"Season 5 is up and running!~"
"Did you see? Did you hear? Did you know what's coming?~"
"Our miraculous destiny starts today!~"
"LET ME HEAR YOU SAY-"
Oops. Wrong franchise, but the context still applies.
Season 5 of Miraculous Ladybug is coming. Not dubbed in English… BUT IT'S COMING, LETS GOOOOO! ~(uヮu)~
In honor of that, and before I'm cluttered with season 5 stuff, I released the next chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 3: Entering the Den
The nature of this world is irreversible. It's either stuck in a tranquil stasis, or plunged into the shallow sea. Yet, what stood in my presence was mingled in between.
I fretted, not managing to bury my surprise or the omen growing within me.
The Agreste Manor.
It doesn't need much explanation. It's exposed particularly in almost every episode of the show, for it depicts the humble hearth of the second protagonist.
"Are you sure about this?" I whispered to the last living tenant, uncertain about what his reaction would be at the sight of his origin of place, now aware that the foe he once sought to defeat all this time…. had been lurking so close to his proximity.
His own family.
"I'm pawsitive." But my concerns were unfounded, as the source of my turmoil simply shrugged in response, indifferent about our temporary quarters for the night.
I saw the abandoned, decaying building with contempt.
It was, for all intents and purposes, a sparkly prison that confined the only son of the Agrestes to isolation.
And the people who once resided here?
A man who acted more like a warden than a father, seeking a wish to fix what he had once lost. He used anyone and anything in his path to fulfill his toxic desire, condemning what he cherishes most.
A secretary who donned an icy exterior, heeding the command of a narrow-minded buffoon. She sacrificed herself for unrequited love, overlooking what was truly important.
And the silent gorilla who played the role of bodyguard, butler, chauffeur, and shadow to a perfect and dutiful degree. Everything except stepping up as a stand-in, a support pillar for a lonely child.
"Let's go." I pulled the akuma inside, wanting nothing more than to choke the pity rising from the rear of my throat, and drop the resigned tiredness burdening my bones.
Yes... This home was all but a nice-looking birdcage from a moth's making, to monitor and control the cat's every move.
Beckoning forth a calamity the world has never before witnessed, and a misplaced soul from beyond the cosmos.
ฅ-*୨୧*-ฅ
"What are you searching for?"
I briefly peeked back, and tugged at the hem of the thin clothing hugging my form, hoping he didn't misinterpret my intentions.
"Something not too big, but fit enough to protect us from the weather."
"Need help?" The disaster known as Chat Blanc offered after observing me skulk around awkwardly, as I tried my best to avoid breaking what little survived in the aftermath.
"No," I answered as I whisked my finger against the semi-steady king-sized bed. "You wouldn't know where to look."
I knelt to open the drawers hiding beneath it, but found nothing inside.
"Maybe, but you could say I knew purretty well the person who lived here." He contemplated as he fiddled a crumbling green-like banner under his paw, gazing at the old, withered room with a knowing eye.
Not daring to give myself away from the truth of his statement, I feigned ignorance and unconsciously lifted the fake lid on the bottom of the drawer to expose a single piece of cloth, leaving me disturbed by the fact I knew how to do that instinctively.
"In a sense..." I muttered.
.
.
("Thank you so much." Lila chimed in as classes ended. She finished brushing her hair and leaned on the model with no shame whatsoever.
"You're so considerate. After my illness, my body isn't working as it used to-"
He cut her off. "Just because we're classmates, doesn't mean I have to deal with your lies." He politely pushed her away from him to get up from his seat.
She blinked, not before laughing at his allegation. "Oh, Adrien. That's what I adore about you."
"You're honest." She poked his chest.
"Maybe too honest." She remarked as she raised her finger to his chin, seeing how he couldn't disguise his body language from her touch.
"It's no wonder your father has you at his whims. You'll never be able to stand up to him at this rate."
As she expected, the blond's gaze lowered to the floor after hearing the jab, looking identical to that of a kicked kitty. He stiffly clasped the strap of his backpack and walked ahead of her.
"Don't worry, I'll make you mine." She energetically caught up to him, standing side by side outside of the school grounds.
"That won't be happening." He shook his head, so sure of his words.
She smiled playfully. "You'll see. I always obtain what I want in the end."
"Regardless of whether or not you like it."
It was fun to watch the relief spread on his face at her departure, but she'll be having the last laugh.
Lila glanced back, and her smile was as big as the Cheshire's grin at the look on Adrien's face when she returned a taunting wave, and opened the door to his limo.
"Now… Shouldn't we be on our way? Your father is expecting us.")
.
.
"... I did too." In more ways than one.
Blanc laid against the precarious bed frame with crossed arms, and responded in a way that made me shiver.
"That you did, my vulpi."
I must be getting cold. There were an abundant amount of holes in the walls.
"Here." I dismissed the earlier feeling and focused on planking down the fabric onto the furball. "For you."
The wielder of destruction retracted his sharp claws to tug on the strange, yet familiar, soft texture.
He was silent after that.
I brushed away any leftover dirt the sweater might have gotten under the secret compartment and nodded in approval.
There was only one set, but I had no doubts about who it needed to go to. He was the owner, and he should wear something other than magical spandex during these climate conditions.
"You need it more than me." He begged to differ. He was half a head taller than me, which made the carefully placed expression he wore even more foreboding.
I was about to refute him until my body chose to sneeze at that moment, which merely gave weight to Blanc's words.
"You can't get sick." Faster than I could blink, the sweatshirt was forced upon my person.
I tried to take it off, but he was stubborn and insistent, so I gave up with a sigh.
"Not again..." He spoke the last part in a low voice, but I made no mention that I heard his comment.
The web of falsehoods the original Lila had built herself upon was immense, but they became irrelevant once you realized the authenticity of her claims.
I knew that he knew, and he knew I knew that he knew. So it was probably his corrupted state clouding his mind at this moment.
"Okay." I couldn't bring myself to say more than that, deciding some things were better left unsaid.
His feline-like ears twitched, and I had to avert taking a step back as he suddenly peered closer to my face.
"Besides, I never liked black." He made silly hand motions, shaping them into the form of glasses with a cheery tone.
Which masked the maniac aura laying underneath. "White makes my eyes stand out much more, don't you think?"
I hummed absent-mindedly, providing no reply to his declaration.
These hands of mine, and that pale coating of his served as a reminder of the new reality we lived in.
I was nothing more, nothing less than an obstacle and rival to the heroes; and he was the fallen partner of his lady, and the creation of a previous villain.
I clutched my sleeves somberly.
We can run and hide... but there's no escaping it.
ฅ-*୨୧*-ฅ
A/N
So I've been inactive for a while. The reason for that was 'cause my laptop broke down, taking with it every current and future fics I had stored there. It kind of left me in a mood, to be honest. All that progress...Gone.
｡･ﾟﾟ*(x﹏x)*ﾟﾟ･｡
BUT HERE I AM! Rejuvenated to start again.(„• ֊ •„)
If it seems as if something was missing or slightly off, it's because I split the chapter in half. Don't worry! You will be seeing them prattle around and interact with each other in the ol' Agreste home. For better or worse.