Week Four: Mid-Life Crisis

Lyra here. This week, our topic was "Future" and, I will admit - at first, this theme gave me a hard time. (Just ask my co-authors. I complained a lot. - sorry, guys!). Then, one night a story popped into my head. I took a moment to think of what a man like Adrien would feel like in his 40s like me, trying to balance the life of an adult: job, spouse, children. What would he want? And so, this week's story begins.

CM: Lyra… I had no idea you were a man in your 40s… you totally had me fooled!

Lyra: HAHA. No! I'm an old 40 year old WOMAN. I just meant…. Oh, nevermind. Sigh.

As his 45th birthday drew near, there was one thing that Adrien Agreste dreamed of. Not a new exotic sports car (although he admitted there were some pretty amazing ones out there), or a wild vacation, or any other of the stereotypical mid-life crisis behaviours that men seem to have. No. No.

Adrien Agreste only wanted one thing: to relive his Chat Noir glory days.

The need for superheroes had been limited in Paris for the last 20 years, thanks to the defeat of Hawkmoth and his misguided plans. Despite the years of trauma that particular incident had caused, Adrien had managed to come out the other side stronger. But he missed the rush of racing wildly over rooftops, battling ridiculous villains, and making horribly wonderful puns to his partner, Ladybug.

The funny thing about ageing is that one day, you are 19, agile, youthful, and free then the next you are 40, staring at the greying hair and tired eyes looking back at you in the mirror, a life full of responsibilities, wondering how exactly that had happened.

Adrien still felt like a teenager inside, even if he found his muscles aching slightly when standing up after sitting too long. Even when he looked at his teenaged children in the eyes. Even when he even when he tried to figure out if that was really his face in the mirror and not some illusion of his father's.

Plagg had thoroughly enjoyed the lazy non-activity of the last 20 years, gorging himself on extremely expensive cheeses and spending the rest of his days pestering Tikki or the houseful of teenagers between naps. Adrien thought the little kwami seemed a little more sluggish and rotund than he had in the past - a product of a life half lived.

So, it was with all these thoughts in mind that Adrien approached a conversation with his floating cat friend. "I've been thinking, Plagg. I want to go out tonight." Plagg didn't respond. "As Chat Noir."

To that, the kwami gave Adrien a distinctly disapproving side-eye.

"No."

Adrien sighed, years of friendship with Plagg had fully prepared him for that. Time to pull the trump card.

"Good thing I bought you some specialty cheese then to change your mind." Another side-eye, this time with a combination of curiosity and irritation together. Adrien flashed him a grin, to which Plagg simply slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"Fine, but I get half now and half after."

Deal made, Adrien pulled the large chunk of Roquefort cheese out of the back of the mini-fridge in his office where they had been talking, holding his breath as he unwrapped the paper. Plagg's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head, drool oozing out the corners of his mouth. A chunk tossed in his direction elicited a sound from the kwami that humans probably shouldn't be privy to before Plagg attacked the cheese with pleasure.

Adrien couldn't fault the little guy - his own excitement bubbling just under the surface. The fact that as soon as Plagg managed to gulp down that nasty cheese, Adrien would be able to once again be Chat Noir sent a ripple of anticipation over his skin.

It seemed like an eternity despite the fact it was probably only a minute, but finally, Plagg was ready. Still unimpressed, but ready.

"Plagg, Transform me."

He hadn't said those words in years. He hadn't felt the immediate rush of energy that came from his ring in so long and he relished the electricity sizzling over this body as it took over him. From toe to head, familiar black material replaced the casual clothing he'd been wearing. Running his hand over his face, a mask guarded his eyes, and fingers in his hair pulled his black cat ears up. The belted tail shot out of his back and he stretched like a cat in the sunshine at how wonderful it felt to be suited up again.

With a few spry steps, he moved to the mirror hanging behind the door to see how he looked. It took a moment to process. He looked similar to his youth - although his hair was more on the silver side than gold - wild hair, glowing green eyes, and the same golden bell at his throat. He flicked it playfully. Did the shadow of whiskers on his chin give Chat a more roguish look?

The suit was tighter than he remembered, making him a little uncomfortable at the display of his not-quite-so-young body. Thankfully, he had been a fan of physical fitness over the years. This suit would definitely be unappealing if he'd let himself gain a softer body.

He felt light and strong, a smirk curling his lips as he flexed in the mirror. Not bad, if he did say so himself. He honestly was kind of glad that Plagg hadn't decided to play some kind of sick joke and turn his suit into something hideous.

"Adrien?" Marinette's voice called from the hallway on the other side of the office door. "Are you in the office?"

Eyes widening in a slight panic, Chat Noir looked around the office for a quick plan. He stuffed his cell phone into one of his pockets and bolted out the window, grabbing onto the eavestrough to pull himself onto the roof. That wasn't nearly as easy as he'd remembered, his legs kicking wildly to give himself some extra momentum over the lip.

His cat ears twitched at the sound of the office door opening and Marinette calling his name as she entered the room. He could hear her walk around the space, the floor creaking slightly under her gentle footsteps.

"I could have sworn he was home." The mutter was soft but confused. Chat Noir grit his teeth staying as still as he could so she wouldn't hear him scuffling across the roof. Finally, she left his office, pulling the door behind her. A quiet breath of relief left him as he relaxed.

Time to give this superhero re-enactment a try..

Standing up, he cracked his neck, pulling his arms across his body in a stretch, and jogged slightly in place before grasping at the baton from its typical place on his back. Chat Noir eyed the gap between his house and that of the neighbour's. It seemed farther than he remembered jumping in the past, but surely with Plagg's super agility and other skills, it wouldn't be impossible. Fingers on auto-pilot, he took a few steps back before running to the edge of the roof and jumping off, extending the baton to the size of a pole vault. As it made contact with the ground, he pushed off it, retracting it and finding himself mid-air in a familiar arc.

An arc that he suddenly realized wasn't going to clear the gap.

Frantically, he extended his baton again and hoped he could relaunch off it, only to have it land in the neighbour's pool with a small splash, slipping. A curse word escaped his lips as the direction of his landing shifted and he awkwardly tumbled into the pool. Spluttering as he emerged from the water, he swam to the edge and dragged himself over the side, head shaking the water off his hair like a wet animal. A puddle forming around the cement where he'd flopped, Chat realized that this was going to take more work than he'd remembered. He could almost hear Plagg cackling with joy at this experience.

A quick check of his phone reassured him that it had been saved from the unexpected waterlog. Carefully, he tucked it back in place and eyed the roof that he'd so unceremoniously missed the first time. A quick vault had him back to the tops of the buildings and he started running along the peaks.

Slowly, the comfortable rhythm of his legs combined with the propelling and vaulting of his baton returned. The wind of his quick pace burned pleasantly against his cheeks and through his hair. It was impossible to keep the holler of joy inside mid-air between rooftops as he neared the Eiffel Tower.

The sudden and urgent desire to sit overlooking the city in the fading light of day was almost unbearable - memories of some of his favourite days flooding him with warmth.

The tower loomed over Paris, the glow of its nighttime lights calling like a lighthouse beacon, pulling him in the right direction. His booted feet hit the ground with a loud clump mid-run, drawing more attention than he'd intended. Still running at top speed, he flashed a cheeky grin at the startled audience before taking a giant leap onto the metal side of the tower. His claws slipped a little, and his heart skipped a beat while he struggled to get a better grip. The moment he had full contact, he was back off and clawing his way up the side.

Higher and higher he climbed, the top of the tower in sight. This is what he'd been dreaming of - the freedom, the strength, the power, the wonder that his life as a hero had been before the weight of different responsibilities had pulled on him.

Finally, he was as high up as he could get, perching himself on a ledge in a folded cat-like pose. Paris was as beautiful as he'd remembered from here, the lights of the night beginning to sparkle in the encroaching darkness. He took a few deep breaths, closing his eyes to savour this moment. It had been too long.

Suddenly, his ring beeped with extreme urgency. Blinking at the flashing green paw on his hand, he realized that Plagg was about to drop the transformation without much of a warning. Chat didn't have enough time to do much more than push his body backwards from the ledge so he wouldn't tumble off. The green light was bright against the darkened sky and Adrien found himself in his pyjama pants and oversized t-shirt standing stranded at the top of the Eiffel Tower where civilians couldn't access. Plagg flopped into Adrien's hands with a groan.

"Cheese. I need cheese," the little being whined, arms and legs splayed dramatically wide. Adrien sighed, knowing the cheese that he'd promised his kwami was still in the fridge in the office. It had been many years since he'd kept a piece of stinky cheese in his pocket for recharging. All he could offer was a sheepish smile. "Ugh, Kid. I can't do that anymore. Been too long."

Adrien dropped to the pavement, placing Plagg gently on his chest. "No worries, Plagg. I appreciate it. That was amazing. I'd missed that."

For a while, the pair just stayed on the platform, admiring the sights and sounds of the city in the stillness of the night. Finally, Adrien sighed, admitting defeat. Pulling his phone from his pyjama pocket, he dialled Marinette.

"Adrien?" At the sincere concern in her voice, he just smiled.

"Hey, Bugaboo."

"Where are you? I thought you were home. The car is in the garage, but you aren't in your office and I-" God, he loved her rambling.

"I was at home, Mari, but I popped out for a bit of a stroll."

"Oh." She was silent for longer than he had expected. "Everything ok?"

"Well…." He wasn't sure how to explain it. "Yes and no."

He could hear her soft sigh and a chiding voice murmuring in the background. Tikki, he presumed.

"What?!" He heard Marinette squawk before the high pitched voice continued. Marinette's response was muffled as she held her phone against her shirt.

"Ok, where are you, kitty? Still at the Eiffel Tower?" Of course she would have found out, he thought guiltily. His money was on Alya.

"Bring cheese?" was all he said before he heard her call Tikki to transform her and the line cut out.

It wasn't long before he could see her lithe form swinging over the rooftops, speeding towards the tower. Ladybug. His hero.

She landed in a crouch before the tower, looking looked so incredibly small from his vantage point. Soon she was a blur of red and black as she used her yo-yo to pull herself higher and higher. She could see the fierce glint in her blue eyes and the way the wind fluttered through her long, black hair.

It was only a moment before she flipped over the railing and landed beside him with a slightly scolding look, before transforming. "Oh, Adrien."

He flashed her a cheeky smile with a simple "hey" before accepting her cheese offering that Plagg gulped with extreme vigour.

Adrien grabbed his wife around the waist and pulled her against him, so she could look over the city, too.

"Isn't it beautiful, milady? We haven't been here in so long, I had almost forgotten." He could almost feel her smile as she leaned into him with a sigh.

"You have missed this, haven't you, kitty?" she whispered. He had. "Me, too."

They stayed there at the top of the tower for a long while, snuggled up together against the cool air of the night. It wasn't until Marinette yawned that they decided to suit up again and make their way down the tower.

They hadn't expected a crowd to be waiting for them at the bottom, cheers and camera flashes filling their senses. It seemed that Paris had not forgotten them. Smiling brightly, Chat pulled Ladybug close, admiring the way that her red and dotted outfit still looked on her.

"Milady?" He asked. She smiled back with a soft nod.

"Kitty."

And he kissed her. Just like he had always dreamed as a teen.

The crowd erupted in loud pandemonium. One thing that Chat Noir and Ladybug had never done was kiss publicly.

He winked at her flushed face when they pulled apart, fingers woven together. In a fluid motion, they launched themselves towards the rooftops and made their way home.

Collapsing in the office window, Plagg bolted for his promise of stinky cheese with Tikki in tow while Adrien and Marinette lay on the floor side by side, eyes sparkling with the fun of an adventure, laughter bubbling on their lips.

At that exact moment, Adrien had two thoughts.

One: His ladybug was more beautiful than ever.

Two: Maybe the glory days weren't as amazing as today after all.