Denise grunts a bit as they do another pull-up. "So, is it a date, or what?"

"Or what," Kim sighs. He grabs a barbell and begins his second set of curls while Marcelle warms up by the punching bag, getting in a few practice swings.

After doing a slight schedule change a while back, the three discovered that they all went to the same gym and began to make a habit of working out together. Denise would get in a full body workout, Kim strengthened his muscles for any upcoming swim meets, and Marcelle practiced her kickboxing. All the while Simon kept watch to make sure none of them were overexerting themselves and to get a front-row seat of Denise working out.

"Mari, Nino, Alya, and Adrien are all going, too," Kim continues. "So it's probably just a group thing. Besides, does a zoo really seem like the best romantic spot?"

"Hey, don't say that. Hell, if people tried hard enough, they could make a literal dump the equivalent of a fancy restaurant." With the last set done, Denise lets go of the bar and heads over to a bench where Simon is waiting for them with a towel and a water bottle. They take the water bottle with a grateful smile.

"Denise is right, Kim," Denise translates for Simon before taking a few sips of water. When they're done, he signs again. "I took them to an aquarium last month and it turned out to be one of our best dates."

Denise smiles fondly at the memory. "We saw two sea turtles kiss. It had to be one of the cutest things to happen there."

Simon signs, "Well, that and when the dolphin kissed that baby." He and Denise gush, completely forgetting about Kim and his qualms, now obsessing over the dolphin. Marcelle, overhearing their conversation, rolls her eyes at the display. No one is ever going to catch her being that sappy around someone. "It was so fucking cute! The dolphin just booped her little nose. "Any wider, and his lips may just split down the middle from smiling so much.

"See? Moments like that make me change my mind about having kids," Denise squeals. "I wanna have one, then I'm gonna take them to the aquarium, and pray they get their nose booped by a dolphin! God, I need that in my life so bad!" The couple continues to gush and fawn over the memory, only to remember how they got to the subject in the first place when Kim clears his throat, and he and Marcelle throw the two unimpressed looks as he towels off his sweat.

"Right." Simon looks embarrassed. "So, a date? Not a date? What's going on?"

"Probably not a date," Kim answers solemnly. "I don't know, guys. What's going to happen if I go there, dress all nice, and expect Max to flirt with me or I try to flirt with him? Then all he does is just spout the chances of a zebra escaping a leopard or something. I don't feel like getting my hopes up and then getting all mopey around my friends on what's supposed to be a fun day out."

Marcelle throws one last punch at the bag. "Okay... I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told Marc when he was having his own boy troubles a while back... If he ain't into you, screw him, 'cause you're a badass. Feeling better?"

"... Not really."

"What I mean is, you're hot, you're athletic, you love cute animals, your eyeliner is always on point, you have an amazing singing voice, and a big-ass heart," Marcelle lists rather bluntly. "And if Max can't see all of those amazing qualities in you, then he isn't worthy of your love! So, get dolled up when you get home, wear the most kissable shade of lipstick you own, and find an outfit that'll wow the guy! Do you hear me?!" Her shouting has gathered the attention of most of the gym. A few women and some guys cheer before going back to their workouts. "See? They all get it."

Kim ducks his head a bit in embarrassment from the attention Marcelle just gathered. While she could have worded it in a different tone, she's right, as much as it pains him to admit it. If Max doesn't show any interest in him no matter how much he puts himself out there, then there are other people. Of course, it will make the squad dynamic a little awkward when they're in the same room. And Marinette and Nino will be caught in the middle of it all. And-

Simon huffs and approaches Kim. He snaps his fingers in front of his face before signing, "Hey, I know that look," Denise translates using the stern tone he would have used. "None of that, alright? Whatever bad thing you think is gonna happen won't happen." Off Kim's startled expression, Simon smirks. "I've known you since the eighth grade; I know how your brain works, bud." In response, Kim tussles his hair with a smirk.

"Simon's right, oro," Denise chimes in between sips of water. "You just need to relax, be your usual himbo self-"

"Not a himbo," Kim mutters.

"And Max will be in your pants in no time." With Marcelle's comment, Denise chokes on their next sip of water, Simon slaps a hand over his mouth, and Kim blushes furiously as he tries to hide his face in his hood. "What? It's always the nerds who are into some kinky shit. Lemme tell you guys; you will not believe some of the shit I found in Marc's really private journals-"

"Break time over!" Denise cuts them off and speed-walks back over to the pull-up bars. They'd rather not know what sort of things Marc is into.

Marcelle's smirk could rival the Chesire Cat's at that point. "What? I'm just saying-"

Denise quickly blurts, "And I'm saying you should get back to punching! ¡Vamos! ¡Vuelve ahí!" Marcelle indulges her friend and readjusts her boxing gloves before returning to the punching bag.

Feeling it was safe to come out, Kim pulls his hood back down and grabs the barbell for another set while Simon smiles like an idiot at Denise. Them working out plus speaking in Spanish will have him in a lovesick state for a while... And honestly, it's kind of cute in Kim's opinion.

He's not lying when he says he wants what Denise and Simon have, a perfectly balanced relationship to rival seventy-year-old married couples. They're actually cute and not one of those annoying couples who loudly say each others' pet names every five minutes and kiss with their tongues. 'Why the hell do foreigners refer to that as a French kiss? We don't kiss anything like that!'

Besides that, they're all right- minus Marcelle's comment- and he should just see what happens at the zoo. Maybe he and Max will go in as friends and out as a couple or maybe not. Either way, everyone is going to have a nice time, especially since there's a new panther exhibit and M. Césaire would be getting Alya and a few of her friends in for half off. And no Akuma is going to ruin things for them... Maybe.

🐾🦋

"No touching the hair!" Kim shrieks and leans away from Marinette's finely sharpened nail. "Sorry, but I spent hours helping you perfect that quiff of yours', and I will let nothing ruin it! Not even you, Kim! Now keep your hands either at your sides or cross your arms to look cool like Nino's trying so desperately to be when Alya shows up."

She gestures to her other friend leaning not-so-casually by the main entrance of the zoo. He shoots her an unimpressed look. "What? It had to be said."

"It's not even Alya that I'm worried about," he says, slumping his shoulders slightly. "It's her dad. What do I say to the guy? Do I compliment the panthers, crack a joke- W-what am I doing here?"

Kim snickers. "Nino, just be your charming self-"

"I have no charming self!" He squawks, making a few people walking by look at the group strangely before going about their business. "Besides, let's not talk about me; let's talk about you and Max," he hastily says, desperately trying to change the subject. Marinette bounces a bit with excitement.

"Yes, please!" Before Kim can object, she's already grabbing the taller boy's face. "Kim, I will literally die if you two don't get together today! And believe me when I say if Monarch decides to show his short-ass self here, I will be Akuma bait for you, and lead the Akuma away from you and Max!"

Nino chokes on his spit. "Or, don't?"

"Love you, too, Nino," Marinette dismisses before addressing Kim again. "Do you hear me, Kim?! I will sacrifice myself so that my ship may come to be!"

After all of that, all Kim can utter is, "Okay." Of course, he's not going to let Marinette sacrifice herself no matter how determined she may be. But, it's sweet to see how far she'll go just to make him happy. It's concerning, but still sweet in her own way.

"And as for you!" Any attempt Nino makes at running away is squandered when Marinette grabs the back of his shirt. "I will help you not make an idiot of yourself in front of Alya's dad. And you're wrong; you do have a charming self, just in your own way. Look, you and Alya are both into comics and superhero films, so... Bring up Black Panther when you're near her dad. I hear you worrying and stop it. It won't make Alya upset, she will just get into hyper-fixation mode and start praising Chadwick Boseman for his work. When M. Césaire sees how happy you got Alya, you'll rack up some parental approvement points."

"Mari, that's..." His voice trails off as he plays her words over in his head. "... You think that'll work?"

She shrugs. "Can't hurt to try."

"That doesn't make me feel better!" As Kim and Marinette laugh off his concerns, he asks, "Hey, How do you know so much about romance and stuff if you've never had a partner?"

"I listen to a couple of realistic ASMR scenarios once in a while," she answers in between giggles. "Y'know, I like to know what to expect when the day comes. I mean, occasionally, I dabble in a few fantasy scenarios, but still-" Nino slaps his hand over her mouth when he sees the last three members of their group approaching.

"Shush your face; they're coming!" After a beat of silence, Nino hastily pulls his hand away and rubs the palm against his jacket with a look of disgust. "Licking my hand? Real mature."

"Oh!" Marinette gives a dramatic bow. "Why, thank you, kind sir."

"Hey, guys!" Adrien hollers eagerly, his light green Polaroid camera swaying a bit on the strap. "Let's go see some animals!" Alya pats his head with a fond smile.

"He's been like this since Alya and I met him at the mansion," Max comments. "You know, I never thought I'd hear myself say that sentence."

The blonde pouts. "It's not a mansion. It is a modest four-story home-"

"Mansion," Marinette states.

"With several guest rooms-"

"Mansion."

"And the occasional Japanese toilet-"

"Mansion."

Adrien sighs. "Fine. Whatever," he relents. "It is a mansion." Marinette cackles.

"Alright, enough of that, problem children," Nino drones. "Let's head in." Ever so casually, he goes to walk beside Alya and just now notices bits and pieces of her attire. It's subtle at first with the black ruffle top with the open back and purple palazzo pants, but then he catches sight of the matching silver claw necklace and bracelet. Realizing the inspiration behind her outfit, Nino glances at Marinette and wonders if she had something to do with this, but he can't quite see her expression as she and Adrien are busy attempting to take a selfie with his Polaroid.

... He'll get back at her later.

"Alright, now a quick warning," Alya says. "My dad can get... Attached to the panthers. They're like his second family, so don't worry if he gets all weird."

"Weird how?" Marinette presses.

"Like getting all defensive if someone were to insult one of them," Alya starts listing. "Talking to them like they're his kids, and at some point reading to them. I mean, I'm used to it, but I figured you guys should know before you meet him." Kim waves off her concerns.

"Hey, we've all got a weird family member," he assures. "In my case, my aunt. She's got a trapeze in the master bedroom. Like, I remember walking in one this one night when I was five, had a sleepover with my cousin, and I walked into their room after I had a nightmare..."

While Kim reminisces what he believes to be an innocent childhood memory, Nino and Max exchange a look. Nino points to Kim with a quirked eyebrow, only for Max to shake his head.

"I still don't know why they looked so freaked out whenever they saw me." Kim laughs. "It took forever before they made eye contact with me again... So, what about you guys? Who's your weird family member?" Marinette blinks before nervously giggling.

"Probably this one aunt on my mom's side, and- Oh, look! There's Marc, Marcel, and Kiran!" She quickly points and changes the subject. Wasting no time, she rushes over to hug the two noirettes. "You guys could have told me you were coming!" Remembering the youngest of the three, she kneels down and holds her arms out, inviting Kiran in for a hug.

"Hey, you didn't exactly tell us, either," Marcelle says with a playful punch to Marinette's shoulder. "Still good to see you, cuzzo!"

While the two roughhouse, Marc bends down to Kiran's level and whispers something to him. He tilts his head over to the group. After a moment, Kiran nods, and Marc walks him over to them. The youngest of the two hides behind his legs and keeps a strong grip on his brother's hand. "It's nice to see you, guys. Marcel just dragged Kiran and me here for whatever reason." Not noticing the look of realization across Kim's face, he asks, "Any reason you all came?"

"Oh, we're just here to check out the new panther exhibit." Max gestures to Alya. "Alya's dad was actually able to get us all in half off. If you, Marcel, and Kiran don't have anything planned while you're here, would you like to join us?"

Marc looks over at his sister and cousin, now wrestling on the ground. "I don't think she'll mind-" Feeling a tug on his pantleg, he bends again so Kiran can whisper something to him. "Mm-hm... Okay, I'll tell her," he answers softly and gets back up before looking at Alya, a look of confusion across her face. "He says he likes your hair, and that you look like a princess."

The Creole girl lets out a tiny squeal from behind her hands. "I will gladly trade in my sisters for him!"

"No thank you," Marc says. He tussles Kiran's head a bit, making the silver-eyed boy giggle. "I've heard enough horror stories from Marinette." Seeing Alya pouting, Kiran steps out from behind Marc and goes to hug her, prompting her to hug him back. Marc giggles and calls Marcelle over. By now, she's got Marinette in a headlock and is giving her a noogie. "No fighting in front of Kiran," he gently chastises.

"Hey, I gotta show him a few moves in case he needs to defend himself," she says in defense, ignoring Marc's narrowed eyes. "So, what's up?"

"Max asked if we'd like to join them." Seeing a look of deviousness on Marcelle's face for a quick second, he arches an eyebrow. "... So-"

"Yes!" Marcelle quickly says. "We are joining them! It'll be one big fun group!" She and Kim lock eyes for a moment. His eyes held a silent plea, while Marcelle's only held mischief. "So, where to first?"

🐾🦋

Of course, it was necessary to stop by the panther habitat. Nino wanted to get meeting Alya's dad over with, Kim needed to distract Marcelle, Adrien wanted a couple of pictures, and Kiran being the innocent child just wanted to see the animal that was closest by.

"Surprisingly informative," Max points out on the enclosure's information plaque. "Usually, these things will just tell you an animal's place of origin or their typical diet. Check this out, panthers aren't even their own species. They're leopards or jaguars that have a particular gene that makes their coats black. And if you look closely, you'd see the spots that mark it as either a leopard or jaguar."

"Noted," Marinette chirps as she types something on her phone. Looking over her shoulder, Max sees that she is typing what he just said in her Notes app, likely for a future outfit. "So, Alya, where's your dad?"

She points over to the enclosure's door right as it opens. "Right over there." Otis Césaire, a burly man with Tom Dupain-Cheng's build but none of the height, enters with a full bucket of raw meat and without any sort of protective padding, stunning all except Alya.

"Okay, your dad is hardcore as fudge," Marcelle states, making sure to censor herself in front of Kiran. "I would just throw the bucket and run out of there. Has he done this before, or is he just showing off?"

"A little bit of both," Alya chuckles and waves to her dad as he hand-feeds one of the panthers a slab of raw steak. "He just knows what to and what not to do around them, you know? Plus, he's raised these guys since they were cubs, so they're not going to bite the hand that feeds them." Adrien hums happily and snaps a photo of the panthers.

"Dad, come on out here," she hollers, loud enough to get her dad's attention, but soft enough so as not to disturb the panthers. "Guys, this is my dad, Otis Césaire," she introduces as the man makes his way out of the enclosure. "Dad, these are the friends I was telling you about, plus, Marc, Marcelle, and Kiran Anciel."

"Well, it's nice to finally meet all of you," he starts off politely before his expression quickly turns stern. "Now... Which one of you is Nino Lahiffe?" And like the traitors they are, Kim and Adrien push the mentioned boy forward. "Hm... Alya talks about you quite a bit. One might think there's something between the two of you."

As Alya is hiding her face in the crook of Marinette's neck out of embarrassment, Nino remains confident, stands up much straighter, and looks the man in the eye. "W-well," He mentally curses himself for stammering. "There's nothing there- B-but you should know, I would be honored to be able to date Alya. Th-that is if she is looking to date anyone at the moment, I mean." Then, to his relief, Otis laughs a bit. He even slings an arm around his shoulder, knocking the wind out of the capped boy just a bit.

"Kid, relax. What kind of father would I be if I didn't give my potential son-in-law," Nino and Alya choke on those words. "Some kind of shovel talk?"

"Your dad and mine should have coffee," Adrien giggles while Alya only sinks further into the comfort of Marinette's neck to block out the entire conversation.

"Hey, listen," Otis continues, now addressing the group. His arm never leaves Nino's shoulder. "You kids all go have a good time, buy yourself some snacks and something out of the gift shop. Give 'em my name." Hearing this, Alya immediately perks up and hugs him. "You're welcome, Alya. Now have fun..." He glances at Nino. "But not too much fun."

Nino gives a quick two-finger salute and high-tails it away from the panther enclosure with the rest of the group following after. However, Kim lingers a bit when he points to something just behind the shrubbery. "Uh, sir? I think some wrote something on the wall."

With that, Kim rejoins the group leaving Otis to push the decorative bushes to the side so he can clearly read, The movie and animal suck! written in bold red letters. And it's still wet. Shock turning to anger, all he can do is smack one of the branches before heading back into the enclosure. "The nerve of some bastards," he mutters angrily. One of the panthers, much smaller than the others manages to get her head under his hand for head pats, and Otis happily obliges while being careful to avoid the nick in her ear.

🐾🦋

"Hey, Marc! I found your other twin!" Marinette points to an ostrich with its head hidden in a hole in the dirt. As Adrien snaps a photo, the green-eyed boy rolls his eyes, resisting the urge to flip her off. "Come on, you know me well enough to know I'm never letting you live that down."

"Live what down?" Kiran wonders.

"Well-"

"I tell you!" The bluenette interrupts with a smirk. "It was back when we were eight, and like he is now, Marc was tall as heck. One day," she snorts a laugh. "While we were on the playground, we were running-"

Nino wheezes a bit as he laughs. "I remember that!" Alya bounces in place, wondering what happened next. "Keep going, keep going!"

"We were playing tag, running, then your brother..." She rests a hand on Marc's shoulder, ignoring his unamused expression. "His foot got caught on the outside of a sandbox, and he tripped and fell head-first into a freshly dug hole!" Having seen that in person, Kim, Nino, and Marcelle laugh until they're out of breath while Alya, Adrien, and Max are giggling behind their hands.

Marc pouts and folds his arms. "That sandbox came out of nowhere."

"Keep telling yourself that, bro," Marcelle snickers and gets a quick flick to the side of her head. "Ah, you love me. Now let's see some more birds!"

Kim begins to tense up when he sees that he and Max are in their own group together. Marinette and Marcelle are messing with Marc while Kiran sits on his shoulders, Adrien's taking some photos, and Nino is chatting Alya up. He thinks of something to say, anything... But nothing's coming to mind.

"I like your hair."

Kim blinked, wondering if he heard that correctly, but Max was looking and smiling at him. "Oh, thanks," he says smoothly. "Marinette had me sitting for two hairs until it was perfect. She still won't let me touch it."

"That's pretty accurate," Max laughs, and Kim just wants to listen to that sound forever. "So, were you expecting us all to... Be in a large group?"

He honestly answers while messing with his jacket sleeve, "No, can't say I was, but it's nice. Alya and Adrien have been getting along with Mari and Nino since the start of the year, so, I don't mind. And it's nice having Marc and Marcelle around; we hardly ever hang out anymore, and they're Mari's cousin." 'Speaking of, why hasn't Marcelle tried anything yet?' "And Kiran seems like a nice kid."

"Yeah... Hey, just a quick thought." Kim swears he heard his voice go up one octave. "If it were just say, the two of us hanging out sometime..." He starts to talk with his hands. "Outside of school, would that be okay with you? Again, just a thought! So... Yeah." Clearing his throat, Max readjusts his glasses and does everything he possibly can to not look Kim in the eyes.

'Oooohh! This is happening! Play it cool, Kim!' "I'd have to say-"

"Hey! Watch it!" They hear Alya exclaim and turn to see a couple speeding right past the group. "What the hell was that-"

BANG!

No thoughts. They all just ran.

🐾🦋

"Hey, it's alright," Otis gently says to the startled panthers while making occasional glances to see what is going on. He gets his answer when he sees a crack in the glass wall, and embedded in it is what he recognizes as a BB gun pellet.

Before he could reach for his radio, another pellet was fired. And this time, it wasn't just the panthers who began to panic. Zoo residents hurriedly ran for a makeshift shield to avoid what they believed to be a gunman. But when he recalled the graffiti, Otis could tell what this was- just an act of plain ignorance by some idiot kids.

While trying to guide the panthers behind some rocks, he grabs his radio. "This is Otis Césaire, I am in the panther enclosure! Two-" Bang! "Three shots have been fired by a BB gun, and there are pellets lodged in the glass!" He tilts his eyeglasses down off his forehead to see if he can get a better look at where the pellets are coming from. It's only when another pellet is fired that he instantly figures out the trajectory. Hidden in the foliage- the worst hiding spot without the proper camouflage- he spots what appears to be a young man in a yellow shirt. "Dumbass," he murmurs. "There's a possible suspect hidden in the bushes just next to the zebra habitat."

Ignoring the concern of his coworkers telling him to get to safety, Otis keeps moving the panthers behind the rocks so they won't get hit if the next bullet somehow manages to pierce through the glass. He helps the smaller of the group get to safety first, and just in time, too when the next bullet finally broke through the glass and missed them by just a hair, becoming embedded in the door.

🐾🦋

"Like this?" Nooroo holds up a white origami butterfly, a bit smaller than the ones Nathaniel is making.

"Just like that." The redhead beams and takes a handful of origami butterflies before placing them in a small jar. "Could you imagine if I had to go around collecting and raising a bunch of butterflies? Plus, don't they live for like a month?" Nooroo can only roll his eyes as a few not-so-fond memories come to mind.

"A lot of my holders learned that the hard way. This one time, Painted Lady had to find what she called, a Warrior, for a battle against some evil holders, but when she got to the hatchery, all of her butterflies were dead, and the cocoons weren't set to open for another three days." He giggles a bit, remembering her endless facepalming until she went to fight them herself. "You were actually one of the few of my holders to use origami butterflies. The rest didn't listen or just didn't want to have to put in the effort."

Nathaniel coos and strokes the Kwami's head. "Well, they're idiots who should've listened to you. Anyway, let's do about ten more of these, and I'll see about heading to the Dupain-Cheng's bakery for those macarons with the blueberry filling." Hearing this, Nooroo flew around in circles, giggling up a storm before resting on his shoulder.

When he went to grab another sheet of paper, the Miraculous pulsated with energy as Nathaniel felt a particularly strong wave of emotions. He almost felt like he had to take the Miraculous off until he realized what the emotions were.

Fear... Anger...

Nathaniel stumbles a bit as he stands up.

Protectiveness... Dread... Panic

"Nath!" Nooroo cries and forces his friend to sit back down. "Are you alright?"

Nathaniel slurs, "Y-yeah. Just... Just got light-headed there. I'm fine. I-I need to see what's going on." Aware of Nooroo's pensiveness, he tries to play it off. "I'm fine, Nooroo, okay?" Although he looks unsure, the Kwami sighs and gestures for him to say the words. "Nooroo, Wings Rise." He takes one of the origami butterflies and hastily encases it with magic. "Hurry," he tells his Akuma before it flies out of the window.

"Fuck," Monarch hisses when another wave of dizziness surges. When he senses that the Akuma has found its target, he's about to speak to his next Akuma when-

"We're gonna die-!"

"I can't get out-!"

"Where are-!"

It was just an endless cacophony as his Akuma flew from one person to the next. Monarch eventually resorts to resting his head on his desk. "Okay, fuck this." Using what strength he has, he forces his Akuma to infect the nearest person at the moment and does a quick dive into their memories. 'Otis Césaire, zoo, BB-gun. Done.'

"Animan, you already know what I want-" He retches a bit and hopes he didn't hear that. "Just say yes and you can stop whoever's shooting! Don't even worry abo-about the Miraculous!"

"YES!"

"Wings Down!... What..." Pant. "The hell... Was that?!"

Nooroo curls up next to him. "There were so many emotions coming at you all at once from one spot; it happens to every holder once in a while. You just need to rest, okay?"

"N-no," he murmurs. "I... Promised you..." His voice trails off as he drifts to sleep. With a shake of his head, Nooroo is about to go and put the butterflies away when he's suddenly caught in Nathaniel's grip and pulled toward his chest like a stuffed animal. "Stay. 'M head hurts." There was no way out of this, so Nooroo sinks further into the embrace. He could use some rest, too.

🐾🦋

Max knows it was probably the dumbest decision he's ever made, but he needed to transform! He doesn't know how long it'll take for the police to get here, and someone could get hurt by the time they show up. He just wished people had the decency to not run past a person who tripped and fell in the middle of a panic. His friends get passes; he was lagging in the back. But those other people? No. One of them even stepped on his ankle for crying out loud!

Hissing in pain, he rolls up his pant leg so Plagg can inspect the bruise beginning to show. "Well, I'm no doctor... But that doesn't look good."

Max huffed and shot him a look. "Not the time. Are you charged up?" Before Plagg could respond, another shot rang out from a distance.

"Just transform!"

"Plagg, Claws Out!" Darting out from the bathroom, Ikati Black sprints to where he heard the shot while trying not to put any pressure on his ankle. The Miraculous may protect him from injuries, but he'd rather not risk the chance of him worsening the pain when he turns back. Right as he's running past the zebra habitat, a sudden stampede of rhinos rounds a corner and comes charging toward him. "Oh, shit-!" He vaults up and lands on top of a lampost as they run past him. He scans the area to make sure no one's in their way, but the visitors have all probably left or hidden when they heard the shots, so that's a relief...

... But how the hell did the rhinos get out?!

With that thought came more rhinos, followed by some predatory animals, a few wild birds, and even giraffes and zebras. The strangest thing is that none of the predators were attacking each other or any other animal considered food. In fact, it seemed as though they all had the same mentality, which was to look for something or someone. They're sniffing around and searching through any other habitats for whatever it was they were looking for.

Alright, now he's got an Akuma and a shooter to look for before the animals maul them. And while it was tempting, superhero rules and all of that business.

He vaults over each enclosure, going in the direction the animals are running from until he finds the source of it all. Standing on top of the liger enclosure, and radiating nothing but authority was no doubt the Akuma. Ikati Black hangs back a bit until he can see just what else this Akuma is capable of. For one, hats off to Monarch for the Black Panther-inspired outfit. Second, they seem to be commanding the monkeys- yes, monkeys- to unlock the door to the enclosure and the surrounding ones, releasing the ligers, the pandas, and the hyenas.

Before any of the animals can try attacking one another, their eyes glow a misty purple color, then they ran off. 'Okay, they can control and seem to communicate with animals.'  A sneak attack would be best... Or it would be if a goddamn toucan hadn't swooped in and let out a shrill sound that caught the Akuma's attention.

'Otis Césaire?!' Even with the mask and new hairstyle, he could still make out his face shape. Swatting the offending bird away, he readied his staff to subdue the Akuma while looking for any sign of their object. When he looked at his face to see if the mask looked out of the ordinary, Ikati Black had made eye contact with the Akuma. His deep... Purple... Eyes.

Find him- What? Who am I looking for?- The one harming your jungle cat brethren- They... They're hurt? Wait, what's happening?!

Annoyed at his inner conflict, an animalistic growl escapes from the back of the hero's throat. This helps in some way to bring him back to his senses and unknownst to him, remove the purple tint beginning to appear in his irises.

'What the fuck?' Ikati Black snaps out of it just in time to slap the Akuma's hand away when it seems he's about to make a grab for his ring... Something was telling him to scratch the Akuma next time, though. He doesn't even have claws to do that! Beginning to grow frustrated with these intruding thoughts, he uses that anger and puts all of his strength into knocking the Akuma off of the roof with his staff so he can get away and figure out what was happening to him.

Just then, he hears something, a faint rustling sound, and finds the source. It's a lone antelope digging through one of the food counters. While that shouldn't concern him, especially not now, a small voice in the back of his head was telling him to strike when he deemed it the right moment. So, Ikati Black quietly scales up on top of a lamppost and waits.

🐾🦋

If it were possible, Marc would hug Kiran tighter when another stampede ran past their hiding spot behind the gift stall, making his brother shiver wildly in his hold. "Hey, look at me," he coaxes the younger boy, and with some hesitance, Kiran looks up at his brother with tear-filled grey eyes. "You me, Marcelle, Marinette, and everyone else will be okay. And we're going to get out of here."

"P-promise?"

Marc smiles softly and brushes some hair, dampened by Kiran's tears, off of his face. "I promise, mikrós aderfós."

"Hey," Marcelle whispers, as she sits down next to them. She gives Kiran a quick kiss on the forehead, only he didn't scrunch his face as he usually would. "So, the exits are blocked off. We can either risk our chances with the lions or..." She points to the brick wall in front of them. "Scale the wall."

The lions are an obvious no, but scaling the wall and risking the shooter seeing them is just as bad. Both options were out, but they couldn't just stay in the zoo while both an Akuma and some armed bastard are there with them. And they most certainly aren't leaving without the others. The moment those shots were heard, the visitors got into a frenzy, running each way and getting their small groups swept up in different crowds. It was a miracle the siblings were even able to stay together.

"... Well." Marcelle sounds a little disgusted by whatever she's thinking of. "I did see a manhole cover." Seeing the appalled look on her twin's face, she nods. "And... We'll just see where it takes us. I mean, what other choice do we have other than just staying here like sitting ducks, huh?" When Marc starts to relent, she gives him a punch in the shoulder. "There we go; come on."

With some reluctance, Marc, still carrying Kiran, gets up and follows Marcelle around the stall and to the manhole, thankfully hidden behind some decorative shrubbery so they won't be spotted. While Marcelle tries to remove the cover, Marc texts the others and lets them know where they are in case any of them are bold enough to try and follow them through the sewers. He knows Marinette definitely would, and Nino if he's not wearing a pair of his good sneakers.

"Ready?" Marcelle points to the manhole, and to Marc's relief, it doesn't smell completely terrible. But of all the days to wear his favorite boots.

With a heavy sigh, he tells Kiran. "Hold on tight." The youngest of the three wraps his arms and legs tight around his neck and waist, and Marc begins his descent.

Marcelle smirks. "You're doing great, bro."

"Shut up."

🐾🦋

Kim hates this, he really hates this. He hates leaving his friends during drastic times, but someone's gotta do something! So, he reluctantly allowed himself to be swept away from his friends and found himself hiding in the thankfully empty reptile house. "Tikki, are you energized enough? We need to go, now."

"I'm ready when you are," she says determinedly, and that was enough for Kim to quickly say the words and rush out of the reptile house, where he was met with a herd of rhinos charging toward him, prompting the hero to use his yoyo and get to higher ground... And it seemed Ikati Black had the same idea.

Scarlet Beetle spots his partner sitting perfectly balanced atop one of the lamposts... He's just sitting there, scouting the area for something with this strange look in his eyes, he notices. Tilting his head slightly, he looks around to see what has the other hero's attention, but all that's there in the vicinity at the moment is an antelope sniffing around one of the food carts.

"Ikati?" Something's wrong. And that green visor is doing nothing to hide the purple appearing in his eyes.

Tikki has warned him before about there being side effects to the Miraculous the longer the holder uses one. They all depend on what animal each Miraculous is based on. For him, he'll become slightly disoriented in cold weather and might even be drawn to gardens. As for Ikati, he'll display some domestic cat-like tendencies such as a need for affection from those closest to him and even purring.

And there's the chance he'll behave more like the undomesticated cat breeds... Like he is right now and about to pounce on that antelope! When Ikati Black was halfway from pouncing on that unsuspecting antelope, Scarlet Beetle swoops in and tackles him to the ground in an attempt to snap him out of whatever the hell is going on with him.

"Snap out of it!" He yells and slaps Ikati Black again when he actually snarls at him. The last one seems to do the trick, because his partner's eyes return to their usual color, and there's no sign of that primal look in them. "Ikati? Hey, look at me," he coaxes, rubbing the spot on his cheek where he slapped him out of guilt.

"Scarlet, I..." His voice trails off as his cheeks turn a darker shade. "Uh... Why are you on top of me?"

Now noticing the bizarre position they're in with him straddling the other hero, Scarlet Beetle hastily scrambles back to his feet and helps Ikati Black up. Grabbing his hand, he pulls him behind a souvenir kiosk to hide them from any animals that may pass by "S-sorry, but you were out of it," he explains. "You were about to attack an antelope for God's sake. Did something happen to you before I got here?"

The leather-clad hero tries to wrack his brain for an answer, but he can hardly even think straight. "I... I don't... His eyes," he manages to say. "Th-the Akuma's, they glowed... Purple, and I... I just saw that antelope." Realization soon dawns on him. "... Do you think his powers are affecting me?"

"... My Kwami mentioned there were side effects of our Miraculous," Scarlet Beetle explains, confirming his partner's own suspicions. "But this might be something different, I don't know. Do you think you can fight it until this is over?"

"Yeah, if you slap me hard enough," he quips. "But, I'll be fine." Honestly, he's not sure. He just doesn't want Scarlet worrying if he goes all 'Jungle Cat' on another unsuspecting antelope. And while he's in that state, he'll be useless in the fight unless he turns on the Akuma. Though, based on the animals' apparent loyalty to him, he's not sure that will be an easy thing. "Scarlet," he suddenly says. "If I do turn on you, fight me as hard as you can." He cuts his stunned partner off. "I'm serious. I don't think I'm going to hold back, and he could easily command me to use my power on you."

After a tense silence between the two, Scarlet Beetle eventually nods, relenting. "Okay, Ikati. But I'm not letting him alhufn dhnciw yuwa fslid."

Ikati Black blinks. "... What?"

"I said wifbs wuandbw. Are you bwiamfha dbwiu vuwbuf? ... Ati?"

To his horror, Scarlet Beetle's mouth is forming clear words, but it all comes out sounding like gibberish. He rubbed furiously at his temples to try and clear his head, but that was never an easy task for Max. He was thinking of everything that could go wrong at the moment- He could turn feral again and attack Scarlet Beetle, he'll attack an innocent civilian, he'll obey the Akuma and willingly hand over his Miraculous or even-

"Ikati!" Scarlet Beetle whisper-screams so as not to alert any animals or the Akuma. He's starting to freak out. His friend's eyes are unfocused and becoming less green. His pupils were already slits to fit the cat theme of his Miraculous, but somehow, they just look even more inhuman. His fake ears are visibly twitching with each of the slightest sounds he can just barely hear, and Scarlet swears he hears a growl trying to escape past Ikati's lips.

It's just not right. That's not his friend, that's the Black Cat Miraculous taking over Ikati's mind and telling him to do the Akuma's bidding. And no doubt hunt down the bastard who started this whole mess when they fired that stupid gun.

"... I'm gonna help you, Ikati," he says determinedly, but his friend doesn't respond or even look at him. Giving a sad sigh, he resists the urge to hug Ikati Black, knowing his new animalistic instincts might not appreciate it, and takes off with his yoyo. Once he finds that idiot, he's going to make them beg to be at the Akuma's mercy.

The red-clad hero almost can't believe he's thinking these thoughts. Though, he did threaten Chris when he got Fred Akumatized, so he's not too surprised at himself.

If he remembers correctly, he heard through one of the zoo employees' radios, something about a yellow shirt and a BB gun, so that's what he'll look for. "Okay, I'm some dick trying to scare people with a BB gun," Scarlet Beetle murmurs to himself in an attempt to put himself in the suspect's position. "I'm a coward, I ran like hell as soon as I saw a lion instead of keeping calm, and I probably dropped something like the idiot that I am... Trying to escape."

Scarlet Beetle comes to a stop when he notices a shred of fabric- yellow fabric- caught on one of the tree branches right near the walls of the zoo. "You're not getting away that easily, đồ khốn." Putting his yoyo on the phone setting, he posts a quick status update on his social media accounts to alert the citizens. He's got over half of Paris following him, so once they see it, they'll be on the lookout... If they have their phones on them.

🐾🦋

"Ugh, where is my phone?" Aya places the couch cushions back in their original places and resumes her search. "Alright, I had it here last, so-" Hearing a knock at the door, she puts the search for her phone on pause and opens the door, allowing a panicked-looking boy around Nathaniel's age to come barreling in. "C-can I help you?"

She starts reaching for the nightstick she keeps in a vase, but that stops when she sees the boy's state. As he's trying to catch his breath, Aya takes note of the terrified look in his eyes, his sweat-soaked blonde hair, and the small tear in his shirt. Still, she keeps her distance. "Hey... Hey, are you alright?"

"... No!" Pant. "There's... An Akuma!" Pant. "Ani... Mals... Were after me!" Wheeze. "C-could I lie low here... Please?"

And just like that, Aya's guard was down and she helps the boy to the couch. "Sure, dear. Stay as long as you need to." She hadn't even realized there was an Akuma active, all the more reason to find her phone and get those alerts. "Do you have any family you'd like to call so they know you're okay?"

"Yeah, but..." Pant. "I dropped my phone while I was running." He attempts a laugh, but it came out in short breaths. "Mind if I use yours'?"

"Well, if I could only find it," Aya retorts, checking under one of the couch cushions one last time. "Maybe you can use my son's." She calls up the stairs, "Nathan! Could you come down here, please?" In a few seconds, the young redhead made his way down the stairs, stopping to silently question the arrival of the new guest. "Nathaniel, this is... Sorry, dear, I don't think I caught your name."

"Oh, it's Dylan," he quickly introduces, his breathing starting to return to normal. "Mind if I use your phone to call my folks? I dropped mine while running from an Akuma."

'Aw, shit.' "Sure, come on."

On their way up the stairs, Nathaniel notices Dylan holding onto his small backpack with what can only be described as an iron grip. A little weird, but, he has no room to judge when he sent a hastily made Akuma to hunt down some idiot waving around a gun at a public zoo and probably left after they fired all the rounds they wanted for some stupid TikTok challenge video.

Fear...

'Of course, he's afraid, he was probably being chased by a tiger or something.'

Epicaricacy...

'Hey! Use words I understand.'

Upon entering his room, Nathaniel resists letting out a breath of relief when he doesn't see the jar of origami butterflies peaking out from where he hid them. He hasn't exactly come up with a good lie to explain why he has those just yet, so until then, they're staying hidden. And Nooroo's out of sight; that's good. "It's charging on my nightstand. Just use the emergency call."

"Thanks, man." Dylan shoots a smile that has Nathaniel's bisexuality going all over the place and goes to make his call. The flustered redhead, meanwhile, sits at his desk and tries to take his mind off of the blonde by working on a quick sketch, but before he can grab a pencil, Nooroo's head phases through his desk. An alarmed look is across his face.

He checks to make sure Dylan isn't looking and leans down a bit so he can hear the Kwami whisper, "I've seen that guy's videos on TikTok. He does all sorts of these dangerous pranks, and his latest preview video said he'd be using a BB gun." Nathaniel's already fair skin becomes even paler when he turns his head ever so slightly to see Dylan talking to his someone on his phone. "Didn't you hear something about a BB gun in Otis' memories?"

By the sound of it, Nathaniel doesn't think Dylan is talking to his parents. It doesn't even seem like he's trying to be quiet.

"Dude, it was sick! Hey- hey, if my SD card made it, I can get the video uploaded after Scarlet fixes that guy's shit... Hell yeah, I got some good shots, the graffiti, the panther fucker panicking, even when that hyena was chasing me. The first Monarch Challenge video is gonna blow up!"

'Monarch Challenge? Oh, hell no!' Nathaniel tears his fingers through his hair and grits his teeth. He's in the same room with an idiot TikToker, one who thinks it is fucking hilarious to scare innocent people with a gun and deface public property all to get someone Akumatized for some lousy views and say, "Hey! I got someone Akumatized! Give me sponsors!" ... Can this get any worse?

"Yo, remember that chick who won some contest by Agreste? Let's get that bitch akumatized next. I hear she's like, always on her period."

'... Okay! That's where I fucking draw the line! Let's take this fucker out!'

"Lock the door," he whispers to Nooroo, who immediately complies. Okay, if Dylan wants to be a little jackass and attract an Akuma, then he'll give him the next best thing... Here's hoping his plan doesn't totally go to hell. "So, you were... Trying to get someone Akumatized?"

Dylan doesn't even look embarrassed by his phone call being heard. Instead, he smirks and puts his feet on the bed without removing his dirty shoes. And the guy's got a BB pellet stuck in the sole.

"Hey, I might as well make the most of all this right? 'Sides, have you seen some of the freaks this guy makes? I got a guy making this rating system going off of powers and looks." He lets out this stupid laugh, and Nathaniel wants nothing more than to punch his teeth in. "Powers, we got Pigeon Man at the lowest and WiFi Chick at the top. And lemme tell you, I caught a glimpse of her, but that was way more than enough."

'OKAY! GONNA KILL HIM!'

"Now looks?... Gotta put Butch Skater at the bottom, y'know? Monarch could have at least helped her out by giving her some airbags if she fell-"

"Wings Rise."

Dylan fell off the bed and quickly rose to his feet. Instinctively, he goes to reach for his phone because- Oh my God! Monarch is in the same room as him!- But he doesn't have his phone and he can't unlock Nathan- Monarch's phone! There's really only one thing he can say at the moment. "Holy fuck."

Monarch takes a step forward, smirking as the blonde before him takes a step back. "What's the matter, Dylan? I thought you were trying to attract Akumas." Seeing him about to make a break for it, he trips him with his cane and presses the tip on his chest. "Oh, no. You're not leaving. See, if you had left my dear friends out of your filthy little mouth, I wouldn't have done this." He looks up in thought. "... Actually... Scratch that, I still would have. Do you think I enjoy turning people into Akumas? Do you think I get some sort of sick, sadistic thrill out of this like you do when you terrify families and children with your awful pranks?"

"D-dude," he stammers. "It was- it was just a joke- Aah!" He seethes from the rising pain where Monarch kicked him in the side.

"A joke that caused many to panic and fear for their lives. And because of your stupidity, I have an Akuma hunting your ass down like the filthy animal you are." Monarch glances at the bag sitting on his bed. "Stay where you are."

There was an unspoken threat, but Dylan got the message. Monarch looks through the bag and finds the cause of all this. He gives the weapon an expert spin in his hand before pointing it at his window. "You know... I really hate that I have to do this, but-" He sucks in a breath. "You only brought this upon yourself when you woke up one morning and decided, "Hey! I'm gonna pull dangerous pranks and post people's fear and humiliation online for entertainment!""

Dylan eventually resorts to pleading with the villain. "C-come on man! I'll do whatever you want. I'll- I'll get people upset so you can Akumatize them! J-just let me go, and I won't say anything!"

Monarch blinks at him... Then he laughs. "Like I'd ever work with the likes of you. Someone a little too eager to side with me, a villain in the eyes of all of Paris..."

Without taking his malice-filled eyes off of Dylan, he fires a pellet at the window, making spider web cracks along the glass.

"NATHAN?!" Aya cries from downstairs.

It was at that moment, Dylan realizes what was going on. But before he could scream an explanation, his BB gun was forcefully placed in his hand as a bright light obstructed his vision, putting Nathaniel back in front of him, along with some purple sprite that immediately disappears into the walls. The redhead takes a quick breath before yelling, "MOM! HE LOCKED ME IN WITH HIM! HE HAS A GUN!"

"Wh-what?! No! NO! Don't-" His words are drowned out by Aya using her anger-induced strength to ram the door open. On the fifth try, she manages to get the door open, and the first thing she did was roughly heft Dylan up by the back of his shirt and slam him back on the floor so he'd drop the gun, which she immediately kicked out of his reach.

She puts herself between him and Nathaniel while holding up her nightstick, daring the other boy to try anything. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" She all but screams.

Dylan picks himself up but makes no move of leaving. "Y-you gotta listen to me!" He swiftly avoids a swing from Aya's nightstick. "HIM!" He points at Nathaniel, putting on a show of innocence as he hides behind his mom, but Dylan can see the evil in his turquoise eyes. "He's Monarch! He transformed right in front of me and- and shot his own window! He's setting me up because of some stupid prank!"

For a moment, Aya was silent and looked like she couldn't decide if she should look angry or confused. She glances at Nathaniel, and for a moment, Dylan thinks he's won. Once the cops hear how he exposed Monarch, he'll be hailed a hero and they won't even think about trying to arrest him!... Then it turned dark.

Aya stares at the lifeless-looking body on the floor and feels her nightstick fall out of her hand. "..."

'Okay! Wasn't expecting that! Worst comes to shove, I transform and take mom with me on the lam!' "... Is he alive?" Nathaniel tentatively asks. After a beat, Aya approaches the limp boy and feels his pulse, letting out a heavy sigh of relief when she feels something.

"He's okay," she assures. Now she can smack him without feeling bad. And she does. "L-let's the call police and explain what-"

Knock knock.

The two redheads look and find Scarlet Beetle balancing perfectly on Nathaniel's window sill. At first, Nathaniel thinks, 'Score!' But after what just happened, he'll go for the Miraculous another day. He opens his window, allowing the Ladybug hero entry. His earrings are so close. He could easily take them, transform, and leave... But he's not going to abandon his mom right now.

"Is everything alright? I heard yelling." He points to the unconscious boy on the floor. "Did he try to hurt you guys?"

"His name's Dylan," Nathaniel explains. "And apparently, he's also the shooter from the zoo." That was something neither his mom nor Scarlet Beetle was expecting to hear. "He was doing it for some stupid TikTok challenge he was creating where he deliberately makes people upset so one of them gets Akumatized. My phone might have recorded the conversation he was having with a friend of his, and there's a pellet lodged in his shoe sole."

"Well," Scarlet Beetle's eyes narrow at Dylan. "Now I've got more than enough reason to kick his scrawny ass." He cracks his knuckles for emphasis before picking the blonde up and lugging him over his shoulder like a flour sack. "I suggest you two call the police and give them your sides of the story before he tries to spin something." With a two-finger salute, he gets ready to make his way out, only to find a mob of zoo animals and Ikati Black, whom, to Scarlet Beetle's relief is standing on his legs, so he's not completely out of it. Still, he has this vacant look in his purple eyes.

"Scarlet Beetle!" Animan thunders. "Turn the boy over and I will handle his punishment accordingly!"

"Okay," he answers without a second thought.

"Do not try- What?"

"What?" Nathaniel and Aya say at once.

Scarlet Beetle only shrugs. "Yeah. I mean, I'm not letting this guy run free. He shot up a zoo full of people for fuck's sake! He could have hurt someone! And what have you done? Did any of your animals hurt innocent bystanders?"

It was silent as Animan looked around for any traces of blood on the animals, especially on the predators. And he specifically told them all who to look for and to not harm the rest. "... No."

"Okay, then here you go." With his yoyo wrapped around Dylan, he lowers him into the waiting arms of a gorilla, who looks just as shocked by the situation as Animan, the Kurtzbergs, Ikati Black, and those watching through their windows. "Well, go ahead. Get your justice."

"Uh..." Animan looks around, expecting some sort of sneak attack, but nothing happens. "Okay." He clears his throat and announces, "Make him regret ever crossing the animal kingdom-!" He lets out a yell that sounds more like a panther-like snarl when Scarlet Beetle's yoyo comes into contact with his mask, effectively shattering it and releasing the Akuma to catch and purify.

Scarlet Beetle throws his yoyo into the air, "Miraculous Scarlet Beetle!" and it bursts into the thousands of magic ladybugs to spread the cure, returning the animals back to their rightful place, lifting Animan's powers from Ikati Black, and finally, turning Animan back into Otis Césaire.

"Whoa," is all Nathaniel can say.

"Yeah," Scarlet Beetle laughs. "Sorry for that, but you should know, it'll be a cold day in hell before I hand a civilian over to an Akuma. Now, police?" He glares out the window at Dylan slowly getting back on his feet. "That's a different story."

🐾🦋

Scarlet Beetle lost count of the number of apologies Otis was giving him and Ikati Black, but thankfully, Alya pulled him aside so they could get a word with the police officers outside the Kurtzberg's home.

"It's your call, too," one of the arresting officers informs them. "Mme. Kurtzberg is already pressing charges for the threat to her son's life, and so is M. Césaire. Same charges since the bullets were fired at the panther enclosure while he was still in it. People like that kid only make your jobs harder." He glares at Dylan as he's being shoved into the back of the police car, screaming profanities at Nathaniel of all people.

"God," Scarlet Beetle mutters. "What is his problem?"

"Get this, he thinks the kid is Monarch." The heroes' eyes bulge out of their sockets, but he only laughs. "I know. Come on, take a good look at him and tell me he's a villain. He's gotta be at least fourteen."

"Sixteen, actually," Ikati Black corrects, and it's the officer's turn to look surprised.

"No kidding." He gets back to the point. "Anyway, just let me know." He hands them two of his cards. "With any luck, we can skip a trial since the little shit was dumb enough to record everything that happened at the zoo."

With that, he takes his leave, and the heroes feel like they can finally breathe again. "Scarlet," Ikati Black starts. "I-I am so sorry-"

"Hey," the hoodie-clad hero says sternly. "None of that. It wasn't on you. Besides, I just left you back there."

"Because my Miraculous decided to fuck with my brain."

"But I still could have helped."

"Well-"

"Just kiss and make up!" Marinette hollers, getting the two flustered. Alya and Nino- who certainly look a little closer than when they walked into the zoo- snicker behind their hands.

Scarlet Beetle awkwardly tugs on the hem of his hoodie. "Uh... If there's ever a garden-themed Akuma, and I fall under its effects, 'cause... Y'know. You can leave me to get high off of a flower." His wording puts a slight smile on Ikati Black's face.

"Can't promise I'll leave you, but we'll see what happens." He feels his lips about to split down the middle because of how cute Scarlet Beetle's laughter is. He doesn't want this moment to end, but it's over when another officer approaches them, looking a little apprehensive. "Is everything alright, sir?"

"Wish I could say so, but, the sergeant would like you two to do a full sweep of the kid's bedroom."

"What?!"

"Excuse me?!"

She holds his hands up in a placating manner. "Look, he doesn't wanna take any chances. Dylan seemed pretty sure of himself with those claims, so we'd just like to be sure. Just look under his bed and call it a night if you wanna." Although reluctant, the two eventually agree just so Nathaniel won't have police officers ransacking his bedroom.

Unbeknownst to the three of them, a certain purple Kwami had heard everything from his hiding place and went to warn his friend.

🐾🦋

"And would you look at that! Absolutely nothing!" Ikati Black places the pencil case back where he found it. Hearing Nathaniel snickering, he gives him a pointed look. "Ah, shut it."

"Don't mind him." Scarlet Beetle flicks one of Ikati Black's fake ears. "He's just grumpy because he was stuck as a cat for an hour."

Nathaniel places the graphic novel he was reading back on his shelf. "Honestly, valid. So, how much longer? I've got school in the morning." Instead of answering, Ikati Black drops to the floor, rolls under his bed, and rolls back out a few seconds later. "Find anything?"

"Surprisingly, no," he says with all the sarcasm in the world. "Look at that. We just spent thirty minutes looking for a whole lot of nothing. I'll just take my leave now. Goodnight Nathaniel. Until next time, Scarlet."

Scarlet Beetle fondly rolls his eyes before bidding Nathaniel goodnight and heading out the window after Ikati Black.

Maybe if they stayed longer, they would have seen the fox tail poof into existence from behind Nathaniel. Same for the ears. His eyes glow a bright white as his jar of origami butterflies appears in a puff of orange smoke on his desk, and the sketchbook with his recently made Do Not Akumatize list appears back on his bookshelf. Nooroo soon comes out of hiding from behind the walls and giggles.

"That was genius!"

"Hey, it was your plan to Akumatize myself," he retorts, tail swishing happily. "I just decided on the powers."

"But was it necessary to give yourself the tail?"

"... Yes."