Miraculous Ladybug One-Shots

A Broken Miraculous

"Pound it!" said Ladybug and Chat Noir, exchanging a fist bump like they always did after saving Paris from another akumatized victim.

"Well, gotta go, Cat!" said Ladybug, flashing a smile that was heart-wrenching to the poor kitty. She yo-yoed off. Cat Noir watched her go, then took his baton and left, running across the city.

Ladybug was traveling through the city, waving as people pointed and stared. "Look, there's Ladybug!' a small child shouted. She smiled at him.

Once she'd finally arrived in her room, after much dodging people to make sure they didn't see Ladybug arriving on Marinette's balcony,she was eager to get back to her normal self.

"Tikki, spots off!" 

Nothing happened. At first, Ladybug just thought that it was delayed - so she waited a minute.

Nothing. 

She tried again. "Tikki, spots off!" There was no change. Ladybug tried not to panic. "Tikki, spots off!" She tried emphasizing different words, and saying it in a different tone of voice. Maybe she needed to be more enthusiastic?

She had tried dozens of times. No sign of Tikki, and she was still completely clad in red, polka-dotted spandex. It made her feel much more confident than her civilian clothes, and was definitely perfect for Ladybug, but she couldn't say it didn't get a little weird to wear it for so long.

"Tikki?" No response. Her kwami was completely silent.

Now was the time to panic, she thought. Had this ever happened before to a superhero?  Could she be fixed? Was she doomed to remain as Ladybug for the rest of her life?

Now was really the time she needed Tikki's calm, reassuring voice, telling her that everything was going to be alright.

But then she realized - there was someone she could talk to, someone who had experienced issues with superheroes before. Maybe he'd know the answer to her dilemma?

Master Fu!

But first, she had to figure out how to get across the city as Ladybug. People would become suspicious if she was back so soon after a mission. She had to figure out how to disguise herself. 

She eyed her wardrobe. There had to be something she could wear - just for a short time - to disguise the suit.

First, the most pressing issue - the mask. Aha! Sunglasses! Marinette had several pairs. She found the biggest - giant black lenses - and slipped them on. She surveyed herself in her mirror. Perfect. The glasses were just big enough.

She then found a giant red hoodie, red Converse to match it, and plain black leggings. She actually looked pretty normal, if you overlooked the fact that it was fall and no one wore sunglasses in this grey sky - but they would have to do. 

Now came the task of going downstairs. Her parents were sure to have questions about where she was going and why she was wearing sunglasses. She decided to try to sneak past them.

She tiptoed down the stairs, avoiding the fourth and seventh ones, which creaked (she knew from experience.)

Her mother was baking in the kitchen, and her father was serving customers. She decided to go out the back door, thinking that would be simpler.

Her father was distracted, talking to an elderly woman and her grandchildren about the selection of croissants the Dupain-Cheng bakery had. Check.

Her mother didn't seem to be paying attention, humming a Jagged Stone song as she mixed wet and dry ingredients together. There was a substantial amount of flour in her dark hair. Marinette tried not to laugh.