Hi Jermiah! I forgot to reply to your comment on Wednesday. Just wanted to say that all the story is written since december. I can't take suggestions or adding episodes that came out after. So not taking into account Kuro Neko, nor Psychomedian. Besides, they're aged up so lot of things happened since season 4 for them in my story. That's why LB and CN are closer. You're idea was pretty cool but I'm not taking this path (It's incredible to see all the ways you could rewrite the same story.) Anyway, you're waiting for a reveal and... I like to suprise my readers and not being to subtle, so... you will see.
Good reading y'all, and keep sharing with me your opinion. I will be glad to answer you.
CHAPTER 7: 1680
Chat Noir sucked his breath in and heard his partner do the same, almost choking on her own saliva. Immediately, his worried and stunned gaze found that of the heroine, which reflected, without a doubt, the same bewildered expression.
Faced with the serious expression and the inquisitive look of their interlocutor, Chat Noir opened his mouth, ready to give up and answer the Guardian, but his partner didn't give him the opportunity, interrupting him. "We can't answer you: Chat Noir and I, we don't know each other's true identities. Master Fu, my predecessor, has formally forbidden us to share our secret."
Monsieur De la Fontaine frowned thoughtfully and rubbed his chin. "What age were you when you were entrusted with your Miraculous?"
The two heroes exchanged a quick glance before nodding simultaneously. "Thirteen years old," they exclaimed as one.
"How did such a responsibility come to rest on children's shoulders?"
Together, Ladybug and Chat Noir explained Master Fu's Tibetan adventures: the destruction of the Temple, the loss of the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous, which had been inactive for over 150 years, until the aura of Nooroo was felt by one of the kwami. They spoke of Master Fu's choice to entrust the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous to retrieve those of the Butterfly and Peacock. A choice that had been turned toward them, without them ever knowing what had really motivated the previous Guardian's decision. Since then, they had fought relentlessly with Hawkmoth and Mayura, then Shadowmoth, until they drew too much energy from their Miraculouses and pushed their powers to the limit, putting their own lives at risk.
The poet listened attentively to their story, never interrupting the diatribe of the two heroes and listening with interest until the end.
"I see," he declared. "The Guardians never get the wrong holders. Call it a sixth sense. However, you were very young when you were chosen, and this Master of whom you speak certainly wanted to protect you, and to wait until you were both more mature to add the weight of the knowledge of your identities on your shoulders," he explained. "It's a constant sword of Damocles hanging over your head, learning that your soulmate is the person who risks his life by your side, every day in battle, is not easy to take in for a prepubescent child," he added solemnly.
Ladybug jumped nervously to the cat's side and waved her hands in protest. "We don't... we're not... not—"
She was probably searching for words, waving her hands even more frantically at her partner. He raised an eyebrow, bewildered by her attitude.
"What my non-girlfriend , who kissed me not even thirty minutes ago, is trying to say is that we're just friends... with some…benefits."
"Chat Noir!" she made a face.
The hero shrugged. "What? You're playing innocent now? I only tell the truth. We're not a couple, but you know as well as I do that—"
"—that we're not a couple, Chat Noir!" She boomed, clenching her fists on her hips.
"Not yet," he replied with an implied wink.
"You still don't get it! The problem is that you're not him! You're not him, and that's the problem!"
"You think it's easy for me?! It would be easier to get rid of you both if you weren't so beautiful and..."
"Enough!" Their interlocutor stopped them, raising his hand. "I don't need to hear any more to know what the real problem is," he said sternly. "Follow me please."
The Guardian walked into an adjacent room, a large, baroque-style living room. The walls of the large room were littered with cherry wood bookcases, filled with hundreds of books in gold and copper bindings. The sofas and couches were upholstered in brown leather and had golden frames and armrests. A red and brown oriental carpet covered the floor, and the room was bathed in a subdued light from several oil lamps, which were placed on different pieces of furniture. A baroque crystal chandelier also hung from the ceiling, but was unlit.
Their host went to a shelf next to a desk and took a book, whose ruddy red cover with a golden symbol, was quickly recognized by the hero and his partner. It was the Grimoire. The poet opened it, flipping through a few pages with interest, before pausing in his reading, presenting the double page that was open to Ladybug.
"I suppose you know about this relic, Miss Ladybug?"
The heroine stroked the cover of the grimoire and nodded. "Mine was damaged during Master Fu's exodus, and then came into the possession of a third party. I've a copy, but unfortunately, some of the most important pages are incomplete, or even missing," she lamented, her tone resigned.
The poet smiled and opened the book, pointing a finger at a specific page, the one that would bring them crucial information and the desperately needed solution. "The overdose you've suffered from is not unusual. It's benign and reversible," he revealed. "All you need is the incantation transcribed on this page of the grimoire, as well as the Miraculouses against which your powers had been used," he stated, providing the heroes with some welcomed clarification. "And I'll have to prepare a small, insignificant set-up. Nothing too complicated."
"We already have the Miraculouses," whispered Ladybug. "We traveled to the future to get them."
"And I have the incantation," their host said.
Chat Noir clapped his hands and stepped between Monsieur de la Fontaine and his partner.
"Purrfect! What are we waiting for? Let's stop talking and go straight to the incantation. Let's fix this mess for good!" the hero impatiently said.
"It won't work."
Chat Noir's heart skipped a beat: the Guardian had just cut him off at the knees.
"But... The solution is right here!"
"And you have the ritual we need!" Ladybug added in an annoyed voice.
"It's not that simple," announced Sir de la Fontaine . He was clearly not the least bit impressed by his visitors' displeasure. "Your Miraculouses are too fragile and unstable for the ritual to work, as Tikki and Plagg noticed earlier, and as I noted myself. The two of you were not chosen by chance. There is a bond between you, and it goes far beyond the control or knowledge of any Human."
Chat Noir's gaze fell on his ring before turning to his partner. The latter was fiddling with her earrings and seemed to be thinking.
So many questions... They both had so many questions burning in their minds.
"What should we do to strengthen our Miraculouses, Sir? How do we prepare them for the ritual?" the feline asked. "We will do everything we can to turn the tide."
"First, you must be on the same page, in perfect symbiosis. For that, you must set your differences aside and rebalance the bond which unites you. You have to break down the walls that stand between you and learn to be honest with each other, but also with yourself," he explained very seriously. "I think I have an idea to help you reconnect with each other, while taking it easy. Come back tomorrow and we will begin your healing process."
The day after their first meeting with Jean De la Fontaine , Ladybug and Chat Noir made an appointment to meet on the same roof as the day before, at the same time.
The silence was heavy. The atmosphere between them was heavy and neither of them dared to address the revelation, and the evidence, that the former Guardian had confronted them with: their Miraculouses were an inseparable pair. Her partner and she were meant to be together. They were made for each other.
That seemed to cut through the relentless dilemma her heart had endured for years. Nevertheless, the realization still had a somewhat bitter taste. She was certain that what she felt for Adrien was real. She couldn't bring herself to erase it all with a snap of her finger. Even if what she felt for Chat Noir was much stronger than she dared to admit to herself. She loved him too. But the idea of offering him only half of her heart and being semi-absent in their eventual love relationship, because she also loved another, did not enchant her.
She had to find out what was in store for them, trust what they could build, and move on. Literally: she had to move on and take a real step forward and go down the rabbit hole to venture into the past.
Lady Bunny took a deep breath and put her troubled thoughts aside, walking with her partner through the time portal that faced them.
They arrived immediately in Jean De la Fontaine 's living room where he was already waiting for them. Three glasses of Hypocras were served on the coffee table, just waiting to be tasted.
Lady Bunny took a quick glance at Chat Noir who was tasting the drink and seemed to enjoy it. She imitated her partner and brought her lips to the crystal glass, discovering curiously that the drink was rather sweet, spicy and pleasant to taste.
"I want you to let go of your transformations," exclaimed the Guardian.
The heroine coughed and choked on her drink, spitting some of the flavored wine directly into her glass.
"Don't worry, you won't know each other's identity," he said. "Not yet," he added seriously.
He handed the heroes two silk scarves and ordered the two to tie them in front of their eyes.
They did so without questioning the Guardian's orders. They did so, before letting go of their transformation.
"The heart sees what the eyes cannot see. I will let you remove these makeshift blinders when you realize what is truly before you," he said in a sincere tone. "In the meantime, I'll give you room and board for as long as it takes."
"But—" Marinette wanted to protest, but her new mentor didn't give her the chance, raising his hand to interrupt her.
"No discussion," he announced. "Let's eat, please. The dinner is getting cold."
Marinette sighed in defeat and turned to the left, where from memory the door to the dining room was. She took a few cautious steps but soon her foot hit the sofa. "Damn it," she muttered through clenched teeth.
She turned and suddenly found herself wrapped in strong, forcefully familiar arms. Except that this time, these firm arms were not covered with spandex but with naked, soft and hot skin.
"Having a little trouble finding your way, Milady?"
The voice of her partner was the same, and at the same time, different. There was this je ne sais quoi that she could not explain but that gave her goosebumps.
"To tell the truth, I've always had a horrible sense of direction. A mole would find the way out of a maze much faster than I would," she chuckled. "I'm not always Ladybug."
"That's good. I'm not always the funniest, incredible, Chat Noir either."
She could hear the mischievous smile in his voice, even though she couldn't see it.
Her partner's hand then slipped into hers and she shivered at the new and unexpected skin to skin contact.
"Follow me. Together, we should be able to find the dining room before tomorrow's breakfast," he laughed contagiously, dragging the heroine's laughter along with his.
Marinette moved her fork around on her plate, searching for another piece of roast chicken: having to eat blindfolded was proving to be a much more complicated exercise than she had expected.
Marinette was sure that if her partner could see her struggling with her food at that very moment, he would certainly laugh at the situation. However, no chance for him, he found himself in the same boat as her, and this for an indefinite time. A time that she intended to reduce as quickly as possible. She didn't intend to linger for several days in a time when the use of outdoor latrines was still in use and this even if their host was deeply kind and generous.
She suddenly dropped her fork, the latter falling on the table and then on the floor before breaking the heavy silence that had settled during the meal.
"If we reveal our identities right here and now, can Chat and I do the ritual immediately, so we can get home as soon as possible?"
She couldn't see her partner's reaction, but she could clearly hear the moment his fork fell onto his plate and could imagine the shock and incomprehension painted all over his face.
"This is not an option. It will create more tension and further unbalance your Miraculouses. You need to open up to each other first and lay yourselves bare."
"As for getting naked, that can be arranged quickly," Chat Noir's facetious and seductive voice teased.
Marinette, who had bent down to pick up her fork, instantly let it fall to the ground again. " Chaton !" she growled sternly.
"Enough, please! I know that the overdose impacts your sexual desire but if you wish to give yourselves into coital activities, I would be grateful to you to hold back until the end of the meal and to wait to be in the room which I put at your disposal."
Neither of them dared to protest and go against the Guardian's words as the silence fell heavily on the room again, until their host continued his explanations.
"If I want your costumes to stop being a second skin behind which you hide your true personality, your doubts and your resentments, this is because it's the first step to open up to each other. Good things come to those who wait, let's not rush the steps, young Lady."
"Excuse me Master, I beg your pardon. It's just that the situation is getting complicated to manage and we have our enemy in Paris... Chat Noir and I need to be at our best if we want to be able to defeat him," Ladybug mumbled politely. "If we ever do," she added in dismay.
"That's a great topic for conversation! Let's talk about your enemy. No doubt that he undergoes the same overdose as you."
Served him right , Marinette thought, reassured to have confirmation that she and her partner were not the only ones to suffer the inconveniences associated with the overdose.
"I certainly won't pity him," she snorted.
"Bug, think about it... Shadowmoth stole Master Fu's tablet. He has a copy of the Grimoire... that means he has the solution to the problem…"
"Maybe, but... he needs our Miraculouses for the ritual and he doesn't have them! But, we have his thanks to our future selves," she replied. "I think we're way ahead of him, Minou."
"Ugh, don't call me that," he protested firmly.
Since when did her partner get angry about the nicknames he usually loved so much?
"Minou," she repeated, taunting him.
She heard her partner's breathing become erratic and suddenly the table shook. A thud resounded in the room: the fists or elbows of the boy had just hit the table voluntarily and full force.
"You know what, you're playing on my nerves! Every time you open your mouth, I only wish I could be transformed so I could make you swallow my stick and make you shut up," he groaned angrily.
"Which one of your sticks?"
Her audacity made her blush to the roots of her hair. Under normal circumstances, without an overdose and unpredictable, uncontrollable symptoms, she would never —ever— have dared to imply a sexual act including her partner, not while she loved Adrien... Or, at least, not in front of him, and never out loud. To hell , she thought, and this hell was terribly tempting.
The hero let out a deep growl from the back of his throat. "Don't play that game with me, Milady," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "Don't tempt me."
"I like to live dangerously."
"If I catch you…" he warned her in a predatory tone.
"You should never sell the bear's skin before you've put it down*."
"I'm going to—"
A clearing of the throat abruptly interrupted their conversation.
"I seem to have already mentioned that the increased sexual desire was one of the side effects of the overdose and that it had no place at my table! Did you even listen to me?!"
"Yes!" They both exclaimed, annoyed from being interrupted in their argument.
To be continued...
*Reference to the fable The Bear and the Two Companions written by Jean de la Fontaine. This is the moral used at the end of his story.
See you probably on Sunday for the next chapter!
Y'all have a Miraculous week end.