Felicia Hardy was never someone who was missing out on much in the world. On the contrary, thanks to her rather… lucrative… lifestyle, she had almost everything the world could possibly have to offer. Money, connections, artwork that people paid millions to see that she used as a dartboard, a couple of people she could call 'friends' if she stretched the definition enough …but it wasn't enough compared to the thrill. She had a hunger that could never be satisfied. A sense of adventure and adrenaline that she never wanted to let go of.
And unfortunately, with the Demons hunting her … that hunger was building in the pit of her stomach like nothing else. "This week we'll be doing a class project." Ms Bustier stated with that constant smile. "I've assigned everyone a partner this time, so we can try to expand some new friend groups." Ah yes, Felicia Hardy, had to be 'friends' with this class if she wanted to stay off the radar, which would be fine…if this class had any noteworthy people in it.
"I feel like we focus a lot on emotions and feelings in this class." The American transfer, Peter Parker, said. "Like, more than most classes or schools should." A smart guy…but completely average beyond that. Average looks, average build, and most of his clothes were bargain bin so he likely didn't have good taste either. He was the kind of guy that could blend into the background of any crowd, lost in a sea of mediocrity and contemptment.
"Ms Bustier is just nice like that. She cares about everyone." Felicia's 'first friend', Rose Lavillant, explained. "She always looks on the bright side of a situation and thinks about how to make the world a better place." An absolute chatterbox that could kill anyone with diabetes in one minute flat. An easy enough flunky in a pinch. Talked WAY too much about unicorns though. Sure they existed, but tone it down, girl!
"Rose, you'll be paired with Sabrina." Sabrina Raincomprix. The physical embodiment of people pleasing and hypercompetent doormats. Felicia would have taken her under her paws if it wasn't for the fact someone else beat her to the punch.
"What, but I'm-I'm always paired with Chloe during projects!" Chloe Bourgeois … it wasn't hyperbole to say she was the class rich bitch in every sense of the word. She was also pretty dumb in any way that didn't involve insults, manipulation, or petty pranks. Honestly the girl would have probably been expelled if it wasn't for the fact she could abuse her father's mayoral status in such a blatant fashion that Felicia was reminded of saturday morning cartoons. Definitely someone not to cross.
"Well I noticed that Peter and Chloe haven't been getting along since the start of the year." Ms Bustier smiled. "So I paired them together to help them know each other."
"WHAT!?" If there was one thing notable about Peter Parker, it was the absolute hatred and scorn he and the rich bitch had for each other. There was a small betting pool going around the class on who would kill the other by the end of the school year. Only Rose betted on the 'enemies to lovers' trope winning out.
"Looks like you two are gonna have to get along now." Said the smirking voice of Adrien Agreste. Definitely had the cute factor going for him, plus he had a huge stash of money to fall back on if anything went wrong. But the kid was childishly naive and nice … Then again naive was so fun to play around. And he was like her in a way, preferring less the uppity lifestyle, though he seemed to be less into thrills and more into common everyday stuff, which knocked him down a few points on the 'rich boyfriend' meter. Maybe to sneak into Agreste manor and steal one of his father's fancy schmancy trinkets. The man did have quite the shiny brooch.
"Well … my week just got ruined." Peter grumbled. "I knew god didn't love me… you know, if he existed."
"Adrien, you'll be paired up with Alya." Alya Cerasie, passionate reporter of the truth. Seems like a fun girl, but someone who sniffed out secrets walking around someone who's undercover … not a good mix. Not someone Felica was keen on getting close to anytime soon.
"Oh yeah." The girl grinned, holding out a fist for Adrien to bump. "And don't worry Marinette, I'll make sure we don't get too close."
"Wha-!" That sent the bluenette out of her seat in a stammer of oddly adorable blushing. "Whatcha-im not worried about anything-did you get a new pair of glasses!" Smooth like sandpaper.
"Marinette, you'll be working with Felicia." The teacher went on, probably politely covering up the blunder.
Felicia sent the girl a smile. "I'm happy to work with you Marrinete." High grades, great organizational skills, decent baker … totally fit the bill for someone in control enough of their life, the only flaw was that the girl was a complete and utter klutz, mainly when it came to Adrien. She could practically feel the sexual tension build up on the poor girl's side.
"Oh, um … happy to work with you too, Felicia." The girl shyly waved with a face of disappointment, likey wanting to be the one with Adrien.
"Don't look too down, you could be the one paired up with Chloe." Felica offered up with a light laugh. If she was going to commit to this school life thing, it wouldn't hurt to butter up to the smart people.
"Excuse you, working with me would be a pleasure anyone would be begging to have." The girl scoffed.
"I'm begging the opposite, thank you very much." Peter retorted instantly.
"Juleka and Kim." Ms Bustier went on.
"High five!" The high energy idiot of the class raised a hand to the shy and reserved goth of the class … that was a disaster in the making.
"Sure yeah, who hoo." Oddly enough, Juleka was pretty sociable, it was just her lack of confidence in her own words that prevented her from being extroverted. Probably why she hung out with Rose so much… though FeliCia sensed something more between those two.
"Nathaniel and Alix." Nathaniel Kurtzburg … quiet boy, not much to read. Always messing with those little books and scribbling something in them. Felicia was curious, but not enough to actually snatch the book, especially when she was trying to 'bond' with these folks.
"Eh, at least I got someone else with a brain." Alix Kubdel shrugged. A short stacked jokey girl that was a surprisingly good history buff. She lived up to the term 'tomboy', especially when it came to mocking Kim for what was apparently recurring stupid pranks and bets.
"Nino is with Myleen."
"I'll be happy to work with you Nino." Myleen Haprele. A small girl that mostly kept to herself. Kind and gentle … god it made Felicia sick to see a girl that meek, like a little pest she wanted to swat away.
"Just don't be too happy." Ivan Bruel laughed as he quickly sent Nino a dirty glare that indicated a lot of bruises. The boy was a big softie underneath all the muscle, even though there was a quick urge to anger when provoked. Keep on your toes, and worst comes to worse, treat him like a rampaging bull and aim him at another target.
"Wouldn't dream of it, just friends." Nino Lahiffe gave a nervous chuckle. Very loud and very annoying. Unlike Peter, his clothes made him stand out, although it was in the most tacky way possible, and the surffer slang was just eargrating to listen to after five minutes.
"Finally, Ivan and Max."
"If you don't mind me asking Ms Bustier, what's this project's topic?" Max Kante questioned. The boy was the most robotic nerd you'd ever see. And he was an asexual too, so Felicia couldn't use her … 'feminine charms' to get him to do her homework sadly enough.
"Due to Paris getting its own heroes, I felt it was a good idea to get to know the concept. So this will be the history of heroism during its Golden Age." She explained. Well, that at least alleviated the mood for anyone who had reservations about their partners at least, she could see the class start to bubble with excitement.
"Ugh, lame. Who wants to know about all those old fossils when we have more current and trendy ones?" Except for Chloe, who made a semi-Decent point that Felica agreed with.
"Oh sure, I guess we can all ignore Captain America and how he stopped Hydra from taking over the world." Peter rolled his eyes. "Because who needs to hear about the bravery and good things that make a person decent when 'Chloe' is around?"
"Don't try to twist my words around, American!" Felica was ninety percent sure that Chloe didn't even know Parker's name… not like it was hard though, again, the guy was pretty forgettable. "We have Spider-Man, and those other two that people like for some reason."
"Ladybug and Chat Noir are just as important as Spider-Man." Alya glared. "From swinging around to save everyone with speed and power, to stopping akumas with grace and wall crawling action." Oh, they wall crawled …
"Hey, do you think Ladybug sticks to walls so she can kiss people upside down?" She asked aloud.
Marinette started making a choking sound as Adrien became a human tomato. Guess the two had a crush on the spotted lady. "Would she need to stick to walls? She has that yo-yo to hang herself upside down." Thank you Rose for being invested in romance to carry the conversation.
"I actually haven't seen Ladybug crawl the walls at all. Run across them, but never stand or stick to them." Alix pointed out.
"Actually, that's an interesting question. Why does spider-man stick to walls when Ladybug can't?" Max asked.
"Well she has the superpower of fixing up damage." Peter pointed out. "So maybe everyone gets some second ability?"
"Then what's Chat Noir's?" At Nino's question, they all turned to Alya.
"... Why are you looking at me?" She asked.
"You're the one who interviews heroes." Alix said bluntly. "Spill the deets."
"I haven't been that thorough, and I've only gotten one interview with Ladybug. Spider-man's the one that answers the most questions out of all of them."
"Obviously because he knows the key to relevance is to accept any and all interviews of all kinds." Chloe answered with a satisfactory smirk.
"Answer everything." Peter nodded. "That must be why you have no shame."
"Oh look who's talking with those mirrors on your face and that jungle you call hair."
"I think the hair might be the first actual insult you've landed on me. Good job, you were bound to get one jab in this year. Broken clocks are right twice after all." And the two would carry on this lovely repertoire for the rest of class. This was what she dreaded the most about school….predictability.
She turned to Marinette. "So, wanna meet up in the library, or later at your house?"
"My house should be fine. Only thing we have to worry about is my parents barging in every ten minutes with pastries."
"Why do you make treats sound like a bad thing?" She asked with a teasing smirk. "Unless you think we'll be getting up to mischief with each other."
"Ah….." The girl blushed.
"Just joking." She chuckled, patting her back. "Don't worry, I got my eyes on someone else anyways."
"Ooooh." Rose leaned in. "Tell me who."
"It's a secret." She made an overdramatic finger over lips motion. "I'll wait until he knows what I'm putting on the table."
"So we'll meet up in the library after school?" Nathaniel asked Alix as class ended. Even after attending class with lots of the same people for years, it was still hard for him to speak up.
"It's a promise." She grinned. "Till then, I'm goin for some grub." The action girl walked away.
He sat down, once more opening his book. School … hadn't been easy. He was a bit of a social outcast, preferring to just be alone and draw whatever popped into his head. But then … Marinette came into his life.
She was kind, thoughtful, always offering the best for other people … she was his hero. She never let Chloe's bullying bring her down to her level, and she was just so creative in art class, making such beautiful designs. It's what partially inspired him to continue drawing, even if he was too afraid to show it to anyone else.
With the recent hero craze, his current doodles reflected it. He was the hero, saving Marinette from the villains, being her knight in shining … spandex didn't have the same ring as armor … man, he wasn't the best at the whole 'story' thing.
As long as no one else caught a glimpse of his book, then everything would be fine. Maybe researching some of these golden age heroes would give him more inspiration. "Would it at least kill you to put in a miniscule amount of effort into this project?" Peter asked as he passed by.
"No need. Sabrina's going to do my half for me." Chloe said like it was obvious.
"We haven't even picked out what hero we're making the focus of our project."
"Then you better get in touch with Sabrina and ask, cause I'm not letting a shoddy looking american ruin my perfect grade point average."
"You mean Sabrina's, cause she does all your work?"
"Same difference." Seems like she still hasn't changed since day one. "You should be thanking me, American. Now you can work on your half in peace and we don't have to spend any more time with each other after school."
"It's called having a soul. Don't you know Sabrina isn't even your partner this time?" Peter asked.
"So? She can work on two projects at once. She's been able to do both my science projects and hers for the past four years." Chloe shrugged.
"Best you drop it Peter. Chloe's too lazy to do anything as infuriating as it is." The lovely voice of Marinette sounded in the air as the girl picked some books off the shelf.
"Uh, excuse me Dupain-Cheng. Training Sabrina took years of hard work." The rich bitch growled. "I'm entitled to a little break from the nerd stuff."
"Training someone to be your pet isn't something to be proud of." Peter argued.
"It is if you keep it in bed." The new girl said as she grabbed a book of her own.
"Who asked you your opinion, old lady hair!?" Chloe shouted.
"Wow, such a violent reaction. Did she hit close to home?" Peter snarked. Ever since the boy came the class was less afraid to make comebacks against Chloe, or at least laugh at her expense without fear. Nathaniel once or twice drew a couple of crushed Chloe pictures in a moment of catharsis.
"Ugh, I do not have time to deal with you nerds and your boring conversations. It's ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!" The girl waved her hands out, knocking into Nathaniel and sending his book into the ground.
"Sorry." He muttered, desperately trying to grab it before anyone saw anything. Don't make a scene, don't get her angry.
"You don't have to apologize, Chloe's the one that's in the wrong." Another hand reached the ground…Marinette's hand. "Here, I hope it wasn't damaged."
"Aaah …" Marinette was touching his book. Marinette was touching his book. "It's … fine …"
"Oh would you dorks get a room, your nerdiness is infecting the air." Chloe said rudely as she snatched the journal out of their grasp.
"HEY!" He tried to snatch it back, only for her to move out of his reach.
"Oh relax. It's just some dumb villains … as this moron rescues Maritrash?" She said, looking it over.
"I said give it back!" He yelled as she held it out of reach.
"Hey, I'm not the one making creepy drawings of some loser like a stalker." Chloe rolled her eyes.
"He said give it back!" Peter was now struggling for it to, before the book fell … in front of Marinette … on the kissing scene.
"Ahhhh.." Marinette looked at him with discomfort… with disgust … at him. He was a creep in her eyes, and it was all thanks to that bitch.
"Wow, even losers don't like other losers. Who would've thought?" Chloe mocked him as if his feelings didn't matter.
"Chloe …" He growled, clutching his pencil. "Why do you always have to do this … why do you need to keep hurting people …" Over and over, as nice people like Marinette and himself suffered … his soul opened.
"Evilustraitor, I am Hawkmoth. This girl has erased the future hope you cling to."
"Oooh boy, purple butterfly." He heard Felicia say.
"I can offer you the power to turn anything you draw into reality, the power to destroy Chloe with your own ideas. All I ask for is the miraculous of Paris's heroes."
"Can I design my costume though?" He asked. "No offense, but if I'm gonna make this poetically satisfying; I'd like it to be in my own personal design."
"Wait, so we won't get tacky clothes on a villain?" Peter asked.
"… Throw a buzzsaw or two at the American and you got yourself a deal." Guess someone was sensitive to critique. Eh; he would aim the saws above Peter's head to give him enough room to duck. He was the one fighting against Chloe's horribleness. It wouldn't be fair to kill him.
He felt energy overcome him … as he chuckled. "Behold, the Evilustraitor." The villain twirled his pencil, bringing it to his notes. "Allow me to show you the power of art." With a quick draw, he produced buzzsaws in the air, along with chains on Chloe's feet.
"Oh come on! Learn to accept criticism, you art dork!" The mean girl yelled. "You'll never make it far if you don't have a thick skin!"
"You're not going to have much skin at all once I tear you to shreds!" He fired off his weapon, as she and Peter ducked. "Right, horizontal …. No matter, this will fix it." With another scribble, a ten ton weight appeared over the chained girl's head.
"Oh I know I'm going to regret this in the morning." Marinette groaned as she pushed on a nearby bookshelf that fell on top of Evillustrator. "Everyone scatter and split!"
"Marinette …" Why did she help Chloe?
"If she really cared she wouldn't impede your progress, would she?"
"No, no it's because she cares that she is a good person… she was just scared and getting everyone else to safety." Yeah, that had to be it. Chloe was just someone that got in the way of her rescuing everyone else. "Just need to get rid of Chloe … then it'll be fixed." Just focus on getting rid of the true villain and he'll finally be Marinette's hero.
Chloe did her best to run with the giant weights around her chest. Akumas were so annoying, always chasing after her. Pick someone else to be a menace to! Dupain-Cheng and the American were WAY more annoying and obvious targets, why was the world also making her the butt of the joke!?
A bunch of swords shot out at where her head just was. "You can't run forever Chloe. One of these attacks is finally gonna land!" The crazy tomato head shouted as he walked after her, constantly scribbling in that little notepad of his.
"You're a worse shot than you are an artist!" She shouted back at him, starting to feel the gross sweat running down her back. Ugh, why wasn't that flunky Kim here to carry her. At least that idiot was strong enough to do the running for her.
"Oh yeah? Then how about this!" With another scribble, a headless guy with a sword in one hand and a flaming skull in the other, riding a flaming horse popped into existence, running after her. "How about I take a little off the top? It'll only be your head! Instant improvement!"
"Like I need to be lectured on improvement! Black and white stripes!? Are you supposed to be a Mime, cause you'd be better if you shut up and stayed in a box!"
"End her!" They shouted, as the monster went after her.
"I'd say it's a little early for halloween, but points for style!" A chain wrapped around the creep, sending the man and horse into a wall. "So many rarely go for the headless horseman, the costumes are so sweaty and it's so hard to see."
"Neeeaaaaaaaggggh!" The tacky headless cowboy thing fell apart as that stupid flaming head rolled on the ground as the TRUE hero of the city grabbed a hold of it.
"Points for aesthetic, flaming skull, gives a real ghost rider vibe." Spider-man smirked as she kicked the head right back at the loser villain, hitting him right in the chest.
"Gah, you little …" He began drawing some more, creating a giant can of … pesticide.
"... I get I have a spider theme, but really?" The hero asked … before a lighter appeared right in front of the nozzle. "Okay, NOW I'm worried." He flipped out the way of the wall of flames and swoping her off her feet. "Hello Ms. Bourgeois. Hate to spring this on you in the heat of the moment, but I believe I'll have to take you on that swing we talked about before, so hang on tight!" He sent out his chain, and suddenly, Chloe felt lighter than air as the wind rushed through her face…and she saw the whole of Paris flash by her in an instant as they swung, practically flying through the streets.
She was swinging…she was swinging from the air with Spider-man. Nothing could ever top the feeling of ecstasy she was experiencing at the moment.. "Hey Spidey, how come this is the first time someone tried to set you on fire?" Unfortunately, it was ruined by Ladybrat showing up. "You make so many people angry you'd think someone would have tried it by now."
"I don't know, maybe you should ask the aspiring maniac homicidal artist as he's shooting flaming bug spray at you. Beatles are considered more of a pest than spiders." Her hero argued back. "Gardens alone are a nightmare with all of you crawling around and eating the plants."
"Least we're not poisonous." The zero shot back. "Did you find the akumatized object?"
"Angry Artists, I'm assuming it's either going to be in his paintbrush or his notebook. Either way, get the paintbrush out of his hands and he's powerless."
"It's a pencil you fool!" The guy shouted as he flew after them on a magic carpet.
"Pencil, paintbrush, sorry, I'm too busy laughing at your mask to take specific notes." Spidey quipped. "I mean, are you going for the raccoon look, cause the black and white stripes give off more of a skunk vibe." Smart, strong, AND called out other people's tackiness in a hilarious way. What was their NOT to love about this guy?
The man growled, flipping around his object and using an eraser … as Spidey's chain was cut in half mid swing. "Still laughing now!?"
"Yes, in between internally screaming in terror." Spidey nodded, holding onto her tight as they were heading to a car, with his back aimed downwards. "Hold on, this'll get bumpy!"
CRASH
"AHH!" Chloe screamed as they made impact, the car splitting in half as Spidey hit the ground, lifting her up in the air as the glass flew. Shards of it landing in her hair, but otherwise fine. "You..you.."
"Feeling…sore…but…alive." He chuckled, getting up and shaking off the debris. "Long as I preserve your pretty little face, I call it a win." … This man … "Ladybug, please tell me Miraculous Insurance will cover this. I do not need to explain to someone I used their car as a cushion." The hero groaned.
"It will, but not if we don't stop this guy." The zero said. "Do you know where Chat is?"
"No, saw the princess in danger and swooped in before Evil-Van Gogh could get medieval on her." Spider-man explained.
"It's Evillustrator!" The loser shouted, scribbling rocket's into the air and pointed the weapons at them.
"Yes, but Evil-Van Gogh is less punny!" Spidey said, pulling her away from the exploding projectiles. "Although it's still evil, and it's the hero's job to stop the villain." Exactly!
"The fact you're protecting trash like that proves your scum!" Hey!
"Last I checked, heroes protected people regardless, so I don't think I'll take that into account." Her hero shook his head. "Good old Marinette would be so disappointed in you Nathaniel."
"No she won't!" The loon shouted. "In fact, I'll go visit her now and find out!"
"WHAT!?" Ladyloser shouted for some reason and sent her yo-yo at the lamo. "If you have something to say to Marinette, let me de-evilize first! You'll freak her out if you go like that!"
"No, I won't, because I'm her hero!" The deranged lunatic sent the missiles right at the Ladybrat. "I would never do anything to scare her!"
KABOOOM
And sent the spotted moron into a wall, breaking through the bricks. "Explosions don't exactly inspire a comforting setting dude." Her hero pointed out.
"Could you go grab him!?" Ladybrat shouted to Spidey.
"He erased my weapon, I'm trying to figure out how to attack at range." He said as the guy flew away.
"Just use your adhesion!"
"Again, don't want to be known as the bug guy that gives brainwashed teenagers concussions!" Reputation was important… although this loser did deserve some brain damage coming to him.
Chloe watched him fly away. "… Spidey." Ladybug muttered, her eye twitching. "Did you just send the latest Akuma … after Marinette Dupan-Cheng?"
"Relax, I doubt she's gone back home with school just getting out." He nodded.
"Besides, it's just Maritrash." Chloe rolled her eyes. "Not like anyone important's getting hurt."
Spider-man gave her a look like he was about to say something, but took a deep breath instead. "Okay, how about we drop princess off at her castle, then head to the dupain-chengs-"
"No, no, no! You've done quite enough damage already, so I'M going to head to the Dupain-Chengs. You're going to take Chloe home, and stay away." Ladybrat growled. "I'll contact Chat Noir and form a plan with him. You just stay out of my hair."
"Wow, ouch. You're telling me to ignore a person in danger. I think I'm gonna cry from your hypocrisy." Her hero said overdramatically.
"I… Ugh… AAAH!" The spotted loser screamed before sending out her lame yo-yo. "Just… back… off."
"Wow…..she's a bitch." Chloe stated as they watched her swing off. "How do you deal with her all the time?"
"Patience." He nodded. "Still, probably should stay away, if only for the sole purpose of saying 'I told you so' later." Ha, this guy knew what was funny.
"Oooh, you can stay at my place then. I have snacks and games." She offered.
"Love too, but don't you have, I don't know, a theoretical history report just as an example, to work on?"
"Oh, that, nah, I'm fine. Sabrina's probably already done with mine by now." She smiled as she got a text. "Oh, here she is now with an update. 'Chloe, Rose is super nice and offered to do my hair. Won't be able to do your half of the report, sorry in advance.'" Chloe reread that sentence back about five more times before reacting. "WHAAAAAT!? That little traitor! Oh, I am SO taking back that Baret I was going to give her for doing my report!" Now she would have to rely on that American…unless…. "Say…Spidey…"
"I'm not going to do your homework for you." He said, picking her up.
"Worth a shot." She grumbled.
"I can HELP you gather research, but you'll have to do your part." He continued, jumping to the top of the rooftops and sprinting ahead.
Well, that was better than nothing. "Today is just ridiculous, utterly ridiculous." Chloe grumbled. "Now I have to actually read about lame fossils that've been gathering worm food for almost a century."
"Hey, it's not that bad. If it wasn't for those fossils, people like me wouldn't be around today." Spidey smiled.
"… True …" She sighed. "But what kind of hero am I going to look up? Their all so…tacky looking and cheesy to read about."
"You strike me as someone who would love the Blonde Phantom." He suggested.
"The who know?"
"A woman in the 1940's who started her own agency and became an important and integral part of legalized vigilantism." He said. "She was rich, pretty, never broke a nail during a fight, all that good stuff."
"Finally, a respectable female hero!" Where was this during that lame history class? "Guess I'll…ugh, text that American to tell him what the subjects all about. Shrimp better not get the wrong idea that I like him or anything."
"Don't worry, I'm sure he knows how you really feel." Spider-man shrugged as she tried to take out her phone. "Might want to save the texting for when we're not jumping thirty feet above the air where you can drop it." Right. See, this guy had common sense. Why couldn't other heroes be like that?
Marinette rushed through the bakery, seeing Felicia hanging out with her parents. "Hey Mari, your folks are lovely." She waved off kindly. Crap, she completely forgot that she agreed to meet up with Felicia at her house.
"Heheh, yeah, lovely, Maman, Papa, no one else has come here, have they? No one else from school?" She quickly turned to them. She wasn't sure how serious Nathaniel was about his claim, or how serious he was about his apparent… crush… on her. Wow, that was weird. Someone was crushing on her… MARINETTE… of all people and not Ladybug. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about it.
"No, why? Is there a third partner we haven't met yet?" Maman asked.
"I hope not." Marinette grumbled.
"Hey, two's company, but a threesome's a party." Felicia cheekily laughed.
"Marinette, you didn't tell us you were polyamorous." Papa gasped.
"FELICIA!" Marinette flushed.
"Relax, relax, you know I'm only joking." The white haired beauty snickered. "I only got eyes for one guy, and I'm not sharing anytime soon."
She groaned. "I'm gonna head up to my room … Felicia, do you mind waiting down here while I clean up?"
"If it's about the pictures of Agreste, I wouldn't have needed to see them to know it was obvious."
"Agreste she says." Maman nodded with sparkling eyes.
"MOM!" She shouted. "Felicia, why-?!"
"You were your feelings on your sleeves girl. Ain't that hard to figure out." Felicia smiled as she chewed on a Macaroon. "Wow. I've traveled all across Europe but I've never had a macaroon as tasty as this. Puts most desserts to shame if I may be so bold."
"Thank you, I try my best." Papa grinned.
"I'm just … gonna go now." Worry about your destroyed home life when an akuma WASN'T out to date you … her life was weird. Marinette ran up to her room, closing the trap door and opening the balcony, looking around for Nathaniele … or the Evilustraitor.
"Was it really a smart move to tell Spider-man to back off?" Tikki asked as she floated above her head. "He's annoying I know, but now you're in a pretty vulnerable position with no back up."
"Chat Noir is back up enough, and he's on his way." Marinette said. "Besides, if he followed me he would have just questioned why I had to leave suddenly. It's bad enough Spider-man knows about Marinette and where she lives, I don't need anymore breadcrumbs for him to connect the dots." And the less she saw of Spidey in either side of her life, the better.
"If you say so." Tikki nodded. "But what are you going to do about Evilustrator? He's in love with you."
"Okay, I doubt Nathaniel's feelings for me are that strong. It's probably just a little crush." She tried to wave off.
"The drawing of you two kissing says otherwise."
"Who hasn't done anything like that before?" Marinette laughed.
"...Marinette…you do the same thing… because YOU'RE in love with Adrien." Tikki shot her a deadpan look.
"... Well if I tell him no in an akumatized state, he'll likely go homicidal and start erasing everyone and everything without a second thought." They didn't need someone going around town thanosing everyone on sight.
"But if you say yes, you'll have to go out with a villain, leaving no room for Ladybug to come in and de-evilize him." Tikki continued.
"Which is why we need an alter-"
"Marinette?" She froze. "Are you talking with someone?" The voice was coming from outside… it was Nathanail… Evillustrator WAS HERE!
"Uh, just…talking to my…history project partner! I'll tell her to leave now!" She shouted back, signaling Tikki to hide. "Uh … so Nathniel…. You… fly now? What's… that like?"
"Pretty amazing actually, it feels super fun." He smiled. "I could take you for a ride … later, of course." The villain blushed. "I um … came to say I … want to help you Marinette." He said. "Chloe's always hurting people and you stand up to her, but it's not enough. The only way she'll stop harming wonderful, and amazing people like you is if she's gone."
This was sweet… in a psychotic kind of way. "Thank-thank you for… .being so… kind and generous." Crap, she needed to get him away from Chloe so he'd be less rageful and more easily trapped long enough for Ladybug to de-akumatize him. "Why don't we discuss how to get rid of her… tonight… as a… first… date?" She cringed at how awkward she felt, both for taking advantage of his feelings and asking for a date on a guy she didn't have romantic feelings for.
"A date …" The boy blushed. "You mean you … weren't creeped out by me?" He asked, traces of hope in his voice.
"No, not at all. You have very lovely drawings." That wasn't a lie. Even if WHAT she was drawing weirded her out, they were still drawn pretty good. "It just shows how passionate you are in your craft, and I admire that." Ugh, she felt scummy for this, she didn't like dealing with problems by lying.
"Oh … thank you." He rubbed his cheek nervously. "So … where should we meet up? Anywhere you want to go is fine, I'm cool with anything." A purple butterfly showed up on his face. "Marinette is more important, Hawkmoth, she comes first. Let me have this, or you lose your akuma."
What!? "Nathanail, you can talk to Hawkmoth? If you can fight back, you can reject…!"
The purple butterfly disappeared as he shook his head. "Sorry, just a minor discussion. We came to an understanding. His miraculous can come another day."
"I see …" Great, of course. Why would they want to lose the power when it gave them everything they wanted? "So…..by the pier around eight o'clock?"
"Got it! I'll have everything ready!" He smiled, flying out to the sky. "I promise you wont regret this!" He shouted as he disappeared.
"Yeah… I already do." She waved off with a forced smile. "Ugh…." This was going to be a disaster.
"Need a paw to lean on?" Marinette suddenly jolted, turning her head to see Chat Noir appear on her balcony. "I got an alert from M'lady, she said you were the target of Hawkmoth's latest Akuma?"
"Yeah. His name is Evilustraitor. He's actually Nathaniel and he wants to both kill Chloe … and … date me."
"Yikes." Chat noir winced. "Well on the bright side, it's pretty pawsome that most of the akuma's that keep running into you are pretty friendly. Lady Wifi was pretty civil to you from what I've heard. Guess that goodness shines through even to the blackest hearts."
"Guess so …" She sighed. "We're meeting at the pier at eight for a … date." Marinette's first date was with a supervillain, because of course.
"Understood. Me, Ladybug, and Spider-Man will set up a trap for when you two lovebirds will show up."
Spider man… yeah, no, she was NOT going to have him spy on her during a date… even if it was a fake one for a trap. "Actually, Ladybug told me to tell you that Spider-Man's busy keeping Chloe safe at her hotel, you know, in case Evillustrator gets trigger happy." Technically not a lie.
"Riiiight." The cat themed boy nodded. "I guess it's just me and M'Lady tonight, watching the stars under a moonlit night, just the two of us." He gave a dopey grin.
So either she was stuck with the flirty boy in leather or the super villain on the verge of a massacre… Marinette wasn't going to win today no matter what. "Yeah, so just… keep out of sight and wait for the right moment. The akuma should be in his pencil."
"Will do purrincess." A pun about her being a princess was not what she needed right now. "Hmm … can't get in contact with Ladybug …" He said, looking at his staff. "I guess I'll just wait with you until she answers. Can't purify the akuma anyway …" He smiled, looking around with surprise. "So …" Chat Noir looked at her posters. "… Fangirl?"
"Just an… admirer." She grumbled. "You know, he models clothes, I want to make clothes, just… something people who want to make clothes do."
"Ah, that checks." He nodded.
"Hey, Marinette, I keep hearing shouting up here. Is your room really that mess-" Fleica came up and opened the hatch to her room and saw her. "Oooooh, okay, now that makes sense. If you wanted privacy for your little romantic rendivo, all you had to do was say so."
"What!?" Both she and Chat Noir shouted. "It's not like-!"
"Oh, don't get your tongues tied…unless that's something your into, in which case feel free to do so." Felica laughed. "I mean, personally I'd go for Spider-man, but I understand the appeal of black leather. I've had plenty of experience with it."
"Oh my god." She groaned.
"It's not like that I swear." Chat waved his hands. "I'm just here to help look after her date with Evilustraitor-" He froze, realizing what he just said.
"Ooooh, into the bad boys I see." Felice chuckled as she came in. "Okay, now I HAVE to join in. First we gotta do something about the goodie two shoes vibe you have going. Less primary colors and more dark eyeshadow." She grabbed her by the arm. "Kitty, this is your signal to go…unless you two are into watching and being watched, I don't kinkshame."
"I'm just gonna go wait by the pier by now." The cat flushed as he jumped out the window.
"Felicia….why?" Marinette groaned. "Just….why?"
"Because supervillains attack our school on a daily basis, and if we don't have fun we're gonna snap mentally." She smiled.
Chat waited around as he once more checked his staff. "Come on M'Lady, where are you …" Was he really gonna have to fight the Akuma alone? Not that he didn't think he could be a dashing knight that valiantly saved the damsel, but he didn't have much luck fighting on his own, or rather never had the chance too. It was better when all three of them were a team. Chat was the powerful gun that could destroy whatever got in the way and mediated the team from murdering itself, Spidey was the flashy and knowledgeable guy with lots of skill, and Ladybug was the charming and dazzling brains of the team who could always win.
He couldn't fight off an Akuma without these guys. He'd probably destroy the wrong object or waste his cataclysm if he didn't have someone to direct himself. But Spidey was busy protecting Chloe, and despite how rude she was at school, he knew she could do good things when given the chance. So, he was the last line of defense.
Maybe he could think of something less distracting … like Marinette. She was a nice person, and her room looked cool. For a second he thought she had a crush on him. That would have been awkward, telling a girl he wasn't interested because he was in love with Ladybug. "Why did I have to get stuck with Felicia? She's like Alya if she was focused on teasing me." He heard Marinette mutter as she waited for the villain to arrive. "And why did she insist on heels!? Now I'm really going to give Nathaniel the wrong idea."
That was going to be uncomfortable. Going on a date with a villain, aka, the ultimate superhero taboo. He couldn't help but feel sympathy for the poor girl. First date and it was already doomed to fail.
"Ah, Marrinatte, you came." A figure that looked like Nathaniel, but with red hair, black eye mask and a striped shirt, came in on a small but fancy looking boat lit up by candles on the rails. "You look lovely tonight, though that's not too far off from how you usually look."
"Oh, thank you." The girl said, trying to keep her eyes anywhere else. "Your costume is … lovely too."
"Thank you, I designed it myself." The boy smiled. "What are you in the mood to eat? I can just draw it up for the both of us."
"Oh, uh, whatever you want. I'd like to know more about you." Adrain would have to convince Ladybug to thank this girl somehow for going with all this lying. Spidey would be up for it, but Ladybug wanted to be as professional as possible.
Although that did raise a question in his mind. Who would Marinette go good with? Maybe if Nathaniel wasn't currently evil he would be a good choice. Marinette was a designer and he was an artist. "Well … I drew a lot when I was a kid. I just saw the fights between heroes and villains and wanted to try and recreate the dynamic action on a page." Nathaniel went on. "They're nothing special, just little doodles I do in my spare time."
"If those were doodles, then I must be Captain Marvel. Those drawings are amazing. You got so much detail down." Kind, uplifting and a slight sense of humor. Maybe Nino would be a good match, though Adrain actually hasn't heard anything about what kind of girl Nino likes. His confidence put out an aura of, in the boy's own words, 'I'm cool and chicks dig cool'.
"Thank you …" The boy blushed, looking away. "It means a lot that someone likes my work … especially after Chloe ruined them. She's the worst." He grumbled.
"No argument here." Marinette chuckled, and it saddened Adrien to know that no one in class seemed to like Chloe outside of Sabrina. Maybe Kim counted, but Chloe didn't seem to like him at all… then again Chloe didn't really present herself as the friendliest person ever. It made him glad that she and Spider-man got along so well. Someone else was able to see the kind and good side that Adrien had known growing up. "I understand your frustration, more than anyone I want Chloe to get what's coming to her, but teaming up with Hawkmoth isn't the way."
"It's okay. He may be connected to me, but he's not in my head. My actions are still my own, and I only do what I want."
"Really?" They've seen Akuma's argue with Hawkmoth, but this level of autonomy was a surprise.
"He mainly just tells me to do things or else he'll take away my powers. He said if he got someone who could erase their weapons anytime he wanted he'd be less inclined to let me do what I want." Nathaniel said. "I mean, I feel a bit obsessed about taking down Chloe … but if you really think it's a bad idea, I can put it away."
"…Your the second most friendly akuma I've ever met, and I know that's only two times but it's weird that it's happened twice."
"Maybe because you're one of the most friendly people we know of, Marinette." Nathaniel smiled back at her. "You're kind and brave, so thoughtful, always caring for everyone … it's why I fell for you to begin with." Peter seemed to hang around her a lot too. He always backed her up in conversations, especially in one's where Chloe would get a little too prickly. And he was always pointing out her best qualities…wait, did Peter have a crush on Marinette?
Adrien was gonna have to ask Alya for help shipping at this rate … unless Marinette was into Alya! He was so focused on guys she could be with he didn't even take her sexuality into account! Now he felt like a jerk. Even for all the time he spent at school he still had a lot to learn about his classmates.
Alright, focus, back to the task at hand. Ladybug had yet to come or text back, and Spidey was with Chloe. He couldn't purify the akuma himself, and without Spidey pinning this guy down was gonna be next to impossible. So he could either A) Let this date continue until he and Ladybug could make a plan tomorrow. B) Make a guess at an akumatized object, grab it, and play keep away while the villain probably went on a rampage somehow replacing their powers with a substitute notebook/pencil and hurt innocent people. C) Cataclysm the akuma on a wild whim that would stop it and risk getting akumatized while you hurt your lady and lose your rights to Chat Noir and your only hope of freedom. With Marientte in the firing range of the villain, he couldn't chance it.
"That's…so sweet." Marinette nodded awkwardly as she looked at the bright candles around them. "And you made all of this too, so bright and beautiful."
"Yeah, well I have to keep it bright. I can't draw too well in the dark." Ah ha! A weakness to exploit. Take out the lights and grab that pencil. If he needed to draw for his power, then akuma or not, he'd be powerless.
"Alright Chat Noir, time to get your paws wet." He joked to himself as he jumped into the water, taking out his staff and spun it rapidly, making water spill all over the boat, taking out the candles.
"What the-" Chat used the opportunity to leap onto the boat, using his staff to try and knock the tool out of the Evilustraitor's hand. "You! You ruined everything!"
"Sorry, but you crossed this black cat, now you got seven years of bad luck to look forward to." He chuckled, tripping the villain up. "Then again, you can end it Early by giving up that pencil of yours."
"You jerk, you ruined our date!" He shouted, moving out of the way. "Maybe I should just take your miraculous now!" He flipped his book, using the moonlight to draw something, as multiple spikey poles fell from the sky.
"Well someone can't catch the point it seems." He said as he did his best to dodge the falling objects. "And it's been a while since I've seen the movie, but romance on a sinking ship doesn't usually end well!"
"It was going well until you came! I was content with not doing anything bad, but you've forced my hand!" The villain went to draw again, only for his arm to be grabbed by Marrientte. "What-"
"Nathaniel, please, you can't fight the heroes. Just let him take the Akuma away." Marinette begged
"You … you set me up …" The boy muttered, backing away. "You lead me on, you played on my romance … my emotions … You're no better than Chloe!"
"What!? That's nuts, there's no way I'm anything like her!"
"You manipulated me to get what you want, you never liked me to begin with, did you!?" He shouted.
"I …"
"So how about I end this here and now!" He drew something after shoving Marinette to Chat's direction … as a glass box landed around them. "And erase the bottom of the boat, and you're done!" Evilustrater screamed. "Now all you rotten, hypocritical monsters will feel my wrath!" He left them on that note, jumping away from the sinking ship and enclosed space.
"Ugh! I knew I was going to regret that! I should've just been honest from the start." Marinette groaned as she looked round. "Okay, we haven't hit the bottom yet, so we got time to figure this out."
He tried hitting the walls. "Can't break it, too strong. Too strong." Chat continued hitting it over and over and over.
"Okay, bursting out won't work, so how about-Chat noir, are you okay?" She asked him with concern as his breathing got heavier and faster.
"Tight space, no air, can't breathe, too small." Too contained and restrained and the chains of his life tightened with every waking second. No escape no escape-
"Chat Noir, Focus!" Marinteet shouted at him, grabbing his face. "Aim your staff at the ground and extend it!"
"Right!" He answered, doing just that…and the two of them were standing above the water, the box having fallen off of them "Oh thank you one above all." He muttered, doing his best to land them safely to the ground, taking a few deep breaths.
"Good thing he didn't make a bottom for the box." Marientte chuckled with a low energy breath. "Chat, thank you for-"
Chat stopped her and immediately hugged the girl in a tight grasp . "No, thank you for knocking sense into me when I need it… I would've panicked if I was alone." He sighed. "I'm not good at this hero thing by myself.."
"Hey, don't think like that. I think you were…catacular."' Marinette said.
"... You joked." He answered with sparkling eyes. "And here I thought you hated me."
"No, I hate Spider-Man and his show l boating." She nodded with a wide smile. "You are nothing like him."
"I mean … it's alright, at least he knows how to get the job done and talk to people." Chat smiled. "... Does this mean I can come by for pastries?"
"I'll leave some by the balcony for you." She pecked him on the cheek. "Now go save the day, Chat Noir."
"Will do princess." He grinned, flipping into the air. With confidence restored, he'd take on the Evilustrator … hopefully with Spidey's help.
"So the legalization of privately owned vigilante business was started in…1957?" Peter, as Spider-Man leaned back as Chloe, in a spurn of the moment miracle he had no idea how it happened, actually looked in a book. He knew that she liked Spider-Man, but not to this level.
"Correct." He grinned. "Thanks to the rise of crime, of all varieties, the police couldn't keep up and needed to outsource their options."
"If they're so useless then why are they still around?" The girl was still prickly as hell, but she softened up if Spider-Man was around. And Peter figured as long as she could be agreeable like this, he might as well work double time and finish his side of the report.
"I ask myself the same question everyday, but there is a reason for the pointless madness." He chuckled. "Police represent a human factor that people in masks don't fully embody. Sure you got your Iron Man's and Captain Americas and those with fancy suits or weapons, but those big leaguers don't often look at the streets and help out the little guy."
"That's what the vigilantes are for." She pointed out. "Like you. Every video you pretty much show up the police and prove they're incompetent."
"Well, I actually see it as my way of telling them to improve. I may be able to stop a mad man from firing a gun, but the police are the ones that find the evidence and convict them to prison sentences. Even if I pull their weight on the field, they still have to be the ones to put the thugs behind bars, or else they'll just get back to the streets and do the same thing again."
"Don't supervillains break out of jail every other week?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "Like the Juggerhead guy?"
"Super baddies break out, but the common manhandler and dime store robbers are luckily not so lucky. There's a reason why you never hear about France having a crime wave." Peter had to admit, away from school and from social pressure, Chloe was surprisingly decent too talk with. She actually could keep her interest in someone/something that wasn't herself.
"Oooh. So if you beat up Hawkmoth and threw him in jail, he could still get out …"
"I mean … not inaccurate." At least without the butterfly miraculous he wouldn't be a threat. "And since the rise of mutants and the occurrence of inhumans, laws have still been debated on whether or not the word of a powered individual can be trusted."
"That's lame." Chloe rolled her eyes. "…What's the difference between mutant and inhuman?"
"One's technically the evolved form of humanity, the others are descended from humans experimented by aliens." It was pretty complicated.
"So one makes us look like monkeys and the other is a bunch of lab rats for a race that thinks we're utterly ridiculous."
"Couldn't say it better myself." He laughed. "Look at you, little miss scientist. Smart is a flattering look on you."
She blushed and groaned. "Please don't tell anyone. I'd rather not be known as a nerd, there's a reputation to keep."
"Hey, Susan Storm proved you can be a scientist and be hot at the same time." Spidey grinned. "Besides, what better way to show up know-it-all bookworms than to surprise them with your brains. Your already rich and pretty, add smart and you'll be a triple threat." Just compliment her enough to aim her in a better direction. One that would give Sabrina, as well as everyone else, less of a hard time.
She looked completely flustered, trying to get a word out … "Or she'll be gone, with no one to miss her." Until a familiar voice spoke up, as a thud came from the window.
"Wow, it took a while, but Ladybug finally lost?" Spidey asked, turning to the Evilustraitor.
"She never showed up. Mari-traitor worked with Chat Noir to ambush me, and now I have no reason anymore to let Chloe live!" Buzz saws flew into the window as Spidey quickly dove to keep Chloe down.
"Wow, she told me to not show and she's a no show herself. The nerve of that woman." He quipped as he threw a chain around the villain. "This is the part where you run out the door, princess."
"Don't need to tell me twice!" She shouted, quickly pecking him on the cheek as she ran out. "Feel free to come over anytime you want, minus the tackily dressed losers!"
"Wow.." His technical first kiss…sure the French used it more as a casual gesture; but this was his first experience with that kind of affection of any kind ... and it came from Miss mean girl herself. What a crazy ironic world he lived in.
"You wanna warm up with that terrible person, how about I erase you too!?" The Evilustraitor flipped around his pencil, moving it as the walls began to vanish in a line, heading right to him.
"Dude, we all want to undo the past, but I don't think they meant it so literally!" He flipped over and kicked him in the face. "And honestly you kind of make miss queen bee look nicer by comparison by trying to thanos me. Seriously, not cool man."
"Fine then, how about I pull an Iron Man!" With another scribble, they drew a red gauntlet, using it to fire lasers at Spider-Man.
"Careful, Stark would totally sue you." He said, moving away from the repulsor. "I mean, have you seen all his knock offs? Titanium Man, Iron Monger, Crimson Dynamo, the man has lawsuits built for decades."
"How about I just erase that mouth of yours, I'd take that over anything else!" They shouted, drawing some buzzsaws that launched at Spidey, which intended up deflected as a black spinning blur got in the way and redirected it.
"Aww, but then we'll miss out on his webtastic banter. Sure, they're not as good as my puns, but I'm still feline good about them." Chat Noir smirked.
"Ah, Chat, I take it you're sore from the couple hours of bouting." Spidey grinned.
"Actually it was setting up a trap involving Mari-Yeowch, singed hair!" Chat moved away as they made another flamethrower.
"Yeah, don't think I'm still not pissed about that!" Evilisitratror shouted as he spread the fire everywhere. "You heroes, Marinette, Chloe, you're all the same! Just liars trying to get what you want no matter what!"
"Excuse you, I tend to be a very honest individual. It's how most villains know their costumes are stupid." Spidey shot as he tried to chain up the mind washed guy. "Really hate to do this to you kid, but you're not leaving me much options. ADHESION!"
The kid was sent right towards him…. and stopped halfway as what felt like some kind of invisible shell covered the head area. "Hawkmoth told me you could do that, so I got some invisible armor just for the occasion!" The kid then drew a boxing glove and punched him in the chest across the room.
"Wow, Hawky's learning." Spidey groaned.
"An unfortunate fact of life!" Ladybug shouted, coming in through the door and carrying … a fork? "Chat Noir, curtains!"
"Oh, I'll love to have a private moment with you M'lady." Chat chuckled as he began closing them, making the room darker. She then rolled over to the lamp while ducking under a few buzzsaws, tearing the cord and wrapping up the fork in the wires … before jamming it into the electrical socket.
Bbbrrrrr
The lights to the entire room, possibly building, shorted out after a couple of sparks. "What, hey!" Right, no light, no drawings.
"Guess that means the art show's over!" Spidey laughed, jumping on the kid's back and grabbing the pencil. "Chat, happy early/late birthday, here's your gift!"
"Ah, just what I wanted, a defeated Akuma." He laughed. "Cataclym!" Chat grabbed the pin, and it disintegrated into dust, making the purple butterfly float into the air.
"No more evildoing for you butterfly, time to de-evilize!" She shouted, swinging her yoyo at the akuma. "Bye bye little butterfly …" She walked over, pulling her sparking fork out of the socket. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
"So Chat, I heard you were playing third wheel with the little baker girl." Spidey turned to his feline partner. "How'd it go?"
"Well there was some teasing about Dupain-Cheng being into bad boys, the date itself was nice, until he realized it was a trap, called her just as bad as Chloe for emotional manipulation, and tried to drown us. I got baked good rights out of everything." The cat smirked.
"Lucky." He still didn't know what he did to freak out Marinettte so much as Spider-man.
"Can't be that bad. Judging by what I saw, you and Chloe had a decent time too."
"Just helping the girl not be so lazy with her homework. Studying is better with a friendly face around." Not that Chloe herself would admit that. Peter was just glad he didn't have to do the project all by himself."
"Ugh.." Purple mist covered the former akuma victim, turning back into the normal shy black haired red hoodie wearing kid from class.
"Nathaniel." Ladybug walked over, leaning down to the now cured boy. "I'm sorry, you seem really nice, but that power was getting to your head. Just because someone's being a jerk, or hurting you … it doesn't give you the right to hurt them back. Especially like that."
"Yeah… in hindsight acting like Hawkmoth was someone reasonable was pushing it." He slowly chuckled. "Guess I owe Marinette a huge apology…about a lot of things."
"I'm sure she'll take it with no hesitation, she probably feels guilty too." Ladybug assured him with a smile.
"So … why was she on a date with a villain?" Spidey asked. "Instead of being handled by you and Chat like you said?"
"I… uh… had… to come up with a plan… and I trusted Chat to handle the situation by himself." Ladybug gave a really….REALLY lame excuse that Peter would've given on his first day using a miraculous.
Like he was going to buy that-"You trusted me?" Chat asked with sparkling eyes of hope.
"Of course I did Chaton. You're not annoying like Spider-man and I know that you can listen." She gave the cat boy a small hug. "And you did your part protecting Marinette excellently." Oh brother.
Beep Beep
"And that's the cue to leave, lucky you." Spidey said. "Good job Chat. Maybe next time you'll be the one that KO's the akuma in one punch." He gave a thumbs up as he leapt out the window. Chat could have his Ladybug appreciation for tonight. Peter still had to finish his report.
"Are you sure you don't need me to take your books?" Sabrina asked her new bestie. She already wasn't allowed to do the entire project herself, or pay for the meal they shared, or help her dress up. She felt like she wasn't contributing enough to this friendship. What kind of friend didn't do everything humanly possible and then some to make their friend's life easier?
"I'm sure, Sabrina. You've already made me breakfast and lent me you lipstick. You've done more than enough. I should be the one offering to carry your books if I'm being honest." Rose chuckled. "Your research alone on Golden Girl is already going to earn us an A."
"This feels so much different from Chloe." Sabrina said with a flush. "I usually use to run five miles for her just to grab her purse she usually forgets to bring." It kept her in shape at least for strenuous tasks.
"Well I just want to make sure we're both feeling good and having fun. That's what having friends is all about." Rose grinned with a smile that could light up all of France for decades.
"... Will you marry me?"
"What?"
"Nothing!" She quickly corrected herself. Okay, forget that happened, that was only a moment of weakness. "I'm just going to sit do-" She suddenly came face to face with the usually quiet and withdrawn Juleka, who was staring into her eyes… no…. her soul. "Ah…. hi?"
"Hurt her and I'll end you." The goth lowly mumbled.
"... Okay." She meekly got out. Rose was clearly off limits it seemed. She should probably just go back to Chloe and apologize.
Nathaniel walked in next, a guilty look on his face as he turned to everyone, who turned back to him. "Guys … I'm sorry about …"
"Hey Nathaniel!" Nino shouted. "Welcome to the 'we've been akumatized' club."
"We have self-deprecating memes and baked goods from Marinette." Alix grinned.
"Not to mention you've also joined in the 'Chloe got me akumatized' section as well, which is something I understand far too well." Alya smirked, patting the kid on the back. "Trust me, no one is going to judge you … except Chloe, but who cares what she thinks?"
"Exactly." Marinette walked up. "Nathaniel, I'm sorry about what happened … I didn't mean to hurt you like that."
"It's fine, I understand why you did it … although I don't have a crush on you anymore." The boy said.
"Oh, really?" She asked.
"Yeah, no offense to you, but it still kind of stings being tricked like that … again, no offense, I know it was necessary."
"It's fine, I get it." The girl nodded.
"I actually have a crush on Ladybug now." He smiled.
"You and half the teenagers in Paris." Peter smirked as he passed by. "Aint that right Adrien?"
"Aww come on, don't blurt it out like that." The boy blushed as Marinette went red for some reason.
"Hey, it's probably on the tamer side of things." Alya assured him. "Lots of crazy people out there."
"You got that right." Felicia smirked. "I was checking on hero articles for the project, I found a reddit labeled "I want Ladybug to use her thighs on me like I'm an akumatized object"."
"Aaaaaagh…." Why was Marinette groaning like that? It wasn't like that involved her at all.
Class finally began as everyone took their seats. "You can apologize to me later." Chloe whispered.
"Chloe, I.."
"Save it. As rude as it was, I won't give you too much heat for it … but never cancel on me again like that." Chloe said. "Now shut up, I need Ms. Bustier to believe I actually worked with that American." Wait, what?
"Class, I want to congratulate you all…or rather most of you…" Ms. Bustier sent a small look to Marinette, Felica, Adrien, Alya, Alix, and Nathanial. "For getting your project down. One pairing in particular I would love to make note of is that of Chloe and Peter."
"I am so sorry Peter." Marinette patted the boy.
"Don't be." The boy said in a low tone and a light chuckle. "I came in with my half and she came in with her half, and they just happened to match well with each other."
"... Did she give you the Sabrina treatment?" ….what did THAT mean?!
"For your information, Dupain-Cheng, I actually DID my work by MYSELF!" Chloe shouted. "Unlike you, who doesn't even have a project to show for herself!"
"Kind of hard to, you know, when I was helping Chat Noir trap an Akuma…one that YOU created!" Marinette shouted back.
"Not my fault Hawkmoth hates me just cause Spider-Man likes me." She smirked.
"Is that why our class gets akumatized all the time?" Max asked.
"I just thought it was because teenagers were terrible at handling emotions." Felicia bluntly stated. "It's a miracle he doesn't akumatize us on the daily." Back to the normal craziness of this class it seemed.