Miraculous One-shots

Goodbye Gift (Ladynoir)

⚠️Angst Warning⚠️

"Mommy, why do you have to work so much?" A pair of big green eyes looked questioningly into a pair of bluebell ones.

Marinette sighed. "Because, sweetie, mommy has to get money to pay for both you and me. I don't have any other way," she replied as she bustled around her bakery, wiping down already spotless tables.

The little blonde girl blinked curiously. "Tell me about Daddy. What was he like?"

The rag Marinette was holding dropped to the floor with a quiet plop. She had frozen where she was standing. This day would have had to come one day, she knew that. She would have to tell her daughter, her beautiful Emma Agreste, about her father some day.

"Of c-course. Sit down, Emmie," Marinette gestured toward a seat in front of her. She sat down heavily, Emma across from her.

Emerald eyes looked on expectantly. "Mommy?"

Marinette took a deep breath and began. "It was just another patrol night, and it was around midnight," she started. "Things quickly turned into chaos. The latest akuma was wreaking havoc in Paris, thanks to the evil villain, Hawkmoth. He had yet another emotional victim in his grasp, manipulating them into doing bad."

"This time around the akuma had powers based on insects- her name was Insecta. According to the rumors, she had been pranked by her so-called friends, who filled her bed with cockroaches. She became Insecta, unleashing her anger on the people of Paris."

"Just when I thought we, your dad and I, had her," hot tears sprang to Marinette's eyes, "she- she retaliated. Insecta came back full-force, just as strong when she was turned, if not more so."

The memories of that day came flooding back. The dam she had built up over the past few years cracked and crumbled.

*~*

Insecta, in her full buggy glory, stood atop the Arc de Triomphe. "Come get me, pests," she taunted.

Chat Noir rolled his eyes. "Can you believe this girl?"

"Ha. We could crush her easily..." Ladybug retorted aggressively.

"Catch me if you can, lovebugs!" The villain cackled maliciously. She veered right and came at Ladybug from the flank.

Ladybug spun around, whipped out her yoyo, and swung away. She landed gracefully and put her hands on her hips, scrutinizing and analyzing the situation. Chat Noir barely escaped Insecta's grasp and landed, not as gracefully, next to his partner.

"What're we going to do?" Ladybug wondered out loud.

"Cata-!" Chat began.

"NO! Save it. I have a feeling we aren't even close to defeating her," Ladybug hissed.

From his lair, Hawkmoth clenched his fist victoriously and muttered, "Fantastic. All is going according to plan."

Ladybug thought. "Maybe if you go from her left and distract her, I can yank her down?" Somewhere nearby, mandibles clicked menacingly.

"Sounds like a plan. Ready when you are, m'lady," Chat Noir replied with a wink.

"If I wasn't married to you, you'd be getting scolded right now," Ladybug deadpanned.

Chat recoiled in mock terror. "Not a scolding!"

The heroine rolled her eyes. "You're too much. Go on three. One... two... three... Go!" She commanded.

The black cat dove to the villain's left. He extended his rod and began parrying her careless blows. Fencing classes had ended up paying off, after all.