Happily Ever After

2 - Once upon a time - Adrien's story

Adrien grinned and began his version of the story:

"Once upon a time there was a gorgeous girl named Marinette. She had the most beautiful bluebell eyes in the world and charming smile that caused mess in boys' minds." Marinette giggled but didn't say a word. "She was a hero at school. She helped everyone, even if she didn't like someone."

"Let me guess: aunt Chloe?" Hugo murmured, and Marinette exchanged an amused glance with Adrien. The intuition of their eldest son was deeply disturbing.

"Hugo, we're not interrupting."

"I'm sorry dad..." Hugo whispered and hugged closer his mother.

"One day, a danger lay over Paris." Adrien returned to the story. "A man of extraordinary powers began to terrify the citizens by sending super-villains on them. His name was Hawkmoth."

"Let's guess..." Hugo began, but Marinette immediately stopped him.

"Hawkmoth wanted to acquire Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculous in order to take over the world. He created supervillains by sending akumas, black butterflies full of negative emotions, which were able to take over the heart of the victim."

"Adrien, you're scaring kids..." Marinette said. "Maybe to the point?"

"But you ruin all the fun with building tension!" her husband protested.

"Don't forget that some of us here are not yet two years old." she reminded with a gentle smile. "And besides, children know this story very well. Go to the point."

"Where's the fun, Bugaboo?"

She rolled her eyes as an answer. He grinned and continued:

"Let's go back to our story. Marinette had a secret. When the city was attacked by another super-villain sent by Hawkmoth, she transformed into a superheroine, Ladybug. And her partner was a handsome and charming Cat Noir." Marinette couldn't resist, and she giggled again. "Don't laugh, honey. This is the truest truth. You've been repeating it for ages. Kids, imagine that Cat Noir fell in love with Ladybug almost at first sight."

"Almost?!" Marinette exclaimed indignantly.

"Honey, don't interrupt." Adrien grinned at his catlike smile, and Marinette's cheeks covered a blush. So many years had passed, but some things didn't change at all. "I remind you that our first meeting was very uncomfortable. But after you cleared so many akumas at once and spoke to the crowds, it was done."

"I see that it's easy to impress you." she interjected.

"I bet that it was a weak three for you?" he smiled.

"Eh, just one, maybe two." She shrugged.

"Returning to our story..." Adrien winked at his wife. "Cat Noir also hid his identity. Every day he was just an ordinary student..."

"Not an ordinary student but an exceptional student." Marinette cut in. "A very popular model by the way, whom half of the city was in love with. And a very unhappy boy who wasn't as loved as much as he deserved." she added quietly. Adrien gave her a sad look and she smiled warmly at him. The green flashes in his eyes immediately returned to their place.

"One day Adrien, because that was the name of this boy, took part in an advertisement of new perfumes." Adrien continued the story. "Everyone was literally crazy about this ad. And about the model. The crowds of fans pestered him all the time. He couldn't go anywhere because always someone caught him. It was very exhausting. One day Adrien slipped out of the house to watch a very important movie in the cinema." Marinette smiled again, this time to her memories. "Of course, a crowd of fans surrounded him. Adrien tried to run away and bumped into his best friend, Marinette. She could then leave him to the fans and paparazzi. But no, she did everything she could to save him."

"You remember all this?" Marinette whispered in surprise.

"Every minute. It was a very important day." Adrien nodded.

"Don't interrupt, mom!" Emma said.

"I'm sorry..."

"What happened next, Daddy?"

"It soon turned out that not the fans were the biggest problem for Adrien and Marinette." Adrien continued. "The super-villain, Gorizilla, joined the hunt for the famous model. His job was to track Adrien down and take him back home. Gorizilla had a very sensitive sense of smell and it took him a few minutes to find the boy. He kidnapped Adrien from the cinema, in which the boy had hid with Marinette."

"You were on a date?" Hugo grimaced.

"It wasn't a date." Dad replied. "Yet. Adrien was the bait for Ladybug and Cat Noir. And indeed, after a while Ladybug appeared on the roof of one of the high-rise buildings, where Gorizilla was holding Adrien." Marinette smiled when she heard her super-name said so softly. "And Ladybug saved Adrien. Thanks to her magical yo-yo, she opened Gorizilla's fist. Adrien fell out, and she caught him with her yo-yo. They came together down to the street level. It seemed to Adrien that this was the greatest moment in his life. He'd been in love with her for so many months..."

"And she was in love with him as well." Marinette added.

"Eugh..." Hugh grimaced.

"Adrien was so impressed with what Ladybug had just done that he forgot himself for a moment and almost called her 'My Lady', as Cat Noir usually called her."

"You're calling mommy like that now." Emma interjected.

"Yes." Adrien nodded. "But Ladybug didn't realise this mistake. She focused on saving Adrien. This time before the villain. And she waited for Cat Noir's help, but he was late for action."

"I wonder why..." Hugo murmured.

"Adrien needed a replacement. Fortunately, he had a devoted fan who would gladly act as Adrien, while the real Adrien could transform into Cat Noir and help Ladybug. This catwalk let him confuse Hawkmoth about his identity. But he also confused Ladybug."

"I suggest taking a break here, honey." Marinette interrupted ignoring a collective protest. "We must eat something, otherwise we'll starve." she added. But that was just an excuse. Adrien's tale reminded her how that day ended. And she needed a while to calm down.