The Noir, The Lady and the New World

Home...!

Chat gave a very cat-like yowl as he tumbled out of the colors and his feet hit the hard rooftop of a Paris building.
He checked his body, ensuring he was back to human form, then caught his partner as she fell out of the vortex too. "Gotcha, my lady!"

Ladybug blushed as he set her down on the roof. "We take out Warpster, then we have to make it look like we were captured or something in our civilian forms."

Chat winked. "I've got a plan, my lady. But first we have to find Portal Man."
The two nodded, then took off into the city. "I'd say listen for screams."

Ladybug rolled her eyes, "Just don't get pulled into another portal."
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Finding the villain didn't take very long. Even at the late hour, Warpster was wreaking havoc downtown.

The two teens looked down at him from the rooftop, and Ladybug examined him. "I think the akuma is in his ticket roll. Think you can get it off of him?"

Chat grinned. "Anything for you, my lady..."

"Not anything, Chat. Don't die. Or get sucked into a portal."

Chat smirked. "Fine...!" He sang, then pulled out his staff. "Hey Portal Man!" He shouted.

Warpster turned and glared. "I thought I'd gotten rid of you two! No matter, I'll take those miraculouses now!"

"Not tonight! Or is it today, with how late you've got us up?"
Chat dashed forward, avoiding portals that Warpster formed before he twisted around, their staff and baton meeting in a loud cracking sound.

Ladybug wrapped her yoyo around Warpster's wrist as he pulled it back for another swing, then tugged hard.
Warpster dropped the tickets, and Ladybug swung down, snatching Chat out of a closing portal before it closed and severed him in half. "You okay, Chat?"

Chat looked over himself as she picked up the tickets. "Y-Yeah...that was close."

Ladybug ripped the ticket roll, then watched the Akuma fly out of it. "That's enough evil for you, Akuma...time to De-Evilize!"
She swung her yoyo and caught the akuma inside. "Gotcha!"

As the purified akuma flew off into the night sky and the man was reverted back to his civilian form, Chat wrapped his arms around Ladybug in a tight hug. "Ladybug...you're the best partner a cat can have, you know that?"

"The thought did cross my mind...Chat!?" She gasped as Chat gave a moan and collapsed onto his knees. "What's wrong?"

"I think the effects of being gone for a week are starting to get to me..."
Ladybug helped him to his feet. "We'd better get our plan in motion before you go down too..."

Ladybug nodded, then the two headed towards the ladder down from the roof.
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The two reverted back to their civilian forms and made their way to the police station.
Both assumed that after being missing for a week, their parents would've gotten worried and filed missing persons cases.

They'd tell the police that Warpster had dropped them into a pocket dimension, and they were trapped there until Ladybug and Chat Noir had gotten them out.

By the time they reached the police station, Adrian could barely keep his head up and felt very warm, and Marinette was weakening too.

They limped into the station, where Adrian collapsed completely, lightheaded with a fever.
After everything that had happened, he was surprised that was the worst they were suffering from.

It was nearly two-thirty in the morning by the time they were able to just sit, wrapped in blankets and sipping on warm drinks.

Adrian shivered under the blanket, then looked to Marinette. "...I wonder if my dad even noticed I was gone..." He whispered.

Marinette sighed. "I'm sure he's just as worried about you as anyone else's parents..."
She looked up as the doors opened, her face breaking into a smile as her own parents stepped in. "Mama! Papa!"

"Oh Marinette!" Her father held her tightly. "Your mother has gotten hardly any sleep...!"

"Neither have you, Tom!" Her mom replied, though grinning. "Are you okay, Marinette? No bruises or anything?"

"I'm fine...Actually, I'm great, now that you're here...!"

Her dad hugged her and her mother at the same time, and Marinette smiled at Adrian.

And he smiled back.

______________________________________

Adrian sat waiting only a few more minutes after Marinette left with her parents.

It would most likely be Nathalie coming to get him. No way his father would even be awake at this hour.

He stared at the clock as it neared three o'clock in the morning.

Then he heard the door open.

He looked over, his eyes widening as he saw not Nathalie, but his father. "Father...?" He whispered.

Gabriel Agreste hurried over to Adrian, shocking the teen as he hugged him. "Adrian...I've been so worried!" He placed a hand on Adrian's forehead. "You're very warm..."

"Just a fever, Father. Nothing to worry about." Adrian assured.

Gabriel gave a soft smile, something he hadn't seen on his father's face in ages. Since his mom left...
"I'm just glad you're alright." He stood up. "Come. Let's get you home."

Adrian got up and followed his father out the doors. The cool night air made him shiver, but he did his best to hide it. "I can't wait to sleep in my own bed..."

"You'll have to miss a few more days of school, I'm afraid. Until I know you're well, I don't want you out in the elements."

Adrian nodded. He didn't mind. He was just glad to be going home...