Juleka can’t believe her eyes, can’t believe what she was seeing. But there she is, right in front of her.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng is walking merrily, humming a tune to herself as she makes her way to her new school.
Juleka follows, curiosity filling her. How can she not? After all, it’s all so mysterious, so confusing. How can she not follow the girl she used to trust, the girl she used to look up to?
How can she not follow the once beloved class president, the past princess of their class, who was hurt so badly, who was discarded so quickly, and now walks away with a pep in her step?
Juleka doesn’t understand, and so she follows. She doesn’t understand, how can Marinette be so carefree? How can Marinette move on, despite everything they did? They were wrong! They were wrong, so so wrong! They followed a liar, they let Marinette be ostracized and kicked to the back. They believed that she’d steal, that she’d cheat, that she’d push another girl down the stairs.
Yet Marinette just walks on, unaware of her second shadow. Unaware of how Juleka follows, almost transfixed.
Curiosity lingers as Juleka strays behind. Because where has Marinette disappeared to? She never said a word, and neither did her parents. She just...left, like some kind of ghost.
Juleka has always been intrigued by ghosts.
Marinette’s new school is fairly close. This fact surprises Juleka, because how could Marinette be so close and yet so far?
Without realizing it, Juleka follows Marinette onto the school grounds.
It feels familiar, somehow. The courtyard a little too similar, a little too well known. She feels herself questioning why.
Her answer comes crashing in, but not into her. No, it comes crashing into Marinette...in the form of a guitar loving boy that Juleka knows all too well.
“Ma-ma-marinette?” Luka exclaims, a smile spreading quickly on his face. “What are you doing here?”
Oh. It’s Collège des Arts, the school Luka transferred to last semester for their music program. How could Juleka have forgotten, how could she have forgotten the time she came here with him?
Has she lost touch with him, too? Her own brother, her only brother? First Marinette, now Luka, who else is she losing?
“Marinette!” Adrien’s voice rings across the courtyard, and suddenly he’s racing into view. Juleka slips into shadows, hiding behind a nearby tree. “Wait, Luka? You go here, too?!”
“I’ve been here all year. When did you two arrive?” Luka asks, voice casual as if this is normal. As if Marinette and Adrien being at his school and not hers is normal.
(Why isn’t he questioning it? Why isn’t he more confused, more surprised? Why, why-)
“We just started recently. I got here nearly two weeks ago, this is Adrien’s first week,” Marinette replies easily-
Wait, easily? Marinette can talk easily around Luka and Adrien? But didn’t she have crushes on them? Did Marinette lose that when she left them all behind?
Juleka finds herself sinking, sinking, sinking to the ground until she’s left shaking and struggling to breathe. It’s all so much, far too much. She’s lost Marinette, she’s lost Luka, she’s lost Adrien and nothing makes sense. She just wants everything to be normal, she just wants, just wants-
“Perduetrouvé,” Hawkmoth’s voice rings in her ears, and the world makes sense.
Adrien smiles at Luka, at the guitarist who he’s only seen a few times. This is good, this is great, actually! Now they can talk more often, and become better friends, and oh maybe Félix will get along with Luka and then they can all hang out and-
A flash of red catches his eye, and Adrien is suddenly being crashed into. He stumbles back, falling down. He looks up, eyes wide.
Vibrant purple eyes stare back down at him, and Adrien gulps at the pure anger they hold.
“Adrien,” she says, and he recognizes Juleka’s voice immediately. Her eyes turn, glaring at her brother. “Luka.” Another change in focus, and Juleka frowns. “Marinette.”
“Juleka?” Marinette gets out, confusion obvious. “How did you-”
“How did I know?” Juleka scowls. “How did I find you? Simple. I followed you. And now you’re no longer lost, and neither will our class be!” She stalks forward, dark red gown fanning out around her legs. “Not anymore.” And then she’s grabbing at Marinette with her free hand and pulling her away, and she’s waving her other hand and the scepter it holds, and she’s gone, gone before Adrien can reach out, before he can grab her and save her and-
Adrien looks to Luka, who’s staring with wide eyes. And then the boy darts off, running in the direction of...of his old school.
“Psst,” Plagg whispers from his pocket. “Kid, we need to transform. Your little princess is kind of kidnapped.”
That spurs Adrien into action, and suddenly he’s darting behind a tree and leaping out as Chat Noir. He jumps to the rooftops, making his way to Dupont. He calls Ladybug on his staff, she needs to know-
Chat Noir stops in his tracks, heart racing with nerves as he stares at the school before him. Except it’s no school, but rather a medieval-styled castle. From where he stands, he can see through the hole in the wall of Bustier’s room that serves as a window. All of his classmates stand, surrounding Marinette who struggles to escape them. Juleka stands beside her, looking proud as she waves her scepter around. Suddenly Marinette stops struggling, and Chat Noir feels sick.
He calls Ladybug a third time, and gets nothing.
Looks like he has to rescue his princess by himself.
Chat Noir tenses, ready to leap in and try to get Marinette away from his mind-controlled classmates. He springs forwards-
A small tug on his tail surprises him. Chat stumbles over his own feet, and turns to see Master Fu and Wayzz.
“Chat Noir,” the old man greets, and Chat feels even worse.
“Where’s Ladybug?” Chat asks quickly. “Is she hurt? She won’t answer my calls, but I need her help! Marinette has been kidnapped, I can’t let her get hurt and-”
“Ladybug is preoccupied,” Fu explains. “I sent her on a mission, so she can not get back in time to fight the Akuma. I have brought you a few Miraculi, and it is up to you to choose the right ones. You will find temporary heroes, and then you will return the Miraculi to me right after. Understood?”
Chat Noir nods, and then Fu is pulling out multiple Miraculi. A snake bracelet, a fox pendant, a bee comb and the turtle bracelet on his wrist.
Chat Noir feels a little less hopeless as he grabs the snake and the fox, and quickly races back to his new school.
Yes, everything will be fine, and Marinette will be saved.
Getting kidnapped was not how Marinette planned to spend her day, thank you very much. Seriously, couldn’t she have a normal day?
Apparently not, because here she is. Stuck in her old classroom, Marinette finds herself surrounded by her old classmates, held captive by an Akuma.
Oh, sorry, she meant Perduetrouvé. Her mistake. Speaking of which…
“Just sit in your old spot, Marinette!” Perduetrouvé says, voice light yet firm, holding no room for negotiating. “We’ll all go back to the way things used to be. Won’t we, everyone?” They all nod, eyes painted a shining red. All ‘found’, as the Akuma calls it.
Marinette plays along, knowing that she, too, will be found if she doesn’t. She sits in her seat, and looks to Perduetrouvé.
Perduetrouvé smiles sweetly. “Perfect! And to make sure everything stays this way-” She flicks her wrist, her scepter sparking. Red dust emerges, hitting Marinette as she tries to dart away.
“Clumsy Marinette, you must’ve stumbled! Here, I’ll help.” Perduetrouvé flicks her wrist again, and Alya is moving. Robotically, the journalist situates Marinette, letting the girl lean on her hands, staring straight ahead at nothing but air.
“Ah. I forgot about Adrien, didn’t I?” Perduetrouvé murmurs, then clicks her tongue. “I suppose I’ll have to grab him. He is your crush, after all.”
He isn’t, but Marinette has the common sense to stay quiet. (It’s not like she can move her mouth, anyways.)
“I’ll be back in a moment, guys!” Perduetrouvé calls out, turning back to the window. “Adrien can’t be far, so this’ll be-”
Suddenly she’s knocked back, a blur of black knocking her over. Green and orange fill Marinette’s vision, and a startled gasp shoves through her lips.
It looks like Chat Noir brought company.
Marinette follows the fight from the corner of her eyes, watching how Perduetrouvé takes on all three boys at once. Chat Noir is vicious today, practically tearing at the Akuma. The two hit blow after blow on each other. Meanwhile, the other two are stuck fighting the class, who Perduetrouvé has summoned and sent to fight for her.
And here she is. Stuck at her desk. How useful.
“Why don’t you be a good little kitty and leave us alone,” Perduetrouvé hisses out.
“Why don’t you be a good little student and leave my princess alone?” Chat hisses out, and Marinette feels her cheeks heat up.
No. No, this isn’t the time for that. Not the time to think about that nickname being said so possessively…
Marinette focuses on the other heroes, the new ones. They’re clearly the Snake and the Fox, that much is obvious. And they’re both...wow.
Marinette may be blushing a little harder, but she feels like she can’t be blamed.
Because her new team is fierce. Sure, she and Chat Noir make a pretty powerful duo, dare she say it, but she knows they’ve never been so…
Focused. Determined. Vicious, dare she say it, but it’s true. It shows in the way the Snake lashes out like a coiled serpent, striking at his enemies. It shows in the way the Fox tricks her old classmates, evading their grasp only to knock them down.
And, looking at how vicious Chat Noir is, how angry and deadset he is on taking down Perduetrouvé, it seems they’re making for a very interesting influence on him, too.
(Or maybe they’re all just determined to save her. Marinette doesn’t think about that.)
Marinette can only watch in awe as her partner and their new teammates work in sync. There’s no jokes, no puns, no faltering missteps or mistakes. Chat is silent, eyes locked on his target. The Snake is serious, keeping the mind-controlled class from reaching Chat and Perduetrouvé. And the Fox is quick, agile-
And he’s suddenly picking her up. Marinette blinks as the Fox grabs her, leaping out of the window, ignoring the shouts of anger that Perduetrouvé lets out. He darts to the roof, slipping out of sight.
“Are you alright?” He asks, silver eyes searching as he takes in her frozen form. “That was ridiculous of me to ask, my apologies. Here.” He reaches for her arms, gently setting them down so she doesn’t look so, well, ridiculous. “I’ll come back when the Akuma is taken down. Stay safe.” Then he’s leaping back into battle, once more full of fire and focus.
“Marinette?” Tikki whispers, phasing through the bag. When she’s sure the coast is clear she darts into view, frowning. “Oh, Marinette! You got hit!” Marinette doesn’t respond, and Tikki cringes. “Oh, right. Let me help!” She flies forwards and taps Marinette’s forehead, and suddenly Marinette can feel her limbs.
“Thanks, Tikki!” She stands up, stretching quickly. “Looks like Chat got in touch with Master Fu when I didn’t show up.”
“And it looks like you approve of his choices,” Tikki lets out, and Marinette blushes again.
“Of course I trust Chat! He’s my partner!” Flustered, Marinette shakes her head. “Focus! Tikki, spots on!”
Ladybug darts into the room to find Perduetrouvé tied up, her scepter being smashed by Chat Noir.
Huh. Looks like they don’t always need her. Good to know?
Ladybug casts her Miraculous Cure quickly, and the class returns to normal. They all stare at her, confusion obvious.
“Who- who are they?” Alya asks, voice shaking as she points at the Fox and the Snake.
“Envision,” the Fox says, cold eyes sweeping over the room.
“I go by Viperion,” says the Snake, and he smiles gently.
“Are you guys permanent?” Rose asks, and they all look to Ladybug for answers.
But she doesn’t have any.
“They got called on to help us out for this fight,” Chat Noir says lightly. “Speaking of, we should probably head on out. Right, boys?”
“Of course,” Envision agrees. “Should we bring Marinette back to her school before detransforming?”
“Her school?” Nino asks. “Wait, back? Where is she?” And suddenly the whole class is looking around, looking for her.
Envision opens his mouth, and that’s when Ladybug knows she needs to move.
“I saw her on the roof when I got here!” Ladybug says, already inching over to the window. “But I’m sure one of you boys are happy to take her back, right?” Faced with three nods, Ladybug smiles widely. “Thanks! I have to go, then. Bug, out!” And then she’s jumping out of the window, swinging out of view, and landing on the roof.
“Spots off,” she says quickly, and a flash of pink covers her. The moment Marinette is done, she hears a thump, then another, then a third.
Tikki knows to hide, and Marinette looks up to see all three of her saviors. And she takes a moment to really look at them.
Viperion wears a cyan and light blue suit with a snake skin design on his chest, showing off how toned he is. His eyes are a warm yet cool aqua color, and his hair a beautiful cyan shade. Now out of battle, the once vicious serpent has calmed, now smiling sweetly at her.
Envision, on the other hand, keeps up his serious demeanor as he scans the sky, but his eyes seem to soften as they land on her. His suit is a much lighter orange than Rena Rouge’s, and his chest is covered with a soft, silvery white color. The fabric tail that both Rena and Volpina sported is forgone completely, instead the fox wears a silver belt with his flute attached to it. However, the boy didn’t remove every accessory, keeping the fox ears in his hair (Marinette wonders if those are actually optional or not). His silver eyes hide behind a fully orange mask, the mask only making his eyes seem brighter. The only change in color is the black on his boots and gloves, which remind Marinette of a fox’s paws.
And then there’s Chat Noir, beaming at her like usual. She’s glad to see someone familiar.
“Princess,” Chat Noir says, stepping closer. “Are you alright?”
Marinette smiles at him, smiles at all three of her teammates. “I am, thank you.” She looks to Viperion. “Thank you for keeping my classmates out of the way.” To Envision. “Thank you for getting me out of there.”
They nod, smile, and then all three speak at once. “I can take you b-”
They all pause, eyes narrowing at one another.
It’s cute, seeing them all trying to be so kind. They must all be such sweethearts, wanting to be the hero and take her back. Chat Noir chose wonderful teammates.
(She doesn’t think that, just maybe, they just want an excuse to carry her.)
Envision clears his throat. “As I was saying, I can take you back to your school. Marinette, right?”
“She’s actually on my route, so I’m happy to take her,” Viperion says smoothly, stepping closer to Marinette.
Chat Noir stops him, though, using his baton to halt the boy’s advance. “Don’t worry, boys, I’ll take my princess back to her school. I know where she goes, so it’s all fine.” And then he’s strolling up to her, grinning like the cat who caught the canary. “Ready, princess?”
She nods. “Yeah.” And then she’s being swept off her feet, and her arms are wrapped around his neck as he leaps into the air, the other two heroes right behind him.
It’s exhilarating, and Marinette feels free. Marinette laughs into the wind, and Chat Noir laughs too, pulling her closer until she can practically feel his beating heart.
The cool air does its best to keep the heat off of her cheeks, but nature can’t always overcome her feelings...especially when Marinette is barely aware of them in the first place.
Envision watches with wistful eyes as Marinette is set down at last. She stumbles as she reaches the ground, her footing off, and Chat catches her quickly. Envision holds his tongue, holds back a growl that tries to escape his throat.
He shakes his head. He has no right to be like this. They’re just keeping Marinette safe, just doing their job to protect her.
Well, maybe Chat and Viperion are.
Finally, finally, Chat Noir releases his hold on Marinette. Marinette smiles up at him.
“Thank you, Chat Noir,” she says, and her voice is so sincere that Envision huffs. But then Marinette is looking at him, and his world is lit up once more. “And thank you, Envision, Viperion.” And then she’s turning and walking away, walking into the school.
“Alright, let’s get you guys detransformed!” Chat Noir is saying, suddenly relaxed and carefree, now that his eyes are off of his princess. Envision lets the cat themed hero lead him away behind a bush, and then he detransforms.
Félix walks back into the school, the image of him holding Marinette stuck in his head.
And if he searches out Marinette right away? Well, he was just concerned when he heard of her kidnapping, that’s all...
~~~~~
I don’t even know when I last updated this story, and that’s when I knew I should write something!
I’d like to apologize now to anyone who was hoping to be tagged, but the list is so long at this point it’s just daunting. Like, I nearly didn’t post this today because I was worried about sitting down and copying all of it. So I am no longer tagging people in fics, sorry. :(
With that said, I do hope that you enjoy this post! I did, but that may be because I’m an avid shipper at heart.
