Jean messed with his card deck for the fifteenth time since this morning, shuffling them over and over just as a stress relief. 'Relax, Jean. You've got this. This is what you've been training for.'

Not many knew this about Jean Duparc, but along with theater, he also did a little magic on the side as well. It was a requirement for a part he was auditioning for in a play when he was ten, and even after the show was over, he still practiced magic and has gotten pretty good at it over the years, moving up from simple card tricks to disappearing acts and his friends loved every trick he put on for them.

The thespian/magician looked down at their deck and shuffled them once more until he found the card that would either make them the happiest guy in DuPont or force them to switch schools out of humiliation... Well, it's now or never.

Jean placed the cards back in their box, and just in time, too as Lacey came out of nowhere and jumped on his back. "Jean! My love! What's up?" She got her answer when her eyes landed on the box of cards. "Yes! Finally! It's been a while since I got to see 'The Jean Show'! Please tell me you're making Chloe disappear," she pleaded, getting a laugh out of her friend.

"No, this is... For something else," he confessed. "I was gonna... Y'know, ask... Someone out." Seeing the blonde girl looking close to bursting, he slapped his hand over her mouth before she could scream and attract any unwanted attention. "But not until lunch, okay? So, don't say anything, please, Lacey."

She removes his hand and gives a reassuring smile. "Relax, Jean, you can always trust me... But just tell me who it is! Please, please, please?" She begged, dragging out the 'e' in the last 'please.' "I'm not gonna tell anyone! I 'Black eye' swear!"

'Wow, she's really serious.' The 'Black eye' swear was a pact made by Lacey and Jean when they were seven- the age where kids always did stupid things- and threw baseballs at each other, believing they'd be able to catch them, and they sort of did... With their eyes. They were so embarrassed that they lied and told people they got into a fight with some other kids and only got black eyes out of the fake fight. For a week, they were known as the toughest kids in school until Marinette beat up a ten-year-old for taking her cupcake.

"Alright, I'll tell you," he relented, making Lacey bounce up and down in excitement. 'God, I can't believe I'm doing this.' "... It's... It's Marc," Jean quickly said before looking away in embarrassment and some shame- Not because he likes a boy, Jean knew Lacey and the others would definitely support him whoever he ends up dating, but the thing is... Marc may or may not like someone else...

"... You like Marc?" She asked, her voice just a bit above a whisper. "Wow... Was not expecting that. For some reason, I thought you'd be all over Adrien." And with that joke, Jean was feeling a little less nervous and laughed. "Hey, you fainted when he shot you the finger guns! Don't deny it!"

"I'm not," he chuckled. "But... I didn't know how you'd react, so I was waiting until today, I had this whole thing planned-"

Lacey slings an arm around his shoulders and gives him a kind look. "Jean, I know we probably haven't been making things easy for you, what with us being all 'Hey, team NathMarc all the way,' but that was just to mess with the guy. Come on, they danced at Adrien's party, that gives us some teasing rights."

"True, but wouldn't you be freaking the absolute fuck out? Lace, this can either destroy our friend group or make it stronger," they asserted. "When Denise and Simon got together last year, everyone was so happy- Because come on, they're adorable together."

"I know," Lacey gushed. "Right?"

"But, who's to say that'll be the same with Marc and me if this works out? Hm?"

Lacey clicked her tongue as she thought of a response. "Uh... I'm sure it'll go fine," she said quickly. "Yeah, definitely. You know, just be your natural Jean self, all goofy and shit." She tussles his hair, making him laugh and try to push her away. "Do your fancy card trick, wow that boy either in public or private. I assume private." Jean nods. "Okay, I won't tell anyone, but I wanna watch from afar. I'll grab my gear and watch from the roof if I have to."

"No, there's no need for that."

"I'll still grab it just in case," she smirked. "And Jean- Now, I want you to remember this. Marc is one of the nicest guys I know. Even if he says no, he won't be mean about it, maybe a little awkward, but I'm sure he won't tell anyone. Then the years will pass, you two will laugh about it over coffee, and all will be right and well with your friendship."

Once again, Laney knew how to make internal agonizing go away. Feeling much better than he did a moment ago, Jean pulled his friend in for a hug, which she happily returned. "Thanks, Lace."

"You got this! Listen to some Legally Blonde to get you pumped up, okay? When do you plan to ask him out?"

"During study hall."

Lacey gave them a thumbs up. "Perfect! Most of the students will be in the library or classrooms, others will just be wandering around, minding their business. You've got one hour to ask him out, make them count, bud." With that, she gave them a pat on the back for some extra reassurance. "Now let's head to class."

Feeling much bolder, Jean followed Lacey to class and surprised himself by not freaking out when he accidentally bumped into Marc on his way in.

"Sorry, Jean."

The thespian smiled at waved it off. "Hey, it's fine. I wasn't looking where I was going." Marc returned the smile and made his way to his desk with Cosette. The conversations amongst the students died down when Mme. Bustier called for their attention.

"Alright, everyone! I hope you're all ready for your first Literacy project of the year." The students beamed and whispered amongst themselves. Throughout the school year, Mme. Bustier would assign what is essentially a reading group project. Students get in small groups, read a book approved by the teacher, and work on a PowerPoint presentation that gives a summary of the book, the meaning, and a bio of the author. "Now you all know the drill, the groups will be assigned at random, so no complaining."

Ismael scoffed. "Teach, everyone here is practically everyone's crazy gay cousin. You're not gonna hear us complaining."

🪄🦋

"This is unacceptable! Sabrina and I have always done projects on our own!" A few students rolled their eyes at the statement. "Besides, I don't what the phone witch or meat head anywhere near me!"

Alya shot up from her seat and shook her fist at the blonde, prompting her to get behind Sabrina and use her as a human shield. The commotion died down when the purple-haired teacher slapped her desk with a ruler.

"Enough! Chloe, I do not have time for your dramatics! Alya and Kim are working with you on this project, and that is final, so just deal with it!"

If there was one teacher in school who wouldn't put up with Chloe, it was Mme. Mendeleieve. She often pitied her coworkers, especially Caline. The younger teacher is clearly stressed by the blonde girl's threats of bringing her father up in any argument she's losing. Demeter knows she wants to speak up and put that girl in her place, but she loves her job and doesn't want to get fired and possibly blacklisted because of some politician's bratty daughter.

So, she left it alone... For now.

Ignoring Chloe's angry muttering, she listed the rest of the groups for the project, "Our next group is Marinette, Adrien, and Nathaniel." While these groups did seem random to some, there was a bit of a hidden meaning that results in each group getting a good grade. For example, Marinette is one of her top students and her partners are a little behind in class for different reasons. The Eurasian girl is also good at explaining and breaking down the topics of the assignments, so Adrien and Nathaniel won't be too lost when working on the project.

"Juleka, Mylene, Alix, and Nino." Alix and Nino are just two more top students. While Mylene's grades are decent, there's always room for improvement and Juleka?... She was dangerously close to failing last year, and Demeter refuses to let that happen again.

"And last, Max, Ivan, Rose, and Sabrina." She ignored Chloe's enraged scream and gathered the project rubrics before handing them over to Marinette to pass around. "For this project, you are to research a particle physicist from any century. But before that, you must come up with a list of three and hand them to me for approval so you're not all doing the same one. I expect these lists before the bell, so get busy." And with that, the students got together with their partners and came up with their lists.

Although, it was clear to her that one group would be a little behind.

"So here's how it's going to go, blogger girl. I have a hair appointment today, so I can't be bothered working on this lame project, so you and meathead here," Kim scowled at the nickname. "Are going to get about ninety-nine percent of the work done." Chloe pursed her lips in thought for a moment as she fished through her purse for her phone. "Actually, scratch that. You two do all of the work."

Alya was quick to snatch the heiress' phone out of her hand. "Oh, hell no! There is no way you're leaving the two of us to work on this project while you sit on your lazy ass all day," she hissed, pushing up her headband with the orange origami butterfly attached. "I don't care how you and Sabrina used to do projects, but I don't roll like that, Miss Money Bags."

Noticing Chloe about to retort, she slammed her hand down on the desk, alarming some of the other students but making Chloe shut her mouth. "So get out your journal and a pen, and help us come up with a list of particle physicists, because- get this." She holds up the rubric and points to one of the requirements. "Here, it states that teamwork is worth twenty percent of our grade, got it? And I refused to go down with anything lower than a B."

Chloe nodded and hastily got out her journal, satisfying Alya and leaving Kim and a few others who were listening in a state of awe while Mme. Mendeleieve looked on with a proud look. Oddly, this girl reminded her of herself back when she was a student.

🪄🦋

"Okay, you've got this," Jean said to himself as he paced around the bathroom. "Just go to him, do your little card trick, and hopefully you and Marc will be going out... You know, if all goes right and totally, horribly wrong." He turns to the mirror and points to himself. "You got this. You have definitely got this, so stop stalling you idiot, and just go to him before study hall ends in fifty-four minutes and fifty seconds, forty-nine seconds, forty-eight- YOU'RE DOING IT AGAIN!"

"Rehearsing for another play?"

The brunette paled and slowly turned their head towards the new voice, only to sigh out of relief when they saw it was Nathaniel. They often caught the redhead talking to himself during school hours- a totally normal thing by the way- so Jean felt a little less embarrassed to be caught talking to himself in the school bathroom of all places. Though, it does strike them as a little odd Nathaniel uses a name. Nezu, Nooloo, or something like that.

Everyone has their quirks, so Jean didn't bring it up.

"You two wanna be alone?" He offered, pointing to Jean and their reflection in the mirror.

Jean chuckled and shook his head. "No, just trying to hype myself up for something, y'know? I mean, I listened to a few songs from the Legally Blonde soundtrack, but I'm still a little tense, so I thought a quick pep talk would help."

As he rambled, Nathaniel couldn't help but chuckle. "Hey, I get it. What's it for? An oral report, an audition?"

'Oh, great. Someone else wants to know.' While Jean's absolutely sure Nathaniel won't judge his crush, he's terrified to reveal that it's Marc because what if he really does like Marc that way?... Well, he doesn't have to know who he's asking out, and Nathaniel's never been one to pry too much. "... I plan on asking someone out," he confessed and felt relief when Nathaniel only smiled and congratulated him, never once asking who it is.

It was kind of weird seeing the redhead look this excited. 'Maybe he finally got enough sleep,' Jean figured, laughing a bit at his joke.

"Jean, that's great!" He takes the thespian's hands as a show of support, and the thespian swore he saw his eyes sparkling like an anime character's. "Whoever it is, they're going to be insanely lucky! I mean you're funny, and charming, and you can recite the entire Heathers script word for word! What person wouldn't be impressed?" Realizing what he just blurted, the redhead let go of Jean's hands and took a step back. "S-sorry, that just came out of nowhere-"

"Actually, it's just what I needed to hear," Jean assured as he made his way to the door. "Thanks, Nath!"

When the young actor was gone, Nooroo flew out of Nathaniel's pocket and beamed proudly. "That was so sweet, Nathaniel!"

"Hey, I don't just deal with negative emotions," he said before tickling Nooroo's side with his pinkie finger, getting a giggle out of the Kwami.

But while he was laughing, Nooroo couldn't help but wonder what had his holder in such a good mood. It was just an ordinary day, the class got assigned a project. And if Nooroo remembers, students do not like working on projects. Although, he's not complaining. It's nice seeing Nathaniel look so happy.

🪄🦋

Jean took a deep breath before taking one quick look around the courtyard for any inconveniences. No Chloé to humiliate him, no nosy upperclassmen, and no Austins. 'You got this.'

He heads towards Marc and feels his soul leave his body when the taller boy throws his head back with a laugh at something Aurore said. And the sun shining through the open roof hit his face in the most amazing way, only highlighting his attractiveness. Jean began to falter, believing this was a waste of time as Marc was clearly out of his league, but then Denise had to wave him over.

'To quote my favorite waitress said: Shit.'

Jean gave a quick tug of his shirt collar and made his way towards the two. "H-hey, guys." He's honestly amazed he was able to speak. All that's left to do is get some alone time. "... Uh, Marc I need to talk to you about something?"

The thespian mentally facepalmed. 'Don't make it sound like a question!'

Denise seemed to get the message. "Hey, no worries. I'll see you two around." And with that, they left. Now all Jean needs to do is go somewhere private and hopefully not embarrass himself.

Marc turned to him with a worried expression. "Jean, is everything okay?" He reaches forward to rest a hand on Jean's shoulder, not knowing that the second he made contact, it sent some sort of tingling feeling through Jean's body.

Jean opened his mouth, but nothing was coming out. This was his moment! He needed to take it! So, with a deep breath, he took Marc's hand, the one that was on his shoulder and just held it. The taller boy looked at their clasped hands confused for a moment until Jean said, "Mind if we go somewhere private?" Still confused, Marc nodded and allowed Jean to pull him into the locker room.

"Are you okay?" Marc asked, making sure to give Jean's hand a comforting squeeze, not caring how sweaty it was since they were looking a little anxious and kind of pale. "Jean, do you need to go to the nurse? Your hand's a little clammy."

Hearing this, Jean made quick work of wiping the sweat on their palms off their jeans while trying not to curse. "S-sorry, I'm just... I need to tell you something, and I've been wanting to do this for... For a while now, really and- God, I'm blowing this."

"Jean, take your time," Marc told him softly and with the cutest smile. "Whatever it is, I'll listen. You have nothing to be embarrassed about."

And with those words, Jean felt all his troubles lift away. What was he so worried about? Lacey was right, he's about to confess to Marc Anciel! Even if this doesn't work out, he'll probably still compliment his card trick, he'll be the one saying sorry when Jean's the one who humiliated himself, won't say anything to the others, and everything will be okay.

So... "Well, you know I'm better with actions than words." He gave a flick of his wrist, and his deck of cards appeared in his hand, all there and furled out like a hand fan. Marc's eyes lit up, just the reaction he hoping for. Jean performed a few sleights of hand acts, making half the deck disappear and then reappear in his back pocket, he whirled his hand around a bit and the deck disappeared in that hand. He reached into the sleeve on his opposite arm and pulled out the deck.

Marc clapped. "Your tricks get better every time."

Jean felt their confidence increase with those words, and with Marc's look of admiration, they couldn't even remember why they were so nervous. They just have to go through with the finishing act. They lifted his hand holding the deck and gave it a slight tilt, making all of the cards fall into their other hand in a perfect stack until there was only one card left. Marc looked confused as Jean extended the card to him with a shy look.

"New trick?" Jean only nodded as he took the card. Unlike the rest, the back was blank. But before Marc could flip it over to the front, a high-pitched scream caused him to fumble with it for a moment before catching it. The two turned and saw Chloé storming into the room, dragging a conflicted-looking Sabrina while Alya and Kim charged after her.

"Hell. No! You are not making Sabrina do your part of the project!" Alya asserted. "She has her own work to do, and-"

Chloé scoffed. "Like I have to listen to someone whose mom is working for my daddy!" She jabs a finger in the girl's face. "Say the wrong thing and I'll make sure she never works in Paris again!"

Alya smacks Chloé's hand away. "Say the wrong thing and put that sushi-smelling finger in my face again, and I'll make sure no one recognizes your face!"

"Is that a threat?!"

"Call it a promise!"

While the two girls were going at it, Kim went to check on Sabrina, paying no mind to Marc and Jean as he walked her out of the locker room.

The other two students just watched, unsure what to do. Jean only wanted to scream. His plans for a nice, quiet confession were ruined and now Chloé and Alya are drawing in a crowd of students. Clearly, they were amazed that this new girl had the guts to stand up to the mayor's daughter. He was about to take Marc into a different room so he could see what was on the card in peace, but... It seems the universe had other plans when Chloé decided to be Chloé and humiliate him so the focus wouldn't be on her losing the battle against the brave journalist.

"Ooh! What's this?" She snatched the card out of Marc's hand despite his protests. Jean hastily tried to make a grab for it, but Chloé held it away from him and scanned what was on the front before bursting out into a peal of taunting laughter and holding the card up for the other students to see. "Hey, everyone, look! Our resident actor has a crush on a lame writer!"

Jean tried to grab the card again, but Chloé snatched it away. "Give that back!"

And if showing the card wasn't bad enough... Chloé did the worst possible thing and read it out loud for the people in the back. "'The only magic words I need are 'Will you go out with me?''" She added salt to the wound by tossing the card to the floor with a cruel laugh as if she just told an amazing joke. But no one was laughing. One would think the Austins would take the opportunity to add their two cents, but they never hung around the school during study hall or lunch hour, opting to hang out around the city and go get smoothies.

"Honestly! Do you think Marquis would ever go out with you? Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" And with that, she sauntered out of the locker room, the students making no move to part for her, so she had to push her way through the crowd.

When she was gone, there was only silence as all the students turned their attention to Jean, some sympathetic, others curious and whispering if what Chloé said was true. Jean couldn't even look at Marc and tuned out his pleas to look at him. He had only one thought on his mind, and that was to run. He snatched the card off the floor before barreling through the crowd of students and ignoring his friends calling out for him, only hearing Chloé's cruel taunts. He left the school and ran all the way to the park, just a quiet place for him to try and relax, stop thinking about everything, and... Think about switching schools because now his life is over. Jean sat down on a bench and looked at the card in his hand.

'What was I thinking, doing this?' He clenched the card in his hand as he hunched over and cried.

🪄🦋

"Nath- Nathaniel, breathe. Take a deep, calm breath." The redhead made a weird noise that was definitely not a calm breath. "No, not like that." He tried again. "No." He didn't know what had happened. One minute, Nathaniel was totally fine, and then the next, he's biting his hand to hold in a scream once he was alone.

Suddenly, he perked up, looking less tense than earlier. "I'm fine. This is fine!" Nathaniel paced around the empty bathroom. "Jean likes Marc, and that is totally fine," he said through gritted teeth. "I do not care."

Nooroo's powers said otherwise. There was nothing but envy coursing through his holder right now, but why wouldn't Nathaniel just admit it? It was fun teasing him about his obvious crush and then him denying even having one, but Nathaniel's been taking his denial to a whole new level. The Kwami sighed. They've really got to work on communication a little more.

"And, Jean wanted to profess his feelings to Marc... All because of the helpful little speech I made about him being so amazing." He inhaled sharply through his teeth. "It's fine. And you know why?"

"I'm scared to ask," Nooroo confessed.

"Because now, he'll have a chance to confess to Marc with some help from Monarch. Me." He points to himself. "He can get his revenge on Chloé, romance Marc, get me the Miraculous when it's all over, it's perfect! Everyone wins!"

Nooroo made an unsure sound. "Nath, you really shouldn't Akumatize people while you're-"

"Happy for two friends of mine? That's crazy! Nooroo, Wings Rise." Whatever Nooroo was about to say got cut off as he was sucked into the Miraculous. Monarch made quick work of creating an Akuma and unlike the others, its' wings were flapping at a fast pace and there seemed to be these dark green splotches on the underside of the wings. Monarch didn't notice or really seem to care and quickly shooed it out of the room. "Go. Go now. Find Jean!"

🪄🦋

It didn't take long for the strange Akuma to find Jean as it was much faster than the others made by Monarch, but not as elusive. It didn't phase through solid objects to avoid being caught by Parisians, instead fluttering around at random but fortunately not getting caught and setting off a panic. As it neared the park, the Akuma dived down towards the thespian once it felt their anguish and merged with the card in their hand.

Jean's head shot up as the glowing purple mask appeared over their eyes.

"Magician of Misfortune, so wonderful to meet you. The humiliation you have suffered from will not stand." Without waiting for Jean to respond, Monarch continued, "Those who dare to mock you? Let's just say that with a flick of your hand, all of your problems will disappear. And those whom you desire? They'll be under your spell. However, I'll need you to conjure a few things for me in return. Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's Miraculous when you get the chance."

Jean didn't know what everyone was talking about. Monarch's words seemed kind of... Rushed. It was nice that he had some idea of what he was going through, but the comforting words Alya and Alix described just weren't there, making it easy for Jean to say no...

Or, it should have. Instead, he jolted and his amber eyes flickered green for a brief second. Jean smirked- a sinister one that would never appear on his face unless he was playing the antagonist- and gave his answer. "I'll put on a show they'll never forget." The purple and black energy spread from the card and all over his body. And when it disappeared, Jean was no more as Magician of Misfortune took his place.

With a flick of his wrist, a standard black and white magician's wand appeared in his hand, before he turned to look at DuPont. "First, Chloé, then my sweet lapin." And anyone who got between him and Marc will surely be sorry.

But now that he thinks about it, perhaps he should pay a certain artist a visit as well.

🪄🦋

"God, what a brat," Alix hissed as she and her group members made their way into the library, sitting just across from Marinette, Adrien, and Nathaniel at their table. She places her bag on the table, using all of her willpower to not throw it at the risk of damaging her tablet and angering the librarian. "I can't believe she humiliated Jean like..." The skater's voice trailed off as she thought over her words. "... Actually, I totally can. Adrien, you've probably been asked this a dozen times, but how the fuck do you deal with her?"

Nino looked around before whispering, "Is it drugs?" The others leaned in, awaiting his answer.

"Hey, trust me," he started, sounding exhausted. "I've dealt with a ton of people like Chloé. Those fancy galas? Their natural habitat. A room that's full of rich single people who have appeared on the covers of magazines. After a while, you just become numb and learn to walk away when they're bragging about their party yachts so you can hide under the snack table and steal a few passion fruit macarons."

"So passion fruit macarons are your favorite?" Adrien looked confused by the bluenette's question before nodding. "Noted."

Myléne tells him, "Marinette likes to bake pastries for the class once in a while, so she asks what our favorite pastries are." The blonde boy looked at the designer as if she were sent from Heaven, making the project groups quietly laugh.

"Can you get any better?"

Marinette looks up in thought before answering, "I can tie a licorice rope with my mouth and eat anything sour without my face puckering up."

"It's true, dude. I've seen her suck on a lemon just for the hell of it." Nino cast his childhood friend a look that screamed, 'You're crazy,' while Marinette merely shrugged and flashed him a not-so-innocent smile.

"Alright, enough reminiscing," Alix told them all as she pulled out her laptop. "Come on, I wanna get this project done and out of the way." Realizing they were close to getting off-topic, the two groups began to take out their rubrics and tablets. For Nathaniel, however, the second he opened up his messenger bag, he quickly tossed it to the floor when a dove flew out, followed by another, then another one until at least twenty flew out of the bag all at once, startling everyone in the library and causing a few to run or duck before a bird could fly into them.

"Okay, what the hell?!" Adrien swatted one of the birds away as it was trying to use his hair as a nest. "Get out of here!"

Nathaniel tentatively kicked his bag, anticipating something else to fly out, but nothing came out of his bag... Just his sleeves. A flurry of cards flew out and onto the floor, but instead of the graphics of aces, numbers, and royals, they depicted none other than Magician of Misfortune holding up a skull with his haircut, making the artist gulp.

While his friends were shielding their faces from the doves, Nathaniel looked to Nooroo for an answer as to why his Akuma was messing with him, but the Kwami simply gave him a look that said, 'We'll talk later,' before ducking back into his pocket. Noticing a bird coming for him, Nathaniel shielded his face and waited... Only for nothing to happen. He looked up and finds only purple smoke. 'Did... Did it just disappear into smoke? What the fuck is going on?!'

The sound of the PA system's melody cut through the chaos before Principal Damocles spoke, "Students! I urge you all to head to your homes! An Akuma has-" Some chirping is heard. "Hey! Get away from me you- you blasted birds! Aah!"

Not needing to be told twice, everyone in the library rushed out of the room and shut the door behind them. They thought doves flying out of a bag and cards popping out of sleeves would be the end of it, but they were very wrong when they saw the state of the entire school. Teachers were running from white tigers, the bottom halves of students' bodies are running from their other halves making for a very disturbing sight, and if Kim looks close, he can see Ivan coughing up an endless supply of ping pong balls.

Simon screamed wildly, wanting so badly to flail his arms to express his current emotions, but... "WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY ARMS?!" He couldn't. "I CAN'T FIND MY ARMS!"

Marinette's eyes twitched. "... That's not right."

A high-pitched scream brought their attention to Chloe, who, much to their joy, had her hair looking like a rainbow wig and her makeup much more heavy and cartoonish. She looked like a clown.

"Okay," Adrien smirked with a nod of approval. "That's pretty funny."

With his friends too stunned to move and take their eyes off of the chaotic scene before them, or they were taking pictures of Chloe's dilemma, Kim took the opportunity to run someplace to transform. Fortunately, the nurse's office was vacant and probably the only room in the school not affected by the Akuma.

"Five sugar cookies says it's Jean," Tikki chirped as she flew out of his hoodie pocket,

Kim chuckled. "It makes sense. Jean's a magician, all of the stuff happening is usually what you'd see in a magic act, and Chloe humiliated him in front of the whole school, so..." His expression turned dark when he realized what that meant. "I don't have to protect Chloe, do I?" The Kwami glanced at him sympathetically, and Kim groaned, knowing what that meant. "Damnit!... Fine! I'll play 'Bodyguard.' Tikki, Spots On."

He cracks the door open a bit to make sure no one notices him. Fortunately, they're all too distracted by the strange phenomena, allowing him to run out of the office undetected and act as if he just got here.

"Does anyone see the Akuma?!" Obviously, no one heard him over the sound of chainsaws being juggled by a student who was clearly affected by the Akuma if his look of terror had anything to say about it, and unable to stop no matter how hard he tried. To rid him of the burden, Scarlet Beetle yanked the chainsaws away with his yoyo and turned each one off so they wouldn't hurt anyone else.

"Thank you!" The poor boy squeaked before running out of the school, screaming.

"Everyone evacuate!" The hero in red turned to the new voice and found his partner sliding down his extended staff and landing next to him. "Come on! Head home! If you're split in half, find someone to help you out! Go!" The students and teachers heeded his authoritative voice and ran out of the school. Those who weren't cut in half like a magician's assistant grabbed people's torsos and left their legs to follow them out of the school.

Noticing a trio of tigers still chasing some teachers, Ikati Black smacked the jungle cats one by one into a classroom with his staff. Scarlet Beetle grabbed the doorknob with his YoYo and shut the door. He shoots his partner a smile once the entire school had been cleared out, save for the doves and rabbits "So, what's the sitch? A magic act gone wrong?"

"Basically, and I think our magician has it out for Chloe Bourgeois." Not noticing his partner's amused smirk, he continued, "They messed up her hair and makeup." He quickly adds, "Two things I hear she cares a lot about."

Ikati Black tapped his chin in thought. "So, this was a personal attack?" It made sense Jean would go after Chloe after what he just saw earlier, and if he's right, then the clown makeover was just the beginning and Jean will be going on a manhunt for her. "Alright, well I'm pretty sure I saw Chloé running away screaming on my way over. She'll be heading to the hotel- Safe, secure, and her dad has that asshole on speed dial."

Scarlet Beetle flicked the side of Ikati Black's head. "Ikati, be nice. He was just stressed, and-"

"I'll be nice when he apologizes to you," he retorts. "Until then, Roger Raincomprix is the bane of my existence."

Knowing there was no way to convince his partner otherwise, Scarlet Beetle threw his YoYo and swung towards the hotel, Ikati Black just right behind him.

🪄🦋

"Marc! Marcelle!" The twins knelt down and held their arms open for their little brother's oncoming hug. "Jeremy and Evan called and said Lacey came home coughing up golf balls! Was there an Akuma at your school?!"

Marcelle cooed over his concern and hugged him extra tight. "Yeah, but don't worry, we're okay, Kiran. No Akuma's gonna get us."

"Or you while we're around," Marc adds, and Marcelle flexes her bicep to reassure their brother a little more. Kiran laughs as she picks him up and swings him around.

"Hey, now, not too fast," Penny Anciel gently chastised as she made her way into the living room from the kitchen. "Poor baby should still be in bed." She starts peppering her youngest's head with kisses, making Kiran's face scrunch up as he tried to turn his face away.

Kiran groaned. "Momma! Stop!"

"No, this is how you cure headaches!" She continues to kiss his head. "Oh, don't pretend you don't love it." Kiran is doing whatever he can to avoid the onslaught of motherly love, but Marcelle wasn't letting that happen.

"Nuh-uh! If we had to suffer when we were sick, so do you, Kiri!" To further add to his embarrassment, she starts kissing Kiran's cheeks.

"Eew! Marc, help!" The boy pleaded, only for a feeling of dread to wash over when he saw his brother applying some chapstick. "No!" To his relief, it was only one quick kiss on his other cheek, but the feeling of betrayal still stayed as his own brother retreated upstairs. "I'll have my revenge!"

Marcelle cooed. "Aaw! Sure you will!" She and Penny each give Kiran one last kiss before she takes him upstairs. "Now let's get you back in bed. And if you're feeling up for it, and you're not all pouty even after we tried to cure your headache, the three of us can watch a few Disney movies in your room." Kiran's dark grey eyes lit up at the offer. "Yeah, Marc and I will slip on our pajamas, I'll grab my tablet, and we can watch whatever you want. How's that sound?"

"Can we watch The Mighty Ducks?"

Marc's voice rang from his room, "I'm glad one of my siblings has taste!" If Kiran weren't around, Marcelle would flip him off.

Rolling her eyes, Marcelle made her way into Marc's room, resisting the urge to grab one of the journals off of his shelf, run, and read his stories in her room. It was rare for Marc to ever let others read his fanfiction or original stories, so excuse her, her moms, and sometimes Kiran for being a little curious. If she can just grab Journal Twelve and outrun Marc's freaky long-ass legs, she'll find out if Luke chooses Amber or Michael. The anticipation was killing her!

"You got something to say, bro?"

Marc smirked. "Only that your taste in Disney movies sucks."

"Hey!" She points to him. "G-Force is awesome! And so is Spy Kids!"

"G-Force gets a pass for creativity, but Spy-Kids has some of the lamest graphics I've ever seen," her brother snarked as he slipped out of his sweater. "Now unless you'd like to see me in my boxers, I suggest you leave and get your tablet so we can watch some quality films."

Kiran only laughed at his older siblings' banter. Marcelle scoffed on her way out. "Nothing I haven't seen before, dude!"

Ignoring that, Marc looked through his drawers for a pair of pajamas, only to be interrupted by a 'thud' outside his bedroom window. He turned his head around, expecting to see a pigeon who flew into the glass by mistake, but nothing was there. Shrugging it off as nothing, he looked through his drawers again, but couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. Ever so slowly, he turned his head back towards the window and jumped back in fear when he saw a cloaked figure standing just on the sill.

Every instinct he had told Marc to run, but his feet were glued to the floor, and the mysterious person made his window disappear with a snap of their fingers.

"Oh, God."

However, the fear Marc felt at that moment soon melted away when this person started... Singing.

"I've got magic to do... Just for you." They made their way into his room, taking their sweet time as they approached the noirette. "I've got miracle plays to play..." Without warning, Marc was back on his feet as the intruder seized his hand and pulled him up. "I've got parts to perform, hearts to warm." With a flick of their wrist, a bright red rose materialized and was gently tucked into Marc's hair. "As I go along... My way..."

Knowing only one person who could hold a high note that well, Marc was able to figure out who this was. "Jean?"

His friend smiled sweetly. "It's Magician of Misfortune, mon lapin."

Ignoring the weirded-out look Marc was sporting in response to the nickname, they continued, "I've been looking all over for you. Why, I almost thought you disappeared on me there." They gave a dramatic sigh. "Although, who could blame you? I'm sure you wouldn't want to be subjected to such embarrassment again because of me."

Marc blinked, unsure how to respond. He was still kind of conflicted over what happened in the locker room. Jean is a wonderful friend, he's sweet, they get along well, and Marc loves when he sings, does his magic tricks... But he's not sure if he can like Jean that way when he's one of his best friends. Honestly, it'd be like dating Aurore, he wouldn't feel anything... There.

After Jean ran out of the school, Marc wanted so badly to run after him, but Mireille convinced him otherwise, explaining that he might need some space. And a rejection of his feelings might not make him feel better. But now, Jean was here, not crying anymore... But he's an Akuma, and they are pretty unpredictable. One wrong move and Marc could end up like Bubbler's victims, floating up into space. Jean would never do that, though. They're friends, and he'd never hurt a fly. And since Magician of Misfortune is in love with him, then there's a good chance Marc can get through one Akuma attack without getting caught in the crossfire.

Now that was a good reason to be afraid. Marc was sacrificed to an Egyptian god, almost sent into the sky in a bubble, got frozen in a block of ice, and kidnapped all by Akumas. Yeah, that's it, he's definitely afraid of Akumas in general and not of his friend and what he might do if he upsets him. Thankfully it takes a lot to get Jean upset. Hopefully, his Akumatized self is the same.

"It... It's fine. I'm just sorry Chloé embarrassed you like that." He flinched when Magician of Misfortune's gentle smile melted away into a dark look.

"She just loves to ruin everything," he said through clenched teeth before taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "But it's fine now! No nosy students, no Chloé, and especially no Nathaniel."

And just like that, Marc's whole world just stopped. What on earth did Nathaniel have to do with this? Chloé, he understood, but Nathaniel? Before he could ask, Magician of Misfortune took his hand into both of his and dropped down on one knee. 'Oh boy, what is happening how?'

"Mon Lapin. Would you do me the honor of going on a date with me?"

"Wh... What?"

Magician of Misfortune grinned. "You and me, and just a nice, quiet evening filled with magic." With a wave of his hand, glitter comically rained down. "So? What do you say?"

"I... I..." Marc's words died on his tongue when he saw Magician of Misfortune's eyes flicker green. 'Oh, God, what does that mean?!'

"It's because of Nathaniel isn't it?" The name was spat out like venom from the Akuma's mouth, startling Marc as they stood to full height. "Of course! Why not?! Well, we can't have that, now can we?" Marc started to back away as Magician of Misfortune's grip on their wand tightened and flame-like red sparks burst from the tip. They start to head back to the window. "I'll just pay him a little visit, meet up with you later-"

"WAIT!" Marc rushed over to the Akuma before they could leave and grabbed their wrist. It took a moment for him to find the words he wanted to say, and when he did, Marc felt as if he needed to scrub his mouth out with soap. "I... I never liked Nathaniel. Honestly, I was just being nice at Adrien's party- He was alone, and I saw his friend dancing with someone. A-and that thing during Timebreaker? It was just Cosette and my sister being... You know, themselves. Really, it meant nothing. So... Yes, I will go on a date with you."

Magician of Misfortune couldn't help the grin that formed on his lips.

"But," Marc holds up a finger. "Just promise me you won't hurt anyone. And that includes Chloé." Seeing the Akuma frowning, Marc shamelessly pulls out the dough eyes and bats his eyelashes for good measure. "Please? I'd hate to see you use your powers to hurt people."

Seeing how much this clearly meant to him, Magician of Misfortune relented with a sigh. "For you and only you." He was so looking forward to turning Chloé into a parrot and Nathaniel into a ferret, stoat, or some other vermin, be he supposed it would all be worth it as it was plain to see that Marc loved him, only him, and Nathaniel meant nothing to his darling! Without warning, he swept Marc into his arms for a hug, resisting the urge to kiss him... Later tonight. Later tonight when the mood was perfect, and he had his sweet lapin under his spell.

"Meet me on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, at sunset." And with that... He leaped out of the window, frightening Marc and making him look over the ledge to see if his friend was alright, but relief washed over when he saw Magician of Misfortune standing on a floating purple carpet... How cliche.

When he left, the noirette shut his window with a breath of relief. "... What the hell did I just get myself into?"

"Marc Anthony Anciel!" Hearing his full name being used, Marc paled and slowly turned to see his mother, sister, and brother standing just outside his room with aghast expressions, and Marcelle was holding up her phone, most likely recording. "Did you just accept a date from an Akuma?"

He squeaked, "Kinda?"

🪄🦋

"Nathaniel, I'm sure he didn't mean it-" The poor Kwami is interrupted once more by his holder's uncontrollable crying. Nooroo sighed, now seeing the problem. He knew this would happen, but thought it would be later in life or when Nathaniel's used the Miraculous enough times. Although, being a hormonal teenager must quicken the side effects of the Miraculous. It can make a holder more emotional than normal and dangerously impact the Champions or Akumas... Which is what happened to Jean.

Nathaniel won't admit it, but he was definitely jealous of Jean confessing to Marc, and that affected his latest Akuma, fueling it with not only the magic of the Miraculous but also his envy. So now, Magician of Misfortune will be dangerously close to snapping at anyone who so much as looks at Marc.

"You heard what he said!" Nathaniel sobbed, hugging his pillow tighter. Nooroo flew over, hugging him. "I mean nothing to him!"

Nooroo was sure there was more to it, but Nathaniel de-transformed before he could hear what Marc could say next. "Nathaniel, you heard what Magician of Misfortune was going to do; he was going to try and get rid of you because he thought Marc had feelings for you. The reason Marc is going on this date is to protect you because he really likes you."

The redhead was quiet for a moment before lifting his head up from his pillow, eyes puffy and bangs strewn to the side before asking, "You think so?"

"I know so," the Kwami chirped, glad his holder was close to finally realizing his feelings for the other boy. It was slow, a little frustrating whenever he denied it, but Nooroo would remain patient. After all, he only wants Nathaniel to be happy.

🪄🦋

"Maybe you can tell him you're sick, huh?" Alyssa tried as she paced outside her son's room, worry written across her face. "I'm sure he'll understand!"

"Mom, it's Jean Duparc," Marcelle tried to reason. "The guy's incapable of hurting anyone."

"As himself, maybe, but as an Akuma-"

"I'll be fine, mom," Marc said on the other side of his door. "And if I don't this, then Jean's going after Nathaniel, probably Chloe-"

Marcelle rolled her eyes. "I understand why you're worried over Nathaniel, but Chloe? Bro, that girl deserves what's coming to her." Penny flicked the side of her head for that remark, even if she also knew it was true. "Had to be said. And mom, momma, we got this covered."

Once Penny was done freaking out and they put Kiran to bed, Marcelle DM'd the video she took of Magician of Misfortune and Marc to Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black on their social media. She got a quick response and together, they came up with a plan for how to defeat Magician of Misfortune. it'd be risky, but Ikati Black assured them there was a high chance of the plan succeeding.

"Marc's just gotta keep Houdini calm until Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black can take his Akuma, all will be well, and Marc will be home in time to watch Spy Kids."

"The Mighty Ducks!"

"No class!"

Before one of the mothers could intervene, the door opened and out stepped Marc, dressed in a black and blue striped sweater paired with jean shorts over black leggings. The light blue Doc Martens added an extra two inches, instead of his usual black choker, he wore a dark blue one with a gold star attached to it by a small chain, pairing it nicely with his black headband decorated with a single gold star on the side.

"My baby." Alyssa fanned away the tears that were threatening to appear. "Phenese toso omorfos," she cooed, being extra careful when cupping his face so she doesn't mess up his light makeup.

Marcelle gave him a thumbs up and a proud smile. "Looking good, Marc." Noticing something, she narrows her eyes. "Is that my headband?"

"You never wear it!" Marc exclaimed, and in retaliation, she flicked the little star charm on his choker.

Penny calmly approached her son, her lips stretched into a gentle smile as she fluffed up his hair a bit and straightened the collar of his sweater. "Just needed to fix that."

Marc smiled. "Thanks, mom."

Her expression turned downcast. "... Please be careful."

'Have you seen my track record with Akumas?' "I will, momma."

🪄🦋

"Don't worry, mom. I'll be back in a bit, I'm just getting something from Alix."

"Nath, you know I don't like you being out when Akumas are active. Please be careful."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you, too, dear."

And with that, Monarch hung up. Another feature on his weapon? His 'Cane Phone' links to his normal phone, so he can call any of his family or friends, and they won't know it's him as Monarch. It'll seem like "Nathaniel" is calling or texting them.

"Okay, I've got my eye on you, you jealous bastard," Monarch muttered bitterly as he glared at Magician of Misfortune from behind one of the tower's metal beams where his latest and probably second to least favorite Akuma was waiting outside Le Jules Verne, the restaurant he no-doubt hijacked and emptied out for his "date".

While it looked like a nice scene inside the restaurant, candles floating over the tables for a nice mood lighting, rose petals scattered before the door, and romantic music playing from out of nowhere, that only seemed to fuel Monarch's hatred for this newest Akuma. "Ugh. Fucking cliché."

He could draw dozens of different romantic scenes and wouldn't stop until he came up with the one that was perfect for Marc... Because he deserves it! Not some tacky nighttime restaurant date with tasteless music and this Chris Angel wannabe! Besides, it's really the least he can do for putting Marc in danger so many times. "Please be careful, Marc."

Once again, he fucked up and now Marc is paying the price. When he got home after working on a good portion of the project at Marinette's despite the chaos that could only be described as a magician's fantasy going on around them, Nooroo sat him down in his room and explained to Nathaniel why he seemed to be all over the place with his moods today.

After that long discussion, Nathaniel felt so stupid when he didn't realize it sooner. There are always some drawbacks when it comes to superpowers, they made it pretty clear in My Hero Academia. It also may have explained why that Akuma looked so off... Because he was jealous that Jean liked Marc. Nooroo's face when he finally said it out loud had to be the purest thing ever. He flew around in circles, cheering, "I knew it! I knew it!" It was kind of cute, he'll admit it.

But just because Nathaniel's finally realized his feelings for Marc, that doesn't mean he wants to make a move. He's already a danger to Marc as Monarch, and he knows exactly how Marc will react once he finds out his boyfriend is the same villain who's got him in trouble with five different Akumas now. He'll scream, run away, call the police, and Nathaniel will rot away in a jail cell for what some might consider terrorism while his mother wonders where she went wrong.

... Yeah, definitely not happening.

"You came!" Monarch heard Magician of Misfortune say. Looking from behind the beam, he saw probably the most beautiful sight that even the most detailed of his portraits could never compare. Of course, he's talking about Marc in such a stunning outfit. He's only ever seen him in wearing bright colors, and although they complimented him well, the soft blues just looked so-

Before he could finish that thought, Monarch physically slapped himself across the face. "Not the time." He needs to stay focused just in case Magician of Misfortune tries anything. If things go south when or if Marc says the wrong thing, then he could end up as the lovely assistant and be cut in half! He'll just have to keep Magician of Misfortune at bay until he takes Marc home, or Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black...

Wait... Was he even looking for them?! Come to think of it, Monarch hasn't gotten a notification on Bug and Cat Chat of any Akuma fights today! And with all of the selfies Chloé's been posting of herself with the heroes, going on about how they're "obsessed with her," he should have struck, taking out Chloé and the heroes in one spot! So just what exactly did this guy do all day?!

Monarch sighed and tore his fingers through his hair, removing his crown in the process. "God, I did not think this would be so stressful." He didn't bother whispering now that the lovely couples had gone inside the restaurant. He puts his crown back on before looking again to see what Marc and Magician of Misfortune are doing now. Fortunately, he had a good view. So far, they were just sitting at a booth, he's doing some next-level card tricks, and Marc actually looks impressed... Well, anyone would be impressed if all of the cards turned into roses... And a bunny with the cutest little ears and-

"Ugh," he groaned, sliding down against the beam and onto the floor. "Who am I kidding? Of course, he's impressed."

"You're so talented," he heard Marc say and reluctantly listened in. "I just don't understand why you wanna use your power to hurt people."

"Not all people. Just Chloé and Nathaniel."

"Oh, I'm a charming magician," Monarch mocked. "I can make roses appear outta my ass. Marc loves me even though I'm a jealous bastard who tried to kill Nathaniel with doves and cards-"

"... After all, you kept your promise, so I'll keep mine." The rage and envy boiling inside Monarch seemed to subside with those words and he listened closely. "While I would love to cut Nathaniel and Chloe in half, I won't if it means I'm betraying you."

Monarch stood up, gobsmacked. 'He... He made a deal to protect me?... He does care about me!' The Butterfly holder quietly squealed so as not to alert them. 'This is the best day of my life! Marc really cares about me- Why do I care? What is wrong with me?! Just keep watching them, you idiot!' And the more he watched, he could see Marc's hand creeping towards Magician of Misfortune's wand. 'Is he?... No... Marc, don't!'

Monarch's eyes darted around for something, anything to grab their attention... That's when he found it. He opened up a link with Magician of Misfortune. "Hey, not to interrupt your little night out, but it looks like Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black are headed your way."

🪄🦋

Marc thought this date was going to end up as one of those cheesy 80s teen romance movies his mom forced the whole family to watch for movie night. The pick-up lines were the absolute worse, the actors were way too over-the-top, and the scenarios and storylines were all played out. If that were to happen, Marc would gladly take getting cut in half by the Akuma over going on another date with this guy.

But as the date progressed, he remembered... He was going out with Jean Duparc. He's eloquent when he wants to be, knows the right time to crack a joke, and he's just overall, a nice guy. The time they spent together was filled with nothing but sincere compliments, illusion-based magic tricks where Magician of Misfortune made realistic tigers jump through flaming hoops, then he turned a deck of cards into a bouquet of roses and turned the last card into a white bunny, which... Marc had to admit, it was adorable. A little out of nowhere, but adorable.

It was all going so well, and Marc almost forgot he was on a date with an Akuma... Until he got a DM from Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black (Fortunately while Magician of Misfortune was working on his next trick), then he remembered the plan.

ScarletB:
We good to go?

Taste the Rainbow:
Probably not, he's doing something with fire

IkatiBlack:
Alright, we'll still wait outside. Stay safe.

Feel the Rainbow:
Godspeed, bro

After Marcelle sent the video of Magician of Misfortune asking him out on a date to Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black, the four of them discussed in a group text how they would catch the Akuma, which was no doubt in the wand.

Marc would go out with Magician of Misfortune, entertain them a bit, and keep them calm as two lives would be at risk if they snapped. Then, as soon as Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black showed up and the Akuma was calm enough, Marc would take the wand and run out of a hole in the window created by Ikati Black's Cataclysm. Simple, unless Magician of Misfortune is able to perform tricks without their wand, but they'll all cross that bridge later...

The writer watched in awe as the large flame danced on a pristine white plate, making him forget Magician of Misfortune's words about cutting Nathaniel in half... Oh, and Chloe. Suddenly, it went out with a 'Fwoosh!' and when the smoke cleared, a three-course dinner was in front of them, consisting of chicken piccata with a salad and white rice... Only then did Marc notice there was one plate. 'Oh, it's that kind of date.'

Before Magician of Misfortune could scoop up a bit of rice with their fork, they froze as Monarch's butterfly-shaped symbol appeared over their face. Marc tensed a bit and resisted the urge to scoot away when he noticed the Akuma looking at something. Marc turned his head towards a window and Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black. Both were bathed in the dim glow of the city's lights as they swung and vaulted their way towards the Eiffel Tower.

"One moment, please, Mon Lapin." Magician of Misfortune pretended to be focused on the dinner when he was really preparing another spell. "I need to take care of something real quick."

Marc bit back a curse. He was so close to getting his wand, but he just froze! He glanced back at the window. The heroes have arrived and Ikati Black mouths 'Cataclysm,' ready to destroy the window and give Marc a way to escape. All he needs to do is grab that wand. 'Come on... You need to get Jean back!' Finally pushing aside his fears, Marc shot up from his seat and snatched the wand before Magician of Misfortune could cast a spell.

"Lapin..." The writer felt a twinge of guilt when he heard the betrayal in his friend's voice. "You're working with them?!" The ends of his hair lit on fire in response to their anger. Marc was too petrified at the moment to run despite Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black shouting for him. "Of course! I'm so stupid! Of course, you love Nathaniel!" With those words, his irises turned a menacing bright green. And at that moment, Marc knew that was not his friend. Hell, he was too afraid to even deny his feelings. Not like that would even help him in this situation.

Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black charged at the Akuma. "Get away from him!" The hero in black yelled, and before he could strike with his staff, purple sparks of electricity shot from Magician of Misfortune's hands and hit Ikati Black, making him disappear in a puff of smoke as his screams faded.

"IKATI!" Scarlet Beetle snarled, grabbed the wand that was clutched tightly in Marc's white-knuckle grip, and snapped it in half. Maybe if he destroyed the Akuma, that'd bring him back!... If there were an Akuma- Where's the Akuma?! "What the fu- AAH!" He disappeared when the sparks of electricity hit him, leaving Marc all alone with the enraged Akuma. It was only silence between the two until Magician of Misfortune let out a mirthless, deranged-sounding laugh.

"You must think I'm so dumb, don't you?" He tilted his head with a show of innocence. "The innocent wittle theater boy wouldn't hurt you?" He laughed again. "I really don't want to, Mon Lapin. But you've forced my sleight of hand." He summons another wand and points it at Marc, smirking when he makes no move of trying to run, his feet glued to the floor. "See, if I'm not allowed to have you... Then no one can." Another heartless laugh before he narrowed his eyes and snarled, "Bye-bye, bunny."

A spell shot from his wand and hit Marc in the chest, snapping him out of his daze. His screaming faded into nothing when he disappeared, and Magician of Misfortune used this opportunity to make his escape with two goals in mind. Find Chloe and cut her in half, then find Nathaniel and turn him into a rabbit for his next trick. He conjured up another flying carpet and took off out of the restaurant. Chloe was first on his list.

🪄🦋

When he was gone, Monarch yelled, "Marc?! MARC?!" He used his wings to take him all around the structure. 'Oh, God, don't be hurt!' He was about to look around the first floor when he heard some screaming. And it sounded muffled. He followed the sound and paled at the sight. Marc was tied up by his ankles with a multicolored chain of handkerchiefs, and the other end is tied tight around the beams. His wrists are also restrained with some rope and there are rose buds in his mouth. He couldn't tell if this was some sort of sick symbolism or just one of his Akumas being an Akuma.

"Oh, God." His wings take him over to the dangling boy, and as expected, he screamed and thrashed. "Hey! Relax! I'm getting you down!"

A muffled, "WHAT?!" followed by more thrashing.

Okay, this is to be expected. "Look," he said a little calmer this time. "I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to get you down safely. Okay?" Marc looked at him skeptically. At least he's not screaming anymore. With a tentative nod, Marc allowed the redhead to do whatever he needed to do, only tending up when Monarch pulled apart his cane to reveal it was one of those hidden swords. "Relax. I'm just gonna cut your wrists loose... Promise not to hit me?"

Marc only glared at him.

"I'll take what I can get." He made quick work of freeing Marc's wrists and was glad when he didn't try to hit him. Either he trusts him or doesn't want to risk his chances of getting down, not that Monarch would leave him up here. "Okay, now hold onto me." Another skeptical look was followed by Marc slowly raising his arms and wrapping them around Monarch in a vice-like grip. Understandable. "I'm gonna cut the ties around your ankles now... Ready?"

Instead of a glare or unsure expression, Marc was looking at him now as if he had his life in his hand. He does, but it's just different. Tears are beginning to pour out, meaning he probably refused to give a "villain" the satisfaction of seeing him cry. "Hey, it's alright." He slowly brings his gloved hand up to Marc's face and wipes away his tears. "I'm not letting you fall."

He flies up to the handkerchief line and with one quick slice, Marc's legs drop down. His arms are secured tight around Monarch's neck as the Miraculous holder makes quick work of maneuvering his arms around Marc so he's in a bridal hold. "I've got you," he says as he makes his descent, all the while Marc is shivering in his hold. When he's on the ground, Monarch gently sets the other boy down.

After unwrapping his arms from around Monarch, Marc took the rose buds out of his mouth, grimacing a bit at the taste before turning to Monarch with an unreadable expression. It was an awkward silence between the two for a while, Monarch standing across from the boy he can never have and Marc standing across from a villain who just saved his life.

"... Bye," Monarch finally said before taking off, leaving Marc stunned by what just happened and so confused by what it meant. Monarch's supposed to be a villain, someone out to cause chaos and destruction for others all for Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's Miraculous. And yet, he just saved his life when he could've held him for ransom in exchange for the Miraculous... So why didn't he?

🪄🦋

Ikati Black's wrists were burning! There he and Scarlet Beetle were, dangling by their ankles over the Seine. They had brightly-colored handkerchiefs stuffed in their mouths and their wrists bound tightly by some strong rope that Ikati Black could feel his bones against each other... Yeah, that's not a pleasant feeling for him.

They wouldn't have gotten down if not for the little wings on Scarlet Beetle's sneakers. Turns out, they're a lot sharper than they look. They landed in the water, but that wasn't what bothered them, it was that they had no idea where Magician of Misfortune could be now, or what he was doing to Marc.

Fortunately but also, unfortunately, Chloé tagged them in an Instagram story showing a blurry but identifiable boomerang of Magician of Misfortune stocking toward her.

So here they were in Chloé's hotel suite. Ikati Black was powering through the pain in his wrists while fighting off Magician of Misfortune's attacks and Scarlet Beetle was trying to figure out how to use his Lucky Charm, a can of spray on glue. Honestly, the only good thing that came out of all of this is that Chloé is scattered all over the room after going in one of those 'Magic Splitting' boxes. And her head is nowhere near them.

"Scarlet," he whispered before smacking away another set of studded magic rings. "See if you can pull his hat over his head then spray it before he can get it off."

After quickly getting over his shock that his partner had come up with the same plan as his Lucky Vision, Scarlet Beetle whipped out his YoYo and charged at Magician of Misfortune, moving in front of Ikati Black when he saw a spell aiming for him. When he was close enough and Magician of Misfortune was conjuring up a new spell, Scarlet Beetle threw his YoYo, and the end- which is much heavier than it looks- dropped on top of the top hat, making it fall over the Akuma's eyes.

"Oh, real mature!" They yelled, gripping their hat to pull it back up. "But your little games are going to keep me from..." The horrible realization set in when Magician of Misfortune found they could not take their hands off of their top hat.

The heroes took a moment to laugh at this weird display before Scarlet Beetle made his way over and looked around for the real Akuma. And there it was tucked in the ribbon of the hat. Plucking it and ignoring Magician of Misfortune's threats, he saw that it was a card... The same one Jean was going to confess to Marc with. With a quick rip, the Akuma-

"What the fuck?" Ikati Black gawked at the strange-looking Akuma as he quickly snapped a quick picture with his staff. "Is this one of Monarch's powers?"

Scarlet Beetle was so caught up in staring and trying to figure out what this new Akuma meant, that it was only when it split into four that he snapped out of it. "Shit!" He hastily threw his YoYo at them all before they could multiply again and cause another Stoneheart incident. With purified origami butterflies in their places, albeit one was stained green, Scarlet Beetle let out a quick sigh of relief and tossed his Lucky Charm into the air.

"MIRACULOUS SCARLET BEETLE!"

As the magic swarm did their work, Scarlet Beetle was still wondering about the Akuma, why it looked like that, and if it had any effect on Jean. He hasn't known any Akumas to behave so violently, just wanting to get their justice, but Magician of Misfortune was just... More unhinged.

Hearing a soft groan, he and Ikati Black look and sees Jean slowly getting back up while rubbing their temples. "Hey, are you alright?" Asked Ikati Black. The thespian blinked a couple of times to readjust their vision, and when they got a look at where they were, it seemed like everything was coming back to them as their expression turned to one of shame. "Hey, it wasn't you, alright? Look, the Akuma that possessed you was different than the others. It might have caused you to act the way you did."

Jean still looked unsure until Scarlet Beetle held up a green origami butterfly, though, some doubt still lingered. How were they going to face Marc tomorrow? He probably hates them now, for forcing him to go on a date so he wouldn't hurt Nathaniel and Chloe and hanging him by his ankles from the Eiffel Tower! Even Jean wants to smack themself right now.

"Jean?" The brunette looked up at the hoodie-clad hero with glassy eyes. "No one's blaming you for what happened. Okay, Monarch's powers did something to you, affected you in a way different from other Akumas." He takes Jean's hand and places the origami butterfly in their palm. "It's no one else's fault but his, okay?" After a moment, Jean nodded, smiling a bit as they accepted the purified Akuma.

"Thanks."

"Hey, I'll give you a lift home," Ikati Black offered, and Jean eagerly nodded, looking again like the boisterous thespian the heroes knew.

🪄🦋

Nathaniel continued to stare at the photo of his Envy-Akuma as he calls it on Ikati Black's Twitter page. This really changes things, now he has to keep his own emotions in check so future Akumas don't end up like Magician of Misfortune... Though, he does wonder what'll happen if he feels strong positive emotions. Maybe those Akumas will be endless balls of laughter or just be chaotically happy like Harley Quinn and Himiko Toga.

And when he wasn't thinking about his Akuma, he was thinking about Marc.

"The side effects are starting to wear off," Nooroo quietly chirped. "How are you feeling?"

"... He had the chance to end all of this," he said mostly to himself. "Okay, Marc could have snatched my Miraculous when we were back on the ground, i-it was right there on my sash." His fingers brush over the smooth surface of his Miraculous. "... Why didn't he?"

"I wish I knew," Nooroo sighed. "But he felt conflicted. In his eyes, you're a villain-" Seeing his face turned downcast at that word, Nooroo flew over to Nathaniel and hugged him. "But you saved him, so he must have been in shock and didn't even think about stealing it. That's good! You can still get the Miraculous."

"... Yeah, I guess," he smiled. "So, the side effects? Are they going to be at random?"

Nooroo looked off to the side. "Unfortunately, yes. But, just be glad you don't have the Peacock Miraculous." Unaware of Nathaniel's intrigued expression, he explains, "It's sort of like... I believe it's called synesthesia. The holder of that Miraculous can feel others' emotions and sometimes mirror them while your emotions are amplified."

"The Peacock Miraculous?"

"Yeah!" Nooroo then flew into an enthusiastic explanation all about his friend's powers."It's almost like the Butterfly in a way, but instead of creating Akumas, you create Senticreatures. That's what Duusu likes to call them. Now, an Amok is like your Akuma, only it's a feather that manifests a Sentimonster from a person's emotions, and the process is still the same. When they possess an object, there's a telepathic connection, and..." His voice trailed off when he noticed Nathaniel's amused look. Nooroo gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry! I just miss Duusu. It helps to talk about him."

Nathaniel chuckled. "It's fine. It seems like you were close with him."

"He was one of my best friends," Nooroo smiled as he sat in Nathaniel's cupped hands and was carried over to his bed. "I just hope he's doing okay." The second he was placed on his pillow, sleep began to take over.

Nathaniel takes off his Miraculous and places it on his nightstand. "I'm sure he is," he assured. "Goodnight Nooroo."

"Night," the Kwami murmured in his sleep.