Co-Pilot

Chapter 1

           "You're just jealous." Adrien pointed out as he stepped into the hotel suite he shared with his partner. Though, she wasn't just his partner. She was his wife.

"Jealous me? Of what?" Her sarcasm filled the room as she examined the space they would be staying in. Adrien smiled to himself, bantering with his wife was always fun even if she seemed to be in a bad mood. However, he knew she wasn't, just salty about the facts.

"For one, I know you. You get jealous if another woman even looks at me." Adrien replied his hands on his hips as he dismissed the hotel assistant politely. The man left, closing the door to give the couple their privacy. "And two, you're just mad I got my combat certification first." Adrien went on bending down to begin unpacking. The woman groaned before disappearing around the corner to inspect the bedroom portion of the room. "I can't help the fact that I've got more coordination and physical strength Bugaboo! Besides that's why we're a perfect pair!" He called across the room, a smile still on his face. The two were a perfect pair, and everyday she reminded him of that truth with their simple everyday interactions. Marinette Dupain – Cheng, correction, Marinette Agreste was the piece he was missing. Their friendship had gone back years, their partnership just as long. Minus the temporary break they took for relational reasons. Yet somehow the two had come back together, been sent out on a mission, and rekindled their love for one another. Just look at them now, they were a married couple, a recent development in their lives, but a development nonetheless in their long history of a relationship. After gathering up all the cords and wires, Adrien began to set up the technology they had brought in the living space. There wasn't as much as usual, as the two had packed light, but there was still quite a bit of gear, since the two always wanted to be prepared. There was a reason they were the top spies at Miraculous, a top tier French secret service agency. Miraculous was the highest division of the secret service, taking on cases that were so convoluted and complicated it would take a miracle to solve them. For years, the agency had been working on mission 'Akuma'. It was a massive case, most of the agents available were sent out on missions to gain information. The Agreste's however, coded as Agents Ladybug and Chat Noir, were typically put in charge of the field work, tracking and intercepting the schemes. The main point of 'Akuma' was to capture the international terrorist, Hawkmoth, who was based out of France. Except, his aliases kept him illusive and almost impossible to catch. So, far the only leads came from stopping the man's many illegal trade deals. They were pretty good at it too, but the agency was nowhere near closer to cracking the case. Booting up the laptop, Adrien sat down on the couch. Suddenly, Marinette appeared in the bedroom doorframe behind him.

"Just because I lack coordination as Marinette, doesn't mean I can't get my act together as Ladybug." She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"They're one and the same honey. Just as Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste are." Adrien replied turning his attention back to the computer. Marinette sighed, giving in, as she sat down beside him, delicately straightening her light pink skirt over her knees. Her off the shoulder black blouse creasing as she leaned against his arm. A notification chimed, redirecting Adrien's attention from his wife to the computer. With a few simple key presses, Adrien was able to hook up a video call between them and their boss, also known as a case guardian, Master Fu.

"Master." The pair greeted in unison.

"Ladybug. Chat Noir. I hope you made it safely to the Caribbean." The short stout man spoke up, immediately seg-waying into the task at hand.

"Yes Master." Marinette replied, her tone shifting from a sassy wife to a serious and invested secret agent.

"Very good."

"What's the mission?" Adrien questioned, propelling the conversation further, also switching his mood instantaneously.

"We're continuing operation 'Akuma'." That didn't come as a surprise to the two agents. "Rumor has it that Hawkmoth has an illegal trade of 7 trillion U.S. dollars for 24 pounds of smuggled rare jewels with a Caribbean resident. It's on you to intercept it."

"Sounds easy enough." Adrien remarked. This would be pretty routine for the two of them. Adrien was confident in their abilities. Granted, they hadn't been on a mission for a few months, but that's why they had taken refresher courses at the agency when they returned from their honeymoon. Once they renewed their certifications, of which Adrien happily received first in the area of combat, they were sent off to the Caribbean islands. In short, Adrien Agreste, a.k.a. Chat Noir, was not worried.

"Tell me about it. It's not like we've been doing this multiple times in an attempt to catch one guy." Mari smart mouthed with a roll of her bluebell eyes. Adrien also rolled his eyes. He didn't know what her deal was today, but he'd have to handle personal issues later.

"The man's name is Ramone Sharp. He owns that establishment and tonight he'll be wandering around in the casino. I sent the building blueprints to you ahead of time." Master Fu continued. Adrien leaned forward and pressed another key, easily minimizing the video call to half the screen to pull up the document displaying the blueprints. "See what you can find." Adrien scoured over the blueprints, observing the layout of the building while his wife acknowledged their boss before hanging up.

"Looks like we're going to the casino tonight M'lady." Adrien commented as he scrolled down on the document. He heard Marinette hum in agreement before she let go of his arm and excused herself back to the bedroom. Who knew what for? The rest of the afternoon, the couple worked out a plan on approaching Mr. Sharp. Most of that time also being spent on mental preparation as well. It was their first case in months, and they wanted to do everything to the best of their abilities. When evening fell, Adrien was quick to get ready. It had been a hot minute since he had last worn his Chat Noir attire but was glad to finally put it back on. Tonight, he would be wearing one of his three formal outfits, a dark gray button up with black slacks. An emerald, green tie and vest, topped off with a black suit jacket. Fastening the buttons on the jacket, Adrien sat back down on the couch to go over the layout one more time, simultaneously running the evening's plans through his train of thought. He probably only sat there for a minute or two before Marinette called him back to the bedroom.

"Adrien!? Can you come here please!?" Adrien got up from his seat and headed around the corner to the bedroom area where his wife was still getting ready. Once there, he leaned on the archway frame, admiring the beautiful woman before him. She wore a shimmering, silky, red, form fitting dress with a black strapless sweetheart neckline and V-shaped waist band. It was a very settle reminder that her color scheme would always relate back to her Ladybug persona. A large slit in the side of the fabric exposed her slender, yet muscular legs. Adrien already knew how stunning the dress looked upon her figure, for he had seen her wear this particular dress multiple times before. Perhaps he'd get her another dress or two, just to shake things up in her wardrobe. Her hair was already done up in a high bun, tied off with a red ribbon to hold it in place. "Can you help me with the zipper please?" Mari requested once she saw him standing there. Adrien was dragged from his admiration. He then smiled with a goofy roll of his eyes before straightening up and stepping up behind his wife.

"You know I usually pull your zippers down Princess. I don't pull them up." He teased as he zipped the fabric together up to just underneath her shoulder blades. Adrien couldn't resist the temptation as he slid his hands along her curves and then wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Maybe later Chaton." Mari replied as he rested his chin on her bare shoulder. Marinette then began to adjust her earrings and fiddle with the tendrils of her hair that she left loose as usual. Adrien sighed contently. He craved for small tender moments like these. From where he stood today, there was nothing else that he could wish for. Everything was perfect, and he felt that he was on his way to the experiencing a life that he could only dream of. It was total bliss. "What?" Marinette interrupted his thoughts again; she had clearly taken notice of his satisfied grin.

"Nothing. Just admiring my beautiful wife." Adrien replied, straightening himself up again as Marinette wriggled from his grasp to reach for her purse. She didn't escape completely, but just enough that she could maneuver about. When she turned back, Adrien held her close, marveling in her presence.

"Ready to go." Marinette inquired as she tucked the collar of his shirt beneath his jacket further.

"Yup. Let's do this." Adrien smirked at his wife. Confidence immersing his veins. With one last tug on his suit jacket, Adrien followed his partner out of their hotel room and downstairs to the casino. They had work to do.