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The class could only stare at Lila with angry dumfoundation. The Italian stood just in front of the class, her face was marked by an angry bruise on her cheek, her arms scattered with smaller bruises, and her clothes torn and dirty. What was her explanation for her beat up look? Apparently Marin had assaulted her.
"What?" Alya asked, her voice was even, but it had an undertone of darkness leaking into it. Lila had to resist the urge to flinch away from her pawn...I mean friend.
"How could you say that?" Rose whimpered, getting pulled into Juleka's firm hold, where she hid her face in her shoulder. Behind them she got a glare from Nathaniel and Ivan, who had his own girl pulled into his chest.
"Marin isn't that kind of dude." Nino frowned, getting an unwavering nod from Kim, Alix, and Max, the first of which looking on the verge of jumping the table between her to fight. Lila wisely stepped away. "I'll admit he doesn't like you, but he would never attack you. Bro's never been in a fight in his life, even after all the bullying he was put under!"
'Shitshitshit! What do I do now?! Think of an excuse fast!' Lila internally panicked. She wasn't tanking of the flock of sheep to defend the pathetic dope! "I-I meant he-he was akumataized and attacked me!" She stammered out quickly.
"What?" Everyone blinked at her, digesting the false information.
"I saw it! I was with Adrien for a Photoshoot, I don't know how he got in but Marin saw and must of saw us kiss for the shoot!" She insisted, rushing the excuse out as fast as she could muster, and using Adrien's absence due to a American Photoshoot to her advantage. Everyone knew of the disgusting crush Marin had on the blonde model, well everyone but the model himself but that was besides the point! It wasn't that far out there to think Marin had been down after seeing Adrein kiss a girl, and Hawkmoth had taken advantage of him. After all, Hawkmoth had akumatized someone for less. "He was called the Marionette! He looked so normal, I could barely tell he was an Akuma at all. It even fooled Ladybug and Chat Noir! I think maybe it would be safest to keep out distance."
Lila watched the class sit in silent thought. She could tell by their faces that they were heartbroken over the thought of their 'Everyday Misterbug' being used as an akuma, and wanted to hit her head on the nearest wall. But, at lease they were off her back, and the alienation away from Marin she wanted. 'If that pathetic twink had just left well enough alone I wouldn't be wasting such a good lie!'
"My poor bro." Nino sighed, plopping mournfully in his seat.
"I know statistically there was a possibility, but-" Max rubbed his hands anxiously together.
"Its just hard to imagine someone as bright, and cheery as Marin could get targeted for an akuma." Alya gripped her phone tightly. "If I get my hands on that butterfly loving dirt bag I'll kill him for taking advantage on my vest friend!" Lila flinched at that, but refused to admit that the statement hurt a bit.
Her pity party was irrupted, however, by Cole and his little follower, Sabrina, entering the classroom. Cole strolled into the room, his blue eyes lit with amusement, and downcast on the phone in his right hand, while an iced coffee was held in his left hand. Sabrina followed behind, carrying his white leather backpack in her arms. As usual he wore white capris, paired with a black and white striped tee, a yellow jacket, all designer brands. His blonde hair was cut short, and styled flawlessly to stay out of his eyes, with sunglasses keeping it all in place. He was no 'Adrien Agreste', but he was good looking, and rich, which was enough to get Lila's interest.
With a sickly sweet voice, Lila was ready to manipulate. "Cole did you hear-"
"I don't care about your latest layer of bullshit. I'm busy." Cole frowned at his phone, not even bothering to look up.
Lila pouted, trying to look cute. "I was just trying to warn you. Marin was akumatized. You could get hurt!"
"Sure Lie-la." The blonde scoffed, making a 'shoo' motion in attempts to make her go away.
"Cole wants you to leave him alone now!" Sabrina took a step between Lila and Cole, blocking the Mayor's son from view. She reminded Lila of a loyal hunting dog, bred and raised to stick by its master's side without any thoughts of her own.
'Gross.'
"Made it!" A chipper voice drew attention to the door frame, where Marin was crouched just inside. Considering the hulk of a man that was Tom Dupain, one would think Marin would be tall, and muscular, but like with most of his looks, he took after his mother. Marin was barely 5'5", a fact that haunted him almost every day since middle school as he was bullied by Cole and a few others bullies. Since he became friends with Alya he had embraced being a 'short king', and took pride in his short, but oddly muscled, lean build. Not that you could often tell with his clothes. On usual he wore slightly loose, pink jeans, white sneakers, a slack white and pink tee shirt, and a dark blue, and white short sleeved over coat, all designed by himself. A nice contrast against his fair skin, dark bluebell blue eyes, and shoulder length raven blue hair that he kept in a loose red hair tie.
However, what caught the class' attention, besides the young French-Asian being on time for once, was his usual cutesy style, or rather the lack there of his usual cutesy style. In contrast he wore tight black skinny jeans with sewn in silver butterfly's going up the side, from the ankles to the hips, and black and white converse. His shirt was an over sized, rib knit black long sleeved shirt that had a silver butterfly embroidered on the left breast side, and went past his hips, ending just past his butt, and that somehow clung to his lean figure. His long raven blue hair was wound in a simple braid, and was tied with a yellow hair tie.
"I'm not late for once!" He grinned at his dumbfounded class. His grin faltered. "Is there something on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Alya was the first to recover from her shock. "No sorry we were talking about how Lila was attacked by an Akuma!" She waved her hand dismissively, making Lila pout further, and form a false look of hurt. Nobody missed Marin's eyes darken slightly, and his grin further diminish. "But more importantly, what's with the change of style hot stuff?" Alya smiled when her friend's pale skin turned pink.
"Just wanted to change it up a bit!" Marin stammered. "Oh look, Ms. Busteir!" He distracted, using the ginger teacher's arrival as an escape to his seat. As everyone took their seats, and Lila was told to go to the nurse's office(she would just hide in the bathroom), nobody noticed baby blue eyes looking up from a phone screen to meet bluebell across the way.
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Proof That Marin Dupain-Cheng has been Akumatized
*Abnormal Behavior(On Time!)
*Change in style(he looks good but why so much black, purple, and silver)
*Vanishing act(couldn't find him at lunch)
*Targeting Lila(Tripped Lila, and attacked her at lunch)
*Butterrflies(on his clothes, a new dress design, also doodling little bees???)
Alya projected the list up on the wall of her bedroom for the whole class, sans Marin, Lila, Cole, and Sabrina, to see. "So far it doesn't look like 'Marionette' is doing much, and all of these are superficial at best."
"Could Lila have been wrong?" Nathaniel asked, ruby red bangs blocking his face.
"But that would mean Marin attacked her! He wouldn't do that!" Rose exclaimed, hugging a ladybug pillow to her chest.
"Or that she was lying." Juleka muttered, but in the quiet, tense room she might as well have shouted the statement.
The class sat in awkward silence, mulling over the thought. They didn't want to think their friend was lying to them, but they refused to think their other friend attacker her either. "What if," Max broke the silence, causing the teens to look towards him. "What if Marionette is goal oriented?" He pushed his glasses up his nose, and stood from his seat. "Think about it, when Nathaniel was Akumatized he went after a date with Marin, and then after Cole, he didn't care about Ladybug and Chat Noir until they went after him. Marin is smart, it would make sense his akuma is smart as well, possibly smarter than others. He probably has a goal in mind. If his trigger was Lila and Adrien kissing he'll go after her, or Adrien, and Adrien is out of the country, leaving Lila to take the brunt." After finishing his part, Max sat back down for his classmates to sit on his thought process and process it himself.
Nino and Kim scooted closer together, everyone knew they had a odd childhood bond together with Marin, even if they weren't always in the same groups or together, and the two were taking it hard. Alya gently squeezed Nino's hand, and gave the class a determined tight lipped smile. "Okay, I came up with a plan. Here's what we'll do.....
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Lila practically pranced into the school building. After a full day and night of thinking she was sure her sheep would agree with her and avoid Marin like the pariah she wanted him to be, and he'd have no idea why. After all, no one would want to associate with an akuma. She already had a handful of stories to tell about him, and her sheep would flock to her with worry and reassurance! Luck was really on her side, she decided. Adrien was the only one with the ability to expose her(no one would believe Marin if he said he wasn't Akumatized, and Misterbug wouldn't come around because there was no akuma, and everyone already thought he and Chat Noir had been tricked away from 'Marionette' even if he did come around), and he was in America, though she doubted he would say anything against her in the first place. They were 'friends' after all. The whole class also seemed to conveniently forget that Adrien had come out as aromantic asexual. 'Thats a lie in itself, aromantic isn't a real thing. He's just trying to stop people from swarming him, but in the end he'll drop the lie and become mine! Especially since Marin had 'respectfully' stopped having feelings for him. I have no competition now!' That thought added even more pep in her step, before she stepped into the classroom.
"Good morning everyone." She greeted, making her tone sound downtrodden.
"Whats wrong Lila?" Alya asked, motioning for her to take a seat beside her.
"Well, Marionette tore up my room last night! I'm so glad I had gone out for dinner, who knows what could have happened." Her lips warbled as she 'fought' tears.
"Oh, that sucks dudette." Nino clapped her on her shoulder gently from his spot beside Kim. A few others let out small hums of sympathy, but their eyes were noticeably trained on the door.
'Why aren't they falling all over me?' Lila pouted internally. 'They should be fighting each other over the rights to come over and help me pick up my room! What are they waiting on?'
Her answer came not a second later as Marin entered the room. His hair wasn't tied back, instead flowing freely in artificial waves from the braid he had on the day before, with his bangs swept artfully out of his eyes. "Morning guys!" He grinned casually.
"Mar, boy you are actually early for once!" Alya jumped up, and took lareg strides towards him with about half of the class following and offering greeting of their own.
"Well, I just have a reason to be early for once!" His cheeks flushed under the attention.
"Marin your outfit is so cool today!" Rose gushed, bringing attention to his outfit. His legs were clad in dark jeans, with a black, yellow, and white striped belt wrapped around his waist. His shirt was a short sleeved, too big, oddly familiar, black and white striped tee, with a yellow leather jacket with silver clasps, and a bee logo on the back.
"Change of style again?" Alya wiggled her brows at him suggestively, and Marin snorted.
"Looking fly bro!" Nino fist bumped his, while Kim ruffled his dark hair with a taunting grin. Marin whined and playfully swat the jock's hand away.
"Could you be my model later?" Nathaniel asked in a low tone. "I was thinking about giving a new character a jacket similar to that, I want to see how it lays."
"No problem Nath, you know I'm always willing to help if I can." Marin spoke calmly, in a way that made the red head's old feeling flutter up slightly. He'd feel guilty, but Marc had admitted that Marin was a source of Gay Panic to him as well sometimes.
"My brother was thinking about ordering more costumes from you, for Kitty Section." Juleka took advantage of the quiet, her voice barely a whisper, but Marin turned to her and nodded.
"Oh come sit with us! I have so many ideas!" Rose squealed, trapping Marin's arm in hers before pulling with him to the back to sit behind them, where they could discuss designs. Marin went along with it, not bringing up that he needed Luka's permission, as well as the rest of the band's permission to really start anything, but saying no to Rose was like moving when a cat fell asleep on your lap: Morally Illegal. Distracted, he didn't see Alya's thumbs up to the two girls.
During the excess noise, the class missed two things, Lia's silent seething from her spot next to Alya,'What is happening?! They should be avoiding him, not flocking to him!', and the hungry gaze that fallowed every movement Marin made, followed by a subtle smirk.
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Lila walked with Alya out of the school building when the final bell chimed. "Alya do you want to come to the mall with me?" She asked, voice sweet. "I have to buy some things Marionette destroyed."
"Sorry girl, me and Nino are going to follow Marionette, see if we can find his Akumatized Object." Alya shook her head, and waved Nino over. "I'd invite you to join, but if he's after you its safest you stay as far away as possible."
"Oh thats...understandable. I'll just go ask someone else." Lila waved her off, her mask only falling when the couple were out of sight. "Ugh. Alya always has money from babysitting, I was hoping I could scam some from her." She muttered angrily while walking towards her home. She entered her wrecked room, wrecked by herself in hopes of getting the sheep to clean her room for her, and groaned. "I'll just talk Mylene into letting me handle the finances to her newest charity." Rolling her eyes, the Italian collapsed on her turned over mattress. "This whole Marin love fest won't last for long. When they can't find his Akumatized Object they'll come running back."
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At Lunch smartest her side scheme. She elegantly walked up to Mylene, and Ivan, despite her 'twisted ankle that was caused by Marionette tripping her'. "Hey Mylene! I was wondering if I could help with your charity. I can't do too much because of my other charities, but I can at least help with the finances!" She beamed, sick green eyes brightening up with barely concealed greed.
Mylene's lip warbled, and her brown eyes glossed over with tears.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to step on your toes about it!" Lila withdrew quickly, honestly surprised by the tearful outburst.
Ivan pulled they girl to his chest. "It's not that." Mylene sniffed. "Marin was the one that came up with the idea, we were going to arrange and art gallery of paintings and crafts made by people in need, and hold give them the profits, and they we were going to hold a second auction with the art student's works to support homeless shelters. But, I don't know when he was Akumatized! What if when he's back to normal he won't be able to go through with it, he's so busy already, and unakumatized me might not be able to help!"
"I'm sure he will still help, he's like that, and I know Kitty Section would even put their commissions on hold so he'll have time." Ivan soothed, rubbing her arm. "The art shows like something Marin would love to help out with, even if he doesn't remember originally helping."
Lila made up a weak excuse and left the couple. "Of course he has to ruin my plans." Lila grumped, forcefully pulling on a happy face as she sat beside Alya. "What are we talking about?"
"We're going to take Marin to hang out with Kitty Section with us today. Hopefully Luka will be able to read the change in Marin's song and help us find his Akumatized object." Juleka informed.
'In due time Lila. Hold out!' "Wow, thats such a clever idea." She grit out.
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It had been a full month, and Lila wanted to pull her hair out. No matter how small the activity, Marin was invited, and Lila was excluded. "It's for your safety Lila." If she heard that saying one more time, Lila was going to loose her mind. She was really regretting Adrien not being in Paris, at least then she could spun a lie that if Adrien knew Marin was Akumatized he could be Akumatized to because he'd feel to bad about causing his friend to become an akuma, and then Lila would be left out with Adrien and could make him become hers. That luck she felt a month ago, must have run out. All over her plans to paint Marionette as a evil bad guy backfired, or went unheeded because "Marin is an akuma, we've all done bad things as akuma, why should Marin be held accountable for his actions when we weren't held for ours. That would be really messed up." Even her clever plan to try and get the class to rip his sketchbook failed!
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"I mean, it makes sense." Alya stared down at Marin's sketchbook that she had...found. An uneasy churn of guilt in her stomach made he look away.
"But what if we're wrong and its something else!" Nathaniel glared, as a fellow artist he was angry about what was being discussed. "If it isn't the akumatized item it wont be fixed by the Miraculous Cure, and then Marin will hate us!"
"Well maybe we can just rip a page out, very carefully!" Nino added hastily when Nathaniel glared at him.
"One page, and we all pitch in to buy him a new sketchbook as apology." Nathaniel frowned, taking the sketchbook from Alya. he flipped to the back of the sketchbook, and made sure there wasn't a single dot of ink, color, or graphite on the page before he pulled the page out of the book. Nino stood by with a jar to catch the black and purple butterfly the moment it flapped out. They waited with baited breath, but nothing happened, other than Nathaniel crying.
"Why are you crying?!" Alya stared wide eyed.
"You're not a artist, you wouldn't understand!" Nathaniel sniffled, hugging the sketchbook to his chest.
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Her plan to have Marin's room torn apart fell through too!
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"So where Marin now?" Alix asked as she, Alya, Juleka, and Rose crawled into Marin's room from the balcony.
"Kim and Nino dragged him to have a bro's night like when they were kids. I was too scared to ask what that entailed." Alya informed, turning on her phone light.
"Marin's parents are really nice, wouldn't they have let us in if we said we wanted to borrow notes or something?" Rose chimed sweetly.
The other three girls froze in realization. "Mistakes were made." Juleka sighed heavily, and started looking around for anything that looked like an akumatized object.
They worked in quiet, looking for important objects that may have a evil butterfly lurking in it. "Oh!" Rose squeaked."
"What? Did you find something?" Alya looked over.
Rose held up a what pair of boxers with little hello kitty heads spotted on them. "He has Hello Kitty Boxers." She giggled.
"Marin is so valid." Alix grinned proudly, and held up a pink and black polka dotted night gown she found in his closet.
"Awe." Alya nodded. Juleka shrugged.
"Oh maybe he'll make me a matching one, but with red roses instead of polka dots!" Rose closed the drawer she was in. "I couldn't find anything."
Alix put the gown away and shook her head. "Me neither maybe-" The sound of footsteps caught their attention. "Time to bounce!" She bolted for the balcony, Alya, and Rose right behind her with Juleka bringing the rear.
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And don't even get her started on the duck incident! She doesn't even know what happened because Nino was too traumatized!
"If I have to suffer through this stupid Marin Love Fest any longer I'm going to burst!" She shoved her head into her pillow and swore. The pity party was ended with her phone going off. Groaning, Lila pulled her phone over and answered. "Hello?" She asked, forcing sweetness.
"Hey, we think we know what his object is! We're following him to the fair grounds! We could really use your help!" Alya said on the other end before hanging up.
"Maybe I can push him into the mud and say I was tackling him to get his object, at least then something satisficing could come of the pointless venture." The brunette huffed, and pulled on a orange sweater before leaving the house.
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Alya waved Lila, who arrived last, over to the group. They were hidden behind a snack stand. "The only thing that we haven't check are his earrings. I was going to wait until he fell asleep, or took them out, but he left the house to come here!" She explained. "I figured we can mix in with the crowd, and snag one of his earrings while he's distracted!"
"You're scary babe." Nino smiled dopily.
"Thank you, its a talent." Alya boasted proudly.
"Wait-" Rose squeaked, bringing the class to a halt. "He's with Cole." She pointed towards the entrance.
Sure enough, Marin was standing in front of Cole, a bright small worked onto his features. He was clad in pink jeans, with tall white converse coming up mid calf, with a white shirt that had a kawaii style hamster in the front. He had a pink bag wrapped around his chest, and resting on his hip, and his hair was in a familiar loose ponytail. Cole had a cool, amused smile on his face as he stared down at the young designer. His white leather was replaced with black, and it covered a Hufflepuff yellow tee with a small embroidered bee on a pocket that fell over the left breast side. In comparison to Marin's pink jeans, he wore form fitting black jeans, and sneakers. To everyone's shock, Cole swooped down, and placed a chaste kiss against Marin's lips. Instead of the expected outrage, Marin smiled even brighter, his cheeks painted in a bright blush that showed his freckles off so beautifully.
"WHAT THE F*CK?!" Kim and Alix yelled, bringing the couple's attention to them, too their absolute mortification.
Cole looked annoyed, but when was he not, while Marin waved cheerily over to them. He started walking towards them, Cole begrudgingly walking after him. "Hi guys! I didn't know you were coming to the fair too!" Marin beamed.
"Uh, yeah." Nino said dumbly.
"So, when were you going to tell me about this~" Alya wiggled her brows at him, not missing a beat and drinking in the new story.
"Well we only started dating this month, and I wanted it to be just between us, especially after you know." He made a vague hand gesture, and Cole flinched. Marin grabbed his hand and squeezed it in reassurance. "Sorry." He said sheepishly.
Alya narrowed her eyes at her best friend suspiciously, and looked between him and Cole. 'There it is.' Alya smiled, catching Marin's bluebells gazing back at Cole like he hung the moon, and sewed in the stars, Cole's own blue eyes, while more subtle, gazed down at Marin ever so gentle like he was made of the prettiest, finest glass. "Oh my goodness. You're a Cliche!" Alya gasped with a wide grin.
"Oh my god, you're right." Alix snorted.
"Awe, the bully falling in love with his victim." Rose cooed, making Marin blush heavily.
"Every wattpad story ever." Juleka hid a chuckle.
"Stop. Please." Marin squeaked, hiding his face in his hands. Nino, Nathaniel, and Kim made 'i will kill you if you hurt our rainbow child' gestures at Cole while Marin was distracted. The blonde rolled his eyes and pulled Marin closer too him.
"So the outfit change from all month?" Alix asked, making a invisible connection, and alerting the rest of the group.
"Hehe, I was.." Marin looked down in embarrassment.
Cole smirked. "He was teasing me."
"Don't say it like that?!" The bluenette hissed.
"Vanishing during lunch?"
"Lunch dates."
"Being on time?"
"He started calling me in the mornings so I could be on time!"
"Butterflies?"
"Oh, I client of mine is opening a butterfly garden, and wanted butterfly themed outfits for the grand opening."
"Did you accidentally trip Lila a few times?"
Marin frowned. "I haven't been near Lila all month. I don't like her, but I would never hurt her." He raised a brow. "Did she tell you I tripped her?"
"Just a misunderstanding." Alya assured.
Marin obviously didn't buy it, but let it go. "Well we have to go. After our date we're going to visit Adrien! I made him some AroAce Pride stuff and wanted to give them to him. Talk to you guys at school!" Cole wrapped his arm around Marin's shoulder and lead him away. He sent and glare past them to Lila, who was frozen in place from her lie being unraveled, and then smirked visously.
"So," Alya said slowly after the couple vanished into the fair, her glare was sharp as she rounded on Lila. "An Akuma, huh?"