Chapter Text
“Annyeonghaseyo, Mudangbeolle.”
“You’re the third Black Cat this month,” Ladybug said cautiously as she approached. “Where did you come from?”
He did his best to make his accent pronounced, distorting his French lightly. “Chat Noir sent me. He heard the red-Black Cat had quit and his stay in Korea has unfortunately been extended. He sent me with this note to confirm, and where to find the Kwami.”
He reached into his hanbok, and pulled out a piece of letterhead with Chat’s signature on it again, saying that his emergency was unfortunately still on-going, but would hopefully soon end and an apology for choosing so badly, that he swore Nathaniel Kurtzberg was the right choice…
The revelation that Nathaniel was Nacht was one thing, and she was immensely relieved that he’d returned the ring before that whole debacle with Luka and Adrien.
“...Wait, you saw and met Chat Noir without the ring?!” Ladybug demanded. “You can’t-”
“Ma’am. I can’t tell the difference,” he asserted. “He’s a yellow haired white boy with bad fashion. That’s about all I could tell you. To be frank, I couldn’t pick him out of a line up. I was his translator for his entire last month in Korea, and I still couldn’t tell.”
Ladybug was about to counter, he still knew ! But…what could she do? “Are you still in contact with him?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Then tell him to wrap up whatever emergency he’s on, I’m getting really sick of this revolving door of cat’s,” she sighed. “You can’t be any worse than the last guy. Name?”
“I can’t really expect a French girl to be able to say ‘Geom-eun Goyang-i’ at every turn,” he considered, putting a crooked finger under his chin thoughtfully. “Eodum-ui Saja will be fine. You may call me Saja.”
“And that means…?” She didn’t want to accidentally be calling him something embarrassing, or let this random guy trick her into calling him her superior or something like that.
“Dark Lion.” He said.
…Didn’t Juleka know Korean? She was fairly certain she did. “Come with me.” She said, motioning him. “I need to confirm something.”
“Did you go through this trouble for that german cat?” Saja asked curiously as he went to follow her.
-
They landed on the Liberty, but there wasn’t anyone above deck, save for a certain blonde laid in a hammock, snoozing away in Luka’s sweater.
Ladybug shook Adrien’s shoulder, and he jolted slightly, then put a hand over his chest where he’d been injured only a few days before. “Hungh- ow!”
Ladybug jumped back a bit, startled when he grabbed his injury. “Eek! S-sorry, Adr- Monsieur Agreste! Are you alrigh- erm…no, obviously you’re not, you were stabbed…Are you hur- uhm…”
“I’m fine, Ladybug,” Adrien wheezed slightly, not pulling himself out of the hammock and laying back down. “It just aches at the moment.”
“I’m surprised you’re out of the hospital so soon, it’s only been three days.” Ladybug said, concerned.
“Well, after they cauterised the inside cuts and sewed me up, there wasn’t any reason for me to stay in the hospital,” Adrien sighed. “I was lucky Luka was there, and he knew what to do and got me to a hospital quickly. The doctors told me that if that thing had wiggled inside me, it would’ve cut up my lungs and heart pretty badly.”
“...Right…” Ladybug said, a bit awkward. “Is he…?”
“He’s…not okay,” Adrien said diplomatically. “But he’s dealing, somehow. He isn’t here right now, if you were looking for him.”
“No, I wasn’t. I have a new cat here, he’s trying to take a name and I wanted to confirm it means what he says.”
“Anarka and Juleka aren’t here either,” Adrien said with a slight grunt, shifting himself slightly in the hammock. “I’m better at English and Chinese, but the Couffaine’s have taught me some Korean, maybe I can confirm?”
Ladybug nodded. “It was…erm…” She looked to the new feline, just out of Adrien’s sight from within the comfortable cocoon he was laid in.
“Eodum-ui Saja,” he announced. “Or just ‘Saja’.”
“I know Saja is ‘lion’,” Adrien said. “And Eodum is ‘Dark’, or something like that. So he’s basically ‘the Lion in the Dark’. That was basically Juleka’s Warrior Cat OC name back in elementary school.”
Ladybug let out a slight sigh, relieved. “Alright. Thank you, Adrien. And, I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks for your well wishes.” Adrien said, smiling. “Could I ask you for a favor, while I have you here?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“It’s hard for me to get up with like, the wound and all, could you grab me a bottle of water from the fridge downstairs, please?”
Ladybug nodded, glancing around for half a heart beat as she ‘searched’ for the stairs, and hopping over to quickly fetch the requested drink.
“Come closer, Saja. On the other side, in the light.”
“I’m meant to be a ‘lion in the dark’, remember?” Saja huffed slightly, getting into the blonde’s view. “Is something up?”
“Nah. I just wanted to see you up closer. You’re so handsome in hanbok, you should wear it more often.”
Saja glanced away slightly, trying not to smile and maintain the new facade of being a colder and more aloof feline. “Stawwp…”
Adrien snickered, but had to quickly hold his breath to stop, as the slight movement made his wound sting.
Ladybug returned shortly with the bottle of water, Adrien thanking her profusely as she and Saja leapt off into Paris to begin their tutorial patrol.
-
“How’s it going, Kitten?” Saja’s shadow asked, the voice was low and deep, a growl only the feline hero could hear, feeling an icy breath against the shell of his ear and lightly stirring his hair, the vaugest sensation of fangs brushing up upon Saja’s skin.
“You’re new,” Saja said, one leg extended out over the edge of a building ledge, holding the other to his chest.
“Don’t be a stranger, Saja.” The voice purred, sounding delighted. “It’s your old buddy Plagg. Just…a little more up close and personal.”
“Plagg? …Prove it.”
“You have a drawer in Adrien’s closet for just your clothes, and you keep a bathing suit in there.”
“Okay, I believe you. Is this a new power?”
“An old one. Haven’t been able to do this since before the Pyramids. I knew you were soulless but man …It’s downright roomy in here.”
“Can you actually do anything to help or are you just able to chat while I’m transformed now?”
“Buddy…like this, you command the darkness itself. With this dingy little stick, you can have whatever weapon you can think of. Aim it like a gun, wield it like a scythe, throw it like a spear. You could walk into any shadow you’d like and come out of any shadow you’d like. You’re the boogeyman now. The only limitation is just making sure to satisfy my hunger.”
“What? You want cheese? Can you eat cheese like this?”
“Cheese doesn’t do it right now, painful as that is. I’m thinking more…fresh, than that. Raw protein. Warm protein.”
“...I think this sort of thing needs a little…practice.” Saja pulled himself to a stand on the Parisian rooftop. “How do you feel about ginger pork?”
“Oooh…sounds…”
Saja could feel his own stomach growling, the icy breath on his neck gaining a damp sort of feel, as if Plagg’s drool was about to drip onto his shoulder.
“Tasty.”
The new feline stood on the roof, and stepped out into the darkened alleyway below, his body enveloped by the inky black.
-
It had been a week since Nathaniel’s akumaitzation. Word was that yet another new Black Cat was wandering Paris, and Alix had been giving him all the details of what was going on at Francois Dupont.
Luka was still there, looking and acting like a gloomy ass without his favorite twink around. He bounced straight back into form when Adrien did return on Thursday, paying absolutely no mind to anybody except the sun of his life.
Nathaniel was considering asking for a school transfer after all this mess, even though Alix was begging him not to.
Especially with how he was now, stuck with his mouth wired shut after Luka had pulverized his jaw, dislocating it and leaving him with far fewer teeth.
He was in the bathroom, the door closed as he did his new evening routine after drinking his dinner, brushing his teeth furiously and the wires within and using the medical rinse.
He stared into the mirror for a moment, spiritually exhausted.
In retrospect, Luka had not been worth all this pain.
He was an inattentive lover, their first time together had hurt so goddamn bad, Nathaniel had bled. Not that Luka had cared enough to stop, though. He was flaky at the best of times, and unaffectionate. He picked up and put down Nathaniel like he was a toy instead of a person.
Nathaniel had genuinely just been waiting for that switch to flip, for Luka to suddenly start acting like he was on the same level as Adrien, or even beyond it. To hug him in public and assure everyone else that asked that his boyfriend was Nathaniel Kurtzberg , and not international supermodel Adrien Agreste.
Maybe that was what had tripped him up.
When Luka hadn’t immediately said no when Nathaniel got a little closer after he’d seemingly started to melt a bit at the beginning of the school year, there was a possibility in the redheads’ mind…
A guy as hot as Luka, choosing Nathaniel over Adrien!
But…he hadn’t. Nathaniel was ‘practice’ for him.
Probably for Adrien. It was because of him that Adrien’s virginity loss would probably be perfectly blissful.
Luka would use as much lube as possible, and probably better quality than the hand lotion they’d used. He’d spend hours stretching Adrien so it wouldn’t hurt when he stuck his stupid fat dick into the blonde. He’d use better condoms that fit so he could stay hard. He’d kiss Adrien while they fucked.
…No. They wouldn’t ‘fuck’, they’d make love.
He sighed again, shoulders slumped, and clicked off the bathroom light.
Nathaniel was about to reach for the doorknob, not even looking when an unknown hand reached to grab his wrist.
He inhaled sharply, eyes rising to the mirror reflection, and finding a pair of bright green eyes staring at him from the darkness.
The hand that held his wrist went to slap over and cover his nose and mouth before he could scream, and Nathaniel struggled, reaching to try and tear the hand that was suffocating him off his face, trying to make as much noise to alert his parents or siblings, feet kicking and clattering the bathroom counter cabinets. It all happened so fast, fear didn’t even quite register in his head as he was grabbed.
But, it was already too late.
Suddenly, Nathaniel couldn’t breathe, his mouth felt no push and pull of air as a sharp, stainless steel blade sliced through his throat, his blood filling and pooling in the sink as it spurt from his neck onto the mirror in front of him like a horror film.
The redhead’s struggles lessened as he bled out, eyes closing as strength sapped out of his body, his partially decapitated neck stump gurgling with bubbles as his lungs emptied and light left his eyes.
Then, a soft whisper. “Thank you, for the practice.”
The last sensation Nathaniel felt was falling as Eodum-ui Saja dropped him into The Void, letting the Kwami of Destruction swallow his flesh and soul whole.
-
“What’s going on…?” Adrien asked when he arrived that Friday morning to Francois Dupont. The entire school seemed to be so much more…dour, than previously. Heads hung low, people spoke in hushed whispers in the misty, foggy morning as everyone, student and teacher, shuffled to their destinations.
“You didn’t hear, dude?” Nino asked, himself looking quite severe. “Nathaniel was murdered.”
“What?”
Nino nodded. “That’s what I’ve been hearing anyway. He was killed in his family bathroom, but there was like… a lot of blood at the scene. Police think he was murdered in the bathroom, and his body was dragged away. They still haven’t found him.”
“Oh god…Did they catch-”
Nino shook his head. “Sabrina said that her Dad was talking about it all night on the phone in his office, and she could hear him. No drag marks on the floor and, get this, their bathroom was in the middle of the apartment. No windows going outside! It’s like…his body just vanished .”
“Creepy…” Adrien shuddered.
“ Priviet .” Just then, a hand reached to take his bag off his shoulder. “I heard the word ‘creepy’ and rushed riiight over,” Luka announced, shouldering Adrien’s messenger bag. “You’re not talking me, are you?”
“ God dag. ” Despite what he’d heard, Adrien snorted, smiling only slightly at his best friends’ sudden appearance. “Luka, Nathaniel’s missing. Possibly dead.”
Luka actually looked staggered for a second, brows tilting up, then furrowing at the news. “What…?”
Adrien went through what he knew, Nino right behind him and nodding the entire way to confirm that it was what he’d heard too.
“That’s… wow …” Luka put a hand over his mouth, sliding it down as he considered the enormity of what had happened, eyes flickering back and forth with uncertainty. “...Damn that’s…I…”
Adrien tilted himself into Luka, arms around the wider boys’ chest. “It’s not your fault, Lulu.”
Without even saying goodbye or a ‘see ya later’ to Nino, the twosome left up the stairs and to class, Luka carrying both their bags.
Nino, for a moment, stared at the Musician"s back. Out of Adrien’s sight, Luka had smiled slightly as he was hugged by the blonde, returning his embrace fully.
-
Home Economics!
Where they learned to patch up their own clothes, make a budget, diaper a baby’s butt and learn how to cook.
Today, it was chicken noodle soup.
It was a conjoined class and three to a group, so Adrien, Luka and Juleka were able to make a group together to make their soup.
Juleka and Adrien were in the middle of chopping vegetables. Adrien was struggling ever so slightly with the garlic, when Luka was quite easily chopping onion, somehow without crying even once.
“Man, how are you doing that so fast?” Adrien asked, confused at the perfect little pile of minced onion.
“Guess I’m just good with a knife,” Luka smirked, spinning the paring knife in his fingers like it was a pen.
“ Couffaine! You do not play with your knife!” The teacher scolded, just one table away. Luka flinched slightly, and nearly dropped the knife after his little show-boaty trick.
“S-sorry, Ma’am!” He returned, gently placing the knife back down onto the chopping block.
Both Juleka and Adrien snickered at him as he went to move his onions to saute in the pot. Adrien continued to struggle with the garlic cloves, but was unfortunately a bit less skilled than either of the Couffaine twins, as his blade slipped on a bulb and he cut the side of his pointer finger slightly, shaving off a sliver of his skin. “Gah-!”
“Eek- I’ll go get a band-aid!” Juleka said quickly, tossing her apron onto the table and running to the first aid station.
Adrien was spun on his heels, pulled towards Luka who put his bleeding finger into his mouth.
“It stings,” Adrien’s face screwed up, wincing from the small wound.
“Garlic oil will do that,” Luka said, Adrien’s finger still between his lips.
Juleka was back in a flash with the band-aid and an antiseptic wipe. “Lulu, gross, don’t stick his open wound in your mouth,” she scolded, taking Adrien’s wrist to bandage him up.
“Mom did that to us,” Luka reminded her.
“And it was still gross then.” She said simply.
“Oh well, Adrien tastes gross anyway,” Luka snorted, pushing Adrien’s head slightly as he left his sister to doctor up the blonde. “I didn’t want that in the soup.”
“Rude,” Adrien returned with a similar snort. “I bet I taste better without the garlic oil on my fingers.”
And Luka, standing at the stove, couldn’t help but agree. He wanted very badly to taste Adrien for real, to test that hypothesis…
“I even got you the Hello Kitty bandaid, A.” Juleka giggled as she slapped the colourful plaster onto his finger.
“Awe, cute.” Adrien snickered. “Sorry for messing up, guys.”
“It’s no biggie, accidents happen.” Juleka assured him. “I’ll swap you, you take the carrots and I’ll get the garlic.”
“It’s to be expected of a guy who"s never had to cook his own food,” Luka said simply.
“Hey! Cook the food, not me ,” Adrien laughed, swapping places with Juleka.
All was right with the world, and Luka felt so at peace…