The Price of One || Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction

Chapter Four: Heroes Reunite

Emma sighed dejectedly as she threw herself onto her bed in her little studio apartment Bunnyx had managed for her to stay in as she worked on her mission. “I don’t see what’s so wrong, Emma.” Cia said, snuggling into the fluff of Emma’s pillow. “I thought your first encounter with your parents went rather well.”

Emma scoffed, giving Cia her best side-eye. “Mom hated me. I saw it in her face.” She snagged her pillow away from Cia and buried her face in it. “My mission is already ruined.” She mumbled dejectedly.

Cia rolled her eyes. “It was just one time. You still have more chances to change her mind.” Emma looked up at her. “Master Fu told Mom everything about the Black Swan miraculous, remember? Once she stops seeing me as the villain, she’ll see me as the charity case.” She deadpanned.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Cia asked softly. “You never really got time to grieve…” She trailed off. “I’m fine, Cia.” Emma insisted, plastering a smile on her face. “I just really wish that there was an easier way to do this - to get my parents to fall back in love with each other again.”

“Did you make your five-hundred thousandth one yet?” Cia groaned. Emma smiled proudly as she sat up, spreading a piece of parchment over her bedspread. Emma may have been her father’s daughter, but when it came to genetics, Emma had inherited her mother’s love for creating long and complicated plans.

“From what Bunnyx said, Mom and Dad have always had this sort of ‘Love Square’.” Emma restated, pointing to a few cartoon images of Ladybug, Marinette, Adrien, and Cat Noir. “My Dad fell in love with Mom as Ladybug first, while Mom fell in love with Dad as Adrien. So when they revealed their identities after Master Fu lost his memories, bada-bing, bada boom, Love square solved.”

She gestured to another part of the image, where Luka and Kagami’s images popped up. “But, because they didn’t reveal their identities, Dad became closer with Kagami, and Mom vice versa with Luka, causing Hugo and I to have our health issues.” On cue, Emma’s nose began bleeding once again.

“So what’s your newest plan of action?” Cia asked as Emma wiped her nose. She pointed out another drawing. “The goal is to get Mom and Dad to like each other once again, and for their love for anyone else to disappear completely. Then the future will be corrected, and Hugo and I will be safe.” Emma finished happily.

 “...but?” Cia interjected. “But love is fragile, and it must be dealt with delicately.” Emma sighed, requoting Bunnyx. “I know, I know. That’s why Mom and Dad can never know that I’m their daughter - they might force themselves to think that they have to be together, but they’ll never actually want to, and the future will be ruined.”

“That’s why…” Emma pulled out a pink macaroon, cinnamon roll, and a pink vanilla meringue. “My plan is a lot more covert. As Emma, I’ll talk to them separately. I’ll try and convince Dad to follow his heart with Ladybug, and Mom with Adrien.” She quickly ate the desserts, replacing them with a raspberry, blackberry, and a black currant. “And as Cygnet, I’ll do the same thing. We just need to keep the love square intact. No outside variables.”

Cia raised an eyebrow. “This is an awfully complex plan…” She said doubtfully. “What if you say the wrong thing? You know every single time your parents get closer with the other person, or anyone else for that matter, your health degrades little by little. If they fully decide to like the other person…”

“I die first, then Hugo dies, and the future dies.” Emma said lazily - trying not to let it show how much the words frightened her. “But my mission isn’t to convince them to actually love each other - it’s to reveal what has been there all along. Dad and Mom are falling for other people trying to fill the hole that they think Luka and Kagami will fill when they really just need each other.”