#//TA DA that's one surprised hurt muse down!! i sure wonder how many more there will be hehe

[vilisisms]

✧.*― peyton morgrave / open starter / @darkskiesrpgstarters

she's safe, that's what matters. peyton kept repeating that over and over in her mind. she's safe, i have to keep her safe. they had ambushed her and her daughter, but peyton was resourceful and thanks to her father she was an expert in hiding her loved ones, and protecting them so after fighting to get away from the man attacking her and her daughter, peyton hid her daughter. luckily she had been able to grab the man's gun that he had dropped in the middle of their fight. the psychic let out a shakey breathe, holding the gun up as a sound caught her attention. the cut to her arm had already caused her to lose a good amount of blood but she pushed through, trying her hardest to keep her vision focused. "don't fucking come near me!"the words ripped through her, right from her core as her finger twitched against the trigger.

[despairforme]

anemone :   how does your muse view the world ;   as a cruel   &   unforgiving place ,   a land full of wonders ,   or something in - between ?  where does that world view come from   (   what experiences ,   life lessons ,   etc .   ) ?  

begonia :   how cautious is your muse ?   are they prone to noticing red flags ,   or paranoid to the point of untrusting most everyone ?   why or why not ?  

zinnia :   how has the loss of fallen comrades and/or loved ones affected your muse ?   has it taught them anything or given them any new perspectives ?

   ASK MEME ; 𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒 . ( accepting! )

     It probably didn’t come as a surprise to anyone that Nnoitra had a negative view of the world. He hardly thought he looked like one of those happy-go-lucky type of people who only saw SUNSHINE. It actually took a special sort of mood to make Nnoitra see possibilities and be optimistic, instead of only seeing problems. He had been like this for as long as he could remember, even when he was a child. There was a darkness about him, as lame as that sounded. A heaviness hanging over him. A cloud. 

     His life had been turbulent. He had had extreme lows as well as highs. All things considered ( and especially since he deserved to have a miserable life ), he SHOULD consider himself lucky. He was allowed to live, if not in peace then at least WITH the love of his life. To be loved by the man he loved ( when he sure as shit didn’t deserve to ) made him a very LUCKY person. There weren’t many people in the world who got to have that sort of life. It somehow still didn’t keep Nnoitra from feeling helpless and depressed. Yet another thing he had always struggled with. Feeling down when he had no right to. 

     Overall Nnoitra thought the would was rather cruel, and that people more often than not had bad intentions. With regards to himself, he didn’t feel too often like he was receiving an unfair treatment from the world. Whenever something bad happened to him, he only remembered that he deserved for bad tings to happen. 

     ❝ ‘Da world ‘s a shitty place, ain’t it? But it ain’t like there are any other places ‘ta be. ❞ That’s right. There was only this life, and then there was NOTHING.

     What a fucking depressing subject. The next one wasn’t much better. Nnoitra had to snort out loud. ❝ I’m pretty paranoid, gotta admit that. I guess ‘daz what happens when ya got stabbed ‘n then shot. ❞ It was a logical explanation for his paranoia. Nnoitra ALWAYS thought that people were out to hurt him. After he got shot, he couldn’t even walk around in crowded placed without thinking that someone was going to pull a knife on him and jam it into his stomach. He wasn’t sure if he was good at noticing red flags - whatever the fuck THAT meant. He just usually assumed the worst. Would he call himself cautious? Yeah, he supposed so. Like for example how he insisted on keeping his relationship with Grimmjow a secret, because he thought that if anyone found out, Grimmjow would get attacked. It wasn’t really any WONDER that he was so goddamn paranoid about shit, considering all the things that had happened to him throughout his life. NOBODY’S nerves were made for this much shit. 

     Then the last question - if the loss of fallen comrades or loved ones had affected him. The answer was yes. Nnoitra had lived for seven years, thinking he had KILLED his best friend. It was not exactly a ‘ loss ‘ when HE had been the one to commit the murder, so he didn’t know if it counted. In any case, Grimmjow hadn’t died. That didn’t change the fact that Nnoitra had thought he was a killer all those years. Something like that... YEAH, it changed a person. He had already been filled with self-hatred before, but afterwards he truly began to feel like he deserved to suffer. He had come to terms with being a fucking horrible person. Even to this day, he still thought of himself as such, and he still thought he deserved to suffer. Nnoitra scratched his knuckles, not wanting to answer this question. It was very personal and he had only ever told one person about it ( and that hadn’t gone down well ). ❝ Mah - ❞ He decided to lie, making it sound as truthfully as possible by adding a roll of his shoulders. As if to brush the whole matter off. ❝ My mom died, ‘n I got this tattoo ‘ta remember her. ❞ He pointed to the tattoo on his chest, where the inky letters spelling out ‘ Santa Teresa ‘ were hidden behind the fabric of his t-shirt. ❝ ‘Daz ‘bout it. ❞ No, it absolutely was not ‘ about it ‘. It was just that he... COULDN’T share this story with anyone. 

[ashtheshortstack]

make them learn - ch 1

Rating: T Ship: Adrinette (sorta)  Chapter 1/3: broken frame 

Tags: Princess Justice AU, Akumatized Marinette, Bullying, One-Sided Reveal, Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Read on Ao3

Next Chapter

“You’re either with me, or you’re against me.” 

Lila’s words were clear and harsh, but Marinette battled akumas on a daily basis. It wasn’t something she couldn’t handle. She feared some things, but Lila Rossi definitely wasn’t one of them. Did the lying brat piss her off? Oh, big time. At first, it was jealousy revolving around Adrien, however, the blond seemed to figure out Lila’s lies all on his own. He didn’t need the constant proof. So, Marinette was comfortable that Adrien would never date someone like that. He wasn’t the type. 

“From now on, you and I are at war. You will lose all your friends and be all alone. And Adrien will soon be mine.” 

Marinette had to give her credit. The brat tried her best, that was for sure. Lila had successfully gotten her expelled, but suddenly just recanted all of her statements the next day and confirmed she made it all up. Blaming it on some stupid disease that didn’t exist, but whatever. It worked. She was thankful for that. Even though Lila’s change of heart clearly had something behind it, Marinette decided to not fret on it too much. It was clear the brat was still out to get her, but Marinette knew that taking the high road was obviously the best option. Adrien was right, there was no need to feed the troll. 

No way could she have predicted that Lila had something more sinister up her sleeve. Of course, she hadn’t assumed that the incident was the last she’d hear from Lila, but Marinette didn’t realize there could be something much, much worse. 

It had been a typical day for Marinette. There had been an akuma attack the previous evening, so she was a bit sleepy, but nothing she’d never pushed through before. She was Ladybug for a reason. She wouldn’t let a little lack of sleep ruin her day. Besides, Marinette looked forward to school. Seeing Adrien every day always uplifted her mood. He was such a kind soul, often lighting up the room more than she was sure he realized. Marinette knew he didn’t have a great homelife with his mother disappearing, assumed dead, and his father being an uptight, strict, recluse. It amazed her that he could be so positive every day. That he could be such a good person. Knowing what he went through just made her admire him even more. 

Despite how she tried to hide her fondness for him, it was difficult. Luckily, Adrien was the oblivious type and had no idea what feelings Marinette harbored for him. And she planned to keep it that way. No matter how much she wanted to be with him, she knew that Adrien loved another girl. She assumed that it was Kagami. They had gotten awfully close lately. And it hurt even more because she and Kagami had become friends. So, it wasn’t like she could hate her or be angry at her for liking the same boy as her. Even though Marinette liked him first , she digressed. Kagami would be good for him. They had so much in common… so it was okay. No matter how painful it was. No matter how much it made Marinette’s chest tighten with an ache. No matter how she desperately hoped that Adrien would see her the way she saw him… 

Taking her usual spot on the bench, Marinette sat with her knees pulled up to her chest as she doodled a few sketches into her sketchbook. However when Adrien arrived in the courtyard and made a bee-line for Nino, Marinette couldn’t help but follow him with her eyes. She could feel a soft small cross her lips when Nino swung an arm over the blond’s shoulder with Adrien grinning in return. It was wonderful to see him happy. She was glad he had a friend like Nino. 

“Hey, girl,” a familiar voice chimed. 

Startling at Alya’s sudden appearance, Marinette gave a tiny yelp. “Oh, hi.” 

“You had that dopey look on your face again. You could try to be a little less obvious, you know,” her best friend teased. 

Marinette laughed and tugged at a pigtail, “Sorry, I don’t mean to,” she glanced back to Adrien with her smile returning and shrugged. “Besides, he never notices anyway.” 

Scoffing, Alya shook her head. “Adrien does notice you. You know that, right?” 

“Well, yeah. But in a friend kind of way. He doesn’t see me the way… well I see him,” there was a sadness in her tone that she didn’t like. 

Marinette didn’t want to be disappointed that Adrien liked someone else. He was human. He was allowed to have his own crushes, right? But… she was also allowed to be human as well. And be sad she’d have to let him go. Maybe it was for the best? She had to focus on defeating Hawkmoth before she could even think about pursuing anything romantic. The world she lived in was dangerous, and she wouldn’t dare get Adrien dragged into it. If he got hurt… well, she wouldn’t know what she’d do. 

Alya bumping her gently. “You sound like you’re giving up.” 

“Not giving up,” she said with a shake of her head, “just respecting his choices. He’s such an amazing person, and I don’t want to get in the way of his happiness.” 

“Oh, Marinette, he’ll see it someday…” Alya fell silent as Marinette gave a non committal hum in response. “In the meantime, are you gonna take all those pictures of him down in your room?” she asked.

“No way, he’s easy on the eyes.” 

The two shared a laugh at that. Marinette returned to her drawing as Alya watched over her shoulder. Eventually, Alya flagged down her boyfriend. Nino, with Adrien in tow, came over to join the girls. Marinette was able to keep her cool when Adrien took a seat between her and Alya and watched her sketch. 

“That looks great, Marinette. Have you thought about entering my father’s next contest?” 

With a giggle, Marinette did her best to stop her heart from pounding. Stay cool, she reminded herself. “U-Uh, maybe. When is it?” 

Adrien smiled. “It’s in a few weeks, I think. I can check with Nathalie and get back with you?” 

“Yeah, sure,” she replied quickly. 

There was a beat before the blond spoke again. “You really are talented. I wish I could draw like you and Nathaniel.” 

“I’m sure you can draw just fine. Someone as amazing as you? I’m sure you're great at anything,” she blabbered out. 

He laughed at that. “Well, thanks. May I?” he asked, bobbing his head towards her sketchpad and holding his hand out for her pencil. 

“O-Of course,” she sputtered and instantly handed him her pencil and book. 

Marinette couldn’t help but watch him as he doodled in her sketchbook. His tongue poked out between his lips, wiggling slightly as he focused on his art. She noticed his brows pinch as her eyes wandered along his face down to his hands. Hands she’d held so many times and wished she could again and again. Granted, it was usually when Adrien was tugging her along to escape an akuma or that time he pulled her in to dance. 

Sucking in a breath, she looked away as she felt her face warm. Marinette silently prayed that he hadn’t noticed the vibrant flush that kissed her cheeks. When he finished, he held up the completed product. “Ta-da! What do you think?” 

In the middle of the page was a poorly drawn cat with a large body, stick legs, and a thick tail. There were dots for eyes and a squiggly cat mouth. Marinette couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of it, and Adrien quickly joined her. 

“Maybe, I need more practice. You should teach me sometime.” 

Marinette’s heart fluttered at the statement. “Yeah, maybe sometime. You may need quite a few lessons though,” she teased. 

Adrien smirked at her. “You gotta be kitten me, Marinette, I thought I was pretty good.” 

She couldn’t help but laugh at the horrible pun. There was a dull sense of familiarity that she shoved into the back of her mind. It was common to make puns. No need to overthink it. 

The bell chimed, echoing through the courtyard. Her friends all stood, ready to head to class. Adrien returned her sketchbook, smiling at her. “You coming?” 

“You guys go ahead, I need to pack up my things.” 

The blond tilted his head. “Need help?” 

“No, no. I got it,” she assured him with a smile. 

Adrien didn’t seem convinced, giving her a once over with a concerned pinch in his brows. But after a moment, gave a slight shrug and started up the stairs. 

Letting out a loud sigh, Marinette took a moment to gather her wits. She was proud she was slowly able to interact with Adrien despite how nervous she still felt around him. Her heart always pounded while her palms felt clammy. Wiping her hands on her pants, she corrected herself. Marinette glanced down at her sketchpad, glancing over the drawing. Adrien signed his name at the bottom with a smiley face next to it. She smiled, hugging it to her chest. Marinette would always cherish any moment she had with him. 

Standing, she gathered her things and headed up the stairs. Class went as usual. Lila was absent for the day, making Marinette relax a little knowing she wouldn’t have the brunette glaring at the back of her head for the day. 

 She took her notes, occasionally glanced down at Adrien (no one could blame her, really, he was so easy on the eyes), and drew tiny doodles on the corner of her paper. Marinette surprised herself with a little cat drawing that replicated the blond’s sketch from before. There was so much to learn about Adrien still. Did he really like cats? Maybe, he was a Chat Noir fan? 

Marinette was yanked from her musings when an akuma burst into the door of the classroom. Her classmates screamed and took cover beneath their desks as Madam Bustier shouted for the akuma to be gone. But the akuma locked eyes with her before smirking wickedly. 

“Ah, there you are Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I was hoping I’d find you here. I’m Crush Detector, and I’m here to expose your crush.” 

Her heart pounded with panic. “W-What?” 

Crush Detector gave a mused hum before prancing over to Adrien who stood at his desk with a gritted frown. “Don’t you want to know the truth , Adrien? We know how you feel about people who lie. I’m here to be honest… because we’re friends, aren’t we? ” 

Marinette watched as his expression changed. His eyes hardened. “Lila!” he hissed. 

Gaping, she looked at the akuma. “Lila?” Again!? How many times could this girl be akumatized intentionally? Was she working with Hawkmoth at this point? 

With a grin, Crush Detector turned her attention to the projector holding up a camera that was clearly the inflicted object. “Why don’t we all see the truth, hm?” 

Marinette watched in horror as the pictures of Adrien on the walls of her room flashed onto the screen, then Adrien’s schedule in detail, her desktop screen, then her. There was literal footage of her pieced together from before school. The entire conversation she and Alya had before class was played back in front of her, as well as her hugging the sketchpad after he’d doodled in it. 

Tears pricked her eyes, her heart dropping into her stomach. Her throat felt tight as her hands began to shake. She was utterly humiliated. It wasn’t a secret to her classmates how she felt about Adrien, but for him to see…

Kim laughed aloud. “You have his whole schedule on hand?” 

“I knew you liked him, but I didn’t realize you were a stalker, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe mused. 

Her bottom lip wobbled as more and more images of her cooing over the blond were shoved into her face. As booked towards the door, vaguely hearing Alya and Adrien call after her. 

Crush Detector blocked her exit. “Oh, running away from your feelings again , Marinette?” 

She saw red. Marinette shoved Lila’s akumatized form out of the way. She booked it to the bathroom. Knowing that the akuma would be after her any moment, she locked the door, knowing it’d at least delay the process of Lila entering. 

Taking deep breaths, Marinette held her head as she slid down the door. Sobs wracked her body as she buried her face into her knees. 

“Marinette…” Tikki’s voice murmured as she floated out of the purse. “I’m so sorry…” 

With a sniffle, she wiped her face. “We have to catch an akuma.” 

“Marinette, are you okay?” 

Her body felt numb. An emptiness swirled within her. There wasn’t time to care. Lila had done this to purposely humiliate her. And she wouldn’t let that witch get away with it. Marinette called on her transformation. 

She left the bathroom, seeing Adrien searching around the courtyard. He hadn’t noticed her, thankfully. 

Crush Detector laughed spitefully. “Oh, c’mon, Adrien! We know you don’t like her! Don’t pity her!” 

The glare Adrien shot her was bone chilling. “This was the last straw, Lila. I told you to leave Marinette alone.” 

“Oh, but… I’m not Lila anymore, am I?” she snickered as she sat on the railing. 

Ladybug’s fist clenched. Rage flowed through her veins. A heat took over her she’d never felt before. It boiled at her back, shooting up her spine. Her fingers trembled with anger, her teeth grit harshly together. 

“Shut up!” she screeched before wrapping the akuma in her yo-yo. Ladybug yanked her victim harshly, forcing Crush Detector off the high railing and down onto the concrete of the courtyard. The akuma shouted in pain as she met the ground forcefully. “That’s enough! That’s enough! ” 

Adrien was stunned by Ladybug’s appearance, jaw hung open. She didn’t blame him. Marinette had never felt so much pain… hurt… anger… bubble through her. She’d never hurt an akumatized person intentionally. But Lila deserved it. She deserved so much worse!  

Ladybug tightened her yo-yo. “Do you just love to hurt others!? Does it make you happy? What do you think will happen now, huh!? Do you really think Adrien will love you after this!?” 

“Adrien will be mine,” Lila hissed. 

She tightened the string. The akuma gasped for air. 

Adrien took action. He ran over, snatching the inflicted camera and smashing it on the ground. The akuma flew out, but Marinette didn’t budge. When she saw Lila deakumatize… when she saw her at her mercy… she kept her wound in the yo-yo. 

“You have so much hate in your heart. You’re a horrible person! You just love to humiliate others, and for what? It’s not going to make anyone like you. It won’t make Adrien like you. You’re just a coward! Too afraid to be yourself, so you lie to everyone and bring everyone else down to bring yourself up!” 

“Ladybug!”

She gasped, glancing over at Adrien. His face was red. Had he been shouting at her the whole time? 

Quickly, she released Lila and snatched the akuma from the air. She waved off the butterfly silently. Adrien was staring at her with an emotion she couldn’t read. Lila was glaring at her with more fury than ever before. Swallowing, Ladybug gave Adrien a nod before whipping her yo-yo and fleeing quickly. 

                                                           o~o~o~o

Sobs wracked her body. Marinette hadn’t even made it to her bed. She wallowered on the floor, her face in her hands. Hot tears spilled onto her hands. Breathing was difficult through her cries, unable to catch necessary air. She vaguely felt Tikki’s pats of comfort on her head. 

“Marinette, you have to calm down… Hawkmoth will--” 

“I know , Tikki… I know. I-I need to--” she glanced down at her phone. There were many, many missed calls from both Alya and Adrien. Even one from Nino… which may have just been Alya calling from his phone. She couldn’t be sure. Her throat felt tight as she scrolled through her messages. 

There were texts from Lila. How’d she even gotten her number!? Who would’ve given it to her? 

  Hope you learned your lesson about crossing me. He’ll never love you. 

  Marinette didn’t dare open any more of them. She felt sick. Nauseated from the pain and anguish that stirred within her. There were texts from Adrien and Alya, both begging her to call them. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t bring herself to speak to anyone. 

She trembled as she reached up to take her earrings from her lobes. Tikki gasped, looking at her chosen with worry. Marinette held the miraculous out in her palm, gazing at her kwami expectantly. “I need you to take these and find Chat Noir.” 

“Marinette, no--” 

“Tikki, please. I can’t let Hawkmoth get my miraculous. This is the only way to keep the earrings safe.” 

Tikki’s gaze was pleading. “B-But Marinette, you could lead him right to Master Fu.” 

Shaking her head, she took a breath. “I can tell you… the only person I’ll be after is Lila. She--She’s the reason for all of this. This is entirely her fault. A-And if I get akumatized and whatever I do… she deserves it.”

“Marinette, don’t talk like that.” 

“Go to Chat Noir.” 

It was a command. And Tikki knew it. The heartbroken expression on the kwami’s face was answer enough. She floated over, giving Marinette a kiss on the head. Watching her kwami phase through the window, she knew she’d done the right thing. She knew that the best option would be for Tikki to go to Chat. Chat had used the Ladybug miraculous before. If anyone could save her, it was her crime-fighting partner. 

When the black butterfly floated into her room, she wasn’t surprised to see it. The utter feeling of hopelessness that overwhelmed her was like fodder to Hawkmoth. It absorbed into her purse, and a voice echoed in her mind. 

“Princess Justice… your feelings have been exposed to the boy you love against your will…”