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Luka wasn’t sure when he’d first begun to notice the change. But notice it he did. A chill often found itself creeping over him more often than he would have liked. Jack Frost seemed to bite at his very bones, as the frost overtook him and threatened to make him succumb to its own will.
Winters in Paris had always been miserable, the rivers freezing over as the city was blanketed in a sheet of white. Everything seemed to ground to a halt white the city was stuck in a bitter chill.
Freezing a little, Luka rubbed his arms together for a bit of extra warmth and drew his scarf up over his face.
“It’s so cold today, I would like you to know this cold weather is snow much fun!” rang out a voice. His constant shadow, Cat Noir.
The mangy stray was perched atop a street lamp, his ‘tail’ flipping back and forth in the cool air.
“Sure, it’s utterly frigid but I love it. After all, you know what they say! There’s snow place like home.”
“S-Speak for yourself,” Luka shivered, not really sure why he was feeling this cold. “I swear if you told a mugger to freeze, he really would in this weather.”
“I dunno, it’s not all bad…” Cat remarked, dogging his every step and leaping to another light post. “Like it’s perfect for ice skating. The whole Seine is your playground! I wish my boyfriend would take me on a date, it could result in a whirlwind winter romance. It was already love at frost sight!”
His heartsong was warm, loving. He was hoping to be walking in a winter wonderland.
However, Luka’s own was more like “I Got a Cold for Christmas”. And he probably was snot going to be joking shortly. (Damn it, the more time he spent around Cat, the more he rubbed off on him!)
“When I get back to my apartment… I am not going outside again until the temperature is well above my age,” he’d long since decided. “Hibernation!”
“Why are you even following me?” Luka asked. “Shouldn’t you be on patrol?”
“What’s to patrol? I don’t think even Hawk Moth wants to be out in this weather,” Cat said, now on top of another light post. “So I, as a hero of Paris, have elected to help citizens get home before they freeze to death.”
“...right,” Luka replied, not believing him for a minute. “...Is that all?”
“Well,” Cat said, leaping to a fourth lamppost. “I was hoping I could pick up a certain citizen for a date as well. I do love our relationship purry much after all…”
Luka’s only response was to flip him off with a raised finger.
"But a certain civilian seems intent on giving me such a cold shoulder!” Cat went on, basically ignoring the gesture. “Oh well, I guess this alley cat will slink on home to his cardboard box!”
The kicked kitten look on Cat’s face was too much to bear, his green eyes big and pleading.
“Alright, fine, you can come home with me,” Luka finally relented. “I usually hate cold weather, but only to a certain degree. I guess you can make it more bearable.”
And soon, he was in Cat’s arms and practically flying over the rooftops. He felt warm, safe in the Guardian of Paris’ arms. Despite his boyfriend wielding the power of destruction, Luka had never felt scared of him.
After all, it was hard to feel terrified of someone when they were a massive dork. Constantly cracking bad puns left and right, gushing about whatever anime they were watching at the time.
“Aaaaaaaaagh, I can’t believe people in Japan liked this guy! He’s so emo! I saw his betrayal coming a mile away!”
“You think if I opened a Host Club, it’d be popular?”
“Which Sailor Senshi is your favorite?”
“Ooooooh, that new episode of Yuri On Ice! I was not emotionally prepared for it, but it was so beautiful! Aaaaah, the sheer raw emotion!”
“Is it bad to ship characters if they’re kids? Like, you know, 9 to 11 years old? But I can’t help myself, Nanoha and Fate are so cute!”
“Ooooooooh, All Might! He’s so awesome! Like, yeah, I believe everything’s going to be okay with that smile! Superman could take notes!”
“So if you were stuck in a virtual reality game, how would you get out of it?”
“Seito Kaiba’s such a loser, right? Like, he’s rich in dollars and poor in sense. He’s just coasting by on his money, not by any form of raw skill.”
“Captain Bright Noa’s such a badass right? Like, there’s a reason he has a slap named after him!”
“Zeref’s so overpowered, right? Like… what? Did he win the superpower lottery or something?”
“Wow, I didn’t see that coming… Goku Black’s true identity! This turns everything I knew on it’s head. I am seriously freaking right now!”
“So I just started watching Bleach, and… and Ichigo and Rukia? They’re totally a thing, yeah I ship it!”
Like seriously, he was a massive weeb.
Snuggling under the covers couldn’t come too soon, taking a nice long hibernation. Luka’s head feel back on his pillow as he tugged the covers up over himself. He felt a weight pressing down on his chest, his boyfriend using his stomach as a pillow.
Cradling Cat close, Luka tugged the covers closer in the darkened room. Outside, the skies were a depressing sea of grey but inside it wasn’t so bad. Running a finger though his boyfriend’s blonde hair he felt his eyelids begin to grow heavy.
“You’re not going to give me a goodnight hiss?” Cat rumbled.
“Oh stop…” Luka protested weakly trying not to snort at the terrible pun. “You’re terrible.”
“But you know you love me…” Cat’s ears were laying flat against his head as he nuzzled in closer to his nesting boyfriend. Kissing his neck, he snuggled down for a nice winter’s nap.
Luka could feel his heartbeat, a soft ba-bump ba-bump ba-bump. His heartsong was a soft song, strings gently plucked as he got comfortable. Sleep soon called him, snowflakes softly falling on the window outside…
-----
It had to have been because of spending so much time bonded with Sass. He’d noticed a few behavioral differences. For example, he had a big craving for eggs nowadays. Okay, weird enough but now his blood temperature was lowering.
Mhmm, great.
He’d seen it happen to Juleka, her miraculous beginning to influence her behavior. She looked about ready to pounce on Rose at times. She managed to stalk people silently. (Okay, that wasn’t much of a change.) Her eyes gleamed at the sight of meat, and she drooled. (Though she’d hurriedly deny any of this.)
Magic was a funny thing, it still found ways of surprising you.
“God it’s cold out!” Aurore shivered as she walked into the classroom, rubbing her arms together for warmth. “Like, are we sure there’s not some akuma fooling with the weather? Like, this is the devil’s work! Or at least Hawk Moth’s…”
Luka shook his head. “...sorry, nope, it’s just Paris in February. A winter wonderland this is not.”
“I just feel sorry for Cat Noir and Ladybug, I’ve seen them on patrols…” Aurore trailed off. “I honestly wonder how warm their costumes actually are! I mean, magic can’t solve everything can it?”
He’d seen Cat, his boyfriend didn’t seem all too bothered. Then again, he did seem awfully eager to snuggle for warmth so maybe he was colder than he actually let on.
“Some boyfriend I am,” Luka chastised himself. “He’s probably freezing his ass off and he hasn’t said a word. I should have picked up on it!”
His jaw set as he found a purpose. After class, he found Marinette in the art room.
“Luka! Are you here to join us?” Marinette greeted chipperly, as she drunk her cocoa while sketching designs on her tablet. “You’re always welcome here.”
“Actually, I wanted to ask you something,” Luka shook his head as he sat down next to her. “Do you still have any slots free for commissions?”
“Ooooooh, a present for your boyfriend?” Marinette grinned conspiratorially. She was one of the few who actually knew he was dating Cat Noir. Actually, she was the first to know. Luka figured given how they used to date, she had a right to know.
“Something like that,” Luka nodded. “It’s been… well, you know what the weather’s been like, I worry actually.”
“Yes, the suits…” Marinette mumbled. “I guess magic can only get you so far. Oh, you’re a good boyfriend Luka. Your guy sure is lucky!”
Sometimes, he wondered if Marinette was jealous of things lost. She’d never said, because of course she wouldn’t. She was… surprisingly good at keeping things to herself, which worried Luka at times.
(He’d seen how Lila was affecting her, she never said how badly but a part of Luka wanted to coil around the Italian and squeeze. Or… at least get Cat Noir to Cataclysm her homework.)
“Don’t worry, I'll get to work on this right now!” Marinette nodded. “I’ve never worked with black leather before, but you know I think I love a challenge! Should be a unique experience!”
Luka honestly wondered if Ladybug herself hadn’t heard of her counterpart’s woes from her apparent contact. Surely the former mouse hero and the Guardian of Paris still talked. They must have, given a few days later he spotted her in a jacket on patrol.
It must have been a trend! Leave it to their Everyday Ladybug to start a trend!
All the same, Luka honestly envied his boyfriend. While he was cold, and tired with eyelids heavy Adrien apparently hadn’t lost his stride. While he wore no real fur coat, the winter weather didn’t seem to have much of an affect on him.
“You okay?” Adrien asked as they walked home. Recently, his father had been allowing him a bit more freedom. Maybe his heart was beginning to thaw.
(Or maybe restricting Adrien from spending time with his boyfriend would be a bad idea. The media always sniffed out a story after all. Yeah, that was more likely. Gabriel suddenly having his heart grow two sizes was about as likely as Hawk Moth surrendering.)
“Snakes hate the cold,” Luka muttered and oh his poor pansexual heart just about melted from the worried look in Adrien’s eyes. “It’s taking all I have just to stay awake…”
His boyfriend held him closer and it took all of Luka’s strength not just to fall asleep in his arms.
“God, practice today is going to be a nightmare.”
“Maybe you should just sleep it off,” Adrien suggested. “I’m sure your sister and the rest of the band will understand!”
“No, I can still muster up the strength to pick up my guitar. I’m not dead yet,” Luka replied definitely. “I’m not going to let this cold weather beat me.”
“Let’s just hope Hawk Moth decides to take today off,” Adrien muttered bitterly. “I’m not sure my poor simple civil serpent would be able to handle an akuma battle…”
Of course, given how life hated them…
“Me and my big mouth!” Adrien muttered at the sound of the screams. “You know, one of these days I’ll learn to keep it shut and not tempt fate so much!”
The akuma was someone who hated the cold as well, not that either hero was in the mood to appreciate the irony. Apparently, the akuma intended on giving everyone the flu.
Disease Spreader. Probably one of the more on the nose names, but yeah Hawk Moth had never been known for his grasp of subtlety.
She looked like a nurse, carrying infected handkerchiefs in her handbag to fling at the populace.
It wasn’t even a particularly powerful Akuma. Maybe Hawk Moth was desperate. Or he just wanted all of Paris to share in his probable misery.
Viperion so enjoyed kicking the villain in the face, feeling strength surge through his bones and an inner fire begin to blaze. Now he didn’t have to think about the chill, and instead could only think about the villain in front of him.
“Swine Flu requires oinkment and the Bird Flu requires tweetment,” Cat gleefully joked. Leave it to him to have a pun for every occasion. “Don’t worry Paris, doctor Cat Noir is in with his wonderful assistant Viperion!”
“Excuse you, I think I’m worth more than being an assistant!” Viperion shouted back at him, somewhat offended.
“Nurse on call then,” Cat Noir said. “Maybe we should get you one of those uniforms then? I bet you’d look awfully cute!”
And poor poor Viperion had to keep the blood from rushing to his face at the thought of Cat in one of those uniforms.
“Just don’t get hit!” he shot back. “I don’t want to have to nurse you back to health!”
“Awwwwww, but what if I want that?” Cat returned. “I like your tender loving care my dear!”
Again, Viperion flipped the bird at him.
“How rude!” Cat said, even as he held back the akuma’s massive syringe with his baton. “Did you see that LB? That qualifies as emotional abuse!”
“Yeah yeah, I’m not getting in between you when you’re having one of your marital spats,” Ladybug returned, nailing the akuma in the forehead with her yo-yo. “You two work this out. I’m a superhero, not a couples counselor.”
Viperion and Cat looked at each other, with equally flushed faces. Them? Married?
“...maybe one day, right?”
Eventually, the akuma was cleansed and everyone could get back to their normal lives. Practice went okay, Luka guessed. Not great, but it went okay.
“We need to find warmer venues,” Luka said, picking up his guitar and placing it in his case. Never mind the fact that they were in a perfectly warm building with a heater. “...I dunno, I think this cold is starting to get to me.”
“Maybe you need your boyfriend to warm you up?” Rose suggested with a giggle.
“Well, I must admit the prospect is purry tempting…” Adrien grinned.
“You’re not even trying to keep your identity secret are you?” Luka whispered to him in response, mildly annoyed and amazed that Marinette had taken so long to connect the dots. “One of these days, someone’s going to put two and two together and not come up with six.”
“I like to live life on the edge,” Adrien whispered to him, close enough to nibble on his ear. (Luka flushed at the thought.) “Y’know?”
“Yes… well…” Luka tried to articulate. “At the very least you could wear warmer clothes to patrol. You have to be freezing inside that get up, magic or not magic.”
“Awwww, but I thought you liked to see me in leather~!” Adrien practically purred.
Okay, he had him. Yeah, that was true. That much was very true. Hey, he couldn’t help it that he liked looking at how well that catsuit suited his figure.
“Sometimes I wonder if you’re faking being cold,” Adrien continued. “You just want me to come over there and warm you up.”
Deny! Deny! Deny!
“You’re projecting,” Luka replied simply. “If you ask me, you’re the one looking for an excuse to cuddle.”
“Well, I am very touch-starved…” Adrien replied, lacing his arms around Luka from behind and wrapping them around his waist. Resting his head on the taller boy’s shoulder, he smiled. “Thankfully I have you to fix that.”
There was an ‘awwwwww’ in the background, probably from Rose. Then came the snap of a phone’s camera.
“Don’t mind me,” said Juleka. “Just saving this moment for posterity.”
“This is so going on Facebook!” Rose added, holding her phone up as well. “Our fans are going to eat this up!”
“Did you get my best side?” Adrien teased, the model in him coming out to play. “Oh wait, I guess they’re all my best sides.”
“You’re incorrigible…” Luka sighed in defeat, the long suffering partner in this relationship.
“I know,” Adrien said, with a very Cat Noir-like grin on his face. It was amazing nobody was starting to connect the dots by now. “And I know you know that you love it.”
Well, at least he wasn’t cold anymore.
“Awwwwww…” came another coo from Rose.
Honestly, Luka liked the change in Adrien lately. Though he’d never admit it aloud. He was starting to open up more. The mask his father had placed on his face was starting to drop, peel away to expose the wonderful wonderful boy inside.
It was honestly a crime that Gabriel didn’t let his son show himself to the world as he really was. The dorky sunshine child with a heart as golden as his hair.
Instead, he had to be… unapproachable, almost like a J-Pop star. An idol for all of Paris, but nobody was really allowed to truly know him. They were allowed to think that they knew him, but not truly.
It was… absolutely maddening. Damn that man.
“Yeah, I suppose I do…” Luka admitted. “But I bet you think you’re so hissssssssterical. Spoiler alert, you’re not.”
“Eh, I’ll rate that pun a 6 of 10. Good effort, but it needs work,” Adrien rated the line. “You’re getting there though love.”
There was such an ease in their relationship, something Luka honestly doubted Adrien allowed with anyone else. Not even Chloe. Sure, she was his friend but even that only went so far.
(And Luka wasn’t blind, he’d spotted how the two were starting to drift apart lately. Chloe’s own brattiness pushing her friend away. If she didn’t grow up soon, open her eyes, well… It was all he could do to help his boyfriend through these troubled times.)
Honestly, Luka wondered if his partner was this close to even Ladybug.
“Well, I have been practicing,” he replied with his best attempt at a wily grin. A very good attempt to be sure! “I do have a good source of inspiration!”
Yeah, maybe he was starting to take on more snake-like traits but he could deal. It was nice to have a living electric blanket for a boyfriend.
Upon the rooftops a day or so later, Luka presented a token of his affection.
“Ooooh, this is nice…” Cat said pulling the coat on, and zipping it closed as it hugged his skin like a warm blanket. It was almost as black as his suit, with a fur collar. “Sheepskin maybe? I recognize the craftsmanship. Or craftswomanship I guess in this case. Yeah, this is definitely a Marinette Original!”
He leaned in for a grateful kiss, his lips lingering on Viperion’s own for a while. His lips slide over the snake hero’s before nibbling a little as they smacked together however briefly.
“I… I figured you were a bit chilly in this weather,” Viperion stammered slightly, still absorbing the taste of Cat’s lips. There was no rot in the taste, only feeling like a nice strawberry with a hint of -of course- cambertert cheese. “I didn’t think that catsuit protected you enough.”
“You’re cute when you worry,” his boyfriend said kissing him again, this time a bit more softly and gently. “I love it, thanks.”
“And what else do you love?” Viperion asked, the hero snuggling him close. “Hmmm?”
“I'll have to think about it…” Cat whispered back, snuggling into his chest and laying his head on it. “It shouldn’t be that hard to answer your question.”
A deep rumble rose up from his throat even as Viperion wrapped an arm around him pulling him close. He could feel his heartbeat again, ba-bump ba-bump ba-bump. Cat’s ears lowered somewhat drowsily, rather contentedly.
“I love you…”
“There you go,” Viperion praised him. “See, it wasn’t so hard to say. I love you too.”
Together they sat, basking in the sun and soaking in it and their own warmth. Their suits offered a surprising amount of flexibility as they cuddled together and stole any warmth they could find. It was a greedy thing of theirs to do, but even heroes were allowed to be a bit selfish from time to time.
And they were incredibly greedy right now, stealing away this quiet moment so to share their affection for each other. Cat snuggled into the crook of his boyfriend’s neck, and an odd mix of camembert cheese, cologne and other gentle smells.
You’ve never have guessed due to how peaceful they looked right now, but there was a lot of passion lurking in those dopey but sometimes fierce green eyes. Their owner now sat in Viperion’s lap, almost looking up at the snake hero as they continued cuddling.
Cat’s heart continued beating softly, like a drum. Ba-bump ba-bump ba-bump. He rested his head on Viperion’s chest using it like a pillow as it slowly rose and fell.
For a time, there were no worries in the world. Hawk Moth was little more than a bad dream, barely remembered from the night before.
“This is nice…” Cat admitted twisting in his boyfriend’s lap so he could look him in the eyes. “...we should do this more often.”
He gently pressed his forehead to Viperion’s own before snuggling it back into his shoulder. Viperion kept his arm wrapped around him tightly in protective needy fashion. He’d never let him go.
“It’s a blessing I guess…” the snake hero finally admitted.
“What is?” Cat questioned, still resting on his chest.
“The miraculous starting to affect me like this,” Viperion replied, still holding him close. “I guess it was a blessing in disguise. If it hadn’t, you wouldn’t be such a greedy little kitty.”
Cat rumbled up another purr. “Mhmm, like I said. Touch starved.”
“Damn your father…” Viperion muttered before he could even stop himself. With a sigh, he added an: “I’m sorry.”
“No no, it’s fine,” Cat sighed. “My father is… well, he is restrictive. I’m still amazed he’s approved of our relationship. I know he can’t be seen not approving of it and all, but you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I do. He hasn’t taken any steps to restricting your time spent with me,” Viperion replied. “I’d almost say his heart has grown a few sizes but-”
“Are you saying my father’s the Grinch?” Cat Noir laughed.
“Well, he does seem to hate Christmas!” Viperion noted.
“He doesn’t seem to like the winter in general,” Cat Noir noted. “Like, he seems extra grumpy this time of year, which is saying something! More… subdued even. Like he just wants to hibernate.”
“In this weather?” his boyfriend replied, running his fingers through Cat’s hair, stroking it almost. Cat rumbled up another purr in response, obviously pleased by the petting. “I can’t say I honestly blame him.”
“It is miserable isn’t it?” Cat replied. “All of Paris is on lockdown, and except for a few akumas here and there the whole city has grind to a halt. Just waiting out the winter, waiting for the spring thaw.”
“Thank the Kwamis I have such a wonderful living electric blanket to help me through this,” Viperion nearly purred himself. “I can just bring you into my nest whenever I feel like it.”
Love. Warmth. Contentment.
“Are you expecting me to help care for an egg?” Cat teased.
“Well, I…” Viperion flushed, caught off-guard by the question and what he was seemingly implying. But he quickly adapted. “...maybe one day. Not right now. We still have our whole lives ahead of us. Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.”
Cat snuggled in some more before booping him on the nose. “Come on, let’s get up and start moving around. Get some blood flowing! I’ll race you home, okay? Last one there has to do the dishes!”
With that, he dashed off bounding across rooftops.
“Oh, you cheat! You didn’t even do ‘ready set go!” Viperion grumbled half-heartedly as he picked himself up, leaping after him. Suddenly, it wasn’t so cold anymore. “Oh, I’m so going to kick your ass! You’re on!”