Consequences Verse

xXx

Ladybug went back inside alone. Then she detransformed and sat primly at the table with Tikki hovering by her side, not glancing once at Hawk – Gabriel, although she could feel his eyes on her. Well, if he was expecting clumsy, awkward Marinette, he had another thing coming.

"He's not going back with you," she said after Master Fu had gone into the other room to get her some tea... again. He'd taken one look between them and opted to get out of firing range most likely. Or to get something that would calm them both down.

She still didn't look at the man who had been one of her idols, too afraid that if she did, he'd get more than a punch from her. She knew she couldn't avoid it forever, and she had something else prepared for him anyway, but that didn't stop her from wanting to introduce his nose to her fist.

Taking a few moments to gather herself, she took a deep breath. He'd get what was coming to him, one way or another. They had a plan. Adrien had actually helped her put it together, and she was surprised the argument they'd constructed was as well-thought out as it was. Normally her kitty ran into situations head-first without thinking things through. She found it more than a little frustrating to realize that he really did know how to be more cautious and thoughtful. Then again, it was Adrien, and he had the top grades in class for a reason.

Master Fu came back in just as Gabriel stiffened. "Of course he will return home. He is my son."

"You lost your right to that when you prioritized your own needs before his," she replied, voice icily calm. Master Fu put the tea in front of her. It was Jasmine, and the mere smell helped. A lot.

"And where would you propose he stay?" Gabriel challenged.

She shrugged. "Anywhere but with you."

"Now, see here, Mlle. Chang—"

"Dupain-Chang," she cut in smoothly. She would be lying if practically hearing him grit his teeth wasn't satisfying. She hadn't expected him to make that kind of slip up. It showed just how much this had all thrown him off too, and she was bound and determined to take advantage of it.

"Very well, Mlle. Dupain-Chang, I am Adrien's legal guardian. Miraculous or not, Hero or not, neither you nor he have the right to come in and—"

He cut off as she put her phone on the table and pushed it towards him.

It said: Child Neglect can be defined as A. Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or B. An act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.

He read the terms with a blank face before turning a dry look back at her.

"I do not see how this is applicable. I do everything in my power to keep my son safe."

She simply took her phone back and opened up a folder, one that Alya had asked her to help keep updated. It held information on every Akuma victim. She set the phone back on the table facing him and began to swipe through the pictures, one by one.

Gabriel gave a sigh that sounded half resigned, half frustrated. "If you do not have any thing relevant to say—"

"For the first few months, you didn't know he had a Miraculous," she cut in again, not willing to put up with his denial.

He frowned and didn't answer. Smart man. She took his lack of denial as answer enough.

"Do you know how many people on this list went to our school?" she bit out, then turned to glare up at him. "You knowingly and willingly put the students there in harm's way, including your own son. That covers the second definition nicely. Imminent risk of serious harm. Then he found out that his father is the person who has been terrorizing Paris. If that is not your definition of serious emotional harm, please enlighten me as to what is."

He continued to stare at her, probably not having expected a teenager to come up with a case against him like that. But she couldn't celebrate just yet.

She took her phone back and looked up one more definition.

Then she returned the phone to him. It read: Terrorism can be defined as the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of a goal, especially a political goal.

"I don't know how political your motives have been, but simply due to the sheer scale, I severely doubt that they won't try you for terrorism, among other things, not the least of which is child neglect." She brought her phone back to her and turned it off before resting her icy gaze on him.

"So, I've come back in to give you a chance to explain to me why I shouldn't turn you over to the police. Because if you don't give me a very good reason, I'd like to see you try and stop me."

Gabriel's eyes narrowed angrily but it didn't so much as faze her in the slightest. "You have no proof. Ladybug or not, they won't simply take your word against mine."

"Well," she returned coolly, "It's a good thing that I have two other witnesses, then, isn't it?" She glanced over at Master Fu, who watched her with a large grin and sparkling eyes. He nodded in agreement, signaling that he'd support her decision. She nodded back gratefully before turning her glare back on Gabriel.

"Your case, M. Agreste."

xXx

Gabriel stared across the table at the fifteen-year-old girl who had the second most intense glare he'd ever seen. The first came from Adrien's mother. He'd be lying if he didn't admit how he noticed the similarities between the two women, despite opposing coloring and backgrounds. But what they had in common made this girl all the more dangerous. She'd been cold and calculating when she'd presented her points and her arguments, and yet he could see the barely-restrained fire in those icy eyes.

Thank goodness. He could use that. He would have to. The idea that he would be caught and incarcerated had crossed his mind, especially recently, but he had things he had to do now. Perhaps he would not be able to get out of it later, and that would be fine with him – he'd always planned on paying for what he'd done anyway, no matter the price – but for now...

"Firstly, the statue," he said, taking his own phone and showing her the drawings he'd taken pictures of. "Your future self only had a vague idea as to where it came from, Middle America somewhere. We have two options when it comes to this statue: We can wait for someone else to find it, or we can do what I have already done and taken steps to support and fund expeditions in hopes of finding it first and maintaining control of it.

"Frankly, you need my money. If I am incarcerated, it is quite likely that my funds and assets would be frozen. Are you willing to take that risk? Potentially give up the world's future?"

Marinette's eyes narrowed as she saw the truth in that.

"Whoever you leave your money to, most likely Adrien, could use it to help us just as much."

And here, her naivety and inexperience showed. "Adrien is 15 and would not have command over anything, with the exception of a small trust fund, until he became of age. Most likely, a board of directors would be chosen for the company and Nathalie would oversee my personal funds. However, that would take a while to sort out. Are you really willing to risk that? We do not know when the artifact was found. It could be tomorrow, it could be in 15 years. Since I've already taken an interest in funding an expedition, I've already changed the future but it will only do so much. Just how much are you willing to bet on this?"

"I'm wiling to risk six months to a year of having problems before we have access to said funds so we can keep you away from Adrien."

Gabriel's mouth thinned, but she didn't so much as shrink back or flinch. He remembered the girl from before as being clumsy and shy, not saying much and stuttering or mixing up her words when she did. This girl reminded him far more of her future self, the woman who wouldn't so much as balk beneath his glares, glares which sent most people running.

He figured he should continue with his defense.

"Secondly, you need my knowledge. I am the one who spoke to your future self. She came back to speak with me for a reason and I am currently the only person with copies of the artifact and with second-hand knowledge of what is to come."

"Seeing as Adrien, Master Fu and I have all seen the pictures, not to mention our Kwami's who probably have far better memories than any human, I think we'd manage. Besides, you're not the only person with second-hand knowledge, right Nooroo?"

Everyone's attention turned to the little, purple kwami chewing away on salted pretzels at the edge of the table.

Nooroo glanced around an then up at Gabriel himself. Gabriel made sure to keep his face straight. He wouldn't ask for anything. He didn't really deserve any favors.

After a moment, the butterfly kwami sighed. "I know a little, but I wasn't there for the whole exchange. I will gladly help anywhere I can to make up for what my butterflies did, but keep in mind that I don't know everything."

Marinette's eyes narrowed even further as she leaned forward. "It isn't your fault," she said. "Don't you dare take responsibility for what he," she jerked her thumb towards Gabriel rather rudely, "did."

Nooroo smiled gratefully, but didn't say anything. Gabriel thought he would have to talk to Nooroo later and agree with Marinette. Anything that happened was on Gabriel's shoulders alone, not his. It was a burden he'd been willing to bare from the beginning.

He still had a few more cards to play, but judging from her reaction, they wouldn't do any good. So he decided to go for the emotional ploy. It wouldn't even be faked.

Looking down at the empty cup in front of him (Master Fu hadn't asked him if he would like a refill, despite having gotten tea for the others multiple times) he took a deep breath and then let it out.

"Please," he said softly. "I would do anything to make sure my granddaughter doesn't die again."

He heard the girl take a fast breath and glanced up to see her staring at him with wide eyes.

"Yes. Adrien had a daughter. She was given the butterfly Miraculous after me."

Marinette didn't look like she believed him, so she turned to glance at Nooroo.

The Kwami nodded sadly. "She mentioned her a few times before..."

"Wait," Master Fu spoke up for the first time, brow furrowed as he looked at Hawk Moth.

Gabriel raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Yes?"

"Why would someone get the butterfly Miraculous? If the threat of Hawk Moth had been neutralized, I would have taken Nooroo back to rest and only activated him in the most dire of circumstances."

This time, Gabriel and Marinette seemed to be in agreement because they both glanced at each other unsurely.

"Master," the small, green kwami (Wayzz?) floated up to them. "This is probably something Chat Noir should hear."

Master Fu regarded his kwami's advice before nodding.

"Indeed. Wayzz, would you mind going and getting him? He is on the roof, correct?"

Marinette nodded, still looking a little lost.

Gabriel could relate.

"Of course, Master," Wayzz replied with a polite bow and floated through the ceiling. They all sat there in an awkward silence while waiting for Adrien. A few minutes later, Wayzz came back through the ceiling and stopped in front of Master Fu.

"He said he wanted to detransform before coming back and left to do so."

Master Fu nodded. "Probably a wise decision, seeing as Ladybug came in from the roof not too long ago."

The girl had the decency to look chastised, although Master Fu didn't sound angry. That was far more like the girl he remembered from this time period. Hmm.

They continued to wait and Master Fu offered everyone (including him, this time) more rounds of tea. Gabriel supposed that was his way of keeping some control on the situation and keeping people calm. It was still an awkward silence they found themselves in yet again as they waited for Gabriel's son. No one seemed to want to do any talking, although Marinette's Kwami had taken her cookies over so she could eat by Nooroo. The butterfly Kwami laid his head on her shoulder and her arm had reached under his wings to rub his back.

It was the most content Gabriel had ever seen Nooroo.

Finally, Adrien came walking through the door, the little, black cat from before floating behind him. They both sent a glare to Gabriel before Adiren sat down next to Marinette. Plagg floated over to join Tikki next to Nooroo.

"Alright, what's up?" Adrien asked Marinette just as the Guardian came back in with a tray full of tea and the plate of cheese he'd taken away when Adrien had left earlier that day. Gabriel seriously wondered about the man's timing. This was what, the third time he'd walked in at just the right moment to break tension?

"We were discussing the future," he said as he placed cups around the table "M. Agreste says that there was a holder who wielded the butterfly Miraculous after him. That shouldn't be. To explain why, I believe you will need some background.

"I am the Guardian of the Miraculous. A long time ago, due to my own folly, two of the Miraculous were stolen: the butterfly and the peacock."

Gabriel shifted uncomfortably. He knew where that peacock was. He wasn't sure if he should say anything at the moment...or at all, really. He wasn't sure he could bare to part with it. He saw Nooroo shoot him a look but ignored it for now.

Master Fu either didn't notice or ignored Gabriel's minute reaction because he continued as if nothing had happened. "I followed their trail as best I could until I came here, where the Peacock Miraculous was last activated. I have been waiting for their activations so I can confront each wielder.

"When the butterfly was activated and used for nefarious purposes," at this, everyone shot a glare in Gabriel's direction. He carefully didn't respond in the slightest and the Guardian continued, "I decided to activate two of the four inactive Miraculous I had under my guard as I've been getting too old to fight a villain and do my normal duties as well.

"That's when I met you two." He smiled over at the teenagers on the other side of the table. They both reacted by blushing. Gabriel couldn't remember the last time he'd seen his son blush like that. It disturbed him.

"If you were successful in bringing the butterfly Miraculous back to me, which I had all faith that you would, I planned on putting Nooroo back to sleep after cleansing him of any evil taint remaining." Gabriel wanted to roll his eyes. Sure, he'd created villains, but he wasn't evil. If he'd truly wanted to be evil, he would have gone to people with few or no scruples instead of normal people having a bad day. He would have found people who stuck to shadows and killed or tortured instead of flamboyant figures meant to draw holders out. Sure, he knew what he'd been doing wasn't necessarily good, but the ends justified the means. He still didn't speak, allowing the Guardian to continue.

"I only activated the red beetle and black cat Miraculous because of that threat. If said threat had been neutralized, I don't see why I would have activated another Miraculous."

Gabriel took a deep breath. "It seems that all the Miraculous were activated in the future."

Master Fu frowned. "You did mention others."

"I don't know if it was due to the fight against me or against the demons, but at some point, all seven Miraculous were activated." He remembered her telling him that later that night, after Adrien had left. Of course, by then, she'd been babbling more than anything, so he couldn't say it was reliable, but they didn't need to know that.

"I even have the names of the other Miraculous wielders, if you would like."

Now even Adrien was staring at him in surprise.

"Perhaps we will speak on it soon. For now, I would like to know the reason why."

"Master Fu," Nooroo said, floating out of Tikki's grasp for a moment as he approached the Guardian. "I believe that only myself and Duusu were dormant until the demons came in the future. At least, that is what I pieced together from what I heard that night."

Gabriel wondered just how he'd managed to put that theory together. It surprised him because Nooroo didn't often volunteer information and played dumb... He began to realize just how much Nooroo had been holding all his intellectual prowess from him. He understood why, and he had suspected before, but still found it frustrating.

"I see."

"I recommend we give the bee and fox Miraculous to the same two wielders. Also, Wayzz began to train another Guardian."

Gabriel couldn't help but stare at the kwami. Just how much had he missed that Nooroo hadn't?

"We will see," Master Fu said slowly. "There isn't so great a threat as to require more than four active, let alone seven."

"There might be if the demon's gate is opened," Gabriel said softly.

The look the Guardian shot him this time seemed troubled.

"Something the future Marinette told me was that the Miraculous holders weren't as in tune with their Kwami and their Miraculous as they needed to be. She insisted that we would have to train and work and discover new powers on a continual basis if we wanted to be remotely ready for the future," Gabriel told them.

"But aren't you taking steps to stop it from happening?" Marinette asked, only the slightest mocking tone to her voice. Gabriel ignored it. She was only 15 after all.

"Yes, but that is no guarantee. All seven Miraculous will need to be active and their wielders working as a team to prepare for the demon's gate."

"And what would they fight?" Master Fu countered shortly. "Miraculous are usually given for life or until a wielder gives their Miraculous up. There is a reason for this, one that has been tried and true multiple times over the years with dire consequences when ignored. People given power, even good people, can become corrupted by that power." The way he stared at Gabriel said: 'Case in point sitting on your cushion.'

Gabriel returned the gaze, looking down his nose for several seconds before sighing. "I am merely passing on what the future Ladybug said. That is all. She encouraged me to come to you, insisted that it would be the best option." He was beginning to wonder if she'd been overly optimistic.

"Wait, I have a question," Adrien said slowly, raising his hand as if he were in class. Gabriel wanted to roll his eyes. The public school system had already had its affect on him, apparently.

"What were the Miraculous initially used for then? Why were they created? I mean, if a Miraculous holder was the problem this time, has it always been like that since they were created? Or were they created to fight against something else?"

All good questions in Gabriel's opinion, although the hidden slights were starting to become a nuisance.

For the first time, Master Fu didn't look like he was the one in control. Instead he shot a glance to Wayzz, who nodded slowly.

"Very well," he said, "I shall tell you a little of where the Miraculous come from and why they came into being."

xXx

Yeah, next time I'm going to BS my way through an entire origin story.