Happy New Year everbody!!!
I was planning to finsih this up yesterday but basically we went to see the fireworks and returned home at 3 am in the morning. I fell asleep, woke up in the afternoon.
•●•●•●•●•
"You guys didn't have to bring snacks," I say when I answered the knocking on the door.
"You can never have too much food. Just you wait, we're going to stay up all night!" Rose skips into my room.
"I brought D&D in case that we get bored," Juleka mumbles as she walks in.
"Aaand we're missing one more and that's..." I peek out through the doorway and spot Marinette looking around the hallway. "Mari!"
She jumps in surprise and scurries towards me. "Hey, I'm sorry I'm late!"
"Not at all. In fact, I separately gave you an earlier timing in case you do arrive late," I say with a smirk.
Her blue eyes practically pop out of her head. "Unbelievable! I can't believe you'd pull a trick like that- and it worked!"
"It doesn't work twice though," I reassure.
"Actually, I'm surprised you didn't invite more people," Rose says, throwing herself onto my painstakingly-sorted bed. "You know since everyone likes you and you like everyone."
"Nope. It's just me and some of my closest friends having a small slumber party. I've decided that I would be a little bit more honest with myself from now on," I explain, leaping onto a comfy bean bag. "Make yourselves at home guys."
"Sweet." Juleka climbs up a ladder to an elevated platform. "You have a second floor."
"I call dibs on that bed!" Rose points to one of the bedding lying neatly beside my bed.
"That's a futon and yeah you can take that one," I say.
"I brought us some pastries from my parent's bakery. It's not much-" I quickly cover Marinette's mouth with my palms, shushing her, but it was futile.
"Are you kidding?! The stuff you have are to die for!" Rose exclaims, already charging towards us.
"I didn't know you play the ukulele, Sel," Juleka says, looking over my instrument on a stand.
"I'm self-taught! I take an interest in playing once in a while." I didn't explain further such as her brother being the one to even make me consider music. That would be awkward.
"I though you had a flute," she continues. "You know...for your capo."
I almost drop Marinette's holy grail and throw Juleka a reproachful look. "I won't see the end of that won't I?"
She shrugs- a mischievous smile playing on her lips. Oh God no.
"Let's see what's on," Rose says, surprising me with my television remote magically appearing on her hand.
The Eleventh Doctor appears on screen cranking up the Tardis for the millionth time in the season. Rose switches the channel.
"Hey! I liked that one!" I say displeased.
A red-head with a scar, wearing a green checkered haori appears on screen. He swings a blade, slicing the air.
"Wow, that looks so realistic!" Rose exclaims.
"That's anime," Juleka replies bluntly.
The screen then changes to an anime-style Adventures of Ladybug and Chat Noir. I say, "Oh I remember that movie! I didn't get to see the premiere."
"You should ask Marinette about that," Juleka says. "I heard she got a front row seat."
"That's only because I was working there and the movie director offered me his seat," Marinette mumbles.
"And a seat beside Adrien eeeh?" Rose nudges Marinette with her elbow. Her face flushes as red as a tomato as she fumbles for words.
"Eww, guys. Let's not talk about that- he's like my brother," I say, pretending not to catch Marinette throw me bewildered look.
"Oh my God!" Rose yells again. "Is that a pinball machine?"
"Rose, calm yourself! You'll slam onto the thing before you could stop. Do you know have valuable that machine is?" I throw my arms put blocking Rose before she could run into me.
"It can't be that bad," Jules says.
"More than all of our lives combined." I claim.
"One at a time guys. I challenge Sel, whoever wins gets her bed."
"Hey!" I glare at Jules. "All right then, I challenge Marinette. Whoever champion gets style the loser's hair."
"Wait, what?" Marinette says. Grabbing onto her dark locks protectively.
•●•●•●•●•
"Throw me the hairbrush," I say. Juleka tossed it over and a catch it easily. "You should let your her down more often, Mari. It's really beautiful."
"You think so?" She asks hopefully.
"Yeah, you might just catch Adrien's eye if you could be more confident in your own skin," I bend down to her ear and whisper. Her head snaps to look at me.
"Aren't you angry?"
I smile. "I had some time to think about it and I've realised a few things. You understand him in a different light than I do and I don't nearly like him the way you do."
A red tint dusts her cheeks. "W-wha uhm than-k, I-I mean o-okay-"
Rose flips the channel once again after the movie credits finishes. She happens to find the current news. "This just in, a new super villain who calls herself Desperada has emerged. We urgently warn that citizens nearby the Pont des Arts to evacuate immediately."
"That's my houseboat," Juleka says in a monotonous-but-still-surprised tone when the the camera pans to a view of the area. Exactly as she said, the Couffaine houseboat, the Liberty, is suspended and floating by the bridge.
The familiar silhouette of Chat Noir swings onto the houseboat. A woman with pale skin, in black clothes and a star-shaped guitar on her, back points her trumpet like a sniper riffle. The trumpet incredulously fires multiple blasts of yellow energy- all aimed at Chat Noir. He dodges them flawlessly but tension remains high as no one knows how long he could survive. I shoot up to my feet just as Marinette does the same.
"I have to go!" She exclaims darting towards the door.
"Where are you going? It's not safe out there." Rose overtakes her strides and blocks her way.
"She's right. What if Desperada gets you?" Juleka chimes in.
"Relax, girls. I think she just needs to go to the bathroom," I say casually. "Mari, the bathroom is that way." I point to a door the the side.
She carefully masks her look of relief. "Thanks, Selene. You're right." I could tell it wasn't true.
She bolts into the bathroom and locks the door behind her. I face the girl with a lopsided grin. "Don't embarrass her, you guys."
Rise smiles sheepishly while Juleka turns back to the television monitor. "I'm worried."
"They'll be fine, Jules! Ladybug will swoop in any minute now and save the day like always." Rose squeezes her arm.
"I hope my family's okay. My mom brought in a guest right before I left. I haven't seen him in a long time."
"Who are you talking about?" I ask as she piques my curiosity.
"He's an old friend of my mom. He insists on being called Master Shou only that I don't think he's a master of anything. He's from Singapore, you see, and is visiting Paris."
My eyes widen in surprise but I quickly mask it. "Have you talked to him?"
Juleka turns to me. "Do you know him? He boasts that he was a big fan of my mom's music when she was in her prime, but we didn't talk much. I'm not too comfortable in social situations, but he talks about music more often with Luka- I guess since Luka's too nice."
I shake my head. "No, I thought he might be a karate instructor I've heard of." Huh. So Juleka knows nothing about Luka's association with Master Shou or anything about the miraculous. My shoulders relax, knowing that Juleka was safely steered away from the danger.
•●•●•●•●•
"Paris is saved once again by Ladybug, Chat Noir and seemingly a new super hero who has joined their ranks, Viperion."
All three of us collectively sigh in relief when we see dozens of people we recognise reappear back from Desperada's prison. I throw a glance at the bathroom door that still housed Marinette. It looks like she could have taken a huge dump.
The sound of a toilet flush come from the door and Marinette emerges with a rather proud expression glowing her face. To my relief, there's no questionable smell that could have wafted out from the bathroom.
"Hey, let's get back to work!" Rose says, forgetting that Marinette was in there for almost half an hour since her eyes were practically glued to the television the whole time. "My turn! My turn! Can you make a unicorn horn..."
Rose's voice fades away as I continue to observe the replay of the heroes fight on screen. Desperada was definitely a super villain. She was dangerous and a looming threat to the lives of civilians. I shouldn't compare myself to her, right? I glance at Rose and Juleka bickering by the vanity table.
Although I don't mean to hurt anyone as Blood Bat, how long would it it take until I start losing their trust? Without much thought, I begin imagining my friends accusing me to be a super villain, looking down on me with horrified expressions. What hurts more is that they're not too far from the truth.
"Hey, Selene. Is...everything all right?" The voice was so gentle and soothing that it reminds me of a certain boy who always coaxed me to be truthful to myself and offered support whenever I needed him. It was rash of me to assume that he was never genuine with me.
"When do you think they would start suspecting me as the Blood Bat?" I say it so flatly that the person beside me seem to freeze up in shock. I peal my eyed away from the screen and nearly choke when I meet Marinette's frightened baby blue eyes. "A-ah wait I d-didn't mean tha-"
"Girls, I'm going to do Selene's hair in the bathroom. See you in a bit." Marinette grabs onto my arm and unceremoniously pulls me into the bathroom with her.
As she locks the door, I clear my throat. "Hey, it's not a big deal."
"Of course it is!" Marinette exclaims so suddenly that it render me quiet. Placing her hands on both of my shoulders, she says, "I completely trust you, Selene. I don't believe that any inch of you is capable of hurting anyone in the whole world."
My eyes look away distractedly. I stop when I catch sight if Grimm hiding behind the shower curtain. I give him a look of disbelief as he watches us with bright yellow orbs. He shrugs casually.
"That's sweet of you to say, but it's okay! I don't need a pep talk," I try to brush over the vehement look Marinette gives me.
"No, listen. I don't believe that you're the Blood Bat, but so what if you are? We may have only been friends for a short time, but I know that you're heart is good and strong. If there's anyone who would label you as a super villain, don't you dare compare yourself to them."
Her words strike a chord with me, causing me to stare on the tiled floor somberly. "The Blood Bat has hurt Ladybug, you know? Are you sure she isn't a super villain or atleast a criminal?"
"No," she says with great conviction. "Because she saved my life." She claps her palms over her mouth.
I look up with a start. I say with a forbidding tone. "Marinette, what's going on?" I don't ever remember saving the klutzy girl from any near-death experience.
Unless it's when she wasn't acting like a normal civilian.
"I just want you to remind you that I trust you completely. Will you promise to keep his a secret?"
"Keep what a secret?" I ask- anticipation rushing into my veins.
"I'm Ladybug," Marinette whispers so softly that it's almost carried away by the breeze from window she left open a while ago. But I hear her confession all the same. "Tikki, you can come out now."
A small red blob- the ladybug kwami flies out from her pocket. She waves at me with a glowing smile and big doe eyes. "Hi, I'm Tikki! Marinette has said nice things about you."
I spot Grimm's tiny jaw drop in amazement of the Kwami of Creation, but I'm affected by its voice. I step back- astonished by the kwami's baby-like voice. Grimm sounds like a dignified old man but this one- sounds like a freaking child.
"I know we dropped a bombshell on you, but please remember that it's a secret so severe, it's like Marinette is entrusting her life to you," Tikki says, concern flicking on her face.
I stare at the kwami and then at Marinette and then at Grimm and then my reflection the bathroom mirror. I turn back at the two and confess," I- uh- I already knew."
Their comedic reactions are all worth the months I kept it a personal secret especially Grimm's jaw dropping all the way to the floor.
"What?!" Marinette exclaims. "Huh- how wha- when?"
"You weren't exactly discreet about it."
•●•●•●•●•
This place is actually where I based off Selene's vision. Marina Bay Sands where Chiroptera vs. Crimson Sunbird took place is just a little to the left out of the picture and the Merlion Park where the blind spot is, is further away to the right.
Yes, it's Singapore.
Thanks for reading and Happy New Year 2020!