I don't own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir. I do however own the original characters.
Fifth story! I got into Ladybug this summer and have been hooked on it since. Not so much on the show, which is still good, but rather for the amazing pieces of work drawn and written by its fans. I actually got into the fanfictions before I even started watching the show, which lead me to forgetting which character was which and coming up with my own image for them. (For a while I kept imagining Sabrina with Alya's skin tone and Chloe's hairstyle and fashion sense).
Anyway, this story features a version of the very first OC I've ever thought up, (I say version because I've imagined two other versions of him for stories I have been thinking up for a very long time.) It's also one of the first fics I've started where I know how I'm going to end it, which is good because it lets me focus on the real meat of the story.
I would like to thank eNCee Death for their support and help. Their story, Through a Doll's Eyes was a big inspiration for me with this story, along with the book, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, (check them both out, their great).
And for those of you who read Grimm Heir, don't worry, I'm still working on the next chapter. I just wanted to write something else in between.
Now, onto the story! Hope you all enjoy Casting Shadows!
Casting Shadows
Prologue: New Tenants
This was his house…
His house…
Always has, always will be…
Since the time before, it had been his house. Since the time after before, it was his house. And for years and years and years after the time before, it was still his house.
Many had tried to take his house from him. Buy it, change it, live in it, make it theirs…
He drove them all away, save for the ones he really, really, really did not like…
Those, he made suffer. Those, he made beg. Those, he made experience the same sentence he had carried out on Them…
Them...
It had been so very long since They had lived in this house… back in the time before…
Years and years and years ago…
He did not know the exact number of years, he had stopped counting after he got to twenty, for he could not count any higher. It had been much more than twenty years since then, he knew that at least. He had forgotten so much of the time before, forgotten so much of what it was like outside this house.
But he remembered some things…
He remembered his friends. His ever present companions and playmates. They were easiest to remember, because they were still here with him. They remained loyal to him even now after the before. They would play with him, dance with him, and share secrets with him just as they had done in the time before.
Such good friends…
They hated his friends…
They were easy to remember too, or more accurately, They were too difficult to forget. He did not know Their faces, Their names, or Their voices, all of that had been forgotten, but he remembered Them all the same. Remembered what They did to him for talking with his friends, for not doing the things They told him to do… for protecting Her…
Her…
Oh, how he missed her! She was the hardest to remember from the time before, but she was what he treasured most. She had been so small, so fragile, she had not deserved to be in the presence of Them. They never loved her, never saw her beauty or innocence, They only saw a waste of space. An unwanted creation. A mistake.
They were the mistakes!
He remembered keeping her away from Them as often as he could. He remembered feeding her bottles of milk, remembered playing with her to make her laugh, remembered sleeping with her to give her comfort in the cold nights, remembered taking her with him to meet his friends… and remembered how They reacted when They found him and her talking to his friends.
And that was when the time before ended, and the time after before began.
He wasn't sure how or why it happened, but somehow he had managed to endure Their… punishment and return.
Only he was changed…
He was like his friends now, so much like his friends, yet also somehow not so much like his friends. They could not hurt him now, but he could hurt Them!
He made Them pay! Made Them hurt! Made Them beg! Made Them cry! Made Them scream! Made Them bleed! Made Them break! Made Them unravel! Made Them worthless!
He made Them gone, and made sure They didn't come back like he did.
It was only him… him and sweet little her.
But this bliss was painfully brief. Soon, others came to the house looking for Them. When they saw what was left, saw her rocking in her crib unharmed and happy, the others took her away!
They took her from him!
She was his, and they took her! It wasn't fair! It wasn't right! She was his!
He raged at her absence. Cracked the floorboards, shook the ceiling, rattled the stairs, shattered the windows, but he did not go after her. He did not go and find her. He did not go and save her.
He could not…
He could not leave this place. He was trapped here…
Others came back the morning after his tantrum, different others. Others dressed in green and wearing green bowls – no, helmets – on their heads. Some were dressed in tan. One other was dressed in black and did not have a helmet. The black one called out him, knowing he was here, and asked him to show himself. He did not listen. He did not trust others! Others took her away from him.
He wouldn't let them do the same to him! This was his house!
Eventually, these others stopped coming and new ones came in their place. He didn't like these ones either, because they took everything else in the house! The furniture, the candles, even her little crib! They took everything that wasn't nailed down. They didn't get her bottle though, they didn't get her rattle. He hid them away before they could find them and take them away too.
These thieving others stopped coming once everything was gone, leaving him and his friends alone once again. Until more others showed up and started putting their things in his house. He was sick of others by this point, he didn't want any more in his house.
He and his friends drove them off. They were very good at it, others were very frightened of things like him and his friends, especially since they could not hurt them, or even notice them.
But that was not the last time others tried to claim his house. And so he and his friends drove them away too. Sometimes it took longer, sometimes it took shorter, sometimes it ended with the others turning out like Them. But it would always end with him and his friends as the triumphant defenders and the others as the retreating savages.
It became a game for him after a while, a way to have fun, a way to pass the time. He'd never drive off others the same way twice; too boring. Sometimes he'd let them get comfortable before scaring them away, sometimes he'd start scaring them the moment they set foot in the house. It was fun watching their reactions, seeing their minds unravel until they couldn't take it anymore.
And he'd have more of his fun soon enough.
A while ago, a pair of others came to the house, a big one and skinny one. The skinny one was showing the big one around, talking about how great it was and encouraging the big one to buy it.
He watched with glee as the big one agreed to buy the house, excited to at the idea of new toys to taunt and torment.
He and his friends waited and waited and waited for the big one to return. It wasn't until many, many, many days later the big one returned. He watched from a window as a truck pulled up alongside the house, followed by a smaller car. The big other from before stepped out of the small car, along with another, much smaller other.
He watched as more others showed up and began moving things into his house, but he didn't pay attention to them. Those others were just here to move boxes and furniture, they'd be gone by the end of the day. His focus was on the big and small others.
They didn't come inside, not right away. The big one waited as the smaller one took a small cloth bundle out from the car before heading towards the front door. With great speed, he and his friends rushed down to the first floor of the house, stopping just where the staircase entered the first floor to watch the pair of others open the door and walk inside, bright smiles on their faces.
"See, Sabine? What did I tell you?" The big other asked its smaller companion. "This is the perfect place to set up our bakery! We can have the shop set up down here, and live up on the second floor."
The smaller one, Sabine, looked around the room with a curious eye. "It's a bit… bare, Tom."
"Not when we're down with it!" The big one, now recognized as Tom, proclaimed. "Just you wait, once the ovens are set up, Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie will be the best bakery in all of Paris!"
Bakery? They wanted to turn his house into a bakery? That was different. Most others simply wanted to live here, they didn't want to turn it into a… bakery, whatever that is.
Didn't matter, they would be out of here in no time once he-
Movement caught his eye. The bundle in the other named Sabine's arms was squirming and writhing and wiggling like a maggot. Sabine noticed this and began bouncing the bundle in her arms and cooing to it. The big one named Tom looked down at the bundle with an expression he had never seen on an other before.
"Seems I'm not the only one eager to be here." He said softly as he gently took the bundle from Sabine's arms and held in a way that-
He froze. His friends froze. Everything froze.
It couldn't be…
It was a… a…
"Take a look, Marinette." Tom whispered softly to the tiny, fragile, helpless baby staring out into the room with big blue eyes. "This is your new home."
An infant! A baby! A little girl!
Just like her…
~o0o~
The move went off without a hitch. The movers were able to get all their things in the building an hour ahead of schedule and went on their way, leaving the new family alone with their new home.
Tom was proud of himself. He had been searching all over Paris for a suitable home for him and his wife and baby girl. Their old apartment building was too small to raise a child in, and Tom needed somewhere he could set up their bakery.
And this building was the perfect place.
Located on 12 Gotlib Street in the 21st arrondissement, it was situated near one of Paris's greatest and well known structures, the Eiffel Tower and was just across the street from the Collège Françoise Dupont. That meant they'd have a steady stream of tourist and students coming in to enjoy his and his wife's delicious pastries.
And he got it for a super low price too!
Admittedly, he was a bit nervous. When he saw people walking by the building, their new neighbors, they always looked at him with pity and fear.
He didn't understand why. The agent had said this was a great building, perfect for business and residential living.
So then why did he feel a chill running down his spine?
He shook his head. Probably just new home jitters. This was a big day for them, after all.
He and Sabine began unpacking soon after the movers left. They started with their room, putting the sheets on the bed, placing their clothes in the drawers, hanging coats and dresses in the closest, and of course, setting up Marinette's crib.
Since this was the first day at their new home and it'd be a while till the nursery room was ready for her, Sabine wanted Marinette to sleep in their room. Tom didn't argue, he loved his little girl and having her staying in their room at night meant she'd be safe.
He looked over at his daughter, sleeping in the car seat they had brought in for her to rest in. Tom still couldn't believe she was already a month old. He smiled as she slept, completely tuckered out from watching her mom and dad do all the work while she sat there and giggled.
It must be so exhausting watching other people do the work. Of course, she was cute about it, so he let it slide.
There was still work to be done, so with great reluctance, Tom turned around to get back-
Something dark darted across the floor in his periphery. Tom turned to see what it was, but saw nothing but Marinette and the rocking car seat she slept in. Tom blinked in confusion, he was sure he saw something move across the floor…
… …
It must have been his imagination. Maybe he'd take a quick break, have something to eat. The fridge had been set up and plugged in by the movers before they left, Sabine wouldn't mind if he snagged something from it.
Tom tip-toed away from Marinette, trying his hardest not to land on a squeaky floor-plank and accidentally wake the sleeping baby. He somehow managed to make it to the fridge without hitting a single one, no small feat for one of his size, and went to work figuring out which food he might indulge himself with.
Completely ignorant to the fact that Marinette's seat had not been moving until after he saw that "imaginary" thing skid across the floor…
~o0o~
All day, they had spent all day taking things out of boxes and placing them on shelves and tables, in drawers and closets. He and his friends watched it all from their hiding places, darting between spots sometimes to confuse the new others, but they did nothing else.
They did not taunt or frighten, they did not break or move things. They only watched and listened.
It was nighttime now, the moon was at its peak. The others were asleep in their bed and the… the… the little one was in her crib.
He… he had to see her…
It had been so long… so long since he saw one like her.
He wanted to make sure she was real… needed to make sure she was real.
So he crept up to her crib, extra careful not to make any noise even though he was completely noiseless. He slithered up a leg post, his friends close behind him. And peered down into the crib with such care and slowness, it might seem as if he wasn't moving at all.
She was… she was… so small…
It was the only thing he could think of as he stared down at this tiny, pink-clothed baby. She was incredibly small, like she had been, all those years ago. Her torso was small, her legs were small, her arms were small, her hands were small, even how she breathed seemed small! She was like a little doll.
He wondered, did she feel like a doll?
It had been so long since he felt flesh. He forgot what it was like. Would it be hard and cold like glass in winter? Or would it be soft and warm like cloth sitting in the sun?
With all the quietness and care he could muster, he reached into the crib with his hand, his friends all crowded around him in anticipation to what would happen next.
His hand started shaking. Was he nervous? Afraid? Excited? All three at once? He did not know, all he knew was that he needed to touch this child.
His finger made contact with her cheek, and he felt as if he would explode. It was so unlike anything he'd ever felt before! Warm and soft, but nothing like cloth, he was amazed by the sensation it sent through him.
It made him feel… alive…
He pressed harder, wanting to know if the feeling would grow the more he pressed. It didn't.
With a disgruntled whimper, the little girl began to stir. Her eyes clenched, her face scrunched up, she began writhing in her crib.
He drew his hand back lightning fast. What had he done!? Had he broke her!? Was she going to explode!? He didn't want to hurt her! How could he fix this!? How!?
It surged through him like a wave. A… memory of the time before. An answer to his crisis.
Shhhhhh… He hissed softly to her. Shhhhhh…
He kept hissing to her, recalling how he would do this to soothe her back in the time before when she would start to cry. It worked well here too. The little baby stopped her squirming, but did not go back to sleep. Instead, she opened her eyes and looked up at the one who had woken her.
Her eyes were so big and so beautiful. He felt as if he was staring at the sky when he looked into them. There was so much wonder in them, they gleamed with curiosity and innocence. He had never seen something so pure!
She reached up to him with her pudgy little hand, gurgling noises leaving her mouth. He was stunned. He was excited. He was fascinated. She wanted to touch him back!
He leaned his face into reach of her hand, letting her do to him what he had done to her. She tried to grip his face, but lacked the proper motor skills to hold on. She began to pout at her lack of progress, until he reached in again with his hand and brought it close to her own. She grabbed his finger with surprising strength and stared at it with wide eyes before smiling a toothless smile of victory.
Seeing her happy made him smile too. Not a malicious or mischievous smile, not a smile born form others sorrows, but one brought about by the simple act of making this tiny little girl happy.
Like he did back… back in the time before with her…
This had to mean something! It had to mean something! It had to mean-
Hello, little Marinette. He greeted her with a gentle voice, recalling what the big one named Tom called her. My name is Conor… but you can call me, Big Brother.
It had to mean he could have a little sister again!
Only this time, no one was taking her away from him…
No one!
Author's Note: Well? What did you think? Love it? Hate it? Leave a review and let me know! For any of you who are curious about Conor, you can check out a sketch of him on my DeviantArt page, my username is the same as here. Or, you can copy and paste this: art/Conor-Half-Face-634483729 his backstory is on there too, hope you like it!
As Always, Please Fav, Follow, and Review! Thank You!
DeadRich18 Out!
