Continuing Tales

Smoulder

A Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir Story
by MidnightStarlightWrites

Part 32 of 35

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In all honestly, Volpino had to blink hard before he believed Nathanael was truly standing before him, looking just as surprised to see him if not more.

It was then that he realised exactly where he was standing, where his feet had taken him when his mind had been preoccupied with other matters.

He could have kicked himself.

The thousands of padlocks, locked on each side of the bridge, sparkled and reflected in the city lights, each one telling their own tale- each one holding their own wish and hope for the couples who'd secured them. They trailed from one side of the river to the other, like urban fireflies, and their reflections shone in Nathanael's eyes.

Louis would have laughed if he wasn't so busy being utterly transfixed by the gaze his (somewhat) secret lover held.

Honestly, trust him to subconsciously wander to the place they'd met for their first date. Trust Nathanael to come here too.

But then, Nathanael liked this place, had always found comfort in the wooden planks beneath his feet and quietly inspired by the stories the love-locks told. He tended to come here when he felt stuck, when something was bothering him, or when he needed some time away from the world. It was one of the reasons why Nathanael had asked him to meet for their first date here, so he could arrive early and attempt to sketch away his anxieties before Louis' showed up to turn his world upside down in the best of ways.

How the tables had turned.

So, there they were, in a world entirely their own, a world newly born, a world which took them both by surprise. Here, Louis was Volpino, and Nathanael was as he had always been except… no, Volpino corrected himself. Even Nathanael looked different here. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but there was something bold, yet gentle, in the air which Nathanael held.

"S-sorry?" Volpino couldn't help the stutter as he swung his legs over the railing, disturbing perhaps a hundred love-locks as he hopped down onto the pathway and stood a respectable distance away. All the while he did his best to ignore the thrumming of his heart, the impulse to reach out and wrap himself around his boyfriend.

Nathanael seemed to snap out of the shock seeing his rescuer had given him, shaking his head and instead shooting Volpino a shy smile which did nothing to help the poor Fox's heartrate. To say that it would have been counterproductive to his goal of calming down would have been a vast understatement.

"Um, no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like I was accusing you of anything or like I'm not glad you're here," Nathanael replied, waving his arms frantically. "I was just curious as to why you were here. It's late."

Volpino did his utmost to keep his face neutral, but Louis had never been neutral about anything his entire life. Still, he thought as he turned to the side, looking out at the river shimmering below them like a ruffled satin bedsheet, just his luck that Nathanael had appeared before he'd come to any sort of decision regarding his secret identity.

It had been easy to decide to reveal himself to Ladybug and Chat Noir, they were on somewhat equal footing- being superheroes. This was different…

Not that he didn't want to tell Nathanael. If fact, every fibre of his being was screaming to tell him, and the feeling was only getting more intense with every second he'd spent looking into Nathanael's eyes. It was why he'd turned away.

No matter how much Louis loved him, Nathanael was a civilian. He had no powers to protect himself. If it got out that he and Volpino were together, who knows what Hawkmoth could do.

Volpino gritted his teeth, elongated canines grinding (he still wasn't used to them). Hawkmoth had come after Nathanael once, and Volpino would rather die than let it happen again. Never. Never again. Not whilst he was still breathing.

But…

He didn't want to lie. Nor did he want Nathanael to be caught completely unawares. After all what if someone found out his identity and went after Nathanael anyway? His precious, wonderful boyfriend would be totally unprepared. And what if, Volpino thought helplessly, what if something happened to him and he went the same way as his father before him? How would Nathanael feel to know Louis had not only left him, but had been lying to him the whole time?

The currents of the river swirled before his eyes, simultaneously hypnotising him and making him feel sick.

How could he even begin to make this decision?

"Hey, are you ok?"

Volpino jumped at the light hand on his arm, touching just above his elbow, and scurried backwards.

Nathanael was staring at him again. Why, why, why did he have to stare?

It was like the day so long ago, when their eyes had met and Louis had just known. A gaze like that- one which pierced his very soul so unwittingly, so perfectly, so haunting in its beauty. How could Nathanael not know what it did to him?

Because he doesn't know that you ARE his boyfriend right now, stupido.

"I'm fine," Volpino said, a little breathlessly, trying desperately to pull himself together. "But what are you doing here? You're out very late for someone who was almost mugged earlier."

Nathanael sighed, dropping his shoulder bag to the floor and leaning his hands on the railings, resting by Volpino's side. Volpino swallowed. Their shoulders were almost touching. This was torture.

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to sneak out to my boyfriend's house. I know it's late but I wanted to go outside on my own as soon as possible. Don't tell my mum if you see her, she's been fretting about me all day," Nathanael's voice was determined, but there was a trace of fear in it which Volpino didn't like one bit. "I need to get over my anxiety that it'll happen again."

The idea that Nathanael had actually snuck out to seek his comfort made his guilt at lying rise tenfold.

Volpino held his arms behind his back, balancing on his heels.

"So soon though?" He replied, daring to tilt his head and stare at Nathanael, only to turn it right back onto the city horizon again when he saw Nathanael nibbling on his lip.

You are killing me here, Tesorino.

"As soon as possible," Nathanael nodded earnestly. "I'm moving to a whole new city in a couple of months. I can't be scared to go outside of my own home or I'll never get anywhere in life."

"I see, that's very wise," Volpino nodded in response to Nathanael's nod, keeping his arms pinned to his sides, only managing to keep his fingers from reaching out by imagining they were glued together. Once again, he felt that familiar stab of pain at the mention of Nathanael leaving for a year- but they would manage. Louis was a great believer in love conquering all, even in the face of personal tragedy.

A year was nothing compared to the life of separation his mother faced every day.

There was a brief moment of silence. Volpino tried to think of every excuse to excuse himself that he could, but the truth of the matter was he simply didn't want to leave. There was comfort in being beside Nathanael, like just being near him was a balm to soothe his troubled thoughts.

Suddenly he felt a tugging on his lower back and turned to find his tail, his OWN TAIL, moving to wrap itself around Nathanael's waist.

"YOU STAY PUT!" he bellowed.

Nathanael leapt upwards with a startled yelp.

"I wasn't moving!" he cried, clutching his chest as Volpino shoved his tail behind his back and hurried a few steps away in a full-blown panic.

"Ah no! No, no, no, not you dearest, I was talking to my tail! It- it has a mind of its own as I am recently discovering. Forgive me," Volpino hastened to say, not stopping to consider his words as he glared at his now stationary tail for good measure. "I am not quite used to this whole superhero thing. It's my first day after all."

It looked like Nathanael was deciding whether or not Volpino was sincere with his words, or if he was simply out of his mind. To try to convince him of the former, Volpino grinned, waving for some inexplicable reason.

What is the matter with me? Why am I acting like a schoolboy with his first crush?

He needn't have fretted too much, for Nathanael's expression relaxed and he turned back to staring at the river, bright hair ruffling in the breeze.

"Your first day huh? No wonder I couldn't find anything about you when I looked online," Nathanael said, more to himself than anyone, before grinning at Volpino. "I guess I was your first rescue then?"

Something about the way Nathanael said those words sparked something deep inside Louis, a primal, instinctive, protective feeling- perhaps the kind his ancestors must have felt towards their life partners (or 'mates' as Trixx called them, Louis had to admit he was warming up to the phrase- it was adorable). The feelings churned inside him, speaking to his heart and moving his muscles before his brain had a chance to step in.

"Mmhmm," he replied, leaning towards Nathanael with a pointed smirk. "And, well, you know what they say. You never forget your first."

It was as the last few words dropped from his mouth, like warm caramel, that his brain finally caught up. Volpino only had to take in Nathanael's blank stare and rapidly reddening cheeks before he launched himself backwards and away for the second time that night.

"I mean," he cried, wishing his entire being would set on fire instead of his face, "I didn't mean- ah I'm sorry, I realise how that sounded- I apologise- I'm Italian, we're flirts you know?" Volpino laughed awkwardly. "I know you have a boyfriend, I don't want to overstep my bounds and I know you punched me for it and I hope you don't punch me again. Or if you are going to punch me, please don't punch my face- I actually like my jawline. My own boyfriend kisses me there and I like it a lot and do you see? I have a boyfriend too and I love him very much and I wouldn't- but then you're- oh I'm just going to shut up now."

He buried his face in his hands, pondering his new life as some sort of sexually-charged bridge troll. He knew it was entirely his fault for getting into such a situation but couldn't help himself! Flirting with Nathanael was as natural to him as breathing- and it was incredibly hard to learn how to stop breathing.

An involuntary shiver jolted through him, straight up his spine. When Volpino took his hands away from his face, he immediately wished he hadn't. He almost had a heart attack at Nathanael's suddenly close proximity.

"Ah w-what exactly are you doing?" he asked, voice trembling as Nathanael held his tail between his hands, then proceeded to drop it, stepping back around Volpino so that they were now face-to-face.

Volpino was shaking from head-to-toe as Nathanael reached up and began to touch his fox-ears with a tiny frown of concentration. It felt like his insides were jelly and Nathanael was the plate deliberately shaking beneath him.

"Nathanael?" he tried again when he received no answer- Nathanael simply continued feeling his ears. Closing his eyes, Volpino came to a horrendous realisation that he really liked his ears being touched. He really, really, liked it.

"Hmm?" Nathanael asked, stepping back. Volpino opened his eyes, only to discover a mischievous glint in his boyfriend's eyes. "Oh. I was looking to see if your superhero costume had an 'off switch', you know, for your flirting. But I couldn't find one."

At that, Volpino burst out laughing, head tilting up to the sky. Lord did he love the man standing before him.

When he calmed down, he found Nathanael watching him curiously, a calm but amused expression on his face. Volpino smiled back.

"If I discover an 'off switch' you shall be the first to know of it," Volpino chuckled.

The pair settled into a strangely comfortable silence once more. Yet, once again, it was Nathanael who broke the silence. How curious, Louis thought. Out of the two of them, Louis was usually one to initiate conversations, simply because (he fully admitted) he hardly ever stopped talking. It was oddly thrilling, to see Nathanael in this new light- even if it was the dead of night.

"So… where is your boyfriend?" he asked, playing with the collar of his light jacket and not looking directly at him. Volpino wished he had something warm to offer him, it looked like it was getting chilly. "I'm sure he has to get used to you being all nocturnal now- right?"

Running his fingers through his curls, Volpino stared at the love locks on the bridge in front of him. Many had the initials of the partners etched into them; 'G.L + R.R', 'Y.K + V.N', 'M.D-C + A.A'…they helped him concentrate.

"Not at all," he uttered, tracing his fingers over a silver padlock. "He doesn't know. I haven't told him yet. It's not like I don't want to! I want to tell him so badly-" it was here that he looked into Nathanael's eyes, almost praying that he would figure it out and save him from his wretched inner turmoil- "I am quite certain that I'm a terrible boyfriend because I didn't tell him when I had the chance to, and I'm not telling him right now. I'm standing here, and it feels quite like I am lying the longer I don't say anything. Even so…even so-"

"You're worried about telling him because, if you do, his safety could be at risk if anyone finds out Volpino loves him?" Nathanael hit the nail on the head, and Volpino had to force himself to close his mouth. Instead of rolling his eyes at the goofy expression on Volpino's face, Nathanael simply smiled softly. "Don't worry. I get it. It must suck- to be in that situation."

"What would you do?" Volpino blurted out, desperately. "If you were me, if it were your boyfriend. What would you do? Honestly I'm not sure I'm cut out for this, my powers are based around deception but I cannot handle keeping a secret in the slightest. Especially not from him. I feel that I'm the worst person for this miraculous- even if I am proud to have been chosen."

"I don't think you're being very fair on yourself," Nathanael countered levelly, his head bobbing to-and-fro for a moment, "and doesn't the fact that you're such an honest person mean that you're the best person for powers like that? It means you're less likely to abuse them."

Volpino had never wanted to kiss Nathanael so badly as he did right then and there.

"Oh. I'd not thought about it that way," he breathed, dazed, his vision turning hazy as Nathanael stepped closer to him, so they were almost chest-to-chest.

"You should have," Nathanael replied and oh no he was biting his lip again. Volpino prayed to every god in existence to keep his impulses under control. Was it his imagination, or was Nathanael leaning closer?

I am not a horny teenage boy, I am not a horny teenage boy, I am not a horny- oh fuck it Nathanael just end my life already.

"Besides," Nathanael carried on and, at such close proximity, Volpino could hear the breathlessness in his voice. His heightened senses could practically feel the apprehension pouring out of Nathanael, the sudden change in his demeanour, "If it weren't for you I'd probably be seriously hurt right now, or even worse. So- thank you."

And then Nathanael was kissing him, lips brushing delicately against his cheek. The moment was over too soon and the redhead stepped back, staring at his feet and gripping the hem of his jacket.

Volpino had never felt so lost and yet so found.

"I used to hope that one day I'd be a superhero, when I was younger I used to draw really bad comics where I used to save the day and people loved me," Nathanael was talking, and Volpino had to violently pinch himself to snap out of his reverie- so that he would listen to what his love was saying. "I once drew a comic similar to the situation you were in, but I never finished it because honestly? I don't know. I don't know what I'd do. I guess… you just have to follow your heart? Sorry that's kind of lame huh?"

Volpino reached up, fingers brushing the spot on his cheek where Nathanael had kissed it. The action earned him the pleasing picture of Nathanael's face turning redder. Honestly, when had his precious tesorino grown so bold?

"No. It's not lame. It's not lame at all," Volpino whispered, gazing at Nathanael will all the love his heart contained and then some. Secret identities be damned.

Then, it seemed, whatever spell of bravery that had a hold of Nathanael broke with an almost palpable snapping sound.

"I should- I should go," he stammered, almost tripping over his bag in his haste to pick it up. "I'm- I'm sorry about punching you earlier."

"That's alright," Volpino smirked, "your kiss made up for it. I guess kisses really can make pain go away."

The nervous, embarrassed giggle which escaped his lips almost made Volpino burst out laughing again. Too cute. It was too cute.

After saying a brief goodnight, Volpino stood, watching Nathanael hurry away to the other side of the bridge. He leaned against a lamp post, smiling warmly and hugging his arms around himself- feeling more at peace than he had in hours.

But the feeling was not to last as he remembered Nathanael's destination.

His house.

The house he was currently not in.

Because he was out.

Being a superhero.

"SWEET SANTO FRANCES!" Volpino roared, catapulting himself off the bridge towards the nearest building and disappearing into the night.


Marinette was hovering somewhere between the land of the living, and the land of fantasy. Wherever she was, it was a place of total contentment. There were meadows and flowers dancing, the smell of baked goods, children's laughter. Everything felt so perfect, so cosy. Warmth consumed her soul, and a heavy blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. Pleasant imagery crossed her eyes, one after the other, telling a story in a way only her dream-self could truly comprehend.

The heavy blanket was moving (or was it falling?) off her shoulders and she reached out to grab it with a groan.

"Princess."

"Since whenda blankess tahk?" she mumbled, snuggling deeper into the mattress with her eyes firmly shut. Her dreams were fading as she was dragged into wakefulness, but she wouldn't leave without a fight.

"Bugabooooo-"

"Whiney blanket. Shh…"

"Marinette," her shoulder shook a little, a hand pressed on her shoulder, and she stirred. White hot anger shot through her at the one who dared disturb her slumber.

The feeling was short lived when she opened her eyes, shooting a death glare at Adrien's face- which was half illuminated by the early light of dawn.

Adrien's face.

Adrien.

ADRIEN WAS IN HER BED.

"OH MY GOD!"

She leapt up, accidently hitting Adrien in the nose and he cried out in pain. This was bad, this was so bad. They'd actually done it. They'd fallen asleep. Sure, it has always been a fantasy of hers to spend the night with Adrien- but this was NOT what she'd had in mind when they eventually crossed that bridge.

And if that wasn't bad enough…

"Marinette?"

All the blood drained from Marinette's face and judging by Adrien's terrified expression, he'd heard it too."

"Was that-" he began, whispering in terror.

Marinette hopped out of bed without thinking, climbing down the ladder to the main part of the room as she hissed at Adrien to hide behind her pillows. Adrien complied, frantically upturning Marinette's duvet, making it rumpled enough to hide under, and tucked himself into the corner least likely to be seen from the ground level.

Just in time for Sabine to poke her head up through the trap door.

"Sweetie what are you doing up?" her mother asked. "It's not like you!"

"I errr- had a bad dream!" Marinette lied, giggling nervously. Well, truth be told it wasn't a complete lie. After all, the idea that Adrien could have been caught having accidentally stayed the night would have been a full-blown living nightmare.

"Oh," Sabine replied after a pause, and Marinette fought not to sigh in relief from the ten seconds of stone-cold fear the pause had brought. "Well go back to bed, it's too early for you to start getting ready now- we've only just woken up ourselves."

"Right Mama, I'm sorry for startling you," she yawned, almost aggressively in her willingness to seem sincere. No way in hell would she be able to back to sleep- not with all the adrenaline coursing through her veins. In fact, Marinette was certain that the blood, which had earlier drained from her face, was now pooling at the base of her feet, making her upper half feel oddly floppy and her legs like cement. Still, she did manage to heave a sigh of relief as Sabine left with a puzzled shake to her head (not uncommon in the Dupain-Cheng household), before running back up to bed to grab Adrien.

To say he looked ashamed would have been doing his expression a disservice. Marinette almost forgot they were supposed to be sneaking him out without getting caught.

"Do you have to make my life so difficult with that damn adorable puppy pout?" she bemoaned, kissing him and ruffling his hair.

"It's a kitty pout," he sulked, crawling the whole way out of his hiding place, "and I'm not pouting, I'm just sorry- you know- that I put you in that situation."

He glanced down, shamefaced, kneeling far away from her on the bed they'd shared last night.

"I should have gone home. I totally didn't respect your boundaries and you almost got into a lot of trouble for it."

Marinette leaned forward, crouching into his space and looking up at him from under her eyelashes. With one hand resting on Adrien's thigh, she propped herself up and brought her other hand behind his head, resting it in his hair and delighting in the semi-purr she got in response. He was still pouting though.

Stubborn kitty.

"You know," she began, kissing his nose, "that was the best night's sleep I've ever had. Honestly. I wouldn't change it for the world- and as for boundaries well- we both fell asleep, together right? Mutually consensual cuddling!" she chirped, giggling now that the shock of their almost-capture had ebbed.

Adrien chuckled and, ah, there he was- there was her goofy kitten back. All traces of the previous pout were gone.

"I must admit My Lady," he replied, placing his warm hands on her waist, caressing her and pulling her close, "it's awfully nice to see you looking so bedraggled."

"Mmm," Marinette hummed, pressing her fingers to his chest and nudging him backwards, "and there will be plenty more times for you to see me bedraggled later on- but I think you better hurry home before someone discovers you're missing and we have to call for a neighbourhood search again. At least this time it won't be snowing."

"Oh come on, that was one time!"

The pout was back and Marinette laughed, shushing him again, as she pushed him up the ladder towards her balcony.

"Ok, ok, now scram, you silly alley cat," she winked, though couldn't help the blush when Adrien leaned down from the balcony to kiss her hand.

"See you later Princess," he replied leaping back with a flourish as Marinette closed the trap door behind her…

…Only to come face-to-face with two Kwami. One gently amused, the other snarky and mildly offended.

Two Kwami.

"Oh," was all Marinette could say, just as she heard a gentle tapping on the trap door.

When she opened it, Adrien hung his head over the edge, golden hair flopping down at funny angles.

There was a moment of stunned silence between them.

"I- err- forgot Plagg," Adrien mumbled, almost too ashamed to admit it.

"Oopsie!" Tikkie chortled, trying to hide her amusement behind her little paws. Plagg shot her a reproachful look before turning his ire towards Adrien.

"Yeah, I was wondering when you'd remember me," Plagg sneered, rolling his eyes. "You know? Me? The one who grants you your powers even though I don't have to! Honestly you get a girlfriend for five minutes and all of your thinking power goes out of your brain and straight to your-"

"Claws out! Claws out! Claws out!"

Smoulder

A Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir Story
by MidnightStarlightWrites

Part 32 of 35

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