#au where gabe and mamagreste were criminals

[la-voce-to-me]

AU August

Day 10

On Ao3

Chat stared at her as she put on her lipstick. They were parked slightly outside the main line of cars for the red carpet. The noise from the gala was still audible despite the distance, but they paid it no mind. Even though she could feel the weight of his green eyes on her, she continued to slowly swipe the tube over her lips.

“Do you need something?” she asked, finally snapping her compact shut.

“Is that the poison lipstick?”

Ladybug stared at her partner. His face was neutral, no sign of a joke or sarcasm given away in his usually expressive eyes. She blinked at him a few times before facing forward in the car, tapping their driver on the shoulder.

“Jade honey, your best friend better be more competent than he sounds,” she said smoothly, taking small delight in the indignant sound her partner made.

“I know how he comes off Lady, but I promise he’s the best at what he does,” the driver responded with a chuckle.

Chat huffed, slouching back in his seat with a small “unbelievable,” muttered under his breath.

“To answer you question, newbie,” a voice said, crackling to life in their ears, “having a poisonous lipstick would just make Ladybug sick. She just likes having red lips when wearing a black dress.”

“Thank you, Vixen,” Ladybug said with a clipped tone.

“Welcome Bug Babe,” Vixen replied. She could practically hear the woman stick her tongue out at the headpiece.

The next few moments were spent in silence. As much as Marinette loved her job, being Ladybug was always nerve wracking with a new partner. Her previous one had only lasted two missions before being switched to a lower tier at his request. The girl before him lasted longer, around four months, but she quit the agency after working with Ladybug.

Her team was the top tier at the agency. Jade Turtle was their man on the ground, a getaway car, a bodyguard, and informant all in one. Vixen had been Ladybug’s partner the longest until she got injured in the field, but stayed on as communication and detail master. Ladybug was the face of the operation, the only one who had a reputation, and the only one whose face was recognizable.

Working high profile cases as a new recruit had been a poor career choice, as it turned out. Her favorite missions were the ones where she could just be a secret agent- not the Lady in Red, not that one bitch who stopped an assassination by tying the hit man up with a yoyo, just Ladybug.

That’s why this one had her nervous. Jade had recommended his friend, a high profile model, to be her partner. This gala would be the first test to see if his fame could overshadow her infamy, and still be productive.

They had already attended Fashion Week together to start the rumours circulating, then fed her civilian identity to the press. It had been a month since then, and the press could not get enough of the newest couple to Paris’s fashion scene. A good cover, so long as it didn’t prevent them from doing work.

“Okay kitty, let’s move,” Ladybug said, ushering her partner outside the car.

The noise was instantaneous. The had slowly crept forward in the line of cars, until they were right in front of the gala entrance. Reporters shouted, cameras flashed, and Chat smiled. He wrapped an arm around her waist, posing every few feet on the carpet.

“M. Agreste, what do you think of the gala being announced just a week after your fathers?”

Ladybug felt her partner’s hand squeeze for a moment before he answered.

“You can really never have too many charity balls, in my opinion. If dressing up is what people need to do in order to donate to good causes, then I’m all for it,” he replied breezily.

The hand on her hip tugged them almost through the entrance until one question reached them, clearer than the rest. “Mlle Dupain-Cheng, what are your thoughts on the primary auction item this year?”

The pair of them paused, and Ladybug turned to face the reporter.

“You know, this is just awful of me but I’ve been so busy with clients that I don’t happen to know what item you’re referring to. I’m sure it’s a treasure, whatever it might be.”

“If that’s all, we’ll be heading in now…” Chat cut in, once again placing a hand around her waist. She heard the cameras clicking during the action, rolling her eyes.

They strode through the crowd, occasionally pausing when Ladybug would signal for Adrien to stop and greet someone. Their target was easy to spot but hard to track, so his casual conversation was convenient cover.

“LB, it looks like there might be an issue…” Jade said, voice low in her ear piece.

“Really,” she said, turning away from Chat with a small smile. He nodded, heading towards a group of people trying to catch his eye.

“Adrien’s dad is here…”

Chat’s head snapped towards the door, and Ladybug flinched at the action. As much as he had proved himself in the way of stealth, there were certain things Adrien just hadn’t gotten the hang of. Reacting visibly to information coming from a headset was one of those things.

Ladybug strode over to her partner, whose eyes were still fixed on the silvered head of the figure making its way into the entertainment hall. She clasped Adrien’s hand, hoping for a moment that he would understand that this was her being a friend, rather than a partner in (stopping) crime.

“Pardon me, if I could steal my date for a moment, I believe he promised me a dance,” Marinette said, addressing the curious faces of the people Adrien had been talking to. “Adrien, are you alright?”

“Why is he here?” Adrien hissed back. “He said he wasn’t coming. He said it was an offensive move from Armani to do this!”

“Adrien, look at me,” Marinette said, her voice low. He did as instructed. “Fashion politics don’t make sense. Knowing what I know of Gabriel, he could be here because he saw the answer you gave that reporter and hightailed it over here.”

“What if you have to arrest someone! He’s going to give me such grief for dating outside his approved circle…” “I can handle him, okay?”

“Stop worrying Chat, you have a mission,” Vixen interjected. Adrien breathed in deeply, and Marinette could practically see his Chat Noir mask slide back into place.

“Speaking of…” Ladybug murmured, eyes narrowing. “Kitty your dad is talking to the target. It’s the first person he’s talked to in the whole time we’ve been there.”

Chat turned slowly.

“That’s our target?”

“Didn’t you look at the file I provided?” Vixen’s voice rang shrill in their ears.

“I didn’t recognize the name and I guess she looks different in greyscale. That’s, well, I know her as one of his assistants.”

“...how did I miss that…” Vixen whispered. They could hear a lot of typing through the com, and then a small “shit.”

“Adrien, shall we claim that dance?” Ladybug asked, guiding him towards the dance floor. Many people were already swaying to the music that flowed from the orchestra. She turned to face him, clasping his shoulder. “Okay Vix, talk to me.”

“Chat I don’t think you’re gonna be happy, but I think Gabriel might be the actual target…”

“What? How could my father have anything to do with this… black market whatever?”

“That’s some pretty big news my dude, are you sure we should go through with the mission?” Jade asked.

“This is the only opportunity to retrieve the stones, regardless of who might be arrested that is our primary goal for tonight,” Ladybug cut in, resting her head on Adrien’s shoulder.

He smiled at her tightly, seeming to be caught between appreciating the comforting gesture and realizing his father might be behind one of the largest artifact heists in history.

The music slowed to a stop, and they turned to applaud the orchestra. A man in a tuxedo walked onto their stage, taking a microphone from the podium.

“Welcome everyone to the Harvest Charity Ball, hosted by Armani and the Human Rights League! We will shortly be starting the silent auction, so please continue to dance and mingle, but do not forget to take a look at the auction items!” There was chatter as the announcer paused, smiling widely.

“Of course, the main object of the silent auction is a guided tour for inspiration, donated by Gabriel Agreste!”

Ladybug scrunched her brow, shooting a look to her partner. He wore a matching confused expression. Suddenly, she remembered the reporters question from outside.

“Did she ask me because I’m an up and coming designer, or was that a hint?”

Chat seemed to understand what the question referred to. The clapped politely as the rest of the big name silent auction pieces were announced, and turned to each other once the music began again.

“Lady, I can’t find anything about the big auction piece being announced before today, I think you should find that reporter…” Vixen said, worry creeping into her voice.

“I couldn’t see who it was, but I think she went inside after you two…” Jade said.

“Okay, after this song we’ll look,” Chat said, letting the first impish smile of the night creep onto his face.

They didn’t have to wait until the end of the song, however. As soon as the music hit its peak, the lights cut out. Ladybug pulled out the small knife she kept sheathed in the shoulder of her dress, while Chat let his hand rest on the staff hidden under his jacket.

“Follow me,” a small voice said, appearing between them and gone just as fast. They looked at each other, then back where the voice had been. A swath of red slipped around a nearby pillar. They followed slowly, trying to jostle as few people as possible.

“He needs to be stopped,” the voice said again, just as the red cloth disappeared around a corner.

“Wait here,” Ladybug said. Chat obeyed, resting against a wall.

The room was as dark as the main hall had been, but there was one item on a silent auction table that seemed brighter than all the rest. She crept forward, looking around the room for the voice that had led her there.

The item was a simple but high end coat. She reached out to run a hand along the silhouette of the coat, when she felt a rush of power seep through her hand.

“My name is Tikki. I am the goddess of creation. Do not be afraid, my dear ladybug. I need to save my siblings.”

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere, seeming to originate from her own body. She let out a gasp, causing Chat to rush into the room.

“Your eyes-” was all he got out before his own began to emit a small but definite glow.

“Ah, your Chat Noir is here too. Plagg will instruct him as I will instruct you. Listen carefully…”

Ladybug was having a hard time understanding what exactly was going on, but the calm that had seeped into her bones made following Tikki’s guidance easy. She knew with certainty that this was the right thing.

The coat was a disguise from the buyer- there were several sacred artifacts sewn into various places of the coat- artifacts that apparently contained the spirits of gods. She deftly undid the coat, handing each of the artifacts to Chat. Just as the last one had been freed, the lights came back on.

“Adrien, son. What are you doing here?”

Tikki’s presence fled with the return of the lights, allowing Marinette to take back over.

“We happened upon this room when I was looking for the restroom, and I couldn’t help but notice- this coat is your handiwork, is it not?”

Gabriel seemed to only notice Marinette after she had spoken.

“Ah, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, very astute. This designer does have a very similar construction to my own but…” His voice trailed off as he fingered the opened seams.

Marinette took the moment to snap one of the black handcuffs that had been previously embedded to the lining of a pocket in her dress. Gabriel looked at the metal around his wrist, then back to the woman holding them.

“This is how your mother and I met,” he said, turning to Adrien. “I’ll go quietly, not to cause a scene.”

“Your son had nothing to do with this,” Marinette couldn’t help but say.

Gabriel’s impassive face turned into a soft smile.

“Neither was I when I first became her partner.” “We’re not partners in crime,” Adrien said softly.

“But partners nonetheless,” Gabriel said.