Of course the movie just had to be about Ladybug and Chat Noir. She should've seen it coming from a mile away.

They filed into the cinema and Alya dragged Marinette behind her, pushing Nino ahead and leaving Adrien with no choice but to sit beside her. The good part? He didn't mind.

The movie was terrible though. Marinette just couldn't understand why all of Paris wanted Ladybug and Chat Noir to be a couple. They were a great team and he was the best partner she could've hoped for. But that was it. That was all they'd ever be.

Sure Chat would flirt, but he wasn't the type of person to be taken seriously. He didn't love her, not truly anyway. How could he? He didn't even know her behind the mask.

Marinette reached for her popcorn and her hand brushed against someone else's. She glanced to the right and her gaze locked with Adrien's. She blushed brightly, her whole body tingling with warmth. They withdrew their hands, "Sorry."

She grabbed some popcorn in her hand, occasionally dropping a few pieces in her purse. It felt good to have Tikki nearby, not just in case an akuma appeared, but because having her around made Marinette more comfortable. Like the presence of a guardian angel.

The movie dragged on and Marinette couldn't wait for it to be over. The Chat Noir and Ladybug onscreen were running through Paris away from Hawk Moth's army of akumatised villains. They were all there; Evilistrator, Lady WiFi, Puppeteer and even Stone Heart.

She thought Alya might be offended, but her best friend looked completely consumed by the action onscreen. Everyone was. Even Adrien...

Marinette's wandering gaze fell back on him and she allowed herself to stare.

Unlike Chat Noir, she knew she was in love. How could she not be? Adrien was brilliant, athletic and dedicated. He knew a lot about fashion, like her, and was one of the kindest people she'd ever met. He had honor, respect and an unbreakable loyalty to his friends. Things Chat definitely lacked.

Adrien was the perfect guy. And Marinette couldn't help but swoon whenever he was around. She sighed and when Adrien's head tilted towards her, her body stiffened.

"You enjoying the movie?" he asked. His face was so close to hers, his warm breath fanning her cheeks in the dark. She nodded eagerly and he smiled before moving back in his seat.

Marinette turned back to the movie, but she really wished she hadn't. Right there, onscreen, both actors playing Ladybug and Chat Noir were making out against an old building in a tragic scene before the final battle. Marinette cringed in disgust.

A loud cracking noise started filtering through the theater. At first no one noticed anything out of the ordinary, but then the noise grew louder until it was all they could hear. A scrawny boy burst into the cinema then and all the lights turned on. "Akuma!" he cried, "There's an akuma in the building!"

People jumped out of their seats and ran passed the boy towards the doors. "This will be such a great scoop for the Ladyblog!" said Alya. She reached for her pocket to pull out her phone, but Nino grabbed her arm.

"Are you for real, Dude?" he asked, "We could die right now and you wanna take a picture?"

Adrien ran towards the doors and they followed behind him. But outside it was chaos. People ran around screaming and crying out, knocking each other around. Someone bumped into Marinette and she stumbled back while her friends moved forward.

She noticed cracks widening in the ceiling and ran back as large chunks of debris fell to the floor. It smashed into ground, shattering and dust filled the air. "Marinette!" cried Alya, "Marinette? Where are you?"

She searched frantically for Alya, but she couldn't see anything around her. "Marinette, you need to transform." said Tikki.

Marinette nodded and opened her purse, "Tikki –," Part of the ceiling caved and she ducked to the side as more debris fell from above her. More dust filled Marinette's lungs, suffocating her and her visions blurred.

"Marinette?" The voices merged and melded together until she couldn't hear who was calling her anymore. "I'm here!" she wheezed, "I'm here." She forced herself to her feet, stumbling forward and someone appeared in front of her.

The tall woman twirled her bright green hair with her finger and glared down at Marinette. "What do we have here? Lost are you?" Marinette stepped back as the akumatised villain sized her up. The woman raised her hand and beckoned her forward. "Come here."

She heard something move behind her and Marinette spun around to see the Chat Noir from the film materialize out of the red sand. It flexed its hands and reached for its baton, staring at her. Marinette thought quickly and ran.

She jumped over the debris, into the growing sandstorm and search for a place to hide. The woman cackled behind her. "You can't hide dear. I'm the Filmmaker and this is my movie." Her voice was sharp, and a gust of wind sent the sand biting against her skin.

A hand fell on Marinette's shoulder and the sight of Chat Noir's familiar gloved hand her heart lodged in her throat. She spun around and swung her fist against his jaw. Chat's head snapped to the side and he cussed, bringing his hand to his face.

"And here I thought Princesses were supposed to be gentle." he muttered.

"Chat?" His hair was messier than it'd been in the film and his suit wasn't as loose and baggy. This was the real Chat Noir. And she'd just punched him in the face.

He glared. "Well who else were you expect –," Chat's words fell flat and he pushed Marinette to the side. She heard a clang of metal as she hit the ground and looked up to see both Chat Noirs fighting. It was exactly like the incident with copycat.

Chat knocked the fake back and rushed to Marinette's side. He scooped her in his arms and grinned, "Time to go." He leapt in the air and jumped over counters, railings and snack machines through the center.

Marinette couldn't understand how he knew where he was going, the sand burned her eyes too much to keep them open, but she trusted him. She only hated how weak and useless she felt in his arms. She was supposed to be helping him, but like this –as Marinette –she was completely vulnerable.

"Hold on tight, Princess." he muttered. Marinette braced herself against him and heard glass shattering around them. Chat Noir flew through the air again and when he landed back on solid ground she could breathe more freely than before.

She inhaled greedily and Chat set her gently on the ground. "Go home, Marinette." he urged, "It's not safe for you here."

He readied his baton but Marinette shot to her feet, latching onto his arm. "Wait!" she rasped, "Adrien. You have to find my friend Adrien, and Alya and Nino. Please, I can't leave without them."

For a moment she saw something shift in his eyes, but she wasn't sure. He nodded and jumped back towards the building, diving through the window he'd broken during their escape.

"Marinette, we need to hurry." whispered Tikki. Marinette nodded and ran towards a nearby alleyway. She lowered herself behind the dumpster and opened her purse.

"Tikki, spots on!" And in a flash of pink light she was Ladybug.

Ladybug swung over the roof back towards the center and leapt through the window inside. The room was flooded in red sand and dust, but it didn't hurt her eyes like it did before she had the mask on. "Chat?" she called, "Chat, where are you?"

"Over here, Ladybug!" he replied. Ladybug ran forward, blindly following the sound of his voice. Then she saw him. Chat was successfully pinned to the ground by the cheap imitation of her alter-ego. Ladybug gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on her yo-yo.

This was by far the worst date she'd ever gone on.

"Pound it."

Cleansing the akuma took longer than usual, but once it was captured the entire cinema was put back in order. "Great work, Bugaboo." Chat Noir saluted her and took her hands in his, pressing a light kiss to it. "We make a great team."

Ladybug pushed his head back and rested her hand on her hip, "Like always, Chat Noir." She glanced around the building, but didn't see any sign of anyone inside. Maybe Adrien and the rest of her friends were outside.

Chat's ring beeped and he moved to leave, but Ladybug held him back. "Did you see if everyone got out safely?" she asked, "Or Adrien, Alya and Nino."

"Yeah," he replied. "I checked that they were all out before you showed up." He chuckled nervously and frowned at her, "How did you know about them?"

Ladybug faltered. "The girl outside told me to find them for her." she replied, "She was very worried about her friends."

Chat's leather ears lowered and his expression turned glum. He opened his mouth to speak, but his ring beeped again and cut him off. "Looks like we'd better get going, Chat. Bug out!" Ladybug swung outside the building and hooked her yo-yo on the roof of another.

She waited until she was a few blocks away and transformed back into Marinette in a nearby alleyway. Tikki landed in his palms, breathing heavily. "Whew," she mumbled, "That was a close one."

Marinette chuckled nervously, "You can say that again, Tikki."

"Good thing, Chat was there to save you." Marinette stuck her tongue out and reached for her phone as she stepped into the main road. She sent Alya a text message and she immediately responded. She was still outside the cinema with Nino as her unwilling and unhappy bodyguard. But Adrien wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Don't look so worried, Marinette. Chat Noir said that he saw everyone out safely." said Tikki.

"But what if he was injured?" began Marinette. She dropped her phone back in her purse beside Tikki and her blood went cold. "Or worse –," Her eyes widened, "I have to find him!"

She started running back towards the center, but stopped when she rounded the corner and saw Adrien walking down the street towards her. "Adrien?" she called.

He looked up and smiled, "Marinette?" She didn't even hesitate. She ran up to him, slamming into his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

"I was so worried." she said, "I'm so glad you're all right."

His arms gently fell around her torso and she stiffened when she felt his chin rest against her head. "Me? You didn't have to worry, Marinette. Chat Noir took care of us. I'm just glad you're okay."

Marinette stayed like that, relishing in the feeling of his arms around her. She could stay like that forever with him holding her. But then she realized what she was doing and immediately pushed herself upright. Her face grew warm and she stumbled on her words.

"I –I mean to say –that, um –," her voice faded and Adrien gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Come on. Let me walk you home and you can tell me what happened after we lost you." He led the way back to her street, but Marinette couldn't move. She was frozen stiff. Adrien frowned at her, shaking his head and reached for her hand.

Her breath caught in her throat and she eagerly followed as he pulled her along. It was like a dream. Adrien Agreste was walking her home – just like in all the fantasies she'd imagined. Only this time it was better.

Because it was actually happening.

I've never been to Paris or the movies in Europe before so I'm not exactly sure what the cinemas look like, but I think I did pretty well for myself.

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