Power Move: Mecha Mom!
One would think it was a calm Wednesday summer afternoon, at the Agreste mansion. Considering that the Agreste's were known to be one of the richest in Paris, with their multi-million dollar company and fancy clothes lines. After Gabriel Agreste handed his company over to his heir—yes, the Gabriel Agreste letting go—everyone assumed his son would follow in his footsteps. Things like strict rules among the household, constant surveillance from bodyguards and nannies/butlers, and always expecting their children to attend all their private lessons. If it were eighteen years ago, then Adrien would be expecting himself to suffer through such obstacles. He'd spend his Wednesday afternoon in fencing lessons, then no doubt head over to a photoshoot for a few hours. Only to end the day with a sad, lonely meal by himself in the dining room, then wrap up with some homework whilst a certain black cat kwami sat on his shoulder stinking it up with camembert cheese.
But fortunately, Adrien was not his father. And even to a greater degree, he was far better than him.
Because this Wednesday afternoon was nowhere near calm. Adrien's assistant was taking his break in the kitchen, while the gardener and maid were given the rest of the day off. But the Agrestes? They were in excitement. One would think a screening room within a mansion would be used for watching all the classic romantic films and comedies, all while devouring some delicious popcorn. The Agrestes, however, did not use their screening room for that (well, Marinette and Adrien still did, but not often). This screening room, was engaged in virtual gaming and mashing controller buttons till they broke. Because while watching a movie on a huge TV screen would be cool, watching giant robots battle it out was way cooler.
And there they were, the children of Adrien and Marinette Agreste, sat in the first few rows of the sofa chairs gaming to their heart's content—and Adrien was happy to let them. In the tables beside their chairs, where a bowl of popcorn would be expected, were some exquisite chocolate croissants—courtesy of Mama Marinette—some stacks of game cases, spare controllers, and a few cans of sodas. Yes, they might have passed their limit of pop per day, but none of that mattered. What mattered, was on the screen.
There, Emma Emilie Agreste battled to the best of her ability, utilizing her favourite black cat themed mecha, NAD03, as well as she could. Sadly, it was not well enough as her twin brother Hugo was dominating her once again. It was quite sad to witness, which was something her younger brother, Louis, would mutter from behind every now and then. And while Emma did tell him to shut his trap, she too knew it as well. There was just no beating Hugo, he was the best at Ultimate Mecha Strike V. Emma assumed he inherited their father's skill set when it came to gaming. Or more likely, she didn't. Because even Louis was better than her sometimes. She always wondered why did the girl genes of their family suffer with being granted only creativity and ingenuity? All the while the boys got to win at games. It was completely unfair.
"And boom!" Hugo shouted victoriously as his mecha, LB-03, delivered its finishing blow and sent Emma's mecha into pieces. "Easy XP!" he bragged as he stood up from his seat, doing his ever so annoying victory dance. "Simple combo, but it still did me good!" He rolled up the sleeves of his navy blue cardigan before he obnoxiously danced, rolling his arms repeatedly disco style as he stepped side to side. He smoothly slid right to left in his blue high tops and dark black jeans. He stopped, struck a Elvis Presley pose, stroking his short blueish hair before pointing at Emma. He then finished off his celebration with his rendition of the sprinkler. "That's right, that's right, LB-03 for the win! Ol' ladybug bot ain't never lettin' me down!"
Louis scoffed as he grabbed a croissant and stuffed it into his mouth. "Yeah, yeah, we get it," he said with a mouthful. He spilt some crumbs onto his black and white striped cotton scarf and plain white dress shirt. Emma scoffed as she saw the crumbs fall onto his blue jeans and white sneakers. She hated when her younger brother absentmindedly ruined his clothes. Their mother worked hard on their outfits and she hated ruining them.
"Hey, don't do that," Emma chided, "Mum hates crumbs in here, you know that." She quickly grabbed a napkin from her table and reached over to Louis' seat, which was just behind her and Hugo's row, and strained as she picked up the crumbs scattered on his chair. "Clean yourself up, as well," she instructed as she tossed the napkin onto his lap.
As he chewed, he asked, "if Mum hates crumbs," he swallowed his food, "then why did she make us croissants then?" he argued as he picked up the napkin. He quickly picked up the rest of the crumbs and let out a content sigh as he placed it on the table beside him. "She knows we eat these things like pure animals!" he exclaimed as he raised another croissant high and proud, right toward the ceiling as if he was recreating that scene in the Lion King.
Emma and Hugo exchanged an amused glance. "No, just you," the two said simultaneously as they stared at him.
Louis rolled his eyes at his older siblings. "You'd think with that shared, twin telepathy nonsense, you'd both be equally good at Ultimate Mecha Strike," he teased right before devouring his tasty pastry.
Emma gasped and crossed her arms at him. "Oh, shut up!" she muttered, looking away from her younger brother.
"Ah, come on Em, no need to feel bad," Hugo assured her comfortingly as he patted her shoulder. His tone was patronizing, she knew he was clearly going to make fun of her. "Not everyone has the luxury of losing to me so terribly!" There it was. He was so predictable.
She shook her head and sighed. "Forget this," she groaned as she hopped off her seat. She walked over to Hugo's chair and reached for the stack of games piled on the table beside him. "We're playing Mario Kart!" she declared, raising the game case Hugh in the air.
The boys collectively sighed.
"Em," Hugo said, "we've been over this, we can't play Mario Kart without Mum or Dad—"
"Because we need an adult to supervise so we don't kill each other, I know, I know!" Emma irritably grumbled. She reluctantly threw the game case back onto the pile. "But I wanna play a game I can win at!" she whined childishly.
"That's not fair to us," Hugo gestured to himself and Louis. "How are we supposed to have fun?"
"And since when were you good at Mario Kart?" Louis added as he sunk comfortably into his sofa.
Emma shot Louis a glare, to which he immediately silenced himself. "Well, how am I supposed to have fun if I can't even win!" Emma shot back. "I'd like a game, where the odds are even, thank you very much!"
Hugo sighed as he walked over to Emma and placed his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay Em. Sometimes, people have fun in the spirit of the game! Losing, winning, it doesn't matter!"
"If it doesn't matter, then why can't we play a game I'll win at?"
Hugo sheepishly looked over to Louis, who shrugged, then back at Emma. "Uhh, because we won't have fun?"
Emma shrieked in annoyance. The boys immediately winced at the piercing scream whilst Emma angrily stormed off, departing from the screening room in a fury. The two boys left behind exchanged a worried glance, and sighed at each other. "Now why'd you go and do that?" Louis released a groan as he sat up.
"I was just messin'," Hugo sheepishly shrugged.
"You know as well as I, that she's gonna tattle," Louis reminded him.
Hugo snorted. "First off, you're ten, you shouldn't be saying 'tattle' anymore. And second, calm down Louis, we won't get in trouble," he assured him as he followed after Emma. "Just let me do the talking. I'll calm Em down."
His brother snorted in turn. "Hugo, for being a twin, you really don't know anything about your sister," Louis dryly responded as he trailed after her.
"And for being a ten year old, you sure are snippier then you need be," Hugo retorted as they entered the halls.
"Mom!" Emma's voice rung throughout the corridors. Hugo could hear it originate from the kitchen corridor, no doubt about it. The two boys tiredly walked down the corridor and over to the kitchen. Emma already had the head start over the boys, and was already inside. Once she arrived, she immediately noticed her mother was not there. She looked over to Adrien's assistant, who was sat at the island, and frowned in disappointment. "Jean," she addressed, "do you know where Mom is?"
He raised a confused brow, clearly taken aback by her behaviour, before calmly responding, "She's in your father's study I believe, working."
Emma mentally sighed at Jean's answer. It was already three in the afternoon and their parents returned home early today. So, 'working' obviously meant she was busy working on some designs or was out superheroing at the moment. Most likely being the latter no doubt. That was usually just an excuse they had to tell the help, so they didn't know about it. It was cool, however, that their mother and father were the one and only Ladybug and Chat Noir. The legendary heroes of Paris, were the same folk that tucked them in at night and made them breakfast. That in itself, was awesome enough. But at times like these, where there was obviously a crisis at home, Emma wished they didn't have to run out to save the world.
"Fine, well can you tell Hugo and Louis to stop making fun of me!" Emma asked desperately.
Jean rose out of his seat from the stool and raised a brow at the young girl. "What are they doing now?"
"We weren't doing anything!" Hugo quickly shouted as he and Louis entered the kitchen. He had a defensive look on his face while Louis wore boredom. Or perhaps it was irritation, either one really fit him.
Emma shot them a distasteful glare before looking back at Jean. "They keep making fun of me because I can't win!"
"Emma, you are literally acting like a sore loser," Louis monotonically said.
"Whoa!" another voice came in. All the members of the room looked over to the corridor entrance, to find Adrien, stood in his black slacks and white dress shirt with rolled up sleeves—sans tie. He crossed his arms at his children and raised a brow at Louis. "Louis Sabine Agreste, what did we say about about being a gracious winner?" he asked in serious tone.
Louis shyly blushed as he dropped his head. He softly said, "Sorry Papa…"
"Don't say sorry to me—"
"Sorry Emma," Louis drawled.
It was plain and dry, but it was something at least. Adrien mentally groaned. Marinette was always better at this. "Alright, so, what is going on?" he asked as he leaned against the archway. Right before all three of them opened their mouths, he raised his finger to silence them. "One. At. A. Time," he slowly said. He looked to Emma, "Em, go ahead."
When Emma happily smiled, Hugo rolled his eyes and muttered, "Of course."
"Hugo and Louis don't want to play Mario Kart with me because they want to keep beating me at Ultimate Mecha Strike V!" she quickly said.
Hugo's jaw dropped. "That's a lie!" he shouted. "We were all having fun playing! Louis and I just like Ultimate Mecha Strike V!" He frowned and looked over at his father. "You said we get to play a game we all enjoy!" he reminded him.
"But, I'm not enjoying it!" Emma shouted back, pointing to herself.
"Alright, alright, calm down," Adrien spoke up. He walked over to Emma and knelt down before her. "Hey Bug," he grinned. "You know we can't have you guys playing Mario Kart without us!" he reminded her lightly. "Remember what happened last time we weren't supervising?"
Emma frowned. She remembered it alright. It resulted in her and her brothers sat in their rooms for hours on end, not wanting to even breath the same air. Dinner consisted of a long awkward silence, followed by no desert. "But Papa!" she childishly whined. "They keep making fun of me!"
Adrien raised a brow and looked over to his sons. Their faces immediately looked sheepish as they shamefully avoided their father's eyes. "I was just messing around," Hugo replied as he shyly kicked his foot, hands behind his back. "We were, y'know, just having fun! We didn't mean any of it." He kept his bluebell eyes away from his father's gaze, ashamed of himself.
Adrien looked back at Emma, who disappointedly scoffed and avoided her brother's gaze. Adrien cleared his throat. "Okay, but guys, the least you can do is go easy on her," he pleaded.
"What?" Emma gasped. "No way! Nuh-uh!" she shouted as she motioned her refusal with her arms. "I don't need a handicap! You guys taught me to deal with whatever life throws at me!" she proudly stated with her chin up.
Hugo raised a brow as he confusedly gestured at her. "Then why can't you accept us beating you?"
"Because I wanna win for a change!" she replied simply, as if it was obvious.
The boys exchanged glances before shrugging whilst Adrien kept a confused brow. At this point, he would give up and decide to play the smartest move and ask Marinette what to do. "Umm… oookay," he whispered under his breath.
"Are we in trouble, or not?" Louis asked bluntly. He immediately winced at his own tone and followed up with a softer approach. "Be-Because, Hugo and I kinda want to get back to it…" he trailed off jerking his thumb over his shoulder.
Adrien rose up to his feet and scanned his children's expressions. Those adorable, blue and green eyes of innocence. He really couldn't fault anyone here, and even if he had good reason, he wouldn't have the heart to do so. He was the softie in his and Marinette's relationship. That was something everyone seemed to remind him of. But he would take being soft anyday rather than stare down two pairs of bluebell and some grass green eyes, and give them trouble. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Well, I don't see the harm in it."
Hugo and Louis' faces lit up at that. "Alright, sweet!" shouted Louis as he bolted out of the room before anyone could object.
Hugo made a move to leave but stopped and looked at his sister softly. "You, uh… you coming Em?" he asked in a light tone. Emma kept her head down. "Listen, um, Louis and I can play a match or two, then we'll switch over to something else if you want? H-How 'bout a FPS?" he weakly offered. Adrien proudly smiled at his son. It was nice to seem him trying to help his sister. "You can choose if you want?" When the chips were down, these twins surely did look after each other.
Emma shook her head and sighed as she closed her eyes. "No… no, it's fine," she quietly answered as she looked up at Hugo. He had a worried look on his face but she flashed a smile. "I swear, Hugo, I'm good, you guys have fun." She waved him off, motioning him to leave. He remained skeptical, so Emma added, "Bro, I'm serious, go game."
Hugo nodded and smiled back. "Okay, well, we'll be in the screening room if you need us!" he shouted as he left the kitchen.
"Oh, and Hugo?" she called out, causing him to pop his head out from the corridor. "I'm sorry I was gonna call Mom, that was uncool of me," she shyly added.
He scoffed as he waved his hand. "Nah, it's cool sis, don't worry about it." He smiled at her reassuringly and winked before leaving.
Emma's smile faded as she let out a defeated sigh and turned her body in the opposite direction of where her brothers went. Her shoulders slumped and each step looked as if it carried the weights of her depression. When Adrien questioned where she was going, she muttered dejectedly, "I'm just gonna sit in my room… maybe play with Henry the Hamster…"
And his heart broke.
His poor, sweet little Bug, devastated because she wasn't as good as her twin and younger brother. He understood his fair share of failures and defeats, many as Adrien Agreste and many more as Chat Noir, and he wished it was something that would never happen among his children—let alone his precious Bug. And yes, Marinette had reminded him before it aches her as much as it does him, but it was a lesson of life. Yet, he just hated seeing a frown on her face; watching those bluebell eyes sink into depression, and being powerless to do anything about it. And quite frankly, the powers from the God of Destruction didn't exactly fix the issues of a twelve year old sweetheart. But, there was always plan B.
He hurriedly stepped out into the corridor and shouted, "Hey Bug?"
She was just at the end, near the lobby, before she slowly turned around. "Yes Papa?" she sadly asked.
He'd barely even heard her, but his heart continued to pain. He walked over to her and said, "C'mon, I've got an idea." He beamed his signature Chat Noir smile at her.
Once he caught up with her, his heart fluttered when he saw Emma smile back (the Chat Noir grin always sealed the deal). "Thanks Dad, but I'll be okay," she dismissed politely. "I was actually gonna just find Plagg and hang out with him," her voice fell quieter. Adrien smirked at her as they ascended the steps. It wise of her to be aware of present company. He trusted Jean very much, but he and Marinette agreed to keep the secret of the Miraculous within the family.
"You really think Plagg is gonna play with you?" Adrien mused.
"Hey, he likes me more than you!" Emma shot back, laughing. And just like that, he was in bliss hearing his daughter's adorable laugh echo throughout the corridors. Truly, one of his favourite sounds—with Marinette's laugh being first.
Adrien laughed as he ruffled Emma's blueish-black hair. It wasn't enough to mess with her mid length locks, but enough to irk her. She was right though, as Plagg did have a soft spot for the kids—though he'd never admit it. But it was clear as day he enjoyed hanging out with them, as he thought they were a riot. It made sense the only type of attitude that could match the God of Destruction's, would be a couple of troublesome twelve year olds and a snippy sarcastic ten year old.
"And besides," Emma added, "Mum is Ladybugging it up so Tikki isn't around."
Adrien raised a brow, confused at her statement. But before he could correct her, a loud gasp appeared at the top of the stairs. The two looked up to find a small, black cat-like kwami floating with his jaw dropped. "I'm just a backup kwami? I'm second to Tikki?" he said, offended and hurt.
Emma snickered whilst Adrien rolled his eyes. "Plagg, everyone likes Tikki better than you," Adrien replied. "It's just a fact."
"It's true!" Emma giggled as she nodded her head agreeingly. "Mum's baking is great! The sky is blue! And, everyone likes Tikki over you!" she sweetly sang. Adrien burst out into a fit of laughter, making Emma giggle once again.
Plagg harrumphed. "Well, excuse, you," he spat out. "And to think, you used to be my favourite around here." He crossed his arms and turned away from the two.
"I kid, I kid," Emma teased as she walked up the steps and held her hand out to Plagg. He reluctantly sat in her palm, but kept his back to her. "You're a delight," she added as she rubbed his cheek with her right index finger. Plagg lovingly gave in and softly purred as Emma nuzzled his cheek. Adrien had seen this time and time again, and was always frustrated that Plagg never let him do that. Emma really was his favourite after all.
"It's okay Em," a soft, sweet voice appeared. Emma looked up and found Tikki flying over to them. "You don't have to lie for him, I can console the dramatic cat." Plagg hissed as he comfortably rested in Emma's palm.
"Tikki?" Emma confusedly addressed. "But I thought Mum was out 'working'?" she stated in air quotes, utilizing her free hand.
Tikki giggled. "Oh she's working alright," she replied. She looked to Adrien. "Can you get her to stop? After she finished baking for the kids she ran straight to your study, claiming to have been 'struck by inspiration.'' Her face looked blank and annoyed. "She won't listen to me," she complained.
Adrien grinned at that. "Perfect!" he cheered, walking down the hall as he pushed Emma along, holding her by her shoulder. Tikki and Emma's face fell into confusion.
Plagg floated straight out of Emma's hand and shot Adrien a bewildered look. "Your wife being a workaholic is perfect?"
Adrien frowned at that quickly corrected himself. "Well, no, obviously not," he amended. "It's just, I have the perfect thing to distract her!" he announced as he eagerly led Emma to his study. The two kwamis flew beside them, trailing just ahead of them.
Emma raised a brow and looked up at her dad. "Do I need to be here for this? Because I'd rather just play with Tikki," she pointed to the red and black spotted kwami.
Tikki giggled whilst Plagg rolled his eyes.
"Yes, you do," Adrien softly answered. "Besides, this will cheer ya up, I swear it on my Miraculous!" he happily added, lifting his right hand high and proud.
Emma managed to smirk at her father's words, completely trusting him. He had never let her down before, so why stop believing in him now? "Alrighty," she conceded.
The four stopped just before Adrien's study. Adrien quietly knocked on the door three times, then slowly cracked it open. He stuck his head in, as did Emma, Plagg, and Tikki. "Bugaboo?" Adrien sweetly called out.
Their attention was straight toward the mahogany desk across the entrance, and the beautiful bluenette sat behind it, buried into her tablet. She didn't even look up from it, as she continue to swipe away, matching colours over patterns and figuring out the traces of seams undoubtedly. "Yes Kitty?" she lovingly replied. The stand for the tablet obscured most of their vision of her body and her face too as she was leaned in.
The four stepped inside, and realized she wasn't even paying attention yet. This was a common occurrence whenever she worked at home. Fortunately, Adrien decided to use his secret weapon and lightly nudged Emma with his hand. She nodded her understanding and cleared her throat. "Hi Mum!" she excitedly greeted, gesturing a little wave.
Marinette's gaze immediately shot up from her tablet as she beamed an excited smile back at her daughter. "Oh, hiya Bug! I didn't notice you were here too, sorry 'bout that," she said apologetically as she winced in embarrassment. "So…" she prompted, lowering her tablet and revealing her pure white sundress, which had a small thin rose embroidered just above her right breast, with the stem curling down past the left of her torso. Her mother's fashion was always so beautiful. "What brings you by, Em?" she asked with an attentive smile.
After recovering from her awe of her mother's dress, Emma opened her mouth to answer but immediately realized she didn't even know herself. "Uhh, I dunno, Dad brought me here." She lazily gestured to her father.
Adrien happily grinned at his cue and stepped forward. "I am here to relieve you of your work, My Lady," he proudly announced, taking a bow.
Marinette raised a brow. "Relieve me of my…" she bit her lip as she pieced together what he meant. "Oh! Okay, but, whatever is, can it wait Kitty? Because, I just gotta finish this cardigan!" An excited smile grew on her lips as she looked to Emma. "Em, I got the idea when I saw your outfit," she explained.
Emma looked down at her outfit. A simple maroon blazer accompanied with a gray tee underneath, and a black skirt that stopped at her mid thighs, with a nice pair of knee high red-soled boots to finish it off. "Uhh, what about it?" she asked perplexedly, fighting a blush. She was always proud of herself whenever her mother liked her outfits. Her style was always inspired by her. Plus, hearing the Marinette Agreste compliment someone's fashion sense was a high compliment to be proud of.
"It's just an explosion of creativity," Marinette happily smiled, "I just love the palette! Maroon fits you so well!" Emma smiled at her mother's compliments. "So I was thinking of making a cardigan for you! Well to, y'know, go with your wardrobe. To compliment it," she quickly added. "Then I got a whole rush of ideas of other sweaters and jackets to make for you! I was gonna make it a surprise, but I realized I hadn't done your measurements since your and Hugo's birthday, and you've grown a lot since then! So, I was gonna ask you, well, after I finished designing it of course! I mean, seeing as you're here now I might as well—unless whatever you guys need is important, I can measure later! Since, well, the designs are unfinished—"
Adrien sighed as he shook his head. He walked over to the desk, approaching Marinette's right and placed his hand on her shoulder, ceasing her rambling. "Mari," he calmly said. "You're rambling."
Her face flushed as she let out a brief laugh. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just so—"
"Excited, I know," Adrien finished, smiling at her. "And Princess? I think it is great that you're not technically working and you want to do something for Em, but I kinda need you in the now," he quietly addressed.
Marinette's face shifted from excitement into seriousness. "Oh," she said. She took a glance at Emma, then back at Arien. "What's wrong?" she softly asked her partner.
"Nothing's wrong," Emma answered loudly. She really didn't want to bring Mom into this anymore. She felt bad about snitching on Hugo and she really didn't want to give him any trouble for just being better than her. If he was good, then so be it. He didn't need receive a lecture from their mother because of it. At the end of the day, they were just having fun gaming together—that's all the should've mattered. She could deal with being third best.
Adrien shot her a confused look. "It's not nothing," he said to Marinette.
Marinette worriedly looked back to Emma and pouted. "Oh Bug," she muttered as she rose out of her seat. She quickly knelt down before her daughter, placing both hands on her shoulders comfortingly. Emma smirked at her instinctively. Her mother's touch was always so warming. "You can tell me," she assured her.
"I swear, it's nothing," Emma quickly replied, shaking her head as she maintained her smirk. Marinette narrowed her brows, pouting at her. "Maman, I promise, it isn't a big deal."
"It is!" Adrien retorted. He hurriedly walked over to the two, standing right beside them. "Our Bug here is upset because Hugo and Louis keep beating her at Ultimate Mecha Strike V," he informed sofly.
"Oh," Marinette said, blank faced.
That expression was enough to make Emma blush in embarrassment. She mentally cursed her father's need to tell her mother everything. Because now she looked like an emotionally overreacting child. She knew how it looked and how dumb it sounded, which was the exact reason she didn't even want to tell her mom. The only outcomes were that Marinette would flip out and give Hugo and Louis a reckoning, or she'd calm her down like a five year old and explain that losing is okay. She severely wished for the latter, just to spare her brothers from their mother's wrath.
"Wow…" Plagg muttered, "I won't ever understand you humans and your 'problems'." He rolled his eyes. Of course, leave it to Plagg to make someone feel more embarrassed. "Honestly, if this is what it takes for you guys to have a bad day I'm calling it a century and gonna go to sleep."
Tikki sighed, knowing she'd have to keep him distracted for a while. "C'mon Plagg, let's go get you something to eat."
"Finally, you're speaking my language Tikki!" And with that, the two kwamis phased right out of the room, leaving the three humans to themselves.
Emma awkwardly rubbed the back of her dark blue hair and sheepishly chuckled. "H-heh, see? It's dumb. J-Just a silly ol' game—" Marinette gasped, interrupting Emma's muttering. She wore a confused look as she noticed her mother's shocked expression, so she asked her father, "What'd I say?"
"Emma. Emilie. Agreste," Adrien slowly said. "You should know, that Ultimate Mecha Strike will never just be a game in this family," he proudly stated.
Emma's brows raised. "Really?" she asked, surprised.
"Yes! Of course!" Marinette exclaimed, raising up to her feet and throwing her arms into the air.
"Your mother and I played Ultimate Mecha Strike III like crazy when we were just about your age," he smiled lovingly at Marinette, "then played it to death when we got together. One of our favourite pastimes," Adrien admitted, causing Marinette to smile back warmly. Though he always lost, he always enjoyed his lady's presence and being dominated by her was no exception (not in that way, ya dirty minded apes). Besides, seeing her boast about her skill in the ashes of her enemy's defeat was both adorable and quite sexy to see, so he had no complaints—he actually did, but he learned to cope.
"Its franchise is one of the best street fighting games in all of history!" Marinette shouted, full of pure excitement and joy. "The genre of the century!"
Emma stared at her in shock. She was just as excited about Ultimate Mecha Strike, as she was about fashion. And that was saying something. "Wow, I had no idea you guys loved it so much!"
"We love it like crazy," Adrien smirked. "But, we also love helping others in need, isn't that right Bugaboo?" Marinette's excitement died down as she started to catch her husband's drift, to which she threw him a smug smile. "Which is why, you're going to get a tutor!" he happily announced.
Emma's face lit up. "You're gonna help me Dad?" she asked, obviously thrilled. Father-daughter bonding time whilst she learned how to be awesome at Ultimate Mecha Strike? That would have an awesome evening in store for her.
He snorted as he motioned his hand dismissively. "Sorry Bug, I'm afraid the best I can do is just pass whatever I got through my genes." A smile crept onto his lips. "Which is why, this plan is gene-ius!"
The two ladies rolled their eyes and groaned.
He frowned at their reaction. He really wished his daughter didn't inherit her mother's disliking for puns. "Your mother will teach you," he flatly announced.
Emma's eyes widened as her jaw dropped. "Mom?" she exclaimed. "You're going to teach me?" She did not expect to hear that.
Her mother furrowed a brow as she crossed her arms. "Don't be so surprised!" she indignantly replied.
"Sorry Maman," Emma quickly apologized, "I just, thought Dad was the better gamer of the two of you."
Marinette cackled at her daughter's assumption while Adrien frowned with his shoulders slumped. "No way Bug," she denied. "All the gaming talent and skill you and your brothers got? Came right from the ol' Dupain bloodline!" she smugly proclaimed as she jerked her thumb to her chest. The sudden claim only made Emma's jaw drop more.
"Seriously? Papy played Mecha Strike III?" she shockingly asked.
"Played it, embraced it, and exposed me to it," Marinette proudly fired back. "Your Grandpa was good at hitting triple threat combos just as well as he was at making a triple layered cake!" Emma's look of excitement never ceased. "And, speaking of triple," she smugly added, "not to mention, you're being trained by a three time Ultimate Mecha Strike champion!" She snidely muttered, "Would've been four, but they put an age restriction at that point."
Emma did not think her jaw could drop any further than it already had, so she assumed it was dislocated. "Shut up," she gasped. "Are you being for real right now?" she questioned, to which her mom cheekily winked. She obviously knew they weren't lying to her. But it seemed too good to be true. Her mom, fashion designer extraordinaire and legendary super heroine, was a three time fighting game champ? Well when you add that to her list, it actually seems plausible. But couple it up with her grandfather being a hardcore gamer as well—things were getting crazy. It was official, her family was awesome. "This… that's awesome!" Emma whooped. "Then why don't you play with us?"
"Because your mother and I discussed the aspect of fairness," Adrien interjected. He shot his wife a look and added, "And that sometimes, others like to win!" Emma raised a confused brow.
Marinette rolled her eyes and shook her head. "He's kidding Bug," she said. "I just don't want anyone to experience the devastation of losing to me," she stated as a matter-of-factly.
Emma rolled her eyes. She started to see the similarities with her twin and her mother, and she was not pleased. Nonetheless, that wouldn't deteriorate her excitement. "C'mon, you should play with us more!" she eagerly offered. "Dad does!" She pointed to him. "C'mon! Let's go to the screening room right now and play! It's fun when Dad joins. And all you ever play is Mario Kart!"
"Because Mario Kart's a game where everyone's a loser," Adrien simply replied.
"A complete level playing field for all of us!" Marinette added.
"But you don't play other games with us!" Emma argued. "C'mon, Maman!"
Her mother smiled at her adoringly. "Aww, of course I will Bug! But, maybe later. We have work to do!" An excited look appeared in her face as she rushed over to her desk. Emma looked confused as her father, who eyed his wife suspiciously—most likely worried she was going back to work. She swiped a few things on her tablet, most likely saving her work, then reached over to her landline. She hovered her finger over one of the buttons and asked, "Jean is in the kitchen, right?" The two nodded. She happily smirked as she pressed the intercom to the kitchen and said, "Jean?"
"Yes Madame?" came his polite reply.
"Could you do me a favour and go into the screening room, and get me two spare controllers and bring them to Emma's room?" she joyfully asked.
There was pause, no doubt of confusion, before Jean replied, "Yes Madame. I'll be there soon."
"Great!" she exclaimed. "Thank you Jean!" she shouted. She backed away from the desk and walked over Emma and Adrien. "Come on, let's teach you how to beat your brothers!" she cheerfully announced.
Emma never thought hearing those words would bring her such joy.
And just like that, Emma found herself sat cross legged on her bed, controller in hand with her mother to her left. She too sat cross legged, but allowed her dress to hang loose as she comfortably adjusted her the controller in her hands. Her mother had an eager smile on her face as she watched the title screen load, swaying in excitement and moving with the beat of the opening music. Her mother's excitement was always infectious, which of course left Emma to giggle in awe as she watched her.
Once they opened up the character selection, Marinette happily smiled as she thumbed her cursor over LB-03. "Of course you choose the ladybug," Emma teased.
"Hey, you gotta represent!" her mother replied, adding a playful nudge of her arm to her daughter. Emma rolled her eyes and chose NAD03. Her mother giggled as she glanced over her shoulder, over to where Adrien was. He was lying down on the bed, just a few inches behind them, and smirked as he saw Emma's choice.
"I guess we know who Em's favourite is," Adrien said in a classic cocky Chat Noir way.
Marinette rolled her eyes whilst Emma shrugged sheepishly. "I like the way he looks!"
"It's okay Bug," Adrien assured, "you don't have to explain."
Her mother placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Well, I wouldn't normally endorse cats in general," Adrien dramatically gasped, "but the NAD03 is a good choice."
Emma's brows raised. "Really?"
"Uh-huh," she nodded. "I assume they've kept the same skill set since IV?" she looked to Adrien. He happily nodded.
"Only thing they did was make more cinematic finishes, new maps, and added like fifteen more characters," Emma added. "Ultimate Mecha Strike IV was cool and all, but I think it lacked detail, certain animations weren't as flushed out as they could've been."
Marinette grinned. "Well Em, those animations were even worse back when I was your age. That's why you always gotta appreciate your roots!" She straightened her back and raised her finger. "Anyways! The reason why mechas like LB-03, NAD03, and the MX-01 so are good, is because of their mobility." She readied up and motioned Emma to do the same. The map loaded, the mechas did their beginning taunts, and the match had begun. "Show me what you got," her mother challenged. Marinette crouched forward as she grinned in excitement. She had her right hand hand hovering over the buttons, and some strange tap combination Emma couldn't comprehend. It was some freak way of holding a controller for sure.
Emma quickly put on a defensive, but it was no use. Each time she made a block, her mother managed to anticipate it and psyche her out. She blocked high? Got struck low. Blocked low? Attacked from above. And the few times she managed to block an attack, she was left in the dust before she could even fight back. Marinette was a wiley mecha, and remained untouched the entire match. It lasted about a minute. The sad thing was that Emma knew her mom was going easy on her too. She didn't even use her special on her and she still lost.
She wasn't that upset though, not like she was with Hugo. Mainly because she just witnessed her mother absolutely destroy at Ultimate Mecha Strike V. Emma knew that not even Hugo could beat her. "Wow…" she uttered. "That was incredible. You move so fast! Those combos came so quick, and-and you were just like a boss! Untouchable!"
Marinette blushed at her daughter's praise. "That, is key when playing as a fast mecha like these." She smirked. "You gotta stay mobile. The advantage you have over others is that you can counter fast. Once you block, you gotta strike. Just make it count!" They readied up another match. "And pay attention to the moves of your opponent. If you know them well, then you should know their best attack combos and how to counter those!"
Emma nodded attentively. Who knew her mother was so serious and informative about games like these? "Got it!" She had a serious face on. "Stay mobile, make hits count, counter fast and pay attention!"
Marinette smirked as the match begun. "Great! Now what I'm about to teach you, is the triple combo—Marinette Style!" After a decent amount of damage from her, she began her combo.
Her daughter watched in awe as she made the first move. A quarter circle hit, followed up with a heavy kick and a hyperstorm to finish it off. Emma's health was barely even a third. That move was amazing. Emma was almost convinced that she was the actually Miraculous Holder for the God of Destruction with a move like that. "Whoa…" Emma muttered in awe. "That's… that was flipping awesome! You sure you ain't the embodiment of the God of Destruction?" Adrien silently snickered from behind.
Marinette proudly smirked as she cracked her knuckles in victory. "I know," she smugly replied, "I am pretty great."
"Easy there Princess," Adrien spoke up. "There's only enough room for one ego in this relationship."
She snorted. "Please Kitty, the only thing you praise more than yourself is me!"
Adrien opened his mouth to argue but stopped. "That's true," he admitted. His wife giggled in response. He wasn't ashamed to admit it. "What can I say Bugaboo? I got game," he winked.
Marinette rolled her eyes. "That wasn't even good."
"They never are," Emma reminded her mother. Marinette smirked in agreement and threw props to her daughter. The two fist bumped and giggled as Adrien rolled his eyes at their defiance against his puns.
"You used to like them when you were younger," he reminded his daughter.
"She only pretended to just to make you feel better," Marinette quipped, throwing her husband a smug grin. Emma silently nodded, knowing it would only antagonize her father more. Adrien had no witty retort, sadly, so he was left to shake his head as he bit back his grin in retaliation.
"So," Emma spoke up, gathering Marinette's attention. "Moving on from Dad's awful puns," her father rolled his eyes. "As awesome as that combo was, how exactly is that gonna help me?" she asked curiously.
Marinette smirked. "Simple, that was just a three set combo, but if you time it right, you can slam right through any mecha's guard!" She held her hand out to Emma, "May I?" Emma eagerly nodded as she handed her controller to her mom. "So, the benefit of choosing our little kitty cat bot over here, is that he has a heavy punch that can stun his opponents."
"Yeah I know," Emma nodded. "I use it whenever I need space."
"That's good, but you should really use it to set up your special attack!" her mother's tone was getting more ecstatic. She demonstrated the combo, without the special, bringing the ladybug bot down to two thirds of her health. Emma was once again, slack-jawed. She didn't even know her mecha could do that much damage so quickly. "When you manage a solid hit with your heavy, it gives points to your special! If you time it right, you can activate your special right after using your heavy!"
"Got it, heavy punch, special right after," Emma recited. "But uh, should I lay in a one-two combo before the heavy?"
Marinette smiled. "That'd be perfect! A nice way to get some damage in and rack up points."
"Lemme try!" Emma asked as she took her controller back. A simple two jab strike, followed up with a low heavy punch, then the cat-tastrophe. The round was instantly over, and the NAD03 remained victorious. "Woo hoo!"
"You did it Em!" Marinette cheered. She happily hugged her daughter, squeezing her softly. "You are a fast learner!" She tightened her hug a bit more, soaking in her pride. "Oooh, you definitely have the Dupain bloodline coursing through your veins! Haha!"
"Thanks Mum," Emma replied, hugging her back estactically. She's gotten hugs for good grades before, kisses for beautiful art projects, and applause for her outfits and overall fashion. But her mother had never shown pride in her being great at gaming. Sure, when she won the occasional Mario Kart match Marinette would beam a smile and congratulate her. But this was different. It was another piece of her, and she was thrilled that Emma could be apart of that.
Emma knew that Ultimate Mecha Strike was whole other side of her mom, just like fashion and heroism. And Emma was swelling up inside out of sheer joy knowing she made her way into her mother's heart once again. She could get use to this.
"I bet you're all set to take on your brothers!" Marinette wagered as she pulled away.
A sheepish look fell on her daughter as she asked her, "Uh, actually, is it okay if I-um, keep practicing? I-I just wanna get the combos down, perfectly."
Marinette nodded at her, eager as ever. Her eyes were wide with excitement and her smile was joyful as ever. "Of course, Bug! C'mon, let's see what else you can do!" Another match was loaded, and the two duked it out instantly. This time, Emma was ready to put up a fight.
Adrien stifled a snort as he watched the two girls brawl. Emma really was a fast learner. With enough time, he wagered she'd be better than Marinette (though he'd never tell his Lady that though). But what really amused him, was how easy Marinette played into their daughter's hands. It was obvious she just wanted to play with her mother more. He completely understood that. Even though Marinette would decimate her opponents, losing to her was actually quite enjoyable most of the time. It was an experience few got to be apart of, but it was certainly fun. Plus, while they did hang out, playing a game one on one with Marinette was a rarity for the kids. It was a loss he simultaneously wished they never experienced but also would partake in.
After a few matches, Adrien decided to excuse himself and check up on the boys. He slowly made his way over to the screening room and as he neared, he heard the sounds of lasers firing and explosions.
As expected, Hugo and Louis were going head to head, and it was a good match. Adrien walked into a very tense match. Both boys were stood up on their feet, hunched over and leaning forward as they mashed their controller's buttons desperately. Just when things seemed to favour Louis, Hugo delivered his special move, bringing Louis' health down to his level. It was practically an equal match. Louis, however, had his special. But before he could activate, Hugo managed to stun him and finish him off, sending Louis' mecha into thousands of pieces. "Woo hoo!" Hugo victoriously shouted as Louis groaned. "That, little bro, was far too close."
Louis let out a sigh as he reached over to the tray beside his sofa, of what once had croissants. When he found a pile of crumbs, he shouted, "No fair, I'm running on empty!"
"That's a first," Hugo mused.
Adrien began his applause, startling his sons, and whistled at the two. "Bravo, bravo boys!" he commended. "That looked pretty close." The two smiled back at their father. "But, if you are running on empty, I suppose that means it's time to eat some dinner, right?"
Hugo let out an annoyed groan as he exhaustingly rolled his eyes, clearly not wanting to eat yet. Louis, contrastingly, excitedly fist pumped the air. "Food time, sweet!" he cheered. The youngest of the Agrestes always had an infatuation with food. Their mother's baking certainly didn't lessen that at all.
"But, can't I eat later?" Hugo whined, reluctantly putting his controller down.
Adrien chuckled at his eldest son. "'Fraid not Bug," Hugo rolled his eyes and frowned, "Your mother and I will prep the meal, just help set the table." He waved the two to come over. "C'mon, the sooner you eat, the sooner you can get back to it!" Adrien encouragingly announced.
"Sooner I can destroy you, as well," Louis added tauntingly as he and Hugo walked away from their sofas.
Hugo wore an amused look. "Pffft! As if, lil' bro." He elbowed his brother playfully. "The only thing you can destroy is your stomach, with a heaping helping of actual combos," he teased, earning a laugh from his father and an eye roll from his brother.
As the three boys stepped out into the hall, their path was obscured by two lovely ladies. They were both stood with their arms crossed and their hips jutted out to each other, wearing smug looks as they held a controller in their hands. Over their shoulders, were Plagg and Tikki, floating above. Tikki beamed a smile whilst Plagg held a lazy look. Adrien would've assumed they were posing for a cover of some sort.
"Change of plans boys," Emma spoke smoothly. She narrowed her brows. "The only meal you'll be eating, is a delicious dish of destruction!" She raised her left fist to her mother, to which she immediately bumped without looking.
"That's right," Marinette nodded.
The two boys exchanged confused glances before Adrien spoke up. "Uhh, Bugaboo, what's happening?" he curiously asked.
An excited grin formed on her lips as she replied, "Tonight! Is the night of all nights! The match, of all matches! Mechas massacring mechas, bots battling bots, and junk food to grease the night away!" If Marinette was going to be dramatic, Adrien knew this had to be good. He smiled at her and patiently waited for her to continue with her skit. "I sent Jean home early, ordered us three large pizzas, breadsticks on the side," she winked at Louis, who gasped in delight, "and everything will be settled in the screening room!"
"Sweet!" Louis cheered. He hurriedly rushed to his mother and hugged her waist. "You're the best, Mom!" he declared as she gently returned his hug.
"Awesome!" Hugo shouted, pumping his fist into the air. His face quickly shifted into curiosity. "Wait, what's being settled Mum?"
Emma smugly smirked at her cue, stepped forward and held her controller out to her twin as if it were a badge. "Hugo Thomas Agreste, I challenge you to Ultimate Mecha Strike V!" she dramatically declared, leaving the walls to echo her words. She leaned forward and shot her brother a brow. "Shall we?"
His face of confusion was immediately replaced with excitement and adrenaline. "Oh, it's on!" he eagerly replied. "Let's do this!" he shouted as he ran back into the screening room, his sister and younger brother trailed after him. Plagg and Tikki followed suit as well, both were actually enticed to know what the outcomes would be.
Adrien smirked at his wife as he crossed his arms. "A game night?"
"More like a tournament for the ages," Marinette cheerily corrected. "I decided to give Em a few more hours to play with her brother, so I thought dinner and a movie would work!"
"Minus the movie," Adrien amusedly grinned.
"Plus relentless gaming," Marinette sweetly added.
He smoothly walked over to her and grabbed her free hand, massaging her knuckles. "How did I ever," he stopped to kiss her hand, "get so lucky with you, My Lady?"
She blushed back as she smiled lovingly, "It is my special power." She quickly turned over his hand and grabbed it for better leverage, all while shouting, "C'mon, let's watch," before dragging him into the screening room.
And it was truly in fact, a match for the ages. Emma actually did beat Hugo, surprising both him and Louis (she made sure to show off her own victory dance). She won a few more matches between the two, shocking them entirely. While Hugo managed to win every now and then, Emma was still fairing pretty well against her brothers. But after his sixth loss, Louis immediately questioned how she got so good, to which she revealed their mother's hidden talents. Just like that, Marinette found herself immersed into the virtual reality of punching mechs and shooting lasers, proving once again why she was a three time champ. She continuously beat each her children with ease. And soon after their father joined the fray as he claimed he could dethrone the monarch of mechas. He, in fact, did not do so. They all continued to take turns to take down their mother, vowing to beat her before eating dinner. Which left their pizza to cool and their breadsticks to harden up.
It didn't matter though.
Because their Wednesday evening gaming mattered far more than some measly, cheesy, greasy food—even if Plagg would argue otherwise.
A/N: BOOSH! My first ever, Miraculous Ladybug fic! God I freaking love this show.
I know, kinda weird to choose a future fic, but I honestly love writing about Emma, Hugo, and Louis. I especially love the continuities in the fandom where people make Emma and Hugo twins! Because, twins are flipping awesome (#PinesTwins)! I hope you all enjoyed this! Can't promise more to come soon, but I can promise there'll be more!
They'll most likely always be oneshots, perhaps I'll do a twoshot one day, but most certainly oneshots. I intend for a good some of them to be about future fics, and revolving around the kids with a married Adrienette. I don't think I'll shoot for the classic fluff reveal fics everyone writes, because I doubt I can create anything unique in that category so I'll stick with future fics for now.
Adding on, I have an ongoing series Zootopia: Partners in Crime (ZPIC) that has my full attention, so don't expect me to continuously post oneshots. ZPIC is my main focus, Miraculous Ladybug is a just a fun side project that's good for practice!
That said, I do hope you all enjoyed this! I tried to make up as much as I could about Ultimate Mecha Strike, but the wiki page (yes there's a wiki) for it really doesn't provide much. I also hope you guys liked my description of the kids! I personally loved describing their outfits. Emma and Hugo really take after a model design that's comfortably fashion forward, while Louis goes with a more formal look but with flare! Honestly, Paris' fashion sense is amazing, and this show is great at capturing some of that!
I'd also like to add that I just recently joined this fandom, probably like, four weeks ago? Instantly hooked! I haven't seen the Anansi episode yet, so refrain from spoiling in the reviews please! Also, Adrienette? By far my favourite ship. And that's saying something because my all time fave was Taang (TophxAang). But this show really knows how to tease but also how to create a journey. The ride to watch along has been insane and so fun! I already love this fandom, and everything else that's in store for it!
Thanks for giving my fic a read out of the thousands out there! Please, favourite and review!
Until next time,
— Bleh