Chapter Text
In a new school, it was common that the new kid would receive a temporary spotlight. However, Lucien had changed so many schools in the past two years that he had grown used to it. The bell had rung as he stepped inside the classroom. His hands were tucked inside of his green jacket as Lucien stopped next to Principal Damocles who stood with his barrel chest puffed out as his eyes gazed upon the seated students. Whispers were exchanged between some of them, but as the principal cleared his throat to gesture the class's attention.
"Starting today, we have a new student who flew from London. Allow me to introduce you all to Lucien Veil." Everyone's eyes shifted as words were expressed. Lucien knew his name alone wouldn't be recognized, but the family name of Veil held recognition. There was a boy at the front right row with a red hat that commented to the blonde boy who sat next to him.
"I didn't even know Marcus Veil had another son." Principal Damocles turned his eyes over to Lucien who appeared to be unfazed with the reactions. He gestured to Lucien with large hands that were once calloused from hard work.
"How about you tell us something about yourself?" Ordinarily it would have a perfect opportunity for other students and at least know a detail about him. However, Lucien nonchalantly turned his duets of hazel over to the large man. The words that came from his lips were soft like whispers in the wind.
"Where do I sit?" Blatant dismissal of the question, Damocles cocked an eyebrow before the teacher who dressed nicely in a white blazer and slacks. Her auburn hair pulled into a tight bun as she gestured to the desk in the far back.
"You can sit up there if you like." On the front row at the left side was a blonde young lady with baby blue eyes that seemed to have a scowl etched on her face. Lucien wasn't certain what her problem was, but he merely climbed up the stairs till he got to his desk. Everyone had pairs, but Lucien sat alone as he set his bag down next to his chair.
| ~ |
The classes went by uneventfully as the teacher explained rather extensively on their subjects. As everyone went to their lockers to grab their belongings, Lucien slinked back into the restroom section. He checked once to make sure no one else was in the bathroom. Poking their little head out from Lucien's jacket pocket was a tiny creature that vaguely resembled a crow as Lucien leaned against the wall with a sigh.
"I still don't understand what the premonition was trying to warn me about this place, Starr. Paris already has Ladybug and Cat Noir for heroes." The kwami held a corn chip in their hands as they paused for a moment. Their beady eyes lingered upon the chip.
"Perhaps it has to do with the increase in akuma activity?" They munched on the chip as Lucien sighed.
"That is a possibility, but I don't think that's it. I just know that the vision centered around this school for some reason." His hand reached into his pocket to retrieve a small bag of corn chips and offered a couple of them to Starr. They accepted the offer with a certain eagerness as Starr munched on the chips.
"Well, to be fair my power only allows you to see the possibilities of what the future might hold. Sometimes it just doesn't come true." For context, Starr had the power to receive glimpses of the future, and sometimes as Lucien determined that these visions had the tendency to not occur at all. Starr glanced at the bathroom door before they perked up.
"Oh I know! Why don't you transform and use it again? Maybe it will paint a clear picture this time." Lucien cocked an eyebrow at the kwami as he folded his arms over his chest.
"You should know that the premonition only shows important possibilities." Starr shrugged their little shoulders as it ascended to be at eye level with Lucien.
"Well this clearly was important enough for you to investigate. And what luck that your father was even willing to move over here in Paris too! It smells like an awful fate if you ask me." Before their conversation could carry on, Lucien picked up the sounds of muffled footsteps from behind the door. Immediately Starr disappeared into the folds of Lucien's jacket.
The ones who entered the restroom happened to be the blonde haired boy. Adrien Agreste, if Lucien recalled correctly. The boy's eyes of green widened in surprise as he came to an abrupt stop before it was replaced with curiosity.
"Oh hey, I figured just about everyone had left by now. But since I have you here; i was just wondering, do you not like us or something?" All day Lucien had avoided everyone, and he rarely spoke either. Instead Lucien opted to simply observe, but he understood how it could be interpreted from a second party.
"No, it's not like that. It's just I don't know how long I will be here this time so I kind of gave up on the notion of making friends. You know what I mean?" However, Adrien only shook his head in dismissal as his expression softened. Subtle hints of confusion as Adrien protested.
"I don't know what you mean. Having friends in your life makes the days feel less gloomy." Not from Lucien's experience, but to each their own. Lucien shrugged his shoulders before he started to walk past Adrien.
"I wouldn't know, but be careful with whom you call friends. Some might be more keen to betray you when things get tense." He warned the confused blonde before he walked out. His footsteps receded until the door closed before Adrien muttered under his breath.
"It wouldn't be right to suspect my friends for things that haven't happened."
| ~ |
With his bag slung over his shoulders, Lucien left the school grounds and began to make his way through the Place des Vosges.
"Seems like the only thing that you'd find answers from is when there's an akuma running amok." Starr chipped in as they remained inside of Lucien's pocket. That was certainly a possibility that he considered. Perhaps it was the only thing that made sense as Lucien nodded his head.
"Maybe. Once we visit my mother, we can scope around the city and see what's going on for ourselves." The heat pressed upon the young man's head and shoulders as he trekked through the park when he noticed a pair surrounded by pigeons were talking quite loudly.
"And I told you Mr.Ramier already that you cannot feed these pigeons!" The officer exclaimed as the taller albeit thin man flinched. "B-but then who would feed my pigeons?" The latter named Xavier meekly questioned the relentless face of justice.
"That's not my problem! You cannot just feed the animals on public property!" Lucien's eyes narrowed as he simply stood off to the side and observed the spectacle. The officer swiftly wrote a citation and handed the ticket to Xavier. His shoulders slumped in defeat before the tall man sat down on a bench.
"C'mon, we shouldn't keep your mother waiting any longer." Starr urged in a hushed tone to Lucien. "You're right. Let's go before-" Just as Lucien started to turn to leave from the park, he caught a glimpse of a butterfly flapping its wings of black with outlines of purple on them. Every fiber of his being was telling him that was dangerous, but he never understood just how dangerous until Lucien followed the butterfly with his eyes until it merged with Xavier's bird call. "What...?" Lucien's eyes widened as the man stood up on his feet with renewed vigor and confidence. Yet the scowling expression on his face told Lucien a different story.
"Careful Lucien, he's been akumatized!" Starr warned him, and Lucien witnessed Xavier's body become encased in dark matter. Emerging out of the mass was the face of Xavier, yet he now wore a skin tight spandex with a white and black coloration save for the spandex that covered most of his head except for the face. Pink stood in contrast on his boots and his head..
"Come to me, my pigeons! I must take you somewhere safe!" With a blow on that call whistle, the pigeons moved in sync towards Xavier and by some twisted logic the pigeons carried the man off into the air. Individual and occasionally clusters of pigeons rained down upon the park. The officer that had given Xavier the citation turned into a pigeon himself the instant the pigeon came into contact with him.
"Alright, so he has flight through command of pigeons, and any of his pigeons turn into a pigeon as well." Lucien deduced as he nimbly sprinted to avoid the raining pigeons before he ducked behind a bench. It was only a moment, but a moment of breaking line of sight was all Lucien needed as he took advantage of the chaos unfolding.
"Starr, let's fly!" He called out before a brief flash of light illuminated the approximate vicinity. As he rolled out from cover, donned in a dark poncho with his once ash blonde hair turned into a charcoal black color. Thrown from underneath the poncho was a pair of boomerangs that smacked away a few pigeons from getting to the remaining people who fled the park. By the time Lucien looked up to locate the akumatized Xavier, he was already gone.
"Dang it, which way did he go?" He questioned more to himself as the boomerangs of silver arced back to his awaiting hands. The dark mask of feathery texture remains snug on his face. He was about to leap to higher ground when two figures dropped in. A young lady in a red suit with black spots stood defensively in front of him, and a young man dressed in an all black tight suit with black cat ears protruding from his mess of blonde hair.
"Leaving so soon akuma? The party has only just started." The man with the cat ears chipped in with a sarcastic tone with an equally mocking grin. "Careful, he likely has tricks up in his sleeve." The lady warned the other before she whipped out a yo-yo that gave a distinct glow. It spun protectively at her side.
"You got the wrong guy. Some dude with pigeons had already flown off somewhere." The description was somewhat vague, but it was enough for the girl in red to recognize as her yo-yo stopped spinning. "Mr.Pigeon? Isn't this like the fourth time this week that we've had to deal with that guy?" The guy with the cat ears chipped in. "Fifth actually, but still we can-"
She was abruptly cut off when flocks of pigeons began to dive from the sky towards the streets. Likely turning more people into pigeons if the screams were any indicators as such. "Sorry to cut this short, but we got to stop Mr.Pigeon before he hurts anyone else!" The girl in red spoke with unwavering conviction as with a quick spin of her yo-yo and she swiftly sailed through the air. "Try to keep up, newbie." With that he followed after the girl as well by the extension of his staff.
Which left Lucien a moment to contemplate before he uttered. "Premonition." He felt a rush of energy flowing through his body before Lucien's eyes briefly glowed in a blank white for a moment. Yet the vision that was revealed to his mind's eye was that of Ladybug and Cat Noir defeating Mr.Pigeon. With a click of his tongue, Lucien leapt towards the top of one of the buildings after the pair.
| ~ |
Locating the akumatized pigeon lover wasn't the problem as the trio found Mr.Pigeon pretty easily. However, as Lucien came to realize that Ladybug and Cat Noir's experience at dealing with this particular akuma was the equivalent of an average Tuesday. Occasionally Lucien found himself saving the people they came across from becoming a pigeon with a throw of his boomerang. One of which earned a comment from Cat Noir as the boomerang made its way back into Lucien's expecting hand.
"Hey, that's a neat thing to have! But I don't see any strings to pull it back." Cat smirked before he resumed beating back Mr.Pigeon while Ladybug worked out her plan. "Now is not the time Kitty!" She exclaimed, and much like the premonition that Lucien had. The duo managed to defeat Mr.Pigeon once again. Ladybug tossed her lucky charm in the arm as she exclaimed "Miraculous Ladybug!" Like magic a mass of red and pink similar to ladybugs and floral scattered over Paris. Damaged vehicles were repaired, buildings were restored to normal, and people who had been turned into pigeons were able to revert back to their normal selves.
"Don't need to pull any strings. You two seem to be able to carry the city." Lucien commented as the pair turned to look at him, and then they looked at each other for a moment before they faced him entirely. Their expressions grew serious as their eyes were focused on him.
"How did you come across your Miraculous?" Ladybug asked as her hand never strayed far from her yo-yo. Lucien folded his boomerangs and clipped them onto his belt under the poncho. "Telling you that would risk revealing my identity. Something that I'm sure both of you are keenly aware of."
"Well, in any case my name is Cat Noir, and this is my partner Ladybug." They introduced themselves, and with it came the sense of ease. Ladybug crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed Lucien with suspicion. "Miraculous isn't something for just anyone to have. I need you to return the Miraculous to me." She declared before she extended a hand out towards him. It was only then that Lucien understood what the premonition truly meant. It was a critical moment that could cost him his Miraculous.
"My name is Shadowstar, and I cannot give you the Miraculous." Truthfully, Lucien would rather not start on the heros' bad side, but the moment her arm dropped to her yo-yo and Cat Noir grabbed his staff. "I insist as the Guardian of the Miraculous." Ladybug declared as she began to spin the yo-yo once more. "Are you sure about this, my lady?" Cat Noir inquired, but Shadowstar had the feeling that no matter what, the Cat would follow Ladybug's lead. "We can't have another Miraculous run amok and cause more trouble in Paris."
"I do not answer to you, Guardian. But do you seriously think that this problem is limited to just Paris?" At the mention of that, both Ladybug and Cat Noir got into a defensive stance. Which left Lucien sighed in defeat as he saw there was no getting around it. "Fine, Mr.Ramier you best get out here." The confused man looked around until his eyes settled upon the pair of heroes who were determined to face-off against the lone Shadowstar.
The sounds of a helicopter could be heard in the distance. Cat Noir dashed to close the distance like the blurring motion of shadow lapses. With a swipe of his staff at Shadowstar, it met no connection as Shadowstar nimbly stepped back just outside of the staff's reach before he focused on merely dodging and blocking the mixed strikes of staff and kicks. The boomerangs partially extended to where it forms a hook as Shadowstar hooked the staff and yanked it to the side.
Ladybug expertly threw her yo-yo at Shadowstar as the wires wrapped around his left wrist to prevent him from attacking Cat Noir. Who seized the opportunity to tackle Shadowstar, and yet in the midst of the tumble Shadowstar strongly kicked the cat hero off and sailed straight for Ladybug. Fortunately she was quick enough to jump over Cat Noir who crashed into the side of a white van and nearly tipped the vehicle over. Glass shattered from the windows and crunched under Noir's knees as he slumped to the ground.
"You can stop this by giving us your Miraculous that you stole!" Ladybug exclaimed as she promptly yanked her yo-yo that dragged Shadowstar across the ground for a moment. With a slap of his palm that cracked the concrete sidewalk, Shadowstar pushed himself off the ground and skidded onto his feet. Through bared teeth of grit from both ends, Shadowstar pulled against Ladybug as the wires wrapped tightly around his wrist as he was left unable to move. "You wouldn't understand!" Shadowstar quipped back.
"I got him, my lady!" Noir exclaimed as he dashed forward to Shadowstar as he attempted to grab for the poncho. "Enough!" Through brute strength, the wires cut into his wrist as Shadowstar violently yanked the wire downward towards himself which caused Ladybug to be thrown off her feet. With a spin around Noir, Shadowstar used the wire to wrap around Cat Noir's extended hand before he promptly threw the cat at Ladybug.
"Get off of me Kitty! We got to... Where did he go?" She looked around and yet the man in the poncho was nowhere to be found. She grit her teeth before she slammed her fist against the ground. Cat Noir quickly got up albeit he grimaced. "Sorry my lady, he was stronger than he looked."
"That's impossible! I never gave him or anyone else that Miraculous!" She exclaimed as she abruptly got up to her feet. Ladybug was about to start scouting the entirety of Paris if it wasn't for the familiar beeping that both Ladybug and Cat Noir had only less than a minute for they de-transformed. "Let's feed our kwamis first before our secret identities are revealed, and then we can go look for him." Cat Noir suggested as he gestured with his hands for her to calm down.
"...Fine, but we have to find him fast." She encouraged them before they went separate ways temporarily.