Chapter Text
“Adrien! I’ll save you!” Party Crasher’s cry rang throughout the Agreste Manor, much to the annoyance of Nathalie Sancouer, currently the only person present to hear them. He pointed one of his disco balls at her, snarling, “Where is Gabriel Agreste‽”
“Might I inquire as to why you’re upset with Gabriel at this moment?” She calmly adjusted her glasses, masking her own animosity. Not at Party Crasher, no. He was just a child and, though a bit of a nuisance, couldn’t help it if Monarch’s willpower was too strong. No, she was mad that Gabriel had once again created a supervillain whose wrath would obviously turn itself back on himself. Not that she particularly cared about Gabriel’s safety anymore, but innocents always got caught in the crossfire. Like her.
(At least Adrien would probably be safe, seeing as Party Crasher seemed to care about him so much.)
“Adrien said his father wouldn’t let him go on a date with his girlfriend, he should be allowed to live his own life! Now where is Gabriel? Don’t make me shoot you!”
“While I do agree that Adrien deserves to live his own life and his father is a bit too controlling, close-minded, old fashioned, distasteful, and arrogant,” she never really understood how much he could see with the powers of the Butterfly (though it seemed to be more than the Peacock) but she really hoped he could hear her right now. “But the fact remains, he is Adrien’s father. What would Adrien do if you harmed him?”
“He’d be happier with his aunt. Or with you! Or Marinette’s family can take him in! Anything is better than with that tyrant!” He fired a warning shot at the portrait of Adrien’s mother, absorbing it into his disco ball.
“Perhaps you have a point. Unfortunately, Gabriel is not at home at the moment, he’s in a meeting with his business partner, Mrs. Tsurugi. You’re welcome to wait until his return. Have a seat and make yourself comfortable. Would you like some tea?”
“Tea would be nice, thank you.”
He was about to sit down when Ladybug and Cat Noir burst through the front doors. “Party Crasher! Hold it right there!" said Ladybug. "I know you’re upset on Adrien’s behalf but- wait, why is he upset again? He didn’t have time to say when he contacted the Ladyblog for help!”
“His father is being too controlling and keeps forbidding him from seeing his girlfriend Marinette. He’s way too tyrannical.”
Ladybug turned to Cat Noir. “Maybe we can wait until Mr. Agreste shows up and talk things out with him; Party Crasher does have a point.”
“Yeah but if I know Mr. Agreste at all, he’s not going to listen, he’ll just annoy Party Crasher and make things worse. We’ve got to save Wayhem.” He held his pole tight, ready for battle.
“Maybe you’re right, too bad. I was kind of hoping to avoid a fight like this. Party Crasher’s one of our toughest foes.” The first time they beat him, they’d had lots of help. Right now she wasn’t sure they could pull it off again.
“Just try to stop me!” cried Party Crasher. “Or should I say ‘us’? Multitude!” He split into countless smaller selves. They all raised their disco balls to fire.
“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug called forth a-
Bag of marbles? Perfect!
Spilling them everywhere, the marbles rolled back and forth, bouncing off each other. Their chaotic movements overwhelmed Party Crasher’s vision, making it hard to track things. Before they could adjust to the sudden influx of stimuli, Ladybug knocked them over with her yo-yo. One of the marbles barreled straight toward a prone Party Crasher, smashing his glasses.
Out flew a familiar purple butterfly.
Swinging her yo-yo, she went through the familiar motions of capture and release, it was pretty much muscle memory at this point. “No more evildoing for you, Megakuma!” She gathered a few marbles and tossed them into the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!” And lastly she produced a magical charm. “Wayhem, this charm will remind you to always stay strong in the face of despair. I know you love your friend dearly, but it’s not worth it to give in to Monarch like that. He’s only using you. How would Adrien feel if he knew one of his important friends had fallen to the dark side because of him?”
“You’re right, Ladybug, I’m sorry, but when I saw how sad Adrien looked, I got so worried.”
“And he got worried when he saw how upset you were.” She glanced at Adrien’s bedroom door. “Miss Sancouer, since Gabriel isn’t home right now and Wayhem is already here, would it be okay if Wayhem paid him a quick visit?”
“Make it fast. You never know when Gabriel will be back.”
“Thank you so much!”
Cat Noir looked frazzled for a moment, “I better get going. I think I left the oven on. See you later Ladybug?” He turned around, vaulting back out the front door, almost as if his life depended on it.
Ladybug shook her head and sighed. “I swear, he’s a great partner but sometimes-” her earrings started beeping. “Well, I better get going too, stay safe Wayhem.”
She ran out the front door, swinging away on the nearest tree branch she could get to.
Ladybug landed on one of her favorite rooftops, sitting with her legs dangled over the edge. She looked around for signs of Cat Noir, but whatever business he had to attend (the oven thing, she decided, was likely just an excuse for something he couldn’t say) seemed to still be keeping him busy. She did have an incoming call on her yo-yo though, perhaps it was him? She quickly answered.
“So how is everything?” asked Alya. “I know you were worried when you heard a supervillain was attacking the Agreste Manor. Were you able to stop him in time? Was Adrien okay?”
“Yeah, luckily Cat Noir and I got there before anything bad happened. And truthfully, Wayhem cares about Adrien a lot, so I don’t think he was ever in any real danger. I admit though, I was a little stressed out- I was a bit scared because Party Crasher is so dangerous. We had a lot more people to face him the first time around, it made it much easier to overwhelm his ability to predict movement. I’m glad things worked out this time-
“But every time Cat Noir and I go up against a dangerous villain like him, I’m reminded how much tougher things are now that we don’t have a team of Holders. I’m so grateful for the Resistance, and everything you’ve done to help us on the Ladyblog, but I miss being able to call upon Rena, Carapace, and all the others.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get the Miraculous back someday. And whatever comes next, you and the team will be ready for it.”
“Thanks, Alya.” She hung up and looked out at the clear blue sky. It was another victory in the ongoing war with Monarch, and she was glad for that. But sometimes it felt like this battle was going on forever, and she could use some good news, some sort of break in the stalemate.
She never noticed another figure watching over her from another rooftop. One dressed in a white tunic, with black shorts and a cape, and a black brimless top hat. The figure held a pendulum in her hand, letting it sway back and forth in the gentle breeze.