#Off Noir · Gym Red

[freshthoughts2020]

[stllmnstr]

champagne problems: part one

pairing: jake sim x f reader

genre: enemies to lovers, rich kids au, fake dating au, college au, angst, fluff

part one word count: 15.6k

part one warnings: swearing, alcohol consumption, family drama, a fatal case of second son syndrome

soundtrack: boom - dpr live / bad idea! - girl in red / blood on the floor - kuiper / calico - dpr ian / comme de garçons (like the boys) - rina sawayama / lust - chase atlantic

note: another reupload!! hope this hopeless romantic college boyfriend jake hits just as good the second time around. happy reading ♡

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The second son of a wealthy family, Jake Sim has gotten used to always standing in the shadow of his older brother. From grades to girls to talks of becoming future CEO of the Sim Corporation, he’s no stranger to coming in second place. So when an opportunity arises for Jake to finally have the one thing his brother can’t and best him once and for all, he knows he’d be a fool not to take it.

There are only two problems. The first is that the thing his brother wants so badly isn’t a thing at all. It’s you, semi-estranged daughter of the Sims’ closest and most long-standing business partner.

The second is that Jake Sim can’t fucking stand you.

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Fingers wrapping around the stem of your wine glass, you sigh. Punctuality may have been a steep order for someone who you suspect is running dangerously low on both common sense and regard for others, but twenty minutes? Really?

Your eyes land on the obnoxiously ornate grandfather clock next to the hostess stand. In a restaurant with ceilings so high you can barely see them and a carefully curated ambience that practically screams old money, it blends right in. It also gives you an updated timeframe on your would-be date’s tardiness. 

Scratch that – thirty minutes. 

Pulling out your phone, the absence of any new notifications is almost as annoying as whatever threadbare excuse you’re sure your date will offer you when he arrives. Glancing at the door, it remains devoid of any new patrons. Or perhaps rather if he arrives. 

You’re running near empty on both pinot noir and patience, and you use the distraction of your phone to make you seem a little less pathetic. As if this entire restaurant isn’t already privy to the fact that you’re actively being stood up. 

Well, you think wryly, at least you look good doing it. The off white ensemble you selected for the evening is Chanel, and vintage, at that. Usually you wouldn’t pull out all the stops like this for something as flimsy as a first date, but men like James Sim have an eye for this kind of thing. 

Four years your senior, he’s already carving out a name for himself at twenty-five. You suppose it is a little less impressive, though, when the name he was born with already carries a legacy of its own in the business world you usually do your very best to stay out of. Rumor has it he’s already a shoo-in for the next CEO of his father’s company. When nepotism is that blatant, you can’t do much but scoff and raise a glass to it. 

Scrambling for something to do to make your wasted time pass a bit quicker, you search up the social media profile of your would-be date. Honestly, you doubt you would learn anything more substantial about him if he actually bothered to show up than you will from scanning over his feed. In your experience, men like that tend to make up for their success on paper by lacking an actual personality and any sort of self-awareness. 

Gym selfie. Scroll. Gym selfie from a slightly different angle. Scroll. Dog photo. Pausing, you suppress a small smile. The dog in the picture is pretty cute, if nothing else. Zooming in slightly, your eyes crinkle at the way the dog’s tongue lolls out of its open mouth in a grin. Well, at least he’s got that going for him, you suppose. A cute dog is enough to bump any guy’s ranking up a few points in your book. 

If James Sim is nothing but a sum of his social media profile, it’s not like you expected anything else. After all, this is the heir to the Sim Corporation, a golden boy that was born with a crown on his head and a gold spoon in his mouth. Everything he’s earned has been laid out for him in painstakingly placed steps. His entire life has been guided by a heavy hand and the knowledge that he would one day inherit everything that makes his family worth knowing. 

You probably wouldn’t be too concerned with showing up to first dates on time, either. Especially since you doubt he’s ever been denied a second. 

Tonight is nothing but a blip on a radar, you’re sure. Something for a secretary to schedule and him to notice a day or five late. Maybe if you’re lucky, someone on his team will send a consolatory bouquet once he does realize the mistake. He is still building his reputation, after all, and you could use a fresh set of flowers for your apartment. 

With another slightly pitiful sigh and a final swig of wine, your glass is empty and your optimism is shot. A second glance at the clock says that thirty-eight minutes have now elapsed since your scheduled meeting time. And in your opinion, that’s thirty-nine too late for a first date. 

Retrieving your coat from the back of your chair, you figure tonight will be remembered as nothing but a waste of a good outfit. Besides, you suppose forty minutes of aimless scrolling is ultimately less painful than the inevitable headache this date surely would have been had he bothered to actually show up. 

Suddenly, you frown. You won’t complain if this date never actually happens, but you may end up with a slight problem. Although you haven’t been on the best of terms with your mother in a long time, tonight was meant to be the final bullet point on a list of favors you owe her. 

As you pull your coat on, you consider the best way to frame the events of the evening. Lean into the whole ‘getting stood up’ thing in an effort to earn some sympathy points? Lay out the facts in their most basic form, timestamps included? Emphasize the fact that you waited long past the obligatory twenty minutes for him to actually show up? Or leave your message chain as it currently is, tell her nothing at all, and let her assume what she wants?

They’re all equally iffy, you think. Risky in their own regard. 

Signing your name at the bottom of the check, you scribble in a generous tip for the waitress who did her best to check on you often without making it obvious that she knew you were expecting company that never arrived, expertly skirting that line between overbearing and empathetic. At least someone will go home happy, you think, adding an extra zero for good measure. 

Exiting the restaurant, you decide to make it two people. James Sim may be a hotshot at his father’s company, but you’ll be damned before you let him ruin your evening. Before you order the Uber back to your place, you add an extra stop at your favorite sushi place. Takeout in the comfort of your own home will certainly be easier to enjoy than whatever Michelin-Star concoction you would have ordered here anyway, eaten in small bites between forced conversation topics, awkward pauses, and too long sips of wine. 

And an hour later, you’re polishing off the last piece of an absolutely divine rainbow roll, wearing nothing but silk pajamas and a face mask, with old reruns of your favorite show playing on the TV when James Sim finally glances down at the Rolex on his wrist. He’s finally arrived at the tail end of a meeting that’s running so far behind schedule he has half a mind to just walk out of it. He would, too, if his father wouldn’t actually threaten his life for it. 

It’s late, James realizes. Stupid late. So late that he won’t have the time or energy to do anything but pass out by the time he gets home, which really sucks, because he was genuinely looking forward to his date tonight–

“Fuck.”

All he can do is curse, even as the shocked faces of a concerning number of top executives turn to look at him all at the same time. 

…

Jake Sim is about to fail his econ midterm. 

It will be at least a week before grades are released, but he already knows it. He can already feel it in the way the questions start to swim in his mind, making less and less sense the more he turns them over, in the way his gut fills with dread as the minute hand of the clock at the front of the lecture hall ticks closer and closer to the testing time limit. 

And it wouldn’t be that bad, if it weren’t his second time repeating this course. 

Oh, his father is going to have an absolute field day with this one. Jake can practically hear it now. 

“You failed your midterm? After already failing this course twice? You know, James was actually the top scoring student in his economic section. Dr. Jeong still mentions his term paper every time I see him at the university…”

And that’s if he’s in a good mood. Or rather, if things at the company are going well. Jake doesn’t even want to consider the comments he’ll be on the receiving end of if the news of his failure finds his father already agitated. 

Exhaling, he gives his exam one final once-over, scanning for completion more than accuracy. His brain is so fried that he knows it’s of little use to him now. For his own sake, the best thing to do at this point is turn his test in and send a silent prayer to whoever might be listening on his way out the door. 

Leaving the lecture hall behind him, Jake puts his phone out of airplane mode and frowns at the two notifications that pop up on his screen. The first is a missed call from his brother, and the second is a message from the same sender, requesting that he give him a call when he has the chance. 

Considering that it’s neither his birthday nor a major holiday, Jake is more than a little confused. Regardless, he honors the request, pressing his phone to his ear as he begins the walk back to his apartment. Although it’s significantly less spacious than his childhood home, he finds it far more welcoming in more ways than one. 

The outgoing call rings once, twice, three times. Jake is about to be annoyed at the missed connection, but his brother answers in the moments just before he’s sent to voicemail.

“Hey, Jake.” Shocking. He actually bothered to check the caller ID. 

“Hey.” Jake’s voice is careful, guarded. It’s not like his personal life is of any importance to his older brother, but he’s not in the mood to answer any questions. He won’t give James any reasons to ask. “I saw your message.”

“Right.” Jake can hear the shuffle of other voices, scattered movements coming from the other line. James sounds busy. Just like always. Usually, that would usually mean he’s distracted. But Jake has the odd feeling that he has his brother’s undivided attention when James adds, “I have a favor to ask you.”

Immediately, Jake’s stomach drops. There are very few things in this world that are not within James Sim’s grasp, and even less that are within Jake’s, relatively speaking. Whatever it is, he must be desperate, if he’s willing to enlist the help of his little brother. 

“Okay.” Jake’s voice betrays none of his sudden anxieties. “What is it?”

At least James spares him the agony of suspense. “You know ___, right?”

Jake frowns. Sure, he knows of you. Just like he has a vague idea of every one of his family’s business partners and their immediate kin. Particularly the ones that are the same age as him and attend the same university. But it’s not like he’s close with you, not like he’s ever had an actual conversation of any substance with you. 

Especially since the minimal interactions the two of you have had did not leave Jake wanting more. The only child of parents whose last name is on the front of the most successful law firm within a thousand mile radius, you strike him as everything he’d expect you to be. 

Spoiled. Entitled. Vapid. Out of touch with any version of reality that doesn’t consist of you getting everything you want at the exact moment you want it. He supposes it’s a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, considering his own upbringing, but he’d like to think that he’s earned what he’s been given, at least partially. Especially since most of it has been his brother’s hand-me-downs.  And it’s not like his father has ever been in the habit of doing him any favors that don’t come wrapped in criticism, comparison, and disdain.

Although rumor does have it you and your mother haven’t been on speaking terms since you left for university, Jake imagines it’s probably because you wanted to bring the limited edition Versace to campus with you, and she insisted it would be safer at home. 

Oh, well. Whatever designer dispute happened between you and your mother is no skin off his back. Jake has his own problems to worry about. 

One of them being his brother’s question that still lingers on the other line. 

Weighing responses in his head, Jake finally settles on, “I guess.” It’s his best attempt at being noncommittal. 

Unfortunately, it doesn’t do anything to dissuade his brother. “Do you have her number by chance? My secretary should have taken it down, but she can’t find it anywhere.”

Jake balks, footsteps faltering. An equally distracted student walking behind him nearly stumbles right into his back. Wordlessly, Jake sends them an apologetic look before clarifying, “Her number? Like, her personal phone number?”

“What other kind of number is there?” And there’s the James that Jake knows. Annoyed at the perceived incompetencies of his younger brother, just as always. 

Suddenly, Jake’s patience is running short too. James is the one asking for a favor and still has the gall to be annoyed with him. Typical. Jake’s words are clipped when he says, “No, I don’t have ___’s phone number.” 

Jake expects that to be the end of it, but his brother won’t let it go so easily. 

“Seriously? Don’t you two go to the same school?”

Jake rolls his eyes. “Right, because I have the entire student body on speed dial.”

There’s a pause on the other end. Jake half expects his brother to just hang up on him. After all, he’s never been able to take what he gets, to swallow what he dishes out. 

What Jake does not expect, however, is the way James sounds so tentative when he speaks again.  “Well…”

“Well what?” Patience already running thin, it’s all he can do not to snap. 

“Do you think you could get it for me?”

Jake must be dreaming. This must be a post-exam punishment, a hallucination brought on by over exerting his brain too far for too long. “Do I think I could get ___’s phone number for you?” he repeats flatly. 

“Is there an echo in here?” Asshole. At least he’s consistent. 

“Just an echo chamber,” Jake mutters away from the receiver. 

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” Jake stops for a moment to fiddle with his keyring as he walks up the stairs to his apartment. “No, I can’t get her phone number for you.” 

“Why not?”

The key won’t line up quite right. Jake tries again, frustration seeping through. “Because I have better things to do than run stupid errands for you. Why don’t you drive here and get it yourself?”

“Trust me, if I thought she’d give it to me, I’d be there in an hour.”

The lock on his door finally clicks open, and Jake all but throws his bag down after kicking off his shoes. “And what the hell makes you think she’d give it to me?”

“Well, you didn’t accidentally stand her up, for one.” James doesn’t sound embarrassed by it. Just matter-of-fact. Like a date is nothing but a business deal. Something to be rescheduled and redone if negotiations go sour the first time around. 

It is enough to stir up some of Jake’s curiosity, though. “You went on a date with ___?” He supposes it makes sense. Even if the rumor mill and its rumblings about your rocky relationship with your mother ring true, you’re still your parents’ daughter. Still a perfect match on paper for the future CEO of the Sim Corporation. The king of a company and princess of a law firm. It’s a match made in heaven, he thinks ruefully. 

“No, I didn’t. That’s kind of the whole point here.”

“Whatever.” Jake still doesn’t see what the hell he has to do with all this. “Why don’t you just look up her parents’ number in the company database and get it from them?”

Jake can practically feel his brother’s exasperation through the phone. “Right, because that would go over really well. Hi there," he imitates. “I’d like to make your daughter the mother of my future children. Care to pass along her phone number so I can get started on that?”

Jake suppresses a wince. “Jesus. I see why she stood you up.”

“She didn’t. I stood her up,” James clarifies. “On accident.”

Semantics. And not ones that Jake is interested in. “Either way. I’m not getting her number for you.”

“Yeah?” Jake is unsettled by the way there’s still no trace of defeat in his brother’s voice. There’s something almost sinister when he suddenly switches topics. “How are classes going?”

Jake’s lips pull into a taut line, disaster of an econ midterm still fresh on his mind. “Fine.”

“Really? Even econ? Third time’s the charm and all that?” Well, at least his brother can be counted on to consistently be an asshole.

“Why do you care?” The only thing Jake wants to do is end this call and crawl into bed for a well-deserved afternoon nap. Let his subconscious spare him from thoughts of his older brother and econ and you for at least a little bit. 

James has other plans. “You must have taken the midterm recently, right?” Jake’s silence is confirmation enough. “You know, the only thing Dr. Jeong weighs more heavily than the midterm is the final paper at the end of the semester.”

A minute ago, Jake thought you were the last thing he wanted to talk about. The sudden shift in direction in this conversation is starting to prove him wrong. If there’s one thing Jake would rather discuss even less than his older brother’s dating life, it’s school. “What does that have to do with a–”

“And I think I still have my copy of the paper that earned me the top score in my entire section.” The smugness is practically palpable. “I might have to do some digging, but I’m sure it’s in my old files somewhere.”

Jake rolls his eyes, wishes the immediate comparison weren’t the first thing to rise to the forefront of his mind. Wishes it didn’t find him so lacking. Wishes it wasn’t narrated in the voice of his disappointed father. “If you’re trying to gloat, it’s n–”

“I’m trying to strike a deal. Jesus, no wonder you’re on track to be a super senior getting a business degree.”

“This is my third year,” Jake defends indignantly. 

“And your third attempt at econ, which I passed in my first year.” He sounds like he’s settling a little too well into the CEO role when he proposes, “I’m trying to make it your last attempt.” 

Jake would be lying if he said his curiosity weren’t piqued, even just slightly. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, little brother, that my term paper, my notes, all of it, are yours.” It sounds too good to be true. It has to be too good to be true. James is a lot of things, but generous and helpful are very rarely any of them. “As soon as you get me ___’s number.” And there it is. 

Jake hangs up without bothering to dignify that with a response and hopes it sends a strong enough signal of his refusal. Then, he falls into his bed face-first with a groan. 

And a week later, when his econ midterm results are finally posted, the first thing Jake does is let his head fall on his desk with an alarmingly loud thud that has Jay poking his head in the door to make sure everything’s okay. The second thing he does, a solid twenty minutes later, is send his older brother a text. 

Jake [7:21pm]: You better start digging through those old files. 

…

All things considered, you’re easier to track down than Jake expects. The university campus is big, and judging from the way he can’t remember ever seeing you in a class, the two of you don’t share a major. But the similarities in your social status mean you’re bound to run in some of the same circles, and Jake is able to use this to his advantage. 

Ultimately, it takes very little digging on his part. First, he mentions your name to Jay in the middle of an upper body superset in the university gym. Jay frowns, setting the weights back on the rack. 

“That name sounds familiar. I think maybe Heeseung knows her?”

That tidbit takes him to Wednesday night, which always finds Jake in the library at a statistics study group Heeseung also makes a habit of attending. On their way out for the evening, Jake stops him by the door. 

“___?” Heeseung pauses for a moment in contemplation. “I’m pretty sure she’s friends with Sunghoon.”

And the third piece of the puzzle proves a bit more difficult to click into place. Sunghoon is harder for Jake to find, at least in a way that comes across naturally. Much like yours, Park Sunghoon is a name Jake hears in passing more than anything. He’s a friend of friends, a mutual acquaintance that Jake has never really had a conversation with and certainly doesn’t know well enough to interrogate for your phone number. 

But his most recent midterm score is still looming over his head, and the thought of retaking econ again is so nightmarish it sends a shiver down his spine  every time he considers it. At this point, there isn’t much Jake wouldn’t put on the line to pass the damn class. Including his pride, apparently. 

So when Jake hears from Jay who hears from Heeseung that Sunghoon will probably be at the party Epsilon Nu Eta is throwing this Friday night, he starts to formulate a plan. 

And he starts to regret said plan less than twenty-four hours later when he finds himself on the doorstep of a frat party. A frat party. He can’t remember the last time he came to one of these things. At twenty-one, he already feels geriatric as he tugs self-consciously at the sleeves of the plan black long sleeve he put on for the occasion. Something that will hopefully hide the questionable stains he’ll inevitably leave with. 

Entering through the front door with hinges that don’t align quite right, Jake has one mission in mind: find Park Sunghoon. Find him and somehow convince him to pass along your number. There’s a fine line to be walked there, Jake thinks. If he comes across as too eager, it will just be creepy. Nonchalance is the name of the game, but he’s never been good at keeping his cards close to his chest. 

For Jake, it’s a tall order, which means the only detour he’ll allow himself is grabbing a cup of lukewarm beer from the kitchen before he sets out looking for Sunghoon. The alcohol is an effort to break the barrier of his inhibitions more than anything. To make what he’s about to do feel a little less painful. 

Making his way out of the kitchen, Jake wanders aimlessly for a few minutes. He doesn’t know much about Sunghoon, other than the fact that he competes for your university’s figure skating team and is undeniably handsome. A good-looking figure skater, Jake thinks as he turns down yet another crowded hallway, narrowly avoiding spilling his drink. Where would one of those be hiding? 

He spends a few more awkward minutes asking around to no avail. Just when he’s on the verge of saying fuck it and making some sort of sacrifice to the econ gods instead, Jake bumps into the man of the hour on his way to the bathroom. 

In the chaos, Jake doesn’t recognize him until it’s almost too late. “Hey,” Jake calls out, bladder all but forgotten for now. He’s trying to fake an air of coolness when he adds, “Sunghoon, right?”

“Yeah.” Jake thanks his lucky stars that Sunghoon must be at least two drinks in, because he doesn’t seem weirded out at all by the sudden question from a near stranger. 

“I’m Jake.” He reaches his arm out for a handshake. Blinking, Sunghoon just stares at his outstretched hand as long, awkward moments bleed into each other. Eventually, Jake just lets it fall back to his side. “I’m, uh, in a statistics class with Heeseung.”

“Right on,” Sunghoon nods, still unsure if this conversation has a point to it. Luckily, the pleasant haze clouding his thoughts means he doesn’t mind too much either way. 

Jake figures there’s no point in dragging this out by exchanging more pleasantries, and he has the feeling Sunghoon might start forgetting his own name, much less yours, if he lets this continue for too long. 

“Listen,” Jake starts, trying to sound as not creepy as possible. “I heard that you know ___ pretty well.”

Sunghoon just shrugs. Jake can’t tell if he’s succeeded. “You could say that.”

“I know this is a strange request, but, uh,” Jake scratches the side of his head, “is there any chance I could get her number? I promise not to do anything weird.” Word vomiting, the extra details are spilling out before he can stop them. “It’s not even for me, actually–”

Sunghoon spares him the rest of a rambling explanation. “Sorry, bud. No can do.”

Jake’s stomach tightens in panic. He really, really just needs your phone number. It has him forgetting his earlier inhibitions, throwing caution to the wind even if he’s making a bit of a fool of himself in the process. “It’s for something important, actually. I’m kind of desperate–”

Sunghoon just puts a consolatory hand on Jake’s shoulder, interrupting his train of thought. “Look, man, it’s nothing against you personally, but I have literally never met you in my life. Besides, if I gave out ___’s number to every random guy that asked, I’m pretty sure she’d shave my head.” Sunghoon leans in close, like he’s about to share a secret. Jake’s nose twists at the scent of alcohol on his breath. “And between you and me, I don’t think I could pull off being bald.” 

Jake kind of begs to differ, but that’s neither here nor there. He opens his mouth to plead his case again, but Sunghoon doesn’t even let him get a word out. 

“Sorry, man, but I really can’t help you.” Pausing for a moment, he considers. “You said your name was Jacob, though, right?” He doesn’t pause long enough for Jake to correct him. “I could ask her if she’s cool with giving you her number–”

“Whose number are you giving out?” And if Jake thought this conversation wasn’t enough of a train wreck already, trust the timing of your entrance to be more disastrous than divine. 

Eyes turning to you and your sudden intrusion on the conversation, Jake’s mind goes blank for a minute.  And yeah, he kinda gets why his brother’s so hellbent on having a second chance at your time. Dressed in all black, your hair is loose around your face. Even though it likely costs more than most people’s monthly paycheck, there’s nothing inherently special about what you’re wearing. Still, Jake is finding it exceedingly difficult to look away. 

It’s something in your aura, he thinks. In the way you carry yourself. Something that money can’t buy. Something that makes his gaze want to linger. 

“___!” Sunghoon grins, wrapping an arm around your shoulder, wobbling slightly. You jostle at the sudden impact, inching away from where the contents of his cup slosh dangerously close to the rim. “What a coincidence. We were just talking about you.”

Your brow creases in confusion. Jake tracks the miniscule movement with parted lips. 

“You were?”

“Yeah,” Sunghoon confirms, just at the same moment Jake shakes his head, “No.”

Turning your mildly concerned gaze away from your friend, you glance at Jake for the first time. Brow furrowing further, you cock your head to the side as your lips part in partial recognition. He looks oddly familiar, but you can’t quite place him. “Do I know you?”

“No.” Jake shakes his head again, a little too fervently. “I don’t think we’ve ever met. At least not properly.”

It’s an odd way of putting it. You’re about to ask him to clarify when Sunghoon cuts in, clearing up the confusion for you. “It’s Jacob,” he says, as if that should mean anything to you. Turning back to the boy across from him, he adds, “Jacob Sim, right?”

And that clicks things into place.  

“Sim?” you echo, realization dawning on your features.

“Yep,” Sunghoon confirms. 

Across from you, Jake says nothing. He doesn’t think he could if he wanted to. In fact, he’s pretty sure his life is flashing before his eyes. 

“Sim,” you repeat one final time, jaw ticking in agitation as everything starts to settle. “I do know you.”

“Oh, really?” Sunghoon asks at your side, oblivious to the way your tone betrays obvious animosity. A distaste so palpable Jake can practically feel it radiating off of you. Turning back to Jake, he’s apologetic. “Sorry, Jacob. I guess I could have given you her number, then.” Sunghoon smiles sheepishly, as if he hasn’t just made things a million times worse. “My bad.”

Jake’s eyes widen in horror as he scrambles for some sort of defense, an explanation that will dig him out of this rapidly deepening hole, but you beat him to it. 

“My number?” The look you give him has a concerning amount of venom in it. “Seriously? God, why are all you Sim men so obsessed with me?”

“That’s not–” 

“First your brother views my LinkedIn profile twenty-three times after standing me up, and now you’re harassing my friends for my phone number?”

“Hold on. I’m not harassing anyone–”

“No,” Sunghoon agrees, nodding diplomatically. “Jacob was perfectly pleasant–”

“It’s Jake, actually.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, just Jake.”

“Sorry,” Sunghoon apologizes. Turning to you, he tries mediating again. “Well, like I said, just Jake was perfectly pleasant–”

“I don’t care how pleasant he is.” Your glare somehow becomes icier. “Leave me alone, and tell your dickhead brother to do the same.” Muttering to yourself more than anything, you add, “The last thing I need right now is you practically stalking me–”

“Stalking you?” Jake flounders, an edge of annoyance creeping into his tone. He’s not surprised to learn that you really do think the world revolves around you, but really? Stalking?  “Don’t flatter yourself. It’s not like I’m enjoying this interaction any more than you are.”

You don’t back down, crossing your arms over your chest. The movement has Sunghoon teetering dangerously where he leans on you, but you pay him no mind, attention focused solely on the man in front of you. “Then why do you want my phone number so bad?”

“Like I was trying to say earlier when you wouldn’t let me get a word out sideways,” Jake bites, “it’s not for me. I made a deal with someone, and I told them I’d give them your number.”

Your gaze narrows. “Who?”

“What?”

“Who did you make a deal with?”

Jake hesitates, knowing how the truth will sound. Screw it – a lie would likely be just as damning. Still, it takes him another pregnant pause to eventually admit, “... My brother.”

Scoffing in disbelief, you double down on your ire. “Absolutely not.” Shaking Sunghoon off your shoulder, you turn to leave, dragging him with you. Jake’s eyes close; he can’t bear to watch his last chance at passing this semester leave him in the dust.  

So much so that he pleads again, “Wait, ___. Please.” Jake is begging now, and he feels a little pathetic for it. Still, he can’t help the way desperation drives him to continue. “You can block him for all I care. I can’t explain everything, but my life is quite literally in your hands right now. I just need–”

“No.” The single syllable vibrates with finality. “Do I have to spell it for you? N-” you bite, enunciating so sharply Jake thinks you might draw blood. “O. No. I’m not giving my number to you or your flake of  a brother or anyone else that so much as looks like they might have the name Sim.”

God, is the only think Jake can think as he miserably watches your retreating figure, Sunghoon stumbling along  as you drag him with you. I am so fucked. 

…

When Sunghoon finally emerges from your guest bedroom an hour before noon the next day, it’s to ask if you’d be kind enough to spare him some Advil. Even with a bad case of bedhead and the aftermath of overconsumption, he still manages to look good, albeit a little lifeless. 

“I’ll do you one better,” you tell him, but reach for the small white bottle anyway, shaking out a few tablets and offering them to your best friend along with a glass of cold water.

“Bagels and coffee?” Sunghoon asks over the rim of his glass, with a little more alertness in his eyes than there was moments before. 

“Bagels and coffee,” you confirm. A tried and true hangover cure, if there ever was one. And even though your head is feeling nice and clear, thanks to your trusty two drink limit that has yet to fail you, the local cafe a block from your apartment is very rarely something you turn down. 

Thirty minutes later and a change of clothes later, the two of you are trading gossip and stealing bites of each other’s orders when the other person isn’t looking at the table in the back corner of the cafe. Sunghoon is just about to stuff another piece of your bagel in his mouth when he notices yet another notification light up the screen of your phone. 

Sunghoon nods towards where it rests on the table, bagel suddenly forgotten. “Is that your mom again?”

“Yep.” Your lips stretch thin. You don’t even need to glance down at your phone to confirm. She’s been blowing up your notifications all weekend.  “She’s been on my ass about the upcoming fundraiser event for days now. And reminding me about the utmost importance of bringing an appropriate plus-one.”

Across from you, Sunghoon straightens his shoulders. “I suppose it is about time I bust out the trusty old prom suit again.”

You sigh, sending your half-eaten bagel a forlorn glance. “I wish. She told me if I ever bring you again, I lose half my trust fund.”

“What?” Sunghoon looks affronted. “Why?”

You level him with a look. “Does soap ring a bell?”

Sunghoon splutters in indignation. “That was one time,” he defends. “And anyone would have thought those were edible! They were shaped like candies, and they were on a platter–”

“Soap presentation aside, I don’t think that excuse will work on her.” The dejection in your voice is apparent. “Besides, she’s already made it very clear that you’re explicitly forbidden from attending any future family events as my plus-one.”

“Whatever,” Sunghoon grumbles. “Keep all your stupid inedible soaps.” Pausing for a moment, he realizes that still leaves a giant question hanging in the air. “Who are you gonna bring, then? You know, it kind of is too bad your date with Sim number one didn’t pan out.”

You shrug, pointedly ignoring the way your phone screen lights up yet again. It really is a bit of a shame James turned out to be an unreliable flake. One that still hasn’t bothered to apologize to you or even give any sort of indication that he remembered your scheduled date. Still, you can’t think of anyone that would earn your mother’s approval faster. “I’ll probably just fake a stomach flu.” After all, you’re kind of out of options. “I thought about asking Jungwon, but he’s got stuff going on for his internship that night. A big economics conference or something.”

“Speaking of economics,” Sunghoon leans in conspiratorially. “I think I might have some intel on our new friend from last night.”

“How was economics the segue you went with? We were literally just talking about his older brother.” Giving him a look of disbelief, you add, “And what about that interaction gave you the impression that we’re friends?”

“Whatever,” Sunghoon brushes you off before he continues, “Anyway, I heard from Heeseung who heard from Jay that apparently little Sim is hot garbage at economics. Rumor has it he’s already failed the class twice and is on track to do it again.”

You’re not sure why he’s deemed this information relevant to you, but you’d be lying if you said it weren’t a little amusing. 

“Really? Jungwon’s taking it now too, and he said that he sleeps through half the lectures and is still pulling an A.”

Sunghoon rolls his eyes. “Well, we can’t all be prodigies.”

Your lips flatten. “Pretty sure you don’t have to be a prodigy to not fail an entry level course three times.”

“Hey, cut him some slack,” Sunghoon argues. “He’s only failed it twice as of now.”

You scoff, entirely uninterested in the gory details of Jake Sim’s academic failures. “Whatever.”

“Either way,” Sunghoon says, “Jay told Heeseung who told me that’s why he’s so desperate for your number.” Confusion makes itself known on your features. You still don’t see the connection until Sunghoon adds, “Apparently he made some sort of deal with his brother that if he gets him your phone number, he’ll help him pass econ.”

A beat of silence passes between you. The barista at the counter calls out a customer’s name. It’s all you can do to not let your jaw physically drop open, mostly because–

“That is probably the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard in my life.” Glaring at Sunghoon, you can’t believe the theatrics of it all. “How many times have I told you to stop believing everything Heeseung says?”

“Technically, Jay said it,” Sunghoon corrects. “And I don’t know... It kind of makes sense when you think about it.”

You beg to differ. “It absolutely does not. What is this, middle school? Are we passing notes behind the teacher’s back and making our friends ask our crushes if they like us back?” It’s ridiculous. Absolutely, utterly ridiculous. 

There is no way. Absolutely no way that James Sim, heir to a multimillion dollar company, is wasting his time giving his little brother an economics cheat sheet in exchange for your phone number. 

Sunghoon raises his hands in mock surrender. “Don’t shoot the messenger. I just thought you might be curious.”

And you hate to admit it, but you kind of are. Even though every ounce of logic you’ve accumulated in twenty-one years of life tells you that Heeseung is a notorious gossip whose stories are just as much fiction as reality and your best friend is no better. Even though the whole thing makes absolutely no sense at all. 

Even though you repeat it to yourself over and over for the rest of the day, that damn curiosity is still there. Pestering you and disturbing your sleep and leaving you wondering if maybe, just maybe, some things are entirely too ridiculous to be anything but true. 

…

On Wednesday night, Jake and Heeseung are in the middle of a particularly brutal probability set when a sudden shadow looms over their favorite corner table on the third floor of the library. 

Glancing up, Jake finds Heeseung’s gaze already trained somewhere over his shoulder. Jake can’t quite tell if the look on his face is confusion or terror. 

“Mind if I join?” The request comes from behind him, posed in an oddly familiar voice. Heeseung is nodding in agreement before Jake has the chance to so much as turn around and identify the intruder. 

All is revealed soon enough, though, when you slide down into the seat next to him, ignoring the way Heeseung scrambles to move his things and make room for you in the seat next to him. Instead, you busy yourself with setting your bag on the floor and pulling out your laptop. 

It’s all Jake can do to stare at you blankly. This evening, you’ve traded the all black outfit from the other night’s party for something a bit more casual, something comfortable that blends in better to the background of a university library. The sudden proximity also means that the scent of your perfume is quick to waft over towards him. 

Jake does his best to hold his breath before his brain can trick him into thinking he likes it. 

“Stop looking at me like that.” A bold request for someone who just hijacked a study session and sat down with no explanation, but Jake wouldn’t expect anything less from you. 

“Like what?” The words are out before he gives them permission. Across the table, Heeseung is staring too, but all three of you know the command isn’t for him. 

“I don’t know.” Glancing at the battery bar hovering just above empty, you dig around in your bag for a moment for your laptop charger. Jake notes that you still have yet to look at him. Instead, you begin to busy yourself with typing something on your computer. “Just stop it.”

He hopes you can feel the way his eyes burn holes into the side of your head as his blank stare shifts into a glare. 

Heeseung glances between the two of you. His outburst is sudden. “Oh! I just remembered.” He hits his head for good measure. The acting is wasted on this audience, though. Neither of you pay him any mind or even bother to glance in his direction. “I have to go, uh…” he trails off, finishing lamely with a rather flat, “somewhere else.”

“Great.” Your eyes don’t leave your screen, fingers still flying on your keyboard. “See you later.”

As Heeseung scrambles to pack up his unfinished statistics homework and high tail it out of the library, the air that has suddenly become stifling, Jake glances down at where your fingers are still moving. 

Distractedly, he wonders how you can type so fast with nails that long, how you never seem to need the backspace key. How none of the pastel pink that coats your fingernails seems to be so much as chipped. A projection of perfection, he thinks, down to every last detail.  

Moments pass, neither of you saying anything.

You still haven’t looked at him by the time you do eventually break the impasse. “I heard you suck at econ.”

And Jake actually cannot believe you. “Did you seriously hunt me down just to rub it in?”

“Rub it in?” That at least earns him some of your attention, even if it is just a brief, confused glance as your fingers pause in their typing. “It’s not like I’m the reason you can’t pass.”

“Believe it or not, you quite literally are.”

You sigh, removing your hands from your keyboard entirely. Then, before he can blink, you spin your entire body in your chair, eyes, shoulders, and knees all directly trained on him. Jake can’t help the way he flinches back a few inches at the sudden change in pace. 

“Look,” you start. He can already tell by the way you wrap the single syllable sound in patronization that he’s not going to appreciate whatever you’re about to say. “I can tell that you’re not used to, like, having conversations with people, but usually what happens is you give someone enough information so that they know what you’re talking about.” He’s right. 

And he’s quick to defend himself. “Maybe I could, if you’d let me get three words out without interr–”

But you’ve moved on already. “Is the whole ‘deal with your brother’ thing true?”

Jake lets the silence linger for a moment, looking at you in disbelief. “You literally just proved my point.”

You roll your eyes. “I knew what you were going to say, so I sped things along. Now answer my question.” You lay it out for him again. This time, even more directly. “Did you try to get my number because of some deal you made with your brother?”

He’s not sure why it sounds so ridiculous, narrated back to him in your voice. It’s not like it was a brilliant, foolproof plan to begin with, but the way you present it has him feeling about five inches tall. 

“I…”

“It’s a yes or no question.” You really don’t beat around the bush, he thinks. 

“Yes, okay?”

Looking behind you, you suddenly lean in a little closer. It’s all Jake can do not to flinch back again. Bringing your hand up to cup your mouth, it’s like you’re about to divulge a terrible secret when you whisper, “You’re that bad at econ?”

Jake just sighs. “Worse, probably.”

Frowning, you pull back a few inches. “Aren’t you a business major? Isn’t econ, like, pretty important for you?” If he were thinking clearly, Jake might wonder how you know that. But that only thing his mind has space for right now is annoyance. At you, at this exchange, at the way you so easily pick through his flaws and seem to have no problem laying them bare at his feet like he doesn't already know them intimately.

“Yeah, well, it’s not like I got any say in my major,” Jake counters. He might have more patience for this conversation if he were having it with anyone but you, if you weren’t throwing his own insecurities back in his face with every follow-up question.

At that, something flickers through your eyes. Sympathy, maybe. “Fair enough.” Whatever it is, it’s gone before he can identify it. And it’s not enough to make you pull your punches. “Still though, that’s probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Jake doesn’t need the reminder. “Just get a tutor like everyone else.”

The thing is, Jake has thought about it. On more than one occasion. He’s even gotten so far as filling out the university tutor request form. He just could never quite bring himself to complete the ‘Name’ field without all of the potential consequences forcing him to hit backspace. 

He might not be his brother, but he’s not stupid enough to think that his family would ever be okay with the Sim name anywhere near a tutor form. He tells you as much. “And listen to my dad tell me how much of a disappointment I am for not being able to even take a class on my own?” Jake laughs humorlessly. “No thanks.”

A beat passes. Two. You’re not done yet, but you at least have the decency to sound a little apologetic, a little tentative when you say, “Not to kick you while you’re down or anything, but I mean, that has to be better than failing twice.”

Jake just shakes his head. “You don’t know my father.”

You shrug but don’t press the matter further. Truth be told, you don’t know his father, but you do know fathers like him. You have one of your own. The third floor of the library doesn’t seem like the place for that conversation, though, even if you’ve already uncovered more than your fair share of each other’s secrets in the last ten minutes. “I guess not.”

…

Your phone is buzzing far too incessantly for a Saturday morning, much less this early on a Saturday morning. Internally, you curse Friday night you, who forgot to switch it into do not disturb before falling asleep. Face still buried in your pillow, you reach around your nightstand blindly with the intention of remedying that particular mistake and enjoying a few more moments of peace.

Before you can make good on your plan, you make the fatal mistake of reading the message preview before silencing your phone. And suddenly, to your neverending annoyance, you’re wide awake. 

Mom [7:36 am]: Looking forward to seeing you next Saturday at the fundraiser. 

Mom [7:37 am]: I also noticed that you haven’t indicated who you’ll be bringing yet. Please fill out the RSVP form when you have a moment. 

Mom [7:45 am]: James Sim hasn’t RSVP’d yet. Are you bringing him? You should invite him if you haven’t already.

Mom [7:53 am]: I also never heard the update after your date a few weeks ago. Hoping no news is good news. I just spoke with his father the other day, and it sounds like he’s doing great things over at their company. 

Mom [8:01 am]: I also heard that he volunteered a few summers ago rebuilding turtle habitats. Wow! I think you two would get along very well.

Groaning, you flip your phone back over. That about sums up how well she knows her only daughter, you think ruefully. If she thought wooing you with turtles was a good idea, she must have forgotten that you’ve had a lingering phobia of the freaky little reptiles since your friend from elementary school had a pet turtle that bit your finger when you were at her house. 

Besides, you have serious doubts that’s actually how James Sim spent his last summer in university. 

If memories from your social media scrolling serve correctly, rebuilding turtle habitats was code for partying on a yacht for a month straight. You don’t care how he spends his free time, but the way he already has your mother wrapped around his stupid finger is enough to annoy any lingering sleepiness out of your system. 

Whatever. James Sim’s white lies are the least of your concerns now, and they certainly won’t solve your problems. If anything, you’re starting to regret not telling your mother anything about your failed attempt at a first date with him. Now, trying to explain that disaster of an evening would only sound like an excuse at best and a flimsy lie at worst. 

And even if she did believe you, you still have the glaring issue of next Saturday and your lack of a pre-approved plus-one.

With one final groan, you pull your blanket over your face, trying and failing to banish any thoughts of your mother, James Sim, and the certain disaster next weekend will be. 

Despite your best efforts, your worries linger. They follow you into Sunday; they start to make you desperate on Monday. With a diminishing handful of days left until the fundraiser, your anxiety only surges. 

By the time Wednesday rolls around, you’re so stressed out that you can barely force your eyes to focus on the nearly blank Word document in front of you, all of the legalese and case details you can usually sort through in your sleep jumbling into one incomprehensible blob. 

Halfway through your third reread of a paragraph that details the basics of copyright law, it strikes you. The seedling of an idea so utterly ridiculous it just might be your saving grace.  

Your mother probably, definitely, couldn’t care less about James Sim’s so-called affinity for wildlife rescue. No, the only thing that makes him an appropriate candidate in her eyes for this Saturday has nothing to do with his personality at all. 

It’s his name that she likes. His family name specifically. 

In the middle of your favorite cafe, it hits you. The seedling of an idea sprouts roots, begins to bloom. 

If one Sim is good enough to be your plus-one, then surely the other one would be too. 

And you know exactly where he’ll be tonight. Glancing down at the time on your phone, you force your brain to think. Now, all you need is a plan. A way to convince him. Something he can’t refuse.  

Closing the lid of your laptop, you smile. You know exactly what it is he wants. 

Before you leave the cafe, you send a quick message to a friend. Set your plan in place so that the details are polished, irrefutable when you present it to him.

And then you set out for the university library. 

When you find Jake and Heeseung sitting at the same exact table on the third floor of the library, Heeseung doesn’t even bother to stick around for the customary greetings. Instead, he takes one single look at you before offering another flimsy excuse about having somewhere to be. Or maybe something to do. You can’t remember, and it doesn’t really matter. 

After all, the only reason you’re here is because–

“I have a way for you to pass econ.” Sliding into the seat next to Jake, the same one you sat in last time, you don’t waste any time before divulging the reason for your presence. 

If Jake is startled, he doesn’t show it. Statistics homework forgotten on the table, the only thing you see on his face is pure, obvious relief as his shoulders relax. 

“Thank god.” Reaching for his phone, he unlocks it, tapping and swiping until he’s ready to enter a new contact. “Give me your number, and I’ll–”

You shake your head, interrupting his train of thoughts. The way you smile makes him suddenly uneasy. He thought this was over, but now he’s not so sure. You confirm his fears when you say, “A different way.”

Now Jake just looks exasperated. If you keep up this habit, he’s about to start failing statistics too. Never mind the fact that he got his hopes up for what he is sure will turn out to be a giant pile of nothing. Still, he humors you. “What do you mean, a different way?”

“I mean,” you start, folding your hands across your lap. Jake has the distinct impression that you’re trying your best to be as convincing as possible. If nothing else, it does pique his curiosity. He’s never seen you be anything but annoyed or uninterested. It’s an interesting change of pace.“I have a friend who’s also taking econ right now and hasn’t scored below a 98 on a single assignment.” Jesus, Jake thinks. Must be nice. 

And then you drop the bomb on him. “He said he’s more than willing to tutor you. For money, of course.” you specify, moving on so quickly he hardly has the chance to process what you’re saying. “And it’s not like you can’t afford it, but I’ll split the cost with you. For the principle of it all.” There’s a beat of silence as what you’ve just said settles into the air. “Oh,” you add, remembering the most important detail. “And he’ll be discreet. Under the table tutoring, if you will. No chance of word getting back to Daddy Sim.” 

You do your best to give him your most trustworthy smile. Jake just stares back at you, mildly horrified.

When he finally speaks again, it’s to say, “... Please, and I mean this with every single bone in my body, please never refer to my father like that again.”

Not even bothering to look sheepish, the only agreement you offer is a mock salute. 

Your poor taste in nicknames aside, it does seem like a pretty sweet deal from where Jake is sitting. He cannot fail economics again, and getting a tutor would mean that his brother couldn’t hold his success over his head, couldn’t claim to be the sole reason for it. And a discreet tutor would be even better. Not going through the official university system would mean a much lower chance of his father ever finding out he got some help along the way.

All things considered, and very much to his surprise, Jake is having a hard time seeing any downsides. 

He goes through the list again. First, he gets to pass economics. Second, he doesn’t have to deal with his older brother in the process. Third, he gets a tutor that won’t pop up on his father’s radar, and all Jake has to do in return is–

Wait.

“Hold on a minute.” There’s an unmistakable edge of suspicion in Jake’s voice. There’s no way you went out of your way to find him a tutor, to help pay for it, without getting something in return. The wheels in his mind are starting to spin when he asks, “What’s in it for you?”

Next to him, you smile. It’s small, and if he didn’t know any better, he’d think you almost look nervous. “It’s just a small favor, really.” The expression on your face is not reassuring in the slightest. Still, you insist, “It’ll be easy, I promise. Just a few hours of your time at most.”

Jake knows better than to agree without details. And especially to anything you’re proposing. He’s already preparing to kiss his dreams of passing econ goodbye when he asks slowly,“What is it?”

You sigh, pretenses dropping. If you’re going to convince him now, you might as well do it with honesty. “That annual charity fundraiser event my parents throw. Your parents are usually there, I think. I don’t know if you’ve ever gone?”

Jake shrugs, frowning as he tries to remember. He’s not entirely sure either. After a while, fundraisers and events and family obligations all start to blur together. Although the name does ring a bell, albeit a distant, faint one. 

“Anyway,” you continue, “my mother is insistent that I bring a date. Someone she considers appropriate company. You know, runs in the same circles and comes from what she would consider a good family.” Jake nods. He does know exactly what you mean. Picking up on his agreement, you add with a twinge of hopefulness, “Like I said, it would be easy. Especially for you, since you’re used to this kind of stuff. I wouldn’t have to train you–”

That has Jake rolling his eyes. “Let me guess. I get a treat for rolling over?”

The ice in your glare is half hearted. “You know what I mean. There are certain…” You weigh your words carefully. “expectations at these things.” Pausing for a moment, you add, “What I’m trying to say is that I don’t think you’ll eat the soap, even if it’s candy shaped and on a platter.”

If you were trying to clarify your point, you did a terrible job. Jake’s brow pulls downwards in confusion. “Is that supposed to be some kind of metaphor?”

“Unfortunately not.” You shake your head, but don’t explain any further. Sunghoon’s mishaps are not the point of this conversation. A mutually beneficial deal is. Which is why you ask him, “So, what do you say? Are you in or not?”

Is he? Jake says nothing, considering. Mentally, he goes through the list of pros and cons. Pros, he thinks. I get to finally pass econ, and I get to do it without my brother. He glances at you out of the corner of his eye, gaze tracking the movement as you nervously bite at your lower lip. Also, I get to show up at an event with the girl he’s been trying to get for weeks now. 

He’d be lying if that didn't spark a certain warm feeling in his chest, if it didn’t inspire a sudden bout of preemptive vindication. But there are other things to consider.

Cons, he continues internally. I have to spend an entire evening at an event hosted by your family and make them believe you don’t annoy the ever-loving shit out of me.

Weighing his options, Jake has one more question. “How long would it be?” he asks, and you try to stifle a grin, as if he’s already told you yes. 

“The event is technically four hours,” you say carefully, “but I’m sure we could manage to sneak out after a solid two and a half.”

Jake nods, thinking it over a moment longer. 

“Okay,” he finally breathes, hoping this isn’t some kind of terrible, elaborate trick, that he isn’t about to sign his life away on a dotted line. 

For econ, he thinks. For what’s left of his struggling GPA. He can manage a single night at a mind-numbingly boring high society function. Even if it’s with you. “I’m in.”

And it feels a bit strange, he has to admit, as he watches you type your contact information into his contact list. It feels odd to have your number in his phone with no intention of passing it on. To know that he’s the one who will be using it to confirm the details of this Saturday. To know that his brother will be none the wiser and not at all closer to having any kind of access to you.  

And if that strange surge of smugness makes another sudden appearance, well, Jake just figures that no one ever has to know about it. 

…

Frowning, you give yourself another once over in the full length mirror that sits next to your vanity. A shimmering, pale gold, the evening gown that flows over your figure was hand-selected by you for this very event. For some reason, you’re having a hard time rediscovering the magic you’d felt trying it on in the showroom here in the soft, ambient light of your bedroom. 

Objectively, you’re sure you must look good. The compliments the store attendants had given you were more than just customary, and gold has always been your color. Still, a slew of sudden uncertainties simmer in your gut. Is the slight sparkle too garish? Does the gold wash you out? Your worries feel too big for your bedroom, at too stark an opposition with the peaceful ambience as soft, instrumental music plays from your speaker.

But this particular Saturday evening has its ways of making you feel jumbled where you’d typically be steadfast. Insecure where you’d usually find confidence.  

It’s true that your mother has always had a critical eye, and especially where you’re concerned. If you were to search deep enough, however, you’d find that she’s not the person you’re most concerned about making a lasting impression on tonight. 

With no small effort, you resist the urge to smooth out invisible wrinkles in the bodice of your dress. A nervous habit more than anything, it’s only exacerbated by the way your phone is still devoid of notifications. The clock on your nightstand is a reminder that your date for the evening should be here any minute, should be sending a message as confirmation of his arrival at your apartment. But your phone is still silent, even as the hour of the fundraiser draws nearer and nearer. 

Maybe this was a terrible mistake, you think, a new bout of uncertainties beginning to brew. It shouldn't be a surprise, really. Trust him to be just as flakey as his brother, with absolutely no regard for previous commitments or anyone else’s time. It’s just your luck that you get stood up again, this time by the other Sim. 

You're in the middle of disguising your fears and distracting yourself by cursing him and his future bloodline when your phone finally pings with an incoming notification. Well, you think, grabbing your coat, feeling a bit ridiculous for the slight overreaction, you’ll have to look into removing generational curses when you have the time.

For now, you settle with pulling on your heels for the evening, ignoring the way you feel a bit wobbly despite the fact that you’ve walked in far worse. Locking your apartment behind you and striking a slightly unsteady pace towards the elevator down the hall, you whisper a silent plea that tonight isn’t as much of a disaster as you’re afraid it could be. 

You watch as the numbers on the elevator screen tick lower and lower, a swirling mix of dread and excitement starting to swim in your stomach. When you finally reach the first floor, you’re surprised to see a familiar face waiting for you in the lobby. Something in you softens, albeit just slightly. You’d incorrectly assumed he would just wait for you in the comfort of his car and spent the whole ride down preparing to awkwardly check license plates in the near dark till you found the right one. 

An overwhelming sense of  self-consciousness returns to you under the brightness of the lobby lights. Unconsciously, you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, wondering how long it will take him to notice you as you begin to walk towards him. You’ve only made it a few steps when it strikes you that he’s already distracted by something else. 

Across the lobby, Jake Sim is engaged in a conversation with your doorman. One that looks slightly heated, by your judgment. 

As you get closer, their words become more audible. 

“Like I just told you,” The exasperation in your date’s voice is apparent. “I’m here to see ___.”

And you really should make your presence known, should step in and divert the brewing argument, especially since you seem to be the subject of it. 

But then you look at Jake. Really look at him. 

Realistically, you knew he would come well-dressed. That had been a big part of your reason for choosing him. The Sunghoon soap fiasco aside, you already knew Jake Sim wasn’t someone who needed you to put together a PowerPoint presentation on formal event dress code. He didn’t need you to explain the concept of complementary colors or the advantages of getting a suit tailored. Didn’t need you to explain that Converse were not an appropriate show or that no, a bolo tie is not acceptable attire. 

Up until now, you were grateful for his pre existing knowledge. It saved you a lot of time and effort that you could use to focus on other things, like getting ready yourself. But it also meant that you were entirely unprepared to see him like this. 

Eyes scanning him again, the immaculate fit of his suit is undeniable, as is the way his dark hair is perfectly mussed. It’s styled enough to avoid withering comments from elderly attendees who have the habit of asking how people see with their hair covering their eyes. But it’s also messy in a way that looks intentional, in a way that makes you want to run your fingers through it, tug at it just a little, just to tease. 

It’s not just that he’s dressed well, though, despite the fact that he undeniably is. 

No, what has you freezing in your footsteps is the fact that Jake looks good. 

“And like I just told you, you’re not on her guest list. So I’m sorry, sir.” There is not a single trace of apology in your doorman’s voice. “But I’m afraid I can’t let you up. You’ll have to contact her and ask her to add you to her guest list.” You’re not sure how he manages to do it without losing any professionality, but your doorman makes it very clear that he thinks that will happen just as soon as hell freezes over. 

Jake’s shoulders tense in visible frustration. You have to suppress an actual sigh at the way fabric stretches over the muscle there. “Again, I’m not asking you to. Could you please just let her know that I’m here? She’s not answering her messages–”

“How odd.” The sarcasm is unmistakable. 

Getting a little desperate, Jake ignores the slight and continues anyway. “And we’re on a bit of a time crunch, so–”

From here, you can see the way his features start to twist in panic. It’s sobering enough to snap you out of your trance.

Cutting in, you make your presence known. “It’s okay,” you tell your doorman first. “I know him.” Then, you turn to Jake, putting on an award-worthy performance of false nonchalance when you explain, “Sorry I didn’t respond to your message. I was just on my way down.”

You watch as some of the tension drains from his features. “That’s alright,” Jake concedes easily. “I just wanted to make sure we weren’t late.”

A funny feeling, a new one, stirs again. Something in you softens. “I appreciate that.” 

You can’t help the way you take another look at him. At his suit, his hair, his face. At him, at all of it. 

Mistaking your gaze for scrutiny, he asks, a bit self-consciously, “What do you think? Will your mother approve?”

She will. There’s no doubt in your mind. But you’re not looking at him through her eyes when you tell him, “Yeah, you look good. Really good.”

The last part probably wasn’t necessary, but the way he flushes makes it almost worth it. Casting your eyes downward in an effort to hide a smile, you notice a detail that you missed earlier. 

Jewelry. Gold jewelry. A handful of rings on his fingers and a delicate bracelet on his left wrist.  

Suddenly, his message from last night makes a little more sense.

Jake [9:02 pm]: What color is your dress for tomorrow?

You [9:08 pm]: Gold. Don’t worry about trying to match. A black suit will be just fine. 

Now, you’re grateful he didn’t fully listen to you, touched that he even bothered to ask.  

Across from you, Jake is suddenly having a bit of a hard time breathing. The earlier near-fiasco with your doorman all but forgotten, you’re still admiring his bracelet as his eyes scan the length of you, throat bobbing by the time his gaze makes its way back up to your face. 

“You, uh,” he coughs. “You look nice too.”

“Thank you.” You miss the way his gaze wanders, can’t seem to find a place to land that won’t dust the tops of his cheekbones an even deeper shade of crimson. “I’ve been looking forward to wearing this dress forever.”

And it is a nice dress, Jake thinks, but he’s not sure how to tell you that’s not what he meant. 

Eyes finally landing on your feet, or rather, on the stilettos you’re wearing, he frowns. “I had to park kind of far away.” Meeting your gaze, he adds, “Why don’t you wait here? I’ll pull the car around front.”

“Okay.” Something in you melts a bit at his consideration, at the fact that he even noticed. “Thank you.”

And it is nice, you think, to not be beginning the evening with your feet already sore. To have someone pick up on the little things, even if he’s being compensated for it in the form of half-price tutoring.

Sliding into the passenger seat, you try not to sigh like a lovesick schoolgirl when he opens the door for you, when he puts his hand on the back of your seat as he reverses the car out of its parking spot. Get it together, you think. You’ve turned up your nose at far more obvious attempts at wooing you, and it’s not like Jake is here with you out of his own volition. The thought is surprisingly disappointing, as he adjusts the stereo, soft music filling the silence.

The drive passes like that, in a quiet that’s only uncomfortable if you look at it too close. Eventually, the soft melodies filtering through the stereo become a pleasant sort of background noise as you watch the world blur outside the window. 

It would be smart, probably, to sort out your story for the evening and put together something coherent for when the two of you are inevitably asked invasive questions, but you can’t bring yourself to be the one to disturb the peace. 

So when you arrive at the fundraiser a handful of minutes later, you just have to hope that the image the two of you strike together will be enough to stave off any unwanted questions for the time being. 

Again, Jake opens your car door for you, offers a steadying hand as you step out of it. And when he gives you his arm as you enter through the front door of the venue, you take it, wrapping your fingers around his elbow. Pausing just outside the entrance, you watch as he takes a deep breath.  

“Ready?” You’re not sure if you’re asking him or yourself. 

Jake answers for the both of you. “Let’s do this.”

Walking through the lobby, you hand your jackets to the coat check attendant before entering the ballroom where the fundraiser is held. Despite your general distaste for this evening and everything it entails – you sneak a glance at your partner in crime. Well, mostly everything – you can’t help but admire the space around you.

Decorated immaculately down to every last element, your mother truly doesn’t spare any expense or detail when it comes to throwing parties. And like always, she somehow manages to have a sharp eye on everything and everyone, no matter how chaotic or busy. You’ve hardly taken two steps inside the ballroom when she finds you, approaches you will all the grace of a panther stalking its prey. 

Pulling you in for a quick hug, the warm greeting she gives you is more for the benefit of onlookers than for you. And it forces you to remove your hand from Jake’s arm.

Looking over your shoulder, her voice is sickeningly saccharine. “And this must be James,” she beams, making eye contact with the wrong brother. Directing her attention to him, she gushes, “My daughter has told me wonderful things about you.”

Your eyebrows raise in disbelief. Jake stifles a laugh, expertly turns it into a cough. 

Really? You think. She did all that digging on James’ so-called turtle philanthropy but never bothered to pull up a picture of the guy? And you mean, standard genetic similarities aside, it’s not like the two of them look that much alike.

“Actually, mom,” you spare him the expense of having to correct her mistake, “this is Jake Sim. James’ brother. We go to school together.”

“Oh,” her eyebrows fall at the slip, no doubt an unforgivable social faux pas in her mind. “You never filled out the RSVP form, sweetie,” she somehow makes the term of endearment sound like a curse, “so I wasn’t sure who you’d be bringing.” Trust her to find a way to make her mistake your fault. 

Turning back to your date, she tries to remedy her mistake. “Jake, then.” She offers him a smile so forced you’re surprised her cheeks aren’t aching. Looking back at you, she fishes, “And he’s your…?”

Her dangling bait goes untouched. “He’s my plus-one.” It’s an intentional choice of words on your part. In your mind, it’s a neutral enough term that will hopefully let you navigate the evening without too many rumors or invasive questions about your personal life from people you only speak to out of reluctant obligation.  

Jake is less used to the way your mother tends to poke and prod, the way she likes to examine the superficial details of your life with a microscope and make sure she can frame them in a way that will be pleasing for public perception. The way she doesn’t ask about your love life because it’s of any genuine interest to her, but because she wants sole control of the rumor mill’s production. 

Next to you, he stiffens, feels as though he’s already failed some kind of test he didn’t know he was taking, wasn’t given any materials to study for. 

There’s a lot to be said, probably, about the way you pick up on his discomfort so easily. The way your hand returns to the crook of his elbow wordlessly and gives a single, gentle squeeze. Reassuring him, putting his nerves at ease, as you begin to navigate your way out of this conversation. 

“We’d better find our seats,” you tell your mother. The only reason Jake can identify the icy edge hiding in the superficial sweetness of your voice is because he’s been on the receiving end of it. On multiple occasions. Directed at someone else, he finds it almost amusing. “Wouldn't want to miss anything.”

“Of course,” your mother concedes, but there’s an undertone there. Jake can tell that there’s a war being waged here, battles and skirmishes in subtext and stilted pauses. He’s no stranger to the way high society likes to wrap up insults in niceties and skirt around delicate topics, but his own family has never been anything but blunt when it comes to their distaste for him and his choices. 

He’s still not entirely sure what he just witnessed, but you’re dragging him by his arm to find your assigned table before he can sort through the offending slights and put on armor that may be of any use to you. 

Carefully arranged, the maze of tables is easy enough to navigate. Each seat has a white place card in front of it, embossed with a shimmery golden script that matches your dress and holds the name of the guest who’s been assigned to sit there. 

You drag Jake past a flurry of names and attendees he half recognizes, stopping only to grab two flutes of champagne from a passing waiter, handing one to Jake before you continue on your mission. After another minute of searching, you find your name at a table a few rows out from the far wall. Rolling your eyes, you can practically hear your mother’s reasoning: Not too close to the wall. Wouldn’t want people thinking I’m trying to hide her. But certainly not anywhere near the center of the room, in case she falls into that pesky habit of being an awful embarrassment.  

Standing behind your chair, your eyes find the place card stationed in front of the seat next to yours at the same time Jake’s do. 

“Oh my god.” The exasperation is apparent, even though your words are barely audible where you mutter them under your breath. 

Because of course this hasn’t already been enough of a train wreck. Because of course the place card next to yours doesn’t have Jake’s name on it. Nope, embossed in the same shimmery gold is the name of another person entirely. 

James Sim. 

You turn to your date, apologetic. “God, I’m sorry. I really didn’t fill out the RSVP form, but I didn’t think she’d just assume…”

“It’s okay.” Jake gives you some grace. “Really, it wouldn’t be the first time.” And all things considered, he kind of is in his brother’s seat tonight. Attending an event that’s better suited for the future head of the company than his forgotten younger brother. Accompanying the girl that public opinion surely dictates would be a better match for him. 

Still, you frown. Reaching for the small clutch that sits against your hip, you rummage for a moment before pulling out a black permanent marker. 

Jake glances at you sideways.Your bag of the evening is tiny, barely even big enough to hold your phone. He’s surprised you managed to fit the marker in there, much less prioritize it enough to bring it with you. “You carry that thing around with you all the time?”

You shrug. “Never know when you’ll need to do some DIY vandalism.”

It would be a lie if he said something in him doesn’t soften, just a bit, when he watches you reach for the place card in front of his seat and put a giant, bold X over his brother’s name. 

Your handwriting is no match for the computer-generated script, but Jake still likes the place card a little better when you’re done with it, likes the way his name looks next to yours when you set it back on the table, alterations completed. 

“There,” you say, looking entirely too satisfied with your handiwork. “All better.” This time, you slide down into your seat before Jake has the chance to pull it out for you. Turning to him as he tentatively takes the seat next to you, he finds a small frown on your lips. “Wait,” you pause, realization written across your features. “Your brother isn’t coming, right?”

Jake shakes his head. “I mean, I don’t know for sure, but I doubt it. He has no reason to come. My parents are on a business trip, so they won’t be here either. And that also probably means he’s more swamped than usual at the office.”

Nodding, you take a sip of champagne. “Good.” Pausing, your lips quirk. “Although it would be kind of funny if he–”

“I think you’re in my seat.” The sudden interruption is flat, leaves no room for arguments. 

Startled, the two of you spin in your chairs. 

James Sim, despite his brother’s predictions, is in fact not otherwise occupied at his office. Instead, he stands directly behind his younger sibling, strikes an imposing figure where his shadow blocks the chandelier light behind him and extends over his brother and his altered place card. 

Eyes flaming, he looks at where his name has been crossed out. Replaced. 

Next to Jake, you remain silent, figure that you’ll let Jake handle this one the way he let you handle your mother. Far be it from you to step in on a family matter.

But then you notice the way Jake shrinks a little in his seat, hides a little further in his brother’s shadow. Reaches for the place card like he wishes he could take it back.

Sliding your gaze back to your least favorite Sim sibling, your voice is even, albeit icy, when you point out the obvious, “It’s not actually. Can’t you read?” Jake’s hand stops in its tracks, falls back to his lap.

A quick look your way is the only indication James even hears you. Instead, he continues his one-sided conversation with his brother, a barely controlled sort of fury crossing over his expression. “Hm,” he muses, glancing between the two of you. “Sure seems like you two are awfully close.” Casting an accusatory glare at Jake, he adds, “That’s funny. I could have sworn you said you barely knew her.”

Her. You’re sitting right there, and you don’t even get a name. 

It doesn’t go unnoticed by Jake either. And it turns out to be just what he needs to find his voice. You’re almost proud of the sarcasm he manages to muster when he counters, “Yeah, well, this funny thing happens when you spend time together. You actually get to know each other.” Straightening his spine, there’s an unmistakable edge in his voice when he adds, “You know, when you actually bother to show up, that is.”

You hide a laugh behind your hand, albeit not very well. Glancing at Jake, a feeling swells in your chest that you can only identify as pride. You didn’t know he had it in him. 

Reassessing his strategy, James turns to you, forcing a nonchalance that is entirely contradicted by the way his cheeks are rapidly reddening. “Actually, ___,” he tries, acting as if the last thirty seconds faded out of existence at his will. “I was hoping to speak to you about something. I’d love to get you a drink if you–”

“Actually,” Jake cuts in, doubling down. “We already have drinks.” Behind you on the table, the two near full glasses of champagne are undeniable evidence. The laugh that spills out of you this time is impossible to hide. Yeah, you decide, between the two of them, you definitely hate James more. Entirely amused, the only thing you wish you had is a bowl of popcorn as you root for the underdog. Not that he needs it. Much to your satisfaction, he’s been landing his punches well. 

The giggle dies on your lips, though, when you feel the warmth of another hand suddenly cover the top of yours where it rests on your thigh. Gaze flaming, James follows the movement. Startled, your eyes fly to Jake. The only view you’re offered is of his profile as he keeps his gaze trained on his brother, the challenge in his features unmistakable. 

The only consolation he offers for your sudden shock is a small, reassuring squeeze against your knuckles. 

And then he says, “And I’d like to keep my girlfriend right here, actually.” At that, he does finally turn to you, eyes pleading, gaze imploring when he seeks your permission. Even though they’re performative in nature, his words aren’t solely for James’ benefit. “If that’s alright with you, that is.”

Girlfriend.

You were perfectly happy in the role of the observer, but now Jake has dragged you into the spotlight. Even though it pains you, you know you can’t leave him hanging. Not when that would mean a sure victory for his dickhead of a brother. 

Girlfriend. The word echoes in your head, has you feeling dizzy.

“Of course,” you return hollowly, barely recognizing the sound of your own voice over the sudden rushing in your ears. “Boyfriend.”

When you smile at him, you make sure it looks sickeningly sweet enough to deter James. Your eyes, however, flash with a warning only Jake can read. 

“You’re dating?” James can’t hide his shock, and his outrage is just as obvious. 

“Yep,” Jake passes you a panicked look. But you don’t need it, don’t need his convincing. You’ve already dug yourself a deep enough hole. Trying to climb out now would only mean everything crumbles. 

“Sure are,” you confirm with a tight smile. Turning back to Jake, you add, “Actually, sweetie, I need to talk to you about, uh…” you scramble for a moment. Finish vaguely with, “that thing.” 

“Right.” Jake picks up on the threat in your eyes seamlessly, knows there’s only one acceptable response. “That thing,” he echoes. 

“Yeah, so,” you turn back to James, barely acknowledging him as you start to stand. “We’re gonna step out for a minute.”

Jake is all but putty in your hands as you switch the positioning of your grip so that the hand that was resting on yours is now encased firmly between your fingers. 

“See you later,” are Jake’s breathless parting words to his brother. 

“Hopefully not, though,” you alter. 

And then you’re dragging him back through the crowd towards the exit, and it’s all Jake can do to not run into the other guests or knock over the delicately balanced trays of hors d’oeuvres waiters carry throughout the room. He’s at your mercy all the way through the double doors of the ballroom, and you pause only briefly to determine which hallway is less likely to have people in it before deciding on the one to the right, towing him along behind you.

Once you’re far enough away from unwanted eyes and ears, you start wiggling every door knob you come across, growing visibly more frustrated until you finally find an unlocked one. Huffing, you push Jake into the spare storage closet first. Following him in, you close the door behind you. 

The sudden change in space puts you in close proximity. Your nose is only a handful of inches away from his when you start laying out accusations. 

“What the hell?” With the same hand than just dragged him on a half marathon, you shove at his chest. “Boyfriend?” You have half a mind to grab the broom standing next to you and start whacking him with it. 

“I’m sorry!” Jake holds his hands up defensively. He doesn’t miss the way you’re eyeing every cleaning tool around you, no doubt deciding which would make the most effective weapon. “I panicked, okay? I just hate that smug little look he gets on his face–”

“Well you’re about to be seeing ‘that smug little look’ a lot more once he calls your bluff!” you half-shout, trying to convey your anger without alerting anyone to your presence.“The timeline barely lines up to begin with. It’s only been what, a few weeks since I was supposed to go on a date with him? And that’s not to mention the fact that there won’t be anyone to corroborate our story, because we don’t spend any time together, since, y’know, we’re not dating.”

Jake begs to differ. You’ve invaded more than one of his Wednesday night statistics study sessions. 

But before he can point this out, you’re continuing. “Which means you’re gonna have to come up with some sort of believable explanation for why we break up after, like, three days.”

“Ugh.” Jake drags an open palm down his face. He hates to admit it, but you do have a point there. 

Fingers running through his hair, his sudden stress is apparent. And you’re not trying to send him to an early grave, but would it have killed him to think before he spoke? Consider the consequences of starting the exact kind of rumor you’ve been hoping to dodge all evening? You get that his brother is not exactly an easy person to get along with, but was the short-lived victory really worth the potential fallout? 

Across from you, Jake seems to be having the same realizations. A million thoughts whirring through his brain, he’s not sure where to place his focus. 

After a moment, he settles on optimism. “Look, I think it will be fine.” The more he thinks about it, the more he convinces himself he believes it. “James has been up to his ass in company stuff since the second he graduated, so it’s not like he has extra time to check up on us or anything.” And even if he did, James would have no way of knowing who to ask. Jake has the sneaking suspicion his older brother couldn’t name a single one of his friends if his life depended on it. He would have no idea who to track down to corroborate your so-called romance. 

“We won’t have to do anything,” Jake reasons. “I’ll just mention you in passing for the next few weeks if he happens to ask.” Even that should be simple enough. After all, Jake seriously doubts he will. “And by the time the holidays roll around, I can just say things fizzled naturally.” Easy. Simple. Uncomplicated. Mutual, and your pride and his both remain intact. “No big deal.” 

Across from him, you weigh his words. It makes sense, yes, but there’s something starting to swirl in your gut that you don’t like. It feels a little too much like dread, like trepidation. Jake can read all of the uncertainty written across your face when you tell him, “I still don’t like it. My mother and your brother were both here tonight and already got different stories from us. This could get messy really quickly. I mean, what if our families start talking–”

“They won’t.” Jake shakes his head. “Your mom thinks I’m just a plus-one, and when my name comes up in James and my father’s conversations, it isn’t to discuss the ins and outs of my dating life.” Of this, at least, Jake is sure. His father couldn’t care less who he dates, as long as it’s not a liability to him, to the company. “Besides, we're university students.” Jake tries to lighten the mood, clear some of the tension. “Twenty-one and immature and all that.” For a moment, Jake imagines what life would feel like if that’s truly all he was, if that’s the only thing he got to be. No added pressure of a notorious last name and a reputation to maintain. Tucking that thought to the back of his mind, he decides he’ll mourn it later. “A short-lived relationship with a story that doesn’t quite add up is practically a right of passage. Not something to be suspicious of.” 

You remain silent for a moment, but your hand doesn’t get any closer to the broom.

“Okay.” Some of the tension seeps out of your shoulders as you turn his reasoning over in your brain, nodding as his logic starts to piece together. “Okay,” you reiterate. You still don’t like it, but he’s right about one thing: it is the best option you have. 

After all, there’s no way in hell you’re about to go tell your mother that your plus-one is actually your secret boyfriend, and you hate to admit it, but James’ little smirk is incredibly agitating. And it will all blow over, you’re sure. Like Jake said, James and your mother have no real reason to talk, and if Jake is convinced that his brother won’t be spreading this particular rumor, you’ll just have to believe him for the time being. 

Letting him out of the closet first, you only imitate hitting him upside the back of the head once before you catch up to him, linking arms again before reentering the ballroom. 

As the evening goes on, your worry starts to subside. Thankfully, every other part of the night goes perfectly to plan, even if you do have to force yourself to laugh a little too hard at one of Jake’s awful jokes when you catch James watching the two of you. The second glass of champagne you down helps, if nothing else. 

Exactly as you predicted, after two and a half hours have passed, you and Jake are sneaking out the back exit, tiptoeing to his car as the fourth speaker of the evening continues their droning speech inside the event. Your mother is none the wiser to your early departure, and you hope it’s the first in a series of victories for the evening. 

When Jake drops you off just outside the front doors of your apartment building, his smile is almost reassuring enough to put that lingering sense of unease to rest where it still sits in your gut. 

Makeup removed, hair washed, and evening gown traded for pajamas, sleep is slow to find you a handful of hours later. Eventually, though, it does, and your rest is undisturbed, dreamless. 

…

The next morning, with nothing but the pastel tones of sunrise and the sound of his brewing coffee maker to keep him company, Jake Sim stares at the message on his phone in abject horror. 

Mom [7:32 am]: I can’t believe I had to find out from your brother! Family dinner next weekend at our place. Bring your girlfriend. :) 

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

PART TWO IS UP AND LINKED ON MY MASTERLIST!

note: thank you for reading!! this is the version I had saved in my docs and it should be identical to what was posted before but in case there are any slight differences, that's why. I also sometimes make the fatal mistake of doing small grammatical edits in tumblr itself, so please excuse any minor errors as I didn't do a read through this time around. as always, I love to hear any thoughts you may have!

[miraculous-pyxie]

marinette headcanon time

marinette’s knees are filled with little scars and long-term bruises from how many time she falls over 

she carries a very cute first aid kit in her backpack just in case her skin breaks or if she needs a quick ice pack (those lil crack and shake things that get really cold)

marinette became the go to person when somebody got hurt is phys ed when the teens were younger. she eventually got first aid certified.

 marinette used to carry a bit more weight (you see her parents genetic make up) but from becoming ladybug she burns a lot of calories/fat from running around all day. to keep people/parents from getting suspicious, she starts running which keeps her even more in shape.

little marinette got into sewing because her mom always needed to repair her clothes from the rips and tears they would get from her falling over. she felt guilty about it so she said that she would do it. her mom taught her then she started teaching herself

I love the idea that Adrien and Marinette get stronger and more flexible from using the miraculous. Adrien has an excuse that this is how he needs to look for modeling (everyone believes that) but marinette has less of an excuse so she has to flub saying she started going to the gym and attempt to become less clumsy. not wanting it to be a lie, she starts going to a gym once a week for an hour (this is where she does her runs instead).

marinette meditates with her mom whenever she’s stressed and gets lightly told off when she starts fidgeting too much

along with Tikki’s cookies, marinette keeps a stash of protein shakes and protein bars in her room

 marinette has ADHD so she is prone to zoning out and has accidentally zoned out in someone’s direction before then zones back in and profusely apologizes for ”staring” at them

marinette will hyperfocus on a project for hours and she has almost missed patrol several times because of it.

adding onto that, she will sometimes be working till 3 am so getting up at 7 am for school is really hard. (delayed sleep phase syndrome let’s goooo)

on top of that, coffee is her best friend. not because of the energy boost but it keeps her focused in school. (Alya doesn’t know about the ADHD at first and thinks her best friend has a severe coffee addiction)

from becoming ladybug, Marinette has actually gotten very coordinated.  she was very clumsy as a kid, but now it only spikes when she feels emotionally vulnerable. (i.e. around Adrien, when she’s nervous)

 Adrien is Marinette’s first big crush  so for the first few weeks marinette actually was really uncomfortable. she was having an internal battle of never feeling something like a crush before and also beating herself up over the idea that this might be a celebrity crush and she’s just a crazy fan

i saw this somewhere else but marinette doesn’t like horror movies not because they scare her but because they are underwhelming to her. mari and the gang will be having a movie night and she’ll just sit their with her arms crossed and say “I’ve seen worse.” and alya nino and adrien will just looked at her absolutely baffled. (even though adrien is chat noir, he’s had less exposure to scary things growing up)

adding onto that, marinette 100% had unrestricted internet access as a kid but she does not let it show

Marinette doodles on her skin in pen and one time she was drawing on her arm in red pen in class and an akuma related explosion happened really close. The pen exploded all over her skin and it looked like she had just killed someone.

marinette wanted to join the costume department for theater but because of her crammed schedule she can’t do it. everyone is confused as to why she doesn’t bc she’s perfect for it.

marinette matches the color of her hair ties to her outfit

marinette is better at listening to people in chinese then speaking or writing it

marinette actually gets along with her grandma really well and that’s why her grandma knew exactly what bike to get her

even though Marinette’s focus is in high fashion, she loves learning about streetwear and street fashion in places like Japan and the US

she is an absolute force to be reckoned with when she’s being stubborn about something 

she indulges in the confidence that being ladybug gives her from time to time so when chloe is back on her bs she claps back better than the last time

 a personal retcon is she gets a hold of her boy crazy-ness after the first few weeks. (the show really did her dirty on this like stalking? stealing? they should not be promoting that behavior to kids tbh)

marinette wears her new designs to school. she also secretly has a commission style business (so she can keep on top of orders bc she is just 1 person)

all and all, she is a little frazzled gremlin and i wish we got more of that blunt ,frazzled, always-busy, gremlin side of her

that’s all i can think of for now :)

[the-delta-42]

The Truth 3

[1 The Truth] [2 Soul] [3 Through a Shattered Mirror] [4 Healing]

Through a shattered mirror

As soon as the red flash of light dissipated, Marinette found herself at the bottom of a pile in the gym, with Nino, Alya and Adrien on top of her with someone’s hand being somewhere it shouldn’t.

“Okay, who’s hand is that?” Asked Marinette, wincing as someone’s knee dug into her spleen.

“Oh, sorry.” Said Adrien, as they all got to their feet.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Marinette brushed him off, “how did we get in here anyway?”

There was a shutter sound, making them all look towards an assembled crowd. Alya gaped at the double of her gaping back.

“What the fuck?” Said both Alya’s, as Marinette got up and dusted herself off.

“What year is it?” Asked Marinette, getting no answer.

“An Akuma sent you here?” Asked the second Alya.

“Yeah.” Said the first Alya.

“What year is it?” Marinette asked again.

“Why are you still with her?” Asked the second Alya, jerking her head towards Marinette.

“Ya- what now?” Asked Marinette, confused.

“After everything she’s done?” Continued the second Alya, ignoring Marinette.

“What’s she done that’s so bad?” Asked the first Alya, as confused as Marinette.

“She stole, bullied, stalked and even harassed Adrien!” Exclaimed the second Alya, “And that’s not even starting on what she did to poor Lila.”

Marinette rolled her eyes and looked around, quietly searching the crowd. Marinette spotted a scowling Lila and a scared looking Adrien.

“Mari’s never done any of those things. Who told you all that?” Asked the first Alya, putting her hands on her hips.

“Lila saw her doing all those things.” Said the second Alya, triumphantly.

“Did you check those with other people?” asked the first Alya, frowning.

“Are you saying I’m a liar?” Demanded Lila, pretending to be upset.

“Yes.” Was the first Alya’s response.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“How could you think that!”

“Not cool!”

“I think you should apologise to Lila.”

The four travellers just gaped at the class. Marinette finally spotted her double, before walking towards her. This Marinette was skittish and jumpy, she had bruises forming on her face and neck. This Marinette didn’t have the earrings.

“Girl, do you think you’ll be able to get us back?” Asked the first Alya, making everyone go silent.

“It’ll take me a little bit.” Dismissed Marinette, slowly pushing into her double’s mind. She caught some glimpses of how Lila tore her life apart, how Lila managed to turn her own parents against her, how she became a verbal and physical punching bag for her former friends and parents, how Chat Noir changed, he began to distance himself, and how Tikki later abandoned her for another. Marinette withdrew from her double’s mind, before flinging her arm out and opening a portal back home.

“Alright, let’s go.” Said Marinette, grabbing her double’s arm and guiding her through the portal. Adrien, Nino and her Alya followed them, before the portal collapsed, leaving the other group in a stunned silence.

The other Alya looked at her phone. She typed something into her search engine, before she paled and rounded on Lila.

“WHAT THE HELL!” Screamed Alya, glaring at Lila.

TASM

Marinette looked at her double, who was dragging her by the arm to her, their, parent’s bakery. Her double pushed open the door and pulled her behind the counter.

“Maman, I need to talk to you.” Said her double, as she approached her, their, mother.

“Marinette, we’ve talked about this,” Sighed Sabine, folding some dough over, “just because you were hit by a moped doesn’t mean you can have a pet.”

“Maman, I’d take good care of it.” Protested her doubled, before shaking her head, “Besides, I was talking about this.”

Sabine sighed and turned, before freezing at the sight of the bruised Marinette, “What the fuck?”

Both Marinettes stared at her.

“Go put a euro in the jar.” Commanded the unbruised Marinette, while Sabine stared at her.

“What happened this time? Another cloning incident or did you just kidnap someone who looks like you?” Demanded Sabine, looking at the unbruised Marinette.

“Akuma sent me and some friends to another universe and this version of me was abused so I liberated her.” Responded Marinette, proudly.

“You…kidnapped…an alternate version of yourself?” Asked Sabine, incredulously, “Why?”

“She was being abused?” Responded Marinette, as her bruised counterpart frantically looked around.

Sabine sighed through her nose, “Alright, take her upstairs. Your father’s making lunch and Ode is trying to ‘help’.”

Marinette beamed and grabbed her double by the arm and dragged her upstairs. Marinette halted at the sight of her father trying to calm a bawling Odette. Marinette had suggested Bridgette for the liberated Sentimonster, but she’d taken a shine to Swan Lake and wanted to be named after the princess. Odette had started, for the lack of a better term, aging backwards, until she physically appeared to be two-three years old.

“What…happened?” Asked Marinette, as her double tried to hide behind her.

“Odette accidentally dropped a bowl,” Answered Tom, as Odette bawled, “she’s now under the impression that she’s ruined lunch.”

Marinette frowned, before walking over to a cupboard and pulling out a bowl, “Ode, look.”

Odette looked up and spotted the bowl in Marinette’s hand and the cupboard full of bowls beside her, “What’s that?”

“It’s a cupboard, it’s where we keep the bowls.” Responded Marinette, before quickly pointing at a corner, “Oh, that’s a double from another universe that I liberated, and thought could live with us!”

Tom and Odette both looked at a bruised Marinette, before Odette bounded over to her, “Are you my new sister?!”

Bruised Marinette stared at the sentimonster, looking like an excited puppy. Meanwhile Tom looked at Marinette.

“You ‘liberated’ her?” Asked Tom, raising an eyebrow.

“She was being abused.” Said Marinette in response.

Tom sighed, getting an extra bowl out and put it on the table. After carefully filling the bowls and coaxing the new Marinette out of her corner, Sabine joined them.

“That Italian girl came by again.”

“What’d she want now?” Wondered Tom, as Ode watched the steam in awe as it floated upwards.

Marinette looked at her unbruised double, just as she knocked her glass over.

“Ah, fuck.” She froze, before looking at Ode.

“Fuck?” Parroted Ode, getting a groan from Tom and Sabine.

The bruised Marinette’s eyes darted around the room, she knew that groan. Her parents always made that noise whenever they punished her. Before she could restrain herself, she launched herself from her seat and scrambled to the smallest opening she could find.

Marinette looked at her abused double, lost for words. Sabine gently knelt down in front of the opening where her daughter’s double had squeezed herself into. The girl trembled and flinched as Sabine moved closer to her.

“Marinette?” Murmured Sabine, addressing her daughter’s double, while her daughter crouched behind her.

The double whimpered, as the rings around Marinette’s irises glowed red. She tilted her head, as she sifted through her doubles mind. She’d seen what she’d been put through by her classmates doubles, and everyone she knew, but she never saw what her parents doubles had done.

She soon regretted looking through those memories. Verbal, emotional, psychological, physical. Any form of abuse her double had received, her parents had given. Marinette’s stomach turned, Tikki and Fu both held her double responsible for the abuse she’d received.

Marinette frowned, before looking at her bag, she felt Tikki press into her mind. Tikki silently raged. Marinette winced, knowing what Tikki would convince Plagg to do. Ode crawled past Marinette and Sabine, before squeezing into the crawl space with the bruised Marinette.

“Hi!” Said Ode, waving a cookie, “Cookie?”

The bruised Marinette stared at the senti-monster, before cautiously taking the cookie from her.

TASM

Alya seethed, thinking about Lila’s lies, how Agreste knew and said nothing, how they forced her to turn on Marinette. But first, she needed to get her back and keep her safe from those monsters that took her. Adrien had tried to use Marinette as an excuse, Lila ‘harassing’ him. Alya scoffed, men couldn’t be harassed, they couldn’t be victims. Adrien was a spinless, weak, pathetic loser that didn’t deserve any friends.

Alya felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw her double glaring at her, “This is going to hurt.”

Then her double punched her, knocking her to the ground.

“Als, we need to go.” Said someone, Alya was too busy holding her broken face to see Nino guiding Adrien through a portal.

Alya only removed her hands when the world started to dissolve around her. Soon, Alya found herself in a massive, empty space. No sound, no touch, no taste and no light, no movement. Alya tried to scream, only for her mouth to not make a sound.

Unknown to her, everyone in their class and immediate circles were scattered across this void. Some thought of it as hell. Others were demanding to know why they were being punished.

None of them seeing the two Kwami looking down on them.

[jedi-lothwolf]

AI-less Whumptober Day 4: Hiding an injury

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Summary: Adrien goes to school after being injured in an Akuma attack.

Being a hero was dangerous. Ladybug and Cat Noir knew that well. But no matter what Ladybug's lucky charm would reverse the damage done.

Unless she lost it. Adrian stood in the boys bathroom, his side bleeding. He was unsure of what to do. He should have just gone home but the school day had only just begun when the akuma attack happened. It was around noon now.

The boy grabbed a bunch of toilet paper and stuffed it on his side. He grabbed bandages he kept on his backpack just in case and wrapped them around the wound. He grabbed his jacket and was thankful he had grabbed the black on that morning.

Adrian stumbled back towards his class. The hall was busy at class change. He stayed close to the wall and tried to walk straight.

What would happen if the knew? What could he do if the found out? Nothing. Cat Noir knew that if anyone found out that he was Cat Noir, he would lose himself.

It hurt. The gash was still bleeding. It was sore to the touch. Sore was an understatement.

It didn't take long for people to stair. He leaned into the wall and felt like sitting down and sobbing. Adrian wanted to scream. But, if he did, if he told them he was in pain, he wouldn't be able to be free.

Gabriel would lock him in the house forever. He couldn't be isolated like that again. That would hurt more then the wound in his side.

As soon as he entered the room he did his best to get to his seat quickly and at least mostly normally. All he needed was for someone to figure out his secret identity.

"Hey Adrian!" Nino said enthusiastically.

"Hey." The hero did his best to match his energy but couldn't.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired." He rested one of his arms on the desk and laid his head down. After that he grabbed his side with the other hand and kept pressing on it. He just needed to make it until the end of the school day. Once he was home he could figure out how to fix it.

"Hey Adrian, why are you holding your side?" Rose asked.

"Oh, I'm just cold." He wasn't exactly lieing to her. He was cold.

"Dude, it's like really warm in here." Kim, who was walking to his set, called Adrian's bluff.

"I'm just cold okay." He put his head back down.

"Is your hand red?" Alya inspected.

"No, it's fine" Adrian said, his head still on the table. Why wouldn't they just leave him alone? Why did they have to make it so hard to hide that he was hurt?

"If you say so." Alya knew she would be watching him carefully.

Halfway through class Adrian started to feel worse. He felt nauseated and weak. He raised his hand and asked to use the restroom. Ms. Bustier said that he could and Adrian stood up to leave the room.

He could feel his legs growing weaker as he walked to the door.

"Are you alright?" Ms. Bustier asked.

"I'm, fine. Thank you." He grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. The world felt like it was fading. He couldn't show it any more than he had already. He wouldn't lose everything just because he couldn't hide an injury.

As soon as the door closed the class looked at each other to see if everyone else was sceptical.

In the hall Adrien stumbled to the floor. He laid there for a moment before getting up and using the wall to get around. He pushed all his body weight on the wall and prayed it would be enough to get him back to the gym lockers.

Once there he sat against the wall and took his jacket off. The kid sighed as he realized he bleed though the bandages. Placing the jacket on his side, he wondered how much of class he could skip.

"So, should someone check on him." Nathaniel asked.

"I'll go" Nino volunteered almost immediately.

"Marinette, why don't you go since your class representative?" Alya asked.

"I'm his best bud, I've got it."

"Nino, if you don't mind, please go check on him."

Nino left the room and walked towards the bathroom. Nearing the lockers he saw a red substance on the ground and looked towards the door. There was blood on the handle.

A sense of unease fell over Nino. "What the fuck?" He whispered. He walked to the door and opened it.

Adrian heard the door handle and panicked. Where did he go? How did he hide? He crawled over to a place behind a locker and held in a sob when the door opened. "Adrien?" Nino called out.

Cat Noir placed a hand over his mouth. He could taste the salt from the blood. It surprised him.

"Adrian? Man? I'm concerned. If you're here please just tell me."

No matter how hard Adrien could try, the tears would come anyway.

"Adrian?" Nino turned to face him. "Oh fuck."

"Nino, please don't get anyone."

"Why not?" Nino raised his voice.

"Please. I can't really explain."

"Are you okay? Like are you in danger?" The man walked over and kneeled down to Adrian.

"I'm fine, just in, pain."

"Come here."

Adrian complied. Nino grabbed his side and kept pressure on his side. "Help!" He screamed.

"No please. They can't know." The hero whispered.

"Can't know what?"

"That I'm hurt."

"Why?" Nino called out for help again.

"My identity."

"Identity?"

Nino didn't know? "Fuck" Adrian whispered.

"You're-" Nino was cut off as someone came into the locker room.

The teacher called 122 as she helped Nino get him to the front of the school.

What was he going to do now? Maybe he could just say that the akuma attack had caused it. He wasn't lying, just not telling the whole truth. It didn't really matter now. Everyone knew that he was hurt. The one thing he was avoiding.

Now he'd just have to hope that no one knew that he was Cat Noir. He didn't think anyone had seen the wound he had received. That may just be his savior. As he heard the sirens from the ambulance he blacked out. Maybe he shouldn't have waited so long.

[boboprincess]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Nike Men's Premium Basketball Jacket Black Satin Size Large Tall NWT.

[glenngaylord]

Sister Kristen - Film Review: Love Lies Bleeding ★★★1/2

Some of my favorite films feel like pulpy fever dreams. Think of Stanley Kubrick or Brian De Palma at their best or the early 20th century dime novels and you’ll get a sense of the otherworldly, heightened tone I gravitate towards. Consider my surprise then when Rose Glass, who made a little splash in 2019 with her debut horror feature, Saint Maude, follows it up with Love Lies Bleeding, a sexy, trashy, overripe thriller. One could draw comparisons with their themes of co-dependence and some similar visceral motifs, but Glass has taken a bigger swing here.

Set in late 1980s Nowheresville, New Mexico, Kristen Stewart plays Lou, the manager of a training gym who, when we first meet her, has her hand down a filthy toilet in an effort to clear out a clog. It’s a not so subtle shorthand to indicate that she’s living in a world of crap. Like any good film noir main character, she’s more than ready for a femme fatale to shake up her world. It’s not going to be Daisy (a scene-stealing Anna Baryshnikov), a messy local who crushes a bit too hard on a clearly not interested Lou. No, it’ll take Jackie (Katy O’Brian), a gorgeous, buff bodybuilder who drifts into town with the requisite mysterious past to catch Lou’s eye. When we first meet Jackie, she’s getting railed by the sleazy, poorly-mulleted JJ (Dave Franco) in the back seat of his car. Their relationship seems transactional and a short time later, Jackie shows up at Lou’s gym. When Lou’s eyes almost burst out of her sockets, it’s love and bulging biceps at first sight.

At this point, Glass and co-writer Weronika Tofilska, in the grand tradition of the genre, add one complication after another. You see, JJ happens to be Lou’s brother-in-law and horribly abuses her sister Beth (Jena Malone). JJ also just happens to work for Lou’s scary and estranged father Lou Sr. (an even more severely mulleted Ed Harris) at the local gun range. If all of this sounds ominous, it should. In a film this lurid, you just know those guns will get used for more than target practice. Make no mistake, this story has sex, violence and a high body count. Think an early 90s B-movie classic like Red Rock West with the seductive juice of Bound and you’ll be dead on about this stakes-raising good time at the movies.

Something like this doesn’t work without having terrific performances and Love Lies Bleeding has an impressive array. Stewart gives a mesmerizing turn as a fearless, sexually voracious aggressor who can’t help put herself in the path of pain over and over again. It reminded me of her depiction of Joan Jett in 2010’s The Runaways, simultaneously feral and vulnerable. Her delayed reaction during a phone call scene actually made me laugh and applaud. She has electrifying chemistry with O’Brian, whose hair-trigger temperament gets them into one terrible situation after another. Lou should be able to read the tea leaves, but she just can’t help herself when it comes to Jackie. Harris plays a scary monster but gives him a type of twisted logic that adds a layer of complexity to a role so often deemed beyond reproach. Malone and Franco also have their moments to shine, but I took the most glee from the little details in Baryshnikov’s turn (and yes, her father is Mikhail). Just watching her use her fingers on a diner table to express excitement had me grinning.

As things spiral out of control, Glass enters surreal territory. She uses many bone-crunching close-ups of Jackie’s muscles expanding from steroid use to suggest she’s turning into the Incredible Hulk, and late in the film, she really goes off the rails with the level of such transformation. There's also one incredible shot of Lou and Jackie running towards camera as an ethereal, colorful haze twirls in the background. These moments may turn some viewers off, but I’ll counter that it makes the film unforgettable. I did wonder, however, why they used that title without including Elton John’s classic 70s song of the same name. Maybe it’s too on the nose, but I felt it would have fit in with the big, colorful 80s aesthetic.

With such recent films as Nyad, May December, and Bottoms, we’re in the Bechdel Test-passing era of cinema where female characters don’t merely exist to prop up the male leads. Love Lies Bleeding, which falls handily within those guidelines, feels like it’s built on two axioms, that love is indeed blind, and that relationships built on trauma bonding and deep sexual attraction just might be the way to go. Either way, I’ll follow Rose Glass, blindly (!), anywhere.

[flowtus143]

Slightly Erotic Fiction I Wrote For Grad School

So, I’m enrolled in an online grad school program. Since we don’t meet for class like you would at a traditional campus, we have to respond to a weekly writing prompt and post our response to a forum made for our class. After posting, we have to reply to at least three other students prompts with a substantive comment. Doing this is supposed to replicate the experience of being in class with other students, sharing your ideas and responding to theirs. In other words, it’s a participation assignment. If you’ve ever been to college, you know showing up to class isn’t enough. You have to participate in classroom discussions.

For one of my classes, we had to post about two concepts we learned about that week (discriminative stimuli and motivating operations). So, I decided to have some fun with it and write some slightly erotic fiction were I included an explanation of the concepts. Yes, I actually turned this in. And yes, my classmates and professor loved it. Of course they did. School can be so dry and boring that any time anyone tries to shake things up, even a little, it’s always greatly appreciated.

Anyway, I thought I’d share it here. Enjoy! And bonus points for anyone who actually knows anything about the concepts discussed below.

—

I thought tonight would be an ordinary night. Maybe studying or completing assignments for school. Or talking with friends in our group chat about whatever fleeting topic held our attention. Hell, maybe I would’ve went to bed at a reasonable time, for a change.

This is no ordinary night. Tonight, I am here. Caught in this moment. Enthralled with his presence…

“Here we are. 5th floor. Hope walking up the stairs in those heels wasn’t too tiring for you” he says, smiling gently as he looks toward me.

His name? Aiden Holland. We met a Freedom Park a few days ago. Chloe loves it when I take her for walks around the fountain trail for a walk. We happened to run into Aiden during a morning jog. He was pleasant to talk to with his friendly, charming, yet serious way of speaking. So, we agreed to meet up in the future. Pretty boy, through and through. Cleanly shaven, well-kept hair, fairly tall with a lean build. He definitely dedicates a few hours a week at the gym. The way his button-up clings tightly to his chest shows off his efforts.

“I’m fine!” I reply, attempting to mask my exhaustion with cheeriness. “Though, it would be nice to take a load off.”

“Of course. Please, come in. Make yourself comfortable.”

I don’t know what he does for a living, but it must be lucrative. His apartment is spacious, with furniture arranged beautifully, framed pictures and paintings lining the walls, and a variety of plants sitting outside on the balcony. His kitchen even has a mini-bar. Barstools and all.

“Would you like something to drink, Evelyn?” he calls out.

“Hmm…what do you have?”

“The way I see it, you have two options: water or something better than water.” He opens the cabinet above the bar, revealing an assortment of alcoholic beverages.

“I’ll take something better than water…”

The crimson liquid flows gracefully from the bottle to our glasses. Calera Pinot Noir. Much better than the Barefoot I have at home. He motions for me to join him at the bar.

“Evelyn,” he says as I make my way over. “I have a question for you…”

Before I can respond, he softly takes my hand in his. Almost instinctively, I gently squeeze, rubbing my thumb over the back of his hand. He pulls me in closer. I stumble forward, only managing to catch myself by pressing my other hand into his firm chest. Our gazes lock, the seriousness of his voice is only outmatched by the intensity in his eyes. He pulls me in closer. And closer. And closer…

He moves his face down, brushing past my hair, bringing his lips closer to my ear. A bead of sweat trickles down between my shoulder blades, almost reaching the small of my back before being absorbed by the red dress that drapes my quivering body. My pulse quickens. My breathing, sharp. His breath warms my ear and neck as he passionately whispers his question to me…

“Do you know what a discriminative stimulus is?”

His words sends chills down my spine and I stand there, motionless. Silent. I lean upwards, standing on the tips of my toes, bringing my lips to his ear.

“Enlighten me…” I utter, weakly, yet sweetly.

He releases me and begins pacing around the kitchen. “A discriminative stimulus is an antecedent stimulus that who’s presence evokes an operant behavior that has been reinforced in the past. Another way to think of it is the discriminative stimulus signals that reinforcement is available.”

“Kinda like seeing an opportunity and taking it?”

“Exactly, according to page 130 of a book published in 2016, written by a man named Miltenberger. Funny name, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” I reply through my laughter. “a little silly.”

“Aiden? Could you demonstrate an example of a discriminative stimulus? For me…?”

He smiles coyly. “I’d love to. But, I’ve already demonstrated an example earlier.”

“Oh yeah?” I strut slowly toward him, stopping a few feet away, leaning on one of the walls of the dining area. “You expect me to believe you’re that smooth?

“Well, think about it. When I asked you if you wanted a drink, that was an antecedent stimulus that indicated your behavior may yield reinforcement. In this case, your behavior was answering my question and the reinforcement was receiving a drink.”

Damn, he is that smooth. I’m actually studying a similar topic in my class.

“So, do you know what motivating operations are, Aiden?”

He turns to face me and leans forward. “Enlighten me…”

Cheeky bastard. “According to authors Cooper, Heron, and Heward’s book published in 2020, motivating operations are conditions that impact how…desirable…a particular reinforcer may be. Motivating operations can be broken down into two types, establishing operations, which makes the reinforcer more appealing, and abolishing operations, which does the opposite. Page 373.“

“As intelligent as you beautiful” he remarks. “But, make sure you don’t confuse the two concepts. Both discriminative stimuli and motivating operations come in the form of antecedents and have a relationship with reinforcing consequences.”

“Of course, Aiden. But discriminative stimuli only signal the opportunity for reinforcement while motivating operations alter how powerful a reinforcer is. But, you’re right, it’s important to have a strong grasp of these concepts. A professional could use this knowledge to understand why people engage in certain behaviors or use them to teach new ones.”

“Well said, Evelyn.”

“Thanks. But, now I want you to give an example of a motivating operation.”

“I have the perfect example for you. Coming up five flights of stairs, especially in those shoes, is exhausting, no?”

“Obviously.” I retort as I begin to slowly take them off. His eyes track every motion, watching silently as I undress. He’s been calm and cool this entire time, but now, he’s getting excited…

“You were saying?” I say, attempting to shift his focus back to the conversation.

“So, being fatigued would encourage you to seek rest or something to help you rest.

“In other words, walking up the stairs made the wine even more enticing? I see…”

He falls silent again. He watching, almost waiting. What discriminative stimuli is he picking up on? What are his motivating operations? A girl can only wonder.

“Now that we’re done talking about how badly I want wine, maybe we should finally enjoy the glasses you poured earlier.”

He chuckles. “Agreed. And then what?”

“Well, I suppose that depends on what we’re both motivated for…”

References

Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.

Miltenberger, R. G. (2016). Behavior modification: Principles and procedures (6th ed.). Cengage Learning.

[velvetiivenus]

Evolution of Miraculous

Hello! This post is basically the evolution of Miraculous, from The Mini Menace Ladybug in 2005 to the current show today! I'll be explaining each "generation" of the show's production, the fandom surrounding it, and where to find more information. I hope you enjoy! 😊

Edited 30/12/2022: I posted an updated version of this a few months ago, as at the time I didn't have the version of Tumblr installed that allowed me to edit posts. Now I can, so I have updated this original post. I've also edited some parts that are written in a way that annoys me and fixed any spelling mistakes :)

The Mini Menace Ladybug- Version 1 (2005)

Thomas Astruc first came up with the ideo of Ladybug when he was working on animating the show W.I.T.C.H and met a women with a ladybug shirt. They started passing notes, and one of them was a drawing Astruc made of her as a ladybug-themed superhero. This insipired Astruc to make more fake comic book covers, and he was originally going to make it into a comic book series similar to Spider-man. I don't think there were going to be any magical girl elements at all.

Marinette was actually named Marietta, and the series was going to be much darker, as we can see from covers like "Insecticide". Marietta was probably an adult (in an unamed cover, she is seen driving a car) . She probably didn't hide her superhero identity (her car is literally red with black spots...). Cat Noir's design looked much more similar to Snake Noir's from Miracle Queen. Then Astruc met Jeremy Zag, who was interested in making a cartoon about this concept, which leads on to the next generation. Sadly, there's barely any information about the fake comic book covers out there, and all I could find was the Miraculous Wiki page and a small paragraph on Wikipedia. I don't think there's much of a fandom out there, if at all. Moving on...

The Mini Menace Ladybug- Version 2 (Unknown)

This is the most unknown era of development. All we really know is that Ladybug and Chat Noir were aged down. This, along with around 2 other covers, is all the information we have on this version of Miraculous.

Miraculous Lady Bug (2010)

Around 2010, plans started to be made for a movie (and possibly a spin-off series) about Ladybug (at the time named "Lady Bug"). This is when Jeremy Zag first started to work on Miraculous. The movie would have been part of a trilogy and there were even plans for a comic book series based on these films. It's unknown if Chat Noir even existed in this concept, and I don't think Tikki and Plagg existed since they were probably introduced by Toei (who probably also introduced the transformations and all the other magical girl stuff). Félix didn't exist, and instead we had a character called Nathan. There is no concept art or information about Nathan apart from his name and that he was part of "the gym club", and since we don't know if Chat Noir existed in this concept he probably wasn't Chat Noir. I don't think there's any information on this era in the Ladybug Artbook, all I could find was the picture above and a page on the Miraculous Wiki.

Super Lady Luck/ Early Development Era (Unknown, probably around 2012?)

So this one is kind of hard to explain, since it overlaps with later stages of development a lot. The concept was very vague, but this is when we first started seeing Félix...

Once again, since this overlaps with other stages of development a lot, I can't really explain it. Information on this "era" is even harder to find than on The Mini Menace Ladybug. There's actually much more information/concept art/whatever out there, but it's really hard to find. The two main sources for information about this era are the Ladybug Artbook and the game Super Lady Luck. Sadly, Super Lady Luck (also known as "Miraculous" or "Ladybug Adventures") was Flash-based and became unplayable in 2020, and the Ladybug Artbook is only available in Korean and is extremely hard to find (SAMG said they'd publish an English version in 2017, but they never did).

Quantic Kids (2012)

The Quantic Kids (also known as The Quantic Squad or The Quantic Team) was an early concept where Ladybug and Chat Noir were part of a team of superheroes. Originally the team consisted of Ladybug, Chat Noir, Melodie (a music-themed superhero), Mercury (a superhero with super speed), and Sparrow (who was brought back in the New York Special). Later another member, Gavroche, was added, and Sparrow was replaced by Kid Mime. The concept didn't help sell the idea to producers, whic resulted in Ladybug and Chat Noir staying as a duo. The Quantic Kids actually have a small fandom, with many people coming up with headcanons for their civilian identities. Once again, most information about this era comes from Super Lady Luck and The Ladybug Artbook.

Miraculous PV (2012-2013)

This is probably the most well-known stage of development. Two trailers were released, one in 2012 (the one that everyone knows!) and one in 2013 (basically the same as the original, but in a different order, with added text and new music). Funnily enough, the original leaked video was never referred to as "Miraculous PV"- it was actually titled "Lady Bug Japanese Version". This was going to be much darker than the current show. Félix wasn't actually related to the PV version of Hawk Moth, Papillon (also known as The Butterfly or Monarch). The concepts of the miraculous were good luck (sometimes called "pure luck" by some sources) and bad luck, instead of creation and destruction. Félix wasn't originally in love with Ladybug- he was cursed with bad luck, and the only way to get rid of it was by getting Ladybug to kiss him- but eventually, he would end up actually falling in love with Ladybug. Sadly, this version was never produced because of worries that it wouldn't sell, and animation problems, like Ladybug's spots. Obviously, the best source of information is the original videos, but there's lots of info in The Artbook, as well.

(Also, Bridgette was never actually a character. It was Marinette all along. I'm not hating on Bridgette, I love her as a fanon character, just thought I'd point this out).

Later Development (2014)

Around this time it was decided to switch to CGI, and we got this cute, alternative CGI-style transformation (if you want to watch it, you can find it on YouTube, but I forgot what it's called). Around this time, Félix was replaced by Adrien, because he came off as an "anime cliché" and it was thought that Marinette would never fall for someone like him.

Originally Adrien was supposed to walk with a cane, but this was scrapped as the writers didn't trust themselves to write him well. This era has the smallest amount of information on it. Apart from the CGI transfirmation, the only other information we have is a very short trailer in the alternative CGI style and a few pages of The Artbook.

Current Show (2015-Present)

I'm not going to say much here, since I'm assuming you already watch Miraculous if you're reading this post! 😁

I hope this post helped explain the basics about the development of Miraculous!

[doodlegirl12345]

Doodle’s Short Stories: La Vie En Rose

Sometimes when in doubt, bring back something old with a new twist. Hello my everyone, I’m back with a new entry of stories. This time with will lean more into the AU category with this submission. I hope you like enjoy! 💕

Also available on Wattpad

Psst. Hey this post have a sister story: So This is Love , if anyone is interested to see the another POV of this day.

Changed Targets

Theme: La Vie En Rose (Life In Pink)

He had always thought that to win someone’s heart you needed to be persistent. All you have to do is win them over with your charm. Just let them warm up to you and take the few rejections that come your way as it is part of the process. The person of your dreams will eventually realize that you were always met to be. However this line of thinking often led to multiple misreadings of signs. He placed it on a hope that eventually faded. It wasn’t until he recently understood how great love is when it’s reciprocal.

The world was not perfect, not even in the slightest. But that moment when Chat Noir peered down from the rooftop of Collège Françoise Dupont to see his girlfriend Kagami Tsurugi sitting on the building’s front steps. It might as well have been for him. He smiled seeing her draw in her sketchbook while her red duffel bag sat beside her. From his point of view the perimeter appeared to be clear besides the few cars that whizzed past the school.

This caused Kagami to look up expectantly before returning her attention back to her work. Chat Noir pulled out his staff from his hostler.

He slid it open, typing on his staff’s keyboard the cat sent a message: Meet me behind the school.

After hitting send a beep sound came from Kagami’s bag causing her to pull her attention from the sketchbook and reach into her bag. She pulled out her phone and read the screen. The fencer looked over left and right almost as if she was looking for something.

She peered off the stone banister of the steps before tilting her head upwards, spotting the cat on the ledge of the rooftop. Chat Noir blew her a kiss. Kagami raised her hand catching the kiss while smiling. She stood up tucking her sketchbook into her gym bag before walking down the steps. The cat dashed to the back of the school to meet up with her. After a minute of waiting Kagami appeared, he looked around once more to confirm that the area was cleared.

Chat Noir leapt down letting his boots hit the cobblestone landing beside the school’s large blue dumpster.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi,” she said back.

“Are you ready?” asked the cat.

“Of course,” nodded the fencer while putting the bag over her shoulder.

With that Chat Noir wrapped his arm around her waist scooping her up bridal style. Kagami secured her arms around the hero’s shoulders. The cat extended his staff in his hand letting the couple ascend into the air. He tipped the staff slightly letting them land onto the school’s rooftop before retracting the staff back to travel size. After the Chat Noir gently placed Kagami back onto her feet. Their eyes locked with each other causing them to embrace once more with Chat Noir wrapping her arms around his girlfriend’s waist.

“I didn’t expect to see you so soon,” said the fencer. “Especially since our plans had changed at the last minute.”

“Yeah, sorry for missing fencing practice. Luckily it’s optional on Saturdays or I would have Mr. D’Argencourt on my case Monday. You know how he is unless you are injured or there’s a family emergency. He wants a written statement about why you’re going to be absent days in advance.”

“He asked about you today since we both told him we were coming this weekend. But I told him you had a last minute modeling job for your father. So I got paired up with Zack instead, he is good but I obviously have a preference. But don’t apologize, soon I saw that butterfly emoji you texted me. I knew you weren’t skipping for fun.”

“I was actually looking forward to practicing today so we could get time together without people taking pictures of us like they will tonight.”

“Yep, that’s what we have to look forward to tonight. When you told me one of your father’s friends had invited you and a plus one to have dinner at her new restaurant that just opened. The first thing that came to mind was photo opportunities and free advertising.”

“My father was insistent since she’s an family’s friend. Plus according to the website the food is supposed to be five stars.”

“Well, we’ll be the judge of that tonight.”

“Wait a second, practice was let out a while ago but you’re still here. Isn’t Tatsu supposed to be picking you up?”

“Yes, but my mother had a last minute meeting with a client today. So I’m supposed to be getting picked up a little late today.”

“If that’s the case I can at least keep you company until then.”

“Definitely, so since you missed practice, how about you tell me what happened today with the akuma?”

“Nothing too different from the usual Ladybug and Chat Noir gives me your miraculous routine. Viperion was there to help us out. The villain, Momentum Trapper’s powers, was pretty impressive since he could alter the speed of whatever he touched. But I’m sure that Ryuko could have taken him. It wasn’t that different from the other times. This is why I wished I would have gotten to go to practice instead. Also with you my chances of getting impaled would be zero.”

“Don’t be so sure. Zack might tell you something different after what happened during practice.”

Chat Noir eyes widened, completely shocked. “Wait what?”

Suddenly Kagami had a mischievous grin on her face as she started to giggle.

“Oh okay I get it,” the cat understood. “Like I said last week, we still need to work on your jokes.”

“Come on, the look on your face was priceless,” the fencer smirked. “But trust me when I say that Zack is completely fine. The only complaint I heard from him is that I really gave him a workout today. Besides you got to admit with all your jokes it shouldn’t be that surprising you have that been a bit of an influence on me.”

“Really? If that is the case, let me try to influence you on something else,” the cat pulled her closer, moving his lips towards hers.

However, before it could happen the fencer held her hand up between them. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Chat Noir let her go before breathing into his hand to check his breath. “Nope, I brushed my teeth this morning.”

She shot him a look.

“Kidding,” he told her. “I was just so happy to make up for lost time that I forgot our agreement.”

Kagami sighed. “Sorry if that sounded a little standoffish. I just don’t want to get caught “cheating” on my boyfriend with my boyfriend. That’s why we originally agreed about not kissing Chat Noir in public. It’s just a person with a phone to create a scandal.”

“No, you’re right. I’m so sorry I just got swept up in the moment. Anything else we did can be considered plausible deniability. Both of us know if Shadow Moth had the slightest hint of anyone that I love he would weaponize it faster than a cheetah after a case of energy drinks.”

“I can picture the headlines right now, leading tech mogul’s daughter caught kissing a local superhero. The media would definitely eat that up.”

“I can see that considering what happened when I was interviewed by the local news today. It’s supposed to air later tonight.”

“You did?”

“After the battle Nadja Chamack approached both Ladybug and I for an interview. Since Ladybug’s time was running out and still needed to get the snake miraculous from Viperion. I stepped in for her and it was rough.“

“Really?” Kagami looked concerned. “What happened?”

The couple sat down on the rooftop as Chat Noir told the story of his recent interview. He expressed the feeling that the interview felt like more of an interrogation considering that he had felt blindsided multiple times. Majority of the questions were about his relationship with Ladybug. Have they finally become an official couple and why hasn’t it happened yet? Did he do any grand gestures to woo her? Do they spend time with each other besides akuma attacks?

When does he think that they will become a couple? This had annoyed him as each question gave off the theme of romance. He tried to bring up other topics, for example the new heroes that appeared in recent months. Shadow Moth’s new moniker and the sudden upticks of attacks lately.

It seemed that Nadja did not start to follow suit until three quarters in and was still peppered in between the romance questions.

It was clear the interview’s true intention was to find out why Paris’ famous duo haven’t started dating yet.

“It felt like I was about to scream that Ladybug isn’t my girlfriend in Nadja’s face. I didn’t as that would cause more problems than solve them,” Chat Noir admitted. “After we were finished Nadja thanked me and apologized if the questions seemed a little pointed. But her boss told her to replicate the questions to be similar to the previous televised interview we had. That those kinds of questions are what the public expects to hear, especially with me. After she told me that…I don’t know how to exactly describe it. It just made me feel so uncomfortable.”

“I can understand that,” the fencer sympathized. “To be honest, if I was in your place after one request of keeping it focused on the akuma situation. I would have left if that was ignored. Especially since what you were doing for them was a favor more than anything.”

“I didn’t think about that being an option,” the cat put his head in his hands.

“Leaving is always an option in most cases but not everyone can be able to take it,” she assured him.

“But what about you?” he looked back up. “I’m sure that you aren’t thrilled that your boyfriend is constantly being paired off with another girl by the public.”

“No, I’m not. But I’m not concerned because I trust you. I know you won’t cave into peer pressure to try to make something happen.”

“Of course not, but it got me thinking about what the public thinks about me. How Nadja worded it. Does that mean in everyone else’s eyes I’m just arm candy for Ladybug and nothing else?”

“You know that’s not true. You’re clearly more than that.”

“It seems that the rest of the city thinks differently. I risk my life on almost a daily basis with Ladybug and even missed practice with you today. But it seems that what I’m being reduced to. I’m not going to pretend I wasn’t blatant about my feelings with Ladybug when I had them. But so much has changed since then and unlike most things it’s actually a positive one.”

He entwined his fingers with hers.

“Well based on what I know and what you had told me,” Kagami said. “That image the public supposedly have of you doesn’t match.”

“Tell that to everyone else, according to them I’m just Ladybug’s future boyfriend.”

“Are you sure that you’re the same guy you’ve been telling me about?”

“Huh?”

“What I mean is you told me nearly about what you had gone through as Chat Noir. Things such as sacrificing yourself so Ladybug could go back in time, taking Dark Cupid’s arrow, helping to stop Hawkmoth from launching the world into a nuclear world war. How you are acting right now is making me think that maybe you were a little hyperbolic.”

“Hyperbolic?”

“Yeah you know: exaggerated, embellished, overblown…”

“Overblown!” the cat let go of her hand. “Nothing that I have told you was overblown.”

“Well why should I believe you?” asked the fencer.

“It’s because I would never lie to you about that.”

“I’d rather have another reason besides that.”

“Okay,” Chat Noir sounded agitated. “Maybe because all those things actually happened. That’s one of the reasons why this city is still standing after all this time. Without my help most of my friends would not be here today. Paris would still be underwater. It would be still encased in ice and the majority of the population would still be dark knights. And that is barely scratching the surface. You would still be under Shadow Moth’s control wanting to skew Ladybug and I like kabobs.”

“Oh really why is that?!”

“It’s because along with Ladybug from the start I have tried my best to help the city. I was chosen out of millions of people to make a difference in this world. That I’m making more of an impact than just posing for my father’s fragrance commercials and billboards. Just from Shadow Moth’s existence shows how much damage a miraculous can do when it’s in the wrong hands. That not just anyone can handle this role especially since all physical and mental anguish we had gone through these past couple months. So I really don’t appreciate you or anyone else suggesting otherwise.”

“Good,” Kagami smiled. “Now remember that the next time something or someone makes you think that you’re less than that.”

Chat Noir’s eyes widened with surprise. “Wait a second, did you just trick me?”

“Tricked implies malice. I was just trying to remind you not to base your worth on what some stranger thinks gets views. You would not have said all those things in the heat of the moment unless you believed it deep down. All those things that I agree on.”

“You do?”

“When have I been the type to sugar coat? If I said I agree with something that means I believe in it. Be honest, Chat before that ridiculous interview, did you really care about what someone else’s boss thinks of you.”

“No, not really.”

“Then don’t let anyone put you in a box. So do you feel better?”

“Much better, thanks for putting everything in perspective. But I feel like we were only talking about me. What about you? Is there anything you want to talk about?”

“Actually there is. I finally got over the art block I’ve been having since last week.”

“That’s great as I know that it’s been bothering you.”

“It was frustrating to have so many ideas but lose the ability to make it a reality. Funny enough you helped me break it.”

“I did? How?”

“Remember what you said in the art room earlier this week when I asked you to pose for me?”

“Yeah, it was something along the lines about a lot of writers are often told to write about what they know. So I said to maybe try that kind of thinking with your work.”

“It was mostly because things weren’t clicking for me. So I tried to apply it to my work. I went through the photos I took on my phone. The logic was if I took the picture that meant I knew something about it. Actually it might just be better to show you,” Kagami pulled out her sketchbook from her gym bag. “There’s still some finishing touches that I wanted to do like a little more shading but other than that it’s pretty much done.”

She opened the book before handing it to him to look at. It was a drawing of the both of them smiling as his arm was wrapped around her shoulder. From looking at the drawing he instantly recognized where this was from just from a bit of detail from their outfits.

“This is the selfie we took together before going to the movie premiere, right?”

“It is. I chose it because it’s a moment I remember vividly and all the feelings that have gone along with it.”

“It’s amazing as always.”

“It’s only a hobby. I don’t have any plans to take it too seriously. Since I know my mother wouldn’t consider this as something for the long term. Especially since what she had said before about my drawings.”

“Kagami, you’re clearly talented. I mean look, you even get my nose right,” Chat pointed at the picture.

She laughed, starting to talk about possibly redoing the picture but this time in a watercolor before moving onto landscapes. The cat could see the spark of passion in her eyes. He did not know how to explain it, but seeing that made her even more beautiful in his eyes.

“You know maybe you should join the school’s art club next year,” he said.

“The art club?”

“Yeah, I’m only saying next year because the school year is about to end soon. So they probably aren’t looking for members right now. If you want I could talk to one of my classmates Nathaniel as he’s a part of it. This way you could get some information before making a decision.”

“My mother would be livid if anything interferes with my fencing. The only reason that I haven’t done anything else involving my art is because she thinks it’s just doodles in my sketchbook I do when I’m bored. If I had to make a decision between the two she would make me choose fencing every time.”

“If I remember correctly they only meet once a week and it’s one of the days we don’t have practice. Kagami, it’s clear that you’re talented here. It would be a shame for you not to do more with it. Especially since your first response was what your mother would think instead of what you think. By the way, what do you actually think of the idea?”

“It sounds nice. Especially since when it comes to art it feels like something just for me. That I don’t have my mother’s expectations attached to it compared to everything else. But at the same time I don’t want to cause any more unnecessary conflict with her either.”

“Well for something like this maybe you should. But I wouldn’t call it unnecessary, especially since it’s only one day after school once a week. It’s not like you are telling her that you’re quitting fencing for the rest of your life. It also might look good on applications for university showing you have a diverse skill set. That could be a selling point you could use.”

“You are being really persistent with this. Nathaniel is not paying you for recruiting people right?”

“Oh no you got me figured out. I do actually get fifty euros per person. After this I’m going to get to Nino’s house and give him the exact same speech,” Chat Noir’s tone dripped with sarcasm. “But back to being serious here. I’m being so persistent because I think that this might be something that you would enjoy. It’s still your decision. It’s also because…remember what you told me a few minutes ago. Not to let anyone put you in the box. I think that’s something that we both can work on.”

Her eyes widened if realization had struck her before nodding. “Touchè. I’ll take you up on that offer with the information. You can talk to Nathaniel on Monday.”

A beep sound came from Kagami’s gym bag causing her to pull out her phone and check the screen. “It’s my mother, she must’ve sent it through Tatsu. She said they had to take a different route because of some road construction. But she will be here very soon.”

“I guess I should bring you down now,” Chat stood up and walked toward the ledge.

He pulled out his staff and extended downward to hit the cobblestone below.

Kagami walked over after putting her stuff in the bag. The cat scooped her up just like before and slid down the staff with her like a firefighter. Once the couple reached the ground, Chat Noir released her. He retracted the staff back to travel size length prior to ducking behind the blue dumpster. A flash of green light went off as Adrien came out afterwards.

“Did you think I would let you leave without a goodbye kiss?” he smiled.

She started to approach him when there was a honk from a car’s horn.

“It must be Tatsu,” she froze.

“Wow when your mom said soon she wasn’t kidding,” Adrien frowned. “I guess I should keep you and make her wait.”

“I guess,” she sighed, peering around the corner before spinning on her heel back to him. “You know what? She can wait a moment.”

Kagami moved forward wrapping her arms around him while bringing their lips together into a soft tender kiss. Once it was broken she pulled back. “I’ll see you tonight.”

The fencer walked away wrapping around the building’s corner to leave. Adrien smiled, certain that this was truly how it feels to be loved back.

It made him glad that he finally changed targets.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally a story that wasn’t a Honeybee story some might say. Honestly I’m kinda with you. I hope everyone likes this story especially since it did stray from what I have known for these recent months. Before anyone worries this does not mean that Honeybee stories are done. It’s just this time I wanted to change it up. As while I do enjoy writing Sabrina and giving her more attention than the show might ever will. At the same time I wanted to not limit myself. Kinda like in the movie Encanto with Isabella’s song What Else Can’t I Do? Who also felt like she was limiting herself with her powers.

There will be more Honeybee content in the future. It’s just there’s a few stories I want to work on that doesn’t involve Sabrina in the slightest. You know unless I shoehorn her in. But to be honest I’m actually excited about it. So I hope you like it in the future. Also sorry for the delay but after Sugar Rush I suffered a serious case of writer’s block. I will admit that this post is a little self indulgent as I still personally feel that the show seriously made a mistake not letting these ships actually have screen time as proper couples instead of giving them the Old Yeller treatment. I know that the Love Square is the endgame it’s pretty prevalent in the current episodes.

But I haven’t kept it hidden that don’t mind reading and writing about different ships. At least from a writer’s standpoint, if I can make a couple work, I will try it. If the couple is portrayed in a healthy way in other works. I’m not going to be against it. Especially in fan works, sometimes it seems they can be more creative than the show. Personally I feel like with the right writer any character or group of characters can get a good story.

So hopefully I had succeeded with being entertaining with these stories. Especially since I’ve been pretty rusty when writing romance over here.

This story is also available on Wattpad.

The song this week is a “La Vie En Rose” cover by Annapantsu.

See you next time. 👋

[ratsoh-writes]

What would all the boys do if s/o slapped their ass. UuU

Pfff alrighty *cracks knuckles* let’s do this!!

Under the cut for a few of the horn dogs

Sans: he’ll freeze and his eyelights will go out. When you nervously come closer and asks if he’s ok, sans will whirl around and slap your butt in return. Don’t bother chasing him. He’s already shortcutted away lol

Papyrus: he yelps and will be so scandalized lol. How dare you slap his butt! Well you thought he was scandalized. The booty shorts he wore for the next week straight beg to differ lol. Papyrus will be so sad if you never tap the skelebooty again

Star: with no hesitation, he spins around and slaps a good hand print into your butt. Now you two match lol. Couples who tap the butt together stay together.

Honey: he squeaks in surprise and will back up while holding his rear defensively. But he never tells you to stop. Honey tries slapping you back one day but finds it isn’t for him

Red: instant bedroom eyes. Have fun ;)

Edge: he’s also scandalized, but unlike papyrus who’s too shocked to return it, edge will back SO into a corner and grab a VERY generous handful of their own butt. If you wanna play games, he’ll join you. Be warned

Mal: he LOVED that. Man, mal almost asks you to do it again ;)). You find he wears his ecto around you way more often ;))))))

Cash: he does the most obnoxious hentai moan to freak you out lol

Oak: his eyelights don’t go out, but his red eye does shrink as far as it can go lol. After his shock, oak will sheepishly chuckle and give your bum a firm pat if you let him

Willow: his butt is probably shoulder height to most people so he saw you raise your hand in the air first and caught it before your assault lol. When you explain what you were trying to do, he’s so flustered. So much that he runs away lol

Charm: he also moans obnoxiously loud. Then he asks you to do it again for extra emphasis lol

Sugar: you’re about to take your hand off his butt after the slap, when sugar puts his hand over yours to keep it there ;). If you sure gonna slap his booty, at least appreciate it a little better. He works hard on it!

Lord: he also moans. Then covers his mouth in horror. You broke him lol. Lord is unresponsive. Come back tomorrow

Mutt: “lookin’ for some attention there~?” Oh you’re getting your attention. Mutt is gonna a bruise on each cheek for the booty slap ;)

Wine: he casually stops what he’s doing and turns to you with the calmest pleasant smile. RUN.

Coffee: he squeaks in shock then makes this sort of breathy whine growl before chasing you down. You coffee end up roughhousing until either wine yells at you two to knock it off or you start making out lol

Pop: he also yelps in shock and immediately shortcuts lol. Then you hear that familiar crack noise and pop is back furiously pointing at you. “Y-you! You hit me!! You hit my butt!!”

Rhythm: he only gives a sly smirk and keeps doing whatever he was working on lol. You’ll get a casual pinch later on ;)

Pluto: you only hear a soft eep from him. Then he’s sinking into his hoodie. When you get him to come out, his face will be a dark aqua. So dark that his freckles look light in comparison

Jupiter: he sighs a little in exasperation at first but when he sees that the slap was from you, he’ll perk up and nuzzle your cheek or give a kiss in return. Unfortunately a lot of the gym ladies think it’s ok to tap his butt when he’s trying to do reps. The other jocks do a good job at covering him though

G: harder daddy~!! basically G says the most cringeworthy thing he can think of, then laughs at the look of repulsion on your face

Green: he lets out a soft “oh!” And will turn to give you a half chiding half fond look. He’s trying to be annoyed but can’t really get himself there lol

Peaches: if he was eating something, he’s spat it out lol. Peaches will hiss out whatever pet name he calls you in mock horror. Later in the day you find his hand keeps landing on your rear. he wants to slap back but can’t bring himself to. So he settles for it petting.

Rancher: “YOU DO NOT WANT TO START THIS GAME WITH ME DUCKLING~” you really don’t. Rancher can’t exactly slap your butt back as hard as he wants, so find a much more creative way to get revenge lol

Snipe: he LOVED that lol. Snipe will give that mischievous sultry look that only his SO can ever see. He keeps annoying you all evening in hopes of another pat or something more ;))

Bruiser: you can’t do this to him and not expect to get tapped back. It doesn’t matter how fast you run, bruiser will catch you. And he will slap that *ss

Butch: oh honey. You’re getting pinned to a wall. I’m sorry, no exceptions. Right as you start getting really into the kisses, butch stops and leaves you there all high and dry as revenge for the slap lol

Boss: someone needs to be taught a lesson on manners ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). You’re gonna be sore the next day lol. That’s all I can say

Ace: he bites his lip (lower jawbone?) at you lol. He might wiggle his butt a bit to entice another slap too. You won’t know if ace is actually flirting or just being a goof until you go for it again lol

Slim: he lets out this breathy little whine and look at you with those hopeful eyes. Slim will be devastated if you walk away afterwards. You can’t just give him that attention then leave him here!!

Rust: like red, you’re getting those bedroom eyes lol. Rust is already reaching for a grope

Noir: he’ll take a seat as if he’s trying to steady himself. When you come over in concern, noir suddenly grabs you and pulls you into his lap ;). Hah! Now that you’re caught face his revenge! (Aka kisses)

Lilac: he’s so exited to slap your butt back lol. You can practically see the sparkles in his eyes. Lilac adores it when his SO is playful with him

Basil: he straightens up in surprise but doesn’t squeak like honey. Instead he stares SO down for an almost comical amount of time before smiling and pulling them into a hug. Then pinching their butt hard enough to make them squeak

[miraculouswolf99]

Grand Festival Showdown

The Miraculous gang as Pokemon trainers. All of them are the same, but their dreams have all been modified to include pokemon. Kagami, Kim, Alix, and Ivan are all battlers. Marinette, Adrien, Luka, Nino, Chloe, Nathaniel, and Lila all do contests. Juleka, Rose, and Mylene all do showcases. This all takes place in the Sinnoh Region.

Includes my favorite Lila Salt as well as Alya Salt.

My original characters are included in this story as well. Lyon being a champion grand coordinator, Vallia being a pokemon nurse in training, Apollo is a contest contestant, Mason being a gym leader, and Lena is a friend to the twins.

This is a long one, about 6000 words, so buckle up people.

*****

If there was one thing that Adrien loved, it was competing in pokemon contests. Since his father usually forced him to model for his fashion company, he appreciated the beauty that he saw in the pokemon that his father made matching outfits of for the photoshoots. And from watching the Pokemon League on television, he definitely also knew that they had power. So contests were the perfect blend of how he saw pokemon as the beautiful and powerful creatures that they were.

Not that his father even knew that he participated in them. Gabriel Agreste wanted his son to be a proper heir to Gabriel Pokemon Fashion. And that did not include anything involving contests, battles, or even showcases. He forced him to do all kinds of photoshoots, had him model with humans and pokemon alike, not to mention the fact that he would not have gotten his starter pokemon had he not sneaked out of the house. But he did it anyway, and his adorable Turtwig had managed to evolve into a Torterra.

But if there was one mistake that Gabriel made, it was letting him have lots of privacy. There may be cameras outside his bedroom door, but none inside of his room. That certainly helped when he had to sneak out to meet his friends, capture more pokemon, train his pokemon, or compete in a contest that was nearby. Plus, he also was able to sneak away to contests that were in the same town as a photoshoot that he was doing. He just had to lie and say that he was staying in his hotel room for a few hours. His life may have been mostly controlled, but that did not mean he was not sneaky when he was getting what he wanted.

Since contests were televised, he did have to keep his father from finding out. So he donned a disguise. He became Cat Noir, a mysterious pokemon contest prodigy that no one knew the real name of.

Only three people knew about his second life as Cat Noir. His best friend Kagami, who shared the same type of sheltered life as he did but she preferred battles to contests, and his other two friends Lyon and Marinette. Lyon is one half of a set of twins, his sister currently working under a Nurse Joy in order to become a pokemon doctor, and he was already a top coordinator back in his home region of Kalos. Marinette is a coordinator like him and also came from the Kalos region like Lyon, but she is usually shy and also has desires to become a pokemon fashion designer.

He had met Kagami during one of the social events they were both forced to attend by their parents. They got along great and both had the same desire to be free. If they were in the same town, which happened more often than one would think, they would often use each other as an excuse to sneak away for a gym battle, contest, or training with their pokemon. He met Lyon by chance when he had been training and his Turtwig almost hit the Top Coordinator with a razor leaf gone wild. Lucky for him that Lyon was a lot more down-to-earth than one would expect from a person with as much success as him while he was so young. Marinette, being a fellow coordinator, had been at a contest which she had lost to him. She had seen him take off his Cat Noir mask and recognized him from his father's magazines. She had been a great friend to him and understood why he used the mask.

There were few things that could actually make him smile so carefree other than contests. His constant photoshoots, dealing with stuck-up models, and his seemingly careless father did not make him smile that way. He hated modeling and even though he loved being all the pokemon that he modeled with, he wanted to see pokemon just as free as he wanted to be. He wanted to be famous for working hard like legendary trainers Ash Ketchum, Gary Oak, and Steven Stone. Or coordinators like Fantina, Wallace, and Zoey.

But he was now was at the top pokemon contest of the Sinnoh region. The Grand Festival. He had earned his ribbons and now Cat Noir was at his first Grand Festival. What he looked forward to most of all was that he knew that Kagami was going to be in the audience, Lyon was a special guest, and that Marinette was also competing.

He did not like the idea that he might have to battle his friend at some point, but these things do tend to happen. Especially since he was also aware that other friends of his had also made it to the Grand Festival. They had all attended the same pokemon school before it was time for their journeys to begin. He knew his friends Luka, Nathaniel, and his childhood friend Chloe were also all competing.

So, he was just getting ready backstage before all of them would have their qualifying performances before the battle rounds started. He was in his Grand Festival outfit of a black suit with green details, a black and green coat with a cape-like back, shiny green dress shoes, "cat claw" gloves, his signature cat-eye mask, and fake black cat ears on his head.

"My, my, don't you look fancy," Adrien heard near him.

The model almost jumped out of his skin but calmed down when he saw that it was just Lyon. And from looking at him, he definitely saw why people called him the White Wolf.

Lyon was in an icy outfit that almost gave him the illusion of having his own ice powers. He had on a fancy white vest over a blue short-sleeve silk shirt. It matched the white pants that he wore with his shin-high blue boots. He also wore a white hooded cloak with snowflake designs all over it. On his lower arms were silver arm-band bracelets with snowflake and wolf designs on them. His midnight-black hair also had fake wolf ears in it.

"Oh, Lyon," Adrien let himself breathe again. "For a second, I thought my identity had been discovered."

"Well, you may need to get a little better at hiding when you change," Lyon chuckled. "If you win and become Top Coordinator, the press will be even more ruthless with trying to find out your identity."

"I deal with the press on a regular basis already, Lyon," Adrien reminded him.

"Yeah, but I can tell you from experience that when it comes to being a Top Coordinator, people pay more attention to us," Lyon said.

"Well, I can see why that would happen with you," Adrien not-so-subtly flirted with him.

"Careful, kitty," Lyon teased him. "Wouldn't want the wolf to eat the cat before his big performance."

Adrien chuckled, always having liked how they could always joke around with their chosen performer names of cat and wolf. There were so few people that he could act like himself around and he certainly enjoyed Lyon's company.

"So, you here as just a special guest or also as a surprise judge," Adrien asked him.

"My dear Cat Noir, now that would be telling," Lyon smirked as he teased the teen coordinator.

"Oh, thank Arceus that I found you," they both heard a female voice.

They both turned and saw Marinette running toward them. Lyon recognized her from pictures that Adrien had sent him and of course, Adrien would recognize his best friend even if she was decked out in her Grand Festival dress. Probably a dress of her own design as well.

She was in a beautiful dress that was in a ladybug design with a little pink mixed in. It was a knee-length dress that was mostly red with black spots all over it. Under it was a crinoline that was colored pink that helped her dress by more poofy. The sleeves of her dress were elegant bell sleeves that ended at her elbows and lower arms instead of her wrists. Her hair was also extended and placed into a long ponytail coming from the top of the back of her head with roses tied where the ponytail started. On her feet were red wedge-heel boots that went up to her knees.

"How you can run in those heels is beyond me," Lyon said.

"Especially given that one of the first things that you told me about yourself was that you are extremely clumsy," Adrien added.

"Well, I was running with a purpose," Marinette said.

"That purpose being to find one of us if what you had said means anything," Lyon says.

"It's about Adrien, or rather Cat Noir really," Marinette said.

"Oh, great," Adrien sighed, having expected the fame of his mysterious identity to cause some type of drama at the Grand Festival.

"Do you remember when I was telling you about that liar, Adrien," Marinette asked him.

"Yeah," Adrien nodded. "Lila is what you told me her name was. The girl that lies with every breath she takes and has an ego bigger than a Wailord."

"Well, she somehow got her five ribbons and is going around telling people that she knows who you are," Marinette tells her friend.

"What," Adrien's eyes widen.

"Not just that," Marinette continued. "She is also saying that she is dating you and you're apparently head over heels for her."

Adrien could not help but facepalm when he heard that.

"Here comes the headache that I did not know was going to happen," he groaned.

"Here's some aspirin," Marinette gave Adrien the medicine. "I thought that if the liar managed to get here, I would need some myself. I've already had three headaches because of her. And that is just today."

"Am I missing something," Lyon asked.

"Yes," Adrien said before popping the medicine into his mouth.

Marinette rolled her eyes as she took the liberty of explaining.

"Lila Rossi is a pathological liar that I ran into after I won my first two contests," she says. "At first, I had believed her tall tales until she said that she knew the designer for Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale."

"MDC," Lyon raised an eyebrow. "As such a private designer, I highly doubt that a random girl would know her. Especially if she is bragging about it to anyone that will listen to her."

Marinette nodded. "Exactly. So I then immediately knew that Lila was nothing but a liar. Especially since she said that MDC is a boy when anyone with common sense, and access to the internet, know that MDC's only given clue to who she is that she is a she."

"Yet, people actually believe her," Lyon put a hand on his hip.

"As I said, she is a pathological liar," Marinette says. "One that uses people's knowledge to make her lies sound realistic. Like how my friend Rose is friends with Prince Ali, and my boyfriend Luka is Jagged Stone's son, and even how Adrien is Cat Noir. Lila uses people's own experiences to give her lies credibility. Like a situation of 'if I can know celebrities then so can she."

"Weirdly enough, I can see how that makes sense," Adrien said.

"What can we do about her," Lyon asked. "Can we just have Adrien call her out as Cat Noir?"

"Since Adrien has to keep his identity a secret, she could just pull out another lie about him protecting her or that they got into a fight," Marinette said. "It's how she explained when MDC posted on social media that she had never met Lila before."

"This is gonna be a disaster, isn't it," Adrien guessed. "There is no way someone like how you describe Lila would go down without a fight."

"She may be lying, but won't she lie herself into a corner," Lyon asked. "Especially if 'Cat Noir' actually does enter a relationship."

"The problem is the damage that she can cause along the way," Marinette said.

"Trust me, I was on your train of thought as well until Marinette explained things more to me," Adrien said. "Lila is not just lying about herself, she is also lying about what she can do for others. Saying that she can put a good word in for people to get certain jobs, internships, or futures in careers that they want. When it actually comes time for them to her to fulfill those promises, a lot of people will be met with disappointment. Plus, with her promising these things, they will not apply to other jobs, colleges, or internships on their own. It would take a long time for them to recover from her lies."

"I see," Lyon understood what they meant. "Guess this just gives me more reasons to not come out in public more if I have to deal with people like her."

"She hasn't happened to make any lies about Lyon, has she," Adrien asked Marinette.

"Well, she apparently was trained in the art of contests by Lyon and was supposedly the muse that inspired him to chose his 'White Wolf' look," Marinette said.

"And... now I have a headache," Lyon pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Here you go," Marinette handed the top coordinator some aspirin.

"Thank you," he took it immediately.

Adrien had known Lyon for quite a while now. Lyon had come from a rich family just like he did. But while he had been almost forced to model, Lyon's parents let him choose his own path. He was known for being the youngest ever grand coordinator out there. But since he had met him, Adrien also knew that Lyon generally was very humble and kind, but was basically an ice prince to anyone that tries to use him for their own gain.

So if Lila was not in trouble before, she sure was going to be now that Lyon knew about her lying about him. And that was troubling enough without Lyon's twin sister, Vallia, hearing about this. She might have the nickname of the Flower Princess and might be trying to become a Pokemon doctor, but that did not mean she was not dangerous on the battlefield.

"If she is still telling lies, I am guessing that she still has her regular audience," Adrien looks at Marinette again.

She nodded sadly. "Alya is still her most loyal sheep and there are also a lot of other friends of ours that are under her spell as well."

Lyon looked at the two with a raised eyebrow, silently asking for more details.

"There are times where I can escape photoshoots even if I do not have a contest to sneak off to," Adrien explained. "I would meet up with Marinette as much as I could and she introduced me to a lot of her friends. I have especially gotten along well with Nino, Kim, Juleka, and Marinette's boyfriend Luka."

"And before Lila came along, my friend Alya was my best friend," Marinette said. "I went to our town pokémon school with them before we all started our journeys. But when Lila showed up with all of her tall tales and false promises, they follow her like sheep following their shepherd. Most of my old class is under her spell. Only Adrien, myself, Luka, Kim, Juleka, and our other friends Nathaniel, Marc, and Kagami know that she is nothing but a liar."

"Alya used to be a reporter hopeful," Adrien tells Lyon. "She ran a very popular blog about up-and-coming battlers and coordinators. But then Lila came along with her tales and now most of Alya's blog is about her. She basically takes Lila's words as gospel and attacks anyone that so much as even hints that they think that Lila is anything less than a perfect angel."

"Wow," Lyon gasped. "This girl sounds worse than an angry Darkrai, and you never want to run into one of those."

"Yeah, Lila is a piece of work," Adrien sighed. "She really needs to be silenced before her tales get someone into trouble."

"Yeah," Marinette said. "She has been saying how Jagged Stone wrote a song about her and that Clara Nightingale stole dance moves from her. Those types of lies can ruin their careers."

"Well, I have no secret identity," Lyon says. "She won't be able to lie her way out of me saying that I have no idea who she is."

"Just be careful how you explain how you heard about her lies," Adrien warned him. "Lila has been trying to turn people against Marinette because she knows about her lies. At a few past contests that I had won, I heard a few other coordinators insulting her all because of lies that Lila told about her."

Lyon looked disgusted by the behavior. Coordinators and battlers were both very large families. Yes, there were some bad seeds in each family, but this girl was something way beyond a bad seed. How can one person just be such a selfish liar that she is willing to ruin another person's life just because they did not believe their lies?

But before they could continue their conversation, an announcement was made over the backstage speakers. It was for the coordinators that were competing to get ready since the first round was going to be starting soon.

"Just do your best, you two," Lyon tells them. "And if that liar gives you any trouble, she won't be much of an issue for much longer."

With a "Whoosh" of his cloak, Lyon left to go down the hallway. He had his own business at the Grand Festival that he needed to take care of before he would be able to help his friends.

"He always did like to make dramatic exits," Adrien chuckled.

"I just hope we actually won't have to deal with Lila for much longer," Marinette says.

The two of them went the opposite way down the hall, to the locker room where the contestants have to stay when they are not on stage. Adrien went to the side and leaned against the wall to keep up his appearance of the mysterious and quiet Cat Noir. Looking around the room, he noticed some familiar faces. Like Marinette had gone to stand next to her boyfriend, and fellow coordinator, Luka. There was also her friend Nathaniel and his boyfriend Marc along with her former friend Nino, Alya's boyfriend. Adrien also noticed his childhood friend Chloe as well and, unfortunately, Lila.

Soon, on the screens, appeared Marian, the usual contest announcer for Sinnoh. And from the audience that was seen in the background, Adrien could make out Kagami in the crowd as well as Alya. He was surprised to see Kagami there, but it was a very welcome surprise.

"Welcome, everyone to the beautiful waterside town of Lake Valor for this year's Grand Festival," she announced into her mic, making the crowd cheer. "Sixty talented coordinators from all over the Sinnoh region have joined us here to perform and battle their way into becoming the newest Top Coordinator!"

"And that will be me," was muttered all around the locker room, from confident and cocky contestants.

"Over the next few days, these talents coordinators will perform and battle their way into being named the next Top Coordinator," Marian continued. "The first stage is the Performance Stage, where our contestants will show off the beauty of their pokémon and their moves in double performances. After this stage, we will boil down our contestants to the lucky thirty-two for the Battle Stage where they will fight in double battles to win the chance to be named Top Coordinator."

"We got this, Torterra," Adrien whispered to the Pokeball in his hand.

"And to help us, let me introduce our judges," Marian continued again. "First is the Chief of the Pokémon Activities Committee, our head judge, Mr.Contesta."

"I look forward to watching all these coordinators doing their very best," the judge said as the spotlight shined down on him.

"Next is the President of the Pokémon Fan Club, Mr.Sukiza," Marian introduced.

"Remarkable," the next judge used his catchphrase.

"And, of course, Nurse Joy," Marian announced. "She is a very special guest all the way from the Kanto region."

The spotlight shined down on the pokemon nurse.

"It's an honor to be here and to help judge these amazing contestants, I called my sisters from Pewter City and Cerulean City."

Two more Nurse Joy seemed to materialize from behind her.

"We're very happy to be here," they all said at once.

"And last, but definitely not the least, our guest judge," Marian announces, making the crowd and contestants curious as to who it might be. "He is the youngest ever Top Coordinator of three regions and has graced us with his presence from all the way in Kalos. He's known as the White Wolf, it's Lyon Garden!"

A fourth spotlight shined down and Lyon was presented, making the crowd erupt into cheers.

Adrien was both shocked and not shocked at the same time. He figured that Lyon was here for a reason, but he suspected that it was for a guest performance, not as a judge. But he did smirk as he saw Lila pale a little at the sight of one of the people that she lied about.

"Ladies and gentlemen, coordinators of all ages," Lyon says. "I hope to see plenty of creativity, skill, passion, and most of all, I want to see good sportsmanship. I wish you all the luck in the world, but I will still tell you the cold hard truth about everything you and your pokemon do."

Adrien chuckled under his breath. Lyon would always be Lyon, and that meant that the Ice Prince, which all of their friends called him, would come out every now and again.

"The performance stage will be divided into three separate stages," Marian announced as all three male judges went to a separate stage with one of the Nurse Joy's. "Blue, green, and red. And the performances will be happening simultaneously. Let's get this first round started!"

The crowd cheered. In the locker room, the three first contestants were called out for each of the stages.

Adrien certainly got the meaning of the three stages. It was an extra challenge to be able to do a proper performance when there were two others happening at the same time. It was all about being able to focus on what you were doing and not get overwhelmed.

As the performances started and coordinators showed off their skills, Adrien definitely saw a few that would be his main competition. Such as when Luka took his turn on the blue stage, he did a very enchanting performance with his Sunflora and ghost-type Oricoro. As Marinette has told him, Luka loves music and almost always includes sound in his performances. And as he heard the sound and saw the glowing musical notes of Luka's performance, he knew that boy was going to be a challenging opponent.

There was also Nathaniel and Marc. They worked on a pokemon comic book together, so both of their creative and artistic skills showed in their performances. And it was also an amazing sight to see how Nathaniel had a rare Phione that he paired with his Piplup for his performance was stunning aquatic moves. And Marc was definitely no slouch as he gave an incredible display of nature with his Meganium and Cherubi.

But that was to say that there were not some fails as well.

Sadly, this list of fails included Nino. Adrien might have once called him a friend, but that certainly stopped when the guy started believing Lila's lies about Marinette. And by how badly he failed his performance, Adrien had to guess that Nino had probably taken some of Lila's "advice" about what he should do. It certainly was not a good look to the green stage judges when his Buizel went flying back from a Will-O-Wisp from his Drifblim was too powerful for the combo he was trying to do.

When Marinette got her turn on the red stage, Adrien was proven right when he had guessed that she would do a flawless performance. It was an amazing combination of her icy Amaura with her beautiful Vivillon. Especially when she had beautiful glowing snowflakes falling all over the stage with a combination of icy wind and silver wind followed by a morning sun.

Plus, it was certainly nice to see Lila so angry over Marinette having done nothing wrong in her performance one bit.

But even Adrien had to admit that even though he hated Lila as a person, she did pretty well during her own performance. Sure, her combo moves were a little predictable with the pokemon that she chose, but they still worked out in the end for her. But Adrien had a feeling that like the liar that she was, she was probably just using combo moves that she has seen in the past and using them herself but with different pokemon so that it is not obvious that she is just a copycat.

Then, Cat Noir was called for the blue stage. Adrien took a deep breath as he went out toward the stage. He passed Marinette on his way and she gave him an encouraging hug. He knew that Lyon was the judge for the blue stage along with the main Nurse Joy guest judge from Kanto. But he knew that Lyon would not judge him any easier just because they were friends. If anything, he'd be judged harder since Lyon knows how hard he had trained for this.

"And next on the blue stage is the talk of the Grand Festival," he heard Marian announce. "A masked coordinator that has been taking the contest world by storm. The pokemon contest prodigy himself, Cat Noir."

There was loud cheering as he ran out there and pulled out his pokeballs.

"Torterra, Togekiss, claws out," he threw their pokeballs into the air with his signature catchphrase.

With the star sticker on both the pokeballs, both of the pokemon came out in a swirl of stars. Most would doubt using a pokemon as big and tough-looking as Torterra for the Performance Stage, but Adrien was not most people.

Togekiss lands gracefully on the tree of Torterra's shell. There was a reason why Togekiss were known as some of the most graceful pokemon in the world.

"Togekiss, sky attack. Torterra, leaf storm," Adrien commanded.

Togekiss shined with a white aura as it slowly floated into the air. But at the same time, Torterra's tree let out its storm of leaves and green wind. Since Togekiss was right on the tree, as it flew into the air, the storm swirled around it and followed it. The leaves and window giving off an incredible light that was a result of the combo of the light of the sky attack with the flow of the leaf storm. Togekiss then flew higher into the air.

"Safeguard," Adrien commanded.

Togekiss then unleashed the blue and sea green force field that the protection move grants. It caused the sky attack and the leaf storm to disperse in a gorgeous flash of light.

Lyon and Nurse Joy both looked impressed by how he so effortlessly made a beautiful start to his performance.

"Torterra, sunny day. Togekiss, aerial ace," Adrien commanded.

Torterra's tree glowed with sunlight as it then threw a ball of light into the air. It headed right toward Togekiss as it was surrounded by streams of white energy as it flew around to use its move. The sunny day move was hit by Togekiss, resulting in a bright flash of light.

And the crowd and judges and fellow contestants gasped as Togekiss emerged from the light. The aerial ace and sunny day had merged together and had created a stunning rainbow trail that followed it as it flew around the stage. It was one of the most stunning things ever seen in a contest in ages.

Togekiss then did an aerial twirl before landing right back on Torterra's tree and causing the rainbow trail to burst into rainbow-colored sparkles that fell all over the stage.

Adrien took a bow as his performance ended. The crowd and judges were all on their feet as they gave him a giant round of applause. Lyon caught his eye and gave him a look filled with pride and congratulations.

"I don't think I have ever seen a performance like that," Lyon says, doing his judging. "A true mastery of both the power of a Torterra and the elegance of a Togekiss. Truly the best performance I have seen in a long time."

"It was indeed incredible," Nurse Joy added her judging. "To combine two pokemon so different from each other and making them work in such harmony really is a breathtaking piece of art."

Adrien could not be prouder of himself as he returned Torterra and Togekiss to their pokeballs and then started to walk back to the locker room. He was about halfway there when Marinette basically tackled him with a hug.

"I have never seen anything like that," she practically yelled in excitement. "You're Torterra was so well-trained and Togekiss was beautiful. I will never know where you get your time to train performances like that, but that was so awesome."

Adrien chuckled at the enthusiasm of his friend.

"Thanks, Marinette," he said. "I loved your performance as well. Those snowflakes were such works of art and they were almost like fairies floating around the stage."

Marinette blushed at the compliment.

"Thanks," she smiled. "I knew that ice moves and flying-type moves are usually a good mix, so when you add in the light from the silver wind, it creates the snowflakes."

"I just know that I will see you in the finals," Adrien grinned at her. "I may not want to beat you, but I'm going to."

"In your dreams, kitty," Marinette giggled as she knew that it would be one hell of a showdown.

"Get your hands off of Lila's man, Mari-brat," a female voice was heard.

"And, here we go again," Marinette groaned.

Marinette turned around as Adrien looked at who was yelling. It seems that Alya was as much of Lila's attack Growlith now as she always seems to be since the liar showed up in their lives. And it looked like Lila was fake crying behind her while Nino was trying to comfort her.

"Uh... who are you," Adrien asked.

Now, Adrien had done some voice acting for a few movies that his dad wanted him to do. So, he was a pretty good actor. Adrien might know who Alya is, but Cat Noir has never met her before.

Alya looked at Adrien, smiling at him. But he could still see the rage in her eyes over something that Lila probably lied about. This was probably about the lies about him dating Lila with the liar probably also throwing in some other lies to make Marinette look even worse.

"Oh, I guess Lila never mentioned me," Alya said. "I'm Alya, your girlfriend's best friend."

"Uh... And who is..." Adrien tried to reveal Lila as a liar.

"Oh, don't worry about lying to protect her," Alya interrupted him, proving that they were right about how Lila would lie her way out of Cat Noir saying that he did not know her. "But I should warn you that this girl that you're talking to is nothing but a giant bully."

"Excuse me," Adrien had to stop himself from snapping at Marinette's former best friend.

"She is nothing but a bully, liar, and cheat," Alya glared at Marinette. "She is always bullying Lila and trying to steal her pokemon. She always calls Lila a liar when she is no such thing. Plus, she drugs all her pokemon to make sure her performances are good. Plus, she steals Lila's contest ideas. So, get your hands off of Lila's boyfriend, Mari-brat."

"You know, Luka used to tell me that you're heart song screamed that you were a bad friend," Marinette crossed her arms. "I did not believe him, but I will never doubt him ever again since you have ditched me for a liar."

"SEE," Alya yelled as she looked at Adrien and pointed at Marinette as if she had just been proven right. "She just called Lila a liar. She is a total bully."

"Well, she obviously is..." Adrien was interrupted again but by a different person this time.

"Hello, kitty," Lyon says as he approached the group.

"Wolfie," Adrien was immediately back in a good mood as he saw his friend.

"I have a reward for you for such an incredible performance," Lyon said.

Before Adrien could ask, he was suddenly kissed by Lyon. But the shock soon wore off as he melted into the kiss.

Marinette looked ready to burst in excitement as her ship has finally sailed. But she did now owe Luka a batch of his favorite caramel and chocolate scones since he had bet her that the two would get together at the Grand Festival while she thought it would happen after it. But she did not care.

Alya looked ready to burst in anger. Lila looked like she wanted to either cry more fake tears or just throw a monster tantrum. Nino just stood there with his mouth hanging open.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF ARCEUS ARE YOU DOING," Alya screamed.

That made them break apart from the kiss. But Lyon just put his arm around Adrien's waist.

"I believe that I was kissing my boyfriend," Lyon said. "We've had to keep it secret because of the media, but we've been together a few months."

Adrien and Marinette both knew that he was lying, but they did not care. Besides, this was to both expose Lila and have an excuse to start dating.

"You've been cheating on your girlfriend for that long," Alya continued to scream.

Lila then chose to speak up, also choosing to fake cry.

"How could you do this to be, Noir," she cried to fake tears.

"Oh, so this is the girl that you were warning me about, Marinette," Adrien decided to join Lyon in his act. "The one that was going around and saying that I was dating her?"

"Yep, that's her," Marinette played along as well.

"Well, then," Adrien started, facing Alya. "As I was about to tell you, I do not have a girlfriend. I never have and I never will. As you can plainly see, I am gay and I have a wonderful boyfriend."

"Lila is not a liar," Alya continued to scream. "You're just a cheater that is trying to make her look bad."

"Wow, this girl is a piece of work," Lyon rolled his eyes.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Alya yelled at Lyon. "She was the one that gave you the inspiration to be the White Wolf and you trained her to be a coordinator. How could you betray her like this?!?"

"Her? Inspire me? As if," Lyon gave Alya an icy glare. "This is the first day that I have ever met this girl. I became the White Wolf because my sister used to call me a wolf because of how loyal I am to my friends and family. They also all call me the Ice Prince, so White Wolf was born out of my two childhood nicknames."

"You need better friends since Marinette is most definitely is right," Adrien said. "This Lila girl is, most definitely, nothing but a liar."

"Let's go before our IQ gets any lower from being around a liar and her loyal sheep," Lyon held Adrien's hand as the three of them left. "And if someone is accusing you of drugging your pokemon, Marinette, I will lend you my family lawyers to sue that liar for slander."

Marinette wanted to laugh so hard as she saw the look of horror on Lila's face as they passed. She did start laughing once they were out of earshot.

"This is turning into the best day of my life," Marinette looked so happy.

"You're welcome," Lyon smirked.

"Won't you now get accused of favoritism when Lila will probably spread that you two are 'together' as revenge," Marinette asked Lyon.

"Everyone saw Adrien's performance, so I doubt that will happen," Lyon was confident.

"Okay," Marinette accepted that. "Also, it is about time you two got together. Adrien's had a crush on you forever."

"MARINETTE," Adrien yelled as he blushed.

All Marinette did in response was smirk and giggle.

[justcourttee]

Love, Right?

This was an ask from AO3, but I loved it so much and wanted to post it here too.

vasiliassuns asked: aaaaa!! i love all these one shots so much:)! would it be any trouble to ask for the waynes (minus alfred, he knows all) being in paris to research ladybug and accidentally see marinette transform before watching her whoop ass? (i know theres a lot of fics with this in the damianette tag, but aa!! such a good trope,,,and your writing is awesome.) its totally cool if not! i also wanna add that im super excited for the next chapter:) seriously tho your writing is awesome and i adore it

If you had told Damian Al Ghul Wayne that he would discover the love of his life in a shotty alleyway in Paris, France, he would’ve laughed in your face.

Yet there he was, his heart racing a million times a minute as he watched her swing into action sending the akumatized person sailing with a solid kick to their chest.

‘Flawless Execution, I couldn’t have done it better myself.’

Damian ignored the crowds pushing against him trying to take cover in the nearest shelter. He knew that by now his family would’ve seen his transmission from the camera contacts that Barbara had provided them before leaving Gotham. They would also be racing toward the battle hoping to catch a glimpse of how these victims communicated with the notorious Hawkmoth.

He turned the corner colliding into three other rushing bodies.

They all fell to the ground with a groan, each holding their own heads with equal scowls directed at the others. Damian was the first to find his feet as he crossed her arms, glaring down on his mess of brothers. Three voices filled the alleyway simultaneously, all as panicked at the other.

“Damian was that the coffee goddess-”

“Damian was that the flying angel from the acrobat gym-”

“Damian was that your girlfriend-”

Everyone silenced as their gazes shifted to where Jason stood. He only shrugged his shoulders in response, that familiar smirk pulling at his lips.

“She’s not my girlfriend Todd.” Damian tried to say it with the straightest face he could manage but he could do nothing to hide the red that had crept up his cheeks.

“Well, whatever she is doesn’t matter. What does matter is that the flying angel is Ladybug! That information would’ve been helpful earlier. We were already hanging out in civilian form, I mean, we could’ve been having our top-secret meetings without the masks!”

“Dick, some of us care about our secret identities unlike you.”

Dick pouted as Tim elbowed his side.

“All I’m saying is that if she can trust me to catch her 40 feet above the ground, then she should be able to trust me with her secret identity.”

“It’s not like she knows our identity’s Richard.” Damian narrowed his eyes at the older boy essentially silencing his continuous whining. “Besides, she probably didn’t want to harm us. If we showed care for her superheroine side, then Hawkmoth could try to attack us to get to her.”

Jason flailed his hand around mocking Damian’s speech behind his head earning a giggle from the others. Damian’s whole face flushed red as he tried to count backward from 10 to avoid killing Jason.

A blur of red landed in front of him, her slightly flushed face staring above them, as determined as ever.

“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”

Her eyes darted down to meet his, a slightly surprised look crossing her face.

“Gentlemen, please return to the shelter. It’s not safe right now.”

The boys stared at each other, calculating their best chances of regrouping if they split now. She swung off before she heard their answer shielding them from the oncoming blow. Damian wanted to rush to her side and help her back to her feet but it wasn’t the right moment.

As they made their way back toward the shelter, Damian’s mind was racing a million times a minute.

The quiet girl with a load of sass who helped him study French couldn’t be the bold superheroine who fought crime on a daily basis right? It seemed illogical.

Yet the more he thought about it, the more he could see it. The way she stood up in class to Chloe and Lila whenever they attacked him, the way she could maneuver around every situation within mere seconds of seeing how it would play out, the way those same blue eyes would shine with determination when she knew she was the smartest one in the room and was only being challenged to prove it.

“I’m so stupid.”

“Wait, can you say that again? I wanna make it my ringtone.”

Damian stuck his foot out as he skidded to a stop taking joy in seeing Todd tumble to the ground, a satisfying rip coming from his new leather jacket.

“Ah, c’mon man, it was just a joke!”

A small scream of terror caught their attention. A girl stood in the middle of the cobblestone, clinging to a stuffed bear, the Akuma looming over her as if ready to strike. Damian knew he couldn’t make it quick enough, but damn if he wasn’t going to try.

The Akuma's hand came down before he had even moved an inch, a sickening smack turning Damian’s stomach. As the dust cleared, Damian raced forward, intent on beheading any man who dared to lay hands on a child so small, but the Akuma was nowhere in sight.

The only thing that was left was a breathless Ladybug, dropped to her knees in front of the small girl, a white butterfly fluttering into the sky.

“Mar-Ladybug!”

Her head perked up at the sound of Damian’s voice as he fell beside her, checking her over for any injuries.

“I’m fine Damian, please, check on the girl.”

As if Damian needed any more confirmation that Ladybug was Marinette. Here she was not even denying that she knew him in that cute stammering manner she did. With a small nod, he turned to check over the girl, making sure the Akuma hadn’t bruised her.

Beside him, Ladybug stumbled to her feet throwing her Miraculous Cure into the air. Instantly, Damian noticed all the damage disappearing under the blinding lights as if the battle had never happened in the first place. He wanted to ask her how the magic behind it worked, but the sound of a shout cut him off.

“Oi! Get back here you little brat! I’m not done teaching you a lesson for eating my food!”

Instantly the girl in his arms became smaller. Ladybug noticed it as well as her eyes hardened, almost daring the man to take a step forward.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to stop right there. You were just a victim of Hawkmoth’s powers and need to be checked over by Chat Noir.”

The blonde hero nodded warily as if ready to attack from behind if things went south.

“I ain’t doing any of that. This child right here is mine and needs to be taught a lesson one way or another.”

Ladybug glanced behind her at the small girl’s silent tears as she clung to Damian’s arms as if they were her lifeline.

“You will be doing no such thing. In fact, by the end of today, she will no longer be your child. I suggest you leave now sir, I wouldn’t want things to get ugly.”

The man had the audacity to laugh. It fueled the rage inside Damian, but he refused to let go of the girl. He feared that if he did, she would run.

“What are you gonna do? You superheroes can’t touch me if I’m not akumatized.”

In a flash, he lunged forward. Ladybug wasn’t even fazed as she sidestepped him, pushing his head down into the cobblestone below. It was only one blow, but he was out cold, a small split on his forehead.

Damian couldn’t help the way his jaw hung.

“Medic, he’s going to need stitches. Sir,” Damian shook the shock from his face as he met her eyes. “This child seems to have taken a liking to you, would you mind taking her to the police station for me? Tell them I will be there soon to make my report and check on her.”

Damian nodded, unable to find his voice as those intimidating eyes stared down into his.

“And one more thing, I’ll be checking in with you later as well. It seems we have much to talk about little bird.”

Damian’s entire face flushed red as she swung off with her partner, his eyes never leaving her figure until she was out of sight. The sound of pounding feet on the pavement brought him back to reality as his brother’s skidded in front of him, their faces as impressed as his.

“Hey Damian, this is your fair warning. If you don’t date her, I might.”

“Ditto.”

“Me three.”

Damian stumbled over his denial as he watched his brother’s burst into laughter. Dick gathered the young girl from his arms, cooing at her until she was calm once more, allowing him to finally stand.

“You all are not worthy of her, only I am.”

Jason crossed his arms mocking Damian’s half pout as he and Tim shared another laugh at the murderous look in his eyes. He could care less what these imbeciles thought, the only thing that mattered was what she did.

And he couldn’t wait to find out.

Permanent Tag List:

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[thr-333]

Drastic Measures- Part 13

@daminette-december2019-2020

~Trapped~

This is gonna be fun!

Ao3

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“Adrien I can't go down for breakfast,” Marinette hides under the blankets.

“Yes you can,” Adrien gives up tugging on the blankets and jumps on top of her.

“But Damian-” Marinette groans partly at his weight on top of her.

“Has no idea your Ladybug and moreover doesn't know your soulmate is Robin, and it doesn't mean you can’t like him so get up and come to breakfast,”

“Stop being reasonable and helpful,” Marinette pushes him off, getting up herself.

“I’ll try my best, now come on let's go,” Marinette sulks as she follows him downstairs, basically having to be pushed into the dining room.

“Is something wrong Marinette?” Dick asks, by now Marinette has labeled him the only one in the family not in denial that feelings exist.

“She’s just tired,” Adrien says for her when she can’t bring herself to answer, still sulking as she takes a seat, “Say I was looking around, why is there an entire circus set up in the gym?”

“Oh, I used to be an acrobat,” That interesting little revelation is cut short by an all too familiar feeling.

“Really? That's so-”

“Hey, Adrien I just remembered the thing we had to do today,”

“The thing?” Marinette gives him a sharp look and his face lights up with realization, “Oh right! The thing, can’t go forgetting the thing, bye!”

 ---

 “Sooo that was suspicious,” Dick muses as the two practically sprint out of the room.

“Put your masks on, we’re following them,” Bruce orders, they haven’t yet forgotten she’s the daughter of an assassin.

They head down the cave to gear up, following the tracking device on Marinette’s bike. However, when they reach it the bike is unattended and the two aren’t anywhere in sight. They hear a commotion nearby moving to check it out.

“It’s another Akuma attack,” Dick reports Ladybug and Chat Noir already on the scene.

“Oh my god,” Tim gasps, “Marinette's Hawkmoth!”

“Hawkmoths a man,” Red Hood deadpans, they would just ignore it if Tim’s sleep-deprived revelations weren’t right more often than not.

“Fine then she’s Mayura,” Tim waves them off, “Adrien’s hawkmoth,”

“What are you talking about?” Robin snaps, watching the battle below, anyone the Akuma hit’s disappearing.

“They leave and then there's an Akuma attack, they showed up just as Ladybug and Chat Noir did to stop Hawkmoth,” Tim rambles, “It’s all highly suspicious,”

“I’ve looked through the files, neither have been akumatized,” Batman adds, evidence stacking, “And their class was an Akuma hot spot,”

“Oh my god,” Dicks realization mirrors Tim’s, “Marinette's hawkmoth,”

“Again, Marinette would be Mayura,” Tim corrects.

“We need to tell Ladybug about this,” Robin decides dropping down onto the street.

“Hey, Robin here to help? Could you go around their left it’s a blind spot and we need to grab- are you listening?” Ladybug turns to him, simultaneously deflecting a blast lucky charm in one hand.

“Ladybug there's something I need to tell you,” Robin hesitates Marinette truly didn’t seem like the type but Ladybug has been fighting Hawkmoth for years if there's even a slight chance Marinette is Hawkmoth Ladybug has to know.

“If this is about yesterday now’s not really the time,” Ladybug says with a cold fed up tone that honestly takes Damian off guard, “It didn’t mean anything,”

“It’s no- what do you mean didn’t mean anything,” Robin gets sidetracked from his point, dodging a blast getting further from Ladybug.

“Soul mates they aren’t romantic or even involved so it doesn't mean anything,” She dodges another blast, Chat Noir getting thrown around somewhere, “I really need you to go around their left,”

“But they are real,” Damian clings to that fact and stays by her side. “And you are my soul mate,”

“Well yes but-”

“Ladybug!” Chat calls, tangled up in washing lines with the Akuma advancing.

“In a minute!” She shouts, fully turning towards Robin now.

“Ok I’ll just hang out then,” Chat swings gently in the wind.

“Really the only way a soul mate affects you is if they die,” Damian's stomach churns, “And still even when that happens the effects are minimal if there is little connection, so we should probably just leave each other alone,”

Robin is frozen as Ladybug moves too late to save Chat from the blast, when the light is gone he has disappeared.

“What are you- I’m not going to just ignore this!” He snaps, Ladybug comes back glaring at him.

“Well I am, I have worked too long and too hard trying to beat Hawkmoth to risk it all for someone I don’t even know wearing a mask,” Ladybug is glowering at him, glowing red eyes brutally honest and true, “I’ve put everything else in my life aside to defeat Hawkmoth, don't think I have a problem putting you aside too,”

“You can’t just- I know who Hawkmoth is!” Robin shouts as she goes to leave, sure she won't come back to him if she leaves.

“What?!” It’s then the rest of his family come to join them, Nightwing pulling Ladybug out of the way of another blast, “Who?!”

“Marinette Dupain-cheng,”

“WHAT?!”

“Again Marinette would be-” Tim doesn't get to finish as they all get hit by a blast.

Light envelopes them all, there is no pain which is either a good sign or a very bad sign. When Robin opens his eyes they are all standing in a stark white container of sorts. Chat Noir is there giving him a wave as they all regain their bearings.

“Why? Why would you think Marinette is Hawkmoth?” Ladybug asks, Chat Noir bursts out laughing for some reason.

“Actually we think she’s Mayura,” Tim supplies, “Adrien Agreste is Hawkmoth,”

“What?!” Chat Noir stands up, enough room for them all to face each other.

“Marinette isn’t Hawkmoth,” Ladybug pinches the bridge of her nose still holding a lucky charm going to waste.

“She’s- I give up,” Tim throws his hands up turning towards the wall in search of a way to get out.

“How do you know!?” Damian snaps, anger and betrayal still clawing at his insides.

“I just do!” Ladybug yells back volume increasing, Chat Noir tries to get her attention but no one is getting through to either of them.

“You trust her more than me?” Damian isn’t sure why he says it, just that he’s angry enough he doesn't care.

“Uh yeah, substantially more,” Ladybug crosses her arms a smug smile on her face, Robin bristles ready to change that.

“She ran away to Gotham as Hawkmoth arrived, she’s never been akumatized even after her class was specifically targeted! Shes the daughter of an infamous assassin!” Robins practically screaming at this point, everyone giving them as much space as possible, “How can she not be Hawkmoth!”

“She’s just not!” Ladybugs earrings beep, Chat now desperately trying to get her attention.

“If she’s not Hawkmoth that means-” Damian cuts himself off reframing all the evidence, conversations rushing back to him all at once, “Marinette?”

“No,” The earring beeps for the last time, transformation falling to reveal Marinette, “Wow great timing Tikki,”

“I’m sorry,” A little red bug thing lands in Marinette's open hands, the lucky charm is gone now.

“Don't be, more importantly,” Marinette turns to Damian glaring something fierce, “How do you know who I am?”

“You’re… Ladybug?” Robin says quietly still trying to process… everything.

“Does that mean Chat Noir’s Adrien?” Dick interrupts.

Damian's still playing catch up. Marinette's Ladybug and Ladybug is Marinette. Ladybug who protects Gotham. Marinette who left her family to be Ladybug. Ladybug who he had been talking to every night. Marinette who he spent every day with.

“How do you know that!?” Chat Noir, no, Adrien shouts.

“That's strictly-” Ladybug always seemed so strong with the mask Robin figured she was someone amazing outside of it. And he was right. Marinette was kind and smart, gave her all to a pet store branch Damian would have otherwise made someone else's responsibility. She left her family, never telling anyone she was Ladybug. It would have been so hard. And now she had been forced to reveal her identity to them, it wasn't fair she deserved… “ROBIN!”

Damian snapped back to reality, in one hand he had his domino mask and his face was bare. On one side was his father looking furious and the other side was…. Marinettte.

“Damian?” Marinette asks, they stare at each other until Marinette lets out a small giggle, Damian huffs in amusement too.

“Why would you ever-”

“Mr Wayne?” Marinette cuts off Batman's rant, her revelation not really helping things.

“You have compromised everyone’s identity,” Batman growls from his look Damian realizes he really messed up.

“She revealed hers,” He tries to defend, "And many heroes already know,"

“You can’t-”

“How about we save this until after we escape?” Marinette cuts in transforming back to Ladybug, so clearly the same person now just with different eyes and hair, “Adrien?”

Chat Noir uses his cataclysm to escape the container, it breaking their little piece of reality and sending them back in a flash of light. He has to run off before his transformation falls leaving the rest to the tense bat fam to help Ladybug out. It was easy to defeat the Akuma from there. Although they may have been stalling somewhat. No one particularly wanting to face Batman's wrath. Hawkmoth was preferable.

--------

No taglist :P

[kittinoir]

Phantoms Ch. 12

Read on Ao3

Adrien couldn’t think of a single place he wouldn’t rather be than anywhere else at that particular moment. He’d even trade places with Chloe, wherever she was, if it meant he could get out of this particular date.

Unfortunately, no switch - or miraculous rescue - was likely to take place.

It didn’t help that he’d just spent the majority of his afternoon with Lila’s nearly-naked body pressed skin-to-skin against his - the unfortunate reality of his father’s new swimwear line - while the rest of the team fleshed out their plan. He wasn’t ignorant to the fact that Lila had pushed nearly every advantage the skimpy clothing had given her, as much as he’d pretended to be oblivious.

But all Adrien had truly felt was frustrated; Lila was the last person he wanted to be around.

Pair it all with the fact that in a couple hours he and his friends would be infiltrating his fathers’ very private study, and all Adrien wanted to do was disappear into his four-nozzle shower until the steam melted him straight down the drain.

Things had slightly improved, at least: he was fully dressed now in a suit from his father’s last collection, still new enough to be considered on trend. Even as Adrien admired the fabric, he couldn’t stop the image of Marinette in a matching gown from entering unbidden into his mind. It would have been midnight blue and covered in a thousand little crystals that shimmered when she moved. She would have looked like magic and he would have been the luckiest man in the room.

But he’d never see her in that dress. She wasn’t his date tonight. If it was any consolation, he was willing to bet she was about as excited with her date as he was with his. Felix’s mouth had positively puckered when he’d discovered his part in their plan; it would have been funny if there had been anything remotely humorous about the situation.

But it was hard to laugh at much of anything when you might be sharing a home with a super villain.

“I’ll go over there right now,” Plagg had declared, half way through the wall of the fencing gym where ‘Adrien’ was supposed to have been that morning while Chat Noir patrolled. “I’ll prove it. I’ll sort this out, once and for all!”

But Adrien had stopped him. He couldn’t say it was truly for any one reason. At first he’d been erring on the side of caution: Adrien’s schedule was booked and he wasn’t due to return home until he arrived at the gala that night. He couldn’t be kwami-less if there was an akuma attack.

Then it had come down to practicality: if Adrien knew, he wasn’t going to just wait to pull off their plan. He’d cataclysm right through the floor. And unfortunately, the reckless part of him knew he wouldn’t tell Marinette about it, either, because she would try to stop him - and she’d be right. They needed the little time they had to plan.

But hours later, the waiting felt unbearable. Marinette had called with the details on his too-brief lunch break. It was simple - almost too simple. It required him to do the impossible: disappear in a crowd. Now Adrien’s skin itched with the pent-up adrenaline trying to burn through his system, begging for action.

“You ready, kid?” Plagg asked, drifting up over Adrien’s shoulder. Several empty camembert packages lay discarded on the couch in Adrien’s trailer.

“How does anyone prepare themselves for the fact that their dad might be the monster that’s been terrorizing all of Paris for over a year?” Adrien said instead. He wasn’t even being sarcastic, he genuinely wanted to know. Who could possibly come out of that kind of trauma unscathed? He doubted even Marinette’s magical ladybugs could fix that kind of damage.

“…I’m here for you,” Plagg said, unable to meet Adrien’s eyes in the mirror as he made the gesture. “You’re the best owner I’ve ever had. I won’t let you go through this alone.”

“You think it’s him?” As much as the facts lined up, as much as they always had, Adrien had never been able to let go of the hope that it was all one big coincidence. After all, what were the odds Master Fu would hand one of the most powerful Miraculous to Hawk Moth’s own son?

“I think even if it’s not, you’re going to have a hard time reconciling the fact that you thought he could be,” Plagg admitted as he came to rest on Adrien’s shoulder. “Don’t shut your friends out, Adrien. That’s how you spent months looking for her in the first place.”

Adrien blew out a hard breath, turning from the mirror. As usual, Plagg had no issue bringing up the one thing he didn’t want to acknowledge.

“I don’t know how to share this,” Adrien said as he reached for his blazer. “Because if I do, then that means that it’s all - ”

Real.

Even then, he couldn’t admit it. Not until he was sure.

“Lets get through this party first,” Plagg suggested, disappearing into the blazer pocket as Adrien slipped it on. “No point in unwrapping cheese you can’t finish.”

Adrien finally cracked a smile at that, but it died quickly as a knock came at the door.

He knew what he would find when he opened it, but that didn’t make it any easier to see Lila standing on the other side in a gorgeous red gown.

“Wow, Adrien, you look amazing,” she cooed, leaning in to run one gloved hand down his sleeve. “I wish I’d known which suit you were going to pick.” She pouted. “I would have dressed to match.”

He doubted it; the only way Lila dressed was to kill.

“Sorry,” Adrien said, begrudgingly offering her his arm. “My father chose it. I didn’t know which one it was going to be until after the shoot today.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Lila said, waving away his comment as they made their way to the car waiting for them out front. “We still make a stunning couple.”

He didn’t bother to correct her. She always insisted it was just a figure of speech or a slip of the tongue. If she wanted to live in her own fantasy, he wasn’t going to waste his time correcting her.

And yet, he found himself oddly grateful for her incessant chatter as they headed to his fathers’ fundraiser. Anything was a welcome distraction from what he was about to do.

“Ooh, look at the press, Adrien!”

The car ride hadn’t felt that long, but sure enough, she was right - they were already pulling up outside his home.

The normally stoic Agreste mansion was nearly unrecognizable. Enormous floodlights had been erected strategically around the house, and as Lila had already noted, piles of paparazzi were spilling out of the for-once-open gates. The sight of his fathers’ car had whipped them into a frenzy.

Alright then. Showtime.

Adrien waited until his bodyguard made it around the car and opened the door for them before alighting from the car. The man his mother had raised him to be made him wait for Lila, even going so far as to hold a hand out to help her from the car. Shame nudged him as she stepped smiling and waving onto the deep green carpet that led to the front door; she had her faults, but she wasn’t an evil person. He was upset with his father’s contracts more than anything. As frustrated as he might be, he didn’t want to embarrass her in front of these reporters. No one deserved that.

So he held out an elbow for her and smiled back as she took it, holding it even as a dozen flashbulbs went of in their faces.

As far as press lines went, it wasn’t the most painful one Adrien had experienced. Thankfully contractual obligations kept the reporters focused mostly on the fundraiser they were there to support, though every now and then they couldn’t help but to ask them if Paris’s heartthrob was locked up at last. Those questions Adrien was always quick to answer. The one time he wasn’t, Lila made a comment that implied if they weren’t yet, they would be, soon. It became a little difficult to maintain his generosity of spirit after that.

They’d nearly made it to the front doors when the flashbulbs erupted again.

Both he and Lila paused to see what the commotion was about, and Adrien felt his heart stop altogether.

She was so much more beautiful than he’d imagined she would be, but that was to be expected; he never could do her justice. She’d worn her hair down for once, a pink ribbon the same colour as her dress woven through the strands.

At that moment, he could have kicked himself. Contractual obligations be damned; he’d been stupid not to cease this opportunity with Marinette. He’d have done anything to be the one escorting her that night.

And just as suddenly, he realized he didn’t want to shut her out. Through the bad, maybe horrific things, for the good, possibly amazing things, he wanted to share it all with her. God, he couldn’t think of a single thing more beautiful than sharing a life with her. Even this night, this impossible evening, with the wrong girl on his arm and his father on the other side of the door, even if it made it all real…because it could be real.

“Adrien.”

Lila’s hiss drew him from his stupor, and Adrien abruptly realized that despite his best intentions, he’d likely embarrassed Lila anyway. He wasn’t actually sure how long he’d been staring after Marinette, but she and Felix had certainly drawn a great deal closer.

“Shall we?” he offered. He wouldn’t insult her further by apologizing; they both knew he wasn’t sorry.

“Of course,” Lila said. Her tone was sweet, but it set Adrien on edge. It was then he realized that Lila was now staring at Marinette, though she allowed herself to be guided through the doors.

“You didn’t say she was going to be here,” Lila snarled once they were inside.

“I didn’t realize you were supposed to approve the guest list,” Adrien said. “Regardless, I can’t control who my cousin chooses to bring as his plus one.”

Lila’s eyebrows rose. “Felix? She’s here with Felix?”

“She’s not here with me,” Adrien said. Regrettably. Stupidly. Pridefully.

That seemed to placate her. “That must be tough,” Lila guessed with empty empathy, leaning her head on Adrien’s shoulder as they entered the ballroom. The space had always seemed to Adrien to be nothing more than an embarrassment of riches. No one had balls anymore, and if they did, the Agreste’s wouldn’t. Still, his father had insisted it was historical and had had it restored with the rest of the home before they’d moved there. Regardless, it seemed to be the perfect place to hold that nights’ function.

“Father’s outdone himself,” Adrien said as they took in the crowded room, choosing not to follow Lila’s particular line of conversation.

“It’s spectacular,” Lila agreed.

Roses from their own garden had been woven in among some very realistic looking ivy that twined around the many pillars around the edge of the room. Mannequins displaying the pieces to be bid on were set between them. A string quartet was playing something jazzy in the corner, and several waiters were making rounds of the room with trays of champagne and h’ours d’oeuvres.

“Shall we?” Adrien asked, nodding to the floor where several couples were already dancing.

“Absolutely!”

Adrien let Lila pull him onto the floor and into a dance, even if she was closer than he strictly wanted her to be. The only person he’d ever danced this closely with before was -

He didn’t finish the thought. He couldn’t afford the distraction. It was nearly time; the only person they were waiting on now was Kagami.

“This is so nice, Adrien,” Lila murmured as they turned. “We’re perfect. Why won’t you - ”

“Don’t, Lila,” Adrien said, bringing them to a stop. “All we are is friends. All we will ever be is friends. And if you can’t respect that, all we will be is co-workers.”

Lila scoffed. “She’s here with another guy and still you won’t - ”

“Enough!” Adrien took a step back, until her hands slid off his shoulders. “This isn’t about her. It’s about me. And the truth is, she could tell me she hates me and I would still feel how I feel. You’re done. After tonight, consider yourself relieved of your duties. You don’t work for my father anymore.”

She looked as though he’d struck her, and some distant part of Adrien dimly thought that if he’d been trying not to embarrass her, firing her in the middle of his father’s fundraiser was probably not the best way to go about it.

“You…can’t,” she sputtered. “You can’t do that.”

“You’re right,” Adrien admitted, but Lila’s relief was fleeting. “But my father can, and he will once he hears about how unprofessional you’ve been.”

He almost wanted to laugh. He doubted neither he nor Lila would have much of a job after that night if they were right, but he wasn’t going to put up with this. Not anymore. He should have realized a long time ago she would never stop.

“Please, Adrien,” Lila said, latching onto his arm. “Don’t do this. I’m…I’m sorry, it won’t happen again, I - ”

The stupid thing was, he wanted to believe her. He wanted to give her another chance.

But he could still feel the press of her skin against his, and he knew he was out of chances to give.

“I’m sorry, Lila,” Adrien said. “You’ve left me no choice. Excuse me.”

He stepped out of her grasp a second time, and this time he didn’t stop walking until he’d made his way to the secluded table in a shadowed corner where non-alcoholic beverages were being served. He poured himself a drink, then another. He was almost to the bottom when Kagami finally slipped in with Max on her arm. He watched as she made eye contact with Marinette, then sought him out. He stepped forward into the light and caught her gaze moments later. A nearly imperceptible nod was all the indication she gave - and all they needed.

Adrien watched as Felix and Marinette left the room first, seeming to all the world like just another couple interested in exploring the house. His heart pounded, begging him to follow, but instead Adrien turned back to the remaining guests, counting down the ten minutes until he was supposed to leave as well. That was how long he’d estimated it would have taken him to extricate himself from his date; he hadn’t been planning on efficiency.

It felt like hours before the ten minutes was up, but when it was, Adrien gave one more cursory glance to the ballroom, scanning the faces for prying eyes. Lila had apparently thrown herself into the arms of the first person to show interest and seemed bent on illustrating, most likely to him, what a great time she was having without him. Still, he took a roundabout way through the room and exited through the gardens, as though he were simply looking for some fresh air. He wasn’t so naive to think she’d let his sleight go without an attempt reconciliation - or revenge.

Adrien made his way slowly through the gardens, looking for all the world as though he was simply enjoying the evening. At least he hoped he did. Even his acting skills were stretched to the breaking point against the torrent pouring through his head. It was wordless at least, but it blocked out everything else but this single task ahead of them.

Too soon and not quick enough, Adrien found himself in front of the doors to his father’s study. He didn’t give himself time to linger; the last thing he needed was to be spotted outside the doors. Normally they’d be locked, but Felix was supposed to have rectified that.

He knocked once, then twice, their simple signal that it was a team member and not a staff member, before twisting the long handle. The door gave without protest and he slipped inside.

“You’re late,” Felix said without looking up. He was kneeling on the floor behind Gabriel’s desk, running his finger along the carpet. He’d found the seam of the hatch, Adrien realized. Neither he nor Marinette had transformed yet, relying on the excuse of two kids overextending their welcome versus two superheroes actively breaking into Gabriel’s office should they be discovered.

“Did you have trouble?” Marinette asked. She seemed relaxed, but her eyes guttered - or were those just the shadows in the dark office?

“Took the long way around,” Adrien explained, calling on Chat Noir’s transformation before crossing to Felix. Chat Noir’s night vision would be more helpful than his ordinary eyes. “Found anything?”

“The hatch is in the same place as it was in the photo,” Felix grunted as his fingers slipped off the slender seam in the floor, “But other than that, nothing. No latch, no button, nothing.”

“Maybe he opens it from his tablet?” Marinette suggested, but Chat Noir shook his head.

“Nathalie holds onto that,” Chat Noir explained. “My father would want to be able to access the hatch at will, not page someone to activate it for him.”

“The desk then?” Marinette said as Felix stood.

“Pretty minimal for a desk,” Felix muttered as he began to run his fingers across the chrome surface.

But that was his father, Chat Noir thought bitterly. Minimal office. Minimal family. Minimal love.

They all paused as Max and Kagami joined them at last in the office. If Kagami was uncomfortable to be in the same room as her ex and the object of his affections, she didn’t show it. He owed her an apology when this was all over. He’d owed her one for some time.

“Not there,” Marinette said to Felix as Max transformed near the window. Kagami kept watch at the door. “Look. The hatch doesn’t match up with where you’re standing.”

Felix snarled in frustration. “So what does it line up with?”

“The portrait,” Chat Noir said suddenly, looking past his cousin to the painting in question. “There’s a safe behind it; it’s where the Grimoire was.”

“You think the mechanism to the hatch is in the safe?” Marinette asked.

“People like my mother and Gabriel Agreste are obsessed with convenience,” Kagami chimed in. “The mechanism is likely not in the safe, but perhaps in the frame of the portrait?”

“Good idea,” Marinette said, joining Chat Noir at the portrait. “It does line up from this distance.”

“And the angle of Queen Bee’s photo makes more sense,” Pegasus agreed as he analyzed the space between the desk, portrait, and where they were standing. “I knew something about it was bugging me. There’s a 98.6% chance Kagami is correct about the latch in the frame.”

“I like those odds,” Marinette said with a grim smile.

“Let’s hope the rest of the night is as successful,” Chat Noir murmured as he turned back to the frame.

He was vaguely aware of Pegasus using Voyage behind them, of Alya and Nino and Luka joining them in the office, of Marinette, always Marinette, just a few feet away, but it was all secondary to the portrait in front of him.

He’d always thought of the portrait as proof of his father’s grief. Now Chat Noir wondered. Was it one more deception? One more lie, spoon-fed to him so easily because he wanted so badly to believe it?

He found his eyes wandering, tracing the familiar whorls and patterns in the paint. How many times had he stood in his father’s office, looking just past his father’s shoulder at the portrait, knowing the berating would get twice as bad if Gabriel thought his son wasn’t paying attention? How many times had he sought comfort in the likeness of her gaze, in the imitation of her soft smile? How many times had he stood in his father’s office, willing Emilie to step from the frame and lay a restraining hand on his father’s shoulder?

But she never had, and Adrien had been left to weather his father’s moods alone. How many hours altogether had he spent staring at the painting -

Chat Noir frowned, his eyes snagging on a piece of the portrait.

“What is it? Marinette asked, noticing the change in him at once. Perhaps she felt it, as he often imagined he could when something went amiss with her.

“This part here,” Chat Noir muttered, raising a finger as if to touch the painting. “It looks…wrong…” How could he possibly explain that there was a shadow where there hadn’t been before?

“Whatever you’re thinking,” Marinette murmured, “Try it.”

Chat Noir hesitated for only the briefest moment before he reached out and pressed a finger to the canvas. To his shock, it gave way beneath his hand, sinking into the wall.

A button.

“It didn’t do anything,” Felix hissed, stalking up behind them.

“It wouldn’t,” Chat Noir shot back, scanning the portrait for more irregularities. “Convenient, yes, but careless? Father would never make something easily accessible.”

“So what’s the hitch?” Rena Rouge wondered out loud.

“My guess?” Max said, his transformation worn off, “Multiple buttons. Each one increases security exponentially.”

“So how did Chloe find it?” Viperion wondered. There was no judgement in his voice, just open curiosity.

“We can ask her when we find her,” Felix said tightly. “We don’t have much longer.”

Chat Noir hated to admit it, but Felix was right. They’d already been missing too long.

“Tikki?” Marinette called softly. The tiny red kwami poked her head out of a hidden pocket in the folds of Marinette’s skirts and briefly assessed the room before zipping up to hover in front of her holder’s eyes. “Do you mind? The portrait itself, not the safe behind it.”

“Mhmm!” Tikki gave a cheery nod before disappearing into the canvas in a cascade of red glitter.

“Maybe that’s how she did it,” Nino murmured in the abrupt silence. “Maybe Pollen found it.”

“It’s possible,” Tikki chirped as she reappeared. “Six buttons,” she explained as she bounced along each one, “That need to be pressed simultaneously in order to trigger the trap door.”

“Thank you, Tikki,” Marinette said as the kwami came to rest in Marinette’s upturned palm. “I guess…this is it.” She turned to look at Chat Noir, and he realized everyone else had done the same. It was his plan, and his father. They would go on his signal.

“Then let’s go,” Chat Noir said.

The team backed up as Marinette and Felix transformed. In seconds, Marinette’s voluminous ballgown had been replaced by the upgraded suit Chat Noir was still trying to get used to. Felix emerged from a bright white light in the silvery, wolfish suit he’d chosen, hammer at his hip.

“Good luck,” Max said before slipping back out the door. Chat Noir knew he would be heading back to the party. If everything went to plan, Max would be refuelling Kaalki for Alya, Nino, and Luka to slip out when they returned while simultaneously keeping a lookout for anyone headed to the office.

“My turn,” Rena Rouge said with a grin. “Mirage!”

Four perfect replicas of Marinette, Adrien, Felix, and Kagami appeared in the middle of the room, soft smiles on their lips. If someone looked closely, there was a vacancy in their eyes that belied their creation, but Alya was unlikely to give anyone that opportunity

“Go,” Rena Rouge instructed, barely opening the door for them. The illusions vanished into the hall, but Rena paused before following them. “I’ll keep it going as long as I can.” The plan called for her to refresh the illusion as often as she was able, keeping the foursome as far on the fringes of the party as she was able.

“Just do your best,” was Ladybug’s hushed reply. Her friend nodded, then disappeared.

“Now the hatch,” Chat Noir said.

Koira didn’t hesitate as he stepped up to the portrait and plunged his fingers into the buttons.

The hatch dropped away with barely a whisper and the same dark tunnel from Queen Bee’s photo appeared in the floor. Chat Noir’s excuse from that morning fell to pieces; it wasn’t a second safe. The passage was far too deep for that.

“Why didn’t she come for us?” Ladybug whispered as she stared into the abyss. “Didn’t she think we would help her?”

“With what?” Koira asked roughly, kneeling by the opening. “A hole in the floor? She wanted more proof. She went to get it.”

Chat Noir could sense there was more to it that Koira wasn’t telling, but he couldn’t tear himself away from the passage long enough to think on it.

Even then, Chat Noir knew what they were going to find. Felix was right. Chloe was right. Marinette had been right. He knew it in a way he couldn’t explain, the truth suddenly and mercilessly settling along his bones. Maybe a part of him had known ever since Marinette had first brought up the possibility, when she twisted his perspective for just a moment and the entire puzzle had fallen into place. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to know, and now he had no other choice.

“Let’s go.” He barely recognized his own voice, but he didn’t care. The cool rage that had consumed him blocked out everything else.

“Chat Noir…”

He felt a hand on his arm and shook it off. He knew who it was. He knew what she would say. But he was not sitting this out. He’d been sitting out for too long. If they wouldn’t go, he would.

So he stepped into the shaft and let himself drop for several seconds before bracing his hands and feet on the cool metal sides to slow his descent. He felt rather than saw someone slip else into the tunnel, then again, and again, and again as the whole team made their descent. A green flash briefly lit the passage as Nino erected a shield over the office, their last line of defense.

It felt like hours. It felt like seconds. But when Chat Noir finally fell those final few feet and plummeted into the brightly lit, cavernous room, it was as though fate had snipped the thread of his life and he’d fallen into a new reality - a new nightmare.

“Sonofabitch,” Koira muttered, straightening from his drop beside Chat Noir. “She was right.”

Chat Noir didn’t know if his cousin meant Marinette or Chloe. He couldn’t bring himself to care as first one, than three, then dozens of butterflies flitted by them. It wasn’t an attack, he dimly registered; there were just so many it was impossible to step anywhere without encountering at least one akuma.

He started as someone laced their fingers through his. He glanced down, and there she was, as fierce as ever, still standing by his side. Unflinching. He wanted to squeeze her fingers back, but he couldn’t feel his anymore.

Viperion dropped in last and briefly surveyed the room. “Should I…?” He touched two fingers to his bracelet.

“No,” Chat Noir said. His voice sounded a million miles away, as though someone else were speaking. “I need to know this. And I need to see this to be sure. My father…is…”

“Hawk Moth,” Ladybug said. “Viperion, Koira, Ryuuko, see if you can find Queen Bee. We’ll join you in a minute.”

The three of them nodded and split to tackle the room in different directions.

“Talk to me,” Ladybug said. He recognized it as a request from his partner, who needed to know if he could still be relied on.

So he reached for that confidence, that surety that had never failed him. Of course he could be counted on for this. Of course he would never let her down.

Instead, he laughed. It started as a short giggle, but once he heard it, he couldn’t stop, doubling over at the waist, tears streaming from his eyes as he laughed and laughed and laughed.

Through his fit, Ladybug didn’t let go of his hand.

In the dim recesses of the room, they heard Koira shout: he’d found Chloe. Chat Noir laughed harder: his father had really upgraded to hostages.

“What…are…the odds…?” he finally gasped, straightening in fits and starts. “The whole time…the whole time!” And just like that, it wasn’t funny anymore. He’d known things would get worse before they could get better. He just hadn’t anticipated how much worse, or how personally.

He didn’t see the akuma coming. There were so many of them in the room, it was no wonder. He only felt it as it sank into the bell at his throat.

One second they were standing there as unbridled rage poured through Chat Noir.

The next second, it felt as though someone had grabbed hold of that rage with two hands and yanked. Suddenly, he was choking on it.

Ladybug had started talking, unaware of what had just happened, but it wasn’t her voice he heard.

“So you finally found me, hm? Unexpected…but not unwelcome.”

The rage had taken on a life of its’ own, seizing Chat Noir in away he couldn’t understand or see past. Only one thought remained, nearly destroyed by the tidal wave: Hawk Moth couldn’t know.

“What can’t I know, Chat Noir?” the voice came again. “Your identity? Or perhaps hers…?”

“Hate…you…” Chat Noir thought back viciously. He wrestled for control, but it was no use. There was no way out of the emotions Hawk Moth had whipped up in him.

“Mmm, yes, I can feel that,” came Hawk Moth’s reply. “I’ll let you have your shot at me, boy - if you bring me Ladybug’s Miraculous.”

And Chat Noir wanted to. He was tired. He was tired of fighting. He was tired of fighting monster after monster, just for things to stay the same. He was tired of being lied to. And he was tired of letting Hawk Moth dictate the game.

Which was why he finally gave in.

“Yes.”

[boboprincess]

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