"All clear from up here." Kim's voice crackled through Adrien's headset.
"Same over here. Are you and Evillustrator in position?" Nino asked, unable to see the duo.
"We are. About to head in now." Adrien moved his fingers away from the device, looking at Nathanaël. "You ready?"
"I'm ready, Chat. Just be fast. We don't need to hang around longer than needed." He responded. Adrien nodded, turning his attention back to the window they were seated at. His goggles showed him all the invisible lasers, positioned exactly how Max had told them.
"Gamer, can you shut everything down? Even I can't find my way through all that." Adrien scanned the room, spotting their target, a rather large safe, on the other side of the room.
"On it. I just need to- Huh?" The lines vanished from Adrien's sight.
"Good job. Let's go."
"Wait. Guys, this isn't right. You need to back out now!" Both Adrien and Nathanaël slipped in, ignoring Max's warnings. The other boy soon became silent. Moving carefully, they slipped up to the safe. 'Mr. Bourgeois won't know what hit him.' Adrien thought gleefully. 'This is going perfectly!' Nathanaël turned his back to the safe, keeping watch as Adrien got closer, readying cataclysm. He pushed his hand to the mechanism. Right after he did, however, something wrapped around his wrist.
"Good kitty. Now SIT!" As Marinette said the last word, she flung the taller boy into his teammate. "Thanks so much for opening that for us. Such gentleman, right, Stormy?" Her own teammate floated above the two boys.
"They sure do know how to treat a pair of ladies, don't they~?" She answered. Aurore landed, walking past the small pile. "Maybe you should give them a hand, Ladybug. I'll get the safe." With that, Aurore pushed the large door open, grinning when she heard the boys yelp at Marinette tying them up. She quickly gathered up as much cash as she could carry, tossing her duffle bag over her shoulder once it was full. "And with that, it looks like it's our time to leave!" Aurore skipped out of the safe, moving towards Marinette, putting her arm around the other girl's waist, ignoring the demands of their long time rivals.
"Ah, so we must part again. Until next time, Kitty. Maybe luck will be on your side then." Marinette giggled at their glares. Aurore floated up, gliding towards the open window. Marinette lifted her hand to her earpiece. "Invisible One, re-engage the security system on three. One…"
"You can't be serious, Ladybug! Do you really need to rub salt in the wounds? Just let us go, My Lady!" Adrien called out, hoping the two would take a little bit of pity on them. He really didn't feel like trying to get away from the cops tonight. Marinette shared a look with Aurore.
"Two~" Marinette sang. Aurore refused to catch Nathanaël's eyes.
"Stormy, please! If we outed you, we'd be outed too! Don't trap us here!" Nathanaël begged, trying to meet her eyes. Max always stated that she seemed to have a soft spot for him, even if he never saw it. She only shook her head.
"Three." In a flash, Marinette pulled back her yo-yo, vanishing outside with Aurore. Just as fast as they left, the laser grid reappeared in Adrien's vision.
"C…come…in…Chat." Max's voice never sounded so good.
"I'm here. We're here. Just turn off the stupid grid, please." Adrien glared at the ground. At least the girls left them in a spot where they wouldn't trigger anything.
"I can't. Looks like I've been locked out. Those girls are thorough, I'll give them that. They kept Dark Cupid and Bubbler distracted. Sadly, it looks like you'll have to trip the alarm and run for it to get out. Sorry." Adrien sighed. Tonight was just not his night, was it?
"You ready?" He asked Nathanaël for the second time that night.
"As I'll ever be." Was the only response. Together, they leaped for the window, hitting the rooftops running. They could hear alarms blaring behind them, no doubt waking everyone around the building. Lights flashed past Adrien's eyes. They dropped into an alleyway, transforming back into their civilian selves as they fell. Adrien quickly turned to Nathanaël.
"We might look suspicious if we leave together. See you back home." With a mute nod, the two went their separate ways.
Adrien watched the ground as he walked. He used to enjoy running into Ladybug, he really had. He knew the other boys loved running into their rivals as well, but things had changed. For one, the Ladybugs always beat them. Normally, that wouldn't be too bad, but they always seemed to hit the same buildings as The Black Cats. It wasn't easy to deal with. He looked around, making sure he was alone. Ducking into another alley, he transformed, scaling the wall easily. Unknown to him, a pair of dark blue eyes followed him as he crossed the rooftops.
"Should we follow, Ladybug?" The blue eyes turned to meet the violet ones of Lady Wifi. "I want to know how they always appear at our jobs. I can't find anything that could be wired."
"I don't see why not. I'm curious as well." She responded. 'They also begged. They never beg…' She thought to herself. Carefully, the team began to cross the roofs, wondering where on Earth the leader was heading. They soon found themselves in a run down area of Paris. 'Surely this is too obvious for a group of villains to hang out.' Marinette thought.
"Wait, where did he go? How could we lose him?" Alix stated, dropping from Alya's fast forward button. It was true, the tall boy seemed to just vanish.
"He dropped onto that roof. He must've gone in." Aurore stated, sitting on the roof's edge. "Alya could hack into the building and we could listen from here. Better to not blow our cover."
"Easy." Said girl replied. After a moment, a voice rang clear through her phone.
Inside, the apartment was in chaos. "How could they have know, again?" Kim growled. "If this keeps up, we're screwed!"
"I know. We'll figure out what's going on later." Adrien shook his head, heading towards the kitchen. He just wanted a tall glass of water at this point.
"Later? LATER? We're out of money! We can't even afford food anymore." With every word, Kim's anger only grew. "We have nothing! They have everything! I swear they've wired our house."
"They haven't. I would've found it. The houses we pick are empty, remember? They must know this and go for them as well."
"Do they have to go after every house? They could, at least, leave us some scraps." Nathanaël muttered from the worn couch.
"Guys, calm down. If worse comes to worse, we'll find something else." Adrien sat beside Nathanaël.
"This is the only thing we're good at. What are we supposed to do, give up being criminals?" Kim asked darkly. He glanced around the room at the other four boys. "Wait. Are you all considering that? Really?" He stared in shock at them. "Guys, are you just going to give up?"
"What's the point?" Nino asked. "They always win. We might as well stop."
"One more attempt. If we lose, we leave. It's for the best." Adrien looked at his team. They had been doing good for a while, but they were almost out of money. "Maybe we'll go to another city. Maybe we'll all head our own ways. Screw it. We have nothing left."
Aurore gasped. Alya cut the feed, looking at Marinette. "Ladybug, what do we do? I know I don't want them to leave! They're pretty cool, you know, for our rivals." Alya watched her leader's expression.
"I enjoy our banter. Could we please help them?" Aurore almost begged, giving her leader puppy dog eyes. "Pretty please?"
"Next time, let them win. We have enough money to last for a pretty long time. We'll let them get more." With that, the group left, already planning their next move.
The next time the two groups ran into one another, a priceless gem was on the line. Just like normal, the girls had it in their hands. Alix skidded between Kim's legs, holding the diamond to her chest. "Can't catch me~" She sang, circling around him. He lunged at her, grabbing her wrist.
"Oh? Then what did I just do?" He grinned. They were so close. Surely he could just grab it now! As he moved, the small girl smirked, lifting her hand.
"Stormy! Now!" She yelled, throwing the gem into the air. Kim took off, letting Alix go. He reacted too slow, however. Stormy Weather caught the glittering object in her parasol, tossing it up a bit before catching it. "Still too slow, Dark Cupid." He gave her a glare, racing to catch the flying girl.
"Evillustrator, do something!" He yelled, turning his head slightly. Turning back, he barely had enough time to stop before he flew into the side of the Eiffel Tower.
"On it!" Moving quickly, Nathanaël began to draw a rope to catch her leg. After multiple failed attempts, he soon became desperate. As Aurore flew over a river, she paused, expecting a rope to catch her and yank her back towards the group. Sadly, it seemed Nathanaël wasn't expecting her to stop. A weight pulled her straight down, sending her spiraling towards the water. She opened her parasol to at least slow her decent, hoping someone would catch her. Her eyes widened as it inverted, doing nothing to help. She felt something wet drip down her face, letting it go. Cold water hit her hard, drowning out the screams of her teammates.
"Stormy!" Alix shoved her way past Nathanaël, shooting across the plaza. "Stormy!" The girls scanned the water, looking for any sign of her. "No. No! THIS WASN'T HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO. STORMY!" She screamed, almost jumping into the fast moving water. Marinette caught her, dragging her back.
"We'll find her. She's strong. You." Marinette spun, poking her finger into Adrien's chest. "Do your goggles have a thermal vision setting?"
"On it." Adrien nodded, switching the settings, scoring the water. "There!" He yelled, pointing a little ways downstream. "The weight kept her from getting swept too far." Nathanaël moved first, making a rope. He tossed it over a light post, motioning for Adrien to grab one end.
"You can see her, Chat. Go in and grab her. We'll pull you up." He nodded, grabbing the other end. Kim wrapped the rope around his arm, prepared to fly if needed. Alix skated to the water's edge, jumping to turn her blades into normal sneakers. The group waited anxiously, hoping their combined strength would be enough to get both of their teammates out of the water, especially before the cops arrived. They felt a sharp tug, signaling that Adrien had reached Aurore. Working together, the two soon surfaced, coughing. Nathanaël moved, erasing the rope that connected Aurore to the weight. Alix grabbed Aurore the second she could.
"Stormy, are you okay?" She asked, pulling the taller girl into a hug.
"I'm…I'm fine." She pulled away, trying to stand. She stumbled over to Adrien, shoving the diamond into his hands. Shoving him aside, she slowly worked her way into a run, vanishing between two buildings.
"Aur-Stormy!" Marinette began to follow, stopping when she heard a soft voice.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" Nathanaël lowered his eyes, feeling his shoulders slump. He took a deep breath. "I didn't mean for that to happen. I didn't expect her to stop flying." A hand rested itself on his arm.
"It wasn't your fault. It was an accident. She just needs some space." Alix muttered. He shook his head, tapping his stylus against his tablet. Shaking her head, Alix moved towards her team. "We'll go and talk to her. Just get out of here before the cops show." With that, they all fled.
Back in their apartment, Nathanaël basically threw himself onto their couch, de-transforming as he fell. "You okay, Nathanaël?" Nino asked.
"Well, I just ruined any chance I could've had with Stormy by almost KILLING HER. So no. I'm not alright." Adrien frowned. He knew that Nathanaël had a crush on her, they all had crushes on their rivals, but he knew Nathanaël wouldn't be getting over this incident anytime soon.
"Well, we'll leave you alone for a bit. Come on, guys." Adrien moved over to the kitchen. "We'll make something to eat." The other two nodded, following him away. Nathanaël sighed. He stood, grabbing his sketchbook and some pencils. Maybe a walk would clear his head.
"Aurore, are you sure you're okay?" Alix asked, watching the other girl carefully.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I just panicked, you know? I shouldn't have stopped over the Seine. He must be so freaked out." Aurore sighed, putting her head in her hands.
"It wasn't your fault. They were getting desperate. I should've swallowed my pride and let Dark Cupid take the diamond." Aurore stood, meeting Alix's eyes.
"I'm going for a walk." With that, she was gone. Alix shook her head, leaving the to join her team in the living room.
Aurore strolled through the park. It felt weird, not carrying her parasol. She was never seen without it. Sighing, she moved past a bench, pausing to look at the boy sitting on it. Taking a step back, she looked over his sketchbook, feeling like she recognized the style. 'No, it's realistic, that's all.' She thought. She glanced up when he stopped, meeting his eyes. "Sorry. You're very good." She stated, leaning back. "I'll go if you want me to."
"No, it's okay. I'm Nathanaël. Would you like to sit down?" He asked. This girl looked familiar though Nathanaël couldn't figure out where he had seen her before. She nodded, sitting beside him. Something seemed wrong. "Are you okay, Miss…"
"Aurore. And I'm fine. I just haven't had a great day." She answered, shifting her body to face him.
'Aurore? That sounds like what Ladybug began to yell.' He thought. "I know what you mean. I ruined any chance I had with a girl I like."
"I know that feeling. Same thing happened to me. He must hate me now." She lowered her head. "I made a horrible mistake. And I have no clue if I'll ever see him again. I never even told him that I like him."
"I'm sure he doesn't hate you. And you should tell him. Better to tell him and be rejected than to always wonder. Heh, I should take my own advice." He chuckled, sketching a parasol.
"Wait, I know that." Aurore pointed at his drawing. "That's my- I mean, Stormy Weather's parasol. How do you know it so well?" She narrowed her eyes. He would've had to hang around her a lot to know all of those details.
"Your… Wait. Are you..?" Nathanaël grinned. "You're Stor-" She threw her hands over his mouth.
"Sh! You can't just shout that out! Be quiet! Please don't tell anyone!" He nodded. "Good." She moved her hands away. "How do you know so much about my parasol?"
"Promise not to tell?" She nodded. "I'm Evillustrator." His smile faded. "Sorry about earlier."
"No, it's okay. I shouldn't have stopped above the river."
"You guys were going easy one us. Why?"
"We overheard you guys talking about giving up. We didn't want you to leave, so we decided to let you win and stay away from any places you could hit for a while." Nathanaël stared at her silently. "We followed a kitty. We thought you guys might've wired us."
"Can I kiss you?" Nathanaël felt like hitting himself. He was an idiot. She must hate him after today and is only staying because she feels too awkward to leave.
"Yes." Or not. He leaned forward, his lips catching her's halfway. The kiss was short, both pulling back, blushing like mad.
"I could make you a new parasol. You know, if you want." She laughed, shaking her head.
"Sure. I'd better get back before Alix comes out looking for me. Tell the boys I'm okay." She stood, stretching.
"Only if you tell the girls I say hi." He rose beside her, giving her a soft smile.
"Like that's a question." The two turned, heading back to their hideouts.
Once Aurore entered the house, Alix practically jumped on her. "You came back just in time! Dinner's ready! And Marinette has a surprise to share with us!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Aurore laughed, following Alix deeper into the house. Once they sat down, Marinette cleared her throat. "What's the surprise?"
"I was thinking. We care about the boys, right?" A chorus of agreement followed the question. "Well, why do we have to be their rivals?"
"Because it's fun?" Alix answered.
"Well, what if we expand our team, in a way. We could work together. Then no one side will lose. What do you all think?"
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask right? Better to ask and be rejected than always wonder." Aurore stated. Alya and Alix nodded.
"So we'll ask. Till then, dig in, girls!" The table erupted into laughter, Alix practically throwing herself across it.
The next night, the two group once again ran into each other."Well, what do you say, Chat? You get half the city, we get the other. And, if you want, you guys could move in with us. We have room to spare." Marinette watched Aurore floating around Evillustrator, having gotten a new parasol from him.
"I don't know. Are you sure you want to? We're not the greatest roommates." He responded, watching Kim argue with Timebreaker. Ladybug's laughter echoed in his ears.
"Can't be worse than Timebreaker. She hordes everything. Calls them her 'memories'." Ladybug turned to face him. "You'd just need to be okay with revealing yourselves. We've talked about it and we're all okay with doing so on my end."
Adrien paused, looking down at his team. "You know, I was expecting you all to hate us after what happened." He watched Stormy kiss Nathanaël's cheek. "I guess I was wrong. I think it's a great idea. Where do we start?"
"Everyone!" Marinette called down to both sides. "Follow me!" She turned, sprinting across the rooftops. The other girls giggled, following her, with Aurore carrying Alix. The boys glanced at each other before running after them. Soon, they ended up at a rather large building. heading inside, the Ladybugs lead the boys up to the top floor. Once inside, Marinette turned to face them. "Welcome home. I'm Marinette. Lady Wifi's name is Alya." She de-transformed, moving to stand next to her best friend. "Timebreaker is also known as Alix." Alix skated over, transforming back once she was in front of them. She couldn't help but smirk at Dark Cupid's shocked reaction.
"Is your hair really pink?" She face-palmed at his comment.
"Smart." Was her only response.
Marinette rolled her eyes. "Stormy's name is Aurore." Marinette finished off, pointing to the girl, already transformed and walking towards the kitchen.
"Anyone want some leftover cookies?" She asked, looking back at the group.
"Yes, please!" Kim's hand shot up in excitement. Grinning, she leaned against the doorway.
"Transform first. Then cookies." She responded.
Adrien did his best not to laugh at Kim's sad look. "I'm Adrien. Bubbler is Nino. Dark Cupid is Kim, and Evillustrator is Nathanaël." They all transformed back into civilians. "Now, cookies?"
The girls laughed, shaking their heads. "One moment. Get comfy, we have to go shopping tomorrow." With that Aurore left the room.
"Well, come on! We need to show you to your rooms. Aurore will give you cookies there." Marinette motioned for the boys to go through a doorway. "Your names are on some signs. Well, your other names. It's chalk, don't worry. Just write your names." Adrien smiled softly.
"You know, you girls really are the best thieves." Adrien began. He could already hear his team groaning.
"How so?" The black-haired girl questioned.
"You really stole our hearts." He sang.
"AND THERE IT IS! YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT A JOKE, CAN YOU!" Nino yelled from the hallway. Adrien laughed but was cut off by a response he hadn't expected.
"I mean, I could. I am in the kitchen, with the knives." Aurore called out. The Ladybugs burst out laughing.
"Wow, Aurore. I didn't know we were the Aztecs." Alix called back, smirking at Adrien's pale face.
'This is going to an interesting arrangement.' Marinette thought, watching Adrien run when Aurore re-entered the room, carrying a tray of chocolate chip cookies. As she passed, Marinette reached out, grabbing one. Watching the two, no, her team converge on the girl, Marinette never felt more happy.
Epilogue:
Marinette giggled at the newspaper. "What's so funny?" Adrien asked, handing her a cup of coffee.
"Guess what name they gave Nath and Aurore. EvilStorm." She gave him a grin.
"So, now we have BubbleBlogger, LadyNoir, HeartRate, and EvilStorm. Amazing. Anything else?" He sat beside her, leaning on her shoulder.
"Well, they correctly guessed we joined forces. Only took them, what? 2 months?" She took a sip, tossing the paper aside.
"3 months. An amazingly perfect 3 months~" Adrien leaned in closer to his girlfriend.
"NOT AT THE TABLE!" Alix skated past, yanking Adrien's chair out from under him. Soon, the entire team was seated around the table, fighting over the food. Adrien watched them all, sipping his coffee. 'So this is what a family feels like.' He thought to himself.
Author's Notes:
These two have a power change from the show:
Dark Cupid: He can charge his arrows with negative energy to turn people against each other (Isn't permanent, ends once he de-transforms)
Timebreaker: Can cripple anyone with a single touch