Adrien and Plagg were browsing the reference section some time later, the former making some choices of books to take back with him to the table where his friends were working and the latter, sitting atop Adrien's shoulder and keeping up a quiet commentary on how the study session had been going so far.
"Wow, Adrien! Who knew my Holder would be so smart?" the Kwami said. "From what I understand, Physics isn't an easy subject for most humans to learn, yet here you are breaking it down like an expert for your friends!"
Adrien rolled his eyes. "You make it sound like I'm some sort of super genius, Plagg. I'm not. I just enjoy the challenge. Physics is challenging for me but it's not difficult. Besides, it helps keep my mind sharp and I need it now more than ever since I got stuck with the likes of you..."
"Hey!" Plagg exclaimed, indignant.
Adrien looked around, wide-eyed and shushed the Kwami.
"Relax, Adrien. Nobody heard me." Plagg waved him off. "Speaking of being a genius though, you know what would be really smart of you?"
Adrien sighed. "Feeding you?"
"Correct! You might just be a genius after all!" Plagg exclaimed.
"I fed you before we left home this morning. A big wheel of Camembert. What more could you possibly want?" Adrien asked.
"More Camembert!" Plagg hissed.
"Now you're just being greedy..."
Adrien shushed him again, before gathering up the books in his arms and carrying them back to the table.
"And that is a wrap!" Alya stretched in her chair as she shut her notebook and tossed aside her pen. "I'm glad that's over. I'd glad if I never saw another Physics textbook ever again!"
"You said it, Alya..." Nino groaned as he rubbed his eyes. "Physics sucks. Adrien's my best pal and all, but even I don't get how he actually likes this stuff. It's like, academic torture, man..."
Adrien rolled his eyes. "I guess I can see why people would find Physics hard, but I think you're kind of exaggerating things now, Nino. Physics isn't torture."
"I'd have to disagree with you on this one, Adrien. Physics is horrible. It's even worse than Math and I absolutely hate math." Alya said.
"It's settled. Physics sucks. You've been outvoted, Adrien." Marinette looked as if she were in a daze as she spoke (partly because of the workout her brain had just gotten, partly because of talking to her crush).
"Ah well. You win some, you lose some." Adrien shrugged.
He checked his watch. "Since we've finished ahead of time, why don't we all go catch a movie or something? I think we deserve it after all the hard work we just put in..."
Marinette's eyes widened. "Going... to the movies with Adrien? Me... going to movies with Adrien?" she thought anxiously.
"It's a date!" Alya agreed, winking at Nino as the two looked between Marinette and Adrien, both of whom missed the byplay.
"I... I have no p... problem with that." Marinette finally managed to get out.
"Great!" Adrien beamed. "Let's get going!"
As they sat together on the Métro, the four teens eagerly chatted about the movies that were available for viewing at their intended destination.
"I'm in the mood for a horror film." Nino hissed, stretching his hands out in front of him and groaning as if he were a zombie, attracting stares from the other passengers around them.
"No way!" Alya exclaimed, disgusted.
She tapped her phone a few times, brought up the movie schedule and proudly displayed a poster for the latest superhero movie to come out.
"Do you know how long I've been waiting for this movie to come out?!" she asked excitedly, positioning her phone so all four of them could see the screen clearly. "I love action movies! Especially when they involve superheroes! We need to go see this!"
"I'd rather not." Marinette folded her arms. "I'm not in the mood for seeing lots of exploding things, gunshots and people running around in spandex, thank you very much. How about a nice comedy? We could all do with some laugher, especially after that assignment we just had to do..."
"I agree with Marinette. Why not watch something funny? I love comedies! Sure, I'll watch horror movies and action flicks, but what's wrong with a little laughter?" Adrien asked.
Marinette blushed slightly and sunk down into her chair slightly upon hearing Adrien agree with her.
As Alya pulled her back up to prevent her falling onto the subway floor and embarrassing herself further, she shared a look with Nino.
They smirked at one another.
"Sure..." Alya gave Marinette a sly glance once she'd made sure the other girl was safely seated. "We could go for a comedy then. We've been outvoted, haven't we, Nino?" she winked at him.
"Oh, yeah! For sure! Outvoted for sure! Guess we'll go see that comedy movie then!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, no, no, no! We can see something el-" Adrien was cut off by Nino.
"It's fair. We really don't mind. This one is on my list of movies to see anyway." Nino shrugged.
"And we'll make it to the next showing with half an hour to spare. That settles it!" Alya exclaimed, pocketing her phone as she did.
The train came to a stop a few minutes later and they hopped out, along with other passengers.
They talked amicably as they walked up the exit stairs.
"Maybe we can get you sitting next to Adrien," Alya whispered as she and Marinette walked just behind Adrien and Nino. "you could share the biggest bucket of popcorn ever and have this giant cup of soda that you'd share, doing the two straw thing. It would be so adorable!"
"Then I'd spill the popcorn all over myself and Adrien, then spill the soda, making us all sticky, and some of it would get on people around us and they'd kick us out for disturbing the movie and I'll never get a chance to go out with Adrien again!" Marinette whispered back, all while imagining the aforementioned things happening, making herself even more nervous as a result.
Alya sighed.
They finally stepped outside- and then their excited charter trailed off as they stopped in their tracks when they realised that it looked remarkably different to what they- or anyone else would have expected- at least, in this time period.
It looked as if they had taken a time machine back to the 1940s. Some of the more modern buildings that had been built in the area- or at least, where they had known them to be- were now older looking ones; the cars along the street looked like ones that belonged in an antique museum and the people...
"Since when does Paris have so many old people in it?" Adrien wondered, raising an eyebrow at the sight of several elderly people hurrying down the street, in particular a woman dressed in clothes that looked even older than she appeared to be and wheeling herself down the street in a wheelchair.
"And why do they have to wear such ugly clothes? Eew!" Alya shuddered.
"So... why is no one questioning why it looks like we've gone back in time?!" Nino asked, beginning to freak out.
The old woman Adrien noticed looked up and when her gaze landed on the four teens, her eyes widened.
"Quick, you four! You have to get out of here before he finds you! Before he drains you too!" the woman exclaimed.
"Before who drains us?" Nino asked. "Is it an Akuma?!"
At the word Akuma, Adrien and Marinette tensed up, but Alya got out her phone.
Screams rang out from several streets away and they heard the loud cackling of someone who had obviously been corrupted over the din of the screams.
"We need to get out of here!" Marinette's eyes went wide.
As they ran, they became separated when Alya and Nino ducked back into the Métro station, Marinette ducked into one alleyway and Adrien ducked into another a few blocks down.
"Marinette opened her purse and Tikki flew out.
"Looks like you've got some trouble to attend to, Marinette!" Tikki exclaimed. "Just say the words!"
"Right!" Marinette nodded.
"Tikki, transforme-moi!"
In his alleyway, Adrien lifted his jacket and Plagg flew out.
"Looks like this Akuma might have the ability to age up things. Better be careful whoever it is doesn't turn you into an antique!" the Kwami exclaimed.
"Don't worry, Plagg. They won't." Adrien vowed.
"Whoever said I was worr-"
"Plagg, transforme-moi!"
The Kwami was cut off when Adrien called out for his transformation, exclaiming indignantly as he was absorbed into the ring.
"Time to go see what's causing the trouble this time.." He activated his staff, used it to propel himself to the top of the nearest building and started jumping across rooftops to reach his destination.
"At this point, I'm just glad I work out. And that you do as well, through your various activities..." Simone panted as she and Liliane ran for their lives, away from the chaos that the elderly Akuma was causing.
"That wouldn't be necessary if you'd just been a decent human being!" Liliane shrieked. "You know by now that Akumas happen when people get really pissed off about something and that Hawk Moth man corrupts them!"
"It's not my fault that he is so weak!" Simone said.
"What the hell, Maman? Seriously? Where is your soul?" Liliane somehow managed to glare at her mother angrily as they ran, only to be cut off by the Akumatised walking stick as it came crashing down in front of them, followed by its owner, who promptly grabbed it and gave it a little twirl.
Simone and Liliane screamed.
"What's the matter, you two? Don't like the fact that an old, senile man is running things now?" he snarled. "Who helped make the pathway for you ungrateful young people to become what you are today?"
Mother and daughter started backing up, terror evident in their faces, but the Akuma-tised Vincent simply matched their every step.
"Père, you need to stop this foolishness at once! How will this rage help you?!" Simone exclaimed.
"Don't blame me, when you're the cause, Simone!" he snarled.
"Grand-père, please!" Liliane's eyes were wide. "You don't have to this! Where's the kind, lovable, old man that's inside?"
"He's gone, now. He's gone and he's not ever coming back! Geriatrico is here to stay young lady!" the Akuma declared.
The purple butterfly outline appeared around his face and he heard Hawk Moth's voice in his mind.
"I would appreciate it if you would stop with that pointless conversation and remember your task for me!" Hawk Moth commanded. "Either take their youth or take them hostage, as long as it helps you get the Miraculous!"
"I've not forgotten you, Hawk Moth. Geriatrico's not senile, unlike many of his more unfortunate cohorts, after all." Geriatrico reassured him.
The butterfly outline disappeared.
"Hawk Moth's rather respectful when giving his commands. And right now, you're nothing but a distraction to the task he's given me." Geriatrio sneered as he raised the walking stick and pointed it at them.
Mother and daughter screamed as the walking stick started glowing ominously and Simone ducked to the ground, covering her daughter protectively.
She and Liliane looked up at Gertiatrico, two pairs of eyes meeting a single, hardened pair.
"Grand-père, please! Don't do it! This isn't like you! You're being possessed!" Liliane begged.
Geriatrico seemed to pause. "Hmm... I suppose I could spare you, young lady. You were polite." he used the walking stick to bat Liliane aside, sending her crashing into a nearby lamppost and sliding down it, dazed and groaning.
"You on the other hand..." Geriatrico snarled at Simone and charged up a blast to aim at her. "You don't deserve any mercy!"
As soon as it fired, the walking stick was hit by a certain silver staff, sending the aim of the blast off-kilter and making it hit a parked car, turning it into a buggy and the walking stick went flying through the air towards a nearby carriage.
The staff bounced back into the gloved hand of Chat Noir, who stood on top of a nearby building, surveying the scene below him.
Geriatrico growled up at him, while beckoning towards his walking stick, which went flying right back into his grasp.
"How dare you..."
"How dare I indeed. What's up with you attacking these lovely ladies?" Chat jumped down from the roof landing right between Geriatrico and Simone.
"Utterly disrespectful young people... they don't think that the elderly have feelings, hopes and dreams- if not for themselves, but for their families! I, Geriatrico will show all of Paris what it feels like!" Geriatrico fired a blast, but Chat twirled his staff, deflecting it into the ground, which immediately began turning into a dirt trail.
"And how do you think your family feels about this?" Ladybug jumped down next to Chat Noir.
"Ladybug! Nice of you to drop in!" Chat grinned at her, but she rolled her eyes.
"No time to chat, Chat." she said. "What's the deal with this one?"
"Calls himself Geriatrico. Old guy got Akumatised because younger family members were 'utterly disrespectful' to him, apparently because of his age..." Chat Noir shrugged.
Ladybug glanced back at the Lenoir women, eyes widening briefly when she recognised Liliane.
"Cover for me. I'll get these two somewhere safe, since it seems he's after them..." Ladybug moved towards them without waiting for an answer.
"Let's go!" She grabbed Liliane under her arm and ran off with her, Simone running close behind.
Once they'd gotten some distance away, Ladybug set Liliane down, her mother taking her from the spotted superheroine.
"The villain... Geriatrico... he was after me." Simone admitted. "He's my father. I... perhaps I was a bit disrespectful to him."
"A bit?" Liliane spoke incredulously, finally beginning to recover. "And on his birthday too? She called him a... urgh!" she growled.
She looked up to meet Ladybug in the eyes.
"Please save him and try not to hurt him too much. He's my grand-père. He's normally very sweet, kind, understanding... but this..." Liliane looked almost ready to cry. "I guess it just took this one thing for Hawk Moth to prey on..."
"We'll save him, Chat Noir and I..." Ladybug put a hand on her shoulder. "Promise."
"The Akuma is highly likely to be in his walking stick. Liliane got it for him when she noticed that he was having a bit of a problem walking... before I did..." Simone had the decency to look at least slightly ashamed when she confessed.
"Wait!" Liliane suddenly perked up. "I know you're about to go battle grand-père and all, but... can I get a quick picture with you?" she shoved her cell phone into her mother's hands and looked so eager that Ladybug couldn't help but giggle.
"Okay, but just a quick one!" she agreed, posing in the picture by putting an arm around Liliane's shoulder and giving a thumbs-up to the camera with Liliane waving at the camera, beaming brightly.
"I've got to go stop Geriatrico and get him back to you safe and sound. You'll see your grand-père again soon, I promise!" Ladybug waved to them as she took off.
"Wow..." Liliane looked at the photo on her phone, as if in a trance.