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nothing-but-dreamy · 4 years ago

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TRUE COLORS ~ Ch. 6

Wanna start? Masterlist

Pairing: DBH!Connor x OC!Maya

Words: 2.193 (yes, it's a bit longer but I really love this chapter and didn't want to cut it somwhere)

Warning: some cursing;

Connor stayed the rest of the evening and the whole night with Maya. And as she awoke the next morning, she was surprised and very happy to see that Connor was still there. As Maya walked into the living room, she saw Connor staying in front of the terrarium, watching her little friend.

"Haven't you met Trevor before?", Maya asked and joined Connor.

"You named your gecko Trevor?", he asked, visibly amused.

"Sure. It isn't that he would care anyway. I mean, it's a gecko. I don’t think he understands one single word I’m telling him. Maybe it’s better this way.", she answered with a wink. Connor smiled but it faltered a bit.

"Hank had called me. Maybe we have a lead for our case."

"Sounds good. When do you have to leave?"

"He will be here in five minutes."

"Oh, then it's good I woke up or you would have sneaked out again, huh?", Maya joked but she saw that Connor didn't get it. He blinked with his eyes and tilted his head. Then, his expression changed as he searched for the right words.

"Thank you, again. I… I really appreciate what you do for me."

"I'm here for you whenever you need me, Connor.", Maya said honestly and Connor nodded before he left to meet Hank on the street.

"Connor, wait!", Maya called out and the android stopped. She ran towards him, got on her tiptoes and flung her arms around his neck.

"Please, be careful, okay? Don’t get shot again.", Maya said, softly smiling and he nodded not knowing what the right reaction would be. This much affection towards him confused him but in a nice way.

***

"Another night spent with Maya, huh?", Hank asked and watched the android closely as he entered the car.

"Yes, it was helpful. Where are we going?", Connor asked as the lieutenant hit the road.

"We have to meet someone."

Forty minutes and a quick stop at the CyberLife Tower later, Hank parked his car in front of an abstract and cubical building. As Hank's phone rang, he left the car to answer it. Connor looked one last time over the area before he left the car as well to join Hank who walked up and down.

"Is everything okay, Lieutenant?", Connor asked as he closed up to his partner.

"Chris was on patrol last night. He got attacked by a bunch of deviants but he got saved by Markus himself."

"Is Chris okay?"

"Yeah, he is under shock but he is okay. These are crazy times at the moment.", Hank said and walked to the front door of the building.

"I have a bad feeling, Lieutenant."

"Bad feeling, huh? Have you checked your program? It might be a glitch.", Hank teased but Connor frowned. After everything that had happened the last few days, Connor was insecure if something might be really wrong with him or his program.

[X] shoot

[O] spare

Connor pointed Kamski's gun at the head of the kneeling Chloe. He looked her straight in the eyes. Her LED was spinning blue. She wasn't concerned. She was a machine and she just watched him patiently. But Connor was disturbed. His LED was spinning yellow as his system was working. There was a clash between his instructions to get information for his mission and … something else.

… I'm convinced you will be able to find a way to solve this case without killing someone. There is always an alternative. To spare someone's life is always better…

Maya's soft voice echoed through his mind and reminded him of everything she had tried to teach him the first night. Suddenly, the eyes he looked into weren't the eyes of Chloe anymore, instead he saw Maya's bright eyes and her smile.

The LED was moving erratic red as he acted against his instructions: Connor pulled the gun away from the kneeling android. Kamski stepped around Connor and watched him.

"Fascinating. CyberLife's last chance to save humanity is itself a deviant."

"I- I'm not a deviant."

"You spared its life rather than to accomplish your mission. You saw a living being in this android. You showed empathy."

"Okay, that's enough. We're leaving.", Hank said and pushed Connor away from the eccentric scientist. Connor was almost out of the room as Kamski spoke up.

"By the way, I always leave an emergency exit in my programs. You might never know.", Kamski said and Connor left the villa with a troubled mind. He passed Hank who followed slowly behind Connor.

"You said you would do everything to accomplish your mission."

"I- I know…", Connor stammered.

"Why haven't you shot?"

"I don't know, okay? I just saw Maya's eyes and I couldn't-"

"Maya?"

"Th...the girls eyes, I meant."

"But you said Maya. You like her a lot, don't you? Well, obviously, she has a good effect on you.", Hank said with a smile and passed a confused looking Connor.

***

"It snows again.", Gary said dryly.

"You mean, it's still snowing. I never saw it stop for one sec.", Maya stated and gave a customer his order while she looked at the grey sky. She liked snow but not if she had to work in this cold truck. Tom, one of the construction workers, who always came over in his lunch break, joined the truck, as well.

"Hey man, have you heard about the deviant attack at the Plaza? They have destroyed the whole place.", Tom said. Maya had seen the so-called 'attack' on the news but even then, she wasn't trusting the anchorman and his information. Somehow, she was sure that Markus and the others hadn't been violent how it got displayed.

"Yeah, man! That's the reason why I still don't have one. I don't trust these things.", Gary admitted with a spiteful undertone.

"They're not things!", Maya insisted but no one supported her opinion. Gary crossed his arms and shook his head about his sister.

"You're sympathizing with these terrorists? After everything they have done so far?"

"They are not violent!", Maya called out and threw the flipper on the table.

"Haven't you seen the news this morning?"

"Sure, I have-"

"Then you saw how they have destroyed the CyberLife store and everything around!", Gary argued back. Maya gritted her teeth. The fact that they had broken into the store with a truck wasn't helpful for her argument. But still, she was convinced that the news had misrepresented the android’s action.

"They just want to be heard! No one would listen to them-", she argued.

"It would be better if they stay silent, if you ask me! Oh, hey, Jim! What's up man?", Gary said and turned over to the next customer. Maya hated it to be ignored but she also hated to have this kind of conversation with her brother again and again.

"Hey! Good to see you! The usual?", Gary asked the next customer.

"Yeah-"

"Good but please, send this thing away. It's an android free zone here!", Gary said and Maya turned around to see who his brother was talking to. Maya saw Hank and then, her eyes fell on Connor who smiled at her softly and nodded slightly to greet her.

"Hey, plastic asshole! What are you staring at?", Gary asked angry and stepping into the line between Connor and Maya. This was the point where Maya had enough.

"Gary! Shut the fuck up!"

"Stay out of this!”, Gary hissed and glared then at Connor, “And you, go away!"

"You won't send him away!", Maya hissed back.

"This is my truck and my rules! And I don't send him away! I send it away!", Gary said and turned around to Maya with gleaming eyes.

"His name is Connor and you will apologize to him because he's my friend!"

"Your friend? Are you out of your stupid mind? You can't be serious!"

"I am very serious, Gary!", Maya hissed through gritted teeth and stepped closer to her brother.

"Maya, I swear to god-"

"That's enough!", Hank called out to stop them, "Gary, calm down! It's still your sister you're talking to so, calm the fuck down. Connor, I guess Maya could use a break. Accompany her a bit.", Hank said further and watched how Maya stepped back and out of the truck. She threw her apron into a corner with more force than necessary and grabbed her coat and scarf.

"Hank! You can't let her walk around with this thing!", Gary called out frustrated. Once again, Maya stopped and glared at her brother, ready to jump at him again but Hank pushed her carefully further as he saw her angry eyes.

"I trust him. Connor, we meet us later in the DPD.", Hank said with no room for any more objection from anyone.

"I'm so sorry for my brother’s behaviour. Sometimes, he can be such a jerk!", Maya said frustrated after they had walked a bit. She was so angry that she couldn't even look at Connor.

"It's okay-"

"No it isn't!", Maya called out and stopped suddenly. Connor stopped as well and looked confused at her.

"No matter if android or not, no one should be treated like that!", Maya called out and Connor stepped closer.

"You defended me in front of your brother. No one ever did that.”, he said with a soft smile, “Maya, you have the best intentions but not everyone sees it this way and some people won't ever see it like you.", Connor said low.

"It's frustrating.", Maya said but calmed slowly down. The cold air and the falling snow cooled her temper. They continued their way side by side. Maya snuggled deeper into her coat and pushed her hands deeper into the pockets while Connor walked just casually next to her, seemingly unaware of the cold. She watched him, gnawed on her lower lip and asked the question in her mind.

"Aren't you freezing? It's so cold!"

"No. My systems regulate my temperature to a perfect level. See?", Connor said and offered her his hand. Maya smiled because it was completely innocent from him but the butterflies in her stomach danced happily around. She took the hand and because Connor had learnt it recently, he intertwined his fingers with hers. Connor's hand was perfectly warm. And like this, hand in hand, they started to walk again.

"How's your case doing? Was the lead helpful?", Maya asked after five minutes of comfortable silence. The android next to her stayed silent but the LED told her something was bothering him. The LED was spinning yellow with a bit of red.

"Connor?", Maya asked, carefully pushing.

"We have met Kamski-"

"Kamski? You mean the Elijah Kamski?", Maya asked surprised and Connor nodded.

"Hank could make an appointment with him."

"And?", Maya asked excitedly as the android stayed silent.

"We...we haven't found out something useful.", Connor said but stared at the ground, avoiding her glance. Maya knew that he was hiding something.

"Connor, please. Tell me what happened. Something keeps you busy.", Maya said softly and looked at him encouragingly with a smile.

"Maybe he knew something but I…"

"Yeah?"

"I failed. Again.", Connor admitted low and looked away from her. Doubts were written on his face. Maya stopped and stepped in front of Connor. With her hand on his cheek, she turned his face back to her. With a sad expression he looked at the small woman in front of him who was simply nice and sweet towards him. Suddenly, he realized he was going to lose this if he wouldn’t make any progress soon.

"Why do you think you have failed? What happened there?", Maya asked and waited. Connor looked into the distance, his LED spinning yellow as he reconstructed the happenings earlier that day.

"There was this 'Kamski Test'. I had to pass it if I wanted information from him. If I would have passed this test, he would have told me what I needed to know but I… I…", Connor stopped and looked Maya straight into the ocean blue eyes he had seen earlier in a different situation.

"Yeah?", Maya said encouragingly and squeezed his hand, "I'm here for you."

"The test was to kill one of his androids."

"What? That's ridiculous! What kind of test shall this be?", she said shocked.

"It is based on the Turing Test. The test shall show if a machine is able to feel empathy. In the end, Kamski put a gun in my hand while his Chloe knelt in front of me."

"And, then?", Maya asked, feeling on edge. Connor looked away and she tried to give him time. As it was almost too long for her to endure the silence, Connor looked back at her.

"I couldn't kill the android. I saw yo- something in her eyes and I couldn't shoot.", Connor closed his explanation. There was something else. Something in his voice. He wanted to say something else but before Maya could wrap her mind around it, the thought was gone.

"You spared her life because of empathy. That is good. Don't blame yourself, Connor.", Maya said reassuringly but she saw that Connor was still troubled.

#dbh connor #dbh #connor dbh #dbh connor x reader #connor #detroit connor #detroit become human connor #detroit become human aesthetic #detroit become human #x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #writing

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corie-the-writer · 4 years ago

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Ignite - ch.1

Chapter 1

Chloe was aggravated as she left the hospital early that morning. She was thankful that Kelly had given her one of his long sleeve fire shirts, and Will Halstead had found a pair of scrub pants small enough for her to wear. She had only escaped with second degree burns on her right hand and some smoke inhalation, but she had lost everything.

Her father had given her the day off so she could go shopping to replace the clothes she had lost so she could get back to work, along with handing her a wad of cash, since her bank card had melted in the fire. The woman had tried to protest, but had no luck. The only good thing that came from losing everything was remembering that the items that belonged to her mother and brother were in a fireproof safe in her father's basement.

Kelly had offered to take the day off of work to help her get the things she needed but she had declined. He had even offered for her to crash at his apartment with Matt until she could find another place, but she had decided to stay with her father.

Chloe had decided to stop at Target first. Filling the cart with shower essentials, a few make-up products, a new hair brush and hair dryer, toothbrush and toothpaste. Chloe had scanned the clothing section, finding a few plain white, black and gray t-shirts, along with a couple of pajama shorts. Once she had paid for the items, she had decided to hit up the mall to find a few jeans, a new pair of boots and a new leather jacket.

It was noon by the time Chloe arrived back at her father's home with everything she had needed to replace the ruined items. She had put the clothes away into the drawers and closet, and then grabbed all of her bathroom items and headed to take a shower.

Once she had gotten showered and the smoke off of her from the night before, Chloe had put on her underwear and bra, and then wiggled into a pair of black skinny jeans with a few rips in the knees, black boots, and a white v-neck t-shirt, and then put on a red flannel shirt and slipped on her black leather jacket. Deciding to pile her hair onto her head in a messy bun, Chloe headed back into the bathroom to brush her teeth and put on a little make-up.

When Chloe felt complete, she had grabbed her jeep Rubicon keys and headed out of the house to head to the district.

"Oh my god...are you okay?" Trudy Platt questioned as Chloe leaned against the desk counter, seeing the bandaged hand.

"Just peachy." Chloe taking off the sunglasses and tucking the metal onto her shirt, "I'm gonna need a new badge and gun." Chloe stated and watched as Trudy reached under the desk.

"Here. Voight called me last night. Got it together this morning." Trudy slide the badge and gun with a holster towards her.

"Thank you." Chloe hooked the badge to her jeans first, and then holstered the new gun on her hip, "I really appreciate it." Chloe smiled gratefully to the woman.

"I'm really glad you're okay Chlo..." Trudy spoke honestly as Chloe gave a nod to the older woman as she headed for the stairs.

Chloe had known Trudy Platt for most of her life, the older woman taking her under her wing when her mother had passed away. When Chloe was young, Hank had brought Chloe to the district while he had worked and she had spent time with the woman behind the desk.

The dark haired detective went up the stairs to find her partner Adam Ruzek waiting for her, "About damn time..." Adam sighed, "I'm starving and we need to go question a couple of people." Adam added causing Chloe to playfully role her eyes.

"You think we can stop by Verizon so I can pick up a new phone?" Chloe questioned as Ruzek grabbed his jacket and gun.

"Yeah." Adam slipped his jacket on, "Anywhere else princess?" Adam teased causing Chloe to glare at him as they began the walk down the stairs.

"Actually, the bank too." Chloe chuckled when Adam let out a dramatic sigh as he pushed the door open, "Who's driving?" Chloe questioned.

"I can." Adam grumbled heading across the street to his car with Chloe following.

Once the pair had stopped by Verizon, the bank and to grab food, Chloe had been filled in on the case intelligence had caught that morning. Adam had given her a file to look over of the murdered man.

The man was shot in an alley with no form of ID, gun powder underneath his nails, a stamp on his left hand, and a hotel key. While Atwater and Halstead had been at the crime scene asking surrounding business owners for a look at their security footage, Ruzek and Chloe were left to investigate the hotel room and figure out where the stamp on the man's hand had led to.

"I've seen this stamp before..." Chloe commented as she looked at the photo of the stamp, "I just don't remember where." Chloe added as Adam pulled into the parking lot of the skeezy hotel on the edge of town.

Chloe had shut the file sticking it under the seat, she lifted her head to look around to find 319B. Both Detectives got out of the car and made sure to cover their badges and guns, before walking towards the flight of stairs that led to the second floor.

"Chlo..." Adam spoke quietly as they reached the door they were looking for, seeing that the door was slightly open with blood on the door handle.

Chloe quickly pulled her gun with Adam doing the same, and moved in front of Adam to get on the other side of the door. Adam gave her an alert look, she nodded in understanding as Adam used his left hand to push the door open slightly, while having his gun aimed. Adam cleared the part of the room he could see, while Chloe quickly scanned the side she could see before they entered.

"Chicago PD..." Chloe spoke loudly, nearly gagging at the smell from inside the hotel room.

Chloe scanned the bedroom area and noticed a large suitcase on the bed filled with various things, some scattered on the bed as Adam searched the bathroom.

"Body.." Adam spoke loud enough for Chloe to hear, "It's clear..." Adam came back into the bedroom area to see Chloe covering her mouth and nose, "I'm gonna call it in." Chloe gave a nod, moving to grab a black glove from her jacket pocket and slipping it on to rummage through the suitcase to see if she could find anything.

"Can you check to see if he has any ID, maybe a stamp on his hand too?" Chloe questioned to her partner.

Chloe looked to the suitcase, digging through some of the clothes and found a bag of drugs along with a couple wads of cash and a hand gun.

"Guy in there is Sortelli Michaels." Adam spoke as he walked out of the bathroom with the ID in his hand, "No stamp though." Adam moved to the bed to see the drugs, gun and cash, "Drug deal gone wrong?" Adam questioned out loud.

"I'm not sure..." Chloe looked to the suitcase and noticed that the top of the material was a little bumpy, "Do you have your knife on you?" Chloe questioned and Adam mumbled a yeah, so she held out her hand to take the knife. Flipping the knife open, Chloe had cut the material of the suitcase and stuck her gloved hand in carefully feeling a few pictures, "Bingo." Chloe pulled the pictures out and her stomach churned.

"What the..." Adam looked over Chloe's shoulder to see the photos.

There were three different photos of three different girls somewhere between eighteen and twenty two. 'Cleo. Samantha. Veronica' were written on the polaroid's, and they looked to be beaten and half dressed with rope in their mouths.

Chloe and Adam had waited until the crime scene investigators arrived, and then headed back to start searching through the missing person's database for the three girls.

"Okay, fill us in." Hank Voight stand crossing his arms over his chest, leaning against Chloe's desk as she and her partner stood near the large white board.

"So far we have Frank Waters that was found in the alley with three gun shots to the chest. He had the hotel key, and there we had found Sortelli Michaels. He has no criminal record, but he had a large stash of cash, drugs and a hand gun. When searching through his suitcase, we found a photo of these three women. Cleo, Samantha, and Veronica. We're running their names through the database now." Chloe explained.

"I decided to reach out to a couple of my CI's and asked about the stamp found on Waters hand." Adam began, "There is a nightclub called NIXX that is apparently real high class, mostly rich men." Adam explained.

"So let's start looking into Michaels and Waters background. See if this NIXX club is tied into these murders some how. Halstead, Atwater, try locating the families of these girls see what you can find out. Chloe, Ruzek, start looking into the guys history, work, family, friends." Hank stated, "We not only have two dead bodies but three missing girls, let's find them."

Chloe and Ruzek gave a nod in understanding, grabbing their jackets and guns, Chloe had grabbed the file for Michaels and Waters with a list of their home and work addresses. Since the families had yet to be notified, Chloe knew that they would be the ones to break the news.

Feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket, Chloe pulled out the device as Ruzek began to drive to Waters home. Seeing that Kelly had text her, she quickly read the text.

K: Just wanted to check in to see how you were. C: Good, got everything I needed. K: If I have a minute later, I'll give you a call.

Chloe had not bothered to reply because she and Kelly both knew just how busy their jobs were, so she shoved the phone back into her pocket and looked to the file to go over Waters information listed.

"It says he is married to a woman named Mary, two sons, Derrick and Michael." Chloe read information to Ruzek as he pulled up to a large two story home in a good part of Chicago. Tucking the file back into the seat, Chloe and Ruzek got out of the car and headed up the sidewalk that led to the house. Knocking on the large oak door, Chloe shoved her hands in her pockets for a moment waiting for someone to answer while Ruzek looked to the ground.

These types of visits were never easy, but after a while you tend to get use to the robot voice that comes out of your mouth as you tell someone they had lost a loved one.

Hearing the door open, Chloe took her hands out of her pocket and saw a blonde haired woman in her forties answer the door with a smile, "May I help you?" The woman questioned kindly.

"Mrs. Mary Waters?" Chloe questioned and watched the woman nod her head, "My name is Detective Chloe Voight, and this is my partner Detective Adam Ruzek from Chicago PD." Chloe stated the mantra for visits like this.

"Oh god..." Mary Waters started to tremble.

"May we come in to talk?" Ruzek had spoken up.

Chloe watched as the woman gave a nod, opening the door a little further for them to walk inside the home. Chloe locked her hands together in front of her as Adam broke the news that her husband was murdered early that morning. Chloe had learned to shut off the part of her mind that caused her to get emotional when she was on a case, and had to break the news to loved ones. Once the woman had cried into Adam's chest for a solid twenty minutes, Adam ushered her to a chair and sat her down.

"We need to ask you a few questions..." Chloe spoke gently, "Do you know what your husband was doing out that late last night?" Chloe questioned, making sure to keep her voice gentle.

"He uh...he said that he had to do some late night work. He's a reporter, so he always wanted to make sure that he got the first scoop before anyone else." Mary explained.

"With him being a reporter, was there ever any threats? Anyone that had a problem with him?" Adam questioned.

"No, not that I'm aware of." Mary answered.

"And he worked at Chicago Times, correct?" Chloe questioned, remembering the file information.

"Yeah. But he had started working for a gossip news website a couple months ago." Mary explained as her oldest son walked into the room from downstairs.

"Ma, what's going on?" Derrek questioned.

"These are detectives with Chicago PD." Mary sighed, "Your father was murdered last night."

Chloe watched the young man, seeing that his hand clenched at his side, his jaw set quickly and shook his head, while his mother began to cry again. Chloe had watched as the young man walked out the front door, and decided to go check on him, while Adam wrapped up questions with Mary.

"Derrek." Chloe spoke his name to see him starting to walk off the property, "I'm Detective Chloe Voight." Chloe approached as he stopped, "I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Thanks." Derrek mumbled, shoving his hands into his pocket.

Chloe was good at reading people, and she knew that Derrek had wanted to speak about something because it looked like he had wanted to explode within moments.

"Is there anyone you can think of who would do this?" Chloe questioned gently, "Maybe a co-worker, a rival?" Chloe suggested.

"No, everyone loved him." Derrek stated, "I just...I found out last night that my dad was cheating on my mom." Derrek sighed, "We got into a huge fight about it. I overheard him on the phone talking to a woman, promising to meet her last night." Derrek explained, "I told him if he didn't end things with her I would tell my mom."

"Do you know the woman's name?" Chloe questioned, "Any information that could help me find her?"

"Uh, I think her name is Ashley." Derrek explained, "I hacked into his phone about a week ago when I started connecting the dots. He had several texts to her. I ended up emailing them to myself in case he didn't come clean." Derrek explained.

"Do you still have the emails?" Chloe questioned and watched as he gave a nod to fish out his cell phone.

"The thing is, mom and dad cheat on each other all the time." Derrek explained as he got into his emails, "I'm just trying to look out for my kid brother, he's too young to know what's going on but the times they find someone, they start becoming shit parents." Derrek handed the phone to Chloe.

Chloe began to scan through the screenshots of the texts shared between Waters and Ashley, seeing the nightclub NIXX being mentioned a couple of times, and then saw a photo of Ashley, a red-head, as Adam came out of the house.

"Do you mind if I email these to myself?" Chloe questioned.

"Go ahead."

Once Chloe had emailed the screenshots to herself, she had given Derrek her card, "If you happen to think of anything, please don't hesitate to reach out." Chloe thanked the young man and headed to the car with Ruzek.

#Kelly Severide #kelly severide imagine #kelly severide one shot #kelly severide x reader #kelly severide x oc #nbc chicago fire #nbc chicago pd #Ignite Series #Ignite Chapter One

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imthepunchlord · 6 years ago

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LfM Ch 11

Ao3

Marinette doesn’t know what happened. Suddenly, there seemed to be a ridge between Adrien and Aurore. He came by to see them less, offered a wave and smile here and there, but was always quick to move on. And not only did Marinette notice, Aurore did as well.

“Was I too great a storm?” Aurore wondered, seated perfectly, poised, face tilted skywards as she posed for an outfit Marinette designed. The only thing to give away her agitation and nervousness was the little twirl of her umbrella, unsure and twitchy.

“You were fine,” Marinette reassured, going around, taking pictures. “Maybe… he’s busy?”

“I suppose,” Aurore sighed.

Marinette offered him an optimistic smile. “Give him some time. And if he doesn’t come to hang out with us, we’ll go pester him.”

Aurore cracked a small grin, though she turned her head, eyeing the school where the fencing practice was being held, where Adrien was. There in the courtyard, Adrien found himself in a match against Jean Duparc. He was a playful kid, lively, with energy Adrien can appreciate. Though, he was a weak punner, had to really, really reach sometimes. But, not everyone can stand with the greats in the master of wordplay.

Today, Jean was a bit different. Usually, he didn’t take fencing too seriously. A little more dodgy than he should be, quick on his feet, likes to jab but never strikes too hard or go directly aggressive, which often irritated D’Argencourt, but he’s somewhat given up trying to correct it.

Today, Jean was more focused, more serious, nothing playful in his style. The shorter boy fought Adrien with a little more aggression, coming at him directly, his hits still not as hard as they should be, and he was still flighty, but it was a definite difference to how he usually worked.

But, facing the secret Chat Noir, Jean stood little chance against him, and wound up on the ground, the tip of his foil pressed against his chest.

“You ok, Jean?” Adrien asked, lifting up the mask to offer the boy a hand.

“I guess you could say I’m a little poked,” Jean said, taking his hand and letting Adrien pull him up to his feet. He lifted off his own mask, giving Adrien a frown. It was weird to see on the usually lively boy. “Aurore’s been a little down lately.”

“O-oh, really? Something wrong?”

“Yeah, a lack of you.”

Adrien winced, and quickly said, “I’ve been busy.” He turned, hurrying to his bag to grab a drink. Jean followed, undeterred.

“You could’ve at least sent her a message to let her know.”

“Yeah, I could’ve.”

“She may not say it, but I can see that she thinks she did something wrong.”

“She didn't. I’m just busy, is all.”

“Doesn’t seem like you have a lot of rAgreste.”

“Ok, Jean, you’re starting to push it,” Adrien warned, rounding on the shorter boy.

“A bit,” Jean admitted, “but Aurore is a friend who’s getting really hurt over the lack of communication. Don’t leave her hanging thinking the worst. She’s going to think the worst.”

“Ok, ok. I’ll talk to her,” Adrien sighed. Jean nodded his thanks and left, though Adrien caught to slight evil eye the boy sent him. Adrien made a face back at him, turning to his bag and grumbling, “He’s not even that funny.”

“That’s a matter of opinion,” Plagg replied, peeking out to peer up at Adrien. “He can be funny. Just like you’re sometimes funny.”

Plagg received an offended look for that. “I’m always funny!” Adrien insisted, but Plagg only shrugged, hiding himself away in the bag once more, leaving Adrien alone to pout.

Marinette frowned, slowly walking along the columns of books, seeking out specifics about storms. Since Adrien’s distance, Aurore’s been very down and to improve her mood, Marinette wanted to make her a storm themed dress. But she wanted to do research, figure out what to do. There were a lot of things she could do with stormy elements, she could go dark colored dresses with lighter design, like a bolt of lightning, or something like a hailstorm or snowfall, just something bright and shining against the dark cloth. But she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go dark for Aurore, so maybe something colorful, like wind on a sunny, or…

Marinette pursued her lips, adjusting the books she had to take out her pencil, doing a little quick sketch to just get the newest thought down. So caught up in sketching and walking, Marinette didn’t look where she was going, and collided with two others as they walked down the hall.

She dropped her things with a squeak, eyes locking onto the falling books; she moved with pure instinct, catching what she could and was able to salvage the loss. Releived, she looked up, ready to apologize, only to blink at the double, gaping stares received from both Felix Agreste and Amber Bourgeois.

With a sheepish smile, she uttered, “Sorry.” She put the books back in Felix’s hands, dropping down to gather up her things, Amber followed, helping her.

“That was wild,” Amber said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone move that fast.” She paused, eyes settling on the sketches Marinette had done, taking in the designs and notes dotted around the dresses.

“Let’s just say I had a lot of practice,” Marinette offered, standing up, holding out her hand for the sketchbook. Amber returned it, lips a little pursed. Catching on that her eyes were on her sketchbook, Marinette revealed, “My friend’s feeling a little down, so I’m going make her a little dress.”

“The weather girl,” Felix noted, eyes on the books she had.

“Yes!” Marinette confirmed, adjusting her hold on her books so she can finger gun the blond. “Anyway, I need to go. Have a good one you two!” She was off with a wave, leaving the blondes alone in the library. She was on heading down the hallway, eyes ahead, when her arm was suddenly grabbed and she was pulled into a familiar classroom.

“Here, she can help with makeup!” someone declared for Marinette, the girl barely managing to hold onto her books. She looked up in surprise, her arm held securely by a boy in a blue shirt with an eyeball on it. He turned to her, pushing, “You’re good with that, right? So you'll do it.”

“Uh, excuse me?” she huffed, jerking her wrist out of his.

“She designs clothes, Nino,” Kim voiced, giving the boy a dry look.

“She's still some sort of stylist then,” Nino waved off. “She can help—”

“She has no memory of saying yes,” Marinette cut in, giving the boy an unimpressed look. Then looked around, stiffening to see she was surrounded by Bustier’s class. It took all her willpower to not gulp. Any one of them could end up an akuma…

“We should let her go, Nino,” Adrien voiced, making Marinette tense. She turned, seeing the blond peering at her wearily. Marinette narrowed her eyes at him, not happy that he has cut himself off from Aurore.

She jumped when she was grabbed and pulled close, fighting off a twitch as the redhead declared, “She's always doing artsy stuff, Adrien. She'd be a big help.”

“She has plans,” Marinette insisted, getting free if Alya.

“Oh no, stay. I insist.”

Marinette’s blood went cold, turning to see Chloe grinning at her, looking like a cat that caught the mouse. She drew near, knowing Marinette was trapped. “Don't know about makeup, but she'd be a great little helper, wouldn't she, Sabrina?”

“Most definitely!”

“Maybe she can help bring Mylene back,” a large boy that Marinette recognized as Stoneheart murmured.

Chloe rounded on him, snapping, “We don't need her! I'm lead actress now! Me! Not that chicken! She's out and I say good riddance!”

The boy gave her a dark glare, but before anything could be said or done, the lights went out, scaring everyone. They all became even more unnerved when something dark covered the windows, blocking out the light outside.

Oh no, Marinette thought, inching away from the crowd that gathered around the windows. She sped out to find a secluded spot to transform only to ram right into Felix as he and Amber came by the classroom.

“Sorry,” Marinette murmured, rubbing her nose as Felix gave her a slight frown.

“Do you know what's going on?” Amber asked, brow furrowed.

“It's just an akuma,” Marinette explained, “it'll be ok.”

“Big words from the scary cat who tried to runaway,” Chloe huffed.

“I just wanted to do a quick check of the area,” Marinette said, moving to get away once more. Only she was grabbed by the back of the blazer and pulled back. She looked up to the stern eyes of Felix.

Loudly, he declared, “No one is going anywhere. We don’t know what we're dealing with or what's going on, so we're staying together till then.”

“Oh yeah, Felibear in charge.”

“I trust him a lot more than you, Chlo-Chlo.”

“As if your opinion matters, Lamber.”

“Since it's better than yours, of course it does.”

“Enough,” Felix cut in, pinching the bridge of nose. “We need to stick together and stay safe. Perhaps stay in this room and block off exits.”

“That'd trap us on,” Adrien argued. “We should try and get out of here.”

“There is no way out of here,” Felix said, pointing to the window. “Whatever covers the window is probably covering the whole school, blocking our escape. Here, we'd be safe and able to keep up with everyone, out there, we'd get picked off.”

“Makes sense,” Marinette agreed, “ but you still need a scout!” She moved to hurry out only to end up grabbed again and dragged in.

“Would you stop that?” he grumbled. He stiffened when Adrien darted past, no way to grab him as the boy shouted he'd do it. Felix scowled, turning to the rest of the room, he said, “No one else leaves.”

“Wrong!”

Marinette could feel Felix tensing beside her. Everyone turned as Chat prowled into the room, giving them a salute.

“Chat Noir!” the boy in blue cried out in delight, earning himself a wink.

“Oh look, a real leader,” Chloe called out, making Chat preen.

“Indeed I am. Here to take charge and get you all out safely!” Marinette raised a brow at that, a little baffled. “Now chop! Chop! Everyone move it! Single file! Pick a buddy!”

Marinette wiggled to Chat’s side, asking, “Is there a plan?”

“Yeah! Cataclysm the dome!”

“And the akuma?”

“I’ll handle it.”

The events of Copycat fresh in her mind, Marinette wasn’t so confident… but it was a doubt that wasn’t shared with the others. As a hero and wanting to get out of here, everyone was up to follow Chat’s lead. They all kept close, moving in single file, and Felix took on the effort of keeping track of everyone, including Marinette. He was quick to catch onto her wanting to be at the end of the line and situated her in the middle where the tall boy could keep an eye on her. Which of course upheld her becoming Ladybug, which bothered Tikki enough that Marinette was surprised the anxious kwami wasn’t shaking up her bag.

Till an opportunity arose, Marinette bided her time, looking around, trying to figure out what they were dealing with. From what she gathered, the victim today was Mylene, a very shy, anxious girl that became too overwhelmed by the little horror flick the boy Nino wanted to film. It scared her enough that the motive seemed to be to scare her classmates back.

And, Marinette can admit, she was going a good job… the school was redecorated with goo, the lights out, and it was hard to see with the school covered. It unnerved Marinette enough that she wrapped her arms around her middle.

“I'm sure it'll be ok.”

Marinette looked over, seeing Amber offering her a small, unsteady smile. “Like, sure, it's our first akuma attack to be in, but I hear the heroes do good work. And Chat Noir is right there!” she excitedly whispered.

Chat’s ears flicked back, catching what Amber said. He turned back to them, grinning coyly as he said, “Indeed I am, here to protect you lovely ladies.”

Amber giggled while Marinette rolled her eyes. What she really needed was a chance to get awa—

There was a shout behind them, everyone jumping as they looked back to see a redhead being carried off by a long purple tail. Chat was off to pursue him and with attention locked on them, Marinette took her chance to get away. It was with relief when she became Ladybug, sliding out to help salvage and help however she could, taking charge over the panic.

It lead to a long, long afternoon, and quiet promise that if she ever finds herself in a room alone with Bustier’s class, Marinette was to run.

#miraculous ladybug #leave for mendeleiev #different class au #early update cause early start tomorrow

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chronicallylatetotheparty · 5 years ago

Text

After the Fall Ch.15 Degrees of Separation

LoganLight, AO3

Tom Dupain walked down the stairs from the second story. Adrien tried not to fidget. Nino stood encouragingly beside him. Kagami basically blocked the library doors to keep Chloe in there. Alya looked down on the boys from her position next to the art room, which was currently occupied by Marinette.

Adrien engaged once Tom Dupain reached the base of the stairs. He held one of his arms nervously as the big man talked animatedly.

Alya couldn't quite catch what was said from her position. "What's he saying?"

Trixx's ears twitched. "Something about going to the bakery . . . Says he hasn't seen Adrien in a while."

"I'll bet."

Tom Dupain's excitement seemed to physically push at Adrien but Nino placed a hand on his best friend's back, gently holding him in place.

Alya felt doubt gnaw at her insides. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"Too late now," Trixx replied.

Alya's eyes flicked to Kagami who's intense expression seemed to will Adrien to hold his ground. So, she did the same.

Tom Dupain was about to pull the boys' into a bear hug but, in a show of uncharacteristic restraint, limited himself to giving Nino a 'gentle' pat on the shoulder.

And just like that it was over. The whole exchange lasting less than five minutes. Nino patted Adrien on the back as they exchanged grins.

Then Adrien all but collapsed onto the stairs.

Fear spiked inside Alya and she raced to them. How Kagami got there before her could be addressed later.

Adrien took deep, calming breaths as Nino rubbed his back.

"You did well," Kagami complimented, earning a grin.

"Let's not do anything like that soon, 'kay dudes?" Nino pleaded.

"It worked, didn't it?" Adrien breathed out.

"I'm with handsome on this one." Alya got three blank looks so she rolled her eyes. "Nino. I'm with Nino."

Her boyfriend blushed and gave her twin finger guns. "Uh, thanks, babe."

Adrien and Kagami's smiles took on a teasing lilt (which Alya found a bit weird on the 'Ice Queen').

Nino noticed. "So, uh, what're we doing about Alya?"

Alya raised an eyebrow that Nino grinned at sheepishly.

Well, someone isn't making out with their girlfriend on the rooftops tonight.

Adrien had gotten his breathing under control and was looking at her thoughtfully. "What do you know?"

"You were caught up in the Weredad attack and didn't tell anyone except Kagami. Later you realized you had a crush on Marinette and started avoiding her even more than you already were, and by extension us. Then you told Nino and made him promise not to tell me 'cause you didn't want Marinette finding out. That about it?"

Adrien blinked, then smirked briefly. "Yeah, just about."

Alya narrowed her eyes at Nino again. "Well, someone should've told you that I'm perfectly capable of keeping secrets!"

"Hey, I told them that!" Nino defended himself. "It was Adrien's decision, dude!"

"It's true," Kagami offered. "He was adamant in his defense of your trustworthiness."

Adrien nodded and Alya softened her posture.

. . . Okay, maybe he gets one kiss.

Nino looked relieved. "I would'a told you, babe."

"Yeah, I know," Alya admitted. "It's just . . ."

"You wish there didn't need to be secrets between you two," Adrien inferred.

Alya nodded and Adrien's eyes sparked with mixed emotions. "Not like you have any secrets of your own though, is it?"

Nino shook his head vigorously at this in discouragement while Kagami tried unsuccessfully to hide her amusement.

"You know what, Agreste?" Alya glared at him in warning.

Adrien's smug look distracted her from the questions in the back of her mind. But before she could give him a fitting retort her stomach growled.

Adrien beamed as his stomach answered back. "Shall we postpone this for lunch?"

". . . Fine! But you're not off the hook!"

"That's my line!" Adrien rose and the four of them made their way to the cafeteria. ". . . Judging by your insistence I'm guessing you're not going to tell Marinette anything about the incident this time around either?"

He needs to hear me say it.

"I won't. I promise."

Adrien smiled in appreciation and walked ahead of them. Probably to process all of this. Alya knew she needed to so he definitely did. Kagami gave her a rare smile and caught up to Adrien. That left her and Nino trailing behind.

"Babe? You mad?"

"I'm not mad . . . Okay, I'm a little mad. But . . . I understand. I do . . . Man, being outside the loop stinks."

Nino lowered his cap over his eyes. ". . . Yeah."

Alya felt a surge of emotion as understanding hit her. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, you're here for him now, yeah?"

Nino's eyes widened in wonder at how well she knew him. He smiled, "Yeah."

". . . So, Adrien and Chat Noir were the only ones besides Marinette and her parents who were affected by Weredad," Alya thought aloud.

Nino stiffened beneath her arm but said nothing.

"You're so tense. Do you think Adrien is-"

"No!" Nino yelped.

"You don't think Adrien is conflating his issues with Chat Noir being gone?"

". . . Oh."

"Or however you phrase that. Marinette is doing the same thing. Sorta."

"Well . . . My bro is a big Chat Noir fan. Me and Kagami are helping him sort through everything."

"Kagami and I," Alya corrected absently. "That why he finally blew up at Chloe?"

Nino's eyes darkened. "Among other things."

---------------------------------------------------

Alya didn't know what she was expecting but this wasn't it.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Adrien cried as he struck his own face.

"Hey!" Alya grabbed his hands. He hadn't been hitting himself too hard but that didn't reassure her.

"Alya . . ." His face flushed in shame. ". . . How are they?"

"Let's focus on you right now." She gently pulled his hands away from his face.

"I made things worse, didn't I?" He tugged out of her grasp. "Idiot! I shouldn't have said anything!"

"Hey, Chloe was asking for it! She's been even more insufferable since-" Alya quickly changed tactics. "Chloe's hit below the belt before but this is a new low. You didn't say anything that wasn't true."

"Then why do I feel like a jerk?"

" 'Cause you're too nice."

"Ha!"

"I'm serious, Adrien. How many second chances have you given her? How many times has she taken advantage of your kindness? Chloe's been getting away with everything for years! Don't you think that's long enough?"

". . . Forgiveness shouldn't be a debt to hold over someone."

Alya scowled. "No, but it shouldn't be taken as an excuse to do whatever you want either."

Adrien grew quiet, his expression thoughtful. "I'm going to apologize."

"What!? You shouldn't have to! She doesn't deserve it!"

"I feel sick, Alya. I feel physically sick about . . . I should've tried harder."

". . . You're not responsible for her actions, Adrien."

"She was my only friend. I should've been there for her."

". . . Yeah but, see, she should've been there for you, too."

". . . I'm going to apologize for yelling at her in front of everyone and then-" Adrien silenced Alya's protests with a glare. "And then. I'm ending it. I'm done. I . . . I can't keep g-going like this!"

". . . Then don't. Do what's best for you, Adrien."

". . . All those times I told . . . her to be nice to Chloe . . ."

"Like I said, you gave her every chance."

---------------------------------------------------

"She still trying to win Adrien over?" Alya asked.

"Yup."

"It gonna work?"

Nino scoffed. "Not as long as Adrien is the only reason Chloe's got to be nice, dude. My bro sees right through her!"

Alya shook her head in disappointment. "You'd think she would'a put this much effort in before Adrien broke off their friendship."

"Yeah. Most of her schemes back then were about getting Kagami away from Adrien rather than getting herself closer to him. Bee's got major priority issues, dude."

"Understatement," Alya echoed his phrase from earlier. "She still giving you guy's trouble?"

"With Adrien's patented 'How could you disappoint me like this?' look at the ready? She's not that dumb."

Suddenly Wayzz lifted Nino's cap a bit so he could peak out. "Don't let your guard down. That Chloe girl rarely makes decisions based on logic."

"We're supposed to be hiding," Trixx mock-scolded.

"You are hiding. I am meditating," Wayzz corrected.

"You mean sleeping?"

"That too."

"You don't think Chloe'd really try anything do you, little dude?" Nino asked.

"Perhaps not, but it would be wise to stay alert. Especially with Adrien's . . . vulnerability."

"Makes sense," Alya said. "Don't want any akumatizations happening on our watch."

Nino stumbled. "R-right! That'd be very uncool . . ."

"Al-ya, your beau needs at-ten-tion!" Trixx sing-songed.

Alya rolled her eyes but, making sure Kim wasn't around, she pulled Nino in for a kiss. His surprise melted away and he returned the favor.

Then their stomachs growled.

"Food?" Alya released Nino's shirt to hold his hand.

"Yes. Definitely. Let's do that," Nino replied, a bit flustered.

"Trixx! They're supposed to be discussing important matters!" Wayzz chided.

Don't worry, Wayzz. I've got plenty of questions.

"I don't see why they can't do that and kiss. Besides, I said Nino needed attention, I didn't say what kind!"

Wayzz wisely elected not to respond as Alya and Nino hurried to catch up with their friends.

-------------------------------------------------------

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5 Ch.6 Ch.7 Ch.8 Ch.9 Ch.10 Ch.11 Ch.12 Ch.13 Ch.14 Ch.16 Ch.17 Ch.18 Ch.19 Ch.20 Ch.21 Ch.22

#after the fall #ml fanfic #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #adrien agreste #adrien angst #ml angst #ml fic #ml fanfiction #canon divergent au #canon divergence #kagami tsurugi #djwifi #alya and nino #adrien and alya #ao3 fanfic #ao3 fic #ao3 #long post

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tiny-maus-boots · 5 years ago

Text

Wild West AU ch 12

A/N: biggest of hugest thanks to my bestie @chloes-yellow-cup who betas all this even when she’s busy. ilyan.

Stacie

They didn’t waste much more time, stopping only to hug Ace, Dingo and Flo before mounting their horses. Stacie settled into the saddle, reins gripped firmly in one hand as she pulled Rowdy’s head around toward the caverns. There was a good chance that they were late already but they had to try and get Emmy and Kat out. “You ready?”

Aubrey gave her a short nod and spurred her horse forward. Stacie leaned forward as well, thighs tightening around her horse’s middle as he lunged to keep up with Roan. She let Aubrey lead the way, her horse edging ahead by a nose. It wasn’t as if they had time to talk about things while they rode but she could tell that Aubrey was deep in her own head about everything that was going on. She wished desperately that she could reassure her mate but there would be time for that later. She hoped.

There was a haze on the horizon as the sun started to sink lower in the sky and Aubrey eased her pace and pointed to it. “No way we can overtake them from here without being seen.”

Stacie gave a nod and raised herself up in her stirrups to get a closer look but that far off all she could tell was that it was what was left of Avery’s battalion. They’d taken out a few soldiers on the train, subdued more than they killed, but the majority of the unit was still riding. It was actually something in their favor and she scrunched her nose as she thought it over. “Lot of infantry, and they’re moving slow. If we could just get some cover…”

She scanned the surrounding area but they were out in the open with nothing to hide behind. Aubrey’s horsed danced skittishly, probably picking up on his rider’s unease. “I have an idea.”

Well at least one of them did. Stacie gave a nod of agreement and Aubrey pointed in the opposite direction from the sluggishly moving Army. Stacie blinked at the woman once then shook her head in confusion. Aubrey couldn’t possibly mean they just take off and leave. That wasn’t possible. A deep questioning frown etched itself on Stacie’s face. “Bree…”

“We can get around the crag from the other side, I think we can climb our way up the tower and into the mess hall.”

Stacie bit her lip but nodded her agreement. She wasn’t half the climber that Aubrey was, then again even a Billy goat would have trouble keeping up with her girl. She trusted that the blonde would know the surest way up the face because they sure as hell didn’t have time for anything else. Aubrey gave a nod and spurred her horse forward.

They rode on for near another hour before they reached the far side. Aubrey slid off Roan, quickly pulling her rifle out of the riding holster to slip over her head. She looked up and skirted the face of the mountain, face set and brows furrowed as she scanned. Stacie grabbed a peg out of her kit and hammered it into the ground so she could tie the horses down. She was done by the time Aubrey’s voice rang out with confidence.

“Here, right here. Watch where I put my hands and feet and follow me up. Won’t be bad once we reach this small peak.”

“Small she says…” Stacie tipped her head back and looked up the face with a deep sigh. Lord, the things she did for the people she loved. “Probably could blow a hole in this mountain faster but okay. Sure. We’ll do this.”

Aubrey’s laugh was magical and Stacie’s next sigh was that of a woman lost in love. She followed the blonde’s every move finding that what she lacked in skill she made up for in reach. It helped her get through the treacherous climb but by the time they reached the top her shoulders were tight and burned like the devil. She carefully worked her leaden arms out, stretching to try and ease the twitch of muscles.

Stacie looked over the edge at the horses and shook her head. “Think they’ll be alright down there?”

“Should be. Won’t be as hard getting down as it was going up. Come on.”

She followed Aubrey down a low rocky slope and along a high ledge. “How far along do you think the unit is?”

Aubrey moved with fluid grace, sure footed and agile as she leapt from one precipice to the next. “Hard to say. Looked like a fair amount were on foot, probably at marching pace…we might just make it. So long as there isn’t already a unit of men in place.”

They really had no way of knowing how many men were with Avery, or how many more were coming. Stacie’s foot slipped and she started to slide backward down a shale ridge, dirt and rock sliding under her like a dusty sluggish wave. One she was unable to slow the heavy tug of and keep her balance. Her world teetered for a moment before Aubrey’s sure grip clasped down on her wrist, steadying and lifting to help her back up the side.

“Jesus….”

“You okay?”

Aubrey’s green eyes were filled with quiet concern, searching her face for a hint of distress. Stacie gave a nod and when Aubrey gave a like one in return and started to turn she gripped her mate around the waist and pulled her back. She just needed a second to reconnect after that close call. The blonde turned in her arms, pulling the hat from her head. The wind lifted the pale locks up and away from Bree’s tanned face and Stacie’s breath caught in her chest.

“You and me Stace. We catch each other. Always.” Her smile widened and Aubrey leaned forward for a soft lingering kiss before she pulled back and put her hat back on. “C’mon, you can be sweet on me later.”

“Oh I promise you I will.” Aubrey gave another one of her magic laughs and Stacie felt it echo in her heart. She would follow that woman right off the highest peak of any mountain so long as she got to hear Aubrey laugh just like that as they fell. It could be the last thing she heard in life but she’d be grateful for it.

When Aubrey stopped stuck her head into a tiny slit in the rock face Stacie knew she was going to have issues. She watched as Bree pulled off her rifle and loosened her gun belt, dropping it to the ground hastily. “Aubrey.”

“It won’t take but a minute for us to…”

“Bree…Aubrey stop.” The blonde stopped and gave her a confused frown. “I think you might be misjudging the size of that crevice. Being…blessed…the way I am….it’s not happening.” Aubrey’s bright eyes trailed down her face and neck to rest on her chest.

“Oh.” Her eyes took on a distant look and Stacie was amused to see that Aubrey had to give herself a good shake to get her focus back.

“You’re gonna have to get them without me, love.” Aubrey looked back at the crack then Stacie and gave a nod. “Be safe.”

Aubrey yanked Stacie forward by the front of her shirt and kissed her hard and fast, tongue dipping into her mouth with a desperate need to claim. “If I don’t come back…”

“You’re coming back to me Aubrey, or I’ll dive into Hell to come get you. Understand?”

There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do to for Aubrey. To protect her, or save her, maybe even just to make her happy. Aubrey was her candle in the dark, the light that kept her safe. So yes. She’d wrestle Lucifer himself to be where Aubrey was. In this life or the next. As Aubrey disappeared into the dark of the mountain side without her guns, she couldn’t help but wonder if that wrestling match might be sooner than either of them wanted or intended.

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project-ml · 7 years ago

Text

Project: Valentine’s Day 2018 — Le Petit Rob Noir

Le Petit Rob Noir

Author: @heartfiliadaydream | (Ao3)

Betas: @pateatsaburger | (Ao3)

Word Count: 3364

Summary: It’s Valentine’s Day, and Chloe and Alya want to give the people they like gifts to show that they care. It’s too bad that Chloe thinks they hate her, and Alya doesn’t think she’s got a chance in hell to woo her superhero partner.

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Masterposts

Tags: Chloe Bourgeois, Alya Cesaire, ChloexAlya, valentine’s day, secret crush, secondary love square

Pollen watched in exasperation as Chloe attempted to break into one of her classmate’s locker. After about the fifth murmured string of expletives, the kwami decided to take pity on her poor master.

“You know I could just phase in and open the locker for you, right?”

Chloe jerked up and glared at the kwami. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

“I mentioned it a few weeks ago when you locked yourself out of your room and were too embarrassed to talk to the front desk, remember?”

“Fine, whatever, just open the locker for me, alright?”

Pollen rolled her eyes and popped into the locker, the door swinging open a moment afterwards. With a little bow, she moved out of the way so Chloe could place the gift she had gotten in the locker.

“I still think you should leave a note,” Pollen commented.

Chloe shook her head. “No way. It’s bad enough I’ve got a crush on her in the first place, I don’t need her ridiculing me for it.”

“Aww, but you could have added some flowers and chocolates and made it a grand gesture of your affection! It is Valentine’s Day afterall!”

“No, this… this is enough for now.”

“If you say so.”

The following morning at school, Alya opened her locker to find something in it that had not been there the last night. She stood there staring at it until Marinette poked her head around the open door to see what was up.

“Ohh, looks like someone’s got a secret admirer!”

“Shh! Keep it down! I don’t even know if that’s what this is.”

“Well then, open it up! See who it’s from and what it is!”

Alya sighed and picked up the package. There was a small note attached to the ribbon that read simply “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Hesitantly, she pulled on the ribbon and tore off the wrapping paper. Inside was a nondescript plain cardboard box, which she also popped open to reveal what was inside. She gasped. It was a lense attachment for her phone’s camera, making the quality of the picture comparable to that of a real photographer’s camera.

Someone let out an impressed whistle from behind them and they turned to see it was Adrien. “That’s quite the piece of tech right there. Who got it for you?”

Alya shrugged. “I’m not sure. There’s no name.”

“Well, whoever got that for you must really like you, I can tell you that those don’t come cheap.”

Alya knew that. She’d been longingly staring at it in the electronics store for months. She knew that the only people who actually knew that fact would have been Nino and Marinette. Then again, she supposed that anyone who knew anything about her could have guessed that was something she had her eye on.

“I know you’re all worried about who gave that to you and stuff, but let’s be honest, I know you’re dying to try it out, so why don’t we not look a gift horse in the mouth and take some pictures,” Marinette suggested.

Alya nodded. “You’re right, time to see what this puppy can really do!”

Unfortunately, the bell for class rang immediately after that, so the pair settled on a quick selfie just to test out the quality. Alya could have cried the photo quality was so much nicer than it had been on her phone before. She had about eight million new photo session ideas, including finding some way to get all of Paris’ superheroes into one amazing quality shot. She was sure she could convince Marinette to help her set that one up.

That one wouldn’t make the Ladyblog though. That one would be just for her.

At lunch, Marinette and Alya headed over to Marinette’s to eat and further discuss the gift.

“Aren’t you even a little curious as to who sent it?” Marinette asked, stealing a grape from the bowl in front of Alya.

Shooting her a look and pulling the bowl closer to her, Alya replied, “Of course I am! But what I’m not excited about is trying to tell whoever it is that they don’t have a chance because I’m actually in love with my superhero partner who doesn’t seem to feel the same way!”

Marinette sighed and put her hands on Alya’s shoulders. “You don’t know that though. For all you know, Queen Bee could feel the same way about you, but you won’t know until you tell her.”

“Just like you’ve told Adrien? And should I remind you about how torn up Chat was when you told him you didn’t have romantic feelings for him?”

“Those are two completely different situations. We both know that you’re far more confident than I am, and Chat wasn’t that torn up… was he?”

“Girl, you weren’t there for the aftermath.”

“Shit, okay, well I didn’t know that, so that one doesn’t count. Plus, I’m definitely getting vibes that she might like you too.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better and to do it.”

Marinette shrugged, so Alya threw a grape at her.

Later that night, Queen Bee was sitting at the top city hall, lost in thought. Alya had seemed really excited about the gift, though a little wary over the anonymous nature of it. Either way, she was really happy that she could have made her smile like that, even if it was next to Marinette instead of her.

A soft pad of feet behind her broke her from her thoughts.

“Well fancy that, I’ve found the Queen,” she heard a familiar voice say from behind her.

“What do you want, tomcat?” she replied.

Chat Noir came and sat down beside her. “I needed to get out. Things at home are rough.”

Queen Bee made a noise of understanding. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“How do you deal with knowing Ladybug doesn’t like you the way you like her?”

Chat was taken aback for a moment, but sighed and replied, “It’s difficult, I won’t lie. But we’re best friends and just being friends and being around her is good enough for me.”

“That was unsurprisingly unhelpful.”

“It’s the truth though,” he admitted. Looking at the scowl on Bee’s face, Chat asked, “Why did you want to know?”

She thought about telling him to mind his own business, but she’d only been able to talk to Pollen about this, so having a friend to confide in wouldn’t hurt. She explained her situation without being too specific, stating it was a girl at school whom she had been less than kind to before she’d grown up and matured a little, but she still saw her as the mean girl. Then she mentioned the anonymous gift she’d left.

“Well, there’s not much you can do about the fact you used to be mean to her, but I think if you’ve grown up a little, she might think differently of you. The only thing you can do now is tell her and hope she feels the same way.”

“Oh, because that worked out well for you and Ladybug?”

“How’d you know about that?”

“Rena and I had a chat a while back about it. You know how close her and Ladybug have become.”

“Fair enough. That also has to do with the fact we’re both superheroes though, not only because she likes someone else. As for the gift part, I know you didn’t write your name, but don’t be surprised if she finds out who you are. I once had something gifted to me, but found out later on that it wasn’t from the person who’d given it to me.”

“I just hope she doesn’t laugh at me.”

“If she does, let me know and I’ll have a few words with her.”

“Thanks Chat. I’ll make sure to plan you a grand funeral afterwards.”

Chat chuckled and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, hesitating for just a moment before following through and said, “Anytime.”

Another sound of feet hitting the roof behind them caused both of them to turn around and see Rena Rouge walking towards them.

“Is this a bad time?” she asked, eyes darting between the two of them.

“Not at all,” Chat replied. “We were just chatting.”

“Oh, okay. Is it alright if I borrow Queen Bee here for a few minutes?”

Chat looked from Rena to Bee and back again, before shrugging and getting to his feet. He shot them both finger guns, then backflipped off the roof, vaulting away.

“Show off,” Rena muttered, rolling her eyes.

Bee turned to Rena and asked, “What did you want to borrow me for?”

Rena shifted a little uncomfortably, but noticed that Bee didn’t look like her usual self.

“Are you alright? You look a little upset. Do I need to beat that stupid cat’s head in?”

Bee giggled quietly, replying, “No, it wasn’t him. It’s nothing.”

“Bee, we’ve become pretty close, you don’t need to hide anything.”

“I just gave someone a gift today without telling them it was from me because I’m worried about what they’ll think knowing it was.”

Rena raised an eyebrow. “What’s there to worry about?”

“I wasn’t exactly… nice to her in the past. I was kind of a jerk actually.”

“Oh. I see why you’re worried then. Speaking from personal experience, sometimes you’d be surprised what people think if you’ve changed. There was someone who used to be a jerk to me as well, but in the last year or so, she’s changed a lot and while we’re by no means friends, I would at least say thank you without being a jerk to them about it.”

Bee thought about it and supposed while Alya might not like her, she probably wouldn’t patronize her for it. While she thought, she realized Rena was holding something.

“What’ve you got there?”

“Um, it’s actually for you,” Rena said, handing her a gift wrapped box. “I saw it the other day and thought it was really suited to you.”

Bee took the box.

“Can I open it?” Rena nodded and Bee pulled of the wrapping paper, unveiling the box for a Guerlain perfume. It was one she had yet to add to her collection, and she was surprised that Rena would spend so much on her. “Wow, thank you, but I don’t know if I can accept it. This isn’t a cheap gift and I feel bad I didn’t get you anything.”

Rena shook her head and Bee could see the hint of a blush staining the cheeks below her mask. “Don’t sweat it. It’s Valentine’s Day and I just wanted to get you something nice. I’ve got to go now though, see you later!”

Before Bee could process and respond, Rena was already jumping over the nearest rooftop and out of sight.

Rena ran as fast as she could before she crashed onto Marinette’s bed from the rooftop entrance, detransforming with a noise of defeat.

“Went that badly?” Marinette asked, handing Trixx a snack to eat with Tikki while they talked.

“Not exactly. I was all ‘I just wanted to get you something nice, bye!’ and then ran off. I don’t even know what she thought about it.”

Marinette stifled a giggle. “Don’t worry about it, I’m sure things will be fine. And if they’re not, I’ll tell her they have to be for the good of the team.”

“Gee thanks, as long as it doesn’t mess with the team dynamic, then everything is fine and dandy!”

“I’m sorry, you know what I mean. It is technically the most important thing in this scenario from Ladybug’s point of view. But as Marinette, I truly hope things go well. I know things were rocky when she first joined the team, but she’s really become a good friend and I want both of you to be happy.”

“Thanks, girl, I really appreciate it.”

When Chloe got home, she flopped down on her bed, groaning and staring at the box of perfume that had landed next to her. She felt awful that she couldn’t say anything back to Rena before she ran away, but then again, she didn’t even know what that would be.

Sure, they were good friends, but she liked someone else. Though, she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about Rena that way. In a lot of ways she reminded Chloe of Alya. They were both witty, smart, took no shit, and gorgeous to top it all off. She wasn’t sure how she managed to keep her act together around either of them.

She could see herself falling completely for Rena Rouge, since she was pretty sure Alya would never feel the same way about her after their history in collège, even after what Rena had said about the gift. It was one thing to forgive, but a whole other matter to be more than even just classmates.

Opening the bottle, she smelled the perfume and sighed in delight. She loved any and all scents from this line and was super excited to wear it tomorrow at school.

Sitting in first period, Alya could tell something was different. Chloe was sitting in her usual spot right in front of her and had a soft smile on her lips, unlike anything Alya had seen on her before. Walking by, she smelled a sweet scent that was very familiar.

“Is that a new perfume, Chloe?”

Surprised by her name coming from so close next to her, Chloe jumped in her seat and reeled back when she saw Alya was inches away from her face.

“Y-yes, it is, what’s it to you- I mean- why do you ask?”

“What scent is it?”

The soft smile returned to Chloe’s face. “It’s the new one from Guerlain. It was a gift from a close friend.”

Alya hummed in reply and took her seat, staring intently at the back of Chloe’s head. That typical ponytail she wore reminded her a lot of the one Queen Bee always wore as well, and they had a very similar hair colour. Though she supposed blonde wasn’t a very uncommon colour, and fairly easy to recreate from a box. She had never noticed the black and yellow pin in her hair before today however. It looked like she was trying to hide it in her ponytail.

The biggest problem was, the more she thought about it, the more the similarities showed up between them. Especially the way Queen Bee acted when she first showed up. She was smug and a little rude, but the difference was she corrected her actions very swiftly afterwards, apologizing…

Oh dear lord, Chloe was totally Queen Bee.

There was only one way for Alya to find out.

After school, she asked Trixx if she could send a message like they could when they were transformed without actually being transformed.

“Sure, whichever one you decide to contact, their Kwami will just let them know that you’re trying to get into contact with them.”

“Perfect, let’s see if Queen Bee is available to have a chat.”

Chloe was surprised when Pollen said Rena Rouge wanted to see her, but she transformed and met her once again on top of City Hall, despite being anxious about finally talking to her after the last night.

When she landed, Rena was pacing across the roof.

“Hey, what did you want to meet about?” she asked, trying to keep it casual and light.

“I have a really random question. Yesterday you mentioned that you gave someone a gift without saying it was you. How did you do that?”

Bee was taken aback. That really was a random question. “I left it in their locker?”

Rena sucked in a breath of air, and thought Oh my God it’s Chloe.

“What?” Queen Bee said. “What did you just say?”

“Oh shit, I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

“Why would you think that’s my name? That’s such a ridiculous thing to ask and then say, you’re absolutely out of your mind, clearly you were dropped on your head as a child Rena,” Bee said all too quickly.

“Oh my god, you really are Chloe, aren’t you? I cannot believe this. Actually, I can, I can totally see how this a thing. Shit, I’m going to have to tell Marinette or none of this is going to make sense tomorrow.”

“We’re going to come back to that comment later, but I’d really like to know how you figured out who I was,” Bee responded, then detransformed back into Chloe.

Rena didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Well, fun little tidbit about my day yesterday, someone at school left a gift in my locker with no name and a note that said ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ in it, which seems oddly coincidental given you did exactly that yesterday. Then you wore the perfume I gave you to school today.”

“Oh my lord, you��re Alya.”

Alya dropped her transformation as well, holding up her phone with the gift Chloe had given her on it. “You’d be right on that assumption, Queenie.”

Chloe stared at Alya for a moment before letting out a giggle, which then turned into a laugh, which turned into her laughing hysterically, and before she knew it, they’d turned into laughing sobs.

She tried to turn to hide the tears going down her face, but Alya had seen them.

“Why are you crying? I don’t know how to deal with a crying Chloe.”

“I don’t know, honestly,” Chloe replied between sobs. “This whole thing is just… so, so messed up. Here I am, hoping I can just fly by with a secret crush on you, and now I find out you’re one of my closest friends who hates my civilian form? How am I supposed to react?”

“I don’t hate you.”

Chloe turned around to see a pink faced Alya.

“What?”

Looking directly at her, Alya replied, “I don’t hate you. I used to, back when you were a grade A bitch, but… I don’t hate you anymore. Since we started lycée, you’ve just been an overall less unpleasant person. It was almost difficult to tell that you and Queen Bee were one in the same because of the personality difference though.”

“I tried really hard to be a better person as Queen Bee. I know I was awful when we were younger, but it was too late to completely flip my personality at school. So when I got the miraculous, I decided to reinvent myself. Make myself the person I’d actually become versus the person I couldn’t change to be in real life.”

“So if you could, you’d be like Queen Bee all the time?”

“In a heartbeat.”

Alya walked over and wiped the tears off Chloe’s face. “To tell you the truth, that gift I gave you last night wasn’t just some gift. It was meant as a Valentine’s gift between more than just friends.”

“Well if I’m being honest, even though I gave you that gift at school yesterday as more than just classmates, I’d almost given up on ever actually telling you how I felt. I kind of started to fall for you as Rena Rouge as well.”

Alya’s face deepened in colour. “O-Oh, really?”

“Will you be my belated Valentine?” Chloe asked.

“On one condition,” Alya replied. Chloe nodded and she continued, “Only if you start to actually be the person you are as Queen Bee at school.”

“Deal. As long as you’re there to help me if I slip up. Like when Rose wears too much of that awful perfume, or when Nino refuses to turn down his stupid music, or-”

“Chloe,” Alya warned.

“Sorry, old habits die hard.”

“Of course. Do you want to go get some ice cream or something?”

“I’d love to,” Chloe replied, taking Alya’s hand. As an afterthought she asked, “What did you mean you’re going to have to tell Marinette about this?”

“Oh girl, you’re going to go crazy when you find out, but I’ll let her tell you that one,” Alya replied with a wink, then transformed and leapt off the roof.

“Hey! Wait for me!”

#miraculous ladybug #chloexalya #chloe bourgeois #alya cesaire #valentines day #project: valentine's day 2018 #themlgroup

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