Shadybug’s Taste of Revenge- A Menu of Miraculous Misuse
What was that old saying about revenge and a cold dish?
That sounded too much like a single serving.
After YEARS of torture, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was planning on serving Chloe Bourgeois an entire buffet!
Thanks to The Supreme’s generous gift, she was finally able to put the meal plan in motion.
That evil, selfish, racist brat would FINALLY get what’s coming to her, and Marinette would savor every moment…
After receiving her Miraculous, kwami servant, and a tablet listing rules she needed to follow,
(See this post here) Marinette had spent the days of her weekend compiling a list of everything Chloe had ever done, and how she wanted to pay her back.
She spent the nights testing her transformation and the abilities that came with it:
Standing still, she didn’t really feel any different. But as she moved, she noticed her body felt lighter, took far less effort for motion, and required little stamina.
Having a room with roof access made sneaking out easy. Still, she had to really hype herself up to make that first jump.
But it was worth it!
Parkour was as simple as a video-game; as if the suit could somehow sense what she wanted to do- leaping from roof to roof was a piece of cake, there wasn’t even any strain on her muscles. It was insane how fast she could run without feeling out of breath. Plus, for the first time in her life, instead of being a klutz who could trip over air, she was nimble and sure-footed as anyone in Les championnats de France Elite de gymnastique!
The Yo-yo had been trickier to get the hang of; she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed- The Supreme, most powerful force on earth, gives her magic earring that grant her super-human strength and agility… and a yo-yo? Based on its use, a grappling hook would’ve made more sense.
Maybe The Supreme had a weird aesthetic?
Whatever.
The Lucky Charm feature was far more interesting…
The first time she summoned it, it granted her a small, red and black polka-dotted, hand-held device with a green screen showing a grid map of Paris, and dozens of blinking dots that seemed to move around the arrondissements in a pattern.
After zooming in to look at specific streets it clicked in… This was radar. It was showing her the real-time Enforcer patrol routes!
Being caught outside of your residence after curfew was a serious violation for all citizens.
Enforcers diligently policed the city-keeping an eye out for deviants, vandals, and other would-be criminals who would dare leave their homes after dark.
In the list of rules The Supreme had sent her, it was made clear that she was NOT to be seen.
Rooftop travel would make it easy to avoid most of them, but if she wanted to scope out the layout and security features of both the school and the Grand Paris Hotel, it would be better to do so after Enforcers had already passed those areas, and leave before they came back.
The Hotel had pretty tight security, and not knowing to limits of her Lucky Charm, she decided the School was the best option to start, at least until she was more proficient with her powers.
———————
That 2nd week of school is dedicated to research and spying, and by Thursday, Marinette has a better grasp of Chloe’s schedule than her underling, Sabrina.
(C’mon, if Marinette in the Prime universe can have a pull down chart in her room with the schedule of the boy she likes- a boy who has a bodyguard and an overprotective father- then emoMarinette could easily figure out the schedules of people she hates.)
Friday morning she is up before dawn; she needs to get to school before it opens to put her plan in motion, then back home again in time to “wake-up” as Marinette to avoid raising suspicions.
(She does not have a super-villain name yet, since she believes no one will see her or talk to her, why would she need to give her transformed look a name?)
Transforming and swinging from rooftop to rooftop with her yo-yo means she can get to the school in less than 3 minutes.
Just in time; Custodian M. Haprèle has just arrived and is making his rounds to get Francois Dupont ready before the rest of the faculty arrives.
Avoiding a single man is easier than trying to sneak past several teachers and students.
She waits until he exits the door leading to the boiler room, his first task of the day- she knows that now he will go to unlock each room, turn on the lights and radiators, before he does a sweep of the main courtyard.
Being a private school, those tasks won’t take long, so she knows she must move quickly.
Even though M. Haprèle is unlikely to return to the boiler room until his routine inspection at the end of the day, she can’t risk being noticed leaving the room if he happens to be passing by.
The stairs lead to an eerie hallway that is thankfully lit, but only just so.
Her heart races when she spots the aqua glow of her prize; the school boiler.
Responsible for heating not only water, but regulating the temperature of every classroom.
It was like a big pressure-cooker, and she would use it to prepare the apéritifs of her revenge.
Pulling up her yo-yo and activating the smartphone feature (which was odd because who would she even call??) she did a quick internet image search for comparison in order to identify the expansion tank and the pressure valve.
Summoning her Lucky Charm gave her a red and black polka-dotted pipe-wrench.
Normal Marinette was weak, but with the strength her transformation gave her, she was able to turn the filling loop all the way on, and shut the pressure release valve off, and twist it impossibly tight.
She couldn’t help her self-satisfactory smirk; she’d just turned the school’s heating system into a ticking time bomb.
Step one was complete. Now to go home so Marinette could get ready for a very exciting day of school.
——————————-
It is in the middle of second class when it happens…
The classroom radiator whistles and hisses violently, releasing scalding hot steam into the room that fogs Mme. Mendeleiev’s glasses.
Shrieks can be heard from nearby classrooms, but they are soon drowned out by what could be mistaken as a crash of thunder.
Directeur Damocles activates the intercom system and orders to evacuate all students immediately!
Despite teachers insisting that everyone remain calm and to leave in an orderly fashion, there is panic; sobbing over steam burns, anxious questions over what’s happening, students shoving to get through the door first, either out of fear or excitement to get out of class, and over all the din there is a distinct banshee wail of a certain blonde threatening to have her daddy sue the school over what the burst of steam has done to her hair!
…No one notices Marinette slipping away to the locker room.
Confident she is alone, she transforms.
She knows she has to act quickly, so she starts with the easiest target; Sabrina Raincomprix’ locker.
C’est du gâteau! Sabrina is completely brainwashed into being Chloe’s slave, so naturally her locker combination is that witch’s birthdate.
(A day EVERYONE knows by heart since every year Chloe makes a big spectacle of bragging how amazing her party will be since she is so rich.
Naturally, anyone foolish enough to ask if they could be invited was laughed at and insulted for having such audacity.)
Chloe Bourgeois had never done her own homework in her life. That’s what underlings were for…
In Sabrina’s locker sat an entire weeks worth of homework for both her and Chloe, including a science report they needed to present to Mme. Mendeleiev- the most unforgiving teacher in school- and it was all due TODAY.
There was no time for Sabrina to re-do all of it for herself, let alone a separate, slightly different set for Chloe.
Not only would the teachers be upset over so much missing work, but even an airhead like Mme. Bustier would have to be a little suspicious that both girls claim to have lost all their homework.
How many times had Marinette’s grades suffered because those two stole her notes, vandalized her locker and its contents, or dropped her textbook into a toilet?
How many times did the teachers blame her for not paying attention in class, forgetting to do her work, or just being a total klutz because anytime she tried to tell them who was really at fault, it was always her word against Chloe and Sabrina’s?
How many times did everyone decide that Marinette’s word meant nothing?
There was no time to count.
Marinette had one more fish she wanted to frire for this course; Lê Chiến Kim.
Summoning her Lucky Charm this time got her a red and black polka-dotted stethoscope.
It had to be magic. That was the only way she could explain being able to use it to crack the combination on Kim’s locker even quicker than what Marinette had seen in movies.
The school swim team had a meet after school today, and Kim was prepared with all his gear in his locker, including his goggles which just so happened to have his name printed on the waterproof label on the strap.
The only thing Kim loved more than swimming was practical jokes.
Let’s see who will have the last laugh~
———————————
Directeur Damocles is NOT happy.
He’d had to call in both the Enforcers AND the Fire Department, and the school budget was going to suffer a major cut in order to pay for it.
(Remember, under The Supreme there is no socialism, so receiving any kind of service from the Fire Department or law enforcement will cost you, as mentioned here.)
The Boiler had over-pressurized and exploded.
Not only would it have to be replaced, but there was sure to be a lawsuit or two from the angry parents of students who had been unfortunate enough to be seated close to their classroom’s radiator.
Thankfully, any burns were superficial at worst, and after some quick first aid, Captain Hessenpy had assured them that a simple store bought ointment would be enough and redness would fade in a couple days.
Though that assurance would probably do little to appease the ire of some parents.
The drawbacks of being principal of a private school were undoubtedly all related to the students’ parents.
Everyone enrolled came from a family that was well off, and a good deal even had family’s with a degree of influence.
Even worse, nearly every student’s parents believed their child deserved only the very best, which is why they enrolled in Collège Françoise Dupont in the first place.
As such, an incident as large as this was unacceptable.
People would demand answers and for someone to be held responsible… Which could lead to the school being shut down!
Never mind losing his job, at this rate, Denis Damoclés would never find work in the field of education again!!
What if he was arrested for gross negligence? What if the debt for property damage and personal lawsuits was so overwhelming he had to spend the rest of his life in a penitentiary labor camp to work it off?!
No, this wasn’t his fault…
Fred Haprèle; HE was Gardien d'école!
It was HIS job to inspect the boiler before and after school.
If anyone should be held accountable for this disaster, it was him.
M. Damocles interrogates M. Haprèle without mercy; He checked the Boiler room this morning and everything was fine? HA! A likely story! As if he’d believe-
But he is interrupted by Enforcer Raincomprix;
After some investigation, a suspicious item was discovered at the scene of the explosion.
A pair of swimming goggles.
——————
What a beautiful day.
The kind of day that left you feeling nostalgic;
Marinette remembers that day last year all too clearly…
She had mustered all the courage she could wring out of her tiny body to ask Kim out.
She steeled herself for rejection.
She wouldn’t blame him- she was the biggest loser in school.
She expected him to say “hard pass”.
She hoped he would turn her down gently.
She thought he’d think it was a joke.
She never dreamed he’d say “yes”.
But he did, and she was on cloud nine!
On the bus she couldn’t help but imagine all the dates they would go on once the school year was over.
In her head, she was already designing the gift she would make for Kim’s next Birthday, and the gift she would make him for Valentine’s day, for Christmas, for his next next Birthday…
Not that she didn’t still have some jitters- there was always the chance that Kim would change his mind and she would be stood up. Or maybe he never intended to show up in the first place but had felt too awkward and put on the spot to say “no” to her face??
But all that anxiety melted away when she arrived at the pool and Kim was waiting for her with a smile.
They’d had so much fun! The most fun she’d had in a long time.
They played pool games, and Kim showed off his dives and made her laugh.
Marinette felt so comfortable with him.
He was so nice… In fact, he was the only one who’d ever been nice to her.
It seemed so perfect, she’d been so happy that she couldn’t help herself-
She let the words slip out;
“Je t'aime.”
Those words came back to bite her in the form of dozens of spiders, crawling up her arms, her shoulders, her neck, even down inside her swimsuit, and they were actually biting her!!
She screamed and flailed about, hopping like some kind of panicked chicken, swatting madly at her limbs and torso while Kim laughed hysterically, before she fell backwards into the pool.
Even as she sputtered and swallowed a mouthful of chlorinated pool water, she still instinctively clawed at her own body, still feeling dozens of tiny, itchy, little legs crawling all over her.
When she finally came up for air, Kim was still laughing, and he wasn’t alone- Chloe and Sabrina were there, snickering and recording the whole thing.
All Marinette could do was crawl out of the pool like a wounded animal and scurry away to the changing rooms to pray the earth would split open and swallow her up.
It didn’t.
Chloe posted the video online, and by the time Marinette managed to get home, it had already gone viral.
The last two weeks of school were filled with new nasty names and insults, there was even a contest where boys tried to see who could do the best impersonation of her freak-out.
Someone took the original video and made a remix, complete with clownish sound effects.
She was a walking meme.
She cried herself to sleep every night, wishing that she had drowned in that pool.
Not that anyone would care, but with enough bad press, they’d have to at least pretend like they were sorry.
Which is why Marinette wasn’t sorry at all when M. Damocles expelled Kim in front of the entire school.
The moment Enforcer Raincomprix read aloud the name on the strap of those goggles, students began to whisper.
Kim was well known for stupid dares and obnoxious pranks.
As far as everyone was concerned, the evidence was incriminating enough to justify M. Damocles decision and have Enforcers escort Kim off school grounds.
Whether it was enough to have Kim sent to maison de correction and have his family foot the bill for property damages, who could say?
It didn’t matter if it was enough to convict him or not; the accusation alone would tarnish his reputation forever.
Forget getting accepted into a University, no job would be willing to hire him, considering how many kids had important families who loved to gossip.
Kim would have to move to another city, maybe even another country!
(Marinette also couldn’t help but notice that a few of the students complaining of burns were the same who gave her particularly nasty nicknames last year, including “water-phobic retard.” That had to be the power of the Lucky Charm, right?)
It was savory and satisfying.
But Lê Chiến Kim was nothing more than a hors d'oeuvres, and Marinette was far from feeling full.
With Kim out of the way, she could now devote her time and extra care to people who really mattered.
Speaking of which….
Despite needing to get back home to run the register at the Bakery, Marinette was willing to risk her mother’s lecture in order to hang back after school to catch a lovely show-
After determining the premises was safe, students were allowed to return to classes, and the fruits of Marinette’s labor paid off.
Now, Chloe was screaming at Sabrina, actually smacking the ginger haired girl’s head with her designer purse, and accusing her of being useless, utterly useless!
Not only was Mme. Mendeleiev unwilling to extend the deadline for the science report, she was planning to call their parents to let them know their daughters have been slacking off in school.
AND IT WAS ALL SABRINA’S FAULT! How could she forget to bring their homework?! Why does she even bother to keep her around?!
(Mme. Bustier was also very disappointed, and concerned that both girls somehow forgot an entire week of homework. She is willing to extend her deadlines, but she will have to deduct points away from their grade for being tardy.)
Sabrina insists she didn’t forget! She had everything done and ready to be turned in! She had it all in her locker this morning!
Chloe isn’t interested in excuses, and says that if Sabrina is going to be this incompetent, she can easily be replaced.
This leaves the other girl sobbing, begging on her knees for another chance, swearing she’ll do better!
Yes, this was what would make it all worth it, and it was only the beginning!
These two had done far too much for their punishment to be a one-and-done.
They deserved to suffer slowly, steadily, having their misery increase little by little until they were the ones crying till their eyes were swollen shut, wishing they were dead.
The very thought made Marinette’s mouth water.