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tartagliove · 4 years ago

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Strength Comes in Many Forms (pt. 1) ✧ Bakugou Katsuki

Summary ✧ The rarer your soulstone, the stronger your soulmate. When you meet your soulmate, he’s definitely as strong as you thought he’d be. Of course he is, being a dragon rider and all. You want to be just as strong as he is, but, well, both of you will learn that strength comes in many forms—not just muscle and skill on the battlefield.

Pairing ✧ Dragon Rider!Bakugou Katsuki x Healer!Reader

Word Count ✧ 10.1k

Tags and Warnings ✧ Fantasy au, soulmate au, enemies (kinda) to lovers, violence, blood, swearing, angst, eventual happy ending.

Note ✧ Attack on Academia’s fic exchange for @shoutosteakettle. Happy Holidays, Gabs, I hope you like this! The fic got really long so this is part one of two c: Thank you to @etegomanere and @ererokii for being my lovely betas!

–

red diamond: a diamond that is red in color and displays the same mineral properties as colorless diamonds. the rarest color of all diamonds.

–

It’s loud. Of course it’s loud, with all the tribe members gathered on this grassy field. The adults chat as they wait, catching up with friends who have returned after weeks of traveling to different places, healing those who need it. Children weave their way through the crowd, laughing and shouting as they chase each other. Tension and mounting excitement thrums in the air.

A circle of untrampled grass, blades glistening with dew, is in the center of the field. Everyone moves carefully around the invisible boundary, no one daring to mark it up.

The head of the tribe steps forward, sunlight glinting off the deep green of her hair.

Silence falls over the meadow.

After a pause, where Midoriya Inko gazes out at her tribe of healers, she starts to speak.

“Today, we celebrate the aging of our children. We celebrate their births and survival in this world. Although it has only been two years for them, these are some of the most dangerous years of their lives. As healers, we know this well.

“But today marks the start of a new period for them. Today the decision they make will determine the people that will be in their lives, and the person that will be in their heart forever.”

She turns to two tribe members who have large woven baskets at their feet, full to the brim with what seems like an assortment of clumps of dirt and rocks. “Scatter the soulstones.”

They nod and do as she ordered, tilting their baskets to send the rocks across the clearing. Once their baskets are empty, they return to their place in the crowd, and Inko speaks again.

“Parents, please bring your children that are two years of age to the edge of the circle.”

The crowd shifts, and adults move, guiding their children along with them.

Your parents are among those who stand at the circle. And you are right there with them, your small hands curled around their fingers, but your attention is on the green grass dotted with dark stones.

When the two year olds and their parents are on the perimeter of the clearing, Inko walks out of the center until she stands with her people. Someone brings her son to her, and she holds onto his hand as Izuku stands by her side.

She raises her arm, fingers stretched toward the sky.

All voices instantly grow silent.

“Let the soulstone selection ceremony begin!”

–

“Let the soulstone selection ceremony begin!” Mitsuki shouts. Loud cheers and whoops erupt from the mouths of the dragon riders, as the parents around the circle release their child’s hands.

Mitsuki glances to the right, throwing a smirk to her husband. Masaru smiles back before they look down at their son that stands between them. Katsuki’s red eyes stare intently at the scorched grass in front of him, at the dark rocks that blend in with the blackened blades.

“Go on, Katsuki,” Masaru says.

They let go of their son’s hands and he toddles forward, taking one small, determined step after another. He travels in a straight line, pulled by instinct—and perhaps, fate. The stones that litter his path do not distract him, nor do the other children that walk and crawl around the field, who pick up various stones and set them back down.

When Katsuki makes it to the center of the circle, he squats down and picks up a large, dirty stone with two small hands. He looks at it intently, cocking his head to the side as if in deep thought. Then falls back onto his butt, sitting firmly on the ground. He places the stone in his lap and rests his hands on top of it, protectively guarding it, red eyes flashing at the other children who get too close.

He has chosen his soulstone.

Right now, it’s layered with dirt and mixed minerals that hide the soulstone inside. But the ceremony ends not long after, when each of the children have settled on a soulstone. Parents put their children’s stones into a pouch with the family name stitched into it. The pouches are collected, then sent to the gemcutter to be cleaned, refined, and fashioned into necklaces.

–

It’s nearly half a year later when the soulstones are returned, transformed from dirty rock to shining minerals and gems.

Receiving the soulstones is another cause for celebration. The type of soulstone is announced, and the more rare it is, the stronger the soulmate bond will be. But not only that, the individual will be stronger too—strong physically, mentally, emotionally.

The cold winter air fills Mitsuki’s lungs as she reads off the second to last gemstone on her list. “Emerald!” she shouts, and the Uraraka parents swoop their daughter into a hug, cheering and shouting as the dragon riders raise a loud cry.

Mitsuki hands them the pouch with “Uraraka” on it to the family. Ochako’s father pulls out the iron chain with a sparkling rich green stone hanging from it. He puts it around his daughter’s neck, and takes her hand in his before leading his wife and Ochako into the crowd.

Then Masaru steps forward with Katsuki by his side, and Mitsuki looks at her husband and son. Smiling at them, she looks down at the words at the bottom of the list. Her breath hitches in her throat.

As chief of the dragon rider clan, Mitsuki isn’t supposed to show favoritism. Yet she can’t stop the fierce grin that flashes across her face as she triumphantly shouts, “Red diamond!”

The ferocious cheers of the clan are louder than ever. They’re all happy for their leader, ecstatic that her son has a soulstone so rare. They’re also happy for their clan, because the incredibly rare, deep red diamond that hangs from the iron chain indicates that Katsuki is destined to become strong and powerful. When the time comes for Mitsuki to step down from her place, her son will be fit to pick up the mantle.

And he’ll have a formidable soulmate right beside him.

–

“You have chosen well, dear one,” Midoriya Inko says to her own son. She rubs her thumb across the surface of the polished emerald, wrapped with iron wire, until it forms a pendant with a hoop at the top. A braided length of leather threads through the hoop and is knotted together, becoming a necklace that she puts over her son’s head until the soulstone rests on his chest.

“An emerald is rare, and you must treasure it—just as you must treasure your soulmate.”

Izuku nods, and Inko guides him to stand in the crowd before returning back to the center of the clearing. The crunch of frost under her shoes is the only sound to be heard, because her tribe members are quiet in respect and reverence.

It won’t stay silent for long, though. The celebrations will happen later, once she presents the final soulstone to the waiting two year old.

You step forward with your parents by your side, letting go of their hands when the three of you stand before your tribe leader. Inko pulls the necklace out of the pouch, and her motions falter for a split second when she sees the precious stone.

“A red diamond,” she breathes. The gem hangs from the end of a braided leather cord, glowing a rich and vibrant red as sunlight strikes it. Inko stares at it for a moment before slipping the necklace over your head.

You look down at the crimson soulstone resting on your chest, eyes crossing just the slightest in an adorable way that makes Inko smile.

“You, too, have chosen well,” she says. Her voice catches your attention, and you stare up at her. “Red diamond soulstones have almost never been found. Your soulmate will be strong, just like this stone, and just like you. Be good to whoever you are destined to meet, and the bond between you will last your whole lifetime.”

Inko straightens up and nods to your parents, the skin around her eyes crinkling as she offers them a gentle smile. They smile back, happiness emanating from them as they take your hands and exit the circle, merging into the crowd.

“Our children have chosen their soulstones,” Inko speaks again, voice traveling across the meadow, “and they are destined to meet their soulmates. Let us celebrate their decisions, and wish for a good future. May the sun shine on them and guide them to their soulmate!”

Everyone smiles and echoes the sentiment, joy and pride radiating from their faces. “May the sun shine on them and guide them to their soulmate!”

“Now let the celebrations begin!”

–

The earthy scent of wild grasses and flowers fills your lungs with every breath. Soft rays of the morning sun warms you from head to toe, and a gentle breeze caresses your cheek as it brushes past.

Green and dark purple residue coats your hands, the cost of plucking berries and stripping leaves off bushes. Dirt forms dark crescents under your fingernails, collecting there from helping your mother dig for certain roots. Today’s a gathering day, where you, your mother, and other healers in the village spread out through the hills and valleys you call home to collect natural ingredients with healing and health-bringing properties.

Though you’re only five, you’ve been enlisted to help. Although, right now, you’re not quite doing your job.

“Mama?” you ask, a curious lilt in your voice, “What are you doing?”

She’s holding her soulstone up to her eye, and turns slowly in a circle, seeming to scan her surroundings through the glimmering purple crystal. But at your question, she pauses and puts her arm down before crouching by your side.

“I’m looking through my soulstone,” she answers.

“Why?”

A smile flits across your mother’s face at the question you’ve started to use very often. “I’m looking to see where your dad is and to figure out how close he is to home.”

You blink, then drop the roots you were holding into a basket, before bringing your soulstone up to your eyes. It turns the world around you into a deep red, but you don’t see anything that tells you where your dad is. You pout.

Your mother laughs before speaking again. “You won’t be able to see where your dad is through your soulstone, sweetie. A person can only see where their soulmate is through their own soulstone. But this only happens after you meet your soulmate for the first time.”

“And my soulstone glows?”

“Yes, exactly. When your soulstone starts to glow, pay attention, okay? That means you are meeting your soulmate for the first time, and their soulstone will be glowing too. After that, if you look in your soulstone, you’ll see a trail of light in the direction your soulmate is in.”

Your brows furrow and you bite on your lower lip as you process everything you just learned. After a few moments, you nod to yourself and look up at your mother with bright eyes. “Okay!”

Then you start digging again for more roots, the thought of soulmates pushed to the back of your mind.

With a fond smile on her face, your mother tucks her soulstone underneath her shirt and settles down to dig beside you. You’re only five, after all. There will still be plenty of time for you to learn about soulmates, soulstones, and everything else that comes along with it.

–

Katsuki is eight when the years of peace for his dragon clan come to an end. Peace ends with smoke and flames, clashing iron, shouts of pain. It ends with red embers, red scales, red blood.

Peace ends. War begins.

It’s half a year of fighting through the chill of fall and the freezing cold of winter. An enemy dragon rider clan—who once were allies—has set its sights on Katsuki’s home, and wants to take his clan’s land and dragons, wants to destroy his clan’s people. But the Bakugou family will never go down without a fight, and the entire clan echoes this sentiment, so they meet the enemy on the field and in the skies. And they fight.

It’s half a year of moving from place to place in their territory. Half a year of not lighting fires at night, for fear of enemy dragon riders seeing the orange glow and attacking. Months of eerie silence in the camp as most of the adults go fight while the children and elders stay back. The children don’t dare to play.

Then the injured come trickling back. Moans of pain travel through the camp and the air is heavy with the smell of iron, even though the wounded are kept in tents away from the children.

Katsuki hears some of the elders muttering in worry.

They worry that their skills aren’t enough. The last healer passed on weeks ago—one of the first casualties of the war—and hadn’t selected an apprentice to train. Their clan is without a healer when they are most desperate for one. They’ve sent word out to healing tribes to request help, but the closest one is days away, and without any spare dragons and riders to quicken the journey, the healer might be too late.

–

The closest tribes respond with a halfhearted message of “it’s too dangerous for our healers, your clan will be fine,” or they don’t send anything at all. Then healers come, three from your tribe, but your tribe is four days away on dragon and over two weeks away on foot.

By the time they arrive, it is too late.

The war is over.

And the wounded have either started on their path to recovery, or have passed on from this world, and are burning to ashes on the funeral pyres lit by the flames of dragons.

Red blood, red sparks, red flames. Red, Katsuki sees red.

He crouches before the flap of his tent, eyes taking in the burning pyres before him, ears trained on the conversation behind him. His parents are talking in hushed murmurs, laden with urgency and pain.

“How many of us got hurt?” his mother asks. Katsuki can almost see her pinching the spot right in between her eyes, rubbing away the pressure that must be forming there.

“A third of our dragons.” A pause, and Katsuki knows his father is swallowing down the lump in his throat. “Half of our fighters, and half of the injured are no longer with us.”

“And them?” There’s venom in Mitsuki’s tone. “How strong are they still?”

“We hurt as many as they did to us, but…”

“But they had a healer, while ours were fucking murdered the first night!”

“The healing tribes we thought were allies didn’t send help. Only the tribe led by Midoriya Inko responded, but they’re weeks away on foot, and arrived just tonight.”

“Fuck those cowards who turned their back on us! They may be healers, but why the hell don’t they have more backbone? They promised to help if we protected them when they needed it. We protected them, and now when we need them, what do they give us in return?”

Katsuki’s fists clench. Heat rushes through his veins.

There’s a pause before Mitsuki speaks again. This time, her voice is more level. “It’s good that Inko sent some healers, though. She didn’t have to. Although it’s too late for those who have died, the healers can make sure those who aren’t gone will make it through the night and live on for years to come.”

“Yes. It’s kind of Inko to send us some healers. I’ll let them know what we’d like them to do.”

“Thank you, Masaru.”

There’s silence, and Katsuki knows that his parents must be comforting each other in a warm embrace. It’s time for him to leave, so his father doesn’t find him listening outside of the tent.

Katsuki stands with ease, fury and anguish and hatred powering his movements through the camp and into the forest, where he walks far away so nobody at camp will hear him.

Trees tower above him. Leafless branches cut across the navy sky in dark claws, tearing into the stars that twinkle coldly from afar.

He stares up at the winter night sky for a moment, red eyes glaring at the universe. Then Katsuki opens his mouth, and screams.

He shouts and roars, and kicks at bushes, breaks branches, slams his fists into trees, uncaring of the pain that shoots through his hands and up his arms and strangles his heart and pierces his head, his mind, it hurts–

He crumples to the ground, the fabric of his shirt bunched up in his clenched fists. His shoulders shake, and he can’t hold the tears back anymore. He sobs, and he sobs, and he sobs.

He cries for the dragons that were killed or captured, never to be ridden by members of his clan ever again. He cries for the wounded, for those who lay in blood soaked sheets, who moan and toss and turn, pain always at the forefront of their minds. He cries for the dead, for the warriors lost in battle, for the healer that was killed, and the few elders that died protecting the children. And most of all, he cries for himself and his friends, for the way their eyes lost a bit of light, for the way they walk differently now—more steady, older, weighed down—and he knows they will never truly be children again.

Katsuki’s tears slow and then stop. He wipes his eyes with the back of his hands and pushes himself to his feet. He feels heavier than he’s ever felt before, but at the same time, he feels free, because he knows what he has to do.

His hand finds his soulstone and wraps around it, clenching tightly until the edges of the red diamond dig into his skin.

“I’m going to become stronger,” he says, voice hard and determined. “I’ll be so strong that I can protect the entire clan. I’ll take down all those pieces of shit that tries to harm them! I’ll be so strong that I don’t need those cowardly healers. And you–” he growls, opening his hand to glare into his soulstone, “–you better be just as strong as me.”

Katsuki is eight when he makes this vow to himself. Eight, and alone in the forest, red haze in his vision and hatred in his veins.

He’s no longer truly a child, and he never will be one again.

–

“The other clan is active on our borders again,” Mitsuki says to Masaru two years after the war ended. There’s more wrinkles on her face, betraying the strain of the heavy burden a leader must carry.

“We’ll fight them, right? We’ll crush them into the ground!” Katsuki interrupts, red eyes gleaming with bloodlust. His hand clenches around the fork he’s using to eat dinner, but his meal is basically forgotten.

Masaru smiles at his son, though it’s pained and slightly forced. “We still aren’t as strong as we were before. If we fight, we’ll lose just as many people, if not more, than the last battle.”

“We can’t just hide like- like cowards! What happened after the last time, huh? We lost all our courage? When did we become so weak and-”

“Shut your mouth, brat! Where did you learn to say these things? ” Mitsuki shouts, slamming her hand on the table and rising halfway out of her seat. “You have no clue what you’re talking about. So many of our people were killed! You want to put more lives at risk just to say that we’re stronger? If you choose to throw away the lives of your people as a leader, who the hell are you protecting?”

“But–”

“Katsuki. Mitsuki,” Masaru interrupts, ever the peacemaker. “Take a deep breath. Katsuki, none of us here enjoy losing and appearing weak. Least of all your mother, you should know this. But if winning costs the lives of the people we are supposed to protect? That’s not winning at all.”

Mitsuki sits back down in her seat. She’s calmer when she speaks. “The day I risk our people’s lives by starting a battle we cannot win is the day I am no longer fit to be a leader. Do you understand?”

Katsuki only looks down at his food and says nothing.

His mother sighs, but turns to Masaru. “Midoriya Inko suggested we move into the territory that borders hers. Her healers go there sometimes, to pick out herbs and other things for food and medicinal purposes, but most of it is rocky mountains, tall cliffs, and a maze of caves.” She grins, showing teeth. “The perfect place for dragon riders.”

–

The dragon rider clan moves a few weeks later. They pack up everything, tying them to their dragons, and start the flight to their new territory. They travel at night and sleep in the day, so the enemy clan won’t find out that they’ve moved for as long as possible. And hopefully, they won’t figure out where they are for even longer.

–

You squint at the mountain that borders your tribe’s territory, pausing in gathering herbs into bundles for your father to tie together. “Does someone live in the mountains?”

Your father’s hands keep moving as he glances up. Thin trails of smoke rise from the mountain and make grey streaks against the blue and white sky. His eyes widen slightly. “There shouldn’t be anyone up there… at least, not without Inko knowing.”

“Oh,” you say. “What if it’s some bad people?”

“Then we’ll chase them out!” He flexes his arms and laughs when you wrinkle your nose in disgust. “We healers may not be as strong as some of the warriors out there, but physical strength isn’t everything. Being good with your mind is important too, and you have to know how to take advantage of your surroundings.”

“Like what?”

“Hmm… if those are bad people making a campfire, and some poison ivy is added, things wouldn’t be very pleasant for them after that. How did poison ivy get into the mix?” Your father shrugs, then winks at you. “Maybe someone smart and sneaky did that on purpose.”

“And you would defeat the bad guys that way?”

A shadow looms behind your father. “What exactly do you think you’re teaching our child?” your mother asks.

Your father turns around, laughing sheepishly. “Uh, that you should never, ever burn poison ivy because the oils will be carried in the smoke and will hurt the people that breathe it in?”

Your mother scowls for a moment. But her expression clears up and she smiles at both of you. “Put down those herbs and come with me. Inko has an announcement to make, and I suspect it might have to do with the fires up in the mountains.”

–

You have neighbors, now. The thought fills you with excitement and it’s the only thing you can talk about at dinner, even though you haven’t actually seen the neighbors and even though they’re a couple hours of a walk away.

“Do you think there will be kids my age? Will I be able to make new friends? Will I be able to see their dragons?”

Your parents exchange amused glances before your mother patiently answers. “I bet they’ll have some ten year olds around. And when you visit, I’m sure you’ll get to know some of them. As for the dragons, that’ll be up to the dragon riders, though maybe you could ask someone if you really want to.”

“Okay! I want to see all the dragons that they have!”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to,” your father says with a laugh. “You’ll charm all the riders into showing you their dragons.”

–

Years pass, and unfortunately, the only dragons you get to see are the ones that fly by overhead when you’re out looking for herbs and other plants. You’re fifteen now, and are undergoing the training to be a healer just like your parents.

You learn about the different plants that are found in nature. Some can be used for mundane purposes, to be eaten as food or to flavor a dish. Others can be used as dyes and paints, to add splashes of color to clothes. The most important ones can heal illnesses and injuries, can prevent infection and stop fevers.

You learn that you have more of an affinity for healing injuries. The blood isn’t exactly pleasant, but you find it easier to work with something you can usually see, instead of battling invisible causes of disease. So you find yourself working with your father more often than your mother, because he focuses on treating the wounded while she takes care of the sick.

You also learn to use a spear. Though healers are supposed to help instead of harm, there are plenty of dangers out in the world (those are the exact words your parents tell you), and you need to know how to defend yourself in case anything happens. When you get older, you’ll be able to travel to different places on your own and heal those you cross paths with. So it’s important that you know how to wield a weapon—especially with rumors spreading about a dragon riding clan starting to take over more and more territory, putting healing tribes, hunting tribes, and others under their control.

Most importantly, you learn what it actually means to be a healer. To be willing to help those who are hurt or sick, even if they might not be able to repay you. To protect those at their weak points, to nurse them back to full health so they can continue living their lives to the fullest, free of pain.

Unrelated to healing, you learn that your soulmate is not in your tribe. There’s no news of anyone with a red diamond soulstone. But there’s still many years in your life, and you won’t give up. You’ll find your soulmate and you’ll learn to love them, and they will learn to love you.

You hope.

–

“Maaa,” you whine, shrugging your shoulders to heft your traveling pack further up your back. “Why am I here?”

Your mother looks over her shoulder at you, a teasing twinkle in her eyes. “Well, your mother and father love each other very much, and when two people love each other, they–”

“Stop!” you shout. A flock of birds rise from the trees at the noise. “I don’t need to know that. I mean, why am I coming with you to the dragon rider clan? I thought they had sick people, not hurt people, and I’m not very good at helping sick people.”

“And that’s exactly why you’re here. To learn. You have parents who are each very skilled in a different type of healing. It would be a shame if you didn’t know anything about one of them. Besides, haven’t you always wanted to see the dragons?”

“That was when I was a kid!”

“So you don’t want to see the dragons now?”

“Well… I didn’t say that.”

Your mother chuckles, then focuses her attention back on the path. “I thought so.”

You pout slightly but don’t complain any more. She’s right about both things—that you can improve on treating illnesses, and that you want to see the dragons up close. So you follow her and keep climbing, getting closer and closer to the place on the mountain where thin trails of smoke rise to meet the sky.

–

“Thank you for coming,” Masaru says outside the tent where the sick are housed. “Five of us fell ill over the past couple of days. We thought it was a stomach bug, or something that they ate, but they’ve started developing fevers.”

Your mother nods. “We’ll take a look and figure out how to nurse them back to health. I already have a couple ideas of what this might be.”

“That’s great. Thank you for taking the time to come help us. If there’s anything we can get for you to make things easier, just let me or any of the people here know.”

“Thank you, Masaru. We’ll get started right away.”

Masaru nods and walks away. Your mother pushes into the tent, and you follow right behind her.

There’s five pallets on the ground, blankets draped over padding to form temporary beds for the sick. Three of them are occupied. Each person on them is asleep with a slight sheen on their skin that indicates sweating from the fever. The fourth and the fifth beds are empty, although a quick glance around the tent shows the last two of the sick by a small table, pouring water out of a large pitcher and into cups.

Your mother puts her traveling pack down by the entrance of the tent. You follow suit, rolling your shoulders once they’re free of the weight.

“Go ask those two about how they’re feeling, what they noticed, anything like that. I’ll start taking a look at the ones who are asleep.”

“Okay!”

You walk over to the two boys by the table. They appear to be around your age, one with shockingly bright red hair, the other with completely black hair. Although the muscles on their arms show their strength, their skin is pale and rather waxy from the illness.

“Hello,” you say.

They jolt, and the dark haired one that’s in the middle of pouring water completely misses the cup and water splatters onto the table. You press your lips together to stop yourself from laughing.

“Um, I- hi!” the dark haired one says. “What can we do for you?”

“You probably shouldn’t be so close,” the red haired one adds on. “We might be contagious.”

“Only the five of you have been sick, and you’ve interacted with others in your clan, and they haven’t gotten sick, right?” They nod, so you keep speaking. “Then it likely isn’t contagious. I’m a healer– well, actually, I’m training to be a healer. My mom and I are here to help you all get better quickly!”

“Ohh, I see! A healer, huh? How manly!”

You blink at the red head, then laugh sheepishly. “I guess it can be manly?”

“That’s just how Eijirou speaks! He has a thing for manliness. I’m Hanta, by the way! I’m sure we’re in good hands.”

“Nice to meet you both! I’ll do my best to make sure you can get out of here soon. So first things first, can you tell me how you’re feeling different from usual? Fever, coughing, soreness in your body, anything like that?”

“Fever, definitely,” Hanta says, gesturing to both himself and Eijirou. “And we’re, uh, sweating a lot- sorry, that probably isn’t very pleasant.”

You smile in reassurance. “Don’t worry, it’s only normal for you to sweat when you have a fever. No judgement here. Anything else?”

They list off their symptoms, and you listen carefully, nodding once in a while as they talk. When they finish, you make your way to your mother, where she makes you suggest various causes of these symptoms. Both of you then decide on which disease it is, and get out your supplies to put together a treatment.

Looking at the different piles of herbs spread out on the table, your breath escapes you in a sigh. You have your work cut out for you.

–

Your hands are sticky with residue from grinding herbs into a paste, so after you’ve passed the bowl to your mother, you go outside to wash your hands in one of the buckets of water people brought for you to use. Crouching by the tent entrance, you scrub your hands together in the cool water, making sure to clean between your fingers and around your fingernails.

Someone passes by you on the way to the tent entrance. A hand knocks into the side of your head, and a foot brushes against the bucket. Water sloshes over the sides, soaking into your clothes.

You frown.

It’s silent. No apology has been given, as if the other person didn’t notice you at all.

Your frown deepens into a scowl. “Hey!” you snap, rising in one smooth motion. “I’m right here, you know?”

The person is midway through pushing the tent flap aside, but at your words, they let the flap drop and their arm slowly returns to their side. You look over their figure from behind. A head of spiky, blonde hair, nearly hiding red tooth or claw earrings. A cape drapes down their back, fur lining around their neck.

Then they turn around, slowly, and you realize they is actually a he, and he is handsome, fierce, and angry.

And there's a red stone on his chest and it's glowing, just like the soulstone around your own neck, and–

Oh.

Oh no.

This was not how you wanted your first meeting with your soulmate to go.

You have no clue what to say anymore, so you just stare and stare, taking in his devastatingly beautiful features.

Katsuki is frozen too. He never expected to meet his soulmate today of all days, not when he’s worried about his friends and the other clan members who are sick. But something in him is glad that you showed up. You’re gorgeous, even though there’s a streak of dirt or something on your left cheek, even though there’s a dark patch on your clothes from water he made spill. You seem kind. The fire in your voice made him turn around, and he saw irritation flash in your eyes, and he thinks you could be as strong as he is—the perfect person to lead the clan alongside him.

“Wha-” Katsuki clears his throat before trying again. “What are you doing here? I’ve never seen you before; you’re not part of our clan.”

“Oh! Mhm, I’m not part of your clan. My mother and I are here just for a bit! Your clan is amazing,” you say, starting to ramble a bit about everything that you’ve seen. “I don’t know how you can live on the mountains and climb up and down all the time, but you do it! And the dragons? I haven’t seen one up close but they look so magnificent and ferocious.” Your eyes light up. “Do you have a dragon?”

Katsuki stands a little straighter, proud of your compliments and fascination with his clan. “Of course I have a dragon. I’m Bakugou Katsuki, a dragon rider, and I’m going to be the strongest one of them all.”

“Really? Well I’m going to hold you up to that. I better see your strength one day.”

“You will, just you wait.” He grins at you, a fierce one showing his sharp teeth, and you feel just a little warm because of it.

“What’s taking you so long?” your mother calls from inside the tent. You jolt a little, the moment between you and your soulmate broken. “I need you to dip these cloths in clean water so we can reduce their fever. Then you should start on the tea, that should help with the fever too.”

“Okay! I’ll be there in a minute!” you shout. Looking at Katsuki, you give him a soft smile. “I have to help my mom out. We’re tending to the people who got sick. Will- will I be able to see you around?”

With every word that your mother says to you, and every word you say to him, Katsuki grows colder and colder, dread pooling in his stomach. Was his two year old self really that cruel? To choose a soulstone that you picked—a soulstone that a healer picked? After everything the healers didn’t do for his clan?

He can’t take this. He has to become stronger, become the strongest. He– “I don’t have time for this.”

You flinch at the sudden change in his demeanor. His tone is sharp and biting, like the sharp edge of a steel sword. And his eyes are a cold, dull red, almost matching the red diamond that hangs around his neck, no longer emanating light. “W-what do you mean? What’s ‘this?’” You hate how small your voice sounds.

“I don’t have time for you. A healer. Healers are weak, and I don’t have time for weakness.”

With these words that cut you to the core, Katsuki turns his back on you and strides into the tent. The entrance flap falls shut behind him, blocking him from your line of sight.

“W-what?” you whisper. You’re only talking to air.

You wrap your hands around your soulstone, clenching tightly to feel the hard edges bite into your skin. He just- he just left you? Just like that? Because he thinks you are weak, that your people are weak, that you’ll never be able to match his strength and stand by his side?

You take a shaky breath.

You’re fifteen, you’ve just found your soulmate—which is supposed to be one of the most exciting moments of your life—but somehow, you feel lonelier than ever before.

–

The rest of your visit to the dragon rider clan goes like this: wake up, check on the sick, grind some herbs, brew the special tea, eat lunch, check on the sick again, duck out of the tent to avoid Katsuki as he visits his friends, get scolded by your mother, eat dinner, check on the sick one last time, and go to sleep.

Your mother notices the change in your attitude. Her observant eyes take in the way you hunch in on yourself and make your escape when a certain blonde steps into the tent. You also don’t push to see the dragons any more. And you don’t complain about helping her with healing, you just do everything in silence, which your mother thinks might be worse.

She doesn’t press you for details, just yet, though. You’ll speak when you are ready.

You’re ready when the two of you arrive back home. It’s late at night, now, and your father has prepared dinner for all of you.

“Mom, when you met dad, did you both get along right away?”

Your father looks at your mother, raising his eyebrows in a silent question. She subtly shakes her head before speaking. “Not quite. We met when we were little, at nine years old. Our healing tribes were meeting together to exchange techniques, and we stumbled into each other while we were playing with other children. He knocked me over, so I called him names, and he ended up running back to his parents with tears streaming down his face.”

Your mother laughs, and a small smile turns up the corners of your lips.

“But when did everything change?”

“We grew older, and our tribes kept meeting up. Our opinions and thoughts changed, and we slowly started to see that being soulmates wouldn’t be so bad after all.”

“Why are you curious?” your father asks.

“I-” you pause, taking a deep breath. “I met my soulmate. And I thought it was going so well at first, but… but I don’t think he likes me. Or he has a thing against healers, so he doesn’t like me. He thinks we’re weak, or something.”

“Are we weak?”

You look at your father, slightly confused. “No! Of course we aren’t! We might not be the best at fighting head on, but we have strong minds and know how to use our surroundings to our advantage.”

“You’ve learned well,” he says, proud of you for echoing back the words he started telling you a long time ago. “So you know we aren’t weak. He doesn’t. You just need to show him that he’s wrong.”

“Show him that he’s wrong? Do you really think that will work?”

“You won’t know unless you try,” your mother says. “But the persistence of winds and waves can wear down even the strongest mountains. And this young man’s heart will certainly be no match for you.”

–

From that point on, you make sure you visit Katsuki’s clan as often as you can. Even if your parents aren’t sent out, you ask other healers who get sent to the clan to take you along with them.

You make a point to visit his friends—Eijirou and Hanta liked you from the first meeting, and Mina and Denki grew to enjoy your company—but whenever you see him stomping toward you, you quickly slip away.

You always end up smirking as you leave, especially when he lets out a frustrated growl. You’re not going to let him forget about you that easily.

You also throw yourself into your work as a healer. You were determined before, but now you want to learn everything, and make sure you excel in it. Your parents are amazed by your commitment, and Inko even hears about it and comments on your work ethic.

You keep polishing your skill with the spear. Though waking up before the sun rises is painful, and some days you want to stay under the warm covers, the thought of cold red eyes motivates you to get out of bed to practice. And when the rumors of a violent, power hungry dragon rider clan are no longer just rumors, you take up the spear to make sure you can protect.

–

The other clan calls themselves the Death Riders, you hear. Years ago, they chased a dragon rider clan off their own territory after months of war. From then on, they’ve been pushing their boundaries outward. They conquer more and more, forcing anyone in their path to be under their control.

And they’re steadily creeping toward the lands your tribe have claimed as your own.

Everyone is more alert when they go out now, more wary. Your spear is never out of arm’s reach. Though you know Katsuki’s clan is supposed to protect your tribe if the Death Riders attack, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

The next time you go up to the dragon rider clan is the first time you’ve ever traveled alone, and is also the first time you bring your spear with you.

Katsuki passes by you as you’re washing your hands after cleaning someone’s wound. He actually stops, eyeing your spear that leans against the tent. You know he’s there but you don’t say anything, yet there’s a bit more force in the way your hands scrub together.

“You know how to use that thing?” His voice is deeper and rougher than it was three years ago when you first met. He’s grown older, has matured (somewhat; he still stalks you down whenever he sees you around his friends, and you’re not sure if they even know you two are soulmates).

You, too, have grown up a bit. But you hold just a little bitterness toward him in your heart, so your tone is not exactly pleasant when you respond with, “Of course.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you see him reaching toward your spear. “Don’t–” Your arm pushes his away, the other grabs your weapon. “-touch-” A step back, a flip of your spear. The tip points to the ground. “-my-” Twisting your wrist, the end of the spear knocks forward into Katsuki’s chest, with a little more force than you mean to. “–spear.”

The impact knocks a bit of his breath out of him, but the beautiful picture you make—voice sharp, eyes narrowed, fluidly wielding a weapon—steals more of his breath away. His pride won’t let him show that, though. “Just because you have claws doesn’t mean you can use them. A weapon won’t make you stronger. Do you know how to use it in actual combat? Instead of swinging it around all over the place?”

The words make you scowl, but you weren’t expecting praise from him in the first place. “I know how to use it!” you protest. “I’ll fight with it if I have to.” With a whoosh through the air, you spin the spear and set it back against the tent.

“You? Fight?” Katsuki lets out a short, bitter laugh. “When the Death Riders come, we’re the ones that are going to be protecting you. We’re the ones who are going to fight against them and fucking destroy them. You healers are just going to cower in your tents and let us die!”

There’s anguish in his voice, nearly hidden by the hatred he spews out at you. Your eyes widen. Understanding dawns on you.

“You’ve gone through this before, haven’t you, Katsuki?” A pause, where his breathing quickens and his hands clench into fists. You push on, mind racing to connect the pieces. “Your clan was the one attacked by the Death Riders years ago. The healers you protected didn’t send anyone to help the wounded, and you had to leave your homeland. All because the healers were too afraid.”

Katsuki only glares at you, rage running through his veins. He never asked for you to be understanding, or kind. He just wanted to keep hating your people, to keep blaming the healers for the deaths of his clan members.

Maybe, one day, he’ll stop feeling guilty for being too young and too weak to be able to fight with his people.

“I’m sor-”

“I don’t need your stupid apology!” he snarls.

You stomp forward, grabbing at the fur draped around his shoulders, pulling him so you can stare into his eyes. He struggles, but stops when you knee him in the leg; a warning.

“Well I’m going to apologize anyway.” Your voice is fierce, strong, a battering ram ready to pound the words through his thick skull and into his mind. “I’m sorry that those healers were cowards. I’m sorry that they did nothing to help when their purpose as a healer is to help. I’m sorry that your clan members had to die, and I’m sorry your dragons did too. I’m sorry that my tribe was so far away that it was too late for most by the time they arrived.”

You breathe deeply. Katsuki opens his mouth to speak but you glare at him and push on. “I’m sorry you had to go through so much at such a young age. I’m sorry that it ruined the time you had to be a child, that it forced you and your friends to grow up so quickly. I’m sorry it made you think that you’re weak, that you’re not enough.”

Your hands unclench from his cape and fall back down to your sides. “I’m sorry, because it made you believe in lies. You are strong as hell and are more than enough, and you are someone I am proud of to have as a soulmate.”

There’s a lump in your throat. Your last words come out raspy and soft, betraying the hurt that has festered in your heart.

“If only you could be proud of me too.”

Vision blurred with tears, you spin away from him and start walking, picking up speed until you’re jogging, running, flying through the camp, weaving between tents and people, ignoring the cheerful greeting from Mina, ignoring the concerned shout from Eijirou. You run, and you run, and you run, trying to outrun the ache in your heart, trying to leave behind the painful words and memories.

Finally, when you’re all alone, with trees and birds as your only companion, you crumple to the ground.

And you cry.

–

Katsuki is left to stare after you. His heart batters against his ribcage. He can’t get enough air; his lungs are strangled, his throat tight, his whole body incapitated from the words that left your mouth. He’s sent reeling with the impact of each apology you give him—apologies that he doesn’t deserve to hear from you.

And to hear that you’re proud to have him as your soulmate? After everything he’s said to you, after every cutting word he spat at you?

He doesn’t- he doesn’t know how he’s supposed to take it all.

Katsuki manages to take a shuddering breath. He straightens up, rolling his shoulders back, doing his best to look unbothered. But his mind is racing. He’s spent so long hating your type of people, years of holding that grudge against you and other healers. He knows he can’t completely move on in one day. But, he knows he’ll soften with time, and will learn to forgive and let go. It’ll be better for him if he does so, and of course he wants to do whatever will make him stronger.

And after that, he thinks he can learn to love you.

–

The two of you keep your distance from each other over the next couple of days. You’re worried about the reaction he had to your words—did they just make him angrier? Would he blow up at you the next time you meet?—so you look into your soulstone often to make sure you’re as far away from Katsuki as possible.

Katsuki, on the other hand, avoids you because he needs to think without the image of your face interrupting his thoughts every ten seconds. Too late; the thought of you made him picture you in all your beautiful glory, glaring into his eyes as you apologize for things you shouldn’t be apologizing for.

He growls and throws his whole weight into swinging his wooden practice sword at Eijirou, who grunts at the impact against his wooden shield.

Katsuki spends the next few hours sparring with his friend, taking out his anger and frustration on the shield Eijirou uses to block.

When he’s sweaty and heaving for breath, and Eijirou is just as tired, Katsuki nods to his friend before stalking away. He needs more time to think.

–

He doesn’t get much more time to think. Late into the night, after dinner and as he’s heading to his tent, a whistling sound comes from above.

Then streams of fire illuminate the dark sky, angry orange streaks against a charcoal tapestry. The flames reach the ground, and consume, consume, consume.

Tents go up in flames. Children scream, a piercing, fearful sound. Katsuki’s ears ring. People start running, some adults rushing the kids to safety. Others race toward their dragons, grabbing weapons along the way.

Katsuki rushes into his tent, strapping his sword to his side. He picks up a bow and a quiver of arrows, slinging them across his back. He sprints back out, nearly crashing into Eijirou.

“We have to go!” Eijirou shouts.

“I know! They’re not getting away this time!” Katsuki roars, leading the way to where their dragons stay.

Other riders are already taking off. Huge beasts rise into the sky, gales of wind battering against those below. Streams of fire battle the ones from the Death Riders, illuminating swooping dragons and fierce dragon riders.

Katsuki runs to the cave where his dragon is. Ignis is already shifting around, restless, his deep red scales gleaming from the light of fires in the sky. He longs to fight and join his kind in the skies, just like Katsuki does.

Grabbing an extra quiver of arrows, Katsuki makes sure all his weapons are secured on his dragon. “Let’s go!” he shouts, swinging himself over Ignis’ back.

A ripple of muscle, and beautiful wings unfurl. With powerful flaps, the two of them rise into the sky to join the fight.

Katsuki’s gaze scans the place he calls home, taking in the burning tents, the panicked run of the younger ones who have not seen war before. There’s a figure in the midst of the chaos, still and looking up.

His breath hitches.

Fumbling for his soulstone, he holds it up to his eye. A trail of light glows within, leading to the ground, stopping right where the person stands. “Stupid,” he mutters, eyes softening. “Go someplace safe. I’ll be fine.”

As if you hear him, you spin around and leave, following the others to caves that will keep all of you safe.

Focusing his attention to the skies, Katsuki lets loose a furious roar. The Death Riders shall not destroy his home again.

He will not let them.

–

The sounds of fighting can still be heard, even in the depths of the caves. You stand with the others, your spear in hand and your pack against the wall. Most of the people here are children or elders. They’re too young, or too old to truly fight. So you and Denki stand guard in front of everyone else, just in case anyone of the Death Riders can find them.

Your free hand rubs over the soulstone you wear around your neck.

Denki notices, and smiles. He, too, has his free hand around his soulstone, though his is a beautiful purple.

But both of you stand strong, pushing fear for your soulmate to the back of your mind. You all will be okay. Katsuki will be okay.

He has to be.

–

Nock. Draw. Aim. Release.

Wings flapping overhead. Pressing flat against his dragon as they dive. Then a sharp pull up, rising above the enemy.

An extra second to select the right arrow. Nock. Draw. Aim. Release.

“Ignis!”

A stream of orange flames, brilliant in the night. They shoot through the air, toward the enemy, toward the arrow, engulfing wood, feathers, gunpowder.

An explosion.

The blast tears through the wing of the enemy dragon, sending the beast spiraling toward the ground.

Another one down, Katsuki thinks, lips pulled in a grim line.

Something swoops by him, and then it goes silent, the silence that happens right before the dragon lets loose a wall of flames.

“Shitty Hair!” he shouts.

“Got it!” His friend’s dragon swoops down, and spreads its wings wide, between Katsuki and the enemy.

Fire bursts all around them, this one a bright blue that burns hotter than the fires of other dragons. But Eijirou’s dragon is known for its thick scales, resistant to heat and impenetrable by most weapons. So the flames just roll off Eijirou’s dragon, and Katsuki grins fiercely.

Ignis dives down, beneath Eijirou and the enemy, then swoops back up once again. Katsuki fires an arrow tipped with gunpowder. The other dragon screeches when the arrow burrows under its scales and into its side.

“Ignis!”

Eijirou’s eyes widen and his dragon wheels away, flying to get out of range of the explosion.

A burst of flames, and the gunpowder ignites, knocking yet another one of the enemy dragons out of the sky. Katsuki thinks the explosion is one of the most beautiful things in the world. Red sparks against a midnight sky, blooming outward with a heat that warms him to the bone.

He and his dragon hover in the air, looking down below for anyone from his clan that needs assistance. They’re all holding their own, though, and pride wells within him. Although the Death Riders have forced others under their rule, it doesn’t seem to have made them a lot stronger.

Which is suspicious.

Because if they really were trying to destroy Katsuki’s entire clan, they should have come out with full force, not a dozen or so riders. His eyes widen. There has to be something more that is going on. He needs to warn his parents before it’s too late.

His parents. Where are they?

Ignis flies even higher, staying above most of the others so Katsuki can get a good look at the riders below. There’s Hanta, and Ochako’s parents, Eijirou, and–

There!

A head of spiky blonde hair in the distance, on top of a gigantic dragon.

“Go, Ignis!”

His dragon starts to speed toward his mother, but then a sharp pain radiates from his arm. Katsuki looks down. His skin has been split open, and blood wells to the surface from the knife wound.

Ignis roars too, and his left wing starts to drag behind, no longer keeping both of them afloat.

They spiral down, and down, the treetops growing closer and closer. Katsuki’s vision wavers, and a strange burning sensation emanates from his wound.

“Fuck,” he hisses, before his eyes fall shut and his body goes limp, sliding and sliding until he completely falls off his dragon, tumbling to the forest floor.

His dragon, still in pain and fighting to stay in the air, doesn’t notice his rider falling off him. Ignis flaps harder and harder, managing to rise back into the sky to join the battle, fighting alongside the dragons he recognizes from his clan.

Up above, a blonde girl giggles, twirling a pair of throwing knives in her hands. A thin layer of liquid coats them, shining in the light of the flames. “Time to go night-night, Katsuki,” she says. “Have some pleasant dreams… although the poison might make things hurt a teensy bit. Don’t worry, we’ll see you soon!”

–

The sounds of fighting have stopped. Everyone waits, tense for news about the outcome. Footsteps travel through the caves. You and Denki move forward quietly, gripping your weapons.

“We won!” The victorious scream echoes off stone walls. Seconds later, Mina bounds into view, throwing herself into Denki’s arms.

Everyone behind you starts to cheer, racing out of the cave to reunite with family and friends. You can’t help the smile that spreads across your face, hugging Mina tightly after she pulls away from Denki.

“We won?”

“We won! They started to get knocked out of the skies, and after a while, they turned tail and ran!”

“Did a lot of us get hurt?” you ask.

“A lot of us, huh?” Mina echoes, wiggling her eyebrows at you. “Nope! A couple of injuries and burns, but nothing fatal I think.”

You sigh, relieved. “That’s great! I can go help out.” You heft your pack onto your shoulders and start for the tunnel out of the cave, then pause. “W-what about Katsuki?”

Mina grins at you. “He’s fine! I saw his dragon come in! The dragon is a little hurt, but nothing too bad since he’s still able to fly. I think Katsuki is with Eijirou now, or something.”

A weight is lifted off your shoulders. You relax a little. “Good. I’m glad. Anyway! I have to go help, you know, do healer stuff.”

Mina laughs and Denki smirks at you, waving as you leave the cave and step out under the light of the rising sun. The rays warm your skin, and you breathe deeply, tilting your face up toward the sky. A moment later, you set off to find those who are wounded. Though you had to stand guard the whole night, you can’t rest just yet. A healer’s work is never completed.

–

You work through most of the morning, eat lunch, and get a couple hours to sleep. It’s dinner time when you wake up, so you get your food and look for Katsuki and his friends.

His friends sit around a fire. They’re huddled together, heads bent, seemingly in a serious discussion. It’s strange, for a clan that just won a battle.

As you approach, you hear Hanta speak. “How are we supposed to tell his soulmate?”

“Tell who’s soulmate what?” you ask.

They jolt and pull apart. Mina scoots over on the log she sits on, tilting her head for you to sit beside her. You move to sit, looking from one face to the next. Your brows furrow, lips turning downward in concern.

“Have you all been crying? Is everything okay?”

Silence.

Your grip on your bowl tightens. You don’t like the way they’re exchanging pained glances—you don’t like the way they’re looking at you.

It’s as if whatever they tell you might break you.

“When you asked about Katsuki,” Mina eventually says, “I said I saw his dragon fly in.”

You nod. “Yeah, you saw his dragon and the dragon was a little hurt, but was okay.”

Her voice is strained as she continues. “I only saw his dragon come in.”

Your hands start to tremble. One leaves your bowl and slowly wraps around the red diamond that dangles from your neck. “S-so?”

“I- I’m sorry.” A sob. “Katsuki hasn’t been seen since the battle. He’s g-gone. Out there. Alone.”

Something inside you shatters. Your hand slips from your soulstone, falling limply to your side.

“H-he’s what?”

–

to be continued.

–

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whitebear-ofthe-watertribe · 7 years ago

Text

That Which Holds Us - Chapter 1

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug (Sequel to A Brand New Dawn)

Pairing(s): Adrien / Marinette, Nino / Alya

Summary: It’s been several months since Ladybug and Chat Noir discovered their true identities. Now that they aren’t trapped by secrets, they can finally be their full selves around each other and have never been closer. Marinette is going into her final year at university, Adrien is exploring new classes and passions, and their friends Alya and Nino seem to be moving towards a happy future together. It all feels like things couldn’t be better.

But of course, nothing in life is quite so perfect.

When Adrien starts having vivid nightmares and visions about his mother, old questions begin to resurface. Will he be able to find the answers, or will these ghosts from the past tear apart the heroes of Paris for good?

Reminder, you can also read / follow this fic at AO3 here, and FF.net here.

Word Count: 6,817

Enjoy!!!

The late August sun beat down upon Paris from a brilliant, cloudless sky. The city was full of bustling noise as its inhabitants tried to take advantage of the last days of Summer. Cars drove with the windows rolled down, blasting upbeat music as they passed. Hordes of people explored the many kiosks, strolled along the river banks, and flew kites in the refreshing breeze that blew through the parks and along the busy streets.

Alya sat perched at a small round patio table of an open-front bistro just off campus. The computer before her displayed the latest article she’d been commissioned to write, and her overflowing notebook and third coffee of the day rested beside it. She tapped her pen on the paper impatiently, trying and failing to find the right words to fill her introduction. Letting out a sigh, she set the pen down and reached up to nudge her glasses onto her forehead. Pressing her fingers against her eyelids, she enjoyed the cool wind that played across the back of her neck, momentarily dispelling the day’s heat.

As she sat there, Alya began taking in some of the chatter of the people surrounding her. A couple of women walking along the sidewalk were gabbing about a dinner party they were planning. A little girl was asking her uncle questions at a neighboring table as he patiently tried to teach her the rules of chess; Alya smiled at the girl’s names for each of the pieces, including “Princess Pony” and calling the pawns “prunes.”

An irritated voice caught Alya’s attention. She curiously peeked through her fingers to see a man around her own age standing in line for the bistro’s counter, clearly in a heated phone discussion.

“No, Mother… Mother I’m fine… No, I’m not moving back home. School’s starting and… Yes, I understand you’re worried, but as I told you last week, I like my job. I mean I’m honestly used to the Akumas at this point! Everyone is!”

‘Ah,’ thought Alya, suddenly realizing what was going on.

It was a familiar discussion that she’d heard a dozen times in recent months. A number of people she went to school with had already left the city in favor of transferring to places where the threat of supervillain attack was a bit less common.

For the people of Paris who’d lived with it for nearly a decade, the Akuma attacks had sort of become standard news. Sure, there were still plenty of people who experienced a thrill of fear every time they heard some bangs and explosions in the distance. However, most folks planned the risk of attack into their daily schedule, much like leaving their house early to account for rush hour traffic. And when friends or family called to check in, it was not unusual for them to insist their loved ones move out of the city at once. Or, at the very least, ask for updates about the escapades of their favorite superheroes and villains.

Alya had always considered herself pretty good at keeping a cool head during attacks; after all, she’d been directly involved in enough of them. She’d had a deep love for superheroes ever since she was little, and the excitement she got from running straight into the heart of battles always overshadowed any fears she might’ve had.

It wasn’t really until Puppet Master’s attack in January – when Marinette had been so badly injured – that she finally started to see these attacks as truly dangerous. And it seemed as though the rest of the city was of the same mind.

Ever since that incident, Paris had been rallying behind their heroes with a new intensity she’d never seen before. To learn that their beloved heroes were not perfectly infallible – that they couldn’t always set everything back to normal after every attack – made them all realize that there was actual risk involved.

There had even been a lot of anger towards the city’s law enforcement and politicians for not doing more to bring this villain to justice. A new chief of police had been appointed, replacing the father of Alya’s old schoolmate, Sabrina Raincomprix. From what she could tell, this new guy – Chief Thomas Benoit – had actually been extremely helpful to Ladybug and Chat Noir. Multiple times, he’d done an amazing job of getting civilians to safety so that the heroes could focus on the Akumas. He’d even contacted Alya about her old Ladyblog, asking her for permission to use it as a civilian hotline and resource in tracking down Hawkmoth himself. The Ladyblog was more popular than it had been in years as people tried to take matters into their own hands and bring the villain to justice.

A soft ding from her computer’s speakers brought Alya out of her contemplation.

Pulling her hands away from her face and repositioning her glasses, she grimaced as she shifted to unstick her thighs from the wooden seat. As much as she loved Summer, she was really ready for some cool Autumn weather. The notification in the corner of her screen told her that Adrien had just sent her a large folder. Clicking on it, her mouth drew into a smile when she saw the page full of picture thumbnails from last week’s camping trip.

Adrien had spent a week and a half earlier that Summer in the American Rocky Mountains, participating in a photo campaign for the prAna company. He’d joined a small team that climbed a handful of the 14ers closest to the city of Denver. When he returned home, he’d brought a huge assortment of backpacking gear for himself and Marinette, and enthusiastically insisted that the four of them go out for a camping weekend before school started up.

Nino and Alya were no strangers to hiking adventures. They both enjoyed traveling regularly for their jobs, and there was no better way to see a new place than to walk it.

By the end of that weekend, though, it was clear that Marinette was a city girl through and through. While she kept a good face about sleeping in tents, carrying heavy loads, and doing business in the woods, all of them could see how relieved she was to be back in urban civilization.

As Alya clicked through the pictures, her smile grew.

Adrien had done amazing work photographing their trip, capturing stunning shots of the wilderness and wildlife they’d encountered, sprinkled with plenty of excellent shots of the four of them. Of course, no small number of pictures featured Marinette as their focus.

Alya snorted affectionately as she clicked through several in a row of Marinette blushing furiously and laughing as she tried to snatch Adrien’s camera away from him.

Her two friends had become next to inseparable in the past months. Alya had the sneaking suspicion that the near-death incident, as horrible as it was, had caused Marinette to finally break out of her comfort zone and take the next step in her relationship with Adrien.

‘Well, at least one good thing came of that horrible time,’ Alya thought.

She and Nino were beyond thrilled about this turn of events; it had been something they’d all be waiting for ever since their years in middle school.

“And speaking of waiting…” Alya muttered under her breath as her eyes flicked down to the clock on her computer screen.

Her friends should have joined her at the restaurant for lunch a while ago, and now they were all officially late.

Frowning slightly, Alya reached under her chair to grab the phone from her purse, preparing to message Nino. She was halfway done with her text when a flash of movement outside the patio gate caught her eye.

Alya looked up to find Nino and Adrien hurrying up the path between tables, looking gently frazzled.

“It’s about time!” Alya called, waving them over. “What’s going on with you two? You look like you’ve just seen –”

“An Akuma?” Nino offered, coming over to her as Adrien scanned the patio. “Well, you’re not wrong.”

“Really?” Alya raised her eyebrows, quickly closing her computer and feeling more awake now than she had from any of her three coffees.

“An attack just started a couple blocks down,” Adrien confirmed. “Where’s Marinette?”

“She hasn’t shown up yet,” Alya replied, shoving her stuff into her bag and leaving payment for her coffee on the table.

Adrien craned his neck to peer up and down the street when they got to the sidewalk.

Alya could hear distant screams and what sounded like a man shouting. She couldn’t quite make his words out.

“I should go look for her,” Adrien said, turning to face Alya and Nino.

Nino smirked at him, nodding in agreement.

“Give us a call when you find her, kay?”

Alya quickly pulled out her phone, opening up her camera and turning on the spot to try and see where exactly the battle was taking place. The commotion sounded like it was getting closer.

“We’ll meet up here when all of this is over, kay?” Adrien called, starting to head off down the street in the opposite direction of the noise.

Nino nodded. “See you in a –”

“LOOK OUT!”

There was a loud humming noise and a flash of bright red.

Suddenly, Alya’s breath was knocked out of her. A sharp pain in her shoulder told her that she’d just been knocked against the restaurant’s stone siding.

Nino had his arms wrapped protectively around her.

Looking over his shoulder, Alya saw Adrien was nowhere to be found. She caught a glimpse of Ladybug swinging around the corner at the end of the block. It looked like she was carrying someone, but before Alya could get a better look, she heard a strained grunt come from Nino. Quickly she pushed him off her and placed her hands on his cheeks to see where he was injured.

“Babe! Are you ok–”

The words died on her tongue as she took a better look at him. It was as if time had been set on fast-forward; where one moment Nino stood there looking perfectly ordinary, the next his hair had turned grey, and he’d grown a bushy beard to match. Wrinkles framed his amber eyes as he looked back at her, worry streaking across his face when he saw her surprise.

“What? What’s happened?!” he exclaimed, his voice coming out a little deeper and hoarser than before.

“Well, I guess this means we know what the Akuma’s powers are.”

Alya ran her fingers through his silver hair, and Nino frowned at her.

“What are you talking – ” Nino stopped dead, staring at his reflection in the window beside her. He let out a yelp as his hands flew to his face. “WHAT THE HELL?!”

“Hun, calm down. You look fine!”

Alya fought hard against the laugh that threatened to burst out, pressing a hand to her lips as she watched her boyfriend closely inspect his new, sagely features.

“I look like my grandfather.”

“Yes,” Alya snorted, unlocking her phone and opening the camera once again as she hurried down the street towards the sounds of the battle. “Well, haven’t you always said that you wanted to grow up to be as suave as him?”

“I mean, I expected it to happen over the course of decades, not seconds!” replied Nino irritably as he finally turned away from his reflection to hurry after her.

“Don’t worry babe, you still rock a beard better than anyone!” Alya shot over her shoulder. “Oh, by the way…”

She spun on her heel and raised her phone up to him. When the sounds of the camera shutter went off, Nino scowled.

“Why?” he grumbled.

“For the Ladyblog!” Alya said brightly, turning around to continue running. “And for your Mom. You know she’s gonna get a huge kick out of this!”

*******

Adrien felt a great lurching in his stomach, and opened his eyes to find himself soaring through the air. Looking around, he discovered that he’d been flung over Ladybug’s shoulder, and she had an arm wrapped securely around his waist. She used her yo-yo to swing around a building’s corner and up onto the rooftops of a block of department stores.

He smiled affectionately at the back of her head, realizing that she’d just saved him from an Akuma’s attack so that he could be sure to fight by her side.

“Sorry to snatch you up like that!” Ladybug called to him. “But we’ve got a monster to stop!”

Coming to a halt, Ladybug made to set him down, but Adrien grinned devilishly and wrapped his arms around her neck so that she had no choice but to hold him up, one hand under his knees, the other supporting his shoulders.

He beamed up at her, and she raised an eyebrow.

“Adrien, what are you –”

“Wooow, Ladybug!” Adrien gushed, fluttering his eyes at her. “You saved me! You’re so cool and strong…”

“Oh for the love of –” Ladybug rolled her eyes and let her arms drop down.

With a whoomph, Adrien sprawled at her feet, flinching to keep his exposed skin from touching the roof’s hot tiles. He let out a bark of laughter as he gazed up at her.

“Wait, nooo!” He reached out to her playfully. “You’re my hero, Ladybug! You’re so pretty and brave and awesome and –”

“And ready to smack you if you keep this up,” Ladybug cut him off, but he could hear the amusement in her voice as she stepped over him and out of his reach. Her cheeks had taken on a shade of red that had nothing to do with the sunburn she’d gotten while camping. “Just transform, you idiot cat.”

“As M’lady commands,” Adrien said, smirking as Plagg emerged from his pocket to hover between the two of them.

“Do you two have to be stupid and lovey-dovey every single time?” he wined.

“Excuse me?” Ladybug scoffed, looking over her shoulder and putting her hands on her hips as Adrien sat up and rested his arms on his knees. “I’m the one trying to act like a professional over here!”

“Seriously?” Plagg drawled. “You’re the one who didn’t have to save the idiot cat’s ass in the first place.”

Adrien nodded stoically.

“He’s got a point. I mean it’s almost like…” He let out a theatrical gasp, his hands flying to his cheeks. “Does the beloved heroine of Paris like me?!”

Ladybug rolled her eyes again and turned back to fully face him. She opened her mouth to retort, but her words were drowned out by a shout of alarm from below.

Forcibly reminded of why they were on the rooftop in the first place, Adrien leapt to his feet and cried, “Plagg, transforme moi!”

Plagg’s final muttering of, “Idiots” faded with the burst of green light that momentarily surged around them, and suddenly Chat Noir stood beside his Lady, flashing her his usual Cheshire grin.

“So, Bugaboo, what exactly are we dealing with?”

“Well…” Ladybug peered over the building’s ledge, and Chat followed her gaze to see a tall, elderly man in a tweed patterned suit and homburg hat walking purposefully along the street.

He held a polished wooden cane in his hand, and Chat’s ears picked up the sharp crack it made with his every step. For all the world, this man could have simply been enjoying an afternoon stroll in the sunshine, except for the fact that his skin was as pale white as parchment paper, and nearly as translucent.

Before either of them could move, the Akuma caught sight of a couple young men hurrying away from him.

There was a loud hum and Chat felt a sort of static pulse shoot through the air as the Akuma spun his cane and brought it against the ground.

CRACK.

Chat Noir gasped as he saw that the two young men suddenly weren’t so young anymore.

“This’ll teach you!” the Akuma cried. “This’ll teach ALL of you! You can’t just throw the Sage away because of old age! Not when everyone else is old, too!”

“From what I can tell, this guy didn’t get a promotion or something because he’s a bit older,” Ladybug said beside him, and Chat looked down at her as she tapped her chin thoughtfully. “If I were to guess, I’d say the Akuma is inside the cane. Thoughts?”

“Makes sense to me,” Chat nodded as she glanced up at him. “That does look like where his power seems to be coming from. Do you have a plan yet?”

“You go low, I go high?” Ladybug suggested.

“Come from behind? I’ll keep his attention,” he offered, shooting her a wink before they both dove in opposite directions.

Chat lithely made his way down the side of the building to land on all fours in the middle of the street, several yards from the Sage. He noticed a few civilians peeking out from behind the shop windows on either side of the street.

“Aren’t you a little old to be acting so childish?” Chat called, standing up and rolling his shoulders. “I mean, I know they say, ‘act the age you feel,’ but this seems a little counter intuitive, dontchya think?”

The Sage turned to face him fully.

“I am really, really tired of children telling me what to do,” he growled, the grip on his cane tightening.

“Um, rude!” Chat scoffed dramatically, catching a glimpse of his Lady making her way along the roof behind the Akuma.

She was holding what seemed to be a large, elaborate kite. He assumed that must be her Lucky Charm.

“I mean, I think I should get a little more credit,” he continued, “for the fact that I know how to file my own taxes, thank you very much.”

Before the Akuma could retort, Ladybug flew off the roof. Holding the kite above her head, she brought it down with a cry of “Take that!” and effectively trapped his arms between the fabric and string.

The Sage, however, twirled the cane between his fingers and caught her ankle in its hook.

Ladybug let out a yelp of surprise and tumbled to the ground.

Chat hurried towards her.

“You ok?”

“The Akuma!” she cried, glancing up.

He spun to see the Akuma throwing the kite trap to the side.

The Sage began to swing his cane over his head, and a hum filled the air again.

Chat let out a battle cry and launched himself forward.

Trying to direct his attack, the Sage turned to follow him, but in a fluid motion, Chat flipped into the air, soaring right over the top of the Sage’s head and snatching the cane out of his hands.

In another swift motion, he snatched up the kite and thrust it firmly back over the Akuma’s head, this time wrapping his arms together with the kite’s string.

“A gift for you, M’lady,” Chat said, moving towards her and offering her a hand, helping her to her feet.

“Aw!” Ladybug gushed, taking the cane with a dazzling smile. “You shouldn’t have, Kitty! It’s not even my birthday.”

“Anything for you, my dear,” Chat swept into a low bow.

Ladybug raised the cane high and brought it down onto her knee, splitting it in half with a loud snap.

As she caught up the dark butterfly and quickly restored the world to its former normalcy, Chat turned and made his way over to the old man sitting on the ground where the Akuma had just stood. The man was gazing around in confusion until he spotted them. A look of understanding flashed across his face.

“I didn’t mean to get so upset,” the man said sadly as Chat helped him stand up. “I was just… angry. The company I helped build said they wanted to replace me with someone younger, and I guess I just…”

“I’m so sorry,” Chat said gently. “It’s not right that they were prepared to just get rid of you like that after all the work you’ve done to get your company where it is today. Is there any way you could still participate in how things are run?”

The man looked at him thoughtfully before shrugging.

“Eh, we’ll see what happens. I’m sure my husband would be thrilled to have me finally considering retirement.”

“I hope you can find a way to transition on good terms,” Chat offered kindly. “Don’t let them bully you into anything, yeah?”

Chuckling, the old man offered Chat a hand and he shook it. “You know, young sir, you’re alright . Thank you for helping me out of that vile darkness.”

“My pleasure, Monsieur. Good luck.”

Ladybug appeared by his shoulder and offered the man his un-Akumatized walking cane, which he took gratefully before turning to go.

“Everything ok?” she asked, looking between the two of them.

“Yeah,” Chat said. “I just… I wish we could help more, sometimes.”

“I know what you mean,” Ladybug said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “But we can’t solve everyone’s problems.”

Just as he heard her earrings give off their tell-tale beep, a small flood of news reporters appeared and quickly approached them, cameras and notepads in hand. A jumble of questions reached Chat Noir’s ears.

Before he could open his mouth to respond, Ladybug had stepped forward to address them.

“Sorry to be rude,” she said kindly but firmly. “But we really must be going!”

The two of them hurried off, launching into the air and soaring over the crowd until they found a secluded corner a couple blocks away.

Detransforming, Adrien looked around to see Marinette catching Tikki out of midair. The angry lines of her camping trip sunburn were made even more apparent under her navy sundress. Where her spotted suit had hidden the worst of it, these thin straps did not.

“Well, at least that was easy,” he said fanning himself in the heat, and she shrugged.

“Too easy,” she muttered, pulling her phone out of her pocket to check the time. “Crap, we totally missed our lunch window. Have you seen Nino and Alya yet?”

“Yeah, they were going to try and get some footage of the fight last I knew.”

Plagg was staring at Adrien pointedly, so he began rummaging in his pockets for cheese.

“Did they say where to meet up?” Tikki asked over the bit of pastry Marinette had just fished out for her. “There’s still a few minutes before you guys have to head back to work.”

“They should be back at the restaurant,” Adrien nodded.

Taking Marinette’s hand, they hurried out onto the street which was once more filled with people going about their business. They wove their way down the block, and rounding the last corner, they heard a familiar voice calling their names. Looking around, he saw Alya waving them over to where she and Nino stood waiting.

“Are you guys ok?” Nino asked, giving them a sweeping look, searching for injuries.

“We’re fine,” Marinette smiled. “I just had to save Adrien’s butt from getting blasted by the Akuma, but other than that…”

“Oh please, you’re the one who fell over.” Adrien exchanged an amused glance with her before turning back to their friends. “Did you get any good footage for the Ladyblog?”

“Ohoho, I did better than that.”

Alya pulled her phone out and Nino let out a huff beside her as she flipped through it to a particular image, holding it out proudly for Adrien and Marinette to see.

“Wait… is that…?!” Marinette gasped and Adrien burst out laughing.

“Man! You got blasted?”

“Ha ha ha,” Nino rolled his eyes, crossing his arms indignantly.

Adrien could tell he was fighting to hide a smile.

“Alya, please send that to me,” he demanded, grinning as he pulled out his own phone. “This is absolutely going to be your new caller ID picture.”

“Done!”

“Dude!?” Nino exclaimed.

“Don’t fight it, babe,” Alya patted Nino gently on the arm. “Do you guys still have any time left to grab a bite?”

“No, I’m sorry,” Marinette wrapped her arms around Alya’s neck apologetically. “I really need to get back to the bakery. The afternoon rush is probably just starting.”

“Shall we raincheck, then?” Nino suggested. “We can figure something out for tomorrow?”

“Sounds good to me,” Marinette smiled, quickly giving both Alya and Nino a peck on the cheek before taking Adrien’s hand. “We’ll have more time to catch up then, anyways.”

They waved goodbye, and Adrien gave her hand an affectionate squeeze as they headed off in the direction of the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

“How long do you work tonight?” he asked, and she shrugged.

“I’m closing.”

“Didn’t you open this morning?” Adrien raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “And I closed last night too.”

“Isn’t that a bit much?”

Marinette shrugged again. “That’s what my parents said too. I’m just trying to get in as many hours as I can before school starts, you know?”

“I guess,” Adrien looked at her sideways. “But you look kinda tired. Are you sure you’re not pushing it too hard? I’m pretty sure they expect you to go back to school rested.”

“It’s fine,” Marinette grinned up at him. “Although I think I’m going to skip patrol tonight, if that’s ok?”

“That’s fine, Bugaboo. Are we still going to Master Fu’s tomorrow?”

“Yeah of course,” she nodded. “I have a new shirt for him.”

“Tropical?”

“Always.”

They paused at the top of a set of stairs leading down to the underground subway system.

Adrien leaned down to give her a quick kiss.

“Be sure to get some good sleep tonight, kay?”

“I’ll text you later,” Marinette said, giving his hand a squeeze goodbye as she turned to go.

Adrien watched her walk away, admiring how the sun reflecting off her dark hair made it look exceptionally blue for a moment. He smiled to himself before heading down the stairs to find the train that would take him back to his office.

The remainder of Adrien’s afternoon was filled with video calls and meetings. By the end of the day, he was thoroughly tired of work. He’d barely gotten to see his friends that afternoon, and he’d been counting on spending a little more time with Marinette than just taking down yet another villain.

He stayed late into the evening, though, enjoying how quiet the building got when the day lights had been turned down and most of the people had left. He cherished times like this when he could actually finish things up without interruption.

The moment he left his office, his feet made his mind up for him. He climbed up a few flights of stairs until he emerged onto the roof.

The night sky was lit up with the orangey glow of the city. A warm breeze ruffled his hair as he breathed in the delicious smell coming from a nearby restaurant.

Plagg flew out from Adrien’s shirt pocket and perched on his shoulder.

“So, we’re going to the girls’ place, huh?” he inquired, and Adrien grinned down at him.

“I think the city can survive without a patrol for one night.”

Plagg gave a little whoop of enthusiasm, spiraling off Adrien’s shoulder to loop happily through the air.

“Beautiful cheese, here I come!”

Adrien laughed, amused at how much his catty Kwami had grown to love Marinette. As much as Plagg had tried to hide it, justifying his enthusiasm with the excuse of loving the cheese she always had, Adrien could tell how deep his affection for Marinette ran.

He rolled his shoulders before taking a running leap off the roof’s ledge. In a burst of light, he landed as Chat Noir on a neighboring building and sprinted off in the direction of Marinette and Alya’s apartment, his tail fluttering out behind him.

It only took him several minutes to make his way over the busy roadways and loud street corners where people enjoyed the pleasant evening. Even though the air was cooling off with the absence of the afternoon’s blazing sun, by the time he flipped onto the building across from their apartment, he was feeling uncomfortably hot.

Pausing for a moment, he carefully observed his destination through the living room windows.

Alya was pacing in the kitchen, her phone held between her cheek and shoulder while her hands were occupied with a spoon and a pint of ice cream. She let out a laugh, and from what Chat’s sharp ears could pick up, she was talking to Nino.

He smiled as his eyes slid over to Marinette’s window, which sat open to let in the night air.

She was standing in front of her mirror wearing only some sleep shorts and a sports bra, twisting her arms around uncomfortably to try and reach her back.

Chat tilted his head in confusion until he noticed the bottle of Aloe Vera laying atop the bureau beside her, and suddenly understood what she was trying to do.

Springing across the street, he soared easily through her window. As his boots hit her wooden floor, Marinette let out a yelp and jumped back in surprise.

“What the– ?!” she exclaimed loudly, stumbling into her bureau with a loud crash.

Chat was before her in a swift, fluid movement, one hand catching her around her waist to stop her fall, the other pressed over her mouth.

“Shh!” he hissed, grinning. “Alya is still in the kitchen!”

“Mar?” came Alya’s voice through the door. “Is everything ok?”

Chat widened his eyes imploringly.

“Is everything ok, Princess?” he whispered.

Marinette reached up to pull his hand away from her face with a huff, though he was pleased to note that she held onto it, weaving her fingers between his almost unthinkingly.

“I’m good!” Marinette called out. “Just tripped. No worries!”

“Ok, goodnight Ms. Clumsy!”

Chat noticed the kitchen light shining through the crack under in Marinette’s turn off.

“Goodnight!” Marinette said distractedly over her shoulder, before turning back to him. “What are you doing here?” she asked softly, raising her eyebrows.

“I missed you,” he shrugged.

Marinette let out a dramatic gasp. “Does this mean the beloved hero of Paris likes me?!” she said, making fun of his words from earlier.

Chat was only half successful in stifling his laughter as he dropped his transformation.

Plagg appeared to hover in the air beside them, looking rather expectantly at Marinette.

“Hello Plagg,” Marinette smirked, glancing sideways at him. “Let me guess...”

Stepping away from Adrien, she reached for the insulated lunchbox that held a permanent place on her bookshelf.

“Hello!” came another familiar voice, and Adrien turned around to see Tikki perched on one of Marinette’s bedposts, happily munching on a cookie that was easily twice her size and already halfway gone.

“How’s it going, Tikki?”

Adrien reached over to give her an affectionate pet on the top of her head with his thumb.

“Great,” she chirped. “Marinette was just talking about how she wished she could’ve seen you more today, too.”

“Was she, now?”

He grinned, feeling thoroughly pleased at his decision to come over.

Marinette turned towards him away from Plagg, who was already filling his cheeks with a rather odiferous cheese.

“Yeah, yeah, so I missed you too.”

She returned his smile, though.

He reached out to cup her cheek again, this time leaning in to brush his mouth against hers. He felt her hum happily against him, but as he trailed his hands gently over her shoulders, she broke away and hissed in pain.

“I’m so sorry!” Adrien threw his hands up in alarm. “I totally forgot!”

“No, no!” Marinette gave him an apologetic look, grabbing his hands and holding them tightly. “You’re totally fine!”

“I guess this means minimal cuddling still, huh?”

“Correct,” Marinette said, moving gingerly back in front of the mirror and grabbing the Aloe bottle again. “I’m just glad these burns are finally starting to get better.”

Adrien thought her use of the term “better” must be very loose in this situation. The lines where her normally pale skin met the deep red of sunburn still stood out in high contrast. Now it looked almost worse than before, as the damaged areas were beginning to blister and peel. He really, truly felt sorry for her.

Despite their best efforts to be responsible with the sunblock during their camping trip, they had spent their last afternoon playing in a river, which must’ve washed a lot of it off. But where his, Alya’s, and Nino’s sunburns had already faded into healthy tans, Marinette it seemed would only every transition between the tones of “porcelain ghost” and “cooked lobster,” as Nino had put it. None of their burns even hurt anymore, really. It was only poor Marinette who was stuck with the worst of it.

“I just can’t – reach – this – one – spot!”

Marinette tried and failed once again to reach an elusive point on her back with her fingers covered in the soothing gel.

Adrien chuckled, reaching out to push her arms down.

“Don’t worry, I got your back.”

Marinette gave him a grateful smile and moved away from her mirror over to her desk.

As Adrien quickly stripped out of his work clothes down to a t-shirt and briefs, she switched on a small fan near her window. It slowly started to rotate, pulling the cooler air from outside into the warm room. Adrien sighed in relief, enjoying how the temperature was already beginning to drop.

Tikki and Plagg bid them goodnight (mostly Tikki, as Plagg was still stuffing his mouth with cheese) and flew up to the top of Marinette’s tall bookcase. She had set up a sort of mini pillow fort in the space between the bookcase and the ceiling; it was their Kwami’s favorite place to hide away and get some privacy.

Marinette climbed onto her bed and slumped face down on the mattress, letting out a tired sigh.

“Busy day, huh?” Adrien asked, moving to sit cross-legged beside her and putting a dollop of Aloe on his hands.

“Yep,” Marinette grunted her voice muffled through the pillow before she turned her head to look at him. “I’ve been helping Mom and Dad train the new kid.”

She yawned hugely, and Adrien could tell that she was fading fast now that she’d lain down.

“Edmund, right?” Adrien gently traced the skin of her back with the lotion, feeling how much heat the burn areas were giving off and trying his best to be delicate. “How’s that going?”

“Mmm,” she sighed, reaching out for his free hand and gently tracing the cat tattoo on his forearm, her eyes closing lazily. “It’s going fine. He’s a fast learner and seems to do really well with the customers.”

“Do your parents like him?” he asked, smiling as her warm fingers left tingles on his skin.

“Yeah. I think my Dad is a little disappointed that I won’t be around to help with the decorations as much,” Marinette sighed, “but I’m sure they’ll train him up for all that in no time.”

Adrien reached out to put the lotion bottle on the desk and turned off her lamp light. Stretching out his legs, he laid down on his side, facing her.

“I have a hunch that he’s more disappointed that you’re going to be so wrapped up in your final year that you won’t have as much time with them.”

“Hmm,” Marinette mumbled. “How ‘bout you? How was your day?”

“Eh, fine I guess. The usual. I got all the pictures from our trip edited.”

“I saw those. I wanna hang some of them up.”

“I’ll get you some prints this week.”

“Mmm. Good.”

Her breathing was already slowing to a soft rhythm.

After a moment, Adrien realized she was already asleep. He grinned as he watched her in the soft street light that came in through her curtains, moving his fingers to deftly pull a soft strand of hair from her face and tuck it behind her ear.

“I love you,” he whispered, and closing his eyes, he too let himself drift gently out of consciousness.

He was in some sort of room. He could barely make out the walls in the darkness. There was no hint of a door or windows. Just endless walls and corners, trapping him in a box. He trailed his hands frantically along the paneling, turning this way and that.

There had to be a way out.

There had to be an escape.

And he only knew, with absolute certainty, that he had to escape.

In desperation, he threw his shoulder against one of the walls. He’d rip apart a hole with his bare hands if that’s what it took. Again and again and again, he beat at the dark material. Yes, there! The sound of splintering wood met his ears. It was working!

“Adrien, my love.”

Adrien froze, his heart jumping into his throat. He knew that voice. He hadn’t heard it in nearly a decade, but there was no way he could ever forget. Slowly, hardly daring to believe it, he turned around. There, standing in the middle of the room, illuminated by a strange blue light, was his Mother.

“Mom?”

“Adrien, you can hear me?” Her eyes softened as she smiled and raised her arms, welcoming him in. “Oh honey, I’ve missed you so much.”

Adrien ran towards her, stretching his hand out in front of him, trying desperately to reach her. But she never moved closer. As hard as he tried, his feet were not carrying him across the room. He sprinted with all his might, but she only seemed to be moving further away.

“Mom!” he cried, his voice feeling raw in his throat. “Mom wait!”

“I love you,” she whispered.

“Mom please don’t go! Don’t leave me!"

Adrien’s foot landed on nothingness and he lurched forward. There was no floor. He was falling, down, down, down into the endless darkness.

“I love you, my son.”

Adrien woke up with a gasp, his eyes blowing wide to take in Marinette’s dark room. The fan that sat on her desk slowly turned to blow a soft breeze in his direction.

Beside him, Marinette slept on, her breathing steady, and her lips puckered as she squashed her cheek into her pillow.

Carefully, so as not to wake her, Adrien pushed off the mattress and came to a sitting position, running his hand through his hair. He realized he was trembling. His heart was still pounding from the dream he’d been having moments before. He frowned trying to recall more clearly what had been weaving through his mind.

“It happened again, didn’t it?”

Adrien looked up, just barely making out Plagg peering over the top of the bookshelf, his slitted eyes reflecting the soft golden glow from the lights beyond the window.

Ever since their battle with the Puppet Master, Adrien and Plagg had shared the residual effects of absorbing the Akuma’s dark energy. Things had gotten much better over time, especially when they both spent more time with Marinette and Tikki. But it was not unusual for them to get a violent nightmare every now and then. And when that happened, linked as he and Plagg were, they would always feel the same darkness. It was a burden they shared, but because they were in it together, they could at least offer each other understanding and solidarity.

Adrien frowned. The dream he’d had was far from the normal night terrors. Usually they had something to do with Hawkmoth or some monstrous Akuma. But this dream had been no Akuma, so why…?

‘It’s the anniversary,’ he thought suddenly.

They were approaching the anniversary of when his Mother disappeared from his life nearly a decade ago. He’d had dreams about her before, whenever this time of year came around. He supposed it was just another one like those before, but he still didn’t understand why Plagg would have sensed anything when it was simply a dream about his Mother.

“What time is it?” Adrien whispered, looking around for Marinette’s clock.

“A couple hours till dawn.”

“Is Tikki asleep?” Adrien whispered.

“Yeah.”

Plagg floated down from the shelf to hover beside him.

“Good. Let’s let them rest. I need to run for a bit. Transforme moi.”

Welcome to the official sequel of 'A Brand New Dawn'!!! You guys, I've been planning this story for about a year now, and let me tell you I am SO FREAKIN EXCITED to finally begin sharing it with you!

Now, if it's not quite clear, TWHU takes place between Chapters 12 and 13 of ABND. I really wanted to have fun exploring our dorks' relationship while it was still a bit new during that missing year, plus there's a lot I wanted to address regarding... *ahem* other things in the Miraculous universe ;}

As far as this fic goes, I currently have a whopping 16 pages of this story outlined chapter-by-chapter, with several different conclusions I have yet to decide on (but as with ABND, I'm pretty sure the right ending will present itself as I work through the story) so we'll see how that goes. I will try and update fairly regularly, but there's this pesky thing called a "day job" that I am pouring most of my energy into, as well as commissions and other aspects of a busy life, so please forgive any hiatus-type moments in advance! Just know that I'm fully committed to sharing this whole story, and with some much appreciated patience from you all, TWHU will get done eventually!!!

Thank you everyone who supported ABND and took the time to send in comments! Without you guys, I never would've gotten this far! This one is for you <3

#a brand new dawn fic #miraculous ladybug #ml fic #chat noir #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #ladynoir #marichat #ladrien #adrinette #adrienette #djwifi #carapce #rena rouge #abnd #twhu #college au

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