Archive of Our Own ^beta

In retrospect, M. Damocles should have called the school board to do something about the camera situation instead of some ‘well-respected’ repair company. He’s made countless calls, waiting for them to come to the school and fix them so the footage could finally be accessed ever since the cameras got damaged during an Akuma attack months ago, but he’s either been put on hold for hours to days or on the day of the supposed appointment, no one would show up. Well, rest assured, he’d be reporting them. But he’s getting off track just a bit right now.

As a well-respected school with dozens of well-connected and talented students attending, they were required by law to have a CCTV system, not just because of the students’ statuses, but to keep them safe from the more troublesome ones… And he suspects one or more of them might be more than just trouble after what happened in the cafeteria moments ago.

With a sigh, the graying man walked over to the window behind his desk and gazed down at the front entrance, looking forlorn as one redheaded student covered in hives was carried into an ambulance. If he listened closely, the principal could hear the cries of one particular student with black hair... This will not end well.

~Earlier~

Denise leaned over the railing of the mezzanine, drinking their smoothie and glaring down at none other than the Austins like a hawk waiting for their moment to strike and maul their prey. Walking into school that morning, Denise felt a chill go down their spine as soon as they saw the Austins in their usual cluster, snickering at something the blonde Austin was showing them on his phone. No doubt making fun of Adrien's latest photoshoot. 'I thought rich kids looked out for one another,' Denise thought.

The curly-haired student narrowed their eyes at the four biggest jerks in school sitting on one of the benches and talking with these smug, devious looks on their faces. Then and there, Denise knew something was up. They only get those looks when they're about to do something asshole-worthy. Two weeks ago, Marinette's latest design that she had been working on for a month was now mysteriously covered in cherry soda. Someone broke into her art club locker and splashed it all over the fabric. She was mad but relieved everyone else's projects were safe... Honestly, that girl is just too wholesome in Denise's opinion.

Then this other time, Jean's musical theater scripts- which they kept in their locker to read during their free time- were found shredded. There's seventy-five euros he'll never get back. One student mentioned seeing the Austins, all four of them, going into the locker room and being in there for quite a while. But, that wouldn't hold up because, without any reliable evidence, the Austins couldn't be punished.

Denise huffed. "Do we even have cameras?"

"I ask myself that every time Chloe pulls some shit." Recognizing the low but soft voice, Denise turned to Ivan with a smile and gripped his hand tight for their 'Dillon and Dutch' handshake.

"Hey, Bruel. I'm uh... Just seeing what the Austins are up to." Ivan stands next to them behind the mezzanine. "Someone's gotta keep an eye on those little shits, right? And look- you can just tell they're up to something, I know it." Ivan nodded along, glaring at the four of them with the same amount of hate as his friend.

Ivan muttered, "Soon as they're exposed, I'm wrapping my hands around their necks." Mylene made him swear to not take action, and he supposed she made some sense. The Austins are four of the wealthiest boys in France, their parents can easily sue if any damage is done to their sons. Ivan would rather make out with Hawkmoth than have his parents' cafe tank because they had to sell it to pay back the money that the Austins' parents are suing them for... But, no one has to know he did it. "What are you thinking?"

"Probably another cherry soda stunt," Denise snarked. "The four of them down that stuff like it's their religion, and they weren't given detention for destroying Marinette's dress? A la mierda esto-" Denise cut themself off. "Hey. Hey, what are they doing?" They point to Austins T and Q getting up from the bench and walking. "That's not weird at all."

"Should we..." Ivan trailed off. Getting a nod in response, he and Denise head for the stairs, trying their best to not seem too suspicious but also hurrying so they can catch the redhead and brunette in whatever act they have in store. The duo enter the locker room, so that's where Denise and Ivan go. "Alright, what are you two up to?"

Austins T and Q look away from their lockers with Chloe-Esque smirks, but Austin Q's is more sinister-looking while Austin T's looks more forced, practiced. "Hey, muscle heads, what's up?"

Denise leaned against a locker, positioning their arm in a way to show off their toned arms, hoping this may drill some fear into their heads. "Drop the act, Quinlan. What're you up to, and don't give me that innocent little act of yours'..." Given no response, they yell, "Tomassian!" The brunette in the green sweater flinched at the sudden use of his name. "Look, you're obviously the most decent Austin, got a little redemption arc coming up, so tell me... What are you doing?"

"We're just getting our lunches early. Austin A and B's, too," he answered with a polite smile while holding up his green designer lunch bag. Ivan and Denise blinked. Sometimes it's a little hard for others to be mad at Tomassian when he's like the Karen Smith of their group, dense but sweet. He never harasses people in any sort of way, the most he's done is just steal possessions and start rumors that don't really stick. "Is that it?"

Ivan glances around the locker room for a moment before finally allowing himself to relax. "I guess. Let's go, Denise." The curly-haired teen looked unsure for a moment before following Ivan to the door, but not before leaving the Austins with these final words,

"Te estaré observando," they hissed.

Until they couldn't see them anymore, Quinlan let out a breath of relief. "Thank God." He pulls out his lunch bag before slamming his locker shut.

Tomassian sighed once they left, releasing the breath he hadn’t realize he had been holding. "I thought those two were gonna body slam us."

"Our parents would sue them in a second," Quinlan dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"Not if they knew what we were up to."

Austin Quinlan shuddered at the thought. His parents were always big on discipline and looking out for others no matter their differences, something that did not bode well with the group. Their parents always made it clear that if they were to get into any trouble, action would be taken depending on the severity. Something like this would result in them getting sent to a military school or a farm where they'll learn 'wholesomeness' and 'the feeling of a job well done.' "Now get emo Tumblr's locker open."

Tomassian walked down the row of lockers and stopped by Nathaniel's. And just like the rest, it didn't have a lock, making it easy to open.

Quinlan huffed. "It's not really fun breaking in when it's easy, huh?" Tomassian nodded along. He pushed past the textbooks, a purple hoodie, and gym clothes until he finds a dark purple lunch bag with a black strap. "Hey, here it is."

If he smiled any wider, Quinlan's mouth might split down the middle. "Oh, this is gonna be good." He opens his own lunch bag. "Honestly, it's fucking amazing, fucking amazing luck, right? Boulet gets sent to the nurse, and what do we find out?"

"That Nathaniel is allergic to tomatoes?" Tomassian answered slowly. "Right? You were there, remember?" Quinlan's expression turns blank in annoyance. "It was on Tuesday, Boulet got a cut on his arm, and he said while in the nurse's office, he overheard her calling the lunch ladies to confirm Nathaniel's allergy, then he told us, and Armbruster said-"

"Shut it, Austin!" Quinlan snapped. "Just see what's in there I can put the tomatoes in."

Without a word, Tomassian opened the lunch bag while staring at Quinlan with an arched eyebrow and a thin-lipped frown. After a moment, he pulls out a sandwich in plastic Tupperware. "How about this?" Smirking, Quinlan pulled a bag of small tomato slices out of his bag. "A few of them will cause hives some difficulty breathing, but a lot? It'll be bad," he reminded Quinlan to make sure they didn't go too far with this.

Quinlan rolled his eyes and pulls out two slices while Tomassian opens the Tupperware. "Relax. We're not killing the shrimp. Just giving him a little scare, him and Anciel." He slips both slices between the lettuce and turkey slices, making sure to tuck them in well so Nathaniel won't be able to see them. With that done, Tomassian put everything back in Nathaniel's locker exactly how he found it. "Alright, now we wait for the fireworks, bud." To make the story they told Denise and Ivan believable, he grabs Austin A and B's lunch bags out of their lockers. "Alright, let's haul ass. Study hall's almost over and I can't miss M. Arlet's class again."

The bell rang and students began packing up their belongings to head to the cafeteria or out of school to have lunch at home. As he made his way down the hall, Ivan glanced over at the Austins walking out of their homeroom class. Figures they'd be in the same class every single year.

Feeling a nudge against his arm, Ivan looked to Mylene, who was giving him a concerned look. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it's just the Austins." He smiled hearing his girlfriend let out an angry scream muffled by her jacket sleeve to her mouth. She's just so pretty when she's angry. "No using violence," he taunted, using her words against her."

"Well, I'm gonna take my own words and shove them up their... You know," she whispered, coming down from her rage high. "What'd they do this time?"

Ivan shrugged. "No idea, but Denise is suspicious. Earlier during study hall, we saw Tomassian and Quinlan go into the locker room." Once at the cafeteria entrance, he opens the door for Mylene and goes in after her. "We interrogated them a bit but got nothing... Well, it was mostly Denise doing the talking. They said they were just getting their lunches early, but I had a feeling something was just off."

"I don't buy their story for one second," the activist muttered. "Knowing them, they probably stole something like Max's laptop and are going to force him to do their homework so he can get it back-" She was suddenly spun around and came face-to-face with a frantic-looking Max.

"WHAT ABOUT MY LAPTOP?!" He screamed, startling everyone in the cafeteria and making them turn to the genius with perplexed and some amused looks.

Mylene held her hands up between them. "Max, calm down. Breathe." He takes a few breaths. "Okay, your laptop is safe. That was just a hypothetical."

"Oh, thank goodness," he sighed, panting a bit as if he had just run a marathon. "Never scare me like that, please." The three of them head over to their class' usual cluster of tables. Once he sat next to Kim, the athlete rested a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner to calm him down some more. "I'm okay."

"What was that about?" Juleka murmured before taking a bite out of her apple.

"We were talking about the Austins, I gave a scenario, and..." Mylene trailed off, thinking of what to say next. "Th-that's about it." At the mention of the worst group in school, their tables, and Mme. Mendeleiev' let out annoyed groans, all of them having more than their fair share of encounters with the Austins. Marinette's reaction though is the most terrifying. Kim and Nino have been friends with her long enough to know that a silent Marinette Dupain-Cheng is the most terrifying as there is no telling what she'll do.

"Fucking worst," Aurore groaned. "What'd they do this time?"

Denise shrugged. "Don't know. But I bet my workout gear they're up to no good." Hearing that, Simon nearly choked on his water, prompting them to pat the redhead on the back.

Kim and Alix's hands quickly shot up. "We'll take you up on that bet," Alix said eagerly, voicing Kim's thoughts.

Denise shot the two a pointed look after instructing Simon to take a few slow sips of his water. "Not on your lives. If I have to give my gear to anyone, it's gonna be Lacey." Hearing that, the blonde pumped her fist in the air. "Anyway, they said they were getting their lunches early. After that, Ivan and I just left. I didn't feel like being in the presence of their stuck-up asses, y'know?"

"Valid," Nathaniel agreed as he unpacked his lunch bag.

"I feel I lose brain cells whenever I am near them," Reshma sighed, getting a laugh out of Ismael. She rolled her eyes and snatched one of his chips while he was distracted.

"Well, speak of the devil," Nino and Simon said in unison.

The Austins ignored the many glares from their peers as they walked into the cafeteria without a care in the world. Catching Ivan and Denise out of his peripheral, Quinlan smirked and gave them both the evil eye on his way to his table. The students were all silent until Alya said,

"Oh, they're guilty of something." 

Deciding to shrug it off, for now, the students ate their lunches while talking amongst each other, discussing any plans for the weekend, how hard the homework they have is, and laughing at memes on each others' phones. This peaceful moment was interrupted when Nathaniel started having a coughing fit.

"Nath!" Marc and Alix cried.

"C-can't breathe-" He rasped out. "T-the-" Before he could say anything else, he entered another coughing fit, alarming his friends and everyone else in the cafeteria when he fell onto the floor. Students began to crowd around the redhead while teachers called for the nurse and Marc and Alix tried to figure out what was wrong.

Juleka narrowed her eyes and quickly knelt by the redhead's side to pull down the collar of his jacket, revealing the reddened skin on his neck. "He's breaking out!" She yelled.

Hearing this, Alix grabbed the sandwich he was eating and tore it apart until she found the cause for her friend's condition. "He's having an allergic reaction! Someone put fucking tomatoes in his sandwich! Who fucking did this?!" She screamed, eyes brimming with tears as memories from ten years ago began to flood her brain of Nathaniel writhing on the floor in pain while scratching at his neck, crying that he couldn't breathe.

"Alix- Alix, you need to move-" Mme. Bustier tried, but Alix was determined to not leave her friends' side. "The doctors are on their way, they need to get him on a gurney but they need space-"

"Just help him," she cried, throwing herself into her teacher's arms while Mme. Mendeleiev gently lifted Marc up off the floor, albeit she was reluctant to pull him away from his boyfriend during his time of need right now. She held onto her student tighter as he began to go limp in her arms, crying over his boyfriend's still form.

"It'll be okay," she whispered, rubbing circles on his back to calm him down. "He'll be okay."

"Mommy, my throat hurts," Nathaniel murmured hoarsely to Aya as she followed the paramedics wheeling him on a gurney to the ambulance.

Aya bolted out of the diner when she got a call from school that her son was having an allergic reaction, ignoring the concerned shouting of her employees and assigning one of them as temporary manager at random and throwing them the keys to lock up without even thinking. She ran all the way to the school on foot, thankful that her weekly jogging and motherly instincts combined with the rage of a mother bear seeing her cubs in danger got her there at the same time as the paramedics. She pushed through the crowd of students blocking the entrance and her heart broke at the sight of her son looking so frail with an oxygen mask strapped to his face and red marks all over his neck.

Aya held his hand and whispered sweet nothings to her son as she tried to push back the horrible memories of her son’s past allergic reactions. Hard to do that now, though. "It's okay, sweetie, mommy's here." She asks one of the paramedics, "I-I can ride with him right? I ran here, I-"

"You can ride in the ambulance, it's fine, ma'am," they reassured her, relieving the redheaded woman as she pressed her son's hand to her cheek. Hearing some choked sobs coming from the crowd of students, she turns to see Marc and Alix at the very front tearfully watching their boyfriend and friend get put into the ambulance. Telling the paramedics she'll be back in a second, she quickly scurries over to the two. "I will call your parents to let you know when you two can see him, alright? I-it's better when you don't see him while he's like this-"

"Hey," Alix interrupted, suddenly pulling her in for a hug. "Go be with him, please. W-we can wait." Aya looks to see Marc nodding. "N-now get to the hospital."

The mother sucked in a breath. "Alright, I'll see you two later." Before leaving in the ambulance, she pulls Marc in for a quick hug. As soon as the doors closed, the ambulance took off to the hospital, the students watching with dismal expressions.

After a long moment of silence, Mme. Bustier addresses the students, "Everyone, let's," she sighed. "Let's head back inside, alright?" With some reluctance, the students shuffled back into the school, none of them saying a word to each other, and if they did, it was whispered.

Seeing Marc about to burst into tears again, Marinette rushed to console him. She was tempted to pull him in for a hug, but knew her cousin well and decided against the idea. "Marc, I can call maman, have her take you home."

"... I... I just want to be alone right now." Without another word, he ran into the locker room while everyone else remained in the courtyard or went into a classroom, all of them suddenly losing their appetites and not wanting to go back to the cafeteria to finish their lunch. Sighing, Marinette joined Alya and Nino on one of the benches.

"How's he doing, Nettie?"

"What do you think?" She faintly smiled as Nino patted her shoulder. "Marc's a wreck right now, I can tell. H-he saw his boyfriend have an allergic reaction and pass out on the floor. That's not something you can get over in a minute, guys." Alya pulls her in for a side hug.

"That's just fucked up." Seeing the confused looks, Alya explained, "It's obvious Nath's mother didn't put tomatoes in his sandwich, because from what I can tell, that woman is a saint. She knows better than to add something to trigger her own son's allergies and I bet you she double-checks all of his meals to make sure no tomatoes are in it."

Nino and Marinette blinked, turning to each other with twin expressions of horror before looking back at Alya. "Alys, babe," Nino weakly chuckled. "You don't really think someone did this on purpose. Th-that's insane, right? Nettie, back me up... Nettie?" The Eurasian girl has a contemplating look on her face. "No. No, Nettie- Who the hell would even do that, huh? Long ago, I would've said Chloe, but that's not up her alley. She steals, blackmails, starts rumors, but she would not do this kind of thing, so tell me. Who in this school would do this to Nathaniel and why?"

Marinette narrowed her eyes and pointed. "I have some ideas. Four, actually." The couple looked to where she was pointing and glared at the Austins hanging by the stairs, all four of them looking quite smug for people who saw a fellow student get wheeled into an ambulance. "Who else, Nino? Between our class and Mme. Mendeleiev, they tormented all but one of us, Nathaniel. My dress, they dipped your headphones in the water, deleted your latest post for the Ladyblog, tore up Kim's new sneakers, poisoned Mylene's Bonzai-"

"Okay, okay," Alya groaned. "No need to remind me of that very dark day, Mari. And I see where you're getting at, but what can we do? The Austins always get away with shit, there are no working cameras, they do everything behind the teachers' backs, they always go on about how their parents can sue and-" She cuts herself off with a scream through her clenched teeth. "I hate them so much! They went way too far this time!"

"Babe, with any luck, the police will do an investigation," Nino assured. "This is a serious crime, the other stuff was just petty shit. But what happened to Nath? They could be arrested."

"Not unless their rich mom and dads have anything to say about it," Marinette snarled. "Honestly, they're like an all-male group of Chloes. Only more sadistic."

No one dared to go in the locker room while Marc was in there, knowing he needed his space right now. It was only common courtesy; many of them understood when alone time was needed, and the way Marc rushed into the locker room, they took the hint and stayed out until he felt ready.

Marc wondered over and over, ‘Who’d do this?’ Sighing, he pulled his hood over his head and contemplated whether or not he should call one of his moms to take him home. Right now, he just wanted to lie down in bed and wake up from whatever cruel nightmare he was being forced to endure right now because this is just sick. Who the hell would intentionally cause a student’s allergies to act up, and why Nathaniel specifically?

The thought is bringing more tears to Marc’s eyes right now and causing him to ball his fists, knowing that someone out there is trying to hurt, maybe even kill his boyfriend. And it could be anyone, even a student! Plenty of people had access to his lunch because of the damn lockers that don’t have locks…

… Whoever did this won’t get away with it. Someone needs to pay and it needs to happen now.

What rouses him from his thoughts is a familiar flapping sound. Marc whips his head to the right and sees an Akuma fluttering towards him. “No. No, no, not now! No!” He runs for the door, but steps on an untied lace and trips. Seeing the Akuma still coming for him, Marc backed himself into a corner and tried to swat it away, but it merged with his fingerless glove. “No,” he whimpered as the purple butterfly mask appeared over his eyes.

”Plague Nurse, I am Hawkmoth.”

Marc slapped his hands over his ears. “Not. Now.”

“There is a plague, a plague that is infecting the innocent and has already harmed one. Who knows when they will strike again?

Now you will heal the poor vulnerable citizens, and they will forever be in your debt, helping you find the plague which you are trying to eradicate and protect them from. In return, I ask that you bring me back the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Do we have a deal?”

Marc slowly dropped his hands down at his side and stood back to his feet. “I will rid the city of this plague.” The black and purple magic bubbled over him.

”Hey, Marc,” Simon greeted as he walked in. “Mind if I grab my phone? I just wanna call my- Shit,” he cursed, seeing the familiar smoke encasing what had to be the noirette. “Oh, God.”

“Simon,” a sweet, gentle voice greeted once the magic lifted, revealing Plague Nurse. “How nice of you to volunteer. This won’t hurt one bit.”

The redhead wished he could believe him, but the size of the needle was bringing back some unwanted memories from when he was a kid. And the toxic-looking green fluid in the barrel wasn’t easing his nerves one bit. Though, it did make Plague Nurse’s outfit a whole lot more menacing.

He looked like a gothic anime nurse with the main colors being black and red. The dress went down to his knees and had a blood-red trim on the skirt and collar. The red sleeves billowed and ended in the middle of his forearms, continuing into dark gray cuffs and finally dark red gloves. Attached to the skirt are two pockets the same color has his gloves and fastened around his waist is a dark grey belt with six buttons. Resting stop his head is a black and red nurse’s hat with a red radioactive symbol in the middle instead of a Red Cross and on his feet are black boots with the exterior being red and the toes a dark red.

Plague Nurse taps the barrel, smiling as the green liquid glows brightly. ”Simon, I will only ask this once. Left or right arm?” After a beat, Simon reached for the door but jerked his hand back when he was stabbed by Plague Nurse’s syringe, injecting about half of the fluids in his system.

He screamed, “FUCK!” and doubled over in pain. Not wanting to stay around any longer, he ran out of the room to go warn everyone.

”Guys!” Everyone whipped their heads towards the student. “Marc got Akumatized, and stuck me with a needle full of this green stuff, and now my hand is burning like hell-!”

Denise cuts off his frantic rambling. “Simon! Go back. Marc got akumatized?” He nods. “Oh, shit-“ They yell to everyone in the courtyard, “We all gotta get the hell out of here!”

Hearing a thud followed by gasping, Denise turned to see Simon face-down on the floor, making them panic. They kneel by their boyfriend’s side to try and shake him awake. “Hon, come on! Get up!… Simon?” Before they can try to shake him again, his head suddenly shoots up, but instead of being met with kind aquamarine eyes, they see they’re now a glowing acidic-green and he hissed, making the curly-haired student stumble back. “S-Simon?”

”Patient Zero, actually.”

Everyone, while occasionally darting their eyes towards Simon to make sure he doesn’t try anything, looks to see Plague Nurse standing atop one of the basketball hoops. How no one saw him get up there, they’ll never know. “At least…” He taps the barrel of the syringe, and the fluids fill back up. “That’s what I call him.”

Before anyone could ask what that meant, they were all given an answer when Simon bit Denise’s arm and they screamed bloody murder before it eventually died down as their eyes turned green like Simon’s. Now with an understanding of the new Akuma’s powers, everyone ran for the doors to get away from the two, though a few such as Max, Lacey, and Nino weren’t so lucky and they ran through the streets, biting everyone in sight.

Plague Nurse leaped to the roof of the school to gaze at his work with a still expression. But contradictory to what his face might say, he’s filled with bliss. Once his patients drown out the plague that harmed Nathaniel, he will make sure that never happens again. Before he can leave, Ladybug’s yoyo wrapped around his ankle and reeled him towards her.

”Ladybug, always a pleasure.” A second before she could grab him, Plague Nurse leaped over the spotted heroine’s head and landed behind her with his needle pointed at her back.

Feeling only the smallest prick, Ladybug ran forward before he could inject her. “Where exactly has that needle been?!” She demanded, spinning her YoYo.

”Only Simon’s arm,” he replied in the same gentle voice he’s been using since he got Akumatized. “Don’t worry though. It’s clean.” He thrusts the needle at her, but Ladybug blocks it each time. “And soon Paris will be clean.” His warm smile doesn’t ease Ladybug’s nerves. “Feel free to bite on your YoYo if this hurts.” Seeing her YoYo was only protecting the upper half of her body, Plague Nurse swept her leg, tripping the heroine over. Before she could use her weapon again, the Akuma stepped on the string. “Dear, I assure you. This won’t hurt one bit.”

”No! But this will!”

Plague Nurse whipped around in time to catch Chat Noir’s staff and flipped him overhead, making him land on top of Ladybug. “One needle won’t be enough for you two.” Seeing him reaching for something in his pockets, the heroes shot back up to their feet and got their weapons ready. Though, they weren’t prepared for a red powder getting blown towards their faces. Chat Noir got in front of Ladybug and spun his staff like a fan to blow the powder away. “Well, I guess anesthesia isn’t for everyone.” He dodged Chat Noir’s attack and leaped into the air, and surprised the heroes as his skirt acted as a parachute to slow his descent. That, or his powers allowed him to float.

As he descended, Ladybug threw her YoYo around his waist and pulled him in, only to receive a boot to the face. He slashes at Chat Noir with the syringe while he deflected with his staff, metal clanging against each other. Ladybug came up behind Plague Nurse, but he ducked out of the way and Chat Noir was the one wrapped by her YoYo.

”Oh, but before I go.” Plague Nurse reached for more of the red powder in his pockets and blew it in Ladybug’s face. She coughed and try to fan it away, but fell limp to the ground, facedown and unmoving while Chat Noir was still tied up. “Now, I need to visit my favorite patient, but I’ll be back to take care of you both and the horrendous plague. Or, one of my patients might do that for me. I can use all the help I can get.”

He leaps from rooftop to rooftop, taking his sweet time since it would be a while before Ladybug and Chat Noir ever caught up with him.

”And I thought nurses were supposed to take care of people,” Chat Noir snarked, getting a muffled response from Ladybug that he was able to make out with his heightened hearing. “Milady, are you alright?” A muffled ‘yes’ is his answer. “Alright, it’ll take me a minute to get out of here, then we can go after him.”

“Hry...”

”Gimme a minute,” he countered while trying to unwrap the string from around himself. “I’ve only used your YoYo once.”

“Simmer down, Hawkmoth,” Plague Nurse simpered. “Or you might get a heart attack.”

”Do not patronize me. Why did you not take their Miraculous?!”

Plague Nurse rolled his eyes. The nerve of this man. “Ladybug is dead weight now, I have nothing to worry about. I’ll take care of Nathaniel while my patients handle Ladybug, Chat Noir, and the plague that started all of this. Any other questions?”

”… Very well. But do not fail me again.”

”Only if you do not interrupt visiting hours.”

Hôtel-Dieu was about five minutes away for Plague Nurse. When he walked into the lobby, all eyes were on him as he made his way to the front desk, startling one of the attendants. “I need Nathaniel Kurtzberg’s room number.” Behind him, a few people made their way towards the doors, unaware of the plague zombies that would greet them when they made it outside.

The curly-haired woman in blue scrubs blinked and turned to one of the doctors, having a silent conversation with her before she left. “I… I can’t disclose that information.”

Plague Nurse’s eye twitches in irritation. Before he can snap, he takes a few breaths to compose himself, muttering something along the lines of, ‘Pleasant smiles,’ over and over a few times. ”… Maybe you didn’t hear me.” He whips out the syringe and holds the needle up to the nurse’s face. “Where is he? And do not give me an empty room number or I will inject everyone on that floor… Your call, nurse…” He reads her name tag. “Warren.”

After a beat, Nurse Warren slowly turned to her computer and began typing, glancing over at Plague Nurse a few times. “… He-he’s on the third floor, r-room 320B.”

“Thank you. Was that so difficult?”

When he finally left, Warren felt she could finally breathe again and went to pick up her walkie-talkie once she was sure the Akuma was out of earshot and speaks into it. “Doctor Tucker, there is an Akuma coming up to Nathaniel Kurtzberg’s room, he’s armed. I’m sending orderlies to-“ She’s cut off by a sharp pain to her neck.

“Nice try,” Plague Nurse smiled. “Effective immediately, I’m head nurse.”

”Lydia?… Lydia!” Doctor Tucker muttered a curse under her breath and turns to her patient. They managed to stabilize Nathaniel and reduce the effects, but there’s still some swelling to his throat so they kept him hooked up to the ventilator. It saddened Doctor Tucker to have minors as patients, to load them into an ambulance so they can breathe and take pills to relieve them of their pain. She’s seen it all but nothing like this. Before Aya left, she took a report of the incident and both women came to the same conclusion- Someone intentionally harmed this boy.

It’s sickening. She has two sons and a daughter, all of them allergic to citrus fruits. If someone were to slip an orange into their food or drinks, then she will raise hell and sue the bastards for everything they have. Aya will probably do the same, and she does not blame the poor woman.

Sighing, she went to lock the door. Even though that won’t stop the Akuma, it should hinder him. Though, why anyone would be after a patient is beyond her. Maybe a concerned friend of his.

Hearing a light groan, Doctor Tucker turned to Nathaniel and caught a glimpse of his turquoise eyes. Trying her best to not seem nervous while there was an Akuma loose in the building and looking for this room, she smiled. "Hey, Nathaniel. How are you holding up?"

"Fine," he murmured. He turns his head slightly to the left. "... Where's my mom?"

"Visiting hours were up, dear," she said softly. "She'll be back first thing tomorrow." 'Not unless Ladybug and Chat Noir fix whatever's going on.' "How's your throat, feeling? Still tight?" He nodded. "Alright, well you're gonna be fine. Couple more days here and you'll be feeling fine. But, answer me a quick question, alright?" Another nod. "Do you know anyone who might have done this to you? Because this was no accident, your mother keeps tomatoes out of the house, and you did not buy any lunch. So, is anyone upset with you?"

"... I-I don't know."

She sighed. "Alright. Well, I doubt the police won't want to get involved, so we'll find out what happened-" Her breath hitches when a crash is heard outside. "..."

"What was that?"

"... I'll be right back." Doctor Tucker slowly made her way to the door to unlock it. With some hesitance, she opened it and made her way out into the hallway, already feeling like she was in some sort of horror movie. The fluorescent lights are flickering a few doors are ajar, and there’s no trace of natural lighting. She closes the door to Nathaniel's room and makes her way down to see what's there. The rooms with open doors are empty and the bed sheets and walls are covered in some sort of green slime

Thoughts raced through her head, wondering why she hadn't heard anything since the walls weren't exactly soundproof, if anyone called for help, and if the Akuma is watching her movements right now. The only thing that can make this more unsettling is-

"Ring around the rosie's..."

... There it is. Going against every shred of common sense she had, Doctor Tucker followed the singing, feelings her steps grow weaker as the voice got louder.

"A pocket full of posies. Ashes... Ashes..."

Hearing a creaking sound coming from above her, Doctor Tucker whipped her head up to the ceiling but found nothing. Out of relief, she took a few breaths to herself to steady her rapidly beating heartbeat. This is getting to become too much. She tore her fingers through her hair, messing up her neat bun but it's always been a stress reliever. Suddenly, a prick. She fell to the floor while Plague Nurse stood over her with an unnerving smile.

"We all fall down."

Not waiting around to see the effects kick in, Plague Nurse made his way towards the door he saw the doctor walk out of while he floated overhead after injecting any doctors, nurses, and janitors who were in the empty rooms. Fortunately, they didn't hear him. (Just one of the perks of having powers that make you light on your feet.) He opens the door and is blessed by the sight of his boyfriend, hooked up to a ventilator but doing better than he was earlier.

"Nathaniel," he said in the softest voice possible, tucking the needle in his belt. "Are you doing alright?" He expected some stunned silence, but it’s fine. Smiling, he approached his boyfriend's bed and combed his fingers through his hair. "... Say something, love."

"... Are you my new nurse, or something?" He asks with a coquettish grin, gazing up at the nurse-themed Akuma whose pale face has turned a bright shade of red. "Rainbow, what happened?" He takes Plague Nurse's hand that's stroking his hair and smiles at how right it felt to hold it.

"I just really needed to see you," he sighed as his feet were suddenly no longer on the floor. He floats himself over Nathaniel a bit, resting on top of him but being sure to not put his full weight on him. "I have my patients looking for the ones who did this, and for you, I will make sure they pay." He kisses the redhead's cheek since his mouth is currently covered by the mask hooked up to the ventilator.

Nathaniel caressed Plague Nurse's cheek with his thumb, hoping this simple gesture might get him to reconsider. "Don’t do this because of me, Rainbow.”

Whatever Plague Nurse was about to say is cut off by Hawkmoth’s symbol appearing over his face. He groaned and got back on the floor. “Apparently, Hawkmoth wants the Miraculous now because my patients aren’t good enough for him.” Hissing an insult towards the villain under his breath, he kisses Nathaniel’s hand. “I’ll be back again to take care of you.” Turning on his heel, he left. “Oh, and if you see any of my other patients roaming around, don’t worry. They know better than to harm you in any way.”

That was the last thing Nathaniel heard before the door shut.

Austin Armbruster flicked a rusty soda can away from him before rubbing the tip of his finger on his pants. “This is beyond disgusting; who the hell picked this alley for hiding?”

”Austin Q,” Boulet accused, getting a middle finger from the redhead in response. “Oh, real mature. You pushed us into the alley and had us hide behind all this trash!”

”Keep your voices down,” Tomassian hissed. “Do you want to get found?” Quinlan smiled in appreciation.

”Thank you, Austin.” Once again, he shoves his middle finger in Boulet’s face, but this time, gets a punch to his arm in retaliation, leading to a small fight between the two that Armbruster and Tomassian have to break up by pulling the two off of each other so they don’t make too much noise.

Armbruster shushed them. “Cut it out. I don’t know about you two, but I’d rather not get turned into one of those freaks because Anciel can’t take a damn joke. So just shut your traps and wait for Ladybug to play repairwoman and fix this cluster-fuck. Got it?” Without waiting for a response, he whips out his phone to drown out his thoughts with some mindless videos of idiots thinking they can skateboard but can’t do that while someone is humming a creepy nursery rhyme. “I said cut it out,” he hissed.

Tomassian quirked an eyebrow. “I’m not doing that.” He turns to Boulet and Quinlan, but they look just as confused as him. “S-so who…”

”La-la la-la laaa… laaa… La-la la-la laaa… laaa.”

Armbruster motioned for his friends to stay low while he poked his head out from behind a trash can to see who was humming. He immediately hid when he saw the familiar black dress. “Shit,” he whispered. “It’s him. He’s coming this way.”

All three of them silently screamed, pulled at their hair, anything to relieve the stress they were feeling right now. Tomassian asked, “What are we going to do?”

”Look, there’s for of us, he’s just got that needle,” Boulet reminded him. “Maybe we can take him. A-and are any of the people who got pricked with him?” Armbruster shook his head. “Alright, then we take him on. Surprise attack his ass.”

”I’m down,” Quinlan smirked as Tomassian tied his sweater around his waist.

Armbruster gave a firm nod. “Same. So on three. One… Two… THREE!” He and the other Austins darted out from behind the trash cans and charge after… Thin air… “What the fuck?… Where’d he go?”

”Ring around the rosies’s…”

Quinlan shook his head. ”Oh, hell no.”

”Pockets full of posies.”

Tomassian’s eyes darted around the alley to look for the Akuma, getting ready to fight him off… To the best of his abilities.

”Ashes, ashes…”

All four of them jumped back in fright when Plague Nurse jumped down from above with an almost maniacal smile. “We all fall down…” With a tap of the syringe barrel, the fluids filled back up to the top. “I was wondering where you four were hiding.” Not really, he just wants to give them a little scare. And who knows? Maybe even get a confession out of them if possible. He stalks towards the quartet with his needle raised up. “Now, who’s first?… How about Austin Quinlan?” The young man in question felt his breath hitch.

”Yeah… Yeah, sure… YOU BASTARD!” He throws a punch at the Akuma but his fist froze just a few inches away from his face when the needle was stuck into his skin. Quinlan snatched his fist back the second after Plague Nurse injected him. “Shit, shit!” He grips his hand in pain while Purge Nurse just watched him with a thin-lipped smile.

”You should have passed out by now…” He blinks. “Armbruster, Boulet… Tomassian… Is there anything you’d like to tell me?” He refills the syringe again and points it at Austin Tomassian, getting him to flinch. “The only ones who cannot be infected with my plague are those who are far more infected by something far worse. The ones who are the plague.” Plague Nurse’s eye starts to twitch again as he bores holes into Tomassian’s face. “You did it… All of you are a plague… Well, I can’t just let this go, now can I?” He said, voice becoming an octave or two higher, prompting the four boys to back away as their bravery from a minute ago diminished. “What sort of nurse would I be if I let you go around harming others?”

Armbruster’s voice wavered, “Y-yeah? Well, wh-what the fuck are you gonna do about it?”

”… Just ask my darling patients. You can do so right now.”

At those ominous words, the Austins turned around to see about thirty students from their school and a few civilians standing behind them, staring with blank looks and practically blinding them with those glowing green eyes. Before they could try to run, Denise, Kim, Ivan, and Lacey grabbed their arms to restrain them.

”Do you know what people did when the bubonic plague ravaged Europe, killing 1/3 of the good people, seventy percent who had the disease?” If Boulet’s skin could, it would go pale. He loved history class and paid attention to all of the lessons. The lesson they had on the Black Plague is what really caught his attention. Plague Nurse seemed to have caught on. “Austin Boulet. Please, share this information with your friends… What happened to those who had the plague?”

“… Th-they were burned.”

Plague Nurse tapped the side of the creole boy’s head with his needle and reached a hand into one of his pockets. “Correct,” he beamed. “Now you four just relax, and everything after will feel like pure bliss.” At that, he blew the black powder in their faces, instantly knocking all four of them out. “Take them to the Cathedral. Something symbolic and yet classy at the same time.”

”Can you go any faster?”

“Hey, it’s not exactly easy,” Chat Noir retorted. “I can’t have you falling off.” As he stopped on top of a roof, Chat Noir readjusted Ladybug around his shoulders for the twentieth time, making her look like a red and black-spotted Fox scarf with pigtails. “Wish this were easier,” he muttered.

Ladybug pondered for a moment before coming up with an idea on the spot. “Tie me around you.” Off his silence, she explained. “Use my YoYo and tie me to your back.”

”Aah, a bug-pack,” he joked, taking Ladybug’s YoYo from around her waist before beginning the difficult, frustrating process of tying his partner to his back. Once she was secure, he took off again to look for any signs of the Akuma. “Anything on your end?”

”Nothing but more of his patients,” she huffed dismally. “Can’t believe we managed to escape them.”

Chat Noir frowned. “Hey, I know that tone of voice, milady, and cut it out,” he said sternly. “You were just caught off guard, and did that slow us down a bit while we were chasing Plague Nurse? Yes, but it happens to even the best of us.” Hearing her scoff, he smirked. “And yes, I do consider myself the best… But you’re better.”

“Just keep looking, Kitty,” she said, trying to sound serious, but couldn’t help the little smile her lips were curling up into. “He could be anywhere, finding the… Plague. You heard him at the school, and he won’t stop until he finds them and does God-knows-what to them.”

”Like burn them?”

Ladybug grimaced. “Chat, that’s a little dark, come on.”

”No, I mean actually burn them! There is a huge bonfire about to happen at the Cathedral! Hold on.” Mid-vault, he lengthened his staff until it hit the ground and turned himself around so Ladybug can see. “Right in front of the place.”

She narrowed her eyes at the church before they quickly shot open at the sight of the four teenage boys tied to a huge pyre, all of them looking as if they had just woken up from a deep sleep. Surrounding them had to be nearly half of Paris, and standing out from the crowd was Plague Nurse. Before she could say the words, Chat Noir was already vaulting towards the gathering.

“Remember, children, when the wood starts to burn, do not go near it, okay?” Plague Nurse taps the nose of one of his younger patients, eliciting a giggle. “The flames are only for the plague-bringers, not little patients,” he sang, giving a side-eyed smirk to the Austins as he ushered for the kids to head back to their parents.

It was honestly a nice gathering. The patients could finally rest knowing that the job would soon be done and their kind Nurse could take care of them all and keep them safe from the other plagues all around them. Everyone seemed to be high on bliss…

All except for the Austins, who glared murderously at the Akuma.

The second they woke up after that powder was blown in their faces, they were tied up back-to-back-to-back-to-back to a wooden pole and standing on a large mound of sticks that were now wet from the gasoline being poured on them. And to add insult to injury, the two shorties who poured the gasoline, one with a white beanie and the other wearing a blue cardigan poured them on their designer shoes. There’s no way any of them would allow this psycho to go through with it, the Austins thought. Not even Hawkmoth was this sick…

WHERE THE HELL ARE LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR?!

”You’re stressed,” Plague Nurse said as he circled around the Austins like a hungry shark. His teeth even looked sharp like one. “Understandable.”

“Okay, you had your fun,” Armbruster sneered at the smug Akuma. “Now untie us!”

He gave a shrug of his shoulders. “Why should I? I’m having so much fun. Can you not tell?” With the serene expression he always wore, it was hard to tell what he was feeling. The only tell-tale sign of any emotion was when his eye twitched. “Now, before we get down to business, I apologize if the pyre might be historically inaccurate. I heard people carrying the plague were piled up, but with just the four of you, it just wouldn’t be as impressive.”

”That’s what you’re apologizing for?!” Tomassian screamed. “You’re about to burn us to death!”

“Yes, and the medical professionals of the past are looking down on me, possibly judging me for tying you up like animals.” 

Armbruster felt himself about to puke at that ‘Holier than thou’ tone of voice.

“Now just take the time to reflect on your last few minutes and think about how all of this could have been avoided.” Quinlan scoffed, he whips his head towards the redhead and stalks towards him. “… You still have some nerve.” He whispers, “We’ll see if it burns nicely.” The almost sadistic look in his eyes disappeared as quickly as it appeared when he turns back to the crowd. “Now, I ask for all those with breathing problems to stay far away from the bonfire, because once it is lit, smoke will go everywhere.”

Boulet opened his mouth, but no words came out. He and the other Austins had no idea what they could say to get out of this. They were vastly outnumbered, Anciel had the upper hand… They were, for once in their prosperous lives, officially screwed and had no way out. Quinlan was even sure he saw his own parents in the crowd.

“And speaking of smoke,” Plague Nurse piped up, addressing the Austins one last time as he took a makeshift torch from one of his patients. “You should know that the smoke inhalation will kill you long before the flames, so it won’t be too painful,” he said as Lacey put a lit match to the torch, igniting it.

It was at that moment, the Austins completely froze in place as the crowd cheered for Plague Nurse to light the pyre. They didn’t know what to do and could only stand on their toes to give them just a few more seconds before the oncoming fire engulfed their bodies, leaving them as nothing but charred remains. Plague Nurse approached with a delighted grin and lowered the flaming torch to the mound. Seeing this must’ve snapped Armbruster out of whatever trance he was in because now he was begging for his life,

”Please! We’ll do anything!”

”Oh, Armbruster, don’t you understand?… There’s no cure for what you all have.”

Tomassian choked back a sob while Boulet and Quinlan held hands. Armbruster just stared at Plague Nurse, fearful Jade-green eyes meeting malevolent emerald-green eyes.

“Goodbye, Austins.” And for a brief second, he finally let his smile falter into a hate-filled scowl before tossing the torch into the pile of wood. The crowd went into an excited frenzy as the wood burned quickly, Ismael and Cosette giving themselves pats on the back for their part in helping the flames spread. The flames were slow, but it was still nice to watch…

But then the pole that the Austins were tied to turned black and disintegrated, loosening the ropes just a bit and allowing them to move away from the mound of burning wood

“CHAT NOIR!” Plague Nurse snarled as the hero dropped down from the same height as the length of the pole. It was honestly embarrassing he didn’t even notice him, especially with Ladybug strapped to his back. “YOU RUIN EVERYTHING!”

”Hey, I told him the plan!” Ladybug exclaimed. “How about a little blame on my end?”

The patients were about to attack but stopped as Plague Nurse held a hand up. “No. They’re mine. You all keep the plagues from escaping.” He takes the base of the needle and pulls on it until it is about an arm’s length, turning the syringe into a makeshift sword. “Time to put you down, kitty.”

And at that, Chat Noir ran like never before.

“Chat!” Ladybug shouted in worry for her heavily panting partner. “Are you alright?”

”Milady, I hate needles! And that thing Plague Nurse has? That is by far the worst needle I’ve ever seen!”

Ladybug sighed, though, she couldn’t complain. When she was five, she ran out of the doctor’s office and tried to get a ride from a passing cyclist just so she wouldn’t have to get her shot. “Chat, hand me my YoYo.” And she fell to the ground, earning her partner a glare. “I meant after- Forget it. Just put it in my hand. I’m gonna see if my Lucky Charm works.” After feeling her YoYo in her hand, Ladybug shouted, “Lucky Charm!” 

And in a swirl of magic, the object that landed on top of her and knocked the wind out of her just a bit was…

”A bulletproof vest?”

”Maybe when we’re fighting a Cowboy-themed villain, that'll be useful,” Chat Noir snickered. Seeing her eyes darting around, he lifted his partner up and moved her around until she told him to stop, an idea forming in her head.

”Alright, put the vest on me, then head to the hospital where Nathaniel is,” she instructed. "I'll tell you the plan on the way there."

"I know you two are somewhere in here..." Plague Nurse paused on scratching the walls of the hospital with his needle to listen out for the heroes then continued, speaking in the same deranged voice, "If you hand over your Miraculous now, I'll make things nice and quick for you both."

"... Is all of this necessary?" Hawkmoth flinches as Plague Nurse punches a hole through a hospital room door. "Just take the Miraculous and bring them to me, that's all I ask."

Granted, he should have revoked the Akuma when those four boys were about to be burned, but risking a powerful Akuma that's incapacitated Ladybug and Chat Noir just to save the four lives that helped start this whole mess? Yeah, Hawkmoth will add that to his to-do list. Though, maybe he should take into account the lengths a potential Akuma is willing to go to in order to take out their desired target, and possibly the mental state pre-akumatization. This boy is just a ticking time bomb right now.

"Sure... Sure, I'll do that..." He shortens the needle back to its default length and smiles, which, to his patients, looks unsettling. "But first, I'd like to visit someone." He smoothed out the wrinkles in his dress as his strained smile melted away to one more blissful. “I mean, I’m already on his floor, so-“

”The Miraculous-“

”Can wait,” he hissed. “Now I don’t want any more interruptions this time, Hawkmoth. Understood?” Silence. “… That’s what I thought." He continues down the hall until he stops by Nathaniel's door and walks in. “Love, I’m back. And my patients found the ones who hurt you. Surprise, surprise, it was the Austins,” he chuckled dryly. “I was going to burn them, but Chat Noir had to get in the way and destroy the damn pyre-“ Taking a sharp inhale, he murmured to himself a few times, ‘Pleasant smiles, pleasant smiles, pleasant smiles…’

“… Nathaniel?” He makes his way over to the bed, with the covers suspiciously pulled over a body. “Why do you have the covers like that, love?” He pulls the covers back, only to find Ladybug there instead, with a smug look. “YOU!”

”Do you mind? This is a hospital.”

Plague Nurse taps the barrel of the syringe so hard that this time, a crack forms. “WHERE. IS. NATHANIEL?!”

Ladybug smirked. ”Wouldn’t you like to know?” Seeing she was getting a rise out of him, she continued. “I mean, I thought he could use a better nurse. You didn't even notice the ventilator was gone-”

”I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT!” At that, he jammed the needle into where her abdomen would be, only… The needle didn’t go through. “The hell?”

”NOW, CHAT!”

Before he could react, the leather-clad hero dropped down from the ceiling after retracting his claws and landed right on top of him. While Plague Nurse flailed around and tried to stab the hero, Chat Noir finally managed to restrain his wrists and snatched the syringe before throwing it against a wall, freeing the Akuma.

Using every bit of strength she had in her arm, Ladybug threw her YoYo at the Akuma, catching the evil insect, and from her weapon emerged a purified white butterfly that flew out the open window. She took a deep breath since she’s never done this while wearing the Lucky Charm and yelled, “MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!” Much to her relief, when the vest burst into the magic Ladybugs, it didn’t hurt. They flew around the city, freed the patients, put people back where they originally were before being bitten or injected, gave Ladybug the use of her limbs back, and finally the dark magic of the Akuma lifted off of Plague Nurse and left Marc in his place.

He blushed, seeing Chat Noir on top of him and restraining his wrists. “Um… I have a boyfriend.”

Remembering the position he’s still in, Chat Noir quickly got off of Marc and apologized profusely.

"Sorry for the surprise attack," Ladybug said to Marc while stretching out her limbs. Seeing the worried look on the noirette's face as he glanced at the hospital bed, she added, "Don't worry about Nathaniel." She tilts her head across the room. "Check the closet." Marc crossed over to the closet. Opening it, he found Nathaniel in a wheelchair, still hooked up to his ventilator.

Tears spilled from the noirette’s eyes, prompting Nathaniel to pull his boyfriend in for a hug. “I’m… I’m so sorry,” he sobbed.

”It’s okay, Rainbow,” Nathaniel whispered. “It’s okay.”

"So, it looked like you had it out for the four boys back at the Cathedral," Ladybug mused, trying very hard to leave the knowing tone out of her voice. "What'd you have against them, if you don't mind me asking?"

Nathaniel arched an eyebrow. "The Austins?" Reluctantly, Marc nodded. "… Rainbow, what'd they do?"

"I-I may have overreacted a bit, b-but I think the Austins might have triggered your allergies, Nath," he said unsurely. "Denise and Ivan did say they saw Tomassian and Quinlan in the locker room during study hall-"

“Austins Armbruster, Boulet, Quinlan, and Tomassian?” Chat Noir questioned with his hands on his hips. “I’ve overheard students from your school ranting about them a couple of times. They’ve got quite a record, but how come they haven’t been punished yet? Thievery, vandalism, harassment, all on school grounds? That’s enough to get expelled, right?”

”No evidence,” Nathaniel muttered. “They can’t see the camera footage and no repair companies came to fix them.”

Ladybug furrowed her brow. “… Doesn’t a boy who built a robot go to your school?”

”And… Done!” Max said proudly once he hit the final key on his laptop. “The system is up and running once again! You’ll be able to see the footage dating back months ago when the security cameras were damaged.”

Damocles beamed and gave his student a pat on the back. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before. Now we can clear up every misunderstanding that might be happening here, expel those who might have gotten away with crimes-”

”Starting with the little demons who hurt my baby!” Aya exclaimed impatiently, Alyssa and Penny holding her shoulders for support. “Please, I want to press charges as soon as possible.”

”Already on it, Mme. Kurtzberg,” Max said while accessing the black and white locker room footage. “Denise and Ivan said they saw Quinlan and Tomassian in here so… That’s where we start.” He fasts forward a bit, skipping through the conversation between the four students and stops on Tomassian walking towards Nathaniel’s locker.

Aya scowled as she watched Quinlan pull a bag of tomato slices out of his lunch bag with a sickening smirk. “Those little bastards,” she seethed, doing her best to hold back her anger and not tear up Damocles’ office in a blind rage as she watched them tamper her son’s lunch. Aya didn’t care how rich those kids are, how influential their parents are, she will take them down. Their lawyers won’t intimidate her, threaten her into staying silent, and those parents who no doubt had a hand in those boys’ behavior certainly won’t be bribing her… Not when she can sue them for every penny they’ve got and use it to send her baby off to one of the best art schools in Europe, retire early, pay for a beautiful future wedding for Nathaniel and Marc…

”Aya.”

The redheaded woman was snapped out of her little revenge fantasy by Penny’s soothing voice. “We’ve got them,” she grinned. “Those boys won’t know what hit ‘em.”

”Call them in, Damocles,” Alyssa ordered, and the man wasted no time making a quick announcement on the P.A. system for every student and teacher to hear. “Austin Armbruster, Austin Boulet, Austin Quinlan, and Austin Tomassian, report to my office immediately.”

”They’re gone!” Cosette and Ismael cheered while running around the courtyard with huge grins to match everyone else’s. The curly haired student threw confetti everywhere while the other blew a cheap plastic horn from the party store.

“Serves those little shits right!” Nino yelled as he threw another dart at Austin Armbruster’s school photo, blown up and taped to a wall. “Yes! Right in the mouth!” A few students clapped. “Thank you! Thank you!”

After the Austins were found guilty of multiple counts of vandalism, harassment, theft, emotional distress, and recklessness they were sentenced to four years in a juvenile detention center until they turned eighteen, after, military school-like prison until they turn fifty. Though, Austin Tomassian seemed to have gotten off easier that his “friends.” During his testimony, it was clear that he was not as malicious as the other Austins, and he actually felt remorse for what he did. He was seen as a disturbed boy broken down by the other Austins into complying with whatever plans they had to torture their latest victim because he craved approval. Instead of the prison, he’ll remain in a mental-health facility where he will undergo sort of a deprogramming therapy until the doctors are sure he understands right from wrong again.

As for Aya, after winning her case, the Austins parents, who were actually quite pleasant people in contrast to their sons, emptied their sons’ trust funds as compensation so she now had over 8.1 million euros. Nathaniel begged her not to spend the money for art school in the future, but she was very persistent.

The week after their sentencing, the students threw a party in the courtyard to celebrate the Austins’ conviction, even the teachers joined in, glad to finally be rid of those snobby brats who have harmed their students for so long. It was made into a free day as no one could simply sit down in class, not when they were so happy.

”Four-hundred and fifty-three, four-hundred and fifty-four- You’re gonna lose, Kim!” Aurore snides at the athlete whose struggling to stay in his planking position while Denise is doing fine, and with Simon sitting on their back while reading something on his phone. “Denise on the other hand? Total rock! Four-hundred and fifty-five! Four-hundred and-“ Kim’s arms eventually gave out. “Denise wins!”

”Knew it,” Simon smirked.

Marinette giggled at the scene from afar. “Everyone has their own way of celebrating,” she said to herself while sneaking a few cookies from the snack table into her purse for Tikki to snack on while also snacking on a few for herself.

”Mari!” Alya giddily called over from the dart boards. “You need to try this! It is SO fun!”

The pigtailed girl giggled and made her way over. “Coming!”

”You’re sure you’re fine?” Marc asked for what Nathaniel counted as the thirty-second time ever since he was discharged from the hospital two days ago. There’s still some red marks on his neck but the swelling in his throat went down and he’s able to breathe on his own now.

Nathaniel cupped his face. “Rainbow, I’m okay. Better, really. The Austins are gone and none of us have to worry about them anymore.” He takes Marc’s gloved hand and kisses it. “And my mom’s already paying for our future wedding with all that money.” Marc choked on his own spit at that as his face heated up. “Yeah, I thought I should tell you. But relax, and let’s just enjoy today.”

After recovering from his shock, Marc smiled and rested his head on Nathaniel’s shoulder while watching everyone from where they sat on the steps. “You’re right, but-“ He sighs. “I just can’t believe I let them get to me like that. I-I heard people say I went a little deranged at some point an-and tried to burn the Austins.

”Hey, you had your sweet moments,” the redhead cooed. “Like when you came to take care of me.”

”That was Plague Nurse,” he countered. “Honestly, the design didn’t even go with the name; I don’t know what Hawkmoth was thinking making me look like an evil anime nurse when he had the perfect opportunity to make me look like a Plague Doctor.”

Nathaniel poked his cheek with a flirty smile. ”You still looked cute.”

Marc couldn’t help rolling his eyes. ”Only because you like seeing me in skirts.”

”… Yeah, that’s part of it.”