Chapter Text
Marinette was enjoying one of her few days off. The design for the dress she was sketching had been rolling around in the back of her mind for a few days now, and she finally had time to put it down on paper. She would have earlier, but Tikki had insisted she not give up any more sleep this week than she already had. Laura Nightingale was playing in the background and Tikki was munching on a cookie beside her on the desk, but otherwise the room was silent. Marinette finished off the detailing and leaned back, “There! How’s that for a first sketch?”
Tikki leaned over from her cookie and looked over the drawing, ‘That looks wonderful, Marinette! Where-”
She was interrupted by a sudden blare from Marinette’s phone.
“Aw, no, not today!” Marinette whined leaning back in her chair and pushing back from her desk just as Alya called from her own room.
“Aw, yes! Marinette, did you get the Akuma alert?”
“I got it!” She called back, standing up to catch her roommate before she left. “Be careful, Alya” she said as she rounded the corner to the entryway and found her friend on her way out the door.
“You say that every time, girl. I’ll be fine,” Alya said, rolling her eyes, “Bye!”
“Have fun,” Marinette said with a sigh and an eye roll of her own.
Alya laughed and left the apartment.
Tikki flew out from behind Marinette, giggling, “She’ll never change, will she?”
“Probably not,” Marinette responded, “Alright, Tikki, spots on!”
* * *
The closer Ladybug got to the Eiffel Tower, the more concerned she became. On the streets below her she saw adults crying or panicking in some other way. Some looked to be not much older than herself, too early to have kids, so it couldn’t be just parents.
There was a thud on the roof beside her, and she looked up to see Chat Noir keeping pace with her, “Fancy meeting you here, Milady,” he said.
“Hey,” was all she responded. Since their identities had been revealed to each other and they had started dating a few years ago, the term of endearment would usually have brought a smile to her face and a sassy retort, but today she was feeling too uneasy. There were very few kids wandering around below her, and it broke her heart when akumas targeted children. Her worries were confirmed as they reached the edge of the square surrounding Paris’s famous tower.
Children of all ages filled the park, but among them seemed to be people her own age, around 19. The crowd of onlookers had stopped with the line of buildings, and Ladybug was glad they were finally learning to keep their distance and let her and Chat do their job.
“Any ideas?” her partner said quietly beside her.
“It’s getting kids, but not all of them. And some of those victims are our age, Kitty. What could it possibly want with them?” she wondered aloud.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure we’ll find out,” he said seriously.
She looked up at him and found him already looking at her. He sounded so confident, and it inspired her despite the dread filling her stomach from the situation. He was right. They always figured it out. Even when the akumas were so sad she just wanted to cry. This was the best way she could help them, he always reminded her. She looked back out with new confidence and a smile, “You’re right, Kitty,” she said.
“I know,” he smirked, throwing her a wink.
She couldn’t help but grin, “I walked into that, didn’t I?”
“Absolutely,” he grinned back.
“Hey, look! It’s Ladybug and Chat Noir!” someone shouted from below, and the heroes cringed.
“Well, there goes the element of surprise,” Chat muttered as they watched a figure rise from the crowd below the Eiffel Tower.
Ladybug screwed her lips to one side and smiled, “Here we go?” she asked.
“Here we go,” he said and they jumped forward to meet the Akuma.
As the Akuma rushed toward them, Ladybug tuned out the people watching and noticed how the children surrounding her cleared the way, but never broke the outside line. The heroes met her in the middle, and her first blow aimed for Ladybug’s head. She threw her arm up to protect herself, but the hit never came. In an instant Chat was in front of her, having blocked the Akuma’s strike. She followed up with another strike that he only just managed to deflect in the close quarters. Ladybug left Chat to take up the defense and distract their opponent while she took the offensive position. As the Akuma tried for a third strike Ladybug found an opening at her side. She aimed a kick for the gap in the other woman’s defenses.
Only to be knocked aside. “Silly child, I’m not that easy to fool,” the Akuma snarled at her, pulling her hand back from Chat Noir and clutching it to her chest, “I am Supervision! The parents of this city have let their children run too far. They do not watch and defend as they ought. I will take up their torch and protect the children of Paris!”
“But parents can’t be watching their children every second of the day,” Ladybug cried, swinging at Supervision again.
“Their purpose is to protect! A job they cannot fulfill if they do not pay attention to the children in need of protecting,” Supervision said, waving her clenched fist at the heroes. The same hand, Ladybug noticed, that she had seemed so defensive of earlier.
“The akuma’s something in her hand. I’m going for it,” she muttered to her partner. She only looked for the slightless nod of his head to ensure he had heard her before he ran forward, understanding her plan without her having to say it aloud.
“So who got lost then?” Chat asked Supervision as he sprinted forward to attack her head on. At the last second he dodged to the left, avoiding a kick to his stomach and turning the Akuma’s attention away from Ladybug.
“That is none of your concern!” Supervision screamed, and Ladybug couldn’t help the twinge of sadness she felt for the woman. She must have lost her child somehow, and Hawkmoth had taken advantage of her pain. She waited a moment to ensure that Supervision was fully engaged with Chat before moving wide to attack from the opposite side.
She ran forward, and reached for Suprvision’s hand, ready to pry whatever it was away from her. Her fingers were just about to grasp the other woman’s hand when she lurched out of reach.
Ladybug flew forward, propelled by her own momentum and Supervision’s hand suddenly on her shoulder and forcing her in the same direction. She hit the ground hard, and had to blink spots out of her eyes before she could see clearly again.
By the time she looked up Supervision was holding Chat against her chest like a shield, “I told you I was not easily fooled, Ladybug,” she said calmly, “and because you failed to heed my warning I will take your partner from you.” She leaned down to press a gentle kiss to the top of Chat’s head, like a mother to a small child. It almost would have been sweet if she hadn’t been evil. And if it wasn’t form of torture to both of them.
Ladybug knew how much Chat hated being turned against her. He hated feeling useless, and he knew she couldn’t stand to fight him any more than he could fight her. He had admitted to her at some point that fighting for the opposite side hurt so much because it went against everything he wanted: to protect and support her. But he also knew it was better him than her. If he was turned, she still had a chance to fix it. If she went down, Paris had little hope, but she hated that he had to feel that way.
But as she pushed herself off the ground and watched Supervision turn him, there was nothing she could do. She was too far away, and there was too little time.
Chat struggled, but Supervision was stronger. She held him in place, and he cringed as her lips touched the top of his head.
And nothing happened.
The other people under Supervision’s control appeared dazed. Nothing about their appearance changed per se, but they didn’t seem to know exactly where they were or what was going on around them. The others were completely at ease, but Chat remained as tense as a wound spring. For a moment he didn’t move, seeming to still expect something to happen. For that moment, the world was silent.
“Fine then,” Supervision snarled.
Her words snapped Chat out of his shocked stillness. Before Supervision could move, he grasped her arm around his chest and threw her over his shoulder. Without missing a beat, he ran toward Ladybug and they retreated into the city.
“What just happened?” Ladybug asked as they landed in a nearby alleyway.
Chat smirked at her, “Well, bugaboo, she did say her goal was to protect the children of Paris. And I, you may have noticed, am no longer a child. But that should mean we’re safe, right?”
“But some of them were our age, so does that mean…” Ladybug left the question hanging.
The smirk dropped off his face almost instantly, replaced by a look of horror.
“C’mon, Kitty, let’s go check our facts,” she said, moving back into the street.
They had dropped down behind the line of onlookers, and the superheroes looked around for one of the younger watchers.
Ladybug walked up to a young man rolling a long thin box over in his hands, and straining to see over the crowd. She assumed the necklace box was meant to be a gift for his girlfriend, before Supervision attacked. Ladybug reached out to gently touch his shoulder, “Excuse me, sir,” she said softly, hoping she didn’t startle him.
It didn’t work. He spun around with a gasp, and Ladybug held her hands up in the universal sign of peace. When he noticed the two heroes he relaxed considerably, but could only seem to stare at them in awe.
Ladybug smiled at him reassuringly, “Could we speak to you for a moment please?”
“Privately,” Chat added, scanning the crowd around them.
Ladybug and the man looked up and noticed a few people turning to watch them. He nodded mutely, and Ladybug took him by the elbow, guiding him out of earshot of the crowd.
“What’s your name?” she asked him, stopping a ways away.
“W-william,” he said, his voice wavering slightly, though Ladybug couldn’t tell if it was from stress or awe. Probably both, she decided.
“Okay, William, can you tell us what happened?” she asked, nodding slightly to the necklace box he was clutching in his hands.
“I was out with my girlfriend for our anniversary this afternoon. I was just about to give her this necklace that she’s been talking about wanting, when the Akuma flew over.
“She said something about protecting the children of Paris, and grabbed Selena away from me, and kissed her on the top of her head. She got all dazed looking and just stood there while the Akuma reached for me and did the same thing, but nothing happened.
“I don’t know why it didn’t do anything to me. I guess because I’m not a kid, but neither is Selena.” By the end he was rambling more than explaining, and Ladybug nodded politely, but didn’t want to push him and scare him any more.
“That’s great, William, thank you,” Chat took over, “We have one last question.”
William looked up and nodded.
“How old are you and Selena?” Chat asked.
“I’m 20 and Selena’s 19.”
“Thank you, William, you’ve been a great help,” Ladybug said, “Now you should go back and stay with the others. Safety in numbers and all. Thank you again.” She turned to go, but William stopped her.
“You’re gonna bring her back right?” he asked, his voice tinged with desperation.
Ladybug smiled warmly at him, “That’s our job,” she said comfortingly, “Bug out!”
The heroes took off across the rooftops, in fearful silence.
“We’re going to get reinforcements, right, m’lady?” Chat asked nervously. He knew she could take care of herself, but he still didn’t like the idea of her being any higher on the target list than she had to be.
“This wouldn’t be the first time I was in more danger than you, Kitty,” she teased, but she continued when she saw his expression fall, “But, yes, we are going for reinforcements.”