Adrien stepped foot into his mansion and was greeted by Nathalie. "Right on time Adrien. Tomorrow you have another photoshoot at 2 pm, therefore I moved your Chinese lesson…" Nathalie was explaining his schedule, but Adrien couldn't pay attention. He had a familiar feeling in his chest that he could not explain. He really enjoyed the outing with his friends, but that wasn't what he was feeling. He's felt joy, despite his father's efforts to stop opportunities that created that feeling, and he knew that wasn't it. "Adrien, are you paying attention? You should go to bed, you have an early morning ahead of you. Take this and read it over since your head is in space." Nathalie handed Adrien a paper that had his schedule for the next week. Adrien's eyes were glazed, and the paper looked like it was written in a foreign language to him. He smiled at Nathalie and headed to his bedroom.
"Adrien, I want camembert. You made me spend the whole day with your friends and you didn't even feed me once." Plagg whined. "You just spent the whole day devoting to pigtails, what about meeeeeeee."
"Plagg, I have given you your ration of camembert this week. I know that you just want extra and have some hidden somewhere in my room. I can smell it." He waved at his kwami to leave him alone. "Also pigtails is named Marinette mind you, and I wouldn't say I devoted the day to her. I devoted the day to our friends as a whole. I just spent more time with her because Nino and Alya are boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Yeah, yeah. Well, I don't see you holding hands with Nino, only pigtails." Plagg mocked, showing Adrien that he wasn't interested in using Marinette's name.
"I was not holding hands with Marinette," Adrien snapped back, "I rested my hand, and hers happened to be there," he huffed. "If it was Alya sitting next to me I would've done the same."
"Sure, go ahead and think that buddy." Plagg scarfed down a piece of camembert. "You know what I think," the creature said with a mouth full of cheese, "I think that you like pigtails."
"Plagg, come on. I am in love with Ladybug, even if she has a boyfriend. Marinette is just a friend, who also is dating Luka." Adrien remarked. "I don't need another crush or love in my life anyway. My lady will always have a place in my heart, even if I don't," he sighed. "Goodnight Plagg."
Plagg flew into Adrien's drawer in order to finish his camembert. "If only the boy knew the lady that had his heart was pigtails. He would really hate Luka." Plagg snickered.
"So what do you think? Should I do this cord," Luka strummed, "or this cord?"
"The second one," Marinette responded enthusiastically. Luka was finishing up a song for Kitty Section and wanted her input. After all, she was the inspiration. She sat at the edge of his bed, watching him strum his guitar, plucking at strings, and she was enamored. The moment felt familiar, it was nearly identical to the first time she met him, where she started to realize that maybe she should switch targets. I regret nothing. A bright pink flushed over her cheeks.
"So how is your plan with Adrien going?" Luka asked, noticing Marinette's head was in space.
"It is good... besides tonight, I have got a few more plans for 'normal' things for him to do. Alya and I really are trying to give him some sense of normalcy, and even Chloe is willing to help." Marinette paused, "she is even going to hold a party where our whole class attends. We all want Adrien to have a normal vacation. This is his first time not being homeschooled."
"That is what I like about you my melody, you're always caring for others. Adrien is lucky to have you as a friend. To be honest I thought you would never get over him. I was about to give up on you, you know. I am glad I didn't." Luka smirked, grabbing Marinette's chin and pulling her into a kiss.
"If you're finished with your song, we should probably all head to the fair," reminded Marinette. Luka stood up from his bed, resting his guitar gently on it. He grabbed Marinette's hand and helped her up, slowly entwining his fingers with hers once the two departed from his room. The couple regrouped with Juleka and Rose who were waiting on the top deck of the ship and departed for the fair.
Adrien hopped into the Gorilla's car and drove to Nino's place. He was picking up Nino and Alya on his way to the fair. Nino and Alya were waiting outside and piled into the car. "Do you know what a fair is Agreste?" Alya asked, a slightly teasing tone in her voice.
"Yes, I know what a fair is Alya," he remarked sarcastically. "Just because my father kept me in a cage doesn't mean I don't know of the outside world."
"Is your bodyguard coming with us?" Nino asked, gesturing at the driver.
"Yes, but don't worry, he is going to keep his distance. He is just going to watch me from afar." Adrien stared at his bodyguard through the rearview mirror, "Right?" The Gorilla nodded in agreement, saying nothing as usual. Adrien stared out his window, watching the buildings fly by, until he was stopped by the sight of a Ferris wheel upon the horizon. "OOH GUYS, FERRIS WHEEL!" Adrien heard the laughter of his friends, along with the Gorilla. "What? Can't a guy want to ride a Ferris wheel?" He pouted.
"Dude, you have to get out more. The Ferris wheel is the last thing you do. The real fun is the sketchy rides that barely pass inspection." Nino reminded his friend. "Usually we skip the Ferris wheel altogether, but for you, we'll go on it. You'll see why it isn't of interest to most normal teenagers."
"Who are you calling abnormal?" Alya sighed, "I personally like the Ferris wheel, don't feel bad about it Adrien. Nino just has a more unique view of fairs than others… not everything has to be an adventure." Adrien continued to look out the window until he spotted four familiar faces, reminding him that he was at his destination. The car pulled up to the four and allowed the three teens to leave the car. The Gorilla nodded and drove the car to park.
"Hey, Girl!" Alya ran to her best friend and hugged her. "Hi, Luka, Juleka, Rose!" Alya greeted each of them respectively. "We just need for Adrien's bodyguard to come back from parking the car and then we can go!" Like he was waiting for a cue, Gorilla arrived behind the group and grunted that they could continue forward. They walked into the fair, and immediately Adrien's eyes grew wide. He saw so many lights and colors, and the smells that surrounded him were putting him into sensory overload. Gorilla did as he was told, and stayed multiple feet away from the group. They decided to start on a very old-looking fair game, which surely was rigged, but they didn't care. To no one's surprise, none of them were able to win.
"Ooh, dudes, let's do this one!" Nino pointed to a ride called The Scrambler, which resembled a chainsaw.
"I am not down for that. It looks way too sketchy…" Alya crossed her arms, with Rose and Juleka agreeing. Adrien understood where their hesitation came from, he was sure that if his father saw him get on that ride he would have a heart attack. Adrien wasn't daunted, though. He really wanted to ride it.
"Fine, you three can go and do whatever you want, we," Nino said, gesturing to Luka, Marinette, and Adrien, "will ride it, because we aren't scared," he said in a mocking tone. The four of them got into line. "This, this is like a hardcore version of a Ferris wheel. They do the slow load, and you spin, just in a more oval shape, and the seats are cages that spin with you. You're going to love this, way more than a Ferris wheel." Nino said, elbowing the blond in his side.
The ride came to a stop, and they slowly unloaded and reloaded passengers. Luka and Marinette walked into their cage-like seat, and got locked in, and were moved up in order to load the next car. Adrien and Nino were about to get into their cage when they heard a loud crash, followed by a screeching. "Akuma!" Yelled a passerby. Adrien immediately ran with Nino to find a place to hide, but Adrien conveniently "got lost" in the crowd. He found a secluded spot and transformed.
Chat Noir vaulted on top of one of the game stands to get a better view of the akumatized villain, and was found a 9-foot tall man, with bluish-green skin. He had enlarged fists and was crushing game stall after game stall, yelling something about how everything was a scam. I bet this man got cheated by one of the sketchy fair games. Seems a little bit dramatic to want to destroy everything over something so insignificant... whatever, time to fight!
"I am Gargantuan, and I want this fair to end. Ladybug and Chat Noir, give me your miraculous and allow me to rid the world of scams!" Screamed the villain. Chat Noir started vaulting across the remaining stands when he caught a glimpse of Luka and Marinette. They were stuck on the ride, which stopped being loaded due to the Akuma. Locked in air. The ride operator couldn't even let people off the ride? Chat Noir got lost in thought due to seeing his friends trapped, and he fell to the ground. I have to let Marinette… and Luka out! His thoughts were interrupted by his feet being swept out from under him, and he suddenly became suspended in the air. He looked up to see that Gargantuan was holding him by the ankle, and was not going to let go.
Marinette's time alone with Luka was interrupted by a villain, of course. Now she was suspended in the air, locked in a cage, unable to transform, as if that would help anyway. Luka grabbed her hand and held on tight, "I am sure Ladybug will come and defeat the villain."
"Yeah, she will come... " Marinette said, with little confidence. How am I supposed to get out of here? I can't transform with Luka right next to me, and even if I could there is no way for me to get the door unlocked. I am not powerful enough to kick the door open, even as Ladybug and the cage's gaps are too small for me to reach and unlock the seat. Marinette just had to watch as Chat Noir was grabbed by Gargantuan. She could see him attempting to free his ankle from his grasp, hitting the villain with his staff, and even bending upwards and biting him. He was really struggling, and he needed his ladybug. All of a sudden, she saw Gargantuan fling Chat Noir, right towards them. Marinette watched in horror as Chat Noir's body slammed against the cage that held her and Luka. She couldn't see if he was okay due to the angle they were at, but she was filled with worry.
"It's okay Marinette, he's a superhero. He can take a hit or two. Oh! Maybe if we can get his attention he can unlock the cage and let us out." Luka unbuckled his seat and leaned on the cage, yelling "Hey, Chat Noir! Let us out, please! If you can, that is."
"Can you see him?" Marinette asked.
"No, I can see a bunch of people staring towards where he most likely is, but I can't see him." Luka sat back down, and the two hoped that Chat Noir would come to rescue them.
A few minutes passed, and Marinette was beginning to give up hope. Either Chat was hurt bad enough that he couldn't get up, or he had returned to fighting the villain. She wasn't confident that he could defeat him without his Ladybug. To Marinette's relief, Chat Noir jumped up and held onto their cage with claws. "Hello, Princess. Need some help getting out?" Chat Noir said, a hint of flirtation in his tone. Chat carefully unlocked the cage, and helped the two down. "Have to go Purrincess, villain awaits." Chat topped it off with a wink and headed out.
"Princess?" Luka asked, a hint of jealousy present in his tone. Marinette turned red and muffled something incoherent before running off, leaving Luka confused.
Marinette ducked behind a stall and muttered "that stupid cat" before transforming. Ladybug arrived to find Chat dancing back and forth with the villain. "Missed me?" Ladybug asked. "What's his problem?"
"Must've got scammed by one of the game stall vendors." Chat said, dodging a punch from the villain. "Good news though, I think I know where the Akuma is hiding." Ladybug dogged a blow from Gargantuan and looked at her partner eagerly. "He has opened his left fist, but never the right one. I think whatever is holding the Akuma is in his right fist." Chat ran and stuck his pole into Gatgantuan's fist, and tried to pry it open, only to be flung once again.
"Kitty, you have to make a plan first." Ladybug said with anger. Why was Chat being so reckless and putting himself in harm's way? "Lucky Charm!" She yelled, raising her hand in the air until a stuffed bunny fell into her hand.
"A bunny, what are you going to do with that?" Chat asked, as usual. Ladybug looked around and found a little girl cowering under a picnic table. She looked at her and swore that she heard her ask where her dad was.
"I got it. This man just wanted to get a toy for his daughter, and got mad that he spent all that money to be scammed! Chat, I need you to get caught."
"I am sorry, I have been flung two times already, I would prefer if I didn't have to endure it again." Chat looked at his partner, but couldn't argue with her. "Fine," he begrudgingly agreed and teased the villain. "Hey buddy, I bet you can't catch me!" Chat ran and got caught. "Oh no, whatever will I do…" Chat said sarcastically.
Ladybug ran into the villain's view and held up the toy. "Hey big guy, you want this?" Gargantuan started running towards her, Chat in hand. Ladybug then threw the stuffed toy, taunting him to "go get it then!" The villain, having his other hand full of the black cat, opened his other fist, revealing a baseball. Ladybug ran after it and threw it to Chat Noir, who just equipped his cataclysm. The Akuma flew out of the ball and was captured by Ladybug. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
"I am so sorry Ladybug, I really should attend my anger management classes," sighed the man, who had a tired look on his face. "I only have weekends with my daughter and I wanted to make this one memorable. I am sorry."
"Shadowmoth takes advantage of his victims, you are not to blame." Ladybug assured.
"His victims? Shadowmoth? The name was Ladymoth, and they sounded like a girl to me. I am in fact sure, it was a woman who spoke to me." Ladybug stared at him perplexed. She knew there was a new hawkmoth in the future, but not now. Unless Shadowmoth was having Mayura fill in for him...
Marinette and Adrien returned to the ride to find the whole gang waiting for them. "There you guys are, oh I was so worried Marinette!" Luka said, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend. "We will need to have a chat about the whole princess thing, however. Later." He said with a more serious tone in his voice. Gorilla was standing nearby, glaring at Adrien, most likely because he was mad that he lost the one person he was meant to protect.
So what if I call her princess… stop being so jealous Luka, it is only a nickname. Adrien looked at Luka with a glare. The group continued to explore the fair, which had slowed down after the Akuma attack. The group enjoyed the many confections present and even saw a magician show in one of the tents. Finally, the night came to a close, and the sun was setting. "Final ride of the day will be a Ferris wheel, for Adrien." Alya said, doing a mocking bow, "the prince wishes to enjoy the fanatical ride that caused him to squeal in the car." Adrien blushed in embarrassment.
The group couldn't all fit into one car on the Ferris Wheel, so they had to split up. Rose, Juleka, Nino, and Alya went into one car, with Adrien third-wheeling Marinette and Luka. Adrien got into the car after the couple, and once the wheel was loaded the wheel started to move at a slow pace. "Wow," Adrien said breathlessly. The view atop the Ferris wheel was magnificent, and he was so excited. It was way more fun in person, even though the picture he saw through his phone when Marinette called him on the Ferris wheel was good too. He loved that memory. Even though he couldn't be there, his friends still tried to include him.
"It is beautiful isn't it," Luka said. "How was your day, Adrien? Enjoying being normal?"
"I sure am." He said with a smile. The sunset combined with the lights and atmosphere of Paris was perfect. He looked at the empty space next to him, and all he could think was that he wished someone was sitting next to him. This would be the perfect place to be with someone he loved. But she was taken. They both are taken. He looked at the couple sitting in front of him and felt his heart ache...
