Then it came time for patrol. And here, dear reader, is where it all goes wrong.
A fall evening, not long after sunset, cool winds, but not unpleasant. Ladybug and Chat Noir were doing their weekly rounds. Looking for any sign of Hawkmoth or an Akuma. But so far, nothing 'super' had been seen.
Ladybug arrived at the Eiffel Tower first, having left 15 minutes ahead of time out of restlessness.
Still, Chat was late, and she made sure to mention it as he landed next to her with a 'thwump'.
"You're late, Kitty."
"My apologies, it's so rude to keep a lady waiting."
"You better have a good excuse."
"But of course!" He smiled. "Caught a pickpocket on the way here. Walked him to the police station and had him turn over his wallets. They're taking it from there."
"Good Kitty!" She praised, scratching under his chin.
He relished in it. "What about you? You…you don't look so hot. You feeling okay?"
She shook her head. "I feel fine Chat. Just…just a bad day. I don't really want to talk about it."
"Are you sure?"
She offered a smile. "Maybe after patrol, if I'm feeling like it."
"Okay. You can talk to me about anything, My Lady. I don't judge."
"I know. It's just…its fresh. And I don't want to cry anymore."
His ears flattened to his head. "Oh…"
She sighed, trying to breach a new topic. "ugh, I haven't seen a thing. I haven't even seen any angry couples fighting."
"We could fight?" He offered.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Very funny."
"I thought it was!"
"Give it up Chat, you're going to win me the day pigs fly."
"Be careful what you wish for. You never know, Hawkmoth might make a flying pig Akuma."
She hummed. "You know, that wouldn't be the weirdest Akuma he's made."
Chat laughed, "besides, there's nothing wrong with being a little flirty, right?"
"As long as it's not in the middle of a fight." She reprimanded.
He held his hands up in surrender. "Of course, of course."
She offered a smile. "Well, I'm going to check the docks first. Been catching a few drug deals happening down there."
"Good idea. I'll double back on Barbes Boulevard. Just to double check."
"Call me if you need backup."
"Likewise, Bug. Be safe."
"You know I will." She blew him a kiss and leapt away towards the Seine.
The docks were never really a civilian hotspot. People rarely even went there in the day, unless they worked there. So at night, it was safe to assume anyone there was up to no good.
So of course, when Ladybug saw headlights shining in an alleyway, she knew something was up. She crept over, and watched from the rooftop.
There were several men, most in expensive suits. One with a white suit that Marinette could already tell was so luxurious, her father couldn't afford it with two years profits at the bakery.
The man himself was huge, reminding her of Kingpin from the Spider-Man comics Alya had in her bathroom. He stood in front of the head lights, his shadow cast against the ground and to the wall somehow bigger than his associates.
About five men, including this rich one, were facing a young man, in a classic showdown.
The large man spoke, his voice ricocheting off the wall and settling in her stomach with nausea. "I gave you a month. That's more time than I've ever given anyone before. I saw promise in you. I took you in."
"Eddy, please—" The younger man begged. Ladybug couldn't see his face, but she could hear his panic.
The man grunted.
"M-Mr. Savauge. You gotta understand! I was doing great! I made all of it back, with interest! But-but my buddy double crossed me! He took all of it. But I know where he's going! If you give me just a little more time—"
Ladybug took out her compact and silently sent her coordinates to Chat.
"Charles..." the man, this Mr. Savauge drawled out. "This was your last chance. I warned you in the beginning. You're just not made for dealing. Not dealing cards, not dealing drugs...but I will get my money from you. And I know...just what to do. Got plenty of rich old bitches looking for companions."
"No...no please sir! I don't want to do that! I got a girl! I can't do that to her!"
"No girls huh? That's fine, got lots of bull queers too. They'd love that cute little ass of yours."
"No! No please!"
Mr. Savauge laughed, a sick sound that made Ladybug curl her lips in disgust. "I'm just kidding, Charles. You're too ugly to be a prostitute."
The other men laughed.
Mr. Savauge held up a fist, silencing them. "You know Charles, it's surprisingly easy to get information on people these days. Especially for someone like me. I know everything! I even know who Hawkmoth is!"
Ladybug gripped her yo-yo. She would be confronting this man, one way or another.
"So you know, trying to hide you and your wife's life insurance policy from me? It ain't gonna cut it."
"No...please not my wife!"
"I'm not gonna touch your wife. That is, as long as she complies. You're worth more dead than alive to me, Charles. And I much as I liked your spunk, I'm going to have to make a decision based on business."
There was some clicking noises as the man's goons withdrew guns.
"Nothing personal, kid."
Ladybug leapt, her yo-yo spinning to create a shield, as she landed in between Charles and the fire.
"Hold it!" Mr. Savauge called out.
The gunfire ceased, and Ladybug stopped spinning her yo-yo. But she was still on defense, ready to start again at a moment's notice.
From this perspective, the man was just a silhouette against the light. LED headlights, super bright, made her squint.
"Why, if it ain't the cutesy little bug girl. What're you doing here, kid? Don't you got a moth to catch?"
She answered calmly, her voice a pitch deeper than usual. "I happened to be in the area. I overheard you mention you know who Hawkmoth is."
He barked out a laugh. "It's an expression! Come on, no one knows who that psychopath is."
But Ladybug still didn't budge. She fixed her glare on him.
"Oh, you really got that menacing look down! If you weren't an actual child, I might be scared!" He chuckled. "But I'm being honest Ladybug. I don't know who Mothman is. Don't know, don't care. Now move along, this doesn't concern you."
"I promised to protect Paris, and that's what I'll do."
The man winced, "man, superhero types are just no joke. Fine, have it your way, Bug. Open fire."
Ladybug spun her yo-yo frantically as a hail of bullets came raining down on her and Charles. She felt his hands on her back, and knew he was trying to hide behind her.
"Distract them for me, okay?" He said into her ear.
"Wait! Don't!"
But it was too late. Charles tried to run. He only made it a single step out from her shield, before being shot several times in the chest. He didn't even scream. Just stopped, collapsed onto his knees, and fell flat on the ground.
"No!" Her line fell slack for a moment and a bullet whizzed just passed her cheek, leaving a burning sensation just below the mask line and a ringing in her ears. She snapped back to attention quickly, and avoided any other nasty blows. The gunfire was suppressive and her arms were getting tired.
Her saving grace came from her partner arriving, coming up behind the goons and taking them out quickly, before they could turn to shoot.
But that didn't mean they didn't try.
Chat weaved in between them, not standing still and always staying close enough to be a risk of them shooting each other.
Ladybug took the opportunity to also take out a goon, who had been distracted. A clear shot with her yo-yo to the back of the head, and the gun fire ceased.
Mr. Savauge had wisely ducked down during the fight, and right as he returned to his feet, he found himself tied up in a yo-yo line.
"End of the road, scum."
"Scum? Me? Do you even know who I am?" He laughed. "Who am I kidding, of course you don't."
Chat stood opposite Ladybug, effectively cutting off the exit should he try to escape. Not that he would be able to break his bonds though.
"I don't care who you are. A young man is dead because of you. I will make sure you go to prison for your crimes."
The man laughed. "That's real cute bug. Real cute. But here's the thing, I'm Edward Savauge. I can buy and sell you. I know every dirty secret of every cop and politician in Europe. You try to do anything to me, and I promise you'll suffer instead."
Her line grew tighter.
"I'll give you to the count of three to let me go...1..."
"Don't listen to him, my lady. He's full of hot air."
"2..."
Ladybug didn't waver. She didn't even consider it.
"...3...we're enemies now, Ladybug. You're going to regret that for the rest of your short life."
"Get in line."
Neither party said another word until the police arrived. Ladybug explained the situation, but there was little to explain, considering the guns and body on the ground.
Mr. Savauge was taken away without a word.
After all was done, now long after midnight, the heroes returned to the rooftops.
"My lady, you're bleeding."
"I know, I can feel it. Must have been a bullet."
"Who was that guy?"
"Some gangster drug lord pimp. I don't know. A bad dude."
"Well, he's going to prison."
"...I hope."
"You hope? There was a body on the ground with gunshot wounds, and a whole bunch of guns! There's no way!"
"Something he said bothered me. About knowing everyone's secrets. He even claimed to know Hawkmoth's identity."
"...you don't think he knows ours?"
"I don't know, Kitty. But I'd stay on your toes."
"Absolutely." He nodded. "You should go see Master Fu about that cut. Then maybe come up with an excuse when people ask what happened."
"I'm really clumsy in my normal life, I'll just say I tripped and hit a corner of my table."
"Perfect! Next time I see you, I'll be sure to give you a little kiss to make it better."
"You'd infect it."
"Rude."
"Maybe some day, kitten." She said, looking at the ground. The police cars were long gone, and the other car was powered off. In the dark of the night, the blood stain from the young man was impossible to see. Still, in her mind, she could see it. She could hear the sound of his breath coming up short, since it didn't even get the chance to scream.
"My lady?"
"I saw a man die today. I could have saved him, but he darted out from behind me."
"He would have died regardless," Chat reminded her gently. "You did your best, and that's all that matters."
She didn't respond, just kept looking to the ground.
"You wanna talk about what was bothering you earlier?"
She shook her head. "That seems so…so minor now. My crush found out I liked him, I mean, I told him, but I was forced into it. There was a bunch of other shitty things, too. But that's the main thing."
"I'm so sorry, Bug."
"It's…it's not a big deal anymore. We talked, and we're good. So I just…" Tears started rolling down her bloody cheeks. "I'm scared."
His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. "It's going to be okay, Bug."
"How can you be sure?"
"Cat intuition."
"That's not a thing."
"Well, it is now." He nuzzled his nose in her hair. "Look, the guy in the suit? He's full of hot air. We're both wearing masks, and no one knows who we are. People have been trying for years. He was just trying to psych you out."
Ladybug swallowed thickly. "If that's what you think…"
"I know so. You were right to be so diligent about our secret identities. This will blow over. Trust me."
"I guess I have no choice." She chuckled. "Now I got to go, my face hurts."
He warmly brushed his hand over her arm. "I'll catch you later Bug."
—
Later that night, Marinette laid awake in bed. It was nearing 4 in the morning, and she just couldn't sleep.
Who could, seeing what she had seen? Hearing what she heard?
The pain in her face was numbed by some ointment that Fu had applied, so that was one less thing to bother her.
She'd been in the superhero business a long time now. She'd seen plenty of awful things. Most of them were fixed with a 'Miraculous Ladybug'.
But she couldn't bring that young man back.
He didn't deserve that. Even if he was a drug dealer, even if he was doing something he shouldn't, he didn't deserve that. And neither did his wife, who would probably have to give that life insurance money over for her own safety.
Life was so much easier when all she had to do worry about was her grades and her crush on Adrien. Even an akuma was nothing compared to hard crime.
Akumas could be fixed. Things could go back to normal. But this stuff was dirty and awful. She wondered if this is how it felt to be part of the police.
She wondered if Chat was wide awake too. Probably not, he hadn't seen Charles get shot after all.
"Tikki," Marinette spoke.
"Hmm?"
"What have other Ladybug's done, in times like this…when they knew they could have saved someone, but didn't?"
Tikki pondered the question. "Well, it was hard at first. But eventually, they just had to just used to it. Joan cried nights on end. Her time was the hardest I think."
"I…I don't want to 'get used to it'."
"You don't have to be callus. Just…know that it's something that comes with the job. Charles still would have died if you hadn't intervened. But you tried, and that's what matters, just like Chat said. You also got that man arrested, and justice will be served."
"Hopefully."
"Yes, hopefully."
Silence reigned for a little longer. "Tikki, I'm scared."
"Of Savauge?"
"Yeah…Paris is a big city with a lot of people and cameras…It would be pretty lucky if no one ever saw me."
"Even if they did, it wouldn't be likely that they'd identify you. I wouldn't worry, Marinette."
"…I can't help it."
Tikki floated down to lay against her skull and gently petted her hair. "I know. Humans are such anxious creatures."
"I bet you've seen much worse in your life, huh?"
"I've seen horrible things. But what happened tonight was traumatic and I don't expect you to just get over it. So I'll be here to comfort you in the meantime."
"Thanks Tikki."
"Now try to get some sleep. You have school tomorrow."
Marinette sighed. "I have school in a few hours…maybe I can get a nap in."