"By the way, you're not going to tell me who you are under the mask?" He grinned, but it faltered at the scathing look she gave him.
"Now is not the time for flirting. And, no. I'm not going to tell you who I am. Not yet." She flicked her eyes towards the ground, her features a wash of grey in the twilight.
"She hasn't left the supermarket yet."
"Why would she? She knows I'm out here."
Adrien sighed, "she also knows that she can kick both of our asses, too."
"She can only control one person at a time, though. If she tries to maneuver two at a time, she gets weaker." Ladybug tapped her chin thoughtfully, "but even if we get her son away, I can't hurt a child. It's so much different when the akuma is in a pair of glasses, or a phone."
The blonde looked down. This was probably the worst akuma they'd ever fought against. He didn't even have his ring.
"You don't have to be the one to do that."
"Adrien, no-"
"So what are we supposed to do, let this near super-saiyan terrorize Paris? My Lady, if we can get my Miraculous back, I'll deal with the akuma and you can do your healing cleanse thing. It'll be fine."
She wrapped her arms around herself, "and if the child really did die before getting akumatized?"
"You're trying to make me feel bad for the mother." He stuffed his hands into his pockets, heart sinking slowly.
"Death is normal, Ladybug. We can't soften the blow. But, we can protect the people who are still alive. That's our job."
The red-clad superhero across from him sniffed.
"I know."
She had kept her distance until then, but her watery blue eyes caught his green ones and begged for comfort. He gave her a small smile and reached his arms out for a hug. Adrien stared down at the supermarket as Ladybug cried on him. He didn't really want to do this either, but he would spare her whatever agony he could.
All he needed now was his Miraculous.
You're just giving them time to figure out how to defeat you.
Single gently swept her son's bangs out of his forehead. He sniffled, a habit he's had while… She blinked back tears.
"I know, Hawkmoth. That lawn chair hit me a little harder than I thought." She kissed her son's forehead.
"And this will really work?" Her son clung to her like a koala. But he didn't make noise or babble the way he used to.
I promise you.
She gently stood up, careful not to jostle her son.
"Then I have only one more Miraculous to get." Single focused on her powers, drawing strength from the fact that her son could be saved.
Like the accident had never happened.
She glowed a sickly green, hovered to the front door, and shattered it with nothing but a thought. The mother hovered out into the crisp air, senses on alert.
Ladybug was nowhere to be found. Chat Noir was also nowhere, which made sense. What could a superhero do without his super powers?
The easiest way to get the other Miraculous was to wreak as much havoc as possible. Super Single grinned. That would be as easy as cake.
Ladybug followed the trail of destruction from one end of Paris to the other. Her Lucky Charm was going to have a lot of work to do. Adrien was on Super Single's trail as well, though Marinette was feeling way too many emotions about that. She put the thought out of her head and decided to call him Chat Noir for now. She would be able to feel conflicted after they defeated this akuma.
There, a flash of green light in an alleyway! The black-haired girl skidded over the rooftop she was running along and slid into the alleyway. Super Single loomed, child on her hip. Marinette gulped. Adrien was crumpled on the ground.
Check on him later. You have a job to do. She set her mouth into a stern frown.
"What kind of mother injures so many innocent citizens?"
Super Single touched the ground, makeup glowing even more fiercely than before.
"A desperate one."
Ladybug threw her yo-yo as the woman began to concentrate on stopping the young hero's lungs from working. Marinette ran forward, reaching for the woman's purse. Surely Chat's ring would be-
Her yo-yo hit, she snagged the woman's purse, and then her legs stopped working.
"Shit!" She tried to run, failed. She looked up at Super Single, heart racing. The woman glowed green, fluorescent and ill. Marinette threw the purse at Adrien.
"Don't swear in front of my son, please."
Mariette's throat closed up, and she tried not to panic. Hard to do when unable to move or breathe.
"Ah, your earrings. I think I'll just confiscate those." Marinette shook her head, sweat popping out on her skin.
"Try and stop me, little girl. That purse is empty, boy."
Adrien's voice sounded from behind Ladybug's head, "I can see that. Don't you need to carry pads and a wallet or something?"
Marinette would have blushed if she wasn't already bright red from lack of air. A hand brushed against her hair, tugged an earring out of her earlobe, then drew back. Half of her lit up, Tikki losing hold of the transformation.
"No!" Footsteps pounded the cobblestone street as flecks of light and shapes crowded the red-clad superhero's vision.
Adrien appeared to fly as he moved, his hands wrapping around the child's waist. Single's face warped into a horrified expression. Her makeup ceased to glow and Marinette dragged in as much air as she could. Her knees gave out, but Adrien grabbed her and ran.
"Okay, Ladybug. We have the kid and your other earring, where am I going?"
Marinette stared at her useless legs, one of which was bare skin instead of suited up. At least she was still mostly covered.
"There! That alleyway." She hadn't meant to shout. It would be easier if they were in close range. Super Single had the advantage at a distance. Telekinetic abilities were hard to work around. Adrien sprinted for it, then ducked behind a dumpster.
"Here's your earring." He held out a hand. She took a moment to breathe, then accepted her earring and tucked it back into her ear. Her leg stayed bare. She supposed Tikki was tired enough to de-transform the whole way, so she thanked her lucky stars that her kwami was still holding on.
"Check the boy's pockets. Your ring might be-" she saw the flash of silver as Adrien reached into the child's hoodie pocket. She smiled, then remembered how royally screwed they were.
Adrien transformed, black suit a comfort to her eyes.
"There's my kitty." Whoops, she hadn't meant to say that out loud.
"Of course, my Lady. Now, look away because you obviously don't want to see a child get hurt- oh shit."
Marinette turned to see Super Single at the mouth of the alleyway. She looked absolutely livid. Her hair was coming loose from it's bun, her businesslike pencil skirt was ripped. Ladybug pulled her yo-yo out and threw it into the air.
"Lucky Charm!" The akuma victim rushed forward, makeup glowing as bright as the sun. Marinette couldn't move as the red and black spotted knife fell back towards her. Her legs were locked into place. Super Single screamed, arms reaching forward as the child sniffled behind her.
Suddenly, Single dropped to her hands and knees, her transformation falling apart. Marinette didn't turn around. A clawed hand gently tucked the knife back into her red gloved one.
She threw the object into the air, "Miraculous Ladybug." She was normally more joyous when defeating a villain. She just couldn't. Marinette used her yo-yo to catch the akuma, then let the cleansed butterfly dance away.
"Chat?"
"Yeah, Ladybug?"
"Is the boy alive?"
He didn't answer. She supposed that she didn't need him to. A choked sob rose up from the ground. Marinette felt her chest constrict, an uncomfortable reminder that they had to deal with more than just the physical aftermath.
"He told me… that I was his h-hero…"
Ladybug blinked back tears, unsure of what to say. Or do.
"You were." Adrien's voice sounded so firm and sure. He stepped forward as Mariette's earrings beeped.
"I never was! I-" the woman sat up, tears leaving streaks of mascara down her face. Her hands sat loosely in her lap.
"I didn't supervise him well enough. When he was in his room, I thought- I thought he would be safe." Fresh grief made a new wave of tears fall.
"I thought that your Miraculous could bring him back. That they could give me a chance to really be his hero. That he would smile at me… even just one more time." Her voice broke into new sobs.
"But I really am just a failure!"
Mariette's earrings beeped again. She stared at the ground, tears filling and spilling from her own eyes.
"No, you're not." Adrien was crouched next to the woman, a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You're a single mom who was doing her best. Look, I don't blame you for falling in with Hawkmoth. Even a glimpse of hope in the face of death feels better than never seeing someone again. But you can't bring back the dead."
The woman sobbed again.
"Then w-what am I supposed to do? My parents disowned me for having a son without-"
"You don't have to go back to them. If your parents were that upset, then don't even think of them. Be selfish for a while. Take time to plan a funeral and heal. You can still do anything, be anybody's hero. Use this experience as fuel to make the world a better place."
Marinette heard her earrings beep again. She had to get out of there.
"Here, I'll walk you home." Adrien helped the woman up, then glanced back at Ladybug.
"You should go, too. I'll be suited up for a while, so feel free to call me if you need me."
Marinette nodded, watched as he shuffled out of the alley with the woman, then stood there with tears in her eyes until her transformation came undone.
"You know, usually if you lose an eating I can't keep the suit on you."
Marinette didn't respond.
"There's no body back here."
Marinette just shook her head and started walking to the entrance of the alley, "I don't want to think about this. Can we just go home?"
The kwami floated over, then tucked herself into Mariette's purse.
"Okay, Marinette. Whatever you think is best." She barely remembered the trip. She definitely didn't remember walking up to her room and flopping on the bed. And she most definitely did not text Adrien about being Ladybug.
Hey everyone! This was supposed to be a one shot but I got so many people asking for more that I figured "why not?" Sorry about there being some inconsistencies (for example, large Wal-Mart like shopping centers in Paris and losing earrings), but it was based on a dream and I am American so ha ha, whoops I guess. Thanks for reading!