Chapter Text
It was difficult to soar through the air while clutching a folding table, but Ladybug succeeded in not dropping it while heading to her destination: a few metres in front of the city hall building. She set down the table before turning to a random citizen.
“Can you watch this for me?”
“Uh…sure?”
“Great! Thanks!”
Ladybug zipped back up to the sky. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to discreetly go back to her house to grab the rest of the supplies, she had already stored away the cardboard box somewhere hidden. She found it and circled back to the table. Breathlessly, she thanked the citizen again and began scrambling to set everything up. First, she properly set up the table instead of having it continue to lay flat on the ground. Next, she threw a rainbow tablecloth over it, smoothing out the creases as she spotted them. Then, she pulled out the containers of pins and bracelets of assorted colors. Finally, she pulled a small, metal box out of the cardboard one before hiding the latter box under the table. She stared at the table for a moment, taking in the sight of the presentation, before smiling.
“Ladybug? Is there an akuma?”
The superhero turned, her eyes briefly scanning the area. Then, her attention returned to the citizen that had been standing there, stunned and watching the entire time.
“No. Would you like a pin and/or a bracelet?” she asked in return.
The citizen’s mouth dropped open slightly, so completely thrown off.
“I…uh…what?”
“Oh, right! Well, a few weeks ago, I went to the mayor to ask if the Miracle Team could help with the setup of the pride festival this year. He told me that there wasn’t enough room in the budget for even a parade this year. So, I’m raising money for a pride parade. Would you like a pin and/or a bracelet?”
“Um…sure?”
Ladybug stepped aside to give him access to the containers. He sifted through each of them a bit before settling on a pin that read “He/Him/His”.
“Can I take this even though I’m not…y’know?”
“Sure! Every single person has pronouns.”
“How-how much?”
“Hmm…how much are you willing and able to pay?”
He pulled out his wallet, checking for how much cash he had on him.
“I only have a euro. I usually pay with my card.”
“And I have change set up if you want to break that euro. The price is whatever you’re willing and able to pay.”
He thought about it for a moment before handing over the euro. Ladybug waited to hear how much to give back. He fastened the pin to his shirt before smiling at her and walking away. Ladybug smiled, too, before unlocking the metal box and placing the euro inside. It was slow but steady like that for a bit. Some people paid more for pins and bracelets. Some people didn’t pay at all if they had no money on them. When a container was emptied, she quickly replaced it with another. She paid no attention to how much money she had already raised. If she met her calculated goal to be able to run a parade, great! If she fell short of her goal, everything she raised was going to be donated. Just as she finished locking away another sale, a figure dropped down next to her.
“What’s all this, Ladybug? I kept seeing post after post about your table on the Ladyblog,” Rena Rouge asked, sifting through the containers.
Rena’s eyes and smile grew wider throughout Ladybug’s explanation. Immediately, she joined the cause. She also took to the Ladyblog to bring more attention to the table. Soon, hundreds were crowding around to buy from and support the fundraiser. One by one, Chat Noir, Carapace, and Queen Bee joined the table. Ladybug stepped back from running it to start making more pins and bracelets, tasking Chat Noir and Queen Bee to do the same. All around, energy and moods were high and going higher as the sun moved across the sky. That is, until one older woman approached the table with a look of disgust.
“Those pins are ridiculous. Why can’t we go back to just being able to look at what a person is? And why do you have to use the rainbow on so many of these bracelets? The rainbow is supposed to belong to good people, not…whatever this is!”
Ladybug stopped threading beads together, her head turning slowly to look at the woman. She stood up from the blanket she, Chat, and Queenie were sitting on behind the table, letting the beads scatter on the ground. People stared as the superhero placed herself between Rena Rouge and Carapace to stand directly in front of the woman with only the table between them. She braced her hands on the table, leaning forward until there was hardly any space between their faces. Her grim expression, without warning, brightened.
“The great news is, my friend, that you don’t have to wear one! Congratulations!”
“I don’t think anyone should be wearing one! The fact that the city hasn’t done anything to shut this probably illegal booth down when it’s right in front of City Hall is blasphemous on its own!”
“Woah! Big word for someone so small-minded,” Chat remarked, also approaching the table and leaning forward over it.
“Why, I never!”
“Never what? Never been told that, shocking as it may seem, people don’t always think the way that you do?” Rena Rouge asked, leaning forward.
“Or did you never get invited to hang out with people enough to learn that it’s okay for different people to do different things that suit their interests and preferences?” Carapace added, leaning forward.
“I-!” the woman began, clutching her necklace.
“Yeesh. You’re wearing something like that while trashing our bracelets?” Queen Bee finished off, joining the table and leaning over it.
With all five superheroes so close, the woman became flustered. Her face had already turned red from the insults, but it only turned redder.
“So…are you going to go, or should we move our table a few metres to the left?” Ladybug slowly asked.
The woman huffed, turned on her heels, and stormed off through the crowd. The Miracle Team smiled and high-fived each other before returning to what they had been doing before. Eventually, errands had to start being run: supplies had to go be bought, and extra superheroes had to be collected. A second and even a third table were set up by the time that the sun was dipping behind the horizon, and multiple metal boxes were stuffed full of coins and euros. Though Ladybug still wasn’t paying attention to the number of sales of funds collected, Pegasus had begun counting and organizing the notes with a notepad and rubber bands. When the crowds fizzled out, the superheroes decided to call it a night. They packed up all of their supplies, and Pegasus stacked the metal boxes before handing them over to Ladybug.
“Well…did we meet our goal?” Rena Rouge asked, impatient with excitement.
Pegasus showed Ladybug the notepad with the final total circled at the bottom, and she smiled. She looked out at the group, seeing both their superhero faces and their civilian faces. She thought about Caprikid and Rooster Bold, Purple Tigress and Pigella, King Monkey and Pegasus and Bunnyx, Queen Bee and Miss Hound, and Chat Noir and Carapace. Her classmates, her friends, her superhero partners that she knew all, to one extent or another, had a reason to celebrate at a pride festival. She smiled at them all before focusing on Rena Rouge, making her heart pound just a little faster.
“We’re going to be making a big donation to different charities.”
The group deflated just a bit, knowing that that outcome was for if they didn’t reach their goal. However, Ladybug made them perk up again when she continued.
“Because…we’re going to have a lot to spare after the pride festival!”
Jaws dropped as eyes grew wide. Rena Rouge was the first to start jumping around, clapping her hands and cheering. Immediately, the group joined her in celebration. Ladybug beamed at them all while her mind raced with plans for the festival.