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apparentlyaswarmofbees · 4 years ago

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The Obey Me Brothers and Undatables vs An Insect/Arachnid Loving MC

I find it amazing how many people find it disturbing that I just love some insects and arachnids (not more than birds but still, insects can be both cute and cool even when they manage to terrify me so I can't help but love them lmao).

It's so cool how insects are actually the most dominant species in the world even before humanity existed and will most likely still be even after humanity ceases to exist, of course some of them actualy spread disease and such but it's not all of them and the mosquitoes that do spread it are females and they are just sucking your blood to feed their babies and the males like flowers over your blood, I actually don't like all spiders but I love tarantulas with all my heart although I can't say the same for wasps, they are evil but they can be so cool I have so many mixed feelings and cockroaches can be so adorable specially the forest/wild ones, have you ever seen them eat fruits??? They are so cute! And don't even get me started on how a d o r a b l e beetles are-

Lucifer vs Ladybug

Taking strolls in the Castle's garden when you are accompaning Lucifer in his work are very common.

Just taking a fresh breath of the Devildom's air in between breaks with you by his side powers him up like crazy.

Now that being said, he doesn't really appreciate losing your attention to a little, colorful, bug crawling on one of the flowers in said garden.

"Lucifer, look! It's a ladybug! It's so different from the human world!"

That is true, ladybugs in hell were brighter in color and had a toxin in their bodies that- Oh wait

"Don't touch it!" Lucifer grabbed your hand in realization "haven't you learned anything about bright colors in nature? The toxin in their bodies can melt your skin off!"

He really didn't expect your eyes to get even more shiny.

"Ladybugs in Devildom are both bright and dangerous??!! I'm so jealous!"

With that, he became both exasperated and more in love with you.

Does this have a relation to the fact that you love him and his brothers even thought they are demons?

He is definetelly giving you a brooch in the shape of a ladybug later

Mammon vs Cockroach

If you think this man didn't scream like a plate being scratched with a fork when he saw a cockroach in your bedroom, you are wrong.

I mean, okay, he was on the floor and the thing just decided to crawl up to his head out of nowhere.

He jumped over the table so fast it probably has beaten a world record.

"Aw! It's a baby cockroach!"

It's true, it was very small compared to adult ones, but Mammon didn't care.

"STOP FAWNIN' OVER THOSE CREATURES FOR ONCE AND KILL IT ALREADY!!"

And of course instead of killing it you just raise your eyebrown at him while scooping the thing up with a paper.

And of course you needed to bring it really close to him just to watch him squirm before you decide throw it out of your bedroom's window.

He definetelly will ask you to wash your hands before comforting him even if you didn't even touch the cockroach directly.

Leviathan vs Dragonfly

You cannot tell me dragonflies in Devildom are actually very few and actually have the size of a small dragon.

It all happened on the day you and Levi got lost in the forest searching for a raven that stole his just purchased phone charm of a game that he was currently addicted to.

Both of you were looking for a way out when you heard an extremelly loud buzzing noise from somewhere in the woods.

Of course both of you followed the sound because first, you just know that must be one big ass insect since it sounded almost like a helicopter and you had to see it, and second, Levi suddenly forgot all about the charm (and being lost) and started rambling about how 'it couldn't be! Is it really-!'

And that is how you guys found his new Henry.

A giant, navy blue, shiny dragonfly, that was currently eating the Raven you and Levi were searching for.

Let's just say Levi got his charm back and both of you got a free ride to the House of Lamentation.

Satan vs Spiders

Where there are old books, there are spider webs, and where there are spider webs, there's at least a 50% chance there are spiders in there.

So you can say Satan was quite familiar with the eight legged creatures, although he never really paid them much attention.

That is until he found they were of your interest.

You will never see someone start to give spider names, treat them with courtesy and have small talks with them faster than with this man.

Getting a book from the House of Lamentation's library and there's a web in the way along with a resident spider? "Excuse me, I will have to disturb you a little, I hope you don't mind a bit of damage to your home"

He is reading and suddenly sees a spider dangling down from a web string right besides him? He is definetelly letting it land on his hand just so that he can show it to you.

One day he even choses to read a book in his berdoom that a tiny spider was standing on. The sight of the tiny thing crawling around the pages as he reads it and explains some things out loud is so precious to see.

Asmodeus vs Scorpions

Of course, what would suit the Lust Demon better than his own patron?

That is until you teach him that there are more than just one type of scorpion, and there is one type that has really big claws and a thinner tail that are usually pretty big in size.

Why would learning that be a bad thing, you ask? Instead of stinging its food, it actually grabs it like a crab.

So yes, the day Asmo held one and didn't use his charms, it pinched him.

Needless to say, it was chaotic.

Leaving the fact he is never approaching those kinds of scorpions ever again, he coos a lot at you while you coo at the small scorpions.

If you tell him the fact that they are his patron just makes you love him more, he will be so happy he will be squealing for the next 5 minutes.

He has definetelly taken a few dozens, of pictures for you while holding one or more scorpions.

His followers in the devilgram were surprised at how even while holding that thing, Asmo still looked amazing.

Scorpions definetelly became sensation in Devildom after that.

Beelzebub vs Flies

Again, nothing better than his own patron.

If he didn't have to swat them off his food that is.

He has definetelly eaten some accidently.

"Look! I managed to make it crawl up to my finger without scaring it!" you say.

"That is cool. But you should probably wash your hand." He replies.

He's right, wash your hands if you ever grab onto flies.

He finds it really cute that you like insects, and it makes him tingly on the inside when he remembers that his symbolic creature is an insect itself.

Don't hold back on asking him to change into his demon form more often, he is very happy to do it.

He starts paying more attention to insects and flies in general after he finds out how much you love them.

How big their are, their color, where he saw them, what were they doing, if they tasted good.

And then he proceeds to tell you all about it.

He is very cute.

Belphegor vs Butterflies

It's not that he attracts butterflies, no. But he actually likes them, finds them cool even.

Did you know some butterflies disguise as another type butterfly because that type is actually not very tasty to eat so the animals stay away from them?

And how many of them have patterns on their wings that look a lot like Owls and again, it makes animals stay away from them?

And the whole symbolism of life, death and rebirth around them? And the fact that the larvae eating everything around them reminds him a lot of Beel?

Belphie definetelly likes butterflies and you cannot tell me otherwise.

So when he finds out you love insects? Oh he is definetelly taking you to the best butterfly watching spot either in the Devildom or the Human World.

It's specially cute when he falls asleep and one lands on his face.

He definetelly had a minor heart attack when he woke up to the sight its wings but he will never admit it.

Also definetelly grabs it and puts it on you instead.

It's counterproductive as you end up looking too cute for him to handle.

Solomon vs Beetles

I mean beetle fights.

You thought you liked insects, just wait until you see this man cheering on a beetle like an excited kid.

Also finds it hilarious when one just yeets the other away.

And because now you are there to feed more into his love for beetles, one day he casts a spell on two of them to make them big enough to ride and just showed up outside your window like:

"No time to explain, get in the beetle"

Because of safety measures, no, you guys didn't have a giant beetle fight.

But you did ride them around the Devildom forest at 2am.

You thought it would be an insane ride with lots of adventures

But you guys just ended up star gazing while laying on them.

He forgot to turn them back to their original size and they scared a few of the residents of Devildom.

Simeon vs Mantis

Warning: it's a big goreish

When you introduced the praying mantis specifically to Simeon, he was immediatelly in awe.

And then you proceeded to show him how they can have many shapes and forms, be it as leafs, tree branches, and others.

And he was so intrigued!

But then you gave him the more, specific details.

Like how they can feast on their prey while they are still alive.

And how it actually can attack small birds such as humming birds, eating their brain tissue through their eyes.

And how the females practice a cannibalism ritual, feasting on their partners after mating.

That's when his writer self came to light.

What I mean is, he was now both horrified and extremelly inspired.

Simeon can be scary sometimes.

Diavolo vs Ants

If you can find ants in every nook and crany around the world, you cannot tell me you can't find them in hell.

If they are able to travel the sea just by being taken along with baggage on accident, they have definetelly come to hell the same way, specially black crazy ants.

So honestly, I wouldn't find it surprising that Diavolo would have at least one big colony of ants he takes care of.

But he didn't have it until you pointed out why ants were awesome to him.

"They don't eat the leafs, they are farmers and what they eat is the other tiny creatures that decompose the leafs" "they can go to extreme lenghts to find their food and they have a real good teamwork, often they don't eat right away but instead bring the food back to the colony to feed the young" "Some ants that live in tropical weather that rains a lot, such as the amazon, can swim! And they do it together in big, ant, nests!"

Needless to say, he was intrigued.

Such tiny creatures are able to eat other insects much bigger than them? And they love sweets?

They actually like their homes clean and throw their trash into the very corner of their enclosure? Their bite can actually hurt a lot even to creatures gigantic copared to their size such as humans??

He had his own personal colony the very next day.

Barbatos vs Bees

This man definetelly has his own share of appreciation for bees even before you told him you like insects.

They are very good helpers in the garden, their honey can be used on a extremelly big variety of both food and health products along with their wax, and honestly, they're just so fuzzy and cute.

If you want to get a rare laugh or chuckle out of him, make bee movie references.

He will just stop in his tracks and cover his mouth as he tries not to laugh.

You could almost make him spit his drink if you do it while he is drinking something.

And you can't tell me this man can't make bee related puns with a straight face. It's unbeeliveable

Aight, imma head out

(This was basically an insect/arachnid appreciation post and I have no regrets)

#Obey Me #Obey Me!#Obey Me! Shall We Date?#obey me headcanons #obey me imagines #obey me scenarios #Obey Me Lucifer #Obey Me Mammon #Obey Me Leviathan #Obey Me Satan #Obey Me Asmodeus #Obey Me Beelzebub #Obey Me Belphegor #Obey Me Solomon #Obey Me Simeon #Obey Me Diavolo #Obey Me Barbatos

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bluemoonbeam15 · 3 years ago

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What If...

What if Pixar had added more bloopers into the end credits?

<><><><><><><><>

"It's a bug-eat-bug world out there, Princess," Hopper guided her to sit on the rock, resting a foot against it. "Now--" a few whistles interrupt him.

Axel nudges the grasshopper beside him, "Ooh," he grins, "Boss layin' it down!"

Hopper pinched the bridge of his nose, "Of all idiots," he mutters. "Can we get through this scene, please?"

"Cut!"

They get back in their original places. "Take two!"

Hopper leans down and guides Atta to sit again, "It's a bug-eat-bug-world out there, Princess--" snickers from the crowd distracts him. He deadpanned at the camera.

"Cut!" John scans over the colony, "Okay, ladies, let's keep this professional here, alright? Gang, don't encourage them."

Axel snickers, "Aw c'mon," he calls out to Hopper, "Show 'em your good side, Boss!"

"Oh my word," Hopper sighs and straightens, face flushing.

Atta holds back her laughter, "Maybe try not doing the foot thing," she suggests.

Hopper mocks her quietly, "'try not doing the foot thing'" He gets back into position.

"Take three!"

"It's a bug-eat-bug-world out there..." he stood awkwardly for a moment, debating on how to approach her differently. Eventually, he puts his hands on his hips and just stares down at her, "Princess-- no, this doesn't feel right."

"Cut!"

Atta can't help but burst out laughing, "Nevermind, just go back to the other way."

Axel snickers and calls out again, "That's how she likes it, Boss!"

"I'm gonna quit," Hopper shakes his head.

_______________________

While all the grasshoppers are in the anthill, Molt kickstarts his wings to shoot through the hole. Unfortunately, he bonks his head against the ceiling and drops to the ground, "Ow!"

"Cut! Molt, make sure you're standing beneath the hole first."

He stood up, holding his head, "Yeah, got it."

"Take two!"

Hopper stared the ants down, "You ants have a nice summer. Let's ride!" He crouched down and shot through the hole. Molt laughed and shut up as well, hitting the ceiling again and landing on his back.

"Dang it! Okay, okay! I can get it right this time, I swear!" Molt staggered onto his feet.

His brother peeked back down in the hole, "When I fly off, that's when you move under the hole, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Molt waved him off.

"Take three!"

"--Let's ride!"

Molt bit his lip a bit, waiting until Hopper vanished before side-stepping and starting his wings. As soon as he pushed off the ground, his foot slipped and he fell face-first on the ground.

Hopper peeked his head through the hole again, deadpanned, "Does he have to be in this movie?" he looked at the directors.

John pinched the bridge of his nose, "He's for comedic relief. Okay, let's just go with the first take and switch it up a bit."

"But I hit my head on that one!"

"It'll be fine, the audience will get a kick out of it."

Hopper sneered down at his brother, "So will the rest of us." Molt huffed.

________________

Flik watched the Circus Bugs convey to him that they were not, in fact, warriors. He gasped and flung the makeshift megaphone to the side, "Your Highness! The warriors have--Ah!" In his effort to crawl over the blade of grass, he slipped on the dewdrop.

"Flik!" Atta kneeled down beside him, "Oh my gosh are you okay?"

He laughed awkwardly, feet hanging over the blade, "Yeah, I'm good."

"Cut!" John rushed over, "You alright, kid?"

"No, no, no, I'm fine." Flik stood back up quickly and brushed himself off. "Can we clear this off before I do that scene?" he pointed a thumb to the dew and petals on the ground.

Francis was doubled over laughing, "No, no, keep it there! I wanna see that again!"

Flik crossed his arms, "Is my pain hilarious to you now?"

The ladybug pointed out one of the cameramen, "Send me that take, I gotta keep that!"

_________________

"I said, even Hopper's afraid of birds," Atta repeated.

Flik blinked before chastely kissing her on the cheek and zooming off, "Thank you!" He rushed to the infirmary and nearly made it to the leaf entrance, "Hopper's--" he fell through the leaves and face-planted the ground.

"Cut!"

Gypsy rushed to help him up, "Oh, sweetie, it's just not your day is it?" She glared at the others who were laughing -- or at the very least trying to contain their laughter.

The ant held up a hand, not moving from where he'd fallen, "Just...give me a moment," he mumbled through the dirt.

_______________

Hopper's eyes hardened at the three grasshopper's, "Well, how 'bout this?" He quickly reached over him to pull the tip of the dispenser off, grunting when it didn't budge. "What the?" He kept trying to pry it open but nothing happened. "What did you guys do to this thing?"

"Cut!" John set the megaphone down and inspected the container, "Alright," he turned to the gang, "Which one of you clowns glued the lid shut?"

Tuck and Roll slowly stepped away from outside the shot, hiding the glue bottle behind their backs.

______________

"You little termites!" The colony turned as Hopper rose into the air with the offering lifted above him. He opened his mouth for the next line but a few whistles and cat-calling stopped him.

One of his gang members shouted teasingly from the side, "You lift bro?"

Hopper pursed his lips and set the offering back down, "Okay, I'm not doing this scene."

"Cut! Hopper, it's in the script," John called.

"Then change the script!"

"Just get through the take, I promise it'll be the last time," John pleaded. He called out to the colony and gang, "And no distractions, ladies! Let's keep it professional here!"

_____________

Hopper wrapped his hands around Flik's neck, "I'll be back next season with more grasshoppers...but you won't."

The ant pretended to struggle a moment before clawing at Hopper's hands desperately, "Hop! Wa--" he coughed and Hopper quickly released him.

"Oh my gosh, was I actually choking you?" He watched Flik struggle for air as he doubled over.

Flik waved it off, "It's fine...just...can't breathe," he gasped out.

"Cut! Okay, let's work on that strength there, Hopper."

Hopper patted Flik on the back, looking a bit sheepish toward the crew, "I'm sorry! Can we change that scene or anything? Maybe I'll just pin him down or something?"

John looked over the script, "I don't know...the writers were pretty keen on choking. Just work on your technique, we went over this yesterday during choreography. The best way to not accidentally choke someone is..."

Hopper gave him a confused look, "To not...try and choke them--"

"No."

"Well, I don't know what you want me to say!" Hopper threw his hands up in defeat.

Flik straightened as he took in a deep breath, "Okay, I'm good now. Everything's great."

"Ready to try another take?" John called.

Flik hesitated, "Just give me a moment," he laughed breathlessly, "I almost died. Gotta process that," he smiled at Hopper.

"I'm sorry!" Hopper flared his arms out, "Your neck is like a toothpick. How can I not accidentally choke you?"

"We practiced it yesterday, Hopper!" John reminded him.

Hopper rounded on the director, "How about I practice it on you?"

"Okay!" Atta decided to step in now, "Why don't we all take five?"

#a bugs life #pixar #atta #flik #hopper #circus bugs #bloopers #fanfiction #what if #this was really fun to imagine XD #poor Flik

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crockettmarcel · 3 years ago

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fruit salad | cottagecore!au

wc: 607

prompt: july prompts, day two, “fruit salad”

warnings: none

Lolly’s still wandering around the flowerbeds when Crockett sets the bowl of fruit down on the garden table, and she’s showing no intention of joining her parents on the patio. She’s just plucked a ladybug off a leaf, and watching it crawl all over her hands is more important than anything going on at this moment.

For a few minutes, Sarah and Crockett sit and eat together, both keeping a close eye on Lolly as she potters around the flowers. Seeing her so focused and happy warms their hearts, but if they don’t step in, she’ll spend the whole day outside and won’t realise she’s hungry until she’s starving and irritable and screaming at nothing.

Popping one last strawberry in his mouth, Crockett makes his way over to her, and in one smooth motion scoops her into his arms, peppering kisses all over her face as he does so. She shrieks with excitement, kicking her legs up in the air and grinning from ear to ear, and Sarah calls over to tell them to be careful.

“She’s fine, darlin’. Look,” he says, tossing Lolly up in the air and then catching her without hesitation. She giggles, and neither of them notices the way Sarah’s face pales at the sight of her daughter so high off the ground.

“Again?” Lolly nods, but before Crockett has a chance to do anything, Sarah’s at his side, arms outstretched to take the toddler.

“Not again. She needs to eat, and you need to stop trying to kill her.”

Crockett pouts but hands Lolly over anyway, then goes back to the table. Sarah follows, grabbing a couple of blueberries for herself, then takes Lolly inside to wash her hands before she eats. There’s a little wooden stool by the sink, just high enough that Lolly can reach, and as soon as she gets on it, she grabs the bar of soap and diligently lathers her hands up. Every so often she’ll look back up at Sarah, who always tells her that she’s doing a good job, and that’s enough encouragement to keep her going.

When she’s done, they walk out hand-in-hand to the garden, Lolly pulling slightly so they can get back to Crockett faster. There are three chairs at the table, but Lolly disregards hers in favour of sitting on Sarah’s lap, and of course, her mom doesn’t say no. She can never say no to Lolly.

It’s moments like this when Sarah realises how lucky she is.

The sun’s shining, gently warming the world around them, and there’s a cool breeze blowing through the trees and playing tunes on the windchimes hanging from the porch. All the fruit in the bowl, so lovingly prepared by Crockett, was grown either on their own land or by their friends and neighbours. It’s fresh, and so much tastier than anything Sarah ever had in Chicago or back home in Connecticut.

And of course, there’s Lolly. She’s been shovelling fruit in her mouth since she sat down, grinning up at Sarah and Crockett as the juice drips down her chin and onto her cream overalls, and Sarah’s sure it’s the purest thing she’s seen. All Lolly knows is love and comfort, and Sarah wants to keep it that way for as long as possible.

The bowl of fruit doesn’t last long, and for a while after the last slice of peach is swiped by Lolly, the three of them simply sit and enjoy each other’s company.

This is what life should be, Sarah thinks to herself, and as Crockett takes her hand in his, she knows that nothing on earth could make her happier.

#chicago med #mine #writing #cottagecore!au

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blondedemon · 3 years ago

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i'm bored and in a writing mood so here's a short story. i wrote it in a sudden inspiration for with zero editing so i apologise if it's terrible lol

and i'm not gonna hide it under a 'keep reading' y'all gonna have to scroll

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There was a child sitting in the deep, bottom corner of her father's garden. The leaf litter was damp and mulching beneath her hands. Countless worms appeared whenever she dug her fingers into the soft soil. A ladybug crept across the thick pumpkin leaves that surrounded her, and there was a line of ants marching over the toes of her bare feet as they made their way home. The world was alive, alive, alive and she was lost in it.

Three small cupcakes sat with her in the dirt before her.

This was a strange sort of child. The type that adults loved to talk about, but never to. Her eyes were always fixed on some distant point on the horizon, or far nearer, on the ground right in front of her nose. But she would rarely meet the eye of someone who tried to address her. This sort of behaviour tends to put people on edge. Adults are discomfited by the feeling that a child might see more than they do. They encounter a child such as this and chatter behind her back; always off with the fairies and she just doesn't focus, that one and I'd really rather my girl doesn't play with her, she seems a poor influence.

The girl hears every word. And understands them all, even if they'd never credit her for it.

She doesn't feel strange. It was just a label attached to the outer edges of her by faces and voices that couldn't see all the way in. The girl was always seeing deeper than they were. It seemed pointless to talk to the giggling, empty children in her class when there were such better friends to be made elsewhere. Her dad would drop her at the gates with a kiss to her forehead and concern wrinkling his own. She would sit through classes, staring at walls and colouring her fingernails in with textas and graphite as her teachers asked her to write about her weekend. Art time was filled with sheets covered in horses and fairies and secret creatures that stared back at her from deep within the leaf litter. Her addition and subtraction equations would blur and muddle with all the numbers fighting and talking to and laughing with each other. Her stories were full of girls being carried away by strange creatures until they were so far from the reaches of anyone who could watch them. Far from anyone who wouldn't understand what she could see.

She had given up on telling people about her friends long ago.

But now, in the dying daylight, they crawled to her. Out of the leaves and soil and branches and rotting wood, their eyes bright and their scales glittering. They clicked as they approached, little noises in the depths of their throats. Heads cocked to the sides as they regarded her, claws digging little marks into the earth beneath their feet. And the girl stayed ever so still. Not even a lock of her hair would dare move in the wind as she waited for them to come nearer. Each one was perhaps only as long as her forearm, and of course, that wasn't very long at all. Their teeth were little daggers hidden behind scaly lips, only visible when they hissed at each other as they tripped over their own feet. She had no reason to fear them. They would never hurt her.

There were two dozen in all. She'd counted them. It was far more than there had been the first time. She'd been crawling in the pumpkin patch looking for pillbugs to put in her bright plastic bucket when she'd stepped on one. Her father had warned her about snakes, slim monsters with fangs that would stop your heart before you noticed they'd bitten you. And so when she felt those scales under her toes and saw that hard-plated body disappear into the twisting vines, her stomach had dropped.

But no snake had legs, did it? Lizards did, though. And dragons.

Her feet had been noticeably free of any vampire-like pinprick wounds, even through all the mud, and so she'd figured she probably wasn't about to die. So she sat herself down under a leaf, huddled down real small, and tried to peek under the next plant to see if she could find thecreature she'd accosted. Two sharp-yellow, slit-pupiled eyes had stared back. And promptly disappeared like a blink when the creature whipped around and disappeared into the dense plants. The girl was unfazed. She sat there for hours until her dad called her all worried-like from the house, calling her in for dinner.

She didn't see the creature again that night. Nor did her father see her until morning. When she crashed into the house, hours and hours and hours later and told her of her brief encounter, her dad had shouted at her for disappearing so long. He cried that he'd been worried sick. He yelled that he'd had to call the police. She didn't understand. She'd been safe, after all. What did it matter that he hadn't known exactly where she was? She'd never left the yard, he had nothing to be concerned about.

She didn't mention her creature again, but her father saw less and less of her that month. She would disappear into the yard with punnets of strawberries or chicken bones from the night before or little cakes that had been brought by classmates celebrating their birthdays, and she would place these in front of her in the dirt in that same spot and wait. Some things worked better than others. Especially the sweeter things. She could tell it was working when the leaves would rustle more aggressively near the ground, as if something was creeping amongst them.

It was a long, long while before she saw anything real again, though.

Her eyes were half closed when it happened. A slice of sweet banana bread lay amongst the leaves before her, and in an instant, it was gone.

There was a lot of banana bread baked in that second month. Her father could hardly believe how much his kid seemed to love it.

The girl learned how to stay so very still. If she got very quiet and convinced herself she was nothing but a rock lying in the garden, she could sit for hours without so much as licking her lips or wriggling her toes. And the banana bread didn't disappear every day. Sometimes the girl ended up eating it, dirt and all, running back inside to curl at her father's feet while he watched television, men running across the screen and kicking small pixellated balls across the grass. But sometimes, she would watch as a clawed paw would stretch out from behind the cover of a low-hanging, broad pumpkin leaf, and snatch the bread from before her eyes.

That was very often followed by concerning but contented growling from the pumpkins. And very enthusiastic chomping noises.

Slowly, the creature grew more confident, and the girl grew more sure that this was no animal her father had told her about, or that showed up in the encyclopaedias that lined the shelves of her school library. Curved claws smoothed into dense, haunched legs. There was a tail that tapered to a whip-thin point at the end, and front legs that could either hold the animal on all fours or stretch up to reach whatever it wanted to grab. It had a stout nose and a broad face with wide, wide eyes that were set under a scaled brow. A row of gentle spines tracing up its nose and between its surprisingly soft-looking ears.

And the entire thing was covered in plated scales in gradients of black and brown and white to create the most striking pattern she'd seen, a spiralling stripy design that bent the light around it and hid it even more convincingly in the shadows of the pumpkin patch.

She didn't breathe the first time she saw it in full. Its yellow eyes were watching her, unblinking, as she watched it back with an equally immobile gaze. It reached forward and clutched her banana bread to its chest and held her gaze for a second before disappearing into the dark again. In her mind, the girl called out to it. But of course she did not say anything. She had to be still, so very still

Now there were so, so many, and they were all over her. One was curled in the arch of her crossed legs, its side rising and falling gently with its sleepy breaths. Its skin was cold when it pressed against her, because it was nearly dark after all, and these creatures didn't make much of ther own heat. Most of them were battling over the thin pickings she'd left for them, because she simply couldn't bring enough cake to feed all of them anymore. Her father had been suspicious enough when she'd been taking banana bread just for one, but now she was catering for a whole army.

Her first dragon was the last to emerge. It stared at her from a distance, and then blinked slowly, slowly, slowly. The girl didn't move. Except for her slow blink in return. And the creature padded over to her, pressing its nose into her side ever so gently.

The girl moved then, and only then. She reached toward her dragon and cupped her hands under its soft belly, lifting its small body to her own. She felt it put its head on her shoulder and she hugged it to her chest, and she was home.

#writing #short story #my work #dragons #writeblr #home #gonna add a bunch of tags just to see if anyone will actually read my junk haha #but seriously I'm three hours from home at the moment and have been pretty much alone most of the week and i'm BORED

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lady-charinette · 5 years ago

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Throwback to a small discord discussion (@sweetmeatdale I'm tagging you, because my brain does flips and tries to research as much as possible to -insert interesting discovery Dale made/thought of-)

@norakwami For suggesting the interesting idea ^_^

Accidental atomic gardening AU!

"Chat Noir, what have you done to my plants?!"

Marinette was sure none of her transformations as Ladybug had ever had an impact on things around her, but it seems like Chat Noir's frequent visits to her balcony were a different matter.

Said hero stood of to the side, ears low and hands clasped together like a scolded child. "...Uh..." the blond fell silent at lack of an explanation, only watching Marinette trying to salvage what she could of her plants.

....Or what used to be more plants...

There was one prominent, green glowing plant that stood in its designated pot in its designated place, devouring all the other plants.

It was a plant eating plant.

"Chat Noir, dont just stand there, help me!"

The hero scrambled into action, feebly grabbing as many smaller sized plants as he could, away from the snapping jaws of the larger one.

"Tell me Marinette, since when is moi responsible for your plants murdering each-other? Meowch!" The plant snapped at his tail, thankfully only catching the metallic tail end.

If looks could kill, Chat Noir would've been sooner killed by his classmate's stare than the plant's jaws. "Since you started visiting me more often and this plant started glowing green, your color!" She shot back, bravely trying to subdue the wayward flora with a broom

"Au contraire princess, black is my color!" He gave a toothy grin, before another, more vicious toothy smile nearly snapped his hair off. "Um, I'll be standing over there if you need me." With his hands full of small plants, a bigger one balanced precariously on his head, Chat Noir retreated to the corner.

He admired the way Marinette smacked the hell out of the rampaging plant, which might as well have been akumatized by how sentient it almost seemed.

It wouldn't have surprised him, considering Hawkmoth was desperate enough to akumatize babies and a pigeon-loving man over 24 times.

"AHA!"

"YOU GO, MARINETTE!" his victory cry was swallowed by Marinette's accompanying scream when the plant flicked the spray bottle out of her hands.

"Marinette!" Chat Noir sprung into action, deflecting a wayward leaf and grabbing Marinette to dash into the safety of her room.

Both teenagers quickly glued themselves to the window, watching the crazy plant bounce out of her pot and crawl her way with roots on the roof towards the remaining flowers on the other side of the balcony.

Marinette frowned. "This is all your fault."

"Cat-dolences?"

Bonus:

"Marinette, of course your transformation affects life around you! Didn't you notice your plants growing much more abundant since you became Ladybug?"

"I thought that was the new fertilizer Tikki! Now I have to apologize to Chat Noir!"

#miraculous ladybug #ml #chat noir #marichat #marinette dupaincheng #mlb #ml au #atomic gardening au

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snail-care · 5 years ago

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Snail 101: How to set up a snail enclosure

So, you're considering getting a pet snail? Great! Before you acquire your snail, you should prepare a home. Here are the basics:

TANK:

Reptile tanks are ideal for snails, they allow plenty of air in, while many are designed to hold humidity that reptiles need. These can be on the pricier side, but luckily snails don't really need huge amounts of space. The linked calculator below shows how much room you'll need for a certain amount of snails, as well as how many snails you can fit happily into a tank you may already have.

Fish tanks are also super great for snails. Betta fish starter kits, while awful for actual Betta fish are perfect for a few snails to live in quite happily. Goldfish starter tanks and such are perfect too. Make sure it has a secure lid!!! Snails can lift several times their own weight so a clip on lid or a heavy one is best. You may want to DIY a lid with mosquito mesh to let air in if the lid that came with the tank is solid glass.

Critter keepers are also good for snails, just don't get the teeny ones. Snails can move surprisingly long distances in just a day, and need room to wander and explore. Again, make sure the lid is very secure.

Please don't:

Use cardboard boxes. They don't hold humidity, they get soggy and snails can eat right through them and even get impacted (blocked digestive tracts) Wood is not great for the same reason.

Use tanks that are super tall. Snails are pretty good at holding on while climbing, but they do sometimes fall off. More on this in a bit though.

Use tanks that are too tiny. You will just have sad snails.

~~~~

So, you have your tank. What next?

To start, you'll want to get a suitable substrate. There are plenty of good options, as well as several you should avoid. Substrate is super important as it provides a place for snails to burrow, lay eggs, and a lot of snails also eat their substrate, likely to help them digest. Substrate also provides a soft place to land if they fall off of something.

Coco peat/coir. My absolute favourite snail substrate! Coir is made of the husks of coconuts, but is a lovely soft texture. It holds water really well, which is good for humidity, without getting bogged and swampy. Snails will happily crawl over, dig in and eat coir. It's eco friendly, takes a very long time to break down, can be reused and it's also really cheap. You can get coir in pretty much any nursery or hardware store, and it comes in these sweet dehydrated and compressed blocks so it's pretty much guaranteed to not come with any pests. The only bad thing I can think of is that once it's rehydrated and set up, pests quite like to live in it.

Peat. I'm not a fan of using peat in anything, not just snail terrariums. My main reason is that peat is taken from peat bogs, and is not renewable. The peat bogs are running out :( The good things about peat are that it holds moisture well, and is also easily reused. It tends to come dry in bags, so it's unlikely to have pests already there. Like coir, it can also harbour pests once it's set up. If you want to use peat, I'd recommend researching the company to see where they harvest it, as there are some peat farms out there that don't take from habitats. It can be a little expensive.

Loam. I've never used loam, so I can't attest to it, but from what I've read it seems good! It's often used for acid hating plants, as it has high ph which is good for snails (acidic substrate can damage their shells) Make sure if you use loam it has low sand content, as sand is b a d. I can't find the pricing of loam, but it's good points are that it drains well, but holds moisture, so it won't get swampy.

Potting soil. This can be a hard one, but if done right can be good. if you use potting soil, please please make sure it's organic, with no added fertilizers, and a high ph. As soil often comes moist, it will likely need to be baked to sterilize and kill any pests in it. It can also be pretty dirty to work with compared to other options.

Sphagnum moss. Sphagnum moss is rad, some people use it as a full substrate in its own, but I'd just add a layer on top of others. Holds moisture and is great for humidity, but isn't great for snails to burrow in. can be kind of pricey.

Substrates to avoid

Sand. Grains of sand can get stuck in snail's shells and really irritate them

Normal potting soil. Potting soil often comes with fertilizers and pesticides already in it, which is bad times.

Random dirt from outside. Dirt outside usually will have pesticides, chemicals from pollution, just all kinds of weird shit you don't want your snails on.

Make sure the substrate is damp before adding snails!

Decorations and Enrichment

Snails love exploring their home!! Decorations provide things to climb on, hiding spots and just visual aesthetics. In my tank, I have a flowerpot, a stick to climb on, plenty of leaf litter and a little ladybug ornament from the dollar store! This does not have to be expensive whatsoever! you can literally just get things from outside, but if you do, make sure you bake 'em in the oven for a bit to kill germs and pests. You can even put little plants in there if you want, just make sure they're not toxic and have no pesticides. Some ideas are fake plants, a plastic flowerpot, a kids plastic cup, various little ornaments from dollar stores, sticks and leaves, etc. Try to avoid large, pointy and hard objects like sharp rocks and such, to avoid shell damage.

Food and Water Bowls

I definitely recommend using bowls or plates for food. Food placed directly on the substrate will spoil and go mouldy quicker because of the moisture. The bowl I use is made for reptiles, and is designed to look like a natural rock but it's made from resin, which is a great material because it's very unlikely to damage their shells, but very strong and easy to clean. You can use the same bowls for water, I use the lid of a jar lol.

This seems complex, but I promise it's honestly the most complex part of keeping snails and it's a lot easier than you think. I hope it was helpful! I'm going to make another post on bioactive vivariums too!

#snail #snail hours #snailcore #snails #snailblr #snail.txt #snail care #pet snails #not actually entomology i know but tags #bugs #bugblr #insects #pets #pet care #substrate #enrichment #odd pets

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unlockthelore · 5 years ago

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Happier

After returning from a trip to Kaede’s, Kagome has something to share with Inuyasha and they couldn’t be happier.

From the series Affections Touching Across Time on Ao3. For more updates, follow the affections touching across time tag on this blog.

Inuyasha’s ears swiveled as a ladybug’s wings fluttered preluding its ascent into the cooling winds rustling the grass around him. Crouched low with knuckles pressed to sodden earth and nose twitching, he trained his gaze on the dirt paths leading between the rice paddy fields and smattering of huts.

He knew the pathways between the huts like the back of his hand. Stood on many of the thatched roofs, repairing them with the help of the men and women, only to leap down and be bombarded by throngs of children wanting to play with the Inuyasha.

The corners of his lips twitched upward. Being regarded so highly was uncommon, and he still wasn’t sure how to handle it. True, there were some who looked at him with contempt, but it was nothing he was unaccustomed to. Praise, adoration, gratitude, those were almost non-existent among demons and incredibly rare in humans, and only a budding inclination of something he was worthy of.

Nevertheless, Inuyasha preferred the quiet of his home on the outskirts of the village. Away from the voices whispering unkindly, and adoring eyes beckoning him to aid them. It was where he could have peace within himself and with the one he loved.

Kagome acclimated to life in the village as graciously as she could. Her fire couldn’t be tempered by the unspoken rules of equality, and she made it known as well.

It always brought a smile to Inuyasha’s face to see her walking with her head held high and seldom tearing into someone who dared to insinuate she was lesser. Spirits help the poor soul who insinuated such because she was a woman. Unsurprisingly, the women in the village revered her, although some thought she was a little odd.

And yet, she remained Kagome through and through.

The corner of Inuyasha’s lips dipped downward, his lips thinning into a firm line as his eyes scanned the straw-covered roofs and rustling leaf canopies blanketed in the soft blues and gold of the early morning sun. His skin crawled as he shifted, feeling his ankles protest the movement until he rocked backward onto his behind, not minding the damp grass tickling beneath his undershirt. Although the early morning chill didn’t affect him as much, he still felt naked without his suikan.

Yet he felt better knowing it was with Kagome, and that she was safe within the village, likely speaking to Kaede about her condition. Inuyasha’s leg began to bounce with familiar unrest. Memories flashed through his mind of early morning retching and Kagome’s hair held back as he rubbed soothing circles on her back helplessly.

Her refusal to eat, only taking the smallest of bites to appease him. And her constant murmuring as she scribbled in the journal Sesshomaru’s imp had brought to her at Rin’s behest. She refused to allow him to see it, stating that it was personal, but her gaze would linger on him for a bit longer before she went back to scribbling in it.

Something was wrong. Very wrong, and he wasn’t sure what it was but he prayed to whomever was listening that he’d find out soon. If Kagome was ill, he’d do anything in his power to heal her — even if it meant visiting his bastard brother or ambushing him when he returned at the season’s change. Shuddering at the thought, Inuyasha buried his fingers in his hair and tried to calm the swell of fear threatening to burst free from his chest. Following Miroku’s advice to repeat what he knew to stave off the anxiousness.

Kagome was strong. She would be fine. It wouldn’t happen again. He wouldn’t lose her. Not like this. Not when they had so much left to do together. Not before they actually got to live their lives.

It wasn’t right.

This wasn’t the ending that she deserved.

Inuyasha buried his face in his hands. He didn’t have the answers and it was eating him up inside; the idea that he would lose it all again was almost too much to bear. Pressure welled behind his eyes and he sniffed, attempting to keep the salty sting at bay. Rosewood with a lingering hint of steel, flecked with the bittersweet tinge of green apples drew him from his palms.

Sniffing the air again as he peered down the path of tall grass dappled with budding blossoms, Inuyasha’s eyes widened and his heart throbbed almost painfully at the sight of Kagome. His suikan, almost matching the red hakama she wore, draped across her shoulders as she pulled it shut around her. Her other hand lingering ominously over her stomach twisting his nerves into knots. Without thinking, he rushed as quickly as the wind could guide him to her side.

“You okay?” Inuyasha asked, mentally kicking himself for such a basic question, but his gaze lingered at her stomach as he looked her over as discretely as he could for any sign of injury.

Kagome looked up to him, her smile a bit softer and subdued, though no less warm and able to ease the nerves fluttering in his stomach. “Yeah.” She glanced aside and the soft golden sunbeams cast an unearthly glow around her, and shadows on her downcast eyes. Inuyasha’s heart stammered in beating as she looked up to him, an unreadable expression stealing her smile from his sight. “Can we… talk?”

He felt his ears perk at the hesitance in her voice, lowering to press against his skull as the nerves returned. “Alright.” He stated questioningly, following her with his eyes as they continued up the path to their home in silence. His gaze never leaving her for long as he tried to gauge some sort of inkling what this was about.

His face screwed up as he thought back. Did he do something? Or maybe…

Sharp memories resurfaced of Kagome running her fingers along the splintered wood of the Bone Eater’s Well, gazing down into it without saying a word. He didn’t hover over her but he watched from afar until Sango came to find her with her daughters, Chihiro and Yuiko in tow. There was a melancholy to Kagome then. And Inuyasha couldn’t help but wonder if she regretted this. Her decision to stay with him. Or perhaps she was missing home.

Asking Rin to help him with cooking was a last ditch effort. He wanted to make something Kagome would love. And what reminded him of her home the most was her mother’s cooking. Robbing her of that — of her mother’s love — it felt like a debt he could never repay to her.

Rin agreed to help him and though most of his efforts were a little off, he’d managed to make something close to edible. In his opinion, it wasn’t all that great but Kagome ate it with gusto and gave him a watery smile and a thanks.

“Inuyasha…”

Kagome’s voice startled him from his thoughts and he looked around. The outside of their hut, cozy and quaint, filled him with dreadful relief. What if it was true and Kagome missed her home? He didn’t want to be alone but keeping her here when she didn’t want to be was worse. Although, they’d been together for so long. Could he really go back to being on his own as he did when she was gone and all he had was the hope that she’d return?

Crouching at her side, he glanced at her and grimaced as he noticed her staring down at her stomach. What if his cooking was really that bad and it made her sick? Sick enough to want to go home, his mind supplied traitorously. Inuyasha shuddered at the thought and opened his mouth at the same time that Kagome spoke.

“Look, I just asked Rin to help with th—”

“We’re going to have a baby.”

His ears perked up and everything came to a lurching stop. Even his breathing stifled, as his world narrowed down until she was all he could see. Anxiety spiked at her scent and her energy was beginning to drift off her in wisps of pink, curling and sparkling in the sunlight filtered through the leaves of the tree they sat under. Glittering and surrounding her in an almost angelic hue, it reminded him of the Shikon no Tama and his heart throbbed harshly.

“… What?”

Kagome smiled faintly, anxious and unsure, but he could feel the happiness in how her energy reached for his own as if to soothe. “I’m pregnant, Inuyasha. That’s why I’ve been sick.”

“So it… wasn’t the food I made?” Inuyasha muttered lamely once his mind could catch up to his mouth. Gaze drifting to her stomach, it made sense now why she was holding it. The retching, her pickiness, even that book. Although the last, he couldn’t make sense of just as he couldn’t seem to make sense that they were going to be having a child.

“… How…”

He swallowed the question before it could be voiced. Hell as if he didn’t know how. He was part of the how, and she was definitely the cause of the how. It wasn’t as if he could deny fooling around with her especially after they were married, and there was nothing keeping him from loving her beside her word. Still. He hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

Though, it’d been some years since her return and Kagome still looked as she did when she was young. They both didn’t question it. Decided to bask in the time they had together and with their friends — but starting a family?

Inuyasha swallowed thickly, unable to tear his gaze away from her stomach. “… You… you’re sure?” Hesitantly, he reached out to touch her but he was sorely reminded of his hands. How much he’d done with them, how dangerous it could be for him to hold a new life with them. Sure, Sango and Miroku trusted him to hold their kids but this was different.

Kagome’s fingers curled around his wrist and guided his hand to rest against her stomach. Inuyasha gulped and willed his hand not to tremble. Finding it easier to remain still and confident when she laid her hand over his own.

“Kaede is very sure, and you know she’s rarely ever wrong about this kind of stuff.”

Inuyasha quieted although he kept his hand there, staring at her stomach and rubbing his hand in slow circles as if he could feel something. Focusing on Kagome’s energy, he searched for something foreign and his stomach flipped when he found it. A brief glimmer. No more than a little flash amidst of yōki amidst her reiryoku and he shuddered, feeling as if he’d been sat a thousand times with the weight upon his shoulders.

“Are you… happy?” Kagome asked, stirring Inuyasha from his thoughts, her voice unsteady and soft. As if she were speaking to a skittish beast or a frightened child. “That we’re having a baby?”

It dawned on him that she would have wanted an answer. That she was just as nervous as he was, if not more. It was her that would be carrying their child, bearing their child, and all he could do was be there for her. Through all the sickness, sleepless nights, picky meals, he would be there.

Inuyasha met her gaze and his heart leapt as he saw the face of his own mother in his memories. Her arms outstretched to him, billowing sleeves enveloping him as she hugged him close, as if her very being could keep him safe from the world. She would press warm, fluttery kisses to his dirt-smudged cheeks and hold his hands when he couldn’t find sleep. A world of her own surrounded by those who refused let her be because of who she loved.

And he worried that the same would befall Kagome. While he was part of the group that felled Naraku, because of what he was — the blood he held — she would never know true peace. Or the life of an ordinary woman. And wh was to say he would be a good father?

He barely knew his own. Only inheriting a sword, a robe, and a world of trouble. But his mother? Oh, she was everything good in the world. Everything right. And so was Kagome.

He knew no matter what, she would protect this little life and he’d be damned if she would do it alone.

Breathing in deeply, Kagome’s scent was spiked with pungent worrisome and Inuyasha was quick to pull her into him. Hugging her fiercely as he buried his face against her shoulder until he could see nothing but faint circles behind his eyelids, easing his hold on her when she calmed. A small noise of surprise and a grip at the back of his undershirt bringing a smile to his face.

“I’m…”

Scared out of his mind. How was he going to look after them when he could barely take care of himself? Inuyasha stamped out that flickering flame before it could grow. This was different. He was wiser now, and he wouldn’t be alone. Kagome and the others were there.

Worried of rejection. His mother told him oftenetaht being a half-demon was nothing to be ashamed of. But with his blood and Kagome’s, their children would be a quarter-demon at best. Would they resent him for it? Ask him why they couldn’t be more? Why he couldn’t?

Concerned. He didn’t have a father of his own. No father-figure to speak of. Even Myoga, the closest person to his father aside from Sesshomaru, was useless and far too late to rear him in any way.

But most of all, he was happy. Happy that this child was theirs. From the hair on their head to their smallest toe, they would be a physical reminder of their love. One that he would protect just as relentlessly as he would the woman in his arms.

When he finally gathered himself enough, the pressure of tears built until they beaded at the corners of his eyes. Stinging when he drew away from her to press their foreheads together, his lips quivering.

It was fine to admit this. It was safe. He was with Kagome, nothing could hurt him here.

Eyes shut tightly, Inuyasha was unable to keep back a pathetic puff of laughter as he choked out the words. “I’m scared,” he sniffed, ignoring the dribble of warm tears trailing down his cheeks, heat rising to his cheeks. “And I’m worried, and I… I don’t know how I’ll..”

The corners of his lips twitched at the thought a child, one that looked like her or like him, and who called her ‘mother’ and how she’d smile. Opening his eyes, he found hers looking at him with concern and adoration. What did he do to deserve someone who would look at him like that?

“Concerned isn’t even the half of it…” Inuyasha muttered, dry heaving a laugh. “Happy.. I’m so much more than that.”

Kagome gripped him tighter and he found the touch steadying. Pressing as close to him as their bodies could allow, her quivering lips curved into a small smile.

“I’m scared too.”

A wave of guilt doused the joyous fire in his chest, Inuyasha’s smile falling as he searched her eyes, glancing down at her stomach then aside to their hut. “Are you happy..? Do you… are they… is this what you want?"

Was he?

Fear lodged in his throat. Pleas for her not to leave him swallowed. If she wanted to leave, if she would be happier away from him, then he could let her go. Like hell would he enjoy it. But Kagome deserved happiness.

“We get to have a baby, Inuyasha,” Kagome stressed, the word making his heart skip a beat. With how tears collected at the corner of her eyes, he almost thought she was upset if not for the wide smile she sported. “You and me, we’re…”

Her hands squeezed at his arms. Inuyasha pulling his hands back to touch her cheeks, wiping away the trails of tears gently. Sunlight warmed the moisture on his fingers as much as her smile warmed his heart. If possible, he would have frozen this moment right here. With Kagome smiling at him, brimming with joy, and his heart aching to leave his chest and rest in her hands.

“This is like a dream.”

A breeze rustling the leaves and her hands brushing away his own so that she could touch his face, wiping away the trails of tears beneath his eyes, reminding him that this was real.

Inuyasha leant forward, brushing his nose against hers tenderly. Listening to the small bubble of laughter that swelled in the breath shared between them before his lips met her own, stifling a sob. It was impossible to hold the kiss with how much they smiled but he tried anyway, leaning into her as her fingers curled in his hair.

“You’re going to be alright. Both of you are going to be,” Inuyasha whispered between kisses, listening to Kagome’s murmured affirmations as he tucked his arms around her, settling his hands at her back to draw her closer to him.

“I’ll be here, yeah…?” Pulling away enough, he pressed a kiss to her temple, nosing along her crown for comfort. Listening to her quiet laughs and hugging her a bit tighter when she clung to him. “Doesn’t matter what happens, I’m all yours. I promise, Kagome. I promise…”

He didn’t know their name yet. What they would become. Who they would grow up to be like. But he was damned sure that he was theirs.

From the first until the last.

“I know you will,” Kagome said, and somehow her belief in him only exacerbated the need to be there for both of them. She settled in his lap, her head resting against Inuyasha’s shoulders as he held her close. One hand settled at her hip while the other hovered over her stomach as if he were unsure where to touch. Without hesitation, Kagome curled her fingers around his own and laid them firmly against her stomach. Her lips ghosting along his ear as he leant his head down, shuddering at the sound.

“I love you.”

Inuyasha’s mouth felt dry and he pressed his lips together to keep something embarrassing from slipping out. But the emotions overwhelmed. Kagome had given him so much over the years and this was just another mark int he ever-growing tab of debts he owed her. He’d make sure the two of them were as comfortable and loved as possible, be there through her pain and grief. And they’d welcome their child into the world together.

He would tell Kagome all the words his father couldn’t tell his mother, every day for the rest of their lives.

“I love you too,” Inuyasha managed to say, the words almost lost against her hair then again as they were muttered against her cheek then once more against her lips.

Kagome’s smile was visible when he pulled away from pressing a kiss to her hair. “You’re gonna be a great dad.”

Trying to wipe at his eyes as discretely as possible, Inuyasha felt his heart race at the thought and his ears perking betrayed him. “I don’t know about that…” He grumbled, glancing away.

And in typical Kagome fashion, she wouldn’t allow him to linger in his thoughts for too long. “I do,” she said, but it was the weight of her hand on his arm and the reassuring squeeze that wrenched his heart.

His eyes softened as thyme her own, attempting to come up with an argument. He had a number of them. But she wouldn’t be swayed and he scoffed, frowning to set a pretense.

“Keh…”

Kagome smiled and leant against him, closing her eyes. She seemed so content where she was. Her energy evening out as the fear and anxiousness dulled at the edges. Searching for the glimmer in the sea of pink, he smiled a bit noting the building sphere at her core as if she were trying to protect something. On the outside, she remained relaxed and dozing in the early morning lull of chirping insects and budding blossoms. A lazy breeze carrying her sigh and a shiver down his spine as her nose pressed to the side of his neck.

Curiosity beget nervousness but Kagome’s nonchalance and the gentle fluttering of her being was enough to sate his apprehension. She was so calming. Made him feel as if he were in control. Worth something. And she could have gone anywhere — with anyone — but she chose to stay with him.

Well, damn.

Inuyasha smiled, burying his nose in her hair and inhaling her scent. “You’ll be a great mom, no doubt.”

“I hope you’re right.”

His smile fell. The soft, almost whispered way she spoke those words tugged at his heart. He knew that sound. Doubt. Worry. Concern. Thinly veiled beneath her nonchalance and quiet comfort. Ears flicking, he pulled away from her with a frown.

“Kagome, listen.”

“Yeah?” She asked, looking up at him.

Glancing aside as he gathered his nerve, Inuyasha squared his jaw and looked to her once he had what he wanted to say. “Look, I’m wrong about… some things.” Her eyebrows raised and he gave a narrowed-eyed glare, half-hearted, but enough to show that he didn’t want to be interrupted. With a curt nod from her, he continued albeit softer.

“But not you. You’ll be a great mom.”

Kagome’s eyes widened and Inuyasha felt his stomach twist. Did she really not think she would be? Didn’t she know?

Feeling the need to explain, to assuage those fears that may have been deep down inside of her. Ones that were mirrored in himself.

“You looked after Shippou, and your mom was probably one of the greatest people I’ve ever met…” His eyes softened when her own clouded over, steadying her with a hand to her shoulder and a light squeeze. Kagome missed them, and Inuyasha understood. He missed them too.

“When I think about my mom, and all she did for me, I think of her as the perfect mother because she loved as is and she was an imperfect person but she tried, and you’ll be perfect for them. I know you won’t give up and I’m not leaving you to do this alone.”

Kagome laid her hand over his own and squeezed, looking up to him in that soft understanding way that made his stomach flip. “Inuyasha…”

Immediately turning his head away, he grumbled reflexively. “I’m not good with words…”

Kagome snorted in that infuriatingly cute way she did when she rolled her eyes at him, brow arched with a challenge in her gaze. “Could’ve fooled me,” she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek when he gave her a half-hearted dismally annoyed glare. “That’s what I needed to hear.”

His ears twitched and relief flourished in his chest as he leant into the kiss, bracing his arm at her back to hug her close. “… Alright.”

A moment passed with them sitting in relative — yet comfortable — silence. Kagome’s head resting against his shoulder while he held her to him, the warmth radiating from his suikan enough for them both to stand the morning chill. Distant voices from the village, some familiar and friendly and unfriendly, reached them but did little to permeate this lull. With as comforting as the breeze was, Inuyasha almost wondered if he would fall asleep just like this and wake to find that it’d all been a dream.

Turning the words over on his tongue and the memories in mind as he looked down at her thoughtfully, wanting to cement this moment even if it meant breaking this tiny peace they procured.

“… So… what else did the old hag say?”

Kagome squinted at the horizon then turned a chiding stare onto him, poking him swiftly in the side. A subtle reminder to be nice and lovely compared to when she sat him all the time. “Just that I need to take it easy,” Kagome said, glancing away. “She gave me some herbs earlier that should help with feeling sick. I’ll just have to grind them up later.”

Inuyasha sighed. Poke aside, he would be happy to see Kagome going back to what she normally did. Even if that wouldn’t last but for a short while as her body adjusted. “Well that’s good,” he muttered, racking his brain for any way that he could help outside of taking on more of the housework and maintaining a vigil over her. “I’ll take a trip to Jinenji’s mom, see if she knows anything.”

Although Jinenji was a half-demon, his mother would have more expertise with birthing children with demon and human blood. And he doubted that Jinenji wouldn’t have something up his sleeves to help ease Kagome’s sickness.

“I’ll go too,” Kagome stated, and Inuyasha’s worried thoughts must have shown on his face because she added gently. “I feel like I need to walk, and Kaede said they were good for the baby.”

“Walks?” Inuyasha stated flatly, tipping his head to one side. He didn’t doubt Kaede knew much about childbearing or rearing, certainly more than him, but still.

Kagome giggled, covering her mouth with a hand and he squinted. What was so funny? “Being active,” she clarified.

Oh. Inuyasha nodded, glancing down at Kagome’s stomach. “Can’t say she’s wrong. Inu yōkai are naturally precocious.”

He remembered constantly needing exercise when he was young. Dragging his mother out to the gardens, wanting to play with her and run around with her. She often lagged behind him or waited for him to tire himself out but no matter how much he ran her ragged, she always lifted him in her arms when he was tired and carried him home. Inuyasha smiled, laying his hand over Kagome’s stomach again. What would she look like?

Would they all be able to play together?

He could hardly imagine what games. Things had changed in the decades he slept and were certainly different when he refused to indulge. Shippo had more in ways of games and tricks than he did, and Rin knew quite a bit from being a favorite of the children in the village. The thought crossed Inuyasha’s mind to pay a little more attention to Chihiro and Yuiko when they played with Isshin. Or ask Miroku.

It was overwhelming how many people were there to help with this.

“Kaede warned me that as they grow, there might be minor problems we have to deal with too.”

Inuyasha’s eyes widened and his gaze snapped to her. “Minor what?”

“They won’t be as bad as normal,” Kagome said softly, squeezing his hand. “But they’re still a demon even only partially. Kaede said it’s probably gonna be really draining for me the more they grow.”

Inuyasha scowled, glancing down at her stomach then up to her eyes. Why didn’t she look more concerned? What if something happened to her?

It would have been my fault.

“But you’ll be okay, right?” Inuyasha asked, bewildered on why she was trying to comfort him.

“I should be,” Kagome reassured, squeezing his hand again. “I was told not to worry.”

Though knowing her, it would have only made her worry more to be told not to worry. She was so conflicting that way, it irritated him sometimes, and left him feeling relieved. Kagome cared so damn much. She deserved to be cared for too.

“It’ll be alright,” Inuyasha stated, his voice unwavering and determination set in the line of his jaw as he kept her gaze. “You’ll be fine.”

Even if he was worried about the future, he knew he would do what he had to so she’d be safe. Stealing a glance at her stomach, he corrected himself. So they would be safe.

“Yeah,” Kagome said breathily, squeezing his hand. “I’ll be okay.”

Inuyasha smiled proudly, pressing a kiss to her forehead to hear her giggle. “That’s my girl,” he muttered, brushing his lips against her cheek before pulling away to look down at her. “Guessin’ since half the village isn’t here congratulating me, Rikichi doesn’t know yet.”

Kagome shook her head, a smile in her eyes along with a small flicker of purpleish-pink and pale blue. Much different than the pale lilac he’d seen throughout their travels and up to a while ago. “Kaede said she would let me tell everyone,” she said. “And I wanted you to know first.”

Inuyasha huffed, the relief warming with joy at being first as he shrugged and looked away. “Thanks…doubt a whole parade of people congratulating me would’ve been the best way to let me know.”

He wasn’t sure how he’d handle it if everyone knew before he did. And he wasn’t exactly the crowd type. Hence living on the very outskirts of their own village.

Kagome smiled at him but her gaze was focused above his eyes. He quirked a brow curiously when she cocked her head to one side. “Y’think?” she asked teasingly, and Inuyasha huffed, rolling his eyes. “Besides, you’re their dad. I want us to share this moment first.”

You’re their dad.

He never knew three words could sound so sweet and precious and fragile and terrifying and right all at once. Looking at her and feeling for the glimmer of energy wrapped up in her own, his heart fluttered. Kagome was here, they are going to be parents, he was going to be a dad!

Inuyasha grinned, lifting her up in his arms as he stood up and hugged her close. Kagome’s startled laughter loud in his ears but he didn’t mind. Turning in a lazy arc and hugging her close to him, burying his face against her hair to hide a foolish grin.

He couldn’t be happier.

#inuyasha fandom #inukag #inuyasha x kagome #inuyasha #higurashi kagome #fanfiction #my fanfiction #affections touching across time

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astxlphe-fics · 5 years ago

Text

Snapshot.

Atsushi likes to draw in the park. He doesn’t realize how many times he’s drawn the handsome photographer until the man comes talking to him.

Kuniatsu / Artist Atsushi, Photographer Kunikida (also ft. bug lover kuni)

Word count : ~3K

Atsushi settles down on the grass, back against the tree, and crosses his legs. He sets his cardboard folder against his knees and opens his sketchbook.

It’s new, and empty, a gift from Kyouka for his birthday, along with the set of pencils he’s brought with him. He puts the metal box on the ground next to him, picks on and looks around.

It’s a sunny day, in April, so the weather is still somewhat cool and the park isn’t as packed as in the summer months. Atsushi takes in the tree line, in the high building behind it, the people walking, the guy sitting on a bench playing a video game, the blond man lying on his stomach, a camera in hand.

He starts to draw.

Broad strokes shape the trees, from gross shapes first until he moves on to smaller details, leaves and patches of grass and the shape of a man with a camera.

It takes over an hour for Atsushi to get to the point of drawing him, deciding last minute to add him to the scenery, and when he looks up to check if he has moved, he finds the man in the exact same position.

Utterly still, and a look of complete concentration on his face.

Atsushi draws him, smiling to himself, taking great care in the placement of his finger on the camera button, in the way his messy ponytail falls on his back, in the angle the sunlight makes his glasses glint.

About another hour later, about ten minutes after he changes page and takes on drawing a spider that crawled up his leg, the photographer sits and stretches, setting his camera around his neck. Then he walks to the man on the bench, who puts his video games in his trench coat.

They exchange a few words, and leave.

Atsushi tries to imagine what this man could possibly have photographed.

Bugs.

What Kunikida absolutely wants to photograph is close-ups of bugs.

It takes longer than he expects, but waiting is something he can do. His roommate is Dazai Osamu, so his patience is forged in fire, iron and exasperation.

The last bug close-up he takes is a caterpillar crawling its way to the nearest leaf, set right in front of his camera, and he has a pretty good shot of it eating.

When he is done, he sits back and stands, joining Dazai, who puts away his video game.

“Are you finished?” he asks, and Kunikida nods.

“I’m done.”

“Show me!” Dazai leans over to see the screen of his camera, almost knocking Kunikida off balance.

“Oi, be careful!” He huffs and turns the camera back on and opens the gallery, flipping through the different pictures he took during the last few hours.

There is, besides the caterpillar, a group of ants carrying bread crumb from where a family had picnicked for lunch. He shows him the ladybug as well, particularly proud of this one, as it's a picture of it as it takes off.

Several grasshoppers, a yellow butterfly and a bee.

Dazai looks over the pictures, and his nose wrinkles as he makes a face. “That’s gross, Kunikida, you could at least try to take pictures of more glamorous subjects.” He grins. “Like me.”

“Bugs are certainly glamorous,” Kunikida shoots back. “Unlike you, they’re an essential part of the ecosystem and are underappreciated. They need to be more recognized for the role they have in preserving our environment!”

Dazai sighs over-dramatically, draping himself on his shoulder. “Am I not an essential part of your ecosystem? Kunikida, you black-hearted man.” When Kunikida rolls his eyes, Dazai pulls himself straight again. “I’m only trying to help you. If the cute boy over there knew you took pictures of bugs—”

“The what now.”

“Don’t turn around,” Dazai orders, and Kunikida almost does as a reflex. Instead, he glances back to where Dazai is looking, to a (admittedly cute) white-haired young man sitting under the tree. “He’s been staring at you for an hour.”

“He’s drawing,” Kunikida hisses, starting to walk away. “This activity usually requires a lot of staring. He just happened to look in my general direction.”

Dazai doesn’t look convinced, but he shrugs. “Suit yourself,” he says. “But you’re wrong. He was looking at your butt.”

“Dazai.”

The park is a good source of inspiration, Atsushi decides on the third day of drawing there. He changes his spot every time, looking for new sceneries and people to draw. There are a lot of critters he ends up doodling, from birds to bugs and a few squirrels.

He brings a hot drink with him today. The temperature has dropped during the night, and it’s pretty much cold, so there is no one in the park besides Atsushi himself — and the photographer.

Today he has a tripod and facing away from him, and it’s an angle Atsushi rarely draws anyone in, so he takes the opportunity to put it down on paper.

His friend is with him today too, and Atsushi plans to draw him as well, but he quickly forgets about him. He puts special attention in the angle of the photographer’s shoulders, well defined by the blue coat he’s wearing. It stops under his knees, mid-calf, and then Atsushi makes sure to draw the folds of the pants just right.

Once, the photographer makes a movement to turn away, seemingly in Atsushi’s direction. Atsushi ducks his head, pretending not to be watching.

Then he tries something new. He looks up, trying to guess what the man is seeing, what he is taking a picture of, and sketches it as well as he can. It’s not perfect, but it’s a fun game that he finds out he likes to play, for now.

Once he is done, he catches sight of a cat playing in the grass and changes his subject.

Maybe, he thinks, he should bring Byakko to the park with him, next time?

Kunikida comes back to the park often.

It’s not necessarily to take pictures of bugs, though he likes it, but he needs practice in taking pictures of larger sceneries and finding a focal point in it.

A subject, noticeable enough to draw the eye, placed in a way that makes it looks part of the larger picture rather that the focus of it.

He turns on his heels, and catches sight of the young man he has seen two days before — the one who, Dazai insisted, was looking at his butt. He’s sitting just on the line between shadows and sunlight, bent down, focused on his drawing, hair overshadowing his face.

His pen scratches at the paper, and he periodically looks up to the calico cat playing a few meters away.

When he does, the light hits his face just right.

Kunikida twists the head of his tripod and turns the camera in his direction, making sure to include the cat. The white-haired artist isn’t paying attention to him at all so, the next time he looks up at the animal, Kunikida snaps a quick picture.

He opens the picture folder and stares at it.

It’s perfect.

It’s not the only picture Kunikida takes of him.

“You’re turning into a stalker~" Dazai teases, poking his side, and Kunikida flushes.

“I’m not a stalker!”

“S—ure. It’s not your fault he is so photogenic, right?”

On the latest one, he is lying on the ground, legs swinging slowly as he draws a different cat. This one is black and white, and Kunikida saw it arrive with him. It’s probably his cat.

Over the next few days, it seems like every time Kunikida tries to take a good picture, this young artist is just there, in a corner, looking a natural part of the place. He zooms in on one of them as much as he possibly can before it turns blurry.

He is smiling here, wide enough to show some of his teeth, to make his eyes crinkle and shine.

Kunikida spends several second looking at it, at every details of his face he can make out, committing them to memory. Then, he duplicates the pictures and crops it.

That’s a smile he wouldn’t mind seeing up close.

God, he’s starting to sound like Dazai.

Next to him, Dazai’s obnoxious laughter only gets louder, and Kunikida would strangle him with his bare hands if not for the attention it would draw.

“I should apologize to him,” he decides suddenly. Because taking secret pictures of a stranger isn’t simply weird, it can come off as downright creepy, and Kunikida is not a creep. Because he’s started to look for this young artist on shots he’s definitely not on, and to zoom in on his face, and this is getting out of hands.

“You can’t!” Dazai can barely contain his glee. “He’s napping!”

Indeed he is, and Kunikida gives up. He huffs and settles on the ground to take more pictures of bugs, stopping all movement to wait for one to approach him.

A few minutes later, he finds himself nose to nose with the young man’s cat, who bops its face on the camera lens.

Resigned, Kunikida adjusts the settings and presses the button. The cat’s nose looks enormous on the resulting picture, it’s curious eyes wide, its face magnified. One it's taken he sits up and shows it too the cat.

“There,” he says. "Are you happy?”

It stares at the picture of itself, rubs its head on Kunikida’s hand until he gives it a good scratch, and leaves.

The cold has passed now, as the end of April nears, and more and more people come to enjoy the sunshine and warmer weather. Atsushi sees families and several dog walkers.

He sets Byakko upon the grass. “Don’t go too far,” he tells the cat, who flicks her black-tipped tail at him before ignoring him.

The photographer is almost facing Atsushi today, so he has to be more discreet while drawing.

He focuses on his face, this time. On the line of his jaw, the curve of his nose, the shape of his eyes, and the way he frowns where he’s focused. He adds in as many details as he finds, and the more he draws the more his eyes are drawn to him.

By the time he is done Atsushi feels like he knows this face by heart.

The photographer’s expression changes as he takes different pictures of crowds while Atsushi records them in his sketchbook as fast as he possibly can, stomach fluttering as he discovers the range of emotions this man expresses.

It’s wonderful practice, especially when his tall friend annoys him until he turns to him.

“Stop it, Dazai,” Atsushi hears him snap when the friend in question purposely waves in front of the camera to wave at him. He supposes the picture is ruined, because the photographer emits a loud noise of frustration. “Dammit, it’s all blurry now! Stop that, you useless waste of bandages!”

The sound attracts Byakko’s attention, and she wanders away from Atsushi. She curiously paws towards the pair until Dazai notices her and bends down to pet her.

She rubs her head against the man’s hand, before messing around, coming close to knock the tripod over. The sight it almost as Atsushi on his feet, but before he can Dazai looks up. His eyes catch Atsushi and he smiles, wide, like a Cheshire cat.

Atsushi’s face burns. He has been caught staring. To make it worse, Dazai tugs on the photographer’s arm and points to the cat, then to Atsushi. The man picks up Byakko and walks over to Atsushi with decisive steps.

He's mad at him, he thinks as he tries to read his face. He’s going to yell at him for staring or for letting his cat mess around his equipment.

The photographer stops right in front of him, and Atsushi realizes his work is in plain sight. He slams his sketchbook close, hoping he hasn’t noticed it — and the handful of drawings of his face all over the page.

“Is this your cat?”

“I’m sorry,” Atsushi says, standing up to take her. “I’ll be more careful with her —”

“Please do,” the man answers, handing her to him. “What is she called?”

“Byakko.” He scratches at her ears and sighs. “I’m really sorry, I figured the park would be safer for her than letting her out in the streets.”

“No harm was done.” His face smooths over as he notices Atsushi’s distress, as if trying to reassure him. “She came over to me yesterday as well, and got her picture taken for her troubles.”

“Really? Thank you for not—you know—” He shrugs. “Uh, I’ve seen you around? Several times. I’m Atsushi.”

“Kunikida, it’s a pleasure.” His eyes fall on the discarded sketchbook. “I’ve seen you here as well, you seem to be a prolific artist.”

“I try!” He sends him a weak smile. “That’s how you progress, right?”

“Of course. Practice makes perfect— you must be skilled.”

“I can show you?” Atsushi offers, cheeks fading to a light pink. “If you want?”

Kunikida nods. “I can show you some of my work as well, if you’d like.” He gestures back at where his camera is still set. “I’m a photographer.”

Atsushi picks his sketchbook up again and flips it to the previous pages, trying to find one he likes enough to show off. He’s never liked showing his drawings to anyone, but Kunikida doesn’t seem the kind of man who would laugh at him, and something like excitation bubbles in Atsushi.

Until he realizes just how many times he has drawn Kunikida in the past few weeks.

“Uh—” The sketchbook snaps shut again, and he lets out a nervous laugh. “Would you look at the time! I should really head home!”

“What—”

It’s obvious, from Kunikida’s face, that he’s seen them. He glances from the sketchbook to Atsushi, who is currently stuffing his things in his bag as fast as he can.

“I can hear my mom calling me!”

It’s only after he offers to show Atsushi his work that Kunikida remembers just how many pictures of him are on his camera roll.

He is almost relieved when Atsushi runs away, because it would have been a lot to explain. He would probably think Kunikida is a creep.

“Or maybe not,” Dazai tells him, thoughtful. “You say you saw that he’s been drawing you? So, I was right, he was looking at your butt.”

“Dazai, I’m sure he didn’t draw my butt.” He sets up his camera and looks around.

“Shame, it's very nice.”

After three days of going back to the usual park, Kunikida finally resigns to the fact that Atsushi isn’t showing up anymore. Since then, all his pictures have been bland — incomplete — so Dazai suggested moving location.

This new park is larger than the previous one and different enough to give him new material. The trees are denser and clear-cut paths run through it. A fountain stands in the center, the water flowing with a soothing noise.

Next to him, Dazai flops down on the grass, staring up at the sky and pulls out his earphones. Kunikida takes a picture, mentally labelling it as “Dazai being a lazy ass, as usual”.

It's only half-hearted, because Dazai doesn’t have to come with him on his photographing endeavors, and some days Kunikida wonders why he comes at all. Besides, saying he doesn’t enjoy Dazai’s company would be a blatant lie, they both know it.

Suddenly, Dazai rolls on his side and takes one of his earbuds out. “Your favourite subject is here,” he points out. “Looks like someone had the same idea!”

Following his fingers, Kunikida finds Atsushi sitting near the fountain, scribbling in his sketchbook. He almost has his back to him, so he can’t see his face.

“You should—”

Kunikida doesn’t hear the end of Dazai’s sentence. He grabs his camera and walks towards him until Byakko, sitting by him, raises her head in his direction.

She stands and meows, attracting Atsushi’s attention, and he turns around. His eyes go wide as he sees Kunikida, and he stammers out something that sounds like “hello”.

“I would like to take a picture of you, please,” Kunikida declares, and Atsushi’s face turns into a deep, concerning red.

“Uh?”

He raises his camera. “You also don’t have to be embarrassed about drawing me. People watching — and drawing — is a strong hobby that can only lead to great progress in your art.” He pauses. “There are also several pictures of you I took without your knowledge and consent, I’m sorry. In my defence, you are often the only person who doesn’t move around.”

Atsushi looks a lot less panicked now that he knows Kunikida doesn’t hold anything against him, and laughs. “I hope you know how weird this sounds.”

“I’m aware.” His strict composure softens, and he pushes his glasses back up his nose. “So, can I take a picture?”

“Sure.” He sets his sketchbook down. ��How would you like it to be?”

“Just a portrait.” He crouches to be on the same level as Atsushi, who is still sitting, and smiles as the camera is pointed to him.

It’s the first picture he takes where Atsushi is looking right at the camera, smiling at him, and Kunikida’s heart jumps in his chest. He sits on the bench, right next to Atsushi, to show him.

The young man leans over until their shoulders touch and stares at his own face, not unlike his cat did just a few days ago.

His cheeks are still pink when he pulls on of his uneven strand of hair behind his ear. “Could I see the other ones?” He gulps, and seems to gather the courage to add something else, twisting his hands: “I mean, I could show you mine—” his graphite stained fingers tap his sketchbook as he speaks “—and you can show me yours. Over coffee? Maybe?”

Kunikida blinks in surprise, taken off guard, but he smiles. “I would like that.”

#bsd #kuniatsu #kunikida doppo #nakajima atsushi #bsd kunikida #bsd atsushi #writing

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nomolosk · 4 years ago

Text

Snapshots (AU Yeah August 2020)

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25655623/chapters/62283055

Day 1- Cafe

Marinette Dupain-Cheng blew the bangs off her forehead and carefully balanced six plates and a small wire syrup stand before moving toward the outer door. Today her section included the small patio area, and while her clumsiness had largely worn off, she was still subject to the occasional bout of wrong-foot-itis.

Fortunately, today didn’t seem to be one of her bad days, and she made it through the screen door without losing any of the plates. Once through the “checkpoint” as she privately called it- video gaming still ran in her blood, after all- she rapidly approached the two tables whose food had come out at the same time. Though the parties were separate, they had sat down at tables next to each other, which made delivering the food easier. She smiled brightly in their general direction before heading straight to the table on her right.

Marinette had previously categorized this odd-couple as tourists- not that there was anything wrong with tourists- based on their mismatched styles and the amount of food they ordered. She noted how the well-dressed woman seemed tense, while her scruffy male companion (boyfriend?) lounged at his ease in his wicker patio chair.

Marinette placed the woman’s order of three chocolate chip waffles in front of her, also setting down a plate of fresh fruit and the syrup. Oddly- since most of the tourists Marinette had served were overly friendly- the woman looked away, putting a hand up to toy with bright red hair, almost as if she were hiding her face. Food safely delivered, Marinette dismissed her behavior and put the man’s two cheese omelets (with a side of camembert) in front of him. He smirked at her and gave her a half-salute in thanks. Marinette wished them bon appetit and turned to the other table. Something about the couple tugged at her mind, but she didn’t have time for mysteries this morning.

Marinette braced herself as she put the other two plates down. This table held two young men about her age, and she’d made an absolute fool of herself earlier taking their orders. Well… his order, anyway. Of the two, one had the chiseled features of a model, and a general air of brightness to him that dazzled. The other, while good-looking, just didn’t have the same presence. Marinette smiled and kept her thoughts to herself so she didn’t stumble over her words again. She said “bone appetit” and turned away.

“Oh, miss!”

Marinette swiveled on her heels, only to almost crash into the model. Somehow he’d materialized right behind her, and she found herself looking up into impossibly green eyes. Her breath stopped.

“You have a ladybug in your hair,” the blonde (who, Marinette was sure, would shortly be featuring in her daydreams) said. He kept eye contact a moment longer, then glanced up and to the side. She felt a feather-light touch on her hair just above her right ear. With a gentle smile, he showed her the tiny spotted beetle now crawling along his index finger. Marinette smiled at the little bug, eyes following it as the man lifted his hand to his own eye level. It didn’t take much for Marinette to get a little lost in his eyes. Eyes that seemed familiar, all of a sudden.

“You should make a wish,” a new voice said, breaking the moment. “Ladybugs bring good luck, you know.”

Marinette blinked and turned to see that a passerby had stopped to watch the scene. The woman was unremarkable, except for the little smile on her lips. Yet Marinette felt sure she should recognize her… she must have eaten at the cafe before. Marinette took a step back, suddenly aware of how close she was still standing to her (exceptionally attractive) customer. Her heart pounded, but she ignored it and smiled at the woman.

“Thank you, but I believe we make our own luck. Did you want a table? We have several open at the moment,” Marinette waved to the mostly empty patio, noticing that the red-haired woman had scooted her chair around so that her back was to the sidewalk.

The passerby narrowed her eyes a little. “Perhaps a little later. I have things to do at the moment.” Then she turned and walked off. Marinette shrugged and turned back to the man. He was still watching the ladybug crawl around on his hand with a small frown. Beyond him she spied the planter full of flowers she’d watered just a few hours earlier.

Marinette took a breath and spoke, holding out her hand and hoping she wouldn’t stutter again. “Th-thank you sir. I can take care of that- you shouldn’t let your eggs get cold.”

“But this little lady needs someone to take care of her,” the blonde murmured, almost too quiet for her to hear.

“Ah, but never let it be said that we don’t cater to all kinds here,” Marinette said, wondering where this sudden confidence and daring had come from. “We have some planters right here, and I’m sure the ladybug will find a lovely meal among the flowers.”

Reluctantly, the young man lowered his hand and Marinette coaxed the ladybug to crawl onto hers instead. The moment it touched her skin, she felt strange- like those mornings when she’d been younger that she woke up with a sense of expectation, as if something wonderful, something big, was going to happen. Carefully cupping her other hand over the insect, she walked over to the planter, bending to let the ladybug crawl from her hand onto a leaf. The sense of expectation faded and Marinette shook her head a little.

She turned back to her tables, seeing everyone had returned to their seats and started eating. “Is there anything else I can get you right now?”

“Your phone number for my friend here!” the blonde’s companion said, giving her a wink and finger guns. Marinette’s eyebrows rose high as she stared at him. The blonde, meanwhile, choked and coughed, turning red, although Marinette wasn’t sure if that was from embarrassment or esophageal distress. She turned wide eyes toward him, but he just shook his head, reaching for his glass and still coughing.

She felt herself flush and turned to the other table as a distraction. To her surprise, both their plates were already empty. It had only been a few minutes since she put their plates down… could anyone really eat that fast without choking? Regardless, she quickly gathered their plates and rushed back into the cafe.

Marinette took care of the few other tables she had indoors and then reluctantly went back out to the patio to deliver the check (the other couple had already paid and left). It was far from the first time she’d been hit on while at work, but usually it wasn’t by proxy, and somehow the hot blonde guy’s rejection of his friend’s suggestion stung more than it should.

As she put their check on the table, the blonde tentatively held out his hand to keep her from rushing off.

“Sorry about my friend,” he said, with an apologetic smile. “Nino here finally got a girlfriend and he’s been trying to set me up with any and every girl we come across ever since.” His eyes then widened in horror. “Not that I don’t- I mean, you’re gorgeous! And actually, I would like- but you probably already have a boyfriend, and… ugh, sorry, this is coming out all wrong,” he finished, adorably awkward as he hid his face behind his hands. “I just meant to apologize,” he continued, voice muffled. His friend, meanwhile, was unsuccessfully trying to stifle his laughter and had pulled out his phone at some point, presumably recording the whole thing.

Marinette found herself smiling- well, more like smirking, actually. “Well, hot stuff,” she said. “Keep it up and you just might get that number.”

The blonde jerked his head up and stared at her and Marinette, deeply regretting her own temerity, flushed to the roots of her hair, turned tail, and ran back inside and all the way to the back of the kitchen, only coming back out when she was absolutely certain they had left.

@auyeahaugust

#auyeah2020 #mlauyeahaugust

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graaythekwami · 5 years ago

Text

Love Square Fluff Week: Day 3, Flowers

Also read on ao3!

Paring: Ladrien

Note: This takes place in an animal/shapeshifting AU I’m working on. Instead of superheroes their Miraculouses turn them into animals, and the general public is scared of them and their powers.

-----

“This is getting ridiculous!” Plagg snapped. “Utterly ridiculous!”

“Thanks Chloe,” Adrien said as he added his order to his cart, clicking to go pay. His kwami was hovering in front of his computer screen, paws crossed. “Don’t you have any cheese to go eat?”

“Don’t you have anything better to do than work on your fake garden!?”

“Why are you so opposed to it?” Adrien snapped.

“I’m not an idiot, kid!” Plagg growled. “I’ve been alive longer than you could comprehend. I’ve seen you Googling ‘what plants attract ladybugs’ and ‘what flowers do ladybugs like’, and you’re an idiot to think it’s actually going to work.”

“It already has worked,” Adrien replied, gesturing to below his window, which had been converted to a miniature garden of potted plants– several of which he had found ladybugs crawling on before.

It had taken Nathalie some convincing when he had first started ordering seeds, pots and potting soil– but after making up something about reading an article about having natural plants within your home could help you have clearer skin she had relented (on the condition that he didn’t get his room or clothes covered in dirt). Everything had to be contained to the long table that now rested below his window, but it was more than worth it.

Gardening had become a fun pastime for the long hours he was locked in his room, especially since he had been forbidden from a young age from helping out in the mansion garden by both his mother and father. As much as they loved the natural beauty on their property, they didn’t like it on their son. Still, some of his fondest memories with his mother had been them wandering out in their garden together, so having flowers and plants right in his room brought back some happy memories.

He also wondered if gardening was a fashion trend at the moment, as he noticed both Marinette and his father had an increase of potted plants on their balcony and office.

“There’s a difference between ladybugs and Ladybugs– she’s not about to come flying into your room because you have a bunch of cosmos planted,” Plagg said in exasperation. “Just because you can turn into an animal doesn’t mean you act like them.”

“Catnip,” Adrien said simply, which shut Plagg up– they had both agreed not to talk about the catnip incident after all.

He stood up, making his way over to his miniature garden. He had a variety of flowers: cosmos, marigolds, geraniums, and more. It was more than just garden of flowers too, fennel, cilantro, among other plants could be found in his collection. It all smelled quite nice (horrendous, in Plagg’s opinion), and helped to cover up the smell of Camembert that lingered on him and in his room (much to Plagg’s disappointment). They were all plants that were supposed attracted ladybugs, and while he wasn’t a hundred percent sure all the websites were true it seemed to have done its job, because he had found a few of the beetles in his little garden on days when he left the windows open.

None of them were Ladybug, though.

Perhaps it was a bit of wishful thinking, that Ladybug would just turn up in his room because of some plants, he was sure she wasn’t about to go flying into someone’s room (and why would she even be near his house?), but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t holding out that she might turn up. Sure he saw her quite often when they went to battle, but it wasn’t often they could just be together. The thought of seeing his Lady made his heart race, and just the knowledge that she was okay helped soothed nightmares of the battles they had faced.

Plagg let out a huff as he picked up his watering can to tend to his plants, diving into a laundry basket saying it smelled too fresh in here. Adrien could only smile, before staring out his window.

He wondered if infesting his plants with aphids would attract more ladybugs.

-----

Adrien grew bored of his piano practicing half way through it– so he switched on the recording of him playing and flopped onto his bed. Before school and Hawk Moth he had been content with playing the piano, but now that he had tasted freedom he found he grew bored much more easily. It wasn’t like he hated the piano, but his father’s expectations were too much at times.

He couldn’t turn on the TV, games, or music– that would be a dead give away for his fake practice, so he just laid there staring at the ceiling. Strange how doing nothing was more appealing than doing what he was told at times. Of course this only lasted for a couple of minutes, and he rolled off his bed to do his favorite thing his room had to offer: gardening.

His new supplies had arrived this morning, and he was happy to get to work planting the cosmos seeds he had just gotten– specifically white cosmos– which apparently were better at attracting ladybugs than the other colors he had. He didn’t know how true it was, but he was more than happy to try it. He filled up his newest pots with soil, humming to himself as he did so. It had taken him a while to learn not to over-water plants and sometimes he had forgotten to water them, but now he felt he was pretty good when it came to gardening.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he saw a small red figure on one of his marigold’s leaves.

It was a little ladybug, small enough to sit on the tip of his finger. Most people probably wouldn’t even blink at it, but all it took for him was a glance to recognize her. A shade of red that was so familiar it was comforting, five black dots that were perfectly round and perfectly symmetrical– two on each elytron, and one in the very center. A scientist would say that it didn’t resemble any known species of ladybug, but to Adrien all he saw was a being that meant nothing but safety and trust.

“Ladybug,” he whispered in awe, barely believing his eyes. She was here in his garden, Ladybug was right in front of him!

She stiffened up slightly as he spoke, before continuing to crawl along the leaf without a care, clearly just trying to act like a normal bug. He bounded over to her, kneeling down so they were closer to the same level, but he didn’t reach out to hold her like he often did when a ladybug found its way into his room. He stared at her for a few seconds, before realizing how creepy that probably was, and pulled back slightly.

It took everything he had not to say ‘My Lady’, because Plagg would probably Cataclysm him then and there for being such an idiot. He shifted back and forth, not quite sure what to do. He wanted to talk to her, but he also didn’t want to scare her off with being recognized.

“Um...” he began uncertainly, before clearing his throat. “Um, hi Ladybug. I know it’s you, er, by the way.”

The ladybug froze up once again, scurrying across the leaf, before once again trying to act like a normal bug that most certainly did not understand him and that he most certainly had misidentified. He had to hold back a laugh, because he knew that Ladybug had never been recognized when she was normal sized, only once she augmented did people realize she was one of the magical creatures that roamed the city.

He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I... I honestly don’t know what to say. Er, thank you? I guess. For protecting Paris, you don’t get nearly enough credit as you deserve.”

Ladybug went still once more, recognizing that she had truly been recognized. She turned on the leaf she was on, staring at him with a look he couldn’t read. He found himself straining his mind, waiting to hear her words in his head, but he couldn’t unless he transformed himself. His heart sank slightly because of that, but still he smiled at her.

He wondered what he looked like to her with her so small. He knew her eyesight wasn’t like a regular ladybug, his research said they saw in black and white, while his Lady said she still saw in color. It was the same for him, he saw the same range of colors as when he was human, though his eyesight was much sharper when transformed.

“I hope this doesn’t sound weird, but I was actually hoping that you’d show up in my garden,” he said, rubbing the back of his head again. “I didn’t think you’d ever come though, but I planted it with you in mind. All these plants are supposed to be ones that ladybugs like– do you like them?”

He could see her hesitate, swaying slightly in place, before she gave a nod with her tiny head. It was hard to catch with her small form, but he knew it was a yes.

He smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. Um... could you go bigger? It’s kind of hard to see you when you’re so tiny.”

Again she hesitated, swaying adorably on her leaf, before going still. The center spot on her back vanished, and she slowly began to grow in size. A moment later there was a four-spotted ladybug clinging to the leaf, now roughly the size of a bottle cap– still small enough to be nimble and generally out of sight, but much too big to be a true ladybug.

He smiled. “That’s so cool,” he said, even though he could do the same himself when transformed, but he knew how nice it was to have a civilian that didn’t stare at them like they were a mutant. “It must feel pretty weird, I hope it doesn’t hurt.”

She shook her head from side to side, and her elytra flared open. She flew up and landed on top of a pink cosmos, staring at him. She circled around the petals, which dipped under her weight, until she settled in the middle.

“Pink suits you,” he blurted out suddenly, and he felt a blush appearing on his face. “I m-mean it looks really nice with your red. You can keep the flower if you want, this garden was made with you in mind after all and–“

He fumbled, reaching for the scissors he used as garden clippers, and clipped the cosmos stem. He lifted the flower up, and found himself stuttering for words with her so close. He mentally face palmed, he was never like this around her when he was transformed! Why was he like this now?

“W-wait, you can’t carry it, can you,” he stammered. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking–“

She flicked her elytra open, and he saw another one of her spots vanishing as she began growing once more. This time she was bigger than his fists, and her wings were making a clear buzzing sound as she hovered there in the air. It was a mere fraction of the size she could manage when facing an akuma, but yet still giant for a bug.

He held out the flower, and she wrapped her six legs around the stem. She took a moment to find her balance with it, but seemed to have no real struggle carrying it. He smiled as she watched him, and she gave him a nod of acknowledgement, before turning towards the window.

He stared after her as she flew away, disappearing out of sight as she flew up and over the mansion. Adrien couldn’t help but let out a sigh, grinning from ear to ear as he sank down onto his couch.

“Isn’t she amazing, Plagg?” He asked in a soft voice.

“She’s a good Ladybug,” Plagg acknowledged. “But you’re ridiculous.”

He just let out another sigh, his thoughts on Ladybug and the flower. Would she keep it after she detransformed? Would she mention to Chat that she had been given a flower? Okay, maybe that last one was wishful thinking, but so had been her showing up and she had! He found his mind constantly turning towards turning towards Ladybug and the cosmos, hoping at the very least it had made her happy in some way.

Yet strangely when he went to visit Marinette that night his mind wasn’t on flowers, and he didn’t even blink at the pink cosmos sitting in her room.

#lovesquarefluffweek2020 #ladrien #ml ladrien #day 3: flowers #adrien agreste #ml adrien #ladybug #ml ladybug #marinette dupain-cheng #ml marinette #ml animal au #ml shapeshifting au #my fics #miraculous fanfic

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p-artsypants · 5 years ago

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Longest Night (18) Vowing

Marinette had thought Highschool had been hard. Right now, in this moment, she'd give anything to go back to those petty arguments and gossip fueled drama. But she couldn't. Instead, she and Adrien were trapped here, being punished, humiliated, tortured, for being heroes, all broadcasted for the world to see. At least she and her kitty were in this together. For now. Whump!Fic

Ao3 | FF.net

Before we get into this chapter, I just want to thank each and every one of you for sticking with this pain for so long. I know it hurts, but man, I really want the ending to be worth it for everyone. Just stick with me for a little longer!

This chapter may be the most dark. We are Adrien and Marinette, and some sad stuff is going to happen. But I have ended the chapter with some fluff to balance it out. And I think we are halfway through. We’ll see if the ending drags on longer.

I hope you all forgive me.

—

Marinette had officially lost track of the days. It was a feat that she had kept up with it as long as she had. But given there were no clocks and no sunlight, she was forced to conclude that time didn’t matter in this place.

Given the amount of times she ‘rested’ in her cage, she’d put their stay at either 5 days or a full week.

Could torture grow stagnant? Because that’s what it was starting to feel like.

In the mornings, there was some form of humiliation tactic being used. Degrading names, dehumanizing acts. Forced to eat food off the ground, forced to crawl and act like animals.

She was getting used to it.

And that was concerning.

In the afternoon, they’d hang from their chains, and in the evenings, they played the noose game.

Adrien at least coped better than he did at the beginning. He kept his eyes clenched shut and refused to cry out. When he began to hyperventilate, he would remember how to breathe, and calm down for a moment, before repeating the cycle.

Had Salo run out of ideas? Or was something worse coming?

It seemed the questioned would be answered after the fifth ‘rest’.

Marinette awoke to someone stomping on her hand, which was outside of the cage, holding Adrien’s.

She recoiled with a hiss, pulling her hand back in and holding it.

“Isn’t that just so disgustingly sweet?” Salo asked, as the chains on her door were unlocked. “You’re sure going to like what we do today!”

Marinette was grabbed by the wrist and pulled into another room. Obediently, she didn’t ask any questions, but she was keenly aware that Adrien wasn’t following her.

In the new room, Marinette was made to stand. It was a small room, one light on the ceiling, with a table off to the side. A paper bag sat on the table.

She was alone with Salo. But that gun was still on her hip.

“Are you ready for the most important day of your life?”

Marinette hunched her shoulders. What was that supposed to mean?

“I…I don’t know.”

“Of course you don’t, you stupid bitch.” Salo laughed. “Now strip.”

A precursory glance around the room showed that there where no cameras in the room.

It’s not like it mattered though. Paris had already seen her naked.

So she pulled at the ties and took off her robe, laying it on the table nearby.

Salo didn’t say anything, just took out some white fabric from the bag. A corset and tutu, to be exact.

Marinette stared at the outfit with some degree of confusion.

“What, you’ve never seen a wedding dress before?” Asked Salo, with a little grin.

“Not…one that looked like that.”

She laughed. “Oh I know it’s a little different. But you’ll look so stunning!” She opened up the corset and wrapped it around her waist, fastening it in the front. “Oh good, perfect fit. I worried we’d have to starve you for another week before you could fit into it.” She turned her around, and began to tighten the ribbons.

“Why...am I wearing a wedding dress?”

Salo giggled, “why do you think silly girl? You’re getting married!”

Marinette’s heart felt unbelievably heavy at that announcement. “To who?”

“Why, to Chat Noir, of course. No one else wants you like this.”

Well, that was a relief. And it wasn’t like they were actually getting married, right? This was another one of her sick games. Making a mockery of something beautiful, joyful. Desecrating the sacred, and ruining the perfect.

Salo pulled the ribbons tight, making it hard to breathe.

“Oh, but I know what you’re thinking. This is just some sort of joke, right? No no, my dear. I’ve got a mayor here to make it official. I’m not going to tell you where he’s from, but all the paperwork has already been submitted. In a few hours, you’ll be Mrs. Adrien Agreste. Isn’t that just exciting?”

No.

It wasn’t.

Not like this.

Of course, she loved Adrien. And she loved Chat Noir too, by extension. She always dreamed of marrying him and having three kids and a hamster.

But that was when she was a kid. She was older now, and recognized that she wasn’t ready for marriage. Her and Chat had good camaraderie, Adrien and her were good friends. But a good friendship and business partnership did not a marriage make.

“Aw, you’re so happy you’re crying!” Salo cooed.

Marinette covered her face with her hands.

Her mother was supposed to be here, helping her put on the dress. And Alya, she was supposed to be here too. And her father was going to walk her down the aisle!

Where was the dress that she designed herself? Her flowers? The lovely chateau for the reception?

No, all she had was cold, dirty cement, and a too-revealing dress. If you could even call it that.

“There, let’s do your makeup. No bride is complete without a makeover!”

Marinette shook her head and backed into a corner. “No, no please, I don’t want to do this!”

“What’s wrong? Do you not love him?”

“No, I do! But I—“

Shit.

A malevolent smile came over Salo’s face, snagging onto the information and tucking it away for future use.

“No!” Marinette protested. “I meant that I love him, I care for him, but he’s like my brother! I love him platonically!”

Salo obviously wasn’t buying it.

“You know I hear everything you two say in that room, right? And so does everyone else in Paris. We all know that you had a crush on Adrien, and that he’s in love with you. There’s no use lying to make it easier.”

Salo walked slowly over to her as she talked, and then grabbed Marinette by the hair and forced her to look her in the eye. “Because whether you ‘love’ him, or not, torturing him in front of you is still going to hurt like a bitch.”

Marinette just moaned in pain. There was no winning with this woman.

Salo grabbed her by the wrists and had her sit at the table. “There there, pumpkin. We can’t have you crying while I put on your makeup.” She wiped her face with a handkerchief. “Now, to make you all pretty.”

Clown makeup.

Specifically Pagliacci.

A white face, with thick red lips, black outlines around the eyes, and black lines that looked like tears.

She looked demented.

Crying would only make it look worse.

“Now come along,” Salo grabbed her wrist again. “Your groom awaits you.”

Marinette was dragged by the wrist into the room she was so familiar with. The air reeked of alcohol. Men sat in chairs in rows, forming an aisle. At the end, a man with a book stood at attention.

And Adrien. Who was completely naked except for a bowtie. The bruise from his arm was now a sickly green, while the bruise on his chest from the crowbar was dark purple.

At her entrance, his jaw dropped, his eyes sparkling with tears. Sure, she had wanted her future husband to cry when he saw her in her wedding dress.

But not like this.

Never like this.

The audience stood, wobbling. She recognized that most were some sort of drunk.

Salo looped an arm around hers and started to walk her down the aisle.

The assembled started to sing, in a slur of drunken gaiety.

Here comes the bride,

All dressed in white.

Marinette couldn’t help it. She started to cry. How desperately she wished to hide, to cover herself, to never leave the house again.

Sweetly, serenely in the soft glowing light.

A hand grabbed her butt, and she sobbed outright.

Lovely to see, marching to thee.

Sweet love united for eternity.

Then she was next to Adrien, his mouth still open, searching for words to say.

But he had nothing.

No comfort.

No affection.

Just hopeless silence.

She wasn’t much better.

“Why are you doing this?” She asked Salo, in a stint of bravery.

Salo smiled, in what looked like patience. “In my research of the Ladyblog, I found a recurring theme. A lot of people in the forums wanted you two to get together. Not only that, but they wanted you to have a public ceremony, so everyone could be a part of it. And you see…you both are going to die here. I figure, you probably both wanted to get married someday. Who am I to take that away from you?”

Who indeed?

Adrien reached out and took her hand, squeezing.

Now that she was in front, Marinette noticed something very off about the officiant.

He was shaking like a leaf, and very pale. He didn’t look the least bit jolly like the rest of them. He actually looked downright terrified.

Salo needed an officiant. So, it was likely that he was being held here against his will. Just like them.

“Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to join…Chat Noir and Ladybug together in holy matrimony.”

Holy. There wasn’t anything holy about this. God had his face turned away.

“Adrien, do you take Marinette to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poor, until death do you part?”

Adrien swallowed and answered with a whisper. “I do.”

“And Marinette, do you take Adrien to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poor, until death do you part?”

“Yes, I do.”

The officiant sighed heavily. “The brands?”

Now, Adrien may have had his entire wedding to Ladybug all planned, but no where in all his research, did he read anything about brands.

There was an echoing squeaking coming from the hall, before another one of Salo’s men wheeled in a cart. On it, there was a cast iron pot with hot coals in it, and two pieces of metal sticking out.

Marinette stood a little closer to Adrien, fear overwhelming her. Likewise, he held her hand a little tighter.

Salo, and two men stood from the crowd, and went to Adrien, and took his bad arm, laying it flat, palm up on the cart.

Salo took a pair of heavy gloves and gave them to Marinette. “Alright, you’re going to take this brand right here, and you’re going to press it to his palm for five seconds.”

“I’m not doing that.” Marinette protested.

“Fine, then I’ll do it for you, and make it hurt so much worse. I’ll burn right through his hand.”

“No, wait…” Marinette clenched her fist. “I’ll…I’ll do it.”

“That’s a good girl.”

Marinette slipped the gloves over her shaking hands, and picked up the designated brand. Trembling, she held it over his open palm.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Repeat after me: with this brand, I thee wed.”

“With this brand…I thee wed.” She trembled, before plunging it down.

It sizzled on his skin as a scream ripped from his throat. His fingers twitched, and his other hand grabbed at the nearest body and fisted in their shirt.

It couldn’t have been five seconds. Surely she counted too fast. But she couldn’t stand the sound, the smell. She ripped the brand off of him and dropped it on the floor.

In an act of mercy, Salo dropped his hand in ice water, which made it better before numbing his hand completely.

Marinette tore the gloves off. Wanting to take him and hold him, begging for forgiveness.

But she didn’t. She just stood there sniveling.

Without anyone forcing her to, she laid her arm down, where Adrien’s had been, palm up.

“No, no Mari, don’t.” Adrien begged.

“Please…it’s only fair.”

Adrien took his arm out of the water, holding his palm open for her to see.

The skin was blood red and bubbling, but in center of all the gruesome gore, the word ‘Ladybug’ was written in a fancy cursive font.

A brand. He belonged to her.

And soon she’d belong to him too.

She nodded him on.

Salo put the glove on for him and pointed out the correct brand for him to use. Because he was using his non-dominant hand, he braced his elbow on the edge of the cart to keep steady. The last thing he wanted to do was mess this up and cause her unnecessary pain.

A rivulet of sweat broke through her face paint and tracked down her cheek.

The officiant, with his eyes shut tight, spoke, “repeat after me: with this brand, I thee wed.”

“With this…this brand, I…I thee wed.” He stuttered, not even processing what he was saying. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he pressed the brand into her skin.

Marinette seemed to take it better than him. She turned her face away so she didn’t have to see. Her freehand came up to bite her knuckle as a very slightly muted scream rose from her chest.

White hot searing pain, that burned and sizzled all the way up her arm.

And just when she stopped feeling it, he pulled away.

The brand clattered to the floor, and Adrien held her fingers as she panted. Finally, she dared to look at her hand.

‘Chat Noir’ was written in matching script to Adrien, and the surrounding skin was raw, blistering, and bleeding.

The officiant took a trembling breath. “Then, by the power invested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

It felt too weird, and too inappropriate to kiss at a time like this. This bastardized wedding didn’t deserve romance. It was wrong and awful.

But Adrien came closer, and caressed her arm gently, full of affection and love.

“May I?” He whispered.

“Yes,” she returned, just as softly.

It was just a peck. Certainly not the type of firework-filled kisses in the movies.

Neither of them enjoyed it anyway.

“Oh that’s not a kiss! Give her a real smooch!” A man heckled in the crowd.

Adrien bent and kissed her again, lingering longer this time.

“Nah kid! Use the tongue!”

Adrien grimaced, and helplessly shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know how to tongue kiss.”

“Me niether.”

“Then ya better get ta practicin’!”

There were days in school, where Marinette would gaze longingly at the back of Adrien’s head, imagining him pining her to the wall, running his hands up her thighs, and swirling his tongue with hers.

But this just felt lewd and wrong. Especially with everyone whooping and hollering in the background.

She kissed him back, her heart pounding in her chest.

Just for once, she wanted to enjoy and remember a kiss with Adrien. Was that too much to ask?

Adrien pulled away, looking incredibly sheepish.

“Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Adrien Agreste.” Said the officiant, with some relief. He rested a shaky hand on both of their shoulders as he presented them to the crowd. A tear rolled down his cheek. “Will you let me go now?”

Salo smirked, standing, as her hand went to her hip. “Yeah, you can join your wife and daughter.” Then she withdrew her gun and without warning, shot the man in the head.

Marinette shrieked as he hit the floor.

The drunken mass of an audience all started singing the wedding march, out of tune and too loud.

“Daaa! Daaa! Dadadada—!”

Marinette just started bawling, her tears making the black paint melt and run down her cheeks in thick lines.

This was the second murder she had to witness in a week. And it wasn’t getting any easier.

Was this supposed to be a farce? A mockery of everything pure and clean?

Marinette looked and Adrien, only to see him covering his eyes with his hand as he sobbed.

Everyday, she felt more and more helpless. But this took the cake.

The chairs in the room rearranged and tables were brought in. She and Adrien were sat alone together at a little table, while everyone else gathered around. Then, the smell of food wafted through the air, and Marinette’s stomach twisted.

The body of the dead officiant was right there, his soulless eyes looking up at her.

The food came. Dishes passed between the men, drinks being refilled and clanged together.

No one brought anything to the sordid couple.

Salo stood, raising a wine glass. “I’d like to make a toast.”

The laughter settled down.

“To Ladybug and Chat Noir. May their last hours together be pleasurable and full of love.”

The words settled on Marinette’s shoulders heavily, making the floor feel like it was opening up beneath her.

Their last hours together?

She looked to Adrien, seeing his face full of panic as well.

“What do you mean by that?” Marinette asked.

But Salo didn’t answer, and the party continued without them.

They sat alone at the sweet heart table, the difference in the attitude of the room being palpable. The door to freedom was just on the other side of the buffet table of burly, well armed men. A perfect wall.

Adrien lifted his dead arm onto the table, looking at the branding on his hand. He gave a little smile, and confessed, “If I had to be branded with anyone’s name, I’m glad it was yours.”

Marinette mimicked him, setting her hand next to his. “Me too.”

He reached up and swiped some of the paint off her cheek. “I miss your face. You were hiding behind a mask all this time, and now you’re hiding again.”

“I want to take it off. I look so ugly.”

He shook his head. “It’s impossible for you to look ugly. Even with bad makeup.”

She took hold of his hand that rested on her cheek, and brought it to her lips to kiss, leaving some red paint behind.

Salo stood again, her chair scraping on the cement.

Marinette clenched her eyes shut and held his hand tightly. She didn’t want to be separated from him. Not now, not ever.

“I think it’s time for our lovely couple to go on their honeymoon! What do you fellas think?”

Of course, there was a drunken cheer that hurt the ears.

Two people each grabbed them, and hauled them down the hall. This time, they were led past their normal room, and into a closet. It couldn’t have been more than three or four feet wide on each side, and with both of them in there at the same time, space was limited.

Salo was giggling like a schoolgirl. “Now, have fun you two! We’ve got plenty of cameras and mics in here, so make sure you put on a good show for everyone at home!”

With that, the door slammed shut, and the laughter on the other side faded.

“Adrien…I…I can’t.”

“No, don’t worry about that. I would never make you…” He felt along the walls. “Here, let’s sit.”

He sat down first, and then pulled her to sit on his lap, their skin pressed against each other.

“Are you comfortable?” She asked, shifting.

“As much as I can be. Don’t move like that, please.”

Her face tinged pink. She leaned back against the wall, and just tried to allow herself to breathe.

Adrien’s good hand wondered over her back and shoulders, absently. She was sure if she asked him to stop, he would have, but she didn’t want him to.

“We’re not going to do what Salo wants us to do in here,” he said with finality. “I’m not ready for that.”

Marinette breathed a sigh in relief.

“But…I would like to hold you.” He whispered.

Marinette turned to lean into him. “I want you to hold me.”

She arranged his bum arm to rest on her legs while his other arm wrapped around her waist and held her tighter.

“So…” he began, “I’m the ‘other boy’ right? The one you kept rejecting me for?”

She scoffed. “You just figured that out?”

“Yeah well, it just hit me. I asked you how long you’d been in love with me for, and you said since that day in the rain…”

She ran her hand up his arm. “We really are stupid, aren’t we? If…if I had just agreed to let us share our identities…”

“No.” He said, a bit forceful. “You were smart on having us keep them to ourselves. Look at us now. Everyone knows who we are, and…” He rested his head against hers, as a way of ending the thought. “I’m just happy I have you now. I love you so much, Mari.”

“I love you too,” she whispered back.

This was cruel and unusual. Adrien was finally in love with her.

And this was the last time she see him for a while. Maybe ever.

The closet they were in was much too dark. A scant bit of light leaked in through the bottom of the door, but that wasn’t enough to see him.

“Can…can I kiss you? Properly this time?”

She took his face in her hands. “Please.”

This kiss felt much better. Prompted on their own, in their own world, despite the threat of cameras. It was soft and sweet, and everything she wanted in a first kiss.

Though it didn’t come first, this is the one she counted.

When they broke apart, he leaned his forehead on hers.

Timidly, she pushed some hair behind her ear. “I…I dreamt about marrying you. You know? I had the whole ceremony planned out.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah…”

“Would you tell me about it?”

She blinked with a blush, not expecting such an intimate question. “Well...” she swallowed. “I was expecting my father to walk me down the aisle. And for my mother to help me put on my dress.”

“One that you designed?” He asked, his voice soft and eyes closed, like he was trying to imagine it.

“Yeah.”

“What would it look like?”

She smiled slightly, picturing the drawing she had in her sketchbook. “A soft rose pink. Made of silk, with lace sleeves. I want to honor my heritage by embroidering a rose gold phoenix on the skirts.”

“That’s a really nice touch,” he hummed. “You’d look beautiful in it.”

She blushed again, ducking her head to lay on his shoulder.

“What about the ceremony? Where would it take place?”

“A chateau in Giverny. Where we can get married out in the gardens, under a wisteria tree. I just want lots and lots of flowers.”

“I like that idea. Certainly better than mine.”

She giggled. “You had a wedding plan?”

“Every bit of it. Even down to the color of the napkins.”

“Then pray tell, what does our wedding look like to you?”

“Well, it was going to be in Notre Dame…and then I had to change it to Chartres Cathedral.”

“I could get behind a Cathedral.”

“It’s so beautiful in there, My Lady. The gothic architecture and the stain glass windows. It’s like a castle, fit for a princess.”

“Do they allow cats in cathedrals?” She joked.

“Rude.”

“What kind of cake?”

At the same time, they said, “Vanilla Raspberry delight from the Dupain-Cheng Boulangerie Patisserie!” They laughed together.

“And what about the honeymoon?” He asked, “We can go anywhere in the whole wide world. Where do you want to go?”

She was quiet for moment, thinking. “Have you ever seen ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’?”

“Every Christmas.”

“I like the scene, where George and Mary loan out all of their money to the people in town, so Mary goes back to the abandoned mansion and makes a resort just for them. With posters of all the places they wanted to go, and a little dinner. And then they kiss to the sound of the rain, and Bert and Ernie singing ‘I love you truly, truly dear’.”

“That part always makes me cry.” He admitted.

“My point, is that it doesn’t matter where we go, as long as I can be with you.”

He kissed her forehead. “In that case, let’s get a sailboat. Sail the world. At night, we’ll be just a silhouette surrounded by a myriad of stars. Spend our nights on the glassy water, where you can't tell where the sky begins and ends. Just the two of us, free to go wherever we want.”

“That just sounds too good to pass on. You promise? We can do that?”

“When we’re out of here, we’ll have our perfect wedding. And then we’ll go, and never look back.”

#miraculous ladybug #fanfiction #ladybug #Marinette #adrien #adrienette #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #chat noir #fanfic #longest night

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bluemoonbeam15 · 3 years ago

Text

Commissary Conversations

Gypsy looked over to see Flik had barely touched his food. The ant busied himself writing. "Are you going to eat, Dear?"

"Can't. Busy."

"Just a bite?"

"Can't. Busy." Flik mumbled absent-mindedly.

Francis tried peeking at the leaf he was writing on but Flik quickly covered his arm over it. "What's so important?"

"Nothing, just a little project." Flik bit his lip and carefully continued writing, leaf hidden from their peeping eyes.

Hopper slid an arm around and swiped the leaf, "You never just have little projects."

"Hopper! Give it back!" Flik tugged on his arm but Hopper stretched so he couldn't reach. "It's not for you!"

"Really? Then why's my name on it?" Hopper inspected it from a distance. "All of our names are on it, actually."

Francis snickered, "Ooh! Gimme gimme! Is a hit list?" Hopper handed the leaf over. Flik desperately tried crawling over the table but Hopper kept him back. "Kid's finally showing his true colors...huh?"

"What is it?" Hopper kept an arm out to block Flik.

"It's a--"

"It's a hit list!" Flik quickly answered, peeking over Hopper's shoulder.

Hopper squinted, "Oh really? Then who's first?"

Flik tapped his fingers, "Uh...you?"

"Liar. What's it say?"

Francis began reading it, "Wedding Placements. Ooh, Flik, starting early aren't we?"

The ant blushed, "We're engaged, I think it's perfect timing."

"Isn't this the girls job?" Flik tripped over his words. Francis continued reading, "Let's see what ya got here...Dot is gonna be the flower girl."

Gypsy gushed, "Aw, she'd be so adorable. Rosie, let's start the dress!"

"Molt is one of the groomsmen, so am I, Slim, Manny is the officiant. Hopper is--hey! How come he gets to be the best man?"

Hopper blinked, "I am?"

"W-Well I could only choose one person!"

"And you chose Hopper?" Francis baffled.

Hopper narrowed his eyes, "What's wrong with it being me?"

"Wait!" Slim grabbed Francis' arm, "It's perfect!" He leaned over and whispered something. Slowly, the ladybugs eyes brightened as he smiled slyly.

"Oh, yeah, didn't think about that..."

"What?" Hopper glanced between them.

Francis ignored him, "Hey, Flik, would there be a dress code?"

"Yeah...I mean I guess I was hoping for suits. I don't know maybe Rosie could fix something up for us."

Francis leaned forward, fixing Hopper with a look, "I like the sound of that."

Hopper finally caught on, "Oh no, no, no! I am NOT wearing a suit!"

"But Hop it's for my wedding!"

"Suck to be you, I'm not doing it."

Francis smirked, "Man, I hope reality looks as good as my imagination. 'Cause I would KILL to see you in a tux right now."

"And I will kill you if you try to make me wear one."

Flik tried sneaking around the grasshopper to grab the leaf, "But we'll all be wearing a tux. And it's just for one day."

Francis sighed in disappointment, "Just one day to take it all in."

Hopper glared, "No, it's not happening."

"Wait. What color theme are you going with?" Rosie asked

Flik hummed, "I kinda like traditional black and white. But what about blues or reds?"

Francis whistled, "Man, so many options. You know what? Hopper, Darling, why don't you be the guinea pig and show off the different colors? I need to see which one you look hotter in."

"Why are you the way that you are?"

"You're right, stupid idea," Francis shook his head, "you'd look hot in anything." He bit his lip as an idea came to him, "Wait, we need to talk about material! Velvet, it has to be a velvet suit!"

Rosie smiled and jotted it down on the leaf as Francis slid it over, "Got it."

"Why velvet?" Hopper questioned.

Francis winked, "Soft to the touch."

"Okay, yeah, no. I'm out." Hopper made to stand. "I resign from the best man position."

Flik tried using his weight to pull him back down, "No, please! It's gonna be my special day!"

"Once again, thats the girl," Francis reminded.

"Well it can be mine too," Flik huffed. He looked up at Hopper with big eyes, "Please?" His lip quivered.

Hopper gave a flat look, "No."

"Pretty please?"

Hopper scoffed.

"For me?"

"No."

"I'm gonna hold my breath until you say yes," Flik puffed his cheeks out and waited.

After a few seconds, Hopper raised a brow, "Kid, cut it out." Flik shook his head. Few more seconds, "Flik, seriously, I'm not wearing the stupid suit." A little over a minute...Flik's eyes drooped and he fell back in his seat. Hopper panicked and shook the ant, "Okay, fine! I'll wear a suit!"

"Really?" Flik perked up instantly.

Hopper growled, "I hate you."

Francis stood from his seat, "Alright, Rosie, you get the suits made and we'll have a little fashion show." He gave a sultry smile to Hopper, "I can help you put in on, Princess."

"I know you did NOT just call me princess."

"Don't like it? How about vixen?" Hopper growled. "Angel? Beautiful? Doll? Ooh, I like that one. Hey, Doll. Or sexy, that one fits you."

Hopper clenched his fists, "You're dead."

Flik groaned, "Can you wait until AFTER my wedding to kill him? I kinda wanted everyone there."

Francis laughed, "Yeah, Doll, wait till after the wedding...then you can have me."

"You little--"

<><><><><><><>

@funnybuggy Hopper is close to getting a restraining order on Francis 😂 I have another story I wanted to write but couldn't get this scene out of my head.

#a bugs life #pixar #hopper #francis #fanfiction #writing #flik #commissary conversations

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thesafepesticide · 3 years ago

Photo

How To Keep Spiders Away From Patio So, you need to Know How To Keep Spiders Away From Patio? In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn:

Why spiders are making webs on your deck, patio, or even security camera

Natural ways you can stop them from spinning webs outside

Commercial ways to aid you on your quest to go spider-free

How to keep spider webs away from your porch

And more

Bookmark this page for easy reference. You’ll probably come back to it a few times. Sound good? Let’s get started and clean up your porch from cobwebs. Spiders will form webs on your porch like crazy. If your porch or deck is littered in spider webs, here there are a few things you can do to help get rid of the cobwebs and stop them from making more webs. This applies to brown recluse spiders, cellar spiders, and common house spiders. You may have webs on your ceiling, light, furniture, or even your security camera! We’ll cover some DIY methods you can do at home to clean up your porch from these nasty, sticky webs.

Why spiders are on your porch

If you have spider webs everywhere outside, the main reason why they’re making webs is none other than food. Spiders are opportunistic predators for the most part and will eat what they can catch in their sticky webs. If you have a yard with a lot of bugs, flies, or other pests, spiders may take shelter. They’ll spin a web to catch these bugs. And the porch often happens to be an area with a high number of bugs for them to eat. This is basically the reason why you may have a ton of webs. Other common reasons why spiders make webs on your deck:

Large native spider population in your state

Spider season (hatchlings)

Best season for other bugs (more bugs mean more spiders trying to catch them)

Not cleaning up the webs from time to time (web buildup)

Spider nests nearby your home or garden

A high bug population around your home or yard

Whatever the case, we’ll cover some methods to get rid of the webs and stop them from making more.

How do I keep spider webs off my front porch?

The first thing we want to do is to repel spiders from your porch. No spiders on your deck means no webs, right? So here’s what you can do at home to help keep them away. Over time you should see a reduction in spider webs. These are excellent ways to get rid of spiders outside and on your deck naturally. There are a few things you can do to help keep the spiders away from your porch.

Make your own vinegar spray

Mix vinegar and water in equal parts in a spray bottle. Then spray it directly onto the web or porch area. This will help keep them out as vinegar repels spiders. Easy enough. You’ll find that vinegar also helps keep other pests away from your porch also, such as ladybugs. The best part about this is that it’s all-natural.

Use mint

Spiders have been known to have and avoid mint at all costs. You can make your own minty spray at home using an essential oil like peppermint oil. You just to add a few drops (2-3) to a gallon of water. Then pour it into a spray bottle. The mixture should be strong enough for you to clearly smell the oil, but not overpowering. Spray it around your porch. This should help keep spiders away. You can make your own like this:

youtube

Web eliminator spray

You can buy sprays that prevent spiders from being able to spin webs on various surfaces.

This can help stop them from making cobwebs on your deck lights, door, ceiling, or security cameras and doorbells. Use as directed. Web eliminator spray can be bought at most hardware stores. You’ll find it labeled something like “cobweb eliminator.” Here’s an example.

How do you keep spider webs away?

Keep your porch clean and free of webs. Once you’ve ridden the current pest problem, you’ll want to focus on preventing spiders from coming back to your home.

Clean your yard

No spider likes a clean yard. If you keep your yard clean, the spiders will naturally stay away.

With no spiders in the yard, you’ll have no webs to deal with on your porch.

Of course, most people are lazy or too busy to keep their yard in tip-top shape. But here are some tips you’ll want to do:

Keep grass clippings off the grass (i.e. clean them up)

Prune your overgrown bushes and plants

Drape your compost and trash cans

Secure your water features (spiders tend to hang around areas with water)

Dispose of leaf litter

Unclog your drains

Clean up any dead plants or foliage

Remove any clutter, storage, or other things that you don’t need in the yard

This will help keep your yard clean, which will attract fewer bugs for spiders to eat. This brings me to my next point- getting rid of pests.

Get rid of bugs outside

This should be what you focus on AFTER you clean your garden. Getting rid of the bugs in your yard. This will help make the spiders go hungry because they have nothing to eat. Depending on what kind of bugs you have out there, you’ll have to do your research to exterminate them. Here are some tips:

See what bugs the spiders are eating

Check out their websites and see what they caught

Walk around your porch and see what bugs you have

You’re on a pest control website. You can do a search using the search box on this page (near the top) and search for whatever bug you have!

Note that some paints and surfaces may be damaged by the essential oil, so be careful. You also want to make sure you’re not spraying the oil near anything flammable. Spiders hate mint, so this should work to keep their cobwebs all over the place.

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Reduce your porch lighting

Spiders are attracted to light. You can help reduce the number of spiders on your porch by not keeping your porch light on. Turn it off at night. Turn off pathways markers. Switch to motion-sensor lights where possible. Porch lights will attract spiders, moths, and other flies which are all bugs for spiders to eat. Another way to get rid of spiders outside naturally.

Use table salt

You can also make your own spider repellent at home using table salt and water. Mix 2 tablespoons of salt per cup of water. Swirl until the salt dissolves. Then pour the mixture into a spray bottle and apply outdoors. Spray the bushes, flowers, and other areas of your porch. Don’t spray it on surfaces or plants that are sensitive to salt. You can repeat this process weekly until the webs and spiders are gone.

Essential oils

There are many other oils you can use besides peppermint. The process is the same- add 2-3 drops per gallon of water for a mild mixture. Then spray it outdoors to keep spiders and cobwebs away. You’ll want to make sure the essential oil doesn’t stain your paint surfaces, plants, and isn’t harmful to pets. Some oils may be dangerous to pets and people that are sensitive. Some that you can research include citrus, citronella, cinnamon, lavender, and more. Research each one and see which one works best for you. You only need a few drops with water. Mint and chestnut essential oils have been shown to help as a natural pest deterrent. Don’t overdo it. Essential oils are very powerful and you’ll want to be minimal. This should help you easily get rid of spiders on your deck.

Tomato leaves

You can buy some tomato leaves and mix them with water. Let the mixture sit overnight. The water should be infused with the tomato leaf scent. Spray it outdoors where the spiders hang out. This may help deter them from your deck.

Citronella

Citronella is a proven pest repellent and you can use it in many different ways. Here are a few of them.

Make citronella spray

Get citronella oil and mix a few drops with water. Then add a few drops of dish soap. Then spray it outdoors to keep pests away. The mixture will also kill many spider varieties upon contact, so it’s both a spider pesticide and repellent at the same time.

Use citronella candles

You can light a candle safely on your porch. The scent will naturally keep spiders away along with many other pests, like mosquitoes.

Tea tree oil

This is another useful essential oil. You can use this to make your own repellent by doing the following. What you’ll need:

3 drops of tea tree oil

1 gallon of water

3 drops of dish soap

Half lemon wedge

How to make it:

Add the tea tree oil, dish soap, and squeeze the lemon wedge all into a gallon of water.

Swirl the container.

Pour some into a spray bottle.

How to use it:

Spray it liberally where you see the spider webs on your porch.

You can also use it to keep spiders away outdoors on your furniture, yard, patio area, barbeque pit, or just outside.

Garlic

You can cut up fresh garlic and use the wedges around your porch as repellent stations. Spiders hate the scent and stay away. You can also mince garlic and mix it with water. Then spray it on the webs outdoors. This will also help get rid of the spiders and stop them from making more webs.

Onion

Onion works similar to garlic. Cut up an onion and place the onion pieces outdoors. Or mince it and mix the pieces with water as a powerful natural repellent you can easily make for cheap.

Clean up your porch

Keeping your porch clean does a lot more than you think. For many homeowners, their porch is in poor shape. Overgrown bushes, dirty deck lights, leaf debris under the crawl spaces- it’ll all contribute to more bugs taking shelter. Because more bugs are present, the spiders will spin webs to catch them. Cleaning up your porch definitely helps keep spiders away. Here are some things you can do:

Dust your door, patio light, and any furniture

Sweep the porch

Clean up any debris caught behind the planters, chairs, or potted plants

Dispose of leaf litter

Do a deep clean of your crawl space under your porch and around the area

Clean your awning or ceiling

Set up pest repellent or traps on the porch

Kill or exterminate other porch spiders

This should get you started on getting a tidy deck. You’ll see that doing this already eliminates the majority of problems. Spiders won’t see it as a place to spin webs anymore, thus you don’t have to deal with them later on. Don’t skimp on this. Hire a professional cleaner if you’re feeling lazy. You can’t expect them to just stop creating webs out of nowhere. Your deck provides them with a place to live, so of course, they’ll use it. You need to keep the area in pristine condition at all times. Destroy any new webs you find. Kill any new spiders you come across. And of course, wear protective gear when cleaning. Use common sense! Don’t go in blindly. Wear a mask, gloves, and cover your body up with closed shoes and clothing. You’ll see that spiders tend to avoid clean porches.

Commercial methods

Here are some other ways that you can try if none of the above work. Always stick with natural approaches when possible.

Supersonic repellers

These work by plugging into an electrical outlet and emitting a sound that humans can’t hear. You can place one of these on your porch and see if it works. No exact proven data, but there are plenty of reviews for these products online. Pick out a decent one after you do your research and try it out. Get one with a return policy.

Use sticky traps

Sticky glue trap works amazingly well against spiders. You can buy these at most hardware stores. Use as directed. Some allow you to attach to walls, so you can stick the trap to various surfaces and catch spiders as they walk across it. Replace as directed. You can make your own like this:

youtube

Web eliminator spray

You can buy sprays that prevent spiders from being able to spin webs on various surfaces. This can help stop them from making cobwebs on your deck lights, door, ceiling, or security cameras and doorbells. Use as directed. Web eliminator spray can be bought at most hardware stores. You’ll find it labeled something like “cobweb eliminator.” Here’s an example.

How To Keep Spiders Away From Patio?

If you have spiders make webs on your porch lights or patio lighting, use a combination of the methods above and see what works best. Any of these should be good for starters:

Garlic spray

Onion spray

Citronella candles

Supersonic emitters

Peppermint oil spray

Vinegary repellent

Try them out one at a time using the detailed directions in the previous sections. Be sure to make sure you don’t get anything in your porch lighting and apply the methods safely.

How to remove cobwebs from exterior of the house

If you have a bunch of webs already, you can remove them using a broom and vacuum. A small, portal vacuum seems to work best. Like a shop vac. Use the broom to reach high areas on your porch, deck, patio, or house exterior. Then use the vacuum to suck up the webs from your broom. Repeat this once a month to keep cobwebs off your home. Sometimes it may be helpful to see which spiders are spinning the webs.

How to keep spiders from making webs on security cameras

If you have security cameras on your property (home or business), they’ll collect spider webs over time. This is because they tend to attract many pests because of their warmth and awkward shape. This also makes it easy for spiders to make webs. You should start by using sticky traps around/on the camera if possible. Then move to other methods like vinegar sprays, essential oils, citronella, and pretty much any of the methods we outlined above. Read that section for more information. You may also want to add web eliminators. This can help stop them from being able to spin a web entirely on your camera.