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soap-lady · 4 years

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I Did A Bad Thing...

Eh heh heh heh...

Well, the play and the fashion show were always going to be long chapters...

But ch 9 is 12K and I wasn’t done so ch 9 will now be split into 9 and 9.5

This is Ch 9. Enjoy!

Shout outs to @g-arya, @vixen-uchiha and my very patient cowriter, @arylace

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Chapter Nine: “I’ve been here the whole time.”

The month before Presentation Week seemed to fly by; a flurry of activity for every student in the school. Minor meltdowns happened all over Francois Dupont but miraculously didn’t trigger any akuma because everyone was too exhausted. M. Fabron and M. D’Argencourt had started camping out in the gym to keep the other man from sabotaging the other’s project. Some said it was actually because they lacked the artistic talent Bustier or Harprele’s classes took for granted and thus had to finish props and backdrops themselves.

The week for group presentations came at last and the Drama and P.E. teachers presented their plays that Monday, one at five pm and the other at 8:30 pm so parents could attend if they wished. The two men had Principal Damocles flip a coin to determine who went first. D'Argencourt won. Fabron was enraged until one of his students wisely pointed out that Hamlet was a downer and the audience would need an emotional break from the fictional turmoil. The event was touted as a Battle of the Bard, Shakespeare vs Shakespeare but the reality was much more civil. Each class had gently strong armed their teacher, pointing out that only an uncultured swine would do anything to disrupt a production of the Bard. Both men were on their best behavior, determined they would not be the one to upset their students. The real life tension added extra drama to the tragedy and thus the comedy that followed was even more appreciated. Everyone laughed themselves silly as Fabron himself played Bottom.

After the final curtain call both classes breathed a collective sigh of relief as their teachers shook hands as a show of good sportsmanship and correct public conduct. Both men were sure they’d won while their students were relieved the worst was over and no bail needed to be raised for either instructor.

Damocles had decided Mme. Mendeleiev and Mlle. Bustier would present on the last day, Friday. This came to no surprise to either class; the principal had a flair for a dramatic and instinctively knew which projects everyone would like to see. So to keep other students from skipping school after their own class projects were shown he would make them wait until the last day for the showdown everyone wanted to watch.

Caline Bustier was especially curious and worried about what Mme. Mendeleiev’s class would come up with. Despite their current difficulties she had a lot of respect for her colleague and missed the pig tailed girl more than she would admit, even to herself. A secret, shameful part of her wanted Marinette’s fashion show to do badly and prove that she had been right to transfer her student. If it did well then Demeter’s teaching methods were better and the redhead was missing out on helping a talented young woman to succeed.

Caline doubted the former would happen; Demeter had been incredibly tight-lipped but smug about her class’ progress on the group assignment.

“It’s going well,” the science teacher would say when asked. “Everyone is putting in the work required and I couldn’t be prouder of Vivienne and Brielle’s leadership. I’m sure you’ll agree once you see the results for yourself, Caline.”

The play started at three-thirty but seating for the event started at three. Each class was allowed a certain number of reserved seating for family and the rest were first come first serve. Although Mendeleiev’s class’ fashion show didn’t begin until six, they had to have all their outfits, accessories and any needed equipment in the auditorium before two-thirty.

Marinette was the expected bundle of nerves but Vivienne and Brielle made a checklist two days earlier and made sure everything was cleaned and packed the night before. Color-coded tags marked which piece went with which garment so nothing would be misplaced. The two blondes checked, double-checked, and even triple-checked at their designer’s insistence. Then before putting all the ensembles in the specially made “travel carts” all the models lined up and had their pictures taken by Theo for Marinette’s website. After getting several pictures of everyone in different poses, everything was neatly packed away Thursday night so all the class had to do Friday morning was wait for Theo and his co-workers at the delivery service he worked for to pick everything up.

In the meantime, Bellamy was giving everyone a crocheting lesson because it was relaxing and easier for beginners than knitting.

“So, did you learn how to crochet from your grandmother as well?” Kagami asked Bellamy.

“Yep,” he answered as he finished a row. “She taught me and my dad. She also quilts. She says it helps keep the joints in her hands moving. She and her friends like to quilt.”

“Well, we could take all of our leftover fabric and cut it into squares for her,” Curtis joked. “They wouldn’t have to buy material for months!”

“True and they could donate the quilts to the homeless or the firehouse where my dad works,” Bellamy said.

This was news to Marinette. “Your dad is a firefighter?” she asked.

The blond boy’s chest puffed up proudly. “Yes, and a paramedic,” he told her. “He told me once he met Ladybug and Chat Noir trying to help some girl with a horn growing on her head.”

The noirette stopped crocheting and looked over at her friend. “Auburn hair, green eyes, weird orange jacket?”

Kagami picked up on what the designer was saying. “That sounds exactly like Lila Rossi.”

“It was,” Marinette answered grimly, “I remember seeing it on the news.” She looked over at Kagami and gave her a supportive grin. “She was lucky Ladybug and Chat Noir were there. That akuma was amazing with a sword.” She winked at Kagami.

Kagami rolled her eyes. “Lila Rossi is an attention-seeking troublemaker.” She bit her lip. “But...I am the one to blame for losing my temper and falling for her tricks.”

“You aren’t the only one,” Marinette consoled the Japanese girl. “She’s been getting away with lying for a while now. Even my best friend believes her,” that hurt more than it should. “Confronting her directly could cause an akuma so now I just ignore her.”

Aurore shrugged. “Who cares? She’s been an akuma at least twice now. Ladybug and Chat Noir can handle her easily.”

“They shouldn’t have to ‘handle’ her,” Kagami shot back, “people should have a little more sense and force her to back up her claims with facts.”

“That would require critical thinking skills and I don’t think some people at our school are capable of that,” Maison avoided insulting Marinette’s friends directly but just barely. The pig tailed girl felt ashamed on their behalf but couldn’t argue; Maison had a point.

The group sighed and Zayan spoke up. “Why bother with her at all? Even confronting her gives her more attention than she deserves. She’ll just pretend to cry and make people feel sorry for her.”

Mireille was curious. “So, what would you suggest we do instead?”

“We could all become famous,” Ondine suggested with a laugh. When everyone looked at her she blinked back. “What, why not? The fashion show will be live streamed and if Alya Cesaire puts the footage on the Ladyblog thousands of people will see it. Then everyone will be so busy wanting interviews with us for the actual things we’ve done they’ll forget Faker Rossi in no time.”

Jean pointed at the swimmer. “I like the way you think,” he grinned. “I also like the idea of our entire class becoming famous and everyone ignores Rossi. Kind of like depriving a fire of fuel.”

“Very scientific, Jean,” Alicia brought everyone water bottles. “Mme. Mendeleiev would approve.”

“I’m not just another pretty face!” Jean preened.

Vivienne looked at her phone. “Well, it’s one o’clock now,” she said. “Theo said he’d be here by one-thirty so we should probably start wrapping up.” She looked at the squares everyone had crocheted. “I think we could make an afghan from what we’ve made today.

Everyone smiled and agreed.

*****

Preparations for their play were not going nearly as smoothly for Mlle. Bustier’s class. Costumes were not neatly put away, the props were misplaced and only half had been found. Chloe broke a nail and Mlle. Bustier had a migraine. The teacher told everyone to drop what they were doing and meditate, which helped. A bit.

As frantic as his teacher and classmates were, Adrien Agreste was an ocean of calm; soothing Nino’s worries about being a director, sending Sabrina to find some nail glue and keeping the cast and crew laughing and groaning at his science puns.

And where was the star of the play during her class’ jitters and meltdowns?

Sequestered in her dressing room.

Lila had commandeered the backstage handicap restroom to be her private dressing room, convincing Bustier she needed silence and calm to prevent performance stress. The redhead had generously if foolishly complied and the Italian hadn’t had to do any of the pre-show prep. All she had to do is glide onto the stage and give a performance that would secure her place as queen of the school. All of those snobby brats in Mendeleiev’s class would bow down to her. Adrien would be forced to acknowledge her superiority and Mari-brat would finally be forgotten.

She was so immersed in her dreams of fame she nearly missed the conversation going on outside.

“Oh my gosh! Marinette’s first fashion show! She must be so nervous and excited!”

“Um, yeah. More excited than nervous. She’s had her work on the runway before.”

Lila recognized those voices. It was squeaky Rose and mumbling Juleka. What they were saying made no sense. When had Dupain-Cheng had her work featured on a runway?

“Oh, that was just a hat, silly! This is a whole show featuring her designs. Imagine...after tonight she could be famous all over Paris. Not just Jagged Stone but Clara Nightingale and maybe even XY will ask her to design for them. Everyone who’s anyone will want a Marinette original.”

“Yeah. Who could blame them? Even Adrien’s dad and Chloe’s mom thinks her designs are great and they’re the toughest fashion critics around.”

“Do you think she’ll still want to hang out with us and have sleepovers once she's famous?”

“Rose, it’s Marinette. Of course she will. She wouldn’t forget us.”

“I’m sure you’re right, Juleka. Besides, Kitty Section is about to hit it big!”

“Maybe she’ll hire us to write music for her next fashion show.”

“Oooh, yes! Oh wait, is that what time it is? We should be getting ready for the play.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Lila couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. Agreste and Bourgeois had both praised that brat’s work? She’d designed for Jagged? Ugh! Why hadn’t she researched anyone besides Adrien before transferring to Francois Dupont? Maybe she should have become the noirette’s bestie instead of investing so much time and effort on the model.

She had all but made up her mind to swallow her pride and grovel for the pig tailed girl’s forgiveness when she overheard another conversation.

“Okay, the clothes are in the rehearsal room. Has everything been checked?”

“Three times. Don’t worry, everything’s here and accounted for, Marinette. Don’t worry, nothing is going to go wrong.”

“Famous last words. I think Viv looks a little pale today. Do you think she needs some water? I’ll get her some water.”

“I thought I was supposed to be the Mom Friend, not you. Come on, we’ll do a quick equipment check and make sure Maison has all the music ready and waiting to be cued up. Would that make you feel better?”

“...it might.”

The Italian girl allowed an ominous smirk to stretch and curl her lips. Nothing was going to go wrong? Well, that sounded like a challenge.

*****

Lila took advantage of everyone’s distraction to slip quietly into the rehearsal room. How careless, someone had left some scissors laying on a table. She would put those to good use.

The Italian girl thought of just stealing the clothes but wasn’t sure she could hide them before her play started. She definitely wanted to be on time for that; it was time for her fame to grow beyond Francois Dupont and reliably gullible Alya was going to help her with that. Even she knew a model’s career was usually very short. Also, if she became famous on her own she wouldn’t have to worry about staying in M. Agreste’s good graces. The man wouldn’t be fooled by her forever and if she couldn’t have his son she’d find a himbo of her own.

The outfits must be in the large rolling crates in the middle of the room. Perfect. She’d cut up the clothes as much as she could so Little Miss Wonderful couldn’t repair them in time for her show. Poor Mari-brat would have a nervous breakdown in front of the whole school. Maybe she’d be akumatized in front of everyone too. That would be hilarious.

She reached for the latch on the door when she heard a voice behind her say, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Lila jumped and whirled around. Sitting in a chair near the door was a girl with long dark violet hair, wearing a pink shirt, black skirt and matching leggings. She looked up from her phone and gave the Italian a disinterested look.

“You’ve been spying on me!” Lila accused the other girl. She didn’t even have to feign being angry and surprised. “You snuck up on me! What are you doing here?!”

Alicia raised an eyebrow at the fox-faced girl. “You’re kidding, right? I’ve been here the whole time. In fact I waved at you when you came in. It’s not my fault you were so busy being sneaky you didn’t see me.”

Alicia crossed her legs and looked at Lila. “As for what I’m doing here, I’m guarding the outfits for my class’ show.” She jerked her thumb in the direction of the entrance. “If you’d been paying attention you would have noticed the sign on the door reading “Mendeleiev’s class only. No trespassing.’”

Well, hell. Mendeleiev’s students really were smarter than Bustier’s. Lila gave the other girl a warm smile and tried again. “I’m sorry! You startled me and I was a little rude. I’m Lila Rossi and I used to be in class with Marinette before she was moved to Mme. Mendeleiev’s. We’ve all been wondering what kinds of amazing designs she came up with for this show, so I got a little curious. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if a friend had a peek.”

Lila thought she sounded sincere and innocent but Alicia snickered at her. “Marinette’s friends would respect her privacy and allow themselves to be surprised and amazed at her creations with the rest of the school.” The dark haired girl stood up but didn’t approach. Lila was shocked to see how much taller than her the other girl was.

Alicia's expression was neutral but her eyes glared at Lila. “And I know you’re not Marinette’s friend, any more than you are Ladybug’s.”

Lila grimaced at the mention of the other girl she couldn’t stand. “Look. I have twenty euros on me. I’ll give it to you if you leave this room for ten minutes and let me look at Marinette’s designs.”

Alicia just laughed again. “You’re trying to bribe me and you’re only offering twenty euros? Please. This show is twenty percent of my grade. You honestly think I’m going to risk failing for you?”

“I could introduce you to Jagged Stone-” Lila began but was cut off.

“So could Marinette. So could Aurore or Mireille for that matter. You don’t have anything I want, Rossi, so knock it off and leave. Besides,” Alicia looked amused, “you shouldn’t open that latch.”

The Italian girl was becoming bored by the conversation. Her sense of self-preservation told her to drop it and get ready for the play so she could upstage Marinette. She could give such a great performance it would be impossible for the other class to impress the audience with some shoddily made clothes. Unfortunately the petty vindictive side was in control and she wanted to ruin the competition.

“Oh, please. What are you going to do if I open this?” She put her hand on the latch but the violet haired girl didn’t do anything to stop her. Lila smirked. “Nothing. I thought so. If you tried to stop me I’d just tell everyone you attacked me. It would be your word against mine and between you and me, I’m the better actress.”

The auburn haired girl was feeling very confident as she pulled up the latch and gave the other girl one more look over her shoulder.

Alicia just shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Lila ignored her and turned back towards the crate, opening the door and peering inside. As she did so red ink squirted onto her face, neck and clothes. She screamed and shut her eyes before she could be blinded.

“Oh, please. I warned you. The ink is non-toxic but very staining,” Alicia explained.

“You little bitch! You set me up!” Lila screeched and tried to attack the other girl.

Alicia sidestepped her attack and Judo flipped the stained girl onto her back.

“You didn’t let me finish,” Alicia told Lila. She pointed up at a drone hovering near the ceiling. “Everything you just said and did was on camera. Also we figured someone like you would try to sabotage us so we made preparations to protect our project. That little ink trap? That was only the first layer of protection. I won’t tell you how many more traps we have. Suffice to say you won’t be messing up Marinette’s clothes. In fact,” she looked Lila up and down. “I’d be leaving if I were you. Someone else might see what you’ve been doing and they might not be as nice as I am.”

Lila screamed with rage. She wasn’t expecting multiple booby traps or a human guard dog. She wanted to yell that she’d get the busybody back for this but she had to run. She couldn’t risk anyone seeing her like this so she decided to make a run for it. She’d just tell her mom an akuma did it and make some excuse for her class.

They’d believe anything.

*****

“Well, glad we got that little bout of drama out of the way,” Alicia told herself. She was glad she had the forethought to cover the area around the crates with newspaper so the ink, if triggered, wouldn’t stain the floor.

Her class thought it was overkill to have a camera drone help her guard the outfits but now she was glad she had. Now she had that little liar on film and it would be hard for Rossi to talk her way out of the mess she’d made. Alicia had also been filming on her phone just in case. Now she had both audio and video.

Satisfied she cleaned up the mess, added more newspaper and left the room to let Bellamy know what had just happened. She chuckled when she looked at the smaller print on the sign Aurore had made; “premises under video surveillance.” Rossi couldn’t even say she hadn’t been warned.

As she locked the room behind her she heard muffled sounds coming from a supply closet. Was Rossi having a good cry before running to whine about her to the principal? Well, Mme. Mendeleiev had already told Damocles their plan and he’d approved it, so the Italian menace had no one to blame but herself.

Alice slowly and quietly turned the knob, wondering if she should take out her phone and take a picture of Rossi’s distress.

After the door was open she was very glad she hadn’t.

M. Fabron and M. D’Argencourt lay tangled together, holding each other in a passionate embrace. The two men were kissing each other passionately and moaning.

“Mon cher Jacques-Louis, I am so sorry!” Fabron was saying.

“Mon coeur, think nothing of it,�� D’Argencourt replied. “We have both been fools, to have ignored this fire between us for so long!”

“You’re wonderful.”

“I adore you!”

Wide-eyed, Alicia ever so quietly slipped away. She was glad the two men had finally confessed their feelings for each other. She just wished she hadn’t been the one to find them.

“I am too ace for this. I am too ace for this,” she muttered to herself as she went to find Bellamy.

Huh. Both men looked like they were crying. I wonder if that means the bet is forfeit?

*****

Bustier’s class had gone from barely controlled chaos to a complete meltdown, specifically the teacher herself. The woman locked herself in a closet and had a good cry, leaving the group of teenagers to flounder on their own.

It all started when Rose went to check on Lila. She saw the Italian girl’s impromptu dressing room was empty and rushed to find someone, anyone to help her.

She found Adrien, Nino and Alya chatting together with Juleka. “I can’t find Lila anywhere!” she exclaimed.

“When’s the last time you saw her?” Alya, ever the reporter wanted to know.

“I brought her a snack about thirty minutes ago,” Rose recalled, “but no one’s seen her since.”

“No one?” Nino asked.

“I even asked some of the kids from Mendeleiev’s class but they said they were too busy getting ready for their own show to notice anything else.” Rose said.

Adrien sighed and tried his best not to say “I told you so”. He didn’t want to be right but he was sure once he heard the cast change announcement that Lila would sabotage herself. Unfortunately she could take the rest of the class down with her. And all their grades. He wanted to bang his head against a wall. This was his fault; he never should have let the Italian get away with anything. He didn’t have to confront the girl but he should have told his class and his teacher the truth and let them decide for themselves how to treat Lila.

Then Marinette would still be in class with them…

He was grateful he and Marinette were still friends and now she and Kagami were getting along as well. She’d lost her stutter around him and he was glad because that meant they could become even better friends.

But he missed seeing how excited she got when someone had an idea. He enjoyed watching the way she glowed when she had a new design idea. He also missed how she and Alya would giggle and gossip behind him, unaware that he could hear them.

He pulled himself out of his own mind when he heard Alya’s text alert chime.

“Hey, Alya,” he heard the ombre haired girl read out loud, “they must have cleaned that bathroom with artificial chemicals or something because a rash broke out on my face and hands. That, or my old stage fright came back again. I’m sure I just need a few days to recover and I’ll be fine. Sorry for ruining the play. Lila.”

“Great, wonderful, fantastic!” Nino collapsed into the nearest chair and hid his face in both hands. “The play starts in half an hour and we have no lead actress? Two months of hard work and our grade for the year is ruined!”

His tirade was interrupted by a sarcastic, familiar laugh. “Oh, please. Our play isn’t ruined, Lahiffe. Who needs Lila anyway? Mylene is at least twenty times the actress Rossi is and she’s easier to get along with.”

Chloe and Sabrina stood there with Mylene standing between them. She looked a little shell-shocked until Ivan gently pulled her away from the “twosome of terror” and held her in his arms.

“Chloe?” Adrien blinked at his oldest friend, “what are you-?”

The blonde preened. “I may not be able to be Queen Bee again, but there are other ways of being a hero. Saving this play is one of them.” She looked over at the curvy girl. “I had Sabrina pack Mylene’s just in case Rossi had a diva moment and wow, close enough. Juleka is standing by to get you into makeup and wardrobe. Today’s your lucky day, Harprele.”

Chloe was smiling benevolently like some patron saint in Gucci but her classmates were confused.

“Mark the date,” Nino stage whispered to Alya, “Chloe said something nice to Mylene. This is becoming a trend.”

“But I…” Mylene stared at Ivan who smiled gently at her.

“You know this part backwards and forwards. You remember all your cues and you’re comfortable in front of an audience,” Ivan’s voice was gentle and supportive. “Trust me, you’ve got this.”

“Mylene! Mylene!” Sabrina began to chant and the rest of the class joined in. The red haired girl whisked her schoolmate off to hair and makeup and into her costume.

Chloe looked at the look of surprise and everyone’s faces and huffed. “Well, you don’t all have to thank me at once.”

“Thank you, Chloe,” Adrien strode forward and gave the girl a hug. She stiffened for a moment in surprise then hugged him back.

“Yeah. Thanks, du...I mean, Chloe,” Nino added his gratitude.

“I think Ladybug would be proud of you if she could see you right now.” Alya grinned at the blonde. At times like this she could see why Adrien still liked her.

Chloe blushed and flicked her hair. “Yeah, well, don’t mention it.” She shocked the reporter by giving her a small but genuine smile. “Unless you just wanna brag about me.”

*****

With the original Mayura now in place, the play started on time. Although Kim and Mylene hadn’t rehearsed together they fell into an easy rhythm because they’d known each other for so long.

“Dear Diary,” Mylene was pretending to write as she spoke aloud to the audience. “My employer has tried and failed to get magical jewelry from two children. This has happened at least three times a week for the past year and a half. I’m considering a career change.”

“Mayura!” an openly weeping Hawk Moth ran up to his assistant. In his hands were several paper mache butterflies created by Nathaniel and Alix. “Michel, Pierre, Claudine and Sherenne are dead!”

The very put-on villainess closed her diary with a snap and looked up at her employer. “Hawky, why do you insist on naming those things? You know they only live for a month in their adult form. Why do you insist on getting attached?”

“Because I’m sensitive!” Hawk Moth sobbed, holding the dead “butterflies” close to his chest. “And I hate it when you call me Hawky!”

The two actors were silent for a bit before Mayura asked Hawk Moth. “Would some hot chocolate with little marshmallows help?”

“Well,” he sniffled, “it might.”

The blue skinned woman escorted her boss off-stage to a smattering of applause as the curtains closed and Adrien, Ivan, and Alya set the props for the next scene.

“Sir, all of Paris is now frozen. Surely Frozer will...are you juggling during an akuma battle?”

“Would it kill you to be a little more supportive of my hobbies?! I have a life outside creating akumas and causing chaos, you know!”

“A life outside of akumas? Where can I get one of those?”

The audience was quiet at first, shocked that anyone would portray the Villain of Paris as a bumbling failure. By the end of the first act they were all laughing and cheering. A few brave souls even booed when Hawk Moth started monologuing. They stopped when Kim mock-glared at them but continued to boo, if a bit quieter.

Adrien and Sabrina were very funny as akuma. Both played original creations of Rose; Picture Perfect and Miss Behaving. One was an image obsessed model who was rejected for a date and the other was a good girl gone bad. Both played their parts with all the spectacle they could; back talking Hawk Moth and making him scream in frustration when they wanted to stop fighting long enough to take selfies for Instagram or pretend to hit on people in the first row.

“They like my play!” Rose giggled to Juleka.

The tall Goth just slung an arm around her petite girlfriend. “How could they not? You’re one of the most talented people I know. This play is hilarious.”

Rose kissed Juleka’s cheek then said, “Remind me to write a song for Marinette.”

“Totally.”

*****

Meanwhile a “Zone of Chill”, as Bellamy called it, surrounded the pupils in Mme. Mendeleiev’s class. Kagami and Marc sat with Marinette to ensure the designer didn’t panic. Kagami told her amusing stories about past fencing competitions while Marc shared ideas for an original story he was working on. Marinette smiled when she recognized characters like “The Crimson Paladin” and “The Cavalier of Justice”. They were very familiar.

The backstage crew wore themed silk screened Hawaiian shirts Marinette had made for them so they wouldn’t feel left out. Bellamy wore the turtle, Brielle the fox, Marc the bee, Maison had a winged horse pattern and Alicia wore tigers. Marinette made a cute little snake themed shirt for herself and Viv liked it so much she wanted one just like it.

Bellamy was giving Vivienne a shoulder massage and speaking to her in low, soothing tones. The class rep had made the mistake of looking out to see how many people came to see the play and went from her usual calm to nearly having a panic attack.

“But you’ve done gymnastic competitions for years,” Bellamy told the nervous blonde. “I thought you’d be used to large crowds by now, Viv.”

“Yeah, but I’ve been training for years in gymnastics, Bell,” she whispered back. “I know what to expect, I’m confident in my abilities and know what the audience expects. Plus if I do badly I only have to worry about my coach being disappointed in me. I have to see those people five days a week at school. If I screw up, they’ll never let me hear the end of it.”

Bellamy glanced over at his classmates, satisfied that no one had heard his conversation with the class rep. He lowered his voice even more. “I don’t want you pressuring yourself to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. Maybe we can talk Brielle into modeling, or just leave off the Multimouse outfit entirely.”

Vivienne looked relieved, then glanced in the noirette’s direction. “I’d hate to disappoint Marinette. She’s worked so hard and was so excited to create all these designs.” She sighed and looked at Bellamy. “She deserves to have all of her work on the runway.”

The blond boy smiled at her and she realized she’d never picked up on just how good looking her “Mom Friend” was when he beamed like that. “That she does, but she’d never want her designs showcased at someone else’s expense. I’m sure she would understand and support you.” He gently moved a strand of hair out of her face. “I could break the news to her if you like.”

Vivienne shook her head and the boy tried not to notice how her hair gleamed when light hit it. “No. It’s my problem and I should have the guts to tell her myself,” she gave her friend a hopeful smile. “She’ll understand.”

Bellamy nodded. “Of course.”

*****

As predicted, Marinette was very understanding of Vivienne’s stage fright. “You shouldn’t do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, even for a friend.”

The designer winced as she thought of all the times she’d let Alya convince her to make a fool of herself to get Adrien’s attention. They were almost as bad as all the plans she’d made up. Learning to say no was a good thing, as was stepping back and reevaluating her feelings.

“Couldn’t we alter it to fit Brielle?”

“Ooh, yes!” cheered Jean.

“Ah, no,” countered Brielle. She looked at Marinette. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful dress and if I’d wear it on a date, if I had one. But,” she cut off whatever smart remark Jean was about to say, “I’m not a model and I don’t want to be one.”

“Couldn’t we alter it to fit one of the other girls if we wanted to?” Maison asked.

Zayan thought about it. “Perhaps but we’d have precious little time before the show to teach one of them the routine Viv and Mari came up with for the outfit.”

“We could leave it out of the show,” Marinette tried not to think of the dress that had looked so amazing on Viv being left behind. “It’s fine.”

Viv thought of the beautiful gray, black and pink dress her friend created. It was a show stopping outfit and deserved to close out the fashion show. However, when she thought of strutting on the runway in front of the entire school she felt nauseous. Her eyes alighted onto Marinette. The color scheme would look so cute on her.

“Marinette, why don’t you wear it?” Vivienne asked before she could stop herself.

The noirette shook her head. “No way! I’m no model! I don’t have the poise and grace of Mireille and Aurore. I don’t even have the athleticism of Ondine, Kagami, or you! I’d probably klutz out on the runway and fall on my face in front of everyone. I’d be a laughing stock and ruin the show.”

“You’ve been a lot less klutzy lately,” Kagami pointed out.

Marinette blinked. “Well, yeah,” she agreed reluctantly, “but that’s because I’ve been practicing Viv’s routine with her and you and I have been sparring so…”

“Music and martial arts are known for helping with balance and coordination.” Kagami wouldn’t let her new...best friend talk badly about herself. She smiled at her friend, almond eyes warm. “You don’t hesitate as much as you used to, Marinette.”

The noirette smiled timidly but with hope. “Really?”

Everyone nodded but Bellamy was quick to add, “Like we said earlier, if you feel uncomfortable, we can leave the dress out. It’s not going anywhere and you can always feature it in another show.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “You really think I’ll have another show?”

He gave his youngest baby a hug. “I’ve seen your work, we all have. This is only one of many. You will be successful and amazing. Trust me.”

The noirette hugged him back, eyes wet with grateful tears. “You’re all so kind.”

Jean laughed. “Kind, nothing. We’re smart and we know good things when we see them.”

The girl almost argued with him when Maison intervened. “Mme. Mendeleiev is wearing the shirt you made her tonight. If that doesn’t convince you your designs are amazing, I don’t know what will.”

Curtis bounded into the room. “You guys told me to let you know when Bustier’s class reaches their intermission. Well...it just did. We need to start getting into wardrobe, hair and makeup. Let’s go!”

Everyone got to their feet and Vivienne looked at Bellamy. “Can you alter the Multimouse dress in time?”

He nodded “Sure, as long as Marinette brought her sewing kit.”

The designer gave him a double thumbs up. “Always do!”

“Well then,” Vivienne clapped her hands together. “Everyone get ready. Marinette, Bellamy probably needs your measurements. Maison, get the music cued up. I need all my models to hair and makeup. We have only four dressing rooms so I hope you don’t mind sharing. Then I need Maison to help the boys dress while Brielle helps the girls. Jean, I hope you’re prepared to wow them.”

Jean mimed tugging on a hat brim. “Always.”

“Then I think we’re good.” She glanced at Bellamy. “Do you have time to alter the dress properly?”

He looked at Marinette and the two nodded at the class rep. “Sure thing. You should see my ladder stitch!”

Viv just blinked at him. “I have no idea what that means but I’m assuming you do.” She put her hand out and everyone mimicked her, overlaying their hands on top of their classmates’.”

“Go Team Mendeleiev!” they shouted together and dispersed.

Vivienne’s phone buzzed and she pulled it out. Huh. She wondered what Alicia needed.

*****

“The Very Secret Diary of Mayura, Hawk Moth’s Unfortunate Lackey” ended with a standing ovation that lasted for five minutes. Mylene and Kim graciously took their bows before inviting the entire cast and crew on-stage to accept their well-earned applause. Bustier’s class waved to the audience then made their way backstage to change.

“Oh, hey! Mlle. Bustier!” Alix was the first person to spot their teacher emerging from her closet hideaway.

“Oh. Hello,” the redhead’s eyes were bloodshot and watery. “I’m so sorry I missed the play. I just…”

Adrien wanted to be angry at his teacher. She abandoned them during a crisis because she couldn’t deal with it and prioritized her own emotional well-being over her students. He glared at her but she didn’t see it. She wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes, even when they asked what was wrong.

Everyone looked at their teacher, who just looked at the floor. No one seemed to know what to do or say. They thought of her as calm and wise; she was an adult. She was the one who was supposed to know what to do when everything went wrong.

She began to cry quietly and suddenly Adrien felt a tiny bit guilty for thinking the worst of her. She couldn’t be more than twelve years older than her students and probably wasn’t very experienced. Mlle. Bustier was just as in over her head as the rest of the class when things went wrong. He felt his anger turn to pity; she was a nice, caring teacher but not necessarily a good one. It was her incompetence that led to most of the problems over the past few months and that just bred bad results.

But he could afford to be a little charitable; the play hadn’t been a disaster, thanks in part to Chloe. He didn’t think he’d be as forgiving if it had been and his teacher’s absence had caused an akuma.

The model leaned in and put what he hoped was a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Everyone needs help sometimes, no matter how strong they are. We forget that teachers are people and they’re imperfect too. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed sometimes. Aren’t you the one who’s always telling us it’s okay to ask for help when we’re stressed out?”

He smiled at her and suddenly Bustier began to sob loudly. She had leaned on Marinette so heavily to lead the class she didn’t know what to do without her. She was glad her class thought it was stress and overwork and once again felt guilty for what she’d done two months ago. Marinette hadn’t failed, she had.

“I’m so sorry!” she cried, wiping her face on her sleeve. “I should have been here for you! I just felt pressured because I wanted to do well and show everyone how talented you all are! But I’ve never done a group project like this. I’m sorry for failing you.”

“Admitting one’s failure is the first step in rectifying it,” Max told her. “It is impossible to control all variables and we know you did your best.”

“Thank you, Max,” the teacher sniffled. She cleared her throat and decided to change the subject. “So...how did it go? I bet the audience loved the play.”

No one wanted to be the first to tell her the play had almost been a disaster, especially considering her fragile emotional state.

Chloe’s strident voice broke the silence. “Uh, Lila had an allergic reaction to bleach or something and broke out in hives. Fortunately, Mylene was here and did a better job than Rossi could ever dream of. The audience loved her and Kim so much they stood and clapped for them for five minutes.” The blonde took a breath and her voice became kinder. “So don’t worry, Mlle. Bustier, we got this.” She smiled at her teacher. “We looked out for each other, solved our problem, and everything turned out just fine. Exactly like you taught us.”

Bustier rewarded her most difficult student and a hug. “Yes. Exactly like I taught you. I’m very proud of you all.”

The students came together in a group hug and Bustier was proud of Chloe’s unusual show of maturity. “Now, let’s get changed and cleaned up and cheer on Marinette and the rest of Mme. Mendeleiev’s class during their fashion show.”

*****

To no one’s surprise the fashion show started five minutes early and aside from a little model switch no other emergencies occurred. The music was ready to go and Brielle made sure everyone had their correct accessories while Alicia took care of hair and makeup.

Most of the models were lined up and ready to go; the last model just needed a bit of tweaking to her outfit and a pep talk. Perhaps some chamomile tea.

Most of the people who came for Bustier’s class’ play stayed for the fashion show. There was some doubt as to whether or not the science teacher’s class could match or exceed a comedy about Hawk Moth and Mayura. Many bets were taken and more than one teacher secretly hoped Mendeleiev’s students would top Bustier’s.

The literature teacher had just made herself comfortable with her students when the science teacher sidled up to her younger colleague.

“Good evening, Caline.”

“Demeter!” the redhead tried to smile at the older woman but she just looked ill. “I’m looking forward to seeing what your class has come up with.”

“You’re looking forward to seeing what Marinette has come up with, you mean.” Mendeleiev corrected. She looked over Bustier’s students. “I enjoyed your play.” She looked over her glasses at Rose. “Your work, Mlle. Lavilant?”

“Yes, madame,” Rose squeaked, “thank you!”

“Yes, you all did well,” the science teacher looked everyone in the eye and they stood a little taller at her rare praise. She looked back at her colleague. “You must be very proud of what your class has accomplished.”

“Oh, yes! Very,” Bustier hoped she looked confident. She tried to change the subject and looked Mendeleiev up and down. “I love your blouse, Demeter. I’ve never seen you wear anything like it.”

The science teacher looked down at herself. “Yes, well. Marinette made it for me. She made everyone who couldn’t or didn’t want to model, a unique shirt to show we’re all part of the same crew.” She held out part of the shirt so Bustier could get a better look. “My pattern is the gold molecule but everyone’s is different. Creative girl, that Marinette.”

“I think Au suits you, Mme. Mendeleiev,” Adrien said. His respect for the young designer’s talent grew every time he saw her newest design.

The purple haired woman gave him a thin smile. “If you’re impressed by my shirt just wait until you see the rest of the show. My class has done very well in the past two months, but I am hardly unbiased.” She turned away and said over her shoulder, “I’ll talk to you later, Caline. Congratulations again, students.”

“Thank you!” they waved goodbye to her and settled into their seats.

Adrien smirked as he heard Alya whisper to Nino, “Lila is gonna be so sorry she missed this!”

*****

Jean strutted on to the stage after whispering in Principal Damocles’ ear. The stocky man motioned to the teacher to take a stack of papers from a nearby table and distribute them to their class. Marc cued up the lights.

“Ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary friends, welcome to the Triple-R Fashion show! Tonight we are privileged to witness the world debut of the future Princess of Fashion, Mademoiselle Marinette Dupain-Chang!”

Jean was resplendent in his faux snakeskin motorcycle jacket with matching trim on his pants and hat and drew a few cheer and wolf whistles from the audience. He made a slow circle so everyone could appreciate his ensemble. Snakeskin patterned makeup accentuated his eyes and he wore teal colored lipstick lent to him by Brielle. He had no idea Brielle even owned lipstick.

“I am, as always, your shy and demure host, Monsieur Jean Duparc. However, for one night only, you may address me as The Man of Teal, Master of Ceremonies Extraordinaire!”

The aspiring magician paused to let the audience applaud and after they settled down he continued. He was enjoying himself and grateful Viv had given him the chance to show off and be himself.

" This Triple R Fashion show can only be showcased by our class, a class who collectively can be considered a Triple Threat: Talent, Resourcefulness, and Teamwork! Now for each outfit we have a cute note that can help you all follow along with our initial ideas and work right up to the finished product."

There was a loud rustling of paper as everyone in the audience dutifully looked at the handouts they’d been given, a small blurb describing how each outfit was made and what it had been made from. There were oohs and aahs as most of the assembled were suitably impressed.

“And now that I’ve piqued your interest and you’ve read up on our lovely clothing line, I’d like to give you all a little background on what you’re going to witness tonight.”

Backstage Brielle watching her classmate mesmerize the crowd. So far everything was going well but she wouldn’t relax until the show was over. Anything could still go wrong but she trusted Jean’s ability to improvise. He was pretty creative and if he ever decided to give up magic he’d have a long and successful career as an actor. She imagined the curly haired boy playing Hawk Moth and laughed under her breath.

“Don’t you think he’s a bit over the top?” Maison whispered to her.

The deputy class rep shook her head and whispered. “Please. If anything he’s subdued right now. He’s probably saving the old ‘razzle dazzle’, as the Americans call it for the clothes themselves.”

“Now, for those of you who may not know us,” Jean was saying, “we are the homeroom students of the brilliant and amazingly patient”, the woman herself smirked and crossed her arms as the other teacher laughed around her, “Mme. Demeter Mendeleiev. So, with a scientist as our homeroom teacher, we thought it would add a little something extra to our show to incorporate a little science, but in a fun way.”

Those who had had Mme. Mendeleiev groaned in disbelief. They were expecting student made clothes, not a lesson.

Jean went on as if he hadn’t heard them, even though it annoyed him when people didn’t understand his instructor. “And any of my peers on the fencing team can tell you I am all about being extra.” Said fencing team laughed and cheered.

He waited for the audience to quiet down before going on. “There are all sorts of fields of science out there but the one our show is based on is Ecology. The branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. Specifically, global ecology and environmentalism; how we can reduce our carbon footprint and help the planet.” Mylene and her “Save the Earth” club perked up.

“So, I’m sure what you must be asking yourself is, ‘What does fashion have to do with any of this?’ It’s a good question and if you haven’t asked yourself that, you should,” Jean told the crowd.

“Think of all the old clothes we throw out instead of donating. Think of outfits we bought and never wore. What happens to them? They end up in a landfill. Natural fabrics eventually biodegrade but synthetics made from petroleum stay on the planet for hundreds if not thousands of years. That’s bad and everyone knows it.” The crowd nodded along with him.

“And hey, who likes looking good? Who likes cool new clothes?” He looked at the audience and pointed in a vague direction. “Mme. Bienvenue, get your hand up. We all know what a fashionista you are!” The crowd laughed at the good-natured ribbing and there were a few “woo’s” near the teacher.

M. Harprele leaned over to Mme. Mendeleiev. “Jean’s a good entertainer. He’s the perfect choice to host. He’s making the subject interesting and accessible.”

The science teacher was very proud of her student. She was glad to see his inherent enthusiasm properly channeled. “I’m glad you think so, Fred.”

“Well, what if I told you there was a way to make your old clothes fashionable again so you can save money?” Jean grinned as he heard the collective “huh?” of the assembled. “And by doing so, you could help keep good clothes out of landfills and make yourself look amazing in the process? Would you like to know how?”

“Yeah!” roared the crowd.

Jean tipped his hat to them. “Good to know. The process is called ‘upcycling’, according to the talented Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, and it is a form of recycling that must be seen to be believed. Taking old clothes that are still in reasonably good condition and turning them into something new and cool. Would you like to see this practice put into action?”

“Yes!” responded the crowd.

Jean pointed to the assembled. “Good to know! Well, just ordinary everyday clothes might be good enough for a normal class, but we here at Triple-R, that’s ‘Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle’ by the way, aren’t normal.”

“No, you’re not!” responded someone from M. Fabron’s class.

The MC blew them a kiss and went on. “So, this is Paris. A city that thrives on high fashion. A city that also has a pest control problem. Some weirdo in a mask is sending butterflies all over the place. Unfortunately, he’s not as harmless as Kim.”

“Ha ha...hey!” Kim cried out.

“Sorry, Kim. You’re a great athlete. But anyway, as I was saying; we have a villain problem. But fortunately, we also have heroes!”

Everyone cheered and Jean smiled. “Now, we all know how great Ladybug and Chat Noir are…”

The audience clapped wildly and the boy onstage waited for them to quiet down before continuing. “So this fashion show is not about them.” There were groans of disappointment but Jean held up his hands and they subsided. “There are some amazing heroes that deserve the spotlight just as much as our spotted heroine and her feline partner. So!” He turned away from the crowd and gestured towards the slowly parting curtain behind. “Presenting for the first time anywhere, the premier fashion line of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the ‘Heroes of Paris Collection’ !”

*****

The crowd applauded as the stage lights came on and the music flared to life. Beyonce’s Girls (Who Run the World?) played from hidden speakers as Aurore Boreal strutted down the runway in her yellow and black ensemble.

“First up is our vivacious Aurore, modeling an outfit inspired by Queen Bee!”

The weather girl put a little extra sway in her hips as she walked, doing a little spin as she reached the end of the runway. Her long twin tails were accessorized with bee-shaped combs and black ribbons spiraled around her hair to look like stingers. She wore a bee pendant and gold bracelets, all donated by Mireille. Gold framed sunglasses hid her eyes. She opened the long yellow and black cardigan Bellamy made to reveal the yellow top and black and yellow striped shorts.

“Aurore is wearing a black and yellow cardigan, hand-knitted by our very own Bellamy Collette, over a short sleeved silk shirt and satin bee-striped shorts. Bee accessories generously loaned to us by Mireille Caquet and shoes refurbished by our designer.” The model held up the cute bee shaped purse and showed it off to the crowd.

“This purse was hand-knit by Bellamy yet again and placed over a worbla frame for structures. Don’t worry, there’s an FAQ about worbla on the back of your flyer if you’re interested. Fun fact; both the shirt and shorts began life as a couple of nineteen fifties house dresses. They’ve been given new, fashionable life by the amazingly creative designer Marinette Dupain-Cheng and her staff.”

Chloe looked over the outfit Aurore was wearing with a critical eye and felt a stab of envy. If it weren’t for that ridiculous overcrowding problem Dupain-Cheng would still be in their class and she could have been modelling that admittedly on-trend ensemble. Sure, the clothes were used, of all things. Vintage, if one wanted to be charitable but her formal rival had good taste in clothes for other people, if not for herself.

Adrien nudged her shoulder. “Pretty cool, huh?”

The blonde flicked her hair back and hmphed. “It would have looked better on me.” Sabrina was too busy taking pictures to agree or disagree.

Aurore posed for the audience one more time and turned and headed backstage.

The music changed from the hip-hop of Beyonce to the classic rock sound of Bryan Adams. The song sounded vaguely familiar; “Get Off My Back” from the movie “Spirit” soundtrack.

“Or maybe instead of spring or summer fashions, you’re looking for the perfect autumn ensemble? I have it on good authority the equestrian look will be all the rage this fall so why not capitalize on the trend with this high-fashion riding outfit inspired by Pegasus?”

Both Max and Markov perked up after hearing his superhero name and the AI began recording.

Adrien turned to Chloe. “Is the equestrian look really the hot thing for fall?”

Chloe was texting her mother. “It is now.”

Mireille glided down the runway, her movements weren’t as confident as Aurore’s but still graceful. She wore her hair in a high faux hawk with a pair of sunglasses perched on her forehead. The old brown jodhpurs had been fitted to her body and little horseshoes and wings were embroidered up the sides and ended in low-heel riding boots.

Jean resumed his commentary. “Our dear Mireille is ready for a gallop in the country or an outing with friends. These jodhpurs have been hand embroidered by Mlle. Marinette in a horseshoe and wings pattern.”

Mireille reached the end of the runway and struck a pose while the audience clapped in approval.

“Notice the lovely bronze frog enclosures on the military style jacket, adding a bit of shimmer and flair. Now, when our lovely model turns around,” Mireille obediently turned her back towards the audience, who reacted with awe. “You can see our designer was given full rein,” even Adrien groaned at the pun. “Notice the horseshoe pattern done with topaz rhinestones and the wings on the shoulders. Don’t worry, my conservation friends, those feathers are cloth.”

Mireille did one more turn and had the courage to blow a kiss to the audience, who applauded and whistled.

“Yee-ha! That’s one feisty filly!” The audience groaned again but Jean didn’t seem to mind. “Well, we’ve seen two ensembles featuring amazing girls’ fashions but what about us guys? Where’s my guy representation?” The audience murmured their agreement. “That’s right! But before we bring out our next model, I have an important question for you all:”

“What does the fox say?”

The speakers blasted the novelty song by Ylvis and Curtis danced down the runway, waving his hands and encouraging the student body to dance along with him.

Brielle groaned and put her head in her hands. She hated that song with the fire of a thousand suns. She glared at Maison. “I can’t believe you let Curtis use that song. It’s an assault to decent music,” she growled.

Maison raised his hands over his head and gave her a wide-eyed look of innocence. “It was the song he wanted and Viv promised me total autonomy when it came to music.”

The deputy class rep ignored him and went off to find Bellamy, hoping he’d brought the first aid kit and some painkillers.

The parkour enthusiast continued to dance at the end of the runway while Jean described his outfit. “Our athletic Curtis likes to move and groove but still likes to dress to impress that possible special someone. And honestly, who’s foxier than Rena Rouge?”

“Nobody!” Nino bellowed.

The tall redhead posed while winking and blowing kisses. “He’s wearing a casual summer shorts suit made from some old work coveralls. Note how his fox-eared beret matches the suit perfectly. Let your eyes take in the double-breasted vest with matching cloth buttons paired with some long formal shorts. You’ll also notice the pockets on the vest have black fox paw prints on them. The white shirt with a high collar has orange buttons on it to coordinate with the suit. Now when Curtis turns around,” the boy did so, “you can see the tails of the vest. Fox tails, that is. The white satin was taken from an old dress and adds a little color contrast to the burnt orange.”

Curtis gave the audience a little bow as they applauded and Jean called out, “he’s single, everyone!”

The assembled laugh as the tall boy blew one more kiss before heading backstage. The MC hoped his homeroom teacher didn’t kill him.

“Well, we’ve seen daywear and nightwear, so it must be time for some swimwear. Right, folks?” Jean could almost imagine Brielle digging his grave right about now.

The audience cheered obediently. Jean mentally shrugged and figured he only lived once so he should make the most of it. “Let’s bring out our next model, in an outfit inspired by Carapace!”

More applause from the crowd as the original TMNT song began to play.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Heroes in a half shell! Turtle power!”

Brielle leaned against Vivienne and began to sing, “I am gonna kill Duparc now. I am gonna kill Duparc now. I am gonna kill Duparc now. No court would convict me. Murder power!”

Viv sighed and gave her friend a reassuring shoulder squeeze. “Come on, it’s possible Ondine requested that song. You don’t know that it was Jean’s idea.”

Maison overheard them and called out, “Yes it was!”

The two blondes sighed and promised themselves they could have a long cry on Saturday.

Ondine was trying to walk slowly and carefully but found herself bouncing along to the beat as she made her way down the runway. She at least managed not to giggle as she beamed towards the audience.

Kim spotted his girlfriend immediately and began to whoop. “Yeah! Ondine! That’s my girlfriend! You’re doing amazing, sweetie!”

The swimmer gave her boyfriend a little wave before posing.

Jean began describing Ondine’s outfit. “Sun’s out? Guns out! Our resident mermaid Ondine is ready to hit the pool or the beach in this cute sleeveless coverup. An old sweatshirt has been converted into an A-line swimsuit dress in a custom ombre dyed pattern.” Ondine turned around to show off the back. “I’d like to draw your attention to the underwater mosaic on the back, done in abalone and mother of pearl beads with a few cowrie shells and some paste gem ‘bubbles’. The attached hoodie,” Ondine raised the hood to show off the turtle eyes silk screened on it, “keeps the sun off your face. Now with all that build up, I bet you all want to see the swimsuit?”

The student body yelled and clapped in agreement. Jean turned to the red haired model. “Ondine, if you would do the honors?”

The athletic girl nodded and unzipped the dress to show off the one piece bathing suit. Jean continued his narration.

“This cute little tank began its life as a gymnastic leotard but with a few adjustments it’s now guaranteed to get you noticed for more than just your swimming form. It’s been silk-screened with a lovely sea turtle.” The audience oohed and clapped. “Speaking of turtles, you’re going to need a shell to keep your towel, wallet and sunscreen, right?” He tossed a backpack at Ondine, who caught it in one hand and held it up for everyone to see. “No problem! This knitted turtle backpack with worbla frame, a joint production of Bellamy and Zayan, holds all your swimming essentials while still looking stylish.”

Somewhere in the audience Alya poked Nino. “You’d rock that fox suit,” she winked.

The DJ kissed her cheek. “Not as much as you’d rock that turtle swimsuit. Rowrr.”

Ondine slung the backpack over her shoulder and headed to the back. Jean held two fingers to his ear and pretended he was receiving a message. “Uh oh! Looks like we have a dragon loose in the building! I bet it’s Ryuko!”

Before anyone could panic or even react, a very familiar song from a nineties anime began to play.

“Dragon! Dragon! Rock the dragon! Dragon Ball Z!”

Adrien’s jaw dropped as he spotted the girl in red making her way down the runway, slashing at invisible opponents with her shinai as she did so. The crowd gasped in awe as they took in the Japanese girl wearing something other than her school or fencing uniform.

“Wow,” Adrien stared at the girl onstage. That color looked incredible on her and her bare arms showed off her streamlined muscle tone. The crop top displayed her well-developed abs and the blond model hoped he wasn’t staring. He’d always thought she was pretty but seeing her showing off her kata made his eyes widen and his mouth go dry. He tried thinking of Ladybug but that just made him feel uncomfortably warm as well.

Nino noticed where his best friend’s attention had gone to and snickered. “Looks like your girlfriend is winning over the crowd.”

Adrien tried to sound angry but just sounded defensive. “She’s not my girlfriend,” he told the DJ but his best friend just smiled and gave the blond a sad shake of his head.

“Whether you’re doing yoga, crossfit, or defending the Earth from aliens, this workout gear has you covered. Literally. Our fierce Kagami is ready for anything in her asymmetrical crop top with a ribbon hem and matching yoga pants. Hard to believe it now, but this used to be a full-body leotard until it was upcycled by Marinette and transformed into what you see today. Note the dragon scale pattern on the top and ribbon and the black dragon winding its way up the right leg of the pants.” Kagami reached the end of the runway and balanced on one leg while she held the sword over her head. The crowd roared their approval and she gave them a thin smile.

“And how do you like Kagami’s horns?” Kagami tilted her head towards the crowd so they could get a better look. “Those are headphones in disguise, so you can listen to your exercise mix. Plus, the pants have a media pocket,” Kagami stuck her hand inside it, “so you can carry your phone, keys and at least one Dragon Ball with you to the gym.”

The Japanese girl lowered her leg, bowed to her fellow students and turned on her heel to loud whoops and clapping.

“Hmmm…” Jean pretended to contemplate. “You know, I don’t think we’ve brought out anything you could consider party clothes, have we?” The audience murmured a negative. “Nope, not really. And I’ll bet no one knows how to party like King Monkey!”

“No way!” Kim yelled out.

“I would have to contradict you and answer in the affirmative,” Max piped up.

“No...I mean...it’s really cool that Marinette designed something based off...a one-time hero,” Kim corrected himself.

Max smiled as he thought of his two outings as Pegasus. “Indeed. I’m sure all of the temporary heroes would be flattered to be remembered. Truth be told, those creations are very fashionable.” He pushed up his glasses. “I wonder if Marinette could be persuaded to upcycle an old dress of my mom’s.”

Kim chuckled. “I’d ask her now before every celebrity and fashion house comes knocking.”

“I have Marinette’s contact information in my database. I’d be glad to email her on your behalf,” Markov told his creator.

Max smiled in appreciation. “Thank you, Markov. Please do.”

*****

Brielle sighed in relief after giving Zayan the thumbs up to go out on stage. “At least Zayan is level-headed and sensible. I don’t have to worry about him picking out any weird music.”

Beastie Boys’ “Brass Monkey” began to play and Maison raised an eyebrow at his classmate. “Are you sure about that?”

Brielle just put her blanket around her shoulders and contemplated her life choices.

Zayan sauntered down the runway, a rare smile on his features. This was probably the first time he’d appeared before a crowd without a mask or power armor on. It was nerve wracking but also thrilling. Seeing how many attractive girls were staring at him didn’t hurt his vanity at all.

“Our suave man about town Zayan is ready for a high-society party, a wedding, or any event where one has to look debonair and handsome. This dapper evening jacket was once a sherwani but has been tailored to fit and some leather accents on the shoulders and pants make the look less ‘traditional wedding’ and more ‘rich bad boy’. The pockets on the jacket leave your hands free for dancing and see all that embroidered red and gold scrollwork? Our amazing designer came through yet again.”

“This outfit makes a statement,” Zayan turned around so the audience could see the Chinese characters on the back. “And that message is, ‘Son Wukong was here’. Yes, that’s right! The Monkey King himself! Thanks, Zayan.”

The Muslim boy gave the crowd a respectful salute and walked away.

Even though the audience was enjoying themselves immensely, Jean was a tiny bit nervous. He hadn’t heard from Brielle yet about Marinette and he wasn’t sure whether or not to end the show with an apology or a showstopper.

*****

Marinette sat in the makeup chair and tried not to fidget as Alicia’s older sister worked on her hair. She couldn’t believe she’d allowed her new friends to talk her into doing something so crazy. Her, a model? Impossible! She was going to faceplant in the middle of the runway. She was going to trip and crush someone in the audience. She was going to ruin everyone’s hard work and lose their respect.

The noirette wished she could talk to her kwami right now. Tikki always knew what to say to make her feel better. Probably something about believing in herself and having confidence. Bellamy would offer tea and sympathy. Vivienne would tell her not to psych herself out. Kagami would tell her not to hesitate.

She was so busy catastrophizing she didn’t hear the older girl say she was done or Alicia slipped into the room.

“Imagining the worst case scenarios again?”

The designer was getting used to Alicia’s ninja powers so she barely jumped. “You’ve been here the whole time, haven’t you?”

The violet haired girl shrugged. “Actually, I just got here. I saw someone paying their karmic debt today so I wanted to send some pics to my email address and print them out when I get home. Your basic makeup was done but I wanted to know if you wanted anything special like Jean.”

Marinette just shrugged. “You know more about that sort of thing than I do.”

Alicia left the shadows and sat beside the smaller girl. “Still nervous, huh? I’d take your place but we’ve already altered the dress to fit you and I’d rather run across campus in a bikini than be on stage.”

The pig tailed girl laughed at the unlikely image. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to let everyone down by not modeling but-”

“You wouldn’t be,” Alicia assured her. “No one would make you do something you didn’t want to do. They’d feel bad if you felt pressured on their behalf to do something that made you uncomfortable.”

The young designer felt some of the tension in her shoulders and back ease. “Thanks. I needed to hear that.”

The violet haired girl surprised her by grinning. “Hey, you don’t have to be the Everyday Ladybug all the time. Even heroes need a break and support. Maybe even a hug.” She gave the other girl a stern look. “I don’t do hugs but I will go find Bellamy for you.”

Marinette smiled. “Thanks but I’m all right.” She sighed and said a bit wistfully:

“Ladybug and Chat Noir make it look so easy, don’t they?” It made it easier to talk about her superhero persona if Marinette treated her like a different person. “Show up, crack some jokes, summon a lucky charm and swing away. I’m...not cut out for that,” she admitted. “Not like them. I can’t even tell the boy I like how I feel without babbling like an idiot.”

“I can’t relate but I’m sure they have their own flaws and problems,” Alicia told her.

The noirette laughed but her heart wasn’t in it. “I wish I could wear a mask in everyday life.”

Alicia grinned in sympathy then froze as she thought about what the other girl had just said. She started to gather up some cosmetics her sister had borrowed from work.

“Well, maybe you can. Trust me and be very still.”

*****

Jean checked his watch, glanced towards the backstage area and gave a dramatic sigh. Surely he would have heard something by now. He decided to close the show.

“You know, folks,” he admitted, “we were supposed to have another ensemble to show you all, a real showstopper, a true climax to all the amazing outfits we’ve shown you tonight.”

The crowd made sounds of interest and he continued.

He shook his head sadly and told them. “Well, the person who was supposed to model got a little stage fright. Not their fault! It happens to the best of us!”

The audience sounded disappointed and a few “awwws!” were heard.

“And our poor little designer...you know those artsy types...they’re sensitive. She had an itsy-bitsy nervous breakdown or seven and fainted. Recovered, fainted again, had some tea, feels a lot better now. So now that the drama is over, I’d like for you all to meet our designer, our star, Marinette Dupain-Cheng-” he looked one more time towards backstage...and saw Brielle, who gave him a smile, a thumbs up and a scowl, in that order. “As the mysterious, muy caliente Multimouse!”

Jethro Tull’s “And The Mouse Police Never Sleeps” played over the speakers and everyone eagerly looked at the petite girl about to make her way down the runway.

Marinette felt a moment of blind overwhelming panic, then thought of Alicia showing her the “mask” she’d made for her out of cosmetics.

I’m not Marinette, I’m Multimouse.

I’m Ladybug.

Hawkmoth can’t scare me, no one here can either.

The designer took a cue from her superhero persona and strode down the runway. She was proud and capable. One day she’d lead a super team to protect Paris and the world.

Maybe today’s the day we grow up?

Marinette lifted her chin a little higher, looking calm and regal. She didn’t feel all the eyes on her. She didn’t even care. Her heart wasn’t pounding. She never even trembled. Adrenaline surged through her.

I can do this!

*****

Bustier’s class had been impressed (and some were secretly touched) by all the superhero themed outfits so far. A few even wondered how much Marinette would charge them to make them something special. They joked that they should ask her now before she was too famous.

Then they saw her come out onstage.

They’d all known their former classmate was very pretty but now she shone. Like a star, or a princess. She wasn’t clumsy or uncertain; she was a young woman who knew what she wanted and how to get it. She could rule them all.

Her eyes swept over them as she stood at the end of the runway and struck a regal pose.

*****

Adrien was so awestruck the only thing he could think of was, Now I know why so many guys have had crushes on her.

Marinette was pretty cute, even when she was clumsy and embarrassed. Today she was stunning and royal, as beautiful as any girl he’d ever seen.

He remembered the surprise he felt when he found out his shy little classmate had been Multimouse. Seeing her model a dress based on her alter-ego was ten, no, a hundred times better. She was so confident, even serene. There was something in her eyes that struck him, something that reminded him of his Lady. That calm determination when she figured out where an akuma was hiding or she planned their defeat. He was very glad he was sitting or otherwise he might have collapsed.

She’s just a friend. She’s just a friend. She’s interested in Luka, not you.

“Wow…” he heard Nino say.

“She...she’s,” Chloe stammered.

“Gorgeous!” Alya breathed.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Chloe muttered under her breath but couldn’t find anything to criticize the noirette about.

The student body held their collective breaths, spellbound by the girl onstage.

Marinette put one hand on her hip and turned slightly to the left and then to the right to show off her creation. Her hair was in space buns at the back of her head and tied with grey and black ribbons. Her silver sandals were laced up her legs with pink ribbons and the cosmetic “mask” brought attention to her bluebell eyes.

The crowd listened silently as Jean described the heroine-inspired dress. “This lovely cocktail dress would not look out of place at a movie premiere, high society gala, or the Cannes Film Festival. The silver wraparound bodice is embellished with pink and white seed pearls and onyx beads, then embroidered with tiny mice. The belt is from an old bomber jacket and is festooned with paste gems. And that skirt is three layers of sheer tulle in black, pink, and grey and then lattice smocked to make a cool pattern.” He laughed at the audience’s confusion. “I don’t know what all these sewing terms mean but let’s just say it makes the skirt look super fancy.”

“What you might be asking ‘Can you dance in this fancy dress?’” Jean asked the crowd.

This was it. She and Viv had been practicing for weeks. She’d done before as Ladybug, it was Multimouse’s turn.

In front of a thousand eyes Marinette did a perfect backflip and did a “ta-da!” pose.

The reverently silent audience shot to their feet and burst into applause. Some even stomped their feet and Kim and Alix wolf whistled at their friend.

“Mari! Mari!” Adrien began to chant and then Alya and Nino did so as well. Soon the whole school (sans perhaps M. Damocles and Mlle. Bustier), were chanting the name of the young designer. Even Chloe joined in without Sabrina urging her to.

Marinette felt a great swell of pride and relief as she looked over the audience. She would never in a million years she’d be standing before a crowd giving her a standing ovation and chanting her name. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to cry or pinch herself so instead she gave the audience a bow and then Chat Noir’s famous two-fingered salute. With a blown kiss to the crowd and one to Jean, she pivoted on her heel and headed backstage.

#fic #new class #marinette deserves better #lila salt #bustier salt #damocles salt #mendeleiev sugar

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soap-lady · 4 years

Text

Aw, sh*t. Here we go again.

Hello!

This chapter isn’t as long as Ch 7 but I hope you like it.

Shout outs as always to @vixen-uchiha, @g-arya for moral support and my fabulous(ly busy) cowriter @arylace

Taglist is now closed. Repeat: Taglist is now closed

Chapter Eight: “We’re gonna need a montage!”

If Friday and Saturday brought rosy fingered sunrises and pleasant weather, Sunday was a cloudy, gloomy mess.

Only the skies were cloudy. The gloom was provided by, of all people, Rose Lavilant.

Marinette appreciated being invited aboard the Liberty for Sunday brunch with the Couffaines and Rose but also felt a bit nervous. She hadn’t been in the same class with Juleka and Rose in a week now and although she still considered nearly everyone in Bustier’s class to be her friends, she wasn’t sure how close she was to them any more. She’d have to wait to hang out either after school or on the weekends but her new classmates were also becoming her friends as well. Maybe she should ditch Adrien’s schedule and draw up one for herself so she could spend as much time with both friend groups as possible.

She could hear Luka playing below decks on his acoustic guitar and she felt the tension in her shoulders eased as her body relaxed. Just hearing her guitarist...friend play made her feel comfortable and not as burdened. Then again, it could just be she didn’t feel the weight of everyone’s expectations crushing her as bad as she used to. The thought made her feel disloyal even as she enjoyed the sensation. Her friends appreciated everything she did for them, didn’t they?”

The noirette shook her head to clear her thoughts and made her way to the aft deck. There she found it even messier than usual. Piles of balled up pieces of paper lay strewn about, being neatly sorted by Juleka. Rose sat on the stage and listlessly wrote on a legal pad. After ten minutes she would look at what she wrote, grimaced, and balled up the sheet before tossing it onto one of Juleka’s piles.

Marinette stood quietly for nearly fifteen minutes before clearing her throat to get the two girl’s attention.

Rose was the first to notice her. Her eyes looked a bit red from crying but if she and Juleka were having relationship issues she wouldn’t be hanging out onboard she would have gone home. Her usually bright eyes and cheerful expression were absent and the pall over her was almost palpable. The designer wondered if the group project was what had the sweet angel so depressed. If so this was partially her fault for suggesting Rose be the class playwright, but she just couldn’t imagine anyone else doing a better job.

“Hey, Rose,” Marinette approached the blond pixie. She stared at the deck boards and said reluctantly, “you look...uh…”

“Horrible. That’s the word you’re thinking of, Marinette.” Rose’s voice was almost as gloomy as her expression. “I'm a hack writer who shouldn’t be allowed to write as much as a commercial for the rest of my life.”

“My girlfriend is out-Emoing me. I don't know what my place in life is any more.” Juleka spoke up for the first time and sighed at Marinette until a thought hit her. “Do I have to be...the Prep now?!” she asked in a terrified whisper.

“Worse...the Perky Prep,” the noirette replied and then shook her head so the tall Goth girl would know she was joking.

Juleka sagged with relief. “Good. It took me a long time to build up my goth rep. I’d hate to have to give it up.

“Marinette?” the pixie looked at the designer, hope shining in her eyes. “I know you’re not a writer but you’re still really smart. Can I ask you for some advice?”

The pig tailed girl hedged. “Is it about your group project?”

Rose nodded and if possible her enormous eyes got even bigger.

Still the designer hesitated. “I thought we were supposed to keep the details of each project to ourselves. After all, won’t your play be better if we’re surprised?”

The pixie sighed and Marinette could swear she saw a cartoon rain cloud appear over the tiny blonde’s head. “At this rate the play won’t even be written!”

The designer’s first instinct was to think her blonde friend was exaggerating; Rose was pretty excitable, but she didn’t want to discount the girl’s feelings either. She sat down next to the pixie and asked gently, “Why don’t you tell me where you’re stuck where you’re writing and we can go from there? I promise anything you say about your project will remain between me, you, and Juleka.” Marinette raised her right hand as if swearing an oath. “Think of this conversation as a verbal non-disclosure agreement.”

Rose nodded. Her parents were lawyers and they’d been discussing a possible contract with Bob Roth Records. She looked at the noirette with hopeful expectation; as if she alone could solve all of Rose’s problems. Marinette felt the uncomfortable weight of expectations return and she realized that’s how she had felt in Bustier’s class all the time. She also realized she hadn’t missed it.

“I...can’t write this play for you, but I’d be glad to give you some pointers,” the noirette told her friend cautiously. “I’m sure all you need is a hint here and there and you can come up with something amazing all on your own.” She smiled at her friend, who smiled back. Feeling a bit relieved, Marinette continued, “so, what’s your play about?”

“Well…” Rose hedged and looked at Juleka for support. “Hawk Moth,” Juleka mumbled, “we’re doing a comedic play about Hawk Moth.” At Marinette’s look of confusion and concern she elaborated, “we decided to do a play that acts out his secret villainy. You know…’A Day in the Life’ sort of thing. We thought it would be funny for the people of Paris, and our class in particular to portray him as this pathetic loser we should laugh at instead of being afraid of.”

The designer blinked, impressed. “That’s...a very good idea.” She imagined the villain stomping around his lair, yelling at his butterflies and ordering Mayura. “I mean, you’d have to be careful to be tasteful and sensitive to people’s feelings but that could be very funny and cathartic to some people.”

“That’s what we thought at first too,” Juleka replied. She looked over at her girlfriend and frowned in concern. “But…”

Rose sighed. “But…” she hesitated.

Marinette waited patiently for her friend to continue. Juleka walked away from the reject piles to sit beside her girlfriend and hold her hand in unspoken support. Marinette smiled. They had such a supportive relationship it almost made her jealous.

Rose kissed Juleka’s cheek and continued, taking strength from the tall Goth girl’s presence. “But...you know...most of our class has been akumatized.” She shivered and Juleka wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I can still hear him, in my head. He’s whispering all sorts of mean things I should do and he makes it sound so reasonable. He acts like it’s your choice but it really isn’t.”

The designer took Rose’s other hand. “I know what you mean. When I was expelled and the scarlet moths showed up, I could hear him in my head too. I don’t blame you for being scared. If writing this play is making you relive your trauma, you shouldn’t do it.” That sounded like something Ladybug would say so Marinette felt confident in saying it.

“We could go to Mlle. Bustier and suggest we either change the play or do another project,” Juleka suggested.

The noirette was stuck by sudden inspiration. “Or...why not shift the focus of the play?”

Rose blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Marinette went on to explain. “Okay, so the play is still about Hawk Moth but he’s no longer the main character.”

“So...who would be?” Juleka wanted to know, “Mayura?”

“Exactly!” the noirette replied, pleased her friend had caught on. “It’s now Mayura’s secret diary and all about how difficult it is to work for the Villain of Paris.” For some reason an image of Gabriel Agreste looking stern and displeased about something flitted through her mind. “To everyone else he’s mean and scary but to her he could be this hard to please boss with lots of hidden insecurities!”

Juleka chuckled to herself and laid down on the stage, hand to her forehead. “Dear Diary. It’s been exactly a year since my boss put on a ski mask and decided to terrorize Paris to get his hands on some magical jewelry. Every time he’s defeated by a girl in spandex and a furry. I think I need to find a new job.”

Marinette laughed so hard she nearly fell over then sat up straight. “That’s perfect!” She pointed at Juleka then looked at Rose. “That is exactly how you should write Mayura. As some depressed, put-upon assistant who has to deal with some psychopathic manchild and her way of coping is being a deadpan snarker.”

The blond pixie stared at her so hard the noirette was afraid she’d made the wrong suggestion until the tiny girl squealed with glee and hugged her designer friend. She pulled away and hugged her girlfriend as well. “That’s...that’s perfect!” she exclaimed and grabbed her notepad. “Mayura isn’t scary and having her make fun of her own boss will make it okay for me...and the audience...to laugh at him as well.” Rose wrote at least three pages before looking at her friend. “Thank you, Marinette. You always make everything better, just by being you.”

Juleka sat up and gave the designer one of her rare warm smiles. “Yeah. You’re awesome.” She sighed and looked down. “Things in class aren’t bad, but it’s just not the same without you there. I’m sorry the school had to move you.”

The noirette just smiled, grateful to be missed and appreciated. “Thank you, Juleka. It’s just...something that happened. It doesn’t mean we have to stop being friends. And my new class is pretty nice!”

“What about Mme. Mendeleiev?” Rose wanted to know. “Is she nice too?”

Marinette tried to find the right words to describe her new homeroom teacher. “She...might not be as overly friendly and outgoing as Mlle. Bustier, but she cares about her students. She’s strict but she’s fair and her class has even come up with ways to help people calm themselves if they feel angry or upset. They talk out their feelings to help prevent becoming akumatized. Don’t get me wrong, Mlle. Bustier’s meditation techniques are great but so is thinking about the problem logically and coming up with a solution.”

“You sound pretty happy,” Juleka told her wistfully. “I guess it would be selfish to ask you to come back if we could switch you with Nathaniel or something.”

“Well...if that’s what Nathaniel wanted, I would at least think about it.” Marinette laughed nervously. “I can’t say I miss being in the same class as Chloe after four years. And it’s a relief to not be class rep any more, especially with this group project. I need the spare time to design. “

Neither of her friends pressed her further and she was glad they were letting the subject drop. She truly loved all her friends but she didn’t love the pressure they had put her under. It was partially her own fault for not putting her foot down when she felt overwhelmed but she wished they would ask her if she was okay more often. Like Bellamy or Viv did. “So...what’s it like being in a class with Kagami?” Juleka asked after a few minutes of companionable silence. “I’d think it’d be kinda awkward to have your love rival in the same class you were, right?”

“Not as much as you would think.” Marinette was pleased with the change of subject but wished the Goth had picked something less uncomfortable. “Kagami and I are becoming friends. We even sit at the same workstation.”

“Oooh!” Rose looked at Marinette with interest. “Does becoming friends with Kagami mean you’re not in love with Adrien any more?”

“Does this mean no more Girl Squad meetings at eight am on a Saturday?” Juleka teased.

The designer huffed. “You can be friends with your love rival, you know. It doesn’t mean I care any less about Adrien because she and I are friends now. It does mean I’d be just as happy for her as I’d be for myself if he chose her. It also means no more hostility like with Chloe.” She still felt ashamed of how she’d tried to sabotage Kagami and Adrien’s date out of jealousy. What had she been thinking, teaming up with Chloe? Adrien had the right to live his own life, even if he moved to Japan.

“That has to be a relief,” Rose offered.

Marinette nodded. “It is. Kagami is a good person and she genuinely cares about Adrien. She’s not just pursuing him because he’s rich or famous.” Unlike some people. “Don’t get me wrong, it would still hurt, but at least I know he’d be with someone who likes him for himself.”

“Awww!” Rose cooed and hugged her friend. “That’s so wise and selfless of you!”

“It’s pretty cool,” Juleka agreed.

The designer just laughed. “Hey, don’t get me wrong. I’m not giving up on Adrien just yet. I’ve just realized I don’t have to be jealous of Kagami because we like the same boy. No guy is worth hating someone.”

“What about Chloe and Lila?” Juleka’s tone was gentle but Marinette couldn’t help but feel stabbed and a bit betrayed.

“I…”

“I bet Lila could introduce you to another boy,” Rose offered. “Someone just as cute and famous and nice as Adrien. Maybe if you two were better friends…”

Juleka cleared her throat and eyed the submarine door leading below deck.

Rose’s hands flew to her mouth. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean anything by it! Luka’s wonderful. He’s cute and sweet and sensitive, talented, a great listener…”

Marinette just smiled, trying not to blush as she thought of Juleka’s empathetic and very attractive older brother. “Well, yeah, Luka’s all of those things and more. But to be honest...I don’t have much time to think of romance for the next few months. Not if I want my class’ fashion show to be as good or better than the completely fantastic play I know Rose is going to write!”

Rose just laughed. “Oh, you’ll come up with something amazing, you always do. In fact,” her big blue eyes turned mischievous. “I’ll bet you that your show will be just as good as our play. If I win, you have to go with us and Luka to get ice cream at Andre’s.”

“And if I win…” Marinette thought about it for a minute. “I want you to write a Kitty Section song about...me! Just kidding. My parents’ twenty-first anniversary is coming up soon. I think they’d love a Rose Lavilant original song.”

Juleka raised a brow. “Your dad likes hard rock?”

“My mom does!”

Rose held out her hand. “You’re on!”

The two girls shook hands solemnly and then giggled. This group project could be a lot more fun than they thought, especially with a friendly wager to spice things up.

***** The first two weeks passed by in a blur. Fabron and D’Argencourt’s classes assembled their costumes (supplementing their flea market finds with a few pieces borrowed from M. Harprele’s troupe) and began rehearsing; one class in the gymnasium, the other on the basketball court in the middle of the school. Various other classes claimed both the Art and the Drama room and Bustier was able to snag the auditorium just minutes before Mendeleiev could request it for her own students.

“Surely they don’t need it day and night, Aristotle,” Mme. Mendeleiev tried to argue with the principal. “I’m sure if Caline and I put our heads together we could easily work out a schedule where we could share the workspace between us.”

“Yes, well, under normal circumstances you would be correct, Demeter. But her students need the room for set building, rehearsal space, and the like. Plus, there is always the damage of...er...sabotage,” Damocles finished awkwardly, parroting the lie told to him by Bustier (made up by Lila, no doubt.)

Mme. Mendeleiev got uncomfortably close to the principal and pinned him to the way with her ice blue eyes. “You mean to tell me, Aristotle, that you are of the notion that any of my students would sabotage the hard work of another class?”

“Well...Demeter...surely not all of them...but! You have a known troublemaker in your class now and Mlle. Bustier is concerned that…”

“Ah,” Mendeleiev pretended to understand, “I see exactly what you are talking about. You’re implying Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a young woman who has been in this school for four years without incident has somehow morphed into a delinquent in a matter of months.”

“Well…” Damocles’ self-confidence began to wane in the face of the science teacher’s tranquil fury.

“And you have come to this egregious hypothesis due to the actions of one student, a student who claims to have been absent from school for months due to an overseas trip. This trip has not been verified by contacting the child’s mother. She also claims to have a variety of ailments not verified by either her mother or a medical professional.”

The principal struggled to defend his position. “The child has a condition that causes her to-”

“Lie uncontrollably. So you’ve told me,” Mendeleiev glared at her colleague, completely unimpressed or convinced. “I’ve done a bit of research, Aristotle and could find no such disease. There is a mental condition known as pathological lying, which seems much more likely. It would also mean anything the student said would be immediately suspect and should be carefully investigated.”

“Now, Demeter, be reasonable,” Damocles tried to say but was cut off.

The science teacher took several calming breaths and stepped away from the principal. “As usual, I see that I am on my own to deal with issues caused by other parties. Your hypothesis is invalid, Aristotle.”

“But-” Damocles had the distinct impression he’d been outmaneuvered.

“Good day,” Mendeleiev turned on her heel and sauntered out of the principal’s office, leaving the man confused yet impressed.

***** “And there you have it, students,” Mendeleiev said heavily as she looked around at the disappointed faces of her students. “There isn’t an unused space big enough for us to create Marinette’s fashions. The only space we have is the classroom itself.”

“It’s not your fault, Mme. Mendeleiev,” Marinette tried to reassure her teacher, who was clearly disappointed on her students’ behalf. “This room is big enough to get everyone’s measurements at least.”

“But not big enough to haul in sewing machines and our clothing pieces,” Viv pointed out, practical as always. “Plus we can’t be sure we won’t have to deal with saboteurs either.” The class rep trusted Bustier’s class about as far as she could throw them. “I’d offer my home gym but unless I find a way to move all my equipment out, there still won’t be enough room.”

Everyone drooped with disappointment until Mireille timidly raised her hand.

Mendeleiev noticed and called out, “Yes, Mireille?”

The shy young girl put her hand down and pitched her voice only a tiny bit louder than normal. “My boyfriend Theo has a studio. Well, his parents own the studio,” she blushed. “He rents it from them and works odd jobs to keep the lights on between sculpting jobs.”

Finally, some good news. Bellamy turned to Mireille. “Is he doing any sculpting at the moment? Do you think he’d let us use the space?”

The girl nodded. “I’m pretty sure. He doesn’t have anything going on right now. I could ask him for a favor, considering this project is twenty percent of our grade and I know he doesn’t want me to fail.”

Marinette remembered Theo as the boy who created the fantastic Ladybug and Chat Noir statues. He was also akumatized as Copycat when she failed to attend the unveiling. The young sculptor also had had a crush on Ladybug. Fortunately he’d gotten over it just in time to notice what a lovely and sweet girl Mireille was. He and Luka attended the same lycee, a school known for its art program. The noirette was grateful for the lucky coincidence and made a mental note to give Tikki an extra large cookie for dinner.

*****

“This...is...perfect!” Bellamy looked around Theo’s studio. Marinette tried not to wince as she saw the life sized drawing of her alter-ego still up on the wall.

“Look at all this room!” Viv did a foreward cartwheel just because she could. “We could get up the sewing machines over there and have the clothes stores over there.” She pointed to various parts of the room. “I talked to the drama teacher and he’s loaning us a clothing rack his class isn’t using at the moment. We can keep the completed designs on it.”

“Um...Theo?” The designer approached the older boy warily. She was mostly sure he wouldn’t recognize her but there was always a chance his artistic eye would pick up on the similarities between her and the spotted hero. She didn’t even change her hairstyle for kwami’s sake!

He just smiled at her politely, no recognition in his eyes. “Yes? Uh…”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Nice to meet you,” her smile was relieved and polite, pretending he was just the boyfriend of her classmate and not a former akuma victim. “I’ve seen your work in the park. It’s amazing!”

The older boy turned pink, from embarrassment or pleasure she couldn’t be sure. The designer pretended not to notice. “Thanks for letting us borrow your studio like this. It’s a huge help.”

Theo just shrugged modestly. “It’s no big deal. I don’t have any big projects going on right now and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to help Mireille.” He gave his girlfriend a fond smile, making her giggle and blush. “All the other classes are hogging the work space,” Brielle told him bluntly. “Plus we can lock this place up without having to worry about a rival class messing with our stuff.”

The artist frowned sympathetically. “Mireille told me you had a few new students and one of them had come from what she referred to as ‘The Akuma Class’.” He looked straight at Marinette. “That’s you, huh? According to Mireille,” he put his arm around the petite girl’s waist. “You had a lucky break, getting away from those guys. Mendeliev might be strict, but at least she doesn’t allow bullies like Chloe Bourgeois to get away with whatever they want.”

“Ah, yeah,” Marinette tugged on one of her pigtails nervously and looked at her feet. She’d rather not be reminded of her time being stuck with Chloe but didn’t want to be rude.

“Marinette’s our designer,” Mireille quickly but gently changed the subject. “She came up with the idea to alter existing clothing into totally new fashions! It’s called ‘upcycling’ and we’re all going to be wearing outfits inspired by the heroes of Paris.”

Theo looked interested. “Oh? You mean like Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

The noirette was glad he didn’t seem to hold any ill-will towards her or her partner. “Actually, I decided to go with the temporary heroes, like Carapace and Rena Rouge, some heroes that haven’t gotten the spotlight like Ladybug or Chat Noir but still deserve it.”

“Plus everyone would expect you to feature those two so using the temporary heroes as your headliners is both original and exciting.” Theo gave the young designer a thumbs up. “As an artist myself, I approve. I can’t wait to see what you come up with. I may not be a student at Francois Dupont any more but I hope you’ll at least let me see the completed outfits.”

Marinette nodded. “Absolutely. It’s the least we can do after all your help.”

The artist grinned. “Well, I just hope you plan to make something amazing for Mireille to wear.” He hugged his girlfriend. “Hey, do you have a web page?”

The noirette brightened. “Yes, I do! I just started one to show off my designs. I also take commissions, but I’m suspending them until after the contest.”

Theo nodded his approval. “Smart. It’s good you know how to plan ahead. You know, I do some photography too. If you like, I can take some pictures of the outfits once they're done, with your models of course for your website. I just ask to be credited and that you include a link to my Instagram. It’s a good way to advertise both of our services.

Marinette looked back at Vivienne and Brielle for their permission. The two blondes just shrugged as if to say, “It’s your decision” and the designer turned back to Theo, hand outstretched. “Sounds like a good deal to me.”

He took her hand and shook it. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to hear a little more about this upcycling and what kind of design are you planning for Mireille.”

*****

Meanwhile, Mlle. Bustier’s class was also hard at work; Kim and Ivan built sets, Nathaniel and Alix painted backdrops and Juleka helped Ivan and Rose compose when the latter was available. The blonde playwright finished the script within three days and all she would say when asked was she was visited by “inspiration” aboard the Liberty.

Alya and Sabrina also kept busy, either as production assistants (Sabrina was the only person who could deal with Chloe’s diva moments) or filling minor roles such as akumas. Alya also assisted Nino when she had the time and kept the young director from having a breakdown.

“You know, for someone who’s relaxed and chill most of the time, you’re very serious when you’re in that director’s chair,” the journalist told her boyfriend. “In fact, it’s kinda sexy.”

“Really, babe?” Nino gave the blogger what he hoped was a seductive wink and the two made a date to play Super Penguino after school.

Chloe was doing what she did best; bossing people around and charging things to her father. Rose and Juleka had mysteriously acquired some costume designs and the mayor’s daughter hired a small army of seamstresses to make them all. Juleka and Rose refused to tell where the designs came from and Chloe pretended not to notice how amazing yet familiar the designs were. However witnesses claimed that if the blonde and the noirette saw each other in the hallways they at least managed to be civil. Marinette was pleasantly surprised and Chloe’s respect for the other girl went from negligible to almost noticeable.

Adrien was having the time of his life playing the over-the-top Hawkmoth to Mylene’s subdued but snarky Mayura. The two played off each other very well and were glad to have another chance to work together after the Horrificator fiasco. The model enjoyed stomping around the stage, crying over his assorted failures and raging ineffectively. In contrast Mylene was the voice of reason as the put-upon assistant and the two had such a good time working together it hardly seemed like a group assignment at all, just a good chance to hang out with friends without his father’s reprimand. It also did his inner Chat Noir good to get out some of the frustrations he had with the villain.

Max and Markov did a great job keeping everyone on schedule; taking breaks when needed and helpfully supplying lines if someone forgot theirs. Somehow the two of them had managed to convince Chloe to pay for craft services so that everyone would have snacks while they worked. She had even gone the extra mile and had the catering done by the Dupain-Chengs and delivered by Luka and Theo, giving the two boys some much-needed extra cash.

Mlle. Bustier was thrilled class harmony was back at last, even though it was at the expense of her former star pupil, her favorite student for the past two years. Well, she couldn’t have the girl calling out a fellow student as a liar, could she? Marinette had refused to befriend Lila, an almost unpardonable sin as far as the young teacher was concerned. The poor dear had so many medical issues caused by her charity work and rescues that she deserved a little extra care and attention.

In her heart of hearts Caline missed the noirette’s bright smile, her bubbling personality, even the little wiggle she would do when especially excited. The girl made being class rep look effortless and did such a good job as the class example the teacher barely had to lift a finger. That had all changed when her little star had allowed herself to become jealous of such an accomplished young woman. Marinette had plenty of talent and charisma; her bad attitude was unwarranted and so, although it hurt Caline to do it, the child had to go.

Well, it had all worked out for both teacher and student. The girl was thriving under Demeter’s watchful eye and although she hadn’t taken up a leadership role like she had under Bustier at least she wasn’t disrupting class. Truly Bustier had done what was best for everyone involved.

She felt a tiniest twinge of guilt; not for transferring the young designer but for taking the best spot in the school to work on the group project. Her class needed the space for rehearsals and set building and while she might have been able to work out a sharing schedule with Demeter she really couldn’t risk it. Lila had come to her privately and shared her concerns. Even though the noirette was happy with her new class and building new relationships while still being friends with Bustier’s students, there was a chance she was faking. Marinette could be holding a secret resistance towards her former teacher, her class, and the girl she thought had taken her rightful place; LIla. The Italian girl worried that if they shared their space with the other class there was a chance the designer could sabotage the play. Perhaps she would even recruit Mendeleiev’s class to help her. If the two classes weren’t sharing space then Marinette wouldn’t have the opportunity or temptation for vandalism.

But Marinette spent a lot of time and effort assigning roles everyone would enjoy, the teacher’s conscience whispered. She took into account everyone’s strengths and gave them jobs according to ability. She even made the play a comedy so Mylene wouldn’t be afraid.

Yes, but what role did she give Lila? Her paranoia argued. A mere supporting role? That proves Marinettte is jealous of the girl for no reason.

Well, has Lila ever mentioned being in a play? Do you know if she has any experience like Mylene does? You can’t expect a mere teenager to know everything. Lila knows plenty of celebrities and has done lots of important things. Surely she would deny Mylene the right to star. She’d probably cheer her on and wish her good luck.

Well, what’s done is done. Everything was going so perfectly, Caline wasn’t going to bother to change anything unless she had to.

*****

Everything was going so well for Bustier’s class as a whole. Everyone was having so much fun getting ready for the play and looking forward to their parents attending and the event being live streamed and uploaded to the school’s website by Alya for parents who couldn’t attend. All the students had been given an important role and would have a chance to shine.

Who wouldn’t be thrilled by the opportunities hand selected for them by their sweet, thoughtful friend, Marinette?

Lila Rossi, that’s who.

Really, a supporting role? Her and not that dumpy little Mylene? Oh sure, the girl had more experience, some would even say talent but those people had never seen Lila. She had the face and body that deserved to play the lead. The Italian couldn’t believe her teacher had folded so easily when that other class rep said no to auditions and they would play the parts assigned and that was that. Ugh. Bustier was so easy to manipulate but Lila hated it when someone else beat her at her own game.

She hated Mendeleiev’s class even before Mari-brat had joined them. The science teacher demanded doctor’s notes or a meeting with her mother before she would make special accommodations. Lila could provide neither and the steely-eyed woman would reject any attempts at forgery; she’d even threatened Lila with detention if she ever tried “such blatant falsehoods in her class again.” God, she hated that woman.

All the goody-goodys in her class just made it worse. They had two celebrity students compared to Bustier’s one (Adrien of course) and were a lot harder to impress. Any time she tried to make up lies to win them over they’d pull out their phones and Google her name, feigning surprise when they found nothing. If it weren’t for the fact Bustier’s class was so gullible she’d have no admirers at all.

She always had the impression that class looked down on her because they always shot her down when she tried to tell them about her fabulous (read: made up) life.

“Pics or it didn’t happen,” Vivienne told her after Lila mentioned saving Jagged’s cat.

“Yeah, no. I’m going to need to see some receipts, please,” Brielle brushed off her story about Clara Nightingale

Even Bellamy, a cute boy referred to as the “Mom friend” gave her a “I’m not mad, just disappointed” look every time he saw her on the way to the cafeteria.

Well, she didn’t need their admiration but she noticed they held sway with other classes for some reason, as did Marinette. Something about the pigtailed girl being such an amazing leader or something, who cared. Every now and then she’d notice the open contempt other classes gave hers and even a whisper of “Akuma Class” now and then. That was hardly her fault. Most of her class had been akumatized before she’d ever joined, many because of something Chloe Bourgeois did.

She wasn’t the problem. It was all someone else’s fault. Chloe’s fault.

Chloe and Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Lila didn’t think it was possible to hate someone as much as she did Marinette. The girl wasn’t nearly as pretty as herself but at least two boys in Bustier’s class used to have crushes on her. Now she was receiving presents from admirers who had been waiting for her to leave “The Akuma Class” so they could ask her out. Her new class liked her immediately, even that Ice Queen Tsurugi.

That wasn’t the half of it! She was even more popular with her own class now! Any attempts to smear her good name were quickly thwarted by Adrien, who was all but mooning over her. Neither Rose nor Juleka would hear a word against her. The entire class thought she was wonderful and sweet and giving and talented.

Mari-brat made her feel things she hated; fake, untalented, unimportant.

Inferior.

Well, no more. She was going to upstage and outshine that baker girl. Her class couldn’t work on their project anywhere on campus and had to find space elsewhere. That made it harder to spy on her but not impossible. She’d have to find where they’d set up and ruin them somehow. The clever little merdas didn’t make it easy for her to follow them; they’d all take different routes to wherever they were going. Trying to get Nathaniel to try and get information out of Marc was no good. The tomato head used to have a thing for Marinette and his boyfriend credited the noirette for getting them together. No one else in Mendeleiev’s class would even talk to her. Ondine told Kim the class had signed a non-disclosure agreement and she couldn’t even tell her boyfriend without risking legal action. That could be a lie or the truth but the jock wouldn’t risk getting his broad shouldered sweetheart angry at him.

Well, who cared about whatever rags Marinette tried to pass off as fashion? She’d go back to her original plan and be the star of the play. All she had to do was steal it from Mylene. Fortunately she already had Bustier under her thumb.

*****

“Mlle. Bustier?”

Lila had waited until class was over and everyone was out before approaching her teacher. Bustier looked up and her and the smile on her face faded into concern. “Lila? Have you been crying?”

The Italian girl was very proud of herself. She had real tears in her eyes, created by pinching herself as hard as she could. The faux crying was having the desired effect; the redhead looked prepared to give her anything to keep her happy.

“What is it, Lila? What’s wrong?” Every now and then...just every now and then Caline wondered if she’d traded the wrong student. Lila was certainly high maintenance compared to Marinette but the teacher was certain she was the kind of instructor a sensitive girl like Lila needed, not Demeter. Lila pinched and twisted the sensitive skin near her wrist to make herself cry in earnest and made it look like she was wringing her hands in dismay. Her teacher’s look of concern intensified and she decided to turn her performance up a notch.

“I can trust you, right, Mlle. Bustier? You won’t repeat anything I say to the class? I’d hate to upset anyone.” At her teacher’s nod she continued.

“I just...feel singled out. Everyone is doing just amazing work; and I’ve been practicing with Matthew Geczy and I think I can play a wonderful Mayura. I’m not trying to take anything away from Mylene, of course.” She said with a self-pitying laugh. “Mylene is amazing, but…” Lila bit her lip and her eyes pleaded with her teacher.

“But…?” Bustier prompted gently, believing every word.

The Italian girl sighed. “I’m...very sensitive to the thought of being presented as an akuma. I mean, I was akumatized on my very first day here, not a great first impression I know. I was akumatized again when Marinette got angry with me because she had the mistaken idea I was lying to the class. Yes, I have a lying disease. I’m not proud of the things I say sometimes. It makes me feel like they're making me the bad guy on purpose.”

Bustier was almost there. She was almost exactly where Lila wanted her. All she needed was one more final push and Lila would get her way again. “Mayura isn't an akuma and I think I might feel better playing her rather than an akuma.”

The woman was frowning thoughtfully and Lila could tell she was teetering on the edge. She gave the redhead a sad little smile and made herself look as pathetic as possible. “You could at least ask Mylene if we could switch parts, couldn’t you? It never hurts to ask, my nonna used to say. She worked with Sophia Loren. They even roomed together until she introduced my nonna to my nonno.”

Mlle. Bustier sighed and the auburn haired girl knew she’d won. “All right. I’ll ask Mylene if she would be willing to swap roles. But!” Bustier interrupted before Lila could thank her. “I want Mylene to be your understudy in case you have any hearing issues or your arthritis acts up, all right?”

“Oh, thank you thank you thank you, Mlle. Bustier!” Lila grabbed her teacher’s hand with both of hers and shook it in gratitude. “You won’t be sorry, I promise. I’ll be the best Mayura I can and make you proud!”

The teacher pulled her hand away, embarrassed at the enthusiastic show of gratitude. She felt a bit ashamed to take such a plum role away from Mylene; she was doing so well as Mayura. But poor Lila might only have this once chance to be a star, whereas Mylene would have several. It couldn’t hurt just this once.

The Italian girl left the classroom and waited until the hallway was clear to grin triumphantly. Mylene was a sentimental pushover and would easily be persuaded to step aside for poor brave Lila. She’d just given the performance of a lifetime to Bustier so starring as Mayura next to Adrien would be easy.

I always get what I want. You’re next, bel regazzo.

*****

As predicted, Mylene kindly but reluctantly allowed Lila to take over her role as Mayura. Many in the class applauded the curvy girl’s generosity but not as many as LIla expected. Clearly she was losing control over the class.

She tried her usually effective crocodile tears. “I can’t thank you enough, Mylene. You’re so kind!” She took one of the shorter girl’s hands into hers and gazed into her eyes, trying to look sincere and grateful. “I promise to do the best job I can so you’ll be proud of me.”

Mylene slumped but she managed a weak smile and gently pulled away before going back to her seat. For some reason she remembered the hateful way the Italian had looked at Adrien and Marinette as they cuddled in their sleep aboard Star Train. She tried not to let the inner turmoil appear on her face. Lila didn’t miss the way Ivan glared at her, or Rose and Juleka’s distrustful expressions. Adrien just looked at her with cold, cruel anger. She’d deal with him later.

Chloe was displeased and let everyone know it. “Uh...excuse me, but I would have liked to have been informed about the cast change earlier, being the producer and bankrolling this whole production.” Her haughty eyes bore into the red haired teacher. “This throws the whole budget out of whack.”

Mlle. Bustier tried to placate the mayor’s daughter. “Surely you could just have Mylene’s costume adjusted to fit Lila, couldn’t you?”

The blonde twisted in her seat and looked from Lila to Mylene. Turning around she laughed in her teacher’s face. “You’re being ridiculous. Not only are not the same height, they’re not even the same body type. No. A whole new costume will have to be made for Rossi and I doubt I could ask Daddy for another advance. Mommy says I’m being too nice to everyone as it is. Looks like from now on everyone will have to make due with cold cuts and water bottles or just bring their own lunches.”

There was a collective groan from the class and nearly everyone glared at Lila.

She tried the tears route again. “I’m causing problems for everyone aren’t I? Maybe I should just shut up and be an akuma instead!”

The Italian looked at Mylene expectantly and the girl with multicolored braids sighed and told her. “It’s fine, Lila. Right, guys?”

The class muttered their agreement but clearly they were just saying it to be polite. They’d change their minds once they saw her onstage. She would be spectacular.

Lila leaned over and whispered to Adrien once the teacher’s back was turned. “I guess we’re starring in the play together now. Looking forward to working with you.”

The model didn’t say anything but leaned away before the auburn haired girl could touch him.

Not for long we’re not.

*****

That day’s rehearsal was, in Adrien’s admittedly biased opinion, a complete disaster. Mylene was too disheartened to play a believable akuma and Lila was...well. Her acting style (if one could call it that) reminded him of Vincent; completely over the top. Unlike his photographer Lila didn’t have a tenth of Vincent’s talent or work ethic. She was borderline rude to the rest of the cast and demanded frequent breaks under the pretense that “her arthritis was bothering her”. She was ten times the diva Chloe had ever been but the blonde didn’t manipulate people into feeling sorry for her. Adrien could feel his teeth grinding together. He missed working with Mylene; her Mayura was deadpan and snarky and she was always professional.

The girl also wouldn’t stop touching him, even when he pulled away. Nino had to bellow “Cut!” and separate the two.

“Lila, what are you doing?” The normally easy-going DJ was becoming exasperated.

The Italian was all wide-eyed innocence. “But aren’t Mayura and Hawk Moth a couple? I wanted to show that with my acting.” She sidled up to Adrien again, who backed away.

Nino groaned and pulled his cap over his eyes. “No, Lila, they’re not. Not as far as anyone knows. Even if they are, that’s not what our play is about.”

“But-” she tried to argue, “can’t we change the script?”

Rose approached her and looked almost ready to cry. “Don’t you like my writing, Lila?”

Lila hesitated, worried she’d look difficult in front of her class. “I just think it needs a little tweaking. A little nuance?”

“Lila,” Chloe was watching her phone while Sabrina painted her nails. “Actors don’t have script approval. It was in the agreement everyone signed, remember?”

Damn, she had to sign it to be in the play. “Well, I’m sure no one would really mind a few small changes…”

“Actually,” Markov spoke up, hovering beside Max. “Changes to the script are possible if ninety percent votes in favor of said change.”

Max looked over a physical copy of said agreement. “Confirmed,” he agreed.

Adrien shrugged. “Okay, let’s vote. All in favor of making Hawk Moth and Mayura a couple raise your hand.” Only Lila and Alya raised their hands. “All in favor of keeping Rose’s amazing script just the way it is?” Everyone, even Chloe, raised their hands. “Okay! We’re keeping the script as is. Lila, I’m going to have to ask you to back off a little from now on, please.”

He gave her his fake model smile and hers was just as false. She pretended to concede gracefully when all she really wanted to do was slap his perfect little face. That wouldn’t go over well, neither with the class, nor her employer.

Ah, yes. M. Agreste. It was high time she had another little talk with her employer about his son’s behavior.

*****

To say that Adrien Agreste went home in a bad mood would be vastly understating his current emotional state..

Lila had in less than a few weeks; gotten Marinette placed in another class, stolen Mylene’s role, and tried to change Rose’s script as an excuse to hang all over him.

There was a word that described his current emotional state perfectly, a word he learned from Nino.

Pissed.

In England, the term meant “very drunk” but in America, where Stephen Basilberg lived, it meant “angry to the point of being enraged.” That was exactly how he felt at the moment.

He was slightly consoled that most of the class prevented her from getting her way this time but he was disappointed in Mlle. Bustier for allowing Lila to steal Mylene’s role for whatever bogus reason the Italian thought up this time.

The model knew the situation was partly his fault for insisting on the high road. He mistakenly thought keeping silent and going easy on Lila would help her. He should never have given Marinette such awful advice. Even if he didn’t want to confront the girl and risk her becoming an akuma, he could have talked to his classmates and told them about the lies. He also could have talked Alya into taking down the video she had posted on the Ladyblog after witnessing Ladybug say Lila wasn’t her friend.

He enjoyed working with Mylene. She was sweet and sensitive and loved to help others. But when she was playing Mayura she was snarky and witty; he could easily see her as a put-upon supervillain sidekick. It was kind of fun making two people who seemed determined to make his life miserable suffer on stage.

He couldn’t change the past but he could make sure Lila wasn’t rewarded for his actions. He would talk to his father or Nathalie (who would consult with his father) and step down from the lead role. He wondered what excuse he could give his father to let him do so.

As it turned out, he didn’t have to.

When he came home from school, Nathalie was waiting for him just inside the door. She looked calm and stoic but her lips thinned into an disapproving line.

“Adrien,” she greeted him once the door was closed, “your father would like to speak with you.”

The boy didn’t even have to fake his shock. “Is everything all right?”

She turned towards his father’s office door rather than answer. “I think it would be better if your father told you himself.”

“Um, okay,” he answered and made his way to his father’s office. Nathalie accompanied him and shut the door behind her.

His father didn’t look up as he came in but did save what he was working on so he could give the discussion most of his attention. “Adrien.”

The blond ducked his head. “Father.”

“Your Chinese tutor called today. He informed me that your attention has been slipping slightly. Your piano teacher says that although your technique is excellent your playing has become somewhat mechanical.” Gabriel looked up and at his son, arctic eyes piercing. He tried not to notice how much his son resembled his beloved wife and tried to look stern. “Would you care to explain why?”

It was almost too easy. Adrien sighed and tried to look exhausted. It was an easy feat. “Well, Father, it’s because of this group project my class is doing.”

Gabriel looked at his assistant then back to his son. “Nathalie mentioned this. She told me your class is doing an original play written by one of your classmates.”

The blond nodded. “Yes, Father. We’re doing a comedic play about Hawk Moth. I’m playing Hawk Moth and Lila is playing Mayura.”

Nathalie's expression changed to one of utter disgust when she heard Lila was playing the peacock-themed villain but the look was gone so quickly Adrien couldn’t be sure he saw it at all. When he looked at his father’s assistant out of the corner of his eye she had schooled her features back to their usual stoicism. Adrien was perplexed; did she have something against Lila, Mayura, or both?

The model decided to ignore what he thought he saw and continued on in the same exhausted tone. “We’ve been spending time making props and rehearsing lines and since Hawk Moth is the focus of the play it’s a big part. I don’t think I can do justice to the role and do my best in my extracurricular activities. I’m thinking of stepping down and letting someone else have my part while I take a lesser role. The project is twenty percent of our grade for the year but I don’t have to star in the play to get a good grade.”

Gabriel nodded his agreement. “I should say not.”

“Besides,” Adrien sighed, “I’m not completely comfortable starring in a play about the Villain of Paris.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, confused. “Elaborate.”

“Well…” his son began, “what if Hawk Moth hears about it and gets angry? What if he comes after me? Or you? Not only has he akumatized you, he’s had akumas who targeted you as well. I don’t want to think about what could happen to you, Father.”

Adrien didn’t even have to pretend to be scared. He had nightmares about what could happen to his father, Nathalie or the Gorilla if Hawk Moth found out who he really was and decided to take revenge on him through his loved ones.

What he said must have worked because his father managed what was for him a brief, reassuring smile. “You needn’t worry about our safety, Adrien. That’s why you have a bodyguard and home defenses. Nathalie will speak to your teacher about your stepping down. She should have no objections considering all of your activities benefit your future.”

The blond’s smile was relieved and genuine. “Thank you for understanding, Father. I’ll do my best to improve my Chinese and piano playing.”

Gabriel’s face was once again stern. “See that you do. You have an early morning photo shoot for the athleisure line. An all-male shoot, I think. The advertising department has discovered the “boy band” look is in again. We should capitalize on the trend while we can.”

“Of course, Father.” No posing with Lila, nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah. “I’m going to go practice my piano before my Chinese tutor arrives.”

The designer was already back at work. “See that you do.”

Adrien waited until he was safely in the privacy of his room before doing a little happy dance.

Plagg zipped out of his pocket. “Not bad, kid. You got your father on your side and thwarted that little pest, all in one fell swoop.”

The boy grinned. “Thanks, Plagg.”

He must be a better actor than he thought.

*****

When Lila called her employer to whine about his son not cooperating with her on a class project she received a very unwelcome surprise. It turned out that Adrien had already discussed the assignment with him and they agreed that the play had been detrimental to his extracurricular activities.”

“But, M. Agreste-” she tried to argue but was coldly interrupted.

“Mlle. Rossi, you are my employee. It is your job to look out for my son’s best interests, not to question me. Am I understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Remember, your modelling career depends on staying in my good graces. Am I understood?”

Lila felt chilled by the man’s tone of voice. She had to tread carefully or all her plans could be ruined. Working for M. Agreste could mean great things for her future but not if she made him angry enough to fire her.

“I...I understand, sir. I’ll remember my place.”

“See that you do. Goodbye.”

He hung up and she cursed under her breath. Adrien’s little rebellion could ruin her plans. Perhaps she’d try a little subtlety.

***** Lila didn’t get a chance to formulate any plans because as soon as she got home she had to start learning all of Mayura’s lines so no one would have an excuse to take away the part she had rightfully stolen...earned.

She was tired and not at the top of her game when she got to school so she missed Marinette and her super happy lovely new class going off to their secret headquarters. She also got a bit of a shock when she arrived at the auditorium and Adrien wasn’t there.

“Oh, he had an early morning photoshoot,” Bustier told her when she asked. Lila didn’t have to pretend to be surprised. “But...that’s impossible!” she insisted. “No one called and told me we had a photoshoot today.”

“Well, it’s not important, Lila. Just take your place. Kim is Adrien’s understudy so he’ll be glad to rehearse with you today.”

“But-” the Italian tried to argue and was just as successful with her teacher as she had been with her employer.

“What’s the matter, Rossi?” Chloe taunted. “Is the part too hard for you? Maybe you should give it back to Mylene.”

Lila gritted her teeth and gave her producer a sickeningly sweet smile. “Of course not, Chloe,” she simpered. “I’d just hate to start my new relationship with Adrien off on the wrong foot.”

She could swear she saw Chloe’s eye twitch when the blond said, “Relationship?”

“Professional relationship,” Lila clarified, looking innocent. “But Hollywood is full of stories of actors who fell in love on set. History repeats itself, you know.”

“A relationship!” Chloe sputtered out as she began to laugh wholeheartedly, it was the type of laughter that none of the students in Mlle Bustier’s class had ever heard before. The laughter was sharp and vicious, clearly mocking the Italian. “Oh Sabrina, take a picture of her, I need it when I show Adrikins.”

Dutifully the redhead got out Chloe’s phone and snapped a picture of Lila’s incredulous face, before the Italian got the message and schooled her face into shock and hurt.

“Oh listen here Rossi, I’m Adrien’s best friend.” Chloe began speaking with a bright smile.

“Debatable.” Nino called out from his director's seat. “I’m clearly the best bro.”

“I have entire albums of baby pictures of us two, and I know all his darkest secrets and can blackmail him for the rest of his life. Bite me, Lahiffe.” Chloe snapped back at Nino, going as far as sticking her tongue out to the capped boy. “As I was saying, as Adrien’s best friend, I know his type.” She thought about the time she caught him mooning over a picture of Ladybug and secretly applauded his good taste. “You are not it.”

“Aren’t you also after Adrien too Chloe?” Alya asked with a frown, ready to defend her friend.

“I haven’t met anyone who is worthy of my Adrien.” Except maybe Ladybug. Chloe deadpanned with enough sass to let Lila know she was unworthy in the eyes of the mayor’s daughter. “Besides, this isn’t Hollywood. Adrikins has enough experience dealing with social climbers to know how to conduct himself. Or did you guys become blind when you saw Adrikins pulling away from Rossi yesterday?”

Chloe’s question was met with silence. No one could say anything that would contradict what the blonde heiress was saying. Which only made Chloe’s smile widen, and Lila hated Chloe Bourgeois a bit more than she did in the past. Nowhere near Mari-trash’s level of hatred. But the blonde knew just how to flaunt what she had, and unlike Lila, Chloe Bourgeois did have connections, money, and status as a socialite that Lila didn’t have. For now.

“I didn’t do it to make him uncomfortable, I was just trying to show Hawkmoth and Mayura’s relationship with my acting.” Lila said, tearing up with a well placed pinch.

“Yeah, the non existent relationship, like the one you have with Adrikins now. I mean, I read the script. Rose didn’t do a bad job.” Chloe snarked with a giggle.

“Guys, that’s two compliments for two different people. Chloe Bourgeois complimented Marinette and now Rose!” Nino blurted out rushing over to Mylene. “Am I dreaming? Do I have a fever?”

“Not the point, Nino!” Chloe hissed with an embarrassed blush. Ladybug’s influence was clearly rubbing off on her, not that she would admit it out loud.“Kim, as Adrikins understudy your job is to be Hawk Moth. I am going to make a note to have another costume made, in case Adrikins has to drop out. So I’ll get your measurements by the end of the day. Brina?”

“Here you go.” Sabrina chirped, giving Chloe her phone back as the blond seemed to be typing something over on her phone with a smirk.

“Well, Lila, it’ll be fun working with you.” Kim spoke up walking towards Lila while Nino was taking advantage of an embarrassed Chloe to antagonize her a bit more. Probably over Adrien’s friendship would be Kim’s best guess.

*****

It was after lunch before Adrien joined his class in the auditorium. Chloe tried to greet her oldest friend but was beaten to it by Lila. “Adrien,” she cooed as she tried to grab his arm, “you didn’t tell me you had a photoshoot this morning.”

“That’s because it was none of your business!” Adrien replied cheerfully. “It was an all-male group shoot, so we didn’t need you.”

He strolled past her and slung an arm around Chloe, who threw a look of triumph at the fuming girl over her shoulder.

“Can you help me round up the class, Chloe?” he asked his friend. “I have a quick announcement.”

*****

The class gathered quickly after they heard their friend and lead actor was back. The class chatted among themselves, wondering what he wanted to tell them.

Bustier clapped her hands to get her students’ attention. “Everyone! Adrien has an announcement to make.” Her voice sounded resigned but accepting.

“Guys, I’m sorry to do this, but I have to step down as lead actor,” Adrien told his friends. “I can still be in the play as a supporting role. Besides,” he looked at his understudy, “Kim knows my part just as well or even better than I do. He’d make a perfect Hawk Moth.”

“What?!” Lila gasped before she could stop herself. “Why?”

“It's taking up too much of my time and I’ve been letting other things slip.” He gave Nino an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, dude.”

Nino was disappointed but accepting. Besides, he had a feeling Adrien’s old man was behind this decision. “You gotta prioritize. Right, bro?”

“Right, my dude,” the two boys shared a fist bump.

Chloe just smirked, watching Lila fall into despair. The blonde hoped Adrien enjoyed the picture of Lila she’d sent him. She appreciated Adrien taking the time to text her the night before. She knew part of the reason was he was afraid of how she’d react in public after Lila took Mylene’s role and messed up Chloe’s carefully balanced budget. The blonde couldn’t help but be pleased her oldest friend trusted her with the information over his so-called “best bud”.

Bustier was less than happy with this latest cast change but M. Agreste’s assistant had explained the situation to her, along with her employer’s expectations and there was nothing else the teacher could do. Besides, Lila acting was...rather outgoing compared to Mylene’s more subtle approach and Kim was very...flamboyant. The two new leads would compliment each other perfectly.

Meanwhile Lila was becoming more and more agitated at being repeatedly thwarted. She knew she could be in danger of being akumatized but she didn’t care. She could have accepted a butterfly right in front of Bustier’s face and the teacher would believe her if she claimed she did it to save anyone else from being akumatized.

She waited but no little black butterfly appeared. Now even Hawk Moth was ignoring her.

Fine. Adrien didn’t want to be her villain? She could make do with Kim and the model would come crawling back when he saw what a success the play was. Everyone would.

After all, how good could Mari-brat’s little designs be?

*****

Meanwhile after a few hiccups beyond anyone’s control, Mendeliev’s class’ preparations for their fashion show were running with pristine efficiency. Vivienne and Brielle kept everyone organized and Bellamy made sure everyone, especially their designer, took regular breaks and ate healthy snacks.

Marinette and Bellamy took everyone’s measurements and then the noirette showed the class her completed designs based on the clothing they’d found at the flea market. Everyone oohed and aahed appropriately and then the hard work began.

Marinette did most of the complicated sewing with Bellamy’s help while Zayan did some basic stitching. Nearly everyone learned to use a seam ripper and took lessons from Zayan on how to shape worbla for the purses and turtle backpack. Everyone helped with trimming excess material or carefully removed sleeves and other excess material, all of which was carefully set aside for other projects.

The head designer and assistant designer took breaks to embroider and knit respectively so Alicia led a workshop on silk screening, to everyone’s surprise and delight. The quiet girl beamed with pride as she showed Curtis how to make a little fox pattern on a scrap piece of fabric.

The designer’s eyes sparkled with an idea. “You know, I think the backstage crew deserves special shirts of their own. We don’t have the time for complete outfits for everyone but what about some Hawaiian shirts silk-screened with different patterns? Maybe with the animals the Miraculous are based on?” She looked over her classmates. “Turtle for Bellamy. Snake for me. Fox for Bri. Bee for Marc. Maison would be a good fit for Pegasus.”

“Oh!” the boy exclaimed happily, “with little horseshoes and wings?”

“Exactly,” Marinette confirmed. “Alicia would rock as a tiger. She’s the Queen of Stealth.”

“Yeah, I am,” Alicia shrugged modestly.

“And...” she looked over at her teacher.

Mme. Mendeleiev was just as caught up in the excitement as everyone else. “What about me?” she asked.

Marinette thought about it. She couldn’t think of a Miraculous animal that fit her teacher, but she knew what would.

“The molecular formula for gold!” she exclaimed. She turned to her teacher. “What else would suit a scientist like you?”

“And you’re the gold standard as far as teachers are concerned,” Curtis piped up.

Mme. Mendeleiev didn’t say anything at first but everyone could tell she was touched. “Thank you. I quite agree.” Everyone cheered but Alicia quickly brought them back to Earth. “I didn’t want to say anything earlier but me being quiet and stealthy helps me get around school without being noticed.”

Everyone looked at her and she flushed from all the attention. “Anyway, I heard some rumors that one of the other classes...I’m not saying who...might decide to try to sabotage our show.”

“Probably Bustier’s,” Viv muttered under her breath.

“Class, let’s not add to the rumors, we have no proof,” Mendeleiev interrupted sharply.

“She’s right,” Brielle agreed and everyone slumped.

“That isn’t to say we won’t take sensible precautions to protect everyone’s work,” the teacher’s thin smile was a bit sly.

“Any ideas?” Viv asked the class.

Everyone thought about it. “I once made a box trap to keep my diary safe,” Marinette volunteered.

“I’m good with puzzles. I’ve beaten fifteen different escape rooms.” Brielle told the class.

“Hey, I’m pretty good at building things. If you ladies come up with a trap design I can make it for you.” Zayan said.

“That gives us a place to start,” Vivienne agreed. “We still have money in the budget for the Hawaiian shirts plus some extra. It wouldn’t be that expensive to buy a little security camera so we can catch whoever tries to mess with our stuff.”

“My dad works for a security firm at a department store. He told me they fill these anti-shoplifting tags with non-toxic but very staining ink. We could get something like that so if someone does spring the trap they get sprayed with ink and the camera would tell us who it was,” Maison added. “Hey, maybe add a few more traps if the first trap doesn’t stop them. Something that would hold them until we got there.”

“Okay. Project Ink Trap is a go,” Brielle decided.

“Great ideas, guys but let’s put off the trap making until tomorrow,” Bellamy decided. “We have a lot more work to do today. Ondine, let me teach you how to sew a hem.”

The tall swimmer walked over to the blond boy. “Happy to help!”

#fic #new class #marinette deserves better #lila salt #bustier salt #damocles salt #mendeleiev sugar

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