Archive of Our Own

Emani furiously scribbles over the image of the rebound with a big black Sharpie, going back and forth until he can no longer see a trace of that horrid red jacket. Satisfied by his work, he takes a small strip of tape, places it on the photo, and puts it on the wall with the others. All two-hundred and fifty-eight to be exact, and now to add the seventy-five he's managed to take over the week. Unfortunately, twenty-five of them include that goddamn rebound because it is just so damn hard to get a decent shot of his doll without that fashion nightmare hovering over him!...

So, they're in need of some editing, and he'd rather not take a pair of scissors to the photo and risk cutting off a piece of his doll. With a Sharpie, if he messes up and leaves a stray mark on his doll, he can print the photo again and start all over.

Grabbing the next photo out of the pile, Emani beams when he sees the best one out of the bunch. Of course, any image of his doll is perfection, but this one? The light was catching his delicate face so perfectly, he had such a beautiful smile on his face. It was like he knew he was there. His darling little redhead was smiling for him. Oh, and the way he's posed is just so adorable. If that wasn't enough, he and his- not friends- classmates, were having a nice outing in the park. It had rained and caused beautiful pink blossoms on a tree to bloom. And there his doll was, lying so content under that tree while the gentle wind caused a few blossoms to scatter on his hair and form what Emani saw only as a halo. It was simply breathtaking, and all he wanted to do was rush over, scoop his little doll in his arms, and kiss his darling cherub-like face!

But he doesn't want to risk Alix's ire... Again.

Until then, he's content with taking all the photos he possibly can. All while not getting caught, he might add. The police are so busy keeping an eye out for Akumas, they don't notice a thing... Hearing it, Emani realizes that it is kind of dangerous, but as long as they keep out of his business, it's fine.

The noirette is extra careful with this photo, placing it right in the middle with the other photos he deems perfect. Only his doll is in the frame, he's dressed nicely, and the natural light does a wonderful job accentuating his beauty.

Blindly picking out another photo, he takes his eyes off of the perfect ones to see which one he's got next and immediately scowls.

"Time for more editing," he hums and rips the cap off of the Sharpie with his teeth. First, he'll start with that fake smile made by that big mouth of his! There's the nicknames, the stupid shallow compliments, and the endless blabbering about manga and sports! Sometimes, Emani just wants to rip that fucking rebound's vocal cords out of his throat! If only he had his doll's patience. He's so sweet to put up with that other boy, all because he misses him; that has to be it!

He wouldn't just date some random nobody with black hair and gem-colored eyes because of... If you can call being obsessed with sports and anime a personality. He's doing it because that rebound reminds him of Emani. It's so obvious and not worth getting worked up over. Knowing what he knows now, Emani is so sure his doll will come running into his arms the moment he sees him... Well, one can dream. His poor innocent mind has been corrupted by those "friends" of his before and after their untimely separation. He can't look at him with the same admiration he once did. Emani still remembers the last look on his doll's face before he was forced out of school. So blank, so emotionless. He was trying to be so strong for him that day, he knows it.

With a sad sigh, Emani caresses one of the photos. It was one where his doll was more willing to allow him to take pictures of him, before all the ugliness that followed. He looked so cute in his purple sweater. Now all he wears are these dark, unflattering colors that do nothing for his small frame. Sighing to himself, Emani places the fixed photo on the wall and moves on to the rest.

Emani's hand hovers over the pile when he gets a notification on his phone. Figuring he could use a break, he pulls out his phone and sees that the rebound made a new post on his Instagram.

When they broke up, Emani was saddened to learn that his doll had blocked him on every social media app on his phone. But then he assures himself that it must have been Alix or one of his traitor classmates, because, he couldn't bear to do it himself because he still loves him! Just like how he must have archived the selfies they've taken together instead of deleting them all.

The new profiles Emani made to follow his doll and that rebound had no content; he saw no need to add anything when they were only made to keep an eye on his ex and to learn everything there is to know about Marquel, Marquis, or whatever the hell is name is. And the new post he saw soured his mood quite a bit. With the caption of nothing but stupid multicolored hearts was the image of his doll and that rebound taking a selfie by the Seine. Oh, and look at that. The walking fashion disaster got his ears pierced! Great! If he wasn't punk enough, he went ahead and got three piercings- two black loops and one stud- only proving his point that he is a bad influence on his doll!

Against his better judgment, Emani scrolls through the comments that are already coming in.

Aurore_Borealis:
Cuuuuute!

CoCoBell:
Damn, I want those earrings!!

MDCDesigns:
💖💖💖

AI_or_AMI:
╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

Kim-Wins:
@CoCoBell Saaaame!

PeaceMonger:
Naaath~ Can we expect you to
get a matching set?

Emani's eyes shoot open at that comment. No. No, his Doll is not getting piercings to match that punk! If he is getting earrings, they will be tasteful with rose gold studs or those cute cottage-core clay earrings he sees on Etsy! Not one of those silver chains or the studs going through the cartilage. Just the thought is making Emani shudder.

Nath!Comics:
@PeaceMonger Uh... I don't know...
Maybe

... What?

Rainbow_Writes:
@PeaceMonger He nearly passed out
when he saw me get my ears pierced😅
Don't count on it

Nath!Comics:
@Rainbow_Writes Wow, making fun of me
when I went through a traumatic experience.
I feel so loved

Rainbow_Writes:
@Nath!Comics You are loved... I just don't want
you fainting with the piercing gun so close to
your head

Rollin'Along:
@Rainbow_Writes Daaaamn, Marc. Way to
be supportive. Get those studs, Nath!

Jean*The*Thespian:
@Nath!Comics @Rainbow_Writes
Are you seriously responding to each other's
comments while you're standing right next
to each other?

Nath!Comics:
@Jean*The*Thespian Yes

Rainbow_Writes:
@Jean*The*Thespian
Pretty much

Jean*The*Thespian:
@Rainbow_Writes @Nath!Comics
Just checking 👌🏼

... Well, that settles it. His sweet, pure doll is being corrupted by this damn rebound! One minute, he's gone from being perfect, obedient, and dressing how Emani pleased to allowing those traitors to dictate his life and cut him out of it! Oh, and that rebound just won't quit until his doll is wearing all black and those stupid belt chains!

In a fit of rage, Emani punches the wall, only to immediately regret it when a sharp pain surges through his hand, causing him to wince. "Bad idea, bad idea," he murmurs to himself. Thank God his mom and Brooke are out at the moment. He'd rather not explain to them why he punched the wall because they'll see right through any lie he comes up with, and start to suspect he's falling back to "Old bad habits."

Laughable, honestly. Keeping up to date with your ex's life is not a bad habit. Emani just wants to make sure his doll is okay, and he's clearly not okay if he's dressing like that! Besides, is it so wrong for him to want just a few more photos of him? He misses that smile and this is the closest he'll ever get to it. It's not weird or unhealthy despite what his family may say. What he's doing is perfectly normal because they still love each other, but his doll doesn't know that yet because his mind has been warped. Besides, Emani was given permission to take photos of him a year ago back when they were still together, making it perfectly okay!

No one knows what they're talking about; it's all in the name of love, and it's for his doll's sake! If Emani's not keeping constant tabs on him, there's no telling what may happen! He needs to be watched over and protected at all times. An akuma or sentimonster could appear at any moment and harm his doll like that rebound tried to months ago!

How his doll could possibly forgive him, he'll never know. The poor thing must have been traumatized, and now he's being manipulated into writing a comic book with Marlon- Or whatever the hell his stupid name is! This is why he put a limit on who his doll could be friends with, maybe not for this exact reason, but his point still stands. He's too trusting, and Emani just doesn't want his doll making friends with the wrong kind of people like Alix and the rest of those traitors. He even believed Rose was a good influence until he heard her listening to punk rock. And now she's the lead singer of a rock band with this unicorn-kitten aesthetic... Honestly, Emani's kind of conflicted, but if he and his doll were still together, he wouldn't take any chances, and have him cut ties with that girl.

Now they're all free to undo his hard work!... Well, not if he has anything to say about it. If he continues to sit by and allow this all to happen, it's over, and his doll is gone forever. So, it only makes sense for Emani to remind him of the life they can still have. He just needs a little gentle nudge. And with the school's total lack of security, that should be easy.

With a plan in mind, Emani begins to pull a few older photos off of the wall, along with a few new ones- To remind his doll of how wonderful their relationship was and to show that he still cares.

Vadim's classes start twenty minutes after DuPont's and none of the lockers have any locks on them for some reason. Emani's pretty sure someone stole his headphones a while back. Anyway, that won't work. It'll take him too long to tape all the photos to the inside of his locker, and he doesn't want to risk anyone seeing him. Besides, his doll might not get the message and think some weirdo stuck random photos in his locker. Can't have that.

... It doesn't hurt to be upfront. But not with so many people around. Those bastards will throw him out on the spot the moment they see him... He'll figure it out as he goes along. His doll gets to school around 7:30 am, and the bell rings just thirty minutes after, giving Emani enough time to sweep his little doll off his feet once more and then get to class on time. He can't have his mom knowing he was at DuPont; she'd freak out. But, once she hears that he and his doll are together once more, she won't have a care in the world. He wishes he could say the same about Brooke, but, oh well. Besides, she wasn't exactly "Sister of The Year" when she didn't help him through his breakup.

There were no hugs of comfort, no ice cream and movies, or crazy revenge fantasies against his former classmates. No, instead, she called him a "creepy psycho stalker," tore up all of the photos she could find, and said a bunch of other things he didn't care to listen to. Jokes on her, he has backup photos saved to dozens of SD cards.

But this plan is perfect, absolutely perfect. He'll have his doll wrapped back around his finger in no time, things can go back to how they used to be, and none of those traitors will bother them again. He'll make sure of it and ensure his doll's safety once again. Oh, and as for that rebound, he'll find someone else... Maybe.

Kissing his finger, Emani presses it against the photo of his doll's smiling face. "I'll be back for you, little doll."

Nathaniel woke up with one hell of a chill going down his spine. He's not sure why since everything seemed so fine yesterday. He and Marc had just finished the latest issue of their comic and sent it to the editors for review. And since they finished early, Marc had suggested they should just spend the rest of the day together going to the park, stopping by Andre's for some ice cream, and then just relaxing on the bridge to check out the view of the Seine.

With a day like that, Nathaniel expected to wake up the next day a total giggling, blushing mess, but now? It just feels like there's a pile of rocks about to fall on him at any moment and he doesn't know why. He can't explain it, but he just has this feeling something bad is going to happen, either to him solely, or to the people around him. It could just be paranoia, what with the threat of Shadow Moth shrouding the city in fear, but there's definitely something more to it. Maybe he's just tired.

That's probably it, yeah. In about an hour or so later, he'll be fine and the feeling should just wash away like that. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time he's developed slight paranoia from not getting enough sleep. A month ago, Nathaniel accidentally punched Kim in the face, and in a typical Kim fashion, he didn't get upset and even invited him to go boxing at his usual gym sometime. Of course, Nathaniel was reluctant, because... Well, sports, but Kim knew how to be very persuasive when he wanted to be. To Nathaniel's surprise, he didn't totally hate it, and now he knows how to throw a right hook, so that's good.

"Good morning, sweetie," his mom greets him on his way into the kitchen. And by the smell of it, she's making blueberry muffins. "They're almost done if you want one." She points to the oven's timer counting down from three minutes.

The young redhead beams. "As if I'd ever say no." In a typical motherly fashion, she pinches his cheek, making Nathaniel's face scrunch up just a bit before a worried look suddenly crosses her own face. "Is something wrong?"

"I should be asking you that," she retorts and looks him over with a quirked brow. "Are you feeling okay? You're looking paler."

"I'm alright, mom," he assures, giving Aya his best 'Everything's fine,' smile, but she's nowhere near convinced.

Without a word, she takes his shoulder and walks him over to the table to sit down while she takes the chair across from him. Nathaniel knows what's gonna happen next; his mom will make a dozen guesses until she finally asks him upfront what's wrong, not that there is anything wrong. Most of her guesses will be outrageous and laughable, just to lure him into a state of calm so he'll be more open to talking. He caught up on her little trick when he was twelve.

"Okay..." The redheaded woman narrows her eyes and looks him over. Just to get a smile out of her, Nathaniel copies her expression, managing a snicker and causing himself to smile. "... Did you forget to study for a test?"

"We have one next week," he answers matter-of-factly.

Aya's quiet for a moment as she leans back in her chair, prompting Nathaniel to copy her movements. "Did you get into a fight with someone and now you two are gonna fight behind the school after classes?" The young redhead huffs out a laugh. Not even five questions in.

"What is this, the 80s? No."

While he's laughing, Aya smirks and tents her fingers. "... Are you and Alix gonna pull a Thelma and Louise and try to jump a car across the Seine?" Nathaniel chokes on his own spit before slapping his hand over his mouth to muffle his own laughter. "I can keep going, you know. I've got about fifty more of these before you just fess up." When he doesn't answer, she's about to make a fourth guess before he holds his hand up, signaling her to stop when he finally manages to recompose himself.

"Look, nothing happened. I didn't get in any fights, and I'm not being threatened or anything like that. I'm just a little tired from yesterday, and... I don't know... I just randomly woke up feeling like something was going to happen today. Not a test," he quickly says before she can ask again. "I-it's probably nothing." Even when the timer for the oven goes off, Aya doesn't even spare it a glance as she's more focused on her son. From where Nathaniel's sitting, it feels like she's peering into his soul. "Uh... Mom?... The muffins?"

After a beat of silence, she relents with a soft smile, gets up, and goes to turn the oven off before pulling out a small tray of muffins and setting them down on the counter. "Well, if you say you're fine, I'll drop this." Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Nathaniel about to reach for a muffin but quickly smacks his hand with a wet rag from the sink, making him recoil. "For now. But!" She holds a finger up to his face. "If you're feeling a little uncomfortable at any point during the day or something just feels wrong, I will make an exception and let you come home early, okay?"

"Well," Nathaniel wipes some of the soapy residues off of his wrist and grabs a muffin without getting smacked this time. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll be fine," he assures while Aya places two more muffins in a plastic container. "Come on, don't pretend as though you've never worried about something bad happening at some point during the day. We're plagued by random akumas and amoks, and people get paranoid. It's the norm, now, so, that's probably what's going on with me."

Although she wants to argue, Aya has to admit that her son does have a point. One time, a man wearing a necklace with a gold wire charm bent into the shape of a butterfly walked into the diner, and Devorah panicked, leaped over the counter, and restrained his arm. In Aya's opinion, it probably wasn't smart to wear a necklace like that after last night. An Akuma that caused all sorts of damage and took almost all night for Ladybug and Chat Noir to stop kept many people up and fearing for their lives, but still, Devorah was definitely about to hurt the poor guy. It took the combined strength of Omar and herself along with the reminder that Shadow Moth's Miraculous is a brooch to pry Devorah off the man before she could attempt to dislocate his shoulder

Since there wasn't any serious harm done and the man understood her paranoia, he promised not to sue, but Aya still gave him his food for free despite him saying many times that it wasn't necessary. It went on like that for a while until they agreed on the food being half off, and that was the end of that.

Anyway, Nathaniel's right; it's normal to be paranoid nowadays, but that doesn't mean she's going to drop this. So, with that, she kisses him on the forehead and hands him the container before he heads to the door. "Have a good day, and call if something is wrong, alright?" Nathaniel gives her a quick thumbs up without looking on his way out... And maybe it's just her imagination, but Aya's sure she saw some hooded figure standing right across from the house before the door closed. She shouldn't be worried, maybe they were just waiting for someone, but there was just something about that person. She couldn't see their face because they had their head ducked, and they stood completely still.

Wanting to get a better look at whoever that was, Aya cracks the door open just a bit and looks up and down the street, but doesn't see anyone around except for Nathaniel. "Hm. Weird." Figuring she was only seeing things, she shuts the door, unaware of the same hooded figure she saw moments ago creeping out from behind a parked car and following her unaware son.

"You little bastard," Alix hisses when she lays eyes on the half-eaten muffin in her friend's hand. "Your mother, a gift from above made muffins, and you didn't think to bring me one?" Nathaniel snickers at her rarely-shown dramatics. "I thought we were tight, Nath! I am beyond betrayed, and as such, I should get the rest of that muffin."

The redhead sputters a bit. "When it's got my spit and bite marks on it?"

"We're practically siblings at this point man," she shrugs dismissively. "Come on, we accidentally once or five times sucked on the same pacifier when we were brats, so sharing food is nothing." Well, it is pretty sound logic when she puts it like that, but, the redhead came prepared and presents her with the container with two more muffins. "Score!" Immediately, the pinkette grabs one and takes a huge bite out of it. "So, what's been going on with you?" She asks between bites as they make their way up the steps.

"Ah, my mom's paranoid because she thinks I'm paranoid," he explains. "See, I woke up just waiting for something, anything to happen-"

"Like an Akuma?"

"Yes, like an Akuma, but we all worry about akumas and amoks, so it's nothing."

"Still," Alix says before taking the last bite out of her muffin. "If you're worried about something, it's best to follow that instinct and keep an eye out." While Nathaniel looks thoughtful for a moment, she reaches for the container. "So, is that other muffin for me, or..." The redhead holds the container out of reach. "Fine! It's for Marc," she groans. "But if he doesn't want it, I call dibs."

Nathaniel snickers at her antics and gives her a light punch to the shoulder. "Sure, whatever." In retaliation, Alix gives him a much harder punch and runs up the stairs before he could retaliate. Little did they know, someone was watching their mirth and familiarness with discontent. Clutching the strap of their messenger bag, the hooded figure stalks their way up the stairs, doing well with going unnoticed as the students were busy chatting with one another or looking down at their phones.

"So, here's what I was thinking-"

At the sound of the voice that seems familiar to them, the hooded figure panics. Hastily fishing their phone out of their pocket, they stare down at it right as Marinette Dupain-Cheng walks by with another girl they don't recognize at first until they catch a glimpse, recognizing her as the Ladyblogger.

"... Then, I could accent it with gold, but I've got some other metallic fabrics if you wanna take a look."

"Sure, and thanks again, Mari," the auburn-haired girl said cheerily. "I am gonna be the most fabulous girl at that fundraiser-" Then, without meaning to, she knocks the phone out of their hand, only for it to be caught mere inches away from the ground by none other than Simon O'Connor. "Nice save there, Simon," Alya commends before addressing the hooded figure, looking a little sheepish. "And, sorry about that." She quirks an eyebrow when they make no attempt to face her.

Before the person in the hood could respond, Simon hands them their phone. "Not a scratch on it," he confirms before looking the other person over as they try to sink even further into their hood. He narrows his eyes a bit and try to get a look at the person. "Say, I don't think I've seen you around. Did you just transfer?" They give a jerky nod before running up the stairs, never once looking back. "Must be shy," the redhead deduces, but there was a hint of skepticism in his voice.

"And just a tad bit rude," Alya adds with her hands on her hips. "Okay, they're shy, but they could have at least faced me. I didn't need any eye contact, just some acknowledgment. Did you at least get a glimpse of their face?"

"Yeah, black hair, turquoise eyes, and... I think freckles?" While Simon tried to recall the stranger's appearance, they and Alya didn't notice the strange look across Marinette's face. "It was hard to tell with the hood. Looked our age, though." They pause for a moment before shrugging and then heading up the rest of the stairs.

"If they're in our grade, then Nath has competition for 'Quietest Student,'" Alya jokes mostly to herself. "Mari, what do you think?... Mari?" Noticing Marinette looking off into space, she taps her shoulder, bringing her out of the daze she was in. "You okay? You just zoned out on me."

"Huh?... Y-yeah, I just... Never mind," she waves her hand in dismissal. "So, about your dress."

'That was way too close!' For the first time ever, Emani was face-to-face with Marinette Dupain-Cheng again, just one of the banes of his existence! And there's one of the other ones. Emani locks his eyes on Alix messing up his doll's hair and laughing all the while. That should be him, gently brushing his bangs aside and fussing over the soft texture. The moment either of them recognizes him, it's all over he'll be chased by those traitors all the way to the next city. He can't afford to mess this up, not while his doll is still being corrupted by Alix, Marinette, Rose, and-

"Hi, Nath!"

... Him.

Oh, that bastard in the red hoodie. 'Just wait. My doll will be mine again, and you'll have nothing.' Emani checks the side pocket of his bag, just to make sure the photos are still in there. He needs everything to go perfectly. He has no doubt his doll will come running into his arms the moment he sees him, but it doesn't hurt to give him that one last push to ensure he never thinks about that rebound ever again.

And once they're together again, who knows? He'll have his doll transferred to Vadim, tell everyone of the horrors his classmates put him through, and they'll be hailed as the school's power couple, replacing the former consisting of this guy, um... Lucien Rebois, and his ex-boyfriend. Having heard the horror stories of what that monster put his own boyfriend through only made Emani more driven to have his doll back. That rebound has no idea how to properly care for his doll, so pristine and perfect, and yet he's condoning his change in clothing, the way he parts his hair, and how his classmates treat him.

Well, not for long. He just needs one moment alone with his doll, just one. His nightmare will be over and they can be together again for the rest of their days! Oh, and it looks like the opportunity is upon him. He watches as his doll finally walks away from that rebound and goes into... The locker room! Perfect! Trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, he casually strolls toward the locker room, only to find... It's full of more people. How nice, just what he needs- An unwanted audience full of traitors to confuse and corrupt his doll even more. Among them are Ivan, Kim, Denise, and Simon, four people Emani would rather not come in contact with.

Kim's never liked him ever since Emani had his doll cut off all contact with Alix, so naturally, the meathead was angry for her. He would send glares his way and even attempt to talk to his doll, only to be ignored because his doll knows he's not supposed to talk to whoever Emani deems a bad influence.

Ivan wasn't all bad, and sure, he kept his distance, but then he went around Emani's back and helped plan that unnecessary intervention for his doll. Based on how his doll described it, it must have been awful to hear his so-called friends badmouthing him, calling him an abuser. He supposes he should thank the guy. Because of that little stunt, Emani and his doll have never been closer.

Then there's Denise. Emani considered letting his doll befriend them, seeing as they were polite and dressed well, but then they have the gall to threaten him in the bathroom, yelling out profanities in Spanish before switching back to French and accusing him of being a manipulator, again. Apparently, some guy had lifted his doll's skirt on his way to school, then Denise intervened and asked why he didn't tell him off. Well, his doll didn't say anything because he knows he looks beautiful and people are bound to show him that in their own way. It happens whenever they go for walks and a few guys decide to get a better look at him. It seems as though Denise didn't see it that way.

And while he doesn't have any opinions on Simon, he was far too close to recognizing him. So, it only makes sense to keep his distance.

Thankfully, everyone is too caught up in their own business to notice him. He has a close call with Jean Duparc if he remembers, but thankfully, his new boyfriend distracts him. A lot has changed since he left. Isn't that Austin Tomassian? If so, where are the other Austins? Emani has noticed a distinct lack of terror among the students, but enough of that. He can't find his doll anywhere... Unless.

Giving the room a quick look around to ensure no one's watching, Emani makes his way into the boy's bathroom which is thankfully empty apart from himself and his doll. There, he locks the door behind him. The click was loud enough to get the attention of his doll, who was washing his hands. He looks at him with this perplexed expression and tilts his head in the cutest way possible. "Um... Why'd you lock the door?" He takes a step back, so Emani takes a step forward. "L-look, this- this isn't funny, so just unlock the door, and-"

"Oh, what's the rush?" He watches his doll go rigid where he stands, unable to move and giving a small shiver of excitement when he hears his voice. "I just needed to see you again, my precious little doll," he coos and pulls down his hood. "Miss me?"

Nathaniel can finally move again and just narrowly avoid that monster's hand about to touch his face. This isn't real. He's still asleep in bed, and this is some sick nightmare his mind decided to show him! He'll be waking up soon, and Emani won't be here! Because he's not supposed to be here! He's not!

However, it becomes painfully obvious that this is not a dream when Nathaniel's back collides with the wall, and Emani is still walking toward him with that godawful smile! It's a long shot, but maybe if he runs fast enough, he can get past him. He waits until Emani is right in front of him before he finally finds it in him to run around his ex and toward the door. He barely made it five steps before he tripped and fell when something collided with his ankle, sending him straight to the floor, hard. And to make matters worse, his hand broke his fall.

"Why are you trying to run, doll?" Nathaniel can only let out a whimper when Emani grips both of his wrists in one hand and forces him up off the ground. He pulls the redhead into his chest and wraps his other arm around his waist, whispering, "I came all this way to save you from those traitors. And this is how you repay me?"

"L-let me go," Nathaniel manages to choke out, only to shudder when Emani starts getting a little handsy around his waist. "St-stop-"

"No," Emani cuts him off with a deceptively soft smile. "I don't think so. See, I need to get you away from all of these horrible influences trying to corrupt you and turn you against me. It's okay; I forgive you, doll. You don't know any better, and that's okay. You have me, now, and I will make sure no one will harm you in such a way ever again." At that moment, Nathaniel only feels terror as Emani leans down, his lips coming dangerously close to his own. He finds he can only do one thing to hopefully get him out of this.

He screams. Loud.

Simon is certain he must have been seeing things earlier. That student he saw was definitely not... Him. There are plenty of students at DuPont with black hair and blueish-green eyes. Hell, if you give Marc some turquoise eye contacts, draw some freckles on his face, and re-style his hair, they could be twins. So, there is no way that was Emani. It's just not possible... Well, it could be possible, but most of the students around here know what he did to Nathaniel and they know to scream bloody murder if he ever shows his face again.

... The hood and dodgy attitude were a little suspicious- Nope! He's not going to jump the gun! That was probably just a shy student with similar features, and Nathaniel is okay. He has to be okay, because if Emani got bold, then... He would rather not imagine what he'd do to Nathaniel, especially with Shadow Moth active.

"Morning, Artisto," Denise greets the redhead as he walks in. Huh. Speak of the devil.

"Morning," he says back with a smile, but there was something off about it in Simon's opinion. His eyesight may have gone to shit because he stares at his phone, tablet, laptop, and just about every other electronic he owns for hours with minimal breaks, but he can still see when things are wrong with his friends.

Nathaniel looked almost... Anticipant, they want to say. Well, they can't get another look, because he just went into the bathroom. Shrugging their worries off, they get back to their conversation with Austin Spinelli, completely oblivious to the next person walking in the room seconds after Nathaniel. "So, my usual price for a video is eighty euros, plus extra depending on the sorts of graphics used, like if you want me to include a gif-"

"Ah, no sweat," Spinelli waves him off. "The, uh..." He clears his throat a bit, looking a little embarrassed before he says, "The troupe just wants a quick preview video for the upcoming show to get more people interested, y'know? Nothing too fancy, or anything... And... Could you-"

"Keep you out of frame?" Simon guesses with a quick adjustment of his glasses. "You have my word." It's a well-known fact that Austin Spinelli, DuPont's resident 'tough guy' takes ballet as an outlet for his slight anger issues. It's done wonders, but he doesn't like to say he's taking classes out loud and turn it into an entire conversation. With an appreciative smile, he makes his way out of the locker room.

But, the very second that the door closes, everyone in the room whips their heads toward the boy's bathroom when a near-deafening scream hit their ears. "Was that Nath?" Simon questions. Ivan hurries to the door and tries to open it, but it won't budge. "What's going on?"

"It won't open!" Ivan puts space between himself and the door before charging at it shoulder-first to try and force it open. After a couple of seconds, he stops and hears more screaming from his friend, along with another voice. "Who else is in there?!"

The others listen closely, and it sounds like there's some sort of struggle. "Just- Hold still, doll!"

They all recognize the voice, but the nickname really narrowed it down. Kim fumes as memories from last year began to resurface- The change in the redhead's personality and wardrobe, the fake smiles, and the obvious emotional abuse that Max could see without his glasses on! "Emani, you MOTHERFUCKER! You better keep your hands off of Nath, or I'm gonna rip your balls off!" He copies Ivan's tactic, slamming into the door with much more force than the other boy until he's shoved out of the way by Denise, who's wrapping their headwrap around their knuckles. "What are you-"

"Obviously that's not working!" They didn't mean to shout, but Kim and Ivan were getting nowhere, Nathaniel is in serious trouble right now, probably having a panic attack, and Emani clearly needs another reminder that he needs to stay far away from him. So, they wind their fist and punch through the glass frame of the door. Ignoring the slight pain in their hand, they feel around for the lock and turn it, unlocking the door and allowing the students to rush in where they find the heartbreaking sight that is Nathaniel Kurtzberg curled up into a ball on the floor and shivering wildly. And off to the side is Emani clutching his cheek with a noticeable slap mark on the skin. Good, he deserved that.

"Nathaniel!" Austin hurries over with his sweater off and wraps it around the redhead as he tries to sit him back up. "Come on, it's okay," he whispers. "He's not going to-"

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DOLL!" Emani thunders and looks as if he's about to jump the brunette, only to be restrained by Kim, allowing Austin to carry Nathaniel out of the room without any problems. "Let me go!" While struggling, he sees Jean picking up his bag and becomes frantic when Simon rifles through it. "PUT THAT DOWN!"

"Wow," the redhead says darkly as he pulls out ten photos, all of Nathaniel completely unaware that he was being photographed. "You are still the same damn sociopath, Pulateur." Emani only glares at him. "You know, I'm sure the daughter of the police chief will love to get her hands on these," he taunts and strolls out of the bathroom with Jean while Emani wildly writhes in Kim's hold until he eventually resorts to biting his arm.

"Chết tiệt! Get him!"

Emani veers out of the way before Ivan could grab him and goes so far as to punch Denise in the face before darting out of the bathroom and grabbing his bag from an unsuspecting Jean. While the two are in shock, he runs out of the locker room. "What the-?"

"STOP HIM!" Denise yells as they hold their head wrap over their bleeding nose. More concerned over them, Simon rushes to their aid, only for Denise to rest a hand on his shoulder to stop them. "Amor," Denise hisses, startling their boyfriend for a moment since he's never heard them sound so angry. "I'll be fine. Just go take that bastard out."

Although reluctant, Simon bolts out of the locker room and into the courtyard where literally every student is watching in silence as Alix, Marinette, and Nino verbally tear into Emani; Austin, Alya, and Marc are comforting Nathaniel, and Adrien seems to be on the phone with someone. Just when he thinks they've got it under control, Emani runs around the human barrier to get to Nathaniel. Unfortunately for him, Simon is much faster despite hating to do any sort of physical activity and tackles him to the floor. This causes a few photos to escape from his bag and skid across the floor. A few even land right by Nathaniel, making him scream again.

"Get the hell off of me!" Managing to get his hand free, Emani attempt to punch Simon, but that plan is thwarted when someone grabs his fist in a grip so tight that his bones could shatter. Emani fearfully looks up and finds none other than Marc. His normally kind green eyes held only fury as he glared down at the other noirette with nothing but hatred. Deciding he doesn't want to get caught in the middle of this, Simon gets off of Emani, allowing Marc to hoist him up by the front of his shirt and force the other boy to look him in the eye.

No one said anything, waiting for Marc's next move. Then, he holds up one of the photos Emani took. By the looks of it, it was taken from afar when Marc and Nathaniel were on a date and were about to kiss. Nathaniel is standing on his toes with his head tilted up a bit and is clearly holding hands with someone, and that someone, obviously Marc, is blacked out with a Sharpie marker. "... You were stalking my boyfriend?"

Emani scowls. "He's not your-"

"SHUT UP!" Marc shoves the photo in Emani's face. "You think this is okay? What else have you been doing, hm? Do you follow him home, too?! What the hell were you even planning to do here?! He is scared out of his mind, so tell me just what the fuck you were going to do to him-"

"He's mine!" Emani hisses. "You don't deserve him; you're corrupting his mind and undoing everything! Just look at me; you're nothing but a rebound!" A few students gasp at his claim. "My doll obviously has a type. He's never stopped thinking about me, and you're living proof-" He's cut off by a swift slap across the face, right where Nathaniel slapped him earlier. "Don't deny it!"

"I don't care if it's the God-honest truth! Stay away from my boyfriend. Don't look at him. Don't speak to him. Don't even think about him." He throws Emani to the floor. "If I find you anywhere near him, I will make Shadow Moth the least of your worries." Just as everyone thinks that's the end of that when Marc makes his way back toward Nathaniel, Emani just had to open his mouth again.

"Good luck. The moment you step away from my doll, I'll-" He's cut off by an enraged scream and Marc tackling him back to the floor. While the situation that started this is serious, a few students can't help but cheer Marc on as he slams the back of Emani's head against the floor, his hair and hood being the only thing to soften the blows. "I will make him mine again!"

"GET THIS THROUGH YOUR HEAD, YOU SICK BASTARD! I don't want to see you going anywhere near Nathaniel! Hear that?! He's not a doll, he is a PERSON!" Everything around Marc is white noise as his focus was only on Emani. He doesn't hear the students cheering him on, a teacher's footsteps as they rush to pry him off, or the faint flapping of a butterfly's wings. He almost doesn't hear Rose screaming, "AKUMA!" and his focus is finally off of Emani as he checks on Nathaniel. Already, he hates himself for allowing Shadow Moth to target his boyfriend while he's in that state, but the Akuma symbol is nowhere on him. 

"Arachnus," he hears Shadow Moth say smoothly in his head. "I am Shadow Moth. Your boyfriend's ex has been following him around, like a predator stalking its prey. Well, now I'm allowing you to become that very predator - to inflict that same fear upon him and keep your boyfriend safe in your web. All you need to do is retrieve the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous. Do we have a deal?"

"Marc, come on!" Simon encourages. "Fight it! You don't need Shite Moth's powers to kick that eejit's ass!"

"Oh, but you heard what he said. The moment you leave your boyfriend, he'll be defenseless, able to be nothing but that monster's plaything... His doll, if you will. Time is ticking, Arachnus. What do you say?"

"..." Marc looks back at Emani and gives him one last glare. "Yes, Shadow Moth."

"Marc!" Nathaniel cries as the dark purple mist surrounds his boyfriend. He can only imagine what sort of horrible thing Shadow Moth will turn him into, but... He doesn't expect what can only be described as a very pink version of the Greek mythology protagonist, Arachne. Like the human-spider hybrid, the top half of his body is mostly human, but his skin is stark white, and his hair is as soft and pink as the fur circling around his chest area like a shawl and the fur on his forearms. The spider half is all pink with long fur-covered legs protruding from the sides of the thorax. And on the surface of the thorax, Nathaniel notices, some light pink patches of fur have formed the shape of a heart as some sort of mockery of Marc's love for him.

A weird high-pitched sound escapes from the back of Kim's throat as he stares at the Akuma. Max attempts to drag him into a classroom, but his feet remain glued to the floor.

"H-hey, Zoé," Cosette greets over the phone while looking for a place to hide. "So, uh... Maybe don't come to school for a few minutes... Or hours."

Emani pales as eight bright red eyes bore into him with this almost predatory glint to them. He's completely boxed in by the Akuma's legs, but he's too petrified to even back away, worried that the slightest movement would set the Akuma off. Though, it appears he doesn't need to do anything when Arachnus, unprovoked, hoists him up by the front of his shirt before throwing him at a wall. Once they've snapped out of their stupors, the students run all around the school while the teachers try in vain to get them to calm down, especially those with well-known arachnophobia.

"Nath, we have to go!" Alix tries but fails to get Nathaniel to follow her out.

"I-I can't!" He stammers out. "I need to try and talk Marc down!" Whatever Alix was about to say next was never heard as she was suddenly blasted against the wall. "ALIX!" He rushes over to her and sees that she's caught in an iridescent-looking spiderweb. His attempt to free her proves to be futile when his injured hand only gets stuck in the web, and when he finally pulls it away, it hurts worse than before.

"Run, Nath! I'll be fine! Go!" Hearing a scream, she and Nathaniel look to see that Arachnus has Emani's arm caught in a web and stuck to the wall. Long white fangs that definitely weren't there before replace two of the Akuma's bottom teeth. He opens his mouth wider, and wider until he can easily bite Emani's head off. But, before he could attempt to do so-

"MARC!" Nathaniel yells, getting his boyfriend's attention and reluctantly sparing Emani. He cautiously takes a step forward and tries not to stammer, "He's not worth it, Rainbow! C-come on, it's me you want. To protect me, t-to keep me safe from people like him, right?"

Horror etches itself across Denise's face as they watch the scene unfold from their hiding spot with Simon and Nino. "That boy better know what he's doing."

"He probably does," Nino weakly assures. "... Maybe."

"Doll, stop this!" Emani demands, but Nathaniel only blocks him out as best as he can. "He's going to kill you the second you're alone with him!"

'No he won't,' Nathaniel thinks to himself over and over to drown out Emani's words. 'Marc still loves you. Just keep him distracted so he doesn't hurt Emani, even if he does deserve it.' Despite his thoughts, Nathaniel can't help but shudder when Arachnus suddenly cups his face, right before pulling him into his arms in a bridal hold and letting out a content chirp from the contact. 'Can he talk?' "L-let's just get out of here, okay?"

"WHAT?!" Emani shrieks and writhes wildly in the web. "Stay away from my doll!" The moment those words left his mouth, Arachnus snarled and bared his fangs at him, threatening to try and bite his head off again until Nathaniel rests his uninjured hand against his cheek.

"Hey, look at me," he coaxes and gets Arachnus to look at him again, his look becoming softer. "Don't listen to him, Rainbow. Let's go, yeah?" That was all the permission Arachnus needed. Making sure Nathaniel is secure in his arms, he scales the wall and heads out into the city, unknowingly being tailed by a spotted heroine. However, while everyone was slowly recovering from their shock, Emani quickly made his escape. Whipping out his phone, he uses the small star-shaped charm attached to it to cut through the web, managing to go unnoticed and allowing him to make his escape, which goes unnoticed for about a minute before Simon realizes that he's gone.

"Oh, hell no," the Irish boy mutters darkly and began to make his way out of the school. Emani hurt his partner and twin. He's not getting away that easily.

All Nathaniel can do is squeeze his eyes shut, keep his grip on Arachnus tight, and bury his face in his shawl-like fur to drown out the screams of Parisians below as they pass. 'Oh, God, he's so soft.' He can't help it; he breathes in Arachnus' scent, and it does an amazing job of settling his nerves after what happened earlier. He should be terrified of the situation he's in right now. Emani followed him to school and attacked him in the bathroom, Marc got Akumatized, and he just handed himself over to be kidnapped by his boyfriend... But, as long as he was far away from Emani and Marc wasn't hurting anyone, Nathaniel figures that it was okay.

So, until Arachnus finally lands somewhere, Nathaniel's just gonna keep inhaling the sweet scent of cotton candy laced with ink in the Akuma's fur. Unfortunately for him, the slightly stomach-lurching jumps came to an end, and Nathaniel reluctantly came up for fresh air to see that Arachnus took him to the Eiffel Tower. Second floor by the looks of it.

Arachnus coos, letting out a soft trill as he kisses the artist's forehead. When he attempts to set him down, Nathaniel locks his arms, surprising him before his lips curl into an amused smirk and he starts nuzzling Nathaniel's face. "Stay here," the redhead murmurs contently. "Don't worry about him, Rainbow. He's not going to bother us now." He doesn't believe his words, but it's better than Marc turning back after knowing he killed or nearly killed Emani.

For a moment, it seems that Arachnus was considering his words and wraps his arms tighter around him. Smiling softly, he reaches up to pet Arachnus's hair, wanting to see if it was as soft as his fur, but that proved to be a mistake when he used the hand that broke his fall, making him let out a sharp hiss of pain.

This gets him the attention of Arachnus, whose red eyes seem to glow as they narrow at his hand before giving Nathaniel a questioning look.

"I-it's no-nothing, Rainbow. Okay? Don't worry- Hey!" Disappointment hits when Arachnus maneuvers him so now, Nathaniel's being carried under one arm like a fucking cat. "Rainbow," he starts to argue when Arachnus creates a web, likely to keep him stuck so he can't do anything to stop Arachnus from hunting down Emani. "Going after him won't do anything! Ladybug and Chat Noir are just going to fix everything in the end, and he'll... He'll get away again, and..." His voice trails off, worrying Arachnus.

Nathaniel still kicks himself for never reporting Emani before. At the time, he was embarrassed and ashamed that he allowed himself to be manipulated like that and forced into his plaything. He didn't need or want things getting more public than they already were. Almost half the school knows about Emani's abuse and they've been walking on eggshells around Nathaniel for weeks since Emani left, worried they would say the wrong thing.

Carefully, Arachnus sets Nathaniel down and wipes away a tear the redhead didn't even know he was crying before taking a moment to caress his face. After a beat of silence, he takes the injured hand, and before Nathaniel's eyes, wraps a beautiful iridescent web around it like a cast.

So entranced by his kindness and the way the silk of the web catches the light, Nathaniel doesn't even notice Arachnus skittering toward the railing until he hears a quiet chirp. Suddenly, before Nathaniel has a chance to ask him what he was doing, beautiful webs began to shoot from Arachnus' hands, interweaving over one another in a mesmerizing way as they circle around the beams of the structure to form a sort of protective barrier around the second floor. Nathaniel can't help but stare in awe as the webs cover every possible entrance and exit. Being a "sappy romantic," as Alix likes to say, he finds the gesture to be so sweet. Even as an Akuma, Marc wants to protect him from Emani, to make sure he never hurts him again, and be his knight-! 'Dial it down, Kurtzberg... Fantasize later.'

When his webs have the entire second floor encased, Arachnus returns to Nathaniel's side to let out a comforting purr against his neck. "Rainbow," Nathaniel giggles. "Quit it, that tickles." This tender moment between the two comes to a pause when Arachnus suddenly jolts as Shadow Moth makes his presence and he attempts to block out his words. "Marc? H-hey, don't listen to him, okay?... Marc?"

Worried when he doesn't give a response, Nathaniel reaches for his shoulder. But without even grazing it, Arachnus suddenly bares his fangs and hisses in the redhead's face. He quickly retracts his hand.

Shaken by his boyfriend's sudden hostility, Nathaniel starts to back away, and, to his horror, Arachnus goes after him. His heart starts pounding against his chest when Arachnus shows no signs of calming down, and the once gentle look in his eyes is gone, now they're just emotionless red orbs. 'What the hell did Shadow Moth say to him?!' Nathaniel doesn't even consider running, because he's not afraid of Marc, his boyfriend who would never do anything to hurt him! Shadow Moth obviously did something, and that's why he's being looked at like he's prey. 'Again,' his mind adds, only for him to dismiss it, but he can't help but think back to earlier in the bathroom.

Emani had him cornered.

He couldn't move.

Then Emani had his hands on him.

Nathaniel lets out a yelp when his back hits something, and he can't move out of the way because he is backed up against a web! "N-no!" Only his jacket is caught in the web, so he should be able to escape by slipping out of it. The thought comes to him too late when Arachnus cups his face, but not in the endearing way he did before. This was tight to restrain him, and it finally hits Nathaniel what he's about to do. "Marc!" He yells and chokes back a sob. "Snap out of it! Please!" Arachnus shows no signs of stopping and opens his mouth inhumanly wide. With tears beginning to blur his vision, Nathaniel braces himself, but just then-

"Lucky Charm!"

Arachnus' narrowed eyes snap open, and for a moment, he looks shocked by the position he's in, but before anything could be done, he was bound and tossed aside by Ladybug's yoyo. Tossing aside the red and black spotted machete, Ladybug rushes to help Nathaniel while Chat Noir prepares to attack Arachnus in case he tries anything, but the Akuma just stands where Ladybug threw him with a horrified look in his eyes. When Chat Noir made a move to approach him, he suddenly panicked, tore a hole through his web, and made his escape.

"MARC!" Nathaniel cries.

"Nathan-"

"He wasn't going to hurt me!" He yells at the heroine without thinking. "Shadow Moth did something to him, Marc would never hurt me! EMANI IS LYING!" His shouting drowns out whatever Ladybug's saying, likely some words of comfort, but he doesn't need comfort because Marc never hurt him.

"NATH!" Ladybug grips Nathaniel's shoulders, not enough to leave a bruise, just to add some pressure and let the redhead know she's here. "Hey, look at me. We saw what happened. We saw him struggling, and we saw Shadow Moth's symbol around his eyes. We're only sorry we got here late," she tells him softly. "We were watching from afar,  and trying to find any weak points so we could get the Akuma." Her words seem to settle in, and Nathaniel begins to calm down. "Whatever it might be." She looks to Chat Noir, silently asking if he's seen anything on the Arachnus that could be the Akuma, but he gives her a shrug.

"... His earring," Nathaniel murmurs. "I-I saw it at school."

Chat Noir gives him an appreciative smile. "Alright, well, I can drop you home if you'd like." Getting a nod, he secures an arm around Nathaniel and prepares to make his way down. "I'll catch up with you in a moment, m'lady." And the two heroes go their separate ways.

Simon glares down at the grainy footage on their phone. "C'mon... Where are you, you bastard?"

Rather than going after a spider-themed Akuma with fangs like a crazy stupid person- Emani- Simon sought a more logical approach... He hacked into the street cameras in a matter of seconds and his now looking for Emani so he can tackle his ass again and keep him from disturbing Marc and Nathaniel's private time. Thanks to a common fear of spiders, especially human-sized ones, the streets were clear, and Simon can easily look for Emani. Though, it's taking longer than he thought.

He easily found Arachnus at the Eiffel Tower- Which is a beacon for Akumas at this point- and was scoping out the area for Emani to see if he was up to anything. But, the thing is, Simon couldn't find him anywhere. He should've known. The bastard must have gotten good at not showing his face. While scrolling through different camera feeds, he found one of Arachnus fleeing the scene and was left with no time to check on Nathaniel through another camera when he finally found Emani... Then lost him again.

They slide their finger across the screen, now showing another street... Then the side of a restaurant... Then a park... Then- There! The redhead gives themself a proud smirk when they find Emani ducking into an alley. "Got you." Looking around, they see that they are not too far, and hurry to catch the noirette while running away from the Eiffel Tower.

'But... That's where Nath is. Where's he going?'

Knowing him, Emani would definitely want to go after Nathaniel so he can be his "savior." He's just going to get himself killed, and while Simon would love to see Marc bite the bastard's head off like a female spider during mating season, Nathaniel shouldn't have to see that after everything. So why is he willingly running away from Nathaniel?

Rapid footsteps hitting against the sidewalk hit their ears. They're getting close. Rounding the corner they find Emani creeping around the corner at the end of the alley which just happens to be near the Kurtzberg's residence. They want to be pissed, but Simon still can't help but wonder why Emani ran all the way here. Soon, it hits them when they catch sight of Chat Noir descending to the ground with Nathaniel in his arms.

'Okay... Marc took Nathaniel to the Eiffel Tower, where Emani followed them. It's covered in a web and I'm guessing the elevator, too, so Emani was waiting for the opportunity to get to Nath, and... He followed Chat Noir after Marc escaped!' Yeah, that sounds about right.

As soon as Chat Noir departs, Emani seizes his moment, but Simon tails him.

Just as he's about to wrap his hands around his neck, Emani trips and falls, startling Nathaniel and making him freeze in place when he sees his ex. Before Simon could run to help the redhead inside his home, Emani was being dragged across the street by an unseen force, kicking and screaming at the top of his lungs.

When Nathaniel still doesn't move, Simon starts to run across the street when he's suddenly stopped and tripped hard onto the ground.

The impact skews his glasses a bit, but just barely, and he can finally see what caused him and Emani to trip and fall now that he's close enough to the ground. Going along the road are barely noticeable spider web strings. Marc must have surrounded the area around Nathaniel's home with them so he could detect vibrations from anyone who might be a threat

"Ah, fuck me," Simon curses to themself while they're being dragged through different streets. And they can't even detach themself from the web string, because their hands keep getting stuck in it. So, they get as comfortable as they can until they end up at Pont des Arts. Like Anansi, Arachnus created a massive web, only his crosses the Seine River. Simon ends up near the middle, right next to Emani.

"FUCK!" They curse again, much louder this time, and not just because they're next to Emani. No, the feeling of the web just feels weird against their skin. Their shouting draws Arachnus out of hiding from underneath the bridge. "You had to put me with him, Marc? Really?"

Arachnus lets out a sad-sounding chirp and makes his way onto the web. He gives his friend a sorry look and stalks over to Emani. Immediately, Emani spits in his face, but Arachnus doesn't even blink. "What the hell did you do to my Doll, you freak?" After a beat of silence, Arachnus brandishes his lower set of fangs, grips Emani's arm, and without so much as hesitating, bites him. Emani screams and writhes wildly, and Simon can only watch in terror at what his friend just did. Eventually, Emani's kicking becomes less wild and more subdued before he eventually stops completely.

"I... I can't move. WHAT DID YOU DO TO-" His words become muffled by Arachnus shooting a web over his mouth and then around his body. Like prey.

Simon begins to panic as Arachnus approaches... Only to be picked up by the front of his shirt and removed from the web, much to his relief, but also confusion. "Uh... What are you... What's-" He's placed on the ground. "... What now?" 

Arachnus signs, "Bring Ladybug and Chat Noir here."

"Oh, gotcha." With that, Arachnus skitters back under the bridge and Simon sprints away.

Of course, he's not going to bring the heroes straight to Arachnus. While they're saving Emani's sorry ass, he's just gonna pull a sneak attack and paralyze them with whatever's in his fangs so he can take their Miraculous.

Walking through the empty streets, Simon comes across Chat Noir's signature silver staff, lengthened to about seventy feet and with the heroes balancing perfectly on the top. He gives the staff a light tap, and Chat Noir shortens it so he and Ladybug are back on the ground. Before either one could ask,

"Arachnus is at Pont des Arts, he has Emani trapped in a huge spider web as bait, injected him with paralysis from his fangs, and is waiting under the bridge for you two, likely to pull a sneak attack," Simon says in one breath. "Just a warning."

The heroes glance at each other, clearly not expecting that, but snap out of it to come up with a plan. "What if we got Nath to distract him?" Chat Noir suggests.

"He'd never go for it," Ladybug sighs. "You saw the way Marc reacted when he almost hurt him. Plus, I don't want Nathaniel anywhere near Emani... Uh, maybe if we-"

"The Bee or Horse Miraculous would probably be your best bet," Simon mutters, gaze already on his phone. "Maybe have the suit for the Bee give you armor, so he can't bite you, and then just freeze him. For the Horse, teleport Arachnus into something he can't get out of, and then swipe his Akuma while he's disoriented... Just a thought."

Ladybug finally snaps out of it and thinks over Simon's words. The Horse would be their best bet and would make it easy for the user to get around the web. Max is her first option considering he has more experience with the Miraculous, but... Simon does seem to be a quick thinker and has some knowledge about the Miraculous.

She reaches into her yoyo and pulls out the pair of shades before holding it out toward the redhead, much to his and Chat Noir's surprise. "Simon O'Connor, here's the-"

He cuts her off, "Yes. No need for the speech." He takes off his glasses and slips on the shades, turning them into a pair of round eyeglasses with silver frames. "Marc and Nath are my friends, and I will be damned if I let Emani get away with what he did." While he speaks, a bit of light emerges from the Miraculous and forms Kaalki. "... Okay, what the hell am I looking at?"

Kaalki looks appalled. "The mouth on this one. Are you sure they are the right fit? Why, I'm sure they are not nearly as accomplished as my current holder." She crosses her arms and turns her nose up in disdain. Before Chat Noir could intervene, Simon holds his hand up, taking this as a challenge.

He pushes up the glasses and crosses his arms. "I'll have you know, I have had the honor of making preview videos for several well-known performing arts troupes in this city, I took first in five gaming competitions when I was only ten, and, I gave a rousing speech on children's mental health to the board of education at the mere age of thirteen, which contributed to the hiring of proper school-based therapists in a few schools in the area. Need I say more?"

A look of surprise crosses the Kwami's face before she hastily bows. "A thousand apologies." Simon only smiles and bows back.

"It's fine, I get it. You've got high standards and you don't like to sell yourself short," he assures. "Now, would you mind telling me how to transform?"

"Of course," she beams. "To do so, say, Kaalki, Full Gallop. Do transform back, Dismount. And your power is Voyage."

"Got it," Simon confirms with a nod. "Kaalki, Full Gallop!"

The suit is heavily American Western-inspired with a brown trench coat worn over a vest a darker shade with cyan buttons. Holding up his tan pants is a white belt with a silver belt buckle in the shape of a horseshoe. And finishing the look are a pair of chaps tucked into brown boots with silver straps and white soles, and an iconic cowboy hat casting a slight shadow over his face.

Simon felt... Lighter. It's kind of nice.

Chat Noir lets out a low whistle and circles around the new hero to get a look at his outfit. "Fancy! What do we call you, partner?"

He hums in thought. "Let's go with Bronco."

"Then, let's go," Ladybug tells him and pulls out her yoyo to take off. "Don't worry about taking off, Bronco; I know it's a little worrying the first time, but-"

"WOOHOO!" Bronco hollers as he's already high in the air, much more than Ladybug and Chat Noir without their weapons, but that's likely due to the Miraculous being based on a horse. Not wanting to wait around any longer, Ladybug and Chat Noir follow Bronco to Pont des Arts, stopping on one of the roofs of the homes across from the bridge. Ladybug takes some pleasure in seeing Emani completely helpless like he made Nathaniel but knows she has a job to do.

Vaguely, she hears Emani screaming through his binds, but she tunes him out. "Any ideas?"

"Bronco, you said spider bite is hiding under the bridge, right?" He nods. "Alright, maybe you can make a hand-sized portal and go for his earring. I heard Nath say that's where his Akuma is. We nab it; we're good." He notices Ladybug's eyes narrowing at the bridge. "Anything you care to add, m'lady?"

"... Something doesn't feel right, but I can't put my finger on it. Bronco, Chat and I will be ready if something goes wrong, okay?"

With that assurance, Bronco thinks back to which section of the bridge they saw Arachnus hide under. When it comes to mind, they say, "Voyage," and open a small portal. They poke their head through it and find nothing, which is odd considering their friend is now a big pink fluffy spider, so it shouldn't be too hard to spot him, yet here they are. "Hm." Emani starts screaming again, and before Bronco can mentally curse him out, they hear a hissing sound and slowly turn their head just a bit to the right. "Fuck this."

They hastily pull their head out of the portal and taps it with their horseshoe, making it disappear. The three cyan stones on it glow brightly, but neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir question it. "... So... Marc's kinda feral now, and was waiting for me like that raptor in Jurassic Park. One wrong move would result in my head getting eaten even though we're not mates."

Chat Noir blanches. "How did he know?"

"I mean... Spiders have been known to be able to hear up to six feet away," Bronco mentions off the top of his head. "So, if a tiny spider can hear that far away, imagine a spider the size of a human. I wanna say six miles." Not noticing the looks of horror across the other heroes' faces, he continues, "Also, he's been leaving web strings everywhere, mostly by Nathaniel's neighborhood; it was actually how he caught me and Emani. So, if he was on his web, he likely felt the vibrations. Or, I don't know, maybe he can feel them if he's not on his web and if so-"

"Bronco!" Ladybug whisper-screams.

"Sorry." He holds his hands up with a nervous laugh. "I tend to, uh, ramble when I don't have my phone. What now?"

Before Ladybug can answer, she spots a furry pink spider leg creeping out from under the bridge. She whispers, "Okay. We are going to move away quickly and quietly. I think Shadow Moth is doing to Marc what he did at the Eiffel Tower." Chat Noir and Bronco nod without another word and begin backing away, but the very moment those bright red eyes zero in on them, the heroes hightail it away, making no move to look back to check if Arachnus is following them; they can already tell.

In a panic, Bronco splits his horseshoe in half and throws the two ends ahead. "Voyage! Split!" The two halves of the weapon glow a bright electric blue, and before their eyes, a portal opens on the ground between the halves. The three of them fall right through the first one and land on a balcony. Arachnus, on the other hand, ends up somewhere else to Ladybug and Chat Noir's astonishment as they weren't aware that was a possibility for the Miraculous.

While Bronco closes the portal and reattaches his weapon, Chat Noir has to ask. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Th-that thing with Voyage. We didn't know you could send yourself one place and then someone else some other place. And with the weapon, too."

"Oh." Bronco thinks it over, but he's drawing a blank. "I don't know. I just... I panicked and fight or flight, I guess. Now we've got some time to think of a plan. So... Who has a plan?" No one answers when they hear a tapping sound, and turn to find Nathaniel standing behind the glass door leading to his bedroom. Bronco wants to facepalm. This is the last place they should be. Still, Nathaniel lets them in and shuts the door.

"Nath-"

"How's Marc? D-did Emani do something to him?" Noticing him starting to hyperventilate, Chat Noir takes his hands. "What did- what did he do to-"

"Nath, breath," he instructs. "Like me." He takes a few deep breaths in and out, and Nathaniel follows his breathing patterns. "Just like that, good. Marc's got Emani tied up right now and he's not getting out anytime soon. But, Shadow Moth's got control of him now- But we are going to try and talk him out of it. Okay?" After a moment, Nathaniel nods and allows himself to relax. "Alright. We've got this. And Bronco here is a natural." The hero smiles a bit at the compliment. "He's in safe hands."

"... 'Kay."

Figuring now is the time, Ladybug says a quick, "Lucky Charm," and a small pouch lands in her hands. In it are, "Chestnuts?"

"That actually makes sense," Nathaniel whispers. "My mom keeps them around the diner to keep any spiders from trying to get in. The natural oil repels them."

Chat Noir looks confused. "I thought that was a myth."

"Well, why would the Lucky Charm give her chestnuts if it were?" Bronco asks. When Chat Noir doesn't have an answer, he points to him. "Exactly. Anyway, I think I've got an idea. One of us can lure him to my portal and have him drop near some of the chestnuts. Just enough to disorient him so we can grab his Akuma."

Ladybug sucks in a breath. "Alright. Who's gonna be the bait?" The four of them glance at each other, but before Nathaniel can offer himself up, they hear a quiet creeeak coming from outside the room.

"Th-that sounds like the back door," Nathaniel stammers.

"Stay here." Chat Noir whips out his staff and heads out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Seconds later, they hear a scream followed by a crash. Worried, Ladybug is about to help her partner when he returns with Emani Pulateur, tied up with his fake tail. "Found this guy trying to sneak in."

'The paralysis must be temporary,' Bronco notes.

Ladybug blocks Nathaniel's view of his ex when he begins to hyperventilate again, and Emani is doing nothing to help by calling him that God-awful pet name. "How did you get here?" She demands.

Emani smirks and looks past her. "It's amazing what some will do to help when you mention your darling boyfriend has been kidnaped. Doll," he purrs and pays no mind to the redhead's shuddering. "Tell this stray to untie me, would you? I came all this way-" Chat Noir promptly hits the back of his head. "Hey!"

"I say we've found our bait," Chat Noir remarks and hefts Emani by the back of his jacket. "Consider this retribution, since you're the one who started this mess in the first place. M'lady, you and Bronco set up the trap. I'll make sure this guy," he spares Emani one quick glare. "Doesn't try anything funny."

Something's not right. Someone's after his prey. Someone is with his prey- his mate, he knows it! Arachnus won't let him get away again. After all, they can't be proper mates until he devours his head! He can already picture it- that sweet redhead caught in the web Arachnus created especially for him, his body slowly wrapped in the finest silk webs, leaving only his head exposed before Arachnus sinks his fangs into him! Oh, it's bliss!

And there are people after his mate! They can't have him! Especially not him. He should have devoured his head while he was caught in his web, but his mate should have the pleasure of being his first.

"Arachnus, do not-"

The Akuma hisses in response and continues to creep through the alley, keeping his eyes out for any sign of the heroes and him.

"Let go of me, you damn stray!"

Speak of the devil. He listens in closely, and what he hears next enrages him.

"I need to keep my Doll safe!"

'He's not yours, he's MINE!' Arachnus moves faster and only makes it to the middle of the street when he hears,

"Hey, spider legs!" Chat Noir hollers from further down the street. He holds Emani higher over his head as he continues to struggle. "Don't you wanna get this guy out of the way first?! You're not gonna get the chance again!" He starts backing away before making a full sprint when Arachnus chases after him. Unfortunately, he, Ladybug, and Bronco hadn't accounted for Arachnus throwing webs his way.

He narrowly avoids another web, but the next one hits the back of his head, making Chat Noir stumble a bit, but he manages to catch himself and lets out a breath of relief when he sees the two halves of Bronco's horseshoe. "Almost there- WAH!" He lands on the ground with a hard thud and drops Emani. Before Chat Noir can pick himself up, he was bound to the ground by Arachnus' web, leaving only his Cataclysm hand exposed, but Arachnus encased that in a separate web.

"N-no, don't!" Emani pleads and writhes faster in Chat Noir's tail belt when Arachnus get closer to him. "Y-you think my Doll would ever love you after this?" He weakly laughs and tries harder not to stammer when Arachnus crawls directly on top of him but fails. "H-he'll start t-to see what a monster you really are, y-you pathetic rebound!"

Arachnus starts to sink his fangs into Emani's flesh once again, not caring or really hearing what he had to say. His mate will understand. He has to get rid of anyone after him. Before his fangs can get deeper under Emani's skin, he hears someone yell,

"RAINBOW, STOP!"

It was like a switch went off, immediately switching Arachnus' focus on Nathaniel. There's a look of familiarity in Arachnus' eyes for a brief second before he suddenly pounces on the redhead and pins him down as he slowly wraps him in a web. They're not on the web he made for the two of them, but this will do. He caresses the other boy's face and croons softly to help him relax.

For a while, Nathaniel's words are caught in his throat, and he can only watch his boyfriend's blood-red eyes scan over him. Why did he do this? Oh, yeah. He doesn't want his boyfriend to kill someone. "... M-Marc," he whimpers. "Co-c-come on, don't d-do this. Okay, th-thh-this isn't you. I-I get it, I'd do the same if I found out someone hurt you the way h-he hurt me. I'd go ballistic! B-but this isn't you, right now, i-it's Shadow Moth! H-he's just trying to get me out of the way."

He chokes back a sob when Arachnus starts to grip his head like back at the Eiffel Tower. "Shadow Moth took away the sweetest boy in Paris who loves me as much as I love him, and replaced him with this!" He blurts and startles Arachnus a bit. "He took away my anime and soccer-loving nerd of a boyfriend, the same one who hugs his journal close to his chest when he gets excited or nervous and plans the most perfect dates for us to go on!..." He figures his words won't do anything and relaxes on the ground and closes his eyes, waiting for Arachnus to eat his head... Then he feels something drip on his face.

Cracking just one eye open, his fear starts to wash away when he sees tears forming in the corners of Arachnus' more human-like eyes. Without warning, he tears Nathaniel free from his web and pulls him into his arms for an embrace. He gets his tears all over Nathaniel as he nuzzles the redhead close, but he doesn't seem to mind one bit.

Nathaniel allows himself to cry. "Rainbow, it's okay. I'm okay." He kisses Arachnus' tears away and relaxes in his hold... Until a wave of pain washes over Arachnus and he drops Nathaniel with a roar of pain that slowly turns into an animalistic rage. Nathaniel starts to panic when he sees Shadow Moth's mask over Arachnus' face like earlier.

"Doll! He's going to kill you! Get away, now!"

He can almost hear the smugness in his voice. If he runs now, Emani will use that as leverage to worm his way back into his life by any means... Well, screw him!

Without even thinking, Nathaniel seizes Arachnus's arm and snatches his earring so he can crush it in his hand, releasing the Akuma. It's only after a few seconds that he starts to panic because he just released an Akuma without Ladybug around to fix it! And now it's going to multiply, and-

"GOTCHA!" Ladybug retracts her yoyo and releases the newly purified butterfly.

Nathaniel can't help but sigh as the magic ladybugs fix everything. Once he sees his fully human boyfriend and not a spider-human hybrid who could snap at any moment, he feels a sense of relief wash over him, and he pulls him into his arms without a word. The Miracle Cure, fortunately, didn't untie Emani since it was Chat Noir who tied him up, so that was something Nathaniel didn't have to worry about. But to his surprise, Marc wasn't hugging him back.

He wasn't even looking at him.

"Marc? Are you okay?"

"..."

"LET ME GO!" Emani screams. "You got the freak back to normal, now let me go! If there is even a scratch on my Doll, I will-" He doesn't get to finish the rest of his sentence when he's suddenly knocked out cold by a quick blow to the back of the head by Bronco's horseshoe, and lands in Chat Noir's waiting arms.

The horse hero gives it a spin before fastening it behind his back. "I'll hand back the Miraculous after I walk these two home," he offers. Before he leaves, though, Ladybug and Chat Noir hold out their fists for a quick bump, and he happily obliges before walking the writer and artist toward the Kurtzberg's home. Though, having noticed the tension between the two, he acted as sort of a buffer between them.

This is not exactly how Simon was hoping his day as a hero would end. In these sorts of tense situations, he'd usually be on his phone while everyone is quiet and unsure of what to say or when that one person finally breaks the tension... Time to be that person, then.

"..." They awkwardly clear their throat. "Look, uh, I'll just come on out and say it." They hold their arms out in front of the other two to stop them from walking further and then point to Marc. "You're not him." The noirette was about to look away. "No. Don't do that, you're gonna listen- both of you. "That was just Shadow Moth using your fear against you so you'd take the Miraculous. From what I saw, you're protective of him." They gesture to Nathaniel. "And I admire that. So don't go beating yourself up over something that butterfly-fucker made you do."

Nathaniel chokes back a laugh at their wording, and Marc smiles just a bit when he sees that his boyfriend is okay.

"And you?" He points to Nathaniel. "I'll see to it personally that creep doesn't even breathe near you, alright?" All of a sudden, the shorter redhead hugs him. And it takes him a moment, but he hugs him back.

"Th-thanks," he sniffs and pulls away. "Sorry about-"

"Ah, I probably would've done the same," Bronco admits. "Well, I'll let you two go the rest of the way, but just keep in mind what I said, alright?" Getting twin nods, he hurries back to Ladybug and Chat Noir, hoping that he won't be too late to see Emani off and haul his ass into the police station.

Seeing that they're alone now, Nathaniel holds out his hand, and with no hesitance, Marc takes it and even laces their fingers together.

"There he is!" Ismael announces when Marc walks into the classroom. "So... What's up?"

"Well... Nath and I talked things out, and he told me about Emani when he was ready." He smiles a bit. "Thanks for helping him back then, you guys."

Lacey waves him off. "Hey, someone had to do it. So, what happened with Emani? Nothing good, I hope." Her friends and even Mme. Mendeleieve murmur in agreement.

"Last I heard, Ladybug, Chat Noir, and the new hero, Bronco, were taking him down to the station," he explains, resulting in cheers from his friends while Mme. Mendeleieve quietly celebrates to herself. "And with the evidence Nath and his mom gave them, we'll see what happens, but stalking is considered a felony along with breaking and entering."

The purple-haired teacher chokes on her coffee. "E-excuse me?!"

"While I was Akumatized, Emani decided it would be appropriate to sneak into Nath's house," Marc explains with a bit of malice in his voice as he took his seat. "Chat Noir was there, fortunately."

Reshma adds, "He did also technically break into the school. He is no longer a student and is not permitted to be within twenty feet of the property if I remember correctly. So, that's another charge."

"And let's not forget assault," Denise pipes up. "Okay, Nath was clearly injured, he bit Kim and socked me. He's not getting out until he's at least sixty."

Before the class could get too into the discussion, Mme. Mendeleieve speaks, "While I hate to interrupt this conversation, class is about to begin. You can discuss the legal system during study hall, but for now, start taking notes."

"I can't believe Alya got a good pic of Bronco!" Jean squeals and shows Austin his phone. "Are you seeing how cute this guy is?!" The other brunette rolls his eyes, but can't deny his boyfriend's words when he gets another look at Bronco. "But not as cute as you, Songbird," he adds.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

Simon watches the two go down the stairs with a soft smile. All day, they've been hearing people talk about their time as Bronco, and some people have even posted some blurry but recognizable photos of them, asking if they'll make a return. Simon wouldn't count on it, but it'd be nice.

"What’s got you happy?” Denise teases.

“Ah, nothing. Just glad Nath’s alright and Marc’s not beating himself up over what happened, or anything, y’know?” He rests his head on Denise’s shoulder. “I can’t believe he was bold enough to show his face. What the hell was he thinking?”

“I don’t know,” Denise murmurs. “And I don’t wanna know.” They look and smile when they see Marc and Nathaniel walking out of school together, holding hands. “At least Nath won’t have to worry about him again, Bronco.”

Simon’s eyes grow comically wide. He looks up at his partner who’s smirking back at him. “H-how?” He chokes out.

”You think you can just disappear on me for an hour and all of a sudden, some new hero shows up? Besides, I know you.” They kiss the side of his head. “You’re too selfless for your own good sometimes.”

The redhead giggles like an idiot at the compliment. “Yeah, uh… Sorry for not telling you where I was going.”

”You can make it up to me by telling me everything.”

”That’s fair,” he agrees and walks them down the stairs. “Well, did you know the Miraculous come with these things called Kwamis?”