I'm using French spellings of certain names (Chat, Nathalie etc.) because of a personal preference. When it comes to the catchphrases, I'm partial to the English ones (Spots on! Claws out! etc.). While I did my best to make my fic compliant with canon, I'm still employing a generous helping of artistic license. Basically, this is an AU of sorts that is very close to canon except for where it would contradict my plot. This mostly relates to the way the magic works in this universe and the timeline of certain events. Enjoy!
One advantage to fighting in an airport, Chat Noir mused as he used his baton to vault over the seats and out of the way of the Akuma's attack, was all the enclosed space. Fighting inside the buildings usually restricted his and Ladybug's movements to a certain degree, the same as it did the Akuma. But the inside of the airport terminal provided them with space to move freely while at the same time keeping the Akuma contained and in their sight.
"Stop moving!" the Akuma - La Mallefieux - shouted as she lobbed another conjured suitcase at Chat. He backflipped out of the way, trying to give Ladybug time to get out from under the literal mountain of luggage the Akuma had buried her in with one lucky shot. Even that had only happened because Ladybug had been trying to protect a group of tourists who had stood there gawking at the fight going on.
"Has anyone ever told you that anger can cause too much emotional baggage?" Chat shouted cheekily, batting away another projectile and sending it flying back in the Akuma's direction. The following collision sent the possessed woman crashing into one of the conveyor belts. Chat turned to Ladybug who just landed lightly next to him, having shaken herself free of the trappings. "Aww, I expected a Boeing at least," he complained playfully.
Ladybug rolled her eyes and used her yo-yo to restrict the Akuma's movement before she could climb to her feet. It was a relatively easy fight, the Akuma too angry to strategize properly and only with the power to conjure various types of suitcases. While it was unpleasant to be hit by them, an avoidance was possible.
"I think the Akuma is in that tag she's holding in her left fist," Ladybug said pointedly as she tightened the string of her yo-yo and tugged at it, sending La Mallefieux back to the ground.
"On it."
Chat threw a jaunty salute with his baton and jogged to the trussed up woman. She glared up at him as he snatched the tag and broke it, the purplish butterfly fluttering away before Ladybug captured and purified it. It was pretty much routine up to the fist bump and "Pound it!". And then Ladybug smacked his arm.
"Boeing? Seriously?"
"I know and I'm sorry," Chat admitted, leaning against his baton as he scratched his chin. "Not one of my best. And since I don't want my jokes to bring disConcorde between us, I'll cool my jets for now."
It was kind of funny to see her exasperated face. He had used to have to imagine what she could look like under the mask but now he didn't have to. He knew exactly how Marinette looked when she heard one of his jokes, especially when she was trying not to laugh at them.
"What am I going to do with you?" she sighed and he shrugged.
"Keep me regardless?" he suggested timidly and he was quite pleased to see the faint blush spreading across what was visible of her cheeks.
"I suppose," she said and then they were approached by the airport authorities and it was all business for them.
It had been a little over a month since the two of them had left a DGSI office with the knowledge of who exactly they were. Chat was Adrien and Ladybug was Marinette. They were partners when wearing their masks and classmates and tentative friends out of them. They were the confident heroes of Paris and they were also a pair of insecure teenagers.
They agreed they wouldn't date each other yet. While both were made aware of the feelings they held for the other person (in a very embarrassing conversation), those ties had gotten tangled a lot and until they figured themselves out, they would keep things simple and platonic. With maybe a little flirtation thrown in now and then.
If anything went wrong in their romantic relationship, they needed there to be a strong base to which they could fall back. Things going sour and uncomfortable between Adrien and Marinette would be bad enough on its own but the repercussions it could have on their job would be far worse.
They spent the past month getting to know each other again, without any secrets in the way. Chat could honestly say that if there had ever been any hope of him moving on from Ladybug, it had been ruined by getting to know Marinette. She was just so perfect...
He shook himself back to the present when Ladybug called his name. He grinned at her sheepishly and went to join her in shaking hands with the director of the airport who was thanking them profusely. Privately, Chat thought that for how important the airport was, Roissy could do something about their security clearances. It seemed like there was a scandal relating to a luggage theft - the reason for the Akumatization of today's victim, every couple of years.
Even though they hadn't used their powers during the fight, Chat and Ladybug made their excuses as soon as they could. They had gotten a message from Eveline Laurent that they had a ride waiting for them at the main car park and with the airport being 25 km from Paris, they were more than happy to take her on the offer. A mad dash across Parisian suburbia to get to the Akuma as fast as possible was one thing. Having to make the same journey without the necessity behind it was another.
"Étienne," Ladybug called out when she recognized one of the DGSI's agents waiting by a black Audi. The man, a former soldier and two-time Savate champion, was one of their instructors who was helping them refine their fighting styles. Chat had expected him to be a man of few words but he was a surprisingly jovial guy who had no problem cracking jokes, although he was 'saving his best until you are old enough to get them'.
"Ladybug, Chat Noir," he acknowledged them and opened the door for them. "The windows are all tinted, you can transform back. There's some cheese and cookies for Plagg and Tikki, bought in a convenience store at the airport, I'm afraid. I didn't expect I would run into you today and there wasn't time to get anything better."
"That's okay," Ladybug reassured him and Chat nodded as he climbed in after her, both of them dropping their transformations as soon as the door closed.
"Yeah, we sorted this out quickly," Adrien said and then he winked at Marinette. "Then again, time sure flies when you're having fun."
Étienne laughed appreciatively as he took his place in the driver's seat.
"I'm picking someone else here but their flight got delayed. I still don't have time to drive you both home but I can drop you off somewhere close in the city."
"Gare du Nord?" Marinette suggested. "We can get home from there easily enough."
Having a backing from a government department made things a lot easier for them both. Just having an instructor to go with them over their technique had an impact on their performance. The fights got shorter and there were times, like earlier, when they didn't even have to use either of their powers.
Then there were the perks like having people come and get them when they ended up too far from home or if they were exhausted from a tougher than usual Akuma, with no need for excuses.
Not that they needed an excuse this time. As far as Marinette's parents and Nathalie were concerned, he and Marinette were taking an advantage of the early summer weather by studying for their end of the school year tests in Jardins du Trocadéro. They had more than enough time to get where they were supposed to be, with none of their guardians any wiser.
They had actually managed to study for a bit earlier, before they had received an alert on their phones of the Akuma and raced off to save the day. With the excitement of the fight over, Adrien wasn't exactly eager to go back to reviewing History and judging by Marinette's constant glances at her sketchbook, she wasn't racing to pick up the textbook either.
So after being dropped off at Gare du Nord, instead of catching one of the buses available, they decided to walk around Paris for a while. It was as close to a perfect afternoon as it could get so of course it came to an end far too soon.
The text message from Nathalie was short and straight to the point.
There's a special guest coming for dinner tonight. Come home immediately.
"Who do you think that could be?" Marinette asked when he showed her the message. Adrien shrugged, quickly tapping out an affirmative answer and sending it.
"Probably one of Dad's business partners. They sometimes come to Paris unannounced and we have them over. At least I'll get a dinner with Dad out of it."
Marinette looked as if she was about to say something but bit it off. Adrien knew she was aware his home life was a far cry from the one she knew but she wasn't prying into it. Adrien had become so used to brushing off his father's neglect that he had difficulty voicing his problems with it. For now, it was enough to know that if he wanted to complain about his father, she would listen.
"I'm going to work on my summer dress design tonight," she said at last. "So you can call me or stop by later, if you want, that is."
"That would be great, Mari."
Nathalie was waiting for him and directed him straight to the living room, not even giving him time to put his bag away in his room. Adrien was confused by that. Usually he was made to look presentable if they had company over but he wasn't about to complain. He was curious about who that special guest could be.
"Adrien?" a woman's voice greeted him as soon as he entered the room. "My god, you have gotten so big!"
It wasn't one of his father's business partners. They wouldn't be caught dead dressed in a Jagged Stone T-shirt and faded black jeans. The woman that stood up from an armchair was wearing just that. Something about her was familiar and Adrien was pretty sure he had met her before but he wasn't sure where or when.
She took him in and shook her head.
"You have no idea who I am, do you?"
"I'm sorry, M'am."
"If anyone's at fault, it's me. I should have kept in contact but after Lydia was gone, well..." she trailed off and shrugged. "It was easier to lose myself in work." She smiled a bit sadly and walked over to Adrien, looking him up and down. "You look a lot like her."
"Thank you-" Adrien paused and she filled the resulting silence.
"Valérie, Adrien. My name is Valérie."
And Adrien remembered just why she looked so familiar.
"Aunt Valérie?" he asked, a little uncertain and she laughed and nodded.
"The one and only. It's great to see you again, Adrien."
"It's great to see you, too," he replied, a bit stunned. She wasn't his real aunt, per se, but she and his mother had been best friends since childhoods and she was the closest thing to an extended family Adrien had. She had been gone from his life since shortly after his mother had disappeared and considering how close the two women had been, it wasn't difficult to understand why. After all, his father had almost done the same thing, only his absence had been emotional rather than physical.
"I'll be staying in Paris for the next few months and I'd like to get to know you again, to be the aunt I was supposed to be, to make up for my absence. That is, if you want me to." She offered him another smile and Adrien could only nod wordlessly. "Great! Now, may I hug you or would you prefer I don't? Either is fine."
"I-I'd like a hug," he managed to say and was then enveloped in surprisingly strong arms. Adrien took a deep breath to stop himself from letting his eyes tear up but his vision started swimming regardless. He remembered with a sudden clarity, how his seven years old self had declared that Aunt Val gave the best hugs in the world.
"Even better than Mommy's?"
"No. Mommy has the best hugs."
"That she does."
"I'll make it all up to you, Adrien, I promise," Valérie said quietly before finally letting go of him. "Now, I heard something about a dinner? My flight was delayed and I'm starving."
Adrien wasn't sure what to expect from that promise but he hoped that his luck would, despite all expectations, hold up. After all, the last month had been great. Surely it could last a bit longer.
A/N: Next chapter: an awkward, not-quite-family dinner at Agrestes. Plus a certain cat will get more than he expected for his curiousity.