"Alright, Kim... Truth or dare?"

"Hmmm... Dare," he challenges, showing no fear in his eyes like Nino and Max. They knew better than to ever choose 'Dare' when playing with Marinette, but Kim was all in for it. "Lay it on me, Mari!"

The bluenette smirks before popping a gummy bear in her mouth. "I dare you... To run outside and say raccoons took your titties." After a beat of silence, Nino bursts into laughter while Max shakes his head and wonders how he became friends with these guys. Not that he's complaining, of course. Plus, this dare sounds funny as hell, and it's the weekend. Homework was done, their class presented their particle physics projects, they were waiting to hear who won the film contest, and they were still sort of recovering from the incident with Darkblade...

After all of that, a break seemed well-deserved, and the four childhood friends decided to spend their weekend having a sleepover at the Dupain-Cheng's loft apartment.

With a determined look, Kim slipped on his pink faux-fur slippers and made his way out of the living room, looking Marinette right in the eye as he did.

Nino snickers. "He is not..." The trio rush over to the window and wait for Kim to walk out through the bakery entrance. To his disbelief, he does. "Okay, so he's outside, but he's not gonna-"

"HELP! RACOONS TOOK MY TITTIES!" Marinette and Max laugh while Nino just stares.

"He actually did it."

From downstairs in the bakery, they hear Sabine hollering, "Kids! No crazy dares!"

"Yes, auntie Sabine," Kim responds on his way up the stairs before looking at Marinette with a mischievous grin. "It's payback time, Mari!" He declares. "Just you wait!"

Marinette only laughs harder before resting her chin in her hands. "Kimmy, you're forgetting. You, the Queen of Dares taught me everything you know. You can't touch me when I know all of your moves," she says ominously.

Max sucks in a breath and leans away from the bluenette. "You've got that look on your face, Mari; I don't like that look."

"Ah, you love it!" She snickers. "Now hit me, Kim! And just to save time, I'll pick dare."

"Okay, okay, okay," he says, bouncing a bit on the sofa. "I dare you to-"

"Marinette!" Tom calls from downstairs. Myléne and her father are here!" With a look of realization, Marinette shoots up from her seat.

"Shit, I almost forgot," she mutters and rushes upstairs.

Kim and Nino look confused until Max explains, "Last week while Mari and I were training for the tournament, she got a commission from Myléne's dad to make him a new hat for his routine. Remember? The troop M. Hapréle is in is putting on The Mime's Excellent Adventure later in the afternoon." Kim and Nino nod, now recalling Myléne's announcement on the group chat.

The bluenette runs back downstairs with something in her hands and then heads down to the bakery. Deciding to say a quick hello to the Hapréles, the boys follow Marinette into the bakery. The rainbow-haired girl beams when she sees her other friends.

"Hey, guys! Having another sleepover?" She giggles and points to Nino's pink bunny slippers. He doesn't look the least bit embarrassed and poses as if he were a foot model.

"Thank you again, Marinette," Fred says while reaching into his pocket for the payment. "If I had shown up with my hat looking such a way, Sarah would have my... You know what," he mutters. Myléne frowns a bit, but her expression disappears as quickly as it appeared.

Marinette shrugs a bit. "Hey, it's no problem. The tear wasn't too bad." A few customers in line at the counter show some intrigue as she talked and presented her work. "And I sewed that pocket on the inside as you asked."

Fred grins and hands Marinette a white envelope. "Saving me at the last minute." Just for laughs, and because he already has an audience, he mimes that that hat is inside a box.

"Oh my God!" Kim squeals. "He's doing it!" Max laughs a bit at his friend's excitement.

Tom and Sabine can't help but watch with matching smiles as the man opens the imaginary box and looks like he's gasping with delight. When she came to France for University, watching the mimes perform had always been one of Sabine's favorite activities. And when Tom heard about this, he took her to several different shows. To this day, they keep the tickets in a memory album.

When the show concludes, everyone in the bakery gave Fred a round of applause, and naturally, he bows. "Thank you, everyone! And remember to catch the troop's production of The Mime's Excellent Adventure. Trust me, you will not want to miss it." With a tip of his hat, he and Myléne leave the bakery. Customers are abuzz as they continue with their orders.

"Mari, please be my best friend and help me pick out an outfit for tonight," Kim pleads.

"Step into my office, love."

The two go upstairs with Max and Nino following a few steps behind. While Marinette is giving Kim some outfit ideas, Nino smirks and whispers to Max, "Gonna ask him out?" making the shorter boy's eyes widen, the only tell-tale sign that he was blushing due to his skin being too dark to tell. "Triple dog dare ya, Maxy."

Max sighs, knowing Nino will never let him live it down if he refuses the dare. Besides, Plagg is poking at him to do it, too, so... "Fine," he whispers. "Just don't say anything."

"I would never." That tone of voice is not convincing Max one bit.

🎭🦋

"Fred! Where are you!" Sarah demands.

"I-I'm on my way; I just had to pick up my hat-"

"Enough with the excuses!" Myléne grimaces at the implication her dad is lying. "I need you here now!"

"It's not an excuse," he says calmly. "I know the bus is leaving in less than half an hour. I'll be there-" The line cuts off. Fred sighs but feels a little better when Myléne takes his hand. "It's fine, dove-"

"No it's not," she asserts. "Sarah's always accusing you of shirking your job, but you have valid reasons! Remember when I needed to go to the dentist and they gave me laughing gas? You had to take care of me, and she didn't believe you, even when I took your phone and told her!"

The man smiles at his daughter, proud of her for sticking up for others, even him. He tries not to burden her with these sorts of things, but stuff always manages to come up in conversations. Sometimes Myléne was too smart for his own good.

Being a single father, Fred had to work twice as hard to make sure they lived well. And while some friends offered to help out, he'd rather not be a bother. So, he took up whatever jobs were hiring, substitute teacher, repairman, and waiter. While each job paid well, he just couldn't find it in his heart to stay away from the theater and auditioned to be in a mime troupe. Doing community theater back in University paid off because now he's a member of one of the most popular miming troupes in Paris.

And, yeah, sometimes he runs late to a rehearsal, but only because of his other jobs. He's made sure to email Sarah in advance every time he thinks he might be late, but then she calls asking why he's late and each explanation is met with dismissal and accusations of him neglecting his job.

Putting those memories aside, for now, Fred bends down to hug his daughter, prompting her to hug him back. "Dove, let's not worry about that for now. I know I won't." He reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out something that brings a smile back to the blonde's face. "Not when I've got my lucky charm." He takes off his hat and places the small photo of Myléne in the inner pocket.

"Everything will be alright," he promises her and then checks his watch. "Okay, I should be there just in time. I've got front-row seats reserved for you and Ivan. Love you, Dove."

"Thanks, dad. Love you, too," she says and waves him off as he sprints down the sidewalk. "I'll see you there." Her smile slowly begins to drop, having the terrible feeling something would go wrong today.

🎭🦋

"What are you, a size two? I hate you," Marinette throws a pair of her jeans back in her closet with a huff. "Maybe I should take up swimming. Seems to be doing wonders for you." The athlete smirks and crosses one leg over the other, not noticing the flustered look on Max's face.

"Oh, it's not swimming, I'm just blessed."

"I'll say," Max murmurs, only to get a quick nudge in the arm from Nino. He whispers, "Don't be thirsty," without looking up from his phone.

Marinette, not wanting to watch this only longer looks in her closet again. "Okay, full-on honesty. Would it look like I'm trying too hard by wearing a black and white striped shirt to a mime show?"

"No."

"No."

"I didn't think about it until you mentioned it," Nino adds, still not looking up from his phone. It was then Marinette notices the dopey-looking grin on his face.

"And who are you texting, Monsieur Lahiffe?"

He glances at her with an arched eyebrow. "Nunya business, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng," he retorts with a smirk before looking down at his phone again. Max sneaks a glance over his shoulder and says, "He's texting Alya." Nino's eyes go wide before he elbows him in the shoulder. "Dude!"

This quickly catches Marinette's attention. She rides his swivel chair over to where her friends are sitting and rests her chin on the back. "You have my attention. Tell me, Nino. Why are you texting Alya?"

"I am also texting Adrien," he retorts, putting a lot of emphasis on the blonde's name.

Max smirks. "But he's mostly texting Alya." The other boy groans while Kim and Marinette giggle before a thought occurs to the bluenette.

"Hey! Why aren't I in the group chat?" She pouts. "I thought the four of us were tight." Nino points to the pink phone on her desk hooked up to the charger. "Ooh... Right. Man, I've gotta stop sleeping with my phone on," Marinette chuckles. "Now, what's got you smiling like a dummy?"

"Alya's just asking if we'd like to go to the zoo Wednesday after school," he groans like a child being teased by their parents about a crush. "Her dad's got a job there, says he can get us tickets half off to check out the new panther exhibit." Hearing this, Marinette squeals.

"Tell her yes! I love black cats!" She spins around in her chair, giggling like a maniac.

"Well, these black cats can rip your flesh off of your bones," Max points out and pushes his glasses up a bit, but Marinette continues spinning in her chair and shows no sign of stopping. "And, she's not listening to me. Would they mind if Kim and I tagged along?"

Nino starts typing. "Just texted them."

"Ooh, meeting the dad," Kim teases as he pokes at his friend's side, earning himself some slaps on the arm. "I see you, lover boy. I bet you're gonna get the classic shovel talk and everything. Five euros says he arm wrestles you."

"Twenty says he stares you down," Max adds. Knowing the genius' success rate with betting, his friends decided not to place any bets against him after Ivan lost fifty euros after betting that Marinette wouldn't be flashy with her coming out. The next week, she runs into the school waving around a demiromantic flag and wearing a pansexual flag-inspired outfit. Then she screamed, "I run this CITY!"

Never take bets against Max Kanté.

"Anyway," Nino says to get his friends back on track. "Alya said it's fine. So, it looks like it'll be the six of us. "Now, Mari, about that shirt. That's a try-hard move." In response, she throws a ball of yarn at him. "You know I'm right."

🎭🦋

"So, what's his excuse this time?"

Sarah muttered something under her breath. "Said he had to pick up his hat." She sighs and rubs her temples, prompting Chris to put a comforting hand on her should. "I swear, that man is a great actor, but his punctuality is some of the worst."

"Hm... He is a great actor, isn't he?" Feeling her tense up a bit, Chris smirks before putting on a more neutral expression. "I mean, he's always coming up with so many excuses, that one might think he's not as committed to the troop. He leaves early, misses parts of his costume, and misses a couple of rehearsals because his daughter's sick. So much for one man, but..." Chris sucks a breath in through his teeth. "I won't make any speculations yet. If he wants to ruin any future productions, that's on him."

It looked like Sarah was considering his words for a moment. Perfect. But then she sighs and says, "Be ready to take his place if he doesn't get here in the next five minutes, okay?" Getting a tip of the hat in response right before Chris gets on the bus, she checks her watch with a ticked expression. "You better get here, Fred."

Little did she know that a certain someone was sending a text that would ruin a man's career.

🎭🦋

Aya Kurtzberg is and will always be a woman who enjoys making a big deal out of everything. When her son came out, she threw a small party to celebrate and commissioned a pink, purple, and blue cake from the Dupain-Chengs; when her brother got to perform in his first Broadway show and he got the call in a grocery store, she made a whole announcement over the intercom and called everyone a loser; and when her sister came out as gay, she commissioned cupcakes- also from the Dupain-Chengs- with images of famous lesbians printed on fondant icing.

She likes to go all out, sue her.

So, when her son is digging through his closet for something to wear and hating everything he tries on, Aya immediately knows what's up and squeals because her baby has a crush! She suspected it for some time ever since the school year started, but wanted to be sure. Now she was sure!

"What's their name? Are they in your class? Are they Jewish?"

Nathaniel only groans as he takes off yet another sweater. "Not telling you, no, and I don't know his religion."

"Well, is he smart? Does he know who he is?"

"Huh?" Nathaniel thinks her question over for a moment. "... Y-yes?"

Aya grins. "Perfect! Now let me help you pick out an outfit because sweetie- I say this with so much love- but your fashion sense is no bueno." Nathaniel rolls his eyes. "What about that lilac sweater you picked out last week? That looked cute. And then pair it with some ripped jeans and maybe your white Doc Martens." She tilts her head toward the pair of boots in his closet.

Immediately, Nathaniel scours through the pile of clothes on his floor for the rest of his outfit while Aya smirks. "Sweetie, I've been on quite a number of dates. I know what I'm doing by now." After giving Nathaniel a kiss on the forehead she leaves the room, allowing Nooroo to come out of hiding.

"She's right, you know," he teases and barely flinches when a hoodie is thrown at him since he phases right through it. "Nath, I thought you didn't want to date Marc."

"I don't," he says a little defensively before softening his tone. "I mean... I can still be close to him, like friends, or something. That way, there's no weird emotional outbursts during any dates, I won't have to worry about him calling while I'm Monarch, and... Any other stuff I can't think of," he murmurs while putting on his sweater and then clipping his Miraculous onto it.

Nooroo tilts his head in confusion. "But don't friends still call and hang out with each other? That's kind of like dating someone."

"... I'll cross that bridge later." Before he can put his boots on, his Miraculous glows a bit, making him a little nervous as he glances at the sword sitting on his shelf and unwanted memories start to come up. "... Should I?" The Kwami makes an unsure sound. "It's been long enough, right? You think people are okay?"

"Some are still a bit on edge. See who it is and what happened."

"Alright." After listening for his mom, Nathaniel closes his door. "Nooroo, Wings Rise." He looks through his bag and nearly panics when he doesn't find an origami butterfly. Fortunately, there's one left at the very bottom. "Man, I've got to make more of these." He fuses it with magic and sends it on its' way. "Alright, let's see who it is this time."

🎭🦋

"Enough is enough, Hapréle. Chris will be the lead tonight at the production. At least I can count on him." And she hung up without another word.

Fred just lost one of his favorite jobs. He was tricked by a man he believed to be his friend. And worse, he's probably disappointed Myléne. He's not sad or angry... He's numb, so numb that he doesn't feel his phone slipping out of his hand or notice the Akuma fusing with his hat.

"Um... Hi?"

"... Hello."

"H-hey, aren't you one of the mimes in that show-"

"Not anymore. I was cut from the show and any future shows," he says a little too calmly for Monarch's tastes.

"Oh... I'm so sorry. Hey, do you mind if I-"

Fred cuts off whatever he was about to say next, "Go ahead." And he leans against a lamppost and then slides down onto the ground. The man remains unaware of the uncertainty Monarch was feeling and allows the villain to do whatever it is he's doing.

"... Are you fucking kidding me?!" He hisses, sounding like he's trying very hard not to yell. This helps to snap Fred out of his mood a bit. "You had valid excuses for being late! What the hell?! Okay, where do these people get the fuck off?! You're a single father for hell's sake! Sometimes braces need tightening, your kid might have been exposed to lice, they got into a fight and you want to hear if they won, or- Oh yeah. You're trying to make ends meet for your damn kid! What does this Sarah lady know?! Oh, and I don't know who Chris is, but take him out!"

"Are you okay-"

"Don't ask me that; I ask you that! Clearly, he tricked you! You arrived like two fucking minutes before the bus should be leaving at the "meeting spot"! What Chris and Sarah did was spit in the faces of single parents everywhere!" He sighs a long-suffering sigh, having Fred wondering what this child went through to feel such strong emotions about single parents. "Look... I won't force you to take the Akuma, but just know, they deserve whatever's coming to them. I'll give you a few minutes to decide, but-"

"I'll do it," Fred says without missing a beat, startling Monarch.

"Oh. Are you sure?"

For a moment, Fred wasn't sure until he looked up and saw a poster for the show hanging off another lamppost. He glares at it and says, "I've never been more sure of anything." This allows Monarch's Akuma to take effect and turn him into Mal Marceau. Immediately, he mimes removing a sword from its' scabbard and slashes the poster with it before moving on to many others in the area.

Civilians are quick to move out of the way and run to safety while others record and send the footage to Bug and Cat Chat.

🎭🦋

"Okay, honesty time. "Nino inspects his reflection in the floor-length mirror. "Does the beret look like I'm trying too hard?"

"Very much." Marinette switches it out for a red cap. "Wanna go back to the cap? It's always been your signature piece."

"Yeah, but I've just been feeling the beanies lately; I don't know."

Right as Nino was about to pick out another hat, Marinette gets an alert on her phone. She checks and sees about five videos being sent in by civilians of Monarch's latest Akuma. By the looks of it, this one is inspired by a mime. "Shit!"

"Everything alright, Mari?"

She groans. "There's an Akuma, and Kim and Max just left!" Nino facepalms. "I mean... The Akuma's a mime, and it looks like they've got a grudge against the troupe Myléne's dad is in." She shows him one of the videos. "See? They're just slashing any advertisements. So, maybe they'll be safe."

Nino mutters a quick prayer under his breath for his friends and Fred and sighs while Marinette sends out an alert on the blog. "Here's hoping. So, what do you feel like doing until then?"

"I can kick your butt at Super Smash Bros for the eighty-seventh time." Seeing his dark expression, she smirks. "Winner gets bragging rights and their favorite of the loser's clothing."

"... Deal."

🎭🦋

"Hang on!" Feeling Max's arms hooking around his waist, Scarlet Beetle swings to the rooftops with his yoyo and narrowly avoids getting hit by the barrage of invisible projectiles that literally seem to have come from out of nowhere. Once he lands, he immediately starts checking over Max for any injuries. Although, that might be hard considering whatever the Akuma was throwing at them is invisible. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, but I don't think he was aiming for me." He points to the remains of the posters shredded, shot at, or burned by the mime-themed Akuma. "Either he's a self-hating mime or he really hates the performers in that troupe."

"Yeah, well... Better safe than sorry, right?" He flashes the shorter boy a kind smile, not noticing how flustered he looks at the moment. "I'll be sure to come back for you when this is over," he promises before swinging after the Akuma, leaving Max in his love-induced dazed until Plagg slapped him across the cheek.

"Hey!"

The Kwami smirks and flies around him a few times. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time. And I thought you had a thing for Kim."

"I can have a real crush and a celebrity crush, Plagg," he points out in a matter-of-fact tone. When Plagg wouldn't wipe the smug look off of his face, Max rolls his eyes and says, "Plagg, Claws Out." Ikati Black wastes no time vaulting after Scarlet Beetle, only to find him veering out of the way of... Nothing.

With a quick scope around the area, Ikati Black notices what appears to be a mime-themed Akuma judging by the light makeup and iconic striped shirt. So, if he has to guess, his powers have something to do with miming. And if the theater club's charity mime night has taught him anything, it's that this Akuma is miming shooting arrows.

Now knowing what he's up against, Ikati Black vaults his way over to join the fight and help deflect any arrows.

Scarlet Beetle greets him with a smile. "Nice of you to join, Ikati. I think this guy is pretty self-explanatory." He throws his yoyo at the mime Akuma's hand and grabs what he hopes is the bow. Feeling the extra weight, he cheers a little to himself and pulls the bow toward him before tossing it aside. With the Akuma now unarmed, he throws his yoyo at him, only to have the end grabbed by some sort of rope.

Scarlet Beetle gets pulled toward the Akuma and wrapped in the rope. To anyone watching, this must look very strange.

"Grab his Miraculous! Hurry!"

Seeing the Akuma reaching for his earrings, Scarlet Beetle is quick to jump. And using his unrestrained legs, he gives the Akuma a powerful kick to the jaw, sending him skidding along the ground.

Ikati Black beams, not noticing the perplexed look on his friend's face. "Nice one, Scarlet!" Just as he's about to go and restrain the mime while he's down, he bumps into something, sending pain to his forehead. "What the hell?" He rubs the space where a bruise is sure to form with one hand and presses his other hand against some sort of invisible wall. "What is this?"

"Uh, Ikati?" Scarlet Beetle waves his arms around. "The rope is gone. I-it was wrapped around me like a second ago." Noticing Ikati Black's situation, he gets a running start, shoulder first, and ends up shoulder-ramming the invisible wall. "Okay, so that's a problem."

The mime bounces back to his feet and approaches the heroes, stopping just a foot away from them before holding up something else he's miming. He points it at the invisible wall and turns it, making an audible click. With a tip of his hat, he turns on his heel and leaves.

Scarlet Beetle blinks in shock. "Did... Did he just lock us here?!" He moves around to see if it's just the one wall, but to his disappointment, there are three more walls boxing them in. Ikati Black extends his staff, only to have it hit the invisible ceiling. "Okay, I'm starting to not like mimes."

"This is humiliating," Ikati Black mutters and covers his face when civilians start coming out of hiding. "A box?! This is the oldest miming trick there is- Whoa!" Suddenly, just as his fake ears pick up the sound of a car's tires screeching, he falls back to the ground. "... What the fu..." The word dies on his tongue when he sees children are present. "What the heck?"

Scarlet Beetle helps him up, and the other wastes no time pulling him and rounding the corner to the street where he heard the tires. It has to be a coincidence he heard that just as the wall disappeared- Nope. Not a coincidence because that mime is driving down the road in a damn invisible car!

"He's not getting away this time!" Scarlet Beetle throws his yoyo once more and to his luck, it latches onto the bumper of the invisible car, the rope getting longer the further it gets. Once Ikati Black wraps his arms around his waist, the yoyo's string locks at its current length, and the invisible car pulls the two heroes along, making it seem as if they were water-skiing.

The yoyo starts to reel them in, getting them closer to the car so they're only about five feet away, just enough for them to leap onto the roof and catch a glimpse of what he's driving after, a bus containing members of the mime troupe. From this angle, they catch a glimpse of something glimmering on the brim of the Akuma's hat. It's Marinette's signature but in white.

'M. Hapréle?' They think. They have the same face structure, but what grudge could Fred have against his own troupe? Looks like they'll figure out later... Or now because he's getting out of the car and onto the roof of the bus! When the car starts to swerve, Ikati Black hops in behind the wheel.

Using muscle memory from when his mom gave him driving lessons, Ikati Black's able to find the gear shift and breaks. And just in time before the car could crash into a nun walking along the sidewalk with some schoolchildren.

Scarlet Beetle pants heavily from the adrenaline, then addresses the nun and children. "Are you guys okay?" For an answer, he gets a fainting nun. "... Great." With a shout, he falls to the ground, right on top of Ikati Black. "What's he doing now?!"

"My turn," Ikati Black says determinedly and embeds his staff into the ground, making cracks along the pavement. Turning to Scarlet Beetle, he tells him, "I'll track the bus and send you my coordinates. We'll surprise attack him." With his partner's nod, Ikati Black's staff elevates him high above Paris. He adjusts his vizor and has them zoom in on the possible streets the troupe's bus could be on. Once he finds it, he shifts his weight and falls just on the edge of the bus right as the Akuma is cutting a hole through the roof.

The Akuma tilts his hat forward a bit, pulls up his slacks, and puts his fists up. Ikati Black can only groan as he presses a button on his staff to call Scarlet Beetle. "Scarlet-" He dodges a punch. "We just passed by the Cabellos' cafe!"

"Copy! I'm on my way!"

Noticing a new object being mimed, Ikati Black spins his staff as a shield before he's hit by whatever blunt object the Akuma has. Althewhile, he's wondering where the Akuma could be. If he is Fred Hapréle, then it might be in his hat since no other article of clothing really stands out. Before he can speculate some more, Scarlet Beetle drops in out of nowhere a knocks the Akuma back.

"I was handling him on my own, thank you very much," Ikati Black tells him, but there was a hint of playfulness in his voice.

Scarlet Beetle smirks and rests a hand on his hip. "No shame in having some luck on your side, Ikati. Anyway, I'm thinking the Akuma might be in his hat."

"My thoughts, too," the other hero nods. He goes to test this theory, only for the mime to roll off the side of the bus and embed the object he had mimed earlier into the steel wall, giving him a ledge to stand on.

Through the unfinished hole in the roof the Akuma had made, Ikati Black picks up someone calling out, "Fred?" Well, that confirms who the Akuma is, but not why he's after the troupe. His thoughts are interrupted by the mime who just punched through the glass window with nothing but a gloved hand, and is now choking one of the performers.

"Whoa! Too far! Take it down about ten notches! Let's not kill anyone!"

'Oh, but he deserves this,' Mal Marceau thinks at Monarch as he watches the life slowly drain from this pathetic leech's eyes. 'You were right. Scum like him, spitting in the faces of single parents is nothing to tolerate. He'll never understand the struggle, the stress, the nights you spend crying until your tear ducts can't go on any longer.'

For a moment, Monarch was quiet, but then pain surges through Mal Marceau's arm, causing him to loosen his grip on Chris' neck.

"You will kill no one. Have I made myself clear?" And judging by his tone, there was no room for arguing. When Mal Marceau nodded, he was relieved of his pain when Monarch cut off communication. Now aware of his surroundings, he sees that he's wrapped in Scarlet Beetle's yoyo and no longer standing on the ledge he's made for himself.

'Did I black out?... No matter. Monarch says I can't permanently harm the bastard. He said nothing about seriously injuring him. I just need to get away from the heroes.' Plan set, he kicks his foot up and down a bit. Once he feels a ball against the toe of his shoe, he kicks it right at Scarlet Beetle's head, making his yoyo loosen around him so he can escape and slip right through the open window of a car passing by, startling the driver and his child.

Mal Marceau points to the bus and gestures for the driver to follow it, but not before miming a helmet to put on the child's head.

Realizing his strategy, Ikati Black pulls back the half-cut metal flap of the bus' roof so he and Scarlet Beetle can enter. They're immediately confronted by a panicked woman with a dark red bob. "Scarlet Beetle, Ikati Black! What's happening?!"

"Fred's off his nut," mutters Chris. "That's what's happening." The man is rubbing his neck where a handprint has already formed from when the Akuma had choked him. As he muttered more profanities under his breath, Ikati Black was trying to push aside the unsettling feeling he gave him.

"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet," Scarlet Beetle says, trying to placate him before turning back to the woman. "Madame..."

"Sarah Balasko," she confirms with a sigh, and Scarlet Beetle realizes she's M. Hapréle's manager. "I have some part in Fred getting Akumatized, but only because this is the sixth time this month he's been late, and my patience was wearing thin! I have given that man more than enough chances, but when it's not him needing to get his car fixed, it's him attending a mandatory PTA meeting, or he's taking his daughter to the dentist!" The more she talked, the more the heroes were leaning toward the Akuma's side. "And all without a heads up in advance to let me know he's going to be late to a rehearsal!" ... Okay, mixed feelings so far.

Out of the corner of his eye, Scarlet Beetle notices Chris's skin turning a sickly shade. 'What's going on here?' Having always been tall for his age, Scarlet Beetle had no problem using his height to his advantage when it came to intimidating schoolyard bullies, or in this case, a man who might just have some serious explaining to do.

"Chris," The man jumps at his name and looks up at the hero. "Any reason M. Hapréle seemed so angry at you earlier?" He glances out the window and sees the car Fred hijacked is still following the bus. Without breaking eye contact with the Akuma, he yells to the bus driver, "Step on it!" before turning back to the sweating man. "Now... Do you want to explain that?"

"He's... He's just upset Sarah gave me his role," he manages to say. "As she said, Fred is always late, so this was inevitable."

The heroes share a look. They don't know what it is, but they do not like this man. Before Scarlet Beetle could interrogate him any further, a loud pop is heard followed by the bus jerking to one side, making it go out of control and causing many cars to skid to stops or drive away.

"Does this guy have a gun?!" Ikati Black screams and stabs his staff through the floor and into the ground as it looks like the bus driver is out of it at the moment. The momentum still had the bus skidding, slower by the second until they end up right in front of the Eiffel Tower. "That," he pants. "Was close." Noticing Chris weakly trying to sneak out through the window, he slams his hand down on his shoulder and has him sit back in his seat. "We're not done with you yet. Let's go, Scar."

The heroes get off the bus and find the Akuma getting out of the car with what looks like a sword ready.

Scarlet Beetle calls for his Lucky Charm, one of the strangest ones in his opinion. It's a shoebox that doesn't even have a nice pair of heels. Still, he looks around to see what there was to use. There's Sarah's glasses, the bus' light, a poster for the show, and... The Eiffel Tower.

"... No. Nononono! No! There is no way in hell!" He grabs the objects illuminated by his Lucky Vision before hefting Ikati Black over his shoulder, startling the shorter hero. "Come on, I've got a better idea!" Before the Akuma could slash him with his sword, Scarlet Beetle takes off with his yoyo.

"Everything alright, Scarlet? What happened back there?"

"You do not want to know." And he leaves it at that. When he hears a familiar WHIZZ sound, he turns and sees the Akuma chasing after them with what he thinks is his own version of his yoyo. "Ikati, are there any demolition sites around here?"

Despite his confusion, he nods. "There's one not too far, why?"

"We're going to destroy something no one will actually care about." Ikati Black blinks in surprise. When they make it to the demolition site, it seems the crew is all set to dismantle the old building. 'Not just yet,' Scarlet Beetle thinks and gets to work on creating what his Lucky Charm is telling him to while in mid-air. Once he and Ikati Black land on the ground, he activates the flashlight in his yoyo to project a massive poster on the side of the building, confusing the demolition crew. "Hey, M. Hapréle! What do you think of the poster?!"

The Akuma skids to a stop when he lands and lays eyes on the poster. Just the sight of it has him seething through his teeth with rage, the first sound he's made this entire time.

Blinded by his own anger, Mal Marceau mimics a massive longsword and cuts the building in half without a second thought... Only to realize the horrible mistake he's made as bricks start raining down around him. While the demolition crew ran to safety, he creates a shield and covers himself with it to avoid the debris. So focused on surviving, he doesn't notice Ikati Black using his staff to grab his hat.

"Nice work there, Scarlet." Ikati Black tears the hat in half, but to his confusion, no Akuma flies out. That was when Scarlet Beetle noticed a small piece of paper on the ground. A photo of Myléne.

"Well, it was better than getting him to slice the Eiffel Tower in half," he says so nonchalantly before tearing up the photo and releasing the Akuma. After quick work with purifying the Akuma and using his Miracle Cure, everything damaged in the fight goes back to the way it was before, even the building. "Could you imagine? That'd be so stupid."

"Scarlet Beetle? Ikati Black?" Fred steadies himself with help from one of the demolition crew members, giving him a quick thanks as he walks him over to the heroes. "What happened?"

Ikati Black was about to answer, but is stopped by a shout, "Dad!" Without warning, Fred was tackled into a hug by Myléne. Not too far away was Ivan, who gave the man a look of concern. "Ivan and I saw Bug and Cat Chat, and we just knew it was you! What happened?"

Fred opens his mouth to say he wasn't sure until everything hit him like a bucket of water being dumped on his head. "... Chris texted me and said the troupe's bus would meet up at a different location. And when I called Sarah to ask where the bus was, she acted as if she didn't know what I was talking about." He feels Myléne stiffen in his arms and gently combs his fingers through his hair.

"Dad... You need to quit." The blonde pulls away so Fred can see the stern look on her face. Y-you can't keep working for someone who doesn't believe you and working with someone who-"

"Okay."

"I mean Chris is just a son of a- What?"

Fred chuckles lightly. "I said I'm going to quit. You're right, Dove. I gave that troupe the best years of my life. Yes, I may have other commitments, but I make sure to stay on top of my work so our performances can be some of the best. And if Sarah wants to act as if I'm the most incompetent employee in all of Paris, then that is on her. I email her any time I am going to be late, yet-"

Ivan suddenly interrupts his rant. "What's her email?" He asks while looking down at his phone.

Fred, Myléne, the heroes, and even the very invested demolition crew arch their eyebrows. Fred answers, "[email protected]"

"... There's no underscore on her website." The burly young man holds up his phone, showing Sarah's website, and as he said, Sarah's email has no underscore. "Let me guess. Chris helpfully reminded you that there was no underscore in her email address."

It was one of the crew members who summed it up best. "Man, you got played."

🎭🦋

"Sarah, please! I can explain!"

"I will not hear any of it, Chris!" If Monarch were known for striking twice in one day, then Paris might be in trouble with how angry Sarah was. "YOU were sabotaging rehearsals! YOU were sabotaging performances! YOU were sabotaging a man's future all because of jealousy?! All this time, I believed Fred was shirking his responsibilities with inane excuses and no explanation, but here I find you forging my fucking email?!" It was no use as parents tried to cover their children's ears thanks to Sarah's powerful voice. "I want you to clean out your locker, grab your last check, and expect nothing but the worst I have to write on your recommendation letter!" Without a word, the disgraced man walked away from the forming crowd with his tail tucked in between his legs.

Now that leaves one more thing.

"... Fred, I-"

"I'd like my apology after the show," he says, much to the woman's disbelief.

"You're staying?" There was a glimmer of hope in her eyes, making Fred smile.

"I am."

🎭🦋

"Nino, I'm digging the outfit." He shoots Alya a pair of finger guns as she sits down next to her. "Was this Mari's doing, or all you?"

"A little bit of both," he admits. "She wanted me to wear something other than baggy jeans or sweat pants, and I refused to go without a cool shirt." He gestures to the graphic tee showing Static Shock's logo. He notices Alya's eyes glimmering under her glasses and asks, "I'm guessing you're a fan?"

So as not to disturb anyone, she happily flaps her hands. "I've read and watched everything! The early two-thousand's cartoon series was phenomenal, especially with that open ending. Oh! And that down-to-earth episode where they talked about gun violence often being the result of bullying is definitely something to remember. Though, Sons of The Father is something everyone needs to watch, kind of like Troq from Teen Titans..."

Nino wasn't sure exactly why, but he could listen to this girl gush about superheroes for hours. He just might.

Adrien fistbumps Marinette and passes her some popcorn. "Nice call with the shirt."

She gives a simple shrug. "I know what my friends like. Speaking of, I've gotta find someone to set you up with." While the blonde gawks, she looks up and wonders who'd be a good match. "Oh, when you get the chance, you've got to meet Luka. I think that's a match made in heaven, cuz..." She gives his hair a light tussling. "You're like a little brother to me."

"Uh, I'm pretty sure I'm a few months older than you," he says in a matter-of-fact tone. "And how could some guy I've never met compare to the badass before me?"

Suddenly, Nathaniel pipes up. "Are we talking about Luka? Oh my God, they are so fucking hot."

"I'd let him do many things to me without question," Max states without a second thought, making Juleka choke on a Skittle. "I'm serious, Luka can kick and punch me, and I would thank her many times."

"Same," Kim adds before tossing a piece of popcorn into his mouth. "Hey, remember during summer and he wore those shorts?" The memory has the guys in the class, even Ivan nearly drooling. "God, they hid no secrets-"

Juleka flicks the athlete on the side of the head. "That's enough out of you; let's just watch the show and not talk about my brother's ass in a pair of shorts." To make her feel better, Rose leans over to kiss her on the cheek, making Juleka's black lips curl into the faintest smile right as the curtains open."

"I'm actually serious," Marinette whispers to Adrien. "You'd like Luka."