what to think about this. Yes, she was glad that she was given the go-ahead to do an identity reveal, but... She didn't want it to be because of that kind of circumstance... She did have her worries about Hawkmoth, but that only motivated her to find out who he was and stop him.

Speaking about identities...

"Um," Ladybug vocalised before she asked, "Would it be okay to...Bring out a Miraculous? One that might go well with an analytical thinker?"

Wang Fu raised a brow at the oddly specific request.

~}I{ 30 Minutes Later, Agreste Mansion }I{~

Marques was able to keep himself in check as he calmed down his ward. Kept himself in check as he assured Adrien that No One should touch him THAT often or THAT Way. Kept himself in check as he assured Adrien was not in trouble for telling him. He certainly kept himself in check when he told Adrien that his feelings and comfort levels mattered. And kept himself in check as he brought Adrien back to his room, assuring him that he'd tell Nathalie and Gabriel.

Marques quietly closed the door to Adrien's room before he frowned and power walked towards where he knew Nathalie would be. He had a goal in mind and he was sure as hell going to see it through.

However...

Marques couldn't find Nathalie... Nor Gabriel... At all... Anywhere…

And the bodyguard looked EVERY WHERE in the Agreste mansion.

Kitchen, north wing, west wing, east wing, south wing, garage, gardens, balconies, every open bedroom, storage areas, library, security room, the dining hall, and even Gabriel's home office. Neither Nathalie nor Gabriel were found...

Marques checked the day planner he had written down for Adrien's schedule for the next two weeks, just in case he forgot that there was a work trip. The bodyguard narrowed his eyes at the number of photo shoots his ward had with Lila, he couldn't suppress a growl at the little notes he wrote from Mr Agreste to drive 'his muse' home. Marques took his pen out and scratched those notes out.

After what Adrien told him, like hell, he was going to let her in his car with his ward!

He closed his eyes as he took a deep calming breath. Marques couldn't help but wonder how the hell this shit went on under his nose. It was his job to protect Adrien, so how did he not notice how uncomfortable Lila made his ward? He tried thinking back on the interactions between Adrien and Lila, but…

Marques scratched his cheek in confusion. He couldn't remember the last time Adrien had a photoshoot with Lila... The bodyguard opened his eyes, deciding to look through his planner to check the last time Lila was scheduled with Adrien for a photo shoot. Marques was taken aback by almost half of the current pages covered in scratched ink marks.

The bodyguard could've sworn he only crossed out the notes to drive him home! So why did every photo shoot she had with Adrien have these notes? There was no reason for him to do that. Lila was not his priority, Adrien was… So why was she written in the planner just as much as Adrien?

Marques was unnerved by the fact that he didn't remember writing these notes or even when those became every photo shoot Adrien had with Lila. The bodyguard flipped back through the planner to check the last time Lila had a photoshoot with Adrien. Marques raised a brow when he saw that the last shared shoot was last week, before her recent work trip with her mother.

It wasn't that long ago... So the bodyguard should've easily recalled the last time Adrien had to interact with Lila... Then why couldn't he?

Marques bit his lips as he flipped backwards through the planner. He was even more unnerved at what he saw written inside at almost every photo shoot was Lila's name. Marques wasn't sure what unnerved him more about this, how easily Lila wormed her way into Adrien's work life so quickly or the fact that he didn't remember any of those moments except for what was written in his planner. Was he losing his mind? Marques had never been so forgetful regarding his job! So how come he couldn't remember any interactions Adrien had with Lila!?

"Mr Garde? Are you okay?" Someone asked, making the bodyguard jump.

Marques turned to see the head chef of the Agreste mansion. He glanced at his planner before they were back on the chef. The bodyguard pocketed the planner, took his phone out, and typed out something in the notepad app. Once he finished he showed the message to the chef.

"Where are Nathalie and Mr Agreste? I have something important to tell them."

The chef raised a brow when they read that before looking at the bodyguard and asking, "Uh, Mr Garde... They're currently in England for a work trip..."

Marques couldn't hide his confusion at this. He quickly typed out his next question and showed it to the chef, "When did they plan that and when did they leave?"

The chef had a more concerned look when they asked in an unsure tone, "Uhh… They left for that trip two days ago… They should be back in two more days… Hang on, were you not told about that work trip? At all?"

Marques potently shook his head before he typed out his next response and showed it to the chef, "Would I be looking all over the mansion for them if I had known they were out?"

The chef raised a brow in realisation when they stated, "Oh, was that what you were doing..." They looked uncomfortable when they asked, "Um, did you know if Adrien was told?" Though given their tone, it seemed like they already knew the answer.

Marques typed out his response before showing it to the chef, "Given that he came to me because he knew I would listen and even asked me to tell those two today, he wasn't told either."

The chef was concerned again when they said, "Okay, that's... That's not right..." They held up their hands defensively when they added, "Listen if it was a miscommunication for one of you, I can see that happening. But both of you not being told about that trip... I can't think of a reasonable excuse for either the boss or Nathalie to do that."

"Father and Nathalie aren't here?" Adrien's voice cut through the air.

Both Agreste employees turned to see the blonde teen in question, staring at the two with a look that was a mixture of sadness and disbelief.

The chef took a deep breath before they said sadly, "Yeah... The boss told us kitchen and cleaning staff about this work trip last week, and all of us assumed that both of you were told of it too..."

Adrien glanced to the side when he grumbled out bitterly, "Guess they didn't think it was important to tell me they would be gone... Or even Gorilla..." He then muttered under his breath, "Typical."

Marques placed a hand on the teen's shoulder as the chef stated, "I'm sorry about this, Adrien... You... You and Mr Garde should've been told about the trip..." The chef sighed before asking, "Um, can I inquire what you needed to tell the boss and Nathalie about?"

Adrien glanced to the side as Marques typed out his response on his phone and showed it to the chef, "You know Lila Rossi?"

The chef scowled as they rolled their eyes and said in a sourly sarcastic tone, "Yeah, 'Gabriel's muse'. Such a pleasure to host."

That caught Marques and Adrien's attention when the teen asked, "What do you mean by that?"

The chef raised another brow of concern when they asked, "Wait, You didn't-?" The realisation struck the chef as they rubbed their head when they got out in displeasure, "What is the boss thinking?"

Adrien, and Marques, were confused by the statement when the teen asked, "What's going on?"

The chef took a deep breath before they stated seriously as they folded their arms, "A few times a month for the past three months, the boss has been inviting Ms Rossi here for 'tea and talk' in the dining hall." They shrugged when they added, "Neither the boss nor Nathalie wanted the rest of us to hear what they were talking to Ms Rossi about." Their face went cold when they almost hissed out, "And more than once either I or another house staff caught that so-called muse in your room Adrien."

The blonde teen paled when he heard that as he stammered out, "She was!? She was here?! In my home?! In my room?!" He waved his arms at each sentence before he ran his hands in distress. Adrien's home was supposed to be the one place he shouldn't have to worry about Lila! His room was his sanctuary from everything! But both places have been violated by the same person who wouldn't stop violating his person!

Adrien felt like throwing up!

Both Marques and the head chef was quick to act.

It didn't take more than a couple of minutes before Adrien emptied his stomach into a rubbish binand the rest of the Agreste house staff gathered in the gardens and was informed by 'recent events'

"Adrien didn't know that girl has been by?" The 1st maid stated as soon as she heard.

"That also means she didn't have permission to go into his room," the sou chef stated bitterly.

Marques typed his question on his phone before showing it to the staff, "Why didn't you tell me or Adrien about this?!"

The other employees looked at each other for a few seconds before the Head chef finally said, "We... Assumed that Mr Agreste or Nathalie would've... At least at first..."

"At first?" Adrien parroted before he asked, "What made you change your minds?" the 1st maid explained that she was the first person to catch Lila in Adrien's room during these first of these 'meetings' and told Nathalie about it assuming that the secretary would reprimand the girl. The 2nd maid gave the same story only she told Mr Agreste. The Head chef told the group that they caught Lila about to go into Adrien's room, explaining that the teenage girl tried to pass her actions as getting lost.

The head chef scoffed before stating sourly, "I didn't buy that and brought her back to the dining hall. I made sure to inform Nathalie about that." They rolled their eyes when they added bitterly, "She told me that Lila had your permission to go into your room, Adrien."

The blonde teen was quick to snap almost frantically, "I Never gave her my permission! Not after she lied her way in the first time!" That was when he realised that all those moments where he noticed that things had been moved, were in different spots, or went missing a few times. Adrien originally brushed these off as him misremembering where he put these or Plagg being funny, but if... It wasn't these...

Adrien felt like vomiting again... It was one thing for that liar to invade his immediate personal space, but his room! Without him knowing! Doing who knows what with his belongings!

Marques pushed the rubbish bin towards the teen, who took it to use immediately. The bodyguard turned his attention towards the Agreste mansion staff, giving them a look that read, "Well? What else?"

The head chef let out a breath before they said, "I did tell Nathalie that it wouldn't be a problem for Ms Rossi to go into Adrien's room IF he were here in the mansion to vouch for that." They folded their arms when they said, "With that third strike, we started keeping an eye on your bedroom door whenever Mr Agreste invites her over to "assist" her when she "gets lost". Which seems to be every time she was over, sickeningly enough."

The first maid scowled when she stated, "I don't know what those two are thinking. A girl going into a boy's room without the latter being around should've raised an alarm bell with the supposed guardian. I know I would've given the girl a stern tongue-lashing if she were going into my child's room. I would certainly kick her out if I caught her more than once. And since neither has told you about these little meetings… At all."

Marques typed out his response on his phone before showing it to the others, "Clearly, Ms Rossi is a threat to Adrien's well-being!"

The staff agreed on that. They agreed to continue to police the mansion when Lila was around and when Adrien was out. Marques promised to try to keep Lila away from Adrien during the photo shoots. But the problem was Lila at school…

Marques snapped his fingers in realisation before he asked the blonde teen, "Can you invite Nino over?"

~}I{~

Nino was more than willing to help the Agreste house staff with keeping Lila away from Adrien during school. Especially after he heard that she'd been going into his boi's room without his knowledge and the so-called father's 'reaction', or lack thereof. But he couldn't help but ask, "Do any of you know why Mr Agreste is inviting Lila over? I mean... I get that she works for the Gabriel Brand and all, but it is kind of weird that the boss has been inviting one of his teenage models to his home, on her own and when her classmate isn't there..."

None of the Agreste staff had an answer for the normally chilled teen. Having told him that they were told to keep away while Gabriel and Nathalie talked to Lila.

Nino couldn't help but comment. "Still pretty suspicious..." He waved a hand when he stated in a logical tone, "Listen, I'm not one of those people but you don't have to be a tabloid to go thinking some not-so-nice things about that kind of meeting." The Agreste Staff did have to agree with that, especially since none of them were allowed to be around the dining room when those meetings took place. Nino looked at Adrien when he asked, "As much as we want to interrogate her, I know we aren't going to get the truth from her."

Adrien shakily nodded before he said, "Yeah..." He looked at the red-capped teen when he asked, "Are you sure you can..." The blonde teen didn't want to say it. Not because he didn't want to say it but because he was still unnerved by what had been revealed.

Nino nodded when he said sternly, "I can, and I can slip under her radar as to why I'm doing it." When Adrien asked how, the red-capped teen explained, "I'm already in a relationship, I'm you're best friend, we hang out often, and I'm a dude. A claim of jealousy Lila makes isn't going to stick."

Adrien had to admit that the red-capped teen had a point.

~}I{ One Week Later }I{~

The Houseboat group have still not made much progress on the Lila and Marinette situation other than what they already know...

Lila hates Marinette and Marinette hates Lila.

There were no hints or clues as to why...

Kim seemed to be the go-between between Nino and the Houseboat group. Since the red-capped teen was focused on his 'project'. And as much as both of them wanted to tell the group about how bad they thought the 'issue' between Adrien and Lila was... That was a ongoing investigation that shouldn't be known about until there was solid proof... Especially since it involved a high-profile family. On the upside, Nino was able to keep Lila from latching onto Adrien at every turn, but the downside was that she did try to do that a lot… Hence why Nino has started keeping track of how many times a day Lila was trying to get into Adrien's personal bubble for the sexual harassment investigation the Agreste Staff was doing.

The Houseboat group Did notice how... Friendly Max, Markov, and Marinette have been as of late. They told the class that they were working on the newest Ladybug and Chat Noir game, with the bluette helping on the character models.

It made sense, so not a big deal. The game would certainly look good in both of their resume portfolios.

Unfortunately, Lila's mother had another work trip, to the mission was on hold for the time being.

That sucked, for more than that reason…

}I{

Marinette rushed into the school, late as usual. She really needed to get a better alarm clock...

Suddenly she collided with something, or rather, someone.

Marinette fell backwards and landed on her butt with a solid thump. She carefully rubbed her sore areas before she looked up to see who she had run into. Marinette was met with a pair of glaring amber eyes that felt like they were boring into her soul and sent shivers of fear down her spine.

~}I{~

To be continued.

~}I{~

1… Отец (pronounced like Otets) is Russian for Father.

2… Mãe (pronounced like the English word 'mine') is Portuguese for Mother.

3… For those of you in America, yes! I am referring to the Book Ban issue that's happening. While I might be using an inverted example, that doesn't make it any less a critical issue. The people who are banning those books are making all these ridiculous claims about how "bad and evil" these particular books are while quoting all these "bad things that are written in the book", despite never having read even one word from the books they are claiming to be bad. The whole thing is a complete joke in my opinion. Honestly, do those people even know how utterly stupid they sound when they spew shit that clearly hasn't been mentioned, used, or implied in the books they claim are bad to people who HAVE read the books in question? I just don't understand why the majority of the books on that banned list are even on there… (Seriously, how is The Very Hungry Caterpillar on the banned book list? It is a book about a caterpillar eating a variety of food until its metamorphosis while teaching you the days of the week and numbers… How is that "bad" for a child?)

4… Haha, yes, I'm pulling this card again as I promised on Tumblr!

5… Again, yes, I'm using Marquis Garde as the Gorilla's name. I've grown attached to is for him.

~}I{~