Chapter Text
Mini story: Hidden Reasons
The early spring dew sat carefully in the grass, each blade shining bright in the morning sun. Versailles was just recovering from a rough winter and the temperatures were finally starting to return to normal. The kitchen staff had just started on breakfast preparations and the royals were just about to wake.
Diane, Belfort and his sisters, Tane and Ponne, were all greeted by a very short, yet loud man, Bazire. He was the caretaker for the royal dogs and tried his very best to impress the king with his talent for dog grooming. Bazire stormed into the room,” Rise and shine my royal pups! Today, the king needs you in tip-top shape for a special visitor coming for lunch, meaning we have no time to waste! I'll bring you food after you get groomed, then you can relax for some time” he said loudly, abrupting Belfort's peaceful sleep.
After making their way to Bazire’s workshop, the royal pets were lined up and told to sit while Bazire brought Belfort’s first sister, Tane, up onto the pedestal. Grooming was a long and boring process. Belfort knew this, and being last in line for grooming, with Bazire who could only attend one dog at a time, he snuck out of the room to meet up with his best friend, Lupin.
—
Crickets and birds chirp with the morning sun, a soft breeze sweeps through the trees, and a gentle mist covers the area. Lupin sat atop his favorite tree, dreaming about whatever his next adventure may be. The sun had just risen, and the young wolf still sat on his branch, ears twitching every so often when a gust of wind hit, or his nose quietly sniffing the air for any interesting smells, he lay asleep, just wishing to enjoy the spring, the best season in his opinion.
Lupin, forgetting that he chose to sleep on the branch instead of the ground, rolled over and slipped from his spot, landing with a crash.
“OW!” He exclaimed, rubbing the side he landed on. “Why couldn't I just have five more minutes?” He mumbled, saddened by having to wake up so suddenly. He stood up, took a deep breath, and sighed, he hadn't had the best day before, having nearly been spotted roaming the palace with Belfort, but he was optimistic that today would be better. The wolf had finally noticed the beautiful scene before him. With a quick glance around, Lupin knew it would be the perfect time for a walk with Belfort, so he trotted to the edge of the forest to wait for his royal best friend.
In the gardens, just in front of the ‘Bassin d'Apollon, each animal came running from their respective homes, one from the forest, the other, the palace. Belfort was the first to call out.
“Bonjour, my dear Lupin,” he said, both still running towards the other. With a final step, Belfort and Lupin were side by side, Lupin gave a little headbutt and returned his friends' greeting.
“Hey, Belfort! I didn't think I'd see you here, after what your mother said yesterday.”
“She won't mind me leaving for a couple of hours, she and my sisters are dealing with Bazire so we have plenty of time to ourselves this morning,” Belfort informed Lupin about how his morning went, and Lupin chimed in with a question.
“Hey, Belfort?”
“Yes, my dear Lupin?”
Lupin struggled for a second but eventually spoke.
“Wanna go for a walk? The forest is really nice this time of day”
“I bet it is my dear Lupin, sure, we can take a stroll around”
And off they went, Lupin leading the charge, planning to take his friend along a peaceful path along the forest border. By this time, the sun was still low on the horizon, just to the point where it would blind anybody looking east
“Yikes, this sun really doesn't want us going this way, does it?” Said Lupin
“Correct, my dear Lupin. Maybe we should head through the garden mazes, that and the palace should shelter us from the sun's light”
“Alright, we can pass through the garden and see if anything has started to grow yet”
“Good idea, mon chéri”
The two boys continued to walk along the gardens, checking each bed to see if anything had started to sprout yet. Afterward, they walked along the towering hedges, looking at the idle fountains and avoiding any humans that passed by. They had finally arrived at their final destination, a small orange tree sitting alone near the palace. The spaniel laid first, clearing space for his friend, who followed suit and laid down as well.
“Oh, Belfort, I know what we should do next!”
“Yes, My dear Lupin?”
“Lunch!” Lupin exclaimed excitedly. Neither had eaten yet and Lupin felt like he was starving. “It's already almost noon, and I haven't even eaten breakfast yet,” he said, looking at his stomach.
“NOO!” Belfort shot up, eyes frantic. “I forgot about my meeting today! I have to get to Bazire immediately!”
“Wait! Belfort, can't you just stay away for a bit? Surely they won't realize you’re missing lunch?”
“No, my dear Lupin, the king has guests arriving for lunch and I needed to have been groomed and ready hours ago”
“Oh… you should probably make your way then, good luck”
“Thank you, my dear Lupin”
For a moment, they only looked at each other, Lupin laying under the tree and Belfort, standing and ready to leave for the palace. Each one, unknowingly growing a little pink on the face. Lupin was about to speak up when Belfort turned and left, leaving Lupin alone with only his thoughts, and the question of when his friend would return.
Belfort was the only thing Lupin could think about for a while, he sat under the tree, staring off into the distance, thinking about every little thing Belfort had been doing. The way he always said “My dear Lupin” made Lupin nervous just thinking about it, and how Belfort always seemed to treat Lupin differently than the rest of the animals in Versailles. Sure, it could just be Belfort's way of showing friendship, but surely he would do the same with Ariane or Gazette?
He thought about it for a while and, just for a moment, he thought Belfort might also have a crush. The idea went away immediately as Lupin got scared of asking his lifelong friend about their feelings, leaving Lupin back to his own thoughts, just trying to see how he really feels.
—
Belfort ran as fast as he could, he knew he would be late, but he hoped he could at least try to make up time where he could. As he turned the corner before the main entrance, he saw his mother, Diane, sitting in front of the door, with a calm yet agitated attitude.
“Augustin Prospert de Belfort, where have you been?”
“I'm sorry Mother, I got distracted and didn't notice the time. I will head inside for my grooming.”
“No, It's too late now. You will just have to go and see your master in your current form, embarrassing him and yourself in front of our guests.”
“Can't I just go and see Bazire? He could at least try to clean me up a bit, no?”
“Impossible, Bazire left moments ago for a different meeting, so nobody is here to help you.”
Belfort nodded and walked past, trying to avoid eye contact with his mother. He walked along the wide and extravagant hallways of Versailles, looking at himself through a mirror, he saw how truly disheveled he was. He thought back to his walk with Lupin, not knowing how he could possibly have gotten that bad. Belfort found his way to the dining hall, noticing the rather large number of guests that populated the room. The spaniel made his way through the room, ducking under tables and avoiding distracted humans.
Finally, he found his way to his master, Louis XIV, who immediately noticed his rather unfortunate appearance.
“My oh my Belfort, did you not see Bazire earlier? He was supposed to fix you up before lunch…”
Belfort whimpered as his master's criticism echoed through his brain. He had had a lovely time with Lupin, their walk was full of new sights, but was it worth it after making his master so disappointed in him?
The next few hours were torture for Belfort, trying to hide between his sister and mother, or getting odd glances from guests. In general, Belfort sat in silence, looking at the floor and not moving. All this meant he had a lot of time to think, time to think about his actions in the previous days and time to think about his friend Lupin.
The royal spaniel thought about Lupin almost the entire time, he began to take notice of the small things Lupin had been doing throughout their time spent together. From his little headbutts to his energy and optimism, Belfort began to wonder why the wolf did these things. He also began to think about his actions, realizing that he had been mentioning Lupin more and more in conversation. He also realized that he only started going on night walks to spend some time with Lupin, when the gardens were a bit more calm.
Belfort began to think about what his feelings for Lupin truly were, whether it was really friendship, or something more. He quickly pushed that thought away, chalking it up to a bit of overthinking.
Belfort was snapped back to reality as his sisters sat in front of him, laughing.
“Belfort, what are you doing?” Said Tane, mocking him.
“Yeah, everybody has been gone for almost 20 minutes now, and you haven't even moved!” Responded his other sister, Ponne
“Right, I guess I just got lost in thought…”
“As usual, our useless brother doing his useless things”
Belfort got up to head to his room, he suspected his mother would be waiting and he wanted to get his punishment out of the way as early as he could. But before he could pass, his sisters blocked the path to continue their mockery.
“As if we would let you pass, maybe Mother will give you a proper punishment if you're late once again.”
“Maybe we will tell her about your little friend who keeps holding you back. Maybe we could even get Mother to banish him from Versailles"
“NOO! Lupin did nothing wrong, it was my fau-”
“Gosh, can you just shut up about him? Anytime Lupin causes trouble, you're always there to ‘Oh Lupin this, oh Lupin didn't do anything, it was me’. Can you just for once admit that the pest might be the problem?”
“Lupin is not a pest, he's my friend. And I'm being serious, he's done nothing wrong. I don't understand why you two always target him, he's never done anything to either of you.”
“Not directly, but when our brother shows up hours late and looks homeless, it really brings all of us down with you.”
Belfort began to question what Tane and Ponne had been saying, thinking about how people avoided the royal pets much more after he walked in. Trying to keep himself together, and not explode from every little thing going on inside his head, he decided to head to his mother, who had presumably still been waiting for him.
“Oh, and one more thing, Belfort” Tane called out from behind him
“What is it, Tane?”
“Your little wolf friend may not be here much longer” Ponne responded.
Both girls immediately bolted from the room, leaving Belfort no way to ask what they meant, only another thing to think about.
The walk to his room was painful. Belfort would get worrying stares anytime somebody walked by, and he would sometimes see Tane and Ponne hiding around corners or laughing when somebody refused to pet him.
—
Lupin sat nearby as he waited for the guests to leave the palace. He still hadn't eaten breakfast, or lunch for that matter, and now he felt like he was starving. It was a couple hours past noon, meaning the kitchen staff might not have begun on supper yet, if only the guests would leave, Lupin could get in.
As if wishing it into existence, the guests started to file out one after the other. Lupin expected to only see maybe 10 or 20 people, but the visitors just kept coming, nearly a hundred had passed with no sign of slowing down. After what seemed like hours, the last guest left the palace, leaving room for Lupin to sneak in and grab some food.
Lupin almost knew the path by heart, since he had needed to find food from the kitchen many times before, he had learned how to get there with ease. The only problem came when he entered the only slippery hallway between him and the kitchen. Lupin took it slow and steady, making progress but still lingering long enough to possibly be spotted. As he passed a connecting hallway to his right, he spotted what looked to be Belfort walking away, but before he could call his name, he had already passed as he kept sliding towards the end of the hallway.
With one final step, Lupin finally reached the easier floors. Trotting down to the kitchen, he had to avoid staff, which was considerably easier now that most were upstairs cleaning. He slithered his way into the kitchen, looking for anything appetizing to eat, when he found the perfect thing. High up on a shelf was a mini basket, full of brioche and other pastries, Lupin just had to get to it.
The chef had just left the room, meaning it was Lupin's time to strike. He took a dive onto the counter, clashing with the bowls and utensils scattered across. Putting his front paws up on the shelf, he stretched all the way, only a few centimeters from the basket, when suddenly,
‘SNAP’
The shelf snapped off the wall, bringing Lupin and the basket, as well as many other loud objects, crashing down onto the floor. Chefs, staff and guards quickly rushed into the room, while Lupin rushed to grab his basket and hide.
Lupin watched as one of the chefs pointed out a paw print in some dough batter, and immediately, guards began to check under tables, soon to make their way to Lupin.
To his luck, Bazire swung the door open, announcing loudly,
“Does anybody here have scraps from the guest lunch? The dogs deserve a special treat for their behavior today.”
Lupin saw the distraction and bolted, sneaking past distracted guards and making his way out the door. He continued his sprint to the door, hearing the shouting of guards a little ways behind him. He had made enough distance to be able to take the slippery hallway at a much slower pace, allowing himself to stay upright. The second he landed on solid ground, he continued his sprint out the front door and into the gardens, where it seemed the guards either lost interest or lost him.
Slowly, Lupin retreated to his favorite resting spot and began to eat his well-deserved breakfast, lunch and dinner for that day. A different smell suddenly showed up. It was one of the animals that he recognized, Ariane.
“Hey, cat” he called out knowing who was approaching him
“Hey, wolf” she called back, only a tree or 2 away.
“So, Ariane, what brings you out here? Shouldn't you be in the palace sleeping?”
“The same reason you were in the palace earlier, I'm looking for something.”
“And that is?”
“You, Lupin”
“Me? Why do you need me? Can't you figure all your problems out on your own? I thought you were better than us.”
He gave Ariane a cheeky smile, teasing her about previous remarks she's made.
“No, I just wanted to check on you. Belfort seems down and I heard his sisters saying something, so I thought I would make sure you were ok”
“Wait, is Belfort OK? Is he hurt?”
“He's fine, just down after people avoided him at lunch, apparently his mother is waiting for him to give his punishment as well.”
“Oh, that's… not great. Didn't you say something about his sisters?”
“yeah, they quickly mentioned something about ‘your wolf friend may not be here much longer’ or something. Not sure what they have planned, so just be careful around the palace.”
“Oh, that doesn't sound fun, thanks, Ariane.”
“No problem, Lupin.”
Ariane walked away, leaving Lupin worried. Worried about Belfort and what his mother had planned, but also worried about himself, and what Tane and Ponne had planned.
—
Belfort finally made his way into the dog's chamber, with his mother sitting front and center, staring daggers at him. Belfort looked back to close the door, spotting Tane and Ponne giggling behind the corner, so he closed the door to not be interrupted by his sisters.
“Belfort,” his mother said, “do you know why I wanted to talk with you?”
“I think so?”
“Then tell me, why do you think I wanted to talk”
“Because I missed grooming?”
“And?”
“What do you mean ‘and?’? I don't think I did anything else wrong…”
“That little wolf friend of yours could maybe help explain”
“Lupin has nothing to do with this! I got distracted and therefore-”
“Distracted because of him! If you had not been with him, you would have been here to do what was needed, but no. That wolf is causing you to lose your manners, this is Versailles you know! I can't just have you run around with a common and forget that you're royalty!”
“Mother! He is not ‘just a common,’ he is my friend, and he hasn't done anything wrong!
“Belfort, calm yourself. Either you get things straight with Lupin, or I will.”
“But mother!”
“No, now go, you are dismissed.”
Belfort turned and left, realizing he had no other say in that conversation. Tane and Ponne sat just outside the room, clearly having heard everything.
“See,” Tane said, “told you mother would deal with Lupin, now to see what she does with Mr. Useless”
“Just leave me alone” Belfort responded, not slowing or even looking in their direction.
Passing through the halls of Versailles, Belfort saw memories of him and Lupin in each room. Running or sliding around, talking about their day, or riding a billiard table across the palace, Belfort and Lupin had done it all together. And Belfort knew he certainly was not going to let that go to waste. He had only one idea, but was he brave enough to say the words?
Belfort sat atop the staircase leading to the palace, and overlooking the ‘Bassin d'Apollon’, he watched the sunset, hoping to see his wolf friend come running from the bushes, but he never did. Lupin was only there in his mind, and for the moment, that was enough. He sat, Staring into the distance for an unknown amount of time, when he spotted someone come running from the forest. But it wasn't Lupin, it was... Ariane?
“Ariane, what are you doing, coming from the forest? You know you should not be out there this late.”
“I was fine, I was just talking with Lupin. I heard what your sisters told you, so I wanted to make sure Lupin knew in case anybody came after him, he could at least know why.”
“Oh, thank you very much, Ariane.”
Both cat and dog sat in silence, looking out to the slowly setting sun, when Ariane asked a question.
“Belfort, do you ever notice how Lupin treats people differently?”
“What? I- I don't think so?”
“I mean like, he always seems nicer and more keen to follow your ideas, like everything he does has a reason behind it.”
“Well obviously, everything that anybody does has meaning.”
“No, I mean something else. Take his little headbutts for example, he does those not just because he wants to, but he is trying to get closer to you, with reason.”
“Oh, I think I get it.”
“Do you do anything like that?”
“I think? I spent a lot of time earlier, staring off into the distance so I had time to think about this. Lupin has been on my mind a lot lately so it's come up a lot. I never used to go on walks at night until Lupin brought me one night, and now I rarely go without him. He takes us down a trail that, now that I think about it, is just wide enough for us to walk side by side.”
“Ever thought of asking him about it?”
“Not until recently, maybe in the morning. Mother would kill me if I went back to see him tonight.”
“Alright, that's all I wanted to ask. Have a good night, Belfort.”
“You too, Ariane.”
That ended the night for Belfort, who soon headed back to his bed, with a plan in his head for the next morning. Lupin also ended his night not long after Ariane left, he watched the sun slowly set, then went to sleep on the ground, remembering how he woke up that morning.
The morning had arrived, and Belfort was ready for it. As soon as the sun began to peek over the horizon, Belfort was up and on his way. He knew what he wanted to say, and thought to get it out of his head before it drove him insane.
Lupin, sleeping peacefully, heard yells off into the distance. He tried to drown them out, but each time it called, it got closer, and closer, until it had nearly reached him. At this point, Lupin was beginning to wake, finally realizing that it was Belfort calling his name.
“Lupin, Lupiiiiin! Ah, there you are, Rise and shine, mon chéri.”
“Hey, Belfort” his voice sounded a little raspy, since he had just woken up, “Why are you up here so early? The sun is barely up.”
“Because I wanted to talk to you, make sure you were doing OK. Ariane already told you what happened but I wanted to come and check for myself.”
“Awwww, thanks. Well, I'm OK for now. Wanna go for a walk?”
“Actually, Lupin, I was wondering if we could stay here for a bit. There is something else I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh, uhhh, alright. What did you wanna ask?”
Belfort immediately got nervous, all his ideas were gone now that he was face to face with the wolf. So, he laid down and started slowly.
“Lupin, recently, I have been thinking about you- or us, a lot. I feel like I have finally realized something.”
Belfort looked up at his companion, not realizing the very obvious blush growing across his face.
Lupin, on the other hand, did notice.
“I guess you could say I have been doing the same, I have had a lot of alone time so it's come across my mind often.”
“I think I have started to realize the- the reasons for our uh, actions.”
Belfort began to struggle to find his words, stuttering across his sentences. Lupin once again took notice And decided to help by pushing the conversation further.
“Belfort, I have been thinking about this all night, just say what you want to say.”
Lupin gave Belfort a little headbutt, letting Belfort know it was OK to say his feelings. So after some silence, Belfort finally spoke.
“Lupin,” Belfort began, heart, beating as fast as it could, Belfort began to reconsider his actions. What if Lupin was thinking something different, what if Lupin was just joking, what if-
His thoughts were interrupted by a small kiss on his cheek. Lupin immediately turned away to hide a crimson blush, but Belfort turned in his direction in time to notice.
“Lupin! What was that?!” His voice was playful and excited.
“Oh, I'm sorry, it was- I didn't mean it” Lupin became the one to stutter, slurring his words and sort of mumbling out the sentence.
“What? No, Lupin, it's alright!” Belfort looked at Lupin, he knew how much he wanted to be with him, now just to make sure Lupin knew as well.
“Lupin, look here for a second,” he said, trying to sound nice and gentle.
But Lupin didn't budge, eyes still facing away, ears back and head down.
So Belfort tried again.
“Lupin, this is an order from the prince of Versailles, look at me.” His tone is much more firm, but still gentle enough to not scare his friend.
Lupin finally turned his head towards Belfort, he was about to start asking for forgiveness. When he looked up at Belfort, he noticed the smile and blush that had spread across his face.
They both knew what was about to happen, so they let it. Leaning closer, ever so closer, until they were a whisker length away. Their eyes closed, lips touched, and the forest seemed to go silent, with only their beating hearts keeping it alive.
That was until the sound of footsteps interrupted their bliss.