#Also I’m just realising that I haven’t really written Nino much

[alwaysinstoryland]

Stay as Long as You Want

Happy birthday @lahiffed ! I wrote a short lil Ninette drabble for you and it made me realise how cute they are so I’m blaming you for making me fall in love with yet another new ship. Anyways, enjoy this bit of pointless fluff! ♡

~

“Hey.” Nino smiled at Marinette as she swung through his window and collapsed face-down on his bed with a tired groan. “Tough battle?”

She whined, letting her transformation drop. “Not hard, just so long. It’s been going for hours!”

Nino gave his girlfriend a sympathetic look and got up from his desk to go sit next to her on the bed. Patting her hair, he asked, “You hungry? There’s some leftover lasagna in the fridge if you want. And there’s cookies on the desk for Tikki.”

“I’m too tired to eat.” She mumbled into his pillow.

“I’m not.” Tikki said, and flew off to settle down with her cookies in the nest Nino had made her when he first discovered Marinette‘s secret identity.

Nino lay down on his side next to Marinette. “Do you have to get home soon?”

“Maybe. It’s way too late for my parents to notice I’m gone though. Can we just stay like this for a while?” She shifted, nuzzling her face into his chest.

Nino simply wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “As long as you want.” He whispered.

[yannowhatigiveup]

My One And Only - Chapter 9

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So this chapter is longer than chapter 8 and I think from next chapter, they got longer. As we get closer to the chapter I’m currently writing, the frequent updates will unfortunately die. Just letting you know so you won’t be too disappointed! Oh and my Wattpad name is the same, ‘yannowhatigiveup’. If you know any way I can improve my writing please do tell me!

Gabriel Agreste stood in his observatory after recently detransforming. 'She can control her emotions well but when she's angry, it's incredibly strong. This girl could be one of the strongest in Paris, she could be one that senses auras. I must find a way. I will use her to eliminate all of heroes. All I need is time'.

————————————————————

The bluenette sat in her uncle Jagged's hotel room, tapping a pen against her lips while watching the conversation, well it was more like an argument, between Jagged and his manager Bob Roth. Bob was stating that they should leave the song writing to the professionals while Jagged protested, saying that his niece was overflowing with talent and that she could do it no problem. Penny was on the phone with someone but Marinette didn't eavesdrop in her conversation. She stated at the blank notebook in front of her, eyeing it suspiciously. Then she got an idea and began scribbling down the lyrics she had in mind, not knowing that she had unintentionally gained the attention of everyone in the room. She managed to write the whole song in one sitting which was very impressive even for professional song writers at the time. "Did it" she said putting the pen down. Penny then came over to take the notebook and read what the bluenette had written. 'I hope it's ok'

"Wow Mari, this is great!" Penny said her mouth agape. She passed it to Jagged but Bob had snatched it out of his hands, only to give it back when Fang looked at him hungrily.

"Yeah, this is rock'n roll Nettie!" He praised her while giving his manager a 'I told you so' look.

"Yes this is exactly what we needed, a little change in the album. Thank you for this Marinette. We shall produce the song while you can sing the lyrics-"

"If that's alright will you of course" Jagged said, interrupting his manager.

Marinette nodded hesitantly. "I can give it a shot" she murmured.

Marinette walked home after visiting Jagged and showing Damian the designs she had in plan for his brothers, without showing the design she made for him. She was careful not to shake her purse too much as Tikki was sleeping, it was a busy day for the kwami as Marinette had let her go visit Plagg for some 'Kwami business'. Marinette didn't press for answers though. Soon she entered her parents bakery to find them already there, waiting for her.

"Maman, Papa what is it?" She asked.

"Your father and I are discussing if we should open a second bakery" Sabine answered enthusiastically.

"There's a few spots available in Marseille, we already booked a flight and a hotel to stay at" Tom answered, maybe even more excited than his wife.

"That's great! But isn't Marseille far away? It's closer to Italy than Paris" Marinette answered.

"Well surprisingly, we're already well known there" Tom replied.

"Oh cool! When will you be leaving?"

"On Saturday at 2 am" Her mother replied. "It's late but it was the next available flight. We'll be gone for a week maybe longer depending on all the paper work"

"Well you better start packing then!" Marinette said happy for both her parents. "I'll be going to bed now. Good night!" She hugged both her parents before going upstairs to change and finishing up her designs.

~~~

Adrien sat in front of his computer early before school, looking through all of Kagami's recent posts and he liked the photo that she posted yesterday, the photo was of when they went for ice cream earlier today. Alya and Nino were also in the picture, smiling for the camera but Adrien noticed someone else in the background. 'Marinette...' She was eating her ice cream, unbeknownst to the picture being taken, with the spoon still in her mouth. Adrien felt distracted by the way the sun reflected off her hair. He loved Kagami truly but his new love for Marinette shadowed it. "Plagg" Adrien said. "I think I have a thing for bluenettes".

"So your type is blue-haired girls? What makes you say that?" The kwami replied, not really enjoying the conversation.

"Well I like Ladybug, Kagami and Marinette and they all have one thing in common. They all have blue hair" Adrien sighed. "The last thing I need is another blue-haired girl to come into my life"

"Ughhh this is too cheesy, I much prefer actual cheese" Plagg groaned while looking around for Camembert.

Adrien sighed, smiling while going back to think of the girls he liked. He liked Ladybug for her quick, sly and smart nature. Kagami was incredibly skilled and very easy to relate to. And Marinette had a kind personality as well as unmatchable beauty. He couldn't decide which one he liked most as all the options were as great as the others. Then a notification on his computer distracted him from his thoughts. It was a notification that Jagged Stone had posted something. 'Huh, I wonder what it could be'

~~~

Jason was flicking through the channels on the TV, looking for something interesting to watch when a notification appeared on his phone. 'What's this?' He then realised that it was a trending post from Jagged Stone and went to view it. "HOLY SH-"

"Master Jason, language"Alfred reminded him.

"Oh yeah sorry" he whispered before shouting again. "HOLY MOTHER OF UM SOMETHING!"

Dick and Tim then entered the room, wondering what Jason was talking about. "What?" Dick asked.

Jason then connected his phone to the TV and showed the post he was talking about.

@official_jaggedstone

(Photo of a blue-haired girl with a medium long braid and her back facing the camera, writing on something)

Wonder what MDC is writing up for the bonus track? 🤔🤔🤔🤔

All three of the boys then fanboyed over finally being able to see what their favourite designer, and idol, looked like. Alfred then sighed while exiting the room.

"She's pretty!"

"She looks smart!"

"What's she writing?"

"I'm gonna call Damian, that room looks similar to the room he's staying in"

"Yes do, I want to pester him"

Dick then dialed a number on his phone. After a few rings, the phone finally answered.

"Tt, Yes?" A stern voice came through on the other side.

"HAVE YOU SEEN JAGGED'S RECENT POST!?" Tim shouted into the microphone.

~~~

Damian had already seen Jagged's post, he smiled to himself. He was about to go back to reading his book when his phone rang. He would've picked it up straight away if he hadn't see the name, it was Dick. He let the phone ring for a little while before answering.

"Tt, Yes?" He said in a stern voice.

"HAVE YOU SEEN JAGGED'S RECENT POST!?" Luckily Damian had the phone further away from his ear otherwise Tim would've exploded his eardrums.

"What about it?"

"He posted an image of MDC, the very first one ever on the internet!" Dick answered excitedly. "There aren't any pictures of her anywhere".

Damian smiled to himself knowing that he had seen MDC before his brothers, he had seen her smile. "There aren't?"

"Yeah! Weird right? She doesn't even show up to Jagged's live performances!" It was Jason's turn to speak now.

"Well I'm sure she goes to the performances, she's just never seen" Tim told his brother in a matter-of-fact way.

Damian rolled his eyes. "Tt, bye now" he said, immediately turning his phone off not allowing any of his brothers to protest. He then texted Marinette.

Me: Just got off the phone with my brothers, they were fanboying over you.

Surprisingly Marinette replied straight away.

Angel: They are too? Everyone is fangirling over MDC

Me: Because of Jagged's post, he posted a picture of you. The back of your head specifically

Angel: Oh hah I see it now, I guess that has to be my signature hairstyle as MDC now.

Me: It looks great on you though

Angel: You really think so?

Me: Mhm

Angel: Aw, thanks

~~~

Marinette had blushed when Damian said she looked good in that hairstyle. She really liked him. Then Marinette looked at the time, she was early for once. She decided to make use of this and get ready for school. She had finished getting ready quickly and she was able to walk instead of run to school like she usually did. When she entered, she noticed that there was barely anyone here. 'Perfect! I can work on my designs' that was until a familiar face showed up.

"Hey girl! You're here early wow!" The sound of her best friend made Marinette laugh until her facial expression changed from surprised to smug. Marinette was about to ask but Alya had brought her to the locker room where they were alone. "So girl, spill"

"What?"

"Do you like Chat Noir?"

Marinette giggled but she saw her best friend's face. "Oh you're not joking"

"Nope, now you can tell me so that I can get you both on a date." She blushed profusely. "And I ain't backing down, I've spent too much time on trying to find out who he is. Don't think I haven't noticed how you're jumping at anytime to be with this boy." She said the last statement with a soft voice.

Marinette sighed, grateful of her best friend but hesitant to tell her without Damian's permission as he never seemed like one for social interaction. "I'll ask" she said while taking her phone out.

Me: Shaytan, my best friend found out that I've been sneaking off to go see you.

Shaytan: Césaire?

Me: Yeah

Shaytan: You said she wanted to be a reporter right? Well then I guess this is expected, she did a good job.

Me: So should I tell her your name?

Shaytan: That's up to you

Me: Ok thanks!

Marinette put her phone away and looked at her best friend.

"So?" Alya asked. "Can you tell me?"

Marinette nodded. "So um, his name is D-Damian"

———

Taglist: @little-bluestar, @miracleofadisaster, @frieddonutsweets, @jjmjjktth, @genderfluidmoma, @starlit-dreaming, @icerosecrystal

[trickstermiraculous]

Been reading your prompts fic so here’s one: Marinette makes a game of counting how far into a conversation someone gets before Lila relates it to herself with a lie. Adrien joins in and then Kim joins in cause it’s fun and randomly calls out numbers. Soon Kim is making bets on it with Marinette. (Prompt is from a discord server I’m in btw in case you post it and it gets recognized)

A Simple Game 

School used to be a safe haven for Adrien, a chance to be away from his father and the suffocating silence that was his house but recently with Lila’s arrival back at school. Adrien finally understood what people meant by school being hell.

She was everywhere, always clinging to him, way more than Chloe ever did at least she gave him room to breathe but with Lila, there was no chance of that happening.

Marinette also looked worse than ever while Lila did accept my deal in order to get Marinette back to school, Lila went straight back to making rumours about Marinette and what’s worse people have started to believe them like Marinette, the girl who was our everyday Ladybug. Sadly there was no chance of me stopping them since Lila started using my father as a threat in order to get what she wants and I knew she would follow up on that threat considering she has followed that threat she gave Marinette.

Trust me when I say that I wanted nothing more than to use cataclysm on Lila right then and there but I can’t do that, I’m supposed to be a hero not some sort of murder.

Right now, I finally got a chance to hang out with Marinette along with Kim and Alix since Mrs Mendeleiev gave us a group project and would not allow Lila to try and join us since it was random and wouldn’t be fair on the rest of the class.

We were studying at Marinette’s house, Alix was sitting on the floor typing on her laptop while Kim was reading a textbook on Marinette’s Chaise, Marinette herself was sitting by her desk on her computer while I was sitting quietly on a bean bag her parents brought me so I wouldn’t have to sit on the floor if I didn’t want too.

Sitting here though in silence was a surprisingly nice change from what usually happens when doing group projects. Whenever I did studying with Nino, Alya and unfortunately Lila, it was never quite what with Alya and Nino being romantic that an Alya tries to get me to ask out Lila which Marinette did warn me about when we started to hang out more outside of school when I had the chance and I noticed that she didn’t seem as nervous around me and well she kind of just blurted out everything.

Her crush on, the many attempts on asking me out along with a few admittedly creepy thing like the schedule which she apologised profusely and considering the fact Alya and the other never really stop it more like in encouraged it, I understand why she didn’t realise it was wrong until later.

Anyways back on track, the silence was nice and for once work was getting done but unfortunately, it didn’t last. Alix phone dinged and as soon as she looked at it she groaned, “What’s wrong?” questioned Marinette as she reaches for an apple from the tray of snacks that her parent’s brought us.

“It’s Lila in the group chat, Juelka brought up the fact that she wanted to try out for some modelling jobs and Lila started going on about how she knew a bunch of famous models and she would try and see if they could help her train” respond Alix glaring at her phone,

“I’m assuming this the girl’s group chat without me in it right” replied Marinette with a sigh,

“Yeah-” Alix was cut off by Kim quickly asking “you guys made a group chat without Marinette isn’t that a bit harsh, I know she and Lila don’t get on like the rest of you guys but like that’s just harsh”.

Adrien silently nodded while looking a Marinette with guilt not realising how bad her friendship with the other girls in the class had gotten. “It was Alya’s idea, not mine, you know how stubborn that reporter can be so it’s not like any of us could say no” stated Alix typing out something on her phone while the other three sat in silence.

That was then Marinette spoke up, “hey ever notice how every time someone brings up something about what they enjoy or what they want to do after school, Lila always says that she knows someone in that industry”,

“That’s a good point actually” replied Alix with a frown,

“How about this, why don’t we see how many times she does it in a week?” stated Marinette,

“But why?” questioned Kim,

“Because you guys might actually see the reason on why I was so quick to call her a liar” replied Marinette,

“I’m in” announced Adrien, surprising both Alix and Kim but both quickly agree.

And so the game began. It didn’t take long for them to start counting because according to Alix, it happened about five times in the group chat over the weekend even sending screenshots to the four’s own group that they set up for this game. Then when Monday came, they had already one point in the first lesson due to Nino bringing up a film making competition that he wanted to partake in since the prize was working with a famous director the same on who directed the movies Adrien’s mother used to be in and of course Lila started to talk about how she knew the director and if Nino wasn’t able to win, she could try and see if she could get the director to still meet with him.

Not only did it annoy Adrien that she would lie like that about a close family of the Agrestes but also the fact that she would get his best bros hopes up like that. Adrien knew as soon as she found out that Adrien was in contact with the director, she would try to get him to set up the meeting so that she would be able to take the credit in order for her not to be found out.

Halfway through the week when the number of points went over twenty when Alix and Kim both look at each other and then Marinette and then back to each other before they pulled out their phones and started googling Lila’s lies.

Both were very unhappy when they found out the truth but before they told the other, Adrien and Marinette both sat them and told them why it was a bad idea considering the pair were either being threatened or blackmail by the Italian snake. Even then Kim and Alix were adamant on making sure the others knew so the four took another route on getting Lila exposed one that was less obvious but simple.

They decided to get the other in on their game and sure enough, one by one, the class all joined in. Sure they were confused at first but playing the game for a week each member started to fact check Lila’s lies. By the end of the month, everyone knew Lila was a liar and the threats and blackmail the girl had given Adrien and Marinette so almost everyone was wanting revenge but they knew the school wasn’t going to listen or do anything since they believe that Lila had a disease that didn’t exist so instead, they went to someone much better, someone who would be quick to punish the lying snake. Lila’s own mother, Martha Rossi.

Martha Rossi was quite different from her daughter, sure the lady was a bit dizzy but considering the amount of work she got from the embassy, it was understandable. Martha was strict though and scary when angry, which became very apparent when she stormed into the school the day that the class sent her an email which contained every lie, threat and blackmailing that the snake had done since she arrived in Paris with evidence of course.

You could hear the women yells from their classroom. Everyone just carried on with their work like it was nothing while Miss Bustier and Lila looked confused. The best part was when Martha Rossi came storming into the class, yelling angrily at her daughter in Italian, Lila got progressively paler at every word while Miss Bustier tried to calm the mother down but Martha was not having it as she just told Miss Bustier simply in a stone-cold tone, “I don’t want to hear anything from the teacher who would believe a child’s word without checking for proper evidence or even fact-checking with their parents”.

Martha then demands Lila to grab her bags because they were going home so that they could have a long chat but before she left, she thanked the class for bringing this to her attention while their school didn’t and that she was sorry for the damage that her daughter had done, promising to fix what she could to the best of her ability. Marinette was quick to thank the women on behalf of the class and made sure that Martha knew none of the class harboured any ill will against her for something that she never knew about.

From then on the class got better, fixing their friendships, apologising to Marinette for not trusting her and going so far as to bully her while they protected the actual villain, fixing the damage done to the ladyblog and them also getting a better teacher than Miss Bustier who was undergoing training courses on how to deal with bullies, liars and doing proper investigations when someone tells them that another student has done something horrible or against school policy. Their new teacher, in fact, was Mrs Mendeleiev who was quite happy with giving proper punishments to those who deserved it along with helping the actual victims.

Author's Note: Sorry that I haven't written in a while, I've had writer's block. Along with the fact that I have been getting black into anime more, meaning I haven't felt the inspiration to write more fanfiction for the miraculous fandom.  I wrote this at like midnight so if there's any mistake, I will go back and fix them at a later date.

AO3   Wattpad 

[my-miraculous-headcanons]

Maximilian’s Fic Recs

My personal recs for the Miraculous Ladybug fandom. I’ll be rating each story out of 5 stars for both angst and fluff. Honestly, I’ve read a whole lot of stories that I just absolutely love, but these are the top ones that I remember.

I should make a point of saying this— Not all of these are romance fics. In fact, most of these are probably not going to be romance fics. My favourite fics tend to be ones that don’t focus strongly on romance. 

I’m also going to try to be as vague as possibly in my reviews so I don’t spoil anything too much. If you want anything more specific, you should check the summaries the authors put up on their stories, as well as the maturity ratings.

Incomplete and/or Ongoing Fics

Through A Doll’s Eyes — Incomplete Angst:✦✦✦✦✧ Fluff:✦✦✦✧✧ Review: This story is simply phenomenal. It deals with the idea of inanimate objects having a sort of a soul, specifically objects hand-made with love and care. There were many instances in this story where I was close to tears. I loved it, I loved Marinette, her perseverance, and heart of gold. The way she watched over her families over the years and cared so whole-heartedly. I’m upset that there wasn’t more. Unfortunately, it hasn’t updated in a long while, and I don’t think it will in the future.

Red For Fortune — Incomplete/Ongoing(?) Angst:✦✦✦✧✧ Fluff:✦✧✧✧✧ Review: REALLY loved this!!! Honestly, I love any fics that touch on Marinette’s biracial heritage, but this one seriously takes the cake. And I like that this is one of the stories where they don’t make the nice white friend somehow knowledgable of racial issues. They don’t understand what’s racist and what’s not, they don’t understand why Marinette’s so upset, and they need to figure out why they’re wrong on their own. They’re ignorant, aren’t excused for their ignorance, and aren’t portrayed as being a horrible human being at the same time. They fucked up and need to learn a lesson, simple as that.

Voyance — Incomplete/Ongoing Angst:✦✦✦✧✧ Fluff:✦✦✧✧✧ Review: I honestly wasn’t expecting to get so enamored with this story when I first clicked on it, but it quickly dug its way into my heart and planted itself there. It’s an ongoing story that is truly satisfying, to say the least. Characters are told point-blank what they’re like and how they need to improve, and no matter how indignant the character is, they always leave respecting the tarot reader’s abilities. (Except maybe Alya, but that’s for a reason.)

#BonAnniversairePrincess — Incomplete Angst:✦✦✧✧✧ Fluff:✦✦✦✦✧ Review: Truly one of the sweetest fics I’ve read. Marinette being treated like the princess she deserves to be is one of my favourite things to see in fanfic. (If it wasn’t obvious already, I REALLY love her.) 

Missing — Incomplete/Ongoing Angst:✦✦✦✦✦ Fluff:✧✧✧✧✧ Review: No fluff to see here! A good, angsty Marinette-centric fanfic without really focusing on Marinette’s point of view too much, which is something I love quite a bit. The Lila salt is strong in this one, too, which basically makes me love it more and more. I’m anticipating each and every update.

#No R-Agrestes — Incomplete/Ongoing Angst:✦✧✧✧✧ Fluff:✦✦✦✦✦ Review: Honestly Marinette is an absolute walking, talking natural disaster in this and I need you all just to read it please it’s just. So funny and good. 

Complete and/or One-shot Fics

Oleanders and Belladonas — Complete Angst:✦✦✦✦✧ Fluff:✦✦✧✧✧ Review: This is a fic with an akuma that’s treated like a legitimate murder mystery, and I’m in love with it. I’m a HUGE fan of murder mysteries, but I’m also not a fan of children dying or there being too much gore. This is not a terribly gory story and still manages to give you a sense of suspense and thrill, satisfying all my wants. I was positively giddy through a lot of this, and not because it was funny. It was just that good. 

What The Cat Dragged In — Complete Angst:✦✧✧✧✧ Fluff:✦✦✦✦✧ Review: I’m usually not crazy about crossover fics, but this was done rather beautifully. Many characters truly shine in this, both in personality and intelligence, and I sincerely loved every word. Every part of this story is engaging and fun. 

Girl’s Night Out — Complete Angst:✧✧✧✧✧ Fluff:✦✦✦✦✧ Review: This is honestly just one of the most hilarious fics ever. Marinette is a badass, Adrien doesn’t know what the fuck is going on, and everything is practically burning down around them. I couldn’t ask for anything better even if I tried. 

The Second’s Lament; Walking to Paris — Complete/One-shot Angst:✦✧✧✧✧ Fluff:✦✦✦✦✦ Review: This story honestly is just straight up adorable. It’s sweet, long, and calming. It’s just absolutely beautiful, and I wish there was more. I have a soft spot for unusual scenarios like this. I also have a MAJOR soft spot for friendship bordering romantic Marichat. This story encapsulates EXACTLY everything I want in Marichat and I’m just ecstatic about it.

Elephant — Complete Angst:✧✧✧✧✧ Fluff:✦✦✦✦✧ Review: Another absolutely hilarious shenanigans fic that I will NEVER forget. I’m particularly happy over the fact that there’s two endings you can pick from, which is weird because I’m not one to like multiple endings. I suggest reading this when you need a laugh or a pick-me-up, because this will certainly do the trick.

Welcome to WC — Complete/One-shot Angst:✦✧✧✧✧ Fluff:✦✦✦✦✧ Review: Honestly this is so funny and cute at the same time. The fact that these two idiots just ignored everything around them was so funny I can’t even describe it. I found myself struggling to keep quiet. 

Botched Blind Dates — Complete Angst:✧✧✧✧✧ Fluff:✦✦✦✦✦ Review: This is just wholesome all the way through, and also pretty hilarious. I love the whole blind dates trope, especially in AUs, but this concept, which expands on Nino’s interest in film (which I’m VERY happy about), is even better and much more engaging. I also love that Chloe is considered a friend and good person without sacrificing her key characteristics. 

Series

I won’t be putting an Angst/Fluff rating on these since the different stories within the series can have varying levels of angst and fluff.

Unconventional Scenarios — Incomplete/Ongoing Review: I had fun reading all of these stories. At some points it was depressing, in others it was super funny, and sometimes it was just super sweet. 

Allez Savoir Pourquoi — Complete Review: Honestly one of the most well-written soulmate AU’s I’ve read in a while. Marinette and Adrien are adorable in this, and Adrien’s STILL a Big Dummy which I am happy about, because that’s my favourite characteristic of his.

Miraculous: Tales of Littlebug and Chaton Noir — Incomplete/Ongoing(?) Review: I have nothing to say other than you should do yourself a favor and READ THIS. I think about it all the time. Every day. Nothing can possibly top how cute this series is. I daydream about it and giggle randomly sometimes when I remember it. It’s just,,, SO ridiculously cute.

BAMF Mari — Incomplete/Ongoing(?) Review: I honestly love any story where Adrien realises that Marinette’s a badass, and this series takes that idea and ramps it up to a million. It’s funny, awkward, and adorable. I love that it almost entirely switches up the dynamics- Marinette’s calmed down and Adrien’s a total ball of anxiety and teenaged hormones. It’s brilliant. I guarantee you’ll be smiling throughout the whole series.

It Was Only Meant To Be A One-Shot — Incomplete/Ongoing Review: I very recently read this and I loved absolutely every minute of it, and I can’t wait to see the next installation to the series. Every character gets their moment to shine (with the exception of Gabriel), and this includes Emilie Agreste, who isn’t treated as a flawless human being. There’s No Camembert in Tibet, the sequel to the first fic, Plagg and the Butterfly Costume, was completed about two days ago, and I’m very satisfied. And super excited!!!

Some of my angst/fluff ratings may not be totally accurate because I haven’t had the time to reread every fic, but I believe it’s still accurate enough.

This list will definitely be updated in the future.

[missbugaboo]

That Other Guy (6)

“Why does it matter so much to you? What’s so terrible about Adrien Agreste that you can’t stand him as your competition – even though it changes absolutely nothing for you? What in magic’s name makes him such a hateful rival?” Or, Chat Noir finally learns who Ladybug’s dream guy is, but somehow, he’s not pleased at all. For more reasons than one.

LadyNoir, Adrienette.

fanfiction.net / AO3

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Chapter 6: We Need to Talk

The photo shoot was a catastrophe, no pun intended.

Not objectively; after all, the morning was clear, with no more than a few clouds passing over their heads and the warm September sun that had rose no more than an hour afore. The lightning was spot-on, the temperature pleasant, while the team began and finished their work enthusiastic, despite the early hour and the tight schedule they undoubtedly needed to follow.

Adrien was surrounded by competent yet friendly people, in a scenery that could be called nothing but soothing, and following instructions that turned out to be the simplest he'd faced in a while.

And yet, it was a catastrophe.

It was a disaster.

He wished he could blame it on the absurdly small amount of sleep which, by the way, was exactly the excuse he'd used whenever someone asked him if he really was feeling as well as he claimed to. He knew they would notice the change in him as soon as they laid eyes on him - after all, it was there job to ensure that his looks were impeccable and thus were more than critical about what they saw; and so instead of pretending there was no problem at all, he clung to the one cause that seemed both probable and safe.

He was grateful to see it work, when quite frankly, he'd been more than dubious about his success.

After all, the dark bags under his eyes that required much more make-up than usually were one thing - the hollow, unseeing gaze was something else entirely.

They seemed to have bought it, however and went on with their plan without as much as a comment about his obvious lack of professionalism (though he sure was going to hear about it at home). They did his hair and put on his make-up, dressed him up like the doll he was and placed him wherever they thought he looked best.

Again, none of it was bad; it was routine, that's all.

Business as usual, for everyone but him.

"So, how much longer before we can go home now?" Plagg asked with a yawn, sticking his head out of Adrien's bag and gazing at the boy expectantly. "I'm hungry. And keeping a kwami hungry is a risky move, kid."

Adrien glared down at him with a frown.

"Get back inside before someone notices you," he muttered under his breath, hiding his lips behind a water bottle, while he prayed inwardly that everyone was too busy to notice him having yet another conversation with his accessories. "Also, there were at least two whole rolls of camembert in my bag, it should've kept you full for a day."

"Yeah, there were three actually. I ate all of it."

"All of it?"

"Look, it's not my fault I have a fast metabolism."

"You have an eating disorder, that's what you have. It's an addiction that I shouldn't encourage," Adrien was relentless. "What's more important, however, is that the amount packed is exactly what you usually need, so I don't understand how you could devour it so quickly. And I haven't even transformed today!"

"You did last night, though, didn't you? And given the emotional state you were in for most of that hellish patrol, you can be sure it wasn't exactly the time of my life, either. I don't remember you feeding me any cheese after we'd come home and since I can be considerate and tactful, I didn't treat myself with any while trying to talk to you. Oh, and I don't think I've had a chance to have a proper breakfast in the morning, with you storming out of the room like you did, only to wait for Nathalie for twenty minutes because - surprise, surprise! - we were there too early."

Adrien snorted discreetly.

"You could have very well had that meal after I'd gone to sleep," he answered viciously. "It's not my fault that you've decided to flee the moment I did, and for reasons you can't even explain to me."

"Pettiness doesn't suit you, kid," Plagg retorted calmly. "Also, I didn't flee. And surely not immediately after you'd gone to bed."

"That's not the point here."

"No. The point is that you're still mad and you're blaming everyone but yourself for it."

Adrien's glare grew even more steely. "Only yesterday you were talking about how I can't take all the blame and now you're giving me this?"

"Yes."

"You're contradicting yourself, Plagg."

"Not if I mean you should stop looking for the guilty party in general," was his companion's even answer. "Also, I think your make-up lady is coming."

He was gone before Adrien could utter a single syllable, hidden at the very bottom of the bag, safe from the curious eyes of said lady as well as the the young model's glares. Adrien sighed deeply and raised his hand to rub his face wearily - and then put it back down, remembering all the beauty products that were currently covering his face.

Smearing it all over his face right in front of the make-up director was hardly a good idea.

The shoot continued for a little more than an hour after that. When it finally finished, Adrien was sure he had never been this exhausted after so little work in his life, and that there was absolutely no exaggeration on his part in that regard; so when he was, at long last, told that it was all, he felt like he could quite literally kiss the photo shoot director in thanks for that news. That, or to crash on the ground and fall asleep that very second.

Considering that the director was about three times his age, the second option was far closer to his wish.

Still, as alluring as taking his nap right there and then was, Adrien stood firmly, determined not give the team any more reasons to worry - or worse, to call his father and ask him for the cause of his son's awful state.

So now he was back on the bench, pretending to be reading his history textbook, while he waited for the Gorilla to pick him up. He was aware of the glances and smirks (as well as the few awed sighs) he'd thus provoked, knowing full well that people expected him to fiddle with his phone rather than study, and especially in such a busy, noisy place. Not to mention, after the work he'd just done.

And yet, just this once, he wasn't in the least tempted to look at the device.

"You sure you don't need to check that?" Plagg asked in a dramatic whisper, as if he knew that he was supposed to be hiding but at the same time realised that his voice wouldn't have been heard in the mix of sounds around them. "Your phone's buzzed about ten times so far. Doesn't that mean it's something important?"

"No, it just means that Nino still hasn't learnt to write long messages and texted me a bunch of short ones instead," Adrien replied with an impatient sigh.

Gosh, just let him study.

"I know you're not reading this anyway, so you may as well drop the act and focus on me."

The glare Adrien gave him in response truly was a murderous one. "What have I told you about reading my thoughts?"

"You asked me not to do it, and I'm not. But I don't need to, either. It's written all across your face."

The boy let out a growl. One of his fellow models, who happened to be passing by on that exact moment winced, taken aback. She glanced down at him with an odd look on her countenance.

Adrien wanted to curl up and die.

"Sorry," he mumbled, fixing his eyes on the book in his hands, praying that the girl wouldn't linger around and just moved on with her undoubtedly more interesting life.

Luckily for him, she shrugged and did just that.

Adrien sighed again, and this time it was full of relief. Maybe it was a good thing that the fashion industry was were all kinds of eccentrics gathered.

At least no one paid attention to all the weird things he did.

He shifted his gaze to the textbook once more, determined to actually read the words printed on its pages, no matter how many more disruptions might come in a way. He was not going to look at his phone; he was not going to look around, searching for his bodyguard. And he sure as hell wasn't going to give Plagg the satisfaction of meeting his imploring stare again.

As if that changed anything.

Yet, he was to be unmoved. Despite the feeling of his kwami's gaze burning on his side as well as the noise said kwami was making (purposefully, no doubt), he didn't even stir, all the more intent on looking unfazed. He moved the book a little closer and pushed his bag under the bench with his foot without as much as peeking at it. He turned the page with the same fake-serene expression reflecting on his face.

He was fine, he was cool. There was no reason why he shouldn't be.

He was -

"I think Marinette is calling you, kid."

He was none of these things.

Several things happened at once then. The textbook Adrien was holding so firmly suddenly fell out of his grasp and landed next to his feet, only to be accidentally kicked away by him when he stood up rapidly and turned towards Plagg with the same violence characterising his moves. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared down at his bag; his hand shook when he reached out for it and took out the phone which, to his surprise, showed no sign of missed calls.

The few messages from Nino - ones he had already expected - were all he could see on the screen.

And yet, his heart was beating fast, his body stiff while he simultaneously felt trembling inside. With his gaze fixed on the phone and blood pumping in his ears, he nearly missed it when Plagg quietly cleared his throat.

Nearly.

Adrien looked at his companion and realised that what he'd been told was a lie, a ploy meant to provoke a reaction on his part. He frowned, annoyed and opened his mouth to scold the kwami for playing tricks on him in this way; yet, Plagg clearly wasn't going to let him beat him to it.

"I think we need to talk, kid," he said with a mixture of gravity and firmness. "And now."

Adrien couldn't help but swallow painfully.

He was screwed.

They didn't talk, however, and not due to Adrien's reluctance towards the subject. He was not going to give in to Plagg's suggestion of course (which, considering his deadly glare and infinite power of destruction, was more of a threat, really), not without putting some fight first, anyway; though he also realised that such a fight could not be of much use when his friend was so intent to have that conversation.

The very thought of having it made Adrien dizzy.

He was rescued by the sudden arrival of his bodyguard, who pulled up not a moment after Plagg had uttered the damning sentence. Aware as he was that this barely meant pushing the dreaded talk away for a while, Adrien couldn't help but sigh in relief, silently vowing to repay the Gorilla whenever he got the chance.

Now, however...

"Sweet block of cheese, I thought that ride would never end," Plagg said, once again making sure that his yawn would be heard just as much as the note of boredom that resonated in his voice. "To think that today of all days would be when we got caught in a traffic jam."

"It wasn't that bad," Adrien contradicted him, before glancing at his watch. "We're still earlier than I thought we'd be. Not as early as to make it to the current class... but enough to be left waiting for the next one to start. We've got about twenty minutes until that."

"Oh, now that's fantastic. You can finally tell me all the things I need to know without the risk of anyone overhearing."

Adrien set off towards the entrance with a grunt. "I told you I didn't want to talk about it."

"And I told you that I didn't care about your whims."

"What about my needs then? And weren't you supposed to be nice and tactful for once?"

"I'm always concerned about your needs, kid," Plagg retorted with renewed seriousness. "Which is precisely why we must talk; preferably before you walk inside and run into someone."

Before you run into Marinette, Adrien's mind readily supplied.

He wanted to bang his head against the door.

"Do we really have to?" he asked weakly, with his hand frozen on the doorknob and his forehead really coming close to resting against the wooden surface. "Will it really change anything?"

"It's not about changing anything, Adrien."

"What is it about, then? What's the point in going back to it, in reliving that horrendous time once again, if it's not going to make things better? Do you really just want to drag me through the mud so I remember how awfully I reacted last night?"

Plagg landed on his hand and shook his head with conviction.

"You know I don't. But there are things you should face before meeting up with anyone. Things you should think through before anyone asks you about them."

"All I've done since we quarrelled was think things through, Plagg," Adrien contradicted him. "Also, it's not exactly like I can talk about this entire situation with anyone without revealing my superhero alter ego, which we know isn't an option. If anything, I should come up with a good excuse for feeling unwell, but then again, if the make-up crew bought the one about lack of sleep, there's no reason to believe that Nino or Alya won't."

"And what about Marinette?" Plagg suggested with a meaningful look.

"Well, she will have to accept it, too," Adrien as much as spat, a new, sudden wave of anger overcoming him against his expectations or will. "Just because I've figured out her identity doesn't mean I'll share mine with her at the first given opportunity. Not to mention, I hardly feel like having her comfort me right now. Maybe it's unfair, maybe it's rude; but I just can't talk to her today."

"Yeah. Because you're disappointed it's turned out to be her."

Suddenly, all reluctance on Adrien's part was gone.

If that's how Plagg wanted to play it, then so be it.

He wasn't going to run anymore.

"Okay, you wanna talk? Fine," he agreed out of the blue. "I'll tell you everything you want to know and explain everything you can't grasp on your own. We'll find a place to hide until the next lesson starts and talk for as long as the time allows. In return, you'll promise me to stop nagging me about it later on. And I mean it: no sly questions, no meaningful looks and certainly no suggestions that I should go speak to Marinette about anything."

Plagg allowed himself to smile wearily.

"I can work with that," he consented eagerly. "So long as you don't hold back, either."

"I won't," was all Adrien cared to say, before finally pushing the door open and entering the hall.

Plagg followed right behind.

[vanilla107]

Masterpiece (Part 13)

Hey everyone!

(Yes I am alive!) I know it's been ages since I've written but I'm so happy to finally post this chapter! University has been a huge change and in all honestly, I felt awful. I didn't feel like writing because I was drowning in work and the last thing I wanted to do was post a chapter I wasn't happy with. So here it is! FINALLY!

I hope you all like this one! Reblogs and comments make me happy! Now, I haven't been active on Tumblr since I'm so busy but to the people who've supported my writing so far, you guys are the best and the reason I still write this with passion.

Thank you always <3 vanilla107 xoxo

p.s. Please read this on AO3. There’s something wrong with my links on my Fanfic Masterlist (this also isn’t the first time to happen so tumblr wtf) so if you’re new to the story PLEASE RATHER READ IT ON A03. 

Fanfic Masterlist

Read on AO3

Chloe stood outside Nathanaël’s apartment and for the first time, was hesitant to go in. His flirty responses made her wonder if things were going to be awkward between them or if he was just going to act normal. Her phone rang and it was another message from Nathanaël.

Nathanaël @ 6:00

The door is unlocked.

When she was still invited to prestigious events because she was the mayor’s daughter, there were always guys flirting with her and she managed to handle that, but Nathanaël...she didn’t know if she could manage him. He was so unpredictable.

He could be the most gentle sweetheart, teaching her how to cook and making her laugh to his sudden anger showing with gritted teeth when he found out about Mr Shelley to his flirty winks, soft forehead kisses and taking her out to nice places to eat.

Chloe had butterflies and they were making her jittery with nerves. Ugh, just open the door! What’s the worst that could happen? she thought.

Chloe gripped the door knob and walked into the clean apartment. A heavenly smell hit her senses and she looked to the kitchen where a pot was simmering on the stove. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and she jumped in surprise when she was enveloped by darkness.

Ugh! Power outage? Now? Chloe groaned inwardly and groped in the darkness trying to find a stable surface to support herself on. She managed to find her way to the couch but crashed into a figure and the figure let out a cry of pain as they landed on the floor. Chloe recognised the tone and gasped.

“Nathanael! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you!” Chloe whispered trying to grab his hand to help him up.

“It’s okay. You’ve done worse like kick me out of my own bed,” she heard him and she could feel it in her bones that he was smirking.

“Don’t make me hurt you even more,” she threatened but was grateful that he couldn’t see her blush from how she had been cuddled him just a few days ago.

“Don’t you have a backup generator?” Chloe asked as she whipped out her phone and was temporarily blinded by the light emitting from it.

“Ow, shit! That’s bright!” she swore and Nathanael took her phone.

She noticed he was still wearing his painting outfit and he hadn’t removed the streak of blue paint across his cheek. He smelt of turpentine and acrylic paint and for some reason, made Chloe feel comforted.

“No, I don’t have one and don’t look at your phone in darkness like this, you’ll damage your eyes. Looks like I’ll have to get the candles. You okay with that?” he asked, the blue light from her phone making his features sharper.

Chloe’s mind was a buzz.

Candles.

Candles meant romantic atmosphere. Romantic atmosphere meant lingering gazes and subtle touches. That meant heartbeats speeding up and that meant feeling the person’s body heat as you leaned in closer to-

“Earth to Chloe?”

She snapped out of her daydream and nodded quickly as he went to the cupboard. The door creaked open as he got a few candles and a lighter. More lightning struck across the sky, making Chloe jump in surprise.

“Yeah, candles. Candles are great. I like them. I mean candles provide light and warmth and we can make roasted marshmallows. There’s also scented candles which are really nice too-”

Chloe realised she was rambling and shut her mouth immediately so that she could stop embarrassing herself. Nathanael moved around her and put the candles on the coffee table and lit each one, slowly filling the room with a dim golden glow.

“So, you hungry? I made spaghetti.”

Chloe was panicking again. First the candles now the damn spaghetti? Was this some sort of human version of Lady and the Tramp? Candles and spaghetti. All they needed was some stupid romantic music and-

“Chloe, you want some music in the background? I know that Nino still has some of Adrien’s piano pieces on his Youtube channel-”

Chloe was ready to explode because she knew that Adrien was a hopeless romantic which meant the all of his piano pieces were….romantic.

Play it cool Chloe!

“That’s fine, I didn’t know that you listened to Adrien’s pieces,” Chloe murmured as she watched him set up his phone and soft, delicate piano piece began to hum through the apartment.

“I was jealous that he could play to be honest. He always seemed so perfect but after I found out about his father...that definitely changed my mind,” Nathanaël sighed as he walked to the stove and opened the pot.

Chloe could hear the squelch of the spaghetti being spooned into the bowls.

Adrien had told Nathanaël about his dad?

“What did he tell you?” she asked curiously. Chloe knew everything about Adrien’s personal life because they had spent so much time together as babies. She had been there for his tears, his smiles and when it felt like the world was against her, he was there for her.

She would be lying if she said she didn’t miss him. He was the first person who had tried to help her once she was kicked out of the hotel but she had been too prideful and refused his help. He had come to visit her for days afterwards, trying to help her but she was too upset to see him. After a while, he stopped visiting and even though she wasn’t surprised that he stopped, she was still lonely and after a week,she was craving his friendship but she had no idea how to approach him.

“He told me how his dad had him on lock down most of his life. How he limited his time with his friends. How he had abandoned him when his mother left...everything.”

Chloe was silent and nodded as Nathanaël passed her the bowl and they sat down on the couch. She took a forkful of the spaghetti and began to eat. Between forkfuls of the pasta she pondered on everything that Nathanaël had told her.

“So, what were you up to today?” Nathanaël asked, eyeing her with a smile. “You were quite secretive.”

Chloe refused to make eye contact with him. “Just some errands. Nothing huge.” Chloe was still embarrassed about what Juleka and Rose had said that day. She was emotionally exhausted and did not need to talk to a smirking Nathanaël about it either.

“Enough about me,” Chloe said as she finished her food and looked over to the artist, “You’ve been painting. Any luck?”

Nathanaël hummed and smiled. “It’s been easier to paint lately. It helps since I only have one more painting to do before the gallery. Speaking of gallery...have you thought about coming to the gallery to patch things up with Marinette, Alya, Nino and Adrien?”

Chloe’s stomach flipped and she felt sick. She took a deep breath and Nathanaël looked at her anxiously.

“I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to make you worry. I won’t bring it up-”

Nathanaël felt a warm finger against his lips, silencing him.

“I’ll go.”

He stared and the blonde who looked a little pale but she gave him a small smile.

“I’ll go to the gallery, Nathanaël.”

“Are you sure? You don’t look to good-”

“Don’t make me change my mind, Kurtzberg! This is a ‘in the spur of the moment’ decision and even though I really really don’t want to see Marinette, Adrien, Nino or Alya at all right now...I’d do it to make you happy,” she mumbled the last part quietly.

Nathanaël was stunned. When did Chloe become so….selfless?

He reached for her hand and squeezed it softly. “Thank you Chloe...you have no idea how much that means to me.”

Chloe swallowed the ball of nervousness in her throat and gave him a huff. “Don’t count on me being there though! I’m saying this now because I want you to be happy but I might fall ill with the flu or something!” she said as she crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air.

Nevermind…she’s still the same, he thought with a roll of his eyes before he heard a small laugh from the blonde.

“Wow, your face was priceless!” Chloe giggled as she tried to collect herself. She turned back to him with a serious look on her face and gave him a small smile.

“But seriously Nathanaël, it’s the least I can do. You’ve helped me so much already I...I feel like I’m just trying to hide from them all the time. At least you’ll be there...” Chloe trailed off and only seemed to notice now how blue Nathanaël’s eyes were in the candlelight. The blue almost matched the paint on his cheek, that was beginning to crack, and Chloe found her hand cupping the artist’s cheek and gently rubbing the paint flecks away with her thumb.

“Sorry...it was distracting me.” Chloe said as she noticed the red skin under the paint.

Adrien’s piano piece was making it extremely difficult to concentrate and Chloe prayed that she wasn’t going red. Their faces were centimeters away from each other and Chloe swallowed uneasily.

“Nathanaël...I went to apologise to everyone I had hurt during high school today… that’s what I was doing the whole day.” she mumbled and she saw his give the smallest of smiles.

“I know. Rose told me.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped and she groaned as she let herself fall onto the couch, the closeness between her and Nathanaël broken.

“Rose and Juleka need to mind their own business! And François! That little snake spread rumours!” Chloe suddenly yelled and she covered her mouth in embarrassment.

Nathanaël raised an eyebrow in interest and put his bowl down on the coffee table and rested his elbow on the couch so that his whole body faced her.

“What rumours?” he asked and Chloe swore inwardly. There really wasn’t any use in lying to him.

“François saw me leaving your apartment a few days ago and it looks like we have a relationship going on according to some outsiders,” she said awkwardly. Nathanaël stared at her and let out a warm laugh.

“Well, we sorta do, since we’re fake dating for the sake of tricking your asshole of a boss.” He cleared his throat and look to his fridge. “Dessert okay now? I have strawberries.”

Chloe nodded enthusiastically and finished her last mouthful of food and set her plate down. Nathanaël got up from the couch and fetched the strawberries from the fridge before plopping himself back down next to her.

“It’s just that I don’t want the paparazzi finding out and suddenly hounding you because you’re ‘dating’ the ex-mayor’s daughter. I’d hate for your reputation to be ruined.”

“Why would my reputation be ruined? You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Nathanaël, you’re talking to the girl who made a whole lot of people’s lives miserable and even though I’ve apologised to the main people I bullied, there are still people who think I’m a bad person. My new co-worker, Camila, had friends at our school and she knew of how awful of a person I was! Word gets out and I was a pretty terrible person for the past few years. I can’t suddenly change years worth of tabloids overnight.” Chloe said bitterly.

Nathanaël looked at her sadly. He knew how mean the tabloids had been. They had negative views on Chloe while she was the mayor’s daughter but they still kept it tame so that her dad wouldn’t sue them. The second her dad wasn’t mayor anymore, they were ruthless. They bought up every negative aspect of her and now Nathanaël saw how badly Chloe had been affected.

She must’ve felt that the world was against her, he thought as he gazed at the girl who looked so small next to him.

He de-stemmed the strawberries in silence and they began to eat. Chloe enjoyed the sensation of the sweet strawberry juice in her mouth after the spaghetti they had eaten.

“There’s always benefits with fake dating but I do need to get a real job soon. Some job that I can depend on and not have to kiss the ground Mr Shelley walks on,” Chloe said, trying to change the subject and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth in the apartment. The strawberry dangled in her hand as she slowly slipped into sleep.

*********************************************************

Chloe woke up with a start and saw that Nathanaël had showered since he was now wearing his pajamas. The candles were still lit but all the melted wax indicated how long they had been burning. The electricity was still out and it took some time for Chloe’s eyes to adjust to the darkness.

“Hey sleeping beauty. Have a good sleep?” he teased and she weakly threw a pillow to his feet.

“How long was I asleep? And yes, it was a fairly good sleep.” she answered and reached for her phone.

Her hair felt like a mess and she was sure that she had drool on the one side of her mouth. She wiped it away and looked at Nathanaël groggily.

“About fifteen minutes. Why?”

Chloe yawned and checked her phone. She had to head back to her apartment. Every part of her wanted to stay another night with Nathanaël but...she was scared. She knew that she was slowly starting to like him more and more after each day and she wasn’t the person to hide her feelings but it all still felt strange. 

She went from being his tormentor in high school to someone who needed his help and now she was falling for him. It was a sick love story and no matter how much Nathanaël claimed that she helped him kick start his career, it felt awful to be the reason of such a painting filled with rage. She needed to be a better friend and not try to think of their relationship in a romantic sense.

Nathanaël changed a lot from high school.

He wasn’t this lanky, awkward guy anymore. He was confident, successful and loved what he was doing with his life. And they had only become friends a few days ago, the last thing on her mind should be a relationship with him. And they had only really properly gotten to know each other for the past five days. How could she suddenly have a massive crush on him? For all she knew he could just see her as a friend.

Yeah, right! A friend who kisses you on the forehead before going to sleep, makes you food, lets you sleep in his bed and getting you off from work. Yeah a real friend Chloe!

Chloe rolled her eyes at her inner thoughts and shook her head. She was Chloe Bourgeois and she had to go to work the next morning.

“You need to leave?” Nathanaël asked in surprise and she nodded as she got up from the couch and stretched, the candles basking her in a golden glow.

“It’s been a hella long day and I still have work tomorrow. Gotta go clean those floors early remember? Oh and how did you shower in the dark?”

“I have extra candles. I just lit those.”

Was it her imagination or he looked a little sad?

“Nathanaël...are you sad that I have to leave?” she asked and she saw him turn towards her, his face calm.

“Well, I did forget that you have a strict working schedule sometimes and as your ‘fake boyfriend’ I do worry about you being in the same working environment as that asshole, Mr Shelley and his girlfriend,” Nathanaël said smoothly but Chloe saw the tips of his ears turn pink.

“Nathanaël, you are a good liar but terrible at hiding it,” she muttered with her heart beating a little faster. She walked to his door and put her hand on the door handle. 

Be a friend, Chloe. Just a friend.

“Thanks for dinner, Nath. Next time you should come over and we can have some cake. Don’t ask me where I’ll get the cake from but I assure you that it’s good!”

She didn’t expect the hug but she wasn’t complaining.

He felt so warm and safe and oh, how she loved how much he smelt like the ocean. She immediately responded, turning to face him and wrapping her hands around his waist and resting her head on his chest.

“Thank you Chloe. For giving my friends a chance even though you must be hurting a little inside. I’ll try and make it as smooth as possible with them. I promise.”

Chloe nodded and tried to untie the knot in her stomach when he mentioned ‘friends’. Their hug lasted way too long for it to be a ‘just friends’ hug but Chloe didn’t want it to end. Suddenly, the lights flickered back on and Chloe rolled her eyes.

“Wow, just as I leave the electricity decides to switch back on.”

Nathanaël eventually let her go and opened the door.

“Goodnight Chloe. Sweet dreams,” he said softly.

“Goodnight Nathanaël. Sleep well.”

Suddenly, he leaned in and kissed her forehead lightly before giving her a smile and closing his door. Chloe’s heart was beating so hard she thought someone was going to hear it. She walked to her apartment quickly and fell onto her bed.

“He kissed me. On the forehead.”

The only time Chloe had ever received a kiss from Nathanaël was when he was faking to be her boyfriend.

He wasn't faking now was he? There was no reason to. There wasn’t anyone to fool. So was he trying to mess with me? No, that wouldn’t make sense. He’d never tease me like that.

Chloe sighed and closed her eyes and hoped that sleeping would help her ease her thoughts until tomorrow.