Thanks so much for the kind words! This story has totally consumed me
xo moonbaby
...
After Ladybug arrived, Adrien's smile was genuine. She stayed with him to sign autographs and pose for pictures, turning her kind smile on everyone she could reach. Though he knew how good she was with press from their numerous post-akuma press releases together as Chat Noir, one or both of them was always required to make a hasty exit before detransformation. Tonight, Adrien relished the being in public with his Lady, one way or another. His beamed at everyone, and he was more willing to sign autographs than ever before.
Ladybug was glad to see Adrien so happy, and internally Marinette was caught up in a rush of confusion. Adrien likes both sides of me, I think! said one part, while the other worried. Ladybug can never really be there for him! How can I be Ladybug as Marinette!? The flashbulbs popped, and she smiled at the crowds of Paris. It had been a great success. But it was Marinette's night, and she hadn't even hugged her parents yet, busy as they were with the refreshments. She glowed with their pride for her.
She turned to Adrien, whose bright smile faltered as he realized she was leaving. "I'm sorry Adrien, but I have to-"
Her words were cut off as something whizzed between their faces and stuck with a thwack into the paparazzi backboard. "What the- ?" Adrien started, and they both turned to see a purple figure floating above them, with that particular angry, triumphant expression of the recently akumatized.
"Oh Adrieeeeen!" she called out in a mocking tone. "There you are! Don't you know I'm your biggest… FAN!" screamed Fantastique, sending another volley down at them. Ladybug leapt in front of Adrian, yo- yo spinning. "They are fans, thrown like knives!" cried Ladybug.
Looking out from behind Ladybug's shoulder, Adrien squinted at the figure. He stepped around Ladybug to get a closer look, and the akumatized girl grinned evilly, slapping open a purple fan and fanning herself idly. "You're.. you're Maxine! From the fan site!" he cried, and her face contorted with rage. "My name is Fantastique!" she screamed, "and I'm here to dispatch with this little bug so that you and I, Adrien darling, can get to know each other!" With that, she dove down with a shriek, making Ladybug and Adrien scramble to get out of the way. The crowd was in panic, everyone running in different directions. A distant part of Marinette's mind feared for the safety of her clothes, but this was no time to worry about that. She had to protect Adrien at all costs.
"We can't stay here, Adrien, it isn't safe! Grab on!" with a hand around his waist, Ladybug flung out her yo-yo and whisked them away over the rooftops of Paris.
Ladybug landed on a familiar balcony. She couldn't take him to his home, as this crazed fan surely knew where he lived. Her house was probably the safest bet.
"Look Adrien, I need you to promise that you will stay here, so that you'll be safe!" Ladybug looked into Adrien's face intently, and he thought wildly, I have to keep you safe! I'm your Chat Noir! But he nodded and assured her he would stay. Her face relaxed with relief. "Go down through here, stay out of sight. Chat Noir and I will take care of this crazy fan for you!" She made sure he went in, then turned on her heel, and was gone.
Adrien looked around, and his eyes adjusted to the dark. He was about to shout to Plagg to transform, but a picture suddenly caught his eye. He squinted. A picture of.. him! And another! He had come down the ladder and something crunched at his feet. He looked down. Pattern paper, like his father kept to make clothes. He looked up, and there was a dress form wearing a mockup of the same outfit as him. "Wait, this is.. Marinette's room?!" He looked around again. "Ladybug brought me to Marinette's room? And she has pictures of me on her walls?" Adrien gave himself a shake of happiness.
Plagg snorted. "Did you forget that there is a crazed fan of yours terrorizing Paris, and Ladybug is facing her alone?"
Adrien was snapped out of his reverie. "You're right, Plagg, Claws out!" Chat Noir leapt onto the ladder to leave, when one more thing caught his eye. It was a black, octagonal box, and looked oddly familiar… Chat Noir shook his head again and bounded up the ladder, into the night, to join his lady.
Meanwhile, Ladybug had made straight for Adrien's house, knowing that Fantastique was sure to look for him there, and her as well, for that matter. She swung onto the roof, and then sighed. Ugh, I have to go tell his dad. This will be fun..
Marinette jumped down to the front steps and had the courtesy to knock on the front door. Nathalie peered out, her face softening on seeing Ladybug. She opened the great door to reveal Gabriel in his favorite spot on the staircase landing, for better to glower down at the rest of us, grimaced Ladybug.
"Ladybug! Where is my son!" Agreste demanded.
"He is safe, Gabriel, I hid him somewhere the supervillain will never find him. And no-" she held up her hand to stop his protest, "I can not tell you where, so don't ask. It will keep you both safer that way, depending what happens. Now you and your staff need to find secure places to hide, and I need to patrol the house."
Without waiting for a reply, Ladybug ran up the stairs to Adrien's room, trying to think of a plan to defeat the akuma. She had been there before, but never alone, and she now became aware of the silence and solitude. She turned on a light. God, he's rich, she thought, staring at the flat screens, half-pipe, and huge glass windows. She turned the corner and choked. There was a huge poster of her, Ladybug, on his wall!
"Oh my god! What have I done!" The force of one thousand tons of embarrassment descended upon her as she realized that Adrien was in her room right now, probably thinking she was the crazed fan, with all those pictures of him on the walls. And it was such a mess! Argh!
A shadow fell across the floor, and a familiar form landed, cat-like, in front of her. "You really let your hair down this evening, My Lady" crooned Chat Noir, reaching out to twine a finger in her hair, as Adrien could never have done. Ladybug swatted his hand away, but was glad to see him.
"Nice of you to show up," she teased, "or did you forget about our date tonight?"
"Sadly, I was claw-t up in something, Princess," he stretched languidly, turning a backbend and flipping over to stand again. Suddenly he was by her side. "Though we can get right to the good part of the date now if you'd like…" He leaned in, lips puckered, and she laughed.
"In your dreams, Chat Noir," she teased, still inches from his face.
"Every night, bugaboo," he crooned back at her.
"You slut!" shrieked Fantastique, crashing in through Adrien's window. Ladybug and Chat Noir leapt to their feet, baton and yo-yo twirling against her volley of deadly fans.
"You take Adrien's attention away, and then you canoodle with this kitten in his bedroom! You're no lady, you're just a slutty bug." Fantastique spat the word. Chat Noir bristled with rage and launched himself at her, baton read to strike. She slapped open a fan and blocked the attack, sending him sprawling. Ladybug followed with her yo-yo, only to see it smacked away by the fan.
"Where did you hide my Adrien, you stinkbug?" cried Fantastiqe.
"Where you'll never find him!" shouted Ladybug, yo-yo twirling.
Chat Noir looked back and forth between them both, and an idea came to him.