Hello readers! I've got another chapter ready and waiting for you! This one took a little bit longer than I thought it would but that is because I had a hard time deciding what event would come next. Eventually, I decided that this would be the best way forward. That being said, let's stop beating around the bush and answer some reviews.
OceanaMM: I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter! There will indeed be some interesting info gathered. Bruce has indeed entered Dad Mode.
Fregreg: I can see what you mean by that. Only time will tell what the truth will be, and I paid Clockwork not to spill anything.
BlueBlaze_Kitsune: Danny has indeed gone brain dead again, lol! I'm glad that the names work out so well!
LtCmdrRadner: Bruce has indeed been given a lot to have creaky gloves over. Harley could indeed use extra help, but at least her saving the day hasn't killed anyone… right? We will see what happens with anything to do with future stuff and anything possibly hinted at when it's time to handle them.
Fuyu_FoxWriter: I think it's more that he's in for a long time. I'm glad to see that Phantom Tigress is still a top ship for the fic.
Lilyofthestars: It's a good thing you like the new usernames! Rest assured that Damian looks out for his friends and family. Life is going well and here's a future chapter for ya.
darknessslayer: Well Damian was trying to confide in someone about his dilemma and he needed to bring the data to Bruce anyway. He would indeed be teased by anyone but Alfred. Jason does have a habit of coming back deadly and violent, doesn't he?
Njistar: Well Damian is trying to go about this the best way as possible so he's trying to get as much help in areas he's not as strong in as possible.
XxXNightcoreQueenXxX: Thanks again for all of that. I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter and that the names were cute.
LunarCouncillor: I was hoping that Haley would be the right choice so YAY! I'm glad that Jason's new hero name also works out well.
Speedykitten1643: Bruce indeed gave off the best reaction possible for the situation. Damian is working through things in his own way, now on the get help step. I love making couple/ship names so PhantomTigress was my favorite to design.
Classiccartoon27: Thanks! Don't worry about those who have not been heard from in a while. They will make themselves known.
glennish1966: Fluff after chaos is always welcome unless that chaos was a bad thing. I guess you'll see how far down Bruce has been. I'm just glad that all this hard work has been going so well.
The_Keeper_of_Worlds: He is indeed! I'm glad that you love it!
Rocky: It has indeed paid off. Now Tucker's powers and origins are known by Sam. Only time will tell if he made the right call or not.
ranronri909: I mean sure. I'm not stopping anyone from doing it. Go nuts, dude.
With all that out of the way, let's jump straight into the action! I don't own Miraculous, Danny Phantom, Marvel, DC, or any other series that show up here. I do own any original characters, concepts, creatures, and places that work their way into the story unless stated otherwise.
Username List
Miraculous Gamer Guild
Moderator:
CircusMouse- Marinette (Mouse/Mari/Nettie/Mousie)
GhostWatcher- Danny (Watcher/Ghost)
NightwingFan- Dick (Nightwing, Grayson)
GothamEcho- Barbara (Babs)
Paris People:
CircusMouse- Marinette (Mouse/Mari/Nettie/Mousie)
SeaMonkey- Kim (MK)
PhantomTigress- Juleka (Tigress/LadyT/Jules)
HoneyBee22- Chloe (Bee)
CyberPegasus- Max (Pegasus)
SpiderRose- Rose
Sk8terBunny – Alix (Sk8ter, Bunny)
HoundLover- Sabrina (Hound)
MajorScaless- Luka (Scaless)
SkullWolf- Ivan (Skull)
WolfTamer- Mylene (Wolf)
AresArt01- Nathaniel (Nath, Ares)
DJShell- Nino (DJ)
NekoModel- Adrien (Neko)
YuganaRyu- Kagami (Ryu)
Haunted Folks
GhostWatcher- Danny (Watcher/Ghost)
GQueen- Sam (G)
BatTuck- Tucker (Tuck)
PassionBird- Jazz (Blue)
Blue-Jay- Jason (Jay, Red Hood, Todd)
ValkyrieGray- Valerie (Val)
ShadowRider13- Johnny 13 (Rider)
KissyKitten- Kitty (Kitten)
Kids of America
NightwingFan- Dick (Nightwing, Grayson)
GothamEcho- Barbara (Babs)
BeastMan- Garfield (Beast/Gar)
Mr.R0bot0- Victor (Vic/Bot)
Starmoth03- Kori'ander/Starfire (Kori, Star, Moth)
EbonyRaven- Rachel Roth/Raven (Raven, Ebony, Rae)
WallMan- Wally
CoffeeLord- Tim (Red Robin)
TheCoolerKent- Connor
HelloMegan- M'Gann (Megan)
SpicerBee- Jack (Spice)
Tech Guru
GothamEcho- Barbara (Babs)
CyberPegasus- Max (Pegasus)
Mr.R0bot0- Victor (Vic/Bot)
CoffeeLord- Tim (Red Robin)
BatTuck- Tucker (Tuck)
SpicerBee- Jack (Spice)
Watchlist
SpicerBee- Jack (Spice)
BatTuck- Tucker (Tuck)
GhostWatchers
GhostWatcher- Danny (Watcher/Ghost)
GothQueen- Sam
BatTuck- Tucker (Tuck)
Miraculous Mysteries
BugFighter- Marinette (My Lady, Ladybug) & Tiki (Sugarcube)
Chataclysm- Adrien (Chat, Chat Noir) & Plagg
BeeFriend22- Chloe (Bee) & Pollen
Gotham Knights Communication
Oracle- Barbara (Babs)
DarkKnight- Bruce (Batman, B, Father)
AgentA- Alfred (A)
Wraith- Jason (Jay, Red Hood, Todd)
Robin- Damian (D, Robin)
Red- Tim (Red Robin)
Nightwing- Dick (Nightwing, Grayson)
OperativeH- Harley
Super Kids
BloodRobin- Damian (D, Robin)
Duckling- Jon
PhantomChild- Danielle (Dani, Ellie)
PinkDragoon- Haley
Bat Boys
MrHood- Jason (Jay, Red Hood, Todd)
Mini-Bruce- Damian (D, Robin)
CoffeeLord- Tim (Red Robin)
CircusBird- Dick (Nightwing, Grayson)
War Room
HoneyBee22- Chloe (Bee)
SeaMonkey- Kim (MK)
PhantomTigress- Juleka (Tigress/LadyT/Jules)
CyberPegasus- Max (Pegasus)
SpiderRose- Rose
Sk8terBunny – Alix (Sk8ter, Bunny)
HoundLover- Sabrina (Hound)
MajorScaless- Luka (Scaless)
GhostWatcher- Danny (Watcher/Ghost)
PassionBird- Jazz (Blue)
NightwingFan- Dick (Nightwing, Grayson)
GothamEcho- Barbara (Babs)
BeastMan- Garfield (Beast/Gar)
Mr.R0bot0- Victor (Vic/Bot)
Starmoth03- Kori'ander/Starfire (Kori, Star, Moth)
EbonyRaven- Rachel Roth/Raven (Raven, Ebony, Rae)
Paranormal Paladins
Robin- Damian (D, Robin)
NeoSuperboy- Jon
Geist- Danielle (Dani, Ellie)
Ryuna- Haley
Nightwing- Dick (Nightwing, Grayson)
Raven- Rachel Roth/Raven
Other
BluePassion- Jazz (Blue)
Voices
"Talking."
'Thinking.'
"YELLING!"
"Author/Guest/High or demonic entity talking. Also, surprise at the end of a section."
"AUTHOR/GUEST/HIGH OR DEMONIC ENTITY YELLING!"
"Whispering."
"Author/Guest/High or demonic entity whispering."
Rand: Chat/text message
Rand: Chat/text message in irl sections
"Talking in game and out of character/Talking in flashback."
"YELLING IN GAME AND OUT OF CHARACTER/YELLING IN FLASHBACK!"
"Whispering in game and out of character/Whispering in flashback."
Metropolis, USA
The sound of chaotic laughter filled the air, people running around screaming as explosions went off. The monster responsible for the chaos zoomed across the sky, dropping more explosives in his wake. Superman began flying in, his eyes narrowing as he watched the villain approach. His eyes then widened as a weapon was aimed at him, the energy fired from it causing him to be sent flying backwards into a building. The chaotic entity finally slowed down, revealed to be standing on top of a flying device similar to that of a bat.
The man had green skin, pointed ears, red eyes with yellow sclera, and a pointed nose that extended further than any nose had a right to go. He wore a purple cap similar to a jester's hat, purple armor similar to a breastplate, a purple robe underneath that was torn when it reached his knees, a brown belt to carry the strange black cannon he was carrying, a black ring he wore on his right pointer finger, purple fingerless gloves, and purple boots. The man let out a big laugh, one that reminded Clark of the Joker.
"Well, if it isn't the 'Red and Blue' of Metropolis himself!" laughed the man. "Just the same as Spider-Man! You come running the moment that people start screaming." Superman stood up, floating upwards a bit as he crossed his arms.
"Who are you?" questioned the Man of Steel. "An affiliate of the Joker?" The goblinoid gasped, holding a hand to his chest.
"Me, in league with a circus clown? The Green Goblin answers to no one but himself! I swiped this little toy, built from an Asgardian Destroyer, from SHIELD after hearing that you Kryptonian types are weak to magic. With your Kryptonian DNA, I could increase the power of my Goblin Serum and perfect my power." Clark clenched his fists, his eyes glowing a bit.
"You're going to leave disappointed." Superman prepared to fire his heat vision to destroy the weapon, only for the goblin to press a button on the side of his ring. It released a high frequency sound that stunned the hero as the black of the ring began to peel away. The hero immediately recognized the three green, glowing rocks that sat in the midst of the area. "Kryptonite."
He fell to the ground, feeling his power drain from him as the Green Goblin laughed like a maniac. The little man jumped off the flying device as he cartwheeled towards the hero of Metropolis. He kicked Clark in the face, sending him sprawling out onto the floor with a groan.
"I may have also helped myself to that bald playboy Luthor's little vault to swipe a few of his space rocks. Oh, the mayhem that I can unleash once that power is running through my veins." He pulled a green bladed scalpel out from a small bag hidden on his belt, spinning it around as the tip radiated the same draining essence as the Kryptonite in the ring. "No one will be able to recognize poor Superman once Dr Goblin is through with him." The evil creature nearly plunged the blade into the Man of Steel, only to jerk his head as a noise caught his ear.
He jumped with a laugh, narrowly avoiding a birdarang that snagged into the front of his glider. Red Robin dropped into view, his staff at the ready as the villain landed on the ground. "You missed! Fighting the Spider for so long has helped in keeping my hearing sharp." Tim smirked something that clearly irked the goblin.
"Did I really miss?" questioned the coffee lover. The birdarang in the glider began to beep rapidly before it suddenly exploded, the vehicle going with it. The Green Goblin growled, anger in his eyes.
"Now that was rude! Looks like I'll have to clip your wings, little bird!" The villain raised his weapon to fire it, only for Tim to smack him in the nose with his staff. The third son of Batman then used the other end with a spin to knock the cannon away from its user. He hit the villain a few more times with the staff before it was grabbed, the goblin slightly crushing the end that had hit him.
Red Robin used this moment to get a kick in that sent the criminal stumbling backwards. "You're definitely annoying but you're no Spider-Man. Do you really think a few hits is going to take me o-AAAAHHHHH!" The villain jittered around, a hand on his shoulder as electricity surged throughout his body. The attack soon halted as the man fell forward, Nightwing quickly deactivating the ring and putting the Kryptonite scalpel in a lead lined pouch on his belt.
"Nice distraction, Red," complemented Dick. He quickly put specialized cuffs on the Green Goblin, the enemy groaning as he laid on the floor. Clark began to stand up, rubbing his head with a sigh. "You alright, Superman?" The Man of Steel looked over, a soft frown on his face.
"A bit frazzled but I'll live," stated Clark. "Thanks for the help. I wasn't expecting the two of you to show up given the situation in Gotham. Any reason for the surprise visit?" Dick smirked, nodding his head.
"Let's just say Batman finished the documents you requested. We were on our way to deliver them when we heard the commotion." Clark grinned from ear to ear, holding his hands together in excitement. He knew that one particular person would be even more excited than he was, a sight he couldn't wait to experience. Even still, the name "Spider-Man" now rang in his head due to the Green Goblin's words.
Paris, France
[Language Change: French]
Juleka brushed her teeth, feeling a bit groggy from the prior night she had. Two days prior, DuPont held their final exams for the semester. For many it would simply be the start of Summer Break, an experience that she knew would hopefully lead to more time with Danny. For her and her class, however, there was a different air about it. Many in her class would come to graduate, either from reaching the age of adulthood or taking on formal training.
As Luka was only four minutes older than her, as her twin, she had turned 18 the day that he did as well. She was now anxiously awaiting the arrival of the news that would determine whether she would be graduating or not. The more she thought about the next stage of her life, the antsier she became. She finally finished her work with her teeth as she gargled and spit, watching the water run through the sink before she turned it off. She then looked in the mirror, moving her hair out of the way in order to look at herself in the reflection.
"Two years ago, I would have been even more anxious about this part of my life," monologued the young model. "Who knew that having a boyfriend and holding a Miraculous would change so much? I've been able to talk with people more and I have so much to look forward to. A life with Danny, an adoptive child of my own, a cute little dog if that one picture of Cujo was anything to go by… And some day…" She placed her hands lightly on her lower stomach, giggling to herself with a blush.
[Play HAPPY - Pharrell Williams (Female Version) by Arlene Zelina]
Feeling a rare sense of energy, the girl ran for her room and put on her usual attire. Luka suddenly felt inspiration hit him from his room, bringing up his guitar as he began to play a song on it as his sister played around with her usual shirt a bit. "It might sound crazy what I'm about to say~. Sunshine she's here, you can take a break. I'm a hot air balloon that could go to space."
The young lady slid the top on, playfully sliding her hair up and out of the collar. "With the air, like I don't care, baby, by the way… Hey!" Luka smirked, the vibes he felt from his sister giving him chills. "(Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof. (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth."
Juleka finally sat down, sliding on the leggings as they stretched against her feet. "(Because I'm happy) Clap along if you know what happiness is to you. (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do." Luka began to up the difficulty of his strumming, getting more and more into the rhythm. Juleka then stood up while putting on the pants, poking her hips out a bit as if Danny was there to watch her every move.
She then slipped on black slip-on shoes that worked in place of her usual lace up ones. "Here come bad news, talking this and that (Yeah!). Well, give me all you got, don't hold it back (Yeah!). No offense to you, don't waste your time."
She quickly put on her jewelry as she ran for the upper deck, Luka and a familiar black and white butterfly flying after her as she spun around a bit on the deck. "Here's why! (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof. (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth. (Because I'm happy). Clap along if you know what happiness is to you."
Mrs. Couffaine stood at the helm, grinning to herself as she watched her daughter perform solely for herself. "(Yay!) Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do (Here we go!)! Bring me down. Can't nothing, bring me down. My love is too high, to bring me down."
The woman gently clapped to not disturb the rhythm, also resisting the urge to cry out or laugh as Juleka stood at the very front end of the ship. "Can't nothing, bring me down. I said (I'll say it now) bring me down. Can't nothing bring-bring me down! Can't nothing bring-bring me down!"
Roarr giggled to herself as she flew around in circles under the floor of the deck, following along with Juleka's movements. "Can't nothin'- YAY-YAY-YEAH! (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof. (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth. (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you know what happiness is to you."
She felt more emotion hit her as the strange butterfly landed on the mast of the ship. "YA~EH! Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna DO-DO-DO! WOOO~! YA~EH, I'm happy. Yeah."
The girl finally came to a stop as she sighed to herself. "Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Because I'm happy~. I'm happy."
Her Miraculous subtly glowed as she held her arms out a bit. "I'm happy~. I'm happy-I'm happy-I'm happy~! YEAH!" She gasped as she heard her mother cheer out loud, turning around with a startled expression as the woman made her way out of the helm area and Luka held the strings of his guitar to stop the music.
[Track End]
"Ye've become like one o' them Disney Princess's, me Jewel of the Sea," complimented the head of the family. "I reckon this is because of the comin' final grade and a certain boy-o across the sea, aye?" Juleka quickly cleared her throat, blushing madly as she tried to look calm and collected.
"I- you see- that's… How long were you two watching me do all of that?" Luka chuckled to himself, moving his guitar a bit along its strap.
"Let's just say the powerful vibes you were giving off made me feel like playing along with your inner song," informed the brother. "I would have expected something a little more rock but when a beat hits you gotta follow it. Mom was up here way before you came up here. You were a little too elated to care who heard you the whole time." Juleka moaned into her hand as she facepalmed, only for the sound of a bell ringing at the docks caught the trio's attention.
"Mail for the Couffaine residence!" cried a man in a uniform. Mrs. Couffaine quickly yet calmly made her way down the dock, her daughter clamming up a bit as all her excitement and confidence gave way to anxieties. Roarr suddenly flew up to hide in the girl's hair, rubbing the back of her neck with a giggle.
"Just relax!" whispered the elation Kwami. "You've got this!" Juleka only began to calm down as the black and white butterfly landed just above her on the crow's nest and began flapping cooling air down upon her. The mother of the siblings made her way back onto the boat, rummaging through some mail. She grinned as she quickly pulled out two separate envelopes.
"Looks like it's time ta take a gander at who'll be graduatin' this year, eh?" questioned the woman playfully. Juleka eagerly ripped her letter from her mother's grasp, Luka taking his with a cooler disposition. The cool guy carefully ripped open the top of his envelope, pulling out the letter as he looked it over.
"Sweet," commented Luka. "I graduated." Mrs. Couffaine pumped her fist, letting out a hearty "Yargh!" at the news. Juleka slowly read over hers, making sure to soak in every detail. She nearly dropped the paper onto the deck as her breathing began to grow more and more frantic.
"Yes…" began the Tigress. "Yes… YES-YES-YES-YES! I did it!" Anarka couldn't help but cheer out, a wild grin on her face.
"Both me scurvy crewmates are actually graduatin'!" cried the mother. "A mother's pride and joy can't even compare to that of a normal cap'n. It sounds like you and yer class have something ta celebrate when ya go in today. Wonder why that teacher of yers asked for everyone ta come in today, the strange landlubber." Juleka suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes widening.
"I'M GOING TO BE LATE FOR THE MEETING!" She pushed past her mother and brother, quickly scrambling together her purse as she slung it upon her shoulder. "I'll tell you how it goes when I get back! We'll likely be celebrating for a while so I'll message you if we do, Luka." Her brother sent her a soft smile and a nod, her mother grinning as she crossed her arms knowingly.
"Perhaps this time ya can bring that Danny-boy here for his sudden visits. I'd be surprised if he didn't 'suddenly' sail in ta port for a bit of parlay." Luka's face actually showed slight shock as Juleka began to make her way down the walking ramp.
"We'll see. He might not feel like…" Juleka immediately turned around, a fearful look on her face. "I mean-" Anarka laughed at the expression her daughter sent her, shaking her head.
"Not a lot happens on my ship that I don't know about, lass. Hearin' the voice of yer only daugh'er's first love a night where he wasn't suppos'd ta be in Paris tells a mother a lo'. Figured that he was one o' them metas flyin' around the States and helpin' people. If I didn' know you were the one startin' the more physical activities, Ah would've thrown 'im overboard the first night." Juleka gulped at this, lowering her head a bit.
"Mom, I know you always tell Luka and I to be careful but I swear Danny and I haven't gone too far. He's a respectful guy and I love him and-" Her mother chuckled at the nervousness displayed, quickly shaking her head.
"No need ta explain it ta this ol' sea dog, Juleka. Ah was a young lass meself and ye haven't turned up with a child on the way YET. Ah'll ask ye to be careful and feel these things out before ye go for the full thing. Other than tha', all Ah can say is ta let me know how ta hit this lad hard if he hurts ya." The hidden Tigress hero took a deep breath before smiling weakly, nodding her head as she slowly backed up.
"I'll see if he's even available to come over right now. Anyway, I have to hurry!" The girl ran off, doing her best not to fall into the water. Soon after, Purple Tigress could be seen leaping across buildings in an attempt to reach DuPont. She leapt over a building just as a limo was passing underneath, not paying it any mind as she soon had the building in sight.
She slid through one of the windows in the bathroom, landing with a slight huff as she nodded her head. "Roarr, Stripes Off." She immediately powered down, pulling out a pastry puff for the Kwami to eat as quickly as possible. She then made her way into her classroom, quickly noticing the girls of the group. As soon as they laid eyes on her, she couldn't help but squeal a bit under her breath.
She couldn't help herself as she placed her hands on her hips and leaned to her right slightly. "Guess who's part of the graduating class?" This caused a bit of a squealing fit to happen as the guys in the room had to cover their ears.
"Oh my gosh!" cried Marinette. "That's great news! We'll both be graduating in a sense! Miss Calista, a fashion icon that Chloe introduced me to, offered me an apprenticeship when the fall comes around. I'll still be available to hang out with everyone and do my own production but I'll be taking school hours to learn from someone already in the business!"
She then looked around, noticing the others in the group that were talking amongst themselves. "It actually seems like most of the class has apprenticeships or other formal training set up. Max is one of the expected outliers due to his desire to pursue greater knowledge while still working on his game. Everyone's expecting Adrien to either keep with school or get formal training from his father." Chloe huffed at this, placing her hands on her hips.
"If you ask me, Monsieur Agreste is still rather removed from Adrien even after the talk outside DuPont," huffed the blonde. "Adrien might end up locked up all the time again if he's forced to go that route." Rose then popped up, puffing out her cheeks as she placed her hands on her hips.
"It's Adrien's life!" cried the normally chipper girl. "We have to make sure that he has time for himself and for Kagami at the least!" Marinette rubbed her head, giggling a bit.
"Don't worry, Rose," reassured the Ladybug hero. "I might not be the same Marinette I was two years ago, but making sure everyone's living their best lives is still one of my top priorities." Adrien secretly smiled from his seat, having actually heard the conversation himself. Professor Doute quickly entered the room, nodding his head towards the group. Everyone took their usual seats, watching as the man stood at the front of the class.
"Good morning, class," greeted the man. "I would like to congratulate everyone that will be graduating this year and everyone that is moving onto the next grade. In spite of everything that has happened, you've all done well. Having said that, congratulations aren't the only reason that I've called you all here. We have some rather intriguing guests today, unlike the day that Miss Grazia left the institution."
Marinette winced at the memory, only for her eyes to widen as she saw the group that made their way into the room. Bruce Wayne was the most obvious man amongst the new arrivals, wearing a black two piece suit and an onyx ring. The next was Tony Stark, the man in a gray suit of his own with a red and gold wristwatch on. It took Max every fiber of his being not to geek out at the two big tech icons of the US showing up in front of their class. Jagged Stone was also amongst the group, wearing his signature outfit and a pair of shades that Marinette herself had designed for him.
The one that immediately caught her attention, however, was the boy that stood next to Tony Stark. Peter had put on a simple red long-sleeve dress shirt, a blue tie with black web-like patterns on it, a pair of gray slacks, and black loafers. Marinette felt her heart skip a beat slightly as she leaned forward, resting her head in her palm as she had an alluring smile on her face. She only broke this pose when the American boy shyly waved at her, causing her to sit up awkwardly and wave back in a similar manner. Chloe grinned at this, leaning towards Sabrina.
"Cue the return of 'Get the Guy' plans," joked the blonde. Sabrina giggled at this, silently passing the message along to the other girls. Professor Doute cleared his throat, causing all youths in the room to straighten up as he gestured to the group.
"I'm sure everyone in the room is familiar with Mr. Jagged Stone. Joining him today are Mr. Bruce Wayne of Wayne Industries, Mr. Tony Stark of Stark Industries, and Peter Parker: an intern of Mr. Stark." Peter began to wave again, only for a hand on the shoulder from Tony to make him stop. Marinette giggled at this, nearly going back to her prior position. Bruce decided to speak up, putting on a genuine soft smile.
"Thank you, Jaune," thanked the hidden Dark Knight. "I heard many things about this class from my adoptive son, Dick Grayson, after my sons came here to serve legal papers to a former classmate. I can say that I'm impressed with what a lot of you are capable of. I believe that there's a similar interest here from Mr. Stark as well." The acknowledgement earned a smirk from Tony, the Avenger rolling his eyes before gesturing towards the secretly broody guy.
"Bruce, I told you to call me Tony," reminded Tony. "In all seriousness, a certain situation in Paris has left me paying more attention to anything coming from here. You could say that I was rather intrigued when I saw details about an AI program here in this school. I believe a prototype version of the code was sent to Stark Industries as a form of resume." Max once again had to hold himself back from geeking out, Jagged Stone laughing as he wrapped his arms over the shoulders of the two rich men.
"An' of course, I had to get involved when I heard two of my college buddies were doing something big here in Paris," added the rockstar. "So glad that I fired Bob so that I could find someone to help me make things like this happen." Bruce cleared his throat, causing Jagged to hop off of him.
"In any case, I thought it would be a good idea to offer a once in a lifetime opportunity to help keep and improve relations between the US and France," continued the Gothamite. "To help save on costs with recent projects working up rather large resource consumption, I worked with Mr. Stark and Jagged Stone to help make this plan a reality." Peter quickly scrambled to press some buttons on a tablet, causing a holographic display to show up that Tony toyed with a bit.
"Congratulations to anyone interested, which I'm sure everyone is at this point," joked the Avenger. "You just won yourselves a trip to the US of A with all expenses paid, outside of souvenirs and personal spending of course. While I'll be back and forth from meetings with the Avengers and other projects, Bruce and Jaggy will be guiding you through some historic landmarks before finishing this little trip in Amity Park. We'll be there for a while so you'll have enough time to check out all the haunted attractions and anything a teenager could ever want to see." Juleka's eyes widened greatly at this, her heart beating faster and faster as Bruce decided to pick back up again.
"We'll be waiting until after graduation day before setting off, but even new graduates are eligible for the trip. You have until four days before then to make the decision and clear it with either us or one of our secretaries. Other than that, just have fun and enjoy the beginning of Summer. We'll be here as long as we need to be." Professor Doute nodded his head, an unreadable frown on his face.
"Thank you for sharing this information, gentlemen," thanked the teacher. "Since finals are already complete, everyone is dismissed. I have to speak with Mr. Wayne alone and it will be a rather long conversation. Enjoy your summer." The group began to file out as the bell rang, Tony patting Peter on the back with a nod.
"[English] It's grownup time, Peter," joked the hero. "Go talk to that girl you kept waving with. You might get yourself a little foreign girlfriend but remember to not do anything I would do at your age. You'll be getting to know these kids for a long while but let's not get too familiar." Peter shivered a bit in nervousness, nodding his head.
"[English] Sure thing, Mr. Stark," accepted Peter. He waited until the group filed out to follow after them, Jagged following as well in order to get back to his own secretary. Tony then looked towards Bruce, half expecting the glare he received.
[Language Change: English]
"This is a conversation between us, Stark," denied Bruce. "You can wait outside." Tony feigned a hurt expression, making a screen pop up on his wristwatch.
"I'm sure there's a lot we can talk about while you two deal with whatever personal business you have. You really are the world's greatest detective aren't you, Bruce? Or should I call you Bats? That seems to be rather popular." Bruce subtly clenched his fist, his glare intensifying.
Before he could try to deny the man's claim to him being Batman, Tony brought up holographic images of data he compiled. "Given the kind of people you deal with, it's no wonder you make it hard for people to look for you. Since 'Professor Doute', or Professor Doubt, only started existing around the time the JL took interest in Paris I think it's clear we have another Leaguer here… And this is the part where I'm glad I hacked the security system." He pressed a button on one of the screens, making the watch expand with nanites as it formed a metallic shell over his arm in order to block an attempted arm pin by Bruce.
More of the suit began to form as Professor Doute tried to knock him out, the helmet forming next to block the metal chair that was used to try and clock him. He then floated back with his arm repulsors as Bruce prepared a hidden batarang. "Not so fast. Knock me out and the rest of the team gets all this juicy data. Given there are two superspies on the team, I'm sure Fury would love to get his hands on the identity of the Batman before a certain task force maker."
Bruce slowly examined the situation, eventually hiding the weapon again as Tony landed in a full set of the Iron Man armor. "See, was that so hard? I'm not trying to expose your secrets or extort you, Bruce. I promise I'll explain everything." The Batman took a deep breath, deciding to get the important matters over with first as he turned towards "Professor Doute".
"We'll be taking this somewhere more private, Question. When we get there, I want a full report on the Hawkmoth investigation." The man nodded his head, mentally cursing this situation himself.
Smallville, Kansas
The house was rather quiet as Martha Kent worked on lunch for her current housemates, humming a tune to herself. She was in the midst of stirring a pot before the sound of laughing filled the air in the space above. The woman couldn't help but sigh, remembering when the sound used to belong to a little boy who would run down the stairs. Ellie suddenly lowered down in her ghost form, hiding behind the couch as Scamp landed on the table on the other side. The little otter ghost looked around in confusion, only for his charge to phase her head through the cushions of the couch.
"BOO!" yelled the Halfa. Scamp immediately jumped as the girl flew away, popping his paws up and down before he flew after her. Martha put on a fake frown as she raised her ladle, shaking it back and forth a bit.
"Danielle!" scolded the woman. "No fast flying in the house." Ellie immediately landed, Scamp dropping down onto her head as she giggled.
"Sorry Grandma Kent. Scamp is just so adorable and playful!" The girl cried out as said guardian rolled onto her shoulders and began rubbing against her cheek, causing the woman to smirk knowingly.
"Grandma Kent, huh?" The ghost girl immediately froze, giggling nervously as she rubbed her arm with a blush. "Don't be like that. I think you've been in this family long enough to start calling me Grandma." Ellie blinked, making her arms into a scoop that Scamp happily slid into.
"Really? It's only been a few months." Martha laughed a bit, going back to the meal she was working on.
"A quarter of a year of dating my grandson is a little more than a few months, Ellie. Besides, I've always wanted a little girl. Now, lunch is almost ready. I need you to get Kara but the neighborhood kids are driving up and down the road so you'll have to run instead of flying." Ellie smiled, the familiar white rings forming around her as she took a deep breath.
Gone was the red beanie she usually wore, replaced by a blue band that rested on top of her head and kept her hair pulled out of her face. She wore a blue hoodie with white lining and a Superman logo on the front, a black undershirt, a pink skirt that stopped just above her knees, black leggings that had green and purple twinkles to them, and red sneakers. Scamp jumped down onto the ground, the prayer beads around his neck disappearing as Ellie ran for the door.
"I'm on it… Grandma." The ghost girl couldn't help the excitement she felt as she practically jumped down the steps, Scamp following after her at speeds normal otters aren't known for. She finally reached the barn, skidding to a stop as she took a deep breath. "Kara! Lunch!"
She carefully walked inside, looking around with a slowly narrowing set of eyes. "Kara?" She gasped as she was suddenly grabbed from behind, being lifted up as a familiar voice laughed behind her. "JON! PUT ME DOWN!" She was finally able to turn around to see the snickering face of her boyfriend, the son of Superman still laughing.
"Sorry, Ellie-bear," apologized the half-Kryptonian. "You're just too adorable for me not to hug you." Ellie then smirked at him, wrapping her legs around his torso and draping her arms over his shoulders. "E-Ellie?" The halfa leaned in as she stole his lips with hers, Jon carefully squeezing her hips in his palms as he was reminded of how fragile she was to him.
The ghost girl began to slide down her guy, trying to get his hands a bit higher on her. The sound of a camera snapping caused the duo to separate, both of them blushing as Ellie's lipstick stained Jon's lips. Kara stood nearby with her phone out, snapping another picture as she grinned evilly.
"I am so glad that Besse was making farm work difficult today," teased the Kryptonian woman. "Lois is SO getting these as soon as possible." Jon groaned in embarrassment while Ellie simply giggled, Scamp jumping up onto her shoulders again. The sound of an engine soon filled the air, causing the group to look outside. A rather nice looking car rolled up to the Kent farm, Kara smirking as two people began to exit the vehicle.
Dick was in the same attire he wore when taking Kori out on dates, adjusting the tie a bit as he cleared his throat. Tim was with him, wearing a red polo, blue jeans, a black belt with a silver buckle, and black loafers. Clark soon joined them as well, wearing the attire Ellie had first seen him in upon their meeting. "About time." Ellie watched Kara walk forward and hug Clark, slowly leaning towards Jon.
"Hey, does that tall guy look familiar to you?" questioned the ghost girl. "I swear I've seen him somewhere before." The boyfriend quickly remembered the words Jason had whispered at the Phantom reunion, adjusting himself as he shook his head.
"That's Damian's adoptive brother, Dick Grayson," informed Jon. "The other guy is Tim Drake, another member of the Batfam… Please don't tell Damian I said that name out loud." Ellie giggled at this, scratching the boy's chin to make him sigh. She then approached the group, the son of Superman following like a lost puppy as Tim nodded their way.
"This must be the famous Elleanor or is it Danielle?" questioned the coffee lover. "I remember hearing it but I haven't had my third cup of coffee yet so new names aren't entirely sticking with me right now." The ghost girl looked up at the clouds, smiling to herself.
"I've been getting used to being called both at this point," joked the ghost girl. "Ellie's fine. And this is Scamp." The little otter stood up on one of her shoulders, waving as if asking for food. "You've had plenty of fish cakes as it is, ya chunky baby."
She giggled as the otter playfully smooched her cheek, making her grab him and move him into a cradled position in her arms. "Hey! Only Jon gets to give me kisses, Mister!" The boy in question blushed at this, rubbing the back of his head as his nearby relatives gave him knowing eyes. Dick approached the duo, nodding his head with a smile.
"Hey there," greeted the first Robin. "Good to finally meet you in person, Geist." Ellie smirked, nodding her head.
"Nightwing." The girl then frowned, tilting her head. "Have we met somewhere before? You look so familiar." Dick shook his head, shrugging for added effect.
"I've been told I have one of those faces. All I know is that you definitely fit Bruce's adoption credentials." Ellie huffed, mocking a pout as she cuddled Scamp closer.
"No thanks! I just got my Dad and I only just got used to calling Martha Grandma." Dick laughed to himself, quickly shaking his head.
"It's just an observation and a little inside joke. I said the same thing to Danny and another friend a while back." The ghost girl stood straight, humming to herself.
"You talked with Danny? You didn't hunt him down after our talk, did you?" Tim huffed at this, rolling his eyes.
"They were online friends before you and Jon decided to try living happily ever after some day and Dick already found out before you even sent one word to him," joked the coffee guy. "Can we get on track so I can get inside and have some of Martha's coffee?" Dick rolled his eyes, nodding his head as he pulled a suitcase out of the back passenger seat.
"I still think you're drinking way too much coffee," huffed the oldest Wayne son. "Come on. We have something big to talk about. I'm glad Mrs. Kent decided to make lunch now rather than later." Ellie tilted her head, watching the duo walk towards the house.
"Hang on," requested the ghost girl. "What's going on here?" Dick smirked back at her, jostling the suitcase a bit.
"What else? It's time for you to exist in all of the important ways." Ellie's eyes widened, Scamp rolling out of her grasp in order to float up and keep her jaw from dropping.
Paris, France
[Language Change: French]
The DuPont class talked amongst themselves in the courtyard, sharing their plans for the Summer and afterwards. There was a general consensus that the group would be taking up the offer given to them by Mister Wayne and Mr. Stark, especially with Jagged Stone involved. Some seemed to be a bit more hesitant, though even they seemed to be excited by the idea. One could not equal their feelings on the matter, however, to the uncharacteristically excited grin on Juleka's face. Her entire body clenched as she held her hands together.
"This time I'll get to visit Danny for a change," giggled the model girl to herself. "Sure Paris might end up needing us but Max can use Kaalki to get everyone back here. There's no way he doesn't take the chance, especially with two of the biggest tech guys in the world involved. I need to pack so many things for the trip!" Alix sat on a table nearby, a smirk on her face.
"You mean like all the nice undies you hinted you'd model for Danny?" questioned the skater. Juleka turned bright red at this, shushing Alix while pointing towards an oblivious Rose who was nearby. "Hey, don't be like that. You're the one being open about it." Chloe snorted nearby, Sabrina sitting beside her as she was doing her nails.
"Jules, I know what it feels like to have a boy that you want to never stop thinking about you," reassured the blonde. "I made sure to plant myself firmly in Jack's head as part of my 'thanks' for helping me with my mother." Juleka quickly blushed at the implications, only to watch as Sabrina looked around with a small frown on her face.
"Hey," interrupted the former satellite. "Where's Marinette?" The girls looked around, quickly realizing that their newly brunette friend was nowhere to be seen. They soon looked towards one of the columns, watching as said designer hid behind one of them. Chloe scoffed at this, quickly realizing the object of the girl's stalkerish behavior as she saw Peter chatting with Max.
"Oh heck no. We are not doing this again. Girls, walk with me." Alix grinned as she stood up, cracking her knuckles as she and Juleka followed the former mean duo. Marinette took deep breaths as she readied herself, closing her eyes.
"You've got this, Marinette," whispered the girl to herself. "You're just going to try and talk to a boy like normal… a cute boy with a nice jaw structure." She gasped as she was dragged along by her shirt collar, flailing her arms as she was brought into one of the abandoned classrooms.
"Nettie, you know we love you but we are not playing the stalker game again." The Ladybug hero found herself being sat down in a chair, the girl squad standing before her with their arms crossed. "It didn't work with Adrikins and it's not going to work on the American boy. If he sees you, he's going to be freaked out." Marinette groaned at this, crossing her arms with a huff.
"I was working up my courage, Chloe! You messed up my flow!" Alix laughed at this, shaking her head.
"And your flow told you to just hug a column for a solid minute and a half?" questioned the skater. "Girl, you need to grow up if you're going into an apprenticeship this year." Sabrina nodded her head, pulling out her phone as she began to type into it.
"You're more likely to scare people off if they find out about your stalkerish behavior," added the hopeful lawyer. "That's not even counting if his family files a restraining order or-" Juleka pushed her way through the girls, her eyes narrowing a bit.
"Girls, let me have a try," requested the model girl. "Marinette, I see the way you look at this Peter guy. It's almost the same look that you used to give Adrien. Be honest: how much are you wanting to try this for a guy you just met?" Marinette looked down at the floor, playing with her hair a bit.
"I mean, he's really cute and there's something about him that takes my breath away," answered the designer. "I really, REALLY, want to see where this goes. This has nothing to do with the fact that almost everyone in class has a relationship. It's more…" Juleka smiled, helping the brunette to her feet.
"More something you feel could be right and want to try and go for. I felt the same thing when learning more and more about Danny and I took the same leap that you're hesitant to go for. Looking back now, every attempt at a relationship can seem like a leap in one way or another. The question isn't if you can take the leap, something you've shown in your relationship with Luka, but if you WILL take it. Can and will are two completely different things."
Chloe slowly nodded her head, her smile growing on her face once more as Juleka rubbed the Parisian hero's shoulders. "Do you feel like it's worth it to take the leap?" Marinette thought over the question for a good moment, only to quickly nod her head.
"I-I don't want to let another feeling like this slip away unless I have a good reason to do so. I WANT to at least try." Juleka smirked at the answer, looking back at the others as they began to share her knowing look.
"You heard her, girls. We've got a job to do." Marinette gulped as the shadows began to envelop her, now wishing she had been more vague. As this was going on, a green drone with a helicopter blade and an eye screen flew over Max's shoulder. Peter had sparkles in his eyes as he pointed towards the machine.
"You mean he has an AI program that is actually capable of replicating emotions?" questioned the American nerd. "How does that work? The training needed to simulate human emotions is already complex as it is. Even Mr. Stark's AI helpers aren't exactly perfect." Max smirked, fluffing his shirt a bit.
"You could say I put my heart and soul into coding Markov," replied the French nerd. "Many of his emotions are modeled after my own. He eventually grew his own personality and even began thinking cognitively for himself. I'm uncertain if he is on par with anything Mr. Stark can build but the compliments are accepted." Peter grinned, continuing to look over the machine.
"He's really incredible!" Max looked behind the foreign boy, noticing how Juleka was flagging him down. "Anyway, I was hoping that someone could show me around Paris. It's my first time here and this whole trip is about building relations, right?" Max smirked as he saw the cues that were directed towards a nervous Marinette, standing up straight as he nodded his head.
"I propose a group outing then. We were looking for something to do to celebrate the graduating students regardless. We would have to bring it up with the class representative as she is rather skilled with plan making. She's actually right over there." Peter turned around at the prompt, freezing a bit as he saw Marinette standing nervously between Chloe and Sabrina.
Max led the boy over, a small smirk on his face. "This is Marinette, our class representative." With a bit of an elbow prodding, the brunette girl ran some fingers through her hair.
"H-hey," greeted the lost Grayson girl. "Peter, right?" Peter adjusted his collar a bit, nodding his head as he looked slightly like a deer caught in headlights.
"Y-yeah," confirmed the American. "Peter I'm… I mean I'm Peter!" The boy mentally kicked himself as he held his forehead, Alix laughing nearby as she held her gut. Marinette actually sent the skater a glare before smiling towards the awkward young man.
"I remember Professor Doute introducing you. Anyway, what can I help you with?" Peter cleared his throat, taking a moment to breathe as he thought through his answer.
"I was hoping to get a tour of Paris while I'm here. This is my first time here and I thought it would be fun to swing around the neighborhood and-" He mentally kicked himself again, gritting his teeth. 'And nice going on avoiding the Spider puns, Peter.' Marinette giggled to herself a bit, actually surprising the boy.
"We could definitely show you around. It's about lunch time anyway and Chez Dimitri is a fan favorite in our group. Maybe if we're lucky you'll get to have a 'chat' with Ladybug and Chat Noir on their rounds." Chloe groaned at this, Adrien trying not to laugh nearby as he heard the pun that was given out. Peter immediately began to feel a bit of ease hit him, slowly nodding his head.
"Sounds great. Hope we don't catch them in a tight 'spot'." Marinette snorted before suddenly booping his nose like she would Chat during one of his kiss attempts. She immediately froze, joining Peter in blushing at the sudden action. She suddenly stood at attention as she laughed nervously, her eyes widening.
"WELL, TIME TO SEE WHO ELSE CAN COME ON THE TOUR! OFF I GO!" Marinette ran in a panic, her girl posse following after her as the foreign boy brought his hand up to his nose.
"She booped me… She actually booped me, like a puppy or a kitten." Adrien walked over, a small smirk on his face.
"You know, I've seen Ladybug do the same thing to Chat Noir whenever he would make too many puns or flirt with her," stated the blonde. "We've all been picking up things from the first Miraculous Heroes but it's been widely accepted that that would be her way of flirting back but keeping him on track. Eventually they stopped when Hawkmoth became more and more dangerous but the fact still remains. Given that Marinette is our everyday Ladybug-" Peter immediately jerked back, his eyes widening a bit.
"Wait… you think she likes me? Like, 'like-like'?" Max adjusted his glasses, nodding his head.
"Knowing Marinette and her habits, the odds are quite high that she indeed has interest in you," confirmed the genius. "Do not be surprised if she has your public schedule by the end of the first two weeks." Adrien sent a glare at Max, only for Peter to adjust his collar once again.
"Wow. I didn't-I…" Adrien smirked, getting an idea as he adjusted his bag.
"Are YOU interested in her?" questioned the blonde model. "You sound a little excited." The spider hero panicked a bit, rubbing the back of his head.
"I mean, maybe. She's really cute, like this one blue haired girl I saw in a news article of Chat Noir pulling off a rescue." He brought up the picture in question, laughing nervously. "This picture was in the file for the situation here in Paris and, with Mr. Stark looking over the file a lot, I've seen this one a few times." Max and Adrien looked at each other, smirking a bit.
"What if we told you she's that same girl?" Peter's eyes widened, feeling that there was a story behind this revelation. Not long after this interaction, the teen group made their way through the city of Paris. Whispers passed between those who weren't informed, plans of different kinds beginning to hatch as the target duo were none the wiser. When stopping for Lunch, the interested duo found themselves sitting at the same table with Alix and Nathaniel.
"Oh my gosh!" cheered Alix after swallowing a bite of her food. "Chez Dimitri gets better and better every time we come here!" Nathaniel nodded his head, a smile on his face.
"The atmosphere and the aroma are also really good for drawing when I need inspiration," added the redheaded artist. "Sometimes I just like to order a tea and a salad while working with some sudden inspiration." The current couple began to go back and forth, both Marinette and Peter feeling a bit of tension. The brunette looked towards the foreign boy, holding her hands together.
"So, Peter," began Marinette. "What's it like interning for Stark Industries?" The science geek smirked at the question, nodding his head.
"I think it's pretty awesome," replied the spider hero. "Not only do I get to work with advanced machinery and learn about chemicals they don't even teach in class, but I also get to see the Avengers come around every now and again." Marinette leaned forward, once again resting her head in her palm.
"That really is amazing. Is Mr. Stark your favorite Avenger?" Peter chuckled at this, rubbing the back of his head.
"I mean, kinda. Don't tell him I said this but I actually grew up with Cap as my favorite before we started working together." The designer couldn't help the giggle she let out, her friends giving each other knowing looks. "If you don't mind me asking, your friends brought up how you used to have raven colored hair. Did you dye it or-" Marinette sat up straight, sighing to herself a bit.
"It's a bit more complicated than that. All I can really say comfortably right now is that I can thank magic for the new look." Peter sighed in understanding at this, having had interactions with magic before. "So, do you think Paris's heroes stack up pretty well with the rest of the world?" The spider boy grinned at this, moving forward in his seat slightly.
"I think it's cool to have more younger heroes out there. Not gonna lie, I kinda have a tie between Ladybug and Chat Noir as my favorites. Ladybug's so cool and she seems to have a great handle on the group. Chat is actually a funny pun guy, kinda like Spider-Man." Alix perked up at this, Marinette silently begging for her to stop before she even got started.
"Spider-Man, huh?" questioned the skater. "Nettie here is a pretty big fan of his, even more than any other American heroes." Peter blinked at this, quickly clearing his throat.
"You like Spider-Man that much, Marinette? I didn't know there were people that like him enough to put him above the Avengers." The brunette glared daggers at Alix before trying to think of an answer.
"I mean, he's like Chat Noir with Ladybug's seriousness. Chat tends to be playful most of the time with his stunts usually being from him being an absolute dork. Spider-Man seems to have a plan most of the time, even if he's quipping and making jokes. With all of that, it's hard not to like another slinger." Peter grinned at this, adjusting his sitting position a bit.
"Sounds like you admire him a lot. Guess he should be 'lucky' to have a cute fan like you." The boy took a moment to think over his words, a shattering noise going off in his mind as he began to blush. 'WAIT-WAIT-WAIT-WAIT! WHY DID I SAY THAT!?' Marinette shared his blush as she looked down at the table, Alix and an eavesdropping Chloe having to keep themselves from bursting out in laughter at the moment.
"T-thanks. You're not so bad yourself." Marinette had a bit more tact in reacting to her own smoothness, mentally screaming as she kept the straightest face possible. The guys of the group shared some fist bumps, feeling like things were coming together. Little did they know how fast things could crumble.
The group began to make their way through the city again as soon as they were finished in the restaurant, a glowing figure watching over the area from an armored truck. Peter found himself closer and closer to Marinette within the group, as if they were trying to usher him closer subtly. Said designer turned around, smiling as she saw the hidden Spider hero at the front of the pack.
"And here we have the most famous landmark in Paris: the Eiffel Tower," introduced the designer. "It's been through some rough times with recent Akuma attacks but Ladybug has been able to put it back together again time after time. We haven't had many encounters with villains outside of Hawkmoth's akumas but the Miraculous Cure works to rebuild the city and set things right time and time again. We've been able to repair the city even when Hawkmoth never got involved so I think we wouldn't need to be worried about being put 'on the spot'." Adrien snickered at the pun while a few of the others groaned, only for Peter to let loose a short laugh.
"A lot of heroes would get pretty jealous of that fixing power. They might try to have a 'Chat' with Ladybug about working with them more often." Adrien burst out laughing as another groan was heard, a few people looking at him in concern while others leveled slightly annoyed glares at Peter. "Too much?" Marinette suddenly giggled, unintentionally leaning forward in a way that accentuated her curves a bit.
"Looks like Spider-Man and Chat Noir aren't the only pun makers in Paris. At least we can all see your cute face." Marinette suddenly tensed up, mentally screaming as a few whistles of excitement were heard from her friends. "I mean-I-What I meant was-" Peter suddenly glanced to his left before bursting forward, tackling into Marinette.
"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" The others quickly ducked for cover, a large bolt of electricity suddenly flying overhead and causing a car to explode. The others began to panic while the heroes in the group quickly narrowed their eyes. Peter pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, shaking his head a bit. "Is everyone… okay…?"
He quickly noticed the position he and Marinette were in, the boy being on top of the girl as their lower halves were rather close. Peter turned entirely red as he immediately moved to be on his knees, holding his hands up. "I-I'M SO SORRY! I-" He cried out as something flying grabbed him by his shoulders, carrying him off as Marinette immediately moved to stand up.
"PETER!" The sound of charging electricity caught the group's attention, making them look towards the origin. The first man they saw was wearing a sleek suit consisting of an electric blue bodysuit with yellow lightning bolt patterns running across it, a blue helmet with yellow accents and a lightning bolt design, black gauntlets that were covered in blue electricity, a blue chest piece in the shape of a lightning bolt that glowed with power, and black boots that had rubber soles to them.
"I'd stay where you are, kiddies," laughed the electrical maniac. "Otherwise Electro will leave you 'shocked!'" He laughed again, soon being joined by another man.
"[English] We get away from New York and that wallcrawler, only to have you make more puns," growled the second man. This new man was wearing a yellow and brown quilted suit, a full-face mask with a red-tinted visor that was patterned with a quilted design, large metallic gauntlets fitted with visible coils, and brown reinforced boots. He then looked back at his other companion, his eyes displaying his displeasure. "Did we have to bring him, Gargan?" The last member of the villainous group huffed a bit, taking a few steps forward.
"[English] As long as the job gets done, I don't care," argued the armored man. This new man wore a dark green, armored bodysuit with a scaly texture, mimicking the appearance of a scorpion. His helmet featured a sleek, scorpion-like design with red-tinted lenses for enhanced vision and included a retractable mouthpiece. The most prominent feature was his mechanical tail that was attached to his back, which was long and segmented much like a real scorpion's tail. The suit included thick, green armor plating with black accents. His look was completed by the gloves and boots that were fitted with claw-like extensions.
The scorpion man looked behind his companion, narrowing his eyes. "[English] Shocker." The quilted man quickly turned back towards the group, using his gauntlets to create soundwaves that pushed some cars in order to block the path back from the way they came.
"Not so fast, kids. You have an important job to do for us." The group herded in a bit, Marinette and Juleka keeping a protective spot in front of Rose. "You're going to act as hostages to draw out Mr. Stark and Mr. Wayne. They're about to be our biggest payday yet."
As this was going on, Peter struggled against the grip of the flying man that had grabbed him. The villain wore a sleek, dark green flight suit with a vulture-like appearance that was designed for aerodynamics and agility. His helmet was streamlined and featured a sharp, beak-like visor with red-tinted lenses. The thing that allowed him to fly was a pair of large, metallic wings that were attached to the back of his suit. The suit included dark green and black body armor, as well as the retractable, claw-like talons on his feet..
"[English] Been a long time, Parker!" laughed the Vulture in a scratchy voice. "Still working for Stark, I see. You're such a fool to be working for someone else with a mind like yours. I made that mistake with Osborn and look where that got me." Peter winced, still jerking around a bit.
"[English] Sorry, Mr. Toomes, but Mr. Stark isn't like Mr. Osborn," argued the hidden spider hero. "Look, just let me go and we can get you some proper help." The man laughed at him, dropping him a bit before catching him again.
"[English] There's no helping someone that doesn't want to be helped! With no Spider-Man or Ironman to save you, I-" The villain cried out as a web was shot in his face from a distance, causing him to crash towards the ground. Peter was released as he rolled into an alleyway, coming to a stop as he smirked. He then looked to his right, nodding his head.
"[English] I owe you one, Ittsy." A small, sleek spider-like Kwami with a vibrant red body and black markings flew into view. He had eight expressive eyes that shimmered with intelligence and mischief. His legs were delicate yet strong, each tipped with a tiny claw. The eight whiskers on his back twitched as he giggled, flying around the boy.
"What would you do without me, Peter?" questioned the small creature. "You're strong thanks to that spider bite yet I provide the webs and an extra boost. I should be getting extra coffee beans for that one. Maybe a full cup." Peter chuckled at this, sliding a bracelet into view on his sleeve.
[Play the Spectacular Spider-Man theme in an instrumental version]
"[English] We can talk about it later. Ittsy, Spin the Web!" Ittsy turned into energy as he flew into the bracelet, said accessory changing to a stylish bracelet made of black and red interwoven threads, resembling a web pattern. The spider symbol on the middle glowed blue as five marks blinked to life in the center of the abdomen. Peter then held up his hand, some threads extending from the bracelet as they climbed up and down his arm.
His arm was soon fully covered in the threads, the upper half being red while his palm and underarm was black. The same pattern moved to his torso and his other arm, the sides of his torso being black while the rest was red. The pattern then extended down to his legs, the entire area being black save for the blue soles on his feet. He then bumped his fist into his chest, causing a black spider logo to form as a black web pattern spread across the red parts of his suit to connect to the black areas. He then brought his hands to the back of his neck before pulling them forward to make a red mask with the same web pattern cover his entire head, white glass forming over the eyes to make him unrecognizable.
Red gauntlets formed around his forearms, allowing him to shoot some glowing blue webs around the area. He finally landed with a powerful slam, the symbol of his Miraculous appearing behind him before he slung away. He landed on the nearby wall as Vulture suddenly turned around.
[End Track]
"[English] Spider-Man!?" roared the Vulture. "What are you doing here!?" Peter held his hand out, trying to look profound in order to aggravate his enemy.
"[English] Well, since you and Electro decided to chase after Mr. Stark, I decided I'd swing somewhere I haven't swung to before. Gotta say, you really don't do subtlety all that well, Vulture." The Vulture actually squawked at this, bringing his wings around to show off the blades that made up the "feathers". The villain then flew forward, trying to cut into the spider hero. Spider-Man simply jumped off the wall before webbing up the man's wings, sending him flying towards the ground before completely webbing his body.
Peter then ran over, using his strength to tear off the harness and throwing the metal wings away. He then trapped the villain in a web cocoon, causing said man to roar out in anger. "[English] That's one buzzard down. Maybe stay in the aviary next time, alright Vulture?" He quickly slung away, leaving the grounded man to groan.
As this was going down, Marinette was trying to find a way to get her classmates out of the situation they were in. Electro, Shocker, and the Scorpion were staring them down with the intention to use them as hostages. The hidden hero looked around, quickly taking note of some options as they lit up in her vision. This plan was quashed when Electro made arcing electricity dance around the group. The Shocker huffed a short laugh, his eyes squarely on Marinette.
"Looks like someone thinks she's clever," commented the vibration man. "We'll be keeping you nice and close when we go to collect our moneybags." Nathaniel looked around, his eyes widening.
"Where's Alix?" muttered the redhead. Scorpion attempted to grab Marinette by her jaw, only for a blue and white portal to suddenly appear. Bunnyx came out of it, kicking the man in the jaw and sending him flying towards one of the nearby buildings.
"Now!" cried the time hero. Shocker was about to fire upon her, only to dodge as a sword nearly cut into his gauntlets. Ryuko jumped back to avoid a vibration blast, her blade at the ready as Marinette grinned.
"Bunnyx!" cried the brunette girl. "Ryuko!" Quickly receiving a nod, Marinette looked towards the others with a frown. "Let's get out of here and call the authorities! Chloe, Juleka, Max, I need you three to come with me!" Electro growled as he readied some electricity, aiming it at the group.
"I don't think so!" cried the electrical man. "Today's forecast will simply 'electrify' you!" He laughed as he prepared to fire the attack, only for Bunnyx to fall through a portal from behind him and slam into him. The group quickly fled, Scorpion groaning a bit before attempting to give chase. The villain quickly noticed that Mylene and Ivan were beginning to drag behind, smirking to himself as he prepared his tail.
"I have you now!" Cried the scorpion villain. Ivan tried to shield Mylene, only for a long staff to send Scorpion flying into another building. Chat Noir landed between them and the villain, a frown on his face.
"Go, now!" ordered the cat hero. The couple did as told, allowing him to smile as he stood straight and propped himself against his now shrunken staff. "You know, I didn't think so many supervillains would start 'bugging' Paris with everything already going on but I guess there's a time and place for everything." Scorpion quickly stood up, growling in anger.
"Why do all the hero thinks like puns!?" Chat spun his staff to block a strike from the mechanized tail, sliding along it in order to deliver a kick to the villain's face. He then spun the staff around to give him room to move back, quickly lining up for a baseball swing. He then slammed the extending weapon into the man's gut, sending him flying. Bunnyx had to dodge another attack from Shocker while Ryuko slid away from the path of Electro's lightning, only for the outcry of Scorpion to halt the fight shortly as he crashed into Shocker.
"Nice of you to join us, Chat," greeted Bunnyx. "Pick a guy and keep fighting. We need to buy time for the others to get here. Speaking of, it's rude to attack a girl when she's talking!" The bunny hero leapt over Shocker, hitting him in the head with her umbrella before using a time portal to dodge an attack that was coming at her.
She ran through the Burrow for a bit before jumping back into the same point she left from, kicking the villain in the back of the head. Ryuko stabbed her sword into the ground, jumping back as the magical blade sent the electricity that was shot at her by Electro down into the ground. She picked up her weapon again as she jumped at him, clashing it against his power core yet not breaking through it. Ryuko then yelped for a moment as a slight zap ran through her body, only for it to fade when she hit the ground. Electro began to laugh at her as he prepared an attack, nearly firing when a pot of dirt was tossed at him.
"Gack!" Cried the electric villain. "It's in my mouth!" He turned to zap the assailant, only for a flying fist to send him crashing into the ground back first. Honeybee floated in place, a serious frown on her face. She then winced, her expression morphing into one of disgust.
"His outfit is atrocious, utterly atrocious," huffed the bee hero. "Please tell me not every villain from America has such tacky styles." Ryuko readied her blade again, her eyes narrowing as she watched Electro slowly get back up.
"Be mindful of his mental instability and his electrical abilities," informed the dragon heroine. "He's likely the most dangerous out of the entire group." Electro eventually got to his feet, laughing as he was able to float up and lightning began to form again. "Storm Dragon!" Turning into clouds, Ryuko followed Honeybee as they flew around to avoid the villain's attacks.
Chat Noir found himself struggling to block and dodge Scorpion's attacks, the villain growing wilder yet more precise with his strikes. The cat hero huffed as he tried to get good hits in, finding that he was now the one on defense. He was forced to leap back to avoid a tail slam, huffing a bit.
"You really hate puns, don't 'mew'?" questioned Chat Noir. "Don't tell me that a certain spider 'spun' one too many." Scorpion finally slammed the cat hero into a wall, trying to crush him with his tail.
"We'll see who's joking when I flatten you!" roared the man. He nearly made good on his threat, only for a familiar bolas whip to wrap around his neck and pull him backwards. He turned to see Purple Tigress, the heroine having her fist reared back.
"Clout!" cried Tigress. The power of her Miraculous surged through her fist as she hit the villain, causing his armor to crack and malfunction as he found himself locked up. The man fell over, allowing Chat to breathe.
"I think all nine lives flashed before my eyes," quipped Chat. "Thanks, Tigress. Why did you use it so soon? You could have saved it for the others." Tigress smirked at this, clenching her fist as the power turned on and off.
"Just turned 18, Chat. You could say I've done some growing up but now I don't have to worry about the recharge." The black cat hero huffed, crossing his arms a bit.
"Great. That's another thing that I still haven't got yet." Tigress rolled her eyes at this, looking towards where Shocker was fighting Bunnyx all by himself. The time hero rolled out of the way of an attack, skidding to where she was on one knee. She simply waited as the villain prepared a bigger attack.
"Looks like you've run out of magic tricks!" cried the vibration villain. He fired a high volume shockwave at her, only for a new kind of portal to open up in front of him. "Ah sh-" Another opened at his side, causing him to cry out in shock as he was sent flying into a car. Pegasus stepped out of a third portal, adjusting his glasses.
"Now that was rather rude," plainly stated the teleportation hero. "That kind of attitude just won't do here in Paris." Shocker growled as he got up in an attempt to keep fighting, only for a portal to send a stray bolt from Electro crashing into him. The villain fell forward, looking a bit burnt as he groaned. "Now that was rather 'shocking'."
Pegasus immediately noticed the frown sent his way, bowing a bit. "Apologies. It just feels like everyone today is making attempts at humor. I figured I would give it a try." The outcry of Ryuko being sent flying cut off the moment, Chat immediately pole vaulting in order to catch her.
"I've got you, ma cherie," reassured the cat hero. He landed with Ryuko, carefully setting her down to where she could stand on her own. Honeybee quickly zipped around, dodging more and more of Electro's bolts as she tried to find room to use her Venom ability. She was forced to fly over him before he could ram into her, dodging electricity that was sent flying into the air. Ladybug's yoyo suddenly went sailing through the air, wrapping around the man's ankle as she used a lamp post as a makeshift pulley point as she grunted.
"Not so fast, Lightbulb!" cried the lead Parisian hero. She flew forward as she pulled the villain directly into the spot, causing him to cry out in pain as he was rammed into it with a thud. She then wrapped her yoyo around a heavy object slinging it around with such force to where it rammed straight into the bolt-shaped power core and bent it. The object gave off a few sparks before losing its light, Electro quickly groaning as he rolled over. She landed with a huff, the others quickly gathering around her.
"Good thinking as usual, Lady B!" cheered Honeybee. "He's down for the count." Marinette sighed in relief, nodding her head. Unbeknownst to them, the core began to gain power again. It began to give off warning lights as the leader of the group nodded her head.
"I have a feeling they followed Mr. Stark here to try and kidnap him," stated the girl, stating it more so for Chat. "We need to find them and make sure that no one else-" She suddenly choked as an arm wrapped around her neck, a huge burst of red electricity sending the others flying back. The blue of Electro's suit turned red as he laughed, the villain having Ladybug in a tight grip. He floated up with her a bit, his helmet being broken to where a monstrous grin could slightly be seen.
"GOING UP!" cried the villain. He flew up high with his captive, the others calling out her name as she struggled in his grasp. "Cheeky little bug, aren't you!? I HATE BUGS! Time to watch the Ladybug go splat!"
Electro quickly flew away from the group, his rampant energy burning the wings of Ladybug's suit to the point where they couldn't be used for flight. He then positioned them right over the Eiffel Tower, having her yoyo in his free hand. "Say Adios, brat!" The villain let go of Marinette, the hero slowly falling towards the point of the famous tower. Things seemed to slow down as she was nearly impaled on the monument, only for something to quickly crash into her and swing around with her.
"Actually, Electro, it's Au Revoir," quipped a familiar voice. Ladybug finally opened her eyes, going stiff as Spider-Man carried her in one arm and used the other to sling towards the ground with a web. "Catching a cute girl while in Paris. If you weren't almost skewered, I'd say I'm pretty 'lucky' right now." He carefully stepped along the ground as he helped her to stand on her own, Marinette blushing madly under her mask.
'I-just-got-saved-by-Spider-Man!' thought the local hero to herself. 'AND HE CALLED ME CUTE!' Electro suddenly roared up above, clenching the yoyo in his hand.
"No-no-no!" roared the unstable villain. "You weren't supposed to be here!" He threw the weapon at the ground in a fit of rage, only for Peter to catch it with a web. "How did you learn about our plan!?" The spider hero laughed a bit, shaking his head.
"'Paris will be shocked to see us as we take Stark and his little friends hostage!' Talk about an overused pun yelled so loud a legally deaf man could have heard it." He held the yoyo out to Ladybug, watching as she hesitantly took it with a slight squeal. "Hope you don't mind a little expert help with 'Mr. Electric' here." Marinette slowly smiled, a flirtatious look on her face.
"Just as long as I don't 'bug' you," quipped the ladybug hero. Peter was about to laugh at the pun, only for both of them to dodge as Electro fired a bolt of red electricity in rage. "Let's wrap this up quickly. Lucky Charm!" Ladybug slung her yoyo into the air, the ladybugs making a non-conductive pair of linked gloves.
She looked them over, humming a bit. "A pair of linked gloves?" Peter immediately slung a large stone in the way, blocking an electrical attack that would have hit the local hero and giving her time to jump away.
"Those look like they're insulated and made from the same material they usually lace into special cuffs we use to lock him up with. If we can get those on his hands and keep them there-" Marinette rolled out of the way of a potential attack, a grin on her face as she began to see what the foreign guy was mentioning.
"We could then remove whatever is amplifying his powers and force him to revert to normal. We'll definitely need some good webs for that one." Spider-Man jumped onto the side of the Eiffel Tower, nodding his head.
"Right. Web Weaver: Overpowered Electric Entity Containment!" His gauntlets glowed along with his miraculous, magical symbols similar to ones and zeroes creating a web material that would fit the required circumstance. "Is that all you've got, Sparky?" Electro roared at the young man, gritting his teeth as he built up more electricity.
"YOU BUGS ARE STARTING TO GET ON MY NERVES!" cried the unstable villain. Peter began to dodge multiple blasts that were fired at him, narrowly avoiding a few bolts before they could zap him. He finally found an opening as he swung around the tower, hitting Electro in the face with a web that he couldn't just burn off.
"Now, Ladybug!" Marinette grinned as she took the opportunity to sling around the villain with her yoyo, tying his arms up in front of him before using the generated gloves to cover his hands. She then used a strong tug to begin pulling him in a spiral towards the ground.
"All yours!" cried Ladybug. Spider-Man quickly swung around them, webbing the glove's into place on the villain's hands before quickly creating a bed of webs that Electro and Marinette fell into. Electro thrashed around as he growled, only for his nemesis to grab the power core on his chest and break it off to the point where his powers were lessened. The villain finally fell unconscious, Peter sucking up the webs to where Marinette could retrieve the gloves. The foreign hero then applied a new web coating, cocooning Electro much like he did the other villains.
"And that's a tag and bag across the seas," quipped the American hero. "Adding that to my bucket list and checking it off immediately." The Eiffel Tower began to groan a bit, the burnt areas from the lightning hits looking ready to warp and snap. "Um… now would be a good time for some magic. That thing's about to-" Marinette giggled a bit, rearing the arm with the connected gloves back.
"Miraculous, Ladybug!" She threw the generated object into the air, allowing the flying insects to swarm around the city and repair any damages that had been done. The villains remained webbed up, Officer Raincomprix scratching his head as he looked over Vulture.
"Um… anyone know how to remove this thing?" questioned the officer. "Anyone?" The bird themed villain huffed at this, realizing that he was in for a long day. As this was going on, the two slingers made their way into a back alleyway as Ladybug's wings slowly began to heal over. She sighed in relief, fluttering them a bit as she turned.
"That was definitely a close call. One more second and I would have been the olive on top of a sandwich." Peter pointed towards the sky, feeling a quip coming on.
"Or the strawberry on top of an ice cream sundae," joked the spider hero. "Anyway, are you sure you're alright?" Ladybug turned around, taking the same stance she had as Marinette with a bit more intention.
"I think being saved by a cool, mysterious hero from the States outweighs the 'nearly being skewered' part this time. I'm surprised that you can speak French so well." Peter blushed under his mask, rubbing the back of his head a bit.
"Well, when you work with super spies, a World War 2 legend, and Mr. Stark's secretary, you tend to learn languages fast. Not to mention it was one of my credits in school and I was hoping to get into a good college at some point." Marinette stood up straight, a small smile on her face.
"That sounds cool. So, how long do you think you'll be staying in Paris?" Peter began to lose track of time, crossing his arms as he looked up.
"I guess as long as Mr. Stark is here, unless they need me back in New York. Someone's gotta watch out for him when he's distracted. At least, that's what Mrs. Stark told me. She told me how he tends to draw in trouble but, then again, we all kinda do that just by being ourselves." Ladybug sighed at the comment, crossing her arms under her chest as she rolled her eyes.
"Tell me about it. Even before we became more involved with heroes from other countries, Hawkmoth was always breathing down our necks with some new Akuma. I'm just glad that he seems to be taking some time off every now and again, though I think that's more because he keeps getting injured. Anyway, I gotta bug out before-" Marinette winced as her earrings beeped, quickly realizing that they had been doing so for a good while now.
She heard the dreaded beeping again as she prepared to sling with her yoyo, the noise quickly being followed before it could fully finish. 'Crap-crap-crap-crap! I'm still on the timer and got distracted talking to Spider-Man! If I don't move now I… That last beep wasn't from me.'
She ignored the intrusive thought as she tried to fly away, only for her earrings to meet the final dot as they lost their power. She barely reached the roof when her suit came undone, slowly reverting her back to normal as her wings went away. She waved her arms to try and roll forward onto the roof, only for a bit of the corner she stood on to break as she began falling backwards.
"HANG ON!" Spider-Man quickly slung up to her, catching her before she could even hit the ground. He slung for a good bit before reaching another alleyway, holding her in his arms as the girl covered her face. He then put her down, hearing her groan into her palms as he looked her over. "Say, do I know you from somewhere?"
Peter immediately facepalmed, shaking his head. "Right, secret identities! Can't get distracted by pretty French girls, Spidey. You need to get out of here before-" His wristband beeped, causing Marinette's ears to twitch.
"Is that a Miraculous power down sound? Spider-Man, are you-?" Peter eventually sighed, slumping against the nearby wall as he slid down it.
"Guess we play the waiting game then." He immediately powered down, Ittsy flying out from the wristband. The little Kwami groaned a bit until his holder pulled out a handful of coffee beans, causing him to cheer in delight.
"MY DELICIOUS!" cried Ittsy. He rammed into the pile of beans, quickly devouring as much as he could. Marinette dared not to look back, still covering her face as she tried to hide more of herself while Tiki ate some cookies in her bag.
"So… Spider-Man is a Miraculous holder?" questioned the local girl. "Do all of the spider powers come from your Kwami or…" Peter thought over his answer for a moment before smiling at the sky.
"No, but Ittsy does help enhance some of my abilities," informed the nerd. "I got bitten by a radioactive spider which gave me a lot of powers that a normal spider would have. The only thing I don't normally have is the webs. I was visited by some Madame Web lady who gave me Ittsy and his Miraculous. He is the Kwami of Integrity."
He then looked towards the girl again, taking note of what he could see. He immediately shook his head, remembering the usual rules with secret identities. "Well, I have to get back to my tour of France. Some people from DuPont high were showing me around after I split off from Mr. Stark." Marinette immediately stiffened up, her eyes widening behind her fingers.
"DuPont kids giving a tour to a foreigner? The only group doing that is…" The girl took a deep breath, mentally screaming at herself for what she was about to try. "P-Peter?" Peter froze up like she did, slowly looking her way.
"Um… you mean Parker? He's fine. I saved him from Vulture and he should be meeting up with his own tour… soon." The boy immediately kicked himself, realizing that he gave too much away. Marinette took another deep breath, feeling a bit more bold.
"No. There's only one group from DuPont giving a tour to a foreign boy that arrived with Tony Stark: Peter Parker." Ittsy looked up at the boy, huffing with his chest puffed out.
"I told you that you'd do this someday," huffed the spider Kwami. "You really should have expected it after your friend and your Aunt both caught you when you weren't paying attention." Peter grabbed at his head with his free hand, groaning a bit.
"You're not even going to try and defend me, Ittsy?... Wait." Peter looked towards Marinette again, narrowing his eyes. "And how did YOU know about the tour?" The girl took a deep breath, receiving a secret shoulder rub from Tiki.
"Well… because I was there. A-a secret for a secret, I guess." She glanced back at her Kwami, almost expecting a look of denial, only to watch as the little bug-themed creature simply smiled in support. Marinette stepped into view again, slowly lowering her hands as she smiled nervously. "H-hey, Peter."
Peter felt the tension in his body go a bit lax, his eyes widening as he seemed to be locked in an eternal stare down with the local girl. "I-" Tiki suddenly popped up, a grin on her face.
"ITTSY!" cried the Ladybug Kwami. "It's been over thirty thousand years since I've seen you!" Ittsy burped as he finished a coffee bean, floating up with a little stretch.
"Nice to see you too, as the humans say," sighed the spider Kwami with a smile. "I am still learning the new lingo of this modern age. You look well cared for." The two holders continued to look at each other, the tense air slowly turning more awkward for them. Peter then smiled, rubbing the back of his head.
"So… know any good places with scones? I haven't tried a real French scone yet." Marinette smiled at this, knowing exactly where to go.
Smallville, Kansas
[Language Change: English]
Ellie sat at the couch, looking over a small stack of papers that Dick had provided. Upon these very articles rested her awaiting existence, the very idea exciting her. Still, she felt a large amount of apprehension as she looked over the files word for word. Part of her felt like it was too good to be true, that there had to be some catch that she was missing. She winced as a glass of ice tea was set nearby, Jon slowly sitting beside her.
"You've been looking at them for a long time," stated the son of Superman. "Find anything?" Ellie sighed at this, flipping the papers back to the front where a blank namespace could be seen.
"No, but I'm just so nervous," sighed the ghost girl. "I mean, this is part of everything I've ever wanted but I'm scared. There's so much I don't know when it comes to being someone that legally exists. What if I mess up and get dragged away by the Guys in White?" Jon rubbed her shoulders, gently trying to soothe her.
"Then I'll bust my way into wherever they're holding you and get you out. We'll go on the run and start a wandering show while saving the day. If Damian kicks us off the team for it, we can call ourselves the Outcast Lovers. I'll even get us matching promise rings." Ellie laughed a bit, leaning into the grip of her boyfriend as Scamp curled up in her lap.
"You've thought this out rather well for an on the spot idea. Planning to run away with me and make me into your ghost princess?" Jon gulped, trying to let himself follow along.
"Well, maybe I like the idea of you being mine. If you legally exist, we can legally get married someday if I haven't bored you yet. Haley did say that girls like to plan their weddings years in advance so what's the harm in considering the option now." Scamp immediately moved off his charge's lap, getting a feeling that something was about to happen. Ellie proved him right as she rolled over to straddle Jon, a small grin on her face.
"Was this your ploy? Helping a poor ghost girl exist in the hopes that she'll marry you one day?" Jon gulped, too scared of accidentally hurting Ellie physically to move.
"I-if she wants to. I'm not trying to force you into anything." The ghost girl rubbed her guy's face, a small grin on her own.
"Honest and sweet to the very end. You know how much I like that~." The girl looked ready to resume their prior makeout session, only for a cleared throat to have the duo quickly return to their seated positions. The clearing came from Scamp, the little otter saving them just in time as Clark entered the room with Lois and the Gotham duo. Lois smirked as Clark nodded his head.
"I told you we'd make it in time," reassured Clark. The man looked towards Ellie while smiling sincerely. "Lois wanted to be here to see this. I had to fly here and back quickly. Sorry but Connor is too busy to come right now." Ellie scooted forward in her seat a bit, a smirk on her face.
"Hope that means he has a hot date so that I won't be the only clone in a relationship." The adults had a short laugh at her quip while Jon nervously chuckled, feeling the weight of his mother's eyes upon him. Ellie looked over the page one more time, trying to think over everything that could happen. She clenched her hand on a nearby pen, doing her best to not have the limb shake. She slowly began to write into the namespace, smiling as she slowly wrote out each letter.
"I'm not late, am I!?" cried Kara. She burst into the room, taking a few deep breaths. "The cows got out so I had to grab them and lock the barn door back. I better not have missed the signing. I could have used the help, guys!" The other two Kryptonians in the room chuckled a bit in response, only looking away as Ellie put the pen down.
"Well, that's the first part done." She then began to work more and more with the pages, Dick walking over to help her in certain areas. He eventually took over with Tim checking over his work, knowing full well that the record needed to be perfect. They reached the final page, nodding towards each other as the Titans leader put in the last signature of one "Rick Jones" as the agent making the file. He then closed the papers, nodding his head as he turned around.
"We'll be sending a copy of the citizenship papers and other important documents to Lois through email," revealed Nightwing. "Other than that, congratulations. It's a girl." The others laughed a bit at his quip, Ellie giggling as she held Scamp in her arms. Lois held her hands together, squealing a bit.
"This is so exciting!" cheered the reporter. "Danielle Fenton is now free to hit the streets as a legal lady." Ellie looked down at the floor, her smile still remaining.
"Actually, you forgot one," revealed the ghost girl. The others looked at her, Dick and Tim being the only ones without confused expressions as the halfa bowed her head a bit with a curtsy. "I'm Elleanor Danielle Fenton, but my friends call me Ellie. I wanted to keep Danny as part of me but… Ellie is kind of my attempt at just being me rather than a clone so-" Jon placed his hand on her shoulder, nodding his head.
"It's great," reassured the boyfriend. "Now it just needs a Kent on the end and it'd be perfect." The boy immediately caught his words, earning knowing hoots from the women in the room. "I-I, um…" Ellie giggled at the fumble, shaking her head.
"Let's give it a few years before you stain a knee in the grass. You're my adorable boyfriend but I only just started existing legally." Martha clapped her hands together, a huge smile on her face.
"Well, I think now is the perfect time to celebrate with some lunch!" cheered the elderly woman. "I hope you boys have enough time to stay and join us. Bruce works you both too hard sometimes. You deserve a break every now and again." Dick smirked, looking back at Tim.
"We get breaks in our own time but it's hard to pass up a Kent home cooked meal," stated Dick. "What do you think, Tim?" Tim sighed, rolling his eyes with a smile.
"Alright," agreed the coffee lover. "I hope you can have a pot of coffee ready for me." Dick laughed at his brother's request, his head tilted just the right way as Ellie looked at him. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, only to slowly widen them as she saw a flash of someone else. She looked up at the man, Scamp still resting in her arms.
"Dick, right?" questioned the ghost girl. "Are you related to the Fentons or something?" Dick looked towards her, only now having a look of confusion.
"Um… not that I know of," answered the first Robin. "Why?" Ellie tilted her head, her hair flowing up slightly.
"I don't know why, but you look like an older version of Danny. I almost thought you two were brothers or something. That or a clone of some kind." Dick looked away for a moment, his eyes narrowing as the comment. A thought suddenly entered his head, one that once again sparked a need for knowledge.
Paris, France
Peter felt a great amount of nervousness, given his current position. He was sitting in the middle of a girl's room: Marinette's room. He was thankful that it looked a lot like a fashion studio yet the idea of being with a girl in her own room made him feel nervous. If it weren't for the current situation, he would have tried to find an excuse to meet back up with the others and just try to talk somewhere else. He heard footsteps coming from the nearby trap door, Marinette groaning as she pushed the door open.
"[French] No, Mom, everything's fine!" cried the designer. "Please don't bring random snacks again like the LAST time I had a boy over." She made her way into the room, shutting the trap door behind her with her foot as she had a plate of scones in her hands. "My parents are curious about the American boy I brought home, but at least I could get some fresh scones." Peter chuckled nervously at this, rubbing the back of his head.
"Sorry about that," apologized the foreign hero. "Maybe we should have just grabbed some from a restaurant if I was going to trouble you." Marinette simply laughed at this, placing the plate of pastries on the table.
"I'm used to them and their antics. Besides, you won't find better baked goods anywhere in the whole of Paris. You might want to eat up a bit so that it doesn't all get cold." Peter nodded his head as he grabbed one of the scones, taking a bite of it. He couldn't help but moan, taking some time to chew before swallowing.
"That really was amazing. I don't think I can go back to store bought scones ever again." He began to eat some more, stopping as Marinette giggled at him. "Sorry. Increased metabolism." The designer rolled her eyes with a small grin, resisting the urge to push Peter's nose again.
"I figured as such. So… how long have you had your Miraculous for?" Peter took some time to chew as he thought over the question, finishing the scone in his hand before using a napkin to wipe his face off.
"Only a few years after I became Spider-Man, Madame Web came to me. She said that she needed a 'Spider Totem', whatever that means, to take up the Miraculous and protect it. I had to make sure no one knew about Ittsy but, of course, my friend Ned and my Aunt May found out about him when they learned I was Spider-Man. I haven't EXACTLY told the Avengers yet but I think Thor already knows… somewhat." The local girl nodded her head, a smile on her face.
"I guess it'd make sense for an Asgardian to know about the Miraculous. Anyway, what made you decide to be a hero? I mean, a lot of kids our age would have tried to get famous. You don't strike me as that kind of guy BUT you have had these powers for a few years." Peter looked down at the table, sighing a bit.
"Let's just say that my Uncle used to say that 'with great power comes great responsibility'. I didn't fully get that until a criminal I could have stopped ended up shooting him. I was pretty young at the time but it still left a lasting impact on me. I've tried to help people ever since." Marinette winced at this, gritting her teeth.
"Ouch. I'm sorry to hear that. I guess you could say that we've both lost a lot of people. I lost my real parents years ago and only recently learned that I'm adopted." Peter couldn't help looking at the ceiling, sighing a bit.
"You know, there's something about slingers like us that just invites some kind of tragedy. It kinda sucks but at least we've been able to bounce back from a lot." The local girl played with her hair, looking down at the table.
"I'd say you don't know the half of it but our past pains are a bit too close for that to be appropriate." She took a moment to breathe before looking towards Peter, smiling at him. "Hey, Peter? About what you said at the restaurant, do you still think Spider-Man feels lucky about having a fan like me?" The boy looked towards her, clearing his throat a bit.
"I mean, I know I do. Not every day you get a super hero girl as one of your fans." Marinette slowly smiled brighter, a slight blush on her face.
"Same with a super hero guy who's nice and is built well. Helps that he's a pretty cute nerd too." Peter gulped, Ittsy giggling nearby as the boy tugged at his shirt collar.
"N-not too bad yourself." Marinette giggled at the play on her own words, looking the boy up and down. The spider hero tried to think straight, looking her in the eye. "Um… so… your guy friends said that you might 'like-like' me. I-is that right?" The girl leaned over the table a bit, a small grin on her face.
"Maybe~. How about we find out?" Peter gulped, Tiki immediately covering her eyes nearby as Ittsy watched on in intrigue.
Tony walked around the quaint room that made up the Question's Parisian apartment, noting a few loose newspapers that were scattered about. The man of the room had quickly begun putting together files as soon as they arrived, some rather large files. Bruce could be seen looking over one of the smaller files, one on people that were entirely out of the running for Hawkmoth or Mayura's identities. Question abandoned the files all together as he now began putting a board together. He placed some pins in a few spots before turning towards Batman, gesturing to the surface of the paper.
"I've routed each known Akuma sighting and areas where Hawkmoth had been seen before," stated the paranoid Leaguer. "Every Akuma that was spotted before it infected someone came from this radius, which happens to include the DuPont school grounds. However, several akumas have seen the school either destroyed or taken over, so I've ruled out anyone attending or running the establishment. However, it is important to note that it usually doesn't take long for an Akuma to form almost immediately after someone within the school becomes emotionally tense. I've also ruled out anyone that is too young to actually be either terrorist."
Tony walked over, taking a snapshot of the map with his watch before beginning to run it through an algorithm. "I've also ruled out several people that were seen at the time of Hawkmoth and Mayura being present. I haven't ruled out any locations yet but I've narrowed down the suspect list greatly. I have left room for people to be put back on the list so-" The genius pressed a button, displaying a holographic and topological map of Paris on the table.
"Sorry," apologized the Ironman. "I needed to see it in three dimensions in order to get a better feel for all this. Just ignore me while you keep talking. Just pretend that I'm not even here." Bruce leveled a glare towards Tony before gesturing for Question to continue.
"There are several high priority suspects that I plan to look into over the Summer while students are away. This planned trip opens up more time that I can take advantage of." Bruce nodded his head, a soft frown now on his face.
"I planned this for personal reasons within my family," stated the Batman. "Now isn't the best time to share." Tony huffed a bit, shaking his head.
"Talk about rude," joked the owner of Stark Industries in a mock depressed tone. "I mean, I'm right here. Anyway, I've run your evidence through an algorithm and lowered your search area slightly. It does go rather deep when considering Paris's underground and any potential bases underneath a home but it streamlines your search radius." Question stood on the other side of the table, looking down at the Agreste mansion with a blank stare.
"Interesting," commented the investigator. "This could be useful." Bruce quickly stood up, a frown on his face.
"I think it's time we address the elephant in the room," interrupted Gotham's millionaire. "What do you want, Stark?" Tony made the hologram go away, Question noticing how an anonymous link was automatically sent to a nearby laptop.
"Same thing as you: to help a bunch of kids be able to get back to their normal lives and support them if they keep going down the hero role. That's what Natasha made clear as your motive from that little meeting she overheard, right? That would be awkward. Blueberry?" He held out a bag of blueberries, Question jerking at the sudden appearance of said fruit while Bruce shook his head.
"The whole truth, Stark. I'm already communicating with Black Widow." Tony sighed, gesturing to the nearby table.
"Look, we both know that it won't be long before we end up biting the bullet. Look at me: I've gone from Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist to expecting father and a babysitter for a teen superhero. I don't know what the whole situation with you and your adoption craze is but I think you understand what I mean. At some point we have to leave things to the kids, but this is a situation where we can't afford to do that. I've heard from Thor what happens if Hawkmoth gets his way and I don't want to end up losing my only kid because some psychopath decides he wants to play god and make the universe in his own image."
Bruce allowed his glare to soften only just a bit, watching as Tony nervously snacked on some blueberries. "I want to be a good father, so I have to make sure the world is ready for her and that she's ready for the world. Same thing with my little intern. We need to make sure these kids are ready for the threats ahead and deal with what we feel like they can't do. That's why I'm trying to put the rivalries between the JL and the Avengers on hold."
Tony placed his hands on the edge of the table, making his frown more serious as he leaned forward. "I'm not asking for any big secrets you're working on or even getting a sneak peek at the life of a bat. I'm just… trying to be better than the man who came before Ironman. You have, like, four kids, so I was hoping you'd understand." Bruce looked down with a deep breath, closing his eyes before he nodded his head.
"You tell anyone and Ironman finds himself spending a night in Arkham. You have a mile long list of property damage to make it happen." Tony immediately stood up straight, a smirk on his face.
"Square deal. I'll call in the kid and have him be ready when we get things wrapped up here." The man quickly made a floating screen pop up, watching it buffer for a moment. Another moment passed, causing him to frown. "Friday, why isn't Peter answering?" The AI quickly made another screen pop up, displaying Peter's face.
"He's on 'Do not disturb,' Sir," informed the machine. "He left you a specific message." The video began to play, Tony noticing the excited yet unsure look on the spider hero's face.
"Hey, Mr. Stark," greeted Peter. "Sorry to miss your call but something came up. I'm pretty sure I have a girlfriend now. We're gonna be hanging out for a while so-" Marinette's head suddenly popped into view, kissing the American boy on the cheek as her bare shoulders were visible.
"Hurry up, Mr. Parker~," teased the French girl. "It's rude to keep a lady waiting." Peter immediately blushed madly, grinning like a dork into the camera.
"I'll call you later! Don't tell Aunt May!" The message immediately stopped, Tony sighing as he held his forehead.
"Peter," groaned the genius. "I told you to NOT do what I would do at your age." Bruce smirked smugly, knowing the feeling all too well.
And done! So, SpiderBug (or whatever you want to call it) has set sail and Marinette took a page out of Chloe's book. Also, Ellie is now a legally existing person as Elleanor Danielle Fenton. We also have the Paris group coming to the US thanks to a combination of Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark, and Jagged Stone. To top it all off, Peter is a Miraculous Holder. So much happened in this chapter and I feel like this was the right call to make.
In any case, what did you guys think about this one? Do you like how Peter and Marinette met? What will happen when the Paris group makes their visit? Let me know what you think down below and I'll try to respond ASAP, the next chapter at the latest. This is Inkaliber, signing out.