#GASP! TURTLES WHO ARE COSPLAYERS?!

[prettyw3ird]

So you’re telling me…

All Leo had to do was remove his Fanny pack and now them being actual walking, talking turtles is believable?

[killjoygod]

drastic measures | yan!rottmnt!raph

here’s a yan!rise!raph oneshot requested on wattpad! enjoy!

♡ ♡ ♡

Snow painted fluttering kisses to everything in its reach, neon lights here and there illuminating the scene with a red, pink, and blue hue. It wasn’t pouring, but it was enough that two girls had their hoods pulled up and scarves ready for equipping at any moment.

“April, are you sure about this?” [name] shifted in her position, looking around the alleyway uncertainly. “This seems a bit…I don’t know- Sketchy?”

The girl in question let out an exaggerated gasp, clutching her hand to her chest. “I’m offended [name]! You don’t trust your best friend?” April faked a pout, though it dissipated into soft giggles in which [name] couldn’t help but join. The two girls continued their way through the alleys, eventually coming to a manhole. Oddly enough, the snow had calmed, settling into a light shower now.

Despite the cold temperature, [name] and April shed their jackets before lifting the manhole cover. The ravenette woman gave [name] a reassuring smile before sliding down the hole. The remaining girl looked unsure, eyeing the dark hole before inevitably letting her fears fly and jumping as well.

She landed on a surprisingly soft surface - A landing pad.

“You good?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Right, April did mention that one of her friends set that up so no one got hurt. [name] stood up and brushed herself off before continuing to follow April through the sewers.

It was damp and a bit humid under the city, a vast contrast to the cold atmosphere above. The walls of the sewers had graffiti all over them, most made [name] question who might’ve done it. To be fair- Who even takes the time to do it underground? She’s seen enough at train stations and in alleys to be used to it, but still - People climb into the sewers to do this? Well- Actually, it would make sense if it was the people April was showing her to right now.

They were seriously talented. Bright colors, amazing graphics and even meanings! It was astounding, [name] doing a full 360 to get a good view of the stunning images. She wished her phone wasn’t dead so she could take a picture though, it was just beautiful! No matter though, because April suddenly mentioned that they were almost there, which took any other worries off of [name]’s mind and replaced them with new ones.

Would April’s friends even like her?

She could be awkward sometimes, what if they couldn’t find anything in common? What if April likes them better? What if…What if they hate her?

It was nerve-wracking, truly. Things suddenly felt a lot more bleak and awfully familiar. April was [name]’s only friend, if she left…Alright, not the time! They were almost there, no going back now.

The whole idea of this meet-up felt so vapid. What would it do? Sure, it might not do any harm, but what good could it do either? There you go again [name], you’re almost there!

“Alright, we’re here!” April offered a fleeting gesture of comfort before ducking under an entrance of sorts, [name] following soon after. Here we go.

“Guys! I think April’s here!” A raspy, slightly high-pitched voice rang out in the rather big…house? Well, it’s the sewers- A huge skate ramp was what greeted the pair first, until four shadows caught [name]’s peripheral vision. They disappeared, then reappeared, getting closer and closer each time. She’d never admit it, but holy shit was that terrifying.

In little to no time at all, the four figures had closed in on both of them. Then, the lights flickered on, and the fear settled into confusion.

April’s friends were…cosplayers? Cool, she supposed, but why’d they get dressed up to meet her?

The four figures looked to be a mix of turtle and human, and holy hell, all four of them were built. Like- The tallest one looked like he could snap her like a- Wait why was he staring-?

“...Are you guys cosplayers?”

Silence followed, and then a sudden bark of laughter from everyone but [name]. She nervously joined in, unsure of what was so funny about the question. It felt like a taunt, like there was something they knew that [name] didn’t.

“Cosplayers? That’s a new one.” The one adorning a blue bandana wiped a tear from his eye as he spoke, light chuckles still escaping him. [name] felt heat rise to her face out of embarrassment. What was going on-? She was being genuine-

“Come on ‘Nardo, she’s obviously not seen a mutant before-” The purple one spoke up next, voice monotone though wavered with chuckles as he lightly smacked ‘Nardo’s back.

“Mutant? What’s that?” [name] spoke up quietly, now more embarrassed than anything. One of the four certainly got a kick out of the fluster on her face, but they didn’t utter a word.

“Long story short; We’re mutations. Human-turtle, the whole shebang.” Purple spoke again, a lazy grin resting on his face. [name] froze in place. Not with disgust, nor with fear. She was just so confused. How’d April meet them? How’d they get mutated? Did they always have to hide, is that why she’s never heard of something like that happening before?

“...Okay then..Uh- Good to- Pleasure to- Pleasure to make your acquaintances…?” The girl averted her gaze, internally screaming at how much she stammered with such a simple sentence. April giggled, patting her head reassuringly.

The turtles could only smile softly, noticing [name]’s nerves, so they would take the first step.

“The name’s Leo, but call me anything ya want love~!” A cold glare was shot in his direction, a chill sent down Leo’s spine immediately, but he shook it off as nothing. Probably just the wind or something.

“Just call me Donnie, or anything you see fit.” The purple one smiled gently, already fond of the rather quiet [name].

“And I’m Mikey! I don’t care what ya call me either to be honest-” The orange turtle grinned brightly, light just radiating off of him like he was the sun above.

“My name’s Hamato! Wait no- U-Uh- Raphael- C-Call me Raph-” The tallest one, adorning a red bandana, looked just as nervous as [name], and it was probably the light but it almost looked like his cheeks were flushed as well…No, probably just the light.

[name]’s nose was a rosy pink from the cold and it twitched out of habit. Aw, she was like a little rabbit! Absolutely adorable. She looked at the four turtles and smiled gently. It was a genuine one that made the red turtle swoon internally. He felt his heart pound even more just under your gaze…Why did you make him so nervous?

“It’s nice to meet you all! April talks about you guys a lot, so it’s an honor to finally see you guys in person.” She chuckled, looking at the other lady before back to the turtles. “I’m [name].”

The girl’s smile grew just a bit more, feeling her prior nerves get lifted more and more. The brothers sensed it as well, happy that she was comfortable now. ‘New friend acquired’ and all that jazz. Well- Except for one of them.

Raph wanted more.

Her every little move made him want her even more. She was pulchritudinous, ethereal. She was something he had never seen before, something he never knew he needed. She wasn’t loud, she wasn’t immature, she wasn’t like other people he’d met.

She was amazing.

She was his.

The rest of the night went by unfortunately fast. [name] and the turtles + April settled on playing video games and watching movies for most of the night. Raph couldn’t stop looking at [name], memorizing all your mannerisms and ‘tells’, while also dealing with any of his brothers [mainly Leo] that were getting a little too close to her.

Halfway through the hangout, Raph and Donnie had left for a bit to talk or something along those lines. The red turtle had come back after around 10 minutes, purple one taking longer, but for some reason…Donnie’s behaviour had changed. He seemed more on edge and an odd guilty look kept crossing his face whenever he met eyes with [name]. His hand also seemed to be resting in his lavender hoodie’s pocket a lot more.

Throughout the night, everyone had taken a few breaks for snacks and pizza dinner, but overall it was just a very fun and chill time. Donnie had heaters planted all over the base so the cold outside wouldn’t affect them much.

[name] got along with the brothers really well, even their dad Splinter. Everything was going great, but time, like all things, went by too fast.

It was getting late. Way past midnight, probably, but the only clock may or may not have been missing because a certain someone removed it while no one was looking. Things were calming down and mostly everyone was tired. [name] didn’t really want to leave, but she did have her part-time job the next day. Morning shifts sucked, but she didn’t have a choice.

She was going to say her goodbyes and leave with April until Donnie asked to speak with her in private. Raph sent a small grin and cold gaze that seemed like a threat over in the purple turtle’s direction, eliciting another guilty look from him.

Donnie pulled [name] over to the kitchen, hands behind his back now. She looked up at him with confusion, tilting her head. “Did you need something Donnie?”

He only looked more guilty, eyes brimming with the emotion to the point it was about to pour out. It was concerning the girl.

“[name]...I’m so sorry…” He was about to take his arm out from behind him, but at the last second, he couldn’t do it. “I can’t do this. Listen, you need to get out of here as fast as you can- Raph…He’s not going to let you go. I don’t know what happened, but he’s not acting right. You’re in danger, [name].”

She didn’t even have time to process his words before what happened next. Donnie didn’t either. A large shadow cast on the room, before suddenly, Donnie was yanked away and shoved to the other side of the room. Though, the thing he had been holding back from [name] was now in the new arrival’s hands. She felt her hands begin to shake at just the sight, eyes widening.

Raph.

The red turtle glared at Donnie with a hatred that should never be put upon on a brother, yet here it was. Donnie was holding his bruised softshell, though what was most concerning was his tight hold on his throat. The edge of the kitchen table had damaged his vocal cords, and he couldn’t yell for his brothers to help them. Then, like a flick of a switch, his eyes were softer once met with [name]’s. Not another second wasted, the item was revealed to be…a syringe of some kind?

Oh hell no. Raph inched closer and closer, eyes radiating a sick kind of lovesickness that stirred an uncomfortable feeling in her gut. She backed away from him step by step, until her back inevitably hit a wall. His hand pinned her there effortlessly, and her yell of help was cut off when the syringe was plunged into the side of her neck.

He watched with curiosity and satisfaction as [name] almost instantly crumbled to the floor, holding her face in her hands, feeling her body shift and change around the bones. A scream of pain left her lips, which felt like catharsis when put up against how quiet and soft she had been this visit. It was rewarding for him, in a sick, sadistic way.

A sick realization racked through Donnie’s body. Regardless of the scream, no one would hear them. He had sound proofed the whole hideout. He was their inevitable downfall.

[name]’s screaming only died down after the rearranging of her innards and external appearance was done. Raph stared down at her with the utmost adoration, and when she finally looked up at him, regardless of the strong glare, he melted.

She was beautiful.

She was his.

Her new form as a mutant was just as stunning as the human form, if not more. Raph was head over heels. How could someone be so…lovely?

[name] was horrified at her new appearance. She didn’t feel right in her own body, I mean, was this even her own body anymore? She felt tears escape her tight grasp on emotions, resulting in her figure shaking even more.

Short gasps escaped her lips as Raph picked her up easily, caressing her hair. She wanted to cry, scream, fight, kick, whatever it took to get his hands off of her. But he didn’t relent, only giving Donnie the silent command of staying fucking quiet.

He carried [name] to his room, laying her on the bed. “Now we’ll be together, forever.” He chuckled softly, moving a piece of her hair to the side. “I mean, who else is gonna love you now?” A smug grin was what he gave before heading back down and explaining to everyone that she wanted to stay the night.

He also explained that Donnie had a really sore throat and wouldn’t be able to talk for…a while :) The two remaining brothers only shrugged it off as him coming down with a cold. It wouldn’t be too shocking, considering how low the temperatures in the lab sometimes got.

April was suspicious, but not for long.

Who couldn’t trust the kind, loving Raph after all?

[angelofthequeers]

Hold Me By Both Hands: Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I don’t own ML.

Chapter 29 | Chapter 31 | AO3 link

“Adrien Agreste, pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you.” Master Fu opens the lid of the Miracle Box and pushes it towards a kneeling Adrien as all the compartments slide open. “Choose wisely; you and Ladybug will be responsible for your choice, to train them and hold them accountable. If your ally proves to be untrustworthy or otherwise unfit, you must retrieve the Miraculous from them.”

“Of course, Master,” Adrien says immediately. “But, um…we, uh…Ladybug and I need a shield. We need the Turtle.”

Master Fu’s smile freezes in place. Adrien swallows and looks down at his hands. Great. Ladybug’s trusting him with this, and he’s already screwed it up, and what if Master Fu decides that he’s asking too much, that he’s too impertinent, that he can’t be trusted, even Plagg’s weight on his shoulder can’t drag him back from this –

“Adrien,” Master Fu says. Adrien’s head whips up. The old man is…smiling warmly now? “I’m not disappointed or upset with you. Merely surprised. I just…didn’t think Wayzz would be needed so soon.”

“You’ve always known that the time would come, Master,” Wayzz says. “You’re much too old to be Jade Turtle anymore, and you have the other kwamis to advise you in my stead.”

“Jade Turtle?” Adrien’s tongue darts out to moisten his lips, although it does nothing for the dryness in his mouth. “That was your superhero name?”

Master Fu nods. “But I’m nearly two hundred years old. Wayzz is right…as usual. My role as Guardian comes before my own desires.” He smiles up at Wayzz and holds out a hand for Wayzz to nuzzle against. “Farewell, old friend. Best of luck with your new holder.”

“I’ll never forget you, Wang Fu,” Wayzz says. Master Fu gives an odd little laugh.

“Yes. I’m sure you won’t.”

Adrien frowns. Is there…something he’s missing? “Um…inside joke?”

“You could say that,” Plagg shrugs. Master Fu and Wayzz give him twin severe looks.

“You and Ladybug will know when the time is right,” Master Fu says. “For now…” He takes a deep breath, then squares his shoulders and slides his green bracelet off, and Wayzz vanishes in a flash of green light. “Do you have someone in mind, Adrien?”

Adrien frowns, while Master Fu prepares the Turtle Miraculous in a little hexagonal box. Who can he pick to be the Turtle hero? He needs someone strong-willed but not reckless; protective without being too self-sacrificing like he is with Ladybug; smart but not set in their ways, willing to go with the flow and adjust as needed…god, why can’t Ladybug be here, her instincts are always spot-on, because who the heck does Adrien know well enough to entrust with a –

Of course! Adrien gasps and snatches the box from Master Fu. “I know just the right person, Master! And I’m sure Ladybug will approve! Plagg, claws out!”

Thankfully, his choice for the Turtle at least has a brain and is hiding out at home in his room with the doors barricaded. Even when Chat Noir raps on the window, Nino just shoots him a suspicious look and makes no move to slide off the bed.

“Of al the times to grow a brain cell,” Chat Noir mutters, then swings his baton. The window shatters inward, spraying shards of glass all over Nino’s floor. Oops.

“Dude!” Nino says. Chat Noir grins sheepishly.

“Oh, well, Ladybug’ll fix everything anyway,” he says with a shrug. “Uh, why didn’t you let me in, though?”

“Are you messing with me?” Nino points at the broken window. “People are doing crazy shit out there and you think I’m gonna just let in the first Chat Noir I see?”

Chat Noir rolls his eyes. “Oh, relax. Faux News can only warp reality.”

“Exactly! What if he manages to make another one of you? Or Ladybug?”

Chat Noir blinks. “I, uh…didn’t think of that. But it’s the real me, not some Lila shapeshifting situation or something. And we need your help, Nino.”

Nino raises an eyebrow. Great. This is exactly why Chat Noir prefers to handle this before an akuma starts wreaking havoc and making everyone paranoid.

“Wanna be the next Rena Rouge?” Chat Noir says. “Only, y’know, not a Fox?”

“I – what?” Nino splutters.

“Yeah! We need a Turtle hero and I got to pick!” Chat Noir bounces on the balls of his feet. “What d’you say? You don’t have to say yes if you don’t want to, but you’re perfect for the Turtle because you’re protective of your friends and you’re probably the only one that’s not a total disaster, and I saw you with Alya when Zombizou attacked –”

“You been spying on us or something, dude?” Nino says, but his mouth is twitching. “Okay, okay, you got me. Especially if it’ll help me protect Alya when she’s on her rabid Ladyblog filming frenzies.”

“No one can know, though,” Chat Noir says as he fishes in one of his suit pockets for the little Miraculous box. “Not even Alya or your other friends.”

“Duh. First rule of superheroes, dude.”

“And Ladybug and I are responsible for you. So, if you screw us over –”

Nino actually looks hurt as Chat Noir hands the box over. “You think I’d do that to you?”

“No, no!” Chat Noir says quickly and holds his hands up in surrender. “Why do you think I picked you? I’m just making sure you know the fine print before you sign away your soul.”

“…What?”

“I was joking. About the soul bit. Look, we’d normally try and ease you in like we did with Rena, but there is an akuma messing everything up down there…”

“Right, right.” Nino snaps the box open, then hisses and jerks a hand up to shield his eyes from the bright green light that greets him. When it fades to reveal the little hexagonal bracelet inside, Wayzz is floating in mid-air, bright yellow eyes surveying Nino rather curiously.

“Whoa, dude!” Nino gasps when he uncovers his eyes and starts trying to look at Wayzz from all directions.

“Hello!” Wayzz says. “My name is Wayzz.”

“Hey, little guy, what are you, a genie like in those fairy tales?” Nino babbles. Chat Noir can’t fight back the smirk that spreads across his face, and even Wayzz has an amused little smile.

“I am a kwami,” Wayzz says. “I can’t grant wishes, but I can give you superpowers!”

“Just one thing,” Chat Noir says. Hey, if it worked for Alya, it should work for Nino too. “Once we kick Faux News’ butt, you have to give it back. Can we trust you?”

Wayzz shoots Chat Noir an odd look, while Nino squares his shoulders and nods.

“You bet, dude!” he says and slips the bracelet on.

“Then all you have to say is, “Wayzz, shell on”,” Wayzz says. Nino grins.

“Wayzz, shell on!” Nino’s enveloped in vivid green light as he transforms.

“Nice look,” Chat Noir says when the light fades. “Although Ladybug will probably just get pissy if either of us bring it up.”

“Really? Why?” Nino says. He slides his shield around to his arm from his back, and a wide grin splits his face. “Awesome!”

“I…may have called her outfit plain when Rena Rouge joined us,” Chat Noir says. Nino winces.

“Bro.”

“I know, I know. I’m surprised I’m still alive.” A low rumble outside Nino’s broken window reminds Chat Noir that there’s still an annoying akuma wreaking havoc and they should probably get back and help Ladybug and Rena Rouge ASAP, especially with Rena Rouge’s current emotional state. “Come on, turtle boy! You can think of a name on the way.”

.

“Come on, Chat Noir!” Ladybug mutters as she dodges a punch from an old lady. Thank god that Rena Rouge had snapped out of it and actually become a functional teammate, because there was no way Ladybug had been about to disappear and recharge when Rena Rouge had been a wild animal.

“They just keep coming!” Rena Rouge says. She yelps and uses her flute to whack away an incoming brick before it can bash her in the head, then leaps away from a web shot from a cosplayer-turned-actual-Spider-Man and lands next to Ladybug. “How are we s’posed to get to Faux News? And why doesn’t he come and fight us himself?”

“Why should he?” Ladybug says. “All he has to do is wait for us to wear ourselves out.”

“No need to have a cow, Ladybug!” Faux News calls over the din. There’s the sound of overlapping mooing, followed by a whole herd of cows charging straight at Ladybug and Rena Rouge. But there’s no way to dodge the cows; not with their backs literally to the wall and minions spread all around them. All they can do is swing their weapons in front of them and hide behind the whirring of the yo-yo, Ladybug praying that the cows don’t hurt them too much because then it’s all over, Faux News and Hawkmoth will win –

“Shellter!” A green dome encases Ladybug and Rena Rouge just before the cows can reach them, and they stare with wide eyes and open mouths as the cows bounce off the dome and crash into the minions scattered around, knocking everyone over like the world’s most twisted game of bowling.

“What the f –”

“About time!” Ladybug says before Rena Rouge can finish her sentence. When she whirls around, she’s greeted by Chat Noir’s shit-eating grin and the new Turtle hero, who’s holding his shield above his head to maintain the Shellter. The Turtle hero has a dark green suit with a light green hexagon tessellation on his chest, dark shoulder, elbow, and knee pads, short green boots, a hood with orange and yellow turtle eyes on either side, and a round green shield that he’s holding above his head to maintain the glimmering green dome. Under his hood, Ladybug makes out dark eyes behind orange goggles, but she can’t for the life of her think of who this could be. Who would Chat Noir know well enough to entrust with a Miraculous?

“Sorry for the delay, milady,” Chat Noir says. “Turtle boy here was just being paranoid, and I had to, uh…enter by less than savoury means.”

“You broke my freaking window!” the Turtle hero says. Chat Noir shrugs.

“And I told you, Ladybug will fix it. Which she couldn’t have done if she’d been trampled by cows. Nice to see you’ve calmed down, Foxy.”

Rena Rouge makes a very rude hand gesture in response. “So, what’s your name, Turtle boy?” she says, her eyes gleaming as she looks him up and down. “Pity the Ladyblogger’s not around. She’d get a kick out of this.”

“Carapace,” the Turtle hero says after a moment. “Call me Carapace. And eyes off, man, I’ve got a girlfriend.”

“Wait, you think I was interested in you?” Rena Rouge scoffs. “I’ve got a boyfriend of my own, thank you very much. Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Nice to meet you, Carapace,” Ladybug says loudly before he can retort and they end up squabbling when there’s an akuma to defeat. “We need to come up with a plan before your Shellter runs out. That gives us about five minutes. Four minutes,” she amends when Carapace’s bracelet beeps.

“Hiding in your shell, Ladybug?” Faux News cries. “Like the cowardly insect you are!”

“Lucky Charm!” This time, Ladybug’s given a handkerchief. “Uh, okay? What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Better figure it out soon, dude,” Carapace says. “I’m at about three and a half minutes.”

“Wish you could just shut that son of a bitch up for once,” Rena Rouge mutters. Ladybug gasps.

“Of course!” Thanks to Rena Rouge’s joke, Ladybug is able to quickly cobble together a plan to get through the minions and reach Faux News. “Rena, when Carapace drops the shield, I need your most disruptive illusions. Things that’ll keep the minions occupied.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Rena Rouge salutes.

“Chat, the akuma’s most likely in his cravat,” Ladybug says. “It’s the only thing that really stands out. I’ll need you to Cataclysm it when you’re close enough.”

“Anything for you, milady,” Chat Noir grins. Ladybug takes a moment to direct every shred of energy inside her towards not blushing at her boyfriend’s words, since a) he doesn’t know that she’s his girlfriend, and b) she’s ragged on him enough for getting distracted in the middle of a fight.

“Carapace,” she says, praying that she’d managed to avoid looking noticeably flustered. “You’ll have to clear us a path to Faux News.”

“How?” Carapace says. Ladybug smirks.

“You’ve never seen a biohazard bubble before?” she says. Carapace’s eyes gleam rather evilly behind his goggles, just like Rena Rouge’s had at the prospect of bashing Faux News. “And I’ll take out Faux News. He seems to have to talk to be able to warp reality how he wants, so I’ll put a stop to that.”

With their roles sorted, the four of them take a moment to make sure that they’re ready. Then, with a war cry, Rena Rouge and Chat Noir slam themselves against the sides of the bubble to send all four of them hurtling through the crowd of minions, who are bowled out of the way like pins as the green dome crashes through them and rolls to a stop next to Faux News.

“What the hell?” Faux News exclaims as Carapace’s Shellter flickers out of existence. His cry drowns out the sound of Rena Rouge’s flute, and so neither Faux News nor any of his minions are expecting the explosions and fireworks that erupt out of nowhere, keeping the minions’ attention firmly focused away from the heroes.

“Get ready, Chat!” Ladybug says as Faux News opens his mouth. Before he can speak, Carapace leaps in and bashes him around the head with the shield, making Faux News stagger and choke on what he had been about to say. This is exactly the opportunity that Ladybug needs; she ducks under Carapace’s arm, throws her yo-yo to pin Faux News’ arms to his sides, then stuffs the handkerchief into his mouth.

“L’dyb’g! Dr’p d’d!” Faux News tries to say, but the makeshift gag muffles his words to the point of incoherence.

“Cataclysm!” Now it’s Chat Noir’s turn to jump in, running his sparking hand over the cravat around Faux News’ neck to disintegrate it and free the evil butterfly corrupting it.

“Good job, everyone!” Ladybug says and quickly captures and purifies the akuma. Then she forces Faux News’ jaw open to tug the handkerchief out, grimacing at its dampness even though she’s got magic spandex protecting her from touching it, and throws it into the air to summon her Miraculous Ladybug and set everything to rights once more.

“Awesome, dude!” Carapace says, bouncing on the spot. Ladybug waits until Rena Rouge makes it over to them before holding out her fist for the four-way, “Pound it!”

The groaning from the blond man sprawled on the ground draws their attention. Rena Rouge looks particularly smug as he pushes himself to his feet and squints at them.

“I – was I akumatised?” he says.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Ladybug says. “I know it can be –”

“C’mere!” The man – Lars Vos, Rena Rouge had called him – tries to throw an arm around Ladybug while fumbling for his phone. “A selfie with Ladybug! This’ll show that Ladyblogger brat that I’m not just an amateur!”

“Brat? Brat?” Rena Rouge clenches her fists and would’ve stormed right on up to Lars if Chat Noir hadn’t caught her. “You’re the plagiarising son of a –”

“Rena,” Ladybug says sharply. Rena Rouge falls silent, glowering at Lars. “Sorry, Lars, but I won’t be taking a selfie with you. And neither will Chat Noir.”

“What?” Lars’ face darkens. “Why not? It’s fair game!”

“Okay, for one, we’re not bits of meat,” Chat Noir says. “And two, we hang with the Ladyblogger because she’s earned it. She puts in the hard work to capture footage and run her blog.”

“Exactly,” Ladybug says. “I’m not saying that we’ll never give you a photo or an interview, but we won’t be rewarding you for plagiarism and smearing Alya.”

“Uh, guys?” Carapace says, holding up his beeping bracelet.

“I’ll be along in a second,” Ladybug says. “I just need to have a quick word with Rena. Bug out!” She throws her yo-yo to swing over a nearby building and land on the other side, with Rena Rouge following close behind, leaping with the agility of the animal that she embodies.

“Let’s rest,” Rena Rouge mumbles when they’re safely behind a car, and she turns back into Alya in a flash of orange light, staring down at her feet. “You’ll want the necklace back, won’t you?”

“Huh?” Ladybug says. “What – why would I take your Miraculous?”

“Because I messed up big-time.” Alya still hasn’t looked up from the ground. “I made everything worse. I let my anger get in the way. And if you can’t trust me to –”

“Stop!” Ladybug holds up a hand, and Alya’s mouth clacks shut. “I’m not taking the Miraculous, Alya.”

“You’re not?” Alya’s head whips up, revealing the newfound shine in her hazel eyes.

“You don’t lose it for making a mistake, little kit,” Trixx says from Alya’s shoulder.

“Trixx is right,” Ladybug says. “Both Chat Noir and I trust you with our lives, and we’ve made plenty of mistakes between us. It’d be hypocritical to take your Miraculous from you. But it can’t happen again.”

“You’re a Fox, not a Bee,” Trixx says with a little sniff. “Leave the angry buzzing to Pollen’s chosens.”

“I’m sorry,” Alya sighs. “I was just…so angry. All that work – and he had to go and steal it – and then he didn’t even learn from being akumatised!”

“You’ve got every right to be angry,” Ladybug says, resting a hand on Alya’s shoulder. “But you can’t let it overwhelm you in battle. Chat Noir and I need to be able to trust that you’ve got our backs, and we can’t do that when you’re charging in angrily.”

Alya nods and stares back at the ground, blinking rapidly. Her head jerks back up at Ladybug’s next words.

“And I owe you an apology of my own.”

“What? Why? You didn’t do anything wrong!” Alya babbles.

“I should’ve realised that the battle was too personal,” Ladybug says. “This is a battle you should’ve sat out, Alya, and I’m sorry that I didn’t recognise that from the start.”

“Well, it’s not like you could’ve told me,” Alya says. “And wasn’t it safer for me to be Rena, anyway? So he couldn’t find me?”

“Yes, but we shouldn’t have let you get involved,” Ladybug says. “I’ll talk to Chat. We might implement a rule that you’re not allowed to get directly involved if we feel it’s too personal, unless we desperately need your help. One mistake could’ve leaked your secret identity or compromised your ability to be part of the team.”

“Understood, Ladybug,” Alya says with a frantic nod. “That makes sense. Oh!” She pulls out her phone and starts tapping. “I’ve finally got the group chat up –”

“We’ll sort that out tonight on patrol,” Ladybug says when her earrings beep. “I have to go and meet Carapace before Chat Noir transforms back as well.”

“Jerk,” Alya mutters. Ladybug rolls her eyes.

“Try and get along with him, yeah?” she says. “We’re a team, which means you have to have his back and he has to have yours.”

“Ugh, fine,” Alya says. “I’m gonna go and find the girls. And Marinette! I don’t know where she hid! See you tonight!”

Once Alya’s gone, Ladybug swings out from behind the car in the direction that Chat Noir and Carapace had gone. When she touches down in an alleyway next to Chat Noir, her eyes widen at the boy with the unmistakeable blue T-shirt and red cap.

“Nino?” she bursts out, then shakes her head. “I might’ve known.”

“Uh…hey, dudette,” Nino says with an awkward wave. “I get that I was a quick pick, so if you’ve got someone better for the Turtle –”

“Wait, what?” Ladybug says with a small smile. “I couldn’t think of anyone more perfect. You’re protective and loyal and a grounding presence among your friends.”

“That’s what I said!” Chat Noir looks like the cat that got the cream. Damn kitty and his damn adorable face and no, focus!

“You picked perfectly, Chat,” Ladybug says, and Chat Noir preens and runs a hand through his messy blond hair. “We’re meeting at the Eiffel Tower tonight at eight, Nino.”

“Wait, we are?” Nino jabs a finger at Chat Noir. “He told me I had to give it back after the battle!”

“Oh, you did the test?” Ladybug says to Chat Noir, who grins and shrugs.

“Yep. And he gave it back before I even had to ask. I was just gonna give it to him when you turned up.”

“Asking you to give the Miraculous back was a final test to see if we could trust you to keep your word,” Ladybug says to a slowly-blinking Nino. “Plenty of people would love to be a superhero, but giving their powers back and trusting us to pick them again, knowing that we could pick someone else? Chat and I tested Rena Rouge like this as well.”

“Wait, so –?” A wide grin splits Nino’s face when Chat Noir offers the bracelet, and he whoops and fist-bumps Wayzz when the little turtle kwami reappears. “Dude!”

“Welcome to the team, Carapace,” Ladybug smiles.

“I was wondering what you were doing when you told Nino that he would have to return my Miraculous,” Wayzz says once he’s settled against Nino’s neck, cushioned by the headphones hanging there. “Very wise, Ladybug.”

“And Chat Noir,” Ladybug says. “I didn’t even think to test Nino.”

“Um, I’m about two minutes from changing back, so…” Chat Noir holds up his beeping ring.

“Oh! Right!” Ladybug shakes her head. “And Rena’s finally finished tinkering with the team chat, so make up a burner email address and give it to her tonight so she can add you. It’ll let us get in touch outside the masks.”

“Ugh, Rena,” Nino groans. “Flirting with a taken turtle!”

Ladybug and Chat Noir try as hard as possible to fight back their grins. They almost succeed. Almost.

“To be fair, she has no idea who you are,” Ladybug says when Nino squints at her.

“And she didn’t seem like she was flirting,” Chat Noir adds. “She’s just…way into superheroes. She about died when we let her be Rena Rouge.”

“It’s probably just a misunderstanding,” Ladybug finishes. “And we can clear that up tonight. Bug out!”

[smokingbomber]

re: the challenge

So apparently it WAS totally unclear! The wording of the challenge, I mean. Because it's super complex. Sorry about that!

I explained it thus to @ellorgast: 'I could write fic or make a fanart of, say, Neil [Nephrite from her series Monster Socks!], where he is a woobie vampire accused of killing Makoto and Buffy is hunting him down.'

She thought this was hilarious, and because I'm an asshole kind of, I did it on the spot:

-----

"She's NOT DEAD!" yelled Neil from behind the HVAC unit on the roof of the school. As punctuation, he took off one of his shoes and threw it at the grimly perky face of the blonde Slayer holding the stake meant for his heart.

Aggravatingly, she swayed in place and the shoe sailed past her head. "So like what, you made her UNdead? That's even worse! That's not just 'I'll kill my girlfriend for god knows what emo violent reason', that's 'I'll kill my girlfriend for god knows what emo violent reason and make more work for Buffy and also make Buffy cry because she won't get any more Mako-bakery goodies for moping into while wearing pajamas and watching Friends and thinking about kissing An--' nevermind it’s bad and you’re bad!"

She hurled herself up in the air and did a completely gratuitous backflip, landing behind Neil, who was already turning to block her punches and the stake, move for move. "No she's not dead she's literally off in Japan getting my prince's girlfriend to come purify the stupid vampire crap out of me! That wasn’t her blood, it was KETCHUP, you dumb--"

Buffy grabbed his flowing locks of beautiful wavy brown hair and yanked. "SO YOU ADMIT TO HAVING A VAMPIRE PRINCE!" she yelled triumphantly, holding the stake over his heart.

"Jesus FUCK, Buffy! Mamoru is not a vampire he's LITERALLY THE CROWN PRINCE OF EARTH!" Neil gasped, completely exasperated, and suplexed her into the roof of the school, sparkling henshin magic zooming across his Ninja Turtles t-shirt and cutoff jean shorts.

Buffy stared up at him, upside down, squinting, and not especially moving. She knew Mamoru, and there was no way that super hot superdork was a vampire, prince or otherwise. So she focused on Neil’s outfit. "You know, most vampires get these ugly Klingon faces when they lose their tempers? I'm just saying, like. They don't turn into cosplayers?"

Neil tossed his head, hair flipping behind him-- and his cape-- and his Shitennou uniform, cream-colored with gold trim-- and that damn hair practically sparkled on its own, waving unfairly lushly in the sudden breeze. His red-brown eyes flashed triumphantly at the bemused Slayer and he struck a pose. “ShTENoh,” he said, emphasizing it strangely; it didn’t sound like words to Buffy. “Me and the guys are Mamoru’s--”

"Um, and someone really should have told you by now that long hair plus cape equals nineties Superman."

"If Kain can get away with it," Neil huffed, "I can do it better."