#miraculous ladybug fanwork | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

winter-literature · 1 year

Text

Le Chat Et Le Serpent - Chapter 25

Please note that the entirety of this story is a ****TRIGGER WARNING***** - mentions of child abuse, graphic violence, alcohol use, mental health, suicide, suicidal ideation, self-harm - basically a constant blow of pain towards the characters - as well as some "steamier" moments.

Chapter Summary:

Different sides of the story learn things they hadn't known before about darkness affecting the Graham De Vanily bloodline.

Chapter 25: You Can't Keep A Good Dog Down

Pretty as a Speckled Pup

“Maman?” Madeleine spun her ring as she sat beside Florence.

Florence’s blonde hair had turned to a wiry grey that shimmered under the afternoon sun.

“Oui, ma belle?” Florence kept her eyes closed, allowing the sun to blanket her.

“How well did we listen? When you first tried to use your ring?” She gnawed at her cheek as she fiddled with the ring.

“Are your daughters not listening to you?” Florence vividly remembered the terror that toddlers wreak.

“Non! Well.. Some of the time they do. Other times, I’ve nearly run my finger raw and they still won’t calm down!”

Florence peeked towards Madeleine, noting the heavy bags under her eyes. “It’s not quite that simple. Do you remember when we got a dog?”

Florence brought Fang home when they were five. He was scarred and angry; he constantly nipped at the girls. It wasn’t until a figure had attacked their house that they bonded. The girls, as foolish as they could be, had shown Fang nothing but kindness. When their safety was threatened, he was willing to lay down his life for them. It may have been the fear of losing them, or realising how fragile the small humans truly were, that convinced Fang to play the role of the twins' guardian. Even if that duty came with floral crowns.

“That old lug. Of course. Did we not listen? I thought we were really good about feeding him and keeping our distance when he was upset.”

“Oh, you girls were excellent by then. But Fang had seen darkness, that’s why he fit into our family so well. It took him time to attach to us. I have never met a mutt riddled with such trust issues.” She chuckled at the way he would eye her as he ate his food bit by bit.

“Yes, but, are you saying my daughter’s are dogs?” Madeleine raised her eyebrow towards her lazed mother.

“Hah!” Florence bolted up in amusement. “Somedays, I would have to agree! However, that is not what I am implying. The creatures within the ring don’t know you yet. Give them time, and they will learn to appreciate you.”

Madeleine’s face scrunched as she pulled the ring to her face. “What, do I like, give it treats or something? A warm bath?”

Chuckling, Florence lowered back against the blanket. “No, dear child. It is simply that you use them. Although you might have a point, perhaps a special cleaning every now and again wouldn’t hurt.”

“Bonjour mon petit.” Madeleine whispered to the ring. “I swear, I will keep you safe.”

“Just remember that the ring directs your children to behave. The more the rings know you, the stronger your link will be. The same applies for the children. As their soul becomes familiar with the commands, they will start listening more and more, to nearly any command you set forth.” Madeleine understood the unspoken warning within her mothers words; do not overexert the influence of the rings.

“How long did we resist it?” Madeleine laid beside Florence, engrossed in her stories.

“It depends on the request, my love. You’re less likely to get resistance in telling a child to sit down than you are to get them to write a symphony.”

“Oh, but a symphony would be a beautiful feat.” Madeline mused.

Shaking her head in enjoyment, Florence once again allowed the sun to engulf her.

Every Dog Has Their Day

Untacking Viperion from the ‘extended time only’ section, Felix placed his image beside Chat.

“When are you going to get a new power? You’re falling behind.” Lila scoffed as Felix dug the tack into the top of the photo.

“I already gained my extended time at a faster rate than all of the other holders. I’d say that I’m doing quite well.” Felix’s voice was trailing as he focused on the images. Nino, Alya, and Luka. We have almost all of Adrien’s best friends here.

“Yeah, but unless you can conjure up a miracle, you’ll have nothing against him.” Lila pointed to Chat, who had multiple sets of notes scribbled under his picture.

“Chat got distracted twice today.” Felix met Chat’s replicated eyes.

“Mmm, I can smell the hair burning! What are you thinking?” Lila flirtatiously stepped towards Felix.

“The first, when Juleka was hit. The second, when they returned.” Felix thought out loud.

“When Viperion and Purple Tigress returned?” Lila set her chin on his shoulder.

“Yeah, something must have happened when they came back because Viperion yelled at Chat to keep his attention forward. It’s difficult to say for certain since this theory depends upon his use of his Second Chance, but it truly appears that way.”

Impressed, Lila kissed the back of Felix’s neck. “So what does that mean?”

“You said Luka is at Adrien’s house regularly?” Felix grabbed the stack of notebooks from Lila’s surveillance and rested them on the table.

“Nearly every day!” Lila triumphantly responded. “Rarely goes home at all.”

“He was there the night I took the tablet containing the Grimoire.” Felix flipped through the pages, searching for notes including Luka.

“Some people are shipping the boys.” Lila cackled at the idea.

Pausing his search, he pushed down the notebook. ‘ Adrien walked away from Luka. Had a weird nose bleed???’. “Lila.” His attention stayed upon her cursive font.

“Yes, my Love?” She wrapped her arms around him.

“Did Gabriel ever suspect Adrien as Chat Noir?”

Working Like a Dog

Nathalie stiffened at the sight of Rena and Carapace casually walking through the front door, Adrien’s eyes glowed a warning to her as he stepped in from the dark. He had become so astute at working alone, she was never brought into his plans.

“We may have another guest coming shortly, Nathalie.” Adrien informed her. Nathalie flickered her attention to Adrien’s bedroom door, nodding in understandment.

“This - this is very thorough, Adrien,” Rena commented as she skimmed the documents.

Running his finger around the rim of his whiskey glass, he tried to push the thought of Alya knowing the depth of his splattered history with Felix.

Luka had helped Adrien colour coat and organise every single message, e-mail, and deposit between the Agreste’s, Lila, and Felix. “Figured if you’re going to hash through the depths of my life, I might as well make it as quick as possible.”

“Ripping off the band-aid.” Carapace agreed, trying to mask his own discomfort.

Adrien’s office door slammed open, startling the trio. Viperion vaulted nearly a foot in the air, also surprised at the ferocity of the opening door. He mouthed a ‘sorry’, as if complete silence was the reparative solution to the loud bang. Eased by his presence, Adrien settled back down to the floor, leaning his back against the same shelf he had pressed Luka against the week before.

“Is everyone here?” Rena scanned the room, as if there was a crowd of people to headcount.

“Yeah, only us on shift tonight.” Viperion yawned as he gripped the back of his neck.

“Can you lock the door so we can give the Kwamis a break?” Rena motioned papers to the door, her face seemingly dumbfounded that he didn’t come to that realisation himself.

“Oh, yeah.” He mumbled as he clicked the latch shut.

Reaching into her purse, Alya pulled out the container that held the grapes she had packed for Trixx. However, instead of pouncing to Alya, Trixx headed straight for Adrien.

“Did you stock up?” Trixx bounced in the air.

“Trixx…” Wayzz scolded him.

“What? He always gets the best stuff! Why would we not ask him when he literally has a fridge dedicated to Kwami snacks?”

Adrien interjected, worried that they may give too much away. “Yes, of course. You know where it is.”

Sass, barely awake himself, nodded towards Luka before following the other Kwamis.

“What were you up to?” Nino pried suggestively.

“Huh?” Luka had melted onto the floor across from Adrien, his arm along his raised knee.

“You look like you just woke up, were you too busy playing cat and mouse?”

Luka forced his dreary eyes to avoid glancing towards Adrien. Now that Chat had displayed his affection, the pressure to downplay the ‘Lukadrien’ was on high alert. “Shut-up, I just fell asleep.” He ran his free hand against his face.

“Luka, if you need to sleep that’s fine. We’ve got this.” Alya waved her hand over the documents.

“It’s okay, learning as much as we can about Felix is the priority.” It was true that finding Felix was the most important task, but that’s not why he was there. Luka had already seen each of these documents at least twice. He knew all too well the horror that laced some of these pages, and he didn’t want Adrien to face it alone.

Recognizing how exhausted Luka was, Adrien shined an apologetic glance. Luka shook his head with a petit smile, letting him know that he wanted to be there. Granted, he would have preferred that it had not been during a deep sleep, requiring Nathalie to poke him in the face.

Adrien wasn’t certain if it was the mention of Chat and Viperion, or the appreciation that brewed within him for the slumped man across the room, but a slight pain in his head reminded him to avert his gaze.

“Dude…” Nino’s pitch lowered as he started to realise the gravity of the papers they were flipping through. “This is fucked up. Luka, look at this.”

He knew from the crumpling exactly which paper it was. One of the screenshots between Felix and Adrien. Luka had tried to reassure Adrien that the squad would not need to see everything, but Adrien didn’t want to leave one piece missing. They might see something he could not. Still, that knowledge did not prevent him from throwing it to the floor and stomping on it repeatedly.

Adrien peeked at the document being passed over, but as soon as he recognised it, he returned his focus on to the glass in front of him.

Felix: You should have got on that train. Now you’ve lost it all. Your model girlfriend has already offered to get on her knees for me. And that insect you’re so in love with, she’s helpless now.

Adrien: Don’t do this Felix. You need to give the Miraculous back to Ladybug. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.

Felix: Think about it, if you come with me, we can finally wage war on your dad.

Adrien: Not this way. That jewel needs to go back to where it belongs.

Felix: Don’t tell me you aren’t considering it. You can finally give Gabriel a run for his money. It’s pretty hard to leave a mark when we come at him with the powers.

Adrien: My father will get his due. You can’t possibly pretend your actions are justified.

Felix: Oh really? Is that what this boy would say?

*Images continued until the end of the page.*

Felix: Or are you now just your dad’s lap dog? A beaten mutt cowering at his owner's feet?

When they were younger, Felix believed he could protect Adrien by documenting Gabriel’s actions, but everyone shrugged it off. Enraged, Felix always kept them, hoping he would find anyone that would listen. The photographs were certainly never intended to be used against Adrien, but the desire to pull Adrien to his side was too powerful.

Luka pretended to read it quickly before passing the paper back to Nino. Below the everyday outfits that Adrien used to wear, his body was morphed into an abstract painting. Bruises of different age and strength, covering far too much of the young man’s skin.

“I’m sorry Adrien, I had no idea,” Alya’s words were soft, her rage syphoned through her fingers pinching the paper. Everyday that they were fighting battles together, Adrien was constantly living within one.

The journey down Adrien’s sordid past was quick to wear on them. Merely an hour passed before Alya decided that they’d had enough. “We’ll take these to our place and call it a night. Hopefully we can find something, but honestly it just feels like we’re running in circles.” She groaned as she buried her face into Nino’s shoulder.

“Alya,” Adrien swirled the freshly poured drink around his glass, “you are the snoopiest, and most intelligent person I have ever met. If anyone can solve this, it’s you.”

“Hey!” Nino perked, only latching onto the snoopy descriptor.

“Thank you, Adrien.” Alya smiled in gratitude. “Come on Nino, let’s go home.”

“I don’t think you’re snoopy, Babe.” Nino raised his lips to hers.

Alya returned the kiss with a grin. “Oh come on, you know me better than that.”

Nino brushed her cheek before he rose. “Adrien, I am so sorry that you’re dad was so fucked up. I knew it was bad… but I didn’t realise it was…”

Embracing Nino, Adrien soothingly patted his back. “It’s okay, I knew he had his demons.”

Luka intercommed Adrien’s room, telling the Kwamis it was time to return.

“Already?” Trixxed whined. It was rare he ever got to spend time with Plagg; and he was the only one that would thrive in mischief with him.

“If there’s grapes in my drawers, Trixx.” Adrien’s words attempted to formulate a threat, but he could not keep a straight face. Luka had a knack for unintentionally finding the Kwamis’ snacks by squishing them.

“Alright Turtle Boy, you bring out the boxes, I’ll be right behind you.” Alya instructed.

“On it, my love!” Carapace stacked the boxes on top of each other as he headed towards the door that Luka held open for him.

Alya carefully listened to the receding of Nino’s steps. At the latching of the front door, she pointed her fingers towards the couple. “What the fuck are you guys doing?”

“Drinking whiskey?” Adrien flashed the Kagami style robotic smile. Her accusing finger jabbed in the depths of Adrien’s skull.

Alya hit Adrien in the head with a rolled up paper. “You guys better be careful! Now that Chat’s basically proclaimed his love to Luka, you need to make sure it stays between the two of you.”

“I know, I know.” Adrien rubbed his head, as if the paper had somehow maimed him.

Standing perfectly straight, Luka nodded once. Somehow, that one motion seemed a lot more reassuring than Adrien’s mumbling. Alya threatened them with the paper once more before transforming. “I love you guys, I’ll see you soon! Oh - and make sure you get those videos for next week!” She waved the paper weapon behind her as she continued away.

“I’m sorry I put you in that position.” Adrien watched the ice cubes dance within his glass.

Luka took the glass from him and took a sip. “Oh - this is nice.” He continued to down Adrien’s drink.

“Hey!” Adrien pushed out his lower lip.

“That’s what you get for not pouring me a glass. This was hard for me too.”

Understanding, Adrien turned to the mini bar. As he dropped the ice into the glass, a red blot veined over the cubes. Shit. The headache’s gone now, so there shouldn’t be any more blood. Adrien covertly wiped his nose as he raised the bottle of whiskey.

Clutching the neck of the bottle, Adrien returned to Luka, who was now holding an empty glass.

Reaching out for the new glass, Luka tensed his lips as Adrien pulled it out of his grasp.

“Nuh-uh,” Adrien poured the alcohol into Luka’s glass. “You could have had a fresh one, but you claimed mine! So now you need to live with the consequences of your actions.” He snickered as he returned the bottle to its place.

“I’m not mad, just so you know.” Luka narrowed the space between himself and Adrien. “About being put in that position. I didn’t have to kiss you back.”

“I know you want the overt affection, and that’s… I think… I think Chat’s the only way I can give you any of that.” His words mumbled in shame as they fell from his mouth.

Luka’s lips were chilled and moist as he kissed Adrien. “I think I can handle being shipped with a hot leather-clad superhero.”

Author's Note:

This is one of those that I put in my head, but don't know if anyone else caught on to this - Chloe *knows* she is the only one that knew before Adrien was "regulated". So - even though Adrien's office is one of his safe spaces, Alya knowing would still incite an ache. Since it is more of a convoluted situation that focuses on Chat Noir and Viperion, it is easier to separate from - except for when Alya comes right up to them about their relationship.

I loved the imagery of little blonde twins adorning a grumpy, jowly doggo. Kids and dogs are just so cute.

I would like everyone to take a moment to consider the type of mischief that Plagg and Trixx would get into. You could write a whole series about them pranking each other haha

Considering the timeline at hand, the photos would have needed to be taken during the timeframe of the show. I like to believe that even though Felix was being a tit, he saw it and still tried to say something - even though he was already starting a ruckus. Everyone, including his absent minded mother, likely led to increased brashness on his following visits. Angry at the situation, at himself, at everyone.

One of the positives and negatives throughout the show is Adrien's absolute obliviousness. As we can see, Adrien is starting to understand some of the mechanics behind his headaches and his nosebleeds, but he still doesn't fully *get* it.

The second part of the miraculous breaking will be in Chapter 26 - it will help to answer some questions that might be brewing!

*** I almost forgot to add - Nathalie. They walk into the house in supergear. Why? Because they don't know that Nathalie knows. So even though it would be seemingly less conspicuous to go in their regular clothes, since they are doing work related to the super team, they wanted to play it on the safe side.

Disclaimer * The characters and original plot were written and created by Thomas Astruc. This writing is merely an interpretation in a sad gay type of way.

0 notes