A/N: Inspired by the "Unconventional Scenarios" series of stories written by Remasa, posted on FFN and AO3. The first one is "Fanboy". (Seriously, read them! They're awesome.)

This was originally posted as a one-shot in my "Bug Bites" collection. Since every single review said "more please", this is now going to be a full story. Please enjoy the first chapter of the expanded story.

And as always, I own nothing of the original Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir... just this plot.

How to Survive a Convention, or
"If Constant Attacks Don't Work then Try Something Else!"

Chapter 1

Conventions are a huge thing. Any business person will tell you that sales and marketing conferences can make or break a business. Any fashion house will tell you that Fashion Week is an absolute must if you are going to be a "Big Name" in fashion like Ralph Lauren, Coco Chanel, or Gabriel Agreste. And any nerd will tell you that the best conventions of all time center around pop culture.

Whether it's superheroes, movies, anime, sci-fi, or the resident Heroes of Paris, Convention du Comique had it all: panel discussions, costume contests, games, themed merchandise (both popular and unique), a media room, stars, and this year even Ladybug and Chat Noir themselves. Maybe.

When it came to those who portrayed beloved characters, schedules were always hit and miss. Doubly-so for the actual superheroes who had real supervillains to fight. Still, Adrien Agreste was looking forward to going - if he could manage to convince his father.

Somehow, the convention had managed to obtain Adrien's personal email, and reached out to him because he had voiced Chat Noir in the animated Ladybug and Chat Noir movie. They wanted him on a discussion panel as a guest speaker along with others involved in the film.

As owner of the Ladyblog, Alya was asked to extend an invitation to Ladybug and Chat Noir via her blog (and to attend as a guest herself). The fact that Ladybug was supposed to be there was a huge bonus, in Adrien's opinion. He would take any chance he got to see his Lady. Plus being there as a guest would make it easier for his alter-ego to show up.

Adrien knew that between his photoshoots, piano lessons, Chinese lessons, and regular school his schedule was packed. And that didn't count his superhero duties. If he was going to get out of any part of his schedule, he had to present ironclad reasoning. So he researched, and plotted, and planned his arguments (thank heavens for Debate class!) and eventually had arguments to take to his father.

With this in mind, Adrien knocked on Gabriel's office door…

"Father?"

"What is it, Adrien," the designer said coldly. "What is so important that Nathalie couldn't take care of it? I've got a lot of work to do on the upcoming line."

"Then I'll make it quick. It's just that…"

"Just that what?"

"You know that Convention du Comique is coming up soon, right?"

"What about it?"

"I've been asked to participate as a celebrity guest. You know, from voicing Chat Noir for the movie?"

"Yes. That was a good idea of mine."

Adrien skipped that statement and continued on with his request. "Well, I've been asked to come because it will make the discussion panels more complete. They'll have Christina V there. She voiced Ladybug in the movie, remember? Also Thomas Astruc, the director, and several others that were involved in the movie. I want to go."

"No."

"Why?" Gabriel stiffened for just a moment, but Adrien continued on. "It will please my fan base because this is exactly the type of event kids my age go to. I'll be wearing clothes from your line, so it will be good publicity for Gabriel Fashions. And if you're worried about my safety, remember that in addition to fencing I have training in several self defense techniques, there will be convention and building security there, and I assume you'll want my bodyguard to be there as my Plus One. So unless there's an Akuma attack or something, I should be okay." Adrien hoped his sincerity and logic would sway his father.

"Your schedule is already full, Adrien."

"I've checked that, too. There are no fencing tournaments or recitals coming up and I can rearrange my Chinese and piano lessons to accommodate the new schedule. And we just finished the major photo shoots for the most recent line, right? So unless there's something else in the works that you need me to model, we should be good there as well. Plus, Ladybug and Chat Noir are supposed to come in person! I don't want to miss seeing them." He didn't mention that there were other things he also wanted to see.

"They are?"

"If they can. I'm sure it will depend on if there are any Akuma attacks the day they're supposed to be there. I'd really like to see Ladybug again. I mean, she's saved me a few times, and I don't think I've ever really thanked her."

Gabriel thought a moment or two. While he didn't like Adrien getting hung up on seeing his enemy, the thought of being close to the miraculouses he needed was almost too tempting to pass up. Especially as his time was running out.

"Let me think about it."

"The convention will need an answer by next week. Thank you for thinking about it."

And with that, Adrien walked out of his father's office.

The next morning, school, or at least Ms. Bustier's class, was buzzing with excitement. After all they had not one, but two possible guest speakers at the upcoming Convention du Comique.

"Alya, you really got invited as a guest speaker?" Max asked.

"All due to my work on the Ladyblog. Can you believe it?"

"That's awesome!" Mylene commented.

"So cool," said Juleka.

"I'm happy that you got the invite, Alya. But I'm also sad."

"Why, Nino?"

"Because I won't be able to see my beautiful babe all weekend."

"Oh, you oblivious boy," Alya chided her boyfriend. "Conv du Com is giving me a deluxe pass with backstage privileges, convention merch, and a Plus One. Who else would I ask?"

Nino chuckled. "You sly fox." Alya just grinned and patted his shoulder.

"If I'm allowed to go my Plus One has to be the Gorilla. For my safety, you know."

Marinette's mood dropped at that statement. Adrien's father had to let him go. He just had to! If he didn't then Adrien would be stuck at home again, and it wasn't fair! Marinette hated seeing him stuck at home while the other kids their age got to experience life as a normal teenager. It was sad, and Adrien had too much sadness and loneliness in his life already.

"I really want to go, too. I want to see Ladybug again."

"And Chat Noir, right?" Marinette hated it when people left her partner out.

"Who cares about him," the snooty tone echoed across the room. "He's just Ladybug's sidekick." Adrien was used to hearing these types of statements, though he still didn't like them. On the other hand, Marinette's face quickly went white, then red just as fast.

"Chloe, he is not just a sidekick! Ladybug couldn't do half the things she does without him by her side," Marinette defended passionately.

"Looks like someone has a crush on a superhero." the ponytailed girl sing-soned. "And here I thought you only had eyes for a different famous blond boy."

Marinette paled again. "I do not have a crush on Chat Noir! I'm just tired of him being relegated to sidekick or ignored. You've heard how Ladybug talks about him, right? There's no way she thinks of Chat Noir as simply a sidekick. If she doesn't feel that way, then none of us should say that either." She turned to Adrien again. "You meant you wanted to see Ladybug and Chat Noir, right?"

Adrien couldn't very well say he saw Chat Noir every time he looked in a mirror, so instead he replied, "Him too, of course. But she has literally saved my life before, and I haven't thanked her properly." He didn't know he was blushing.

"Ooh, does someone else have a superhero crush?" Of course Alya noticed his red face. Dang it!

"If I say 'maybe' will you let it go, Alya"

"Never."

"Then my answer is 'doesn't everybody in Paris have a crush on her?'" The way he looked down slightly along with the red now tinting his ears was a dead giveaway. Sighing, he said, "I just hope she's able to make it."

Marinette tried to hide her blush. Adrien wanted to thank her. And he quite possibly had a crush on her! Well, on her Ladybug persona anyway.

"Don't worry, Sunshine. I've put the word out on the Ladyblog, so I'm sure she knows about it. I bet she and Chat Noir will be there, unless there's an Akuma attack or something."

"Don't jinx it!"

Marinette had seen Alya's request via the Ladyblog, of course, but wasn't sure she wanted to go because she had assumed this was going to be like that interview with Nadja Chamak. But... if it meant she could see Adrien's face light up with his genuine sunshine smile, well, she was more inclined to go. Plus, she wanted to reassure people that she and Chat were fighting for the people of Paris against Hawkmoth and his Akumas.

Hmmm, maybe she could use this as a way to encourage people to be nicer to each other. The more she thought about it, the more she thought attending the convention would be a good idea. There was already too much negativity in the world, and Hawkmoth preyed on it. This would be a chance to counter some of that negativity.

"I hope you'll be able to go, Adrien. I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will be there, if they can." Marinette's positivity brightened up Adrien's day. He just had to hope his father agreed to his request.

When Marinette got home from school that day, she was ready to jump into plans on how to convince Gabriel Agreste to let Adrien go to Conv du Com. She didn't get far.

"Marinette, before you go upstairs we need to talk to you."

She took her foot off the stair as she turned around to the diminutive woman. "Sure, Mom. What is it?"

"We received an email today." Both Sabine and her larger-than-life husband seemed to be bouncing on the balls of their feet.

"Should I be worried?"

"Not at all, my sweet," boomed Tom. "In fact it's good news. Apparently Jagged Stone isn't the only one who recognizes your talent."

Eyes narrowed and head cocked to the side, Marinette asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you know that multimedia convention that's coming up, the Convention du Comique?" Marinette could only nod. "Apparently, someone mentioned that Clara Nightingale's 'Miraculous' originally had auditions for Ladybug, and that you were chosen."

"Okay."

"Sweetie, they want you as a guest speaker for a breakout panel."

"Me? Are you sure? I mean, I didn't actually do anything. The Chat Noir and Ladybug costumes were created by Gabriel Agreste, and even then Clara Nightingale was Akumatized before the music video was filmed. The original idea was scrapped, and the end result had everyday people in everyday clothes wearing masks."

"But you helped create the masks, sweetie," Sabine cooed.

Tom piped in, "And weren't most of the people actually in the video your friends?"

"So … they want me to talk about designing?" Marinette's face was a little pale as she couldn't decide whether to be excited at being chosen or being horrified at speaking in front of a crowd.

"And being chosen for the part originally. It's sort of a two-fer."

"They really want… me?"

"Yes, my lovely, talented daughter. You," Tom's booming laugh echoed. "So now the question is… are you taking me or your mother as your Plus One. Or do you have someone else in mind." Marinette could swear she saw her father wink just before Sabine elbowed him.

That night after patrol, Chat Noir approached Ladybug about the subject.

"Milady, before you leave for the night, did you see the request on the Ladyblog?"

"About attending Convention du Comique, you mean?"

"Yes. I was wondering if we should plan to go," he asked hopefully.

"I didn't want to at first, at least not at Ladybug. But the more I think about it, the more I think we should. Hawkmoth permitting, of course."

Chat deflated a bit, "It would be just like him to ruin something that awesome."

Ladybug sighed heavily. "Ugh, just once I'd love for my life to not be interrupted by an Akuma. I've got so much on my plate as it is."

"I completely understand that, Milady. Between being Chat Noir and my civilian schedule, it's amazing I have time for friends at all. That's one of the reasons I want to go." Then he leaned forward, as if imparting a secret. "Plus they'll have all sorts of cool stuff from my favorite movies and shows, and I'll get to meet the people that make it happen!"

"I'm looking forward to some of the panels," she admitted. "I hear they're going to do a panel on the Ladybug and Chat Noir movie, and that the boy who voiced you in that movie is supposed to be there." Ladybug tried to hide her blush.

"I heard that, too. Plus the girl who voiced you as well as the director - you know, the guy who became Animaestro?"

"I actually have a bit of a bone to pick with him. Or the writer. It depends on who decided I was afraid of cats - which I'm not." The sparkle of defiance in her eyes spoke volumes.

"Glad to hear it, Milady," teased the leather-clad hero. "Seriously, though, we're planning on going?"

"Yes. I'm most likely attending as my civilian self, so I'll be on site and won't give my identity away. Assuming I can find places to transform."

"I'm working an angle like that for my alter ego as we speak. But I have another concern." Chat Noir leaned forward. "Have you ever been backstage for a large event like Conv du Com?" Ladybug's tilted head and confused expression gave him his answer. "I have. No matter how good an event is planned, something always goes wrong. Therefore someone is always backstage directing traffic, advising of last minute changes, and so on. We are going to need a way for our civilian selves to get the information without giving our identities away."

"Hmmm." Ladybug thought for a moment. "Burner phone? Uh, those are expensive and I don't have cash to spend on one. We could try something like Gugle's IP voice program, but I'm concerned about privacy because it's Web based. Ugh. If only we could forward our bug- and cat-phone numbers to our... civilian... phones. Chat! Let's try that."

"What, forward the cat-phone to my civilian phone?"

The brightness in Ladybug's eyes and her excited expression spoke volumes. "Yes! Talk to Plagg when you get home and try it. I'll do the same. Then in 90 minutes, I'll transform and call you."

"Sounds like a plan, Milady. Shall we?"

"We shall. Bug out!" Ladybug shouted as she flung her yo-yo across the city.

90 minutes later, Adrien Agreste received a call from an unknown number. "Hello?"

"Kitty?"

"Milady! It worked. I'm speaking to you on my civilian phone."

"Great. I'm calling from the Bug-phone. Mark this number, then give me 5 minutes and we'll test it the other way. Then I'll work on letting the convention organizers know that we'll try to attend."

Gabriel sat in the sanctuary below the mansion, a chair pulled up to the suspended animation unit holding his beloved Emilie. He stroked the clear cover by her face, bemoaning the fact that he was not able to touch her, and talked as if she could hear him.

"I have tried, my love. I keep trying and I fail." A tear leaked from his eye, something he would never allow anyone to see. "I promised you that I would do everything in my power to bring you back to me and restore our family." He stroked the coffin-like enclosure once more. "I see a lot of you in Adrien and it's hard not to push him away because of it. I feel so lost without you. You always understood him better than I do."

Gabriel steadied his breath. "Adrien approached me today, bypassing Nathalie. He's grown so much that sometimes I don't recognize him. He asked me about attending a popular media convention. I denied his request at first, but he'd come prepared with some good arguments. I must admit that the one that swayed me the most is the fact that Ladybug and Chat Noir will be there."

He looked at his dearest love through the glass once more, remembering the laughter she used to bring into the cold home. "I'm running out of time to save you, and I don't know what to do. None of my plans have worked." His glistening eyes were the only indication of his deep heartache.

"Master," the high-pitched voice of his Kwami spoke.

"Nooroo, I thought I said never to disturb me as I spoke with Emilie."

"Yes, Master. I just wanted to answer your implied question."

"Go on."

"You are running out of time to revive her. Akumatizing people isn't working, so why not try another method."

Gabriel's practiced glare at the purple sprite was known to cause even those with backbone to quit. "What are you on about, Nooroo?"

"Ask for help."

Gabriel crossed his arms and stared at the floating god of transmission - asking for help is not something he normally did, magical butterflies being the exception. "Explain."

"If you tell Ladybug and Chat Noir why you desire to make the wish, they may have a solution you haven't thought of."

For once, the purple sprite made sense. And he knew where he would be able to see them. As a bonus, if it didn't work out there was usually someone ready to Akumatize at these things. The trick would be trying to talk without immediately going into battle mode. He'd have to think about this very carefully.

Two days later, as Adrien was eating his lonely breakfast and getting his schedule from Nathalie, he had a surprise visit.

"Adrien, I have decided to let you attend the Convention du Comique, but I have certain stipulations." Gabriel said in a near monotone voice.

The blond model tried not to show his excitement - who knows what those 'stipulations' would be. "What are they?"

"First, we will try not to schedule photoshoots over the time of the event, but that means having extra ones beforehand or afterward. Your other extracurricular activities will be accommodated in a similar fashion."

Adrien nodded his understanding, as he'd already planned on rescheduling his extracurricular activities.

"Second, your grades must remain at the same high caliber I have always expected of you."

Also a standard condition in these deals, so Adrien nodded again.

"Third, you will not take your bodyguard as your Plus One. I will be attending instead."

Adrien's wide-eyes showed how unexpected it was. "Wait, really? You want to go to the convention with me?"

The older Agreste nodded. "It occurred to me that we rarely spend time together, and it seems I no longer know you as I once did. I want to rectify that."

"What about the fall line you're working on?" As much as Adrien wanted acknowledgement and love from his father, he also wanted some independence. Especially if he needed to find quiet places to transform.

"I'll still be busy and will probably need to step aside now and then to take care of business, but I can do that remotely through Nathalie as I've done in the past. I also want to learn more about the man you are becoming. That means sharing some of your interests, even if it isn't my personal cup of tea. And you did point out that this will be another way to connect with your fan base and therefore keep Gabriel Fashions in the limelight. Besides, who could pass up the opportunity to meet the Heroes of Paris?" The corners of Gabriel's mouth barely twitched, but that was nearly a cheesy grin where the austere designer was concerned.

Adrien jumped up. "Thank you, Father!" he cried as he hugged the senior Agreste. Gabriel stiffened for just a moment before placing a fatherly hand over Adrien's shoulder.

"One other thing, Adrien."

Adrien was almost afraid to ask. "Yes?"

"It is my understanding that costumes are very popular at these types of conventions. Correct?"

"Yes, father."

"That means our normal attire would be out of place? We can't have that." Adrien cocked his eyebrow in query. "We will go in costume. In fact, why don't you use the Chat Noir costume I designed for Clara Nightingale's Miraculous video and I'll design something else for myself."

Adrien stared at his father. This was nearly too much. "I'm not dreaming, am I? You really want to come to the convention with me? In costume?"

Gabriel frowned slightly at that. "You appear to be fully awake. Now, it's nearly time for school. Nathalie will send an official response accepting your guest appearance and coordinate our schedules."

Adrien was nearly out the door before he heard "One more thing." Adrien looked up at the austere designer. "Keep my attendance quiet for now. I don't want speculation from the press."

The teenager gave an enthusiastic, "Yes, Father," before heading out the door.