"Okay, everyone! Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come here... Not that you had a choice," Adrien snickers and elicits a few giggles and eye rolls from his small audience. "Now, I'm sure some of you are terrified to be back here, and some of you may have screamed into your pillows this morning, and a lot of you probably looked into the mirrors, and told yourselves, 'No fear. No mercy.'"

"Hell yeah!" Alix hollers.

Reshma continues, "But, we can assure you, none of you have anything to worry about. Come on, we are fifteen and sixteen-year-olds. Some of us have faced Akumas, so this should be nothing!"

The DuPont students glance up at the building before them. Even after so many years away and so many growth spurts, the collége still looked so intimidating and sent shivers down their spines. Jean even gulps and tugs on the collar of their sweater. To those who went, their years at Antoine-Laurent Collége weren't exactly... The best. Hell, no one had the greatest time in middle school. Even those who didn't go to Antoine-Laurent felt their lisps and stress acne coming back.

Juleka, for example, spent many lunch hours alone due to the other kids being scared of her fascination with the morbid and strange. And she's been the target of many bullies after she came out when she was twelve. Girls treated her like the plague and boys made all sorts of crude insults.

Spinelli had a horrible lisp due to his braces, and the students did not hesitate to taunt him for it. So, he fought back. Countless times. It was a miracle he was able to get into DuPont's early learning program in the ninth grade.

For years, Marc was bullied relentlessly for his height and how lanky he was back then. He was no stranger to getting shoved in lockers, having his glasses stolen, or getting tripped in hallways. Even after he joined the soccer team in the seventh grade, there was still the locker room torment.

"Remember," Kim's voice cuts through the crowd. "They can smell fear!"

"So, no crying," Victoria adds. "If you have to, just go to the bathroom." This does nothing to settle everyone's nerves, and a few of them resort to biting their nails. "Guys, we're gonna be fine!" DJ and Gerard move a bit to the side so he can roll up to the front and address their grade. "Some of you are forgetting, we're in charge now. We're not gonna let some wannabe Plastics and little hormonal douchebags intimidate us again. We've been training for this day, getting stronger, and smarter! We know how they think!"

Lacey whoops from the back. "It's time to stop being on the receiving end!" Marcelle points to her and grins.

"I like the way you think, Greene!"

Reshma tries to settle everyone down. "Okay, everyone! I love the enthusiasm, and it's wonderful that you are all excited about confronting your fears, but remember! This is still a school. Let's try not to let these demons get under our skin." Right as she says that, a young girl with her hair done in a braid stops by her. "Oh... N-not you." She nods and continues her way into the school. "Adrien, do you want to continue?"

"Gladly. In your folders, you'll all find your occupations for today, along with which classes you'll be teaching, and your schedules." He gestures to the red folder in his hand. "If you happen to run into any problems, Reshma and I are here, or you can email Mme. Bustier, Mme. Mendeleiev, or M. Grotke. Any questions?" No one speaks up. "Great. Do your best, good luck, and may the odds be in your favor," he said the last part a little grimly, once again putting everyone on edge.

🦋📸

"Listen up, you little grunts!" Lotta's voice booms through the gym. A few of the students straighten up while the rest continue to look at the group with disdain. "Just because your regular gym teacher is out today, doesn't mean you're free to laze about and try to trick us into giving you an hour and thirty minutes of free play! And if I see any, and I do mean any sort of nonsense, I will paint this gym floor with your guts!"

Kim, Lacey, Victoria, Kendra, and Austin Q all stare at the girl with various looks of shock.

"Dude," Kim whispers. "We're getting graded on our behaviors, too."

"What? That's how my gym teacher talked, and I turned out great!"

Austin Q pinches the bridge of his nose. "Well, now we know what's wrong with you. Okay! You heard the lady! We're not going easy on any of you, just because you're a bunch of snot-nosed little wannabe Plastics and douchebags! Yes, I am referring to you, baby Regina George." He points to the blonde girl with her gym shirt tied in the front and is met with an aghast look. "Pick your jaw up off the floor."

"Dick."

The young students erupt into giggles while those smart enough take two steps back when Austin stalks forward with a deceptively soft smile. He stops in front of this one kid with a face he just can't help but want to punch and huffs. "What's your name?"

"Alexandre, asshat."

"Oh! Your last name is Asshat? Good to know!" Alexandre's look of confidence falters. "Hey, everyone! His last name is Asshat! I was gonna assume, Bath-Mat, not because of your shaggy hair and the bit of baby fuzz on your arms, but for the sole fact that you smell like feet! Hey, why decide? Your full name while you're with me, is Alexandre Bath-Mat Asshat! ABA, that's what I'll call you from now on! Whenever you see me in public, I'll be there calling you by your full name!"

The young blonde's lip quivers as he tries to come up with a comeback, but he's completely petrified. "Y-you can't-"

"I-I can't what?" Austin mocks. "I can't talk to you like that? What? Do you come from money? A fancy private neighborhood? Do you only attend private school to lord over the fact that you're better than these common folk? Well, guess what, ABA." His expression darkens. "I can buy and sell whatever hovel you decided to crawl out of." After a moment, he snaps his fingers when Alexandre has only this vacant look in his eyes. "Huh. Took less time than expected. Well, now that I've proven just how well I can break your spirits, I think it's time for a game! Lotta, Kendra, and Victoria, go and get the dodgeballs out of the equipment closet."

A short brunette girl raises her hand. "Sh-should we split into teams?"

"No, dear," Austin answers in a much softer tone. "Today, we'll be playing a fun game from back when I was in the fourth grade. A little game called... Bombardment."

Kim and Lacey weren't sure why the others suddenly paled when they heard that word, but they had a feeling they'd see why in a bit.

🦋📸

"Everyone, welcome to your Science/Tech studies," Max announces. "I'm Max Kanté, and they are Simon O'Connor, Gerard Grundler, and Alya Césaire. Now, are there any questions before we begin?" One boy raises his hand. "Yes, um..."

"Lamont," he spits out and zeroes in on Alya. "See, I thought this was tech and not a cam-girl class." Most of the guys in the classroom howl with laughter and high-fives him while the only three girls roll their eyes and shoot Alya a few sorry looks.

Just when Gerard is about to say something, most likely tell them all off, Alya puts a hand on his shoulder and makes her way down the row of desks. Her no-nonsense look seems to have an effect as the guys settle down back in their seats and make no move. Except for this one boy. But, Alya grabs his wrist before he can put his hand on her.

"No groping south of the equator," she hisses. "Or north." The dark glint in her eyes has him falter and pull his hand back while Alya continues her way to Lamont's desk. "... Sit up front."

He huffs out a laugh. "You can't tell me what to-" Alya slams her desk down on his table, enough to make his books shake. Lamont shrinks back in his seat and looks up at the young woman with fear in his eyes.

"Sit up front before I cram you so full of asynchronous JavaScript and malware throttling that your grandkids will be crapping ciphertext!" Without another word, Lamont hastily grabs his things and moves to the available seat up front. Alya's intimidating demeanor melts away in an instant. "Great! Now let's begin today's lesson!"

Simon lets out a low whistle. "Remind me to never make her upset."

🦋📸

"Okay, now we understand you all have been going over Edgar Allen Poe's work." Aurore can't help but beam when most of the students seem enthusiastic about the lesson. This won't be as bad as they all thought. "Alright, your teacher informed us you all would be reading a short passage in front of the class today."

An immense feeling of nostalgia hits hard when Marc sees a noirette in an oversized black hoodie sink into their chair.

"... Just, do your best, and speak clearly," Aurore continues with her signature Weather Girl smile. Noticing a boy with a temp fade cut raising his hand, she points to him. "Yes, do you have a question?"

"Yeah, you single?" Ismael chokes on his spit and Rochelle rolls zir eyes.

Aurore smirks and arches an eyebrow. "Yes, but you're too young for me, and I don't exactly bat for your team." Almost everyone in the room bursts into a fit of laughter as the student holds his hands up in a peaceful manner and laughs along with them.

"Hey, I feel that." That's when he looks over at Marc. "How 'bout you?"

Marc blinks and looks at the others before looking back at the very confident student. "... You do realize I'm a guy, right?" This gets him a few odd looks, mostly exasperated from the guys. "Okay, if that's all-"

A boy in a blue letterman jacket shrugs and says, "Hey, I can get around that."

His desk mate furrows his brow. "Dude. Gay."

"It's not gay if he looks like a chick," he says in defense.

"I'm pretty sure it is~" a girl in a denim jacket hums.

When half of the class begins getting into a debate over the boy's claim, Ismael slaps his hand against the teacher's desk to get their attention. "Okay, enough of that! You can simp for Marc later and question if you're gay later. Now-"

"How old are you?" A girl with the tips of her hair dyed blue blurts out.

Ismael shoots her a look. "A lady never asks, and a gentleman never tells. Now-"

"Why's your voice so high?"

"Oh, my God! What's it like having the thighs of a god?"

"You're kind of thick for a guy."

"Do you have a sister? I saw a girl who looks exactly like you in my brother's class photo."

It was an ongoing outpour of possibly some of the most uncomfortable questions Ismael has ever been asked. And when a few of them leaned out of their seats to get a better look at him, he was so close to running out of the classroom and hiding under the gym bleachers, or something. Their invasive questions along with Marc, Aurore, and Rochelle trying to silence them all were melding together into background noise until suddenly, it all just stopped. The room was eerily quiet as Ismael's vision became unblurred. He hadn't even realized he was crying and subtly wiped his tears away.

Now he can see that everyone's attention is on this one student wearing all black, standing out of their seat.

"Shut. The fuck. Up," they grit through their teeth. After a beat of silence, they quickly sit back in their seat and readjust the hood over their head.

One girl whispers, "Freak." Only to be met with the hoodie-clad student swiftly turning their head to glare at her. She turns her attention to the front so as not to make eye contact.

Rochelle clears zir throat. "Thank you. Now, who wants to read first?"

🦋📸

The brunette can feel all three sets of eyes on him as he pulls out the mixing bowls. Eventually, he whips his head around and rests his hand on his hip. "Can I help guys with something?"

Marinette holds her hands up. "Nope. Nothing at all. We're just... Surprised? I never really pegged you for the baker type, Tomassian."

"No judgment," Cosette says. "Are you... Are you any good?"

"I'm usually helping out in the kitchen when I get home," Austin answers with no clear tone in his voice as he goes over the notes in his folder for today's lesson.  "Okay, it looks like we're making quiche. They already made the pie crusts; those should be in the cafeteria fridge, and there's a red crate with the ingredients."

"I've got 'em," Cosette quickly volunteers and scurries out of the room before anyone can say a word.

Austin scoffs. "Wow, I never realized I was that terrible to be around." Marinette and Reshma give him matching, 'Are you serious?' looks. "Alright, I know I'm an asshole. Happy?"

"Not really," Reshma answers while placing the cooking utensils on the small cooking islands and checking to make sure the stoves work. "When the day is done, and we are all back at school, you will go back to being the same awful person." '... Well, not awful like the others, just... I think he gossips?'

Before Austin has a chance to retort, the students start filing in. "Whatever. Let's just get this day over with and then you guys can go back to hating me." He quickly puts on a more welcoming demeanor when greeting the students. "Good morning, everyone! My name's Austin Tomassian and I'll be one of your be on of your teachers for today."

🦋📸

Nathaniel is a part-time villain who has most of Paris cowering at the sound of his alter ego's name. He can turn people into monsters all with just an origami butterfly. Yet, he's terrified of a room full of middle schoolers. And he swears one of them is taller than him!

"A-alright, hi." He's already mentally reprimanding himself for stammering. They know he's weak! "I'm Nathaniel Kurtzberg, and I'm your art teacher for the day." All he gets are dead looks. "... Okay, so, according to your teacher, you all are currently learning about Pop Art; that just happens to be an art form I'm well-versed in, so- Hey!" He picks up the small paint bottle that had hit the side of his head. "Who threw this?!"

Most of the students only snicker. A small handful quietly flip through their sketchbooks or glance out the window.

"Come on! You obviously wanna be a fucking comedian, so fess up!" A moment passes, and still, no one confesses. "Okay! Just for that! Phones in... In this basket!" He empties a basket of paintbrushes on a counter and holds it up. "In the basket! Come on! Since everyone's favorite class clown doesn't wanna come clean!"

"You can't do that!" A girl with strawberry blonde curls protests. Then she has the gall to cross her legs and whip out her phone.

Nathaniel waits one second. Then another. Then he strolls over and plucks her phone out of her hands and puts it in the basket. "Mine now, princess! Okay, I do not need this kind of disrespect from a bunch of twelve-year-olds who think being a TikTok dancer with fifty followers is a personality!" He narrows his eyes at the strawberry blonde. "And I most certainly do not need it from a bunch of guys who think they're all big shots just because they made varsity, running around, acting like they own the place, and harassing all types of students!"

With that, he snatches a brunette boy's phone. As he's about to turn it off, Nathaniel notices something and smirks. "Oh, look what we have here. Who were you texting, um... Beau, I presume?" Beau starts to look uncomfortable. "Is this your girlfriend? Oh, but who's this other girl you're talking about?" He makes a show of looking appalled. "Beau, are you cheating on someone? Tell me, now. Can someone tell me who Beau is currently dating?"

A girl in a purple skirt shyly raises her hand. "Alexia." Beau mouths for her to shut up. "You shut up," she mutters.

The redhead smirks and turns his attention back to Beau. "Oh, Beau... Two-timing? How disgraceful. You know, just by looking at you, I get the feeling, that not many teachers are all that fond of your personality and would like to take you down a peg. "So, here's what'll happen. I'm being graded by how well I help the students, and I sure consider letting a poor girl know she's being cheated on by her soon-to-be ex, helpful. I think I'll just take a trip to the principal's office and make a little announcement over the P.A. system-"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Beau blurts out with high levels of desperation clear on his face.

"Keep quiet. Listen to the lesson. And about thirty minutes before the end of class, you all can use that free time to work on any projects or just draw." He turns on his heel and makes his way to the front. Along the way, he hears the girl in the purple skirt murmuring, "Badass," before looking back down at her sketchbook.

'That was surprisingly easy. I wonder how the others are handling things.'

🦋📸

"YOU WANNA GO, YOU LITTLE PUNK?!" Jean screeches to the top of his lungs as Spinelli tries to keep his arms secure around his waist. "Come on! You think I won't kick your ass?!"

The thirteen-year-old retorts with a, "Bite me, princess!"

Jean slaps Spinelli in hopes that will get him to release them, but the noirette won't budge. "Just three seconds! Three seconds!"

"Jean, cool it! You can't fight a kid!" Spinelli tries to reason, but is met with a, "It's like a four-year age difference!"

All they were doing was discussing everyone's favorite play or musical. Then this kid, this bold kid decided to diss George Salazar in front of Jean Duparc of all people. And without any hesitation whatsoever.

Spinelli lifts Jean off of the floor and tries to get a word in. "Jean! Hey- Hey! Listen to me! There will be no fighting kids all over what they said about your favorite actor!... Alright?" When Jean starts to calm down, he sets him back down on the floor. "Okay, thank you."

But then someone just had to say something. "Yeah! That's right! Protect your boyfriend, twinkle-toes!"

It was strangely eerie how slowly Spinelli turned his head toward the same student who riled Jean up. "... DON'T YOU MAKE ME COME OVER THERE!" It's Jean's turn to hold him back now.

🦋📸

"Why do you look like someone died?"

The room seems to grow colder when Juleka whips her head toward the bold blonde girl. After a stare-down that has the student shaking in her seat, Juleka just smiles and says, "Wait."

"So." Ivan clears his throat. "Now that we've gotten introductions out of the way, let's get to it."

Mindy continues, "Your teacher informed us that you all are practicing your instruments, but, she didn't really give us much instruction. So, you all will divide into groups, we'll hear you play, and make any notes. How does that sound?" The students murmur and start separating themselves into groups. "Excellent."

Nino is instantly drawn to the keyboard section. "Alright, what's everyone working on?"

"We're playing Chopsticks," answers a girl with her dreadlocks tied into a bun. "Though, we're trying to get the hang of finger placement."

"May I?" She moves off the bench so Nino can sit. With a show of cracking his knuckles, he starts playing the first few notes of Chopsticks but then begins backing it up with a few other keys to create sort of a remix that attracts the attention of every student in the room. He even finds himself being recorded and shoots a smile for the camera. Soon, he finishes with a flourish, and the room erupts with applause.

"Dude, nice!"

Nino high-fives her. "Took me three years to master. You're gonna get there."

"Hey, Nino! Play that again!" Nino turns to where Ivan is sitting at the drum set surrounded by a couple of eager students. "A few of them wanna see if I can come up with a beat for that."

"Alright," Nino relents when he's met with pleading eyes. "But after this, class time." Before he can start playing, he finds himself entranced by an operatic singing voice accompanied by a single flute. He's heard around that Mindy has the voice of an angel- depending on who you ask- but he thought those were just exaggerations. Now, he knows those claims to be true.

When the blonde belts out a beautiful high note as their big finish, the applause is much louder than when Nino showed his skills on the keyboard, but he can't find it in himself to be bitter.

"Damn," the girl with dreadlocks says, clearly impressed. "Girl's got pipes."

"Demigirl, actually," Nino corrects.

"Still got pipes."

🦋📸

"Now, cross multiplying is quite simple," Sabrina explains as she and Mason write down a few equations on opposite sides of the chalkboard all just from the tops of their heads. The two were in their element; math came easy to them, so, naturally, they begged Adrien and Reshma to sign them up as math teachers.

"It's also important to remember that multiplying the top and bottom of a fraction by the same amount doesn't change its value," Mason explains and looks away from the board with a pointed look. "Trust me. I learned that the hard way. Now, would anyone like to come up and solve the first problem Sabrina's written out?"

As expected, no one raises their hand.

Sabrina scans across the classroom. "Come on, if you make a mistake, that only shows you what you need to work on..." She awkwardly clicks her tongue before, without warning, she throws the piece of chalk towards the desks, where a brunette boy in a blue sweater catches it without thinking. "Looks like you're up, um..."

"M-Montel." Despite the ginger's encouraging smile, the brunette keeps his head down as he makes his way up to the board. He looks at the first problem for a few seconds, then shakily brings the chalk up to it.

Mason wipes the chalk dust off of his hands. "Like Sabrina said, there's no worry if you get an equation wrong, just-"

"Finished."

"That was quick." Montel steps to the side so he and Sabrina can examine his work. And to their joy and some surprise, his work is all correct. "Nice job," he commends and gets a smile in return. Although, Mason can't help but think about how quickly the boy solved the equation. "Could you do another one?"

"... Uh, sure."

While Montel solves the second equation, Sabrina whispers to Mason, "What are you doing?"

"I just wanna- Holy bloody hell, look at him go." Simultaneously, the two adjust their glasses to make sure they're seeing things correctly. Montel's hand moves quickly across the board, creating a small cloud of chalk dust until he finishes solving the second equation. "That's... That's right, too. I-I'm sorry, you're just solving them so quickly, and-"

"Oh, Montel's a prodigy when it comes to math," a girl with curly blonde locks and pink-framed glasses interrupts. "He just doesn't like talking about it because of this asshole, Beau."

"Shut up, Luisa," Montel murmurs.

Mason scoffs. "Well, I don't know who this Beau is, but he sounds like an imbecile." This gets a round of 'Oooohs,' from the students. "I meant what I said. Now, Montel?" The sweater-clad boy fidgets a bit. "If you're as smart as Luisa says you are, do you think you're up for solving a few more?"

Before Montel can answer, one boy hollers, "Dude! I've seen him do way harder stuff! This is basic addition to him!"

"He can do stuff with square roots!"

"He's got a university textbook! Search his bag!"

As the students continue to shout, Sabrina and Mason glance at each other and then at Mason, who's looking red in the face from his classmates' comments. He looks up at them with a shy smile and says, "I mean, they're not wrong."

For some reason, Sabrina swells with pride. "Well, then, let's see what you can do." She and Mason erase some of the cross-multiplication problems and write down two new equations just off the tops of their heads. The students all pale when they see what they have to look forward to in a few years, but Montel doesn't even blink and gets to writing.

🦋📸

"And that's how Pocahontas is historically inaccurate and should not have been turned into two Disney films," Gia concludes with a quick adjustment of her glasses. "Come on, people! Give us something harder!"

"Then, we need to do some actual work," Alix reminds them. What started as a lesson on King Henry the Eighths's wives somehow delved into a discussion on the similarities between the Queens' outfits and the costumes from the musical, SIX, then to the historical inaccuracies in the clothing of Disney princesses.

One girl with a voluminous afro raises her hand. "Okay..." She scans over them for a moment before an idea comes to mind. "Okay, give us three examples of historical inaccuracy in clothing in Disney movies." She smirks triumphantly when it looks like they're stumped, but then it only takes Alix five seconds to answer.

"While they got her neckline right, and made it so the bodice was low and cut from the dress like most German dresses during her time period, Snow White's sleeves should have been longer and fitted. Also, she likely would have worn one of those net headpieces." The pinkette looks up in thought and clicks her tongue. "I'd give her design a six and a half out of ten. The design choice was likely due to her being stripped of her status, but still. Doesn't hurt for accuracy."

A few students look online to see if this is true when Austin Boulet speaks next, "Cinderella's dress?... It shouldn't be so simplistic, but, Disney has a trend of modernizing historical outfits, so Cinderella's dress is a 50s-Victorian fusion, which... No complaints there, since the American 50s fashion trends took some inspiration from Victorian fashion. So, points for creativity. And judging by the wide skirt, it's mid-Victorian, 1860s, likely. I give it a seven out of ten. It would have more points if the dress were drawn with layers or frills."

"Aurora's single-piece dress is not what a 14th-century princess would have been wearing. Instead, she would have worn multiple layers to make up her dress, likely with patterns or accents, and she would have worn a veil over her hair. Her off-the-shoulder neckline, while a staple for her silhouette, is still inaccurate. And being of royal lineage, she most likely would have worn ermine fur," Gia says in a single breath. "Five out of ten from me." Before the students can issue another challenge, she says, "Okay, that's enough. Now, if you're all done having us critique Disney's design choice, let's get back to our lesson."

When the students groan, Austin is quick to shut that down. "Cut that out. Alright, we can make this somewhat fun. Using what you already know about the Queens and King Henry the Eighth, you all are going to split into groups of six, one group for each Queen, and come up with the top five reasons why you think that queen had it worse than the rest."

A bespectacled boy looks up from his journal. "Isn't that just the plot of SIX?"

"Yeah, but they never told us who had it worse," Austin answers. "Now, did they? So, we'll leave it up to you all to give your honest opinions on how your Queen had it worse than the other five. Now, there are twenty-four of you, so I shouldn't have to tell you how to divide yourselves. And you've got fifteen minutes."

Without another word, the students shuffle around the room to look for groups. Alix looks at Austin with something akin to respect before setting a timer on her phone.

🦋📸

"S-so then, I find out Beau is cheating on ME with some chick who is probably not even that pretty! How could he cheat on me?! We've been together since the fifth grade, and he just tosses me aside! How could he do that to me?!"

When Denise signed up for the guidance counselor position, they were expecting students to come to them with more... Out-of-school problems. Maybe a family member is sick, or they feel overshadowed by their sibling. They are not equipped to handle middle school relationship issues.

Denise clears their throat after a beat. "Well... First, I am so sorry that this happened to you-"

"I mean, look at me!" Alexia interrupts. "I'm the prettiest girl in my grade, and he thinks he can cheat on me?! If anything, I should be cheating on him! Eighth graders have tried flirting with me! Oh, and don't even get me started on how I'm way more popular than him. If he couldn't shoot a basketball, he'd be nothing, and I'd never noticed him..."

' Dios, llévame ahora, por favor.'

"And don't even get me started on how he-"

"Alexia," Denise says gently. "Have you maybe tried to see things from Beau's point of view-"

The girl shoots up from her chair. "Excuse me?! I did not come here to be criticized by someone who doesn't even work here!" She refuses to let Denise get a word in as she gathers her belongings and storms out of the office, slamming the door behind her. A few seconds pass before Denise grabs their coffee cup, removes the lid, and downs the rest of it.

🦋📸

Marc lifts his head from the water fountain when he hears the PA system's chime. "Attention degenerates." He mentally groans when Austin Armbruster's voice is heard over the system. "This is your temporary Vice Principal with the following announcements. I should have been the principal, but Chloé won the coin toss. And whoever is the owner of a shiny new white Mazda, move it; it's parked in a no-parking zone. Thank you."

"Shit!" One of the teachers cries on her way out of the school.

The first three classes of the day came and went, and it was now it was time for study hall. From his experience, study hall for middle schoolers was playing sports in the halls, making out in the stairwell, and taking advantage of blind spots to bully him. So far, it's quiet, save for the sound of students watching epic fail videos in the classrooms. They can't exactly stop the students from not studying, just tell them to be quiet so they don't disturb anyone who's actually studying.

Making his way down the hall, he comes across the art classroom right as Nathaniel walks through the door, his hands covered in what looks like charcoal. Marc freezes in place, wondering if he should say something, but then the redhead spots him out of the corner of his eye and just seems to freeze at the sight of him.

'Oh, God. What did I do? Did I offend him somehow? It feels like he's been avoiding me, but I don't know what I did! Should I leave, or will that seem offensive?'

'Crap! I can't do fucking feelings right now! Oh, God, what if he thinks it's weird I wear this exact pin every day?! He'll ask questions because this does absolutely nothing for my outfit!'

'Pull yourself together and be normal. Maybe... He's just... Scared to talk to you- UGH! That's not good, either!'

'Come up with an excuse, any excuse! Get out of here!'

'Uh... See if he wants to hang out. Maybe we can clear the air.'

"Nat-Nathaniel," Marc quickly corrects himself before he says his nickname. "If, uh... If you're not busy after this, I was, um..." 'Come on! Out with it!' "Would you maybe want to hang out... Sometime?" 'What the hell was that?!'

'Oh, God. Is he asking me out?' "..."

"I just... I've been wanting to talk for a while?" He doesn't mean for it to sound like a question. "And... I-I don't know, it's like something always comes up, so... Are you free after this?"

'Oh, my God, he is.'

Nathaniel's throat becomes increasingly dry. He can't think of anything to say with Marc staring at him like that, with his bright green eyes... Slowly becoming dull as a sword pierces through him, and he's sprawled out, lifeless on the floor-

A faint tapping against his arm is enough to pull Nathaniel from those memories. Marc is visibly concerned as his breathing comes out shallow. ... He can't. He can't let him get hurt-

"Nathaniel?"

"... I have to go," he chokes out and speed-walks away.

Marc stands alone in the hallway, confused, somewhat hurt, but primarily concerned. He doesn't know if it's something he did or if it's something in Nathaniel's personal life.

At this point, he doesn't care about possibly becoming friends with the redhead; he's clearly upset about something and has been for a while... Unless it's just him- No! That's selfish!... However, he has seen Nathaniel walking in the other direction or hiding his face whenever he sees him. Hell, during Adrien and Reshma's speech, Nathaniel looked everywhere but him. And they were standing right next to each other.

Sighing to himself, he leans against the wall and lets out a long-suffering sigh. "... Fuck."

"Yeah, that was brutal." Marc whips his head around to find a sharply dressed boy who somehow looks both sympathetic and nonchalant and a red-haired girl who looks as though she's wishing she hadn't seen his interaction with Nathaniel. "And yes, we saw everything."

Great. Just what Marc needs right now, an audience.

"Look, French Ziggy Stardust," the boy continues. "I know you wanna take those long-ass legs of yours and kick yourself over and over again-" The redhead elbows him in the ribs. "Relax, I was getting to my point. You- and this is my first compliment of the week- are much too gorgeous to be getting hung up over some guy who just up and avoids you of all people like that."

'... Am I really about to get into it with two middle schoolers?... Yeah.' "He's probably just going through something right now."

"Yeah, so am I," the redhead retorts. "You don't see me avoiding Matthew, though." The boy, Matthew, slings an arm around her shoulders. "But, hey, if that guy's got his reasons for just up and avoiding you, or anyone, that's fine."

He does. Or, at least Marc thinks so... He still hangs out with Alix, but that's because they're best friends. They trust each other, and that's perfectly fine.

"Well, not that I don't appreciate this pep talk, but why are you trying to give me a pep talk?"

"I don't know," Matthew shrugs. "Maybe because you're the only other queer person I've met at this hell hole of a school, and I'm doing this thing where I'm nice to people now, or whatever. So... Do you wanna date him?" Seeing the brief look of shock across his face, he nods. "He does. Jessi, he does."

"He's way out of his league, but, okay," Jessi shrugs. "So, what exactly do you like about this guy? Is it something incredibly corny?"

Marc blanches. "What? No." Just how did this escalate so quickly? "We were both new to DuPont, in the ninth grade, and didn't know each other. Plus, I don't think he noticed me. It started as a fanboy crush when I saw his art on the school website, and I wrote some stories based on the illustrations. After a while, I just started noticing these little things about him, how he'd drop everything to volunteer to design a poster for a school function, bite his pencil when he was deep in thought, and pull his bangs over his other eye when- Why am I telling you this?"

"Aaw," Jessi coos. "That's kind of sweet. Now, no offense, but you're a walking rainbow." Matthew snickers behind his hand. "How did he not notice you?"

Looking a bit embarrassed, Marc answers, "Well, I dressed like an emo for most of my life, so-"

"No. Way. Do you have photos?!"

"This, I need to see."

Not seeing any way out of this, Marc pulls up his photos on his phone and shows them an old picture of him taking a picture with Marcelle and Marinette. True to his words, he wore a black hoodie, black choker, black jeans, black combat boots, and even glasses with black frames. The only bit of color on him at the time was the green undershirt with sleeves that covered his wrists.

"Holy shit," Matthew gasps. "The glow-up is real."

"So, what made you wanna..." Jessi gestures to Marc's professional, but also colorful outfit. "Change to all this?"

"I just needed a new look," he says simply. "And that is all I will say because you two need to get back to whatever class you're in because study hall is almost over." Not bothering to hear their objections, Marc starts ushering them down the hall until he hears a faint sound. "..."

Jessi arches an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

Marc doesn't answer. Approaching the front doors, he looks through the glass pane. If the odd attire wasn't enough proof the person was an Akuma, it was when a beam of light shot out of their eye and hit the teacher who went out to move her car, making her disappear into a cloud of pixels.

"Fuck." He snaps a picture and sends it to his class' group chat. "I've gotta get you two out of here."

Michael is still confused. "Okay, enough with the cryptic shit; what's going on?"

"There's an Akuma outside," Marc explains while hastily ushering the two away from the door. "They can make people disappear, so I'm getting you two someplace safe, now keep moving."

🦋📸

"Hello, dearies! Time for your photoshoot!" The camera lens-like eye dead center in the Akuma's face glows a bright blue as a ray of pixels shoots out. But instead of hitting one of the students, it hits a mixing bowl tossed expertly by Marinette. "Courtesy of Pixelator himself!"

"Dude! What the fuck?!" Cosette thunders and tosses a skillet in the direction of the next beam. "I don't care which teacher broke off your affair, but that's no reason to take it out on a bunch of kids!"

The Akuma at least has the decency to look appalled. "Oh, heavens, no. This is merely a message to Jagged Stone from his number-one fan. Either he allows me to make him the centerpiece of my portfolio, or risk having all of Paris be nothing but negatives!"

Austin T narrows his eyes. "Wait..."

"That's insane!" Marinette screams and grabs two knives, much to the shock and awe of the younger students. "You can't hold the damn city hostage!" She throws one to the side as a distraction, and the other at the Akuma before charging at him. However, Pixelator is much quicker, and blasts Marinette just before she can leg-sweep him, making her disappear into a cloud of pixels.

"I wouldn't say 'hostage,'" they scoff. "I'd call it 'leverage.' Now, Cosette Bellamy? Step up, won't you?" She cautiously moves to the front and gestures for the students to move back a bit. "Yes, I must commend you on your work on The Challenge. Tell me..." The lens eye extends like an actual camera lens, making Cosette shudder as it seems to scan over them. "... What was it like getting to be Jagged's personal makeup artist for a day?"

Cosette stammers, "D-dude, I can't get you his number if that's what you want-"

"No excuses!" He shouts, and the lens retracts. "He must follow you on all of your socials! You must be able to contact him some way!" Noticing Cosette's phone in its' front pocket, he grabs for it, only for Cosette to step back at the last second.

"I swear to God, do not touch me!" This seems to have struck a nerve in Pixelator. Gritting his teeth, the lens pulses with bright blue energy as he prepares to blast Cosette. "Oh, fu-"

"¡Mueve, hijo de puta!"

With that warning, Denise comes barreling into the classroom, shoulder first, and knocks the Akuma back into one of the desks. As the remaining temporary teachers move them out of the classroom, the students watch in awe as Denise lifts a cart over their head and throws it at the Akuma, who quickly blasts it, along with every other heavy object in the classroom.

"Fuck, I'm in love," a boy with blonde-to-blue gradient hair sighs.

"Simp later; let's go to the basement! Go!"

🦋📸

"You guys should be safe in here," Kim tells the students as he ushers them into the supply closet. "Just stay quiet, and don't come out." He sees one student shaking like a leaf and takes his hand. "Hey, look at me. You're going to be fine. If the situation calls for it, there's a vent just above that shelf."

He points to the vent filter in the very back of the room. "Just keep crawling until you see sunlight, and then run." A few of the students nod and move a little closer toward the back. "Stay safe." Kim closes the door and rushes down the hall. He looks around for any cameras before hiding in a partially open locker and sending a text to the group chat between himself, Victoria, Marcelle, Austin Q, Lacey, Lotta, and Kendra

Son of Poseidon:
They're in the supply closet on the second floor

Cute Yet Badass:
Hid my group in a few lockers

ChaiRebound:
Locker room

Sneakers=Waifu:
Mine are there too, in the lockers

Blue Bitch:
Cafeteria pantries with a few others

Swinger Girl:
Kendra went to distract the Akuma and got hit
She disappeared

Swinger Girl:
Our group is in the principal's office

Blue Bitch:
Austin A. just texted me. He and Chloé can see the
security footage; the Akuma's near the computer lab
On the second floor

Blue Bitch:
Says he keeps screaming for Bellamy

Son of Poseidon:
Alright, I'm gonndhb febh

Kim cuts his phone off as the others text to ask if he's okay. He can't just disappear without a valid excuse, so they'll just have to think the Akuma got to him.

"Why would the Akuma be after Cosette?" Tikki wonders.

"I don't know, but if this one turns out to be an actual creep, I'll tie them up over the Seine," he says with a glint in his eyes, one that Tikki matches. "Tikki, Spots On." He darts out of the locker and makes his way down the hallway while he texts Ikati Black to let him know about the Akuma. Going further down the hall, he can hear some shouting.

"I told you, I don't know where they are!" Ivan thunders. "And I sure as hell wouldn't tell you if I knew!"

There's a clicking sound before the Akuma retorts, "Fine. If you aren't with me, then kindly look into the lens." Scarlet Beetle wastes no time rounding the corner and pushing Ivan out of the way of the glowing beam. However, the beam nicks his shoulder a bit, turning it into a small cluster of pixels.

"What the-" Scarlet Beetle's eyes shoot open as he sticks his hand through his pixelated shoulder. If the beam hit even more, would his arm have fallen off? Deciding that he doesn't want to find out, he grips Ivan's arm and drags him through the hallway as the Akuma shoots several beams at them. A few go flying off in different directions when they hit reflective surfaces, and Scarlet Beetle doesn't want to find out what would happen to his yoyo if he used it to deflect the attacks.

Darting into a classroom, the two take a moment to catch their breaths. However, their moment of peace is interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Ivan beams when he sees Nathaniel stepping out from behind a closet, and meets the shorter boy with an embrace. "Thank God, you're okay," he says in a hushed tone.

"Dude, gay," one of the students whispers.

"Your mom," Nathaniel retorts, much to Ivan's amusement. "See what I had to put up with all morning? Any news on the Akuma?" He asks Scarlet Beetle with a slight shift in his tone, Ivan notices.

"Well, they can do this." He sticks his hand through his shoulder. "And they can make people disappear, I guess? I'm not sure to where, though." His eyes light up as he recalls something. "Ivan, he was looking for someone, right?"

"Yeah, Cosette. I'm not sure why, though."

"We can answer that." Everyone looks around for the source of the voice when suddenly, the vent filter drilled into the ceiling pops open. Reshma drops into the room. "All clear!" She holds out her arms and catches a frazzled-looking Cosette as she falls through, followed by Austin Tomassian.

The middle schoolers stare in bewilderment. "Who the hell are these people?" One of them asks.

"So," Reshma continues, "Pixelator- his name by the way- is after Cosette because he's one of Jagged Stone's more rabid fans, and became insanely jealous when it got to do his makeup on The Challenge a while back after you took care of Simon Says. Now, he is trying to force it to introduce him to Jagged by holding the school hostage. Austin T recognizes him."

"H-his name is Vincent Aza. I was taking my cousin backstage after a Jagged Stone concert, and we saw that creep trying to talk to Jagged." He scrunches his face a bit. "Wait, no, that's a tame way of putting it. The guy was practically humping his leg- It was... It was disturbing. He didn't even have a backstage pass, and then tried to take my cousin's."

Just when Nathaniel starts to feel an overwhelming sense of guilt for putting Cosette in danger, he realizes something. "Wait... Does that mean he stalked Cosette? How else would he have known that she's here?" Austin and Reshma look like they're going to be sick, Cosette looks appalled, and Ivan looks ready to punch someone, his eyes holding the same fire as Marinette's... "Reshma, wasn't Marinette with you guys?" He has a feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knows what happened to Marinette.

The three of them are quiet for a moment. "He... He pixelated her," Austin says, his statement coming out more as a question. "I don't know- He shot at her with the camera on his face, and the next thing we know, she was gone!"

Scarlet Beetle's pixelated shoulder stings a bit with those words now that he knows the full capabilities of Pixelator's power. He taps one of the spots on his yoyo. A red-colored hologram appears in front of him, showing blueprints of the school. As he looks over them for any quick way out, Nathaniel suddenly cuts off the lights, points to the door, and puts a finger to his lips.

Everyone ducks or hides when they hear the footsteps. As Pixelator is walking past the classroom door, Scarlet Beetle pulls a small, barely noticeable device out of his yoyo. With excellent precision, he slides it under the door's gap and gives a silent cheer to himself when it hits and attaches itself to Pixelator's boot. A white dot appears on the hologram near a red dot, followed by a black one.

A door is heard shutting, and the footsteps fade, much to everyone's relief. Marinette moves over so she can get a look at the hologram of the school. "He can make organic and inorganic objects disappear, so trapping them in a room is out. Also, most of the windows here are just for decoration, so they don't open. Unless anyone is fine with destroying property, then-"

"I'm down." Determined, Cosette picks up one of the chairs and aims for the window. "Look, I don't feel like getting kidnapped by some stalker or being the reason he's attacking a bunch of middle schoolers, so let's break some windows and get them out of here. Is he close?"

Scarlet Beetle checks the hologram before giving her a thumbs up. Without any hesitation, Cosette throws the chair through a window. A few hold their breath as if waiting for Pixelator to appear, only to let out relieved sighs. Scarlet Beetle ties one end of his yoyo around a table and lengthens the string until it reaches the ground.

"If anyone is worried about rope burn, put your socks on your hands," Reshma advises while a few of the students begin to slide down the string. "Hide in stores or your friends' homes if you have to!" She calls after them. "Alright, what now?"

"Now, you all leave, too," Scarlet Beetle advises, retracting his yoyo.

"That's not happening," Ivan asserts, echoing the thoughts of his schoolmates. "Look, I saw what that guy did to you." He sticks his hand in the pixelated portion of what used to be Scarlet Beetle's shoulder. "And we all know what's going to happen if he manages to get full-body shots of you. With that being said, I think you know that by now you need to be around so that you can de-akumatize him. So, you can either say yes to us being your human shields, or say no, and we'll just go around your back and do it. Your call."

After a stare-down between the two, Scarlet Beetle falters. "... Help get any other students out of here so you're not in too much danger."

"...Deal." The others nod in agreement with those terms.

"Hot," Nathaniel murmurs when Scarlet Beetle and Ivan do their version of the UAMC handshake.

Reshma pulls a canister of pepper spray out of her purse which she tosses to Cosette before pulling out a small black cylindrical object. However, when she pulls on the two ends, it extends into a bo-staff. Ever since Copycat, people have been carrying around weapons in the event they get kidnapped at random by an Akuma. Though, based on Reshma's past encounters with some less-than-respectful men, it makes Nathaniel wonder how long she's been carrying the weapon around.

Scarlet Beetle texts Ikati Black, letting him know they've got backup. "Let's go. Stay behind me." With a quick survey of the halls, he beckons for the others to follow. He follows the white dot on the hologram while keeping an eye on the black one.

What throws him off is when the black dot representing Ikati Black and the red one representing himself intersect. The dot is right on top of his, but his partner is nowhere in sight. It's not until four screws fall to the floor with a quiet cling, that he looks up and sees his partner making his way down through a ceiling vent.

He can't help but laugh. "What is it with people and going through vents today?"

"It's a rad way to get around," Cosette says. Ikati Black points to her and nods. "He gets me."

"I've been going all around the school helping any students I hear escape," he explains. "Hopefully, the Akuma won't catch on."

"His name is Pixelator. And, Ikati? Feel free to go all out on this one." The sudden dark tone in his Scarlet Beetle's voice has him raising an eyebrow. "He's a full-blown stalker who's after Cosette just because they got to do Jagged Stone's makeup."

The other hero is eerily silent for a moment. He whips out his staff and presses the paw-print icon on the side. The two ends split in half with a single green chain connecting them, creating a pair of nunchucks, much to the group's astonishment, especially Nathaniel and Scarlet Beetle.

"Two in one weapon?" Scarlet Beetle muses. "Nice."

"Nearly smacked myself in the face with these, but I got some practice in."

They continue down the hall until they hear some commotion coming from the library. Ikati Black motions for them to move on either side of the door  "Call 112," he whispers and slowly opens the door, letting him and Scarlet Beetle in. They tip-toe through the aisles of bookshelves until they come near the back of the room.

Scarlet Beetle spots two students hiding behind a tipped over table and beckons for them to come over to him. "Did you guys see Pixelator? The guy with pink hair?" The noirette girl nods and points.

"He's doing a live stream with someone's phone," she whispers. "And he keeps demanding for Jagged Stone and someone named Cosette to show up." Ikati Black and Scarlet Beetle look at each other, sharing a look that says they're not handing over Cosette to that guy.

"Alright, get on out of here," Scarlet Beetle tells them. He flips open his yoyo and activates the mirror setting. In the reflection, he sees Pixelator live-streaming like they were told, and then they hear, "JAGGED! YOU BETTER SHOW UP!"

"Okay, this guy is nuts," he whispers, summoning his Lucky Charm. "Please be a taser." Despite his pleas, Scarlet Beetle ends up with a hand mirror. "Another one? Okay, I guess I can use this to deflect his attacks. That's something, right?"

Ikati Black mutters to himself. "Can he only send out single beams, or a continuous one, too? A continuous beam could be dangerous for him as well and quite possibly bring the building down if he pixelates the wrong supporting structure."

"Ikati?"

"If you keep him distracted and dodging his own attacks, I can sneak up on him, but I can't use my power on the camera, because I might destroy him, too. Though, maybe if he gets pixelated, that'll leave the camera behind, or take it to where he got pixelated to. The best bet is to just probably smack it with my staff."

"... You done?" Ikati Black's fake ears somehow shoot up straighter as Scarlet Beetle's lips curl into a smile. "Don't worry, it's a good plan. Plus, he needs a quick whack to the head."

Sharing a nod, they begin to sneak over to Pixelator while he's still live-streaming. A few students huddled in the corner notice them, and Ikati Black holds a finger up to his mouth. They don't exactly account for Pixelator noticing one of their eyes trailing over to them, but Scarlet Beetle is quick to deflect his blast.

Ikati Black leaps onto a bookshelf and uses his nunchucks to pull the students up and away from any danger. With Scarlet Beetle deflecting Pixelator's attacks and occasionally forcing him to dodge them, he finds an opening when Pixelator's leg becomes pixelated and he falls to the floor.

It was quick and easy from there with the cat-themed hero giving the Akuma a swift smack to the back of the head, effectively cracking the camera headpiece and releasing the Akuma. While Scarlet Beetle handles the Akuma, Ikati Black restrains Pixelator's arms with his nunchucks right as he turns back into Vincent Aza.

"Wh... Where am I, and why am I tied up?" He yelps when Ikati Black roughly pulls him up to his feet. "What are you doing?!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure Mme. Bellamy and Jagged Stone will clear this whole thing up and tell everyone you're completely innocent of stalking a public figure and a minor along with holding a school full of children hostage just because you wanted a rock star's attention," he hisses on their way out of the library.

"Oh, and don't forget trespassing, assault, and attempted theft," Austin T quips, glaring daggers at Vincent. "Hi. Remember me? You tried to steal my cousin's backstage pass out of her hand like a fucking lunatic. Both of my parents are lawyers, and I suggest finding one for yourself, bitch."

Vincent blanches and writhes in Ikati Black's hold, screaming that he's innocent and that Jagged Stone of all people will vouch for him. Comments were beginning to flood in for the students live streaming his reaction.

🦋📸

"Let's go! Come on! If you're fast enough, maybe you'll see Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black!" This gets the students' attention, and they clamor out of the front doors to hopefully see the two heroes. "Too fucking easy," Alix snickers. Amidst the sea of middle schoolers, she spots a familiar head of red hair. "Nath!"

Perking up, he maneuvers his way through the crowd of students and they make their way over to a quieter area. Nathaniel is caught off guard by her suddenly hugging him, and not a side hug, either. "I'm glad you're okay, too," he says, mood a little somber, but Alix doesn't seem to notice.

"Same here, bud," she sniffs and discreetly wipes a tear away. "Yeah, one or two of my kids cried; it's all good, now, though. Think we'll have to redo this?"

"Something tells me the students won't mind." Nathaniel points to two students swinging from Denise's arms on their way out of the school while a third is riding on their back, Myléne is letting a girl braid her hair, it sounds like DJ is giving instructions for a couple of pranks, and Adrien is taking a few selfies with some female students. "We might be coming back. What's the chance another Akuma's gonna strike?" 'Yeah, that's not happening.'

"... Hey, do you think if Monarch knew this would happen, he wouldn't have sent that Akuma?"

Nathaniel stares at her for a moment. 'Of course, I wouldn't have sent it if I had known. I gotta be more careful, especially after Copy Cat and Darkblade.' "No. No, I don't think he would have. Why?"

"You saw his livestream from when he and the heroes made their debut. He looked around our age, and we know he's got a conscience of some sort after what happened with Darkblade. And some previous Akumas have said he kept them from doing anything too lethal, like with Myléne's dad." She pulls off her cap and smoothes her hair back a bit. "I don't know, maybe something happened to him and that's why he didn't call Pixelator off. From what I heard, the guy's a freak; there's no way Monarch would let that slide."

'She's got a point, there.' "I've gotta ask, though, why are suddenly focused on Monarch? It seems like you've been thinking about him since your birthday," he points out.

The pinkette blinks. "... I don't know. There's just something I can't shake off about him. It's probably nothing." She gives her pocket watch a quick squeeze for reassurance before making her way to the door. Nathaniel is about to follow her but then tries to make himself invisible when he sees Marc looking around.

"How do you know he's even looking for you?" Nooroo whispers.

"Like I'm taking any chances," he retorts and starts weaving his way through the crowd, grateful for his height and that these students are younger, yet somehow taller than him. He's just about made it to the door but then bumps into someone. "Sorry, my..." His voice trails off when he sees that it was Marc he bumped into. "Fault." He stands up a little straighter. "Hey."

"Hey... So-"

"A-actually, I need to say something first, um... So, I was stuck in a closet with two surprisingly insightful seventh-graders, and after they looked through my photos and critiqued some of my outfits, they told me to just-" He sighs. "What I mean is, um... I don't know what I did to you, or what I said, or what you think I might have done, but I can do without you avoiding me, you know? I sometimes see you walking off in the other direction when you spot me at school, and- Just, if I did something, please let me know so that I can stay away from you-"

"I'm sorry."

"... What?"

Nathaniel clenches and unclenches his fists. "I... I don't think- No, actually, I know this is not the best excuse, but, um... I-I saw you when Darkblade and... All I really saw was you; you were so close, and I couldn't look at you again without seeing that-"

Marc doesn't miss a beat. "That sword going through my chest?"

"... Yes. That, and- and I froze back there while you and every- everyone else-"

"Nathaniel," Marc interrupts, making the redhead tense up. "... Do you wanna hang out sometime, now that I know you don't hate me?"

He blinks once, then twice. "Yeah. Yeah, of course. Like, outside school, or something?"

The noirette smiles. "How about just having lunch together with some friends? I think you and Cosette would get along."

'Just as friends, just as friends, just as friends... It'll be fine.' "I'd like that. Thanks."

A comfortable silence falls over the two before Nathaniel says, "So, these 'insightful seventh-graders,' are they giving free therapy? Because I've got some shit to vent." Marc wheezes out a laugh, and Nathaniel laughs along with him on their way out of the school. "I'm serious, the more therapists here, the better."