#.Ivan is going to give him gray hairs

[bvlvnhan]

“I don’t know why it’s suddenly controversial to say no to cutting someone open for no reason. There is a word for that and it's not surgery.”

[redrandomposts]

this is the same anon from the abo ask (I’ll use 🎀 to identify myself)

I am yet again obsessed with ur takes on au’s!! The Luka-Ivan mom group idea is literally so genius, and I think those kids are definitely going to have some crazy playdates with eachother when they are older (the Luka Ivan friendship dynamic is too powerful to exist in canon but god would their dynamic be sight to see)

ALSO!!! Pre reveal I think till would totally be giving HIMSELF the shovel talk/trying to. Like I think he would BEG Ivan to tell him any details about the guy or give him his number so till can give the guy a piece of his mind!!

I also LOVE the concept of maternity shoot modeling for Ivan, and I think it would be delightful if the pregnancy was very public (only once till knows conspicuously…) with talk show appearances and stuff!

also in terms of angst potential- when do you think the secret gets out? How late in the game does till understand his actual goal- and most importantly, do you think Ivan would yield and tell him OR Till figures it out himself (and if so how in your opinion would that go?)

-🎀

honestly till is so dense that itd take seventeen wet and not wet dreams each, the girls pushing him, and some offhand comments from ivan to figure it out. ivan is the sort of guy to just... not talk about it. like, only luka knows because of their talks that till is the father. the rest only suspects it, but also till is normally too busy to get laid, and maybe ivan got vulnerable or something.

you mentioned that till will find out when the baby is born, but like, hes so dense that teal eyes or gray hair will not clue it in for him. like, a few months after the baby is born, ivan gets into a heat and just spills it to who his omega believes is his alpha, till? that, or luka spills it one random day, because he is fed up.

anyway, angst aside, till settles down with ivan immediately. ivan cooks but till doesn't allow him to clean, till carries every single bag, gets whatever craving ivan has no matter how absurd, and when the baby is born, ivan is dead asleep while till takes care of the baby at night, activites are a trio thing, and they become a buy one buy all package.

and, well, till is down Bad. what band? what music? what career? all he knows is a child and a wife.

all that's left is to write it... not by me, btw, i want to read it and reading your own writing does not go well.

[stromuprisahat]

Echoes of Darklina

Six of Crows- Chapter 18

Kaz's chapter became more interesting than expected.

“Why would you care what I think?” He looked genuinely baffled. “I don’t know,” he said. “But I do.” And then he kissed me. It happened so suddenly that I barely had time to react. One moment, I was staring into his slate-colored eyes, and the next, his lips were pressed to mine. I felt that familiar sense of surety melt through me as my body sang with sudden heat and my heart jumped into a skittery dance. Then, just as suddenly, he stepped back. He looked as surprised as I felt. “I didn’t mean … ,” he said.

Shadow and Bone- Chapter 13

“... The people curse my name and pray for you, but you’re the one who was ready to abandon them. I’m the one who will give them power over their enemies. I’m the one who will free them from the tyranny of the King.” ... I gave a single shake of my head. He slumped back in his chair. “Fine,” he said with a weary shrug. “Make me your villain.”

Shadow and Bone- Chapter 21

... The moment his lips met mine, the connection between us opened and I felt his power flood through me. I could feel how much he wanted me—but behind that desire, I could feel something else, something that felt like anger. I drew back, startled. “You don’t want to be doing this.” “This is the only thing I want to be doing,” he growled, and I could hear the bitterness and desire all tangled up in his voice. “And you hate that,” I said with a sudden flash of comprehension. He sighed and leaned against me, brushing my hair back from my neck. “Maybe I do,” he murmured, his lips grazing my ear, my throat, my collarbone. I shivered, letting my head fall back, but I had to ask. “Why?” “Why?” he repeated, his lips still brushing over my skin, his fingers sliding over the ribbons at my neckline. “Alina, do you know what Ivan told me before we took the stage? Tonight, we received word that my men have spotted Morozova’s herd. The key to the Shadow Fold is finally within our grasp, and right now, I should be in the war room, hearing their report. I should be planning our trip north. But I’m not, am I?”

Shadow and Bone- Chapter 14

Why did you go to Alina? Yuri buzzed away. Why seek her out? To reclaim his power, of course. The universe wanted to humble him, to force him to appeal to a pair of pathetic orphans like a beggar on his knees. Why did you go to her? Because with her he was human again.

Rule of Wolves- Chapter 21

“I want you to know my name,” he said. “The name I was given, not the title I took for myself. Will you have it, Alina?” ... “Yes,” I breathed. After a long moment, he said, “Aleksander.” A little laugh escaped me. He arched a brow, a smile tugging at his lips. “What?” “It’s just so … common.” Such an ordinary name, held by kings and peasants alike. I’d known two Aleksanders at Keramzin alone, three in the First Army. One of them had died on the Fold. His smile deepened and he cocked his head to the side. It almost hurt to see him this way. “Will you say it?” he asked. I hesitated, feeling danger crowd in on me. “Aleksander,” I whispered. His grin faded, and his gray eyes seemed to flicker. “Again,” he said. “Aleksander.”

Ruin and Rising- Chapter 9

[kissorkill16]

Friendship In Raven Brooks: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: They all just wanted to live their lives, and then they met each other and became the bestest friend group you'll ever see.

Chapter 14

First time at an after school club, and while Aaron had already calmed himself down, poor Mya couldn't stop fidgeting.

"Sis, it's just a club.", said her brother.

"But we've never been to one before, so don't blame me if I'm a little nervous.", said Mya. Aaron put a reassuring hand on Mya's shoulder.

"Mya, these people already know who we are, and we already built a strong connecting friendship with them. So we don't have much to worry about.", he said. "Let's just give it a shot, okay?"

Aaron's reassuring words seemed to calm Mya down, and she stopped fidgeting as she walked down the hallway of the middle school. Then she accidentally bumped into someone, and she looked up to see the principal.

"Eyes up, darling.", she said, looking down at Mya as she dusted herself off.

"Why is she so dusty?", thought Aaron. He shook his head and looked up at the principal, "Principal Abanate, we're looking for the Inventor's Club."

She looked at both of the Peterson kids and smiled, "Happy to see new students interested in extracurriculars.", she said. She pointed behind them to a classroom at the end of the hall. "Mr. Murtaugh's Science Room."

Aaron and Mya began walking down the hall to the classroom, and Aaron smiled and waved at Principal Abanate in gratitude for showing them the way, but she was already gone and rushing back into her office.

He tried not to pay any mind to it, because right now, he was going to have fun at his first after school club.

They walked in the door, and the first people they saw sitting at the desks were Nicky, Enzo, Maritza, and Lucy.

Aaron ran to Nicky and gave him a hug. "Happy to see you here.", he said. Nicky patted him on the back, "You too, Aaron. I didn't really think you would come, because you didn't look too enthusiastic about it yesterday, but here you are."

"We just needed some time to think.", said Mya.

Lucy smiled and hopped off the desk she sat on, "Well, now that everyone's here, let's -"

Just then, someone else walked into the room. Two people in fact. Two boys. One boy had ginger hair, an orange striped shirt, and gray pants. The other boy had brown hair, a yellow jacket, and blue jean shorts.

The ginger haired boy happily skipped and ran into the classroom, accidentally bumping into a table and knocking over a watermelon, but he was quick to steady it and pick it back up.

"This must be the place.", he said. "I knew it was the place! Where else would you perform science than a science room?"

The boy in the yellow jacket rolled his eyes, "This place is nerd city.", he said.

Enzo was the first to respond, taking offense to the boy's remark. "Um, are you two here for the club?"

The ginger haired boy quickly nodded his head. "Science is my passion, my good friend.", he said. He extended his hand towards Enzo and shook it so fast, "Ivan Torre. Pronouns: He/Him, Age: 9, Gender: Male, IQ: 160, and I am happily proud to announce that I will be joining you and your friends in the Inventor's Club."

Enzo's eyebrows raised in surprise, he was impressed with this kid's intelligence. He looked at the other boy, "What about you?"

"I'm Delroy, I'm just here to drop him off."

"Okay."

Nicky walked to the two boys. "Well it's nice to meet you, Ivan and Delroy. I'm Nicky, this is Enzo, Aaron, Maritza, and Lucy.", he said, gesturing to his friends. "And if you want, you can always just stick around. You don't have to build anything, you can always just relax."

Delroy waved his hand at Nicky. "Yeah, no thanks. I'm just gonna wait in the yard.", he said. "Ivan, you know where I am when you want to quit and go home."

Ivan waved at his friend as he watched him leave the room, then he turned back to the rest of the club.

"Happy to have you here, Ivan.", said Lucy. She looked down at the clipboard she held, "I think that's everyone."

She squinted her eyes as she looked at the list, "Oh, there's one more member that's supposed to be coming today. Sadly, she said she'd be running late. But while we wait for her, let's get to work building our hearts out!"

Ivan couldn't help but jump up when she said that, and he ran to one of the closets and began digging around in a couple of boxes.

About half an hour later, the kids had gotten to work sketching out blueprints for their inventions. Ivan, however, had already thought ahead and brought already made blueprints, and he was already half done with his contraption.

Another 30 minutes later, and he already finished his little machine.

"Ladies and gentlemen...", he started, "I present to you, the Can Lid Launcher!"

Aaron, Nicky, Enzo, Maritza and Lucy looked at the machine, with a tin can of Spaghetti O's on the wooden stand, and waiting behind it was a spring and hammer.

"Looks scary, Ivan.", said Lucy, "But it's clever for people who have trouble opening a can."

"That's the idea, my dearest Lucy.", said Ivan, "It can be frustrating trying to open a can filled with food. But with the can lid launcher, you can open cans at super speed."

Nicky raised his hand, "But what about the lid?", he asked. "What about the lid?", asked Ivan.

"Can you show us how your machine works?", asked Enzo. Ivan happily grabbed hold of his machine, "I thought you'd never ask."

He pulled the hammer and the spring back, making sure to have a firm hold on it, wanting to get the angle just right to open the can.

Just then, someone else walked into the room. The kids looked at the doorway, and almost everyone's jaws dropped when they saw who it was.

Trinity.

"Hey is this the Inventor's -?"

She didn't get to finish her question before Ivan accidentally let go of the hammer and spring, sending the can lid flying across the room, and straight to Trinity.

Luckily, Trinity ducked out of the way and let the lid hit the chalkboard. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment, but then she slowly stood up and dusted herself off.

"Oh...", said Ivan, "That about the lid."

Enzo was the first to run to her, "Oh my God! Are you alright?!", he frantically asked.

"I'm good.", said Trinity. She walked over to the rest of the kids and asked Maritza, "Is this club for inventors or executioners?"

"Boys.", replied Maritza.

Ivan happily hopped up on his feet, "We almost hit a real human experiment!"

"She's not a human experiment!"

Everyone turned to look at Enzo, and his face turned bright red. He stuttered and looked at Trinity, "I...I mean, you are a human, but not an experiment."

Trinity let out a dry laugh, "Lucky me.", then she turned around to look at Ivan. "Little heads up, sweetie. I came here to express my creative mindset, not to get murdered."

"Noted. I apologize."

"It's nice to see you here, Trinity.", said Nicky, "I didn't think you'd be interested in stuff like this."

"Look, Nicky. Just because I'm pretty doesn't mean I can't be smart too.", she said. "But other than that, I'm happy to be here. I'm very interested in this club."

"Good to know, Trin. So is everyone else here.", said Lucy. "Does anyone else want to get back to building?"

Ivan nodded, "Back to building, ladies and gentlemen."

Soon enough, everyone else got back to building their own inventions. With Aaron beside Nicky and Enzo, Maritza beside Mya, Lucy and Trinity, and Ivan by himself.

Somewhere in between the hour they worked, Aaron and Mya exchanged a look that said, "Now that was an interesting first club meeting, wasn't it?"

[goodkwuestion]

My God, I didn't KNOW I was so emotional and sensitive. I was sad and hurt, FOR IAN, because Mickey easily turned his back on him to flirt with Ivan, with a tall, Russian version of Ian. I, crazy with ideas, already imagined the other versions of Ian seeing that any red-haired man could take their place in Mickey's life. And ☝, if I were The Ians, I would completely second guess myself "are we really soulmates? Was our love really destiny or was it just a coincidence? Have we met in several lives just by pure coincidence??"

Now I'm sad, my day is now gray, my heart in pieces for The Ians.

Ps: I confess that I want this to happen, that all the versions of Ian think that Mickey only ends up with them because he doesn't meet another red-haired man first, that for Mickey, maybe he doesn't need Ian's love. I want all the Ians to have an existential crisis, I want them to try to warn the other Ians about this, trying to spare their feelings and save themselves from being just another mere and simple option. I WANT PAIN AND SUFFERING FOR MY REDHEAD.

I want YOU 🫵🏻 to step on my heart, I want to read it and feel like someone is twisting my heart and trying to rip it out of my chest. I want to cry so much that it gives me a headache and then stare into space and think about all the possibilities that it could get WORSE and then think about how you're going to give us back our air, how you're going to show us what love is, why you think of them as soulmates.

"The Ians" sounds like an Irish folk band that would open for the Proclaimers.

In fairness to LiT Mickey, not only did LiT Ian fail to identify himself as Mickey’s other half, but he also prioritised getting his wallet back over meeting said other half. That's not a very soulmatey thing to do. Especially when there are demons about.

[aph-america]

Inevitable Temptation - Chapter 1: A Deal

After years of bullying due to a disorder that leaves him infertile, Ivan swears to never marry an Alpha. But living in a society that leaves him with few freedoms, his father marries him off. His Alpha fiancé, Alfred F. Jones, is a charming fellow who seems to not have a reason to marry an omega like Ivan- or does he?

“I won’t, I won’t have of it!”

“Yes, you will! Now shut it!”

Cries echoed through the room, as two men had a passionate yelling match. One much younger, had a red face with watering eyes. Another older, with a wrinkled harsh frown. Graying hair, and taller, he spoke down to the younger man. His voice lacked patience and empathy. His scent overpowered the room, asserting his presence.

“We let you go to school, get an education… Give you a few more years to… mature … and now, it is time to get married. The Jones are a respectable family, and the omega price they have offered is undeniable. We need the money, you need an alpha-”

“But father-”

“I WILL NOT HEAR OF IT!”

The younger man gasped, taking a step back as his vision blurred. Innocent eyes terrified. 

“It is done. You will be marrying Jones.”

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

“This is going to be good for you Ivan, I swear!”

A thick blonde with a bob haircut smiled, fixing the hair of the omega in front of her. Said omega was her younger brother, who wore a deep scowl on his face. Earlier that day, he found out that his father had betrothed him to an alpha he’s never met. After a crying session, he was ordered to pack his bags and prepare a move to the Jones estate. Evidently his fiancé had requested they move in together as soon as possible.

Ivan snorted, ignoring his sister’s attempts to cheer him up. “Good for me. Ha. Yes, to be some alpha’s house omega. What a life!” He spat out in a sarcastic voice. His tone dripped with despair, as this fate was one he despised. He clenched and unclenched his hands, fighting the urge to break an object. A headache began to form, making the side of his head throb. 

“Who says you can’t work? Not all omega’s stay at home.” His sister Natalia corrected, raising a brow as she helped him pack his things. “My omega works.”

“If he comes from such wealth as father says, I doubt it…” Ivan whined, his voice defeated. He looked at the ground, staring at his dress shoes. He put on his Sunday best to meet his new fiancé. His father insisted on it. Slumping in his chair, he pulled his scarf over his face. He felt his older sister poke him on the side.

“Sit up straight! Posture!” Sofia scolded then straightened Ivan’s tie. “Listen, I know you are… Rebellious… and have a free spirit, but marrying an alpha isn’t the death sentence that you seem to believe it is.” She continued her lecture, ignoring Ivan’s eye rolling and head shaking. “You will have a husband and alpha to take care of you and provide… It is not such a bad thing-”

“I don’t want to be provided for!” Ivan interrupted, his voice cracking. “I don’t want to be taken care of! I can take care of myself! Why must I need an alpha to function in this world?!” He cried out, getting emotional. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to calm himself down. His scent started to become more noticeable, as the rush of emotions were pushing the aromas out. The three siblings all kept their scents at bay when around each other. Natalia and Sofia were the only alphas who’s smell didn’t make Ivan feel overpowered. His sensitive nose added another reason to his disdain for alphas.

“This is all so easy for you two to say. You both are alphas. Perfect ones at that…” Ivan glanced down, a crestfallen look in his eyes. “You will never understand having your fate and life in the hands of someone else… Omegas are seen as mere baby makers… And I can’t even do that !” He closed his eyes, his hands balled into fist out of frustration. “And I don’t want to hear it anymore! Let’s just go!” Heart racing, he rose and rushed to grab his belongings. His sisters didn’t respond to the outburst. The pair weren’t accustomed to their brother being this emotional. Ivan was known to be quiet, calm, never the one to yell or shout. Smiles on his pretty face. Nevertheless, today had brought out a side of Ivan the sisters hadn’t witnessed before.

“Our father is so happy to pawn me off to another alpha! I am such a burden to this entire family! I see it now!” Ivan ranted, sniffling as his vision went haywire. He snatched one of the handles of the suitcase and dragged it out the room, the sounds of heavy breathing echoing in the room. Sofia chased after him, heart broken to hear such words slip from her brother's lips.

“You are not a burden to this family!” Sofia pleaded, shaking her head. Eyes wide, she was frantic to calm her brother down before their father overheard his tantrum. Her voice lowered as she attempted to reason with him. Tears fell down her cheeks, disheartened by the entire situation. “Our father just… He knows what is best for you, even if you disagree-”

“Best for me or what is best for our family image?” Ivan interrupted, shaking his head. His eyes narrowed, lips trembling. His voice matched his expression. “Don’t act like this is for me. It never has been.” A lump grew in his throat with him desperate to push it down. He couldn’t bear to look at his older sister’s face. Such a beautiful alpha, both of his sisters were the pride and joy of their parents. Ivan was nothing short of a pure disappointment; an omega who couldn’t bear children.

“I miss mother. She’d never let this happen…” Ivan's voice cracked again, with tears streaming down his cheeks. Red and stained, he rushed away to their car. His fate was awaiting him, and the emotional exhaustion of arguing with his family had drained him.

The car ride to the Jones’ estate was silent. The tension in the air was thick, no one dared to utter a single word. With Ivan on edge, they required him to be calm and collected when meeting his fiancé. Ivan’s heart raced, pumping blood faster the closer they drove to the house. His hand went to his neck, rubbing the skin raw out of anxiety. In his mind, this car ride was it. His last ride forever, before he was shackled to the chains of marriage. Any ideas of sabotage were thrown out the window. His father made it clear earlier if he didn’t see the engagement through, he wasn't welcomed back.

Ivan couldn’t fathom trying to guess what his fiancé looked like. No one had offered to show Ivan a photo of what the man looked like. Or even describe him, he only kept hearing how respectable of a family he came from as if that meant anything to Ivan. It meant something to his father, who viewed status as most important. But to Ivan, he couldn’t care less. What about his personality? Interest? Passions? Hobbies? Do they have anything in common? Knowing his father, he could answer that question: none. It meant nothing to his father to match him with a man he’d get along with.

Once pulled into a driveway, Ivan’s eyes scanned the house. Big and beautiful, it was a house perfect for a family, but that gave Ivan a sting to the chest as he couldn’t provide such a blessing. ‘It’s so big for just two people…’ Ivan thought. The car parked and outside stood a man. Ivan's eyes averted, avoiding any contact for the moment. The rest of his family got out of the car, with himself last. At a slow pace, he opened the door, eyes still glued to the ground. It wasn't until he heard someone address him that he finally had the courage to look up.

“Ivan! It’s so nice to see you again!”

Ivan's eyes met the man speaking to him. Tall, slight tan, bright blue eyes, blond, with a radiant smile, he’s… handsome. Ivan blinked, wondering if perhaps this was an assistant or family member to his fiancé.

“Ah, uh, yes?” Ivan hesitated. He’s never seen this man in his life, but he had zero idea if his father had lied that Ivan knew and remembered him. Not prepared to deal with the backlash of being truthful, he attempted to verbally agree to whatever this man said.

The man walked up and took his hand. With gentle care, he lifted it and brought it to his lips. A simple kiss before he slowly placed it back down. He flashed his perfect smile again, bright white teeth that were straight. This brought a burn to Ivan’s face. He despised it.

His scent kept Ivan’s face red as well. This alpha smelled good . Sage and citrus, with a hint of musk. Masculine but not overpowering. Ivan hadn’t come across an alpha with intriguing pheromones before.

“What a gentleman. Alfred, I know you are going to take great care of my son.” Father said, using a kinder tone than the one Ivan experienced earlier that day.

‘This… This is him?’ Ivan thought. This is Alfred Jones? This is the man who paid money to marry him? But why on earth would a handsome alpha, with higher social status want him, an omega who’s infertile? There had to be an ulterior motive, but Ivan didn’t have the time to ponder on his new fiancé's plans. A forced smile appeared on his face out of habit. 

Ivan had been raised to continuously form a smile on his face. When he was younger, he did it to appear friendly since he had been bullied relentlessly. As an adult, others pressured him to come across as ‘approachable’ . No one wanted to see an omega with a sullen look.

“Of course I will! Let me help you guys with his stuff!” Alfred offered, immediately aiding Natalia with taking out Ivan’s suitcases. His father joined in on gathering his belongings, with Ivan zoning out for a moment. He was snapped back to reality when Sofia grabbed his hand and led him to the door.

“What a lovely house! I can not wait to see what’s inside!” Sofia said, her smile beaming. She hoped her positive energy would rub off on her younger brother.

“ Actually- We are going to head home. Let us give the new couple some privacy.” Their father stated, his voice clear. There was a command to it, hinting to the sisters not to argue.

Ivan blinked, stunned that his sisters couldn't even stay to help him settle in. His father without a doubt couldn’t wait to get rid of him it appears. His chest tingled with hurt from the reminder that he was simply a burden to his whole family.

“Well, you guys are always welcomed over!” Alfred said with cheer in his voice. He opened the door and carried Ivan’s belongings in while he said his goodbyes to his family.

Said goodbyes were awkward, Ivan hugged everyone, even his father. This entire situation was rushed and appeared on a whim, he struggled to process it for a proper farewell. Although, it wasn't goodbye forever; his family only lived an hour away. This goodbye symbolized him leaving his pack. Even so, he had a feeling that his father planned to keep him away from his sisters for as long as he could. The quick hugs didn’t give Ivan the chance to be scented by them.

Suddenly, everything became a blur. Dissociating, he couldn’t recall what happened between his goodbyes and coming inside Alfred’s house. Out of body, he was snapped back to reality by his new fiancé.

“Ivan- Ivan? You okay?”

Ivan flinched, his eyes wide and his heart racing. His eyes went to Alfred's, who wore a worried expression. Moving his lips, no words came out. After a few deep breaths, he fought to compose himself. The scent hit him again, the sage and citrus made Ivan clueless for a second. 

“I- Yes, I, I am alright. I am, just, um, this is just a lot.” He spat out, eyes wide, another weak smile. Looking down, he was embarrassed by how odd he was acting.  Then again, he began to question why he cared. Who cares about how he appears in front of an alpha!

“Oh, yeah, it is, ha. But, how about I show you the house? I want you to feel at home.” Alfred said, a soft smile taking over his face. He took Ivan’s hand, which made the man stiffen. Ivan ripped it away, he didn’t want to be touched by any alpha, especially one whose scent was so intriguing. Not at this moment at least. He needed to keep a distance.

“You can… lead the way.” Ivan was frigid. He refused to turn into a shy, stuttering omega. He desired to compose himself, as he wouldn’t be won over. ‘I don’t need him thinking he bought me and now I’ll do whatever he pleases…’ Ivan thought, critical. ‘I need to get it together.’ His forced smile had returned to a neutral expression. 

Alfred raised a brow, but saved face by continuing to smile. A smirk plastered on his face was his iconic look, the man always appeared positive and put together. Fixing the collar of his dress shirt, he began his tour of the house. Said home had five bedrooms, and three bathrooms. The master bedroom, that Alfred saved for last, was the most luxurious. A large bed, velvet sheets, beautiful hardwood furniture, decorated by someone with taste. The entire house was picture perfect out of a magazine, but this room topped it off like a cherry.

“And this is our room. Nice, ain’t it?” Alfred bragged, turning around to catch Ivan’s expression. He took wide eyes to mean Ivan was captivated. His goal was to relentlessly impress his new omega.

Alfred had a habit of flaunting money with regards to lovers. Since childhood, it was engraved into his head that a good alpha provides for his omega. And that he could do, plus more. An omega could never be too spoiled in his eyes.

Alfred subconsciously put out his scent, as the flexing of his house encouraged it. Especially in reaction to Ivan’s - the man smelt delicious. Fresh flowers with vanilla, Alfred tried not to pay attention to it at this moment. If he focused on that sweet scent too much, he would struggle to control himself.

‘Stop staring as if you've never seen a nice home before…’ Ivan thought, neutralizing his expression. Violet eyes lazed upon Alfred. “Yes. I like it.” An understatement coming from Ivan. He’d love nothing more than to throw his body on that bed and hide his face in the fluffy pillows. He was in desperate need of a nap, but he had to get away from Alfred’s overpowering smell.

Placing his pale hands on his waist, he decided to use this as a chance to discuss sleeping arrangements. “So. Will we be sharing a bed so soon…?” Ivan presented the question as if it had to do with social etiquette, and not with the fact that Ivan had zero interest in sleeping next to Alfred right now. Maybe even, at all.

Alfred’s expression stayed unfazed. “If you think it’s too soon, then that’s fine! I’ll sleep in the guest bedroom until you’re more comfortable. Nothin’ to rush.” He shrugged, his demeanor unbothered. In reality, he was a bit disappointed, but not surprised. It would be cocky of him to think he had a chance to nuzzle his nose into Ivan’s neck anytime soon. He turned on his heels to walk out, extending his arms. “So, yeah, that’s the house! Uh, any questions?”

Ivan shook his head, his hands staying on his hips. “No… Other than if it would be alright if I took a nap? I am feeling exhausted, yes?” He asked. Hooded violet eyes did appear tired to Alfred. The poor omega’s face was red, with his heart still racing. Lips twitching as his natural urge to smile fought against his inner despair.

“Yeah, yeah, of course! I bet all the packing was a lot of work…” Alfred’s eyes went to the floor, then came back to meet Ivan’s. He pointed to his bedroom, “You can take the master, I don’t mind.” He offered his attempt to swoon his fiancé with politeness.

Ivan shook his head with haste, walking away from the room in a hurry. “No, no, it is fine. It is your room. I will take the spare. Do not worry…” He waved his hand as he took the chance to hide away. “I will… see you later…” The Russian said, tone awkward as he closed the door.

Taking a deep inhale, he was relieved that the room didn’t reak of Alfred. He was stressed, sad, tired, and emotionally exhausted. A condition where commonly, an attractive alpha’s presence brings peace. Nevertheless, to the proud Ivan, it’s a stress beyond belief. He hated alphas, they were selfish, awful, rude, and only viewed omegas as a sex object or baby maker. The oppressor to his kind, and he refused to have his knees buckle to one. Not now, not ever.

Ivan threw himself on the bed, shoving his face into the pillows.

Read The Rest On Ao3!

[lighthousecocaptains]

OFMD Week Day 5: AU/Crossover Mania

This is a modern AU where Ed is a car guy and Stede knows jack about cars lol and as always, also available on ao3

Stede smoothed the front if his pastel pink button up shirt. He had worked so hard to steam it yesterday only for the front to immediately wrinkle as he tucked it into his navy slacks. He’d tried to panic iron it, but it didn’t seem to hold. Now he was late for his appointment.

He pulled his car into a parking spot and turned it off, adjusting his floral bow tie—a light blue with hints of cream and pink in the flowers—before he got out and went inside the repair shop. It was hardly busy with only one person standing at the front desk chatting to a large worker with dreadlocks and a black-and-white striped shirt. Stede stood a couple feet back, starting a line.

Stede waited there for a few minutes, watching as other workers came out from the back to walk into an office to Stede’s right. The placard on the wall said “Edward Teach, Owner” which made sense. The place was called “Ed’s Car Repair and Detailing Services” after all, so this Ed guy was clearly in charge. From his point of view, he couldn’t see inside the office beyond a sliver of wall. Stede wondered what the owner looked like. Surely he would be at least as beefy as the workers that milled about, right?

As one of the workers came out of the office, he caught Stede’s gaze. This guy was much shorter but definitely not any less built, and he wore an all black mechanic’s jumpsuit. He looked Stede up and down before he grimaced, giving Stede a glare and heading out the back door again. Stede looked down at himself, wondering what had the man giving him such a look. Was it the wrinkles in his shirt? Aside from them, he thought he looked quite stylish.

The customer at the desk finished up and walked out, and Stede walked up to the desk with a smile. “Hello! I’m Stede Bonnet. I have an appointment to get my car inspected.”

The worker—his name tag read Ivan—said nothing as he typed into his computer. After a long moment, he looked at Stede and asked, “are you having any issues or do you just want it looked over?”

“Yes, there’s an issue,” Stede began. “When I try to clean the windshield, nothing happens. The cleaning liquid stopped coming out.”

Ivan blinked at Stede for a long few seconds. “Okay.” He turned back to the computer and typed some more. “We’re a bit backed up at the moment, so it will be a while before we get to your vehicle.”

Stede looked around the room. No one else was there. He turned back to Ivan. “How long do you think?"

Ivan sighed. He grabbed the mouse and clicked a few times. "Looks like we might be able to get to it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Stede's brows rose. "Well, you see, online it said that you would be able to see it right away, and it's a small issue. Will it really take that long? I have this important work event, you see. I need my car back by tomorrow morning."

Ivan blinked at him.

Stede let out a breath. "What if I paid extra? Is there a fee for rush service? I would gladly pay it."

Ivan did not seem to register this offer, as his expression did not change in the slightest.

"Please," Stede began to beg. "It's incredibly important that I make this event. Is there..." He looked around helplessly. "There must be something I can do..." His eyes stopped on the door to the owner's office. "May I speak to the owner? Perhaps he would understand my predicament."

Ivan sighed as he backed away from the desk and walked over to the office. "Sir," he said, opening the door slightly but not going inside, "a customer wants to speak to you."

Stede watched curiously as the door opened and a man walked out. He looked about Stede's age and had long black hair pulled back into a ponytail and a thick black beard, both graying in spots, making him look distinguished. He wore a plain black t-shirt and dark, loose pants, and his tan arms had many tattoos. As he stepped out of the office, his large brown eyes fell onto Stede, and Stede found himself unable to breathe for a moment. He hadn't expected such a beautiful man to own a repair shop.

Ed came over to the desk. He read over the document on the computer for a moment, each blink showing off how long his dark lashes were. He furrowed his brows and looked st Stede. "What seems to be the issue, exactly?"

Stede smiled apologetically. He hadn't meant to bother this nice man. "Well, I was hoping I could have my car fixed before tomorrow. I have an important event in the morning."

Ed's eyes lingered on Stede for a moment, falling slowly over his torso. He cleared his throat. "I, uh...I like your bow tie," he said, his voice a tad softer than Stede had expected.

Stede's smile brightened. "Oh! Thank you." He patted it gently with a hand. "You have excellent taste."

The corner of Ed's lips upturned just slightly before his eyes fell back onto the screen. "Well, it seems a shame to waste your time for such an easy fix. I'll grab some wiper fluid and meet you by your car."

Stede nodded. "Yes, thank you! Thank you so much."

Ed nodded and went to the back door, taking one more look at Stede before he went through it. Stede smiled to himself as he turned and went out the front door, going to stand beside his car. The owner was going to fix his car. How nice, he thought, that he would offer such a thing. Stede was beginning to worry that he would have to leave and bring his car back another day.

A moment later, Ed came out the front door and turned to look at Stede's car. He whistled. "Oh, she's a beauty."

Stede turned to smile at him. "Isn't she?" He looked at his car, a bright turquoise Ferrari. Freshly washed, not a scratch on her.

"What's her horsepower?" Ed asked. "Is she modded?"

Stede stared uncomprehending at Ed. He didn't know what any of that meant. "Uh...I don't know."

Ed looked back at Stede for a moment. "Oh," he said.

They stayed there for a moment, just looking at one another. Stede couldn't deny that Ed was an attractive man, but he was a car man, and Stede knew nothing about cars. He just thought they were pretty, and looking good was very important for Stede's job as the owner of a country club (which he hated). He wished, often, that he could just be around cars all the time. He loved looking at them and hearing them and driving them and cleaning them. He did his own detailing, and he took great pride in that, but now he wished that he had taken the time to learn more about how they worked. Now, he looked like an idiot in front of Ed.

"First, we need to pop the hood," Ed said, setting the container of orange liquid down on the sidewalk in front of the car. He looked at Stede. "Do you know how to do that?"

Stede nodded, unlocking the car and opening the front door to pull the latch that popped the hood. He closed the door and stood there, waiting for Ed to fix the car.

Ed lifted the hood and moved the rod to prop it open. His dark eyes looked up at Stede and used one finger to make a "come here" motion at him. Stede's cheeks heated but he complied, going to stand beside Ed.

Ed pointed to a bright blue cap at the front left side that read Wiper Fluid. "See this?" He pulled the cap off. "This is where the wiper fluid goes." He picked up the container he brought. "You can buy a container like this at any car shop. Shouldn't be more than a few bucks for a gallon like this." He pointed at some words on the container. "You want to make sure that you get one that won't freeze in the winter. Here, you need one that goes to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. This one also helps repel water, which will help keep your windshield looking nice even when it rains." He opened the container and began to pour it in. "Try not to spill." When about half the container was gone, he stopped and recapped it. "There. That should do it."

Stede smiled. "Wow! That was so easy." His smiled faded as he turned to look at Ed. "Oh. I suppose I didn't need to bring it in to be fixed."

Ed smiled back at him. "It's alright. I'm glad I got to see your fancy car." He returned the cap to Stede's car and closed the hood. "I'd love to take a ride in something like this one day."

Stede's heart leaped. "Are you free now?"

Ed looked at Stede, startled. "What?"

"If you're free, we can go for a ride right now," Stede said with his goofy smile. "Otherwise, I can come back some other time. It's only fair since you took the time to teach me to fix the problem with the wiper fluid."

Ed scoffed and looked back towards the car. "I couldn't. I've got a business to run. They might fall apart without me there."

Stede looked back to the repair shop. "It doesn't look all that busy to me. And you deserve a break. It must be hard running a business on your own."

Ed let out a slow breath. "I don't know..."

"It would be quick," Stede said. "Five minutes. Of course, I won't twist your arm about it. Just thought that if you would like it, I would offer."

Ed turned to look at Stede, a smile growing on his face. "Alright. Let's go.”

Stede went over to the driver's side, his hand hesitating as he reached for the door handle. He turned to look up at Ed already at the passenger's side. "Actually...would you like to switch?"

Ed's eyes widened. "You'd let me drive?"

"I figure you must be a good driver, working with car's and all," Stede said. "Go ahead." He tossed Ed the keys.

They switched sides and got into the car. Ed put the key into the ignition and started the engine, excitement blooming on his face as it roared to life. "Oh yeah. She purrs."

Ed backed up and took them out of the parking lot, speeding up as he got onto the road. Their heartbeats quickened and adrenaline rushed in as Ed went faster and faster. Then, they reached a red light, and he slammed on the brakes. Ed breathed heavy, catching his breath. He looked over at Stede, worried that he would be mad, but Stede wore a large grin.

"That was incredible," Stede said with a laugh. He met Ed's gaze. "You drive fine cars well."

They stared at one another for a long moment as their hearts raced. Then, the light turned green and Ed had to look away to drive. He took them back to the repair shop, parking in the same spot Stede had earlier. They both got out, and Ed handed Stede his keys.

“Thanks,” Ed said. “That was fun.”

”Of course,” Stede said.

Ed went to turn and head back into the shop but hesitated. “If you ever need anything else…for the car, I mean, let me know.” He pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to Stede. “Repairs. Detailing. Anything. I’ll personally see to it.”

Stede looked at the card, beaming. “Wonderful! And what do I owe you for the wiper fluid?”

Ed smiled. “Consider it complimentary.”

”Oh, I couldn’t possibly,” Stede said. “Please, let me pay you.”

Ed looked at Stede for a long moment. “How about dinner?”

”Dinner?” Stede gave a lopsided smile. “That sounds lovely.”

“You have my number,” Ed said before he turned and went back into the shop.

Stede watched him go with a happy sigh. He looked down at the business card again, a light feeling in his stomach. This wasn’t how he had planned for the day to go, but he wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. He got back into his car, driving off with a silly grin on his face, excited about something in his life for once. He liked this feeling. He hoped this was the start of something great.

[shakingparadigm]

ahhh omg wait I love this sm!!!?? I'm actually so excited and intrigued by this

(draft edit: man I had to run some errands and it kinda bums me out that it got in the way of me answering this LMAO that's how excited I am)

ACORN BEING IN D11 IS LITERALLY GENIUS LMAO. you need an award for that one I think. Does that mean Durian (green haired R4 girl) is in D11 too? That would be funny.

I was also debating between putting Ivan in District 1 or District 2 (was very tempted to put Ivan in 1 just for the dynamic between him and Sua as career tributes and models). The fact that he's an ambassador of several luxury brands is just perfect too. Eventually I settled on 2 because of the perfect, obedient qualities that are held in high regard by people like peacekeepers (hope this doesn't come off as weird) and the fact that Unsha has a good reputation because he works hard to cover up his more illegal activities. My friend brought up the possibility that Unsha moved to 2 in order to reinforce the image that they were law-abiding, upstanding citizens and to give Ivan the best training possible. Plus, District 2 specializes in weaponry and Unsha's got that whole secret mafia thing going on. There's also the fact that District 2 is incredibly wealthy so I guess it's close enough? I do think Ivan and Unsha are connected with the folks from District 1 for stuff like photoshoot and all the brand stuff. It's pretty unheard of for district people to travel outside their own district, but Ivan is exceptionally good in behavior and has proven himself to be a person worthy of trust, so just like the removal of his collar in canon I think he'd be granted special privileges (he would be under heavy surveillance, though).

Also wait hold on you're definitely cooking something with the D11 Till.... his connection to flowers is something that he leans heavily on in this AU (I imagine his knowledge on plants like that would aid him in the wilderness) but come to think of it, it's quite hard to justify it when he's from D12... I guess it'll be like Katniss and her family apothecary. Even though they're from 12 they're still incredibly knowledgeable on plantlife due to hunting experience and old books.

Also you completely got what I was trying to do with Sua!! She does in fact die in the games sacrificing herself for Mizi. She and Mizi have been working and staying close together during their time in the games and the sponsors love it. Sua nicknames Mizi her "Jellyfish Girl" (side note I find it extremely cute how Sua canonically calls her this in the Anakt yearbook messages) and Mizi calls her a variety of nicknames ranging from Clematis, Pearlie, etc. When Sua dies for Mizi the Capitol is so heartbroken and sad that they double down on their sponsorships and gifts toward Mizi in an effort to support her. It's for the best, too, because after Sua's death Mizi is so utterly crushed that she cannot do anything, not even able to feed herself. During this period she lives off of the pity gifts the sponsors send her (one of the most frequent sponsors is Shine, who constantly sends Mizi food and water, and at one point even her blanket from home).

I also made Luka a mentor for Sua because of their similarities! The impersonation thing was also a big inspiration for it. I'd imagine Sua would pull some of Luka's strategies in the games which would further boost her ratings.

Now that I think about it, you're so right about Hyuna and Hyunwoo looking like District 12. The dark skin and almost grey eyes.... I always thought of Hyuna as somewhat of a mix between Katniss and Lucy Gray! I would've put them in 12 too, but I decided on another district instead because I don't know if Phan would fit into the poorest district considering how he is almost like a noble and a very superior being. Hyuna's reason for her participation in ALNST was solely due to Phan, after all, and I tried to translate that into this AU. Phan is a researcher, however, and he has one hell of a physical appearance. Like seriously, he looks insane. I think if his design was revealed it would make a little more sense why I put him in the District of Power. I also tried to spread out the characters into different districts as much as I could just for the sake of not lacking too many tributes. If I could I'd put the majority of them in 12... The sponsor angle and the sensationalization of two District 12s and a District 1 team-up is a really cool idea, though! They definitely would pull that kind of angle since the Capitol loooves drama and storylines. I genuinely love the concept of it! It's actually making me reconsider my placing of Hyuna ngl

I definitely agree with Hyuna losing her leg in the escape. That is also incredibly sad and painful to think about.

HEAVILY agree with Dewey and Isaac from 3, Isaac especially because he seems like the more technical guy (iirc he's the one manning the electronic board thing during Mizi & Hyuna's infiltration at the end of ROUND 6).

Ivan killing Acorn after he tried to poison Till..... my GOD that is amazing. I'd also love to see Till go apeshit on a guy just because I think he deserves it. Though I do often think about that one VIVINOS deleted tweet where she said that Till doesn't have the heart to actually kill a person (I assume Freddie is an exception because he's a snobby alien).

Bonus: I think at one point Mizi would be gifted brass knuckles and she'd absolutely go to town with it. The sponsors (who began getting bored of Mizi's lack of progress and moved on to wanting more entertainment) would immediately 360 and start betting heavy on her. Actually in terms of weapons I think Till would have a bat (swinging and smashing it like he did Freddie), Sua a small dagger and/or throwing knives, and Ivan.... honestly as a joke I was just going to say his hands. Since. You know. Choking (haha. hahahaha. ha.) But also because Ivan seems to handle himself pretty well with just his big ass fists (absolutely fucking Till up in that one CURE flashback even though he was literally half his size as a kid) would Ivan benefit from brass knuckles? Probably. IvanMizi bestie moment? Perchance. Although Ivan was described as being pretty good at everything, so I imagine he'd be capable of using a wide range of weapons.

IVAN'S CEREMONY COSTUME BEING A REFERENCE TO THE METEORS BC HE NEVER FORGOT TILL OOOHHNMGYYFHF I am going to be so ill about this NO JOKE. Would it be crazy if they ended up accidentally matching. If Ivan showed up in the ROUND 3 blue version of the meteors and Till was dressed up in the redder, more fiery ones that look more similar to the ones they saw on the day they tried to run away. Do you think maybe the Capitol would start pointing out that they matched and the shipping would slowly begin there (they would also point out that it was cute how Mizi's interview dress is based off of a Jellyfish and that Sua is decked out in pearls from District 4).

This is so cool to talk about aaaa I'd love love love to hear more about your interpretation of an ALNST hunger games au!!? 🙏🙏🙏

found my old hunger games au.... will I post about it? maybe one day....

[lilmissbacon]

Miraculous Ladybug Redesigns

So I've taken upon myself to redesign most of the new looks that have come out is season 4 of Miraculous 😅

I had completely accepted how bad this show was and how much a of a dumpster fire season 4 had been thus far but as an artist, Penalteam was the last straw. Also, I've already posted my redesigns for Marc and Nathaniel here.

I also really appreciate the love the comments, reblogs and likes I got for those redesigns. It really helped encourage me to keep on with these. So thank you 💕

Also just to note it here, Juleka's super-outfit is the only really great look to come out of this season but I would've named her Panthera than just Purple Tigress.

Let's Go! I wanna die

Dog Sabrina

She was the one I did right after Marc and Nate because her look was the most atrocious and as much as I don't have any feeling towards her character, I can't let it stand.

I'm never gonna let go of the fact that her final design in show was just her civilian clothes in a different font. Not to mention that UGLY-ass hat with the ears glued on.

So in my redesign I made her hair to be the ears and instead of giving her a literal collar, I gave her a belt to look like one. The miraculous itself is just hidden under the turtleneck.

I gave her 2 little tennis balls instead of one so she can throw them as weapons like Erina from Dingo Doodles' D&D story (if you don't know it, you can see it on YouTube.) I like to think that the balls can magnetize back into her hand like Captain America's shield and if you look closely you can see the palms of Sabrina's gloves are white.

Miss Hound is just a no for me in terms of names. Honestly, Miss Mutt would've been a better name. But overall I decide that Sabrina be renamed "Cavalier," which is a breed of dog that looks strikingly similar to how I ended up designing her.

Ox Ivan

His superhero look was once again, another look that was just fine but I'm upset they made his suit gray when the ox is literally the only hero that's blue. Also he looks like he's wearing a winter coat and the fact that they didn't change his hair despite how distinguishable it is, kinda makes me mad.

I kept the shoulder bits because I thought it was nice but flattened out the rest of his torso. He's already big and bulky, he doesn't need the extra padding.

I actually really like the superpower they gave him but the name Minotaurox is a mouthful. So I decided to rename him "Bullock."

Pig Rose

As cute as her design is in the show, I still had problems.

Mostly her bangs and the tutu. I didn't think a tutu was even really miraculous canon to how the hero costumes work and honestly, it still doesn't feel like so. Plus it was a slightly different shade of pink from the rest of the suit which is irritating. She looked more like she was wearing the miraculous of the lolipop than the pig.

So I 1) made the hoof patterning on her feet to be a dark brown so it looked like actual hooves. 2) Moved the lolipop thing from her chest to a belt buckle and made it look like a pig snout. 3) Changed her bangs to be more flattering and the pigtails to look more like pig ears. 4) Flip the colors on her mask.

Idk what the designers were thinking with Rose or Sabrina that made them choose to put the white on the top half of their masks. It's practically a rule of thumb that you put the darker colors on top because otherwise it looks like cancer. And it does, it makes Sabrina and Rose' eyes look sunken in and like they have cancer.

I mean can you imagine how the Hex Girls would look with their lip colors flipped?

I rest my case.

I did keep the swirls in her arms and legs because the curls are clearly supposed to be in reference to pigs tails. I didn't change her name or power. Pigella is a cute name and while her power isn't spectacular, it can be useful for distractions in battle.

Also I just didn't feel like drawing the ankle bracelet. I'm tired.

Bee Zoe

I hate this character's existence entirely but we'll ignore that for the sake of focusing on the art.

In her canon design, not only were the random black bangs stupid but she doesn't even remotely resemble a bee or wasp. She also has more black then yellow in her suit+hair and looks more like a villain then Queen Banana did. Also hate the shirt/pants color ratio and those dumbass sneakers.

So I cut off her bangs, gave her a thigh-high boot look and the same gloves Chloe had. I also kept the suit the same shade of yellow as Chloe's because the fact that they made Zoe's a warmer shade of yellow is not just such a copout, it actually makes her less distinguishable from the other heroes with gold/yellow.

I did take into consideration that the original designers were clearly trying to give Zoe's stripes a V shape to them since her name is Vesperia. So I kept that when rearranging the stripes in my redesign.

It's a much more simple design which is actually a blessing because it's on par with Queen Bee's and even Ladybug's looks. Her canon design has so much going on that it's a mess.

So I hope you like this

My redesigns will forever be canon in my mind/au because what is canon just sucks and I hope you enjoy this art post.

[embretheworld]

I was bored so here’s some hc’s

I have a lot surprisingly so a lot of these are coming off the top of my head

-Laxus does not have good eyesight in the eye with a scar because that's where the lacrima was implanted. But he can still see out of it, it just gets blurry sometimes.

-If you had a lacrima implanted in you, there's gonna be a scar where it was implanted, and depending on what type of magic it is determine's the shape.

-Laxus's mother was born without magic and had the same thing happen to her but she was 16 when she had it implanted in her hand, she also had asked to have one and Laxus didn't.

-Laxus was born without magic thanks to his mother being born without magic too.

-When you get a lacrima implanted in you, depending on what type and how strong it is, depends on how sick you get. It's a counterbalance so people won't always get lacrima's implanted in them. The day it was implanted you get very sick as the body's reaction to an overwhelming influx of magic in your system, it happens every year in the same day it was implanted but the first time is the worst.

-"This is what I get for being emotionally slutty," Loke probably looking back on some kind of event.

-Loke with freckles!

-Loke sleeps when he's bored.

-Lucy suffers the worst writer's block ever and can't seem to ever get out of it no matter how hard she tries(I feel you girl).

-Plue really likes candy.

-Happy got Lucy a little frame that said "Life is better with cats" for her Birthday and despite how much Happy annoys her sometimes she keeps it on the desk she writes on and treasures it dearly.

-Do not let Erza play whack a mole or the games where you have to throw balls at clowns or vases you have to knock down to win a prize.

-Or let the dragon slayers play any driving game in general.

-Horror movies do not scare Aries, a lot of things do, but not horror movies.

-Mira really likes candles, but always gets them when they're on sale.

- Gray once got banned from a strip club after being mistaken for one of the strippers.

-Juvia could literally kill someone if she wanted to since our bodies are made of 60% of water but has no idea. She desires to learn more about blood magic if she so desires but hasn't.

-Levy wants to study rune magic but procrastination is her worst enemy, also people trying to attack the guild interrupting her every time she tries to cracks open a book to try and learn it. She's stopped trying to learn it in fear that if she tries someone will start attacking the guild again.

-Gajeel & Juvia and Gray & Loke are very underrated friendships that need more attention.

-Natsu chugged hot sauce and didn't even flinch. (A friend of mine did that and they scare me.)

-Lucy carries around a box of matches just in case Natsu wants a snack whenever they go on missions.( which is a lot of the time, a lot of her money has went into buying matches, she's had to go to plenty different stores to buy some because she's scared the clerk will think she's up to something and explaining it will only make her seem more suspicious.)

-Technically demon slayers are just exorcists but with more violence.

-In a human au Gray was an exorcist once.

But in normal Fairy Tail he takes side jobs on getting rid of demons from ordinary houses or other places which pays a lot.

-The wool Aries can make, can make really nice jackets. She's made jackets using it, but Loke stole it cause he likes comfy things in general.

-Loke actually needs his glasses, his glasses double as both sunglasses and normal glasses(someone I know someone who has the same type of glasses, I also wear glasses so.) due to being in Earthland too long, certain things started deteriorating like important sense's thankfully it wasn't on a major scale but on a longer one but it can't be fixed.

-Due to his eyesight deteriorating he has better hearing.

-Loke and Evergreen are nearsighted, Levy is farsighted.

-Ivan named Laxus because Laxus looked so much like his mother it only seemed fair.

-Laxus has an aunt who's his mom's sister. He talks to her through letters because she lives across the sea.

-"My little dragon," was a nickname that Laxus's mom gave him after he had gotten the dragon lacrima implanted in him against her wishes since if they were to do it, she wanted to do it when he was 16 like her but Ivan thought 8 was a much more appropriate age. (It was not). The only one who knows of this nickname for him is Makarov, his mom, his aunt, and his dad.

-His dad once used the name in a fight against him and he wanted to punch him so bad.

-If Mira were to swear she'd put sailors to shame.

-Erza has horrible road rage.

-I refuse to believe that Loke has two sets of ears, he does not have human ears and lion(cat ears?) ears at the same time just lion ears while in his celestial form and humans ones in his human form. He wears the piercing he used to wear on his human ears on his cat ears when in said celestial form, or outfit or whatever.

-The car ears(I'm calling them that now) are actual ears, you'd be surprised how many people try to pull on them in thinking that they aren't only to be pleasantly surprised that they in fact are. He likes to be pet behind them whenever they are there and he doesn't have regular human ears.

-He also despises chokers/collars with the very soul of his being. He might hiss at you if you bring one even close to him that's how much he hates them.

He doesn't even have a reason to he just hates them.

-Erza sometimes refers to her guildmates as "Feral children".

-Dragonslayers cannot whistle if their life depended on it.

-Loke knows French because most of his masters were in the French Court meaning it was mandatory for him to learn it. (I refuse to believe anyone with common sense would date him with that haircut he had in the human world, looked like something a 5-year-old would draw on a stick figure in an attempt to draw hair).

-Levy knows French, Arabic, and a few other languages.

-She fucks with people by talking to Loke in French and making them think that they're talking about that person why they aren't.

-Mira tried to learn French, she failed very badly since she kept forgetting the parts before the word and kept messing it up.

-The dragon slayers can purr when happy, growl when mad, and whimper when sad.

-The same thing applies to Loke but mostly because he's an overgrown cat.

-In order to date someone at the guild if you aren't in it you have to get Erza's blessing/asking her if it's alright since she's kinda the older sister and also the first one you wanna tell.

-Loke does not blow-dry his hair after he washes it because it just poof's up and there's no way to fix it other than to wash his hair again and look like a drowned cat for an hour or two. Though his hair is very soft after he washes it and it properly drys and isn't wet.

-Celestial spirits can dream, but their dreams consist of looking back on old memories from an outside viewpoint.

-Freed says "Let's have another round tonight" very unenthusiastically when drunk, just that sentence, no other sentence, just that one, only when he's drunk.

-Loke's good with finances along with fashion because one of his previous master, Valeria, pushed her financial work on him as a 'learning experience'.

-Loke was also offered a modeling job before and Lucy is super pissed since he of all people can get one but not her. (In the human au, he actual does modeling)

-If Mira and Loke were to team up it'd most like to be to help people in the guild get together.

-They would succeed.

-They both also like wine.

-Loke and Erza are bi, Mira is pan.

-Upon learning about this, Juvia considered Loke a love rival, be assured her that he was none and that he'd give her some advice to trying to date Gray because Gray and romance don't go well if she kept quiet about it.

-Gray ended up figuring it out and still holds it against him.

-Loke does not like being compared to a cat, he despises it so Gray as the best friend he is does exactly that.

-The two of them have blackmail on each other, and Gray often drags Loke into watching horror movies knowing he absolutely despises him with the very core of his being.

-Gajeel will fight anyone who hurts his best friend, Juvia.

Or anyone who hurts his guild but Juvia is different since she's been with him since they joined Fairy Tail.

Natsu once grabbed a pan straight out of the oven and horrified everyone in the room.

[crow-summoner]

Darklina Week Day 6: Monster

Made a Monster

The Darkling promised to raise Alina above all others. Instead, he made her something less than human.

Alina was supposed to be the Darkling’s constant, but when she left him in a hell of his own creation, he reached out for the one thing he could still trust.

1: Antlers

The dress was the final straw. It was made of fine Shu silk, dyed black as everything the General touched seemed to be. The cut emphasized the small of Alina’s waist, its neckline a deep-plunging heart that bore her throat, but that was the problem.

Her throat.

The top progs of the stag’s antlers protruded from her collar bone, still sore and loose under her flesh. David had assured her skin would heal around the bone over time, but she doubted her body would ever fully accept the infestation. The stag had been beautiful. The Darkling’s horns were not. They should have been banished under collar and scarf, not forced to be on display. Even the gold embroidery around the neckline called attention to her shame. Thick, thorny lines twirled around each other like a mass of writhing worms. Like deer antlers eternally locked in a fight.

The Darkling had a sick sense of humor, she had come to learn.

Genya did her best to tailor away Alina’s sleepless night, evening out her tear-botched skin and highlighting the area under her eyes. She darkened Alina’s lashes with beetles and flushed her lips with the scales of a red koi. Alina never considered how many animals died so that she could fit what the masses expected of a hero. She thought the Darkling had made her a chimera when he fused her and the stag, but she had been merging with other creatures since she first set foot in the Little Palace.

What did that say about her, a saint that consumed all life around her?

Genya twisted up Alina’s hair, decorating it with what she called diamond flowers. Alina knew better. They were stars. The Darkling would not settle for merely branding her with his amplifier and his colors. He needed to mark her with his symbols, too.

All of Genya’s efforts were pointless, of course. No one would be looking at Alina’s face and figure. Not when the antlers were in clear view.

Alina stared at them in the mirror. She was used to feeling ugly, not because she saw anything wrong in her reflection, but because someone was always there to remind her of her rough, peasant hands. Her Shu features. Her sickly pallor. She could only hear the comments so many times before she saw it, too. Aleksander had changed that. The Darkling, she meant. Using her powers gave her skin a glow and her hair a sheen, but the way he looked at her as if she were the last sip of water in a desert made her feel like she was more than just the sum of her mediocre parts.

She felt beautiful in his eyes.

Powerful.

Alluring.

It was a lie, of course. His eyes shined for her powers, and nothing more. She mourned what could have been, but not as much as she did for her ability to look in the mirror and like what she saw. She had thought herself ugly before. She had no idea what true ugliness was.

“Are we going into the Fold today?” Alina asked, not because she cared, but because speaking was the only way she could break her staring match with herself.

Genya shook her head. “The General wishes to speak with you in private.”

Alina should have known he would insist on dolling her up for his eyes alone. Powerful men did not share their belongings, and they did not settle for anything less than perfection.

Her patron devil invited himself inside her tent about an hour later. His tongue was heavy with pretty little lies, but she hadn’t the patience to entertain them. She could forgive his secrecy and manipulations. Over time, she could even make peace with all the people he had murdered, though her parents’ loss in the Fold jabbed like a thorn in her heart. But she couldn’t stand the theft. He’d stolen the choice from her. Her heart. Her control over her body. The power she’d been separated from since birth. He took it all and had the audacity to speak as if it were inevitable that she’d forgive him.

He ruined her dreams, so she carved out his. He’ll never have her affections again.

“Fine,” he said, his nose twitching from the strain of holding back his tears. She hoped they were genuine because feelings were the last things she had left to hurt him with. “Make me your villain.”

She hadn’t needed to. He made himself a monster as easily as he made her one.

It wasn’t until the next day, when the Darkling shackled her to the deck of his skiff, that she really understood the depth of his promise. At first, she thought he’d given her a small kindness. She could wear a cloak to cover her shame even if that cloak was a twin to his own, but that didn’t last. It wasn’t enough to mark her with his taste in fashion. He wanted the world to see what he’d done.

He soaked in the crowd’s gasps when they saw the antlers, so proud of his little abomination. Alina was reminded of a poem one of the girls she’d served with had told her. “When is a monster not a monster?” Her answer had been when a person loves them, but Alina knew better. The monster was still a monster even when it was loved. Even when it loved in return. Love just made the resulting pain all the more horrifying.

The skiff pushed forward, dragging Alina into the dark with the rest of the Darkling’s creations.

 2: Darkness

Alina was meant to end Aleksander’s suffering. Only she would live long enough to keep him company throughout the ages. They were supposed to be together forever, but they’d only lasted a handful of months. Fate was cruel that way.

Aleksander would have forgiven her trespasses.

Eventually.

Alina was only 22. Of course, she knew nothing of the world. She’d never left the hovel she grew up in until she’d been drafted, and even then, she’d barely left the comfort of a cartography tent. Time would fix that lack of experience, and then Alina would see Aleksander’s genius. Peaceful resolutions meant nothing to those who’d gladly burn their kind. Their peace treaty could only be writ in blood. She’d see. She’d chide herself for believing the Old Woman’s slander. For running away from her destiny and leaving her kind to rot. For denying the hold he still had over her heart. Alexander still wanted that heart even after she let another man put his filthy fingerprints all over it. Her Tracker would turn to dust, and her preoccupation with him would follow suit. She’d seek Aleksander then, and he would absolve her sins.

All she had to do was beg.

It seemed Alina was not so forgiving.

He’d taken her hand – that hand she’d have used to ruin his plans if he hadn’t collared her. The same hand that caressed that pathetic child with a gentle reverence. He would have spared her the fate of her so-called friends. The only friend she needed was him, and all he wanted was her.

She mutilated him for this kindness.

Such ingratitude.

She – the saint, the hero, the innocent ingenue – abandoned him to the gray sand. She knew he was defenseless. After all, she’d personally rendered him impotent, carving a hole in his dominant hand. He needed both to properly focus his power. That, more than anything else, he would not forgive. What good was a Darkling without his shadows?

The volcra descended upon him. He’d shivered the first time he’d seen the creatures his merzost had created. Something neither bat nor human, but some middle ground between. And the teeth. Oh, the teeth. They haunted his dreams for centuries. What he felt then paled in the face of seeing those fangs up close, saliva dripping off yellow bone.

He ducked the monster’s claw, but it’s brother came up from behind, slicing Aleksander’s cheek. He dropped to his knees, flesh burning worse than Alina’s light. The volcra surged forward, it’s mouth wide for the feast.

Not this way. He would not die as prey.

Aleksander drove his fist into the creature’s mouth, punching the back of its throat. Its teeth scraped Aleksander’s arm, shredding his coat sleeve and drawing blood. It didn’t faze him. He’s bled for lesser causes than his own survival.

The volcra gagged, staggering back. It spat Aleksander’s blood out on the sand. Poor thing. All that effort, and it couldn’t even savor the taste. Aleksander could sympathize.

Almost.  

Somewhere in the distance, Aleksander’s heartrender cried for help. For a moment, Aleksander resolved to ignore him. No one could escape this hell. The best they could do is take as many of these creatures out with them as they could. But the sun summoner’s betrayal left him feeling strangely sentimental. Ivan had been a useful extra hand, and Aleksander promised to deliver the Grisha to safety. He wouldn’t be made a liar, no matter how strongly Alina insisted otherwise.

Besides, why should he die alone when there was a warm body nearby?

Deep grooves marked where the skiff made its hasty retreat. Aleksander found Ivan there. Scratches marred his face, and the volcra on top of him flapped its wings as it nibbled at his side. Thankfully, it had spared his arms, so Aleksander didn’t have to put Ivan out of his misery. No Grisha should have to suffer without their powers.

A piece of the skiff’s mast had broken off in battle. Aleksander lifted it, forcing it through the volcra’s head. It trashed blindly, giving Aleksander access to Ivan. He slipped an arm under his heartrender’s shoulders, dragging him to his feet. The fool tried to lay a hand on his own chest, but there was no time to slow his own heartbeat. They had to run while they could.

Every direction looked the same, all colorless dunes and darkness, but looks were deceiving. Each oily black patch throbbed with a life of its own if only someone would listen to it. Aleksander closed his eyes and let it speak. They weren’t far from Novokribirsk, but they were not close either. If they ran for it, the volcra would surely catch up. He stood a small chance on his own, but Ivan was like lead. Aleksander should leave him, having paid his debt by freeing him, but something else begged for his attention. Something familiar to him that he couldn’t quite place. He followed that feeling to its origin.

Aleksander dragged Ivan across the sands until they reached it. He couldn’t see it, but he was sure it was there. It called to him from deep in blackness. Aleksander let his heartrender slide to the ground. He groaned in protest, grabbing for Aleksander’s leg as he charged forward, but Aleksander needed to handle this on his own.

Aleksander reached out until his fingers hit stone. It was the briefest of touches, but it was all he needed to recognize the archway. This was once a cathedral before time had worn its walls down and more vines than parishioners called it home. If the King’s men hadn’t hunted him down, these ruins would be nothing but dust, but the Fold had preserved it, a shrine to Aleksander’s last stand. It had been centuries since Aleksander had set foot here, but he could still map every step as easily as he could the Little Palace.

The sound of wings drew him from his memories. He didn’t need to turn around to know he’s been found. The past always came back around, sooner or later. Centuries ago, he transformed the King’s army into something more, and now their descendants had come to make him something less.

Sharp talons raked across Aleksander’s back one after another, spraying his blood against Saint Ilya’s alter. The stone passively accepted the offering. Of course, it did. All religions in Ravka hungered for Grisha blood. How much would it take until Ravka was satisfied? Could it be satisfied? Aleksander supposed he wouldn’t live long enough to find out. He’d worn himself out just trying to stay upright.

The enemy surrounded him on all sides, swooping in and out. They were toying with him, he was sure. They’d already gorged themselves on his men and had all the time in the world to savor the final course. He laughed, clutching his chest. The world swam around him. Sometimes he saw the volcra in the dark. Sometimes it was the King’s men stretching and contorting as day turned to night.

Aleksander collapsed.

A hum grew in his gut the moment he touched the floor. Something deep within the cathedral answered it’s call. He recognized it, this power.

The making at the heart of the world.

It couldn’t be.

Aleksander had used up what little power was left in this holy ground when he created his living darkness. He was sure of it, and yet, the slightest speck remained, waiting for him. Aleksander reached for it. It would take a price from him, but so did everything else. Whatever it wanted was worth salvation.

The whole world was at stake.

“Give me what I asked of you,” he whispered, arm outstretched behind him. He had demanded an army and place only he could control. Instead, he received chaos. He would have his army now. “You owe me!” He shouted, and it was like a dam broke.

Pain crawled up his veins. His kefta felt too tight at his throat, but he hadn’t the strength to tug at it. He was emptying from the inside out, all that he was billowing out his mouth and from beneath his nails. He wanted to pull back before he faded into nothing, but birth was supposed to be exhausting. He had nothing to fear from the dark. In was the one thing that never failed him.

Wisps of shadows sputtered then clung to each other, forging bone from nothing. Arms stretched, claws bursting from incorporeal hands. More and more of these skeletons formed, their skin blurred like ink floating in water. They had no faces, no eyes, no ears. Nothing to distract them from their master’s command.

Save me, he ordered without words. His children heard him anyway. Wings busted from their backs as they took flight. The volcra swung at them, tearing Aleksander’s creatures. Their middles burst apart like loose graphite, but they came back together, safe and whole.

One of the creatures reared its head back, its face splitting to form a gapping hole. Rows upon rows of tiny fangs lined its throat, shredding the volcra as it forced its brother in merzost down its gullet.

Aleksander was not one for tears, but he wept openly. So beautiful. So devoted. Finally, he had the army he deserved. His children born of nothingness. His nichevo'ya.

The nichevo'ya make short work of the volcra. The ones they hadn’t devoured fled. His creatures made to follow, but Aleksander stopped them with a whistle. A child’s place was by their father’s side.

The nichevo'ya flocked to him, nuzzling into his side or licking at his wounds. The blood, he noted, was no longer red, but a gelatinous black. It would fade back to red in a few days, just like last time. For now, the goo had stopped his wounds, and that’s all that mattered.

Aleksander tried to sit up, but he was too weak. With a single thought, the creatures faded into the darkness, leaving only one. Aleksander’s limbs still felt unnaturally heavy, but at least he had the strength to throw an arm around his nichevo’s neck. “Carry me,” he commanded, and it obliged him without argument. If only all armies were so wise.

Ivan moaned in the distance. It wouldn’t do to leave him, not when Aleksander had a whole new arsenal at his disposal. He wished another nichevo into existence. The exertion made his head spin. No more until the left the Fold, he promised himself. Not until he got some rest. Some food. Full restitution.

“Him, too.” He told his creature. It roared, flying to the heartrender’s side. Ivan’s eyes widened as it landed. He struck weakly at its chest, but the nichevo scooped him up with ease.

“Enough,” Aleksander said, his tone leaving no room for arguments. To Ivan’s credit, he immediately went still. Not as obedient as Aleksander’s brood, but loyal all the same. “Stay that way if you want to live.”

Ivan shook the entire flight to Novokribirsk, never looking away from the creature that held him, but did as he was bid.

At the mouth of the fold, Aleksander had his nichevo set him down. His legs felt numb, and he stumbled as he breached the daylight. He longed to be carried again, but he didn’t know if his creations could survive outside their birthplace. The volcra couldn’t.

His knees caved before he got more than a few steps. The sand tasted dull in his mouth. It was tempting to lay there forever, but he forced himself to rise. He had things to do before he could visit his sun summoner. He’d decided to forgive her the way the flames forgave those dumb enough to touch it. The way Ravka forgave its saints. The way she forgave him.

He had all the time in the world to figure her penance.

His two creatures stood in the borderlands, awaiting his orders. With a glance over his shoulder, Alexander bade them to follow. They each stepped into the light of day. No smoke. No screeching in agony. They were good children. His soul made carnate.

His beautiful monsters.

[sassyduckqueen]

Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 54

And here's Startrain. Sorry it took a while to get it done. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long but I will be back at work now so things might be slow. Also the next chapter I have planned is Frozer. Yep, I'm finally doing it. Anyway I hope you guys like this chapter :D

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Chapter Fifty-Four: Startrain

~At Master Fu's~

 "Good work tonight, Luka," He stated as Luka handed him the fox miraculous and he put it back into the box. Luka yawned before stretching. "You have time for a little lesson yes?"

 "I do, Master," He replied, looking at him. "I'm just a little tired from the recent akumas,"

 "Understandable," He replied as he opened one of the compartments of the miracle box. He took out a pair of glasses, causing Luka to raise an eyebrow.

 "The Horse miraculous?" He asked, causing Master Fu to nod.

 "Yes, today you will be learning about it and it's powers," He stated as Luka listened. "But we will be doing this lesson slightly different,"

 "How so?" Luka asked, frowning a little as Fu placed the glasses down and closed the rest of the box, putting it back. Luka frowned as usually Master Fu have him recite what the kwami represented, what their miraculous was, what they power did and what their favorite food was and then he would allow Luka to wear the miraculous for an hour to talk with the kwami itself. "Am I not wearing the miraculous?"

 "You can wear the miraculous but I think we should try a new method with learning about the kwamis," He replied, making Luka frown a little before Master Fu held up his hands. "Not that I don't think you're learning. Quite the contrary, you are a very fast learner and an hour just doesn't seem to be enough..."

 He picked the glasses and placed them into Luka's hands, causing him to look at him in surprise.

 "Plus given recent circumstances... I think it would be best for you to hold on to the horse miraculous for a little bit,"

 "Wait you want me to look after it?!" He gasped, surprised before sighing as he looked down at the miraculous. If he recalled correctly, the horse miraculous gave the power of teleportation, which would be very useful if he needed to make a quick escape plus he has that school trip coming up. He had informed Master Fu about it but he figured he wouldn't be able to go but while he had a feeling that Master Fu was trying to help him, he also suspected it was also to help him if Issac came back into his life. "This is because of Issac isn't it?"

 "Partially, yes," Master Fu admitted, making Luka sigh and push his hand through his hair. "But I am also giving you a chance to go on this school trip. It might help with the stress of the situation..."

 "I'm not stressed," Luka stated before sighing. He knew he was lying. He sighed again before looking up at Master Fu. "Look, Issac hasn't come after me again and he probably won't..."

 Master Fu frowned and looked to the side, making Luka frown as well.

"You think he might try to kidnap me again,"

 "We don't know what he wants and just because he was chased away doesn't mean he won't come back," Master Fu replied, making Luka sigh. He knew Master Fu was right. He knew Issac wasn't one to quit no matter what happened. He knew that if he wanted to kidnap him, he will try again. No, it would be better for him not to have two miraculous on him and he probably should stay home from the school trip as well. Issac might try and use it to his advantage.

 "All the more reason for me not to have two miraculous on me!" He gasped but Master Fu shook his head.

 "Just imagine he tried to kidnap you again and succeed," He stated, making Luka frown. He didn't want to imagine that. "You could use the horse miraculous to escape and protect yourself if necessary. We both know you wouldn't transform into Anatis, meaning he could seriously hurt you,"

 Luka sighed and frowned as he knew Master Fu was also right about his point. If Issac did try to kidnap him again and succeed, he wouldn't necessarily have a way out but if he had the horse miraculous, he could transform and use it plus it was a chance to learn how to wield a second miraculous. 

 "Alright..." He sighed. "It has the power of teleportation right?"

 "Yes, you can use it to teleport back to Paris if there is an akuma," He explained, making Luka look at the glasses. It does mean he can go on the school trip. His class and Marinette's class are suppose to be doing a day trip to London in a couple of days time. He wanted to go but at the same time, he was unsure because of akumas. However, the horse miraculous would allow him to go since he could just teleport back. 

 "So... I can go?," He asked, causing Master Fu to nod. "Are you sure you're ok with it?"

"Luka, if I wasn't ok with it, I wouldn't suggest it," He replied, making Luka nod. "Besides, Anatis deserves to have a bit of fun just like all young people his age,"

 "Thank you, Master," Luka smiled before he put them on. A silver ball of light fluttered around him before turning into a small horse like kwami as they transformed into silver framed glasses that were oval in shape. She looked at him with an unimpressed look. "Um.. hi..."

 "You must be Master Luka," She stated, making him nod. "I am Kaalki, the kwami of teleportation,"

 "It's nice to meet you," He smiled, making her smile a little before she realized and huffed. "You'll be staying with me and Tikki for a couple of days so I can get use to your powers in case I ever need them,"

 "Well, of course, you would need them," She gasped as he stood up. "How else would you travel?"

 "Walking?" He asked, making her huff before he turned to Master Fu. "Master, should I transform now or wait until I actually need it?"

 "I would recommend transforming now then you can get a feel for the miraculous since it is different to what you usually use," Master Fu suggested, getting a nod of Luka before he turned to Kaalki.

 "What are your transformation words, please?" He asked, making her sigh a little before facing him.

 "It's Kaalki, full gallop to transform," She informed, making him nod. "And to detransform, it's Kaalki, dismount. To use my power, say voyage,"

 "Voyage, got it," He nodded before holding out his hand. "Kaalki! Full Gallop!"

 Kaalki disappeared into the glasses, turning them into sunglasses before a silver light, transforming him. His main suit was a very dark gray with cream patches, resembling the coat of an Appaloosa horse. He had brown leather straps on his legs and a matching belt, along with a zip that had a small horseshoe as the zipper. The belt bucket was also a horse shoe and his boots were dark gray with brown soles. He wore a cropped biker jacket that was a dark blue gray color and he wore sunglasses over his eyes. His hair was dark brown with blonde highlights and he had fingerless gloves on. He glanced down and looked over himself before reaching behind his back and taking the horse shoe off it. He examined it, discovering how to use it as a phone before putting it back. 

 "Is there anything else, Master?" He asked, causing Master Fu to shake his head. "Ok... I'll get going then. Voyage!"

 He held out his hand as he summoned his power, moving it in a circular motion as a glowing ring appeared around his hand before throwing it. It opened up, showing the Liberty on the other side. He stepped through and it closed behind him before he realized he was stood on the roof. He had been aiming for his room but apparently, he needed practice. He climbed down and through the portal, sliding in his room.

 "Kaalki, dismount," He stated, causing the transformation to drop. He caught Kaalki in his hand and smiled a little as she looked around. "This is my room,"

 "It's not too shabby," She replied, floating over to the posters and pictures on his wall. She pointed to one he had of him and Jagged. "Who is that?"

 "That's my father," He explained as Tikki floated over. He handed her a cookie despite not having used her transformation. "And that of my friends. That's Adrien, Kagami, Marinette, Chloe and Marc and that one is of my band. That's my sister Juleka. She plays bass and her girlfriend Rose... that's the small one... she's our lead singer and that big guy is Ivan. He's our drummer. They're also heroes. Juleka is Culpeo, Rose is Abeille and Ivan is Leatherback. Kagami and Adrien are heroes too. Ryuko and Aspik,"

 "And that girl?" She asked, pointing to Chloe. "She looks famous,"

 "I guess she kind of is," He replied, making Kaalki look at him. "She's an heiress and the daughter of Paris' mayor. Do you like fame?"

 "I like my holders to have a certain amount of renown," She explained, making him nod.

 "I get it," He replied, smiling a little. "Do you have a favorite food?"

 "I enjoy apples," She replied, making him nod before he left the room. She floated over to Tikki. "Your holder seems very kind,"

 "He is," She smiled as she nibbled her cookies. "I'm glad you're here with us though,"

 "It is unusual,"

 "Very but Luka has been having a hard time recently," Tikki replied, frowning. "He almost got kidnapped the other day and he's been having bad nightmares because of it. I'm worried that he'll get akumatized or that something bad will happen,"

 "Oh, Tikki, don't worry," Kaalki stated, hugging her. "I will help you protect him,"

 "Thank you, Kaalki," She smiled, hugging as Luka came back in with a small plate of apple slices.

 "It's a green apple if that's ok," He smiled, making Kaalki nod and fly over as he looked for something. He found a small pillow that he had found for Tikki before he got her a small bed. "You can sleep on here as well,"

 "Thank you," She smiled as he yawned. "If you tired you should go to sleep as well,"

 "Yeah, I have school in the morning," He yawned again, stretching before he walked over and turned on a lamp that changed colors. He got changed into his PJs and got into bed, turning out his normal lamp before curling up. "Good night, Tikki. Good night, Kaalki,"

 "Good night, Luka," 

 "Sweet dreams, young master," Kaalki stated, looking up. She couldn't but smile as she saw he had fallen asleep almost instantly. Tikki flew over and curled up next to him as Kaalki finished her apple slices. She decided to fly over and curl up next to him as well, closing her eyes as she did. 

 ~A Couple of Days Later~

 "I can't believe you actually decided to come to London," Juleka mumbled, grinning as they got off the bus and headed to the train station. She was certain that Luka would make an excuse as to why he couldn't go but she was glad he was coming by. Both of their classes were going with both Miss Bustier and Mrs Mendeleiev acting as supervisors for the trip. Luka chuckled and shrugged, making Juleka glare at him a little. "I bet you only came because Marinette would be there,"

 "No, I came along because my class is going and I actually want to see Big Ben," He gasped, going red a little as Juleka sniggered. "Marinette been there is an added bonus,"

 "Sure it is," She grinned, making him glare at her a little. "Bro, your death glare needs work,"

 "You are so mean to me," He gasped, making her laugh as they walked over to Rose, Ivan and Mylene. They began chatting as they waited for the others to turn up. Luka doubted that Adrien and Kagami would be able to come along but it would be nice for them too. He knew Marinette was going as she had been rambling on about it since the day they found it out it was happening. Felix wasn't going. Luka wasn't surprise. As he put it, if he wanted to go see Big Ben, he would have stayed in London. Unfortunately, Lila was going. Luka was annoyed to find out from Adrien that she had been hired by his father as his new model but he hoped that it would also keep her busy. He was pressing charges against her for sexual harassment but her family's lawyer was trying to convince him to go for a settlement. He sighed and shook his head as a white car pulled up. Marinette got out followed by Alya, Max and Markov, making him smile.

 "Luka!" She gasped, rushing over to him and hugging him. "I thought you weren't able to make it,"

 "My luck kicked in," He smiled, making her grin as Max and Alya walked over with Markov floating next to him.

 "Glad you could make it, Luka," Alya grinned. "Marinette's been pouty all morning,"

 "Alya!!" Marinette gasped, going bright red as Juleka smirked.

 "He's only coming because he gets to spend time with Marinette," She grinned, making him go bright red.

 "Jewel!" He gasped as everyone chuckled as a woman in a train conductor's uniform walked over and grinned, causing Luka to notice her. Her song reminded him off a rocket taking off or like a sci-fi film.

 "Young love eh?" She asked, causing both Luka and Marinette to turn an even bright shade of red, making her chuckle before shaking her head. "Ok, who wants a sneak peek at Star-train's operator cab?"

 "Yeah!" Everyone yelled and nodded excitedly including Kaalki, making Luka go a little pale as Mrs Kante chuckled at their excitement. He mentally thanked his luck that everyone had yelled at the same time so no one had heard her.

 "Thanks, Mrs Kante!" Alya grinned as she took out her phone. "This will make an awesome video for my astrology blog,"

 "You made another one?" Luka asked, surprised. Alya chuckled and nodded.

 "Of course," She grinned as Marinette shook her head, making Alya mock glare at her. "What? Life is so interesting,"

 "That it is," Ivan agreed as they all followed Mrs Kante, heading inside. Luka waved at Aurore and Mireille as he saw them stood by the platform, causing them to smile and wave back at him. He smiled before catching up with the rest of the group. He stopped and whistled lowly as he saw the train. He wasn't much of a fan of trains but he had to admit this one was impressive. It looked very sleek and reminded him of a bullet. He could imagine it would go extremely fast. Mrs Kante walked over to the conductor booth and pressed a button, opening the door and going inside before turning to the group as they followed her.

 "This is where the conductor sits," She explained, gesturing towards it as the children peered inside. She took a seat and placed her hand on a switch as the kids moved closer. "The operator must keep their hand on this switch throughout the whole journey between Paris and London. It's called the dead man's switch,"

 "And what would happen if you took your hand off it?" Mylene asked as Alya filmed the area. 

 "The train would come to a stop," Mrs Kante explained, smiling as she looked at them.

 "Even for a second?" Marinette asked, making her nod.

 "It's a safety switch," She explained, making them nod. "In case the operator feels faint for example,"

 "That's why I've always loved traveling with my mum by train," Max grinned, clearly proud. "Trains get from point A to B within the given time they are programmed and they are safe,"

 "Programming is the best," Markov chimed in, making everyone smile before Alya moved the camera onto Mrs Kante.

 "Have you always wanted to drive a train?" She asked, making her look at the camera. 

 "Well, I've always wanted to be a driver, yes," She explained, making them nod before she looked towards the sky. "But my true dream is to an astronaut!"

 "Well, that explained the rocket," Luka muttered to himself as she smiled up towards the sky. 

 "To drive a rocket around the universe!" She grinned excitedly before she turned to them again. "I decided to operate trains so I could be here while Max grew up. You see a space mission can take several months but I could never be away from my maxypoo that long,"

 She grinned as he hugged before gently pulling away and placing her hands on his shoulders.

 "But now my son is a young man," She grinned as Max turned to the others.

 "My mom has taken the exams to start her astronaut training," Max grinned, making them all nod impressed. Marinette gently clapped her hands together.

 "Oh that is amazing," She grinned as Max smiled.

 "I'm expecting the test results today," Mrs Kante replied, pressing her smart watch. Her face fell when the watch told her that she had no new emails but Max shook his head.

 "It's too early, mum," He stated, making her look at him. "The official documents said 11am! You'll get them during the train ride,"

 "If I pass, this trip will probably be my last," She explained, smiling. "Next time I drive, I'll be manning the controls of a space shuttle, taking the next space crew to the moon,"

 "You have an 89.7 % chance of passing," Max grinned but she looked down a little.

 "That still leaves a 10.3% chance of failing," She replied, frowning but Max shook his head as he smiled up at her.

 "I believe in you," He grinned, hugging her. "You're the best,"

 "I hope you do pass it, Mrs Kante," Luka smiled as Max pulled away from her. The others nodded as well, making her smile.

 "Mind if I take a picture of you for my blog?" Alya asked, causing her to nod and pose as she took it. "Thanks!"

 "No problem," She smiled back before looking at her watch. "You kids should be probably get to your seats though. We've been leaving soon,"

 "Ok," Marinette nodded as they began to leave the area. "Thanks for giving us a tour, Mrs Kante,"

 "Yeah, this will be great for my blog," Alya grinned as she stepped out. Rose shouted a thanks as Juleka mumbled before the group headed to the train car they would be in. They saw Ms Bustier and Mrs Mendeleiev waiting for them as they got closer before they started to head to their seats. Luka smiled and waved as he saw Chloe and Sabrina walking over. Sabrina grinned and waved back as Chloe gave him a soft smile before they walked over to Ms Bustier.

 "My father has paid for an upgrade to first class for me and Sabrina so we will be sat in there," She explained, making Miss Bustier blink but nod before the two girls got on the train and headed to first class. Luka shook his head a little but he was happy that Chloe had gotten Sabrina a first class seat as well. He went to step on the train but saw a woman struggling with a suitcase. She was clearly getting annoyed by it and let out an annoyed growl when she tripped and it fell open, spilling her things. Without a second thought, Luka rushed over to her and helped her put her things back in. 

 "Oh thank you," She gasped, closing the lid and trapping an akuma that had been targeting her in the suitcase. Neither her or Luka had noticed it. She zipped up her suitcase and Luka helped her get it on the train. "Would you mind helping me get it into the luggage area?"

 "Not at all," He smiled as they entered the first class area. Once she found her seat, he hoisted it up into the luggage area. "There,"

 "Oh thank you so much again," She smiled as he nodded before he headed back to the cart. Lila looked up at him as he walked by. She went to say something but apparently thought better and closed her mouth, huffing and crossing her arms. He frowned and headed to his seat next to Aurora, who was reading a book. She looked over at it and grinned a little.

 "Where did you disappear off to?" She asked as he put his rucksack in the luggage area, sitting down. The train began to move, leaving the station.

 "I was just helping a woman with a suitcase," He replied, glancing around. He had never been on a train like this before but what made him nervous was that Kaalki would suddenly float out. He had the glasses in his pocket, next to Tikki but Kaalki insisted on been in his bag where his scarf was. He figured it was because it was warm. He had also left an apple in there for her. He also had a back up plan in case Kaalki did decide to fly about. He was just gonna say that Anatis lent him a miraculous due to what his step father did. Aurora nodded before going back to her book. "What ya reading?"

 "Acting techniques," She replied, looking back at him. "You ok?"

 "Hmm? Oh yeah," He muttered, moving his hands and clicking them. "I just miss my guitar,"

 "Aww and you've been doing so well," She teased, making him frown a little before they both laughed. "So what's on your mind?"

 He rose an eyebrow before sighing. It's not like he could tell her that he was concerned about Kaalki getting over excited about the train. She had gotten excited when she saw cars and tried to fly out in public that morning. He had snatched her up and had to give her a talk about not floating off. Kaalki had been a bit sulky for the rest of the day but she understood. 

 "I'm just nervous about riding this train," He lied, rubbing the back of his neck as he frowned a little. He didn't want to lie ab. "It's not like I'm frightened or anything but I've never been on a train like this before and while it's really cool, I guess I'm just... you know..."

 "Hmm... I think it's more then that," Aurora stated, making him look at her with surprise. "But don't worry. If that asshole tries any funny business, I'll kick his ass,"

 "Asshole?" He asked before realizing. "Oh... him... I don't think he'll try anything on a train full of people but... I guess I didn't think he would try to kidnap me either..."

 "Like I said, I'll kick his butt," Aurora grinned, making him smile a little before her expression went a little serious. "But you know it's ok to be afraid right? I mean I would have been terrified,"

 "I was.." He admitted, frowning as he looked at his hand. "But he hasn't tried again so hopefully I'm safe..."

 Aurora nodded as small little boxes appeared out of the seats and moved over to people. Luka rose an eyebrow as he looked at them.

 "Would you like a beverage?" It asked in a female voice, making Aurora smile.

 "I'll take an orange juice please," She stated before looking at him. "Want a drink, Luka?"

 "Um... sure," He muttered, looking towards the bot. "I'll have an orange juice as well please,"

 "Enjoy," The bot stated as two cups appeared out of it. Luka grabbed them and passed one to Aurora before they took a drink. He glanced around, noticing how everyone was. Marc was sat next to Nathaniel, who was drawing him. Rose and Juleka were sat next to each. Rose had her head in Juleka's lap as she napped. Same with Mylene and Ivan. Marinette was sat with Alya while Adrien, who manages to get on the trip, was sat playing a game with Nino. Mireille was sat in front of them, talking to Kagami who had also gotten on the trip. Jean was curled up next to Lila, who was frowning to herself. Mrs Mendeleiev was sat next to Miss Buster. Both were reading. Luka yawned as he looked around, causing Aurora to laugh. 

 "Tired huh?" She asked as he stretched.

 "Just a little," He replied, sipping his drink as Alya got up and walked over to them. "Hey,"

 "Sorry, Luka but could we swap seats? I want Aurora's opinion on my blog," She grinned, making him nod. He got up and grabbed his bag before moving over to Alya's seat. Marinette was leaning against the seat. He looked up at the luggage area and frowned a little as he saw there was no room for his bag on it. He sighed before carefully moving past Marinette and sitting down, placing his bag on his lap as he unzipped it. Kaalki looked up at him as he reached in to grab his iPod. He nodded his head, hinting for Kaalki to move out of the bag. She phased through it and hid herself in his jacket as he zipped up his bag and put it on the floor. He put his earphones in and pressed play, listening to Jagged's latest demo. Marinette shifted and moved her head, causing it to lean against his shoulder. He blinked and looked down at her before smiling to himself and resting his head against hers, closing his eyes as he did. Alya grinned as she saw them before tapping Mylene, causing her to look.

 "Aww," She whispered before turning to Rose. "Rose,"

 Rose looked up before noticing them and had to hold back a squeal of delight. 

 "Juleka, look," She gasped, causing the goth girl to look up from her book. She smiled as she looked over at them.

 "Awesome," She grinned as Alya leaned over and tilted Alix's head so she could see them. Mireille smiled softly as Kagami also gave a small smile. Aurora grinned and turned to Alya as Marc smiled towards them.

 "You moved on purpose, didn't you?" She asked, making Alya grin before she nodded. "Good call,"

 "They are adorable together," Alya grinned, making almost everyone nod. However, Lila glared towards them. She got up and walked over, going to wake them up but before she could, Alya moved over. "Need something, Lila?"

 "Oh, I get motion sickness and I know Marinette and Luka always seem to have a solution so-" She gasped, noticing Juleka glaring at her. Her nose ached, despite the injury been healed. She subconsciously touched it as the phantom pain began to disappear.

 "I get it but they're both asleep right now," Alya stared, giving her a look that dared her to do something. Lila frowned a little before sighing.

 "I guess I'll just have to suffer then," She stated, hoping to guilt-trip her. Alya frowned a little, making Lila mentally smirk as it began to work. However, it didn't last long.

 "Then suffer quietly and away from my brother," Juleka hissed, surprising her. She really would have to tear her down and make her wish she hadn't gotten in her way at some point. Instead, she just gave her a fake smile and returned to her seat, scowling when she thought no one was looking. She would win against Marinette at some point. It might be a bit hard with Juleka now on her side but she would destroy Marinette and Luka will be hers. 

 ~Meanwhile in First Class~

 "Oh, this is so nice, Chloe," Sabrina gasped as they rested in reclined seats. "Thank you for letting me join you,"

 "Don't mention it, Sabrina," Chloe sighed, shaking her head but she had a small smile on her lips. Sabrina smiled back before looking around as Mrs Kante announced that they would be going under the channel in the next few minutes. She noticed the woman who Luka had helped struggling to get her suitcase down so she got up and walked over to her. 

 "Would you like a hand, Madam?" She asked, making the woman look at her.

 "Oh, yes please," She smiled before the two of them got the suitcase down. "Thank you so much. I've been having such a tough day today but you and that nice young man have been really helpful and cheered me up. It's good to know that there are people who help others,"

 "It's ok, Madam," She smiled as the woman opened up her suitcase. As soon as she did, the akuma flew out, causing her and Sabrina to jump back and yell out in surprise, causing the rest of the passengers to panic. Chloe instantly jumped up as it fluttered around, unsure of who to go to.

 "Calm down, everyone!" She declared, getting their attention. "Ok, whatever you do, don't panic. Now, t"here is an akuma and it will be attracted to anyone is panicky, scared, hurt or upset so take a deep breathe and keep calm,"

 The akuma began to flutter towards one of the other passenger, causing Chloe to grab an empty cup and slam it over it.

 "I don't think so!" She declared before looking up. "Everyone, get out of this car right now!"

 As soon as she said that, everyone ran out and she followed, pressing the button on the door to lock it inside. She knew it would be best not to hold the cup she had trapped in it as it might possess her and she did not want Hawkmoth in her head again but she also knew that the cup wouldn't hold it so trapping it inside that car should help keep it away from people until Anatis somehow got here. She took out her phone and went onto the akuma app, posting their location on it before logging onto the ladyblog and doing the same. 

 "Are you sure it's really an akuma?" One of the passengers answered as his girlfriend held onto his jacket. Chloe rolled her eyes a little. "It looks like a harmless butterfly,"

 "That's what makes them so dangerous!" Sabrina gasped, making them look at her. "And it's definitely an akuma... trust me,"

 The door to the bathroom suddenly opened, causing Kim to step out in his swimming outfit. Chloe and Sabrina looked at him in surprise as he grinned at them.

 "Hey, Chloe. Hey Sabrina," He grinned as they looked at him.

 "What are you doing in your swimming trunks?" Chloe asked, unsure if she wanted to know.

 "Well, we're about to go under the sea," He stated, making Chloe shake her head and Sabrina giggle. "I thought you two were in first class anyway. What are you doing out here?"

 "Oh, there's an akuma," Chloe stated, making Kim gasp. "I trapped it in the first class car and alerted the akuma app and Ladyblog. Anyway, let's move back into the other car. We need to make room for Anatis and Lady Noir,"

 Everyone nodded and moved into the second class cart, causing the class to look up in surprise as Chloe walked in with Kim and Sabrina.

 "I'm scared, Jean-Pierre," A woman gasped as she held onto him. She was stood next to Marinette and Luka's seat. Jean-Pierre frowned and moved his arm around her in a protective manner.

 "Don't worry, Nicole," He stated as Marinette's phone vibrated, waking her up. "If there was a real akuma, there would be a super villain on the train already,"

 She frowned as she listened to them before glancing at her phone, seeing an akuma alert but she couldn't move right now as it would reveal to everyone that she was Lady Noir. She frowned again as she heard a little kid ask their father if Anatis would come but his father said no as they was no real akuma. She glanced up and noticed she was leaning against Luka, causing her face to heat up a little. He was asleep and looked really peaceful so she smiled and closed her eyes, resting against him but she didn't go back to sleep. Instead, she kept listening in case it really was an akuma. 

 "It really is an akuma!" One of the other passengers gasped as Chloe frowned. "I saw it! It was dark and purple!"

 "It's definitely an akuma," Simon the magician gasped, causing everyone to look at him. "I should know. I was akumatized once myself,"

 "There's zero risk to anyone now anyway, Sabrina gasped, making people look at her. "Chloe managed to trap it in that car and no one else is in there. As long as we all remain calm, we'll be fine and I'm sure Anatis will be here soon,"

 Alya and Nino got up and went back to the car to glance inside as Rose, Juleka and Ivan looked alert. Kagami and Adrien glanced over at each other before Kagami got up and moved over to Chloe. The rest of the students looked at each other in concern. 

 "You activated the app, didn't you?" She asked, making Chloe nod.

 "I also post it on the Ladyblog," She replied as Alya and Nino came back.

 "Are you sure it was an akuma?" Alya asked, making Chloe frown but she nodded never the less. "Strange. I couldn't see anything in that room,"

 "Maybe it fluttered away?" Adrien suggested, making everyone frown. "Like through the vents?"

 "Then we best all stay calm," Alya replied but the moment the words left her mouth, the signature purple smog spreaded across the seats and car, transforming it. "What the?!"

 "Ladies and gentlemen! I am Startrain!" The voice-over declared, causing Luka and Marinette to jolt awake. "You all get to live my dream with me. Shoot off the rails and fly off in a rocket to explore not just the moon but the whole universe!"

 "Mom?!" Max gasped, feeling panicked as he realized it was her voice.

 "Fasten your seat-belts!" She declared, making everyone look scared as the train began to lift up. "We have lift off!!"

 The passengers suddenly all felt back as the train took off and flew into the sky, causing everyone to feel pressure against them. Luka managed to grab Marinette's hand as it did. Marc gasped and held onto Nathaniel. Adrien pulled Kagami onto his lap as she felt back. Lila looked like she was able to be sick as she actually got motion sickness. Kim caught Chloe and Sabrina before they fell and the other passengers held onto the seat handles. The pressure disappeared as they broke through the atmosphere before zero gravity kicked in, causing everyone to float. Almost instantly, everyone began to panic as they saw the literal darkness of space outside the window. One woman was crying about lack of oxygen and Miss Bustier looked pale. Luka frowned before pushing himself forward as Alya looked around panicked.

 "I don't think Anatis or Lady Noir are going to be able make it up here to save us," She gasped, gripping to her phone.

 "Max, it's your mum right?" Luka asked, making him nod as he looked like he was able to have a panic attack. "Why don't we try and talk to her? We should be able to convince her to land the train,"

 "O-Ok," He gasped as he pushed himself forward, along with Markov. Luka followed him, causing Chloe, Rose, Juleka, Kagami, Marinette, Ivan and Adrien to follow. Max took a deep breathe as he reached a speaker. "Mom!"

 "Max!" She gasped back. "You see this?! I'm Startrain!"

 "Mom, you have to take us back down to earth!" He gasped, sounding more panicked. Luka frowned as his music seemed jumpy and afraid but he could understand why. It had been awful seeing his mother be akumatized so he imagined Max felt the same. He gently placed his hand on his shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. Max shot a nervous one back before turning back to the speaker. "You can go in space once you've passed the exam!"

 "Why?" She asked, making everyone frown. "Now I have a 100% chance of travelling the universe and I get to bring you with me! Isn't this fantastic?"

 "She isn't listening to me!" He gasped, looking close to tears. "Oh god... what do I do?"

 "Max, take a deep breathe and keep calm," Luka stated, rubbing his back before turning to the others. "We need to get to the operator's cabin to take control of the train. Maybe then we can drive it back home,"

 "You know how to drive a train?" Juleka asked, frowning as Rose tapped her chin.

 "Luka, how do we face Startrain?" Ivan asked, making the others nod. "None of us have any super powers,"

 "Ivan is right," Adrien added in, frowning as Luka thought about it. "We don't stand a chance,"

 "We might not have super powers but we do have some pretty awesome skills," Luka stated, making everyone look at him. "Plus we have two other things on our side,"

 "And what is that?" Kagami asked, crossing her arms.

 "The element of surprise and the fact that there is a lot of us," He stated, getting a nod of them. He pushed himself forward and opened the door, causing the others to follow as Marinette held back. Luka looked down at her before taking out his phone and dropping her a text. Somehow, they still had a signal but he figured it was down to Startrain's powers.

 L: Hey, don't worry if you can't follow. Just look after yourself and try not to be afraid. xx

 M: Thanks, Lu. I'm just gonna stay back here and try to not to freak out. I'm not great with flying. Be careful as well xx

 L: I will and you take care as well. We'll be back on earth before you can say Miraculous Ladybugs ;P

 He put his phone away before moving farther up the car.

 "Oh where do you think you're going?" Startrain suddenly stated, causing Luka to frown as the train suddenly jolted and began to weave, causing them to fall back. "Don't you want to sit back and relax?!"

 He grabbed onto a seat as everyone else fell back through the door and it slammed close. He looked down and frowned, noticing he was the only one left in the car. 

 "I don't want anyone to get hurt," Startrain declared as he pulled himself through the car and out of the other doors. "So sit back and enjoy the view,"

 He frowned as he slipped into the toilet before Kaalki and Tikki flew out.

 "No peace for Anatis huh?" He sighed, going to swipe his ears.

 "Maybe you should transform into Appalo and teleport the train back," Kaalki suggested, making him shake his head. "Why not?"

 "If I teleport the train back, Startrain will just take off again," He explained, making her pout before she nodded. "You're gonna have to go in your miraculous for a little bit as well. We don't know if Startrain is connected to Hawkmoth yet and I don't want him to realize I have more then one miraculous on me straight away,"

 "Very well, Master Luka," Kaalki replied as he took out the glasses. She disappeared back into them, charging them up before he put them back in his pocket and turned to Tikki.

 "Alright, time to stop Startrain," He declared before swiping his ears. "Tikki, spots on!"

 He transformed before exiting out of the bathroom. As soon as he did, he ran straight into Lady Noir, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

 "Annie?!" She grinned before frowning. "But... how did you get here?"

 "Teleportation," He explained, making her nod. "Courtesy of the horse miraculous. And you?"

 "Oh... um..." She gasped, pointing her fore fingers together. "I was already onboard..."

 "Hmm... well, we best keep that to ourselves," He smiled, giving her a wink. "We better stop Startrain,"

 "She has a lot of people on the train with her," Lady Noir stated, causing him to nod before heading towards them. She followed. "Should we use the horse miraculous to teleport the train back to earth?"

 "Not yet. Startrain will just take off again if we do it too soon," He replied, making her nod. "We need to defeat the akuma first,"

 "If we do it here in space, we'll all freeze and won't have any air to breathe,"

 "I thought about that too," He replied as they moved closer to the door. "We'll need to teleport at the same time as capturing the akuma but before we can do that, we need to reach her first but let's make sure no one is panicking first. The last thing we need is freaked out passengers,"

 "Ok," Lady Noir replied as they moved through the door and into the car where everyone was. As soon as the passengers saw them, they all let out sighs of relief. "Is everyone ok?"

 "We're alright," Adrien gasped as Rose held Max, who was trying to remain calm. "But it's Max's mother. She got akumatized and he's not taking it well,"

 "Don't worry. We'll save her," Anatis stated before turning to Mrs Mendeleiev and Miss Bustier. "Can you lead everyone to the back of the train so they don't get hurt?"

 "Of course, Anatis," Mrs Mendeleiev stated before clapping her hands. "Students! Follow me!"

 The class followed as Anatis and Lady Noir went to leave the car but the doors slammed shut, locking themselves. Lady Noir moved over and tried to open them but frowned when they didn't budge. She looked over at Anatis as he moved closer.

 "Reinforced plexiglass," She declared, making him frown. "Unbreakable... well apart from my cat-"

 "Not yet!" He gasped, taking her wrist and making her look at him. "Save it for when we face Startrain,"

 "Ok but how do we unlock the doors?" She asked as he looked around before his luck vision highlighted Markov.

 "Markov!" He shouted, getting the little bot's attention. It floated over to him. "Are you able to unlock the door?"

 "Of course, Anatis," He replied as Lady Noir opened the panel next to the door. He connected to it and hacked into it, opening it as Startrain warned them to give up or she fly them close the sun. "There we go,"

 "Good job," Anatis smiled before glancing around. He looked back at Markov. "We're gonna need you to come with us,"

 "Of course, Anatis but Max won't want to leave me,"

 "Max is in no state to face against his mother," Lady Noir stated. "And we need someone to wield the horse miraculous and help protect Markov,"

 Anatis frowned to himself before he took out his yoyo. He knew Lady Noir was right. They did need someone to wear the horse miraculous and while he would love to give it to Markov, he wasn't sure if it would work. He scrolled down til he came across Chloe's number, pressing it to ring. She answered straight away.

 "Hello?"

 "Chloe, it's Anatis. Come back to the car we're in," He stated, making her gasp before hanging up, causing Lady Noir to raise an eyebrow. "What?"

 "How did you get Chloe's number?"

 "She gave it to me when I had that talk with her," He explained, shrugging as Chloe came back through and floated over to them. "We're gonna need to move through the cars but we need someone to help Markov open the doors as we protect him from Startrain. You in?"

 "I will not let you down!" She grinned, following them through to the next car. Chloe glanced around as she frowned. "This seems to easy,"

 As soon as she said that the doors slammed close, causing Anatis frowned as Lady Noir looked around. 

 "What was that?" She asked, holding her baton ready. Anatis frowned a little more and shook his head.

 "I don't know but we should be prepared for anything," He stated before throwing his yoyo up into the air. "Lucky charm!!"

 The magic ladybugs summoned a hard police man's hat. Anatis grabbed it and glanced around in his luck vision but nothing lit up yet. He frowned to himself and hooked it on his belt before turning to the two girls.

 "I can't find-" He started but he was interrupted by the hot air been blown into the car. It was strong enough to push them back. Lady Noir used her baton to stop them from falling and grabbed Anatis' hand as he wrapped his arm around Chloe's waist to stop her from falling as well. She grabbed hold of Markov as they began to pull themselves across the chairs until they came to the door. Lady Noir pried open the panel, allowing Chloe move from Anatis and place Markov against the inside. He began to work on it as the room continued to heat up.

 "Miss Bourgeois, my circuits are overheating," He gasped as the screen began to turn red and glitch out. Chloe frowned deeply as she looked at Anatis and Lady Noir, who were sweating. 

 "What do I do?!" She gasped, panicking. "He's having a melt down!"

 "He's has to finish the job, Chloe," Anatis gasped as sweat dripped down his brow before he made a face as he thought. "We need to cool him down! Otherwise, we're gonna be toasted inside this car!"

 Chloe frowned at that before she glanced around, along with Lady Noir and Anatis. She noticed a bottle of water and grabbed it before pointing to it. Anatis looked over and gave her a thumbs up. She moved back over to Marvok and unscrewed the bottle, pouring the water over him. He began to cool down and began to work on opening the door.

 "Good thinking, Chloe," Lady Noir smiled, despite the heat. Chloe smiled before the door clicked and opened. The three of them quickly existed the room and took a gulp of cool air. Lady Noir let out a gasp of relief. "Whoa! We almost got cooked in there,"

 "Everyone ok?" Anatis asked, getting a nod of the girls. "Alright, next car,"

 He floated over to the door and peered inside. Nothing seemed to be happening yet, making him frown. Suddenly, ice crept across the doors, making him move back in surprise. He frowned and turned to them as Chloe gently patted Markov on the head.

 "Markov, can you check the oxygen level in the next car please?" He asked, causing Markov to float over to him and press his claw against a computer screen. The oxygen level appeared on his screen but was decreasing.

 "It's decreasing quickly,"

 "Startrain is creating a void," Anatis muttered, making Chloe and Lady Noir frown before he glanced up at them. "The temperature will soon reach absolute zero. We'll be ok since our suits will protect us and we can also hold our breath for much longer than a normal human but..."

 "Chloe won't be able to!" Lady Noir gasped, making Chloe frown. "She won't be able to withstand those temperatures without superpowers,"

 "I guess that means I should head back to the back of the train..." She sighed, looking down as Anatis pulled a face before he pressed open his yoyo and reached inside. Chloe turned around to head back to the back of the train as he did but he stopped her, making her look at him in surprise. Lady Noir looked at him as he took out a small box, making her raise an eyebrow.

 "Are you sure?" She asked, making him nod.

 "We need someone to teleport the train," He replied, glancing at Chloe who looked confused. "Besides, she's proven herself so far..."

 "Alright," Lady Noir nodded, causing Anatis to turn to Chloe and hold out the box. Her eyes widen in shock as she realized what was inside.

 "Chloe Bourgeois, this is the miraculous of the horse that grants the power of teleportation. You will use it for the greater good," He declared, making her blink and stare at him. Slowly, she took the box in her hand. "Once the mission is done, you will return the miraculous to me. Can I trust you?"

 "Y-You trust me to let me use this?" She asked with tears in her eyes. Anatis gave her a soft smile and nodded. "Then you can count on me, Anatis! I won't let you down!!"

 She opened the box, causing a silver light to manifest and move around before Kaalki appeared.

 "And to whom do I have the honor of speaking?" She asked as Chloe stared at her. She looked like she was about to fangirl over her before she shook her head.

 "I'm Chloe Bourgeois," She stated, causing Kaalki to look at Anatis.

 "Who are you talking to?" Markov asked, creating question marks in his eyes. Lady Noir rose an eyebrow as Kaalki sighed.

 "Technology can't see kwamis, meaning your robot friend can't see me," She explained, making them all nod before she looked back at Anatis again. "You took my choice into account,"

 "She's the right choice for the job," He replied, shrugging before turning to the two girls. "We're going to the last car, to the door to the driver's cab. That's where Startrain is. Once we get there, we'll have to deal with Startrain. I'll engage her and keep her distracted. Lady Noir, while I do that, use your cataclysm to destroy the akumatized object. I suspect it will probably be the dead man's switch and then that's where you'll come in, Chloe. Once Lady Noir has released the akuma, you need to use the power Voyage to teleport the train back to earth. Once that is done, I can use the cure to fix everything,"

 "Got it!" Chloe declared, giving Anatis a salute.

 "All you've gotta say is 'Kaalki, Full Gallop!'" Kaalki explained as Chloe took out the glasses and put them on. "To detransform it's Kaalki, Dismount,"

 "Got it.... Kaalki! Full Gallop!" She declared, causing Kaalki to get sucked into the glasses, charging them up. Chloe lifted her head up as they glowed silver before turning into speed goggles. A silver light spreaded up from her feet, creating her base outfit which was a dark gray that faded into a light gray. She had a white patch around her chest and stomach as well. Her gloves were fingerless and her boots just came up to below the knee. Silver wings appeared on the side of her boots and glowing silver bands appeared on her arms and legs, creating leather belts with green spots on them before a brown belt appeared around her waist, creating a horse shoe as a belt buckle. She tilted her head back as her hair glowed silver. It turned a platinum blonde in color and she now sported a braided ponytail. Finally, a horse shoe appeared on her back, completing the look. She glanced over herself, grinning as she did before turning to Anatis and Lady Noir. "Alright! Let's do this!"

 "I have to warn you," Anatis stated, making Chloe look at him. "No one but me and Lady Noir must know your identity this time. If you tell anyone, you lose the right to use a miraculous permanently ok?"

 "Don't worry, Anatis. I've learnt my lesson," She replied modestly, making him nod. "If anyone sees me like this and asks my name, I'll just tell them to call me Valkyrie,"

 "Valkyrie, I like it," He smiled, making her grin back back. "Ok, let's get to Startrain. Deep breathes everyone,"

 The three of them took a deep breath before the door opened and they floated inside of the car as Startrain spoke to them.

 "I was expecting you, my dear super passagers," She declared, making Anatis frown. She sounded like a typical bond villain. The four of them pushed forward as she continued to talk. "You wouldn't stop me my galactic dream! I shall conquer the universe!"

 They ignored her and kept moving until they reached the next door. Lady Noir opened the panel as Anatis gasped around in his luck vision again. Nothing lit up, making him frown as Markov began to work on opening the door. Valkyrie glanced around as Startrain spoke again.

 "My little drones!" She called, causing the little boxes to appear from under the seats and rise into the air. "Attack!"

 They began to shoot lasers at them and Markov, causing Lady Noir and Valkyrie to dive out of the way as Anatis moved in front of Markov. He spun his yoyo as a shield, blocking the lasers as Valkyrie threw her horse shoes, taking out six drones. Lady Noir took out another three as Valkyrie blocked the shoots. As the two of them fought the drones, Markov kept working but the room grew too cold and he began to freeze, causing him to call out to Anatis. He looked behind him and saw Markov was frozen. Frowning to himself, he glanced around in his luck vision, causing some hand warmers to be lit up and then the policeman's hat. He grabbed them and used his mouth to break them before placing them into the hat. Once filled, he grabbed it and placed it around Markov as Valkyrie and Lady Noir continued to fight the drones. Valkyrie jumped onto a seat and used it to push her forward, throwing her horse shoe again and hitting a number of drones as it came towards Lady Noir. She hit it with her baton, causing it to go back and hit more of the drones before Valkyrie caught it. The remaining drones exploded, causing the girls to grin in victory before turning back to Anatis. He gave them a smile as he held the police hat over Markov while inside the hat, Markov began to warm up. His screen came back on and he narrowed his eyes as the ice began to melt. As soon as it was melted around him and the panel, he began to continue to work on opening the door. It opened, causing Anatis to let go of the hat as the girls moved over. He grabbed it and hooked it onto his belt as Valkyrie moved through the door, followed by Markov and Lady Noir. Anatis followed, causing the doors to close behind him. Lady Noir jumped over to Startrain as he threw his yoyo, wrapping it around her and trapping her.

 "Cataclysm!" She yelled as she jumped over her and slammed her hand onto the dead man's switch, causing it to break.

 "Valkyrie! Now!" Anatis shouted, causing Valkyrie to nod.

 "Voyage!" She shouted, moving her a hand in a circle as she created a glowing ring before it wrapped around her wrist. She threw it forward, opening a portal to London as the train continued to flight forward. It went through the portal as Startrain turned back to Mrs Kante and the train went back to normal as the akuma escaped from the damaged switch.

 "Hold onto something!" Anatis shouted as they headed straight for Big Ben. Valkyrie grabbed onto the seat that Mrs Kante was secured in but Anatis and Lady Noir fell forward as the train crashed through Big Ben. Anatis fell against the glass and Lady Noir fell into him, causing her to gasp and grin at him. "Everyone ok?!"

 "I'm good!" Lady Noir grinned as the akuma fluttered around.

 "I'm good as well," Valkyrie stated as Mrs Kante nodded. Though she was speechless from the fact that the paris heroes were literally stood right in front of her. "Though I think I got the location slightly wrong. I was aiming for London train station,"

 "Well, I heard your class were suppose to be visiting Big Ben so I guess this counts," Anatis smiled as he threw the yoyo and caught the akuma before he moved and grabbed the police hat. He toss it up in the air as best he could. "Miraculous ladybugs!"

 It burst into the magical swarm and wrapped around the train, removing it from Big Ben before it carried it across the sea and placed it back in the train station in Paris while fixing any other damage done, including moving the heroes so they weren't stuck against the glasses before disappearing. With everything fixed and the akuma defeated, Anatis, Lady Noir and Valkyrie jumped up, landing onto the roof of the train station before Anatis pressed open his yoyo and let the purified butterfly fly off.

 "Kaalki, Dismount," Valkyrie declared, turning back into Chloe. Without hesitation, she took off the glasses and handed them back to Anatis. He put them back into the little box and placed them back into the yoyo. "Thank you for trusting me, Anatis,"

 "You did a great job today, Chloe," He stated, making a light blush came over her cheeks. "I'm proud of how far you've come and you should be proud of yourself as well. I hope you keep on this path,"

 "I will, Anatis! I swear!" She gasped, suddenly hugging him. He stumbled back a little bit as he didn't expect it but returned the hug never the less before she pulled away. Lady Noir grinned and held out her fist, causing Anatis to add his before Chloe looked up at him in surprise. He smiled and nodded towards their hands, causing her to gasp before adding her fist next to theirs.

 "Pound it!" The three of them declared together before Anatis' miraculous began to beep.

 "Sorry, Ladies, I have to be off," He smiled before he headed to the side of the building. He turned back round and saluted them before diving off the edge of the building and swinging off. Lady Noir let out a sigh before turning to Chloe.

 "Need a lift?" She asked, making her nod. She picked her up and jumped down to a part of the platform where no one was around before jumping away herself. Chloe smiled to herself before running back to the train, just as Miss Bustier clapped her hands to get the student's attention. Mrs Mendeleiev was stood next to her. The two of them told the students to get back on the train to return to London. She cleared her throat as Marinette ran back over as Luka also came running over. Chloe rolled her eyes playfully before hooking her arm with Sabrina.

 "Let's go back to First class," She grinned, making the small girl smile happily. Marinette smiled to herself as Luka came over to her. 

 "She's came really far," He stated, making her look up at him as she nodded before they both noticed Mrs Kante stood by the train, looking ashamed before she looked to the side and pressed her smart watch, just as Max rushed over to her.

 "Mom!" He gasped as she looked at her watch before looking up at him with a shocked expression. "Are you ok?"

 "I passed..." She stated before smiling. "Max! I did it! I passed!"

 "I knew you would!" He declared, hugging her. Luka smiled before Marinette poked him.

 "Want to sit back next to me?" She asked, making him smile. "I'll try not to fall asleep on you this time?"

 "I didn't mind," He admitted, blushing a little as Marinette smiled shyly. "You were tired and I was tired too so it was ok,"

 "Well, you are very comfortable," She smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear before she took his hand. The two of them walked back onto the train and headed to their seats. Luka put his bag, containing Tikki and Kaalki onto the luggage area before sitting down next to Marinette. Alya grinned and gave the two of them a thumbs up as she sat next to Aurora, who was also grinning. Marinette smiled a little before leaning against Luka. He rested his head on top of hers and moved his arm around her shoulder as they both closed their eyes. A small smile came onto his face as the train began to move again, taking to them to London.

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

Next Chapter: Coming soon

[peterxwade24]

Safety Found in Red Sleeves

Chapter 4

Before we get into the meat of the chapter, I need everyone to remember that usually, I love Bruce as a dad. However, this fic paints him in a different light. If you don’t want to see Bruce painted as a bad dad, you can turn back after you read the first 2500 words of this fic (which is almost 4000 words long).

Mẹ is, possibly, Vietnamese for mom/mother/mama (or at least that’s what Google translate is telling me).

However, without further adieu, let’s get on with the story.

Thana looked around, her breath coming out in harsh bursts that sounded in the dark alleyway. She ran a hair through her dark red hair, freezing when there was more hair than she remembered their being. She heard a familiar high, sharp laugh that sent her into a panic. She looked around, trying to find Jay-Jay.

Thana paused, trying to remember when the last time she had to worry about where Jay-Jay was, before he was taken in by Bruce Wayne. She turned and saw her father's red hair out of the corner of her eye.

She bolted, tearing through streets that seemed darker and scarier with every step. She felt tears start streaming down her face, causing her to miss the turn to Uncle Ozzy's establishment.

She stumbled into an abandoned warehouse, seeing Jay-Jay tied to a chair with blood taking the same path down his face that tears were taking down hers.

"Jay-Jay?"

"Pixie?!" Jay-Jay gasped out. "Run!"

Thana turned around to watch Jervis Tetch close the door with a maniacal smile on his face.

"Looks like I not only caught Alice's white rabbit, but also Alice herself." Jervis' face split into a sinister smile as he walked towards the duo, swinging a crowbar around.

*-*-*-*-*-*

Thana gasped awake, her ribs throbbing in a manner similar to the way her ribs throbbed in her dream. She frantically scrambled to uncover herself, immensely grateful that her room was the highest one in the building.

Thana grabbed her phone off of the charger and unlocked it quickly. She scrolled through her contacts before landing on Kim's.

She worried her lip as she listened to her phone ring. She was about to hang up when she heard it connect.

"Mèo con?" Kim's voice sounded over the phone. "What time is it?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I just, he had me and Jay-Jay. He had me and Jay-Jay and he was hurting us."

“Mèo con. Listen to me. He can’t get you, I will not let him get you. Do you want me to come over?” Kim’s voice grew clearer with every word, his dedication to his friend shining through.

“Would it be okay if I came over?” Thana’s voice was quiet and hesitant, a tone she hadn’t used in a long time.

Kim let out a yawn. “You know my Mẹ loves you and will let you in whenever you need us.”

---

Thana and Kim walked into school that day in matching hoodies, however Thana’s still had the full sleeves while Kim’s had the sleeves shortened. Kim wore baggy black jeans paired with white sneakers while Thana wore ripped black jeans and white sneakers.

In the few years that Kim had known Thana, they had dressed similarly on several occasions. The two looked almost like siblings on a good day and on a bad day Thana looked like a mini female Kim. Today happened to be a good day, where the duo just looked like fraternal twins.

Thana sat beside Kim, on the inside beside the window while Kim sat on the aisle. Nino and Chloé sat in front of them while Sabrina and Adrien sat in front of them. Juleka and Rose sat behind Kim and Thana and across the aisle from Ivan and Max. Nathaniel, Alix and Mylene sat in front of them leaving a desk between them and Alya and Lila.

Chloé in a surprising, to some in the class, move showed up that day in cuffed ripped denim jeans paired with a yellow mock neck turtleneck shirt, black boots, a black belt and a puffy red cardigan. Nino, unsurprisingly to everyone but Alya and Lila, showed up that day in cuffed slightly distressed blue jeans, a red striped shirt, white sneakers and a black beanie.

Alya and Lila, being the two most unused to the four’s odd dynamic, simply stared before turning back to one another.

“So, anyways, like I was saying.” Lila continued. She’d decided to come to school dressed in an orange ruched long sleeved dress with a pair of nude heels. “Jason Todd is like my best friend. He came to me and wanted to know if I thought he should forgive Bruce, oh I mean Mr. Wayne, for what he did.”

Thana glared at Lila, her gray blue eyes going cold (and looking far too much like her father’s eyes) before she slammed her hands down on the desk. “Jason Todd is your best friend? Funny, I don’t remember you being there when we were freezing our asses off in the dark alleys of Gotham. Funny, I don’t remember you being there when I had to stitch him up because he got the shit beat out of him for trying to get money to feed us! Funny, I don’t remember you being there when Deathstroke rained bullets on us for existing!”

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng! That is enough. Go to Principal Damocles’ office!” Madame Bustier called out from the front of the room.

Thana turned her eyes on their teacher before collecting her belongings, her friends all stood up and began collecting their belongings as well.

“Where do you three think you’re going?” Mlle. Bustier questioned the trio.

“To Daddy’s hotel after Principal Damocles tells Fragolina to go home for the day. Fragolina just had to listen to Rossi lie about her brother, whom she hasn’t seen since she was pulled from the streets of Gotham.” Chloé stated as though it should have been common sense.

Nino and Kim nodded before Kim took Thana’s belongings. Nino turned to Adrien before glancing at Alix and back to Adrien. “We’ll keep Alqamar calm until you get out of school.”

Adrien nodded before he watched his four friends shuffle out of the room. He hoped everything would be alright and that they could give the four temporary holders their Miraculouses today instead of waiting any longer.

---

Adrien and Alix walked into Chloé’s suite in Le Grande Paris hotel carrying six people worth of homework. “Niú! Shé! Jiǎohuá! Xiǎo māo! Guī and I brought homework!”

Chloé turned to look at the duo, a black bandana wrapped around her head with her hair thrown up in a messy bun, before turning back to the task at hand, painting Kim’s nails black to match her own and Nino’s. “Fragolina is in the blanket fort she and Kim built over by my bed. Nino is over there-” she nodded to indicate the area “-listening to music.”

Alix nodded and smiled. “Sweet. You go to Kiti and I’ll go lay down with Nino.”

Adrien rolled his eyes as Alix went over to Nino and invaded the boy’s space, laughing when Nino simply pulled a second set of headphones out of his bag and placed them on Alix’s head before laying back down. He slowly traversed Chloé’s room, knowing that if he moved anything out of place the blonde would be upset with him, before smiling at the blanket fort that was made. “Thana? Can I come in?”

“As long as you don’t give me that dumb high road bullshit. I can handle her lying about Sabine and Tom not wanting me, they only took me in because they wanted a daughter to be just like them, and I can handle her thinking she’s turning the whole class against me, but I refuse to let her lie about Jay-Jay like that. Jay-Jay doesn’t deserve it and I refuse to let you make me feel like shit for sticking to my beliefs.”

Adrien let out a dry laugh and shook his head. “I would never.” Adrien pushed the door to the fort open and let a small smile flit across his face. “Oh Thana.” Adrien sat beside Thana, pulling her into his side with an arm around her shoulders, and hummed a song his mother used to sing to him. Adrien knew his friend needed him and was okay with being there for her.

---

Desgracia, flanked by Trâu and Renarde Véloce, followed Althaeban into the place where they were meeting the four temporary holders. They each held a small octagonal box with the red symbol of the Guardian on top of it in preparation of this meeting.

Alix ran past them with a quick call of, “soon!” over her shoulder. She ducked into an alleyway out of the way and from the opposite direction Salihafa landed on the scene.

Monsieur Punaise strolled into the plaza, a small square of grass surrounded by sidewalks with buildings on three sides and the fourth side open to the rest of the city, with a small grin. He was excited to help the temporary heroes reach their full potential. He bumped Desgracia’s shoulder before standing beside Salihafa.

Their four chosen rushed into the plaza, their hair all but streaks of colour until they stopped. Alicia stops closer to the gathered heroes than her three friends, Bellamy just behind her in front of Marc and Brielle. Marc’s black hair stood out beside Brielle’s short blonde bob. Bellamy ran a hand through his hair before looking around at his friends.

“Is everyone alright? Everyone’s together?” Bellamy asked as he double checked that his three friends were there.

Alicia laughed and shook her head, her dark violet hair swaying behind her. “Yes Mom. We’re all here and alright.”

Brielle nudged Bellamy to get his attention. “Bellamy. We have company.”

Salihafa couldn’t contain her laughter any longer. “Oh Bug boy. They’re hilarious. Can we keep them?”

Monsieur Punaise shook his head. “Hafa, we can’t keep them, not if they don’t want to be kept.”

Marc smiled, watching the heroes interact as though they were simply friends and not the Heroes of Paris. Their eyes flicked over the assembled heroes before landing on the four holding octagonal boxes. “What’s going on?” They looked back at Monsieur Punaise and Salihafa and frowned. “Why do they have octagonal boxes?”

Monsieur Punaise’s grin grew only larger before he waved at the four chosen. “Hello you four. Due to special circumstances the six of us will be out of Paris for a while, which is where you four come in. In our absence, we ask that you, Alicia, Bellamy, Brielle and Marc, step in to assist us in our fight against Hawkmoth.” As each name is called, a hero steps up in front of them and presents them with a box.

Renarde Véloce presented Alicia with an octagonal box with a smile. “This is the Miraculous of the Mouse, which will grant you the power of Multiplication. Will you accept this Miraculous and fight alongside your fellow heroes to protect Paris in our absence? Will you return this Miraculous when your time is up?”

Alicia nodded and accepted the box.

Trâu presented Bellamy with an octagonal box with a slight upturn of his lips. “This is the Miraculous of the Dragon, which will grant you the power of Perfection. Will you accept this Miraculous and fight alongside your fellow heroes to protect Paris in our absence? Will you return this Miraculous when your time is up?”

Bellamy nodded seriously and accepted the box from the hero.

Althaeban presented Brielle with a similar octagonal box. “This is the Miraculous of the Bee, which will grant you the power of Subjection. Will you accept this Miraculous and fight alongside your fellow heroes to protect Paris in our absence? Will you return this Miraculous when your time is up?”

Brielle smiled professionally and nodded. “I will do my best.” She accepted the box from the hero.

Desgracia presented Marc with the last octagonal box. “This is the Miraculous of the Horse, which will grant you the power of Teleportation. Will you accept this Miraculous, fight alongside your fellow heroes to protect Paris in our absence, and give safe passage to Monsieur Punaise to help him purify the Akuma and reverse the damage done? Will you return this Miraculous when your time is up?”

Marc looked at the hero and nodded, accepting the box. “Yes, Desgracia.”

-*-*-*

Jason scrubbed his hands down his face, looking over the paperwork in front of him. He let out a tired sigh before standing up and stretching his arms over his head. Jason felt thin arms wrap around his waist and he smiled before ruffling the short black hair atop Damian’s head. “Hey, Little Nugget.”

“Baba,” Damian responded. “What’re you doing?”

Jason chuckled, sitting back down on the couch and pulling Damian onto his lap. “Going over some paperwork. Would you want to legally be considered mine? To legally be Damian al Ghul-Todd?”

Damian’s green eyes widened and a hesitant smile spread across his face. “Do you mean that?”

Jason smiled at his little boy. “Of course I do ya hayati.” Jason wrapped his arms around Damian and rested his chin on the top of his head. “You’ve been mine in my heart for nearly three years now, Little Nugget.”

Damian laughed, and nodded. “Okay.” Damian nuzzled Jason’s shoulder before sliding off of his lap to go talk to one of the men Jason claimed as brothers.

Jason sighed and ran his hand over his face.

---

Jason, accompanied by Damian and his dumb brothers, strode into the Iceberg Lounge. “Cobblepott?”

Oswald Cobblepott poked his head up from behind the bar with an inquistial “yes?”

“Do you have a legal guy? Someone who helped you get this place?”

“Why do you ask?” Oswald asked, slinging a towel over his shoulder.

“I want to legally be able to claim Damian. I don’t want anyone to be able to take him away from me.”

“Good for you.” Oswald smiled before appearing to get lost in thought. “I believe Dent is still a member of the bar. He could probably help you.”

Jason nodded, “thanks.” He turned to his brothers and his Little Nugget. “Can one of you watch him while I go talk to Dent?”

Dick nodded. “Can we introduce him to Pam?”

Jason looked over his Little Nugget’s outfit, a red hoodie with blue jeans and sneakers, before nodding. “Remember, red sleeves will keep him safe. Do you have your’s?”

Tim pushed the sleeve of Conner’s leather jacket to reveal long red sleeves while Dick just pulled on a letterman jacket with red leather sleeves (a jacket he’d had commissioned by their favourite designer (who just seemed to get Gothamite fashion for some reason)).

Jason pulled Damian into a tight hug and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Behave for your dumb uncles, and don’t take off the red sleeves. You may have been publicly claimed as the only biological son of Bruce Wayne but that doesn’t mean anything to bad guys.”

Damian nodded, a very small smile on his face. “I promise I’ll behave Baba.”

---

Damian, Dick and Tim walked into the Botanical Garden with appreciative gasps at the fauna.

Dick and Tim smiled at their nephew, at the clear awe that was displayed on his face. They shared a look before looking back at Damian, to notice that he’d pulled out his sketchbook and was squatting in front of a patch of flowers they were sure he’d never seen before drawing them in as much detail as he could.

“What are you three doing here? Doesn’t Daddy Dearest frown upon mingling with the riff raff?” Pam’s amused voice carried throughout the oversized greenhouse. Where most others would hear a mocking tone in her voice, the older two knew that what she said was merely said in jest.

“Hey Pam.” Dick called out as Tim went to collect their wayward charge, who’d managed to wander a little too close to a patch of pitcher plants.

“Morning glory, Solidago.” Pam smiled and waved at the older boys. “Well hello there child of Sundew, what a beautiful day it is today. Were you observing the patch of Sundew and other Drosera plants?”

Dami nodded and smiled. “Lycoris.” Damian waved at the red head. “They’re lovely, just like Baba.”

Pam smiled and scooped the tyke up into her arms. “Let’s go see the different plants.”

Dick and Tim could only share confused looks with one another as Pam carried Damian around the greenhouse.

---

Jason sat in the back corner of the café he was supposed to be meeting Harvey Dent in, a window to his side and the wall at his back. He brought the cup of coffee up to his lips, savouring the aroma of café coffee as he waited for the older man.

Harvey Dent walked into the café a few minutes later, his head down but his eyes focused on the path in front of him. Harvey slid into the chair opposite Jason, blue meeting blue, before Harvey smiled. “How can I help you?”

Jason set the cup of coffee down, folded his hands on the table in front of him, and took a deep breath. “I need you to help me file for legal custody of Damian al Ghul-Wayne. He has been my son for the last three years but Mr. Wayne publicly claimed him the other day. I can get Damian’s mother’s signature but Mr. Wayne is going to fight it.” Jason looked down at his hands, before letting out a shaky breath. “Mr. Wayne didn’t even know that he existed until a few days before the press conference. Mr. Dent, I need your help to keep my son.”

Harvey Dent looked at the man, really looked at him, and nodded. “Okay kid. Anything to get under Brucie Wayne’s skin.” Harvey chuckled, before his eyes landed on Jason’s red sleeves. “Why is one sleeve shorter than the other?”

“It’s for my sister.” Jason answered with a shrug.

Harvey frowned. “Does that ever accurately explain it?”

“With everyone who knew her.” Jason finished his cup of coffee and looked at Harvey. “Can we set up a time for an appointment to go over the details at a later date? I have to go rescue my son from my brothers.”

Harvey nodded and rose, extending a hand to Jason. “What time next week works best for you?”

Jason grasped the older man’s hand and shook it. “I’ll probably be at the Lounge Monday through Wednesday from ten to three and only there Thursday and Friday from noon to two. My son wants to spend some time getting to know his Aleuma’s friends.”

Harvey smiled and nodded. “I will see you Tuesday at ten.”

Jason watched the older man walk out of the café before he turned to find his waitress. He smiled charmingly at her. “I’m sorry miss. I don’t mean to bother you, I just need to get my check from you as soon as you can bring it to me. I let two of my brothers take my son out for the day and I have a feeling that they took him somewhere I didn’t approve of and I need to go rescue him.”

The waitress, named Kellie, smiled and nodded. “Of course sir. Just one moment.” She disappeared for a moment before returning with his check. “I hope your son understands how lucky he is to have you as a father.”

Jason smiled and nodded. “He knows.” Jason pulled out his wallet and gave her his debit card. “Thank you for your help.” He put a twenty dollar bill down on the table and walked out of the section before taking his card back from the waitress. “Have a great rest of your day.”

---

Jason woke up on Sunday with his son splayed across his chest. He smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of Damian’s head. He loved waking up in the morning, and not at three am to his son having a nightmare. Unfortunately, his phone started ringing loudly, “What’s Up Danger” pouring from his speaker.

“Roy?” Jason mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Jason? I’m sorry if I woke you up. I just, I need help.”

“Roy. Are you using again? Where are you? Where’s Lian?”

“No, I’m not using again. Lian and I are at Oliver’s. Jade just dumped Lian on me, Jade just dumped Lian on me and Lian has this brand on the small of her back and I want to kill the mother of my child.”

“Hey. Roy. No. I can send Alfred to get the two of you and have him drop you off at my apartment so I can make you coffee and breakfast? You’ll get to officially meet my son?”

“You have a son?” Roy whispered in shock.

“Do you need me to call Alfred to see if he can give you a ride? Or can you make it on your own?” Jason ran a hand through his son’s hair and smiled as his Little Nugget nuzzled deeper into his embrace.

“Can you call Alfred?”

---

Roy Harper sat at the island in Jason’s apartment. Dick stood in the living room cooing down at Lian, who he held against his chest.

“Tell me about you and Jade.” Jason smiled at his friend as he cooked.

“It wasn’t anything special.” Roy took a sip of coffee. “Lian is the best thing to ever happen to either of us, or at least I thought she was.”

“Baba?” Damian stumbled into the kitchen and wrapped himself around Jason’s leg.

“Good morning Kutlat Saghira. Say hi to Roy.” Jason ruffled Damian’s hair with a smile.

“Hi Roy.” Damian mumbled.

Roy smiled and waved. “Hi Damian.”

---

“Hey Jaybird?” Dick called as he walked into the kitchen.

Jason glanced over his shoulder at his older brother. "What's up Dickiebird?"

Dick slumped against the counter and offered him a smile. "So, Kor'i and I are getting divorced. Kor'i's going back to Tamaran but I get to keep Mar'i. And because I love you and don't want to put you out, Wally's offered to let Mar'i and I stay with him."

"Okay. Are you okay?" Jason wiped his hands on a nearby towel before turning to face him. "Do you need anything? Do you need me to take you out to go drinking?"

Dick chuckled and shook his head. "No Jaybird. I don't need you to take me drinking. Thanks for being so chill about it."

"You're my brother Dick, and the uncle of my son. I'm not B, I'm always going to be here for you."

---

Jason sat beside Mr. Dent across the table from Bruce Wayne and his lawyers.

“What is this about Jason?” Bruce sounded exasperated and shook his head.

“Mr. Wayne. My client called this meeting to discuss custody of young Mister al Ghul-Wayne.”

“Custody? Of my son?” Bruce’s voice grew dark and Jason had to fight against his instinct to flinch at the man’s tone.

Mr. Dent frowned at the man before looking at the man’s legal team. “Please keep your client under control. My client was a minor under his care when he had his unfortunate accident.”

Bruce glowered. “Oh. Boohoo.”

“Mr. Wayne. It is in your best interest to calm yourself.”

Jason glanced at Harvey, who nodded, before looking back at the legal team. “I just want custody of Mr. al Ghul-Wayne. I don’t want financial support from you, I’m not doing this for your money. I’m doing this because I love him.”

Bruce growled and stood up. He was about to speak when Jason spoke again.

“Besides, after what you said after the press conference I thought you’d be glad to be rid of him, seeing as he is the child of a rogue, and the grandchild of a rogue.”

“You shut your fucking mouth you ungrateful brat.”

“Mr. Wayne.” The head of the Wayne Enterprises legal team, Abraham Shields, spoke. “Calm yourself before we have you removed from the room and we, the legal team, act in the best interest of the company.”

Mr. Dent’s face grew in a gleeful smile. “All my client wants is to retain custody of young Mr. al Ghul-Wayne, as my client has been young Mr. al Ghul-Wayne’s primary guardian and caretaker for the last three years.”

---

The two legal teams, and their clients, sat in the courtroom of Judge Alika Mahelona with Damian al Ghul-Wayne sitting on the witness stand.

“Now, Mr. al Ghul-Wayne-” Judge Mahelona began before Damian cut her off.

“I’m sorry, excuse me Your Honour, but Baba says my name is Damian al Ghul-Todd.” Damian in all his adorable nine-year-old politeness helpfully corrected the judge.

Judge Mahelona smiled. “Can you point to who Baba is for me?”

Damian smiled and nodded before pointing at Jason. “That’s Baba. He takes care of me and loves me even when I make mistakes.”

“He sounds like a good father. Now, I’m going to ask a hard question and I want you to answer as honestly as you can. Can you do that for me?”

Damian smiled. “Yes Your Honour.”

“Who do you want to live with?” Judge Mahelona asked the boy, she was not expecting his answer.

“I want to keep living with my Baba. He helped me get away from the bad place with the bad people, and he’s very nice. He’s helping me acclimate to America and he doesn’t get mad when I can’t remember the words in English. I haven’t known Baba very long but he’s the best parent I’ve ever had, because I only met Mr. Wayne a few weeks ago.”

Judge Mahelona smiled and nodded. “Okay. Then I grant custody to Mr. Todd.”

Bruce growled and threw a glare in Jason’s direction. “Fine.” He stood up, turned on his heel and stalked out of the courtroom.

“I’d like to formally introduce the Todd family.”

Damian ran off of the witness stand and attacked Jason in a hug.

Taglist

@southamericangothamite @maribat-is-lifeblood @mystery-5-5 @our-preciousss @mochegato @chocolatecatstheron @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @2confused-2doanything @wannajointhecrabcult @dreamykitty25 @tomanyfandomsonmymind @moonlightstar64 @justafanwarrior @mialuvscats @pheony1882 @pepelachanel @moongoddesskiana @abrx2002 @ladybug-182 @greatcatblaze @thatonecroc @vixen-uchiha @superbwhispersconnoisseur @lilkymilky @susiej1118 @thatonecroc

So, what do you think?

[salthaven]

Guardian Angel

Guardian Angel

All her life, Marinette needed a guardian angel. Someone to protect her. Someone to save her. Someone to let her have a normal life, to be safe from bullies and hatred.

But no matter how much she pleaded, how much she begged and prayed and wished upon every star she could see… no one came. No one helped her.

So she guarded herself. She guarded herself from Chloé, from the blonde’s torment and taunts. She guarded herself from prying eyes. She guarded herself, and caved in.

She was alone. Sure, she had friends, but they did nothing. They couldn’t, no one could. Chloé was unstoppable, Chloé was a force to be reckoned with.

Chloé was terrifying, and with her father’s power, her father’s influence, no one could take her down. And so Marinette was alone, with no help, no guardian angel, just her own thoughts.

But then everything changes, and Marinette does, too.

It’s the first day of school. It’s the first day of school, and Marinette is late. That’s nothing new, and neither is the anxiety that rushes through the bluenette as she races to get ready for the day. Her maman promises that all will be well, her papa sends her off with macarons to win the class over, and she’s on her way.

She sprints across the street. An old man watches her race by with amusement, then makes his way across slowly. There’s no car to hit him, no decision to be made in that moment.

Marinette darts into her classroom. Ms Bustier is her teacher once again, and Marinette appreciates the fact. Ms Bustier is kind, she is gentle.

But she is also a pushover, just like Marinette.

Marinette sits in her usual spot. She sets down her box of macarons.

‘Everything will be fine,’ Marinette tells herself.

She is lying, and Chloé proves her wrong.

“Dupain-Cheng,” the girl growls out. “Move out of my seat.”

“But it’s my seat,” she protests, but it’s weak, scared, just like her.

“New year, new seats,” Chloé says, then smirks. “Why don’t you sit up front, like the teacher’s pet you are? Hmm?”

In another time, Marinette would’ve been defended by a certain ombre-haired new girl. But that girl is still outside, currently helping a certain old man get up.

So Marinette just stutters and says, “But I, I-”

“What? Don’t understand basic words? Then maybe you shouldn’t even be in this class!” Chloé says, then laughs. It’s high pitched and cruel, and Marinette feels her stomach turn. “Maybe you should be back with the five year olds in primary school.” She laughs again, and Sabrina joins her. 

Marinette feels her face heat up, feels her eyes water, feels herself getting up.

She runs, and she can’t ignore the howling laughter that Chloé lets out, can’t ignore the deafening silence as nobody defends her, nobody goes to check up on her.

She runs past an ombre-haired girl who races to get to class, darts by a blond boy who helps up an old man who seems to keep falling today. She runs across the street, and keeps running, all the way to the park.

She trips on something. She collapses in the dirt.

She cries.

She cries for a long time, letting all of her frustration, all of her grief and anger out. And then she forces it all back in, knowing that she’ll be in trouble for missing too much class. As it stands, she’s likely missed the first twenty minutes.

She moves to get up, but a glint in the dirt makes her pause.

She spots a purple, butterfly themed brooch that seems to call to her. She picks it up.

A flash of light nearly blinds her, and when it fades, a large purple butterfly looks right back at her with wide eyes.

She screams. She screams, and throws the brooch on the ground. The butterfly disappears.

Huh?

Marinette picks up the brooch again, and the butterfly comes back.

“Please don’t scream!” The butterfly pleads, and Marinette gapes.

“You...you talk.”

“I do, yes.” The butterfly nods. 

“What are you?” Marinette asks softly, because she knows this can’t be a normal butterfly. It’s too large, and it has a face! A cute one, but a face nonetheless!

“I am Nooroo, a Kwami. Specifically the Kwami of Transmission,” Nooroo states calmly. “And you are?”

“Marinette,” she replies, then shakes her head. “What...what is a Kwami? And why are you only here when I hold this brooch?”

“Ah. A Kwami is well….a magical entity, I suppose. We are the physical embodiment of our titles, I suppose. And I am connected to my brooch through magic, so that you humans may see me.”

“So without the brooch, no one could see you?”

“Correct, Marinette!” Nooroo beams at her. “But now I can help you! With my brooch, you can transform into a superhero.”

“A superhero?” Not her, surely. She’s just Marinette, a normal girl with a normal life. She’s nothing special, nothing important.

Nooroo thinks otherwise. “Yes! Just say ‘Nooroo, wings rise’ and you will be transformed. With me, you can be stronger and faster than any normal human. You will have more agility, more flexibility, you’ll be able to jump higher than any of these buildings around you!”

She would? But why would she need that, why would she be a hero?

“And you could grant others powers, too. You can make Champions, and let their dreams come true!”

She could? “How would I do that?”

Nooroo flutters, pleased to see Marinette’s interest. “Butterflies will sense my Miraculous, and will want to approach you. You can give them power through your cane- you get that when you transform- and they’ll work to transmit the power to anyone you choose. You can also use your hands to transmit power to them, if you want!”

“How do I know who to choose, who to help?”

“You’ll feel their energy, and you’ll know how everyone is feeling. Here, put on my brooch.” Marinette does. “Now listen to the world around you, to the people nearby. What do you feel?”

She listens to the world, lets her heart soar.

She feels pain. A child cries in a nearby house, it hurts. She wants to help them, to relieve their pain.

She feels joy. A girl found out that her best friend is in the same class as her, and is ecstatic. She wants to nurture that feeling, let it grow stronger.

She feels anger. A boy is being ridiculed for his crush...wait.

“Ivan?” She whispers to herself, and feels herself walking back to her school. With every step, his frustration growing stronger and stronger. She can almost see it, see the way Kim laughs, the way he makes jokes about how Ivan will never be courageous enough, will never be a man and tell Mylène how he feels.

“You can help him,” Nooroo whispers in her ear, now tucked behind one of her pigtails. “You can give him courage, you can make him a Champion.”

She can. She can be his helper, his savior-

She can be the Guardian Angel that she never had.

Marinette slips away, hiding from sight.

“Nooroo, wings rise,” she whispers, and a flash of light covers her.

When it falls, she’s left looking like an angel. Gone is her usual outfit, her pinks and grays, now she wears light purple (nearly a light mauve, the fashionista in her claims) and white. She looks almost ethereal, donning a light purple dress that falls to her feet, hiding white leggings and light purple boots underneath. White gloves climb up her arms, hiding away any skin that could show from underneath the long sleeves of her dress. Behind her, a white cape falls, split up the center to resemble wings. With a light purple mask to cover her face, and her blue hair coming loose from her pigtails, Marinette feels like so much more than a normal girl.

She takes her cane and turns it over in her hands. It’s the same purpls as her outfit, but has a translucent gem on top made from a darker, richer purple, more like a lavender tone. She taps it once, twice.

She hears wings fluttering. A little white butterfly is drawn to her.

“My little angel,” she coos, and it comes as if beckoned. It lands on her waiting hand, and she smiles.

Setting the cane down, she rests her newly free hand over the little creature. “My angel,” she whispers, “become a source of power for Ivan, a sense of courage so that he may rise up and reach his heart’s desire.” She feels something change, and opens her hands. The butterfly sparkles, covered in purple and white. It flutters away, slipping into the classroom.

She watches through its eyes as it flies to Ivan, who is now outside the principal’s office. It lands on a note that he holds, and Ivan freezes.

“Stoneheart,” she says sweetly. “You are in love, but you are frozen with fear. I am here to give you power, to let you show your beloved how much she means to you. When you have won her over, I will take back your power. Do you understand?”

Ivan’s anger lessens as he smiles. “I accept...what’s your name?”

“Guardian Angel, just call me your Guardian Angel,” she states, and Ivan nods.

“I accept, Guardian Angel.” And power washes over him. And everything changes.

-----

Long time no see? Sorry for just disappearing into the void like that, haha. This is actually a piece I wrote...at least two months ago? I always planned to go back to it, but I thought it was cute as it is now. What do you guys think? Do you want a continuation? If so, maybe I’ll finally work on this some more!

[urlocalbunny]

.lingerie - aaron.

if you came here thinking eloise was wearing the lingerie, you’re wrong.

rated m.

2,400 words. enjoy, babes!

"C'mon, it's this way!" Beliath ushered, eyes gleaming with pride and joy as Aaron followed, feeling out of place and cold. He was already bored, but the shopping was alluring. There were some shoes, nice pants, and even a dress he actually "bought" for Eloise (the clerk already seemed kinda dazed when he came around. They were even looking at his chest as if in a trance. Weirdo.)

Beliath pushed him into a door. In this store, there were some beauty products probably aimed at women, some shoes. But these weren't comfortable at all. They looked painful. A lot of them were shiny and pointy like a sword. Beliath made a sound somewhere else. Aaron followed, with Eloise's baby pink bag and his new plushie of a cat with a cape he found randomly, to remember Ivan. His name was Navi.

If Navi could talk, he would probably curse. Beliath was standing in front of a mannequin wearing a black stripe mess.

"These would look incredible on me, don't you agree?" Aaron quirked a brow and put Navi on the bag. He didn't know what the hell that was, but it was horny and lewd like Beliath himself.

"Fuck is this?" He deadpanned, puzzled.

"... A lingerie set?" Beliath seemed to think he'd understand. He looked at the small stripes again. They were black and quite shiny, the lower piece was supposed to hold the junk in, but it was a small, flimsy-looking triangle held by exactly three black stripes. The top one was a bra without the bust. Therefore, there were two holes in it. He even poked it to see if it wasn't just transparent, but his finger met the cold and gray plastic.

"Make two holes on Eloise's old stuff she threw away. It's for free."

"But it is for free for all of us."

"This is a bunch of stripes. You can make one of these with straws and a blow-dryer." Beliath cackled, rolling his eyes affectionately.

"I think you should try to give Eloise a little show." He teased, making Aaron blush.

"I don't-!"

"You seriously don't understand the lingerie concept? Because-"

"-I do understand, but it's been a long time since I saw any, and they usually dressed people properly." Beliath gaped.

"What do you mean? Eloise never wore any for you? You bang like bunnies!"

"I told her she doesn't need to..."

"You turned Eloise down?!"

Beliath pulled him through aisles without another word on the Eloise subject, asking him what he liked and what he would wear.

"Why did you have to have a girlfriend right when I found that killer one?" He whined.

"You sound like Leandra."

"Ew. Forget that, you're disgusting." Aaron snickered.

"Oh!" His gasp made Beliath look at where he was looking. Then he gasped himself.

A cold, dark green delicate set was there in front of him. A lace thong with green tulle hanging on the sides matched a garter belt and transparent tulle thigh highs, with a delicate corset. It didn't seem as sturdy as the ones supposed to be useful. It was more for the visuals. It had some golden embroidered flowers and leaves, a very subtle and delicate shimmer adorning the threads, and it was smaller to fit between the bra and the belt. There was a bra, but this time covered with a transparent and shiny green tulle similar to the rest, golden bondage straps around the chest area. He didn't even see how he bought it.

Beliath was giddy when they came back, but Aaron could only think about showing it to Eloise and recommending the store so they could take a look. He took a nice bubble bath and put on a robe after getting everything right in place and giving himself a once over. His cheeks were tingling with embarrassment, but he knew Eloise would probably think it was pretty. His eyes wandered to his thighs covered by the socks. The doorknob turning made him squeal.

"Aaron? Are you in there?"

"Hi, Raph. Are you um- okay?"

"I should be asking you the same thing. Are you in need of help?"

"H-help? W-why?" He creaked the door open, clutching his robe into himself and walking backward as his friend tilted his head towards his general direction.

"Well, you are panting, and I heard you cursing under your breath..."

"Oh. I'm fine. Thanks, pal."

"You're welcome. And Aaron?" He stopped by the end of the hall.

"Yes?"

"I'm sure your lingerie looks amazing. Eloise is going to enjoy it. If she doesn't, well. There's always someone else. The embroidery must feel nice to the touch."

Aaron walked away too fast to hear Raphael giggling. When he arrived, Eloise was sitting down on his bed, Navi in her arms. She took a liking to him.

"Um... I have something to show you. Promise you won't laugh."

"I won't unless you bought a rubber chicken."

"No, it was something different." She gave him her attention, motioning for him to continue. He untied the knot on the robe, letting it slide off his shoulders as he turned his front to her. Her eyes widened, and she put a hand in front of her mouth. He was going to cover himself up, but Eloise held the robe and placed it on the bed without realizing he was going to grab it, eyes never leaving his form. She stood closer.

"Look, I think I should-"

"-You look so beautiful."

"... What?"

"God, this green and gold combo compliments your eyes so much. And this corset is so pretty..." Her hand ran along his waist, squeezing in the dip and caressing the curve when she examined the embroidery. Her digits traveled alongside the expanse of his back, sighing when she found the arch, and then she locked her eyes on his chest.

"Eloise? What are you doing?"

"You're a nasty little puppy, aren't you?" He whined, a huff of minty air coming out of his mouth. "Did you let Beliath help you with this?"

"N-no! I- I wanted to save it for you." His puppy eyes made her coo and kiss on his nose, giving an Eskimo kiss afterward and feeling her heart beat fast because of how much he seemed to enjoy such tender touches.

"I'm playing with you, you know. I'm not going to be jealous of our friend." She chuckled, popping one of the clips on the belt open. "You're getting harder and harder, aren't you, puppy?" He sighed, nodding his head.

"I'm going to reward you for this. Let's see if I don't have to use the whip on you for punishments today, huh?" He nodded again.

"Yes, Elo." She rubbed his head, unclasping the belt from the socks to get rid of his thong. After that, she clasped it again, paying no attention to Aaron's raging boner. "Please... I want you to look."

Her eyes locked into his, and he shut his mouth before a whine left his throat. She smiled, sitting on top of him and stuffing his thong on his mouth.

"You've been good the last time I dommed, so I'll give you a choice. How do you want this to go, puppy? Want me to suck you off?" He shook his head no violently. "How about I play with your tight little hole?" He groaned, sighing when she pulled the thong off his mouth and leaned down, kissing his forehead, then his nose. She stood up, rummaging through a drawer and pulling out the strap and the lube. He closed his eyes to relax, but then the rustling the fabric created made him pop them open to watch her strip until only her panties remained. Her boobs bounced off the dress lightly, making his mouth run dry. There were a few bite marks and red marks from the last time, which he appreciated.

She threw the items on the bed, crawling on top of him and bringing his hand to her right boob. Aaron immediately squeezed it, making her arch her back lightly. Her hips moved slowly but surely while she leaned down, unclasping his bra and throwing it aside, leaning down to bite his brown bud. He sucked in a breath and mewled at the slight, pleasurable pain.

Eloise's panties were wet, and the roughness of the fabric against his tip felt delicious, but he needed more, anything more. He pulled her arm down, meeting her lips and whining into the kiss, grabbing her ass and squeezing it. He relished on the moans she let out. His finger trailed, eyes asking for her permission. Eloise slid her panties off, barely registering before he pounced on her, throwing her on the bed and placing himself between her legs, making sure his ass was in the air, his back arched nicely for her.

He kissed her thighs lovingly, feeling her skin and the sweet perfume. His eyes locked into hers as he darted his tongue out, circling her clit slowly. She sighed in contempt, running a hand through his hair in approval. He was itching to taste her, but he knew how she reacted when he changed the pace she set, and this time, she wanted to take it slow.

Her mind was foggy, and pants left her parted lips as he circled his tongue, the wet heat spreading through her abdomen and creating pressure. His lips closed around her bud, sucking it in and letting it out with a pop. His hand trailed that path to her inner thighs slowly, and Eloise enjoyed the view. His nose bumped against her, making her body jolt while he kept her close with one strong arm. The fact that she could snap her fingers and such a big, strong man would bend over for her was more than arousing, but the prospect of how he'd get back at her for taking so long was equally sweet.

Aaron lapped up for a while, circling his tongue and curling his fingers inside her just the right way. Eloise sucked in a breath and curled her toes. The familiar shudder rose from her feet to her upper body. He smiled against her, eyes shining with mischief. Her hand pushed him away, seeing herself on his face and smiling. He'd earned his reward.

"How do you want me to fuck you, puppy?" He eagerly put himself in all fours, giggling at himself when the bed bounced. Eloise gave him vivid laughter, making him smile fondly even when her eyes couldn't see. The bed dipped behind him, and a cold hand came to caress his rear, squeezing and teasing. He moved his hips, coaxing her into giving in slowly, his hair falling to the side and showing his neck that she so eagerly leaned in to kiss.

Her hand slid up and pinched one of his nipples, making him moan lowly and push his hips back. Leaning against him, Eloise wrapped a hand around his shaft, pumping slowly and expertly. His hips wiggled, soft moans left his throat as he rocked like an obedient pet, sighing and squeezing the sheets when she picked up or slowed down. Soon, he felt the shiver that came with the warm lube coating his hole. She stopped jerking him. Her finger prodded, complimenting how pretty he looked over the wet sounds and small gasps.

"Eloise, f-fuck."

"Shhhh, baby. Patience." He whined in frustration, which made her chuckle and grant him her whole finger, making him sigh in relief. He rocked his hips on the pace she set, a pretty arch on his back. Eloise judged it was time to add another finger, so she did it slowly, lubing him to her liking and checking on him. Aaron was a mess. His dick was leaking on the sheets, now abandoned by her. He wanted her to jerk him off already, but he knew she was going to drag this out until he could finally fuck her.

The strap's tip was warm. Aaron's eyes fluttered shut, finally feeling the stretch.

"You're so relaxed, puppy. That's it." He moaned, hips jerking while she cooed at him.

From there on, the only sounds he could focus on were the ones she produced. Her labored breathing from the recent orgasm, her hands sliding against him, her praise, and the light slapping sounds that started to submerge on his mind.

"Anh- fuck! Yes, yes!" He keened, but the pillows muffled the sound, making Eloise pull his hair roughly upwards. He hissed, feeling his dick jump violently.

"Let people hear how good you feel, puppy. Who's making you feel so nice, huh?"

"You, you Eloise, please don't stop, nhg-"

Her hand slapped his ass hard, hips hitting just the right spot.

"Look at you. You're enjoying my dick this much?" He nodded fervently, making her chuckle and soothe the sting on his rear. She let his head go, and he put it to the side as not to muffle more sounds, or else she was going to punish him. The bed hit the wall repeatedly, making him rock back into the dildo. That was heaven to him, being with her like this, skin to skin and feeling so, so good.

His moans got ragged and urgent all of a sudden, making Eloise slow down for a while, then grab his dick and pump it. He punched the wall, making her chuckle.

"Are you ready, puppy? You've been such a good pet." He nodded, barely being able to form any words at all. She moved her hips quickly, pumping him until the knot on his stomach snapped. White-hot pleasure flashed through him as she let go as soon as he came, letting him spurt the load on his own while she focused on fucking into him.

After a while, he pulled away, whimpering. Eloise pulled out, laughing at his disheveled state and pushing him to the side, where he fell like a doll, eyes already heavy. Eloise forgot about herself and dressed one of Aaron's shirts, picking the sheets up and throwing the dildo in the bathroom sink, washing it, and putting it back in place. As soon as she came back, however, there was no sign of Aaron in the bed.

"Aaron? Uh- weird, where is- ah!"

He clasped a hand in her mouth. The growling sound she heard was a clear answer.

"About time you came back..."

[gaymirajane]

I was inspired by @lgbtqfairiesarereal​ to post my hc countries of origin for the Fairy Tail characters. For this, I mostly go by their names if I can, but if that leads to too many white people then I get creative haha. 

I hope you enjoy! 

Lucy Heartfilia: British / French. When I think about nobility I think about these two countries so just kind of rolled with it. Lucy is a common British name so it fits well enough, especially as she uses Western zodiac keys.

Natsu / Zeref Dragneel: Japanese / Indonesian. Natsu is a Japanese name and the closest to Zeref that is out there are all Arabic names so I went with Indonesia because a lot of their native language borrows words from traditional arabic. 

Gray Fullbuster: Canadian. Gray is, to me, a very American name but I also really like the idea of the ice wizards being from cold, Northern countries so... Canada is the only ideal fit.

Erza ‘Scarlet’ Belserion: Norwegian. This not only based on the name, but also the aesthetic. With her red hair, blunt attitude and love of swords, Erza has big viking energy to me. 

I’m posting the rest under the cut just for the sake of keeping a long post off of your dash. 

Juvia Lockser: Mexican. There isn’t much basis for this other than her name is Spanish but I wanted to move out of Europe. 

Mirajane / Lisanna / Elfman: Russian / Indian. This is tough because Strauss is also a Germanic name but eh, their heritage is European but their biological parents were a mix of cultures. 

Cana Alberona: Irish / Greek. She had to be from native Pagan country and that narrowed it down to the ‘Celtic Territories’ and like three countries in continental Europe. Because of this I thought about modern Paganism and how people can follow the Egyptian or Greek path and well, Greek seemed to suit Cana more. 

Wendy Marvell: English / Nigerian. Me, pushing my woc Wendy agenda? It’s more likely than you’d think. 

Gajeel Redfox: Zambian / Native American. I don’t know how to explain this one, I just felt it in my gut. 

Laxus Dreyar: Russian / Norwegian / Egyptian. I chose three because I think that Ivan is Russian / Egyptian and Laxus’ mother was Norwegian. I guess the Thor references were just too much for me to ignore lmao. 

Freed Justine: French. He just looks like a French aristocrat from the 1800s idk. I decided on this one based completely on aesthetics and what makes me happy. 

Bickslow: Egyptian / Taiwanese. Clay pried open my third eye with this one so I kinda just added it to my hc for Bickslow already. 

Evergreen: German. An enchanting name should come from a place with a long history of fantasy and folk lore I think. 

Lyon Vastia: Icelandic / Chinese. I just kinda looked at him and went “Yeah? Yeah.” With this one I literally cannot explain it. 

Ultear Milkovich: Russian / Italian. The catholic aesthetic was too strong to ignore so I couldn’t just go for Russian, but I think that Ur was Russian 100%.

Jellal Fernandes: Spanish. I wanted to place him in South America but I wasn’t sure of religion and I needed a catholic country for him because of the aesthetic so I just played it safe with Europe. If you know of any Catholic, Spanish countries in South America hit me up, I’m looking to change this!

Sting Eucliffe: North Korean. If this is because he gives me idol vibes then that’s on me okay don’t @ me.

Raois ‘Rogue’ Cheney: Japanese / Filipino. This is another one that my brain just accepted and I nodded and went with it. 

Erik ‘Cobra’: Argentinian / Rwandan. His name has a more European connection but I’m sick of Europe so whatever. 

Yukino / Sorano Aguria: Japanese / Pakistani. I saw a fanart of Yukino in a hijab and it’s stuck with me ever since. I was conflicted because the magic is more Western but I’m definitely happier with this. 

Kagura Mikazuchi: Japanese. It’s all about the aesthetics tbh.

Minerva Orland: Greek. This is mostly based on her name but also on her overall aesthetic. 

Flare Corona: American / Italian. Corona is a (cursed) Italian word for crown which made me think of the mob and I guess I got lost in that fantasy. 

Not doing anymore unless you have a specific request, but this was fun! I hope if anyone reads this that they have fun also :)