When the final bell rang, the hallways instantly flooded with kids rushing to get out of the building. Finn walked out into the warm afternoon air alongside Adrien and Nino, but the mood was a bit different today. Nino was doing most of the talking, excitedly going on about how awesome the new wolf hero was, while Adrien kept his eyes on the sidewalk, looking uncharacteristically quiet. Adrien sighed, mentioning how crazy it was that Cat Noir got taken out so fast by the villain's freeze zone, feeling bad that the guy couldn't do much to help Ladybug. Nino immediately shoved his shoulder playfully, telling him that even superheroes have off days and that Cat Noir would definitely bounce back next time. Finn offered a supportive nod, letting Adrien know he shouldn't be so hard on the heroes, and they all walked down the main sidewalk together. Once they reached the corner where they usually split up, Finn waved goodbye and turned down his usual route toward home Adrien took his car to Go home.
The walk home was mostly quiet, but Finn's instincts started kicking in as soon as he turned onto a less crowded side street. He didn't hear anything specific, but a strange sensation made the hairs on his arms stand up, signaling that someone might be watching him from the shadows. Instead of stopping or looking back to give away his awareness, he kept his steady pace, checking the reflections in the storefront windows as he passed them.
A sharp scuffle of boots against gravel echoed from an alleyway behind him. Finn's ears twitched. He didn't turn around, but he slowed his stride just enough to catch the rhythm of the footsteps following him. There were two of them, moving with a practiced coordination that didn't sound like normal street thugs.
Suddenly, a figure lunged out from the dark gap between two brick buildings, swinging a heavy metal pipe directly toward Finn's head.
Utilizing his sharp reflexes, Finn ducked beneath the arc of the pipe, the cold air rushing over his hair as the weapon smashed into the brick wall with a loud clang. The second attacker stepped up, throwing a fast, heavy left hook aimed right at Finn's jaw. Finn caught the fist squarely in his palm, absorbing the impact with solid balance, and used the attacker's own momentum to twist his arm down, forcing the man to drop to his knees on the concrete.
The first attacker recovered quickly, pulling a pocket knife from his jacket and slashing horizontally to force Finn to step back. Finn let go of the second man, leaping backward to create space. The knife-wielding attacker lunged again, thrusting the blade forward in a straight line. Finn stepped inside the guard, slapping the attacker's wrist hard to redirect the knife away from his chest, and drove a solid, precise palm strike into the man's sternum. The impact knocked the wind right out of him, sending him stumbling back against a dumpster.
The second attacker scrambled back to his feet, nursing his twisted wrist, and exchanged a nervous look with his partner. Realizing they had completely lost the element of surprise against someone far more capable than they expected, the two men turned around and sprinted down the opposite end of the alley, their boots fading into the distance.
Finn stood perfectly still for a moment, his breathing completely steady as he brushed a bit of dust off his jacket. He didn't pursue them; keeping his identity secure was far more important than chasing down a couple of random street scouts.
A block away from his house, the lingering tension completely vanished, leaving the street entirely normal again. Finn walked up his front steps, unlocked the door, and slipped inside the cool living room, dropping his bag onto the floor with a heavy thud. He headed straight to the kitchen to grab a cold drink, thinking about how Hawk Moth might be getting more desperate with his targets now that White Fang was consistently shutting down his plans.
Up in his bedroom, Finn sat at his desk and looked out the window at the quiet neighborhood below. Axel floated out from his jacket pocket, looking just as alert as Finn felt, and they both knew that the quiet wouldn't last long.