Have two stories at once because why the hell not?

I really love the idea of adult Adrien. He's absolutely beautiful and I'm all over adult AUs. But what if we had adult Adrien in the normal Miraculous universe?


Marinette pulled multiple loaves of freshly baked baguettes out of the oven. The delicious smell of bread filled the bakery, causing Marinette's stomach to growl. She couldn't eat these loaves though. They were for the customers. Marinette set the loaves down on the counter, careful not to burn herself on the hot crust. Needing to let them cool for a while, Marinette walked into the front of the bakery where her mother was managing the cash register.

"Did you pull out the baguettes?" Sabine asked as she took money from a customer. She pushed a few buttons on the register and handed the woman her change. Marinette nodded and said, "They're cooling. I'll go back and wrap them in a few minutes. I need a little break first though."

It was the weekend which was a busy time for the bakery. People came early in the morning to pick up breakfast, but more people came for lunch than usual. The bakery had run out of fresh baguettes earlier than expected, so Tom was forced to make more. After he finished making the dough, he had to run out to the store to pick up some more ingredients since the next shipment of ingredients wouldn't arrive for two more days. Marinette and Sabine had been left behind to run the bakery and the amount of customers they had was crazy.

Marinette grabbed herself a glass of water and took a sip, letting the cool liquid quench her thirst. She got thirsty working around the oven. It was always so hot back there. Marinette normally didn't help with baking, but she wasn't bad at it. She did make quite a mess though. There was flour all over her pants and apron which she would have to wash out later. There was even flour in her hair.

"I guess I'll need a shower too!" Marinette giggled to herself. "I even smell like a bakery though that really isn't a bad thing. I'll go clean up once Papa gets back."

"Marinette, could you take the broom and sweep the front entrance?" Sabine asked sweetly. "I noticed it was getting dirty out there and I don't want anyone tracking dirt in. I'll take care of the baguettes, sweetie." Sabine grabbed the broom from the corner and handed it it to her daughter. Marinette grabbed the broom with a sigh. Cleaning was her least favorite job.

"At least it's nice outside," she mused as she stepped into the warm sunlight. Her mother had been right about the dirt. The front steps of the bakery were covered in grime and Marinette didn't want that getting into the bakery. She'd probably have to clean that up too.

Marinette began to sweep the dust and dirt away, humming a little song to herself. She waved at the people passing by and they offered her warm smiles. The people that lived in this area were unbelievably kind. One nice, old woman even stopped to ask Marinette how school was going.

After a few minutes of sweeping, Marinette was beginning to work up a sweat. "It was dirtier out here than I thought," she sighed, leaning the broom against the bakery wall's. "Thank goodness I'm almost done. Maybe Mama will let me try some of the cupcakes as a reward though I haven't gotten the chance to decorate them yet. But look at this! I don't think I've seen the bakery ever look this clean before!" Marinette admired her handiwork proudly. Finally, she could head back inside. She was hungry and still needed to shower.

Before heading inside, Marinette heard a group of kids playing around the park. She looked behind her and saw the neighborhood children chasing each other in circles, most likely playing a game of tag. Within the circle was a teenage girl with glasses and braids. She was tugging on her braids in anguish and screaming, "Please stop! You'll hurt yourselves! Calm down! Stop running!" The girl tried to grab one of the kids, but he wriggled out of her hands. The rest of the children yelled at her, upset that she was trying to ruin their fun.

The girl fell to her knees and grabbed a fistful of grass in anger. She looked completely exhausted. When one of the little girls tugged on her pigtails, the teenage girl didn't even move. If Marinette had been closer, she would have heard the girl begin to sob, completely overwhelmed by the children. They refused to listen to anything she would say and went out of their way to do the complete opposite.

"Poor girl..." Marinette thought with a frown. "She's probably their babysitter. I would hate to look after bratty kids like that. They remind me of little Chloes." A shiver ran down Marinette's spine. That would be a nightmare. Even though the neighborhood children had a sweet side, they loved to misbehave.

"Maybe I'll go over and bring them some treats from the bakery. That would calm them down and give that girl a break. I would've gone crazy by now if I was in her shoes."

Marinette opened the door to the bakery when she heard one of the children cry out, "Look! It's a pretty butterfly!" Marinette's body whipped around just in time to see a black butterfly floating around the head of the young girl. It landed on the girl's thin-rimmed glasses and a purple mist enveloped her. Marinette could hardly get out a word before the damage was done.

"Mama, I'll be right back!" Marinette shouted into the bakery, making sure to shut the door afterwards. She sprinted away into the safety of a nearby alley. She could hear the sudden screams of the children from the park. The girl had already been akumatized, but if Marinette was fast enough, she might be able to stop the monster before she caused any damage. She needed to go save those children, brats or not.

"Tikki, wake up!" Marinette cried into her purse, snapping it open. The little kwami's eyes slowly opened. She rubbed them with her tiny hands and yawned, "What's going on? I was having a lovely dream..."

"Sorry, but there's no time for dreaming! There's an akuma in the park and I think she's going to attack those kids!"

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"Tikki, spots on!" There was a pink swirl of light and Marinette felt a familiar mask appear on her face. She looked down and found herself suited up, ready to go. She ran out of the alley and back towards the park. She had no time to lose.

Ladybug spotted the group of children cowering behind the bronze statue of Ladybug and Chat Noir. One of the little girls was crying, absolutely terrified. She held onto one of her friends, hoping they would offer some protection. An akuma attack was too much for their little hearts. Ladybug raced to defend them, but was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream.

"Come out! Come out! Don't you want to play?"

A menacing figure appeared in front of the statue, sticking itself between Ladybug and the children. The akuma was tall and lean. Her braids were a wild mess and her skin was a soft pink. Her outfit was reminiscent of an old nursemaid and her expression was anything but kind.

The akuma cocked her head to the side and slowly approached the kids. She gave them a smile straight out of a horror movie and reached her arms out almost to embrace them. "It's okay," she whispered in a menacing tone. "I'm here to take care of you. Don't you want to come play with me?"

"Not so fast!" Ladybug called, unhooking her yo-yo from it's belt. She threw the yo-yo at the akuma and it twisted around it's arm. Ladybug gave the string a tug and the akuma fell backwards into the dirt. "This won't be so bad," Ladybug thought confidently. "This definitely isn't one of Hawkmoth's strongest or cleverest akuma. Is he losing his touch? It'd make my job a lot easier."

Much to Ladybug's dismay, the akuma quickly unraveled the yo-yo string and stood back up. This time her target was Ladybug. "I am the Babysitter!" The akuma bellowed, her fists clenched. "I'm in charge, so you better sit down and listen!" The akuma held out it's hands and a blast of energy came flying towards the Parisian superhero.

Ladybug easily dodged the attack, but wondered what would have happened if it hit her. "I need to stop the akuma, but I also need to make sure those kids are safe," Ladybug worried, glancing back at the children. They were frozen in place, paralyzed with fear. "If I call out to them, it'll only send the akuma in their direction. Gah! What should I do?"

"Can I lend a helping paw, my lady?"

Ladybug turned to see a grinning Chat Noir. He bowed and gave her a wink. "I see you're having some trouble with our friend here. What's the problem? Didn't tip her well?"

"She's after those kids," Ladybug explained, pointing at the kids behind the statue. "I can deal with her if you protect the children. Make sure they get away to safety. I'm counting on you!" Chat Noir saw the kids and his expression turned sullen. He could deal with bratty girls like Chloe. He could deal with distant, unloving fathers. But he could not deal with people who picked on innocent, little kids.

"I'm on it, LB!" Chat Noir proclaimed as he reached for his staff. He extended it and vaulted himself over the monster. The akuma watched with wide eyes as a black cat flew past her vision, a cheeky smile on his face. Chat Noir landed on the ground in front of the children.

"You all need to run!" He pointed in the opposite direction. "Get away as fast as possible! Ladybug and I can handle this."

"Chat Noir!" One of the boys screamed in glee. "Is it really you?" All of the children's fear seemed to dissolve into excitement. They had never seen Chat Noir nor Ladybug up close before. The children grabbed onto Chat Noir's legs and began pelting him with annoying questions. Chat Noir panicked, unsure of what to do. They weren't listening to him even though they were in grave danger.

The akuma rose her hands, preparing for another attack, but her target had returned to being the children once she heard their excited screams. "You're misbehaving again!" the akuma growled, turning her back to Ladybug. "It looks like you need to be punished!"

Ladybug saw Chat Noir struggling to handle the kids and reached her hand out to stop the akuma. "No!" Ladybug cried out, attempting to catch the akuma's arm again with her yo-yo, but she missed. The yo-yo fell onto the ground beside the akuma with a sad thud.

"Why can't you stupid kids behave and just grow up?" The akuma screamed, stomping her feet on the ground. Another golden blast of energy left her hands and headed straight towards the kids. Chat Noir saw the projectile coming and jumped into action. With his cat-like reflexes, he kicked the kids off his legs and pulled them into his arms. He put his back to the akuma, acting as the children's shield. He promised Ladybug he wouldn't let any harm come to them and he would keep that promise.

The blast hit him straight on, knocking him to the ground. He laid unconscious. "C-Chat Noir?" One of the kids said, his upper lip quivering. The child burst into tears and was soon joined by his companions. "Is he dead?" They cried, not understanding that hero had sacrificed himself to protect them. They threw themselves over the black cat, but he showed no response.

Ladybug watched the projectile hit her partner, causing him to crumple to the ground. A sudden flash of anger consumed her. "No one does that to my kitty!" She screamed as she threw her yo-yo at the akuma with great force. The yo-yo hit the akuma's glasses, knocking them off her face. The akuma screamed, suddenly being unable to see, and unknowingly stepped onto her glasses which shattered them into pieces. A black butterfly emerged from the debris.

Quickly, Ladybug leaped over the akuma and snapped the butterfly. "No more evildoing for you!" Ladybug exclaimed proudly as she released the insect back into the wild. "Bye bye, pretty butterfly! I don't want to see you around here ever again."

While Ladybug was finishing off the akuma, Chat Noir was beginning to stir, but something wasn't right. His body felt like it was on fire. His pulse was racing and he was sweating profusely. His bones felt like they were melting and every fiber of his being felt like it was be rearranged and shoved someplace where it didn't belong. He wanted to scream out in pain, but even that hurt too much. He could hardly make out the muffled cries of the young children hovering above him. His senses were dulled and everything was hazy.

Ladybug ran over to Chat Noir and sent the young children away. "Please go home," she demanded, gesturing in the direction of their homes. "I'll take care of Chat Noir. I promise that he'll be okay. This kitten is tougher than he looks. Go tell your parents that you're all okay. They're probably worried about you." The children nodded reluctantly and then took off running to tell their families what they had just witnessed.

"Chat, are you okay?" Ladybug put her partner's head in her lap when she realized there was something strange about him. He felt heavier than before and his hair seemed shaggier as if it had grown five more inches. She brushed the stray hair out of his face and noticed that he looked different too. His face was significantly more matured almost like an adult's. His chin was sharper and his whole face was slightly slimmer.

"Something isn't right."

Chat Noir's eyes fluttered open and he saw his lady worrying above him. He reached out his hand and caressed her face. Her skin was soft and smooth. The pain inside Chat Noir's body had subsided and he finally felt like he could speak again. His lady must have rejuvenating powers.

"Were you worried about me, bugaboo?" He smiled, letting his finger outline her cheek. His voice was deeper than usual like that of a grown man.

Ladybug quickly pulled away from Chat Noir, letting his head hit the ground. "Ow!" Chat Noir groaned as he helped himself to his feet. He rubbed the back of his head where a small bump was beginning to form. "What was that for? You could have just asked me to get off."

"C-Chat..." Ladybug stammered as she slowly stood up. Her legs were shaking. "Something isn't right. You're... you're..."

"I'm what?" Chat Noir said, resting a hand on his hip. He didn't seem to notice what Ladybug was referencing, but to her the changes were blatantly obvious.

He was taller than normal, probably just a few inches over six feet now. His legs and arms had more muscle to them. He was well-toned before, but this was far more impressive. Around his face, there was the beginnings of a light beard. His hair went down just before his shoulders. Chat looked like he had aged ten years in a matter of seconds.

"So that's what that beam of light did..." Ladybug thought as she observed her partner. "This isn't the Chat Noir I know. It's what Chat Noir would look like as an adult! The akuma must've wanted to turn those kids into adults to make them behave, but Chat Noir got hit instead! Oh no... just what have we gotten ourselves into?"

"Your silence is a bit worrying, my lady," Chat said, stepping closer to Ladybug. "What's wrong? We defeated the akuma already, but you still have that nervous look." Ladybug opened her yo-yo and opened the camera. She handed it to Chat Noir and he looked at what it showed him.

"What's this?" He asked. "A picture of someone cosplaying as me? That's flattering and all, but I don't think now is a good time for-"

"No..." Ladybug responded, biting her lip. "That's you."

"Me?"

For the first time, Chat Noir looked down at himself and realized she was right. He noticed that he seemed further from the ground and that his voice was deeper than normal. He looked back at the yo-yo and found a familiar, yet aged face staring back at him. He grasped his face as that would give him a different conclusion, but to no avail.

"I think the akuma turned you into an adult," Ladybug explained, taking her yo-yo back. "She wanted to punish those little kids and make them more responsible, but you got in her way and saved them."

"It doesn't matter, right?" Chat Noir said hopefully. "You can fix things with your miraculous cure! Just do the thing you usually do!"

Ladybug's blood ran cold. She looked back at the spot where she had defeated the akuma and noticed that the babysitter had already disappeared, probably to find where the kids she had been watching had ran off to. "I didn't use my lucky charm to fight the akuma," Ladybug thought as she slowly realized her mistake. "I was so upset that I blindly went after the akuma with my yo-yo and purified it directly after. No lucky charm means no miraculous cure which means I can't turn Chat back to normal!"

"Promise you won't be mad..."

Chat Noir raised an eyebrow. He didn't like the sound of that. He crossed his arms and thumped his foot impatiently. His eyes narrowed as he leaned in towards Ladybug. "What does that mean?"

"I can't use the miraculous cure because I didn't use my lucky charm which means you might be stuck like this for a while..."

"What!?" Chat Noir couldn't believe what he was hearing. "She's freaking Ladybug!" He thought in despair. "I thought she could fix anything! What am I going to do? I can't go home or to school like this." Chat Noir briefly imagined the twenty five or so year old him walking into school. They would call the police on him!

"Don't panic!" Ladybug said, pressing her hands against Chat's chest if only to keep herself steady. HIs chest muscles had also become well-toned and Ladybug didn't really mind her current position. "I'll find a solution. I promise. Just give me some time, but you need to lay low for a while. Try to stay safe and keep away from people. We can't let anyone figure out that you're... well you!"

"And how do you expect me to do that?" Chat Noir was still startled by the sound of his new voice. It sounded so manly and had a fiercer tone. It was hard to believe this was what he would sound like in only ten years. He had never thought much about growing up. He naturally accepted it, but this was too much at once. He didn't want to be an adult. He had just started being able to act like a normal kid. It took so much to convince his father to let him go to school and have friends. How could he let that get ripped away from him now?

"I don't know," Ladybug sighed. She rubbed her temples and tried to keep herself calm. "Just do your best, Chat. If there's an akuma attack, you can come out and help, but that's it. I know you'll think of something. I'm really sorry, but I'll fix this for you. Give me time." The way he raised his voice startled her. Chat Noir rarely got upset especially with her.

"I know..." Chat Noir backed away from Ladybug and lowered his head. "I didn't mean to get upset. It isn't your fault. I'll figure something out. You should go..."

Ladybug watched Chat Noir extended his baton and vault away. He looked like a stranger despite wearing his familiar black suit. "Way to go, Marinette!" Ladybug cursed herself as she headed back to an alley to detransform. "I should've thought things through and not blindly attacked like that. I've made a huge mistake. And now I'd better find a way to get Chat out of this situation!"

She detransformed and Tikki landed in her hands. "Tikki, what am I going to do?" Marinette moaned, leaning her back against the alley's brick wall. "Nothing like this has ever happened before. Can I still return him back to normal?"

"You should be able to," Tikki smiled even though she wasn't quite sure herself. "I don't know how yet, but magic can always be reversed. I think you should talk to you-know-who first. He might be able to tell you what to do. He knows more than me!"

"That's right!" Marinette exclaimed. "I totally forgot about him! He'll definitely know what to do. I'll go see him first thing tomorrow, but I have to get back to the bakery now. Mama is probably worried. I left without telling her where I was going."

Marinette slipped Tikki into her purse and made sure the coast was clear. She sneaked onto the sidewalk and then ran back to the bakery. She cautiously opened the door and saw her mom standing there, arms crossed. "Where have you been?" Sabine shouted as she ran to embrace her daughter. "You're father just got back and he said there was another akuma out there. Thank goodness Ladybug came and took care of it, but you could have been in danger! Call me when these things happen!"

"Sorry, Mama," Marinette apologized. "I didn't even realize there had been an attack. I went to go check on something for Alya and was on the complete other side of the neighborhood." Her mother seemed to accept this lie and released her daughter from the hug. Someone how Marinette always managed to find herself near trouble and that worried her parents to bits.

"My parents got to find me home safe and sound, but what about Chat Noir's?" Marinette wondered. She hadn't even considered that he couldn't go home and see his family. What if he had to spend the night sleeping outside? "I shouldn't have left him alone, but it's not like I could've let him stay with me. He'll figure something out. I know he will..." Still, guilt racked her heart. She felt like she abandoned him.

Chat Noir had ran until he found an alley shrouded in darkness. He was about to release his transformation, but hesitated for a moment. "What am I going to do now?" He panicked, fiddling with his miraculous. "I can't go home, but there isn't any other place for me to go. I'll have to spend the night outside for god's sake. Ladybug, you'd better fix this soon."

He released his transformation and Plagg came whizzing out of the ring. The kwami gave an irritated moan as he landed in Adrien's palms face-first. "It's always a rough landing with you!" The creature moaned as he rubbed his nose. He turned to look up at Adrien and his eyes widened.

"What the hell happened to you?"