#miraculous fict

[jeankirsteind]

"I'm not telling you to forgive her... But all children make some form of mistakes, her being an ass was a huge one on her part... she deserves her comeuppance, but also help..."

- Adrien Agreste, Goodbye isn't Forever… by Yaoi_Ships

[practickles]

OMG Please, please, please! I NEED a Lee Rui fict! Maybe with Ler Toya or Kaito 😭💜 NO, NO, I GOT IT. LOOK, WELL, READ: You know the "Be the Music!" 2MV video right? Okay, I beg you, all the characters that are with Rui in the class, (Minori, An, Saki and Mizuki. Except the Kagamines <3) being lers. I BEG PLEASE. I don't have enough brain now to think about an argument/story so they can tickle Rui, but I beg (for third time JAJAJSJA).

----

"Punishment" Filled With Care

Fandom: Project Sekai

Lee: Rui Kamishiro

Lers: Mizuki Akiyama, An Shiraishi, Saki Tenma, Minori Hanasato

Ambiguous Passion Heart Class

Word Ct: 2.5k

Warnings: Tickles, gang tickles.

Summary: When Rui loses a competition, the rest of the Passion Heart Class fulfil their end of the bet and punish him accordingly.

I use both she/her and they/them pronouns for Mizuki here.

----

On occasion, Rui had a tendency to overestimate his own abilities. He'd never admit it of course, but it was a trait glaringly obvious to anyone who knew him. There was no doubt in the fact that he had incredible ability, dedication, and aptitude, but sometimes he could get in... a little over his own head. 

Be it the next great invention, the most daring new show, or the most thrilling stunt idea, Rui considered himself quite the creative visionary. He would do anything in his power to see a good idea come to fruition, as any worthwhile director should.

But now as he had quite literally been backed into a corner by Mizuki and An, with Minori and Saki eagerly awaiting on the floor close by, he found that just maybe people had a point when they said he could get overambitious. 

"Hey! Don't run away!" An chided with a smirk. "You agreed, remember? You lost. And the loser has to get tickled~" 

She had a point. Rui had, in fact, agreed. The five had participated in numerous games and sport events, tallying up individual wins and losses as they went. Rui’s fate had been sealed from the beginning when he so confidently suggested the punishment and then, despite his best effort, proceeded to fail miserably at just about every game. 

“Unless someone is too ticklish to take his own punishment.” Mizuki wiggled their nails at Rui, who squirmed and grew tense. “In which case this is going to be a looooong tickling for you~” 

Rui saw his only opportunity for escape. As Mizuki raised their arms to tease him, they freed up a small gap between themself and An. It was undoubtedly a desperate attempt and he wasn't even sure if he'd fit, but Rui had no other option. He took a deep breath and steeled himself before all but diving through the opening, knocking An to the side. 

Miraculously, it worked. He escaped. And while he may not be the best at games, out of the five, he was by far the fastest runner from the great advantage of his long legs and experience in evasion on foot. He grinned smugly as he ran towards the door. He couldn't believe it. He had a straight shot out of this mess. He was done, he was free, nothing could stop him now. 

That was until he took a particularly long stride, lost his balance, and went tumbling to the ground right next to Minori and Saki.

“Oh my gosh are you okay?!” Saki exclaimed, immediately jumping up and hurrying to Rui’s side, Minori close in tow. 

Mizuki let out a surprised yelp, and with An right behind, joined the two next to Rui. 

Maybe it was adrenaline, maybe it was his superior physical ability, (it was definitely the former) but Rui found he didn't feel any pain at all from the fall. The more pressing concern to him was the fact that he was now face down on the floor, well and completely surrounded by four people who, not a minute prior, wanted nothing more than to tickle him silly. 

“Rui?” An asked tentatively. “You good? Do you need anything? I think we have a first aid kit around here somewhere.” She glanced around the room for it but hesitated when Rui laid a hand atop hers in reassurance.

“No, no I'm okay. Don't worry about me, any of you. I feel just fine.” Rui assured, bending his arms and rolling his wrists to demonstrate. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” He began to clamber to his feet but didn’t even make it to his knees before being unceremoniously, yet still carefully, tackled back to the floor. 

“Not so fast!” Mizuki said. “We still need to make absolutely sure you're okay.” Those who knew them, which Rui did very well, could have picked up on the slight ingenuity and teasing lilt in their voice. Rui’s heart dropped at their next words as he realized exactly what was going on.

They adjusted him to lay his back on the floor and placed his legs so that they hung across their lap. “Yeah your arms seem fine but how about your legs? Can you move them?” They traced a steady finger back and forth across Rui’s calves, a silent warning of what was to come. “We might just need to check them to make sure.”

Rui began to let out a steady stream of panicked giggles. “Y-hes! Yes they can move just fine! Look!” He kicked out his legs to the best of his very limited ability. He sent a pleading glance to Mizuki to have even the slightest bit of mercy on him. “See! I’m okay! I can get up.”

“Well then, if they’re so healthy and strong-” An cut in, catching on to where Mizuki was going. “Then you won’t mind if we do this-” She fluttered her hand under his other knee, Mizuki giving her an encouraging look from her place across from her. 

Rui squeaked and shook his head rapidly, clamping his lips together. 

“Oh, you don’t mind? Perfect! Thank you!” An sent an insolent, flashy grin his way and continued her work on his knees. “Hey you two,” She nodded to acknowledge Minori and Saki. “We’ve got his legs covered, but do you think you could check his upper body and make sure he’s okay there too?” 

Saki smirked deviously and sat next to his head. “Yup! I’ve heard necks and armpits need to be checked especially well.” 

“Noho they don’t! They’re fine! I’m fine! Everything is fine!” 

“Perfect!” An said with a wide grin. “If you’re so fine, that means we can carry on with your punishment. You had us all so worried there for a second! I’m glad you’re feeling good enough for some tickles.”

The inventor tried to wiggle back and forth as a pitiful last ditch effort, but was promptly stopped by a restraining, but exceedingly gentle hand pushing on his abdomen. 

Minori spoke with a hint of nervousness in her tone, keeping her hand planted just above his navel and looking deeply into his eyes. “Are you sure this is okay? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Rui immediately flushed red. As much as he liked to pretend he was dreading his so-called “punishment”, maybe, just maybe, he had suggested it for a reason. He knew Minori was caring and selfless almost to a fault, meaning that if he said he wanted it to stop, she’d immediately oblige and call the others off with her. 

“W-well,” He stuttered. “Rules are rules, and I did agree to them. You’ve earned it.”

“Oooo, Minori, you got Rui so flustered he cares about rules now. Well done!” Mizuki reached over to her and enthusiastically offered a high five, which after a few failed attempts was returned with gusto. “Hey, you might wanna remember this, hall monitor~” She winked at An. 

Nobody missed the way Rui’s shoulders tensed at the teases, finally resigned to his fate. Four distinct coos rang throughout the room as an anticipatory grin overtook his features. 

“Aww,” Saki leaned down and blew a gentle breath across his ear. “Nervous? There's nothing to be scared of, you know.” She, without further ado, began to flutter her hands at his neck.

Already worked up from the teasing, there was no way Rui could even try to hold back the scrunching of his neck and the squeal that followed. 

Rui would consider himself well versed in the area of chain reactions, often being the cause of many himself. As a result, it was not much of a shock to the inventor that when Saki touched his neck and thus caused his incredibly dignified squeal, it served as a trigger to provoke the others too to descend their hands on their own assigned spots.

The key difference, however, between Rui’s invented chain reactions and the one he currently found himself involved in was that in the former, he liked to cause chemical explosions. In the latter, he himself was the very source of the explosion of laughter that left him at the sudden onslaught. 

The worst part of it all, he decided, was the complete inability to move. He was completely immobilized under four quick pairs of hands. Any attempt to kick his legs was met with a hand holding them in place and somehow even more intense scribbles at his knees and calves. If he tried to twist his body, he would be stopped by a pair of hands grabbing his sides to keep them still and squeezing them over and over. If he tried to push back or do really anything with his hands, his armpits would suddenly have an intruding hand very intent on visiting every inch of the skin. 

He cackled and writhed but with the small semblance of his mind he still had left, all he could feel was fondness for his friends. The friends who spent their day in playful competition with him. The friends so eager to give him his retribution but more so eager to rush to his side when they thought he might be hurt. The friends carefully analyzing every twitch and stir of his body language to ensure he was still comfortable.

Mizuki had always been the one who could break Rui out of his shell. It was as true in middle school as it was now. They knew exactly where and what he was sensitive to, well practiced from many days spent in playful arguments, both too prideful and stubborn to back down even when arguments devolved into fits of giggles turned cackles. She poked and pinched and scratched all over his leg until he physically couldn’t hold back even the smallest snicker anymore. Her muscle memory served her well as Rui fell further and further into his descent of joyful madness. Were Rui more aware of his surroundings, he may have heard smug words about just how weak he was to a few tiny tickles. Mizuki cared by knowing him. 

Minori looked a little shy, cautious, which was reflected in her tentative tickling too, Rui noted. Her fingers fluttered and danced delicately across his stomach, but never prodded or squeezed. She wasn’t rough or hard, merely light and coltish. She didn’t truly want to “punish” him, lacking the competitive streak the others shared but she more than made up for it with her surplus of determination to make him smile and laugh. Laugh he did as her touch caused the smallest giggles, a comforting contrast compared to the havoc of the other three. She cared for him by being soft with him.

Saki was giving it her all with a dazzling grin splitting her face. Her tickling was spontaneous but still carried an air of precision. His neck was subjected to a swarm of tickling fingers in a seemingly random pattern, but as it went on, Rui noticed Saki beginning to target the spots that made him squeal the loudest and scrunch in on himself the most. She seemed to be trying her hardest to get him to make the funniest reactions she could. Embarrassing, yes, but Rui couldn’t deny the soft warmth in his chest he felt at the realization that the entirety of her efforts were dedicated to making him as happy and as pleasantly overwhelmed as possible. Saki cared by being attentive and giving Rui exactly what he wanted. 

An was nothing if not energetic. Her good nature and enthusiastic attitude were infectious. Out of anyone there, she believed the most strongly in the concept that because Rui lost, that means he has to take his punishment. That did not, however, mean she wasn’t just as kind as everyone else. It was still vital to her that her squeezes vibrating deep into the muscles remained fun for everyone involved, especially Rui and she knew just how much fun he was having. How could she not with the pure mirth on Rui’s face? At one point, she had discovered a delightful little technique where she’d rapidly wiggle her fingers, suddenly pulling away and waiting anywhere from three to ten seconds before returning and repeating the process. This left Rui completely devoid of the ability to guess when her tickling would leave or return and making it hard to relax. An cared by keeping Rui lively and having fun. 

The four all had wildly different techniques and intentions but the one similarity between all of them was the same genuine smile adorning their faces and the love blossoming in their hearts, running through to their fingers just for Rui. He was so irrefutably cared for and Rui wasn’t sure whether that or the tickling was making him more giddy. 

Minori had taken to drawing shapes on his stomach, likely in an attempt to show a little sympathy. A star here, a heart there, a triangle somewhere in between. Simple, calming gestures. Rui was thankful for the slight reprieve. He liked trying to guess in his dazed state what the next shape would become. A simple game really but largely entertaining to both parties nonetheless.

Rui’s breaths were heavy and labored as he laughed himself what felt like half to death. He hardly noticed Saki’s gentle concerned voice telling the other three to begin to slow down and only realized what was going on when the mischievous hands on his body began to gradually slow little by little until they came to a complete halt.

“Wh-why d-did you stop?” Rui gasped out, cheeks beyond rosy and looking slightly disappointed. Beads of what may have either been sweat or tears of pure laughter ran down his flushed face. Despite what his raddled appearance may have suggested, he already missed the feeling of uncontrollable laughter. The constant stream of residual giggles still pouring from his lips was nothing compared to what he had just experienced. 

“You’re exhausted, Rui.” Mizuki giggled fondly. “You need a break.” She rubbed firmly across his leg, giving it the occasional reassuring squeeze. 

“Bu-” He barely managed to protest before his lips were met with Saki’s finger in a shushing motion.

“Nope! You, mister, are taking a break! We could get some snacks and all sit around and hang out together.” She pipped. “We care about you and we’re going to make sure you’re taken care of.” 

“Yeah, it’s important to cool down after exercise like that!” Minori added cheerfully.

An spared a final scribble to his kneecap before getting up and stretching her legs out. “You have as much fun as we did?” She smiled at his tired form still on the floor. 

“Mhmmm” Rui hummed, the fatigue quickly catching up to him as the energy and rush of emotions faded.

His confirmation of what they all already knew to be true granted every face in the room a smile soft with adoration for their worn out friend. 

They really did care about him. Maybe he should let himself lose more often. 

----

WOW. This took forever. No exaggeration; Months. I deeply apologize for that. Maybe as retribution, I'll put a ToyaRui fic on the to-do list, they've been eating my brain lately.

[vividaway]

(i’m going to add a fuckin glossary at the end of this bc i realized halfway through reading this that this may be hard to read for anybody who isnt up to date on MaD terminology, aka, a large majority of my followers) i started a sandbox paracosm of miraculous ladybug back in 2016 and a large majority was based around giving fict!adrien (and fict!felix, because i had such a big love for 2017 TwinAU) and i strived on sort of fixing the family dynamic because think about the base universe the writers really gave me: rich fashion designer father with a teenage son in a mansion in france. he’s absent, but its due to grief. he lives a sheltered life. 

usually what ends up happening in a lot of the timelines is, an equally famous teenage girl comes to town in a need to stay, usually a family friends. i tend to include powers unrelated to the miraculous box (a separate miraculous that she was trained to use back home) because it create good story points for the main miraculous team getting defensive because How Could She Have A Miraculous? Who IS She?

and obviously, because i try to make a reformed gabe, i’ve taken away the role of hawkmoth from him all together. he comes to his senses and favors adrien over the miraculous. who DOES become hawkmoth tends to switch depending on which sandbox im in, sometimes its a new para i’ve created and other times its an older version of lila. i like getting the kids involved in the fashion more, like with actual outfit inspiration and them making their own designs with marinette and bringing it to gabe like “look >:) we got u ur newest kids fashion line >:))” and he’s just like “oh my god not again get OUT of my office im going to have a nervous breakdown”

and i always like to make chloe this ambigous character, where, shes mean and catty but its because of TraumaTM and she has her moments and slowly starts to learn as Alora enters the picture because heres an Even Richer, Even More Powerful Daughter Whos Nice? To “Poor” People? and of course at first chloe is like ‘no wtf’  but she becomes more willing to be nice the longer she see’s alora doing it.

Lila has fully taken over the position of resident school bully, and yes she does lie, but a mass majority of people don’t believe her. she tries to befriend the new kids who don’t really know the truth, and she tries to warp their perspectives. but she isnt JUST a liar-- she’s a proper bully to everybody. mocking people, insulting them, and trying to start fight to help herself create akumas i might talk about this more in the future, but thats all i can think to mention thats important. if you have any questions pls dont hesitate to ask! 

daydreaming masterlist w/ glossary

[pnf-lover98]

ML fanfiction masterpost

My latest Gabenath fanfiction, “After The Rain” is out on Ao3.

I took the occasion to make an official masterpost of all of my ML fanfictions, organizing them according to the different phases of Gabriel and Nathalie’s relationship:

[molter-writes]

Just wanted to pop on and give you a mighty congratulations on your miraculous work Grey Ridge. It is simply a beautiful masterpiece. From the first chapter I read (which was when you first posted, I check regularly for updates) I simply fell in love with this AU. There are not enough words for me to write, but I think you are massively talented. I love and hold the fict to my heart, as a writer myself I know how much our projects mean to us, and I see that Grey Ridge means a lot to you. Can’t wait to see what comes next.

Unbelievably kind and generous of you to say. Really moved by this and so immensely heartened that you --and anyone else!! -- spent even a few minutes with grey ridge. thank you (and all of you) so very much

[trickstermiraculous]

Can you make miraculous salt fict where Lila convinces Alya or the class that Mari stole the Earrings she is always wearing from either her or LB causing the ones that fall for it to confront Marri and roughly rip the earings off her ears to give to Lila only to later watch in horror as chat and a new ladybug are defeated by hawkmoth and some one important to Alya or the class goes missing soon after Adrian's mom returns

I Screwed Up

Oh god, oh god. This is all my fault, I took Marinette’s earings and suddenly there’s a new ladybug who looks to much like Lila and they lose. I’ve doomed Paris, everyone in the city is panicking, Adrien who is now revealed to be Chat Noir is yelling at Lila who is just in tears trying to sympathy but it’s obvious to everyone that she had stolen the original Ladybug’s earings.

It’s then when Lila just collapsed, she was still breathing and when I went over to help her, she looked to just be asleep. The medics came over to check on her when a new person dropped down in front of the Eiffel Tower, “Multi Mouse” shouted Adrien running over. 

The newly dub Multi Mouse was carrying Adrien’s mother who was alive and scared out of her mind and Gabriel Agreste who was tied up with a jump rope. “Mum,” said Adrien who went to hug her, the hero ‘Queen Bee’ also join Multi Mouse carrying Gabriel’s assistant. “Paris, I apologised for leaving you in a time of need but know that it was because of Lila Rossi tricked my classmates into stealing my earings that caused this failure to happen, I’m lucky enough to have other miraculous in my disposal which because of today’s battle gave me the assistance I needed to defeat HawkMoth and Mayura with the help of Queen Bee” Multi Mouse stated pointing to both Gabriel and Nathalie as she held up what I assume was the Moth Miraculous and Peacock Miraculous.

Officers ran over to quickly put them in handcuffs, “Ladybug what about Lila Rossi” I shouted still worried on why she collapsed and wasn’t waking up, “it’s because of Gabriel’s wish, his wife was in a deep sleep and to wake her, he used the wish that needed to be balanced so he wished it to be the person who held the Ladybug miraculous at the time” answered Queen Bee as Multi Mouse walked over to Lila and took off the earing to which she put on a kawami appearing. 

“Tiki is there something we can do?” she asked as people watched,

“yes, but we need the other members of the temple to wake her up” Tiki replied,

“Is Lila’s mother here?” asked Queen Bee,

“I’m here,” said a short brown hair woman running over,

“We are going to need to keep her in the hospital until I can contact the other members of the order, is that ok,” she asked,

“Yes, please just helped my daughter, I’m sorry for all the problems she caused” the women replied to which Ladybug nodded and allowed Queen Bee to accompany to the hospital.

Most people were leaving by order of the police while the Officer Raincomprix asked Ladybug and Adrien to join them at the major’s office to which she agreed but only after she changed back into Ladybug. Before she left Multi Mouse walked over to me, disappointment all over her face. Her ear clearly still bleeding from me ripping out her earrings. “Alya, I will make this clear to you that this is not your fault, you didn’t know that those were my miraculous” she stated, I went to speak but Multi Mouse quickly cut me off, “but you should have known those were my earrings since I’ve worn them before any of us knew Lila”,

“I know, I know, I’m so so sorry, Marinette” I exclaimed tearing up,

“Ironically, it gave me the possibility to stop Hawkmoth but not without the sacrifice of Lila and the trust you have broken and will take you years to get back” and with that, she ran off, leaving me behind sobbing. 

Notes: I apologise if it seems rushed, I only had a small outline of the plot and I wanted to get it out today.

AO3

[pnf-lover98]

ML- A wound too deep to heal

The latest part of the “Papillon Monarque” storyline is up on Ao3!

Title: “A Wound too Deep to Heal”

Summary:  Despite Nathalie's efforts to deflect Ladybug's suspicions away from her, the young heroine has a pretty clear idea of who the mysterious Papillon Monarque could be. It's up to Chat Noir, and hence to Adrien, to test the waters and investigate to see if her theory is right.

Feel free to check it out here! (This places before “Ya’Aburnee”, which remains the last segment of the story)

[pnf-lover98]

“Papillon Monarque” Masterpost

‘What will happen when the magical wish to save Emilie will be made?’

‘Who will have to pay the price for her to come back?’

‘Who could be the ‘future Hawkmoth?’ that Timetagger mentioned?’

These are questions that have been stuck in a lot of us Miraculers’ heads, and that originated many, may fan arts and fan fictions. These are the questions that started a big project of mine; a timeline where things didn’t go according to anyone’s plan. A story where the one who had always thought would be the sacrifice to bring Emilie back finds herself losing the man she was ready to die for. A story where the new Hawkmoth rose up from the ashes of a broken heart that could no longer be pieced back together.

With this post, I would like to give you a place where you can find all the single pieces of the timeline, in order of how the story progresses:

“On Butterflies and Heartbreak” [what events led to the rise of the new Hawkmoth?]

First transformation [a visual idea of the costume, even if it’s just a first version]

“La Monarque de Paris” [Nathalie’s first akuma attack as the new Hawkmoth]

 “Ya’Aburnee” [every journey comes to an end, eventually; will Monarque succeed in her mission?]

Two pieces of the storyline are yet to be added; one featuring shenanigans with Lila and Felix, and one where Adrien has an important role. I hope this newfound will to write Gabenath will lead me to have both finished in a short time.

I might update the post when I’ll have these new stories ready. In the mean time, thank you all for reading my stories! Every hit and every kudo/note is appreciated a lot, and I hope you guys will like the new parts as well!

[pnf-lover98]

ML - The Greatest Discovery

(a.k.a. my headcanons about the whole “how did Gabriel, Emilie and Nathalie meet” topic)

Teenage Nathalie Sancoeur is a big fan of myths and the supernatural, and she even has a few theories herself about the existence of some mysterious, magical pieces of jewelry. As she progresses with her research for data, pretty much like Alya does with her own theories about the past Miraculous holders, she becomes more and more convinced with her theory.

During the last year of high school, she attempts to found a “Paranormal Club” at school, hoping to attract some fellow paranormal lovers; she’s never been lucky when it comes to friendship, and it can be a chance to meet people of her own kind who she will finally be able to make friends with. However, only two people show up at the meeting she organized and advertised through her flyers; Emilie and her twin sister Amelie. Emilie states that she’s only there to accompany her sister, but tags along with the two girls anyway.

The twins seem to get along well with Nathalie, and they let her into their group of friends. After a few Club meetings, Emilie brings with her her boyfriend Gabriel, explaining that he too enjoys discussing about paranormal creatures and findings. Bonding over theories and monster sightings, Gabriel and Nathalie make friends rather quickly. Way too quickly in Amelie’s mind, who warns her sister saying that she should keep an eye on the other girl.

Emilie, jealous of her ‘friend’, starts to keep Nathalie as far as possible from her boyfriend, eventually estranging her from their clique. But she can’t just force her boyfriend to stop seeing his new friend; it would make her look too suspicious. So, for the time being, she has to endure Nathalie’s presence.

But her patience doesn’t last long, and one day Emilie and her sister intercept Nathalie as she’s about to leave school, blocking her way. “You’re nobody, starlight,” Emilie tells Nath, pushing her against the lockers. “You’re just a nerd who rambles about weird stuff. I am the one who had mercy on you and let you in my group! So, show me some respect and stay away from my boyfriend!”

Nathalie, not at all afraid of Emilie, grabs the girl by her arms and pushes her back, freeing herself from her grip.

She’s accusing her unfairly, the girl replies; she’s not trying to steal Gabriel from her. At all.

Then, she tells the two sisters that she’s not scared of them, and that now that she sees their true colors, is more than happy to never see them again. Nathalie picks up her things and walks away, with Emilie still shouting threats at her from the distance.

- - - - -

The Paranormal Club disbands, and its members take different roads; Emilie begins her career as a model, Gabriel slowly starts to get famous as a fashion designer, and the twins get closer and closer as friends to the notorious bully of the high school they used to attend, Audrey.

Nathalie goes on to study Economy in college, and there she meets Tomoe, an exchange student from Japan.

A few years pass, but Emilie never truly forgot about that absurd “magical jewels” theory that Nathalie seemed to believe in. In fact, she finds herself thinking more and more often about it; if it were to be true, who knows what power getting her hands on one of those jewels could grant her!

When Gabriel, now her husband, states that he is starting to need some help with managing his growing fashion business, Emilie - reminding him about her dear old high school friend’s great sharp mind and sense of responsibility - suggests him to hire Nathalie as his assistant.

Her old rival is now back in their lives, spending even more time with Gabriel than she used to, but that is a price she can pay if it means that the three of them can resume their researches on the Tibetan magical secrets. To Emilie’s delight, it seems that Nathalie’s research has by now progressed enough as to individuate a narrow possible area where the magical artifacts could be.

Still jealous of her friend, however, Emilie has to find away to keep her in her place; as early as on her first day of work, she tells her that (even if they almost grew to become close friends in school) she has to calls her and her husband ‘Mrs. and Mr. Agreste’, because she now works for them and she has to respect them as her employers.

- - - - -

Being promised a good reward once they’ll be back in Paris, Audrey takes part in the mission by financing the expedition but refuses to actually travel to Tibet, while Tomoe (thanks to her family’s friends’ business) provides the technical equipment needed (radars, metal detectors etc.) and embarks on the journey with Nathalie and the two Agreste spouses.

Once they arrive in Tibet, the four of them discover that the Miraculous jewels indeed exist; Gabriel and Emilie, on their excursion, find two of said jewels and a mysterious book about superheroes.

Emilie wears the Peacock brooch, eager to test its powers, and creates a sentimonster, but there’s already an activated amok out there (Feast, albeit dormant) and the excessive magical strain caused by the two amoks damages the Miraculous. Terrified by their own creation, Emilie and Gabriel run away, dropping the amokatized object, back to the base camp. There, the four travelers try to fight the monster together, but even if eventually they manage to defeat the creature and free the amok, Tomoe gets badly wounded.

Back in Paris, Emilie wants to keep the loot only for her and her husband. So, she tells Tomoe, who was unconscious at the time the monster was defeated, that the jewels they found got lost during the fight.

[However, down the line, Tomoe will find out that she was lied to, and, feeling betrayed, will cut bridges with the Agrestes]

To get rid of Audrey, who has never even met Tomoe and Nathalie in person, Emilie tells her that the mission was unsuccessful, and that it brought out no new information about those ‘alleged magical artifacts’.

Hungry for power and motivated by a personal secret project that involved sentimonsters, Emilie keeps using the Peacock brooch even if it’s causing her to feel more and more ill.

Nathalie, watching as the woman’s health slowly deteriorates, can’t help but to feel more and more sorry for her; Emilie is blinded by her search for power and fame, unable to see how much her stubbornness and carelessness is affecting the people around her. The people Nathalie grew so fond of over the years.

[pnf-lover98]

ML - I Know

The lair’s window closed, and Hawkmoth stood in the dark, empty room for a couple more minutes, before sighing and detransforming.

Victory had been never as close as it was that day. He had planned every detail of his new akuma, and the monster it created was smart enough to actually capture both Ladybug and Chat Noir. But as soon as it was about to steal their magical jewels, another heroine had intervened to rescue her friends.

Still bitter over his defeat, Gabriel took the lift back to his studio. “Nathalie! Bring me a-“ He ordered as soon as he was back in the room, but stopped in his tracks when he saw his assistant standing by the window, shaking as she kept staring out to the garden.

Gabriel reached for her across the room, until he was close enough to put a hand on her shoulder to make her turn around. As soon as he saw the tracks of tears staining her cheeks, he pulled her towards him and wrapped her in his arms.

She didn’t resist against it and hugged him back, sobbing against his chest.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Gabriel asked concerned. He’d never seen her break down like that, and it hurt him to see her cry. But he knew what was wrong, didn’t he?

“I... I’m tired...” Was all she replied among her tears.

Had she said those words a mere few days ago, he would have thought that her ‘I’m tired’ translated to a ‘I’m tired of seeing our plans foiled’.

But as things suddenly snapped together in his mind, he had found the code to read every secret language that he never knew she was using.

Finding out had been a true enlightening, one that allowed him to pinpoint the cause of that ever-present underlying tone of sadness she had, and that pieced back together a whole year of subtle gestures, of voiced or silent advice and support as Gabriel walked back along the path of his memories.

The hardest thing was to acknowledge that what he always thought to be a ‘I’m tired of watching Ladybug win’, was actually something closer to a ‘I’m tired of sabotage myself’ and to a ‘I’m tired of being about to lose you to her’.

“You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known, but I realize only now that I put too much weight on your shoulders. Forgive me, my dear, if I ever forgot that you’re human too, and that there is only so much stress that a human being can bear.” He apologized sincerely, stroking softly her hair trying to get her to calm down. “You no longer have to be Mayura, if you don’t want to; you can stop-"

"No! I... I want to help you, I-" She trailed off, once again unable to find the strength to voice her true desires.

Gabriel held her a little tighter when he heard another sob coming from her. "I know,” he eventually said quietly, leaning his head against hers.

Nathalie shook her head weakly. No, you don’t. You can’t know.

“You no longer have to hide it. I know,” Gabriel repeated, his heart breaking for the intensity of the pain he felt radiating from her.

Nathalie pulled herself away from the embrace to look up at him, feeling scared and ashamed and cornered at the same time. The bewildered look in her eyes asked him a silent question; a question which Gabriel answered with a nod. “When did you...?” She asked, this time aloud.

“Not long ago...” Gabriel moved a hand up to dry a tear from her cheek, then rested it on her shoulder. “I’m flattered by the fact that you hold me in such high regards, and it pains me to know that I’m the cause of your suffering, but... I can’t give you what you’re looking for. I hope you’ll understand.”

Nathalie nodded and looked away, biting her lip trying to hold back new tears.

Knowing the truth was leaving her feeling empty, now. She’d always known that this would have been his reaction, and that hoping for anything else was such a foolish thing to do on her part, but it still hurt more than anything.

That’s why she’d tired so hard to keep her secrets away from everyone; unlike rejection, uncertainty still held hope in itself.

The woman tried to piece back her inexpressive, professional mask as best as she could. “I... I’d better... go, now. Sorry for...” She gestured vaguely. “...this, and for making things awkward.” After a short pause, during which she tried to swallow down her embarrassment, she added a ‘Sir’.

The way she addressed him as, along with the hint of a nod she gave him so stiffly before starting to walk out of the room with equally stiff quick steps, made Gabriel cringe. There was still awkwardness radiating from her and into his brooch, along with a nuance of fear that told him, as if it had the ability to talk, ‘Please, now that you know, don’t push me away!’

‘Don’t push me back to the distant coldness of being a stranger!’

Nathalie had already a hand on the door handle when he called her name. “Your feelings and emotions are not something you have to be ashamed of,” Gabriel told her when she turned back towards him. “And I have faith that this won’t change things between us.” He went on, answering her silent plea. “You’re still my most faithful and trusted employee, and the only person I would dare to define a friend. Don’t forget that.”

Nathalie tried to offer him a smile before nodding and leaving the room.

Gabriel followed her with his gaze until the door closed once again. Then, he turned once again back towards the painting of his wife to stare at it intently, his hands clenched behind his back.

[pnf-lover98]

ML - An Helping Hand

It wasn't unusual for Gabriel to work at new designs at late night – as most artists are well known for having their best ideas when they're supposed to be sleeping. That night was one of those, with the fashion designer working on his tablet in his usual spot, and Nooroo floating silently around the room.

The kwami flew to one of the room's windows, sitting down on the windowsill.

He had thought about Duusu's words over and over. The other kwami had been pestering him for quite a while now, trying to convince him they should try to bring their holders together.

“But they are meant to be!" Duusu had insisted.

“Maybe, but we are meant not to interfere with the personal lives of our wielders, remember?" He had countered. “What would the Guardian think of us, if we broke the promise?"

But maybe his sibling was right about all that plan of hers. Maybe it could all get better if those two could see just how much they meant to each other...

After all, what harm could a little, tiny push do?

Nooroo flew back to Mr. Agreste. "It is such a lovely night! Don't you think so, Master?" The kwami spoke, shyly. He only obtained an absentminded 'mh' from the man as a reply. "You've been working for a long time, now. I would advise you to take a break to rest your eyes."

Gabriel's gaze met Nooroo's, and held it silently for a few seconds. “Maybe you're right, Nooroo" the man eventually said, removing his glasses to rub his eyes.

Gabriel walked up to the window, opened it and stepped outside on the balcony. Nooroo flew next to him, watching as his holder leaned against the fence, staring down at the garden.

It was time to enter in action.

“Paris is so peaceful, tonight!" Nooroo commented, sighing in contentment. "I can sense many positive emotions!"

Mr. Agreste didn't reply. It meant that there were going to be no new akumas, for the time being.

“They also come from the people close to this home." Nooroo went on. "I can feel how Adrien is happy thinking about his new friends... His bodyguard is glad that everything is going fine..."

The kwami closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the positive waves. Then: "I can feel Miss Nathalie is happy as well, tonight."

Gabriel finally turned his head to look at his kwami. "She's asleep," Nooroo said softly, with an hint of a smile on his face. “She's dreaming to be with the man she loves."

Mr. Agreste once again said nothing, but Nooroo didn't miss a slight frown form on the man's face and, mostly, the slightest hint of annoyance and jealously he'd felt after the kwami's mention of that unnamed man.

- - - - -

The seed had been planted and, although Gabriel claimed himself to be left completely unaffected by it, in a few occasions he'd found himself thinking about Nooroo's words.

Was Nathalie really in love with someone? How long had this been going on?

And mostly, how did he not notice?

He wondered how many other things he was unaware of.

Quite a few, he found out in the next few days as he slowly started to focus more on the people surrounding him, with or without the Miraculous.

He paid more attention to the looks in Adrien’s eyes when his son did or said something in particular, and found out that – like Nooroo had said – he was indeed happier when he spoke about his friends or left the house to meet them.

Then, the looks on his interns’ faces and the fret in their movements revealed him that they were afraid of him even when he wasn’t mad at all.

For some reasons, he found himself paying close attention to Nathalie whenever the two of them were out in public, trying to determine who the object of her affection could be, but she never showed any different behaviours around any of their acquaintances, be it photographers, models or the occasional workers of the fashion company.

Yet, her feelings were always there, ringing through his magical brooch whenever she and Gabriel went.

There was that newly-labeled love, radiating with a fluctuating intensity from her but, now that he noticed it, almost ever-present.

But there was also a peculiar sadness coming from his assistant, and he couldn’t say that that was something new. Just like him, Nathalie had been feeling sad ever since Emilie’s death.

But now it was different; it was as if her pain had grown stronger, deeper in a way. That wasn’t just the pain from the loss of a friend. It was intermingled with something else.

He felt the need to talk with her.

Gabriel stepped out of the mansion and walked up to the garden, where he knew his assistant was likely to be during her breaks. In fact, there she was, sitting on one of the benches with her head low.

She was still emitting that sadness that he felt earlier.

“Nathalie” Gabriel called for her. Nathalie's head immediately shot up, her gaze moving around until it found his.

“Sir?” the woman greeted him surprised. “What... are you doing here?"

“It seems like I can't find any inspiration, today. So I figured I could take a break as well." He replied. “May I?" He then gestured toward the bench.

Nathalie looked down at the empty space next to her, then back towards her boss. “Of course!"

Gabriel sat down, and the two of them remained silent for a while.

“Hey, uhm..." He eventually spoke. "I know I'm not supposed to pry into your personal matters, and I understand if you don't want to talk about this sort of things with me, but..." The man brought a hand up to his neck, fixing the tie that hid his Miraculous. "I've been paying more attention to how people around me feel, and I realized that I never noticed how lately you've been feeling down."

Nathalie turned to look at him, surprised at his unexpected interest in her problems. "I wanted to know how are you, and if there's something wrong." Gabriel ended.

"It's kind of you to worry, but It's nothing serious, really." Nathalie played it off casually.

Gabriel nodded. “Well, whatever it is, at least you can count on that love you've been feeling to relieve your mind from your worries!"

Nathalie's eyes widened slightly, the only sign betraying her sudden alarm at his words in her otherwise inexpressive face. However, the temporary fear that he'd found out about her true feelings vanished in the moment Gabriel added a “Who's the lucky man, if I may ask?"

Nathalie pondered her answer for a few moments. "He's an amazing person, really" she then replied, staring into his eyes. "A sweet soul, even if he can behave like a real a-hole, at times." Nathalie smiled, fondness washing over her words.

“It sounds...great." Gabriel replied.

Again with that fleeting sensation of annoyance in his stomach! What was happening?

Nathalie turned away, looking down to the ground. "Yeah, well... It would surely be, if only he would reciprocate me..."

“Oh...” Gabriel's shoulders dropped. "Is love the reason why you've been feeling so unhappy lately, then?" He watched as Nathalie pressed her lips together, nodding silently. "I'm sorry." He simply replied, and he meant it.

“That's how life goes, sometimes..." Nathalie shrugged.

A few seconds of uncomfortable silence passed, before Gabriel spoke again. “Tell me who he is; I can make him the target of my next akuma", he offered.

Nathalie turned back to face him, remaining silent. "I don't..." she started, and then took another pause.

‘I don't think you would really like to kick your own butt’ was the reply she would have really wanted to give him. Instead, she opted for a "That's not the solution to the problem but, once again, thank you very much for the thought...sir." Her lips curved in an unsure half-smile.

“Gabriel,” Mr. Agreste corrected her We’re not in working mode now And anyone who makes the people I care about suffer deserves a punishment!"

Nathalie’s smile now seemed a little softer and more true. But still, she didn’t reply.

Gabriel leaned back on his arms. "I know what unrequited love feels like. Well, not actually love, but... before Emilie came around, I had a crush on a girl in my class, back in my high school freshman. I tried to court her for a while, but she never liked me back." Gabriel remained pensive for a while, thinking back to those times.

Then, he turned to Nathalie, who had been intently listening to his words. What I’m trying to say is... Even if he won't ever reciprocate you there's still plenty of time You're still young you're an amazing person, and you're good looking." He placed his hand on hers, smiling reassuringly. "You'll find the right person, eventually. Just like I found Emilie.”

Something faded noticeably in Nathalie's eyes, that had been glistening and hopeful up until that moment. “Let's hope so,” she replied swiftly, before pulling her hand away and glancing elsewhere.

Hidden behind the bushes of the mansion's garden, Nooroo and Duusu had been watching the entire scene.

“Well, that was a complete disaster, wasn't it?" Nooroo commented, cringing as he felt new waves of disappointment and sadness radiating from Nathalie, stronger than they were before her conversation with Gabriel. "That's what I get for listening to you!"

“I wouldn't call it a disaster", Duusu defended. "He said she is good looking!" The peacock kwami added gleeful, her eyes sparkling.

“Before telling her how he still loves Mrs. Agreste!" Nooroo reminded her. The butterfly kwami started to leave, but Duusu flew in front of him. He actually felt jealous on a few instances, these past days!” She said. "We're on the right path! Let me try a plan, next!"

Nooroo stood still, then sighed. “Fine. But I'll be around to keep an eye on you."

Duusu squealed excited, grabbing Nooroo's arms and making him fly in circles with her. “You'll see, Noo-noo. We'll get them together, eventually." The kwami exclaimed cheerfully. “And when we'll make it, everything will be amazing!"

[pnf-lover98]

ML - One Last Time

[A sequel to my fanfiction “Everything She Was”]

It was a quiet night in Paris, even though it surely couldn’t be defined  peaceful by some of its inhabitants.

At two in the morning, Gabriel Agreste was still lying awake in his bed. He’d tossed and turned around, but sleep never seemed to come. When Emilie fell asleep next to him he stopped moving in order not to wake her up. Ever since that moment, he’d been staring to what he could make out of the chandelier on the ceiling, lost in his thoughts.

Eventually, he decided to try to get up and take a walk around the house.

Slowly, he moved his legs out of the bed and sat up. But just as he thought that he’d been moving soundlessly enough, Emilie’s voice called for him. “Gabriel?” The blonde woman turned on her side facing him, rubbing her eyes. “Where are you going, dear?”

Gabriel turned to his wife. “I can’t sleep, I’m going to take some fresh air,” he replied quietly. “Go back to your golden dreams, darling.” He then added, planting a kiss on her forehead.

 As Gabriel wandered around for the empty halls of his mansion, he couldn’t help but notice how cold the house was despite the warm spring weather outside, and how deafening silence could actually be. He reached for Adrien’s bedroom’s door handle, about to check up on his son, but then he remembered that the boy was probably out with Ladybug patrolling the city.

Father and son had barely spoken to each other, since the day Gabriel defeated the heroes stealing their Miraculouses.

Gabriel sighed, stepping away from the door. If Adrien already hated him for being Hawkmoth and blamed him for Nathalie’s death, how would he react if he told him he no longer felt the same towards the same woman he’d almost destroyed Paris for?

The man walked on, directed to his studio. Maybe he could try to unwind by drawing.

Gabriel entered the room, his steps growing slower and heavier as he approached the painting that represented his wife. The wide canvas, along with a few other objects in the room, still showed signs of the damage that Gabriel inflicted a few days ago, when he’d turned the entire room upside down in an attack of anger.

The fashion designer sighed, then went to open the window. When he turned back, he almost had a heart attack. There was a woman in the room right in the spot where he’d just been standing. She was giving him her back, seemingly ignoring his presence as she intently stared at Emilie’s portrait.

“Excuse me?” Gabriel exclaimed, marching towards the intruder. “Who are you, and how did you break into-“ He tried to put an hand on her shoulder, but gasped in surprise as his fingers ran through her.

The woman turned around.

 Gabriel had read many books about the paranormal, when he was a kid, and he’d grown familiar with the illustrations depicting the most common creatures.

He expected ghosts – if they were to exist – to look like those scary, pale creatures he’d read about, the ones with long, worn out nightgowns that float in the wind, and blank glowing eyes that stare deep into your soul.

But the woman in front of him looked nothing like those kinds of ghosts.

She wasn’t scary, she could have never been.

She was dressed in her everyday work outfit, complete from her dark gray blazer down to her usual heels. The only odd thing was her hair, now untied and flowing down along her shoulders.

And her eyes, although wide in surprise, were the same azure, deep ponds he’d found himself lost in quite a few times.

Gabriel took a few steps back, unable to believe his eyes. “N-N…Nathalie?” He stuttered, his heart pounding in fear.

But soon enough, the rational side of his brain ordered him to calm down. Ghosts didn’t exists; it was probably his grief and his sleep deprivation playing a trick on his mind. “Now I’m even hallucinating!” He exclaimed, as soon as he was able to catch his breath.

Nathalie shook her head, mouthing a ‘no’. The woman pointed to herself and then to the ground.

“Wait…You’re real?”

The ghost nodded, patting a hand on her chest and then pointing again to the ground. ‘I’m here.’

Gabriel slowly walked towards her, his mouth opening and closing as he tied to find words to say. “How?” he eventually whispered, astonished.

Nathalie shrugged. Judging by the look on her face, she couldn’t believe it either. She pointed to Gabriel, then to her eyes, and lastly to her chest with a questioning gaze in her eyes.

“What? What does it mean?” But all she did was repeating the same three movements, albeit a little slower.

She was looking at him expectantly, but he was still to shocked to fully comprehend what was happening. Something eventually clicked in Gabriel’s mind, as he tried to find the meaning behind her gestures. “You’re…asking me if I can see you?” He tried, and she nodded in reply. “I do, but…Why aren’t you speaking?”

‘Balance’, Nathalie replied, moving her hands up and down, one next to the other to emulate the pans of a scale.

She pointed to herself, and Gabriel got ready to try and guess once again her gestures: “You.” The ghost raised a finger to her lips “…were silent?”

Long ago, he had read something about equivalent punishments that awaited those who committed a sin in their lives. Poor Nathalie…

But if she’d lost her ability to speak as a punishment… “What was it that you didn’t say?”

The ghost repeated ‘I was silent’ and then pointed to a height next to her. “Short,” Gabriel tried to guess, but Nathalie shook her head. “Little?” This time he saw her nod. “Cat,” Gabriel then said when she brought her hands up to her head, to imitate cat ears.

Nathalie pointed again to herself, then moved to blow an imaginary something away from the palm of her hand.

Following her movements, Gabriel pieced her sentence back together. “You didn’t tell the little cat that you were Mayura. You didn’t tell Adrien!”

In a second round of guesses, Nathalie said ‘I lied to everyone.’

In a third round, after repeating ‘I didn’t tell’, Nathalie pointed to Gabriel. “You didn’t tell me…” The man spoke, following her clues. She pointed to herself “…that you”. She made the shape of a heart on her chest “…love”.

Gabriel gasped when the ghost pointed once again towards him. “…me!” He exclaimed surprised. “You didn’t tell me you loved me!”

Gabriel moved towards Nathalie, suddenly feeling the need to reach for her.

Maybe if she held him like she always did, that sudden, unbearable pain in his chest would somehow be eased. “Oh, Nath…!”

She reciprocated him!

Lord, had he only realized sooner!

But as Gabriel once again passed through her, his heart only sank more. The man took a step back, his eyes filling with tears. “Well, this is just unfortunate, isn’t it?” He admitted, shaking his head.

Nathalie hid in her shoulders and looked away sadly. The ghost shrugged, before turning again to face Mr. Agreste. ‘It’s ok, you love Emilie.’

“No, you don’t- you don’t understand!” Gabriel exclaimed. “I- I realized it a few days ago,” he explained, his voice shaking. The man pointed to himself, then made a shape of an heart with his hands and pointed to Nathalie. “I love you too!” He started to cry.

Nathalie was left gaping. As soon as she recovered from the unexpected news, however, the ghost quickly floated towards Gabriel, placing her hands on his cheeks even though he couldn’t feel her. She wanted to hold him, to comfort him and dry his tears, but without a tangible body or a voice to do so, the only thing she could do was staying close and wait for him to calm down.

When Gabriel fell to his knees, Nathalie knelt down at his side, wrapping her arms around his body. She held him and rubbed his back until, eventually, his sobs died out.

The man shifted position, crossing his legs. For the longest time, he couldn’t find anything to say, still lost in his misery. “How long will you stay?” He eventually spoke, his voice hoarse from crying.

‘Little,’ she replied.

“Would you mind if we…if we talked until you…?”

Nathalie smiled. ‘Of course not!’

The woman moved to sit across from him on the floor. ‘Go on,’ she prodded him.

“How long have you been…” Gabriel searched for the right word. “…haunting this house for?”

‘As early as I died, probably.’

“Why am I only able to see you now, then?”

Nathalie furrowed her brows, trying to wrap her mind around the mysterious mechanism behind the magic that was allowing them to meet one last time. ‘I don’t know,’ she shrugged.

Gabriel had come up with so many unanswered question, since the day she left; questions that added to the life-long ones about whether the afterlife actually existed and what could it be like.

But they had very little time on their hands, and he wasn’t going to waste it by talking about the occult.

It was like two friends who meet to catch up about their lives before one of them will take a train directed to somewhere far, never to be seen again.

Gabriel told Nathalie about how much Adrien missed her, and she replied that she already knew it, that she was moved by the boy’s affection, and that she was always there to watch over him as he slept. The ghost then wanted to know about Emilie, about how she was doing, and Gabriel told her about how media reacted to her return and about the latest movie she was acting in.

When they occasionally stumbled across a particularly difficult concept, or words that Nathalie found hard to translate in her improvised sign language, a shared laughter always followed the initial frustration.

They were joking and smiling together in spite of the surreal situation, their interactions flowing as naturally as they had always been.

“Have you met Claude, by chance?” Gabriel asked at some point.

Nathalie nodded, giggling.

“He’s… terrible.” Gabriel chuckled in turn, not a single hint of anger in his word. He was exhausted, tired out by the long sleepless night and by the time he’d spent crying.

“He’s a sweet soul, I know, but he keeps messing up my fabric orders, and my appointments, and…” He trailed off. Nathalie had reached out for him, placing a hand above his arm.

This time, she didn’t need any gesture to communicate; Gabriel could already read everything from the soft scolding gaze she was giving him. Gabriel couldn’t feel the way her thumb was caressing his forearm, but he remembered as clear as day the soothing sensation it gave him from the last time she’d done it.

‘You’re too hard on Claude. You have to give him time to learn!’

His heart ached again. “I miss you so much…”

‘I miss you too…!’ Nathalie smiled softly. The ghost motioned for him to wait, then started forming a series of shapes with her fingers.

“We…together…a long time. We will be together for a long time?” Gabriel tried to piece her sentence together. The ghost nodded, but then added an ‘almost’. “Oh. We’ll be together, eventually” Mr. Agreste tried again, suddenly understanding the meaning behind her words. “You mean when I’ll…”

Nathalie nodded again. “I promise,” he read from her next gesture.

She was smiling hopeful, probably picturing the life their souls were going to share, but in spite of her attempts to cheer him up, Gabriel still felt at his worse.

How could she still find it in herself to smile at him like that?

How could she still look at him with all of that love after he’d ruined her life – and her afterlife too, for the lies and crimes she never confessed all originated from his own secrets and actions?

“I messed up so badly, my dear Nath…” He said, holding a hand up next to her cheek. “I got it all wrong! Everything we fought so hard for was wrong and vain… I always had everything I needed right by my side, and I never even noticed it!” He felt his eyes starting to prickle once again. “And now you’re gone, Adrien hates me and I lost everything! How will I ever be able to spend a whole life without you?”

Nathalie frowned, hastily moving away from his touch. She moved a fist down to the palm of her other hand. She pointed to Gabriel, then motioned for him to repeat after her.

‘You’re strong, Gabriel! You have to find your peace!’ Nathalie exhorted him. ‘Please! Do it for Adrien and Emilie.’

Gabriel nodded silent, but she could still see the doubts lingering in his eyes. The woman placed a hand on his own. ‘Do it for me.’

This time, the man nodded a little more firmly, trying to smile to her. “And, please, no Miraculouses!” Nathalie admonished sternly, earning a tired laughter from Gabriel.

He had actually thought about it on multiple occasions, in the moments where his pain reached its highest peaks. But the plan never lasted long, because the thought of having to go through that never-ending battle all over again was exhausting beyond compare.

It wasn’t that Nathalie wasn’t worth it – she would have been worth anything in this world. It was the fact that he knew that it wasn’t going to work a second time. Hell, it hadn’t even worked in the first place!

Not even two kwamis that could grant him every wish imaginable were able to fix his mistakes.

He just had to accept the fact that he wasn’t destined to be happy, and that all of that mess was already a punishment for his evil actions.

The most cruel punishment of them all, he thought as he stared into Nathalie’s friendly blue eyes.

After some more moments, the woman stood up from the ground. “Is it already time for you to go?” Gabriel asked following her suit.

Nathalie nodded sadly. “I don’t want you to leave!” He replied, holding his hands next to her shoulders.

‘I’ll always be around, I promise,’ the ghost reassured him. ‘I’ll watch you from above,’ she then communicated, pointing to the ceiling. ‘And I’ll pray for you and your family.’

Then, Nathalie moved closer, wrapping Gabriel in what would have been a warm and tender hug. Fresh tears spilled from Gabriel’s eyes as he raised his arms to reciprocate the hug, but  concretely hugging nothing but thin air.

The man closed his eyes, trying to imagine what it would have been like to actually have her in his arms.

When he opened them again, she was gone.

[pnf-lover98]

ML - Cold Nights

Nathalie suffers the cold. It’s one of the first things Gabriel has recently found out about her. And to think that he had never found out about it in all the years he’d known her for! He guessed this is one of the easiest things to find out about someone, because it also reflects in the way they dress - and a fashion designer, out of everyone, should be the first one to pay attention to how people dress up. And yet he never noticed.

There were so many things that he never noticed, he thought in retrospect. One day, he figured out the first one, the most important piece of information of them all - he loved her. From that day on, he made a point of memorizing her every smallest detail.

When they progressed enough in their relationship, he noticed that cold made her cuddly, and Gabriel found it to be just perfect, because he came to love snuggling with her under the blankets during cold, rainy nights.

She would snuggle up to him as soon as they would get into bed at night. She would rest her head against his chest, and he would put his arm around her, often giving her a kiss on the top of her head that would make her smile.

Some times they would talk about everything; some other about nothing at all, perfectly comfortable in the silence and well accustomed to wordless communication.

On the hard nights, when nightmares haunted either of them, the other would always be there to offer hugs and comfort, and to repeat and reassure that that world didn’t exist, that everything was fine.

Recently, he’d told her something about a new, special dress he’d been working on. It should be a surprise - the dress was going to be for her to wear, after all - but his enthusiasm made it impossible for him to keep the secret.

As they cuddled, Nathalie would occasionally curl up in an even smaller ball, pressing herself closer to him, and Gabriel would gently run his fingers through her hair as he kept talking. He would smile fondly when, checking on her, he would find her already asleep, lulled by the warmth, by the dim lights and his voice.

The cold November weather that year was being quite inclement, far more rainy than the past few winters, but, in eachother’s arms, the two of them finally felt safe.

[pnf-lover98]

Miraculous Ladybug - Heartless

My name is Nathalie Sancoeur, and I’ve always been made fun of, in school, because of it.

Sancoeur, “heartless”.

“Heartless Nathalie can’t make friends because she’s a cold Miss-know-it-all.”

“She doesn’t have a date for the dance cause nobody can break their way in her ice-cold heart.

If she even has one.”

Even now, after all those years.

That’s what people think of me, right?

I can see their stares, some times even hear them whisper. They say that I’m heartless, just because I learned that most of the time showing your true emotions makes you look unprofessional. Because I obey my boss’ orders no matter how strict they may sound.

Or maybe because suppressing my emotions is the only way for me to survive the complete madness I’ve been living in for the past year.

No matter what people say, I do have a heart.

I feel it pound in my chest whenever Gabriel looks at me, and flutter in anticipation when Hawkmoth announces he needs me for his plans.

I can feel it break when Adrien turns to me pleading me to let him stay out with his friends for a little longer and I have to say no, and every single time I hear Gabriel pronounce Emilie’s name.

But, of course, people cannot know.

No one can never actually tell if the person in front of them is being torn apart by their own secrets, or actions, or feelings, or all of the above combined.

The only one that seems to know is the holder of the Butterfly miraculous. It’s the exact function of the jewel, to let you read other people’s true emotions and desires like an open book. That’s why Gabriel always knows when and where to hit.

Yet, even he can be oblivious, at times.

One time, me and Hawkmoth were working together in his lair. He had found another promising victim for his Akuma, but he felt he also needed Mayura to increase the chances of success.

I was waiting for my turn to speak, my folding fan opened in front of me. But as Hawkmoth started communicating with that young girl, her case made me hold my breath for a second. The girl was broken-hearted, suffering from unrequited love.

I remember taking a deep shaky breath, and Gabriel must have thought that I was once again ill due to the miraculous, because he turned to me asking if I was fine.

I’m an infamous heartless super-villain, as if at times Mayura doesn’t stare back at me from the reflection in the mirror, as wide-eyed as I am, suddenly scared of the things she’s done. The things I have done.

Trespassing, theft, purposefully hurting other people. All of this done by a woman raised by her parents to be kind and respectful.

As if the person I’ve become doesn’t haunt my dreams, every now and then.

Heartless, as if I’ve never cried over the fact that the man I love only wants to bring his dead wife back to life.

Heartless, as if I didn’t love him with my whole soul, so much that if bringing Emilie back is really what he desires... Then I will use all of my energies to make it happen. I’d much rather losing my chance but know that he’s truly happy, than keep seeing him so desperate.

As if there wasn’t a part of me that would never want us to win. What will I do when Emilie will wake up? Will I manage to swallow down my feelings, standing there watching as she goes back to swirl happily around her husband as she used to do? Or will I eventually lose it, and have to leave the house? Would Emilie still want me to work there at all?

I would lose Adrien, and –

Enough, Nathalie!

Everything will go as it has to.

I just have to... *cough* breathe in.

*cough*

I have work to do and Amoks to use.

Impassive, like the heartless woman I have to look like.

[pnf-lover98]

ML - La Monarque de Paris

Here’s my latest fan fiction. Feel free to check it out here!

Summary:

After two months without Hawkmoth and his akuma attacks, right when Ladybug and Chat noir think that everything is over, the heroes are faced by a new, powerful villain.

[pnf-lover98]

ML - Stasis

At long last, my official contribution to the ML fandom regarding the NY special!

Hope you’ll enjoy this short fic!

“Beep! Beep! Beep!” Duusu repeats, mocking the odd, beeping computer screen in the room. The kwami tries to race against the green EKG line that runs through the screen, flying back to the other side of the machine when the line is about to move again.

“Could you please stop? It’s getting annoying!” Nathalie admonishes, and the kwami immediately halts in mid air, before floating back towards her holder.

“Sorry, Miss...” Duusu quietly apologizes, sitting on the bed right next to the woman.

Nathalie holds the kwami’s gaze for a few moments, before making a slight hint of a nod and turning back to the book she was reading.

Duusu sighs. She can understand her, really. All of that forced rest is making her more and more impatient by the day. She would want to be there with Gabriel, and fight alongside Hawkmoth to try and dig a way out of the tedious, unnerving stalemate their lives have been in for the past year.

But she can’t. And instead she’s forced to bear a seemingly endless series of empty, boring days, confined in her bedroom.

The kwami is getting bored as well, not even able to bask in emotions to spend her time. Three of the four people that usually fill the house with waves of feelings now are off to New York, and the usually strong waves of emotions that radiate from her holder whenever she’s alone with the kwami now are sparse and brief, almost like the regular, boring beeping coming from the machinery.

Beep.

In more than one occasion, Nathalie finds herself staring at the machine’s screen, almost as if hypnotized by the fluctuating waves and the numbers figuring on it.

She doesn’t really understand much about medical stuff, and she doesn’t know what most of those numbers mean; she only knows that the machine beeps louder and faster when she’s having one of her illness’ attacks, and when it does, Gabriel always comes running into her room to help her.

Beep.

What if the machine will beat louder now that he’s gone - now that everyone else is gone?

She’s slowing starting to feel better, but... Sometimes she’s still afraid.

Beep. At times, she feels grateful.

Grateful for being in a comfortable bed instead of a permanent sleep in the cryogenic chamber downstairs, and grateful for the precious folded sheet of paper she keeps on her nightstand. Nathalie picks it up one more time, her eyes running along the “Get well soon, Miss Nathalie!” handwritten in red capital letters, under which there are a good dozen of different signatures.

She can make out Chloe’s, Marinette’s, Nino’s... some others are names she doesn’t have a face to match to. Who’s Ivan? And Marc? Alix?

And, of course, among the various signatures there is also Adrien’s.

Beep.

Nathalie spends her time between computer work and studying the Grimoire. Every now and then, a flicker of fascination shines in her eyes as she delicately runs her fingers along the edges of the book’s illustrations.

She finds herself wondering: What would it feel like to be a super-heroine? Saving the day, being loved and respected by everyone... For a brief moment she envies her young arch-rivals for all of the things that they have already achieved, and that she probably never will.

Beep.

One night she dreams she’s Ladybug, and that a Chat Noir with grayish-blonde hair and dark blue eyes meets her on the top of the Eiffel Tower and greets her with a kiss.

Beep.

The next day, Gabriel calls for Mayura’s help. Nathalie feels a short but intense sting of disappointment.

She half-hoped he would have had mercy of her in her weakened state, taking his time to dedicate himself only to her. Maybe if he stayed far from the lair long enough he could even forget about akumas for a while.

She should have known better...

The amok she sent out was rather easy to create and control, but even if the Miraculous jewel is now fixed, she still finds herself feeling nauseous after she detransforms.

Once she feels better enough, she checks her tablet for the news.

Beep.

For several solid minutes all she feels is regret. Ladybug never came to fix the mess, and Paris was now still affected by the quite huge damages her amok had inflicted.

Everything Mayura and Hawkmoth did up till now was erasable, fixable - forgettable - as long as Ladybug was there to send everybody back to the safety of their homes.

She’s a legitimate criminal, now.

Beep.

Regret and fear.

How the hell did she end up getting involved in all of this?

Beep.

The answer to that question comes visit her again a few days later, as soon as he returns home.

He makes a short observation about how now she looks less pale than a week ago, and then proceeds to ramble on and on about the american superheroes and the new Miraculous he found.

Nathalie finds herself unable to hide a small smile; Gabriel is talking so passionately, even walking back and forth through the room...

Beep. Beep.

Duusu, hidden behind her, giggles happily. Finally! She can already feel Adrien’s happiness as he video-calls his friends, and the subtle waves of love flowing once again from her holder.

Even though she loves to live as if she was still a child, Duusu is as old as the other kwamis, and she’s pretty receptive when it comes to things and people that she cares about. She knows that it still won’t be easy for things to get better, and that the hole to dig in order to get out of the stasis is still far from being dug but, now that Mr. Agreste is back, she and Nathalie can resume their fight.

There’s still hope.

Beep.

There’s still time.

Beep.

It will work out, one way or another.