Ladybug was recording a short video on planning and safety for akuma attacks. She spoke confidently to the cameras as she walked along the city streets. Chat Noir followed alongside her, periodically adding in some of his own safety tips. As they went to turn the corner, Ladybug stumbled into someone who screamed in surprise.
Whack!
Her apology died on her lips as a fist connected with her face. Spending so much time in her suit had lowered her guard enough that she didn't react in time. She sprawled on the floor, grunting as the pain hit her. Sitting up, she put a hand on her tender cheek. It turned out even regular civilians could pack a punch.
The woman who hit her was horrified. "I- I am so sorry, Ladybug," she rambled. She kept her distance, afraid to make things worse, but hovered anxiously nearby.
"It's okay," Ladybug said. "I'm fine." She got up easily and dusted herself off. She attempted a smile to reassure the woman, although the effect was lessened by her wincing in pain.
The woman ran a hand nervously through her hair. "I can't believe I hit a superhero," she muttered to herself.
"I'm fine, really," Ladybug assured her. "It was an accident, and it doesn't even hurt. You just caught me off guard, that's all." She smiled again, this time being careful to not move the right side of her face too much.
"Are you okay to continue?" a voice behind one of the cameras asked.
Chat Noir eyed Ladybug's face before turning to the cameras. "I think maybe we should call it a day."
"It's fine, Chat," Ladybug said.
"If you don't get it iced immediately, you'll regret it in the morning," he said with a frown. He was all too aware of how bad neglected injuries could get.
Ladybug waved away his concerns. "Nonsense, Chat. I'm not going to bruise through the suit. Plus, we're almost done." Ladybug turned to face the cameras once again with a smile. "We can continue."
Ladybug resumed her talk, although she was considerably less animated than before. The pain flared up when she moved her face too much so she kept her expressions mild. In the end, they decided to turn the whole incident into a piece on self-defence.
By the time they had finished the recording, it was already getting late. The heroes quickly parted ways and went home. Ladybug touched down on her balcony and transformed back. She gingerly felt her cheek, feeling the pain flare at her touch. She had hoped it would have gone away by now, but it was only getting worse.
She briefly wondered if her powers would help, but Tikki reminded her it only helped with akuma-related damage. A quick look in the mirror showed some slight swelling around her eyelid, but it didn't look too bad. With a sigh, Marinette went down to her room to get ready for the night. After all, it was just a civilian that did this. She'd had much worse.
When she woke the next morning, she instantly regretted not treating it. The clock showed an hour before her usual time to get up, but a dull ache in her face had robbed her of any remaining sleep.
Stumbling to her mirror, she checked out the extent of the damage. Her eye had swollen shut overnight and the area around it had turned an ugly purple colour. She grimaced, an action she immediately wished she didn't do, as it made the pain much worse. Showing emotion was definitely off the table for the day.
She spent more time than she should have trying to cover it up, but was unsuccessful. Her makeup techniques were just not up to the task. She went downstairs to grab some ice for her face, hoping it would help ease the swelling. She didn't want to go to school looking like this. What would Adrien think?
After some consideration, she texted Alya for help. It didn't take long for her to respond. Alya arrived in record time and Marinette ushered her up to her room, careful to not let her parents see her face. Alya's first reaction was not encouraging. "Oh my God. That's…" She trailed off, touching her own face and wincing in sympathy.
"I know, it's horrible," Marinette groaned. She grabbed Alya by the shoulders and shook her a bit. "You have to help me cover this up," she begged. "I can't let Adrien see me like this."
"Calm down, girl. Of course I'll help you." Alya pried Marinette's hands off her and led her to the chair by her desk. Marinette dropped down onto the seat. She would be forever grateful for her best friend's help.
Alya leaned down to carefully examine the bruise, turning her head this way and that. After a moment, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You know, Ladybug was punched near the eye yesterday. Her injury would have been in the exact same spot as yours." Marinette swallowed nervously as Alya leaned in closer. "Are you hiding something from me, girl?"
Marinette's deflecting laugh came out high pitched and unnatural. "What, me? Hiding something?" she leaned away from Alya's scrutiny. "Never!" More laughter escaped her, turning almost hysterical. She rested her elbow on her desk to look more nonchalant, but only succeeded in knocking over her makeup supplies. Neither moved to pick it up.
Alya continued to observe her. "By the way, how did you get that black eye?"
Marinette couldn't believe herself. She'd forgotten to think of an excuse. "Oh, I uh, I was playing with a…" She glanced around the room for inspiration, her eyes locking onto a tennis ball hidden in her closet. She quickly walked over and grabbed it out. "Uh, this tennis ball! And it bounced off the wall and hit me in the eye." She finished off with a nervous giggle, looking back to see if Alya was buying her story.
Alya burst into laughter. "Girl, you are way too clumsy for your own good." She beckoned Marinette back to her seat and picked up the fallen makeup. "Honestly, what am I going to do with you?" she chuckled. Marinette let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't believe Alya bought it.
Alya took her time covering the bruise as best she could, chatting the whole time. When she finished, she checked out her work with a critical eye. Alya frowned a bit. "Did you remember to ice it right away?" she asked. "I've heard that reduces some of the swelling."
Marinette's good eye twitched in irritation. She sounded just like Chat. Ugh, she was never going to hear the end of it from him. "Yeah, I guess I did kind of leave it a while," she said reluctantly.
Alya led her over to the mirror so she could study her reflection. The swelling was still obvious but the purple of the bruise was mostly gone, much to her relief. "Sorry, girl," Alya said. "This is the best I can do. Bruises are hard to conceal and there's not much I can do about the swelling."
Marinette turned to Alya, hugging her in gratitude. "You did a wonderful job. Thank you, Alya."
Despite the cover-up job, Marinette still spent the day fielding questions from concerned students. When the pain made her too irritable to talk, Alya happily took over and gave all the details.
"I swear, she is so unlucky sometimes," Alya said, laughing as she wrapped her arm around Marinette's shoulder. "You know, her bruise is in the exact spot where Ladybug was punched yesterday. For a moment, I almost thought she was Ladybug! Could you imagine?" She looked fondly at Marinette. "But, seriously though, what are the odds?"
AN: Feel free to give any constructive criticism on the story if you have any