Chapter Text
It was always a sad day for Otis when one of the animals in his care passed away. This particular panther was pushing twenty-two years, which neared the upper limit for his species in captivity, so he had known it was coming, but the pain was still present. In fact, Marlena had called him before he left for work that day, to check on him and make sure he wouldn’t attract any akumas. Despite his sadness at the panther’s passing, Otis was certain he’d be able to hold himself together, especially with those tricks Alya had taught him to help him stay calm.
On a more positive note, they were getting another panther sent to the zoo from Japan as a part of a breeding program, to encourage greater genetic biodiversity within the species. Otis was going to be helping the panther, Kuroi, settle into the zoo; they would introduce him to Noire later that week.
As Otis approached the enclosure, he noticed a young man standing in front of it, reading the plaque. He was rather engrossed in what he was doing, and didn’t notice Otis standing behind him until he cleared his throat.
“Ah, pardon me, monsieur. I was simply engrossed in reading this fascinating informative plaque,” the young man said. “Your panther reminds me of a friend. It is pleasant to have a touch of home even here.”
Otis nodded along. “Are you far from home?” he asked.
The young man nodded. “I’m from Japan, but I moved to France to study art. It has been… an adjustment, to say the least.”
“I can imagine as much,” Otis said, nodding in understanding. “It’s never easy moving to a new place. Alya, one of my daughters, had a rough first few days when we moved to Paris. She’s made a lot of brilliant friends, though. You have to give these things time, er…?”
“Ah, where are my manners? My name is-”
Before they could continue their conversation any further, Otis’ phone buzzed in his pocket. Ah… an Akuma Alert. Sure enough, there was a great crash and scraping of metal as the akuma ripped through the gates of the zoo. When Otis turned around to look, he saw the vague form of the akuma - they were moving so fast it was hard to see - but when he looked back to the boy he had been talking to, he was gone. Made sense, newbies often didn’t react well to akuma attacks. The only reason that Parisians stayed so calm during them was that they were so accustomed to the constant attacks that the threat didn’t faze them as much anymore.
Otis turned around on his heels and went to the first place he could think of that an out-of-towner would think of to hide, the quiet room the zoo offered to its guests, should someone get overstimulated and need a quiet moment. Sure enough, the kid was there, pacing back and forth, a phone in his hand.
“Pick up, Aki. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.”
“Who are you trying to call, kid?” Otis asked. That was the easiest way to keep folks calm, he’d learned. Keep asking questions, keep ‘em talking, keep ‘em distracted.
The boy stared at him for a moment, before mumbling. “My boyfriend. It's past midnight where he is. I think he’s asleep. I don’t know why I…”
“You panicked. It happens,” Otis assured him. “First akuma attack?”
“First one that’s been this close,” he said. “I didn’t– it's different when they’re so close.”
“Makes it feel more real,” Otis supplied.
“E-Exactly.”
“Well, I can tell you this much: most akuma attacks don’t last long, Ladybug and Chat Noir are good at what they do. Stay calm and keep outta the way, and you’ll be fine. Just don’t attract another akuma, alright, kid?”
“Kitagawa Yusuke…”
“Huh?”
“You were about to ask me for my name,” Yusuke said. “It’s Yusuke. Please, don’t call me ‘kid’. I’d much rather be called by name.”
“In that case, you can call me Otis.” He sat down at the chair next to Yusuke. “So… you said you were studying art? What’s that like?”
“… are you trying to distract me?”
“Is it working?”
Yusuke managed a small smile. “Surprisingly enough… yes.”
Otis couldn’t help but laugh. “What do you mean, surprisingly?”
They talked for a little longer, and soon enough, Otis got another notification on his phone, letting him know that the akuma was dealt with. He was sure that Alya would tell him all about the akuma when he got home.
That said, he still needed to address the young man. “The akuma is gone, Yusuke. Will you be alright going home, or would you like a ride?”
Yusuke deliberated the question for a few moments. “Do you know where the Paris College of Art is?”
“Hmm… I think so.”
“In that case, I would appreciate a ride,” Yusuke said, bowing his head. “Thank you, M. Otis.”
“Sure thing. It’s almost the end of my shift anyways. Let me clock out and I’ll give you that ride,” Otis replied.
“Will there be any problems with the roads?” Yusuke asked as they left the quiet room together. “Due to the akuma?”
“Nope! Ladybug’s Miraculous lets her reverse damage caused by akumas, At least, that’s what Alya tells me…”
“Your daughter, correct? You mentioned her earlier.”
“Yup,” Otis said. “She runs a blog that keeps track of information about the heroes and villains that have appeared. She told me once that when Shadow Moth is defeated, that she’d like to cover heroes across the world.”
“Shadow Moth… is that the name of the fellow behind these akumas?”
Otis nodded, remembering his own akumatizations with a rancorous frown. “He’s a real wrongun… I hope Ladybug and Chat Noir sort him out soon.”
Yusuke nodded along. “If you could link me to this blog you mentioned, it would be greatly appreciated.”
A laugh escaped Otis. “Of course! I’m always happy to share my daughter’s brilliant work.”
When they finally arrived at the Paris College of Art, Yusuke thanked Otis again, and stepped out of the car.
Out of curiosity, Otis asked, “Are the dorms treating you alright?”
“It could stand to be cleaned, and my roommates are… far from accepting of my eccentricities, but I manage.”
“That sounds… unpleasant.”
Yusuke grimaced. “I had to look up some of the words they use so casually while I was out of sight but not out of hearing… I suppose they are quite unpleasant.”
Otis hummed to himself, not the least bit pleased with how unsafe that sounded. Anansi had moved into an apartment with Cookie, their boyfriend, and while they always had a space at home, there technically was an open room at their house…
“If you need a better place to stay, at least for a bit, I can ask my wife about letting you borrow our extra room,” he offered. “If you don’t mind sharing the house with me and my family, of course.”
“You seem far more pleasant than my roommates,” Yusuke mused. “But I think I’ll be alright. In any case, I ought to return to my dorm. Goodbye, M. Césaire, and thank you again.”
Otis watched Yusuke leave. What an interesting young man…
Yusuke knew he had made a mistake the moment he slipped up and called Akira his boyfriend in front of one of his roommates. He was already aware that they didn’t like him, and knew all too well the sorts of things they whispered behind his back in French, speaking swiftly - but not fast enough that he couldn’t understand them.
There had been shouting, and some incredibly hurtful things were said. Yusuke managed to squeeze past his roommates to toss some things into a backpack before being shoved out into the hallway.
The ringleader of his roommates - some loudmouthed boy Yusuke honestly didn’t remember the name of - told him to not come back, and Yusuke simply told him that he didn’t plan on it if it was possible.
The college might be able to find him another room in their dorm system, but it would probably take a few days, and he needed a place to sleep tonight. Being an international student made that an even more harrowing prospect, as he had no social connections in the city.
Well, that wasn’t quite true, was it? He had forged at least one positive bond in Paris. Praying that M. Otis’ offer was still on the table, he hiked up his bag and started on his walk to the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes, rehearsing his lines in his head.
When he actually arrived and tracked down M. Otis, however, he froze up, all the words vanishing from his mind at once. “Monsieur, I–”
Dear someone, he hadn’t frozen up this bad in years.
Otis seemed to catch the panic on his face. “… are you feeling alright?”
“I– What I mean to say is–” Yusuke swallowed. “Oh, dear. I do believe I am about to attract an akuma.”
Otis put a hand on his shoulder - firm like Akira, but not forceful like Madarame. “Nah, you won’t - not on my watch. Come on, kid. Take a couple deep breaths. This is just anxiety. It’ll pass, like it always does.”
The grounding touch helped a little. Soon enough, Yusuke was feeling a little steadier. “My apologies… I had a difficult evening.” His voice cracked a little over the end of the sentence. “I was wondering if your offer was still available? I don’t think returning to my dorms tonight is a good idea, given what my roommates said to me, and I may not hear from the campus accommodation team for another week or two. I have a little money, if that will sweeten the offer.”
“Kid, I don’t want your money,” Otis said. “What’s this about your roommates?”
Hmm… Otis probably did deserve the whole story. He briefly recounted the events that led to him leaving his dorm. When he repeated the specific words they had called him, Otis winced. “In their defense, I am actually a homosexual,” Yusuke said. “I have a boyfriend.”
“Kid, you shouldn’t be defending them if they’re using such words. Would it have been any better for them to call you that if you weren’t gay?”
“No, I suppose not…”
Otis took his phone out of his pocket. “Let me call my wife, and see what she thinks. Worst-case scenario, we’ll get you set up for just tonight and help you figure out where you're going from here, or help you find a hotel.”
“I am most grateful,” Yusuke said, bowing his head.
This kid is freakishly polite, Otis thought, as he called Marlena. I wonder if that’s what he’s like, or if there’s a deeper reason for it.
“Otis? Are you alright?”
“Hey, Lena,” Otis said. “How would you feel about a houseguest?”