Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Of course this would happen on today of all days.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng ran down the sidewalk as fast as she could, her bag strapped to her side. She kept one hand on it to keep it steady, keeping her pace consistent as she ran to the Nasty Burger, ignoring the weird looks people might give her.

"I can't believe I'm gonna be late! This is a disaster!" Marinette yelled out loud, panic only further coursing through her body.

She became so focused on her goal that she didn't see a discarded box on the ground, letting out a yelp of surprise as she nearly tripped over it, thankfully managing to stumble forward and straightened herself back up, also not dropping her bag. "Ugh..."

The suddenness of it hit her, Marinette realizing once again how she was acting. Her friends wouldn't be mad if she was a little late... right? Still, the fears refused to leave her body, so she quelled those fears somewhat with a compromise: jogging the rest of the way to the Nasty Burger. She wasn't too much farther away, Marinette spotting the familiar sign of the fast-food restaurant in the distance.

Marinette lived in Amity Park for as long as she could remember. Her parents owned the most popular bakery in Amity Park, the triplex apartment her family lived in being a part of the establishment. Marinette was fourteen years old, wearing her usual outfit that she wore most days.

She approached the Nasty Burger, slowing to a casual walk. She didn't want to appear too weird to the other teens mingling outside the place, after all. She did spot someone wearing a scarf they commissioned from her, Marinette smiling to herself. Ever since she learned to sew, Marinette made sure to put that skill to good use.

Without missing a beat, Marinette opened one of the double doors, walking into the crowded restaurant. She let the door swing shut behind her. She expected the Nasty Burger to be crowded around this time, because it was the afternoon, and it was summer vacation, so teens were bound to flock to the place when they were bored and had nothing else to do.

Marinette glanced around; it took a minute for her to find where three of her friends were sitting. Once she found them, she walked over, signaling to them with a wave. Even though she hung out with them frequently, she wasn't that close with them. They were more... casual friends.

After she signaled to them, the three looked over at her, only two of the three waving back at her.

"There you are." The teen wearing a beret, Tucker said. "You're four minutes late, you know." He shifted his glasses as he smirked, proud of his attention to detail. Marinette did say she'd come at a specific time, after all.

"Give her a break, Tucker." Danny, the teen wearing a white shirt with a red oval said. He scooted over a bit so Marinette could have room to sit down, which she did, setting her bag beside her. The four teens sat at a booth, Danny sitting next to Marinette while Tucker sat next to Sam, the last friend.

Still, Marinette felt bad about being late, even just by a few minutes. "I'm sorry, I woke up late, my room was a mess, then I had to help my parents out at the bakery-"

Danny held up a hand, stopping Marinette before she could spiral too much. "Relax, relax. We've all been there... well, some of us more than others, but you get what I mean."

"Besides, don't worry about it." Sam, the goth of the group said, further trying to ease Marinette's concerns. "Not like the place was gonna explode if you're late."

"I guess that's true." Marinette said. Sometimes she did let her worries and anxiety get the better of her. "Did you guys already get your food?" She noticed that there were only drinks at the table, including an extra drink for her. As long as it wasn't Diet, she'd be fine with whatever.

"I ordered for you." Sam said.

"And I ordered something else for you." Danny added for clarification. At least Marinette wouldn't only be eating a vegetarian meal. She waited to see if Tucker would add anything, but he didn't.

"Same difference." Sam shrugged.

"What did you..." Marinette began to ask what they both ordered for her, but she trailed off as an employee decked out in the usual Nasty Burger getup walked over, holding a large metal tray, four smaller trays on it with a different meal on each one.

"Order for table three." The employee said in the most monotone, uninterested tone possible. She then droned off each order as she handed them to the correct person.

Tucker immediately digged into his food, not able to wait another second. Sam waited a bit before eating, while Danny ate his food slowly, still having a few things to say. Marinette saw what her food was, half veggie stuff, while the other half was part of what she usually ordered. Well, she wasn't going to complain.

The employee soon left; according to Danny they already paid before Marinette arrived. Marinette would make sure to pay them back later. The four of them were all eating by now.

A few minutes went by as they ate their food, getting their fill. Marinette didn't forget the main reason she came here, she just wanted to eat first. Eating would get some food in her system and help her focus, after all.

"So Marinette, what project do you have for us today?" Tucker asked, leaning back. Confidence oozed all over him as he rabbled on. "A new hat? Something stylish? Or maybe a hot new cover for my PDA that'll make me extra desirable?"

"Not quite." Marinette said. Every so often, she would ask these three or another one of her friends for their input on one of her designer projects. She always tried to expand her skills by doing different types of projects, and getting input from others would only further help that.

Ignoring Tucker's slight disappointment, Marinette reached into her bag, pulling out a rolled-up poster, unrolling it while holding it next to her at such an angle that everyone could see. "I've been trying to think of a flag for my family's bakery that'll stand out and get more people to visit. I know it's already pretty popular, but there was this other bakery that opened up recently and I don't want it to take away some of my parents' customers." Marinette explained.

The poster depicted several different design concepts for a flag; nearly the entire poster was full of designs. They ranged wildly in type and quality, all of them bringing something different to the table while still having the same theme of clearly being for a bakery. None of them were final, obviously, but Marinette needed to come up with something.

"I sketched a few designs and wanted your opinions on which one you think is the best, or if there were any improvements you could suggest, stuff like that." Marinette finished. She stopped talking, letting everyone get a good look at the poster, waiting for someone to give their input.

Danny took a closer look at the poster. "What's this one?" He asked, pointing to a more abstract design. He raised an eyebrow at it. "I don't think you should go with that one. I think it might scare people away instead."

"That is true." Marinette could agree with that, she was thinking something similar when looking over it earlier.

Plus, it was more of an exercise than anything. "I'd say that was an... experimental design. When making concepts I try to make something that's really out there to help get my brain working, even if it won't really have a good chance to be the final design." Explaining her thought process also helped her figure out ideas, seeing if anything needed to be adjusted or changed.

"You really put a lot of work into all this." Tucker said, most of it going over his head. "And it's just the planning?"

"Yep. Any of them stick out to you?" Marinette asked, gesturing to the poster once more.

Tucker squinted his eyes as he looked at the poster again, staring for several seconds... before leaning back, shaking his head. "Nah. I'm not too great with that type of stuff." He had an astonishing level of knowledge in tech, yet he wasn't able to figure out this. Different people had different areas of expertise, after all.

"You know what I think you should do?" Sam said after swallowing another bite of food. "Make a statement. Put yourself out there." That... wasn't really the best advice.

"Just cover your ears now, she's gonna tell you to go goth." Tucker said. Sam glared at him. Marinette didn't have any intention of trying to make the bakery appear as goth, that would be false advertising.

Danny took another look at the poster. "Well to give an actual answer..." He paused, making sure to look at each design individually, giving quick but fair judgements on them in his head. "That one there has some potential." He pointed at a design near the bottom that caught his interest. "Did you have any inspirations for these?"

Marinette hoped someone would ask that. "As a matter of fact..." She reached into her bag, already knowing that nobody would be surprised by what her inspirations were.

She pulled out a fashion catalogue of the fashion mogul himself: Gabriel Agreste. "Just as always." For the longest time, he'd been one of her greatest inspirations, always inspiring Marinette to push herself beyond her limits, to get creative, going beyond the scope she ever thought she could.

In a way, she wanted to be just like him when she was older. Be an important person in fashion and creation, making a difference in the world. She had a long way to go, but maybe someday...

"Oooooof course." Sam drawled out, rolling her eyes. She didn't make any effort to hide her clear annoyance. "I am already mentally checking myself out." Right, Sam always hated it when Marinette brought up anything to do with Gabriel Agreste. She never understood why, and she never bothered to ask.

"You think you'll ever get to meet him?" Tucker asked Marinette.

"Eh... I don't know." Marinette was very unsure, putting away the catalogue before rolling up her poster, putting that away as well. The chances of her meeting someone like Gabriel Agreste were slim to none. "I'm just a normal girl, and he's, well... him!"

"Hey, you never know what might happen." Danny said, trying to spark a bit of hope in her. "Speaking of, is everyone still set to go to my parents' ghost portal opening soon?"

That's right! Marinette nearly forgot about it; that's why she was in a rush to get here so she could ask them about her project before they had to go to Danny's place to see that.

From what Marinette knew, the general population of Amity Park didn't take the Fenton's ravings about ghosts seriously, which was something that even Danny was embarrassed by. But Marinette didn't think any less of the Fentons for their passion. Even if she had her doubts, Danny's parents were experts in the subject, and their efforts were sure to pay off.

"Yep. I'm sure it's gonna be a blast." Sam said, in a good mood once again now that the topic of Gabriel Agreste had been dropped.

"Absolutely, I couldn't miss something like this!" Tucker added before taking another bite of his food, savoring it.

At the same time, Danny finished up his soda before setting it aside, turning to Marinette. "You haven't really been keeping up with the whole thing, but you're invited if you wanna come." Danny said, not wanting to exclude her.

Marinette was flattered, but at the same time... "Like you said, I haven't really been on the up-and-up for what's going on with that whole thing." She really only heard about it in passing, never getting any of the bigger details.

"Plus I might trip on a cord and mess up the whole thing and I'm really busy anyway... but I'd still like to hear about how it turns out." If her anxieties hadn't taken over for a moment, she might've said yes to coming along. But it was too late now.

"I'll let you know." Danny nodded. "Good luck with the project for your parents' bakery."

"Thank you, your feedback is a big help." Marinette said. Danny was the only one who gave her any real feedback...

Because three of them had somewhere to be soon, the group decided to hurry up and finish eating, Marinette saving a bit in a to-go box for the walk home. Once they were all ready to go, they exited the Nasty Burger, Marinette waving goodbye to Danny, Tucker, and Sam as she walked off in a different direction from them.

Several minutes passed in a flash as Marinette ate the last bit of her food before throwing the box away in the first trash bin she found. Just a few weeks left of summer vacation... she had to make the most of it. After finishing her current project, she had a few ideas of what else to make before high school began.

She'd especially need to use her time wisely, considering who she'd have to deal with when the new year began.

It was a few more minutes until she neared her home-

Marinette stopped.

A chill ran down her spine; it happened so fast that she barely even registered it. One second it was there, the next it was gone. She couldn't quite explain it, but she knew it happened.

It was only in one singular moment. She didn't even know how to describe it, other than it being some... inescapable, horrific dread that shot through her in an instant, starting from the ground and exiting through her head. It bubbled, overtaking her entire being... before dissipating the next second, dying down so fast that she wondered if she was just imagining it.

...No, she wasn't. Even if it was gone, it still lingered, her mind racing as she stood completely still on the sidewalk.

Why...

Something was wrong. Marinette couldn't explain why. She just... knew it was. Incredibly, unimaginably off, not right-

She turned on a dime, forgetting about everything else. As fast as she possibly could, she ran to Danny's house, solely focusing on that alone. Marinette thankfully knew the way, having visited the place a few times before.

Danny's house was several blocks away, meaning it took over ten minutes for her to even see it in the distance. She ignored anyone that tried to stop her or ask why she was running so fast, she just had to get to Danny's house before... before what? It only then occurred to her the reason she felt so much dread in an instant, it must've had something to do with the ghost portal showcase. She had to get over there and make sure everything was okay.

The place known as Fenton Works was instantly recognizable. It was a two-story house on the corner of a block, with a huge Ops Center on top of the house. Marinette had never been to the Ops Center before, so she could only imagine what was inside. There was also a basement, that was where the lab was.

As soon as she made it to the residence, Marinette had to stop to take a breath, leaning against the wall, her heart pounding. That small, lingering dread would not go away.

Marinette couldn't wait another second. Her anxiety spiking, she rushed up the steps, nearly tripping before catching herself, knocking on the door several times, anxiously waiting for an answer. After a minute that lasted too long for her liking, the door opened, Danny's older sister Jazz standing there.

"Marinette?" Jazz asked, confused over Marinette's sudden appearance.

"I-uh hey you're Danny's sister right?" Marinette immediately began stumbling over her words, her thoughts becoming less coherent by the second. She'd met Jazz before, but never talked to her enough to get to know her that well.

Jazz nodded in response to her question.

Marinette continued speaking, saying stuff so fast that Jazz could barely understand it. "Well I was in the neighborhood and this is your neighborhood and I was here sooooo i was gonna say what was I gonna say-" Marinette abruptly stopped when she sneezed, blinking a few times. "Sorry!" She realized how fast she was talking, trying her best to take a deep breath and slow down.

"What I was gonna say was that I wanted to make sure the whole thing over here went okay, not that I was trying to intrude or anything..." Marinette finished, trailing off. She looked away as Jazz raised an eyebrow, Marinette hoping things weren't... too awkward now.

Jazz stared at her for a few moments, as if Marinette had come from an alternate universe, before... "Oh!" Jazz exclaimed. "You're talking about the whole thing with the portal downstairs, aren't you?"

Marinette was relieved that her incoherent ramblings were understood. "Yes, that, that is absolutely 100% what I was here for!" She nodded furiously.

"It's already over, sorry. Not that it really amounted to much, anyway." Jazz said, sounding disinterested in the whole thing anyway.

Of course, by the time Marinette got here, she figured it'd already be over. It was a private presentation for a few people, after all. "I know, I just wanted to check and make sure it all went okay." Marinette wondered if she was being just a bit too overbearing on this, overreacting as usual. "...But if I'm intruding then I'll just leave." She turned to walk away-

"Nono, you can come in. Danny and his friends are upstairs in his room." Jazz stepped to the side, gesturing for Marinette to come in.

Well... she may as well step in for a bit. Even if she was just being paranoid and dramatic as usual, it never hurt to check up on things. "Thank you." Marinette walked up the steps again before coming into the living room, Jazz closing the door behind her.

"Mom, dad, Marinette stopped by!" Jazz called, making her parents aware of Marinette's presence. The two were always watching out for ghosts, so this mostly helped avoid any incidents.

The parents in question soon arrived, stepping in from the kitchen. Maddie and Jack Fenton. They both wore jumpsuits, blue and orange respectively. Their builds reminded Marinette of her own parents, strangely enough; Maddie was shorter and skinnier

"Marinette!" Maddie said, happy to see her again. "It's been a while, how's the bakery been?" The pair used to be semi-consistent customers there, but due to focusing more on their research, they didn't have nearly as much time to stop by anymore.

"Did you bring more of those sweet, tasty macaroons?" Jack cut in before Marinette could answer Maddie's question. Pretty much everyone loved eating those macaroons, especially Jack when the pair used to visit.

Marinette shook her head. "Nope, you'll have to wait until next time." If she hadn't been in such a rush, maybe she could've brought a few over. She did know all their preferences for macaroons and other tasty treats; it was helpful in case she wanted to surprise them sometime.

"Awww..." Jack pouted.

With that, Marinette then addressed Maddie's question. "And it's been fine. I just wanted to see how the portal unveiling went; I initially didn't want to go but decided to change my mind." She decided not to reveal the reason for why she changed her mind."May... I see it?"

"Sorry, the lab is off-limits for a while." Maddie said. That was understandable. "And as for how it went..." She looked unsure how to say it.

"It was a success, I tell you what! A miracle, in fact!" Jack cheered, proud of himself. So it... worked? Marinette was both surprised and intrigued, internally kicking herself for not just being here in the first place.

Before Marinette could ask any further questions, Jazz let out a sigh, tired of all the rambling. "No it wasn't. You didn't even see it turn on, and there's absolutely no way you can confirm it actually works!" Jazz explained. There was a lot of context Marinette was missing, it seemed.

Jack and Maddie looked at each other for a few moments, as if considering Jazz's words.

"Well, you're right on the first part." Maddie admitted, even if she didn't want to.

That was strange. "Did something go wrong?" Marinette asked.

"When we first plugged it in, nothing happened." Maddie began to explain. "So Jack and I left and went upstairs to try and figure out what went wrong..."

"And then a few minutes later, we hear the portal turning on!" Jack added, so excited that he couldn't stay quiet. "After a small delay cough bathroom cough we go down and see that the portal turned on!"

"I thought that Danny or someone else must've figured it out, but according to one of his friends, it just... turned on by itself." Maddie continued, sounding like she had a bit of trouble believing it, but there was no other explanation. "It must've needed time to charge up or something." That made the most sense. Something so powerful would probably need a few minutes to power on.

"So we're going to investigate that portal the moment we get a chance!" Jack exclaimed. "We closed the portal, but it's still on. Don't wanna risk it not turning on again, after all."

"That's... great." It was in Marinette's nature to be skeptical about this stuff, but the Fentons were professionals, they knew what they were doing. Something else only occurred to her in that moment. "Where's Danny? Is he still here?"

Maddie nodded. "Mhm, Danny's in his room with Sam & Tucker. They were in an awful hurry to get up there, though."

That sentence worried Marinette in a way she couldn't quite describe, similar to the brief feeling she had earlier. She tried her best to hide it. "I'll go up and say hi to him." Marinette walked past them, making her way up the steps.

"Be sure to knock!" Jazz called from downstairs.

Marinette made sure to keep that in mind, getting up to the second floor and finding the door to Danny's room, remembering which one it was from her last visit here. Anxiety washed over her one more time as she loudly knocked on the door, before putting her hands behind her back, trying her best to wait patiently.

There was a bit of noise in the room, confirming that at least one person was in there, but she couldn't make out what anyone was saying. There were footsteps- the door opened, Sam standing there.

"Marinette?" Sam was a bit surprised."We... didn't expect you over here so soon."

"Ah, well, you know me and how... spontaneous I am!" Marinette tried to laugh it off. Sam moved out of the way so Marinette could walk into the room.

Danny's room was a bit cleaner than Marinette remembered, but still messy in places. Tucker sat in a swivel chair by Danny's desk, while Danny sat on his bed, also not expecting Marinette to be over. Her own anxiety prevented her from seeing how... on-edge the three were. She tried her best to quell it, even if it wasn't going anywhere.

"Did everything go okay? With your parents showing off their ghost portal." Marinette asked, her anxiety making it difficult to speak properly.

Danny froze up for a moment, trying to find the correct answer. "Absolutely! It..."

"Was so boring!" Tucker finished for him, leaning back in his seat. "Nonstop boring talk, and they couldn't even get the portal-opening part right." He yawned, making it clear how little interest he seemingly had.

"Sooo I'm guessing your parents were right? It just needed to charge up a bit before it turned on?" Why was Marinette so paranoid? She couldn't even pinpoint a cause anymore.

Danny, Tucker, and Sam all subtly glanced at each other for a couple seconds.

"Uh, sure! That's totally what happened." Sam said. Well, if that's how it went down... then nothing went wrong with it after all. Sam frowned. "Are you okay? You look a bit frazzled."

Her anxiety fading, Marinette was awash with embarrassment, realizing that yet again, she was acting foolish, without any logical thinking whatsoever. "O-Of course I am!" Marinette couldn't stop herself from yammering on.

"I'm right as rain, even though there isn't any rain which would mean I'm not right but oh you get what I was talking about, I just wanted to see if everything went well and wish you all good luck and it did- I mean I did so byeee-" Before she could make things any worse for herself, she left as abruptly as she arrived, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.

...

The very second Marinette left, Danny felt himself turn intangible for a split second, letting out a yelp as he fell through the bed, turning tangible just in time to hit the floor, stuck under his bed.

"A little help?" Danny asked, unable to get himself free. Tucker and Sam rushed over to one side of the bed, working together to lift it up as much as they could so Danny could crawl out, even if they struggled a bit. The moment Danny was free, they let go, Tucker exhausted.

Danny was visibly frustrated as he stood up. "Seriously, how many times has something like that happened now?"

"I'd say around twelve." Tucker answered. For how long Danny's been like this, that may be an accurate estimate.

"At least Marinette didn't see anything." Sam said as she glanced at the door, hoping she didn't hear anything before leaving. "It would've only made her freak out more than she already was."

"Then that means there's no way I'm telling her about this." Danny said. Marinette was a good friend, but Danny didn't want to subject her to this, it was bad enough that Sam & Tucker knew. He might have to distance himself from her, but he wasn't as close to her as he was with his two best friends, so hopefully she wouldn't notice.

Without warning, his nose randomly turned intangible, Tucker and Sam staring at it. "Seriously? My nose?" Danny groaned, his nose thankfully becoming tangible again a few seconds later.

Tucker and Sam weren't sure what to say.

Danny looked at his bed; the blanket was a bit messy after his friends had to lift it up. He reached his hands over to fix the blanket- his arms turned intangible as he tried to grab the blanket, his hands phasing through the bed. He retracted his hands, and his arms turned back to normal. "Dang it!" Every time something like this happened, he grew more and more frustrated.

"I guess your bed's staying messy for now." Tucker said, before walking over to Danny and looking at him carefully. "You aren't feeling any other side-effects from the accident, are you? Pain, nausea, any part of your body turning to goop?" Danny paled a bit at that last question.

"If he were turning to goop, it would've already happened by now." Sam said, giving Tucker a quick glare. Danny didn't even want to imagine turning to goop, that... did not sound very pleasant. "Are you sure?" Sam asked Danny. "Not even a bit of tingling?"

"Nooope." Danny shrugged. "It's so weird."

He vividly recalled the initial shock and intense pain from the portal turning on, yet at the same time it was a blur. The pure energy rippling through him, so bright he couldn't see... Tucker and Sam dragging him out... another white flash around him... he was sure he looked different before that second flash, but he couldn't recall how. The pain faded as fast as it arrived, and Danny still had no explanation as to why. It did help them come up with an easy explanation for his parents; the three would stick to that story no matter what.

"I shouldn't question it though." Danny added, trying not to think about it too much. He had to try and adjust to these... powers the best he could.

"Are you gonna tell your parents?" Tucker asked.

"No way." Danny's answer was immediate and firm, but after thinking about it for another few seconds, he softened up a bit. "...Not right now, at least. The last thing I want is for them to feel awful that their portal caused this. Besides, what if they try experimenting on me or something?" With how fanatical his parents were, he couldn't take any chances.

"Relaaaaax, they wouldn't do that to their own son." Tucker reassured him, before sounding unsure himself. "...I think."

Sam let out a sigh, guilt washing over her as she looked away from the others. "It's because of me that this happened. I shouldn't have told you to go in and turn it on."

Danny walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't talk like that, Sam. You didn't know..." He paused as his leg turned intangible for a moment, forcing him to shift his weight until his leg re-appeared. "...this would happen."

"Besides, it's not like you were the one who put the ON button inside the portal." Tucker pointed out. "Danny, your parents are geniuses and they didn't think about that?"

"That's the Fentons for you." Danny shrugged. There were several implications for the ON button being inside the portal, such as not being able to turn it off, but his parents would take care of it, they'd know how. "But uh... thanks for having my back on this. I'm not sure how I'd get through this by myself."

"No problem." Sam nodded.

"You can count on us." Tucker added with a thumbs up.

Danny smiled; some of his frustration was still very much present, but the fact that his friends were here to support him and help him... at least he wasn't alone. He'd have to hide this from his sister, his parents... literally everyone else, but somehow, he'd manage.

He leaned back against his bed-

And went intangible for a split second, losing his balancing and phasing through the bed and onto the floor, Sam and Tucker rushing to help him once more.

Far away in another part of Amity Park, there was Adrien Agreste.

A teen who lived in his father's mansion; homeschooled his whole life, and only ever allowed to leave the house for modeling shoots or something similar. He only had one friend, no longer in contact with his other one for years.

His entire schedule and life were decided for him. His meals, what he ate, when he'd hang out with Chloe, pretty much everything. That's how it always was... if only it wasn't.

Right now, he was finishing up another piano lesson, with his father's assistant Nathalie watching over him. Adrien also had a bodyguard nicknamed The Gorilla; he never went anywhere outside without his bodyguard nearby.

Adrien tried his best to focus, his eyes closed, having the piece memorized by now. His fingers pressed on the keys, gliding over the piano, completely enthralled in the tunes and flow of the melody. He wished his father was here to witness this, he was sure it was the best he'd played in a long time, and he wanted his father to be proud of him. But oh well.

The thought of his father not being present caused his thoughts to wander; was he not living up to expectations? Was he just a disappointment? Adrien faltered, messing up a few notes right as he finished up the song. His eyes opened, turning in his seat to face Nathalie.

"How was that?" Adrien asked, hoping he'd improved. "Any better?"

He waited as Nathalie finished writing a few things on her notepad, before stopping. "Acceptable. But there's still room for improvement." Before Adrien could ask how he could improve, Nathalie's watch beeped a few times, Adrien knowing exactly what meant. "Your lessons are finished for today, Adrien."

It meant he couldn't ask how he could improve until the next lesson in a couple days. Adrien stood up; now that his lesson was finished, he could try and focus on something that had been bugging him for a while now. He had to take care of it soon, as the days drew nearer... he had to ask.

He always tried asking his father, but it never went anywhere. Some kind of invisible block or wall always rose up, his question dying in his throat. But Nathalie seemed more understanding and willing to hear him out. He never asked many questions, but this was important.

"I want to go to high school. It starts in a few weeks, right?" Adrien had practiced so many times in his head how he would ask, wanting the best possible chance of going. By immediately asking a follow-up question, the person answering would have to answer that one first.

"That would be correct." Nathalie said with a nod.

Adrien asked his next question before she could say anything else. "Then I want to go to Casper High. I'd be able to get everything set up, and-"

"We've discussed this, Adrien." Nathalie cut Adrien off, preventing him from explaining further. "And you've talked about it with your father as well." Adrien couldn't help but get frustrated, remembering how many dead-ends those conversations immediately ran into.

Nathalie didn't know that he already had everything secretly set up to go, and there was one reason all that was possible. But if he told her that, then it would ruin everything. He was more than thankful that nobody figured out he'd already been registered as an upcoming freshman student in Casper High's system.

Nathalie continued, her voice droning on and on. "Under no circumstances will you be going to any public or private school, instead you'll be continuing the schooling schedule you have here."

"But..." Adrien almost spoke up, but kept his mouth shut, remembering it was better to stay quiet and act as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Of course. I'm going to my room." Keeping his head down, he stepped away from the piano, walking to his room.

"We will be going over your Geography in an hour, so be sure to study." Nathalie called after him. Yeah, yeah, geography... he'd rather learn about it in a classroom with other students his own age, not stuck in his house.

"I got it." The moment Adrien walked into his room, he pulled out his phone. Aside from his father, Nathalie, and the Gorilla, the only other contact was Chloe. He pulled up the text messages, typing up a message to her.

If everyone in this house wouldn't let him go to school, then he'd do it on his own. If he didn't have Chloe's help, he wouldn't know what to do, but he had a plan. No further homeschool or anything like that! With the help of his remaining childhood friend, he would go to school, whether his father liked it or not.

They needed two things. The Miraculous of Ladybug and the Black Cat. It was imperative for their true goal, and they knew just how to draw them out. All they had to do was wait for the perfect opportunity. The perfect victim for their perfect plan... however long it would take.

...

To Be Continued...

Chapter Text

It was a few weeks later.

Danny had anticipated the first day of the school year approaching ever since the accident, but despite his best attempts, getting anything prepared was a nightmare. Keeping his uncontrollable ghostly abilities a secret from everyone except Sam and Tucker was a much more difficult task than he anticipated, though holing up in his room more than usual did help alleviate some of the pressure.

Still, he had to attend school today. It was either convincing his family that he should be homeschooled, or bite the bullet and hope he manages to get control of it at school. ...Knowing his family, school sounded like the better option, even if only by a very miniscule amount.

He got up earlier than usual, already anticipating the herculean task of getting ready for the first day. He had all his books and supplies ready in his backpack beforehand, already dreading how heavy it would be on his shoulders. ...If his intangibility didn't make it fall off and force him to pick it up again.

But maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

...Danny was immediately proven wrong when he tried taking a shower; it was on, the water flowing, but he felt bone-dry. Stupid intangibility.

Once his shower was over, he tried freshening up a bit, attempting to use a hair gel his sister gave him, only for it to slip out of his intangible hand, causing it to spill all over the bathroom floor. He then tried to brush his teeth, only for his toothbrush to fall in the sink several times, Danny eventually getting frustrated and giving up.

His intangibility (and other powers) didn't usually activate so often. Was it responding to his stress and nervousness?

Whatever it was, Danny tried ignoring it, getting changed into his usual outfit, having to do it twice when all his clothes fell off of him. And just as he predicted, his backpack dropped to the floor with a loud THUD as he tried putting it on, forcing him to pick it up again.

All of that, and all he accomplished was just the bare minimum. Whatever. Trying to put his frustration behind him, he walked down the steps-

Only for his shoe to become loose, Danny misjudging where he was going, nearly slipping. He let out a yelp, practically falling down the steps before managing to straighten himself up on the bottom step, leaning against the wall.

His family wasn't too far away, Jazz looking at him with concern. "Danny, are you okay?" Jazz asked, walking over to him with a frown. "You look... messier than usual."

It was true. His hair was a little frazzled, his outfit was a little roughed up, and Danny was trying his absolute hardest not to randomly turn intangible in front of any of them.

"Ah, don't worry Jazz." Jack said from where he was sitting on the couch. "This is a classic case of the first-day jitters!"

"First day jitters?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Yep!" His dad stood up from the couch. "But don't worry, once you walk through those front doors and the teacher starts saying stuff that you'll forget once the day is over, it'll be like you've always been there!" Danny and Jazz both raised an eyebrow at this.

Before Danny could give a response, his mom put a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention. "You'll be fine, sweetie. I'll even give you something to help you out on your first day." She walked over to a particular drawer, rummaging through it before putting out something, grabbing Danny's hand and placing it in his palm.

"This is a lucky charm my mother gave me on my first day of high school." Maddie explained. "It's been passed down in my family for who knows how long, giving someone a hand in times of great stress."

It was a small, handmade sculpture of what must've been one of Danny's great-great-great-great grandparents, the person recognizable as someone in his mom's side of the family. The sculpture was very rough around the edges, worn down from all the years of use, but at the same time, the care it took to keep it around so long was astounding.

"So that's why you gave me that during my last CAT?" Jazz asked.

"Yep." Maddie confirmed with a nod.

Despite having to hide such a large secret from his family, Danny accepted the gesture of the lucky charm, glad to have something to hold onto while he went through this. It would get easier, day by day.

Fast asleep, peaceful dreams... right as her alarm loudly blared in her room. Some part of Marinette knew she should get up for the first day of school, but at the same time, being under such a heavy cover was sooo soothing, she just didn't want to get up.

Downstairs, her mom and dad were already prepared and ready for the day ahead, knowing that there would likely be a rush in teen customers after school today. Marinette's poster design for the bakery really did give it a boost, one that had not quite gone away, but rather trickled, creating more opportunities for the people around to try the place out.

Sabine couldn't believe how long the alarm had been going off; she was too busy to go upstairs and wake up her daughter. "Marinette! Your alarm's been going off for fifteen minutes!" Sabine called, hoping Marinette heard her. "You're going to be late for your first day of high school!"

Barely awake, Marinette crawled out from under the covers, turning off the alarm. "Got it mom!" With a groan, she got up out of bed with a yawn, walking down the steps of the loft, making her way to the trapdoor. Her room was clean- and yet, a mess at the same time, supplies scattered around wherever she needed them. "Coming!" She hardly needed them right now though, as she opened the trapdoor, making her way down to the next floor where her parents were.

She gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting down for breakfast, an assortment of food set out for her. Marinette opened the milk, pouring it into the bowl. "I bet you anything, Chloé will be in my same homeroom class again, just like in middle school." Marinette bemoaned, already dreading the first day for this very reason. No matter what, she just couldn't seem to escape that girl.

"Is that really possible?" Sabine asked, concerned. Sure, there was the possibility that Chloe might be in a different homeroom class, but if she wasn't, then that would mean Marinette would have to tolerate her for at least an hour every single weekday for the next several months, hoping things would change in her sophomore year.

But knowing Marinette, she wouldn't get that luxury. "Definitely. Lucky me!" Once she was finished with the milk, she then began pouring the cereal into the bowl; slowly so it wouldn't overfill. The cocoa flavor was her favorite.

"Don't say that!" Sabine said. "It's the start of a new year, a new school, I'm sure everything will be just fine!"

Marinette thought about it for a moment, deciding that her mother was right. High school had so many new possibilities, even if a few bad things happened, the good would surely outweigh the bad.

With a smile and a nod, she set down the cereal box next to the bowl of fruit, only for it to bump against the bowl, causing an orange to roll off- Marinette could only watch the trainwreck that unfolded from the simple action, the orange knocking stuff over and even causing other items to fly through the air. Marinette groaned, but before she could get too upset, her mother patted her on the shoulder, then wiping a tear away.

Her mother offered to clean up after she ate breakfast, that way Marinette would have time to get ready and not be late. Once she had her usual clothes on and her supplies ready, Marinette made her way to the first floor, the bakery.

Tom Dupain-Cheng sang a tune to himself as he finished up a box of macarons for Marinette to take to school, handing the box to her. The sweets all shared the same bright green color, Marinette taking a quick look at them before closing the box to keep them safe.

"Dad, these are so awesome!" Marinette said.

"Glad you like them." There was a smile on her dad's face.

"Thank you Dad, my class will love them! You're the best!" Marinette wasn't sure how else she could express her gratitude for this, especially as he briefly ruffled her hair.

"We're the best, thanks to your amazing designs." Tom said, remembering the most recent design she made.

It was true! Marinette was so happy and ecstatic, any previous bad feelings about the new school year faded away as she reached up to give her dad a big hug- only to drop the box of macaroons! Her dad reacted in the nick of time, catching the box with his foot before tossing it in the air, grabbing it and giving it back to Marinette.

Whoops! "Thanks." Marinette giggled from embarrassment, before seeing her mother walk over with her backpack, almost realizing she forgot to bring that as well. She gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek as thanks, before doing the same with her dad, immediately rushing to the front door afterward. "See you tonight!"

Running out of the bakery, Marinette already knew the way to Casper High; it wasn't far from her house. She had to be careful; she was carrying an entire box of macarons after all... though she wasn't as careful as she thought, as she stopped at the last second before running directly into the road, a car passing by.

With a sigh of relief, she took it more slowly, approaching the nearby crosswalk, waiting for the signal- "Huh?!"

To her utter disbelief, there was an old man crossing the road, barely able to walk at even a snail's pace. His cane hardly helped, his entire body wobbling with every step. As if it wasn't bad enough already, nobody on either side of the crosswalk seemed to notice the old man, too wrapped in talking to each other or checking their devices-

There was a car coming. It honked the horn a few times but made no effort to slow down.

Marinette sprung into action. Without a second to lose, she ran onto the road, grabbing the old man by his arm and dragged him- but not too hard onto the sidewalk. The old man grunted in surprise at her action, making no effort to resist. They made it in the nick of time, the car just barely missing the old man.

But in her rush to get him to safety, Marinette tripped on the curb, dropping the box of macarons and faceplanting onto the concrete. "Bleh." Talk about bad luck...

"Thank you, Miss." The old man said, steadying himself on his cane. He looked at the spilled box of macarons with a frown. Most of the treats had been knocked out of the box, splayed out across the sidewalk, one macaron even crushed under Marinette's hand. "Oh, what a disaster..."

Before Marinette could say anything, the crosswalk turned green, people crossing while still distracted, talking amongst themselves. One person didn't even notice as they crushed another macaron under their foot, ruining one of the few remaining intact treats, Marinette crying out as more and more of her dad's hard work was ruined.

She grabbed the box and stood back up, trying to make the best of it. "Don't worry, I'm no stranger to disasters. Besides, there are still a few left." Marinette tilted the box to him, showing him that she was telling the truth, and at the same time it was a silent offer for him to take one for his troubles.

He did so, taking a bite out of a macaron. "Mmmh. Delicious!" He looked up at Marinette with a grateful smile before finishing the macaron, Marinette returning the smile as she shut the box.

"Thank you. I better get going before I'm late." She turned to cross the crosswalk, but stopped, standing up straight and turning back to the old man, giving him a slight bow. "Ah, have a nice day, sir!" She should always be respectful to her elders, no matter if they were strangers or not.

With that, she left, not seeing the old man still smiling at her, before he gasped at something.

As clock ticked forward, students trickled into Casper High, the first day almost upon them. From freshman who barely had a grasp on what was to come, to seniors who already knew the ins and outs of the school, the new year would surely be as mundane as the previous years, the same curriculum, tests, events, and everything else along the way.

Mrs. Bustier's homeroom class was no exception, nearly everyone having arrived at that point, save for a few stragglers. This homeroom was mostly filled with freshmen, though a few sophomores, juniors, and even a senior was there as well; perhaps the school thought their insight would help the incoming freshman?

Regardless, Danny, Sam, and Tucker found their desks, sitting near the back of the classroom. Homeroom didn't have strict assigned seats, so it was essentially first come first serve, accentuated by the volatile high school environment.

"Any better today?" Sam asked, low enough as to prevent others from overhearing. Even so, anyone aside from Danny and Tucker would have no idea what she was talking about.

"Gee, let's recap." Danny said, not happy to be reminded of how the day started, before listing off everything one-by-one. "I could barely take a shower, I kept dropping all my important things, and I nearly fell down the steps and got a concussion. What do you think?"

"It could've been worse." Tucker said. "You could've fallen through the sidewalk and then have gotten trapped in the sewer or something."

Danny's eyes widened, not even considering that possibility. Or what if his intangibility didn't stop, sending him deeper and deeper into the Earth-

"Ow!" Tucker yelped as Sam punched him in the arm, glaring at him. "I deserved that." Danny then gave Tucker a soft glare, wishing he could get that new image out of his head. "It's only been a couple weeks, you're sure to get the hang of it sooner or later."

"It better be sooner before some kind of disaster happens!" Danny didn't want to imagine what kind of catastrophe could happen if his powers activated in the wrong place at the right time. He tried so hard not to let his worry and anxiety get the better of him, remembering all the support he's had up until now.

"Don't worry." Sam said, placing her hand on Danny's hand for a few moments. "Tucker and I are here for you, we've got your back."

Even if only by a little, it did ease Danny's nerves. "Thanks."

The classroom door opened, Marinette rushing into the classroom, stumbling a little before she played it off as if it were nothing. Everyone was too wrapped up in other things to notice her, saving her any potential embarrassment, so she scanned the classroom for any remaining empty seats, spotting one she liked before walking over to it.

At the same time, Miss Bustier was making last-minute additions and adjustments, making sure that everything was accounted for. She took a glance at the seats, realizing something she should've accounted for sooner.

"Nino, why don't you have a seat in the front row?" Miss Bustier asked, the student in question sitting near the back of the classroom.

"What, why?" Nino questioned. The Moroccan-African teen failed to see the reason why he should possibly do such a thing. "I already put all my stuff down!"

Miss Bustier would only explain this once, she didn't want to come off as too harsh. "Your dad wanted to make a special accommodation for you because of your glasses. So please, Nino."

He listened to her, grumbling as he gathered his belongings and walked to a seat in the front row, also taking off his headphones. At the same time, Marinette found the seat she wanted, sitting down and waiting for the bell to ring... but not before she looked at the door, two all-too familiar students walking into the classroom.

Oh no...

Chloe and Sabrina. They made a beeline for the desk Marinette sat at, Chloe slapping a hand on the desk. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"Ugh. Here we go again." Marinette muttered to herself, not looking forward to this in the slightest. Exactly what she was afraid of going into this school year... and it came true. Was it too late to change schools?

"That's my seat." Chloe always had this air of self-importance about her, getting it from being the daughter of the mayor. What would she do if someone else were elected, huh?

Marinette knew Chloe more than she would like to; a textbook bully that wouldn't stop until she got her way, no matter how petty it came off as. And here she was, making claims she couldn't back up yet again. "But Chloe, there are no seating assignments." Marinette explained. "Ms. Bustier isn't as strict with the assignments like our middle school teachers were."

"Well this is a new school and a new year, which means new seats!" And then there was Sabrina, who backed up Chloe without hesitation. Marinette couldn't remember an instance from middle school where Sabrina had her own opinion that differed from Chloe. Any resistance was futile.

"And we're in high school now, which means I get high priority!" Chloe said, refusing to let up. "So why don't you just go and sit beside that girl over there?" She pointed at another girl several seats away. Marinette didn't recognize her; they must've gone to different middle schools. The new student looked up from what she was doing, giving them a weird look.

"But..." Before Marinette could offer up any defense, it was shut down, her resolve crumbling by the second.

"Listen." Chloe began, pointing a finger at Marinette. "Adrien's arriving today and since that's going to be his seat," She redirected her finger to a seat next to where Nino now sat; it was directly in front of Marinette. "This is going to be my seat. Get it?"

Marinette's face crinkled in confusion. "Who's Adrien?" She wasn't sure if she ever heard that name before, and even then, she never knew anyone by that name that was registered here.

Chloe stared at Marinette, almost dumbfounded, before she and Sabrina laughed, as if Marinette just told a joke. "Can you believe she doesn't know who Adrien is?" Chloe asked, sending Sabrina into another laughing fit. "What rock have you been living under?"

"He's only a famous model." Sabrina clarified. A model? Was supposedly coming here? Why wouldn't he go to some rich kid's school instead?

"And I am his only best friend." Chloe emphasized. "He adores me. Go on, move!" She shooed Marinette away with her hand.

"Hey!" Another student approached; the new student that Chloe pointed out earlier. She wore glasses and a plaid button-up shirt, her wavy hair moving as she walked up to the three of them. "Who elected you Queen of Seats?"

"Oh." Chloe was unimpressed. "Look, Sabrina! We've got a little do-gooder in our homeroom this year. What are you gonna do, super newbie? Shoot beams at me with your glasses?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" The new student said, glaring at Chloe. She moved past Chloe, helping Marinette get her stuff fast- too fast! Before walking away, grabbing Marinette by the hand and dragging her away. "Come on."

Marinette yelped as she tried to balance all her stuff in one hand, only to trip and fall, the box of macarons spilling once again, all but one of what remained falling out of the box. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Marinette apologized as she re-gathered everything. The new student let go of her hand and cringed, helping her pick everything up.

"Alright, has everyone found a seat?" Miss Bustier asked, making sure there weren't any stragglers before she began class in a few minutes. Most of the desks were filled at this point, just a few remaining.

Dash Baxter, another student in homeroom, was trying but failing to study, his head hurting at the concepts he read in the heavy Geography book. It easily frustrated him, deciding to give up, looking around the classroom for something else to do, a smile forming on his face when he noticed three particular people at their desks, standing up and walking over to them.

"Well well well, look who it is." Dash said, staring down at Danny, Tucker, and Sam. The jock's focus was on Danny in particular; the scrawny teen was his favorite to pick on.

"Oh great, just what I need." Danny groaned. "We've got Chloe being bossy over seats and now Dash being Dash." Though Chloe may have antagonized him a number of times in the past, Dash picked up the slack in that regard; summer break had only been a temporary reprieve from what he went through in middle school.

"Watch it, Fenton." Dash said. "I already have to be in a homeroom with you dweebs, and if you so much as breathe in the wrong direction, then I'm gonna-" His hand balled up into a fist-

"Oh knock it off." Sam cut him off, crossing her arms. "It's the first day of school, leave him alone."

"Yeah, shouldn't you be throwing a football or something?" Tucker said, amused at his own comeback. "Get some early practice in before you forget everything."

"Maybe I should... right at your head!" Dash faked as if he would grab Tucker by his shirt, instead doing nothing, pulling his hand back before it ever reached Tucker, who slinked back in his seat, regretting his witty comeback.

"Boys, boys." Miss Bustier called from her desk, barely even seeing what was going on. "Settle down."

With a huff, Dash walked back to his seat, grumbling. Danny glared at him, knowing that it wasn't over. A new form of frustration boiled within him, wanting some way to show Dash that he needed to stop messing with him and his friends, acting like they were toys to beat up whenever he felt like. Danny gripped the lucky charm he held a little tighter than before.

The new student sat back down at her desk, giving a nod to Marinette, who sat down next to her. Marinette stared at the box she held, once filled with macarons her dad made, now reduced to a measy one surviving treat.

"Chillax, girl. No biggie." The new student said, attempting to cheer up Marinette.

"I so wish I can handle Chloe the way you do." Marinette lamented. How was it so easy for the other student? Was it because she didn't know Chloe? Whatever the reason, Marinette was grateful and at the same time... envious.

"You mean the way Crash Nebula does it." The other student held up her phone, showing an image from one of the other Crash Nebula comics, specifically one that went into his backstory as a human teen going to an alien school. "Despite what he faces during all his trials, he believes all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing."

She then pointed at Chloe, who had sat down next to Sabrina, the two of them laughing over what Marinette presumed to be something about herself. "Well, that girl over there is evil, and we are the good people. We can't let her get away with it." The student explained matter-of-factly.

Marinette couldn't help but admire her, taking charge of the situation and getting her inspiration from an old comic book. Even so... "Well, that's easier said than done. She likes to make my life miserable." It would take an entire month to detail everything that Chloe did that she remembered. "Not to mention that Dash guy is here too, he isn't making things easier."

"That's cause you let them, girl! You just need more confidence!" The other student- no, her new friend exclaimed. If they were sitting together and ended up interacting a lot, why not become friends? Especially with the boisterous energy the girl exuded... and the fact that Danny, Sam, and Tucker had become more distant from her, for whatever reason.

No time to dwell on that all over again. Marinette grabbed the last remaining macaron from the box, splitting it in half and giving it to the girl. "Marinette."

"Alya." She greeted, a new friendship blossoming forth as they enjoyed their treats.

As if on cue, the bell rang, once and for all signifying the start of the new school year.

Miss Bustier stood up, taking a quick breath to prepare herself as she began speaking, the bell getting everyone to be silent. "For those of you who don't yet know me, I'm Miss Bustier. I'll be your homeroom teacher for the 9th grade." She wrote her name on the chalkboard, gesturing for everyone to see.

As homeroom began, Chloe looked longingly at the empty desk in front of her. "Ugh, he should have been here by now..." Did something go wrong with the plan? The thought of it ate away at her, but until she got her answer, she'd have to endure this class.

Passing by an advert depicting his own face, Adrien ran focused on his goal of making it to Casper High. He was almost there, the school was so close within eyesight, the teen would not be giving up now.

With Chloe's help, he had just the right opportunity to sneak out of the house earlier. His dad was busier than usual lately, making this even easier to pull off; Chloe distracted Nathalie with a phone call while he asked the Gorilla to get something for him in another room, and then he grabbed his school supplies... and booked it.

And yet, as the building- the one chance at his own choices coming to fruition came so tantalizingly close, the squealing of a car on the road almost made him freeze up, the vehicle turning and parking, Nathalie immediately getting out of the passengers' seat.

"Adrien, please reconsider!" Nathalie called as Adrien reached the school steps. "You know what your father wants!" She and the Gorillia began walking over to him, Adrien considering making a run for it.

...It was true, his father wanted him to stay at home and continue his education there. But why should he? What point would it have? The world surely couldn't be as dangerous as media made it out to be, he'd be fine. And yet... that small thought in his head... Was his father right? Even when he wasn't around, his father's influence hung over his head, pulling, tugging at him.

He wouldn't give up so easily. "But, this is what I wanna do!" Adrien didn't check what time it was, but he had a feeling he was already late, hearing a bell ringing as he had approached. He would've left earlier, but Nathalie was just a bit too stubborn! Furrowing his brow, he turned to walk into the school-

Only to hear something clatter to the ground, a loud pained grunt following a moment later. Adrien swiveled his head to the right, his eyes widening in horror as he saw an old man buckled onto his knees, desperately trying to reach his cane to stand up, but it was too far away.

Without even questioning it, Adrien pushed past Nathalie and the Gorilla, rushing down the steps and to the old man, first kneeling down and grabbing his cane, handing it to him, before gently helping him to his feet, making sure he was stable while standing.

"Thank you, young man." The old man said, grateful for Adrien's help.

Adrien was about to reply, only to turn his head to see Nathalie and the Gorilla blocking the steps to the school. His heart sunk, knowing that he lost his one and only chance for some semblance of freedom. ...Who was he kidding? Even if he did manage to go to school today, everyone would get wise to it and take steps to prevent him from going the next day.

It was never going to work out.

His head lowered, Adrien walked over to them, making one last attempt to plead his case. "I just wanna go to school like everybody else. What's so wrong with that?" No response. "Please don't tell my father about all this."

The Gorilla guided him back to the car, the three of them getting in. Adrien barely registered any of it as the car soon drove off, not seeing the old man still staring at him, before yet again gasping at something.

An hour later, homeroom class was over, the bell ringing. But before any students could get out of their desks to their next class, Miss Bustier had one final announcement for anyone who needed it. "Those of you who have P.E., Ms. Tetslaff is expecting you at the football field today. The rest of you can head over to your other classes."

Thinking it was odd, Tucker double-checked his schedule, shooting up out of his desk a moment later. "P.E.? At 9:30?! Who comes up with this schedule?"

"You did, didn't you?" Another student, Kim answered. It was true, everyone did have the opportunity to pick their own schedules, though there wasn't the guarantee that they'd have what they picked, due to specific classes needing a certain number of students to not be overcrowded. "Even if you didn't get what you want, you'll have a few weeks to change your schedule around."

Tucker looked away, forgetting about that part. "...Oh. Right." Though they'd have to wait a week before even getting the chance to change their schedule, as to allow them to get used to their classes before altering them willy-nilly.

Miss Bustier didn't keep them in the classroom any longer, allowing them to leave for their next classes. Everyone started collecting their things, Danny walking away from his desk, carrying his belongings in his hands, while Dash walked by him, also carrying his books.

But for a split second, so fast that nobody else noticed it, Danny's hands went intangible, all his books and supplies phasing through and falling to the floor-

Right on Dash's foot.

The jock screamed as everything slammed onto his foot, getting everyone else's attention; they stopped what they were doing, transfixed on the scene. Dash reached for his foot in an attempt to bear with the pain, but in doing so, he dropping all of his belongings, causing them to drop onto his other foot, Dash screaming again.

Danny froze; everyone's eyes were on him and Dash. ...He was screwed. But he couldn't say anything, he couldn't risk everyone figuring out he had weird ghost powers. Tucker and Sam didn't know what to do either, this was literally the worst possible thing that could've happened.

When the immediate pain subsided, rage and fury took its place, Dash kicking some of the stuff away, his hands balled into fists. "Oh that's it! You're gonna pay for this, Fenton!"

"I-uh-wait!" Danny said, panicking. The last thing he needed was to be yelled at and beaten up over something out of his control, especially with the rest of the class watching. "Dash, it was an accident!" Without thinking, he leaned down to try and pick everything up to get on the bully's good side-

"Oof!" But after only managing to pick up his mom's lucky charm, Danny was pushed away, staggering backward before stopping when he hit a desk. Dash was ready to strike again-

"Break it up, you two!" Miss Bustier yelled, speedwalking over to them, getting in-between them. "What is going on?!" Did she not pay attention to any of what happened until it got physical!?

Before anyone else could say anything, Tucker and Sam both tried to explain what was going on at the same time, talking over each other and not letting Danny get a word in edgewise. Miss Buster was quickly losing her patience over this; she needed to get ready for the next class.

"Fenton dropped his books on my foot!" Dash yelled, taking advantage of the situation for his own gain. Tucker and Sam shut up, unable to speak up any further. "And made me drop my books on my other foot!" Most of the students murmured amongst themselves at this, coming up with their own theories and explanations on what happened, quickly spiraling into gossip.

"I bet that it was on purpose." Chloe sneered.

"Nobody asked for your opinion, Chloe!" Marinette said, a spark of courage rising up within her. Alya gave her a thumbs up.

Students for the next class would be arriving any second now. Miss Bustier sighed, deciding then and there how to end this. "Danny, I can't have you trying to injure members of the football team."

One last chance to explain himself. "B-But-"

He didn't get it. "I'm sending you to the principal's office." Taking a notepad out of her pocket, she wrote up a quick note for him, Danny unable to look her in the eye. "I know it probably wasn't on purpose, but we all have to learn from this."

Way to twist the wound even further. Danny unconsciously took the note as she handed it to him, shoving it in his pocket. Was this how every day would go? His ghost powers cause an accident that he gets blamed for, and he'd have to suffer the consequences for something he couldn't begin to know how to control.

"We'll take him to the office." Sam said, her and Tucker picking up the pile of books and supplies off the ground, making sure to separate what was Dash's before handing them back to him. Most of the students began walking out of the classroom at this point, needing to get to their next class.

"Yeah, we'll even carry his books for him." Tucker added, giving Danny a smile.

Miss Bustier shook her head. "No. He'll be going there alone. You can give him his books at his next class. One of you do share the next class with him, right?"

Danny couldn't listen to this anymore. His head lowered, he walked out of the room, each step heavier than the last. He couldn't think. He was going to be subjected to this every single day. All because of Dash. He tightened his grip on the lucky charm; not even that could lift his mood.

He barely knew where he was going in the hallway, frustration consuming his mind.

...

The anger. The sadness. The delicious frustration...

They sensed it all so easily. It stood out among the other negative emotions they'd been sensing for the past few weeks... and it was perfect. They couldn't waste their target on some random kid who was a little upset because they were teased about not being able to ask their crush out. No...

This? This was perfect. So many emotions, bubbling, just waiting to be brought to the surface. An opportunity like this came once in a lifetime. They didn't question why this kid's emotions were so powerful, but who were they to question this? It was like a hand-wrapped gift placed right on their doorstep. Easy for the taking.

They held out a hand. They practiced this many times before, so it was as easy as walking or sleeping, waiting for one of the many butterflies to land gently on their hand, before encasing it with their other hand, filling it with energy, just enough for it to be complete.

The akuma.

Their target was at Casper High, currently on his way to the principal's office. There was bound to be an open window at the school to enter through, but even if there wasn't, the akuma could always squeeze through one of the cracks. It always found its way to the target.

Their akuma fluttered out through the open window, on its way to darken the frustrated student's heart.

...

The akuma fluttered through Amity Park, nobody but the sender aware of its existence.

It went past the football field, class almost ready to begin. Ms. Tetslaff marked Tucker and Sam present as they arrived, Tucker setting Danny's stuff aside on the bleachers. Class would be starting any moment, so hopefully Danny wouldn't be tied up in the principal's office too long. Tucker, Sam, and Danny all tried to have classes together whenever possible, so they could help with his situation if need-be.

"I hope Danny's alright. I'm sure he didn't mean it." Tucker said, wishing he had the chance to speak up earlier.

"We should try training him or something." Sam said. "If he won't tell anyone else about it, then we have to help him as much as we can."

There was an open window for the akuma to fly in through, the target not far. Most of the students had gotten to their respective classes by now, so there were no witnesses to the akuma invading the school.

His frustration growing further, Danny opened the door to the principal's office, wanting to get this done and over with. The principal swiveled in her chair to face him, Danny unintentionally interrupting her while she was working.

"Well!" Principal Ishiyama said, the asian-american appalled by his lack of tact. Great, she was one of those principals. "Did your parents forget to teach you manners? Here's your first lesson." She pointed at the door. "Walk out, knock, and I'll allow you to come in. Then we'll start over."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Fine." He turned around, leaving the principal's office and slamming the door behind him.

No rational explanations mattered to him anymore. He couldn't live his life like this, knowing that there was going to be someone trying to knock him down, or someone else acting like he should already know what to do at any given moment.

If only he could-

The akuma entered the lucky charm, Danny letting out a short gasp. His eyes darkened, a butterfly-like symbol appearing over his face.

Transparent.

They spoke directly in his head. Danny couldn't discern who it belonged to, it was transformed in such a way that it was impossible to tell. Still, it was all happening too fast. Questions filled his mind, most of them except for one getting brushed aside, the voice seemingly sweeping them away as if they were unimportant.

"W-Who are you?" Danny asked, staying perfectly still. Nobody else was in the hallway to see this. Even the principal was just sitting patiently in her office, waiting for him to knock.

That does not matter. The voice spoke again, drilling itself into his head. He felt hazy, and yet at the same time focused, his emotions already piling onto each other in such a way he couldn't say no to; it happened without even thinking.

I sensed your frustration, your rage. I can give you the power to take revenge on those who have wronged you. No longer will you have to endure whatever they throw at you.

The offer... it was tempting. So tempting. Too tempting. And yet, he couldn't resist. Everything had been spiraling out of control for him, so why not take the chance to get some of it back? Why not show Dash that he shouldn't be messing with him?

Glaring, Danny knew what to do. "I accept." A purple energy took over him, covering his entire body.

Ishiyama waited in her office, getting impatient. Did it really take over a minute for someone to knock on a door? And she knew that Danny didn't waltz into the office for a friendly hello, judging by his attitude upon walking in. A staff member must've sent him, and if he didn't make his presence known soon, he was about to be in a lot bigger trouble than he already was.

"Young man, are you-"

The door exploded off its hinges, Ishiyama screaming as she fell out of her seat. It was as if an earthquake happened in her office, Ishiyama barely able to comprehend what was going on. The window had also shattered, Ishiyama trying to avoid the glass shards. Fearing for her life, she managed to lean on her desk and stand up, unable to believe what she saw.

It was... no, that couldn't be. It resembled who she just reprimanded, yet only barely. He was probably twice as tall as before, his body a sickly green. His clothes seemed to morph into his body, his hair flickering like flames while he kept his right fist shut tightly. His blue eyes opened, glaring at her with such a deep hatred that she hoped wasn't directed at her.

"Where's Dash?!" The monster- Transparent spoke. His voice boomed, echoing, sounding so similar to Danny's, and yet at the same time it wasn't.

Ishiyama stammered, drawing a blank. This wasn't a weird dream, even if she hoped it was. "I-I don't-"

Transparent got tired of waiting, stomping over to the window. Ishiyama crawled out of the way, shaking in terror, not keeping her eyes off of him for a second.

He stared out the window, the football field nearby. Class was in session there, but they all stopped, hearing the commotion in the office. Ms. Tetslaff already took action, rushing the students into the nearest part of the school, the locker room... but Transparent had his eyes set on one student.

"Dash..."

It was a funny coincidence that Marinette and Alya had their next class together at the library. The teacher gave them a few minutes to get situated after class began; it was their first day after all, so Marinette and Alya took the time to sit at a desk, idly chatting to get to know each other better-

Until there was a CRASH! Marinette and Alya falling over.

Screams. Pandemonium. Students ran around, either fleeing or trying to find a hiding place, while the librarian activated one of the large monitors, connecting it to a security camera outside on the football field so everyone could see what was going on.

"Come on!" Alya helped Marinette stand up, dragging her to the monitor where several other students were gathered, watching what was happening, alongside the teacher, completely shocked.

"Is this even real?!" Valerie, the African American student said. Marinette shared the same question once she laid her eyes upon the live feed, baffled.

The feed showed the football field, completely deserted save for... could he even be called human? Marinette wasn't sure, but he did look familiar... He stomped around the football field, searching. "DASH!" Transparent's voice boomed, so loud that Marinette heard it on the monitor and outside. "COME OUT OF HIDING AND FACE ME!"

It panned over to Ishiyama's office, the outer wall completely destroyed. The principal was on the phone, shouting into it frantically. "Police! One of my students turned into some... green monster! Get the army, FBI, whatever! Take care of it before someone gets killed!"

...

In the locker room, Tucker and Sam stared out one of the windows, their mouths agape.

...

"Wh-what's going on?" Marinette asked, speaking up for everyone in the library. "Did that thing have Danny's voice?" That... thing couldn't be Danny, right?! How did this happen!? Last she saw him, he was going to the principal's office!

By now, most of the students were fleeing for their lives.

"It's as if he's been transformed into a real-life supervillain!" Alya said, having a completely different reaction to the events unfolding. She pulled out her phone. "GPS, check. Battery, check. I am so outta here!" Without even grabbing her things, she began to run out of the library.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Marinette called out to her, the situation getting more confusing and chaotic by the second.

Alya stopped for a moment to explain. "Where there's a supervillain, there's always a superhero close behind! No way I'm missing this!" She left the library, only a few stragglers remaining.

Marinette couldn't even begin to comprehend her logic. She wanted to scream that this was real life, not a comic book, but her words got stuck in her throat, the reality of the situation dawning on her.

She looked back at the camera feed, unable to take her eyes off of it. The camera followed Transparent as he stormed off the football field; was he trying to find Dash elsewhere? Regardless, Transparent picked up a parked car as if it were nothing, hurtling it directly at the camera-

It broke, the feed only showing a rainbow error screen.

"MY CAR!" The librarian screamed.

Marinette winced, her heart pounding. Would... would the supervillain destroy the school to try and find Dash? Where would he go next? Why and how did this all happen?!

She didn't know, and even if she most likely didn't find out, she needed to get out of here. Moving on autopilot, Marinette grabbed her belongings, rushing out of the library and through the halls, fueled by pure adrenaline.

It was as if he never tried to escape and make something of himself. Back in the mansion, back to the same old routine he was so tired of. Nathalie didn't even bring it up, the two in the large dining area, Adrien sitting down in a chair with several books in front of him, Nathalie pacing around as she asked him various questions.

"Who held the shortest presidency in United States history?"

"William Henry Harrison, and he served from March 4 to April 4, 1841." Adrien droned, bored out of his mind. He blinked several times, resisting the urge to sleep. Maybe he could dream about going to school, it would at least be something.

Nathalie nodded. "Excellent, Adrien."

Footsteps.

Adrien turned, snapping awake at seeing his father, Gabriel Agreste in the room. The teen's breath hitched, knowing that this wasn't going to be any good after the stunt he pulled.

"Give me a minute, would you, Nathalie?" Gabriel asked, his expression even and unwavering. His hands were behind his back, the man wearing his usual business attire, reflecting his attitude about... everything, really.

"Yes sir." Nathalie stepped to the side, allowing room for Gabriel to walk over-

But he didn't, remaining where he was as he locked eyes with Adrien, his son unable to look away. "You are NOT going to school. I've already told you." Gabriel said, his voice raised.

Adrien froze- his father found out? But that meant... the look on Nathalie's face said everything. And after he asked her not to say anything... "But Father..."

Gabriel wasn't having any of it. "Everything you need is right here where I can keep an eye on you. I will not have you outside in that dangerous world." He spoke with conviction, his words echoing a truth that only he knew.

But Adrien didn't accept it. He stood up out of his seat, his frustration boiling, hoping that out of everyone, his own father would listen to him. "It's not dangerous, Father. I'm always stuck in here by myself. Why can't I go out and make friends just like everybody else?" The tension was so thick Adrien could barely breathe, already regretting the words coming out of his mouth.

"Because you are not like everyone else!" Gabriel snapped. "You are my son!" His expression didn't change in the slightest, but his words spoke more than enough. As long as Adrien was under this roof, he would follow his father's commands, no matter what. He was powerless to do otherwise.

Adrien stood upright, only able to stare down at his books, resisting the urge to cry, lest his father berate him for that too. It wasn't fair. It was just one simple thing he wanted... and he couldn't even have that.

Gabriel focused on Nathalie once more. "Continue." He silently turned around and left.

Like he didn't even care.

"We can leave it there for today if you have-"

Nathalie stopped herself as Adrien ran, leaving his books behind. He ran, not even giving the large painting of him and his parents a glance. All the way up to his large room, slamming the door behind him before collapsing onto his bed, sobbing silently into his pillow.

His phone buzzed yet again with another message that was surely from Chloe, but he hadn't mustered up the motivation to even check the messages ever since Nathalie and the Gorilla drove him back after he had gotten so close to the school.

It was far from the first message, Chloe sending a few on his way back to the mansion, presumably asking where he was, worrying about him. She always was protective of him... the messages stopped after a bit until she suddenly started sending them rapid-fire, bursts of texts before silence, followed by more texts.

And when his phone buzzed another three times, Adrien broke out of his stupor, sitting up on his bed to finally read the messages, unsure if he had the will to reply-

That's when he finally heard it. The yelling, the thumping, a few crashes- Adrien flinched at a particularly loud one, the teen getting out of bed and rushing over to the windowed wall, looking outside to see what was going on.

It was like he was watching something directly out of a movie! Police cars blocked the road, several police officers taking aim with their weapons at a tall, green monster stomping over to them. It was so surreal, Adrien couldn't look away!

"Halt, Transparent! This is your last warning!" One of the cops, Roger said as he stood on top of a car, trying to appear intimidating.

But the monster- Transparent didn't even slow down, continuing to move forward. "I don't care HOW long it takes! I will find you, DASH!" It was so eerie, he was focused on one specific goal without stopping...

Adrien didn't know who Dash was, but Chloe did mention him multiple times. He must've been another student at Casper High... did he do something to cross Transparent?

Roger raised his arm. "Ready?" A second passed. "FIRE!" The police officer pointed at Transparent, the other officers unloading their bullets on the monster.

For a split second, Adrien froze, ready to cope with seeing a bloodbath, only for the bullets to harmlessly pass through him, Transparent more see-through than usual. Transparent still didn't stop moving. The officers lowered their weapons, realizing that this wasn't going to work, fleeing for their lives, leaving the police cars abandoned.

They weren't out of danger yet, Transparent using impossible strength to lift up the police van Roger was on moments ago, hurling it at the man. Roger screamed as the vehicle was sent in his direction, thankfully bouncing at such an angle that it avoided him.

Adrien didn't realize that his heart was pounding until he took a step back, not wanting Transparent to see him and think he had Dash somehow. Monsters didn't go by logic, they wouldn't stop until they got what they wanted. ...So was his dad right about the world being dangerous?

No. Of course he didn't literally mean it as if he knew a monster or supervillain would be attacking.

Unsure what to do next, Adrien rushed over to the sofa, grabbing the remote from the table and turning on the TV, quickly flickering through the channels until he found the news station, needing to see what they had to say about this. The screen showed the mayor of Amity Park, Andre Bourgeois standing at a podium, several people on news crews pointing microphones and cameras at him.

"I'm asking all citizens of Amity Park to stay home until this situation is under control." Andre said, to which the news crews immediately took the opportunity to bombard him with countless questions.

However, the footage froze, shrinking to reveal Nadja Chamack, the news reporter onscreen. "As incredible as it seems, it's been confirmed that Amity Park is indeed being attacked by a supervillain. The police have been struggling to keep the situation under control, though you could say it's been slipping right through them." She laughed at her own joke, before realizing it may have been in poor taste. "Anyway, here's the weather."

The screen cut yet again, this time revealing the weatherman, Lance Thunder standing outside, glancing nervously around the area. "Thank you Nadja, so as you can see, the weather forecast does call for bright and sunny skies today," He froze for a moment as he heard Transparent yelling in the distance, slowly stomping in the weatherman's direction, picking up a car and throwing it.

"But there's also a 100% chance of being rained on by CARS IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL!" Lance screamed as he and the cameraman ran, narrowly avoiding the flying car hitting them, the screen immediately cutting back to Nadja, a worried expression on her face.

At Fenton Works, Jack and Maddie were watching the exact same news broadcast on TV, both of them having different reactions to what they saw before them. The broadcast now showed helicopter footage of Transparent, storming through the streets of Amity Park.

"Sweet mama!" Jack stood up off the couch, pointing at the TV. "That's it! That's a ghost, attacking Amity Park! Maddie, get the weapons!" He was impatient enough to start running to get the weapons himself, but Maddie stopped him before he could get far.

"Wait! That's Danny!" Maddie cried, knowing her son anywhere.

"What?!" Jack did a double-take, coming to the same realization. He was so absorbed in it being a ghost, but now... "Suffering spooks! Did a ghost possess our boy?!" He had no idea why, but it was the only thing that made sense. A ghost finally appears, and the first thing it did was possess Danny. How ironic.

"Change of plans! Get Jazz before she gets possessed too!" Jack said, now rushing to get the weapons. He needed to be careful with what he chose, making sure not to get anything that would hurt his son, only intending to harm whatever spirit possessed him.

"Right behind you! No ghost is gonna take over our children!" Maddie added, following him. Hopefully, wherever Jazz was, she was safe.

Marinette somehow managed to get home without incident, immediately rushing up to her room without seeing her parents. She cowered behind her chair as she watched the news at her desk, time seeming to move much slower than usual, each news update less comforting than the last.

She just hoped Transparent didn't destroy her house while looking for Dash.

"I hate first days back at school." She wished she was back to when Chloe was complaining about a seat, at least then it wasn't her life that was in danger. Ugh...

She looked down at her desk to find something to calm herself down- "Huh?" Only to find something she knew wasn't there when she left that morning.

At the exact same time, Adrien had been studying the news, before deciding to take a break, reaching down to the remote he set on the desk- "Huh?" Only to find something he knew wasn't there when he left that morning.

They both stared at the small black-and-red box on their desks, the confusion momentarily taking away Marinette's panic and Adrien's confusion.

"What's this doing here?" They both picked up the boxes, holding them in their hands, not hesitating much before opening them-

There were objects inside; Marinette seeing two earrings while Adrien saw a ring. They only got a split-second glimpse, as the objects were immediately bathed in a bright light, the earrings covered in a red light while the ring was covered in a bright-green light.

Adrien let out a grunt as he closed one of his eyes, holding the box as far away from him as he could, watching the light hover up a foot or so above the box, the teen in awe, but at the same time wondering what the heck this possibly was, not knowing a thing about it.

The moment the light appeared, Marinette let out a yelp, dropping the box to the ground, flinching and turning her head away, her eyes shut tight. She opened one of her eyes just a crack, wanting to see what other kind of disaster would potentially happen, this time in her own room.

But... she wasn't sure if she could call it a disaster. The light stayed in the same place, Marinette's eyes wide, unable to look away. The light faded... revealing what she could only describe as a small, red creature. Its head was larger than the rest of its body; four black spots were on its head, as well as two antennae. Its head was lowered, eyes closed... before they opened, looking directly at her.

Now it was a disaster.

Marinette screamed as she jumped out of her seat, causing it to crash to the ground, the teen stepping backward, her previous fear of Transparent bubbling up all over again. She clung to a support beam for safety, pointing at the creature which hovered at an even distance from her. "Help! It's a giant bug! A... a mouse! A... a bug-mouse!" Marinette shifted over to the other end of her long desk, trying to find any escape route from what could only be a demonic creature in front of her.

"Everything's okay! Don't be scared!" The red creature said- IT TALKS?! Even worse! ...Was it a she? SHE TALKS?!

"Ahh! Bug-mouse talks!" Marinette threw random objects within reach at the red creature, trying to stop her or slow her down or something, but she easily dodged and weaved past all of them, even appearing to phase through one of them, the objects creating a mess on the other end of the room.

Adrien gasped in amazement as the light faded in front of him, revealing a small, black creature with whiskers and cat-like ears. His eyes were closed, letting out a yawn and stretching... before slumping over again.

What was this...? Adrien stood up, eyeing the black creature suspiciously for a moment before it fizzled away, replaced with curiosity. This... whatever it was, it was something entirely new! ...Could this be something that he could have all to himself?

"No way." Adrien reached a finger out to touch it. "Like the genie in the lamp!"

The black creature snapped awake, Adrien retracting his finger. "I met her once. So she grants wishes. Big deal! Plagg. Nice to meet you." Before Adrien could reply, Plagg flew over to the foosball table, sitting on it as if it were a chair. "Ooh, swanky." He opened his mouth to try and take a bite out of it-

"No! Don't touch that!" Adrien yelled, running after Plagg, the small creature spitting the taste out of his mouth. Adrien moved to snatch Plagg- only to narrowly miss, the creature flying out of his grasp. "Hey, come back here!" He didn't miss a beat, resuming his chase.

"Ooh! So shiny!" Plagg flew over to one of the few arcade machines in the room, landing next to the large, red joystick. "Can you eat this?" He tried to take a bite- "Argh, no, you can't!" Yet again he had to spit the taste out of his mouth, flying away and narrowly avoiding getting caught in Adrien's grasp for the second time. "Ooh, what about this?"

Adrien grew frustrated; Plagg couldn't just show up and start... tasting his belongings! He had to catch that creature sooner or later, then he would get some answers out of him.

The red creature continued to dodge objects that Marinette threw her way, watching as the teen vaulted over the support beam, clumsily landing next to her vanity before the object assault resumed.

"Listen, Marinette." Despite the barrage Marinette threw at her, she tried to reason with her. Yet, Marinette was even more terrified out of her mind than before, fumbling for something- anything else to defend herself with, a plan immediately forming as she gripped a small, glass cup.

"I know everything may seem a bit strange to you-"

Marinette took a chance, leaping forward, slamming the glass cup down on the red creature. She opened her eyes, relieved to see her trapped within the glass. The red creature looked confused for a moment before smiling. "Okay, if that makes you feel safer." Her voice was muffled by the glass.

With the creature trapped and unable to escape, Marinette finally felt secure, able to control one of the strange, fantastical occurrences of today. "What are you? And how do you know my name?" Now was time for questioning.

"I am a kwami, and my name is Tikki." The creature- kwami explained. Marinette remained cautious, unsure if she could trust Tikki. "Now just let me explain." This better be good.

Plagg took to chewing on something else, this time his target was the remote. Adrien didn't directly chase him, not wanting the little creature to escape his grasp once more, so he looked around the room... there! His rock wall would be the perfect vantage point.

Adrien had climbed his rock wall so many times he could do it without breaking a sweat, the teen climbing slower than usual to not alert Plagg. It took a minute, Plagg thankfully not getting disgusted by the remote yet, Adrien getting to the top before-

"Ngh!" Adrien grunted as he pushed himself off the rock wall, diving at Plagg. The small, cat-like creature let out a squeak of surprise as Adrien caught him, causing him to drop the remote.

Time slowed, Adrien and Plagg landing on the couch. Time resumed.

"I still don't know what you're doing here." Adrien said the only thing he could think of.

Plagg's initial surprise faded as he turned to Adrien, sounding bored. "Look, I'm a kwami. I grant powers. Yours is the power of destruction, got it?"

...What? Adrien shook his head, the information so specific, and yet at the same time it was as if Plagg spoke gibberish. Kwami? Powers? Of... destruction? It made no sense to him, but if Plagg explained further, maybe he could start to understand.

"Good." Plagg said, starting to look around. "Now, got anything to eat? I'm starving."

Adrien got up from the couch, making sure that Plagg couldn't escape his grip. "My dad's pranking me, right? Wait, he couldn't be. He has no sense of humor." In the face of everything that was happening today, Adrien wasn't sure what he could believe anymore.

Plagg's eyes snapped open as he flew up, easily escaping Adrien's grasp. "Your father must never know that I exist! Or anyone for that matter."

His father didn't know... so this was something completely out of his father's control. Something Adrien had for himself. Not decided or chosen by an outside party without his input. ...He still didn't know who managed to put Plagg in his house without getting spotted, but he'd have to thank them later.

Marinette's confidence suddenly vanished; why did she think she could try and argue with some... kwami that somehow got into her house without anyone knowing?! She looked down; the trapdoor was right there... After taking another glace at Tikki, Marinette knew what she had to do. She shifted her weight off the trapdoor, making sure Tikki remained in the glass, reaching for the trapdoor with her free hand.

"Mom! Dad!"

Tikki gasped in alarm, shaking her head. "No, no, no! Shh! No!" She phased through the glass, flying out of it as Marinette managed to pull the trapdoor up a few inches, the teen freezing at seeing Tikki hovering in front of her. "I'm your friend, Marinette! You must trust me. You're the only one who can stop Transparent!"

"This has to be some mistake!" Marinette said, closing the trapdoor again, much to Tikki's relief. "The only superpower I could possibly have is super-awkwardness."

If Tikki expected her to be a superhero or whatever, then she needed to choose someone else. Marinette already knew she would make everything worse, her causing a catastrophe at breakfast that morning was proof enough, let alone the countless other times. But if she wasn't up for the task, then who... Marinette's eyes lit up.

"I know! Alya would know! That's my friend. Well, at least I think she would." Marinette only knew Alya for a short time, but one thing in particular stuck out to her. "She loves superheroes! She'd totally be up for the job! You should totally go see her!" It would be the greatest gift imaginable, and Alya would never know it came from her! Another thought came to mind. "Or Sam or Tucker, they'd be willing to help Danny too, or maybe-"

She was about to suggest Danny's sister, but Tikki got up in her face. "Marinette, you're the chosen one!"

The... chosen one? Chosen by who? Why? When? HOW?!

Adrien knew this was his calling. Despite how convenient it seemed, the prospect of being a superhero, being able to whatever he wanted was a dream come true. Even if he couldn't go to school like he wanted, he still had this. And yet... there was that part of him that told him he shouldn't. That he should keep doing his same routine without any risks, any changes, no matter how badly he wanted anything else. Because that's not what his father would want.

"But I'm stuck here! I'm not even allowed to go to school!" Adrien argued with Plagg. "What good is a superhero who's imprisoned in his own house?" How was he supposed to stop the villain, wave to it from the mansion?!

"No good." Plagg said, ruining a roll of toilet paper by rolling on top of it. "That's why it's all going to change soon. If you're willing to change, that is."

Plagg had a very good point. Adrien stared at the ring he got out of the box, the object in the palm of his hand.

Sure, he couldn't leave the house. But superheroes always had a secret identity. If nobody knew it was him... Then there shouldn't be anything wrong with this, right? Plus, superpowers might help him in other ways...!

Today, the supervillain. Tomorrow... well, whatever precautions put in place to prevent Adrien from leaving for school again would be no good.

With guiding (and some insistence) from Tikki, Marinette eventually got the earrings out of the box, holding them in her hand. If Tikki thought she could do this... then she really had no other choice, did she? And if she didn't stop Transparent, then who would? A comic book character?

For a moment, Marinette thought she could get out of this because she didn't have pierced ears, but to her dismay, Tikki clarified that the earrings would attach to her ears magically, so there was nothing to worry about! ...This was going to be a total disaster.

Marinette positioned herself in front of her mirror as she put the earrings on, Tikki watching her. "Okay, so all I have to do is break the object where the whatchama-call-it is hiding?" It sounded easy enough when Marinette said it like that. Confidence surged within her; maybe she could do this after all!

"It's called an akuma." Tikki clarified. "Which you must encapture."

"Got it!" Marinette nodded. "Capture it! And what's that charm thing again?"

"Your Lucky Charm! It's your secret superpower!"

Marinette groaned; her previous confidence fizzled away, like a fire doused by a harsh rainstorm. "This is all going too fast, Tikki. I-I... won't be able to pull this off!" It would be a miracle if her powers didn't accidentally cause everything to blow up at this rate.

"Trust yourself, Marinette." Tikki said, trying to reassure her. "If there's anything else you need help with, your yo-yo should have the information. To transform, just say 'Spots on'."

Marinette would try to remember the yo-yo thing later. "Spots on?"

The moment the words escaped her mouth, the earrings lit up, Marinette's entire body freezing up from fright. "Whoa! What is happening?!"

Tikki smiled, the kwami swirling and contorting as she disappeared into one of the earrings, before both earrings turned red, five black spots appearing on them. Marinette thought it was over, but it only just began, a mask forming on her face, red with black spots-like a ladybug. The transformation extended to the rest of her body, replacing her previous outfit, the bands holding her hair also becoming red ribbons. A yo-yo appeared around her hips, kept there with a red string.

With how confused and uneasy she was, Marinette didn't even notice the other effects of the transformation; she was tired from running back home, and yet she suddenly didn't feel even a little weak in the slightest, her senses rejuvenated. She wasn't as hungry or thirsty, her vision sharpened, she could hear with pin-point accuracy... but that couldn't stop all the anxiety that ran through her body, her heart still pounding.

Adrien slid the ring onto his ring finger, his heart pounding from sheer excitement.

"Claws out!" Plagg said, poking his head out from within an empty roll of toilet paper. "That's how you transform."

"Got it." Adrien said, more than ready. The moment he said the words... his life would change forever. "Plagg, claws out!" He struck a pose, thrusting his fist forward. The ring glimmered and activated, turning completely black.

Plagg gasped in a panic. "No, wait! I haven't finished explaining!" He tried to hold onto the empty roll of toilet paper to delay the transformation, but it was useless, Plagg yelping as his body contorted, swirling into the ring. Adrien shifted to a new pose as a surge of power, strength, and freedom washed over him, as if the chains locking him down were broken one by one. He thrusted his arm upward, the ring glowing before his transformation began.

He brushed his fingers past his eyes as the black mask appeared on his face, his eyes becoming a cat-like green. Adrien then brushed his hands over his hair as it became longer, untamed, covering his regular ears, black cat ears appearing on his head, their material most likely being leather. The material extended to the rest of his body, giving Adrien a new, black outfit, his gloves being tipped with claws, as well as getting a long, detachable black belt. There was a bell on his collar, and an extendable staff attached to his lower back.

When the transformation was complete, Adrien clawed at the air several times before striking a pose, more than reinvigorated. All his senses- his hearing, sight, smell- everything was sharpened drastically, having a much clearer sense of the world around him. And even though he hadn't eaten lunch yet, he didn't feel the need to eat at all!

"Too cool!" Adrien said, looking at his claw-like gloves. This was beyond what he hoped for!

Marinette looked over her hands, looking at herself in the mirror. She only had this... outfit on for a minute or two and she was already getting sick of it, even if her senses were heightened. It was... strange, like putting on a shirt that just didn't quite fit, even if it was the correct size. She tugged at the skin-tight clothing with a groan, knowing it wouldn't be that easy.

"How does this thing come off?" She asked herself, before walking around the room. "Tikki, if you can hear me, I want my normal clothes back. I'm not going anywhere-"

She stopped herself as her increased hearing allowed her to listen to the news report she had turned on, Marinette turning to the screen to see Nadja talking.

"After rampaging across Amity Park, Transparent apparently is heading back toward Casper High." Just as Nadja said, the footage showed Transparent walking along the street, heading in the direction of the high school. "The monster seems to be unstoppable!"

The helicopter footage zoomed in on someone biking in Transparent's direction, Marinette letting out a gasp. "Alya?" What was she doing?! Risking her life to get footage of a supervillain and a potential super...hero... Right. She was the superhero.

"Marinette!" Her mom called from downstairs before she could think about it any further. "Did you get home okay?"

Her mom couldn't see her like this! Marinette stuttered as she looked for an escape route, finding the stairs next to her. "Uhh... yeah, mom! Just super!" She rushed up the steps, making it up to the balcony right as her mom opened the trapdoor, peering into the room.

"Marinette? You in here?" No response. Marinette closed the door to the balcony, taking a moment to breathe as she heard her mom tell her dad to call the school. She wanted to tell her parents she was okay, but that would also mean revealing her secret... no. She could make up an excuse later; she was hiding at Bucky's music store! Yeah, that would work...

Focus. "Okay, I have special powers. And apparently this amazing super yo-yo thingy?" She grabbed the yo-yo from her waist and tested it; it worked like a normal yo-yo. Tikki told her it had instructions, but Marinette didn't have time to read them right now, not when Transparent was on the loose.

She could read them later; she already had the basics down. Break the object, capture the akuma, use the lucky charm... wouldn't the lucky charm usually be first? Or- shoot! She just had to trust herself, this would be fine. Fine...

Marinette walked to the edge of a building, her enhanced vision allowing her to see a satellite dish in the distance. She threw the yo-yo, the weapon soaring before wrapping around the satellite dish, the string taut. Unsure what to do next, Marinette yanked the yo-yo, only to be sent flying forward, Marinette screaming as she hung onto the yo-yo for dear life.

Before taking on Transparent, Adrien needed to get accustomed to his new abilities, deciding to try a few tests. The current test involved multiple aspects, seeing how well his balance was, alongside how far he could extend his staff. He used his staff as a tightrope as he had it in-between two buildings, walking across it without much difficulty.

"I'm starting to get the hang of this." Adrien said, more confident than he'd even been in his life.

There was a scream, Adrien looking up to see someone- a girl wearing a red and black suit hurtling toward him, flailing her limbs as she held a yo-yo in her hand. "Huh?!" Before he could move out of the way, the girl slammed into him, both of them sent falling to the street below-

And yet, in an equally insane coincidence, the yo-yo wrapped around them and the staff, stopping them from hitting the ground by only a few measly feet.

"Well, hey there. Nice of you to drop in." Adrien said, the momentum causing them to bounce and move before slowly stopping.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose." The girl said, beyond embarrassed.

With his new skills and cat-like flexibility, Adrien freed himself from the yo-yo, rolling onto the ground before standing up, the girl not so lucky as she clumsily landed before getting back up, making the yo-yo taut once again. She tried to pull it back to her, only for it to be stuck- what was it stuck against?!

"I bet you're the one my kwami told me about." Adrien said. "I'm..." He was about to introduce himself, only realize he needed a superhero name; he forgot about it in all his excitement! But he could think of one on the spot. "Cat Noir. Yeah, Cat Noir. And you must be my sidekick, I've been waiting for you to arrive." He studied her outfit, unsure what to make of it. "Is your suit a watermelon?"

"No, it's, not!" The girl replied in-between tugs of her yo-yo, offended by Cat Noir's assertion.

Cat Noir shrugged, forgetting what her yo-yo was stuck against. "Suit yourself, sidekick."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Alright, as soon as you tell me what your name is."

He had a point. With all the stress this gave her, she had no time to think of a clever hero name! "I'm Ma... err... Mar... uhh..." She stumbled over her words, one slip-up away from revealing her identity, trying but failing to come up with something.

Fueled by her frustration, the girl yanked her yo-yo one more time- the yo-yo bumped against a button on Cat Noir's staff, causing it to retract to its usual size, the yo-yo and staff falling- and landing on Cat Noir's head, the teen hissing in pain before holding his head, waiting for the throbbing pain to die down.

"... Madly Clumsy. I'm so clumsy." The girl sighed, looking away in shame.

Cat Noir seemingly shrugged it off, picking up his staff. "No sweat, clumsy girl. I'm learning the ropes too." The girl smiled- "And I'll forgive you for that accident, it's something that happens with sidekicks."

And then frowned, giving Cat Noir a glare. "How many times do I have to tell you, stop calling me that!" Who did this guy think he was? She only knew him for a minute and he was acting like he called all the shots! The perks of superheroism, everyone!

Before another argument could ensue, there was a tremor, followed by the distinct sounds of people screaming. The two turned in the direction of the screaming, Cat Noir narrowing his eyes. He was ready to take action.

Elongating his staff, he took a few steps back before running forward, using the staff to vault himself onto a building, leaving the girl there awestruck at what he had just done. "Hey! Wait, where are you going?"

Cat Noir turned around to explain. "To save Amity Park, right?" He waved her off, jumping out of sight.

She groaned; at least Cat Noir wasn't wasting anymore time. She held the yo-yo in her hand before taking a step back and spinning it rapidly, trying to psyche herself up to do this again. "Trust yourself, trust yourself..." She tossed the yo-yo faster than last time, letting it hook onto a building before using it to take off, screaming as she flew through the air.

Tetslaff knew that staying on school grounds any longer wasn't safe, seeing on the news that Transparent was on his way back to find Dash. She only had a few minutes, so she quickly got the students in a line, telling them that they would be following her to the nearest establishment where they could call their parents to pick them up, leaving Transparent at the school while police waited for reinforcements to arrive.

The plan went well at first, Tetslaff looking outside to make sure the coast was clear; there wasn't much time left. She went out first, her commanding voice letting the students know that silence and cooperation was key to them making it out safe and alive. Her class all followed in a line, just wanting to get out and away as fast as possible. Everything went well-

Until someone happened to glance over at the bleachers, freezing in her tracks.

Then several more students looked over, curious.

The entire class stopped, Tetslaff about to yell at them to get going- her breath hitched, unable to take her eyes off the bleachers, Transparent phasing through them as he stomped onto the football field, his right fist still clenched shut.

There he was. Transparent locked eyes with Dash, the jock frozen in fear. Finally. Nowhere for him to run.

"DASH!" Transparent roared, kicking up wind. "Who has to watch it now!?" He stomped toward Dash, and all hell broke loose.

The jock screamed at the top of his lungs, his usual bravado shattering upon seeing Transparent so close to him. Dash pushed someone aside and ran, Transparent making his move and running after him, Dash able to outpace him.

Screaming filled the area as nearly every other student ran away as well, all sense of order gone and forgotten. Some ran back into the school, others ran to the safety of the bleachers, and a good chunk of them ran away entirely, presumably going home. Ms. Tetslaff stayed behind, panicking before deciding to go after the students that went into the school, the only remaining students on the football field being Sam and Tucker.

They were transfixed on the scene, calling out to Transparent only to get no response, trying to figure out some way to get through to him. What in the world happened to Danny for him to get like this...? Maybe that training would need to be done sooner rather than later.

Dash ran out of breath as Transparent chased him, his pace slowing down- he grunted as he tripped and fell, Dash turning to see Transparent still charging at him-

He flinched, Transparent stopping in his tracks as Cat Noir's staff hit the ground in-between them, before Cat Noir landed on the ground next to Dash, the jock immediately taking his chance to get up and run, stumbling over himself before he managed to leave the football field, not looking back. As he left, Alya arrived, parking her bike and rushing over to stand next to Sam and Tucker, the two hardly noticing she was there, even as she had her phone out, recording the entire thing.

"Hey, it's not very nice to pick on people who are smaller than you." Cat Noir said, blocking Transparent's path.

Transparent gave Cat Noir a look. "I guess you're talking about yourself. Out of my way!"

He struck forward, swiping at Cat Noir, the hero just barely dodging out of the way, skidding to the left. The superhero then used his staff to pole-vault out of the way as Transparent lunged at him, missing completely, before quickly redirecting himself and sprinting at Cat Noir, the hero only making it back to the ground before Transparent punched him in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Perfect. Everything couldn't be going more smoothly if they tried. Transparent was causing chaos, and just as they anticipated, a superhero arrived! But not just any hero... the wielder of the Black Cat Miraculous!

Their plan was foolproof. It was only a matter of time before the wielder of the Ladybug Miraculous showed up as well, and victory would soon be in their grasp.

Transparent! The supervillain stopped for a moment, much to Cat Noir's confusion. Grab his Miraculous! The ring! Transparent nodded, his focus clear. He was given these powers; he may as repay whoever was generous enough to do give him this gift. First, the ring, then Dash.

Transparent roared as he charged at Cat Noir, intent on completing the task they were given here and now. Strangely, Cat Noir didn't move out of the way, waiting until the last moment, when he strafed to the side, extending his staff to hit Transparent as he passed- only for the weapon to phase right through him, Cat Noir forgetting about the villain's ability.

Cat Noir laughed nervously as he retracted his staff, repositioning himself as he prepared to evade Transparent once more. "Where are you, sidekick?"

Sam, Tucker, and Alya kept their eyes glued on the fight, Alya gasping with each blow struck, trying to get it all on video.

Nobody saw the girl wearing red and black, standing at the edge of the football field, watching the fight.

...

Marinette stood there, watching in horror, like she was watching a car crash in slow motion. Cat Noir fought Transparent... Sam, Tucker, and Alya watched the fight... there were other students hiding nearby... at leash Dash managed to get out of there. And she needed to get out there. But...

"Oh, I can't. I'm not gonna be able to do it." Marinette covered her face with her hands, unsure if she could bear to look any further, her fingers betraying her when they parted on their own.

She had to move, but she couldn't. Swinging around with her yo-yo was terrifying enough, but this...? Having to fight one of her friends that was transformed into a supervillain? It sounded so easy when Tikki explained it to her, but now it was like she might crumble to dust if she even stepped foot on the field.

Transparent changed tactics, grabbing a metal soccer goal that had been set up for class, throwing it at Cat Noir. He evaded it, but the goal bounced, arcing in a weird direction, heading directly for Sam, Tucker, and Alya.

Time slowed to a crawl. Marinette let out a gasp, her eyes wide as she covered her mouth in shock. Alya tucked her head. Tucker stumbled back. Sam froze.

Cat Noir threw his staff in their direction; it landed upright, extending upward where the soccer goal was about to drop down, hitting it and causing it to soar upward again, changing course and landing somewhere else, the teens safe.

Time resumed, Marinette releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding.

...That was too close. Cat Noir went to get his staff back, but before he could take two steps, Transparent grabbed his right arm, lifting him in the air. Cat Noir struggled but failed to escape, all his attempts to kick Transparent just phasing through him.

Tucker snapped out of whatever trance he'd been in. "All in favor of hiding under the bleachers?!" Tucker yelled, raising his hand. There was no contest; the three teens made a break for it, Alya still managing to record as she ran, the teen lagging behind a bit.

She stopped entirely when she saw the other superhero standing on the edge of the field, Alya hardly able to believe it.

"What are you waiting for, super red bug? The world is watching you!" Alya said, gesturing to Transparent and Cat Noir.

Alya was right. She had to do something. Her heart pounded so loudly Marinette thought it might explode, anxiety and fear coursing through her body.

She had put on the earrings, she had transformed, she had soared across the rooftops, she had met Cat Noir... and now, this was the crucial moment. Everyone was watching her; Alya, Sam, Tucker, Cat Noir, Ms. Tetslaff, any other remaining students...

Marinette wanted to... disappear. Disappear... was this how Transparent- no, Danny felt? Wanting to disappear, for whatever reason? Someone had to be there to save him. Cat Noir couldn't do it on his own; she watched as Transparent slowly moved to try and pull the ring off his finger, Cat Noir resisting as much as humanly possible.

Her eyes shut.

She opened them, her grip tightening on her yo-yo.

Now was the time to act. She ran forward, drowning out all other senses, focused solely on preventing Transparent from getting Cat Noir's Miraculous. She couldn't directly attack Transparent, so-

Directly attack Transparent. Of course!

Her hand moved, flinging her yo-yo forward. Transparent tensed up, expecting an attack- but it didn't come, Marinette rushing past him, spinning back around when she reached the other end of the football field, the yo-yo taut.

"Animal cruelty? How shameful!" She pulled.

The yo-yo had been wrapped loosely around Transparent's legs without him realizing, and when she pulled, his legs snapped together, Transparent yelling as he fell over, releasing his grip on Cat Noir right before he was able to grab his ring.

"Yes!" Alya cheered from where she stood, before rushing to the hiding spot with Sam and Tucker.

Cat Noir fell to the ground before rolling back to his feet, running to Marinette as her yo-yo flew back to her. She spotted Cat Noir's staff on the ground, picking it up and tossing it to him as he approached. "Sorry it took so long, Cat Noir."

"It's cool, Wonderbug." Cat Noir reattached the staff to his lower back and stretched his arms, cracking his fingers. "Now, let's kick his green behind!" He prepared to rush back to Transparent-

"Wait!" Marinette stopped him, grabbing his belt tail, yanking him back before he could get too far, much to his dismay. "Haven't you noticed? He completely phases through all direct attacks. We have to do something different."

She let go of him, pondering what to do. Transparent was still getting his bearings, so that gave her a bit of time... to be honest, when she tripped up Transparent, that was a huge gamble, taking her previous observations and applying them, hoping she was lucky enough to be correct.

"Different how?" Cat Noir asked, massaging his belt as if it were a real tail.

Marinette tried to think of something, but she couldn't. "I don't know."

Cat Noir was unfazed. "Okay then. Let's use our powers." He struck a pose, thrusting his arm into the air. "Cataclysm!" Upon his command, his ring glowed, a ball of purple and black energy forming in his open palm. It grew bigger until his hand closed around it, the energy turning mist-like, swirling around his hand.

"Uhh..." Marinette wasn't sure what she was looking at.

"Apparently I destroy whatever I touch." Cat Noir explained.

That struck a nerve. "I don't need a superpower to destroy everything." Marinette looked away, trying to stop herself from spiraling again. Just one screw-up is all it would take... she needed a distraction. "How does that... feel?"

"Pretty cold." Cat Noir said. "Ice cold, actually. Doesn't hurt, though." He saw a nearby cone, reaching his hand out to it.

"No, don't do that!" Marinette's warning was too late. Upon contact with Cat Noir's hand, the ice-cold energy spread onto the traffic cone, turning it completely black before it began to break apart, reduced to dust in a matter of moments.

"Cool." Cat Noir stared at his hand before facing Transparent, the villain waiting for one of the heroes to act. "It's just you and me now! Time to rumble!"

"Cat Noir! Wait!" Was he not even listening to her?! Whatever happened to looking before leaping!?

He ran at Transparent, the supervillain standing his ground before Cat Noir jumped at him, grabbing Transparent's arm- only for nothing to happen.

Beat.

"Uh-oh." Cat Noir knew his mistake. "I guess I only get one shot to use my power." In all his excitement, he didn't realize that the cold feeling in his hand went away after touching the cone.

Transparent dully glared as Cat Noir waved sheepishly- before crying out in pain as Transparent kicked him away, sending him flying back toward Marinette.

"What were you thinking?!" Marinette chastised. That could've gone wrong in so many ways! "You shouldn't use your power on the villain directly, and you wouldn't have been able to anyway since you already used it! And you only have a couple minutes before you transform back. Didn't your kwami explain anything to you?"

Cat Noir laughed nervously as he stood up, recalling how Plagg was trying to say something earlier, but he didn't give him the chance to. "I guess I was a little excited about my new life. Sorry."

"It's fine." Marinette wasn't going to hold a grudge against him; they were bound to make mistakes on their literal first- and hopefully last- day as superheroes. "Well, up to me." His power didn't work out, but hopefully hers would.

Marinette shifted her stance, narrowing her eyes. She grabbed her yo-yo, flicking it up high in the air. "Lucky Charm!" Her yo-yo spun in place, releasing hundreds of tiny, magical ladybugs. They spun upward in a circular motion, congregating in one central location before releasing a burst of light-

In its place, a deflated wetsuit appeared, Marinette catching it before it landed on the ground. Just like her outfit, the wetsuit was red with black spots.

"Aaaand what's your super power?" Cat Noir asked, his arms crossed. He ignored his Miraculous beeping, four of five spots remaining.

"It gives me... something that I'll need to use to stop the villain." Marinette tried her best to explain. She wasn't sure how she'd use a wetsuit of all things, but she'd hopefully figure it out. "My kwami told me I have to break the object where the whatchama-call-it, er, the akuma is hiding."

Cat Noir gave her a look, pointing at Transparent, the villain slowly approaching them. "How are we gonna get to it if he just keeps going through our attacks?"

True... Marinette stared at Transparent, trying to think, remembering everything she knew about Transparent. Every moment, from seeing him on the security feed, to the news, to now... of course! A lightbulb went off in her head as she figured it out.

"His right hand, it's still closed!" She said. "He never opens it. It's like the Russian dolls. The object isn't on him, it's hidden in his fist!" Additionally, earlier that day she recalled seeing Danny pick up something after he dropped all his books before immediately being sent out of class; whatever he picked up had to be the object with the akuma in it!

"So what's your plan?" Cat Noir asked.

"Hmmm..." Truthfully, she still didn't know. But she had to think of something.

Her heightened senses focused, her only goal now to think of a plan. The wetsuit in her hands... it had to play a part. How... the akuma Transparent held. He had to let go of it, that was the only way anyone would get to it. The wetsuit, the akuma... maybe if he was grabbing something else, he'd have to let go of the object! But what could he...

Cat Noir. Transparent had him in his grasp earlier... but that wouldn't be enough. But if Transparent had Cat Noir, and then tried to grab her, then he'd have to drop the object! But there wouldn't be anyone to break it, and Transparent would get their Miraculous! If he was forced to let them go... Alya still recorded, peeking out from her hiding spot. Not far from her, a hose tap protruding from the wall of the school, extending all the way to where Marinette could walk over, reach down, and pick it up.

Everything fell into place.

"This!" After grabbing the hose, Marinette stuffed the hose into the suit, tying them together in a matter of seconds, preventing the hose from slipping out.

She set it aside for now. Transparent was getting closer, she only had one shot at this.

Marinette turned, wrapping her yo-yo around Cat Noir's legs, much to the teen's abject horror. "Don't resist. Trust me." She gave him a nod, shifting her stance before she began to spin the yo-yo- and Cat Noir along with it.

"THIS GIRL'S CRAZY!" Cat Noir screamed, his eyes wide as saucers, the wind so loud he could barely hear himself. Marinette released him, sending him flying, his arms flailing wildly.

Transparent took the bait, grabbing him by his legs, leaving Cat Noir dangling upside down.

"Catch me if you can!" Marinette called out, Transparent looking up to see her running at him, her arm looped around the wetsuit. She braced herself, digging her foot into the ground before leaping into the air, heading straight for Transparent.

The supervillain gasped, opening his palm, the akumatized object falling to the ground before rolling away a bit. He didn't notice, focusing on grabbing Marinette by her waist, also grabbing the wetsuit by extension.

"And now..." The most crucial part of the plan. "Alya, the tap!" Marinette said, the person in question looking up at her.

She only hesitated for a moment, but Alya lowered her phone and raced to the hose tap, turning it several times. Water began to flow, filling the suit, inflating it to the point where Transparent was forced to let Marinette go, stumbling back from the force of how fast the wetsuit was inflated.

Almost there. Immediately upon landing, Marinette raced to where the akumatized object landed, finding the purple object before lifting her foot up and stomping on it as hard as she could, breaking it into several pieces.

...She did it. She did it. She did it! A smile formed on Marinette's face, watching a purple butterfly- most likely the akuma flutter upward, freed from the object before it soared away, Marinette over the moon. She had been so terrified, so scared... and yet, all she had to do was thinking on her feet, and she succeeded! It may have been a bit bumpy at first, but still! She was able to stop the bad guy without anything going horribly wrong!

As the akuma fluttered out of sight, purple energy covered Transparent, starting at his feet before flowing up to his head, the purple energy leaving him, at the same time transforming him back into Danny Fenton, the teen falling to the ground. Cat Noir fell as well, having nobody holding onto him anymore. Marinette retracted her yo-yo, freeing his legs, before she also noticed the broken object's colors returning, appearing to be a family heirloom of some sort.

Cat Noir stared at Marinette in awe, fascinated and captivated by her. "This girl is awesome. She's crazy awesome."

Danny groaned as he sat up, his eyes shut as he held his head. He felt like a huge weight was taken off his shoulders, something that once had its claws on him had disappeared, not necessarily taking over him, but steering him and his actions, picking at what he desired most. That feeling... it completely vanished, his memories hazy.

By now, most of the people hiding had taken the chance to flee, save for a few. "Danny!" Those few included Sam and Tucker, emerging from their hiding spots as they ran over to their friend, helping him stand up.

"What?" Danny asked, looking around where he was. "What's going on? Tucker? Sam?" He had so many questions, and yet he wasn't sure if he could get answers that easily. He raised an eyebrow at seeing Cat Noir and Marinette. "...Two teens in costumes?"

He wasn't sure what to say; Tucker and Sam weren't either. He... he knew he was on his way to the principal's office, frustrated beyond belief, his powers causing so many issues that he wanted to disappear. And then... "I barely even remember what happened."

Danny knew there was a fight. He knew he'd been stomping around Amity Park, screaming about Dash. The problem was the exact details; he couldn't string together an order of events if he tried. Looking around, he grimaced when he saw the wall to the principal's office destroyed; did he really do that?!

Cat Noir walked over to Marinette, his appreciation, interest, and care for her exploding in a way he couldn't quite describe. "You were incredible, sidekick-no, partner. You did it!"

Marinette smiled. At least he stopped calling her a sidekick. "We both did it, partner." If it wasn't for him, then she couldn't possibly have executed her plan.

They both had same idea, fist-bumping. "Pound it!" Cat Noir retracted his fist first when he heard his ring beeping, looking at it to see it only had two spots left.

Marinette furrowed her brow. "You should get going. Our identities must remain secret." As much as she wanted to thank whoever was behind the mask, that would be impossible. If nobody knew who they were, then it'd be impossible for whoever sent the supervillain to figure them out.

"Farewell, m'lady." Cat Noir bowed before turning and running off, waving her goodbye. "Let's do this again soon, okay?" He used his staff to vault out of site, presumably going back to wherever he lived.

"Uh-huh. Not too soon, I hope." Marinette said. She proved she could do this. If she had to do it more in the future... then so be it. She could do this, she actually could!

Aside, Danny, Tucker, and Sam whispered amongst themselves, low enough so nobody else could hear.

"Are you okay? Did that have to do with... you know?" Tucker said.

"I-I don't think so." Danny whispered, unsure how to even describe any of it. It was someone else that was the cause of it, not his own ghost powers. And yet, the sensation of it... it was so familiar, and yet foreign at the same time in a way that was alien to himself. "It was so weird, someone was trying to talk to me and-"

"You're okay now. That's what matters." Sam said. That was true... he felt exhausted from the whole ordeal, and hopefully he could try and keep his ghost powers under control while there was still someone else here.

Marinette smiled, seeing Danny and his friends talk. She wondered... what would've happened if they hadn't started keeping her at a distance near the end of summer vacation. Part of her still wanted to see in-person what happened at that whole portal thing, but it wasn't like she could go back in time and see it for herself. Superheroes were real, but time travel? As if.

Her eyes laid upon the broken object on the ground. She frowned, bending down and scooping the pieces of the object into her hands, standing back up. She couldn't turn back time to figure out what exactly happened, but she could make a difference in the present.

She made herself known, walking over to Danny, him and his friends ceasing their discussion. She gently grabbed Danny's hand, holding it out so she could give him the broken pieces of his family heirloom, before placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know what happened to cause this, but remember you're not alone. You have a support system to help you out." She gestured to Sam and Tucker, the two friends giving a supporting nod. "Your friends and family will always have your back, Danny. Sam and Tucker won't abandon you."

"Thanks." Danny's shoulders sunk in disappointment; the lucky charm his mother gave him was broken. Hopefully she wouldn't be mad...

Tucker raised an eyebrow. "Hey, I know we called out for Danny, but how'd you know our names?"

Marinette flinched, retracting her hand from Danny's shoulder. "Uh..."

She was thankfully bailed out when they all noticed Alya recording the whole thing several feet away. "Uncanny, amazing, spectacular!"

The earrings beeped; Marinette would need to get going soon. She stood up and began to walk away, Alya following her. "Are you gonna be protecting Amity Park from now on? How did you get your powers? Did you get stung by a radioactive ladybug? Oh, I've got a ton of questions to ask you, uh, Miss... uh..."

Heh. Her first fan. She turned around and smiled for the camera. "Ladybug. Call me Ladybug!" Without missing a beat, she ran out of the football field, using her yo-yo to swing up and away, out of sight.

"Ladybug..." Alya breathed, still processing everything. "Super awesome!" Too bad she couldn't interview Ladybug, but there was still someone else she could! She swiveled around, approaching the three teens. "So, about you Danny, what did it feel like turning into a supervillain? Do you think it'll happen again? Are you-"

"Lay off!" Sam snapped, jabbing her finger onto Alya's chest, getting her to step back. "He just got turned into some huge monster, quit interrogating him!"

Alya was surprised at her hostility, before noticing Danny's expression. He was still shaken up from everything... "I'm sorry." Alya lowered her camera. "I'll wait until he's in a better state of mind."

Before Sam could lay into Alya further, tires screeched as the Fenton RV pulled up onto the scene, driving way too fast before thankfully skidding to a stop at a safe distance away from the teens. Jazz was the first to exit the vehicle, running up to Danny and pulling him into a tight hug.

"Danny! You're okay!" Jazz said, relieved. Danny froze, realizing that his parents would've seen everything. ...But they wouldn't figure out his secret, no way they could.

His sister let go of him, their parents jumping out of the vehicle moments later, armed with numerous ghost weapons and gadgets. His dad wielded the Fenton Thermos, a weapon that never worked, before nearly dropping it, fumbling with it for a few moments before managing to get his grip on it again, trying to look threatening with it.

"Alright, where's the ghost?!" Jack yelled, scanning the surrounding area. Of course they only arrived after everything was over. Though, maybe that was a good thing, knowing them. Would the ghost weapons have even worked on an akuma? ...Danny didn't want to find out.

"Any of you kids see the ghost that possessed Danny?" Maddie asked the others present, having found nothing out of the ordinary except for the aftermath of the fight.

Alya gasped, latching onto the new information. "So this is the work of a ghost?" She raised her phone again to get more info, but Tucker stopped her before she could.

"No! No ghosts, as if they even exist in the first place!" Tucker tried to brush it aside. If Danny's parents thought this had to do with ghosts, then they may conduct tests to see if there were any remaining traces of the 'ghost' on Danny, which would lead to them figuring out he was part ghost.

"See?" Jazz said, taking this as a victory. "There's a perfectly logical explanation for all of this that doesn't involve ghosts." From the moment she was picked up and shown the footage, she didn't believe for a second that it was the work of ghosts. It had to be something else.

"Really? Then what it is?" Jack asked, skeptical.

The adults looked to the teens for any alternative answers; the clock was ticking. Alya skimmed through her footage for anything good, while Sam and Tucker glanced at each other, knowing that Danny wouldn't really be able to explain with how hazy his memory was. If only Ladybug or Cat Noir were still here...

"It's, uh..." Sam grimaced, unsure how to explain exactly. She knew how it ended, so she could use that to figure out how it began? "An object Danny was holding got possessed by a purple butterfly. It's gone now- the butterfly, I mean." Saying it out loud, she sounded ridiculous. "It caused Danny to turn into that, and the object Danny was holding had to be, uh..." She didn't want to finish her sentence.

Even then, the adults were still not convinced.

Alya saw her chance. "I got it all on film, so if you have any questions about it, just watch the news later. It'll all be there."

"Uh, yeah!" Tucker agreed. "And we were all there to see it, nothing about it looked ghostly to me." He shrugged, trying to act casual.

"I knew it." Jazz said, still relieved but also satisfied.

"Well..." Jack didn't want to admit it, but if everyone agreed, then he had no choice.

"What was the object, by any chance?" Maddie asked, worried. Danny clutched something tightly in his hand, not giving any resistance when Maddie opened his hand, seeing the broken family heirloom- the lucky charm she gave him. Her mouth opened to say something, but she closed it, saddened.

"I'm-"

"It's not your fault." Maddie said, closing Danny's hand again. It wasn't his fault or anyone else's. "Kids, call your parents to pick you up." She said to Sam, Tucker, and Alya, before directing her attention back to her family. "We're going home right now."

There was no argument. Danny gave the others one last look before he stepped into the RV, sitting next to Jazz. Maddie must've been driving now, as the vehicle turned more smoothly before leaving the football field.

Marinette sat in her room, proud of herself as she watched the news report of the fight.

She recalled how she made it back just as her Miraculous had one spot left, hiding in an alley near her house before transforming back, seeing Tikki again. Marinette didn't question it, telling Tikki to hide in her pocket before she knocked on the front door, her parents relieved that she was home.

She stuck to her cover story; that she was at Bucky's store. Her parents were glad that she was okay, but chastised her for not calling them, Marinette making up an excuse that she was having trouble with the cell reception. They bought it, and before long, she went into her room to turn on the news, watching it unfold for probably about an hour now.

Marinette felt guilty for lying to her parents, but it was a necessary evil. Part of being a superhero, after all. ...That still felt so strange to think about. But still. The fact that she was able to help one of her friends and make a difference was a huge confidence boost; at this rate she'd be able to do anything!

"Thanks to this amateur footage, the citizens of Amity Park now know the identities of their heroes!" Nadja said, Alya's footage of Ladybug leaving the football field playing beside her.

Nobody had a clue Marinette was Ladybug.

"I did it, Tikki!" Marinette cheered, too giddy for her own good.

The kwami flew up to Marinette from where she was in the teen's room, proud of her. "You see? You were up to it!" Tikki gave Marinette a hug; a small one on the side of her face due to the kwami's small size.

"Marinette! Dinner time!" Her mother called from downstairs. A wide smile on her face, Marinette stood up, opening the trapdoor before going downstairs, dinner ready as her mother said it would be. The three sat down and began to eat, the news playing loudly on the TV.

The news switched to the mayor, Mr. Bourgeois onscreen in front of City Hall as he spoke to the camera. "I am pleased to announce that we will be organizing a huge celebration in honor of our city's new protectors. Ladybug and Cat Noir."

The screen then replayed Alya's footage of the fight, once again showcasing how Transparent was defeated by Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Danny watched the footage in the living room of his home, leaning forward on the couch, not taking his eyes off of it. The moment his family had gotten home, he elected to watch the news coverage of the event, even eating on the couch to make sure he didn't miss any of it. Emotions still swirled through him, but not with the intensity of a storm unlike earlier.

Jazz walked over to him, worried as she glanced at the TV, seeing how Ladybug used her yo-yo to trip up Transparent. "Are you sure you want to be watching that?"

"Yes. So it doesn't happen again." Danny said, serious.

"But if you don't know why you were targeted, how are you going to prevent it?" Jazz asked.

She had a point, but Danny wouldn't admit that. "I just will. How about that?" He leaned back and crossed his arms, trying to get his focus back on the news broadcast before he missed something vital.

He couldn't glean much further information anyway, since his mom picked up the remote and turned the TV off, giving Danny a disapproving- but also concerned look. "Instead of watching that, why don't you hang out with your friends for a bit?"

"I guess." Danny stood up; he knew he couldn't fight his mother on this one. May as well see if Sam and Tucker would want to go to the arcade for a few hours.

...

After being freed, the akuma fluttered around aimlessly for a while. Transparent's emotions were stored within it; the rage, the need for vengeance, the desire to disappear... The akuma couldn't hold everything within it forever. It wanted more. It needed more. It craved similar emotions... but the target no longer felt those emotions for now.

The akuma sensed where its original target was, eventually deciding to follow it home, settling itself on top of the Ops Center. If the target wouldn't feed it more, give it more of those emotions it held... then it only had one option.

...

Adrien sat in his room, watching the same news broadcast. He had managed to get home a while ago right before he would've transformed back, and nobody even knew he had left. Perfect. He did briefly get questioned by Nathalie on why he hadn't answered the door when she knocked, and he said that he slept through everything. She bought it. ...There were still all those messages from Chloe he had to answer, but he'd talk to her when the excitement from being a successful superhero died down.

In addition, Plagg requested food to recharge, so Adrien had several fancy plates of food lined on the table, Plagg trying out each one. Adrien hardly paid attention, enamored with what was onscreen.

"Ladybug. Her name's Ladybug!" Adrien said, finally knowing the name of the awesome girl he was saving the day with. Something about her... Adrien didn't quite know why, but he really, desperately wanted to be around her more!

Plagg gagged after tasting the last dessert on the table, taking Adrien out of his thoughts. "Ewwee! What is this?!" The kwami held up the dessert in disgust, as if it was garbage.

"Seriously?" Adrien gave Plagg an incredulous look. "My personal chef made all this!" All he did was request the chef to make his favorite dessert, how could Plagg not like any of it?

The kwami tossed the dessert directly into the garbage can without even looking. "If you expect me to get my energy back after the transformation, I need to eat something more... delicate!"

Adrien let out an exasperated sigh, annoyed but willing to humor him. "Okay, what do you want?"

...

The akuma couldn't wait any longer. It craved emotions; once it got a taste of those emotions, it needed more. It was full and yet starving at the same time, energy building up at such a rate it needed to release it all!

Its wings began to flap rapidly, the akuma multiplying, dozens if not hundreds of akumas fluttering away, seeking out those same emotions, desperate for their fill. None of them would stop until they found more targets, more for them to sink their metaphorical claws into, preying on those precious, wonderful emotions.

...

Right before Danny was about to leave, he stopped dead in his tracks, staring out the window, not even realizing he let out a loud gasp.

The rest of his family rushed over to see what was going on, almost unable to believe what they saw.

More akumas littering the air, fluttering around outside. Danny backed away, almost anticipating the moment when one of them would inevitably take over him again- pushing him to do things that he normally wouldn't, the voice coming back... but none of that happened. Jazz grabbed his shoulder, telling him without words that everything was going to be okay.

Jack faced reality: this wasn't a ghost, but whatever it was, it was dangerous. "I'll get the butterfly net!" He ran off.

"You're going to need a lot of them!" Maddie called after him.

As the numerous akumas invaded Amity Park, the news quickly shifted from celebration to panic, Nadja trying her best to keep up with it. Marinette was completely unaware of the shift, humming to herself as she washed the dishes after dinner.

"Oh my!" Her mother gasped, Marinette looking over. That gasp did not sound like one of excitement, and Marinette didn't have to ask what was going on, stopping what she was doing to watch the news from where she was standing.

Nadja grimaced as she spoke, a map of the city next to her. "Just as Amity Park is about to celebrate the appearance of our two new superheroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir, a new wave of panic is sweeping across the city as dozens of people are mysteriously transformed into monsters resembling Transparent. It's simply unbelievable."

As she spoke, the screen showed footage of that happening to various citizens; an akuma touched them before they transformed into a green monster. They didn't look exactly like Transparent, but each person was turned into a twisted version of themself resembling Transparent... all of them frozen in place the moment they transformed.

...What? Marinette's eyes bugged out slightly, questions whizzing through her head. ...Her parents were distracted watching the broadcast. She took a few steps toward the stairs before making a break for it, running up and out of sight to get some answers.

RING RING RING

Danny jolted at the sudden noise, before remembering it was his phone, taking it out of his pocket. He only looked for a moment to see that it was Tucker calling before answering it.

"Danny, are you seeing this?!" Tucker yelled frantically, out of breath. "My dad just got turned into-"

RING RING RING

Another phone call. "Hold on." Danny was so anxious that he didn't check who it was, but he already had a feeling as he answered the call.

"Danny, do you see what's happening outside!?" Sam asked, nearly yelling into the phone.

"Yes, I do!" Danny exclaimed. So... many... akumas... How? Wasn't there just one...? Danny didn't know anymore; he thought accidentally getting ghost powers was crazy enough, but this? ...He didn't know what to think. Especially since he was the victim of the akuma, and now it spread so far... was that because of his ghost powers?

Adrien couldn't believe his luck. He stared at Plagg, exasperated as the kwami ate the one thing that Adrien wished he wouldn't. Anything else, ANYTHING would be fine! But this? This?!

"Camembert cheese, fantastic." Adrien groaned. "All he eats is Camembert, which means I'm gonna smell like stinky old cheese." He had to tell himself it would be worth it to have a free way out of the house for school. It would be worth it, it would be worth it-

He was sent out of his thoughts as he noticed the shift in tone on the news broadcast.

"These victims transformed into these beings are still like statues." Nadja said, pictures of a few transformed citizens being shown beside her. "The police are perplexed to what will happen to them. Will they come back to life or be frozen in time forever?"

Adrien stood up off the couch, worried. "Plagg? What's going on? I thought we defeated him."

Marinette asked her kwami the same question the moment she made it back to her room, and the kwamis both had the same question to ask their holders.

"Did you capture the akuma?"

...She knew she was forgetting something. There had been an itch in the back of her mind that something was off, but Marinette had chalked that up to any remaining nervousness. "What's capturing the akuma got to do with the other beings?" Forgetting that part couldn't be too disastrous, right?

"An akuma can multiply and seek out others with similar emotions as the original victim." Tikki began to explain, the realization slowly dawning on Marinette of how much she screwed up. "If Danny's emotions become negative again, then the akuma will turn him back into Transparent! He'll control all the monstrous beings and bring them to life to serve as his army!"

Marinette's blood ran cold; of course she'd ruin it all at the most important moment. "So that means this is all my fault? I knew it!" What was she thinking, trying to be a superhero?! "See, Tikki? I'm not cut out to be a superhero! I'm only gonna keep messing up."

"Keep calm. It was your first time." Tikki assured, hovering in front of Marinette. Tears welled up in Marinette's eyes, the teen turning away, not wanting Tikki to see her cry. "You're going to go back and capture Transparent's akuma and do it successfully!"

"I can't!" Marinette yelled as she turned back around, not caring if her parents could hear her. "I told you, I'm clumsy! I create disaster all the time! I'll only make things worse for me, for you, for everyone." Try as she might to stop herself, she continued to spiral, any hope she had shattered in an instant, falling into a never-ending ravine with no hope of returning.

And before she could take it back, she made her decision. "Cat Noir will be better off without me. I'm quitting." Better to do this now than before she screws up something in worse in the future.

Plagg explained to Adrien what happened with the akumas, Adrien trying his best to follow along. "So I can't do anything without Ladybug?"

The kwami shook his head. "Only Ladybug can capture akumas and repair damage caused by supervillains."

Tikki explained the same thing to Marinette to try and get her to change her mind, but Marinette didn't listen, walking over to her vanity and seeing her tear-stained eyes in the mirror. "If Cat Noir can't capture the akumas, then just find another Ladybug."

She couldn't- wouldn't do this any longer. Marinette wouldn't let herself screw anything else up and make everyone's lives worse. If she wasn't good enough to tell Chloe she wouldn't change seats, then how could she possibly be a good superhero?

Tikki hovered over to say something, but Marinette kept talking, her shoulders slumped in resignation. "I told you, I'm not cut out to be Ladybug!" She reached up to her ear and took off one of the earrings, before reaching over to the other one. "I'm sorry Tikki."

"No, don't do-"

Marinette took off the other earring, Tikki abruptly stopped talking mid-sentence. Marinette opened her eyes, wondering where Tikki went. "...Tikki?" She was gone, as if she disappeared into thin air.

...She really wasn't cut out for this.

She moved on autopilot, grabbing the box she found the Miraculous in, gently placing them back in before closing the box. She pulled open a drawer on her vanity, setting the box inside before closing the drawer once more, Marinette unable to keep her tears at bay. "I'm really sorry, Tikki."

Marinette collapsed to her knees, sobbing silently. She was an absolute wreck. No idea what to do... as if anything she did wouldn't make everything worse.

Danny sat back on the couch, head in hands. How was he supposed to fight against an enemy he knew nothing about? Let alone one that could take control of him any time it wanted?

Adrien was deep in thought, frustrated that Ladybug had to do the work of capturing the akuma every single time. ...Why couldn't he do it? What if Ladybug needed his help one day, and she wasn't able to capture the akuma?

...

The akuma long since finished multiplying, heading back to its master to rest.

...

The target's emotions were powerful. So powerful... more than they anticipated. And yet, it would be those powerful emotions that would allow him to become Transparent once again, when the time was right.

Foolish Ladybug. Their plan had worked better than intended! The army slowly amassed itself, and the moment they got a whiff of Transparent's emotions running wild again... well...

The akuma fluttered back in through the open window, just as they were waiting for. It obediently went into their cane, resting inside the jewel until it was needed again, waiting for the moment to strike.

Ladybug... Cat Noir... They were so foolish. They had no idea what they were really so desperately fighting against. The copies would come alive, and those 'heroes' wouldn't remain hidden for long. Once they had the Miraculous, nobody would stop them.

Nobody would stop them from accomplishing their one, true goal.

The window closed.

...

To be Continued...