(The best soundtrack from MLB- Umbrella Scene)
These are the people who supported me once in a while through votes, comments or being there in the beginning and sticking around. Thank you all very much! Writing my first long story was a great experience because of you all. In alphabetic order:
And you! Thank you so much! This is the longest one I've written so I hope you'll like it.
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During my recovery from the incident, I had taken a new appreciation for my legs- more specifically, my mobility. For an extended length of time, I remained at the hospital. My friends paid a visit a few times a week but Luka, without fail, appeared each day by my bedside even when school resumed.
I kept berating him to focus on his studies since nothing bad would happen to me in the hospital but he insisted to watch over me once in a while. His protective behaviour emerged ever since the last battle so, the least I could do is assure him that I'm well every time he visits me.
He would often bring along his guitar and play a myriad of songs in the silence. By the time I've fully regained the use of my legs, I've fallen in love with dancing- especially to his music.
But enough about reminiscing the past.
My friends and I continued our studies all the way to university. Marinette pursued a career in fashion design, Adrien dropped his modelling career to join Marinette and together they were a world-class pair. Alya went on to become a journalist while Nino was a gem in game design. Chloe pursued an acting career and is on the way to get herself an Oscar- I hope.
Everything remained in peace without a sliver of trouble. For many years they didn't use their miraculous solely because it wasn't needed.
As we moved on, one person didn't. Lila went- if I may say- way over her head and decided to go international. From all over the world from Asia to Europe incidents emerged and they couldn't be explained. It took several months for the world to figure it isn't a disease causing people to behave like maniacs and to conjure super powers.
Lila was back and her abilities are spreading to even farther distances, so who did the world call for?
There was no problem bringing us back since by then, we were adults by law. However, knowing our limited numbers, the super heroes would be stretched thin
Nathalie and I took the liberty to track down as many miraculous guardians and propose a league of heroes of sorts. Even backed by Master Fu and Shou, it took massive persuasions but nothing that I couldn't handle. Suddenly, new heroes I could never begin to imagine start popping out from all over the world.
Hence, per requested of the United Nations, the assembly of miraculous heroes was founded. The newly built Agreste mansion- more specifically- the underground levels that had once been Hawkmoth's lair became our headquarters.
Ladybug and Chat Noir are the leaders of the organisation, saving the world, working as fashion designers and raising their twins all at once. However, they're talents can only go so far, and with Nathalie retiring, I took up the mantle to remain at Paris as manager.
Luka nicknamed me as the Director and it stuck- to the point that everyone calls me that.
I monitor the current affairs worldwide that could require the assistance of super heroes and deploy them there. If Ladybug is the one acting onstage, I'm the director watching backstage. The original heroes, Ladybug, Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, Carapace and Queen Bee travel around the world under the cover of their normal careers to work as super heroes. Luka and I chose to stay here in France to hold down the fort.
And to watch over my niece and nephew-
And to stay close to my son.
It had taken years to adjust to the new hectic lifestyle but I know fortune is smiling down on me.
I survey the heroes in front of me as they return my gaze with respect and awe. People, some are seniors while most are youths, of all shapes, sizes and colour fill the line of chairs surrounding the long meeting room table. They hang onto every word I say, which is crucial for the task at hand.
" I am deploying three heroes to investigate a suspected Butterfly Cluster in New Delhi. Pegasus, you shall be in charge and you must leave the first thing tomorrow." I press a button on my tiny controller and the high-tech wide screen behind me switches to a new map. "The Cluster in Sydney has yet to be contained. What seems to be the problem Monkey King?"
I turn to the man with one of the bulkiest build in the room- thanks to the fact that he's an Olympic swimmer. "The transmission is too fast. Our heroes are being spread thin tracking down Lila's minions. I request for Ladybug's aid."
The crowd behind him erupts in excited whispers at the simple prospect of hearing Ladybug's name. I have the urge to roll my eyes. Hey now, don't overwork the poor woman. "I've said this before I'll say it once more. Ladybug is in New York- tasked with a dangerous mission and she will be unavailable. Therefore, I will send you Ryuko's team in new Zealand as reinforcements."
Monkey King seems to quieten at that, but not without a slight pout to his expression.
I clap my hands. "All right, that seems to be all for today. Thank you all for coming despite your tight schedules. I will notify the absent heroes myself of their new duties and stations. You may be dismissed.
The flurry of heroes instantly rise from their seats- relief to have finished their tasks for today. Most of them leave the meeting room immediately, bidding me farewell or a nod of thanks as they pass, while some linger to chat with their colleagues present.
I pack of the few documents I had brought along and realise that something is missing. I could have sworn I had my miraculous grimoire with me...
My communicator emits a ringing sound, interrupting my train of thought. Pushing aside the files littering my table, I answer the call.
"Le Lune speaking." Just to mention, Luka insisted to change my Blood Bat name to mark my desertion of Hawkmoth years ago. I settled on Le Lune (the moon) since it resembles my real name Selene LeClair (moon light). But I'm technically a Couffaine now.
"DIRECTOR!" The young boy's exclamation almost gives me a heart attack.
"Is it an emergency?!"
"Oh what? No, no. I'm sorry," the voice softens politely. "I just had a thought to call since my Master said if I have any queries while he's away, I can call this number."
"Well, I'm not a receptionist but I have time so ask away," I say,checking on my watch.
"Great! Amazing!" His geeky personality leaks into his tone. "I want to say beforehand, It's awesome being a neighbourhood super hero, I get to save the people I mostly care about in my town, but I've been thinking if I could handle it."
I hum in reply, assuring him that I'm listening.
"I'm still a high school students after all. And my parents want me to prioritise my studies first even though I really want to keep being a super hero."
"From what my records show, you're juggling your two personas extremely well so, you don't have to worry about that. Since you're new at this, let's see how you'll do after a week or two and then we'll build up from that."
"Thanks, Mrs Director. I feel a bit like a noob since all the senior heroes are way more mature than me."
"That's nonsense," I say. "You're OG heroes started in high school too. If you would like a super hero crash course, I could assign a mentor for you."
"Really? You'll do that?" Excitement is potent in his voice.
"Of course. You're the new Summer Sunbird after all." I pull out my hand phone and navigate through the commands. "I'll deploy Wolfia to Singapore."
"The Wolfia? The wolf miraculous user?!"
"I hope your course will be fruitful for you," I say. The young boy profusely gives his thanks before I eventually ended the call. Checking my watch again, I realise that I have to return back for lunch.
"You look terrible." I turn around to face Adrien. His blonde windswept hair is a sign that he just came back from a mission.
"You're back early," I say as I do stretches to loosen up. A sudden pain stings the side of my head and I visibly flinch. Adrien immediately catches the slight movement, but I assure him that I'm fine. I tell him that I have some more work to do.
"Absolutely not! Look at you. You're so exhausted you're even going the wrong way." Adrien points out how I'm walking down a corridor to a dead end. I come to a halt as he catches up with me. "What you need is a break."
"Adri, I'm fine. This is my job."
He grabs onto my wrist before I could escape him. "All right that's it. You're getting the day off. Don't give me that look you stubborn woman."
"I have a meeting to lead later in the evening," I object.
"You may be talented at multi-tasking, but I can handle today by myself."
"You need to prepare for New York tomorrow- don't want being dead weight for Marinette, do you?"
He goes silent and seems to consider having to face the possible wrath of his wife. I thought I've won the argument when he suddenly exclaims, "She'll be furious if she finds out you're overworking yourself-" His eyes widen at a new revelation "-Oh God even Luka will kill me."
Without my permission, he snatches my bag, protruding with documents, and slings it over his shoulder. "Just relax for the rest of this single day. I told you, I can handle this. I'm Chat Noir for god sake."
I grumble as I rack my brain for options. The offer is extremely tempting, but not just anyone can compare to my tedious work ethic. I'd never thought I'd say this but I wish Adrien isn't so fussy about how I manage my work. Over the years, he's become more expressive as if his separate alter ego is merging with his own. He's become overly concerned of the well-being of the people he loves as well. Besides Marinette and the twins, he claims me to be his top priority. It's as if the roles have been reversed and now he's taken up the mantle as the older (just barely) brother to keep me safe and content.
"All right, Chat Noir. You're the boss," I say, unamused. He brightens up at his little victory. I note down the crucial events happening today for him and he takes the paper with a strange fervour in his steady expression.
"Oh, you should have lunch with the twins," Adrien brings up. "They would love to see you."
We say our farewells and we split ways. I pass by the large circular window that's 3 metres tall as it is wide. It suddenly brings me back to the moment when I was still a teenager and there I had stood just behind Hawkmoth as he looks through window to watch something I couldn't see. A familiar feeling of misery and regret lingers in those old memories. I have yet to move on and forgive myself for the mistakes I've made in the past.
I'm walking to the lift when I falter at the sight of an ominous-looking shadow that's shaped like a man. It seems to look straight at the window and holds a familiar long cane.
Goosebumps prickle along my arms and neck. That's not... that's not him, right? Everyone should have left by now and nobody frequents the lower levels of HQ except for me, Luka and Adrien.
"Who's there?" I demand. The eerie silence shatters as the sound of my voice bounces off the walls. The shape shifts in discomfort, hunching over to lean on its cane.
The initital tension drains away as I swiftly approach the poor old man. "Gabriel? What are you doing down here?"
He swivels his gaze to my direction and blinks a few times before registering me. He extends an arm as he says, "Hello, my dear."
I automatically take his arm so that he could shift his weight on me. In his ripe old age, he has trouble walking around independently, hence the cane he carries. It's even more difficult when his wrist never fully recovered from the Last Battle. "Didn't I tell you not to come here anymore? What if you fall on accident and I wasn't here to find you?"
He doesn't answer and merely smiles wistfully. After the Last Battle, Gabriel was arrested but he didn't complete his time in prison because of his deteriorating mental state. Unifying and using the Sunbird and Bat miraculous without proper training left him partially blind and caused damage in a part of his brain. Thereafter, he became even more aloof and disconnected. He rarely smiled to begin with but he seems even less human with the blankness in his eyes.
"Sometimes, I can hear my wife. Her calls are the loudest in this place," he says oit of the blue. It causes me to blank out for a second.
"Oh, Gabriel." I tug him towards the lift. "By the way, you shouldn't leave the twins in their own devices. I'm positive they've already gotten themselves into trouble."
A bright smile instantly blooms on his face. "Yes, the twins."
Who knew that Gabriel actually harboured a soft spot for children? Raising both me and Adrien, he was was distant and strict. During Gabriel's state of shock after the Battle, he was like an empty husk of what was once a natural-born leader. However, when he cradled my newborn baby, he immediately melted with love. Adrien had burst into tears at the heart-warming scene. After Marinette conceived twins, Gabriel was done for. What he affection he lacked as a father, he compensates now to be the best grandfather he can be.
I lead him towards the private lift doors and we both ride the elevator, leaving the underground for the restricted top floor- the Agreste mansion.
I escort Gabriel through the hallways, planning to direct him to were the kids are. I happen to spot one of the maids and they come rushing over to us. "Greetings, Mrs Couffaine and Mr Agreste."
"Have you seen the twins anywhere?" I ask.
She looks at me with surprise. "No. I truly apologise. I've been looking all over for them since they have to take their lunch. They're not in their rooms either."
I sigh in mild frustration. What did I say? Mischievous kids. Despite looking like littke carbon copies of their mother, Marinette, they inherited their father, Adrien's recklessness.
"Has anyone else seen them at all?"
The maid shakes her head. If Nathalie were here, she would have found the twins in this enormous mansion in less than a minute. But travelling around the world was a dream she wanted to pursue after being tied down to the Agrestes for so long.
My eyes train over to a movement behind her. "Oh never mind. I think that's them."
The maid's expression blanks out at the sight of the twins, a boy and a girl, looking through the window excitedly. I instruct her, "Please prepare our meals, we'll be having lunch shortly."
She nods and hastily retreats back to the direction of the kitchen. I wish I could have said to have burgers for lunch but that would have been futile with Gabriel, who always stresses healthy eating, beside me.
"Ron! Mari! What's so interesting out there?" I yell, as we approach them. The twins Marianne and Rolland immediately whip their head to our direction. At the sight of us, their faces explode with delighted expressions as they make a beeline towards us halfway.
"Aunt Selene!" They practically skip with joy as I pat them on their heads. "What did I tell you disappearing without telling anyone. You gave one of the maid's a hard time."
"Sorry, sorry," Rolland gushes, fidgeting at the spot.
"Anyway, you're Grandfather is here," I say and gesture to Gabriel. He instantly beams at the twins with his arms outstretched. The little devils almost tackle him instead of hugging him.
"Grandpa, do you have anymore stories about Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Rolland asks. Gabriel proceeds to boast he always has a story to tell them. Mari, the more timid one of the two, returns back to the window, humming a familiar tune.
"What's that song? It sounds very beautiful."
Her eyes sparkle with interest. "It's a song Aunt Juleka and Rose played!"
"Oh you mean, during their world tour?" Juleka and Rose have been very busy with their tour since they've become rather famous as a musical pair. It's a sudden but favourable change despite how withdrawn Juleka usually is.
"Yes! It's very popular and everyone at school sings their songs." I smile at she almost bursts with vibrant energy.
"They would be very happy when you'll tell them what you just said." My eyes trail down to the pair of binoculars in her hands. "What are you doing with that indoors?"
She seems to vibrate with with even more excitement at the mention of them. "Ron and I were spying on birds outside the window! Would you like to try them?" She pushes the binoculars to my stomach and I barely catch them from falling onto the floor.
I'm just about to place the lens over my eyes when I halt upon closer inspection. With a furtive glance, I spot the black ink marks dirtying Mari's palms.
"Well, you've got guts to try and prank me. I'll give you that," I say, pointing to the wet black paint on the rubber rings for the eyes. If I had been a moment too late with figuring it out, I would have ended up with funny black circles on my face.
Mari groans- disappointed that I've easily caught her in the act while Ron bursts into fits of little giggles.
Placing a hand on my hips, I raise an eyebrow. "So have any poor victims already faced your wrath?"
As if he was called upon, my dearly beloved strides into the scene. Luka has that wistful look on his face like he's forever in a day dream. It would have been a heart-stopping impression if not for the hilarious pair of circles around his eyes. Upon spotting him, the twins erupt into thunderous laughter. I throw them a reproachful look and they clamp up swiftly. "Kids, won't you take you grandfather to the dining room?"
They don't have to be told twice. Eager to accept the chance to escape punishment- atleast temporarily- they pull Gabriel and scamper away.
"Did I do something wrong?" Luka questions, raising an eyebrow and still oblivious to the prank.
I shake my head and smile in amusement. "No, Dear. You have something on your face."
From my pocket, I pull out a handkerchief I knew would prove useful. I carefully wipe away the black ink on his fair skin. He cuts in, "I can do it my-"
"Let me take care of it," I interrupt, intent on rub all the marks away which becomes difficult as it smudges under the cloth. It takes a long time, but Luka waits patiently for me to finish and the silence is more than comfortable between us. He keeps his intense sky blue gaze directly at me that by the time I'm done cleaning off the ink, I can feel a warm blush rising up my cheeks.
Nothing escapes his watchful eyes and a knowing smirk slowly forms on his lips. "You seem to look flustered, my serenade."
"And what of it?" I say, acting nonchalant despite the prominent blush on my cheeks.
"It's nothing, but it does make my day when you smile." He leans in without warning and presses a feather-like kiss onto my lips.
"That's enough for you," I say as I splay a hand onto his chest and gently push him back. "I'm starving and we need everyone at the table. Have you seen him anywhere?"
Luka opens his mouth to reply but what comes next is a sound of a muffled explosion from above. I latch onto Luka and he holds me tightly as the walls and the floor tremble from the resulting tremors. The furniture sways momentarily, but fortunately, no accident occurs. "What the hell was that?!"
"It came from upstairs," Luka says, eyes pointing upwards to the ceiling. Our eyes widen in horror at once as we come to the same realisation. Upstairs is where our living quarters are. Besides Adrien, Gabriel, the twins, there's only one other person who would still be in their room.
We both dart towards the emergency staircase to the source of what transpired. I can feel my heart thudding painfully against me chest as I experience an instant rush of fear that sends my head reeling. Grey smoke spreads out as we reach the top of the stairs. I lose Luka as he pushes on forward and I get lost in the haze. "Luka!"
I freeze up abruptly, watching the swirls of smoke that submerge me into silent darkness despite the time of day being the afternoon. This isn't smoke from a fire.
My throat begins to itch which leads me to cough haphazardly. After collecting myself, I rush to the walls and feel for the nearest windows. When I feel smooth glass and my palm bumps against a handle, I hastily turn the handle and shove the windows open. I gratefully gasp in breaths of fresh air. A little too late, the sprinklers finally detect the smoke and activate, spraying water like a welcomed rain that abates the thickening smoke.
"I didn't do it, I swear!" A small teenager with peachy hair and ocean blue eyes flail about like a fish out of water, trying to break free from the steel grip of his father. "I don't know where the smoke came from!"
"Funny, I haven't asked yet," Luka says as he hauls the boy out of another room by the arm.
"Haruka! Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?" I hurry over to my son and inspect his figure from head to toe. His clothes are drenched, but so are mine and Luka's.
"I'm fine, mom. You don't have to smother me!" He says, exasperated as he pushes my hands away.
"Oh good," I say in relief, calming down from the moment's panic. After accepting that he's unharmed, I smack him hard on the head. "Then what do you think you were doing?!"
"Gah!" He cries out and rubs his scalp. "It's not my fault! I didn't know that it would happen!"
"What would it take for you to listen and behave? I even asked you to watch over the twins and here I find you, getting yourself into another accident."
"The twins were getting on my nerves! They gave me some stupid black circles on my face that took me hours to get off," He talks with a usual strangeness to his tone as if he's permanently irritated at something- anything.
"You almost got hurt!" I'm about chastise the stubborn boy when Luka comes in between us.
"Everyone calm down. Dear, you have to breathe." He turns to me and squeezes my shoulder. I quieten instantly but my nostrils flare up in displeasure. "And Haruka, I hope you know that we were terrified for you. In our line of work, a sudden explosion usually means danger and a super villain coming after."
"I'm sorry," Haruka says, conceding to his faults. "I wanted to fix this since mom said it's a broken family heirloom." To my surprise, he pulls out a necklace with a yellow bead as a pendant. "I've studied pictures of it and tried to restore it. I replaced the missing pieces and made it into a necklace instead. I was almost finished and hooked in the chain when smoke came gushing out like a bonfire. I really didn't know something like this would happen."
He places the necklace onto my open palms. "Wait. But how did you fix this?"
"I followed that old red book," he replies.
"The miraculous grimoire?"
"So that's what it's called?"
I frown. No wonder I couldn't find the grimoire earlier. "That's incredible. You're quite the tinker, aren't you?"
He brightens up at my compliment. With my bright hair and Luka's eyes, he resembles my mother who had the same exact features. I ponder whether mother had a knack for mending things too. Haruka has accomplished something I tried to do for years but couldn't.
"Haru, do you realise what you've done?" I ask, feeling the prick of tears. His winning smile falls immediately at the sight of my wavering expression.
"Did I make a mistake? I'm really really sorry." He starts panicking.
"No, you did great." I chuckle at his youthful energy. I don't resist the blossoming warmth on my chest, and I embrace him gratefully. He blanches in surprise, but hugs me back- relishing his mother's attention. Luka joins in and we stay like that for a while until Haruka breaks away with impatience. I gesture to the necklace. "You have just fixed a broken miraculous."
"I did?" His eyes widen and he gasps. "You didn't tell me that it's a miraculous! So do I get one too?"
"When your older," Luka replies instantly. Frankly, we're not too keen on making a superhero out of our own son, atleast not now. We'll figure it out in the future.
"So which animal is it? Is it a snake like dad's? Oh oh- what about a tiger like Aunt Juleka's?"
"Haruka, remember. Kwami's are our friends- a member of the family. They're not pets. They give us advice and take care of us as much as we take care of them," I remark and he nods vigorously. I inspect the beautifully-made necklace. It's a fine silver chain and the missing pieces of the yellow plastic bead seem to share the colour of gold. I guess Marinette has rubbed off on him too as I can see from his fine taste in details. I take a deep breath and wear the chain around my neck. It settles onto my collar and instead of feeling the cool of metal, it radiates an unusual warmth. The pendant flashes a bright pale light and a white orb appears out of thin air. Luka pulls back with our son encased in his arms. The orb spirals around me momentarily before the blinding light subsides to reveal a tiny bat with dark magenta fur and gleaming yellow eyes.
"Grimm," I can't stop the tears from streaming down my face. He perches onto my cupped hands. "You've come home."
His deep, resonating voice sends a sudden relief through me. "I never left."
"Wow," Haruka whispers breathlessly.
"Grimm, remember Luka?" I introduce the boys to him. "And this is my son."
"Haruka," Grimm finishes. "You may not be able to see me, but I've been watching over the household ever since we lost touch."
"You and Luka have matured well." A sunny smile breaks free from his stoic expression. "I'm very glad."
Haruka gains the courage to step forward. "You're the Kwami of Isolation! There's a picture of you in the living room- Aunt Mari drew it. I think it's pretty accurate."
"It's a pleasure to finally speak to you, Haruka" Grimm greets. "I am infinitely grateful for what you've done.
"Is it true that mom and dad were my age when they first received their miraculous?" He blurts out.
"Haruka!" Luka says disapprovingly.
"Actually your mother was six years old when she received the bat miraculous while your father, Viperion, Ladybug and Chat Noir received theirs around fourteen."
"Grimm!" I hiss. I'll never catch a break when it comes to unforeseen trouble, can I? Before I could lash out, Luka takes my hand and squeezes is reassuringly.
"I think we've had enough chaos for one day."
As soon as he says those words. My body reacts and I deflate. The initial exhaustion returns back to me as I've used up all the energy I had left. Now that I can clear my head, I recall that we still have to eat lunch. "All right."
He grins and everything feels right again. "Let's call it a day."
•●•●•●•●•
This the end of the journey. I'm very glad to all those who joined me in this adventure.
[Has ended]. I have QnA in the works and there's a short amount of time left to ask me any questions about me, the book or the fandom!
Superhero Wolfia comes from AreebaDazzle with her own Luka fanfiction! Go read it and give her the feedback she may need :)))
The End.
(Art from elsetge.cat)