Hello my darling readers! Once again I'm back with a new story co-written by the one and only, MrsAnimeNerd!
As a note, the chapters in this fic don't always follow the order of the episodes...so Stormy Weather is the first chapter, even though its the third episode.
DISCLAIMER: We own nothing but our OCs!
Please read and enjoy! Feel free to review.
One: Stormy Weather
"So, Gwen. What brings you to my humble abode? Did you miss seeing my beautiful face, my cunning wit? My awesome bod?" Adeline asked, striking a pose from her bed, while grinning at her friend.
Gwendolyn gave her green haired friend an unimpressed look from where she stood in the doorway, "We're going to the park."
The brown eyed girl sat up, "Why? Anything...exciting going on?"
Her golden haired friend shook her head and sighed, "No, I just wanted to get away from the TV. All they're talking about today is that weather girl competition...thing."
Adeline smirked, "You realize they're selling balloons with those girls on them, right? And billboards have their faces pasted on them. Just because we're away from the TV doesn't mean we won't have to deal with their ugly mugs."
"Just get your lazy ass up and come to the park with me. You need some fresh air for your brain anyway, I'm sure it's been awhile." Gwen shot back.
Adeline pouted, but got off her bed and grabbed the bag sitting on the computer chair by her desk. The bag was made of some sort of reptile skin, and it thumped lightly against her thigh as she flung the strap over her shoulder. She never went anywhere without it.
"Fine, fine. Although I'll have you know I got plenty of fresh air this morning."
"Sure, sure."
"And you're buying me ice cream."
The pair made their way to the park, idly passing the time by mocking the fanfare surrounding the weather girl contest that everyone in Paris seemed to be obsessed by.
They had been friends for a long time, and both were well aware that while they might have sounded rude to a passerby, neither of them really meant what they were saying. They just had a reputation to uphold, after all.
Adeline was a strange sight to see, and it helped keep people on their toes around her. She had long green hair, and brown eyes flecked with copper and gold. Her hair had been dirty blond at one time in her life, but ever since she'd 'gone green' she found people gave her much stranger looks. Accompanied by her tall, muscular frame, her knowing smirk and her habit of wearing reptile-skin accessories, people were less than comfortable around her.
Today she wore black leggings, green running shoes, a white tank top with a black dragon design across the front and a green-brown jacket that appeared to be made of yet another reptile skin. People's' eyes often flickered to the jacket, pondering the origins and authenticity of the 'leather'.
Gwendolyn had her own peculiarities. She was also tall with long hair, but similarities beyond that were few. Unlike Adi's bright green hair, Gwen had natural golden brown hair, which she styled into a side ponytail with her bangs swept to the left, held there by her favourite purple cats eye hair clip. Her eyes were one of her most unique features. Due to her heterochromia, one eye was green, while the other was hazel in colour.
She wore skinny jeans, brown ankle boots and a purple short-sleeved plaid shirt over her grey tank top. In this outfit, like many of her clothes, it was impossible to interpret her as a girly-girl, like many of the other girls their age, walking down the streets in their heels and skirts and designer purses.
The duo were known for causing trouble, and being all but joined at the hip at school.
Adeline knew just the thing to say to rile a person up, or trap them in a deal. It was commonly understood that if Adi helped you in any way, if you were anyone but Gwen, you owed her a favour in return. And she'd collect it.
Gwen didn't hold back when she spoke. Some called it rude, others passed it off as 'a refreshing honesty'. Either way, it made people wary to cross her and face her sharp-tongued words. It didn't matter who you were, if you drew her attention, she would not hesitate to rip you apart with her words. Unless your name was Adeline, in which case it was only a mortally wounding experience.
In their school, everyone knew their names.
But not a lot of people could say they had the honour to know them. That was a right reserved for themselves and their families.
The sun was shining, and children ran around the park laughing and playing. People sat in the shade of the trees, rode the merry-go-round or waited in line ups for balloons or ice cream. Adeline had been correct in her prediction that balloons of the weather girl contestants were being sold like hotcakes.
Gwendolyn and Adeline waited patiently in the line for the ice cream stand, and took in the park. Searching for targets.
And then, Adi found one.
"Isn't that the Dream Boat?"
Following the direction her friend was pointing, Gwen's eyes latched onto the boy Adeline was talking about.
'Dream Boat' was the 'affectionate' nickname that Adeline had seen fit to bestow one Adrien Agreste.
Adrien was their class's number one hottie, with those gorgeous green eyes and shining blond hair. He was a little quiet, but he was very friendly, from what they'd seen of his interactions with others.
He was also dead set on befriending them.
It was cute.
Honestly.
From where they stood, two spots in line from buying their treats, the girls watched Adrien as he posed for a photoshoot in front of the park's water fountain. The photographer was excitedly encouraging Adrien to 'be fiercer,' 'give me more fire!', 'Yes! Yes!'.
Green and hazel met brown as the girls shared a knowing grin.
Target most definitely located.
"What can I get you two beautiful ladies?" The man's voice made them look away from Adrien's photoshoot and turn to the owner of the ice cream stand.
After that had purchased their ice creams, the girl's meandered innocently enough towards the water fountain, and stood a reasonable distance away to watch their newest source of entertainment.
"That pose just looks awkward." Gwen muttered.
"What's so hot about that?" Adi tilted her head, like the new angle would reveal something different.
"He looks annoyed."
"Did that photographer just tell Adrien to pose like he's eating spaghetti off the ground?"
"Yeah, I think he did..."
The pair showed twin looks of disgust.
How is thateven a pose? Adi thought to herself. Her eyes drifted away from the scene for a moment as a strange movement caught her eye, "Oh look, Dream Boat's Stalker has appeared. Poor boy."
Gwen's eyes shot over to the girl Adi had pointed out.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng was…annoying. At times. And incredibly entertaining to watch.
She was annoying because she felt so threatened by every girl Adrien talked to. It was also her obse- affection for Adrien that made her so amusing.
The mere mention of Adrien could send the girl tumbling down stair cases and make her trip over her own two feet. Being in his presence turned any train of thought rattling around in her skull to mush.
The dark haired girl was so deeply enthralled with him that it almost scared Gwen and Adi.
Marinette was mortified.
She always ended up embarrassing herself in front of him and other people. She just couldn't get a hold of her nerves whenever she saw him!
Everything about Adrien was perfect! That soft, shy smile he'd offer whenever he saw her. His warm green eyes and his perfect blond hair. She loved how his clothes were never stained, and he was always so modest.
He was so nice too. He always did his best to make people feel welcome, and offer his friendship. He was nice to her, even after all the times she'd made a fool of herself. He was nice to Cloé, even though she was sort of a horrible person.
Adrien was even nice enough to offer his friendship to Adeline and Gwendolyn. And those two were nothing but trouble, and they were so mean. Especially to Adrien. She wished they were nicer to him.
Sort of.
At the same time, she sort of wished Adeline and Gwendolyn would just ignore him, and not talk to him at all. As it was, it was like they were playing with his feelings, in her opinion.
He was just so perfect! How could she not fall in love with someone like that?
She knew he'd like her too, if she could just get her nerves up and talk to him, without rambling about how amazing he was.
Which was why she was at the park at the moment. She had a plan. She just had to play it cool.
Which was really difficult, because Adrien was soo perfect, and-
And Adi and Gwen were RIGHT THERE watching him pose for the photoshoot. She could see them whispering, and she was sure the pair of them were saying horrible things about him.
She had to get his attention...but if she embarrassed herself, it wouldn't just be Adrien and Alya who saw…
She had to do it.
Marinette attempted to 'casually walk by' Adrien and start up a conversation, like she and her friend Alya had planned. Of course, she ended up doing some strange bird-like march past the photoshoot, not once, but twice.
It was only natural for Adeline and Gwendolyn to find this funny.
At least she got Adrien to wave at her?
The girls began snickering at the sight, which soon amplified into giggles and full-blown laughter. Adi was gripping her sides from where she sat on the ground, and Gwen had a hand over her mouth, which did little to stop her laughter from escaping.
It was the mirthful sound that attracted Adrien's attention.
He looked away from Marinette, who was being her usual oddball self, and ignored the photographer who was trying to make him pose once again.
His attention shifted in the direction he could hear the familiar laughter, he spotted two of his classmates not that far away.
Adeline, in all her green-haired glory, was on the ground, a cheerful smile on her face as she laughed. Beside her stood Gwendolyn, who as laughing just as hard as she tried to yank Adeline back to her feet.
In that strange way they had, they both suddenly looked at him at the same time.
Realizing he had their attention, Adrien waved, grinning cheerfully at them. If he could just get them to talk to him, he was sure he could become their friend.
They had to be lonely.
Everyday, he only ever saw them talk to one another, unless someone in their class owed Adeline a favour. Adrien was sure they wouldn't actually mind another friend...maybe they were really shy, and acting the way they did was just a front.
He was familiar enough with putting on fronts.
The girls shared a look, before Adeline gave that knowing smirk of hers, and Gwen's smile acquired a certain confidence. In a motion that HAD to be practiced, they lifted a hand and each of them blew him a kiss, offering a flirty wink.
Heat rushed to his cheeks. There was a flash of light, but it was easily ignored from years of practice.
They always did that to him!
Adrien was a relatively reserved boy, and he was well aware that Adi and Gwen took great pleasure in teasing and flirting with him, if only to make him blush or get flustered.
He looked away from the girls and continued to pose for the camera, lost in thought. He could still hear Gwen's laughter in the background, and the sound of Adi quietly muttering comments about one thing or another.
It was a great distraction method. He was aware that they often slipped away while he was trying to rein in his initial embarrassment.
They weren't the only ones who used that tactic on him either. He couldn't even begin to count the number of times it had been pulled on him whenever he met up with the other two.
The girls were in the middle of a good laugh when the photographer let out a frustrated groan.
"No. No! This is all wrong. We need something more...we need...romance!" the photographer, tapping his head with his camera, "We need...a girl!"
And Adeline grinned.
The photographer looked around briefly, before laying eyes on a girl sitting under a nearby tree. Gwen and Adi recognized her as Alya, a girl from their class. It made sense she was there, seeing as Marinette was there as well. Alya was sort of Marinette's main source of moral support.
The girls had noticed she was often there when Marinette tried to use her moves on the poor Dream Boat.
Realizing what the cameraman had planned, Adi kicked into action. Before the photographer could make even a single step in Alya's direction, she began shoving Gwen towards Dream Boat and the photoshoot.
"Sir! I have an extra for you to use!" Adi called in a sweet tone. The photographer turned around to face them, and his eyes landed on Gwen. The golden-haired girl blinked in surprise before turning to stare at Adeline, and then back at the photographer, realizing what Adeline was doing.
Gwen began to protest, but was cut off as a scream tore through the air.
The girls froze before their heads snapped in the direction the scream came from. A girl floated in the air as wind and clouds swirled around her. Behind her, they could see a large construct of ice rising over the tree tops of the park.
They watched as the girl in the sky, dressed in purple with a black parasol, descended from the air and landed in the park. To their horror, she began blasting at passers-by with shots of purple electricity.
Adeline jumped, feeling a hand suddenly shove into her back, and Gwen spun around with a glare, only to stop when she realized it was Adrien.
"You two need to get out of here, hurry!"
'What about you?" Adeline asked, but allowed him to shove her towards the park entrance.
"You're coming with us, right?" Gwen asked.
Adrien didn't meet their eyes for moment, "Yeah, I'll be right behind you, but I've gotta make sure my bodyguard knows where I am first, alright? You guys just go on ahead."
And then the blond boy was gone, leaving the two girls to share a look.
Then, they darted out of the park and into an alleyway, where no one could see them unless they were really looking.
"Should we help?" Adi asked, a hand resting on the flap of her bag.
"I don't know. Do you think they've got it covered?"
"I haven't seen either of them yet…"
They sighed, and nodded to each other.
Adeline opened her bag, and an army-green blur shot out. It slowed to reveal a small, floating lizard-like creature, which looked remarkably like a komodo dragon (only much smaller and much cuter) with large golden eyes. It didn't say a word, only looking at Adeline with a bored expression.
Claudde wasn't one to talk much, unfortunately.
From the folds of Gwen's purple shirt, another blur flew out, revealing itself to be an orange and white feline, with blue eyes.
"Are you ready, Ruu?" Gwen asked her friendlier companion.
Ruu grinned and looked between the other three, "Are we gonna fight?"
"You bet your fluffy little butt we are!" Adi replied.
The green haired girl then turned to Claudde and pumped both her fists, raising her arms in a way that displayed the two silver chain bracelets, each with five large, sharp, curved teeth dangling from them.
"Claudde, let's get dangerous!"
Gwen turned her head and raised a single finger to her hair clip, "Time to roar!"
The alleyway was briefly lit up, and when the light dies down, the two girls are changed.
Dragon wore a green, skin tight suit of what appeared to be made of scales. Her long green hair was bound in a long braid. A pair of giant hand fans appeared at her sides, attached her waist by a pair of black belts. Her hands are covered in a pair of gloves tipped with black claws made of some sort of metal. She wore a pair of black boots covered her feet, and reached mid-calf in height on her legs. The upper half of her face is hidden behind a scaled mask, and the lower half was hidden under the long scale patterned scarf that wound around her neck twice before hanging down the center of her back and trailing behind her.
A familiar lizard skin bag was slung over a shoulder, and thumped comfortingly against her thigh as she stepped out of the pose she'd assumed prior to her change.
Sarabi's golden hair had been released from its ponytail, falling in waves down her back. A small braid ran through the right side of her hair, and her bangs were swept to the right, held here by her hair clip, decorated with five purple cat eye gems. An orange mask resided over her face, revealing two matching blue eyes. Black spots pattern the mask, and more black lined the eyes in a cat-eyes style, and created eyelids over the holes. She wore thigh high stockings, shoulder-length gloves, and a two-piece leotard with a diamond cut out near the collar; all orange with black spots to match the mask. A feline tail hung from the back of the leotard, and a pair of cat ears rested atop her head. On her hip, a long whip hung, awaiting use.
The girls shared a nod and darted out of the alleyway, ready for action. As they entered the street across from the park, they watched as a familiar figure in black fell from the sky. As they ran to meet with their fellow hero, Cat Noir, a girl dressed in red landed on the street a foot or so away from him.
Cat Noir was a gift from the gods. He just had to be. Wild blond hair, and vibrant green cat eyes. Even with the mask, it was still obvious he was handsome. His leather suit was tight enough to show the world the way his muscles shifted as he moved. He had a bright smile, and a great personality.
Adeline and Gwen were both happy to admit that he was eye candy. Really, really high quality eye candy.
The girl in red was Ladybug. She, like the others, wore a close fitting outfit. It was a bright red body suit, with numerous black spots, just like her namesake. Her black hair was pulled into a pair of pigtails tied with red ribbon, and a mask covered her face, revealing only blue eyes. Unlike Dragon, Ladybug was built short and thin, with deceptively delicate-looking limbs.
Affectionately, behind her back, Dragon called her Stick Bug.
Ladybug leaned down to help Cat Noir to his feet, teasingly saying, "I thought cat's always landed on their feet."
"Why thanks, my Ladybug, but I had it covered." Cat Noir replied, internally over joyed at the opportunity to hold her hand. He took a chance and moved in to kiss the gloved appendage, only to be pushed away.
As the two spoke, Dragon and Sarabi silently moved closer, both hoping they could surprise the more famous pair of Paris heroes.
"No time for your childish charm, Cat Noir!" Ladybug reprimanded in a friendly tone.
"Um, I love his childish charm, thank you." A voice said behind them, causing Ladybug and Cat Noir to spin around and face a grinning Sarabi and a smirking Dragon.
"Why are you guys here?" Ladybug asked.
Dragon shrugged and gave a cheerful, "We were in the neighbourhood, and figured it wouldn't hurt to stop by, say hello...Punch a villain in the face. You know, the usual. What about you?"
Before Ladybug could respond, the villain of the day appeared.
"What's this one called?" Sarabi asked, pointing at the floating girl in purple with a look of disinterest.
The question seemed to enrage the girl. She gripped her parasol tightly and snarled, "I am Stormy Weather!"
"What an odd choice in name. If I had the choice, I would have chosen something a bit cooler...Like...Stormageddon. That's cool, right Sarabi?"
"I guess…" Sarabi said, before quietly repeating the name, like she was trying it out.
The pig-tailed villain let out a cry of frustration, "We should be expecting lightning storms like, RIGHT NOW!"
"Oh my. Someone's got a bit of a temper…" Dragon muttered.
Stormy Weather thrust her parasol towards the sky, and the tip glowed an ominous purple before blasting light into the sunny blue sky. In an instant, heavy clouds began to form and the wind picked up.
Dragon released a low growl as thunder rumbled above them, and nearby, Sarabi flinched. The four of them let out shocked noises as a bolt of lightning shot down from the blackening sky. Sarabi reached out and grabbed Dragon, and the pair hurled themselves away from where they stood, just as Ladybug and Cat Noir did the same. The lightning struck the ground where they had stood moments before.
Unlike the other two, Dragon and Sarabi managed to stay on their feet, avoiding an awkward situation like the one Ladybug and Cat Noir were currently experiencing. Brown and vibrant blue locked, before flickering back to the other pair on the ground.
To avoid watching their moment, Sarabi turned her blue eyes towards Stormy Weather, keeping track of her in case she tried to flee. Instead, Stormy Weather only rose higher into the sky.
Cat Noir offered Ladybug a nervous grin as he loomed over her.
The red-decked heroine shoved Cat Noir's face in the direction of Stormy Weather, who smirked at him challengingly, ignoring the two already standing heroes.
The duo separated and stood up, with Cat Noir calling out "You just won yourself a cat fight!"
While it was hardly the time, but Sarabi and Dragon let out playful 'Merows', causing Ladybug to shake her head at them.
Cat Noir charged Stormy Weather, while the other three hung back.
Dragon probably wouldn't say it out loud, but she found things went much easier for her and Sarabi when they used Ladybug and Cat Noir to test their enemies' abilities.
"Black Ice!"
The street under Cat Noir's feet turned to ice, leaving him slipping and sliding as he desperately reached for something to hold.
Stormy Weather twirled her parasol, and Dragon felt the air shift moments before a powerful gust of wind tore through the streets.
"Sarabi!"
"Let's Smash It!" Sarabi called, activating the special ability of her Miraculous, and bestowing herself with strength. She smashed a hand into the concrete and ice under her feet where she crouched.
The wind, strong enough to throw cars through the air, nearly sent Dragon flying, if not for the powerful grip Sarabi had with her free hand on Dragon's scarf.
Stormy Weather, thinking she was scot-free to leave and continue her 'rain' of destruction, began drifting away the moment Cat Noir and Ladybug had lost their footing.
The instant the wind had died down enough, Sarabi released Dragon's scarf, and the green clad teen grabbed Sarabi's hand, which was still embedded in the ground and yanked her friend free. The green haired hero knew she'd be useless on her own. With Stormy Weather's ability to use wind, Dragon would be unable to use her fans in battle. They'd only catch wind and hinder her movements.
"A little Cat Noir will take the wind out of her sails!" The blond hero said, cracking his fingers.
Dragon turned to Sarabi, having overheard the comment and said, in a light, conversational tone, "He can take the wind from my sails any day."
"He sure does take my breath away." Sarabi replied with something almost akin to a sigh.
Cat Noir stumbled and tripped, leaving Ladybug grasping at the air where the tail of his belt had been moments before. He looked up and stared at Dragon and Sarabi who gave him matching smirks and waves.
Green eyes stared at the troublesome duo. Did he just hear that right?
"Guys! Quit playing with the cat! I have a plan." Ladybug declared in an authoritative tone that made the other three nearly jump to attention.
"And your plan is?" Sarabi asked.
"Just follow my lead!"
And with that Ladybug took off running for a nearby wall, and Cat Noir ran for the wall across the street. Dragon rolled her eyes.
"I wonder if those are anyone's famous last words…"
All the same, she ran after Ladybug, and Sarabi followed Cat Noir. The four ran along the walls for a moment, before gathering enough speed to run sideways on the wall. Once they were close enough to the weather-controlling villain, the four leapt from the wall, hoping that there were enough of them to overwhelm her.
While Ladybug spun her yoyo, Cat Noir his staff and Sarabi her whip to create lift in order to reach their target, Dragon grabbed her fans from her hips and with one in each hand, she flapped them as a bird (or a dragon) would flap its wings.
At the last moment, Stormy Weather spun around, and upon seeing all four flying towards her, blasted them with another gust of wind. This gust of wind was so powerful, that not only did it sent them flying backwards, it also lifted the four heroes over the buildings and sent them falling to the next street over.
Dragon was the first to recover, still mid fall. Gathering her wits, she used her fans to slow her descent and maneuver around the cars raining from the sky. When the number of cars falling through the sky lessened, she folded her fans and allowed herself to drop to the street below and join her friends.
On the ground, Sarabi, Cat Noir and Ladybug had landed on their feet and instantly found themselves dodging all manner of motorized vehicle.
The four found themselves in the center of the street and a great shadow loomed over them. Looking up, the four let out shocked cries as a bus appeared in the air above them, rapidly drawing closer.
"To me!"
Sarabi grabbed Dragon and the pair crouched by Ladybug's feet as she spun her yoyo above her head, with Cat Noir clutched close to her.
There was a horrible crash as the bus hit the pavement, accompanied by the cacophony of breaking glass and the crunch of metal.
Inside the fallen bus, Dragon let out a relieved whimper and leaned against Sarabi's side as Ladybug let her yoyo stop. It smacked into Cat Noir's head, bringing it to a quick stop.
The four paused for a moment before letting out quiet snickers of relief.
"This is why I hate public transit." Dragon muttered.
"I know. Have you seen the state of this bus?" Sarabi asked, gesturing to the newly formed hole in what was the wall of the bus.
"Where on Earth are our taxes going?"
The pair shared grins, before a beeping noise drew their attention to Sarabi's Miraculous. All but one gem had turned black.
Dragon was instantly pulling her bag off her shoulder and handing it to Sarabi while motioning to the other two, "C'mon you guys, we have to get out of here, she has to get ready...Sarabi, I'm pretty sure I have some avocados or something in a Tupperware."
Ladybug and Cat Noir quickly got out of the bus, followed shortly by Dragon, who before hopping down called into the window, "I'll give you a call once we find her, and you catch up, kay?"
"Sure thing!"
Dragon darted after Ladybug and Cat Noir, quickly catching up.
"Maybe she's got some unresolved anger issues?" Ladybug suggested.
Dragon snickered, "I have unresolved anger issues myself, and you don't see me ruining the streets of Paris."
"Or she didn't pass her driving test?" Cat Noir asked. He loved hearing Dragon and Sarabi's commentary. Ladybug was beautiful and confident, but sometimes she was way too serious about things. Sarabi and Dragon didn't seem to know the meaning of serious.
The green haired girl frowned, "No...Judging from her power, and her ranting comments, I think it's got something to do with the wea-"
The trio skidded to a stop as a damaged screen on the street flickered to life, "Hello viewers!"
Stormy Weather appeared on screen, declaring that summer had come to an end. Not bothering to listen to what the villain had to complain about, Dragon brought one of her fans out. If she was on TV, that had to mean she was at the broadcasting station.
Sliding a segment of the fan's handle out, a screen was revealed. Dragon called her friend to tell her where they were headed, while Cat Noir and Ladybug reacted to the message Stormy Weather was sending.
"Yo, Sarabi! Broadcasting station." Dragon said the moment her cat-masked partner answered.
"Already? But I look so good in a swimsuit!" Cat Noir complained, staring at the 'weather report' on screen.
Ladybug gave him a stern look, "The cat suit will do thanks…"
Ladybug and Cat Noir darted off as Ladybug revealed the location of their target. Standing on the street for a second, Dragon turned to the screen on her fan with a smirk, "Did you hear that?"
"Yeah...I think he'd look good in a swimsuit." Sarabi's voice sighed.
"He'd probably look even better in nothing."
The girls shared a giggle before Dragon hung up and took off, knowing Sarabi was on her way.
Gaining speed in her run, Dragon took a powerful jump and spread her fans, catching an updraft in the powerful winds before gliding towards the station. While she flew, she used her sharp eyesight to track her three companions, noting that Sarabi would only be a couple minutes behind them.
Sarabi darted down the street, making sure to carry Dragon's bag with care. There was a lot of stuff in there that was breakable, and despite their immortal friendship, Dragon would skin Sarabi alive if anything in the bag was damaged. Although it made Sarabi wonder how Dragon managed to carry the bag with her everywhere, and never have anything damaged inside it, even when they were being thrown into buildings and squashed under flying furniture.
The first thing Sarabi and Dragon had done when they became heroes was memorize key locations in Paris. Some places, popular landmarks, certain streets and events were often hit by Akumatized enemies. The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the school they attended and the park near their homes were often hit. Villains with a flair for the dramatics also liked the City Hall and the Broadcasting station.
Because they'd spent so much time pouring over the maps, Sarabi knew the quickest way to the station, and arrived there within moments of Dragon landing by the door and Ladybug and Cat Noir bursting into the building
The four of them looked up at the giant screen on the wall, and Cat Noir's eyes lit up as he looked between the screen and a cardboard cut-out of Aurore Beauréal, one of the contestants to become a weather forecaster, "hey, she reminds me of someone!"
"It's her! The Akuma must be in her parasol!"
The quartet of heroes continued their chase of the villain through the halls of the building, searching for the room where Stormy Weather was broadcasting.
Dragon frowned and looked at Sarabi whispering, "Where did that come from? How does she know where the Akuma is? It could be in her heels for all we know."
She was hardly quiet about the question, and Ladybug gave her an annoyed expression, but didn't answer the question.
Sarabi shrugged, "I don't know. Magic? Anyways...who lets themselves be Akumatized over losing a silly little competition?"
"A girl who's too arrogant for her own good? Thinks she's more popular than the competition and can't conceive the idea that there's someone out there the masses like better?"
"So...someone like Cloé?"
"Yup."
Running ahead of the two girls, Ladybug and Cat Noir stared forward, each with wide eyes, internally wondering if the Cloé Dragon and Sarabi were talking about was the same Cloé they knew, and how either of them knew her, if they were talking about her.
Not that either Ladybug or Cat Noir knew they were both thinking the same thing.
Their thoughts were returned to the current situation as they burst into the filming room, only to find themselves face to face with a recorded video.
The four froze in the center of the room, before spinning around at the sound of Stormy Weather's annoying, high pitched giggle.
There was a bright blast of light as she blasted a set of lights. They came crashing down, causing the four to scatter. Then, the lights in the room went out, leaving them in darkness.
Sarabi's eyes roved the room until she spotted Stormy Weather running away, down the hall. She and Cat Noir were about to go after her, when they realized the other pair were unable to see in the dark like they were. Ladybug was stumbling in the dark, and Dragon was staying still, crouched low to the ground, the tip of her tongue sticking out like she was tasting the air.
Which Sarabi knew was exactly what she was doing, but that wasn't necessary.
"Oh, do I hear a damsel in distress?" She heard Cat Noir say as he reached down to pull Ladybug to her feet.
"Sorry some of us don't have night vision!" Ladybug snapped.
Sarabi only shook her head and grabbed Dragon's shoulder. Dragon stood up and reached for Sarabi, feeling out where her friend stood. Confused, Sarabi held still, figuring Dragon was searching for a hand or something.
She wasn't expecting Dragon's next move. Grabbing Sarabi by the shoulders, Dragon swung herself up and around before landing on her friend's back and wrapping her arms around the brunette's neck.
"Dragon! What are you-"
"High-ho Sarabi! Away!"
"I'm not a horse!"
"I know that, you're much too pretty. Now hurry up you guys, we're going to lose her!"
Sarabi and Cat Noir both flinched before taking off running, realizing they'd have to lead (or carry, in Sarabi's case) their partners if they wanted to catch up in the total darkness.
They ran into the hallway, following the giggling of their enemy.
"She's getting away!" Dragon hissed, even though she couldn't see where they were going at all. It wasn't as though she could control how fast they were running, since she wasn't even doing the running herself...but it was either this, or stumble around uselessly and get tugged around like Ladybug. And then Dragon smirked, getting an idea.
"Mush!"
There was a loud 'smack', and Cat Noir glanced to the side just in time to see Dragon move her hand away from Sarabi's butt.
Sarabi growled in outrage, "Dragon, do you want me to kill you!?"
"Aw, you wouldn't do that!"
"Like hell I wouldn't!"
"You wouldn't. You'd miss me too much!"
The pair continued to banter and Cat Noir sighed, glancing back at Ladybug, "Why can't we be like that, my Lady?"
The girl looked blindly towards him, "Like what?"
"Never mind." He replied, just before they reached a door at the end of the hallway. The four burst through, Sarabi and Dragon going in first. The doorway lead into a stairwell, and the pair who could clearly see in the dark spotted Stormy Weather making her way up the staircase. Sarabi and Dragon made their way up, and Cat Noir was close behind, making sure Ladybug didn't trip.
He glanced up, watching Sarabi run up the steps, her tail swinging with each step. Green eyes widened and he quickly tore his gaze away, realizing just where he was staring. Losing his footing for a second, Cat Noir nearly tumbled down the steps, much to the complaints of Ladybug.
He blamed their teasing. Every time he met Sarabi and Dragon, they were always cracking jokes and flirting with him. When it was just him and Ladybug, the most he thought about was how soft her lips looked and how tightly their hands were clasped. When you added those two and their dirty humour to the situation, things just got weird.
"INCOMING!" Sarabi yelled as she ducked, bringing Dragon lower with her.
Cat Noir spotted the flying fire extinguisher and pulled Ladybug closer, calling his own warning to her, just as she was about to try going on her own. The extinguisher clanged as it hit a door, and Ladybug's hand gripped his tighter.
There was a burst of light as the door at the top of the stair well swung open, and the four heroes darted out onto the rooftop. Sarabi unceremoniously dumped Dragon from her back, leaving the green haired girl to pout on the ground.
In the sky above them, Stormy Weather laughed, "You airheads! You fell right into my trap!"
"Ah, shut up, Thunderthighs." Dragon muttered as the storm above them suddenly descended, trapping them in the eye of a column of wind that swirled around the roof of the building.
"There's no way out! Party's over, fools."
Sarabi glanced back at the door leading to the stairwell. It looked just fine. Even if it was locked, she could still knock it down if she used her Miraculous. So...technically, there was an escape.
Her blue eyes turned back to Ladybug and Cat Noir as Ladybug began to speak. She narrowed in one the sight of Cat Noir tightly gripping Ladybug's wrist, and a disheartened sigh escaped her lips.
"We're just-" Ladybug stopped and stared at Cat Noir's hand, before ripping her hand free, "We're just getting started, Stormy!"
Dragon popped to her feet as Ladybug used her 'Lucky Charm'. She was always amused by this part of Ladybug's battles. The sheer randomness of the resulting item, and the luck and timing Ladybug had was simply astounding. It really was a horrible gamble...She'd have five minutes after this to use the item and defeat the baddy. What would happen if one day her timing was off, or something interfered with her plan?
She'd run out of time, and turn into her civilian self. And then her Miraculous would be stolen.
Dragon didn't think she'd ever be willing to risk that.
"A bath towel? But...what am I supposed to do with this?"
Brown eyes rolled in annoyance.
"Great. So, we're about to be obliterated, but at least we'll be dry." Cat Noir snarked.
"Speak for yourself." Dragon muttered, before activating her own Miraculous. At the very least, if it didn't work, she'd keep Thunderthighs distracted while the Stick Bug made a plan.
"Virulent Venom!" The black claws on her gloves shone an ominous violet that seemed to almost bubble and ooze. She hoped if she hit the girl, the venom would paralyze her and the capture would be an easy one.
As Ladybug's eyes darted around the rooftop, taking in everything she could use for her plan, Stormy Weather launched her attack.
"Hail!"
"Hail who? Me?" Dragon asked before she lunged, jumping into the air, "I'm afraid I'm not that far in my plans for world domination!"
She slashed her clawed hands at Stormy Weather, only for the girl in purple to dodge her attack. Hail began falling from the sky, pelting at Dragon as she fell back to the rooftop. The violet faded from her claws, making the green haired teen pout again.
"I missed…" She sighed as she pulled out her fans and used them to cover herself from the falling hail.
"You'll be fine!" Sarabi called from where she was busy whipping the hail away from herself.
Both girls jumped as a beam of purple lightning struck the ground near them. At the same time, Cat Noir destroyed the supports holding up the sign behind Stormy Weather. Sarabi and Dragon once again jumped, this time taking cover behind the ventilation system.
Stormy Weather blasted a hole in the sign, unaware of the yoyo wrapping around her ankle. As Ladybug jumped onto the ventilation fan, using the towel to send herself into the air, she ripped Stormy Weather from the sky.
Sarabi was ready the instant the parasol was knocked from Stormy Weather's grip. Cat Noir snatched the parasol from the air and tossed it like a spear to Sarabi. She gripped both ends of the parasol and snapped them over her knee.
"And that, is today's forecast." She said, dusting her hands off.
The instant the parasol snapped, the wind stopped, and the heavy hail turned to snow, before that too stopped.
Ladybug walked over to the butterfly that fluttered around the remains of the parasol, and pulled out her yoyo, purifying it inside.
"No more evil doing for you, little Akuma."
"Oh, crap. That reminds me." Dragon said, before motioning to Sarabi. Sarabi jumped, remembering she still had Dragon's bag, and handed it to her. Dragon riffled through it before pulling out a large jar, packed with vibrant flowers.
As the now purified butterfly fluttered off into the distance, Dragon tossed the jar to Ladybug, "This week's shipment, Stick Bug, darling~!"
Ladybug caught the jar, and she and Cat Noir stared at the jar, realizing there were four evil Akuma butterflies inside, feeding from the flowers inside the jar. She looked up to snap at Dragon for calling her a Stick Bug, only to realize she and Sarabi had vanished.
"I hate it when she does that." Ladybug hissed.
Marinette ran through the park, eager to get back to Alya and Manon, to make sure they were okay. As she was running, Tikki popped out of her purse, "Marinette! Look, there's Adrien at the photoshoot again!"
The raven haired girl froze for a moment and turned to look at the photoshoot. Her heart froze when she saw that Adrien was talking with Adeline and Gwendolyn. Adeline suddenly shoved Gwendolyn into Adrien, who caught her.
"What...do you think they're doing?" Marinette asked Tikki, still watching as the photographer grabbed Gwen and Adrien, and began ordering them how to pose.
Adrien had an arm wrapped around Gwen's waist, and a hand caressing her cheek. Gwen's arms were wrapped around his neck, and they both were staring so deeply into each other's eyes! Marinette swore she could see a blush colouring Adrien's cheeks.
"I'm sure it's alright, Marinette." Tikki comforted, "They're just posing for the camera."
"I know...but they…"
"Come on Marinette, let's go check on Manon."
"Oh! Manon! You're right!" Marinette exclaimed, remembering why she had returned to the park in the first place. She ran down the path and scooped up the little girl awaiting her return beside Alya.
"Deeper!" The photographer cried, "Look into each other's eyes!"
Gwen was trying, really she was, but she couldn't stare into his eyes too long before she had to look away. It was weird being this close, and the photographer wanted them closer still! All it would take was for one of them to shift a little and they'd practically be kissing.
Adi was laughing hard enough that tears were falling from her eyes while she watched her friend struggling. In her bag, she should also hear Ruu quietly cheering Gwen on telling her to 'go in for the kill'.
It wouldn't have done if Adrien hugged Gwen and accidentally crushed the poor cat, so Ruu was visiting with Claudde.
"Now one last pose! Kiss his cheek!" The Photographer called. Both models froze and stared at him.
Gwen look startled, "What now?"
"Kiss his cheek!" the photographer repeated.
Adi began laughing even harder, to the point that her face had gone red and she was no longer really breathing.
"Adi, stop laughing!"
There was no response, as the green haired girl was too busy not being able to breathe.
"Ugh. Fine." Gwen muttered, before turning to Adrien and putting on a cocky smirk, "You ready?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"No need to sound so scared. I don't bite. Often." Gwen said, before cupping his cheek with one hand and placing a sweet kiss on the other cheek.
Adrien's face flushed, and the camera flashed multiple times as the photographer flitted around, taking pictures from every angle.
"Alright! That is enough." The photographer declared after what had to have been the ninetieth photo of Gwen kissing his cheek.
Adeline coughed loudly when neither of the two moved.
Instantly, Gwen pulled away. Adrien shifted awkwardly and watched Adeline and Gwen whisper and laugh together. The boy took a deep breath before taking a step towards them.
Adeline saw him moving closer, and elbowed Gwen, "Dream Boat wants to talk to you."
Adrien turned to Gwen, giving her a sincere smile, "Wow, you're a natural in front of the camera. Maybe we can use you as a female model for more of our fashion shoots. Just give me your number and I can-"
Gwen blinked before shaking her head and walking away without another word, leaving Adrien and Adeline standing by the fountain.
The blond gave a heavy sigh. It was just so hard getting them to talk with him. He was just trying to get to know them, and they weren't even giving him the chance. He wouldn't give up though.
He turned to Adeline, waiting for her to go after Gwen. Instead, the green-haired girl gave him that knowing smirk she was infamous for.
She reached into the pocket of her 'lizard skin' jacket and pulled out a notepad.
"Don't worry, Dream Boat. Adi's got you covered." Adeline said, writing something out on the notepad with a pen from her pocket. She ripped the page off and folded it before grabbing his hand and placing the paper in it, "Just don't tell Gwen where you got it. I don't want her trying to kill me again. It's annoying."
Adrien blinked and stared at her, and then down at the paper in his hand.
She chuckled, and there was something almost sinister about the sound, "You're welcome...anyways, I better catch up with her. We'll see you tomorrow in class!"
Adeline began walking away, before stopping a few feet away. She looked over her shoulder and said, "You can pay me back later!" And then she continued walking until she was out of the park.
He stared after her for a long moment, before looking down at the paper in his hand, and unfolding it. A cell phone number was written out with Gwen's name written beside it, and a winky face at the bottom of the page.
He pulled out his phone, about to add the number when he froze, realizing with horror what he had just done.
He'd accepted something from Adeline.
She'd done him a favour.
Now he owed Adeline a favour.
The green eyes boy gave a loud groan, realizing he would be on edge at school for as long as it took for Adeline to cash in on the debt.
Looking down at the number in his hand, he gave a sigh, before smiling. So. He'd owe Adeline a deal. That would mean she'd have to talk to him though. And now he had Gwen's number, so he could talk to her too.
He was one step closer to their friendship, at least.