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lifeofkaze · 7 months ago

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Cherry Red

Find the whole DarkNoir fun here.

Based on this ask by the fantastic @drinkyoursoupbitch

A/N: The last bit of the DarkNoir!AU (for now) naturally brings my favourite couple of them all. The amount of obsession I have developed for this version of them is entirely unhealthy, but what's new. Warning: dark noir world weariness, allusion to drugs and prostitution.

The room is crowded, the stale air stuffy with the stench of perfume and smoke. I know better than to mingle with the rich and famous. They suffer my presence among them - crave it, even - and yet my very being here is a testimony to both their boredom and their vices. They know it, and I do, too. What I don’t know is who is more disgusted by it.

The annual horse show - the start to a new season of gambling, a prelude to the vicious cycle of seeing and being seen and spending so much money it would comfortably feed a family of four in less than an hour - has just ended. The privileged few with enough money to matter have now assembled at the glamorous afterparty held in one of the most exclusive country clubs in town.

The privileged few, and me.

I keep to the side of the room, to the shadows cast by the twinkling chandelier suspended from the ceiling. Its fragmented light dances over the party guests talking about the day’s purchases and the latest gossip in a world open only to the not-so-lucky-few in attendance. I cast a weary look around the room. Through the haze of blue smoke, all I see are forced smiles on the gentlemen’s faces, and bored looks on the diamond-draped women clutching either their husband’s arms, their champagne glasses, or both.

So much glitz on the outside, so much dullness underneath.

Leaning casually against the wall, I find amusement in how the curious looks are dropped as soon as I meet them, but it is a grim kind. No matter how expensive my borrowed suit may look, I don’t fit here, and I know it. They know it, too, but that is what’s drawing their eye. I’m an outsider invading their secret circle, an attraction to be gobbled at. No one wants to admit it, but they are all slavering for their turn to talk to me. To do business with me. Money can only get you so much, but it can provide distraction and diversion to the vapidness of life - which is precisely what I’m here for.

I nod discreetly at the gentleman who has just left me with his head held high and a haunted look in his eyes, turning my attention back to the crowd who all pretend they haven’t noticed. Business has been going slow so far but I’m not concerned. The night is young, and people need their time to loosen up. It’s a tough business, riding out the high of spending thousands with a snap of their fingers. When they’re ripe for a new one, I’ll be here waiting for them.

The evening draws on. The vials hidden in the pocket of my jacket begin to dwindle, each replaced by a roll of banknotes that make conversation with the swanky snobs almost bearable, and the flirting of their bejewelled banshees slightly less pathetic. I nod obediently at the men and give the women with their fake smiles and real diamonds a deep look into their heavily painted eyes, every single time.

The things you do for business.

I have already given up hope of anything interesting but money rolling in when the doors open and a couple that is arriving late is led into the room. It’s the man I see first - combed back, sand-coloured hair, a suit more expensive than what I earn in several months, and a swagger that marks someone who is used to being made room for.

The woman by his side I instantly recognise. She is wearing a cherry red dress beneath a heavy fur coat, which gets taken from her shoulders by eager hands. The fabric of her dress - probably expensive as sin herself - shimmers in the light as she moves with a self-confidence that makes her look like she owns the world. Judging by the looks she’s receiving, she might as well. A tilt of her hand, the slightest raise of her red lips, and suddenly the light from the chandelier is rendered dull, and the gemstones of the women surrounding her have become lacklustre. The hint of a smile, and it’s her who lights up the room.

I watch as she follows her companion, accepting the champagne flute she is handed by her companion with a graceful bow of her head. He talks to her, and even from across the room, I can’t stop looking at the movement of her lips as she laughs. She puts her hand on him - well-placed, fleeting touches, never enough to raise eyebrows, always enough to not let him forget she is there. As if someone like her could be forgotten.

I know the man who has bought her company for the night; a lawyer from a well-established family. Rumour has it, he is in the run-up for a spot in the government. It surprises me that he risks being seen with her, out in public. But then again… what screams power more than a woman like her by his side and not a care in the world? Another touch, another smile. She has only eyes for him and him alone but even so I’m sure she knows that I am here. She always does.

As the music swells, the man takes her hand and leads her to the middle of the room, where other couples have gathered for a dance. She gives him a coy smile as he places his hand on her waist, the slightest bit too low for my taste. She shifts her hand on his body as they dance, not inappropriately but if you look closely, you can spot her fingers lingering, brushing alongside his arm a tad too slowly to not be suggestive. It’s an act she has perfected - the teasing, the game, the promise of something every man in this room desperately wants, including me.

Once the music has stopped and the poor guys bloodying their hands for the indifferent applause of the elite are allowed to take a breather, I can’t take it any longer. I slip into the crowd, making my way to her and her companion. I only look at him as I approach. I give him a small nod and a smile, my eyes fixed on his. It’s not quite a challenge but no subordination either.

“May I ask for the next dance?”

His eyes harden, the look in them resembling disgust. I’m not fazed by it. He’s been buying off me for too long to refuse me. He knows that I know, and I can tell how much he hates it.

“I don’t think this is appropriate,” the woman speaks up in her suitor’s stead, her voice snide and dismissive. I bow my head, my eyes finding hers. The look in them would be unreadable to most but to me, the spark in them is clear as day.

“Darling, don’t be impolite,” her companion says, the condescending smile people like him suck up with their mother’s milk forming on his face. “It’s only one dance, is it not? You’ll be back with me before you know it.”

“I’m counting the minutes,” she breathes as he kisses her hand, giving him a deep look from beneath her lashes as he walks away. When he has gone, she turns to me.

“Mr Amari.”

“Miss Jameson.”

I extend my hand and she takes it, allowing me to draw her closer as the music starts again. She smells like jasmine and mint, the silk of her dress cool beneath my fingertips as I place my hand on her waist, exactly where her companion’s hand has been.

“I’m surprised you’re here, Mr Amari,” she says as she lets me lead her into the dance. I raise my eyebrows fractionally.

“I go where the money goes, Miss Jameson. What better place to be than a horse show? I could say the same of you,” I add after a moment. “You have been gone for quite some time. A peculiar choice of event to make your reappearance.”

Her laugh is quiet and melodious, and I mourn its loss as she stops to speak. “Nothing but a return to the scene as a glamorous party, isn’t there? I missed the glitz and glamour.”

“The glitz and glamour missed you.”

She hums as she comes closer for a moment, not a second longer than the music dictates her to. I feel the warmth of her against me, and when she withdraws I have to stop myself from following her.

“What would be glamorous about watching breeding mares prancing around to be traded off?”

“Are we still talking about horses?”

“What else would we be talking about?” The smirk on her red lips has turned bitter. She averts her eyes. “Aren’t we all wares to be sold?”

“How so?”

“You said it yourself - everyone in this room has come because of money, one way or another. It’s what drives us, all of us.”

“Some of us,” I correct her, slowly spinning her around, “but not you. You don’t need this.”

“Don’t I?”

I tear my eyes away from her face for a moment. The man she has arrived with is watching us like a hawk, his attention like the tip of a knife grazing my skin. It’s as if I can see the tendons on the side of his neck protruding even from where I dance with her. He is ready to step in should anyone dare to claim his prize. I pull her tighter against me.

“You turned up in some illustrious company tonight.”

“I guess.”

She sounds bored.

“He might get into parliament next term. You’re bound to be talked about.”

She pulls a face. “It’s not ideal. Boss told me I could say no but what was I supposed to do? He keeps requesting me, every time he books with us. He wouldn’t let off, not even when I… had gone for a while.”

“He’d be a fool not to,” I say, but the thought of him singling her out like that makes me uneasy. I don’t like it, but that’s the deal with her, has always been. She’s a light too bright to look at, and the moths are inevitably drawn to her.

The dance floor has become crowded, and we need to watch where we step. I take the opportunity to pull her close, closer than I would have dared otherwise. She lets me, and I feel her body flush against mine, those curves hidden by her red dress, and the soft skin of her neck, beneath which her pulse is throbbing rhythmically.

Suddenly, she moves to the side, pulling me along so that I come between her and the eyes of her watchdog. She raises her chin, breath brushing over my jawline as she whispers into my ear.

“Are you coming home tonight? The kids are missing their dad… and so am I.”

Her words stir something I keep hidden deep within, yet I guard my face carefully. My eyes flick over the people surrounding us. They all seem too preoccupied with themselves to have noticed anything but you never know. We always have to be careful. So very careful.

“I’ll try,” I whisper back, my words not more than an exhale. “Make sure that you are, too.”

Her lips part to respond but before she can do so, the music stops. It takes a considerable amount of willpower to step away from her. Her eyes don’t leave mine as I raise her hand to my lips and place a kiss on the back of it. As she withdraws, her fingers quickly close around the vial I have pressed into her palm.

“Be careful.”

Her lips draw into a wicked smile that makes her eyes sparkle. It’s like the fleeting look of softness in them has been nothing but a fever dream.

“Worried, Mr Amari?”

I don’t reciprocate her smile. “Always.”

“I can handle myself,” she says and shakes her head. Nonetheless, the small vial with the clear liquid inside vanishes beneath the hem of her gloves as she does so.

“I know. Just in case.”

“Just in case.” She steps away, her perfect mask of indifference already back in place. Her eyes drop from mine but I know what she’s saying, a whispered secret forbidden to any ears but mine. “Wait up for me tonight.”

Then she turns, and all I can do is watch her leave. It stings, having to watch her and her cherry red dress walk away, right into the arms of the other man waiting for her. But as long as I know who she will be walking back to, I can bear it.

Even if only just.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #lizzie jameson #orion amari #dark noir au

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findroleplay · 1 year ago

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A bit of a hard sell here, but I’m looking for either a DC, Across the Spiderverse, or Breath of the Wild/Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity based M/M ((or in one incredibly specific case, nb/f)) rp where I write an oc against the big long list of characters I’m looking for! Another big ask is I’m *really* craving some rapid fire action at the moment, like I’m dying to just sit down and send paragraphs back and forth with someone all night. If you’re able to do that, it’d be amazing, but less frequent/longer replies is also, obviously, great. The characters I’m looking for, btw, in order of preference for each fandom, being

DC - Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Kon-el/Superboy, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Victor Stone/Cyborg, Oliver Queen, or Tim Drake, or, and this is that incredibly specific case, Diana Prince ((for the nb/genderfluid character :]))

Spiderverse - Miguel O’Hara, Hobie Brown, Peter B Parker, Your own alternate au Peter, and Spider Noir

And finally, BotW continuity - Robbie (aoc), Ganondorf (could be an oc incarnation), Link, Revali, Teba, Sidon, or Sooga

Feel free to come to me with other canon characters you want to try out, but be warned I’m mostly craving DC right now. The list of ocs I have to offer for any of these characters is literally too long to summarize here, so instead I’ll tell you I have a few heroes, a villain or two, some civilians and nobles, so just about any trope or setup is doable! I average 2-4 paragraphs, only write/accept characters over the age of 18, and I prefer to do the actual rp-ing through discord or rp websites! I prefer to include nsfw elements to my rps as well, so this is an ad for JUST the 18+ girlies

#roleplay #rp #DC rp #across the spiderverse rp #breath of the wild rp #hyrule warriors: age of calamity rp #mxm rp #oc rp

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myth-blossom · 2 years ago

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For your 'questions for fic writers' ask! 1, 16 and 49!

Hi Spicy! Thank you for the ask ��

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

Oh that’s tough! I like to write mission fics and romance, so I suppose I would recommend one that had a bit of both in it. So I think I would suggest Kiss the Messenger as an introduction to my writing, it’s a mission fic that combines sexy/sweet/tension for an enjoyable Diana/47 read.

16. What’s an AU you would love to read (or have read and loved)?

I’m not sure how many AUs I’ve missed before I joined the Hitman fandom, but a few of @cicaklah’s immediately spring to mind (Diana Burnwood’s Sex Club, Haven AU, and the WWII Paris AU). I also enjoy @issytheamateurnerd‘s fics with Madeleine Burnwood and I’m really looking forward to @skylightpirate‘s Hollywood AU! I really see potential for the space/science fiction AU, which I’d personally love to explore further. I also have a craving for Hitman Noir which I may or may not have an idea for as well (but I would really love to read what someone else has written 😁 hehe). Plus I can’t forget the cowboy/western AU!

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

There are soooo many open projects of mine so it’s hard to choose! Here’s a crumb of a WIP: “He calmly returned to the party as chaos unfolded in the stairway. Mere seconds were all he could afford to take as he scanned the crowd for a solution. His eyes focused on the vision in red beyond the swaying sea of monochrome, sitting alone at the bar with a cigarette in her hand. The woman seemed to sense his approach but offered him no greeting. Judging by the remains in the ashtray, she had been there for quite some time and more than likely approached by a handful of suitors hoping to warm her bed for the night. She wasn’t interested in their charm, he realized. She was waiting for something. Perhaps she was waiting for him.”

#Ask meme #ask game #fanfic writer #hitman fandom #hitman fanfiction #diana/47 #Mythy’s Muffins

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kaleb-is-definitely-sane · 2 years ago

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@agentlilicarter it won't let me answer you ask so here is my answer:

Friends to lovers: B: Like it. Not one of my bigger cravings, but it can scratch a certain itch if I’m in the right mood. Some people will complain about this saying "Why can't they just be friends?" But I say if it fits with the story and it makes sense logically and emotionally for the character let it happen! Idc if it's a tragedy or a comedy or whatever if it's done well (read: dramatically) enough it can really get me into a story

Band AU: I haven't read any of these but my guess would be: B: Like it. Not one of my bigger cravings, but it can scratch a certain itch if I’m in the right mood. I love anything centered around friends and road trips and drama so Ima probably start seeking these out

Soulmates AU: C: Neutral. A good author might be able to sell it, but a bad one will kill it deader than dead. Nuff said.

Angst with happy ending: A: Love it. Spend my time combing AO3 for it. Ima sucker for some quality angst lol. And ima sucker for a quality good ending <3. This is perfectttt

Mutual pining: A: Love it. Spend my time combing AO3 for it. LOVE IT! SO HERE FOR IT! Especally if the both think the other doesn't like them back [chefs kiss] splendid! Oooooh and if everyone around them knows they both like each other but THEY'RE the only ones oblivious!!!!! One of my favorite shows (Miraculous Ladybug and Chat Noir) is centered around this premise and it's the most glorious train wreck ever lol <3333

#lili is lovely #<3 lili

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galedekarios · 6 years ago

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NOIR AU

“This case is a real doozy, could bring the Precinct to its knees and maybe the whole city down with it.”

#DBHEdit #Detroitedit #DBH Connor #Hank Anderson #Hankcon #Hannor #Hank x Connor #Detroit: Become Human #Clancy Brown #Bryan Dechart #otp: Partners #ch: Hank Anderson #ch: Connor #vg: Detroit: Become Human #edit: mydbh #Anyhow #Here's the Noir AU I so crave and no one asked for

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flufflepuffle296 · 4 years ago

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Heathers au: Beautiful Songfic

This is more centred around Veronica/Marinette so not really any mentions of Heather/Heather/Heather. Sorry if someone’s done this before I apologise I just got into Heathers like two days ago. Also I changed some lyrics and took others out to make it more “realistic”. Sorry I suck at endings, it’s 5:30am rn and this is my first fic so be nice please! (I’m on mobile so I can’t add the keep reading tag so sorry if you don’t like this) xxx

I brushed down my dress: I couldn’t give them anything to criticise me over. Everything had to be perfect. I had to be perfect. Chloé sat next to me, my beautiful fiancée, slipping on her kitten heels. She may be 3 months pregnant but no Bourgeois woman would be seen wearing flats. I was in a red floor length a line dress — I grew out of my childish pink years ago, before it even went out of fashion! My hair was twisted into two plaits that were knotted together into a stylish bun at the back. Chloé meanwhile had stuck to her white and gold aesthetic, currently in a slim fitting white dress, showing off her small baby bump, decorated with gold jewellery. I rummaged through my drawers, trying to find a lipstick, when a thin book toppled out. I picked it up, and laughed fondly when I saw what it was.

My old Collège and Lycée diary.

I flipped through it, landing on the page that stuck most clearly in my mind. It was the day my class reminded me of my current reality at that time, shocking me out of a bubble that had surrounded me during the summer holidays that year.

September 1st, 1989.

Dear Diary: I believe I'm a good person. You know, I think that there's good in everyone, but—here we are! First day of senior year!

And uh... I look around at these kids that I've known all my life and I ask myself—what happened?

I bit my lip. What happened? I knew darn well what happened. Lila Rossi. She came in, flaunting her friendships and connections, a new disability every other week to cry about, another rumour about me coming out every 3 days.

Alya ended our friendship, Adrien continued to cry about Lila’s feelings. Lila just kept doing what she did best. The class gave up on changing my mind and instead decided that calling me names would be better. Because logic?!

“Freak!” “Slut!” “Burnout!” “Bug-eyes!” “Poser!” “Lard-ass!” Were the insults they liked to yell daily. Yeah, they weren’t the most creative...

We were so tiny, happy and shiny. Playing tag and getting chased. Singing and clapping, laughing and napping. Baking cookies, eating paste.

Nino and Kim used to come over to the bakery when we were kids, where we’d gorge ourselves on sweets, before celebrating our sugar rushes by chasing each other in the park and then crashing on my sofa, cuddled in blankets and laying on top of each other.

Then we got bigger, that was the trigger. Like the Huns invading Rome. Welcome to my school, this ain't no high school: This is the Thunderdome. Hold your breath and count the days, we're graduating soon. College will be paradise, if I'm not dead by June!

But I know, I know, life can be beautiful. I pray, I pray for a better way. If we changed back then, we could change again. We can be beautiful...Just not today.

I scoffed at my optimism back then. Them changing? They never did, I don’t know why I bothered trying at that point. I should’ve moved on but hey! We all make mistakes. It’s just that sometimes you make 11 friendships worth of mistakes.

“Freak!” “Slut!” “Cripple!” “Homo!” “Homo!” “Homo!”

I cringed as I read their old “insults”. They would write homophobic messages across my locker, getting Alix to spray paint a few slurs across my work after I came out as bisexual.

Things will get better soon as my letter comes from Harvard, Duke, or Brown. Wake from this coma, take my diploma. Then I can blow this town. Dream of ivy-covered walls, no smoky French cafés. Fight the urge to strike a match and set this dump ablaze!

I had purposefully sent out applications to universities far away from these people, from Paris. All three schools accepted me, something I can’t say about my classmates, most of whom were rejected for essays on false information (sourced by Lila) and a quick scan over the Ladyblog meant not a single newspaper would even consider my ex-best friend. Gabriel Agreste, as I later found out through my internship in America, had to bribe several schools with double tuition to get even one to accept Adrien, after he got exposed as sexual harasser and disgraced hero “Chat Noir”. I turned back to my diary, having to peel off rock hard gum from the page that someone had smeared in “revenge”.

Le Chiên Kim. Third year as linebacker and eighth year of smacking lunch trays and being a huge dick.

“What did you say to me, skank?” He would yell, his fist raised in the hallway.

“Aah, nothing!” I then cowered. I may be Ladybug, but he was 150lbs of pure rage. No one can compete with that!

But I know, I know... Life can be beautiful. I pray, I pray, For a better way. We can be beautiful...

“Marinette! Wide load! Honnnnnk!”

He was the smartest guy on the football team. Which is kind of like being the tallest dwarf.

“Hey! Pick that up! Right now!”

“I’m sorry, are you actually talking to me?” He used to snarl, his hands covered in sauce from knocking my tray.

I stood my ground, I had been practising for this moment. “Yes, I am. I wanna know what gives you the right to pick on me. You're a high school has-been waiting to happen. A future gas station attendant.”

Kim then smirked, crouching down to eye level and pressing a finger to my forehead. “You have a zit right there...” he pointed out, causing the cafeteria to laugh at my expense.

I used to ask myself “Why... Why do they hate me?”

And hear Adrien whisper “Why don't I fight back?”

Watch as Max Googled “Why do I act like such a creep?”

Listen in on Lila stamping her feet in the bathroom asking “Why won't he date me?” Clearly frustrated.

Kim panicking as he wondered “Why did I hit him?”

And Chloé sob down the phone “Why do I cry myself to sleep?”

I would stay up late, screaming, begging. At my lowest points I would cry out “Somebody hug me! Somebody fix me! Somebody save me! Send me a sign, God! Give me some hope, here! Something to live for!”

I remember when I first met my real friends. The famed trio had gone into the bathroom and I followed after them, clearly my throat.

“Who are you?”

“Uh... Marinette Dupain Cheng. I crave a boon”

“What boon?” Chloé asked, filing her nails.

“Um. Let me sit at your table, at lunch. If our class think that you guys tolerate me, then they'll leave me alone...”

Chloé threw her nail file out and began circling around me, running her hands through my hair, commenting that “For a greasy little nobody, you do have good bone structure!” Before coming to a conclusion.

“And ya know, ya know, ya know? This could be beautiful. Mascara, maybe some lip gloss, and we're on our way. Get this girl some blush; and Kagami, I need your brush. Let's make her beautiful.” Sabrina and Kagami, chimed in, echoing her words.

“Let's make her beautiful...”

“Let’s make her beautiful...”

“Make her beautiful...Okay?” Chloé ordered, dragging me out with Kagami and Sabrina, driving me to her hotel. They sat me down, taking my hair out of its bunches and brushing it out. Kagami painted my nails a deep navy with surprising precision, manning my cuticles. Sabrina twirled my hair into a high bun, leaving a few pieces at the front to frame my face. Chloé came back from her wardrobe, throwing a blue blazer and grey skirt at me. I changed into my outfit for them, to which they clapped their hands in glee. They dragged me back to school, taking in everyone’s reactions to the new and improved me. This became my new daily outfit for the rest of the year — the class couldn’t find anything bad about it, and even if they did Chloé would threaten them with her father’s power.

I was happy with my squad. Kagami taught us Japanese and Chloé taught us American English that she’d picked up from her mother. I taught them self defence, under the guise of learning it from my mum, unknowingly training them for the day I would rip Chat Noir’s miraculous from him, before slamming it into Kagami’s palm. I needed help that day, so thrust them bee and the fox miraculous at Chloé and Sabrina respectively. They became permanent heroes, Kagami under the name “Noirette”, Chloé under the new guise of “Buttercup” and Sabrina “Renard Rouge”. Akuma attacks have never lasted more than 15 minutes since we got rid of that alley cat, and we’ve been closing in on Hawkmoth recently.

I shook my head, snapping the crude book shut, throwing the diary in the bin. Today was going to be the day I made peace with all that happened, our 10 year school reunion. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna make up with anyone, just that I will finally leave everything behind. I found my lipstick and smeared on the crimson lip, smacking my lips together. I grabbed my clutch and helped Chloé stand up, though she wobbled a little in her heels. I slid her miraculous into her updo, blowing a kiss at her as to not ruin her makeup.

We met up with Kagami and Sabrina in the hallway, Kagami in a wine red suit with gold jewellery, and Sabrina was in emerald green to compliment her red hair. We stepped into the limo awaiting us outside and set off, arriving at the school 10 minutes later. We walked up the steps, hitching up our dresses and arrived in the courtyard. It had been lit up with fairy lights, with stands of food and drinks scattered around the court. Our old classmates were huddled in small groups, whilst Mlle. Mendeleiev’s was in a large group, enjoying each other’s company after 10 years apart.

No one noticed us, until Rose pointed at me and whispered “Who’s that with Chloé?” The group turned to stare at us, trying to place my face. Adrien looked up from talking to Lila, who seemed to be flaunting a rather tacky Gabriel engagement ring, and whispered,

“Marinette?!”

The class began gossiping amongst themselves, “Marinette? Marinette? Marinette?!”

I ignored them, their childish ways were behind me, and walked up to Aurore and Mireille, fawning over their relationship. They turned Kagami, asking her about her life and squealing over her Olympic medal for fencing. I grinned as I watched my old class, happy that they had moved on from each other — well apart from Alya and Adrien, who were still hooked on Lila. I was finally, content! I thought back on my diary, one particular paragraph standing out to me at this time.

And you know, you know, you know, life can be beautiful. You hope, you dream, you pray, and you get your way! Ask me how it feels, lookin' like hell on wheels...My God, it's beautiful! I feel so beautiful... And when you're beautiful...It's a beautiful frickin' day!

Chloé boasted my achievements, my business, my awards, and the entire of Mendeleiev’s class started chanting “Marinette! Marinette! Marinette!”, much to my embarrassment. I boasted her’s in return, Sabrina revealed how far she’d come as a lawyer, Kagami swung her prized sword from side to side as she listened to us all catching up, laughing at the memories.

It really was a beautiful day.

#lila salt #adrien salt #class salt #marinette deserves better #alya salt #mlb #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #chloe sugar #kagami tsurugi #sabrina raincomprix #heathers au #beautiful heathers #songfic

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voxymoxyboxy · 4 years ago

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Drabbles for my Various Sam and Max AUs 01- Ghost Max AU

Hi there! I wanted to actually publish my writing for once, so I decided to write a whole bunch of drabbles of my various Sam and Max AUs! I’m gonna try to make at least one for every AU, so wish me luck! Here’s the first one!

P.S. If you wanna hear more about them, please ask! I wanna talk about them! Don’t be shy!

TW: Mentions of Death and Cursing

Drabble 01- Ghost Max AU

Max had never really seen himself as a ‘people’ person.

When he was a kid, the only ones who’d ever tolerated his presence were his parents and a handful of his siblings, and even then it sometimes felt like that was stretching it. That had been fine by him. Playing too roughly with others usually sent him to time out while playing by the rules bored him out of his mind. At the end of the day, it just seemed easier to keep to himself.

The lagomorph had even preferred it, regardless of that weird pang in his chest.

In all of his life, Max could honestly say that he had grown fond of his workmates. Would never openly admit it, but the signs had been there. Whenever the rabbit teased Sybil, poked fun at Superball, eventually turned into something akin to affectionate after a year of knowing them. Hell, the lagomorph remembered the days he’d spent trying to get them together, leaving notes and gifts as the other.

There was a small part of him that yearned to go back. If anything, they were the only things worth living for.

Being dead put a damper on all that, of course.

In the beginning it had been great! Being a ghost was amazing! No responsibilities (taxes who?), all the free time in the world to do whatever the lagomorph wanted. Sure, not being able to enjoy the luxuries of food was a bummer but flying was pretty neat! It was only when Max tried leaving when it hit him. Literally.

What appeared to be some kind of force field prevented him from leaving his little ramshackle apartment. That hadn’t bothered him at first. After all, learning what ghostly powers he held could keep the rabbit entertained for hours! Could being the key word. While fun to start, progress was slow then came to a stop completely when it became fruitless. Roaming the same halls grew boring. Floating lost its charm. The yellow of the walls started taunting him almost.

Going to Heaven would’ve been preferable to the pseudo-hell he was trapped in.

A tiny sliver of hope came when the corpse cleaners came a few days after his death. Hermit that Max was, someone must’ve finally called the police after the smell became too much to bear. They’d burst in, covered head to toe in white before getting right to work. Which was weird, but not unexpected. Someone was making sure that his death was but a blip to be forgotten.

That was okay. The lagomorph planned to have the last laugh.

Opportunity struck. Jumping in one of their paths, the rabbit had snapped at the man, laying out every insult in the book (that he’d written, by the way). Imagine the look on his face when the fucker simply walked through him, face set in stone as if he hadn’t heard a damn word.

Because he hadn’t, Max had realized, horror thrumming in his core.

Nobody could.

They left. A few more people entered. The lagomorph tried everything. Shouting, yelling, kicking their kneecaps, pushing a tumbler off the kitchen counter like in those old horror movies his ma told him not to watch. Nothing. No flinching or yelps of pain left their mouths. Only sounds of exertion and mumbling before they too were gone, leaving the rabbit in silence.

Quiet. It was too quiet. Noise kept Max busy, kept that small ball of darkness from spreading through his brain like poison. Silence, for some, was comforting.

For him it was deafening.

Forced to see the same things day in and day out, the rabbit soon discovered the pang was back in full force. When exactly had it disappeared? The thought, while elusive during the day, always crept back at night, when Max couldn’t sleep to keep it at bay. It grew, evolved into what-ifs and questions he had no answers for.

How had Sybil and Superball reacted to his death? They had to know it was murder, right? A little bump to the head was the last way he wanted to go out, right behind getting shot but ahead of choking on a gummy bear. Were they looking for the bastard that did him in? A tiny voice from who-knows-where told the lagomorph that the pair didn’t care enough.

Max tended to agree.

What of his family? Funnily enough, getting offed made the rabbit more appreciative of his family. They certainly weren’t the most loving or caring, but there were hints here and there. A kiss on the forehead, an older sibling giving him the slightly bigger half of a cookie, little Milly coming to climbing into his bed during a particularly bad thunderstorm. Despite not thinking about them for countless years, Max couldn’t stop the memories from playing over and over.

It didn’t take him long to learn that they kept him sane, let him forget the pain in his chest.

(Let him forget how lonely he was-)

It hurt to confess that he desperately craved contact. With humans, animals, anyone! Even a scrap would last him a lifetime at that point-

You could say Sam was Max’s saving grace, as pathetic as that sounded.

The day the dog moved in was perhaps the happiest moment of Max’s- well, not life, but whatever the ghost equivalent was. Non-life? Existence? Guy was noisy for sure. Talked through mundane tasks, whistled random tunes, turned up the tv to the point where the lagomorph was sure the neighbors could hear every gunshot from the noir films Sam was so fond of, all of it blended into a wonderful symphony of cacophony.

Max loved it. Even his terrible banjo playing. Found it endearing even, but he would take that lil’ tidbit to his grave… If he could find it, that is.

The rabbit had watched from afar. Not really a point to creep on the guy up close when the chance of seeing him was zero percent. He was used to stalking people from afar anyway (obviously), so it felt nice to fall into a rhythm.

Watch Sam wake up. Morning routine included bathroom necessities, of which Max had only peeked once (by accident!). Least he could do was give the poor dog some privacy. After that was breakfast. Usually a slice of toast or bowl of cereal (something sugary and tooth-rotting, so the rabbit knew he had good taste) along with the essential cup of coffee. It amused Max to no end that it was more a glorified cup of milk and sugar, yet it was-dare he think it- kinda cute actually.

From all his observations, Max could only assume the dog was a detective of some sort. His oak desk was covered with endless amounts of papers and folders, of which he would spend the entire day looking through until Sam came home to do the same. Almost felt like he was some kind of housewife waiting for her husband.

Almost like he actually meant something again.

If he’d met Sam when he was alive, what would’ve been different?

Everything. There was no doubt about it.

Sam was special.

Max just hadn’t known how much until that special night….

Maybe ‘people’ weren’t that bad after all.

#sam and max #sam and max freelance police #sam & max #sam and max au #ghost max au #my fics #my writing #please talk to me about my aus

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xhanisai · 4 years ago

Text

Blanc Noise - Chapter One

AO3 / FFN

Summary:

It first began with the feeling of being watched and the flicker of shadows.

Then along came missing items being returned in the most odd places.

Soon it was the glimpses of blue eyes in the darkness and a silhouette of white that haunted her.

Marinette thought she saved him, that she saved her Chat Noir from the dystopian timeline.

She was wrong...oh so wrong...

A/N: Wassup mah d00ds! I hope you're all doing well and everything! Anyways, on tumblr, I made a quick AU of 'What if Chat Blanc comes back but as a ghost?' and it got lots of positive attention hence I decided to start a full fledged story. After all, I am a fucking slut for Mariblanc~ Big thanks to my good friend @/gale-of-the-nomads for the title name (sometimes, he has a good idea or two despite the amount of terrible puns he spews lol). Nevertheless, enjoy! P.S: The story takes place after the episode: Ladybug. Therefore, Maître Fu is still around, the love square is still going strong and Ladybug is not the guardian. Additionally, I've tweaked the timeline. The duo have now started their final year in collège in September (the events of Ladybug happened just before the summer holidays). Do I make myself clear? Good. Have fun! Song listened to whilst writing: White Silence - TK from Ling tosite sigure

~(x)~ . . . "MmmMhmm! That smells amazing! What have brought this time, My Lady?" The feline hero leapt to his feet, faux ears and tails wiggling with delight and pupils dilating with elation. Ladybug laughed softly at her endearing partner, sitting down on their favourite beam of the Eiffel Tower and beckoning the boy to come closer, wiggling the Tupperware in her hand teasingly. Chat Noir didn't hesitate to scurry towards her, plopping down on the spot opposite the heroine as she placed the container in his greedy hands. If he wasn't such a gentleman, he would have immediately tore off the lid and scarfed the delectable goodies down his throat like the alley cat his Lady proclaimed him to be. "Guess." Ladybug humoured him. "And before you ask, the clue is that it's a savoury dish this time. Don't shake it up too much." She playfully took it away from him and then placed it on the spot between them, grinning as Chat's face scrunched up into a thinking expression. Lips pursed, eyes narrowed and arms folded. Absolutely adorable. "Hm...it can't be steamed garlic prawns. You brought that yesterday." Noir mused. "And it doesn't smell like duck pancakes either." He added, scrutinising the mystery within the container. "You mean the Běijīng kǎoyā? Not after that horrible heartburn it gave you last week." Ladybug cheekily flicked his forehead, earning an annoyed grunt from him. "Geez no need to flex on the Chinese, Mlle. I don't know a lick of Mandarin." He tried to swat away Ladybug's hands when she attempted to poke him for making fun of her, chuckling at her mock angry face. "Okay okay! I'll behave- the heartburn was worth it by the way~ I started to crave for more days after, hahaha-" "I know SOME Mandarin, stupid!" "Insults and crude words do not count, My Lady." "Just guess the food in the Tupperware already or else I won't share!" Her threat froze the black cat comically. Chat quickly blabbered out apologies, clearing his throat and then eyed the container again. The sound of his stomach rumbling broke the silence, embarrassing the hero whilst his partner barely kept in her snickers. "Vermicelli rolls?" "Nope." "Kung-Pao chicken?" "Nah." "...wontons?" "You're getting closer," "Agh...okay from when I shook it, it sounded quite hard and crispy so..." He carefully shook the container once more, ears pressed against the cool surface as he tried his best to identify the treasures. Finally, an idea struck him, evident in the way his faux ears and tail shot upwards. "Aha! Spring rolls! It's spring rolls, isn't it?" His face looked like one who won the lottery and Ladybug couldn't help but coo internally. He was such a dork. "That's right, Chaton. Now, if you guess the correct fillings, I'll let you have some." Ladybug added nonchalantly, eating up the way Chat spluttered and the frazzled gestures he made, eyes begging to let him have the treats already. "Oh come on! You're not that cruel, Bug." He pouted but didn't attempt to snatch away the container. He directed his beady glare at his Lady, arms folded. "...La-aaaaady-bu-uuuuug..." He whined. "Just kidding~ Here, Bon appétit ," Ladybug didn't waste time, tearing off the lid and beckoning Chat to take some of the spring rolls. The boy's eyes widened at the sight of the delicious looking treats. The pastry was golden and crisp, the size of each roll were consistent and big enough to finish in three bites and the enticing, spicy scent made the feline salivate. And, they were still piping hot. Hell yeah, Bon appétit indeed! Without hesitation, Chat took a bite, unaware of Ladybug's anticipating look. . "Holy shit...I'm in heaven..." The teen blurted out, eyeing his spring roll with a tearful look, as if it was too beautiful for him to eat. He shoved the whole pastry in his mouth, moaning in delight without a shame whilst his Lady's tinkling giggles was like music to his ears. What a way to spend the last evening of summer before school. A beautiful summer night, a beautiful lady and amazing food! 'Yes, this cat is content for life,' He purred to himself, smiling at his partner as she offered him another roll. "Thank dieu you enjoyed it. I wasn't too sure if you were going to be keen on the secret ingredient I mixed in with the vegetables." Ladybug twirled her roll, cheeks ever so slightly flushed with happiness. "Is it that exotic spicy scent that I've been smelling this whole time?" "Yes. Maman's friend who's from the south-east gave her these homegrown naga-chillies. They're really, really hot on their own but without the seeds, they're bearable to me and make the vegetable filling taste so good." She bit into her roll as if to emphasise her point. She was blind to the way Chat Noir watched her with a pleasant, fulfilled smile. The warmth that pulsed in his stomach provoked his heart to skip a few beats or so- a standard reaction that the love of his life always gave him. 'I wish you would be mine forever...' His unsaid words were left floating in the back of his head as he nibbled on his food. The duo spent the rest of the night laughing, joking, exchanging bizarre stories without giving away their civilian lives and before they knew it, it was midnight. "Uh-oh...I'm turning into a pumpkin! Save me!" Chat Noir wailed dramatically, curling up into a ball and leaning against Ladybug. Her hearty laughter grew in volume, the girl clutching her stomach as she gasped for a breath only for Chat to join her with his contagious laugh. Soon, they calmed down. With the calm came the thoughts. The crescent of the moon shone like a beacon. The temperature of the summer air started to cool and the beautiful city lights below shone like diamonds. The two were hesitant to leave, wanting to prolong their last summer night. The older of two wanted to spend as much time as he wanted with the girl he loved. The younger on the other hand? She wanted to keep him happy and close. After all, She would rather die than fail her partner again and let him be akumatised. Little did she know how potent her sadness was. The atmosphere turned tense in a flip of a switch, sending shivers down Chat's spine and he was quick to glance at his now, forlorn looking Lady. As if they didn't just have a laughing fit and a mini picnic. It was that damn empty, distant looking face again. The boy under the mask absolutely despised it. He would do anything to get rid of it. "You know I'm always here for you, Bug." He placed his hands on her forearms, beckoning her to look at him. Ladybug refused to meet eye contact so he tilted her chin up with a finger, delivering a soft, sad grimace. "It's been months now and yet you wouldn't tell me what happened. Did you think acting more sweet around me would distract me from your tears?" The girl hadn't noticed her eyes were watering till her Chaton pointed it out and wiped away a stray tear. She knew he was much more smarter and perceptive than most would give him credit for yet she couldn't help but pray that he would leave her be. 'He's always been too good for you. You know it. I know it. So why don't you just hurry up and throw the earrings away so that someone else who's actually worthy of utilising the power can properly look after him?' "I told you, nothing happened. Just silly, civilian stuff." Ladybug tried to shrug him off, quickly wiping her eyes and trying her best to not sniffle. "Let's just go home-" "When will you stop lying to me?" The boy hissed out, tail lashing against the beams in anger and feline ears pressed against his dishevelled locks. His acidic green eyes pierced through Ladybug's being. A deadly scowl that would surely cause the blood in Le Papillon's body to freeze and petrify him. Ladybug tried her best to not show how he surprised her, keeping a poker face and swallowed quietly. However, with the way his hands were clasped around her wrists, she feared he could feel her rapid pulse. Why was it always her that caused his rare anger to rise on an occasion or two? It was simply not fair. How righteous his anger was towards her. A sudden gust of wind swept through their hair, ending the summer season and introduced the newly born autumn with a howl. It felt like ice seeping through their suits. Yet, the polka dotted heroine didn't dare move a muscle, observing her partner with a cool, neutral expression. Chat Noir hated it. He absolutely hated it. It was one of the few faces she made when she was forced to keep a secret away from him even if it took a toll on her body and mind. He felt disgustingly useless. "I'm fine, Chat Noir." Ladybug wiggled her hands to free them of his grip, bringing them to her chest as she glanced towards the city below. "Can we please not do this tonight? Please? I want it to end on a good note." Her wish was met with a defeated sigh from her partner, not flinching for even a split second when his tail whipped against a stray beam. An echo of his anger prior. Just as it was quick to come, it was quick to leave, thankfully. "I'm not give up on you," His resolute tone induced a quiet gasp from Ladybug, the girl herself cut her gaze towards him with parted lips. "But for tonight, I'll let you be." He didn't smile but...he didn't frown either. Reaching for her hands one last time, Chat Noir brought them to his lips. His bold, fiery greens never left her soft, steady blues whilst his lips brushed against her knuckles in a traditional kiss. Taking advantage of her lack of hesitation, he kissed the backs of her hands too and then brought them to his chest so that she could feel his fierce, beating heart. It began to lash against his chest when a light rouge tinted her cheeks. "I'm always here for you, always. No matter what, you can count on me to protect you." Then, with a determined nod, he launched forward and pecked her head before letting go of her swiftly and vaulting away with an impeccable speed. Ladybug remained frozen in her position, cheeks flaming until his figure became smaller and smaller in the distance. By the time she could no longer see him, she sunk to her knees, grasping her chest as her throbbing heart felt like it was going to burst out and explode. Millions of emotions ran through her body, fighting against each other as the memory of him kissing her head replayed over and over again. Like the sweetest of poison. Addicting but deadly. Despite the warm, fluttering butterflies, despite the smooth, softness of his lips, despite the comforting, protective touch of his, Ladybug couldn't help but have the memories of the other timeline flare in her mind like a warning sign. An unwanted threat that has never failed to wreck her mind. Biting her lips, she tried to keep her tears at bay, body shaking and pushing against the sobs that threatened to spill out. She was so tempted to run back to him and tell him everything. To care for him like the way he deserves. To love him like the way he needs. Yet the haunting, crazed ice blue eyes of the past invaded the temporary soaring feelings like a virus, eating away all the positivism and hope she tried her upmost best to maintain. 'You have no right to be happy...' An ugly gloom hooded her eyes, killing all her emotions as she staggered back up to her feet, using a beam nearby for support. The harsh wind clawed through her hair, ridding her trademark ponytails of their ribbons and blowing them away to the other side of Paris. Ladybug simply didn't have the energy to get them back, using muscle memory to swing herself back home. Her ribbons long forgotten. It was a cold, bleak September now. ~(x)~ It was quiet. Too quiet. Standing up from her crouch after detransforming on her balcony, Marinette immediately spun around and glared at her surroundings whilst Tikki hovered close. Not a single sound was heard. Not even the wind. Suddenly, Marinette's heart began to pick up pace as beads of sweat started to form on her forehead. The only thing she could hear was her heartbeat as she felt something weird. Her entire neighbourhood was asleep, evident in the lights out and the pitch black environment. The only source of light in her vision were the few lamp posts on the streets as well as around the park. Yet, she couldn't ignore the feeling of being watched. Not wanting to show fear at a possible stalker, Marinette took large strides till she was at the edge of her balcony, clutching the railings and scanned the scene with more scrutiny. One of the lamp posts merely flickered as moths buzzed around it. The trees simply swayed along with the inaudible breeze. The streets and roads remained empty. Not a single soul out. Marinette exhaled softly, eyes never stopping its study of her surroundings. She took a step back, tension leaving her body bit by bit, leaving an aching throb in her chest. The adrenaline that fuelled her veins vaporised. "I don't think there's anyone around, Marinette." Tikki whispered, clutching the girl's loose strands as she also watched for anything suspicious. "Can we go back inside? I'm cold." "...okay." Marinette glared at the scene from her peripheral vision once more, almost swearing that she saw movement under one of the lamps only to brush it off as paranoia and made her way back to the trapdoor. Since she wasn't paying attention, the teen bumped into her table, almost tripping over her feet but thankfully caught herself. "Eek! Are you okay?" The little Goddess freaked out, flying in front of her charge and scanning her from head to toe for any injuries. She was waved off with a tired smile. "Don't worry, it's probably just a little...bruise...?" A slither of red caught Marinette's attention from the corner of her eye only for her to gawk. There, on the railing of her balcony was... ...One of her ribbons. Inhaling sharply and leaping towards the railings, clutching her treasured ribbon, Marinette spied around the neighbourhood desperately like a hawk. Tikki's presence on her shoulders did nothing to alleviate her stress as sweat from palpitation grew on her palms. Her mouth on the other hand ran dry and she refused to blink. She didn't dare to tremble. She was Ladybug. Nothing should scare her. ...with her partner's possible akumatisation aside that is. Regardless, Marinette fixated her stare at the specific lamp post. The area where she brushed off momentarily. The light flickered back and forth whilst moths carried on fluttering around it without a care in the world. She watched. And watched. And watched. . Still nothing. Without looking away, knuckles white from her grip on the ribbon and her free hand cradling her beloved kwami, Marinette walked backwards, gingerly going down her trapdoor and quickly closed it till it was locked shut. . The silence haunted her all night. ~(x)~ "Ma-ri-nette!!!" Instantly, said girl was glomped by her best friend in a hug that would surely asphyxiate a commoner. Thankfully, Marinette was not only Ladybug in disguise but also trained vigorously in many of the martial arts by her dear maman. "Alya! I missed you! How was Morocco with Nino and his family?" Marinette leaned against Alya as the taller of the teens hooked their elbows together, leading them inside the school. "Girllllll I have so many scoops to share, so many deets-" "The million texts and selfies you sent me daily weren't just it?" "They barely scratched the surface! But anyways, it was amazing! I couldn't believe my parents were willing to let me go even when Nora threw a fit haha! I got to relax so much, spent quality time with Nino and his extended family, took so many pictures and tried so many different food. Ah~ Best. Summer. Ever." "Oh the food...I can't believe you shamelessly ate all of that without sharing it with me," The raven-haired girl teased, pushing her hip against Alya's who pushed back without a beat. "You wouldn't be moping if you came along, Mari. Remember the tagine you tried at the local restaurant nearby and you thought that was divine? Lemme tell you, it is nothing compared to the authentic, fresh tagine made by Nino's tante. One taste and I was in heaven. Absolute heaven." "Alya you're making me jealous, I get it, I get it." Marinette playfully scoffed but then her energy soon wore off and fatigue took over her body. Alya was quick to catch the tired girl as soon as she began to sway, perfect brows sculpted in worry as she eyed her best friend. "Marinette...girl...you do not look okay. I'm telling you this 'cos I love you. Go back home and sleep." The brunette brushed Marinette's fringe gently, noting the tired, dark rings under her eyes and the unhealthy paleness of her skin. It was as if Marinette avoided the sun all her life. "I don't wanna..." The stubborn girl whined but didn't fight back when Alya led her to a nearby bench, sitting them both down. "I've been missing you all too much and couldn't wait to see you all again," She admitted, earning a coo from the curvy girl and another hug. Alya's sun-kissed honey skin was a stark contrast against Marinette's pale, porcelain skin. "Alright then but I'll be keeping an eye on you, girl. I can see the effort you put into your cute bun and soft make up. How you do your eyeliner freehand without a guide will always baffle me~" Just as Marinette was about to retort back, the duo were engulfed by a surprise hug from the back. Neither fought back as the familiar laughter and soft, masculine brown arms were registered. "Babe! And dudette! My best girls!" Nino popped his head forward, in between the girls and squished their cheeks against his. "Heyyyy~" He waggled his eyebrows stupidly, his shit eating grin widening when his girlfriend burst out laughing and Marinette following with a quiet giggle. "Nino, g'morning," Alya quickly pecked his lips. To further his dramatics, Nino pretended to swoon and flopped backwards between the girls with a dopey smile. "Finally, a good lundi morning," Nino sighed with exaggeration, his girl still trying her best to stifle her laughter whilst Marinette fondly rolled her eyes at him. "I can now brave through these useless lessons and deal with M. D'Argencourt's bullshit rambles during registration. Oh how amazing the power of lo-oooove truly is!" "Oh yeah, I almost forgot that we won't have Mme. Bustier this year. Was about to say that I was gonna miss her but not gonna lie, she lost all my respect when you got expelled." Alya huffed, pulling Marinette against her like a worried mother hen. "To think that I almost had to spend my last year here without my precious Marinette~" "But Babe! What about me?" "You wish you were as precious as sweetcheeks over here." Alya blew a raspberry at her boyfriend, cheeky grin widening at his dramatics. Marinette on the other hand simply smiled, savouring every moment. The fact that there was a possibility that she would have had to attend a different collège for her final year without her friends made her quiver and she didn't falter in snuggling closer to her best friend. She's been through so much this year. Surely she deserved some sort of happiness. Even if she failed her partner at one point... Right? 'No. You do not deserve anything but pain and suffering you selfish, self-righteous brat. Because of you, how long did your beloved partner go through that hell? How many nights did he spend wide awake after destroying the world? Face it, you don't deserve him or your friends or any sort of love-' The dark, twisted, ugly thoughts and whispers that preyed upon her mind was quick to diminish at the sound of pure sunshine. "You guys! Hey!" Marinette didn't get a chance to look up fully as she and the rest of the small group was tackled by their loving blonde friend in a comfy, sweet hug. Her heart malfunctioned on the spot as all she could smell was the fresh, crisp autumn air that lingered in his soft hair and coat. Her mind rebooted over and over again at the feel of his strong, sturdy arm wrapped around her. Her lips quaked at the feel of his brushing against her cheek despite the gleeful smile he wore. "A-A-Adrien?" The model pulled back slightly to face the stammering girl, lips quirking into a silly but sweet smile. Not thinking twice, he pressed his forehead against Marinette's tenderly, their fringes intermingling with each other and their cool breaths hitting each other's lips. Adrien's eyes sparkled like emeralds and the aspiring designer couldn't help but be mesmerised. "Missed me~?" His nose was touching hers now and his pearly whites gleamed mischievously. Poor Marinette couldn't help but blink, blush already blooming in her cheeks. Dammit. They may have gotten much, much closer yet there were still times that the boy rendered her speechless! What's with the green eyed blonde boys in her life and making her heart a complete wreck?! "B-Bro...can't breathe...I don't wanna die!" Nino's muffled pleas shattered the moment and Adrien immediately broke the hug, snickering at the way Nino gasped for air and clutched a deadpanned Alya. Though, he took a seat besides Marinette and kept an arm around her waist, leaning against her as they watched the couple bicker and banter. "Enjoyed your holidays, Adrien?" Marinette began, playing with the fraying threads of her purse and peeked at him below her lashes. Adrien hummed, sitting up and then directed his gorgeous greens at her. 'Be still, my heart.' Marinette couldn't help but beg. "It was alright. Didn't leave Paris though and had too many photo-shoots. What about you? Didn't you get to go to Shanghai for a week?" Adrien's question almost went unheard as Mari couldn't help but be hyper-aware of the warmth of his hand on her waist. The way his finger casually tapped against it. The innocent smile he had on his lips. This boy was going to be the death of her. 'But you don't deserve him. You don't deserve either of them. Be lucky that they even acknowledge your filthy existence.' The eerie whispers clawed through her brain, her body begging to run away and cry. Yet, she forced her fingers to move away from her purse and pull on the seams of her navy pea-coat, smile never faltering. "Yes, I did. I really enjoyed it there. I wish I got to stay for lo-longer..." She trailed off, swallowing down any babbles or word soup as Adrien squeezed her waist as a gesture of comfort. He was being really sweet today... "I don't blame ya- all the pictures you posted online looked so cool. The skyline at night, the food, heck even your relatives! If I hadn't known better, I'd have thought that cousin of yours was your brother." "You wouldn't be the first to mistaken us as siblings," She giggled. "When we were younger and they came over to Paris to visit, some people used get mixed up between me and him. It didn't help that I had my hair really short at the time and wore nothing but blue and red." "That would have been really cute to see. Hmm, it also makes sense with how easily you accepted that Félix and I were just cousins instead of that weird conspiracy theory that Kim concocted up." "Oh I wouldn't say I accepted it too easily. You and your cousin are like mirrors of each other. It's insane! I thought for a minute that you had an evil twin." Marinette winked merrily, her giggles simply grew while Adrien rolled his eyes at her. "Come on. Not you too." His fake pout didn't last long and he quietly chortled alongside her. Just a smile from his Princesse was enough to brighten up his day despite the small fight he had with Ladybug eight hours prior. Yes, Ladybug was the love of his life. Yes, he would go to the moon and back for her. However, he would be an absolute idiot and horrifically obtuse to deny that his feelings for Marinette weren't as strong. With rare wisdom from his lazy kwami, Adrien learned that having feelings for more than one person was not only natural but also healthy in a way. It showed that he wasn't forever stuck on one person and it eased the pain of his Lady's rejection to his advances. Ladybug and Marinette were his best friends first and foremost and he wouldn't dare to sabotage his precious friendships. It didn't mean he couldn't wish for Ladybug to fall for him one day. Same for Marinette. He's still a silly teen; he could keep dreaming and fantasising! Till then, he was going to go with the flow and see what the future entailed. As far as he was concerned, his future was leaning more towards Marinette and frankly, he did not mind one bit. Abruptly, the morning bell rang, indicating that it was time for the students to head to class for registration. Grunts and groans were heard from the swarm of students in the courtyard, Kim's distinct "It's time for hell, bitches!" being one of the more prominent voices in the crowd along with Alix's curses. "Thank fuck Mari-bee was the class president last year and made sure that we got our class to be the same for this year. I'd have eaten my own hands if I had to deal with that one annoying kid obsessed with magic again." Nino shot a friendly punch against Marinette's shoulder and then wrapped an arm around Alya's waist as she led them to their new classroom. "Did he just indirectly mention that he'd rather have Chloé and Lila over Jean as his classmate?" Marinette huffed with endearment, taking the hand that Adrien offered to help her up. The sudden rush to her head caused her to wobble on the spot. Luckily, Adrien steadied her without a word, hands clasping her forearms. "S-Sorry..." She attempted to step away but the boy's grip on her tightened, halting her. Marinette glanced back at Adrien with confusion, cocking her head to the side slightly and lips pursed. "...you're not feeling well, aren't you?" A nail in the coffin. Adrien scanned her body from head to foot, frown growing deeper. "You can barely stand." "I'm fine. I just...couldn't get any sleep. I was nervous for the first day of school and also didn't want to oversleep." Marinette answered quickly, looking away from him. She didn't expect his finger to hook under her chin, forcing eye contact. For the first time, Adrien glared at her. Glared. He leaned in closer, bending down so that he could reach her height. "Are you lying?" Neither of them budged. The mutterings and chatter from the students that were around grew fainter and fainter until all that was heard was the classroom doors slamming shut and the echos of the teachers doing the register. Marinette wanted to quickly deny the allegation. She wanted to push him aside and run to class. She wanted to forget how she momentarily confused Adrien with her partner. Though, even the Ladybug could run out of luck. "Adrien," She began. "We're going to be late." Her stoic, cool expression showed that she wasn't going to budge, pissing off her friend completely. The model tsked with irritation, quick to grab her hand whilst using his other one to adjust the strap of his bag over his shoulder. He moodily led her to their class, refusing to utter another word. For a split second, the defiance and stubbornness in Marinette's eyes were a hundred percent identical to Ladybug's. He almost blurted out his treasured nickname for her. The annoyance of said stubbornness and refusal to accept his help grew stronger instead, causing him to try and forget about it and brood later on. What's with his treasured girls and their stupid reluctance to let him help!? . He wasn't aware of the horror that was plastered on Marinette's face. The girl refused to tear her eyes away from the main door behind them as a lone, torn up, dirty ribbon flayed in the entrance. A familiar ribbon that was most definitely not there ten seconds ago. When M. Haprèle closed the door, Marinette could have sworn... ...that there was a pair of blue eyes watching her right back. . . . ~(x)~ A/N: That's the end of chapter one! It's more like a prologue ish, slow chapter since we're building up- so bear with me, aight? I hope you enjoyed reading it regardless. I stayed up till 5am to write it after all :0 If this chapter gets at least ten comments, I will update! Till then, see you next time~

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roseinaugust · 3 years ago

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Like an Old Enemy

Chapter Seven: Meet Me At Our Spot

Summary: Miraculous Enemies AU. Gabriel Agreste has the Black Cat Miraculous in his possession, so when his wife, Emilie, "disappears," he sends his son, Adrien, undercover to pose as Ladybug's partner. Two years later, the once famous duo are sworn enemies. Marinette might have loved Chat Noir once, but now she would stop at nothing to defeat him. Adrien will do whatever it takes to bring his mother back. Best friends in their civilian lives, Adrien and Marinette find obstacles and complications when they can no longer deny their love for each other. But will they be able to understand and forgive the mistakes of their past? Or will they be doomed to end as bitter rivals a second time?

Rated: T

Pairings: Ladybug/Chat Noir Enemies, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Mutual Pining

Word Count: 9,027

Read on: ao3

A/N: I am only posting part of this chapter on tumblr so please read the rest on ao3!

“No, Adrien.” Gabriel Agreste said with a note of finality. Adrien’s presence in his office barely disturbed him as he tapped at something on his tablet.

Adrien hadn’t expected his father to agree right away, but the quickness of Gabriel’s refusal made his temper flare. His fingers began to ache as he clenched his hands together behind his back to prevent an outburst. Gabriel couldn’t be bothered to stop working long enough to have a conversation with his son.

Adrien needed to stay focused. He had to be there, he could finally progress with Marinette—although he still didn’t know if it was a date or not. “Father, I understand your concerns,” he didn’t, “but, the entire class is going. It will look suspicious if I am the only one not attending. People are already starting to grow skeptical of how often I miss class, especially after the akuma on the first day of school.” This was a strategy he’d used once before to gain permission to attend Marinette’s birthday party last January.

Adrien knew the best way to convince his father was to target one of the three things that Gabriel believed were important: his mother, control, or the upkeep of public appearances. The first was a nonstarter; any mention of Emilie would result in punishment. The second would only work if Adrien had something to offer his father in return, which he didn’t. The third however was perfect because it threatened the first two. If anyone grew apprehensive of the Agreste family or the Gabriel brand, everything would collapse. They operated precariously, shrouded in the shadow of secrecy, but there was only so much that could be stuffed in a closet or brushed under a rug. Eventually, someone would peak behind the curtain, unless there was no reason for anyone to go searching.

Gabriel’s eyes flickered up to Adrien for the first time during their conversation before returning to his work. “You had a perfectly reasonable excuse to miss class that day for your photoshoot. There is no reason for anyone to suspect that you are Chat Noir.” Adrien pictured the lucky charm in his pocket, a reminder of what he was doing this for.

“It’s not me that they are skeptical of; it’s you.” Gabriel’s focus diverted to Adrien instantly. Although he craved the attention earlier, now Adrien wished his father’s gaze would return to the tablet, or to his designs, or really anywhere that wasn’t him. He squirmed under the scrutiny, fidgeting and taking a step backwards. He could do this, he was going to fight for what he wanted. “Scheduling a photoshoot on the first day of school brought up questions about your parenting. They are concerned that you’re too strict.” His father’s face was unreadable, a neutral landscape with maybe a hint of annoyance, but Adrien knew mines were buried underneath. He needed to tread carefully. “No one believes you are Hawkmoth, but if someone begins to look into our family…” Adrien trailed off at the sight of his father’s hardening face. He gulped. “If you permit me to go tonight, it should be enough to dispel any concerns.”

Gabriel’s brow lowered, his mouth a line of displeasure. He weighed the options before dropping his attention back to the tablet in his hands. “My decision stands. You are not going.”

Adrien dropped his hands from behind his back, unable to restrain himself. “But, wh-why?” He sputtered, incredulous at this refusal. His father ignored him, typical of his dismissals. Adrien was expected to accept the answer and leave, but he stood motionless in the center of the office. He couldn’t accept this, he needed to be at Andre’s tonight. Disbelief mutated into anger. How was he not concerned? Sure, Adrien was exaggerating the severity of his classmate’s suspicions, but how could Gabriel be so blasé? “It’s just ice cream. I’ll be home—”

“No, Adrien.” Gabriel interrupted, refusing to look up at his son. The sucker punch of his father’s stubbornness knocked the wind out of Adrien. Crescent moons imprinted on his palms as he balled his fists by his sides, red-hot anger burning inside him.

“But—” His negotiation attempts were once again cut short.

“No.” Gabriel clipped.

“Why can’t I go with my friends?” The words overflowed before Adrien could stop them. The incessant tapping on the tablet halted at once as Gabriel snapped his focus to his son.

“Friends?” He asked through gritted teeth. “I didn’t send you to school to make friends. You are there to learn Ladybug’s civilian identity—something you have failed to achieve for the past year!” Although Gabriel remained seated, Adrien stayed alert. He was close enough to the door that should his father pounce, he could escape. “I have allowed you to stay in school despite your inadequacy to complete this task, but it seems my generosity has spoiled you. Perhaps I should withdraw you from school.”

Adrien’s eyes widened as he followed the thread of his father’s threat. School was his only lifeline, providing him with a few glorious hours of reprieve from Gabriel and this insufferable house. Without school, he knew the isolation would suffocate him. No Nino, no Marinette, just the expansive fortress of his house and the ever-tightening collar of Gabriel’s control. Any anger welling inside him spiraled down the drain, replaced immediately with quickening heartbeats of dread. “No!” He winced at his desperation and hung his head.

“No what, Adrien?” He scowled at his son, his voice rough as gravel.

“Don’t take me out of school.” Disgust. That’s all Adrien could feel as he begged his father. He was a coward. A useless, intimidated, coward, and he hated himself for the power Gabriel held over him. He’d always surrounded himself with powerful and brave women—his mother, Ladybug, Marinette—to help him find his courage, but without them by his side he was the same scared boy that he feared he would always be. He didn’t have the strength to fight his father alone. And so he didn’t fight; he followed orders, became docile and sacrificed the things he wanted to be able to survive. “Please.” He lifted his head in time to see the twisted turn of glee spreading across his father’s face.

“Very well, but anymore outbursts and I will not be so lenient.”

“Thank you, father.” Adrien choked out, hating the fact that he needed to act grateful to Gabriel.

“Go to your room and be prepared for an akuma tonight.” He resumed working on the tablet.

Although he was dismissed, Adrien stood still, attempting to collect himself. This was not how today was supposed to go. He should be on his way to meet Marinette. She was going to be so disappointed. By some miracle, she had agreed to go with him, and now all of his efforts and anxieties were in vain. She’d understand—she always did when the topic of his father was brought up—but it wouldn’t change the fact that he wasn’t there.

His hands snaked inside his pockets once he started to move towards the exit. His fingers found their way to the lucky charm, a habit after months with the talisman. As much as he wanted to believe in the gift from Marinette, he knew it was obsolete. If it were true, he would have been able to stand up to his father, he would be brave, and free. If it had worked, he would have the things he wanted. Yet, once again, they were just out of his reach. He was a dog, snapping at the tantalizing bone placed farther than his chain allowed. He pulled every which way to reach the prize, but it never budged. He could never get closer, tiring with every second that passed with his struggle, and Gabriel—his owner—loomed behind him, threatening to pull the chain back, dragging Adrien farther and farther away from the bone. Eventually, he would stop struggling; but he still had some bite left in him today.

He reached the heavy wooden door to the foyer and paused. Eyes forward, refusing to look back at his father, Adrien clenched his jaw. Resentment overpowered his obedience as he said, “I wish it were you instead. I wish you had disappeared instead of mom.”

“And I wish it were you.”

A/N: Reminder that this is only part of the chapter so read the rest here

#Miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fic #ml enemies au #ladynoir enemies #adrienette mutual pining #ladynoir #adrienette #angst fic #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #my fic #like an old enemy

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taliaquinn · 4 years ago

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Why Me!? Chapter 17

Authors Note:

Hiya guys. Here is Chapter 17. Sorry I posted late it’s just that I've been trying to catch up on all of my assignments. So I had to unfortunately leave my writing to focus on that. Also guess what!!! My Infinity war Au will be receiving an update AND I will post another AU very soon. So look out for that guys.

Standing at the top of the Eiffel Tower, Ladybug was slightly shaking with anxiety. She wasn’t sure if she could go through with what she was planning. Her plan might have to be put on hold though. A certain mangy Chat was missing. Rolling her eyes she decided to jump off and start heading to her parent's bakery. Cravings were being a complete pain in the a-

From the corner of her eye, she spotted Chloe who was frantically waving from her Fathers hotel rooftop. Chloe had to resort to more primitive methods of summoning ladybug, ever since her Queen Bee spotlight “unfortunately” suffered some irreparable damage. Truly Tragic. She quickly made a detour to the hotel's rooftop. Please don’t be any weird requests.

Chloe quickly ran over. “OhMYGosh LADYBUGGGG” she squealed jumping in joy.

“Listen, I need your help” Yep. It was definitely a weird request. “My bestie Marinette was unfairly forced to leave school, Mostly cause of false accusations. She left the Country and more importantly, she abandoned me” Chloe ranted. “Utterly ridiculous”. Pulling out her tablet she immediately started explaining her plan for vengeance to Ladybug.

On her quest for vengeance she hit a few roadbumps. She needed Ladybugs help. Regardless of the fact that she was the daughter of the Mayor even she had to obey Privacy Laws. Huh. Who would’ve thought?

“Pretty please with chocolate fondue on top?” Chloe begged with the biggest quiver on her lips. She’s been building her case with Ladybug for what felt like the longest time, even though it's only been 5 minutes before finally explaining her plan.

“Chloe breathe, I’ll see what I can do for your friend” This caused Chloe to immediately squeal and envelope Ladybug in a hug. Ladybug reluctantly hugged back. Marinette would never admit it but she was getting slightly sappy at the fact that Chloe was willing to go so far in order to help her.

“Excuse me now I got to go now, but I’ll get back to ya” with a hop she made her way towards the bakery unbeknownst to her, piercing green eyes have been witnessing the whole interaction.

“Have a nice night Ms. Cheng” she yelled over her shoulder struggling to hold the box of patries. Yum.

She quickly sat on top of a building and fed Kaalki some of the pastries. Suddenly there was a presence beside her. “You’re late, ridiculously late”

“I still needed some time to cool off” Chat answered with a charming smile spread across his face. He hoped that Ladybug will be back to normal. What a foolish hope.

“Understood” she replied trying to avoid his eyes. This was tougher than she thought.

“So all is forgiven?” He stepped forward and spread his arms out. Utterly ridiculous. He expected a hug. Shaking her head she gently took his outstretched right hand

Taking a deep breath she started. “Chat you were my best friend, right when we started you were the one who I could show a part of myself I always kept hidden in my civilian life. You supported me when I was at my lowest. You used to support me” taking a pause she tried to continue in a gentle manner “But lately you’ve started slacking off slowly but surely becoming more immature, more entitled, you’ve acted more like a celebrity than a superhero”

Chat continued to stare at ladybug holding his hand, A sense of dread growing at the pit of his stomach. “I saw Nino Lahiffe breakup with Cesaire, even though he knew the consequences would be uh severe” Ladybug did a quick squeeze of Chats hand before releasing it and staring into his eyes “If a Civilian is brave enough to leave a toxic relationship, why not Me?” she said in a quiet voice. Leaning over and taking Chats hand she yanked off his ring. Both of them were enveloped in a green flash.

When she opened her eyes she was staring into familiar green eyes. Adrien Agreste.

“L-Ladybug why” he lunged to take back his ring. She quickly sidestepped him and placed the ring into her yo-yo.

“Because, I’ve reached the point where I just can't take it anymore” She responded, still struggling to get over her shock. How-HOW did she not see it. Seriously, how blind can she be? Wait a second then who was “Adrien'' during the Gorrillaz situation? Who was she protecting during the whole Simon Says fiasco? OH MY GOD HER EX-CRUSH WAS HER NOW EX-BESTFRIEND!!!

“P-please give me another chance, Ladybug please” He was nothing without Chat Noir. He couldn't go back to being constantly restricted and constantly confined to the mansion. Chat Noir was his only outlet and Ladybug was going to take it away. “Give me another chance to change, to be better”

“I’ve already given you enough chances Chat, or should I say Adrien”

“Please Ladybug, you don’t understand” Adrien was desperate. He’ll do anything to get his ring back. “Being a superhero is my only escape”

“You mean was” she reminded “You weren’t much of a superhero these days anyways”

“I'm sorry Adrien. My decision is final” She quickly got her yoyo and was about to jump off the building before hearing a plea “Ladybug, please I'm sorry, please let me say goodbye to plagg”

A part of Marinette wanted to just flat out say no, but she couldn’t deny him the chance to say goodbye to his kwami. She wasn't cruel enough to do so. With a sigh, she turned around and took the Ring from her yoyo Plagg immediately sprung out

Ladybug turned around to give them the semblance of a normal goodbye. However, that didn’t do anything to block out Adrien's watery voice and eventual sobs.

It was far too long before Plagg flew up to her. “Let's go Ladybug” he murmured softly. God, why did Master Fu make her do it? She didn't have the guts for this type of stuff.

With a final look towards a miserable looking Adrien, she picked up the boxed pastries and swung off with Plagg closely following behind her. She finally swung towards a nicely tucked away alley. Dropping her transformation she quickly opened her purse to allow Tikki and Plagg to swoop in while Kaalki flew out.

“Where to?” Kaalki asked in her British tone.

“My room please but quietly I was gone for a while” Kaalki quickly opened a portal and Marinette took a final glance of her surroundings before jumping through.

To her surprise, her blanket was taken off exposing the bundle of pillows she using as fake Marinette.

“Hiya Mari, first off where were you? And second off what the fuck was that” a voice asked from the darkness, causing Marinette heart to skip a beat. What the heck? Quickly fumbling for a light switch. Flicking it on her room was lit up revealing a Stunned Jason who was busy staring at the area where the portal was and a shell shocked Dick who was staring at her from where he was laying on her couch. Uh-Oh.

“You guys want a pastry?”

Man I just love leaving my readers on a Cliffhanger :) Don’t you guys love it as well? Cuz I do.

Also I want to address something. I want to make it clear that I want my stories to be enjoyed by everyone. That I want this to be a safe place for Everyone. As a writer it is my job to make sure my readers feel included and safe regardless of Gender, Sexuality and Race. That is what a Good writer does. So I think it is safe to say that there might not be any Harry Potter AU’s in the foreseeable future, unless something changes.

Stay Safe and Healthy ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Taglist:

@silvergold-swirl @k-poplunardreams @pepelachanel @laurcad123 @maribat-is-lifeblood @kass-is-weird @another-fan-of-anotherplan @damianette-is-life @amayakans @parallelparabox @miukiiu @valeks-princess @toodaloo-kangaroo @vixen-uchiha @thezestywalru @dreamykitty25 @pirats-pizzacanninibles @mochinek0 @shamefullove @mochegato @souleateralicestein @thestressmademedoit @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @aestheticnpoetic @mysupporthyperfixations @itsmeevie01

#miraculous ladybug #mlb au #maribat #batfam #Marinette deserves better #Damian Wayne #dick grayson #Tim Drake #Jason Todd #bruce wayne #class salt

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awholelotofladybug · 4 years ago

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Enter the Bogeyman: A Stammering Adrien AU Story

Based on this AU.

This is a nonprofit story. The only characters or locations I own are the ones I make up. All other fictional characters and locations about Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir are the property of Thomas Astruc and Zag. Please support the official release.

Adrien slowly opened his eyes. As he did, he took a look at the ghastly sight around him. It looked like some twisted haunted house, and as he continued to look around, to his horror, there was Marinette, his beloved princess, dangling in chains next to him, as well as Chloé. After Adrien took all of this in, he looked to his beloved, then to his childhood friend.

“Chloé! Marinette! Wake up!” Adrien said as he tried to force his hands out of his shackles.

Marinette groaned as she woke up. “Ugh! My head! What happened?”

“Ugh! I feel like I got hit by a truck,” said Chloé as she woke up. “Where are we?”

That’s when they were joined by their hideous captor. A repulsive, ten-foot giant garbed in a long, black, tattered, hooded robe, as well as a pair of broken handcuffs around his wrists. His limbs were long and lanky, as were his fingers. The creature's skin was gray and ghoulish, as if he had clawed his way out of the grave with his long, sharp, black fingernails. His teeth were sharp and jagged, resulting in a twisted, toothy grin. Black strands of stringy hair peered out from his hood. The nose of this creature was missing and its lips had been torn off, furthering his corpse-like appearance, and his eyes were black and sunken-in with glowing yellow irises. He crawled up the wall to greet the frightened youngsters.

“Oh good, oh good. My guests are awake,” said the beast. “Welcome, children, to Château des Cauchemars.”

“Who, or what, are you?” asked Chloé, trembling.

“Everything you have feared and will fear, sweet child. I am the Bogeyman.”

The Bogeyman crawled across the wall like a spider, making his way towards Marinette, who did her best to keep her composure, despite being scared.

“I-I’m assuming you’re Hawkmoth’s latest Akuma?” she asked.

“Bingo,” said the villain. “He gave me the power to warp the world around me into a nightmare, and I plan to take full advantage of that”

Chloé rolled her eyes. “Make the world into a haunted house? Just sounds like another way of saying “take over the world.”

Bogeyman crawled over to Chloé and turned her head towards him. “Take over the world? Oh no, my dear child. Nothing so superficial,” he said as he licked her cheek with his long, slimy tongue. “As I said before, I’m the Bogeyman, and as such, I crave the taste of fear. That is why I plan to turn Paris into my personal playground, just as soon as I give Hawkmoth his precious jewelry.”

Adrien watched helplessly while the beast laughed. He couldn’t get his hands free, and even if he could, transforming in front of him would reveal their identities to the villain. The situation seemed hopeless. He could only hope that his other allies weren’t captured.

Carapace and Rena Rouge could hardly believe their eyes. This new Akuma had turned a mental hospital into a haunted house. A place of healing had now become a house of horrors, people were being kidnapped left and right, and Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Queen B were nowhere to be found, and both Carapace and Rena had a good idea as to why.

“I have a really bad feeling about this,” said Carapace.

“You’re not the only one,” said Rena. “I’d feel better if Ladybug, Chat, and Queenie were here instead of in there.”

Carapace shivered. “I don’t even want to think about what the Akuma is doing to them in there.

“Don’t remind me. Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.”

“Yeah,” said Carapace before taking a deep breath. “But we won’t save them by standing here and being scared. We’re getting in there, kicking some butt, saving our friends, and our town.”

“Not without some backup, you’re not,” said a familiar, masculine voice.

Rena and Carapace turned around to see Viperion and Ryuko.

Carapace gave a big smile. “Boy am I glad to see you guys. We have a serious problem.”.

“We’ve noticed,” said Ryuko. “Where’s Ladybug and Chat?”

“That’s just it! They’ve gone missing! Queen B too!” said Rena

“And we have a hunch that the Akuma has them!” said Carapace.

Viperion growled. “If that Akuma hurts one hair on my queen’s beautiful head...”

“Easy, partner,” said Ryuko. “She’ll be fine, but only if we focus on saving Paris.”

Viperion took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s get in there, and kick some butt.”

With that, the four young heroes made their way in to save their teammates.

Adrien, Chloé, and Marinette all sneered as their creepy captor played an eerie tune on the piano that he had conjured into the room with his powers.

“You know, you might as well give up,” said Chloé. “Even if Ladybug and Chat Noir never show up, there’s at least five other heroes out there just waiting for a chance to beat you down, Bogeyboy.”

The beast chuckled and went up to the blonde girl. “That’s Bogey-MAN to you, my pretty. And let them come. It won’t spoil my fun. Speaking of which, I have other children to attend to. Au Revoir.”

The fiends vanished into the shadows, and the three youngsters looked at each other, and nodded.

“Tikki, Plagg, Pollen, you’re up,” said Marinette. “Hurry, before he comes back.”

The Kwamis came out and started working the locks on the shackles.

“Wait, did he just say there were “other children” in here?” Chloé asked.

“That means we’re not the only ones t-t-t-trapped in here,” said Adrien.

Marinette’s brow furrowed. “We need to find them and get them out of here before the Bogeyman does who-knows-what to them.”

Adrien shuttered. “I don’t even want to think about it.”

“Me neither,” said Plagg as he unlocked Adrien’s shackles. “There.”

Tikki was the next to free her chosen host. “All done.”

Finally, Pollen undid Chloé’s locks. “You’re free, my queen!”

“Good work,” said Chloé. “Now, let’s power-up and give the Boogeyman something to be scared of.”

“Right,” said Marinette. “Tikki, Spots On!”

“Plagg, C-Claws Out!” said Adrien.

Finally, came Chloé. “Pollen, Buzz On!”

Deep in the twisted hallways of the Boogeyman’s castle, Team Miraculous was wandering around, looking for their lost comrades. The castle was dark and quiet, dimly lit by torches. Its walls were covered with images of the horrific torture of humans by hideous monsters, and all sorts of creepy creatures crawled through the cracks and crevices.

Viperion shivered. “This place gives me the creeps.”

“Right there with you,” said Ryuko, holding up her sword. “Everyone, just stay close to me.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” said Rena.

Carapace wiped the sweat from his brow. “This place is huge. How are we going to find anyone in here?”

Just then, the young heroes heard a loud scream from a room down the hall.

“That’s one way,” said Viperion. “Hurry! Someone’s in trouble!”

The team rushed towards the room, and peeked inside. In the room was Sabrina Raincomprix and Wayhem, hanging from chains on the wall over a pit with giant snakes. Standing next to them was a ghoulish giant in a black robe.

“What’s wrong, children?” the villain asked. “Don’t you like my pets?”

The youngsters struggled and screamed as the creature pulled one of two levers that lowered them into the pit and took a deep breath.

“Ah, the sweet smell of cortisol and adrenaline,” he said as he licked his chops like a hungry predator. “Let’s see if my pets like it too.”

Ryuko growled as she leaped into action, followed quickly by Rena, Carapace, and Viperion. Carapace tossed his shield, hitting the villain in the head while Ryuko sliced through the chains, catching Wayhem while Viperion caught Sabrina before they could fall into the pit. Rena worked the levers, stopping the chains from lowering and closing the pit. While they had a moment, the heroes tended to the two victims.

“Are you okay, Wayhem?” Ryuko asked.

Wayhem responded by clinging tightly to the heroine. “Thank you! I was so scared!”

Ryuko blushed as she comforted the frightened young man. Meanwhile, Viperion tended to Sabrina.

“You have to stop him!” she said as she grabbed Viperion’s shoulders. “He’s got Marinette, Adrien, Chloe, Kim, and Max! He’s going to...”

“Sabrina, calm down,” said Viperion. “We’re going to stop this thing. Trust me.

The monster picked himself off the floor by contorting and twisting his body. With several sickening cracks, he was standing up straight and snarling at his intruders.

“Well, well, well, what have we here?” he asked as he gnashed his teeth. “Ladybug and Chat Noir’s little playmates.”

Viperion sneered. “Who are you, and what have you done to the others?! You better have an answer!”

“My my, don’t we have a temper,” said the villain with a mocking chuckle. “I am the Bogeyman, and as for your little friends, I’ve done nothing yet, but oh do I have plans.”

“Okay, you, listen up. I don’t know who you are or what Hawkmoth offered you, but this game of yours is over,” said Ryuko, pointing at him with her sword.

Bogeyman chuckled. “Oh no, my dear child. The game has only begun.”

As the Bogeyman said this, he opened a door to reveal Lila, Rose, Alix, Nathaniel, and Ivan. They were all turned into large, rotting ghouls with sharp claws and teeth and glowing, yellow eyes, marked with a glowing, yellow bite mark somewhere on their necks, legs, or arms.

“Come, my children. I have some sweeties for you,” said the Bogeyman with a chuckle. “ Be sure to share.”

With a demented cackle, the Bogeyman melted into the shadows and slithered away, leaving the young heroes and hostages alone, surrounded by their mutated friends. Ryuko handed Wayhem to Sabrina. She struggled a bit, but was able to get a hold of the poor boy.

“Take him, and get out of here,” Ryuko ordered.

“Got it,” said Sabrina, “Come on, Wayhem.”

Wayhem felt guilty as Sabrina struggled. “I’m sorry, Sabrina. If I just had my wheelchair...”

“Don’t worry about it. I can manage. Let’s just get out of here before that creep comes back.”

Ladybug, Chat Noir and Queen B walked through what felt like a labyrinth of hallways, searching for any other captives of the Bogeyman.

“Man, this place is huge,” said Queen B. “What do you think it was before Boogeyman warped it?”

“Probably s-s-s-somerthing creepy. Like an an old castle, or an abandoned insane asylum with broken windows, old cages, discarded straightjackets, and...” Chat went on.

Ladybug covered her ears. “Chat, this place has been creepy enough already! Please don’t make it worse!”

“Oh, right,” said Chat, giving a sheepish grin. “Sorry.”

Just then, something caught the trio’s attention the heard the frightened screams of two young men.

“That sounded like Kim and Max!” said Queen B, running towards the screaming

Ladybug chased after her. “Queenie, wait up!”

“Hang on, guys!” said Chat. “We’re c-c-coming!”

They entered the room and found the boys, tied together and dangling upside down from a rope over a pit with a pack of rabid dogs The boys were panicking, making the rope flail back and forth as they desperately tried to avoid the beasts.

“Help!” shouted Kim. “These things are gonna kill us!”

“Don’t panic. We’ll get you down,” said Ladybug.

Chat used his claws to cut through the ropes, and as the boys fell, Queen B leaped across the pit, catching them both and setting them down on the floor.

Chat Noir smiled. “No sense hanging around here.”

“Are you boys okay?” Queen B asked.

“Yeah,” said Max, rubbing his sore neck. “Thanks to you guys.”

Chat helped Kim up. “Okay. You... You guys need to get out of here.”

“No way. We’re staying right here to help you take down this creep,” said Kim.

“Yeah,” said Max. “It may be risky, but I refuse to let this Akuma hurt anyone else.”

Queen B guided them to the door. “No offense, boys, but I’m pretty sure the Bogeyman would literally swallow you guys whole and spit out your bones.”

“That’s a good point,” said Max.

Kim sighed. “Alright, but give him a punch for us.”

“You’ve got it,” said Ladybug, waving them goodbye.

Queen B took a second glance at the boys as they left. She couldn’t help but admire their willingness to fight. It got her thinking.

Viperion and his team of heroes fought ferociously against their corrupted friends, taking them out one by one.

“Man, after tonight, I think I’m off horror movies for a long, long time,” said Carapace as he knocked Ivan down.

“Ditto,” said Rena, as she tripped up Lila. “The last time I saw stuff like this was in a nightmare,”

Ryuko shivered as she slammed Rose onto the ground. “I’m not entirely convinced that this isn’t all one, big nightmare.”

“Keep it together, guys,” said Viperion, kicking Nathanial in the head. “I’m scared too, but once we beat Bogeyman, the nightmare is over. We just need to find...”

“Ladybug! Quick! I heard s-s-someone over here!” said the familiar voice of Chat Noir.

Viperion’s face lit up, “Chat, is that you?!”

“Viperion?” Chat replied. “Hang on, we’re coming!”

The two groups ran towards each other until they met at the corner in the hall. This reunion was marked with laughter, relief, and hugs all around.

“Boy, are we glad to see you guys,” said Ladybug, hugging Rena and Ryuko.

“Us too,” said Rena. “I was starting to fear the worst.”

“Did that creep hurt you guys?” Carapace asked.

“Nothing we can’t handle,” said Chat. “What’s important is that w-we are all here.”

Viperion hugged Queen B, then looked to Chat. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s find that ghoul and kick his butt.”

That’s when the team felt a chill in the air, followed by the echo of the villain’s voice.

“What a touching little reunion, but no need to go searching for the Bogeyman, child,” said the beast as he appeared out of the wall. “The Bogeyman has found you.”

The group gathered themselves and took out their weapons, staring at the ghoulish giant in his tattered robes and torn gauze.

“Give up, Bogeyman,” said Ladybug. “This nightmare of yours stops here.”

Bogeyman laughed. “Dear child, this is merely a prelude to the nightmare. Once I dispose of all of you, I will turn Paris into a pit of shadow and despair: A vile cesspool crawling with monsters. It will be magnificent.”

“I’d hate to spoil your mood, but your p-p-plan is going to end in utter catastrophe,” said Chat, taking out his baton.

Before anyone could respond to the pun, Bogeyman attacked, lunging at the children. They managed to jump out of the way, but Viperion got pinned down by the monster’s right hand. However, before he could deliver a fatal blow, he felt something slash his other arm. He snarled in pain, and looked to see Ryuko, holding up her sword.

“Keep your claws off my partner.”

The Bogeyman growled, spewing what looked like a green, corrosive goo from his mouth.

“AUGH!” Ryuuko said as it burned her arm.

“Ryuko!” Ladybug said as she rushed to her aid.

“Aw, sick!” said Queen B, jumping off the walls. “Seriously, what is with you and gross stuff?!”

The monster snarled, slashed Queen B across the back, causing her to scream. He then tossed her across the room, laughing as he did. He then slammed Ryuuko on the ground and kicked Rena in the head. He then grabbed Queen B, and expanded his jaws until they were large enough to devour her.

“Pitiful! Just what I would expect from children!”

Just when it seemed over for Queen B, Bogeyman felt Chat Noir’s staff knock him right in the face, followed by a blow to the neck with Viperion’s lyre, and another from Carapace’s shield, and Ladybug’s yo-yo tripping him up, causing him to drop his victim. He turned to see the four young heroes standing with Rena Rouge, scowling at him while Ryuko helped Queen B.

“Nobody m-m-messes with my team,” Chat said, ready to strike again.

Bogeyman chucked. “Team players, are we?”

He then whistled, summoning Rose, Lila, Ivan, Alix and Nathaniel to their feet. Another battle began. Rena used her powers to distract them with duplicates.

Ladybug decided now was as good a time as any to make the call.

“LUCKY CHARM!”

From out of thin air came a paint gun.

“Okay, a paint gun. Fine,” said the heroine. “Now think, Ladybug, think.”

Ladybug observed the fight going on around, and saw the cuffs of the Bogeyman’s wrists, having a hunch that is where the Akuma must be. She then came up with a plan. She took the gun, took aim, and shot the Bogeyman in the face, causing him to give an unsettling, inhuman screech.

“My eyes!” he shouted. “I can’t see!”

Ladybug took the chance to use her yo-yo to tie up his wrists.She then turned to her teammates.

“Rena! Ryuko! Keep his minions distracted!”

The girls nodded and continued fighting. “Right!”said Rena. “Got it!” said Ryuuko.

“Carapace! Viperion!” she shouted. “Go for his head!”

“On the double!” the boys said in unison as the threw their weapons at the villain’s head.

With the villain dazed, Ladybig turned to Queen B.

“Queen B! Paralyze him! Quick!”

Queen B winced as she took out her weapon. “You’ve got it. VENOM!”

The Bogeyman was paralyzed, and Ladybug turned to her partner.

“Chat!” she said. “Go for the cuffs on his wrists!”

“You’ve got it, M’lady! CATACLSYM!”

The cuffs were destroyed, and out of the one on his right came the Akuma. Ladybug knew what she had to do as she readied her yo-yo.

“No more evil-doing for you, little Akuma,” said Ladybug. “TIME TO DE-EVILIZE!”

The butterfly was captured, cleansed, and set free.

Ladybug waved goodbye as she watched it fly away. “Bye-bye, little butterfly.”

There was only one thing left to do.

“MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!”

She tossed her Lucky Charm into the air, and the swarm of ladybugs undid all the damage done by the Bogeyman. Every twisted image, every deadly trap, every vicious monster, gone. All of his minions were set free, and everyone’s injuries were healed. The Bogeyman’s lair was revealed to be an abandoned hospital, and the Bogeyman was revealed to be a tall, thin man with long, black hair, and a short beard.

“ Doctor Anton Moreau?!” said Ladybug, terrified. “The former dentist?!”

Moreau chuckled. “I didn’t need to be the Bogeyman to take out my enemies before,” he said, picking up a discarded, broken bottle. “And I don’t need it to get rid of you!”

The maniac laughed as he rushed them, only to be taken down by Ryuko.

“You’ve done enough damage, Moreau,” she said. “Like I said before, the game’s over.”

It didn’t take long for the police to arrive and arrest Moreau. As soon as they got the chance, the heroes made their way to Master Fu’s shop, being careful not to be seen. Once out of sight, they all detransformed.

"Boy, am I glad that's over," said Nino.

"Tell me about it," said Chloé, wincing at the sharp pain in her back. "The wounds are gone, but my back still hurts. Is that normal?"

Marinette nodded. "Don't worry. The soreness usually fades in about an hour."

Chloé sighed and sat down in a nearby chair where she felt Luka’s lips press gently against her cheek, making her smile and blush. As this was going on, Fu made his way in, looking over the group before smiling.

“Another job well done, team. You should all be very proud.”

“All in a day’s work, Master Fu,” said Alya. “I’m just glad Moreau is going back to the asylum. Akuma or not, that guy is going to give me nightmares.”

“Well, at least the living n-n-nightmare is over,” said Adrien.

The team all relaxed and talked amongst themselves, glad to put another battle behind them. That’s when Chloé approached the old guardian.

“Um, Master Fu?” she said, tapping him on the shoulder

Fu turned and smiled at her. “Yes, Chloé?”

“I don’t really know how this works or if it’s my call to make, but I think I found two more worthy candidates for Team Miraculous.

With those words, Chloé had the master’s full attention. “Go on...”

Epilogue

Max and Kim were hanging out at Max’s house, playing one of his games. Both boys were laser-focused on obtaining victory. However, just as they were ready to beat the boss level, they heard a tapping at Max’s window. They paused the game to investigate, opening the window, and what they saw made their jaws drop.

“Queen B?”

The yellow-striped heroine climbed in. “Evening, boys.”

“No way,” said Kim as he stared. “What are you doing here?”

Queen Bee stretched a bit before looking at the duo. “Earlier today, you two were willing to risk your safety to help me and my team beat the Bogeyman.”

“Well, yeah,” said Kim. “We’re tired of Hawkmoth’s Akumas pushing everyone around.”

Max sighed. “We just wish we could help in some way.”

“Maybe you can, boys,” said Queen B, taking out two octagonal boxes. “Maybe you can.”

The two boys gaped at the boxes, then back at the heroine.

“You... You mean... “ Kim started.

Queen B nodded. “Max Kante, Le Chien Kim, you two have been chosen to wield the Horse and Monkey Miraculous. You must reveal your identities to no one and use them responsibly. Are you two ready and willing to do this?”

Max and Kim’s eyes lit up as they gazed upon the artifacts. Kim took the Monkey and Max took the Horse.

“You can count on us, Queen B,” said Kim.

“Yeah,” said Max. “We won’t let you down.”

Queen B smiled. She knew she made the right choice.

#miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #chloe bourgeois #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #luka couffaine #kagam tsurugi #wayhem #sabrina raincomprix #le chien kim #max kante #miraculous ladybug au #stammering!adrien #stammering adrien au #the bogeyman

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snacc-noir · 5 years ago

Note

Here we go, I’ll do an ask, duh, I’m dumb. #12 B

12. “Are you- are you trying to seduce me right now?”

B. Cynical chat au

Ladynoir

I can not explain how much I cracked up seeing this in my inbox thank you

“Are you an angel?”

Chat didn’t know much about happiness per se - some interchangeable enigma most everyone bar him had because he’s ~hipster~ like that - but he had a feeling Ladybug was pretty close.

Because there was just that... he didn’t know... some, nice feeling he had around her? Ha! Um, not that Chat had feelings of course, but if he did they’d be stirring up a storm around her.

She was gorgeous. She was brave.

She didn’t expect him to be more than he was.

Ladybug was the only one close to his cynical persona; she still loved him as a friend without the expectations of him being positive and lively like he as Adrien had built himself to be.

He trusted her so much... felt so close with her... that those inner snarks and thoughts and under breath disbelief just came out more and more once he realised he could be That Guy as Chat Noir.

He was in love with her.

She didn’t love him back, though.

(Ha, what else was fresh in his life?)

Apparently, his attempts of making her fall for him, like roses, candlelit dinners, alarmingly deep confessions, even puns, weren’t the key. He believed it must have been the lack of class, and besides how much Chat wanted to lie in garbage to be in his True Element most days, he was in fact, classy. And he would show it.

So anyway.

“Are you an angel?”

Ladybug craned her neck, a passing look of confusion blindsided by his charismatic eye-flutter.

“Because I wish I wasn’t alive, so that would be a great sign.”

Her drink’s straw fell from her mouth.

“Are you seriously doing this?”

“Yes.”

She pressed her head to the pink lemonde, muttering something about, “just one normal patrol...”

“If looks could kill,” his tail swished theatrically as he strutted the rooftop, half-full beverage swirling, “then I’d love to have a staring contest.”

She scoffed, unable to wind back the smile.

Chat leaped beside where her legs swung off the roof and angled her chin up with a clawed finger. He was beaming, for whatever reason, and held her gaze tightly.

“You know what you and my father’s promise that he loves me have in common?”

Her lip hung below her straw, temptation too strong. “What?”

“I’ve fallen for both!”

She choked.

Oh good grief—

“Are you death? Because I’m craving you.”

Ladybug coiled a gloved hand to her cringing mouth, not sure what to respond, do, or react in a way that didn’t involve slipping off the roof from shock. She’d heard his “jokes” before but this was a whole new style.

Was this him... flirting?

“M’lady, you must be an eleven, because I’m the only negative-one you need in your life.”

She had turned to see him grinning on the roof, lying with his chin in a palm and a knee bent in a paint me like one of your French girls pose that struck horror movie feels more than swooning. Because what.

His tail flicked. It knocked over his drink stupidly.

Cringing, he still tried to flirt his eyebrows.

Ladybug furrowed gets. “Are you- are you trying to seduce me right now?”

“Is it working?”

Hang on-

Was it?

No, no! She loved Adrien. The stuff Chat was spewing was sad and not effective at all, since, what in all of Paris had him get up this morning and decide to prepare such absurd ‘pick up lines’ for patrol?

“No!”

He rolled his eyes, kicking himself up to stand beside the lake of blackish soda.

Chat grinned.

“Are you a black void of emptiness, because I feel you in my soul—”

“Chat.”

Seduction didn’t work out, he found, but pink lemonade splashed at your face tasted almost as delicious.

why did I write this what is this i am so sorry this is cursed and

[ Prompt me ]

#i am too much in my element writing this dear grief take this away from me #miraculous ladybug #ml fic #ladynoir #chat noir #ml fanfiction #ladybug #ask #cynical chat au #q #Em writes #prompt me #original content #darkenedhrt101

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lnc2 · 5 years ago

Text

give me a try

Summary: Ladybug grapples with her unrequited crush and upcoming heat. Chat Noir offers an alternative.

A/N: This is a gift work to myself because I fucking love A/B/O but can't write smut to save my life so here is something emotionally fraught instead.Thank you to the ever so lovely @alexseanchai for helping me proof read this. I've been staring at it for weeks now and I need you all to just TAKE THIS as a labor of love that no one asked for.

AO3

Ladybug chafed at the tight fabric of her suit. Something she shouldn’t have been able to feel but did anyway. Tikki, bless her, was under the impression transforming helped take the edge off and Marinette never really had the heart to tell her otherwise.

“Argh!”

She rolled over, pressing her face against the cool beam of the Eiffel tower. She liked it here, up high and out of bounds, well and away from any wanderers by. And if the wind caught her scent and carried it over the city – well, let it. She was absolutely miserable– might as well let Paris know.

She hated this.

Like clockwork, every three months, there it was. Her goddamn heat with its goddamn cravings and urges and overwhelming ugh.

She knew she should be at home, nesting, preparing for the inevitable. If her previous cycles were anything to go by she was due to enter delerium any day now. But she never was good at taking care of herself.

“Ah, I thought I heard a damsel in distress.”

Not like him anyways.

Ladybug snorted, the only acknowledgement she was willing to give her light-footed tomcat as he slinked into the space beside her. Chat Noir was all grins and hands and tail as he came into view.

“Wondered when you’d drag yourself out here.”

He clicked his tongue. “I’d say from the looks of things I’m not the one who’s been dragged.”

“Shut up.”

“But really, bug. You don’t look so great.”

Ladybug rolled over to scowl up at her partner. “Thanks.”

Chat laughed. “You know that’s not what I meant. If it’s any consolation you smell amazing.”

It shouldn’t have been. Not really. But she inwardly preened all the same.

Damn hormones.

It was all she could do to resist returning the compliment. Ladybug would never admit it, but she absolutely adored Chat’s scent. Something like wind and silver and leather – three years into their partnership and she’d never really been able to put a name to it.

Wild. He always smelled a little wild.

It made her feel itchy, calling out to deeper parts of her best left unexplored. Gave her dangerous ideas of taking him in, tucking him away someplace familiar and warm, and rolling around until his scent became hers became his and he didn’t smell so alone.

“No, what smells amazing is whatever you’ve got hidden behind your back.” Ladybug sat up, slowly, and grinned. “What did you bring me?”

“Why do you assume I’ve brought you anything?” He shook his head. “That’s very presumptuous.”

Not really. Not when he’d gotten into the habit of bringing her things like pastries and trinkets when her heats were coming on. It started with pain au chocolat, a favorite, and eventually left her with a treasure trove of silk scarves, handkerchiefs, and even a small satin pillow. Ladybug had a whole trunk full of Chat’s tokens, carefully kept apart from the rest of her nesting materials, and hidden away from her parents’ prying eyes. No one, not even Alya, had seen them.

She wouldn’t know how to explain them anyways.

The first time Chat brought her pastries she’d cried. It was an admitted overreaction on her part but it had been her first heat and she wasn’t used to the surge of hormones flooding her body. Chat, the poor boy, was horrified until she flung her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck, nuzzling that oh-so-terrifying place just beneath his ear.

“Thank you, Chaton.”

He’d made sure to bring her pastries ever since.

Ladybug leaned forward, hands fighting to reach around him. He merely swatted her away, easier now as her reflexes were slowing down. She gave up, pouting.

“Please,” She said, batting her lashes as best she could. It was something she’d seen Rose do at Juleka nearly half a dozen times and it always seemed to work for her. Between that and her Teen Omega monthly subscription (her father’s misguided but endearing attempt at support) and all of its “instructional” articles about making your pheromones work for you she thought she had the look down pat.

Chat snorted, but handed over the bag anyways.

She squealed as she uncovered an eclair from one of the more expensive patisseries in the city. Mouthful of chocolate and creme, she sang his praises, the trouble of the day melting away like flaky pastry on her tongue.

At least, it was until Chat stiffened, his demeanor shifting from affable to guarded in an instant.

His nostrils flared. “What’s that?”

Confused, Ladybug followed his gaze to a piece of blue fabric folded neatly on her other side. She flinched as reminders of just exactly what had sent her out here tonight re-intruded on her hard earned peace.

It started at lunch.

Marinette remembered all too clearly watching Nino and Adrien’s frantic conversation from across the courtyard. Alya’s quiet teasing that they were talking about her. Her heart leaping in a belabored sort of way as the two pushed a brightly-wrapped gift back and forth to each other, wayward daydreams of Adrien coming over to declare his intentions, only for those thoughts to crash on the rocks of confusion as he pushed Nino in their direction. For a few brief moments as the rapidly blushing boy approached, she entertained the idea that he was coming over to talk to Alya– after all, they shared similar interests and a courtship there wasn’t completely outside the realm of possibilities– and Marinette was already turning to her friend when Nino reached them and practically shoved the gift into her hands.

“F-for you!” He said, dark cheeks flushing darker. “Your heat– for your rest. Your nest! Oh god.”

Marinette barely had time to blink before he was pulling his cap down over his face and running away, leaving her and Alya stunned in his wake.

“That was… unexpected.” Her best friend said watching the dj rush off into the school, Adrien following close behind.

It was more than unexpected. It was completely left field.

And left her clutching what could only be called a courting gift as her thoughts spiralled out of control.

As far as she could remember Marinette had never received a courtship gift before. And by all accounts Nino was a great guy and a good friend. He was a beta and took to it well, his calm presence balancing out the larger more outspoken alphas in their class. But she’d never really thought of him like that before. Not when there was Adrien– Adrien who she had spent the better part of three years adoring. Adrien who smelled like fresh linen, summer, and cut grass. Adrien who she’d just watched encourage his best friend to march over here and declare his interest with...with...

“It’s a blanket, Chat.”

“I can see that.” He drawled. “Why do you have it?”

“I don’t know really. It was a… gift. From a friend.”

“A friend.”

“Yeah,” She frowned, fingering the blanket. “At least, that’s what I thought he was.”

“You don’t anymore?”

“No, it’s not that it’s just–” She sighed. “With my heat coming on and everything I guess he just thought I could do with another blanket.”

“That’s a courting gift.”

Yeah, it was.

Ladybug didn’t really understand just why she’d decided to bring it out with her tonight. She could have left it at home, stashed it in the linen closet, or hell put it with her other nesting materials as was intended. But somehow none of those options felt right.

Alya had been less than helpful on the matter and she was too embarrassed to ask Sabine what she thought she should do. And as Marinette was already coming out of her skin with hormones as it was she thought maybe a clear head and Ladybug would be able to provide her with answers.

Her brain was distressingly silent on the matter.

She let out a groan and rubbed her hands down her face.

“Chaaaat,” She whined, peeking through her fingers at him. “I don’t know what to do about it.”

He leaned back on his hands. “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. That’s the problem! It’s just, ugh, no one’s ever... I’ve never… gotten something like this before.”

“What do you mean?”

Ladybug gestured towards the blanket. “You know. A courting gift. It’s my first one.”

“...Your first.” Chat echoed, sitting up. Ladybug nodded.

“Yeah. And like, I know what I’m supposed to do. I’m supposed to be thankful, accept it, and use it. But I don’t know, Chat. Accepting it from this friend just feels… wrong. Like I’m leading him on, you know?”

She turned to look at him, but he was facing out towards the city, forehead pinched into a frown.

“Chat?”

“I heard you, bug.” He said. She sighed.

“I just don’t know anymore. What would you want?”

Chat laughed. Ladybug jabbed his side.

“Stooop. I’m serious.”

“I know you are. That’s what’s funny.”

Ooh. She was too tired and achy and agitated for this.

She stood up, scowling. “Fine, don’t tell me. Have a goodnight Chat.”

He grabbed her arm, staying her. She watched him for a moment, but he wasn’t looking at her, focusing instead on the beam they were sitting on. She waited for him to say anything but when he didn’t she shook off his hand.

“Yes?”

Chat picked at his claws. “Do you want to know what I’d want you to do if it were me or do you want me to tell you what I want you to do now?”

Leave it to Chat to be cryptic.

She sat back down, arranging herself so she was facing his side, straddling the beam. “Is there a difference?”

He laughed, a low, humorless thing. “Yeah. Yeah there is.”

She frowned. “Then I guess… I guess I want to know what you would want.”

“Well,” He said, carefully. “If it were me who’d given you a courting gift I’d want you to keep it.”

“Even if I didn’t feel the same way?”

He flinched, but nodded all the same. “Yeah. Yeah I would. Because, well, I bought the gift with you in mind.”

“Oh,” She said.

The itchy feeling came back full force and she shifted uncomfortably on the beam. Doing her best to ignore it she pressed further. “But that’s not what you want me to do?”

He looked at her then, eyes green and electric and glinting with some deep something she couldn’t or wouldn’t put a name to.

“It’s not really up to me is it, my lady.” When she pouted at him he just shook his head. “Sorry. I think this is something you’ll have to figure out for yourself.”

She let out an explosive sigh.

“This sucks. Being an omega sucks.” She leaned forward to thump her head against his shoulder. “You’re lucky you’re an alpha. You don’t have to deal with this kind of thing.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“Yeah, well, I’d take it any day over my body going into what is essentially a pregnancy trap every three months. I’m seventeen I don’t want kids right now.”

Chat smiled. “You don’t think of settling down, LB?

“Not like that.” She snapped. Pulling away to wrinkle her nose at her partner, she continued. “Besides, who would I even do that with?”

He waggled his eyebrows. Ladybug rolled her eyes.

“Be serious. Even the guy I am interested in clearly doesn’t see me the same way.” She gestured towards the blanket with a scowl. “He practically threw his best friend at me today.”

Adrien.

His name still whispered across her heart, but it was tainted now. Everything was tainted. If Nino liked her enough to give her courting gifts there’s no way Adrien would be remotely interested.

And damn her hormones to hell if she were going to cry about it again tonight. At least not in front of her partner.

Chat seemed to read enough of her distress all the same. He reached out and squeezed her hand, ignoring her quiet sniffling.

“You want to know,” He said, voice low as he slotted their fingers together. “What one of the nicest things about my costume is?”

Grateful for the shift in topic, she gave a wobbly smile.

“The tail?”

“No,” He said. “The pockets.”

She snorted. “Don’t remind me. It’s criminal that Tikki doesn’t give me any storage.”

Chat continued playing with her fingers. She let him, his touch helping center her growing restlessness as the evening wore on. A static sort of jitteriness she felt from her hair to her toes– an unpleasant all-consuming urge to just… do threatening to overwhelm her.

Do what exactly she wasn’t sure. But if being touchy with Chat helped take the edge off well, she wasn’t going to complain.

He laughed.

“They do come in handy. Let me carry things I normally couldn’t.”

“Like pastries?” She grinned.

“Among other things.”

Things like scarves and little silk pillows and heating bags. A clumsily embroidered handkerchief with a jagged green cat paw in the corner. A thermos full of hot lavender tea. The list went on and on.

A rush of feeling overcame her then, tears once again welling up in her eyes. Gods she really did have a wonderful partner.

“I’m definitely a fan.” She murmured, squeezing his hand.

Chat grimaced. “Yeah, well. I’ve never been able to carry anything big before but…”

She waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. Ladybug watched as he dropped her hand in favor of running his own through his hair, making even more of a mess of it. It found the back of his neck and stayed there, grip tight.

“But?” She prompted.

Abruptly, Chat swung around to mimic her position, legs straddling the beam. He was suddenly close, very close. Ladybug blinked and leaned back to put some distance between them.

“What do you do with all of it?” He asked. “With all of those things I bring you?”

“I–” She paused. “They’re in my closet.”

“And?” He pressed. “Do you use them?”

Uneasy, she deflected.“Why are you asking?”

“Come on, buginette. It’s an easy question. Do you use them?”

She blushed and cursed herself for it.

She had no reason to be embarrassed– they were her gifts. So what if she put them in her den? And so what if Chat Noir knew? That’s probably what he intended them for anyways. So why did admitting it out loud to her partner make it feel more… just more.

Best brazen her way through it and leave the feeling to be examined at a later date. Like never.

“Of course I do,” She said, spine stiff as she held his gaze.

“Oh,” He said, softly, eyes even softer. “That’s… that’s good.”

But Ladybug wasn’t so sure. Not when he was looking at her like that.

“Can I ask you something else?”

No, self preservation screamed. Warily, she nodded.

“What makes me different?”

Abort. Abort. Abort.

“What?” She said, stupidly.

Chat leaned forward and reached for her hands. “What makes my gifts any different than that blanket?”

Shocked, she pulled away, laughing shakily, “Chat, what are you talking about?”

“I just–” His hands lay outstretched on the beam between them where she’d dropped him. His claws tap-tapped at the metal. “If you think that was your first courting gift then I’ve been doing something wrong.”

He couldn’t have knocked the air out of her faster if he’d punched her in the stomach. Courting. This was about courting. His pastries, the fabric, his late night patrols before her heat– they were all byproducts of Chat’s desire to… for…

Her.

“I– you…”

Suddenly light-headed, her own hands fell to the beam, just out of reach of Chat’s.

He laughed, nervous.

“I thought– god, I don’t know what I thought. That maybe you were letting me down easy. Ignoring my intentions on purpose. Just… being kind?” His eyes watered. “I can’t believe you didn’t know.”

“Chat,” She whispered, not unkindly. “I… I like someone else.”

He shook his head. “I know. Someone who doesn’t even appreciate you.”

“Hey,” She chided, softly. “That’s not fair.”

In Adrien’s defense he was probably just as oblivious to her feelings as she’d been to Nino’s.

And Chat’s, apparently.

The simmering itchy feeling was back full force as he gently took her hands and lifted them to his lips.

“I appreciate you. I adore you.” He murmured.

“Oh,” She breathed.

His eyes were wide and nervous and filled with a sad sort of hope that made her want to pull him to her, hide him away, someplace safe, someplace warm.

God help her.

“I’m not asking you to make a decision.” He said, oblivious to her inner turmoil. “That wouldn’t be– I know you would need time. But just… if you can. Consider it. Consider me.”

Ladybug fought the urge to give in to hysteria.

Consider Chat?

Consider her stubborn, flirty, irresponsible tomcat? Consider her level-headed, earnest, loyal friend? The thought was no more foreign than it was terrifying.

Consider bringing him home, introducing him to her parents, introducing him to her den. Draping him in handkerchiefs and scarves and well-worn blankets and silk pillows. Spending time with him, spending her heats with him. Hands on hips on thighs and teeth on lips on ears on neck. Biting him and claiming him and being claimed in return. Sharing heat and sheets and hearts.

It wasn’t hard to imagine and wasn’t that just the scariest thought of all.

Chat was already all over her home, her nest… her heart? She suspected she wouldn’t have to search her feelings very far to find him there.

“Ladybug?” He whispered, eyes wide and searching.

She realized she’d been leaning in then, her face inches away from his.

What will it take for you to see me? They seemed to ask.

She was seeing him now.

Steeling herself, Ladybug brought her trembling hands to his face.

“Hold still,” She said and he listened, a little too well. “Breathe.”

Chat took a shaky breath, watching with dilated pupils as she came closer and closer until they were nose to nose.

“Hi,” She murmured.

“H-hi.”

Brushing their noses together, Ladybug detoured to his cheek to his jaw to his throat, grazing the space just beneath his ear where his scent was the thickest. Wind and silver and leather.

Wild.

Her heart pounded loudly in her ears and her suit was sticky and tight and altogether too much at once as the restless aimless itching surged over her, purpose locked. Chat’s breath stuttered to a halt and his hands fell useless to his lap as her lips grazed his skin, pressing the lightest of kisses there.

“My lady?” He asked, breathless and eager and wondering.

“Maybe, Chaton.” She said, slowly pulling back to meet his eyes.

“Yeah?”

Ladybug smiled. “I’ll consider it.”

#miraculous ladybug #lnc2 writes #LadyNoir #aged up #pre-animan #one-sided ninette #a/b/o #a/b/o dynamics #courtship #alpha! Chat noir #omega! ladybug #more emotions than anything #heat #think of it like a period babes #discussion of ~feelings~

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ronninoir · 5 years ago

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Can I Steal You for a Second? CH8

Summary: Adrien is forced to participate in a new dating show, but becomes more excited when Ladybug says she’ll participate as her civilian self.

AKA: AU where Adrien doesn’t know Marinette, the superheroes are 22 and Gabriel is mean and ruthless but not Hawkmoth.

Read on AO3

Start from the beginning Chp 1 on AO3

Chapter 8

Getting ready for the second half of the date was a breeze. Marinette had been feeling so confident and beautiful earlier that it just carried on into the second half of the evening. She was brought food into a room where she was getting ready and had to stuff her face in between styling her hair and putting on her make-up. When Marinette thought of dates, she thought of going out to eat and chatting over a meal and possibly sharing a dessert and fighting with the boy over who was going to pay, but instead her first date with Adrien consisted of a fashion show, eating in her dressing room and sharing the boy with 8 other girls.

She was ready right as all of the other girls were and she had to admit, they all looked amazing. Marinette’s confidence began to ebb as the excitement of the fashion show died down and reality that she would have very little time to talk to Adrien set in. Getting to talk to him at all will be exciting, but she was still nervous. Alya briefed her on the low-down of group dates before she left and they usually involve fighting for time and any sort of drama that can ensue from putting so many girls in one place.

They arrived at a gorgeous hotel (not Chloe’s Father’s, thank goodness) not long after the loaded into the van. There, a meeting area in a wing of the hotel was set up for them. They would be allowed to sit and be pulled away to chat with Adrien one at a time. The main area they were sitting in was beautifully decorated and had a rose on a dish sitting on the table. The girls were told not to leave this area unless they were asked or needed to go to the bathroom, etc. They were all handed drinks, and Marinette got a glass of white wine since they wouldn’t let her drink water this early in the evening.

They waited for about 15 minutes for Adrien to walk in. Marinette sipped her wine while everyone else chatted about how the date had went and strategizing about what they were going to talk about with Adrien. Marinette wasn’t too worried. She had spent many hours just chatting with Adrien, only while he was Chat Noir. If the conversation ever came to a lull, she would be able to figure something out.

Marinette heard a gasp and looked up to see Adrien entering. He looked stunning in his tailored slacks and green button down that brought out the color of his eyes. Some of the girls giggled excitedly as he got closer and he smiled at them all.

“Hey ladies! Today was so much fun. I really enjoyed being a spectator on a runway, rather than a performer.” More giggles from the girls. “You guys did an amazing job and I was reminded of just how beautiful you all are. I can’t wait to talk with all of you tonight and dive in deeper with our relationships.” He paused and made eye contact with all of the girls before his eyes landed on Marinette. “Marinette, can I steal you for a second?”

Marinette couldn’t help the blush that spread on her face. “Of course,” She stood up and followed him from the group. She could feel their eyes on her as she walked, but honestly, she couldn’t bring herself to care much with Adrien by her side.

“How are you doing tonight?” He started, shooting Marinette a smile that made her heart flutter.

“It’s been pretty good so far. I will say I’m not a fan of eating in my dressing room, but I guess I’ll have to make do.” She gave a light laugh and Adrien joined in. It felt wonderful to hear him laugh, like a breath of fresh air after being underwater for a couple of minutes.

“Sadly, if you choose to stay you’ll have to get used to it.” Adrien had led her to a couch that was giving out the illusion of privacy. But nothing was actually private here with the cameras lurking around. Adrien had Marinette sit first, like the gentleman he was, then he sat next to her, making sure to sit what could be considered an appropriate distance. Marinette thought he was too far away. “At least you only have to do it once a week. Between modeling and this, I feel like I only eat my meals in dressing rooms.”

Marinette frowned at that. She’d heard Chat say that his home life wasn’t great. Once she had found out he was Adrien, she just assumed that he ate with Gabriel, his father just didn’t talk to him much over meals. The thought of her kitty eating meals alone all the time broke her heart. “Well then when this is all over, I’ll have to take you to a restaurant and show you how normal people eat meals,” Marinette said firmly.

Adrien’s eyes lit up. “You mean that?”

“Win or lose, I promise. Cross my heart.” She took her finger and crossed it over her heart, just to show that she was serious.

“Wow, thank you Marinette. That means so much to me.” He gave her hand a little squeeze and she intertwined her fingers with his. Their hands fit together so naturally and it sent electricity up Marinette’s arm. “I actually wanted to let you know how impressed I was with you today at the fashion show. Not only did you look amazing up there, but you handled losing very well. I don’t know if any of the other girls could have done what you did with such grace.” She blushed under his words as he continued, “Anyway, I wanted to thank you for your reaction. Awarding the winner could have gone really poorly and you helped it go really well.”

Marinette was beaming under his praise. She had channeled her inner Ladybug on the catwalk today, much preferring to be the designer watching from the sidelines than the actual model. She had been happy for Gabrielle, and in Marinette’s opinion, she wore the final dress better than she did for sure. She appreciated that Adrien noticed her even though she didn’t win, it meant that he saw her even through the crowd.

“That’s really kind of you, Adrien, but you don’t have to thank me for being nice. That’s something that everyone should do naturally.”

“If that were true, Ladybug and Chat Noir would be out of a job. There wouldn’t be anyone for Hawkmoth to akumatize.” He gave a soft chuckle before his face grew suddenly serious. “Speaking of that, I have a question for you.” Marinette nodded, and he continued, “Is there a particular reason that Chloe Bourgeois doesn’t like you?”

Marinette sighed. As much as she was expecting it, she was still hoping that this topic wouldn’t come up in her conversation with Adrien. She had decided that being honest was the best possible way to deal with this and hopefully making it go away.

“She went to school with me when I was younger. She was in my class for 7 years in a row and she became my bully. No matter what I did, she picked on me, made fun of me, and drew attention to my mistakes in front of everyone. It wasn’t until I got older that I started standing up to her. I could never figure out why, but she never apologized for it and I never confronted her for a reason. I was hoping that she would drop whatever problem she had with me when we left high school, but she just took to subtle comments on social media and casual digs when we passed each other in the street.” Adrien’s jaw was dropped and Marinette wanted to stop, but Adrien needed to know what she had said to her today. “She even brought some of that anger with her today. Right before the fashion show started, she pulled me aside, tore me down and told me that I wouldn’t ever be able to get you, as if you were some prize to be won.” Marinette scoffed and shook her head. Her Kitty was worth more than a trophy to her. When she made eye contact with Adrien, she gave him a small smile, “She is actually the reason I picked my evening gown dress. She had said that I could never pull off that dress, so I decided to prove her wrong.”

Adrien looked shocked and she wished she could say something to make this easier on him. He took her hands and looked at her so intensely, Marinette thought she would shrink, but she stood her ground. “Marinette, I am so so sorry for the way that Chloe treated you, today, in school and every day in between. She is one of my oldest friends and she has always been kind to me. I never realized that she wasn’t the kindest to the other people she interacted with.” He shook his head and he suddenly wouldn’t look at her in the eyes. “I saw the way she treated the employees at the hotel and I should have known that would translate to her classmates.”

“You never know everything about a person until you live a day in their shoes.” Marinette responded, placing her other hand on his shoulder. She yearned to touch his cheek, but she didn’t want to frighten him. “Don’t blame yourself.”

“You’re right,” He sighed, his eyes briefly meeting hers. When he looked back up at her, he had a sly smile on his lips that reminded her of something Chat would wear when he was going to do something crazy. She lowered her hand to her lap as he leaned in to whisper, “Well then I guess I have Chloe to thank for that jaw-dropping dress.”

Marinette’s blush returned once again and she ducked her head, trying to hide the color. His hand gently touched her chin and lifted her head towards him. She automatically leaned closer to him, craving more of his kisses, though she knew that he had to be the one to initiate it. When their lips did touch, she had to stop herself from sighing. She had been dreaming about doing this again since Sunday night. His lips were soft and gentle, not asking too much of her. When they broke apart, she smiled and rested her forehead on his.

“I really like you, Adrien,” She blurted out. The heat returned to her cheeks as his smile grew at her statement.

“I really like you too, Marinette. Thank you for everything today.” He leaned back and stood up, offering her a hand to stand with him. She took it gratefully and he shifted their hands to where his arm was wrapped around hers while still having his fingers entwined in hers. They started walking back to where the other girls were gathered.

“Thank you, Adrien, for everything. We should do it again sometime,” She shot him a bright smile and he laughed.

“We really should.”

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

The rest of the night was anticlimactic compared to her kiss with Adrien. She found out through the grapevine that he had ended up kissing Gabrielle, Camille, Hanna, and Juliette before the end of the night. At least she got to be the first one, but the thought of Adrien kissing 4 other girls tonight made her shiver. She had to keep reminding herself that this was exactly what she had signed up for, but it still sucked.

The only major drama that had come up involved Gabrielle. Pauline was upset at how much time Gabrielle got to spend with Adrien even though she had some time already after she won the fashion show earlier in the date. Gabrielle argued that she had barely spent any time with him after the show and that she needed to “mind her own business instead of sticking her nose into other’s relationship with Adrien.” Marinette had caught the end of the fight on her way back from the bathroom and was glad she had missed the majority of the shouting. Most of the other girls had scattered when the yelling started in order to avoid being dragged into this. Marinette found Hanna and Juliette hiding behind a wall right next to where the two girls were staring daggers at each other.

“I heard the yelling, are they almost done yet? Adrien should be giving away the group date rose soon and we can go home and sleeeeeep,” Marinette asked pitifully as she rested her head on Hanna’s shoulder. This elicited a giggle from both girls and Marinette smiled knowing that she had dissolved some of the tension the others had created.

“They should be.” Juliette replied while peeking around the corner. “I heard that the producers wanted to keep these emotions as high as possible for when Adrien gave out the group date rose to make it seem more heated on film.” Sure enough, as soon as Juliette had said that, a group of producers came around shuffling the girls into the main room with Gabrielle and Pauline, who were still very clearly mad, although a silence surrounded them.

Almost as soon as the other girls were seated on the couches, Adrien walked into the room. Marinette noticed that almost every single girl sat up straighter and their smiles became brighter when he walked in. Some of the smiles seemed more forced and fake than others, but Marinette couldn’t help but be bothered by how “showy” this whole part of the date felt.

Adrien inserted himself on the couch in between Valentine and Alice and addressed the girls as a group, “Thank you so much for tonight. It was so refreshing to be able to just talk to all of you with minimal distractions.” Marinette took that to mean that he had heard of the fight, but had decided not to do anything about it just yet. She was worried he would let this slide and would send the message that fighting and drama was okay within the house. That would only bring more problems. “The group date rose tonight is going to someone who was brutally honest with me and wasn’t afraid to hold anything back, even if it could stir up problems.” Adrien leaned across the table and grabbed the rose, and Marinette took a quick peek at his toned muscles as he stretched. Running around rooftops had done him good in the muscle department, just as Marinette was extra toned from her constant rooftop runs. Adrien sat back down with the rose and turned towards Marinette. “That being said, Marinette, will you accept this rose?”

Marinette blushed, once again, she just couldn’t catch a break with him tonight, as she gave a nod. He reached over and gave her a hug before sitting back down on the couch. He looked up at one of the producers, a question unspoken in his eyes.

The producer nodded and stepped forward. “Thank you, ladies, that was a wonderful take. Go ahead and take a quick moment to interview with our crew, 3 girls per camera, and then we’ll send you guys back to the mansion.”

Marinette stood up with the other girls and waited her turn to give Adrien a hug goodbye. He whispered a quick, “Thank you for your honesty, Marinette. It means so much to me,” before giving her a quick squeeze and moving onto the next girl. She snagged a camera crew, hoping to get the interview over with quickly so she could sleep.

“How did you feel going into the cocktail party tonight? Be sure to restate the question and pretend it’s the beginning of the night.”

“Coming into the cocktail party tonight, I am just excited to see Adrien again. I felt so confident and beautiful doing the fashion show that I feel like I’m coming in on such a high. I really hope that this amazing day continues with a good conversation with Adrien.”

“Great response. What did you think of Chloe Bourgeois coming up in your conversation with Adrien this evening?”

“I knew Adrien was going to ask about Chloe. From the moment we entered Gabriel and saw her, I knew I would have to tell Adrien about my relationship with her. It’s an important part of my history that I want him to know, especially since Chloe is a friend of his.”

“What do you think about being Adrien’s first kiss?”

Marinette broke her composure and blanched. How in the world did they know about the fact that she, as Ladybug, was Adrien’s first kiss? She decided to play dumb rather than incriminate herself further. “What do you mean?”

“You were Adrien’s first kiss on the show, and as far as the public knows, his first kiss ever. How does that make you feel? How was he?”

She sighed and let her whole body relax. These people didn’t know that she was Ladybug or know of the pair’s other kisses. She gave a gentle smile, which she hoped would come off as shy rather then conceited and began to lie, “I honestly didn’t know but I’m honored that he chose me to be the first.” That was true, she just felt that a couple of days ago. “And considering he hasn’t done much kissing before tonight, he was surprisingly wonderful at it.”

“How did finding out that he kissed 4 other girls tonight as well make you feel?”

“Finding out that Adrien had kissed 4 other girls tonight made my skin crawl. I just—” She paused, wondering how real she wanted to be with the camera. She decided to just be honest and hope that if it isn’t interesting enough they won’t put it in the show. “I hate that he’s dating the other girls as well. I know it’s part of the process, but I like Adrien enough to want to keep him for myself.”

One of the producers cleared his throat and whispered to the man behind the camera. “Sorry, Marinette, we are going to need you to redo that. Instead of saying the word “process” say “journey,” okay?” Marinette gave them a blank look to which they responded, “It’s a rule. We don’t call the show a ‘process’ because that makes it sound cynical. We call it a ‘journey’ so it sounds more optimistic.”

At that, she nodded obediently. “Can you remind me of what I said?”

“Yeah, it started with ‘I hate that he’s dating the other girls as well. I know it’s part of the journey, but I don’t want to share Adrien.’”

Marinette nodded and made the change they had asked of her. It was weird that she had to edit her own words, but she could try to remember to not say “process” and instead say “journey.” That way, she shouldn’t have to do that again.

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

Adrien collapsed onto his bed with an exasperated sigh.

“Who knew dating 9 girls at once could be so exhausting?” Adrien asked his pillow. Sadly, the only response he received was from Plagg.

“Why didn’t you address the fight the girls had?” Plagg asked, flying close to Adrien’s head. He shifted on the bed so he could see his kwami better.

“Why do you care?”

“Because not dealing with conflict quickly after it happens can cause more problems later on.” Plagg replied matter-of-factly.

“And you know this because....?”

“Listen here, kid. I’ve been around for thousands of years. I’ve seen a lot and I’ve dealt with a lot of petty problems. Why do you think that the 100 Years War got started? Over a small fight that was left to stew and grew into something big.”

“Wait, didn’t the English try to take over France? That doesn’t seem like a small thing.”

“That’s what the public knows of. It actually started because the French king didn’t think that the English were ruling their country correctly and he made a snide comment. It grew from there.”

“That’s not true,” Adrien countered, sitting up in his bed.

“Kid,” Plagg started, putting a paw up to stop Adrien from talking. “I know what I’m talking about. So, shut up and listen for a bit.” Adrien nodded to show his compliance. “You need to address this problem. Ask the girls why they were upset, get both sides of their stories, if you can explain what you saw/thought/heard. From there you need to calm both girls down and help them to find some sort of solution that both can accept.”

Adrien was speechless as Plagg flew away to his stash of Camembert. When he brought a piece back to the bed, Adrien didn’t even have it in him to shoo him away. He let the advice Plagg gave him swim around in his head. He knew that putting 22 girls to live with each other for a long amount of time was going to cause problems, he just didn’t know it would happen so soon. He needs to ready and next time, he can solve a fight like this quicker.

“Plagg?” The god gave a slight hum to show he was listening. “What can I do to fix the problem from tonight?”

Plagg swallowed his Camembert and then flew up to Adrien’s face. “You’re going to have to wait until the cocktail party on Saturday. Hopefully this will blow over, but if it comes up again, you have to address it.”

“Thank you, Plagg. I really appreciate that you care.” Adrien changed into his pajamas and began getting ready for bed.

“Anytime, kid. Someone’s got to be in your corner through all this.”

Soon Adrien heard Plagg’s snores and he ended up tossing and turning all night, thinking about what Plagg said and what other crazy things this show had in store for him.

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

The rest of the week was boring, and yet slightly entertaining. Because she had her date early in the week, she spent the rest of the week distracting herself before the cocktail party later on. She was required to attend the other two date card readings, which thankfully happened on the same day, just at different times. Lucie ended up with the one-on-one for this week. Everyone else would be going on a second group date, except Ines, Sophia and Lily, who were left dateless. Marinette spent some time comforting them, especially when Lila said something along the lines of, “He didn’t choose you because he doesn’t like you which means you’re going home.”

Once everyone was calm, Marinette entertained herself. Lucie was going on her date first, so most of the other girls were left in the house. Marinette was going to stay in her room and sketch in order to avoid all of the potential drama. However, Hanna found her and dragged her downstairs to the kitchen which was filled with laughing and happy-shouting. All of the girls had gathered and were receiving “cooking lessons” from Lila, who had claimed to be an amazing cook.

The kitchen was a mess and everyone was laughing at their lame attempts of whatever Lila was trying to get them to make. When Hanna walked in with Marinette, she announced, “Don’t worry guys! Marinette’s parents own a bakery! She can teach us how to make something!” The other girls applauded and made sounds of their general approval as she was pushed to the front of the group. Lila was not amused and sulked to the back of the room with her arms crossed over her chest, refusing to participate.

“Ooh! Can you teach us how to make macarons? I’ve always wanted to know how! Please?” One of the girls called out. Marinette couldn’t tell who had said it, but the other girls picked up her plea and Marinette was forced to agree.

2 hours later (the others were slow and messy learners, plus they had to clean up the kitchen from Lila’s cooking disaster) the girls were all munching on their own macarons and chatting with the others about how much fun that all was. Marinette was sitting with Ines and Marie when she had a realization. The girls were laughing about something Marie had did that ended up with her covered in flour head-to-toe. Of course, Marinette had multiple stories like that, and as she listened to their small group cackle about one she had shared, she realized that she didn’t hate these girls. If they were put in the same class at school or forced to meet in some other way besides this show, they would probably all be friends.

The thought made Marinette reevaluate how she had been spending her days. Sure, she needed to be able to escape in case an akuma came by, but how in the world could she survive her time in the mansion if she didn’t at least try to get along with the other girls?

For the rest of the week, she stayed in the main meeting area. She ended up playing Monopoly, Clue (which she was actually good at), Twister, and even swept the crowd during a game of Poker. She got her fingernails painted by Lily and her toes painted by Constance. She laughed and smiled and actually enjoyed herself. Before she knew it, Friday was here and the girls were chatting about the cocktail party and rose ceremony the next day. Lucie had walked away from her one-on-one with a rose, and Sasha got one from the second group date.

The tension in the mansion rose as the cocktail party grew closer. Marinette did laundry and cleaned both her bedroom and the bathroom she was assigned to distract herself. Finally, she settled into bed early and began writing a letter to Alya. If she could finish it before Sunday, she could deliver it to Alya’s window without her knowing.

As she was writing, Mathilde came into the room. Marinette had tried to have conversations with her, but she never seemed interested. She started to get ready for bed, but instead of taking off her make-up, she started to reapply.

“Hey, umm, Mathilde? Do you mind if I ask what you’re doing?” Marinette asked hesitantly from the bed.

“I’m obviously getting ready for bed.” Mathilde stated flatly.

“Then why are you putting more make-up on?”

Mathilde turned away from her make-up mirror and rolled her eyes at Marinette. “Well, tomorrow is a rose ceremony, and I want to make sure that I am ready for the cameras in the morning. This way, when I get woken up, I already look beautiful.” Marinette shrugged and let her be. She thought her reasoning was flawed, but decided to ignore it.

When Saturday morning came, Mathilde wasn’t the only one who had prepared themselves for an early morning. Multiple other girls had make-up on as Marinette watched them stumble out of bed. She tried to sleep late, but apparently, she was the only one in the house with that mindset. The overall noise of 21 girls moving and interacting and getting ready was too much for Marinette as she slipped out of bed and started getting ready.

The cocktail party wouldn’t start until 7 tonight, just like on the first night, but even before lunch the girls were getting ready. Marinette spent the morning in the main room like she had all week, but no one was in the mood to enjoy any sort of conversation. The only girls who were as calm as Marinette were Lucie and Sasha. Finally, Marinette couldn’t handle it. She snuck up to her room, locked the door with a note that said “Napping, will be awake by 4:30” for Mathilde, and transformed.

Marinette was very particular about not roaming Paris during the day time as Ladybug unless there was an akuma, but she had to break the rules today. She secretly hoped that Adrien as Chat Noir would show up as well, but after running around the city, taking pictures with fans, and even running into Alya and recording something for the Ladyblog, she saw no Chat. She went back to the mansion and gave Tikki a chance to recharge and unlocked the door right as 4:30 hit. She busied herself with getting ready as all of the other girls began to do the same.

When 7 o’clock came around, the girls were gathered in one of the couch areas, awaiting someone to appear and officially start the cocktail party. One of producers showed up and addressed the gathered group.

“Okay ladies, Adrien will be here in about 30 minutes. What we need from you now is kind of like a group discussion. I have some questions that I am going to have one girl ask the group, then you guys can take turns answering. If you have an answer, speak up so we can hear you and please be respectful while the others are talking.”

The group discussion was super boring. The girls talked about how their opinions on the dates were, what bothered them, how excited they are for time with Adrien tonight, etc. Marinette just wanted to get the whole thing over with.

Once the questions were finished and without warning, Adrien walked in the room. All of the girls squealed and awed and were just generally excited to see him.

“Hello, ladies.” Adrien walked in beaming, and the girls began standing as he got closer. He was smartly dressed in a fitted suit and maroon tie. He looked handsome, although Marinette knew she wouldn’t be spending much time with him since she already had a rose.

“You all look amazing tonight, I’m glad you’ve taken to the Gabriel wardrobe well.” He paused and a couple of girls giggled and played with their dresses, but most were giving their full attention to Adrien. “I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve had a pretty amazing week this week. I’m excited to see how all of our conversations go tonight, and I know not everyone here had a date, and for that I want to apologize. I can’t wait to talk to all of you tonight though, and I look forward to all of the conversations. So, cheers to tonight!” He raised a glass that had magically appeared in his hand and the girls all gave a little cheer.

Lily was the first one to swoop in as she grabbed Adrien’s arm and walked out of the room. Marinette had pretty much decided to stay out of the other girls’ way and to just let them talk. At the end, she was going to say hi, give him a hug, and let him be. But until then, she got to be bored.

Tikki was roaming the house, but kept an eye on Marinette just in case. When a producer’s phone started going off with an akuma alert, Tikki was the one to notice. She quickly found Marinette, who pretended to feel faint. Hanna and Juliette helped her to her room and told her to lay down until the rose ceremony so she didn’t faint on camera. She locked the door, and transformed for the second time that day.

Y’all this virus has us pumping some chapters out, expect chapter nine in the next couple days!

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