This was inspired by blahblahbayern's prompt on tumblr: "How about Ladybug x AtLA crossover? Ember Island players present the new play Miraculous Ladybug, the Gaang give the theatre one more chance."

Wasn't ever expecting to write this crossover, but here we go! (Also, all ML inaccuracies featured in this one-shot are intentional.)

Miraculous Players

"Shh, it's starting," Sokka said, shooting warning looks at his friends from where he sat in the second row with Suki.

Zuko rolled his eyes and slumped against the railing of their booth balcony. "It's going to be terrible anyway. It's the Ember Island Players. Remember what happened last time we came to watch one of their shows?"

"I got to watch Actor Me 'tearbend' and make speeches about hope before we all died horrible deaths," Katara said in an unimpressed tone. "Also, what was with her outfit? I never wore anything like that."

Aang folded his arms across his chest. "At least you weren't played by a woman."

"Er, she was," Sokka felt the need to point out.

A beat.

"Ugh, you guys know what I mean! I'm clearly a guy, and they made me a bald lady!"

Suki snickered. "Yeah, they did."

Aang threw her a look of betrayal.

"Well, my actor was awesome," Toph declared, then stood up. "In fact, maybe I should pull out the old sonic wa—"

"No!" came the unified cry.

Toph paused with her mouth opened wide. She blew her fringe out of her face and sat back down. "Killjoys."

"The play is about to start, Toph," Katara said in her best Mum Tone. "You just can't go screaming as you please."

"I dunno," Zuko mumbled. "Being half-deafened by Toph's sonic wave might be an improvement. At least then I won't have to listen to the actors."

Toph grinned. "See, Sunshine is on my side."

"I think that counts more as Zuko choosing physical torture over mental torture," Suki observed.

Sokka shushed them all again with much arm flapping. "C'mon, guys, the actors are already on stage. I can't get into it if you keep yapping."

Zuko once more rolled his eyes. "What's this play even called again?"

"It's Miraculous Ladybug." Sokka gave him a frowny face. "I swear you're just pretending to forget now to annoy me."

"You're giving our Fire Lord way too much credit," Toph said. "Pretty sure he just doesn't care about the play."

Zuko shrugged, not denying the claim.

Sokka's frown deepened and he went on a big speech about friendship and how it was their duty to watch the play together for old time's sake. Sure it might suck, sure the script might end up being terrible, but they would groan and laugh at it together! He pumped his fist in the air and went on in this way for a while until the people in the neighbouring booth shhhed him with angry fingers to their lips.

"The play has started!" an old man with massive side-whiskers snapped.

Sokka slumped back into his chair, looking a bit pink around the cheeks. The others snickered while Zuko just fixed his bored gaze on the stage. Time for the torture.

oOo

"Oh no," the kid who'd had his heartbroken wailed. "My love will never love me now. I guess I'll just have to sit here and cry forever and be all alone. Boo hoo hoo."

"Did he actually just say 'Boo hoo hoo'?" Toph said, pulling a face.

A curtain unfurled on the far end of the stage to reveal a tall guy in a shiny looking outfit and a huge mask. There were white paper butterflies floating all around him on strings. "Ahh, a broken heart. This sadness and despair is perfect. Fly away, my little akuma, and evilise this poor soul!"

One of the paper butterflies was turned around so it was coloured purple. Then it floated—aka, was carried along by a little old man up in the rafters—towards the sobbing, rejected guy. In an admittedly impressive display of rapid costume change, Rejected's outfit became just as shiny as Shiny Butterfly Guy's, complete with a big broken heart stitched on his chest. He also got to wear a mask.

Shiny Butterfly Guy revealed he was called Hawkmoth and gave his villain protégé a new name (Heartbreaker). Then they punned their way through a plot to take Ladybug and Black Cat's miraculous. Finally, the curtain fell for a scene change.

"What … what just happened?" Katara said, blinking.

"Er …"

No one really had an answer.

oOo

"So, is this Black Cat guy a bat-cat of some kind?" Toph asked.

"Nah," Aang responded.

"Platypus-cat?"

"Nope."

"Bear-cat?"

"I think he's just meant to be a cat. He's wearing cat ears, cat paws, and a tail."

Toph scrunched her nose. "Weird."

There were some murmurs of agreement. Ladybug, it must be said, was just as odd to them. (Aang had been so certain she'd be half bug, half lady or at least some kind of cool spirit. Turned out she was just based on a bug that liked flowers.)

"I hope you're feline ready to fight!" Black Cat called to Heartbreaker.

Katara rested her chin on her hands. "Black Cat likes to make a lot of puns, huh."

"I've counted ten already," Zuko said in a long-suffering voice. A beat. "Make that eleven."

Sokka, who had been rather quiet for a while, now deigned to open his mouth. "My jokes are better."

The others all just stared at him. Well, except Suki.

"Black Cat is kind of hot," she said, then a little smile touched her lips. "A hot boy in leather …"

Sokka gave her the Betrayed Face. "I'd look good in leather."

She patted him on the arm. "I know you would."

Sokka, judging by his steadily slumping shoulders, was not appeased.

oOo

"I can't believe Adrien can't see that Ladybug is Marinette," Zuko said in frustration. "How blind can he be? She's literally right there in front of him, and she's even wearing the same hairstyle!"

Katara nudged him with her elbow. "Sounds like someone is getting into this."

Warmth touched his cheeks. "What? No. I just think it's stupid he can't tell it's her, and Marinette is just as bad."

Toph snorted. "Please, Sunshine, we all know you're a hopeless romantic. You totally OTP'd those two at first glance."

"Did not."

"Did toooooooo," Katara and Toph sing-songed.

He huffed and hid his burning face in his arms.

"Oh, look, Alya is going to help set them up," Aang said excitedly. He, unlike the Fire Lord, had no qualms about revealing his romantic side. "I hope it works."

Zuko raised his head slightly from his arms and peered down at the stage. Next to him, Toph and Katara exchanged knowing smiles.

oOo

"Miraculous ladybug!"

The little old men in the rafters quickly tried to reset the stage to pre-damage as Ladybug's magic took hold. Heartbreaker had been defeated thanks to Ladybug and Black Cat (or, rather, Ladybug's talking magical yoyo, which ate the purple butterfly). Then there were more puns and flirting on Black Cat's part. (Sokka felt the need to say he flirted better.) The play ended with the heroes sharing a fist bump.

"Wait, so Hawkmoth gets away at the end?" Aang furrowed his brow. "That doesn't seem right. I mean, he's the real villain here."

"Apparently, there's a sequel," Suki said.

Zuko folded his arms. "There had better be after all the loose ends they left."

"Someone's just grumpy because his OTP didn't happen," Toph stage-whispered.

The others laughed, even as Zuko blushed and grumbled and said they had it all wrong. He just liked things to be tied up nicely.

"And what's your verdict, Sokka?" Katara asked, smiling at her brother. "Was it everything you were hoping for when you dragged us all here?"

He rubbed his chin and made humming noises. "It didn't quite have the same flair as The Boy in the Iceberg, and my actor was waaaay hotter than Black Cat's—"

Katara and Suki both snorted.

"—but I guess I enjoyed it. I mean, it had terrible acting, a terrible script, and so many puns that even I was cringing at times, but the special effects weren't bad, and it was just the kind of silly fun I've missed sharing with you guys."

This time the others let out big nawws and hugged him. Well, except Zuko. He had to be dragged into the hug. Some things would never change, it seemed, including the fact that the Ember Island Players could always be counted on to perform awful plays.