A non-miraculous AU in which Hawkmoth has taken over Paris and enslaved its people. Both Ladybug and Chat Noir are con artists, which in this fic means they trick Akumas into giving them their Akumatized objects, not money.

Before you start reading, please know that this is NOT a Chat Noir x Stormy Weather fic. Please read to the end of the chapter before making any assumptions. Thanks!

"Invitation, sir."

The man handed her the card, given to him personally by Chloe Bourgeois, inviting Théo Barbot, alias Copycat, to her party at Le Grand Paris. He didn't hesitate to look the bouncer in the eye. He never did.

"Thank you, sir," the bouncer muttered meekly. In return, the man nodded, secretly pitying the girl, but keeping a straight face as she opened the door to Le Grand Paris.

As soon as she had shut the door behind him, Adrien let out a sigh in relief. Another party successfully infiltrated; another victory for Chat Noir.

Adrien glanced around the hotel, noticing how normal the building seemed. Le Grand Paris was probably the only place in Paris that hadn't changed in the last five years. When Hawkmoth had taken over, it hadn't been abandoned and left to crumble in his wake– instead, business continued as usual. Le Grand Paris had become the favorite hangout spot of the Akumas. After all, Chloe Bourgeois threw a party there at least once a week.

"Copycat" quietly stalked through the foyer and eventually made his way into the grand room where Chloe always held her parties. Before he entered, Adrien ran a quick check of his appearance. Tonight, his disguise wasn't so extreme: he'd kept his hair the same color, but messed it up a little bit just in case Chloe recognized him. No contacts, either, but he would be donning a mask. His outfit was a plain black suit, complete with Hawkmoth's symbol printed on the back. He grinned. Adrien was the spitting image of Copycat. He had to congratulate himself on his disguise.

He gripped the doorknob, thought a few encouraging words, and entered the chaos. Immediately, he was graced with the sight of a crowd of dozens of Akumas, horrible fashion choices, and god-awful, ear-deafening music. Every time Adrien attended one of these parties, he died a little inside.

A few Akumas near the door glanced at him curiously, but ultimately paid him no attention. He was aware that Copycat was going to stick out like a sore thumb. Being a new Akuma, many would probably question who he was and why he was here. Honestly, Adrien found it ridiculous that he had managed to get in so many times without technically being an Akuma. All it took was a stupid disguise and a little flirting with Chloe and boom, he had an invitation.

He ignored the crowd for now and walked over to a wall, leaning against it casually. Tonight, Adrien's mission was a little more difficult than usual. He wasn't trying to free an Akuma or sabotage Hawkmoth.

Tonight, Adrien was going to partner up with Ladybug.

Ladybug was the nickname given to the infamous con artist who had been irritating Hawkmoth for a year now. No one had gotten past her tricks before. She could be anyone around you, maybe the pretty Akuma stealing the spotlight, or the silent one watching your back. Whoever she disguised herself as didn't matter because she always got what she wanted in the end. Usually, that was the freedom of an Akuma. Adrien had heard tales of a beautiful girl who at one moment, would be whispering sweet nothings into your ear, and the next moment she had convinced you to hand over your Akumatized object.

She was amazing and he'd only ever seen her once. He would never forget the sight of her blue eyes shining with triumph after taking the Mime's hat. Whether those eyes were real or not, he didn't care– they were the prettiest he'd ever seen. Adrien was certain that Ladybug would be here tonight. This was Chloe's largest party in a while.

"Alright, time for step 1," Adrien muttered to himself as he scanned the crowd of people for potential criminals. Step 1 was to locate Ladybug, though now that he thought about it, that wasn't going to be so easy. As he looked around the room, he realized that an overwhelming amount of the female Akumas– and some of the men, too– could be Ladybug. After all, she was the master of disguise for a reason.

Adrien sighed, knowing Plagg would probably be laughing at his poor planning skills if he were here. This, however, was something he didn't have to know.

With that in mind, it was time for step 2: find a target and attract Ladybug's attention. Infringe on her territory and get her curious.

Looking to his left, he thought he had spotted the perfect target.

Leaning against the wall near him was a pretty girl with her blonde hair in pigtails and an umbrella in her hand. She wore a blue dress and stared somberly at the crowd, twirling a finger in her hair.

"You seem like you're not having the best time," spoke Adrien playfully, planting himself by the girl. "Need some company?"

The stranger glanced up at him in surprise, but hesitated before smiling slightly. "I guess that would be nice."

"How come you didn't wear a costume?" he asked, referring to her plain blue dress.

The blonde girl smiled sheepishly. "Well… I'm a new Akuma, actually. Hawkmoth came to me earlier today, and we didn't have time to design a costume for the party. But he said I should come anyway… make my debut." Her eyes seemed to twinkle with excitement.

"You have a name, though, don't you?"

"Stormy Weather," she began, "but Aurore is fine, too."

Adrien grinned and decided to turn on the flattery, a trick that worked 75% of the time. "A pretty name for a pretty girl."

Aurore smiled as if the comment had cheered her up slightly. "Thank you. I didn't catch yours?"

"Copycat's my name," he answered cockily, "but Théo works as well."

"Copycat?" she repeated in amusement, twirling her umbrella. "I've heard of you before. Actually, I've always wanted to know the story behind your name."

"I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours," Adrien teased. "I can't imagine how you got the name Stormy Weather, but I'm assuming someone rained on your parade?"

Aurore gave him a flat, unimpressed look. "You're not wrong… but I think that was the worst pun I've ever heard."

Adrien faked a dramatic gasp. "Ouch. You're a real ice queen, Aurore."

She snorted. "If I tell you the story, will you stop making puns?"

"I'll agree to it," he started, grinning, "for now."

Adrien was surprised to find that he was actually enjoying the conversation he was having with an Akuma, of all people. Usually, Akumas had awful tempers and no respect for anyone at all. It wasn't their fault, really… Hawkmoth purposefully chose miserable people to be his Akumas. They were easier to manipulate, easier to keep under his spell. Akumas were often hostile and willing to do Hawkmoth's bidding if it rid them of the source of their misery.

Aurore, however, had shown no signs of aggressiveness or brash behavior. It was odd for an Akuma… but he supposed she could be the cold, calculating type who was secretly out for revenge. Like Volpina, Hawkmoth's favorite Akuma, who appeared nice to most people, but was actually a manipulative psychopath. Adrien shuddered. He didn't want to think about Lila anymore than he had to.

"For now?" Aurore questioned, snapping Adrien out of his thoughts. She wore a disappointed pout on her lips. "I guess that's the best I'll get."

"No more puns," he reaffirmed. "I'm all ears whenever you're ready to vent to me."

She glared at him.

Adrien laughed sheepishly. "That doesn't count."

Aurore sighed and shook her head, twirling her umbrella again. "Well, I'm sure it's no surprise that I'm a slave… at least I was, until today. I belonged to this weird man who thought he was a psychic. Apparently, the reason he got Akumatized was because someone exposed him as a fraud." She snorted. "He was convinced that he had actual psychic powers. Even after he was Akumatized, his predictions were complete BS."

As Aurore was speaking, Adrien let his eyes wander around the room, hoping Ladybug had noticed his advances towards the Akuma next to him. He and Aurore were the only two not among the crowd, making them very obvious to anyone looking to con an Akuma.

"Looking for someone?" Aurore said suddenly, though she didn't sound angry. She sounded sad, if anything. "It's fine if you want to change your mind."

Adrien looked back at her, flushing slightly. "No– no! I'm listening, honestly. Just spaced out, I guess."

"It's alright," she said shyly. "You don't have to worry about me being alone. I'm used to it."

He found himself staring into her eyes as she looked up at him again. Adrien hadn't realized how pretty they were. They… were the prettiest blue eyes he had ever seen.

"Absolutely out of the question," Adrien announced louder than usual. "You're a lady, and it would be rude for me to abandon you. Your story is quite interesting actually." Perhaps he was laying it on a bit thick there, but he had to get his point across somehow. Copycat had to be convincing.

"A lady?" Aurore laughed, her sad expression lifting into a smile. "I was still a slave hours ago."

"Nonsense, my lady. You're an Akuma now," he said, smiling thinly, "that's all that matters. Please continue your story." Adrien hated those words, but he'd learned long ago that the very essence of acting was believing your own lies.

She twirled a finger around her pigtail again. "Well… where did I leave off? Oh, that crazy old man. He thought he was a great prophet, and when he became an Akuma, he wanted his slaves to be psychics as well. He had lots of 'students,' but Mireille and I were his favorites."

"Mireille?"

"Mireille was another slave," Aurore explained. "He constantly forced us to compete against one another in psychic-related tasks. Like… he would ask one of us to predict the weather for tomorrow. And of course, Mireille would get it right every time." Aurore gritted her teeth. "He would praise her all the time, calling her his 'apprentice,' or his 'protégée.' Compared to her, I was a failure. I hate her guts."

Aurore took a deep breath and clenched her fists. "This morning, we had another competition. Of course, I got it wrong… I always get it wrong. I said it was going to rain, but it was sunny… like it always is. After he was done going off about how wonderful his perfect little Mireille was, he turned to me, and started cursing me. Saying I was a failed student, that I was going to hell because I couldn't do his work…"

She coughed into her arm, gripping her umbrella tighter. "Anyway. I was already upset as it was. But then he started whacking me over the head with an umbrella. It was the closest thing he could find… and it still hurts like hell." Aurore smiled grimly. "You can imagine that when Hawkmoth sought me out, I didn't hesitate to accept his offer. I can't wait to give Mireille a piece of what she deserves," she finished, her blue eyes turning angry. "It's all her fault. She sucked up to him all the time. If she wasn't such a goody-two-shoes, he wouldn't have gone even crazier… wouldn't have had to bash me in the head…" She began to mutter to herself so crazily that it was hard to decipher what she was saying.

Adrien stared at her in amazement, unregistered emotions arising in his chest. That story… Adrien understood all too well what it was like to fail to meet someone's expectations, but it had never become physical abuse. Sometimes he wondered if it was only because he was family that he wasn't beaten for being a disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Aurore," Adrien began. "I can't imagine what that was like." Well, Théo couldn't, at least.

Aurore grimaced. "It's not your fault. I'm just looking forward to getting my revenge," she finished furiously.

Well, he had been right in his assumptions earlier: Aurore was certainly the vengeful type.

"I suppose it's your turn now?" she interrupted his thoughts, shooting him a sweet smile. The sight of it caused him to freeze. He hadn't realized a single smile could be so beautiful.

Adrien hesitated. "Yeah, I guess it is." He glanced around the room, pinpointing the exit that would take them to the scene of step 3. Step 3, of course, was to isolate him and the target, providing a location where him and Ladybug could meet in private. Normally, he wouldn't rush his plan so quickly. Adrien hadn't expected to get this far so soon, but he had an advantage now. Tonight, he was really having a lucky streak. A bit of helpful information that made his plans a whole lot easier.

He looked back at Aurore apologetically as she stared at him in curiosity. "I hate to ask this of you," Adrien started, already speaking in lies, "but would you mind if we moved our conversation somewhere a little more private?"

"Private?" Aurore repeated incredulously. "What for? Don't tell me you're trying to kidnap me." She laughed a little.

Adrien shook his head. "No, there's just someone I want to avoid. They especially can't hear what I'm about to tell you."

"Alright, it's fine with me. The music's giving me a headache anyway."

The two of them snuck out of the room and into the hallway, where Adrien led Aurore up a flight of stairs. Silently, he was congratulating himself on how smoothly his plan had gone so far. His proposal with Ladybug was almost within arm's reach.

Finally, they burst out of a set of double doors onto a rooftop. There were no stars in the sky above them, courtesy of living in a city as big as Paris, but the night looked beautiful nonetheless. Aurore shivered a little bit, clutching her arms, but failing to make himself any warmer.

"The view of the city is beautiful," she said, awestruck, as she approached the edge of the rooftop. As Adrien joined her, he nodded in agreement. He had been here many times before as a kid, when Chloe used to invite him over for play-dates. He remembered the fun they would have up here, before Hawkmoth took over Paris and ruined his life. Before that, he had friends, but five years seemed so long ago that he could barely recall what they looked like.

"Now that we're in private, I think I'll begin," Adrien spoke, glancing at Aurore. He tried to remember everything he knew about Théo Barbot and how he had been Akumatized. "And of course, I'll lay off on the puns, but when I'm done they're fair game."

He began Théo's story, hoping it would convince the girl beside him. "Well, it all started with a girl, the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on. She and I were both enslaved to the same Akuma– Chloe Bourgeois, our lovely hostess."

"I wouldn't say lovely," muttered Aurore.

"Anyway, Chloe's not important. I fell in love with the girl easily, despite our enslavement, and though we didn't know each other well, I hoped she would accept my feelings."

"Let me guess, it didn't go so well."

"Pretty much," he lamented, mustering as much sadness as he could in his voice. "When I confessed, she rejected my feelings. She said she didn't have anything against me personally, but that she was already in love with another man." Adrien gave a heavy, depressed sigh. "I was heartbroken, but Hawkmoth came to me and gave me another chance. The costume that he designed for me was meant to look like the man she was in love with; hence the name Copycat. I wore it– I still do– and pretended to be him. But she knew I was a fake right away."

Aurore tilted her head. "How?"

"While Hawkmoth can copy appearances, he can't copy personalities," Adrien explained. "According to her, I acted completely different than the boy she loved. There was no way I could have been him."

Aurore smiled sympathetically, leaning her arms on the railing. "I'm sure the rejection stung. What has it been like since then, being an Akuma but not succeeding to win her over?"

Adrien blinked, unsure how to answer. It was a good thing he was a quick thinker. "Eye-opening," he said finally. "I realized that being an Akuma is much more rewarding than staying as a slave with her. And I realized that she wasn't worth it."

"Wasn't worth it?" she repeated, shocked by his confession. "What do you mean?"

Adrien smirked and turned his body towards Aurore. Here was his opportunity.

"She was nothing like I thought she was. I thought that she was a goddess, incapable of doing anything wrong. But after I was rejected, I realized that she was flawed after all. I had been nothing but nice to her, and yet she had the audacity to refuse me? If she were really the angel I thought she was, she would've accepted my feelings. She decided that she would rather crush my dreams and hold onto her own selfish desires than do the honorable thing.

"I didn't deserve to be rejected," Adrien said, as if he were trying to convince himself. "We could've been happy together."

"Oh," she commented, as if she didn't really believe him.

"So you see, Aurore," he continued nonetheless, grabbing her by the shoulders, "I've learned that no one is what they seem. I thought I knew her, but she was hiding her true self the entire time. You know what I mean, don't you?"

Adrien pulled the two of them closer until their faces were barely two inches apart. Aurore froze, her blue eyes uncertain, before saying, "I guess so…"

He gave her a toothy grin. "I knew you'd understand!" Suddenly, he caressed her cheek, and stared directly into her eyes. The prettiest eyes he had ever seen.

"After all…"

Adrien leaned in, stopping to whisper in her ear.

"You'd know a lot about disguises, wouldn't you, Ladybug?"

She stiffened.

"Gotcha."

Y'know, if Marinette was dressed up as Aurore, the only way I would know it was her is because Marinette is a whole lot paler. Just a thought of mine...

Whoever's reading this, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please leave a review if you did.