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mochegato · 4 years ago

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Nannyette

Chapter 6 – Radio Mysteries Are Still a Thing

Chapter 1 Chapter 5

“I’m not tired though.” Mar’i whined in a sleepy voice.

Marinette smiled down at her as she patted down the comforter around her. Mar’i’s eyes were barely staying open as she talked. “Yeah, I can tell. But your Mommy has a bunch of super fun things planned for you two as soon as she gets home tomorrow. I know she is really excited to spend time with you, so you want to be rested and full of energy for her tomorrow, right?”

“I’m so excited.” Mar’i squealed quietly, suddenly reenergized thinking about spending time with her Mom. “We’re going to bake cupcakes and go shopping and practice flying and get lunch together and get our nails painted and take some cupcakes to Daddy. You and Tim should come with us!”

Marinette smiled at her. “I’m flattered you want us to come with you but I think you and your Mommy should get some time alone. I know she’s missed you a lot.”

Mar’i thought it over and nodded as she thought. “And you and Tim should get some time alone, too. I know he likes you a lot.”

Marinette’s cheeks flushed. “That's nice. Tim is a very nice and thoughtful man. I'm sure he likes lots of people.”

Mar’i’s eyes started getting heavy again as she corrected Marinette. “Not really.”

Marinette blushed further. “Well then I feel honored.”

“But he likes you. He gets happy when he sees you. You two should go on a date.” Mar’i nodded decidedly, or at least tried to. The yawn interrupted the serious face she was trying to make.

Marinette’s smile turned bittersweet. “Thank you, but he has Kon.”

“But they don’t go on dates. Kon goes on dates with Cassie, not Tim.” Mar’i said quietly as she turned to a more comfortable position under the cover. “He thinks you should date Tim, too.”

Marinette looked at her confused. “Oh?”

“Yeah,” she slurred, barely still awake. “He told me today… It’s a secret though, so don’t tell Tim.”

Marinette quietly closed Mar’i’s door and padded out to the living room. She stumbled slightly when she saw Tim was still there with papers and photos scattered across the living room table. She blushed thinking about her conversation with Mar’i. “You’re still here.” She said quietly.

“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind. I was looking over some of Dick’s files and didn’t want to take them out of the apartment.” Tim shrugged in what he hoped was a casual manner. The less she thought about the lie the more convincing it would be.

She grabbed her school bag and settled on the opposite side of the couch from Tim. She scanned over the photos quickly as she pulled her books and notebooks out, not sure if it was any of her business. But then again, if he didn’t want her to see them, he wouldn’t have them out in the open on the coffee table. She paused her unpacking when she saw the bloody body. “What… what is this? I thought Dick was the detective. Or is this one of the cases your family is working on?”

“Oh, no.” Tim looked up sheepishly. “I like working on cold cases. This is a file Dick set aside for me to look into.”

“Oh, right.” She nodded distractedly, examining the pictures again. “Are these the cases Kon was talking about? That you two work on together.”

Tim looked confused for a few seconds before remembering what she was talking about. He looked away sheepishly. “No, he wasn’t sure if you knew about our hero activities, so he was looking for a way to say he’s only responsible for me when we’re in the field. We partner together a lot on missions.”

“Ahhh, that’s what you meant.” Marinette said quietly to herself, almost too quietly for Tim to hear. She squeezed her eyes shut and mentally face palmed. God what an idiot! She called Adrien her partner, too. She really, really should have thought of that! She was totally blaming the damned concussion. As though it hadn’t taken enough from her already; reduced caffeine, reduced electronics, and reduced energy. It really had to add reduced rational thought?

“What?” He scrunched up his nose adorably in confusion.

“Oh, nothing.” She flapped her hands like she was shooing away the question. “You mentioned Kon was your partner. I just realized you meant in your hero activities.”

Tim looked at her mortified. “You thought Kon and I…” He had been flirting his ass off for the past few weeks, granted it was awkward, clumsy, terrible flirting. But it was flirting none the less. Had she not noticed?

Marinette shrugged at him, an apologetic grimace on her face. “You two seem very close and you mentioned he helped take care of you and was your partner and Kori mentioned you were always together so... It seemed to fit.”

“No!” Tim said too loudly. What was wrong with him volume regulator lately, he chastised himself. “No,” he repeated quieter this time. “No, we’re just good friends, best friends. He’s my partner, you know, my superhero partner. No, I’m not in… um… I mean… I’m not dating anyone right now.” Tim stuttered out. “My last girlfriend and I broke up ages ago.”

“Oh,” Marinette nodded, looking away to try to hide her blush. “That’s um… that’s good to know. Must have made New Year’s awkward for you. Nobody to kiss and all. It was for me anyway.” She turned back to the pictures again scanning them absentmindedly to distract her brain from thinking about her not at all subtle hint. God, when did she lose her ability to flirt? She puckered her lips in annoyance when she realized she never had it. “And the police suspect him but can’t make it stick?” She asked pointing to a wealthy looking businessman in one of the photos.

Tim shook his head to focus on what she was pointing to and try to remember the case again after the myriad of revelations Marinette had just revealed in the last minute or so, including the confirmation that she was single. He examined the picture she was pointing to and looked at her wide eyed in surprise. “No, but that’s who I suspect. He had the most to gain if you consider the repercussions.” Marinette looked at him questioningly. “The wife was the immediate suspect. She was having an affair with her husband’s secretary and she inherits everything. But if she was implicated in his death, she could be sued and lose any stake in the company, whether it was proven in court or not. It would go to the next in line, which is him.”

Marinette nodded along with him looking at each of the people as he pointed them out. “Makes sense. No proof though?”

“Not enough. What made you suspect him?” He looked over at her curiously.

“He changed his suit.” Tim looked at her blankly. “See these are pictures from the same party.” She scooted closer to Tim to point out to two pictures. Tim scooted closer to her to get a better look at them. “Everyone is in the same clothes except for him. He’s wearing different suits.”

“Those look like the same suit to me.” Tim said doubtfully.

Marinette scoffed at him. “I’m sure they were supposed to. It wouldn’t work if the suits didn’t look the same. But see the lapels?” She leaned over Tim’s shoulder to point to the man’s lapels. “They’re a different sheen. This one is shinier than this other one. And see the buttons, this one has a design. I can’t make out what it is, but there is one, but this other one, doesn’t have a design. Plus, this one is Tom Ford and this one is Armani.”

Tim’s mouth dropped as he turned to her dumbfounded. “How did you know that?”

“I’m more than you give me credit for.” She grinned smugly at him. She froze when she noticed how close they had gotten. Their faces were only a few centimeters from each other, their mouths so close she could feel his breath on her face. He froze too, his eyes widening as he made the same realization. After a second, Marinette’s courage failed her and she backed away from Tim shyly. What if Mar’i was wrong? She was only 4, she could have misread the signals. Just because Tim wasn’t dating, it didn’t mean he wanted to date her. He was smart and funny and handsome and sweet. He probably already had his eye on someone.

Marinette grabbed her discarded textbook and held it up for him to see, her notebook shoved haphazardly into it. “I’m a design student and have my own online boutique. If I didn’t notice that, I’d have to seriously reconsider my career path. And I’ve seen enough murder mysteries to know that if someone changes clothes in the middle of a party, there’s a reason. Could be that someone spilled something on him, but with a suit that expensive, someone would know it happened. If it was staff, they would be worried about getting fired and sued. Worth looking for the suit anyway. Depending on how cocky he is, he may have kept it and just gotten it dry cleaned, thinking nobody would investigate him anyway.”

Tim looked at her in awe. “You… you like murder mysteries?” he was finally able to stutter out.

“Yeah. Normally, I’d have one on in the background while I work on homework but, concussion and electronics aren’t a good mix. Hell, normally, all my design research would be online… concussions are a bitch. My electronic activity has been restricted.”

“Yeah, I mean not the worst I’ve gotten, but the limited electronics thing is just the worst.”

“Yeah, I imagine without magic to protect you, you guys must get hurt a lot.”

He gave her a double take. “Why would magic be involved?”

“Oh… our heroes had magic to protect them and used magic to reverse the damage they and the rest of us sustained.” She tried to shrug nonchalantly like it was nothing important.

“Your heroes?” Marinette turned away from his adorably scrunched nose.

“Paris’ heroes. Ladybug and Chat Noir… Rena Rouge, Carapace, King Monkey… Multimouse?” She listed off as casually as she could manage.

“I think I’ve heard of Ladybug and Chat Noir, maybe. They disappeared a few years ago, right?”

“Yeah. Their job was done. One occasionally pops up in New York to help Knight Owl and Majestia but, pretty much, they disappeared.”

“Their job wasn’t stopping criminals?”

“No,” she said affronted. “Their job was to catch the villain who had stolen two miraculous and deal with damage caused by the miraculous. When the villain was caught their job was done.”

“Huh,” Tim turned away to think about that. “I guess I’ve never thought about not trying to help people. If I can help, I want to do it.”

Marinette’s eyes turned serious. “It’s bigger than that though. The miraculous are bound to creatures with god-like abilities. The miraculous in Paris had the ability to rewrite history and reality itself. The potential for that to go horribly wrong or fall into the wrong hands and be used for evil is too great.” She sighed and looked at her book. “Not to mention the heroes were children when they started fighting and they couldn’t reveal their identities to anyone so their only support was each other. They deserved a break, a chance to heal and be children. Children shouldn’t be taking on the battles of grownups.”

Tim looked at her sympathetically. “Definitely not the philosophy I grew up with, as a child vigilante.”

Marinette gave him a weak smile. “Maybe you deserve a break too.”

Tim looked away for a few moments, considering what she had said. “Maybe…”

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud yawn. He looked over and saw a sheepish look on her face. “Sorry. I think the pool tired me out just as much as Mar’i.”

“You should take a nap. I can watch over things while you do,” he offered gently.

“No, thank you though.” She gave him a grateful smile and held up her textbook. “I have miles to go and chapters of text to read before I sleep. I usually have something else on while I do though, something to distract my brain.”

He looked over at her and gave her a small smile. “You know they have radio murder mysteries. I can find one to play while you work on your homework, if you want.”

“Yeah,” she smiled back wider, appreciating the change of topic. “I’d like that.”

“I… there are a few to choose from,” he said holding up his phone. “Did you want to choose?”

Marinette moved so she was touching him and looked through his phone. “That one looks interesting,” she commented handing it back to him.

Tim smiled and started the mystery. He smiled wider when he noticed she didn’t move away from him after choosing the mystery. He waited a few minutes then slung his arm around her shoulders. He held his breath waiting to see her reaction. Marinette stiffened only for a second then relaxed into his side. Tim let go of the breath he was holding and enjoyed the feeling of having Marinette next to him.

Marinette opened her textbook and started reading and making notes while Tim pulled up more information on the suspect for the case on his laptop. After a few minutes, he noticed Marinette’s pencil had dropped and her breathing had evened out. He looked down at her and the sight filled his heart with warmth. She had fallen asleep curled up into his side, with her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. He smiled affectionately, relishing the feeling of having her curled up against him.

He gently closed her textbook and moved it and her notebook out of the way. He grabbed the blanket haphazardly thrown over the back of the couch and wrapped it around the two of them. He pulled her closer into his chest and leaned further back into the couch to get more comfortable. His smile softened even more when she sighed contentedly and snuggled further into his chest. He would stay in this position as long as he could, as long as she wanted.

Chapter 7

Tags:

@timari-month-event @ichigorose @stainedglassm @better-toast @theymakeupfairies @trippingovermyfeet

#maribat #timari #timinette #Timari January #Nannyette #prompt - I'm more than I seem

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unsaidmar · 4 years ago

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Call.

a/n: hello peeps! this is a request! thank you for liking what i write, it means the world to me. love y'all. requests still open.

wc: 1.5k hehe

warning: mentions of death, curse words, sad stuff.

pairing: spencer x bau! reader.

plot: For the first time, you’re not where he is. It drives you crazy.

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You considered yourself quite the resilient person. Emotions got to you but never incapacitated you. Danger was a given in the career path you had chosen and the prospect of it was something you were used to, but never like this. It was always your own life you were worried about, but the BAU had taken the grasp you had on your job and your reality and completely redifined it.

Being guarded with your emotions and affections was a defense mechanism you had developed thanks to your experience in law enforcement. People always got hurt and you had to move on from it, that’s just how it was. But the BAU was the one to break the mold.

Those people had been through a lot together, the good, the bad and the ugly. They had seen it all and done it all, and now you were a part of it. They took you in and accepted you like you hadn’t just joined the team and you let them. Soon enough, Rossi was walling you “kid” and kissing both your cheeks when he greeted you, Morgan was fist bumping you when you made stupid jokes and you were going out to dinner with Emily, JJ and Penelope. Not one of them hesitated to put their life on the line with or for you, and it shook your world.

All of a sudden it wasn’t just yourself you had to worry about, because every person walking into burning buildings and hostage situations with you was your family. You loved every one of them and losing them scared you a lot, enough to feel like your heart was beating out of your chest whenever they were in danger.

And still, you had to go and fall in love.

Spencer had woven himself into your life, your routine, your work life and eventually your heart. It felt like he was marking his territory before he knew he was doing it, something resembling a person moving into your home, but the things he left behind were more than a toothbrush or a book. He left his mark in little things you incorporated into your life and it slowly transformed the both of you into a collage of each other.

He started drinking soy milk when you convinced him it was not bad and that subjecting himself to the pain of being lactose intolerant and still consuming milk, wasn’t worth it. You stopped leaving your windows open at night when he freaked you out about stray cats taking residence in your couch and potential burglars getting in. And those absolutely inconsequential things were forever going to be a gift you had given each other, no matter what came out of your relationship, even if you went your separate ways. Which, you never did.

Three years into working at the BAU, and two into your relationship with Spencer, you got married. The both of you figured that the wait was not necessary because you knew very early on that that was it, you were it. Next thing you knew, your fourth wedding anniversary was coming up, and so were many other things.

After getting kidnapped and shot, you were never the same. You had come to terms with dying, you wanted it to happen so you didn’t have to deal with the inevitable trauma that came with surviving, but you weren’t that lucky. Everyone had been worried about you and the living ghost look you were sporting. It looked like you were re living the situation in your head every moment you were awake, and that was indeed the case. It haunted you when you were sleeping and it consumed you when you were awake, so Hotch made you take a break.

Stubbornness was your thing, so he took away your badge any other form of ID that could get you into the building, he didn’t answer your calls and only texted your work cellphone to ask you to stop asking him to reinstate you. Being alone with your thoughts was hell. Having your family out there risking their lives without you was even worse.

“Hey Spence, it’s me again… um... could you let me know if you’ve been getting my texts? It’s just that… you never not text me back and I’m getting worried. Is that too much? I’m probably being ridiculous. Anyways, call me back. Or text. Just let me know you’re okay. I love you.” You sighed and put your phone down for what felt like the twentieth time in the last half hour.

This had never been the case. You were never the worried spouse that had to rely on phone calls or texts to communicate or to even know your husband was alive. It made you empathize with Will, with Haley. It made you want to ask them for advice on not going crazy. Your mind was already going rouge.

I can’t be a widow. I can’t mourn the love of my life, how does anyone? What happens if I lose him? How foolish of me to have dismissed this when we got married. We’re FBI agents, for the love of God. We point guns and have them pointed back at us for a living. I’ll have to take my ring off. Do I keep it? I can’t look at it if he’s gone. Who picks out the dress for the funeral? If I have to do it, I’ll go insane. I can’t bury him; I can’t go watch them lower him to the ground. I will just cremate him and split his ashes so his mom has him too. His mom. That woman won’t be able to bear outliving her baby. God, please pick up the fucking phone.

You: Honey, please text me back!!! Have someone text me for you, idc.

You: Spence, charge your phone.

You: Why is Derek not texting me back either?

You: Are you angry at me?

You: I’d rather you tell me if you’re angry. Don’t ghost me when you’re on a case.

You: Spencer.

You: I’m calling Penny.

Three rings it took for Penelope to answer.

“Hi my sweet, beautiful, ____. How can I be of assistance to you at this indecent hour of the morning/night?” She chirped, her tone already relaxing you. She would be the first to know if something had gone wrong.

“Hi Penny, do you have any word on the team? I keep calling and texting Spencer and he hasn’t gotten back to me. It’s been like three hours.” You said, holding back the tears.

“Oh, sweet stuff. Last I heard, they were delivering the profile. They’re in Kansas and there was a tornado warning. The power is out. Maybe all of their phones ran out of battery.” She tried to reassure you, like always, already knowing what was happening in your head. “Is everything okay? Have you slept?”

“Not really. Spence stopped replying and I got anxious.”

“Don’t worry hun, bad news travel fast.”

“Yeah, yeah… you’re right. I should…”

Before you could finish your sentence, the door creaked open and you saw a defeated looking Spencer hang his jacket and take his shoes off trying to be quiet, assuming you were asleep. You felt the color come back to your face and you dropped the phone on the couch without even making sure you had ended the call.

“Oh, thank God.” You ran to him and aggressively hugged him. Much to your embarrassment, the tears you were trying so hard to hold back were now streaming down your face.

“Hey, hey…” He took in your appearance and instantly worried about you. “What happened? Is everything okay?”

“What the fuck happened to your phone? And everyone else’s for that matter!” You said, letting go of him and raising your voice without meaning to. Spencer knew you never yelled, so he was taken aback by your words.

“It died, ___, four hours ago, the power went out and the generator wasn’t working. Why are you screaming?” He rushed out.

“Because you never texted me back and I thought you were dead!” Your voice was a lot calmer now, much more frustrated and tired.

“Honey, I’m so sorry, everything happened so fast, I didn’t even think about my phone. I didn’t mean to make you angry; I promise.”

“I’m not angry, baby. At least not at you. I hate being here and not out there with you. I can’t sit around and wait for you to give me proof of life. it’s driving me insane and it has only happened once.” You groaned, choking back quiet sobs now. “I can’t lose you. I can’t be the last to find out.” You fell to the couch like your legs had stopped working.

Your husband was looking at you like he didn’t even think about that, like the realization had just hit him. You couldn’t blame him, neither of you were used to that dynamic of checking your phones because the one person you would want to update was always along for the ride.

“Baby, you’re not going to lose me. I’m so sorry, I promise I’ll care more about my phone. I didn’t mean to worry you.” He said, crouching to be eye to eye with you and taking your hands.

“No, no..I’m sorry. I’m being ridiculous, I went crazy. You shouldn’t have to do that…” You kissed his knuckles and slid down the couch to sit on the floor with him. All you wanted was to be near him. You put your arms around his neck and whispered. “I love you, I’m sorry I yelled at you. I was losing it. I’m not used to this feeling of not knowing where you are or if you’re okay, I felt helpless.”

“It’s okay hun, I get it, I love you too. We’re both new to this whole being-a part thing. If I’m honest, I don’t like it.” He pulled you to his lap so you were tangled up like a koala.

“I hate it. It 's the worst. I’m done with this break”

“Hotch is just looking out for you, he wanted to give you your space after the accident. You can talk to him and see how he feels about you coming back.” His reassuring words were already lightening the mood, and you were grateful he was fine. Once the adrenaline died down, the sleep you had been missing hit you like a ton of bricks. You stifled a yawn and planted a kiss on Spencer’s forehead.

“You’re tired. Let’s go to sleep.” He took notice of your droopy eyelids and went to stand up. “Have you been awake all this time?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t just go to bed.” You replied, removing yourself from his lap and taking his hand.

“Come on, let’s crash. I’m off tomorrow, we don’t have to wake up early.”

Oh, thank the lord.

“I’ll go to sleep, but I have one condition.” You said with your best attempt at a mischievous grin.

“What is it?” Spencer asked, knowing that tone and that face all too well.

“Get a stupid portable charger.”

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds #criminal minds headcanons #spencer reid headcanon #spencer reid x yn #spencer reid blurb #cm

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supercasey · 5 years ago

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So I've been playing The Hades Game like fucking mad for the last few weeks, and although I'm not very far in it (at least, I don’t think I am; I’ve only beat Hades once!), I'm absolutely in love with it! Anyways, a certain idea has been kicking around in my head for awhile now, so I thought I'd share it with y'all; feel free to tell me what you think of it! (Warning: spoilers for when you beat Hades the first time!)

Anyways, I've already seen a really cool AU post for if Demeter raised Zagreus on the surface by herself (which you can find HERE; please check it out, the outfit for Zag alone is an amazing concept, and I love the artwork!!!) but I keep thinking about an AU where, after Zagreus dies at birth, Persephone runs away and takes his wrapped up body with her.

On the surface, she reconnects/reunites with her mother Demeter, and with her aid, the two of them manage to resurrect the newborn baby, though now he has more white in his hair than anything else. After that, Persephone sends Hades a letter to tell him that Zagreus is alive and well (because she actually has some fucking class), before proceeding to raise Zagreus on the surface with her mother, far away from the entrance to hell. The Olympians also help her out a bit, but mostly they just help by hiding Zagreus when it’s necessary.

(The rest is under a cut ‘cus this got a bit long, sorry!)

Years pass in relative peace, until Zagreus is about as old as he is in-game (I think he’s around 20-25ish???) and is living well, working with his mom and grandma to take care of their gardens and live peacefully away from mankind; he especially loves tending to the animals and guiding lost mortals to safety. However, one day while foraging for fruit in the deepest corners of his mother’s signature garden, Zagreus happens across a strange man in long robes, who introduces himself as Thanatos.

The two men get along swimmingly from minute one, and after agreeing to meet with each other again soon, they leave and tell their families/friends all about the experience, having no clue who they are to each other. After all, Thanatos was told growing up that his lord’s first wife died giving birth to their first and only child, who was a stillborn, and Zagreus thinks his father died of disease (his mom didn’t have to heart to tell him anything bad about his dad). Needless to say, they’re gonna be in for quite the shock soon.

Cue Hades losing his shit and calling on Thanatos, Megaera, and Achilles to go find his progeny and bring him home; he gives them special permission to leave the Underworld without any resistance, trusting Than to lead the way back to Zagreus. Achilles is less than thrilled to be performing such a morally grey task for his master, but Meg and Than are eager to prove themselves, so he begrudgingly agrees to help, even if it hurts his conscience to do so.

Persephone and Demeter also freak the hell out on their end, scared shitless by the fact that Death incarnate has just met their son/grandson, and they’re worried that he plans on coming back again soon. Demeter suggests sending Zagreus to live with the Olympians until this all blows over, but Persephone disagrees, wanting her son to stay nearby in case he grows ill (it’s implied that she’s a bit overprotective of him, mostly because she’s afraid of him dying again; this also means she refuses to let him know that he’s in any danger, believing it would only make things worse for him in the long-run). Frustrated but understanding her daughter’s pain all too well, Demeter at least convinces her to call on the Olympians for aid, which Persephone agrees to do.

The gods promise to help of course, but... well, they're low-key lying; they wanna see how this plays out first.

After several days of traveling through hell (literally), the “let’s kidnap Zagreus” gang makes it to the surface, and they immediately head to Persephone’s garden. All this time, Zagreus has no idea that he’s being targeted, so he goes about his chores as usual, only to run into Than again, and hey, he brought some more friends for him to meet! Zagreus is friendly with all of them, being raised to be very polite by his guardians, and while he’s busy chatting with Than and Achilles, he doesn’t notice Meg sneaking behind him. Just as Zagreus is rattling on about how the animals have been faring this summer, Meg stabs Zagreus in the back with a blade coated in Hades’s blood, cursing him to belong to the Underworld again.

With Zagreus now unconscious from a sedative that was mixed with the blood, the trio hurry off with him back to the Underworld, but not without Persephone seeing what they’ve done to her son. Horrified, she begins to sob, and winter arrives in the mortal world without so much as a fall season in-between this and the summertime.

When Zagreus comes to, he finds himself in a bedroom similar to the one he has in the game, but it’s much cleaner and has less objects of personal value to him. Hades is standing at the foot of his bed when he wakes up, and very calmly, Hades tells Zagreus that he’s his father, and that from now on, Zagreus will be living in the Underworld with him and his people, where he so obviously belongs. It’s a shame his mother can’t be here, of course, but they just need to wait awhile, that’s all; surely she’ll come to her senses and return home soon, now that her husband and son are here.

Zagreus jumps out of bed and faces his father as soon as he’s done monologuing, ready to tell him off for what he’s done, but to his shock, Hades hugs him as soon as he’s on his feet, and admits that he’s waited for this day for a long, long time. He asks his son to please just accept that this is his home now, and despite still being a bit surprised (and subtly hugging Hades back because Longing), Zagreus tells him straight up that he can’t, that he has to get home, especially with winter coming in a few months!

Dejected but not overly surprised, Hades simply nods in acceptance, but he still warns Zagreus that it’s no use trying to fight it; he’s stuck here, now and forever, so he may as well get comfortable and try getting along with him, because no one’s going anywhere anytime soon. Zagreus is horrified, but he nods nonetheless, unsure of what to say or do just yet.

Later that night, as Zagreus is struggling to sleep in this new, unfamiliar place, Achilles comes to him and apologizes about what’s happened, and although he can’t magically fix everything for him, he tells Zagreus that it actually is supposedly possible to escape; it’s just that no one’s ever done it before. Driven by his desire for freedom and the thought of reuniting with his mother, Zagreus tells Achilles that he’s going to find a way out, no matter the cost. Achilles congratulates him on his tenacity, but warns him that it won’t be easy. Still, he’s willing to help Zagreus as much as he can.

From then on, I imagine the game playing out very differently from the original, with a rather frazzled and scared Zagreus trying to get home to his mom and grandma, but with none of his training from Achilles in this AU, he has to rely on something his mother taught him; his connection with earth and all it’s inhabitants. Or, in his case, his connection with the spirits of animals (a cross of his dad and mom’s powers). That’s right, I’m making The Hades Game into a fucking Pokemon-ripoff, but still with some rouge-like elements mixed in (mostly with Zagreus not keeping his animals after runs).

Having royally fucked up in not stepping in sooner to protect Zagreus, the gods end up helping him out by sending down animals associated with them for the young god to tame for a run (I’ll come up with them later). They usually offer a selection to choose from, and from there Zagreus can build up a team and use it to try and escape the Underworld.

To replace weapons, I like to think he’d have “signature” animals that can help him out for any of his runs, specifically ones from Achilles, Poseidon, Zeus, Demeter (once he reaches the surface at least once), and eventually even Hades gives him one if they bond together enough ((yes, it’s Cerberus... kinda; it’s a puppy version of him, otherwise he’d be OP as fuck)). Zagreus’s signature animals can all be given names, and they keep certain skills that they pick up through enough experience battling in the Underworld for Zagreus.

As for story-line stuff, Zagreus ends up in a very fish out of water situation as he tries to get to know everyone in Hades’s house (he’s still our kindhearted Zag, after all, and he knows most of them aren’t to blame, not even really Than!) while also focusing on his goal to get home to his mom. Hades ends up being a lot nicer to him in this AU, perhaps overly so, as he’s trying to make his son like him more in order to make up for lost time (and fill the hole in his heart that Zag’s initial death as an infant and Persephone leaving with him created). It’s part of the reason he’s even letting Zagreus try to escape; he wants him to learn that it won’t work on his own terms (and maybe also scare the kid so bad that he comes running to him for comfort afterwards).

Also, I should really note that Zagreus is 100% a sweet country farm boy in this AU, and he has no idea what the fuck is going on with pretty much anything in the Underworld, much to everyone’s astonishment. For example:

Meg: Gods, it must be weird getting used to everything down here, huh? Sick of stepping in bat shit yet? Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it, and Dusa’s pretty good about cleaning it up to begin with. Zagreus: I mean, I guess? It’s not that different from chicken shit tbh. Meg: What the fuck is a chicken???

After that... yeah, I dunno. I’ll try playing Hades some more, see if I think up anything else that could be interesting, but for now, I hope at least someone ends up liking this dumb AU (if not, I’ll still like it... might even try my hand at drawing for it a bit tbh). Again, please check out the person who’s post/art I linked earlier in the post, ‘cus their art is really awesome and inspired me to include Demeter more in this AU!

#supercasey ramblings #hades game #zagreus #zagreus hades #thanatos #hades #persephone #demeter #megaera #achilles #hades farmboy au #i dunno what else to fucking call it #thanzag #if ya squint

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sanchoyo · 4 years ago

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danny phantom 14-20 thoughts!! I finished up s1 :D these last few eps were actually really really good!!!

-did. did tucker really just say esperanto was a dead language only spoken as a secret code between geeks. google says around 100,000 people actively speak it. oh my god...it being an auxiliary language doesn't mean its 'just for geeks to speak in code' ...it helps bridge gaps between people who don't have a language in common...

-danny really isn't pulling punches when it comes to fighting the ghost-cop possessed people huh. like he SLAMMED KWAN INTO THE CONCRETE SO HARD. HE THREW PAULINA INTO A BILLBOARD. will that...I mean it WOULD carry over to their bodies non-possessed, right? like if the ghost piloting their bodies gets hurt?? itd be so upsetting to be possessed, lose time, then wake up covered in bruises (and possibly, broken bones??) real horror movie stuff im sure wont be addressed in any way

-tuckers parents seem nice! I like them :)

-WULF IS CUTE AND I FEEL BAD. im so glad the gang realized he was only causing trouble bc of the shock collar walker put on him and helped. also, him wearing that big hoodie with the hood on, and thinking its subtle. we can tell youre still a giant wolfie :) THEN GETTING SUCKED INTO THE PORTAL AAAAH :( anxiously waiting to see Him Again....

-DANNY BLASTING HIS PARENTS THINKING THEY WERE OVERSHADOWED LMFAO GET THEIR ASSES. maddie marking how many ghosts she gets with lipstick tallies on the side of her portal gun? kindaaa iconic tho. (ALSO, SHE WAS LIKE, 2 FT AWAY FROM HIM RIGHT AFTER SHE TRIED TO SHOOT HIM. HOW DO YOU NOT RECONINZE YOUR OWN SON??? like sure, he might have diff hair/eye colors. but like, if one of my family members dyed their hair, and was wearing contacts, its not like id be like 'wHO IS THIS STRANGER!!!' ...he still has all his facial features!! same everything!!! I hate it here)

-paulina being #1 girl realizing danny's a friendly ghost immediately. smart queen. lancer and kwan ran away right after he made this sweet baby face at them:

which is hilarious.

-ok. im not saying his bullying is JUSTIFIED, but. dash looked so pleased with the (cute!) poster he just painted, and danny comes thru the wall and spills paint on his nice letterman jacket. his anger is justified maybe 65% of the time so far...(not the way he handles it, but STILL.) at least lancer is stepping in!! and them making a silly little bet was...cute?? until dash pulled out his GROSS UNDERWEAR AND SAID DANNY WOULD HAVE TO EAT THEM???? WHAT THE FUCK MAN. TUCKER WAS SO RIGHT ITS FUCKING WEIRD TO CARRY THOSE AROUND EWWW. THIS KID IS UNWELL. lancer was right, his animatronic setup was SUPER IMPRESSIVE?? hes actually pretty creative. danny meanwhile is stealing the fright knight's design...I hope dash is taking art classes or smth with his sports

-fright knight is the most bestest ghost so far i LOVE THAT DESIGN. I am biased towards knights, and characters with swords, but he fucks so severely. and should sue danny for copyright infringement for stealing his design for his haunted house. if some 14 yr old broke into MY house and stole MY sword, id also be pissed. his evil winged unicorn rules too with its FANGS. and he just CAN SHOVE THE PORTAL OPEN WITH HIS HANDS??? is he the strongest ghost weve seen so far? idk but hes my fav. SOUL SHREDDER IS SUCH A COOL SWORD NAME TOO. ANY NAMED SWORD ALSO FUCKS. 'flaming bedsheets of DEATH' funny king. ALSO he was polite to dash and tucker when just asking for directions and telling tucker 'oh maybe, just a suggestion, maybe be nicer to me and be more respectful :)' I LOOOVE HIM.

-I noticed this in the Ember ep, but jazz has an electric guitar in her room!! talent musical queen!! its cool to see hobbies just in the bg.

-fright knight's murder castle reminds me of the booby trapped murder castle in zexal!! another supposedly 'for kids' show with murder/trap castles! we love that. if you are a dp fan reading this, give yugioh zexal a try. its also got 13-14 year old protags and involves (alien) ghosts. the cardgame is just a vessel for the plot, which is really good. (I just want more people to watch my fav yugioh, man)

-danny. with a SWORD.

-danny doesnt NEED TO WIN this contest, dash didnt STEAL HIS DESIGNS AND STEAL A SWORD. he also got excited to hear lancer got sent to a dimension with his worst fears too just so he could win the contest? DANNY WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!! BRO MAYBE YOURE 14 AND HAVENT FULLY DEVOLPED YOUR WHOLE BRAIN YET, BUT...THATS FUCKED. this kid casually says the most deranged things, I do worry for my spooky son. once again, therapy needed. that judo toss was great tho. I wonder if he actually did pick up some martial arts stuff from his mom?

-danny can fly 112 mph!!! thats so fast! I love the lil montage of him and his friends testing his abilities and stuff, very cute and a good way to showcase what he can do by now and how much more proficient he's gotten from ep 1!!! I'm sure he's going to get more abilities :)

-im glad...maddie's at least TRYING this ep. I do feel for her because her husband is a man baby. but the fact it took 16 episodes to get a kinda semblance of any kind of real concern or attempts at bonding. hmm. jack's 'BACK OFF SHES A MINOR' @ the ghost trying to attack jazz. also was very funny. and him wanting to make an action figure of her? are the parents redeeming themselves to me? slightly. they gotta Work Harder

-THE GHOST. IS FLYING. THE PLANE.

-fenton machete. but she doesnt carry a PHONE??? ???

-I mean I expected vlad when you namedrop him earlier in the ep, and also the title card picture, and dalv corp being fucking vlad backwards. but seeing him just pull up on a golf cart made me bust out laughing. WITH the gift baskets prepared. why wouldnt you at least be suspicious. also, if he wants danny to be his lil sonboy, why is he so fucking malicious?? dude you are going about this in such a bad way. stop it. get some help.

-maddie not even hesitating to drag danny out. fucking good. danny is so right, go on the internet to date. get a cat. how do you spend...how many years?? has it been since college?? at least 20, right, since the parents/vlad are in their 40s? hung up on ONE girl. my god, man. incel drama queen. her kung fu IS impressive, but dude. 'we both know hes a creep' SO right. it sucks but they do need a phone and shit being in the middle of NOWHERE. also, just stealing his helicopter was great. <3

-'you must be exhausted carrying the weight of that mistake you made years ago' 'well we all make mistakes. maybe I'll make one now!' WHY DID THIS EXHCHANGE SEND ME. AND VLAD WITH THE BREATH SPRAY EWWW BITCH. 'OLD BAIT BREATH' SOO RIGHT. both danny and his mom playing him HAHAH hes so dumb. or rather, I think he thinks with his emotions too too much and is...actually pretty gullible? lmao he believed danny was ready to give in SO fast. (which is sad hes that hopeful, like you have SO MUCH MONEY YOU COULD EASILY GET ANOTHER GIRL WHO HAS A KID. AND WOULD WANT TO BE WITH YOU AND BE SUPPORTED. GET OVER THIS (1) WOMAN ALREADY IM GETTING SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT AAAAH)

-GHOST BEAR GHOST BEAR GHOST BEAR. it was also in the title card, but I still got very excited. we love bears here

-SAM'S BAT SWIMSUIT COVERUP!!! her outfits are simply iconic.

-'i'd tell you to go to the mens room, but I don't think you qualify' top paulina transphobic moments. :( and him wearing a tanktop to the swim park? hmmm! (actually I think she was overshadowed by then, so, KITTY top 10 transphobic moments??)

-kitty just piloting paulina around makes me feel SO bad tho, paulina's gonna wake up and be like 'wtf do you mean I was dating this rando' like youre leading danny on to make johnny jealous, and also just POSSESSING POOR PAULINA. dude take your relationship problems ELSEWHERE. last time we saw them, they seemed like such a cute couple!! wtf johnny!! I mean, she sucks for trying to make him jealous, he sucks for looking at other girls...maybe they need a break, but Not Like This. or, you know, just. better communication...

-and the A-listers having a full packet and a stamp system. who organizes this. kwan fucking owning being the new danny though, this is hysterical. THE TUCKER/KWAN FLOWER FIELD TWIRL. UNIRONICALLY ADORABLE. and him giving it his all for the poetry slam. bless his HEARTTTT.

-Star owns. actually, all of the extra characters are shining this ep and I love it.

-INVISO-BILL??? NOOOO THEY DID HIM SOO DIRTY. DANNY SWEETIE IM SO SORRY.

-johnny and danny bein friends and staging a fake fight (which danny takes too seriously, once again this child has aggression he NEEDS TO WORK OUT) I hope these three stay friends, I said it before but danny needs more friendly ghosts to hang with.

-at this point, Danny's ghost enemies are a lot like, I dunno, batman's rouge gallery is the first thing that comes to mind. they all have their own gimmick and unique designs, but most of them are easy to beat after learning the Moral Lesson. I still get excited when any of them show up again, though. 18 is another valerie episode!!!! :D skulker really said you two will get along if I have to handcuff you together <3 and the gym teacher really said, youre married now, have a flour baby! ngl, I'm not really watching this show for the shipping stuff (which I am very scared to look at the fandom for after I finish this watch through- I feel like there's probably discourse/arguing about ships...) but. I'm gonna put my opinion out there. valerie/danny > sam/danny. maybe I just really love the enemies to lovers trope. And the secret identity stuff adds Extra Flavor.

-SKULKER JUST HAVING THE BOX GHOST AND DANGLING HIM BY A STRING. HILARIOUS. and him watching them with binoculars and making his silly little commentary. AND MAKING THE SACK BABY CRY. LMAO. THIS DUDE IS A BABY KIDNAPPER. skulker is super fun

-danny, you just...collapsed the water tower. and then attacked the nasty burger machine...mascot thingy...out of anger..I KEEP SAYING HE'S GOT ANGER ISSUES BUT. HE REALLY NEEDS A LESSON IN MANAGING COLLATERAL DAMAGE!!! So does valerie!! They're both pretty focused on each other. I mean it's good of Danny to say he's trying to make sure PEOPLE don't get hurt, but... (I mean I guess it's not something 14 year olds WOULD worry about, but as an adult im like, who's going to fix that? how much money will that take??)

-TUCKER MAKING BANK. and sam and tucker being super emotionally attached to their flour baby and being pretty good parents. that's cute...also him just straight kissing her and being like. WAIT. O_O JDSKAFHD. his mom baking them into cookies was the funniest possible result. tbh I dont feel like this is on tucker, if anything the other kid's shouldve been more responsible! He was just taking an opportunity to get that $$ which I respect

-Danny being more understanding of Valerie's situation in the end (helping her at her job, too, and trying to keep that a secret for her!!!) And seeing them work together this ep, and also her letting phantom get her out of the ghost zone...was very sweet. LOVE that. more valerie eps pls

-me when I realize vlad's big stupid house exploded because of his own carelessness with changing the ghost portal ectofiltrator or whatever: *pointing and laughing*

-me when I realize it means he's gonna go make danny's life hell for it somehow: >:(

-SCOOBY PARODY!!! I feel like there's gotta be some scooby doo/danny phantom crossover stuff, right? also, 'guys in white' men in black wishes

-'oh, that's right! dad married the love of your life! you're bitter and alone!' DANNNNNYY GET HIS ASS ONCE AGAIN WE ARE POINTING AND LAUGHING AT VLAD

-'jack, you captured the ghost boy!!' UMM. he did nothing <3 'we have a weapon's vault??' YOU HAVE A WEAPONS VAULT??? and jack didnt put a handle on the inside. of fucking course he didnt! why would you leave that to your son!! or expect him to clean YOUR LAB when its where you work with probably dangerous chemicals and weapons and hes 14!! give him normal chores, like, I dunno, vacuuming, laundry, dishes...CMON. I hate it here. But I'm glad Jack is more chill about danny while he's a ghost, and willing to work with him for this ep. AND. I DID ENJOY JACK PUNCHING VLAD IN THE FACE. AND GENERALLY JUST OWNING HIM. the ghost punchy fists are actually amazing. like yeah, just punch a ghost in the face. that rules.

-ep 20 opens with the coolest fucking ghost lady design. her tattoos can come off and fight. MA'AM. I like ur nose ring and your cape maam hello 👉👈😳

-sam's grandma is hilarious and the most valid member of her family and I love her. thats my grandma now. and tucker covering for sam by dressing as her. thats true friendship <3 also skipping school to go to a goth circus. just bestie things! sam's parents are haters but for all the wrong reasons.

-'my family has controlled ghosts with this for generations!' WAIT. WAIT FREAKSHOW /ISNT/ A GHOST? I didn't expect that...he's just a fucked up guy controlling ghosts? anyway watching danny shoot at police cars and rob banks while mind controlled. its like, the most stereotypical 'bad' things lmao. (tbh an evil ghost circus troupe is a sick concept)

this gives off big deviantart emo edit vibes

(I'm going to assume evil circus reaper danny has a lot of fan content. people love an edgy au, except this one is canon (even tho its via mind control...having the protag go evil otherwise might be hard, I guess?) but au where he stays with the troupe...that has to exist, right?)

ANYWAY. excited to start s2!! lowkey surprised by how many notes some of these posts have gotten. I've gone back and tagged them all with 'dp thoughts' so they're easier to find on my blog! ^^ and I will probably possibly do (more) fanart on my art blog after I finish the watch of the whole show, so like. @sanchoyodraws follow my art blog :)

#sanchoyorambles #danny phantom #dp thoughts

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pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles · 5 years ago

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Wicked Game

Another round of the 5sos fic writing collab brought to you by @maluminspace and @h0tsos. There are so many amazing writers involved and I highly recommend checking out the event master list linked below. Thank you to the Sagittarius sorceress @sexgodashton for being very caring, patient, and kind while helping me tame this monster. Massive shout out to @ghostofmashton for the photo edits, especially Ashton’s eye. that’s my favorite. You’re a rock star. Texas girls forever, love you to bits!

Event Master List

Prompt: Chef AU with Cashton

Dialogue Prompt: “Kissing you is all I’ve thought about since the moment we met” First person to spot it in the fic and send me a screenshot gets a personalized blurb request.

Word Count: 20K+ Team Long Winded Bitch strikes again, this will be posted in multiple parts over the next couple of days. This first part is about 5K

Rating: 18+ Slash fic Strong language, alcohol and drug use, and a misogynistic and racist comment. Sexual scenes including masturbation, toys, voyeurism, oral, and anal sex.

Summary: Ashton is ready to move on with his life after his painful divorce from Luke and the demise of the restaurant they’d built together. With the help of his protegee and sous chef Hima Singh, Ashton is ready to take on opening weekend of his new restaurant Anne-Marie’s. Calum is a reporter filling in on an assignment and is surprised when his past comes back to haunt him. Hima arranges an interview that takes an unexpected turn between the two men.

Part 1

"Great job, guys, we couldn't have had a better opening weekend. Thank you so much for making it happen," Ashton told the two staff members in the kitchen who'd closed as he unlocked the back door.

"No problem boss, glad to be here. We made money this weekend. See ya tomorrow," DeSean told him as he left.

Ashton locked the door behind them and walked out into the empty dining room, his steel-toed boots echoing heavily on the distressed blonde faux hardwood floors. He stopped to adjust a few tables, double-checking sightlines and looking over the layout of the tables. The upside-down chair legs cast long shadows in the soft pink neon glow.

He looked up at the sign above the bar that read "Anne-Marie's." He smiled, not caring if anyone thought it was cheesy to name his restaurant after his mother. His mom had always been his lucky star, and he couldn't have gotten through the last couple of years without her.

"You look so serious,' a voice behind him startled him out of his thoughts.

"What the fuck Hima," Ashton yelped, clutching his chest dramatically. "I thought you were still in the kitchen."

"The guys didn't leave me anything to do so I decided to change and have a drink with you before my brother gets here," she tossed her bag and chef's coat onto a stool grinning at Ashton. She hopped up to sit on the bar before swinging her legs around as she pushed off. Landing without a wobble she reached under the bar and grabbed a bottle of black label Bushmill's Irish Whiskey and two short glasses.

"Straight for the good stuff, I like the way you think," Ashton smirked, taking a seat at the bar.

"To simply mark the occasion, of course" she poured them each a shot before adding a splash of water. She raised her glass, "Cheers to you, Boss, and to Anne-Marie's."

They clinked glasses. "Couldn't have done it without you," he replied before taking a sip.

"Awwwwww thanks Ashtton, " she grinned at him. "Damn that's good, the whiskey makes me forgive the Irish for how dreadful Guinness is. Did you see Kevin Mackie snuck in last night? I expect a write up in the Metro on Tuesday and I know you saw Patricia Bennett," she rolled her eyes at the name.

"She makes herself hard to miss," he snorted. "I missed Mackie though. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because we were busy and I didn't have time for you to get all giggly and nervous. He got the crab puffs and the Mac and Brie and inhaled them. You were right about the nutmeg; I thought he was going to lick the plate." She opened two bottles of beer before hopping back over the bar and taking a seat next to Ashton.

"How did this weekend compare to the opening of ‘Lune Rouge’? Was it as good as the first time?" Hima finished her whiskey before shaking a pack of Camel Crush cigarettes out of her bag.

"If you get ashes on the bar Paloma will flip her shit," Ashton warned.

"I'm not afraid of her," Hima snipped, but she made sure to be careful. No sense in antagonizing their temperamental main bartender.

"This opening was definitely smoother than the first one. We didn't know what the hell we were doing. The first night we ran out of duck fat and gorgonzola before the dinner rush was over. My sous chef's sister had to run to Whole Foods for emergency supplies. We got lucky the press ignored us for a couple weeks until we got a little buzz going. This time I knew what to expect but there was also more pressure," he paused, taking a pull on the bottle of beer. "This time I expected to succeed right out of the gate."

"You succeeded there," Hima stubbed her cigarette out in her empty glass. "I really need to quit."

"You could get a puff bar and start vaping," he teased.

"I'm not a fucking junior varsity cheerleader. I can take my cancer like a big girl." She checked her phone. "Ugh it's almost nine, and it's gonna take me at least thirty minutes to get home. You're closing tomorrow with me right?"

"Yeah, I'll be in around 11 all this week. Rafi is handling brunch with Gloria but I want to be here," Ashton double-checked his phone. "Tuesday I have that interview with Men's Life and they just emailed me."

Hima saw his nose scrunch up as he read. "What's wrong?"

"I thought they were sending Taj, but instead of rescheduling the interview, they're sending Calum Hood," Ashton sneered.

"Chill dude, it's not that bad," Hima was confused by the venom in his voice. "Yeah he's a bit of a goof, but he's hot and not a pretentious dickhead. They could've sent Felipe."

"True, true," he grumbled as he saw a black Honda pull up outside. "Kabir is here."

"Shit, ok see you tomorrow, Boss," she grabbed her stuff, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and ran out the door, locking it behind her.

Ashton walked through once again. He made sure the lights were off in the employee lounge. Since many of his staff members used public transport or worked two jobs, Rafi had convinced Ashton to provide his staff with a decent place to take a break and get ready before or after work. He built a small shower stall, lockers, and provided clean towels, and as his new kitchen manager, Rafi took responsibility for maintaining the space. Ashton took a last look at the bar, double-checking for any stray ashes Hima might have missed before setting the alarm, locking up, and heading home.

Calum opened the email from his editor and swore loud enough to wake the scruffy brown terrier mix snoozing at his feet.

Hey Cal,

Sorry it's such short notice but Taj's mom had an emergency and I need you to cover for him. He's interviewing Ashton Irwin, remember him? He had the Lune Rouge a few years ago. Well, he's got a new place, diverse staff and we're doing a feature. Maybe even the cover if he's really pretty. Tuesday at 2 pm I'll send you the address and details after I talk to Taj. Oh, and my friend Nick is coming into town and I told him you'd show him around. It's been a while since you had a date but you'll like him. He's kinda short, but he's got big muscles, huge dick, perfect credit. You could do a lot worse.

Call me tomorrow

Sham

This isn't good, this isn't good. Calum's mind was racing. He rubbed his temples trying to think. Taj was notoriously reliable and responsible, so if he was taking off on short notice, it must be serious. It was just his bad luck it was Ashton Irwin.

He usually covered travel and sports for Men's Life while Taj handled food and fashion. Calum didn't mind taking back food and dining for the time being. He'd started in that industry, working as a line cook while he went to school for journalism. He'd quit both when a flirty, older professor recommended him for an internship at California Culture and he managed to land a real job. Professor Davis had been highly disappointed to lose him as a student and catch him making out with her son who went to the same college. He'd found a tiny shitty apartment, spent his life on the road for work, and sent every penny he didn't need to live on to his family. He didn't even date for the longest time until he met a handsome blonde with sharp features and a sharper tongue.

He couldn't remember if it was four years ago or five, but he clearly recalled his review of Lune Rouge had not been nice. Calum was in a toxic relationship with the restaurant's sous chef at the time. He'd let his personal life spill over into his work for the first and only time. It wasn't something Calum was proud of and while he felt he owed Ashton an apology, the right time and place hadn't presented itself yet. He'd run into Ashton twice since then. The first time he was with his husband, and Calum wasn't about to humble himself in front of Luke. The second encounter came not long after their marriage broke up. Calum was dating a photographer at the time, when Ashton came to the photographer’s art show. They were briefly introduced but Ashton's chilly demeanor discouraged any further conversation, so Calum avoided him the rest of the evening. He remembered being unable to stop staring at the handsome chef with the sad eyes. He'd always hoped they'd bump into each other under better circumstances. I guess an interview will have to do.

********

Ashton sat out on his condo balcony overlooking Echo Park, taking in the night air and enjoying a second bottle of IPA. Hima was right, the opening had been a smash. Anne-Marie's had the best staff he'd ever had the pleasure of working with, and aside from a small mix up between gruyere and Havarti cheese, the opening had been smooth. The alcohol hummed in his veins as he allowed his mind to wander back five years.

Lune Rouge's opening had been a chaotic mess of brilliance, balls, and blind luck. He was a year out of culinary school, newly married, and ecstatically in love with his husband. Luke was a trust fund baby; his dad ran a major studio. He put up the funding for their restaurant which procured a prime spot in trendy West Hollywood. Ashton had the idea of taking traditional French cuisine and turning it into "pub grub." Luke created a kitschy tacky cool interior with the ambiance of fairy light curtains, vintage 90's movie posters, an eye-popping pink and aqua come scheme. Featuring a bartender who doubled as a DJ, the restaurant became an immediate hot spot.

The culinary press treated them like rock stars and it went to their head. Ashton was portrayed as the mysterious boy genius, boisterous and foul-mouthed, he ran the back of the house, oversaw the business and created the menu. Luke, who's blonde-haired blue-eyed good looks were regularly described as "angelic", was the frontman, often schmoozing in the dining room, taking song requests, or slinging drinks behind the bar. They worked so well together until they didn't.

Ashton shook his head, not allowing himself to linger on negative thoughts, not when he'd fought to regain balance. He'd spent the last year freeing himself from the wreckage of his partnership with Luke. Still, tonight after the opening, alone and overlooking the city lights, his mind kept going back to the exhilaration of that first opening night. After they stayed late with the crew for a drink to celebrate, Luke's hand wandered up Ashton's thigh causing him to almost choke on his tequila. Soon Luke started whining about all the paperwork he had to do before they could go home. The crew quickly bagged it out of there, not wanting to get roped into more work.

Ashton swallowed at the memory before glancing around at the other balconies. It was late enough most of his neighbors should be asleep. Already hard, he reached down and squeezed his bulge through the thin fabric of his pajama pants.

After letting everyone else out of Lune Rouge that first night he'd been puzzled to find Luke no longer at the bar. He heard noises coming from the office. When he opened the door, he found his husband, shirtless, and waiting for him.

Ashton slid his hand into his pants swiping his thumb across the leaking tip. He heard a sliding glass door open and froze in place until he realized it was his neighbor below him chatting on the phone. He stroked himself and let his mind wander back to Luke. It had been too long since Ashton got laid, and Luke was still the best sex he'd ever had. He shuddered and bit his lip thinking about the way Luke grinned at him as he opened the office door. Before Ashton could say a word, Luke was sinking to his knees. A bit awkward given his long legs, but it didn't take long before he was letting Ashton fuck his throat. The thought of those blue eyes looking up at him as Ash's hands tangled in those blonde curls caused a moan to slip out, and his neighbor stopped talking at the sound.

"I think somebody is having sex," he heard her whisper. He almost laughed.

His dick was twitching flat against his stomach as he ducked back inside his bedroom, kicked off his pants, and grabbed a small tube of lube. Ashton shut off the light and stepped back outside.

The breeze cooled his fevered skin as he stood there looking out at the city and stroking his dick. The idea that he could possibly be seen turned him on almost as much as his trip down memory lane. He swallowed another moan thinking about how Luke's lips felt against his, their tongues tangled until he pulled back looking at Ashton with mischief and love before giving him a wink and turning around.

Ashton's breath caught in his throat as he worked his cock thinking about it. The red and white striped pants his husband pranced around in that night had been blissful torment working him up until the moment he slid those pants down and bent over the desk.

"Come take what's yours, my love, I've been wanting you all night," he cooed, wiggling his hips.

Luke was a whiny boy when he was getting pounded, and the memory sent Ashton closer to the edge. He felt his knees tremble as he increased his speed, the city lights becoming starbursts in his vision as he edged himself closer. At the moment of release, he swore he could feel Luke pushing back against him taking him in as deep as he could go.

When Ashton opened his eyes, he found himself sweaty and streaked with his own seed. He was amazed he'd managed to stay quiet, but his neighbor was chatting away obliviously. He went back inside, cracked another beer, and took it with him into the shower, trying to focus on his day tomorrow.

It was after midnight by the time he went to bed. His body was exhausted but the adrenaline from the opening weekend hadn't quite worn off. He found himself still restless and playing on his phone. After scrolling through Instagram, he found himself looking at the page belonging to the Galway Grill-- Ashton cringed at the name-- an Irish pub and microbrewery very recently opened by Luke and his boyfriend Finn.

Ashton simmered with resentment perusing the menu; they'd recycled at least half of the Lune Rouge recipes, his creations. He'd heard they'd rushed their opening to launch the week before Anne-Marie's, and even with Daddy's deep pockets the decor looked slapped together, all flash no class. He came to a picture of the happy couple and couldn't help but notice how thin and tired Luke looked despite his huge smile. He felt a twinge of concern for his ex before pushing his phone away in disgust. Rolling out of bed, he headed to the bathroom and fished an orange prescription bottle out of the cabinet. He broke a valium in half and swallowed the smaller piece with a gulp of water straight from the faucet. He scrolled through different sounds on his phone before settling on crashing waves. He spent the next ten minutes stretching and practicing deep breathing to push out any lingering negativity and troubling thoughts. It was too late to drag up the past and there was nothing to be gained. Ashton crawled back under the duvet and sank into a deep sleep dreaming of blue eyes.

*********

Hima rolled into work a little after one, pleased to see a decent lunch crowd and multiple delivery orders going out. She ordered a chicken mojito wrap for her lunch and headed back to the office to find Ashton. She found him in his chair with his laptop open on his desk, a notebook in his lap while scrolling through his phone.

"So what's the Monday morning report, Boss?" She asked, taking a seat across from him.

Ashton was beaming as he spun the laptop around to show her. "We made 30% over our projected sales. We came in right at payroll, actually a little under if you can believe that."

"I've checked the reservation book," she responded, flashing her phone. "We're booked solid for dinner Friday and Saturday and will call is 3 pm-7 pm. We're probably going to have to do that all week."

"Whatever you need. This weekend is going to be bonkers. If you have any suggestions, I'd like to do something for the staff. That reminds me, I've got to talk to Maisie." He scribbled down a quick note.

"She's already on it," Hima laughed. "The servers who struggled are coming in for extra training with her and Dakota. I have no doubt she'll straighten them up or ship them out."

Ashton nodded as Daniel knocked on the office door to bring their lunch.

"How's it going out there? Let us know if you need anything," Ashton told him.

"We've got this, Boss, enjoy your lunch," Daniel closed the door behind him.

"He's Rafi's brother?" Hima asked before taking a big bite.

"Cousin, Gloria is his sister," Ashton replied tucking into his roasted corn and quinoa salad with queso fresco.

"Are you ready for this interview tomorrow? You look tired," Hima looked concerned.

"I am tired," he shrugged. "I just wanna get this over with. I'm thrilled we're doing so well, but that's not what the press wants to talk about."

"Don't think about it like that. Anne-Marie's will stand on her own. You've just gotta get through this week. I know it's a lot," her words were half-muffled by a napkin.

"Tomorrow is the worst of it. Mackie called and is available Tuesday at one or Thursday for dinner around four. Since he's already been here for dinner, I thought I'd let Rafi wow him this time," he told her.

"Good idea, try to keep it short because if he drinks he gets super chatty. He gave a lecture at school and came to the bar afterward; he would not shut up," she warned.

"Chatty bastard, got it," he replied and they both laughed.

Anne-Marie's was his restaurant, but he couldn't have done it without Hima. She was fresh out of culinary school working as a line cook at the Hilton when he'd discovered her a little over a year ago. Ashton only lasted four months before chafing under the corporate yoke and deciding to strike out on his own. She'd been the first person he'd hired for the restaurant, guaranteeing her first year's salary out of his own pocket. Rafi and DeSean were excellent managers for the kitchen, but Hima was a coach: she understood the business as a whole. He'd let her handle most of the press and promotion, and she'd scored two big interviews.

Gourmet Table had interviewed him last Thursday The piece wouldn't be that in-depth, but they'd spent three hours photographing food. He expected the Men's Life article to focus more on him and his personal life. Calum Hood was known for his sharp pen and take-no-prisoners style. He'd given Lune Rouge two stars and a biting review during a brief stint at California Culture before he'd become known. It was five years ago, but Ashton still had the clipping somewhere. Calum had branded Lune's food as tasty and imaginative but thought the presentation was lacking in creativity. He'd ripped into the decor, calling it "somewhere between art house and frat house," and labeled Luke and Ashton "spoiled pretty boys pretending to be chefs." Luke had brushed it off with a laugh, but it still bothered Ashton.

Unlike the Hemmings’, Ashton’s family didn't have money to throw around. He'd started at sixteen, washing dishes and peeling vegetables for Chef François at Bordeaux on Hollywood. He'd taken culinary classes after high school while working full time. Sadly, Chef François had a heart attack and retired around the time he met Luke.

"You're not listening again," Hima complained, licking her fingers. "Rafi killed it with this wrap. The chicken is amazing, but the cucumber-mint salad and the tamarind chili mayo are next fucking level."

"You're right, I'm not. Sorry about that," he pushed his plate aside.

"Ok, what's got you so rattled? You've handled the press like a champ up until now. Is it Mackie or Hood? Who needs to catch these hands?" Hima stood and assumed a fighter's stance, bouncing on her toes.

"Easy there killer, I can defend my own honor. Mackie is an irritating little mosquito. He just wants gossip, but he's got enough readers so we all have to kiss his ass. Hood gave me one of the few bad reviews we got at Lune, and it stuck. He called us frat boys and said we were trying too hard," Ashton rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed by saying it out loud.

Hima raised her eyebrows and smirked, "I love it when you're petty. You're always so perfect and Zen, it's annoying."

"My therapist would disagree. Oh shit, that reminds me," he straightened up in his chair and grabbed his phone. "I've got an appointment at 2:30. I'll be back before 4," he dropped his eyes to the floor.

"Ashton," her voice was soft but commanding, and he looked up. "I don't know what's going on, and if you don't want to tell me that's fine. I want you to take care of yourself, whatever that takes. Ok?" He nodded and she smiled, "You can tell Dr. Claire that I've confirmed her for 8 pm Saturday, and you're going to personally cook her dinner. We've got the 50th anniversary that night so maybe you could flex and make your Pavlova's? I'll get the berries myself."

"It's a deal; we can comp them champagne, too. I'd better get going before I get yelled at. She's a stickler for punctuality, I think it's a British thing."

"I'll hold things down until you get back," Hima gathered up the dishes and headed out with Ashton right behind her.

*********

Ashton drew a deep breath and exhaled through his nose as the reporter settled in the chair across from him. Kevin Mackie's column in L.A. Metro was the definitive opinion for restaurants on the West Coast. His readers loved the snarky tone, celeb sightings, and bitchy gossip that peppered his column. His reviews could make or break new restaurants.

"Let me start off by saying I love the decor of this place. It's rustic, but not in that played out, hipster-in-the-woods nonsense," he leaned in and lowered his voice towards the end of the comment with a coy smirk.

"You'll find no Mason jars here," Ashton replied, taking the bait. Kevin liked people who liked him, and his most recent column was a snarky takedown of "Pinterest style interiors." Ashton found the article tedious and uninspired, but there was no need to be antagonistic right out of the gate.

Ashton watched as the reporter ordered his lunch from their server Zia. He guessed Kevin to be in his forties, and he thought he could see fresh hair plugs, bleached blonde, and a bit of Botox. Rumor had it, he'd recently split with his long-time girlfriend over a fling with a much younger waiter. Ashton tried not to pay attention to industry gossip. However, his personal problems made their way into the column more than once, and he couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of satisfaction at the other man's problems.

After they'd both ordered, Kevin sat back and took a sip of his Pellegrino water and smacked his lips. "I was here the other night and I have to admit I was prepared to be underwhelmed. A menu based on sandwiches and comfort food sounded like an upscale Applebee's, but I really liked it despite myself. I was surprised to see your main girl was on the mature side, but she's efficient as hell so I get the trade-off."

Ashton's body tensed at the insult to Maisie, and he took a deep breath. Exhaling through his nose he forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Kevin was prattling on with some bit of gossip as Ashton sipped on his iced coffee.

"So let's start with something simple and ease our way into the rough stuff," Kevin set his voice recorder on the table between them. "Tell me how you formulated your top-secret house coffee blend."

Ashton broke into a wide grin as he described taking two months to travel and sample different beans, learn more about the roasting and blending process. Kevin sipped his coffee and nodded as if deep in thought, but his eyes kept wandering to Ashton's biceps. He'd been baking this morning so he smelled of cinnamon, his black t-shirt damp and clingy from sweating under his chef coat.

"So we sell the house blend all year, but we have single-source coffee that's seasonal, all of it fair trade," Ashton finished proudly.

"Coffee has always been your thing if I remember correctly," Kevin said.

"True, true, and once I started roasting my own beans it became a true obsession."

Kevin followed it up with a couple more softball questions about menu details and sandwiches. Ashton expounded on his love of food. "Cooking for someone is a simple way to show care, to be enjoyed almost as much as dining should be. Food is caring and comfort; it sustains us. It brings people together in a shared experience."

"Ooh that's a nice pull quote," Mackie chuckled. "I love when y'all have media training. It makes the bullshit flow much smoother.

Ashton seethed but said nothing. He'd watched this man's pettiness wreck a good opening, and Ashton couldn't do that to his crew. Zia brought their lunch. Ashton noticed Kevin had also ordered the chicken mojito wrap.

"This looks delicious. I think it's a nice touch that you've got so much, let's say diversity, in your restaurant. That you're actually letting them make their own food makes your menu more interesting. Not all restaurants get it. Please tell me you've seen how horribly Finn ripped you off for that tacky Irish pub," Kevin glanced up at him a tiny smirk playing on

"I haven't paid any attention to that," Ashton wanted to end the interview right there.

"Oh come on, you've had to see how much he's trying to recreate the magic you and Luke once had. The menu is tired, I don't give a fuck if he is Irish. Finn has no imagination yet fancies himself an impresario. Luke's still got it though. He even asked when I was coming here. I didn't tell him of course, I'm a professional after all."

"Of course," Ashton nodded checking out of the conversation. The reporter talked as he ate which given the wrap he was eating proved especially messy and little flecks of food kept flying his way. Ashton watched the door, nodding at customers, silently willing someone to come and save him. Kevin was still talking about himself when Hima and Zia came out of the kitchen. Ashton tried to catch their eye when he felt a hand on his arm.

"I wanna ask you about that one," Kevin leaned in so he could almost whisper.

"Who? Hima? What about her?" Ashton was pretty sure he wasn't going to like the answer.

"What's the deal? I've only ever seen you with Luke. Did your palette change that much? India must've been a real spiritual awakening for you huh?" Kevin winked at him, thinking he was clever.

Ashton controlled his breathing trying to keep his temper in check. He looked over at the reporter who kept talking oblivious to the situation.

"Who doesn't like trying something exotic. She seems like a smart cookie. She's darker than most Indian girls you see, like a rich brown butter sauce. I bet she tastes like tumeric though."

"Get out of my restaurant" Ashton hissed, his hands gripping the table to restrain himself from physical violence. "You are not going to insult my staff, my friends, in their restaurant."

Kevin started to speak but Ashton cut him off.

"Not another fucking word" he kept his voice at a low growl so as not to cause a scene. He noticed a couple of the closest tables were already watching them. "You've said enough and I'm barely holding back as it is. Get out of my restaurant, don't ever come back, don't ever speak to me again, and if you trash me in this review I promise you I will find you and fuck you up personally." Ashton stood up and Kevin flinched, the sight would have made him laugh if he hadn't been so furious. He stepped back and the reporter scrambled out of his seat leaving his lunch unfinished. Ashton walked back into the kitchen, Hima fast on his heels. He kicked the door open to the break room and headed for the speed bag hanging in the corner. He'd learned the hard way punching walls usually resulted in the wall winning the fight so he'd given himself something easier on his hands.

Hima watched him from the door, his back and biceps rippling as he went two minutes at full speed. When he finally turned around she could see the anger had cooled somewhat. She hated that her boss looked incredibly sexy when he was angry.

"Are you gonna tell me what happened?" She asked when he turned back around.

"Nope, it'll just piss me off all over again, and I gotta get ready for another fucking interview. With a guy who already doesn't like me," Ashton put this coat back on and headed into the line to check on Rafi.

At least the second interview can't be worse, she thought, wishing she believed it.

*********

Calum eased his beat up Range Rover into the parking lot of Anne-Marie's amongst the Mercedes, Audi's, and Teslas. He cursed the traffic when he checked the time. He was late, and they were busy. Not a good look he thought, grabbing his bag.

He smiled at the ladies waiting for a table before introducing himself to the impossibly serene hostess. He was quickly led to a table in an alcove not far from the kitchen. As he pulled out his voice recorder and notebook, he noticed a young woman heading his way. Her black hair was knotted tightly in a bun on top of her head, and her chef's coat had a large streak of what might be hollandaise sauce. He remembered his editor, Jacqueline, telling him Anne-Marie's had a female sous chef. He checked the notes she'd given him quickly as she was stopped by a server. Hima, Culinary Institute of America graduate, 23, Indian maybe?

"Hello I'm Hima Singh, you must be Calum Hood," she greeted him. From up close, he noticed that her eyes were a rich golden brown and that her smile didn't reach her eyes. He chalked it up to her youth; his editor said she was 23 but she looked like a teenager. He mentally stopped himself there. He'd become jaded by one too many husband/wife teams in recent years trying to rebrand a post-divorce startup as a "new adventure." While the divorce was true, Calum knew Ashton's history.

"Yup that's me, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hima," he shook her hand, relieved to see her relax a bit.

"Chef Irwin will be out shortly. He's helping with a problem in the back" she glanced towards the kitchen, and Calum had a feeling she was lying.

"Can I get you something while you wait? Do you like coffee? We have a house blend cold brew Chef Irwin selected himself that we roast and grind on-site," she asked motioning towards the sign listing the daily selection of teas and coffee.

"Thanks, but maybe not coffee. I'm nervous enough without more caffeine," he admitted, "but the lavender and blackberry infused lemonade sounds amazing." He smiled and her face softened.

"Absolutely," she signaled to Zia who brought Calum his drink and a basket of warm, fluffy yeast rolls with Anne Marie's cinnamon honey butter. The smell reminded Calum he'd skipped breakfast as his stomach began to rumble.

"So you're Chef Irwin's sous chef? I heard a rumor you were a partner as well," he asked, almost drooling as he tore into the soft bread, watching the steam escape.

"Yes sir," Hima's smile finally reached her eyes, and she sat down across from him. "When he got his core team together for Anne Marie's, there's three of us total. Desean and Rafi are his kitchen managers, and he gave us the opportunity to buy in as minority investors, no pun intended."

"These rolls are incredible. Please take one before I finish this whole basket and ruin my lunch. How long have the three of you worked for Ashton, excuse me, Chef Irwin?" He asked.

"Desean and Rafi were part of his Lune Rouge crew. They go way back, but he met me fresh out of school and took me under his wing," she told him.

"Did you go to CIA?" Calum was jotting down notes, getting a feel for the story.

"I wish, it's so pretty up there. My twin brother attended Brown, and I went to Johnson and Wales so we could stay close."

"You're a twin? Is he a chef as well?" Calum asked.

"Are you kidding? He's a lawyer, of course, my parents had to have one in the family," Hima laughed.

Zia appeared beside their table. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Rafi is looking for you, Hima."

A worried frown replaced her warm smile and Calum felt his nerves bubbling back up. He glanced around and caught sight of Ashton, flushed and sweaty from the heat of the kitchen, poking his head around the corner. Their eyes met, and Calum felt like he'd been hit by lightning.

Hima saw his reaction and whipped around to see what Calum was looking at. Spotting her boss she quickly excused herself and hurried to the back.

Zia cleared her throat and Calum realized she was still standing next to his table.

"Would you like to try Rafi's plantain skewers while you wait? It's my favorite thing here, and it'll leave room for whatever these geniuses cook up," she asked with a smile and a wink.

He nodded and she headed to the server station to put the order in. Calum looked around and started taking notes. The most striking thing about the decor was how they'd used diffused skylights for soft lighting to accent the Nakashima-style crafted wooden furniture. Thanks to his Mom’s love of Antiques Roadshow when he was younger Calum discovered his preference for natural grain wood and bespoke pieces. He liked the use of pastel neon signs to complement the muted green and blue tones of the mosaic tile floors and he thought the framed pictures of what he assumed were family photos of the staff provided a really nice personal touch. The largest photo was in the bar of Ashton and his mother, the restaurant's namesake, Anne Marie.

Zia set a plate down in front of him. "The boss will be out in a minute., Let me get you some more tea," she told him.

The skewers consisted of chunks of pineapple, plantain, red onion, and sweet potato grilled and dusted with chili powder and brown sugar served with a yogurt sauce for dipping.

Calum was almost finished with the first one when Ashton came out of the back, making his way towards him. The chef stopped to talk to several customers, the hostess, and Zia before he made it to Calum's table. Cal licked his fingers, wiping his hands clean with a Sani-wipe before standing up and offering a handshake.

Ashton took his hand and Calum wasn't expecting it to feel so soft. Caught off guard Calum stammered out an introduction as he sat, but he noticed Ashton just nodded, barely listening.

"If today isn't a good day we can reschedule," Calum sipped his tea, his throat suddenly dry.

"I'm here aren't I?" Ashton snapped. He folded his arms across his chest, his hazel eyes narrowing at Calum. "I still remember your first review you know."

Calum's pulse was racing. He hated confrontation, and he hadn't expected Ashton to kick off right away. He knew he'd better suck it up and apologize if this wasn't going to go completely off the rails.

"Listen, I wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have been such a dickhead." As he spoke Ashton scoffed at him and Calum felt his cheeks get warm. "I was young and stupid. I let something personal affect that review. I'm sorry."

"Personal? With Luke? What do you mean by that?" Ashton went from annoyed to hostile.

Calum realized he'd said something wrong but wasn't sure what exactly. He was floundering trying to think of what to say next.

"Nothing with Luke, no no no. I was involved with Finn and we weren't getting along. It's so stupid I know, but I think you're a great chef. The new place looks incredible, and Hima is a delight."

The anger drained from Ashton's face, leaving him looking empty and sad. His head dropped to his chest, and Calum held his breath waiting for him to speak.

"I'm really sorry, it's not you, but I can't do this right now. Maybe we can reschedule or something. My apologies, but I have to get back to work," Ashton mumbled, standing up.

Calum spotted Hima watching them from the podium, chewing on her lip, her black eyes wide with concern as Ashton hurried back to the kitchen. Calum started to get up but she was too quick for him.

"Well, aren't you lucky. I'm going on my lunch and I hate to eat alone," she slid back into the seat across from him. "Please forgive my boss. He's had a rough day, but I'm better company anyway." She waved to Zia who headed their way. "You gotta try the toasted gnocchi with gorgonzola cream sauce if you like cheese, but if you want something lighter the apple carrot kale wrap is excellent too," she smiled at him, and to her relief he smiled back, both of them realizing the situation might be salvageable after all.

(A/N: y’all my tag list, much like my life, is a hot mess. I know some of what I write isn’t for everyone. If you want tagged in part 2 of this fic or my upcoming smuts, pink kink series, or dad!calum series please let me know. I apologize for my previous mistake)

@sublimehood @tea4sykes @be-ready-when-i-say-go @scribblesos @kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995 @wildmichaelflower @castaway-cashton @damselindistressanu @notinthesameguey @cashtonasfuck @irwinkitten @mermaidcashton @malumsmermaid

#calum hood #ashton irwin #5sos writing collab #cashton smut #cashton slash #Calum Hood smut #ashton irwin smut #cashton #calum 5sos #ashton fanfic #ashton 5sos #5sos

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ironwoman18 · 4 years ago

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We found love in a hopeless place part 19

Chapter 19: Some Family moments

Before the party Dom had a conversation with Max about staying that night at his house, he wanted to make sure nothing will happen to them, because they will return late that night.

He knew Spencer would protect her but he just wanted to take extra precautions. She, at first, seemed unsure about it but at the end she accepted these.

She told Spencer and he accepted this condition. He really likes the relationship between Max and her father so he could not say no to that. He put in his suitcase his pj's and a shirt and pants, next to the travel kit he use with the FBI.

So when they arrived at the Brenner's house after the party, Spencer got his case and walked in.

Max led him to her old bedroom and while she was in the bathroom cleaning her face and he changed his clothes.

"Thank you for accepting stay here at night" she said from the bathroom "it means a lot to me and him"

"You are welcome" he smiled "I just love how he cares about you and your sisters. It makes me think about my childhood and how I didn't have a father's figure back then" she looked at him and she dried her face then walked to him and sat on his lap.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked playing with the hair on his neck softly.

He looked into her eyes "he left me and my mom when everything was getting worst with her condition and after she helped a neighbor to kill a pedophile. After that I met him again and I discovered what I just told you" he looked down then back at her "he never talk to me again after that. Then the next father figure I had was Jason and he left too"

"So you lost your father and Jason" she said stroking his hair softly.

"Yes and when I see fathers worrying for their children, I just..." She hugged him tight and kisses his cheek.

"My father loves you like a son, he always talk about you when his friends and I think Michelle's husband is jealous" he laughed softly at that "so now my dad is yours too baby" she cleaned his tears "ok?" He nodded and kisses her softly.

"Thank you Max" he smiled and she stood up to lay next to him and they felt asleep almost immediately in each other's arms.

The next morning the couple got a shower and went down stairs to make breakfast. Max's father was already there making coffee.

"Good morning kids" he smiled at them "how did you sleep?"

"Really good thank you sir" Spencer smiled at him.

"Spencer remember that you can call me Dom, no sir" he laughed and handed Spencer and Max their coffee cups "I'm making pancakes, oh by the way Max, Michelle is coming tonight. We will have a Star Wars marathon before the premier of episode 8" he smiled "Sammy's dad haven't watched the movies and Sammy wanted him to check them out. You are invited too Spencer"

"I would love to. And I would like to do a horror movies marathon too since is October"

"Oh my...!! You are right! I have old horror movies and maybe we can watch them after star wars"

Max watched them with a little smirk, remembering their conversation last night. He surely will adopt her dad as his own because they had so much in common.

"Max?"

"Umm?" She looked at her father.

"I asked you what did you think?"

"I love the idea. And I'm sure we will enjoy these movie nights" Dom smiled big and turned to cook.

"Are you ok? You barely talked" asked Spencer in a whisper.

"Yeah I was thinking about what we talked yesterday, and realized how happy you seem with him" she rubbed his cheek "I love see you happy and I will do anything to keep it there way" she smiled and kissed his cheek.

He hugged her and kissed her forehead "I love you and I feel the same"

She hugged him back and laid her head on his chest "Spencer today I was invited me and other art teachers to the Smithsonian, to check a place to book for special activities there. And after that we can stay in the museum so I was wondering if you would like to go with me?"

"Of course I would love to" she smiled and after breakfast the couple left the house to the museum.

There were lots of other teachers taking notes and asking questions about the place and the possible activities. The place was beautiful and the big enough for big groups.

Some even took photos of the place to show the principal of the school. And after the one hour tour and questions they were free to see the paintings and sculptures.

Max took the lead explaining things to him and he surprised her with his knowledge.

"Why so surprised? I'm dating an artist so I read about it" she laughed softly and hugged him.

"I'm surprised because you are the first boyfriend that showed interest in this world"

"I love to learn things and if it's something you love then I want to know it too" she kissed him quickly and wrapped her arms around him.

After that they were to a place to eat something and left the museum back to the Brenner's house to watch the movie.

"I missed you last week. I don't like those long cases"

"Me too and I'm thankful that there're not back to back cases like a few years ago. Even the BAU boss sent us home because we spent lots of days on the road"

"I'm glad those days are over" she laughed.

"Not over but not as usual"

"Ok I understand" she looked at him "then I will pray so that never happens again" he laughs and held her hand.

They arrived to the house and there were Michelle and her family waiting for them.

Sammy was playing with some Lego figures of the Star Wars collection while the adults talked.

When they arrived they joined the conversation until they were ready for the movie.

"Ok we will watch the movies in release date. So first A New Hope, next week will the The Empire Strike Back, then The Return of the Jedi. Then we will watch the prequels and we will finish with The Force Awakens and Rouge One. So on December we can enjoy Episode 8" finished Domband all of them nodded. Then he played the movie.

They ate popcorn and drank soft drinks. Then the adults watched an old horror movie while Sammy was sleeping.

Later that night Spencer, Dom and Phil, Michelle's husband, were talking random things about the movies. Then the other two men started to talk about sports, Spencer just added stats he read on the newspaper.

Meanwhile Michelle and Max were talking.

"How are things with you two?"

"Pretty good. He's wonderful and I just can't stop loving him more every day"

"I'm so happy about you Max..."

"But...?"

"But I'm worry because of his job"

"I understand that because I felt the same at the beginning but I know he will keep himself safe for us. But I know it's a risk"

"I'm just worry because I see you love him and I'm sure he does too" she looked at her "just know that his job is dangerous"

"I know Michelle" she held her hand "but I know he won't let anything happens to him"

The older sister just nodded and looked at the three men. Then each couple left the house after another hour of talking.

Spencer drove behind Max and when she walked in the building he drove to his house. Those few days were amazing and full of something he never had, real family moments, and he will do everything to protect those memories and to have more.

Max opened things he never had but were welcome.

OOooOOooOO

That's all for this chapter. I really love building cute moments for these two. I want to talk about some important moments in this season like when Linda sent him to be a full time teacher and forced Dave to retire. Or when he left the team to look for this agent kidnapped by the cult in the season finale.

So maybe I will speed up October and November. Then the wedding of Spencer's friend and I will start the situation with Linda.

Comment are welcome and if you have any ideas my inbox is open. Love you all and thank you for keep reading this.

#criminal mind #spencer reid #maxine brenner #maxcer #fanfiction

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mrsrcbinscn · 5 years ago

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Franny Robinson HC Infodump #7: More Music Stuff

tw: mentions of psychedelic use (it’s clear it is in moderation but)

Cover Contributions To Tribute or Charity Albums (and other notable covers):

King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller - Franny recorded a cover of The Moon Is High (And So Am I) for the album. There’s a really cute video uploaded on her YouTube channel of her recording the song and she’s playing acoustic guitar and dancing around in place as she sings in several takes. It’s one of the few internet videos where her husband is seen, because sometimes the camera pans to the sound engineer booth when he’s sitting next to Serghei, her go-to sound guy.

She participated on the charity album BBC Children In Need: Got It Covered, since England’s been her home from nearly twenty years now. She sang a slowed down, gentler version of Pat Benatar’s Shadows Of The Night. (inspired by that being a song I vividly remember my mom singing to my siblings and I lmao)

For the album The Music Is You: A John Denver Tribute, Franny sang Rhymes and Reasons.

On a John Prine tribute album released in 2017, Franny and the other half of the duo Dara & Danny, Daniel Maitland, recorded In Spite Of Ourselves for the album.

For a Connie Francis tribute album, Franny sang Where The Boys Are

Franny, along with black country singer Erica James, curated a Charley Pride tribute album, featuring solely country or country-adjacent singers of color. “Charley Pride, when I discovered a black country artist, as an Asian-American growing up in the 80s, that was amazing to me. Because little Cambodian me was like, ‘wow, so you don’t gotta look like Dolly or Willie to love this music.’ Everyone thinks country and bluegrass music is white people shit, but it ain’t. It was always a mix of folks influencin’ it. DeFord Bailey paved the way for Charley Pride, who paved the way for Darius Rucker, who paved the way for Jimmie Allen, Willie Jones, Mickey Guyton, Erica right here, and non-black POC like myself and Dan(iel Maitland). It was such an honor to get to curate this album with Erica. Amazing.” Franny recorded Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger for the album.

On the Tracy Lawrence tribute album Good Ole Days, she recorded As Any Fool Can See with him

She was featured on Brooks & Dunn’s Reboot, recording She’s Not The Cheatin’ Kind

During a SiriusXM session, she sang Gretchen Wilson’s When I Think About Cheatin’, and the performance w/ent viral

On a Leonard Cohen tribute album, she recorded A Thousand Kisses Deep and that cover also became popular

During a Spotify Sessions recording with Seoul Hanoi’d, Franny recorded a cover of Marcy Playground’s Sex & Candy, which also blew up, prompting Seoul Hanoi’d to officially release it on their 2018 album. It was the second of five singles off of the album, and Franny in the music video was Hot ™

During a Spotify Sessions recording as a solo artist, Franny recorded a cover of Kris Kristofferson’s From The Bottle To The Bottom

Khmer Music:

Franny, for the most part, does not record or perform pop music. However, she’s collaborated on tracks with Cambodian pop singers

She writes a lot of songs used in the soundtracks of Khmer tv dramas, and sings a lot of them as well

She’s known as The Soundtrack Queen in Cambodia

In addition to a lot of songs for film and tv, she’s released three albums entirely in Khmer. A jazz album comprised of original songs and Khmer language versions of classic jazz songs; and two in the indie/alternative style of music similar to Seoul Hanoi’d

And she’s recorded Khmer versions of several of her most famous songs

With other Cambodian diaspora musicians, she regularly collaborates on special covers of iconic Khmer 60s and 70s songs

Songwriting

Franny’s even more active as a songwriter than a recording artist. She’s got over 1,000 songwriting credits to her name.

She began writing songs “when I was 11, but they were atrocious, unsalvageable things. The first song I wrote that ever saw the light of day even after heavy edits was first thought up when I was thirteen.”

Franny is openly bisexual and explores that in her songwriting-- however, most of her songs about women or her sexuality that she wrote “pre-2009-ish” she’s scrapped or sold to other artists. Why? “Look, I’ve been married to my husband for almost twenty years now. And that doesn’t make me any less bisexual. But a lot of the songs I’ve written about women are from the perspective of a thirteen through twenty year old me, and at forty, I’m not the best narrator for those stories anymore.They are my lived experiences and my lived feelings, but I want to see how someone actually going through that will take it and interpret it. The songs I write about women loving women now are about characters I make up for the purpose of storytelling so they’re about women closer to my age, it’s about big girl love, not adolescent love.”

Common themes in Franny Sor Robinson songwriting: geography, vivid imagery like she’s showing you a picture of what she’s singing about, Buddhist themes, Christrianity (she’s a Buddhist but grew up in the Bible Belt so she’s very familiar with Christian themes), alliteration

Franny came under a degree of controversy in 2014 with the release of a song called “The Sabbath” because it was a tasteful song about how much she likes sex with her husband after they’ve been apart for a while, and Franny was like “you know you’d think the pearl-clutchin’ folks would be glad I practically worship my husband, but I forgot women ain’t supposed to actually enjoy sex.”

She's written another really sweet song about making love with her husband that did Not get hate because it was Acceptable TM and pretty romantic actually. Think along the lines of Josh Turner's Your Man or Dierks Bentley's Come A Little Closer. Songs deff about how they wanna get down but sweet.

After Franny retweet a clip of that Tyler Childers song in 2019 with the caption “big relate”, she was asked in a tweet if a follow up to The Sabbath was in the cards. Franny replied with “there’s a demo recorded for a song I wrote about six years back and that’s that on that.” Yes, Franny Sor Robinson indeed has written a song about masturbation. She’s performed the song live a few times, however, it is still unreleased officially

Franny’s written songs with lyrics alluding to her family’s experiences under the Khmer Rouge and escaping and resettling around the world, she cleverly hides them among her albums so people accidentally digest some education

Cornelius is the well-documented muse for “every love song I’ve written that I don’t specify in the album notes or an interview is written about a character. My husband is the love of my life and had given me twenty years and counting of great material to write about.”,

Franny’s been on both ends of this story. In 2019, a song Franny wrote but didn’t record became a smash pop hit after she and her producer sent it around to other producers. They recorded Franny’s demo in mid-2017 and they and the bigger pop producer that worked on the song with them listened to over 20 demos of the song until they found the right person to sing it.

And in 2013, Franny got a huge boost to her fame when she was the featured vocalist on a pop song that became a global smash hit. Franny doesn’t typically do like...super top 40 pop type music, but she liked the song so when her agent suggested she record a demo for it and send it back to the producer looking, she was like “sure, okay” and then was absolutely surprised that they chose her over some of the names she knew also recorded demos for the song.

Misc. Music facts

In 2019, a group of NYU students (where she did her undergrad) made a Franny Sor Robinson tribute album project; the majority of the students were Asian students in the university’s music programs who cite her as a big inspiration for them pursuing music. She 100% cried

For the Netflix show Just Trust Me that she co executive-produces, Franny is also one of the people who soundtrack the show

In 2020, to celebrate the 10 Year Anniversary of her biggest solo album’s release, she pulled a The Story And Cover Stories (we stan Brandi Carlile) where it was re-released along with cover versions of each song by other artists including some of Franny’s biggest living musical influences. All proceeds for the album were donated to Cambodian Living Arts.

Franny has openly admitted in interviews to using mushrooms, LSD, and DMT before in songwriting sessions. Her stance is Kacey Musgraves’ stance. Franny quote from 2019, “Used responsibly, I think psychedelics are a worthwhile experience to have. But safety and education are key. I truly don’t believe they are party drugs. Psychedelics aren’t a party, they’re a deeply spiritual and philosophical journey.”

#&&...hc #i should have slept but it is 6:15 am and here i am

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icarusburn-a · 4 years ago

Photo

Occupation: Chairman of Stark Industries, Head of Research and Development for Stark Industries. Head of Recruitment for the Avengers. Iron Man. Spouse: Stephen Stark-Rogers Children: Harley Stark-Rogers (adopted and goes by Harley Keener to avoid the name shock), Lila Stark-Rogers (adopted)

After the whole debacle with Killian and AIM and Extremis life had seemed nearly perfect for Tony Stark. His relationship with Steve was blossoming into something that had Tony thinking more often than not about reconsidering his stance on marriage. He finally meets Harley’s mom, Andrea and she gets added into the list of people who Tony gets to call friends. It just makes sense to offer her the job as Pepper’s PA once they both get to know the woman. Harley and Lila are constant fixtures in the Avengers lives after that. Lila sticks to Steve and Natasha like glue whenever she’s in the same place as them, overawed by everything about Natasha and wanting to be just like her. Steve helps her with her art, the pair of them more often than not in one of the sunny drawing rooms. Harley unsurprisingly favors the company of Tony and Rhodey. Harley ends up with his own section of Tony’s sprawling lab, walled off and as he gets older, the option to lock everyone out. Tony gives Andrea the only override but asks her not to use it unless FRIDAY says he’s in danger. There’s something important about having a private space when you’re like him and Harley. He barely ever uses it, too excited for his two mentors to see what he’s working on. The years go on and no one sees the avalanche waiting to fall on them.

Death always did come in threes.

Six months before the accords, before Peggy Carter dies, Andrea Keener is killed by a drunk driver while visiting her old home to wrap up some things with her ex husband, who she had been petitioning for divorce and to give up his parental rights. Her children are with Tony and Steve, Andrea not wanting to expose either of them. Harley is a month off his sixteenth birthday and Lila has just turned fourteen when Tony accepts the request that they stay with him that had been left in her will. He adopts them officially but explains that they don’t have to use the Stark name unless they want to. They don’t have to call him dad.

They both do anyways, he’s been acting like their dad for years now.

And then it all goes to shit.

Tony Stark lays in a Siberian bunker for 39.43 hours, near death and thinking about the choices that lead him to that very moment.

He spends the next 6 weeks, 2 days, 8 hours, 12 minutes and 14 seconds in a hospital recovering, planning on how he’ll proceed. His kids stay with Pepper, because he refuses to let them rattle around the penthouse or the compound alone. He grieves of course: for his parents, for the family he had thought he had with the Avengers, for his relationship with Steve and the small family they had been building with Harley and Lila. He grieved for the boy inside of him who would always question what was so damn wrong with him that everyone always left him. He spends days going over the past few years, a new lens to look through and he is faced with a stunningly aching realization of what was actually going on around him. The Avengers might have been a family, but Tony had never been a part of that family. It was as it had been since the very start. Iron Man yes, Tony Stark not recommended.

Two and a half months after he was left with a cracked to pieces sternum, Tony Stark does what he has always been best at: he builds.

Tony builds himself first. The sternum enforcement that had been failing before Vienna, was now severely cracked. Helen Cho hadn’t given him long to live, let alone any chance he could be Iron Man again. So he takes Extremis and he works on it, he changes and adapts it with the help of Helen and Steven Strange and the Vision. And like everything else Tony does; it works. Just a little too well. It fixed the damage to his body first, erasing scars both internal and external. He looks almost a young as he had when he had first become Iron Man,

The man made of iron starts with the Accords and the Avengers Inventive. From the ashes of a rag tag team that had no real chain of command rose an actual organization. Overseen by the U.N and the Accords Council, they now have departments, have people running around the compound in New York. He does what he had told Steve he was going to, he amends and fixes until they are nothing like the original version. They add new members to the roster, some taken from targets Tony had pulled from Project Insight, others from the superhero grapevine. The New Avengers come together slowly, under the co command of James Rhodes and Carol Danvers, and it’s entirely different, in a good way.

But it’s lonely. The kids miss Steve almost as much as he does and it’s just...lonely without the noise of the others around all the time. Pepper is there of course and Rhodey and Vision. Peter and Harley become fast friends and sometimes the lab feels like the only place he can breath, the two boys excitedly shouting from their parallel labs. So he plans to bring them back. He does what he’s good at and he gets the Rouge Avengers, even Barnes because of course the man deserved one, a pardon to come home.

And then promptly takes off to Malibu with the kids and ignores everyone for almost three months.

But the kids have school and he can’t keep letting them learn remotely and with tutors, even if they’re both within the caliber for it. Harley is smart on Tony’s level and Lila isn’t far behind but he tries desperately to give them as normal a life as possible. They go back to the compound and a chance run in has Tony and Steve with a chance to finally talk argue. It leads to them agreeing to try it all again. And because their relationship is nothing if not a hurricane, they get married not very long after that. A small private ceremony with just the kids and their friends. The rest of the world got them 90% of the time, this was just for them.

#verse drop #verse: this is the story of how apollo refused to let icarus fall || cannon timeline ft apollorise

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day-wolf · 5 years ago

Text

Fairy Tail Pirates Au

Whoop whoomp

“BISCA! START SHOOTING BEFORE WE GET SHOT AT!”

“TRYING MY BEST HERE, BOSS!”

“TRY HARDER! WENDY, GET ME UP THERE!”I ride a strong wind up to the crow’s nest and transform into my Sagittarius star dress. I shoot the opposing ship until it sinks into the water. “Who was that?” Silence. “I SAID, WHO WAS THAT?”

“You don’t need to yell, Luce! It was just quarter cera... something.”

“He means Quatro Cerberus. Don’t worry about them though, they never stay down for long.” Levy shakes her head. “We should dock at the nearest port and stock up on supplies. Besides, team dragonslayer doesn’t look so good. I think the troia patches stopped working.”

“When do the troia patches work anyways? What’s the wait time now?” I slide down to the deck and pat Natsu on the back.

“Um, a few hours. Better than usual. I still think the wait time is nonsense. Why do you have to wait hours just to cure motion sickness? Especially when it only lasts for half the time.” Levy glances at her dragon slayer with a pitying look on her face.

“Oi, woman! Don’t give me that look!” Gajeel kneels over the edge of the ship, green as seaweed.

“Uh huh. Well, your saving grace is here. Gray! Stop the ship!” Levy feels a sudden chill and turns. “Uh, hi, Juvia.”

“Love rivallllllllllll...” Juvia started leaning over Levy, almost ready to kill.

“You keep forgetting I’m pregnant, Juvia.” She starts backing away slowly.

“Oh, yes! Sorry!” Juvia was pretty normal, but Gray made her mind warped almost.

“Is Love Rival thinking of Gray-sama?” Juvia turns to me and I get spooked. “U-uh, no! We should get off the ship...” I slowly walk away and Juvia gets her attention drawn to something, or someone.

“Gray-sama! I made lunch for you!” Juvia tries to feed Gray food, but he tries to decline.

“Com’on Natsu. You’re probably hungry.” I help him up and Natsu eagerly gets off the ship and starts kissing the ground. Like always.

“When is he not hungry?” Cana snickers as she drinks another barrel of beer.

“When are you not drinking?” I cross my arms and roll my eyes.

“Touché. But alcohol’s great anyways!”

I shake my head and go to the nearest tavern. Natsu, Wendy, Gray, and Juvia trailing behind me.

“You guys have to pay for yourselves this time!”

“But I don’t have any money, Luce!” Natsu whines.

“We raided a merchant ship yesterday, how?” I narrow my eyes

“I spent it with Happy! We got fish and stuff. Com’on Luceeeeee!” He tugs on my arm, but I don’t give in.

“Nope, figure it out. I always pay for you.”

“Damn, Captain Lucy is brutal.” Gray teases.

“I’m not paying for you either.”

“I know, I heard you the first time. I’m not gonna pester you like this idiot.”

“What’d you say, popsicle?”

“You heard me, flames for brains.”

“Oh sorry, I can’t hear strippers.”

“I’m not-“ Gray looks down. “Damn it! Where’d they go?”

~~~

“When Erza said she was leaving for a little bit, I thought a day or two. Instead, it’s been a week. Where is she anyways?”

“Oh! Sorry! I forgot to tell all of you.” Wendy frets. “Mom is with Queen Irene in Crocus. She’s also trying to calm Lucy’s dad down...” She gets a little quieter on that last part

“No need to mumble. What’s he done this time?” I sigh.

“He’s just... sending out a search party for you? After we attacked his last ship so close to your home, he got worried.”

Now, my father is definitely overbearing, but he’s also consumed by his work. If I leave on a “Trip with friends” he won’t really care... or bother to notice I’m gone. Not to mention that one of my friends was Princess Erza herself.

Queen Irene has been alive for centuries. She created dragon slayer magic and is a master enchanter. She’s had many husbands, but only one daughter.

“Yeesh. Tell Erza to come home if she can, I don’t want her to waste time for my expense.”

“Don’t worry, you would do the same for us! Besides, Mom needs to keep up appearances or something.” Wendy tries to reassure me, but my dad doesn’t give up easily.

“I guess, but I still don’t like this.”

~~~

“Mr. Heartfilia, I assure you that Lucy is perfectly safe from pirates.”

“How? You won’t even tell me! How am I supposed to believe that my only child is safe?”

“Do you question my word? When I said Lucy was safe, I meant every word. You need not waste money and time looking for her.”

“It’s my money! I can do whatever the hell I want with it! Why don’t you want me looking for Lucy?”

“I perfectly certain that she would not want her trip ruined because you sent out an entire fleet looking for her! Mr. Heartfilia, I can respect you and your business, but I will not tolerate you sending out a countless amount of ships looking for my friend. She is safe.” Lucy’s father storms out like a child, muttering under his breath. However, he knows that he can’t go against a princess. One of the perks, I suppose.

I think my stay here has been long enough, however. If my mother knows of my... escapades, she doesn’t say. Knowing my mother, she probably does. Although, I’m almost certain she knows when I leave. There’s always a little bag of clothes and jewel for me waiting in my room. Another one for Wendy too, of course.

For all her faults, I know my mother loves me. Or, at least she’s a sucker for my smile.

~~~

“Why’ve you got that weird mark on your stand? Why does everyone?” A weary traveler asked a merchant.

“You don’t know? This is the mark of Fairy Tail.”

“Fairy tale? Like... a folk tale? I wasn’t aware they had a mark...”

“No, no. Fairy 𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡. T a i l. They’re the most notorious pirate gang out there. From what I hear though, they aren’t bad people. They give to the poor sometimes, and they aren’t cruel.”

“Really? Why do you have their mark then?”

“Lets them know we don’t hate them. Hopefully, they don’t try to rob me.”

“But you said- never mind. So, who are they?”

“No one really knows. There are rumors from Lucy Heartfilia to Princess Erza. Both of which are ridiculous, if you ask me. Blonde hair is pretty common, and why would the princess be a pirate?” The both of them laugh

~~~

Of course, that is the case. Salamander is Natsu Dragneel, once a star naval commander gone rouge. P̶o̶p̶s̶i̶c̶l̶e̶ Ice King is Gray Fullbuster, an orphan found by Natsu’s father. Titania is Erza Scarlet, the princess of Fiore. Captain Celestial is none other than Lucy Heartfilia, an once neglected child, now having a true family. Sky Maiden is Wendy Marvell, a child. (Seriously, Grandeeny left and then she met Erza. That’s it)

Fairy Tail might be a little controversial throughout Fiore, but they have never minded. They were Fairy Tail after all, exceeding destructive, loud, completely crazy.

They are what they are, and that would be a pirate.

#fairy tail #pirate au #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #erza scarlet #erza belserion #gray fullbuster #juvia lockser #levy mcgarden #gajeel redfox #wendy marvell #jerza #nalu #gale #gajevy #gruvia

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rena-rain · 6 years ago

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The Shortcut Home ch. 7

Chapter 6

Ladybug waited at the top of the Eiffel Tower for Chat Noir for patrol. She’d decided to tell him tonight.

Marinette had asked Tikki how Chat Noir could possibly have not noticed she was pregnant - sure, the bump was hideable with civilian clothes, but the suit was skin-tight! None of the public had caught on either, even the meticulous Ladyblogger. Tikki’d explained the suit’s magic warped how people saw her. Even if her belly did get bigger and people saw it, for a while no one would register its presence or what it implied. It was the same principle of how no one recognized her face even though the mask did nothing to hide her bone structure.

However, the magic had limits and so did her body. Tikki could compensate for the baby interfering with Ladybug’s range of motion for now, but she wouldn’t be able to keep her pregnancy secret once the baby got too big.

Hawk Moth stopped sending out akumas a few years ago. But whoever he was, he still had the butterfly miraculous and Nooroo kept captive. There was no telling when he might become active again. And if that happened while Ladybug was out of commission…

Chat Noir needed to know. And after this, she had to convince Master Fu to let her tell Adrien. It was hard enough to hide her identity from her parents. She couldn’t, in good conscience, keep a secret so big from her baby’s father, too.

Ladybug heard a soft landing behind her. “Evening, Bugaboo.”

“Hey, Kitty.”

“Ready to bounce around some rooftops?” Chat Noir extended his baton, getting ready to vault off the building. Ladybug stopped him with a hand on his bicep.

“Actually, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“If you’re about to profess your undying love for me, I’m afraid I’ve quite moved on, M’lady. Not that I’d ever blame you for falling for a tomcat.”

“Chat Noir, this is important.”

“Do we have a lead on Hawk Moth?”

“Unfortunately no. I’m pregnant.”

He stared at her with big dopey eyes, taking some time to process. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend. Or husband?”

Ladybug laughed nervously. “Nope, not married,” she obfuscated.

He shook his head. “Wow.”

“Wow?”

“It feels like everyone around me is having babies right now. A couple of my co-workers are on maternity leave. One of my friends is expecting, too.”

“I guess we’re at that age. I’m just worried about Hawk Moth.”

“That’s a good thing to worry about in general but why specifically?”

“I won’t be able to fight with you in a couple months. My kwami’s been protecting the baby so far, but there’s only so much she can do eventually.”

Chat Noir’s eyebrows furrowed. “And if Hawk Moth resurfaces while you’re gone...oh, God.”

“Exactly. I’ve been thinking that maybe someone should step in as Ladybug temporarily.”

“You have someone in mind?”

“I want to give the miraculous to Rena Rouge but I’ll need to talk to Master Fu first.”

“You know Rena Rouge in real life right?”

“Yeah. I trust her.”

“What if Master Fu makes her the new Ladybug because you’re on maternity leave, and she puts two and two together and figures out who you are?”

Marinette hadn’t thought of that. She sighed. “We might have to take that risk. Chat Noir, you have to promise me you’ll protect her like you protect me.”

“Of course, my lady.”

“There’s one other thing.” She wrung her hands. She didn’t know how Chat Noir would react to this idea. He’s never been fond of keeping their secret identities from each other and this may just add salt to the wound. “Out of necessity, I think I’ll need to tell the father that I’m Ladybug.”

He looked shocked. “It’s too dangerous, LB! What if he gets akumatized?”

“He should know where I’m disappearing to! I can’t let him think I’m randomly abandoning my kid and he should understand the stakes here.”

Chat Noir went very quiet. Ladybug looked over at him and noticed his face had gone very pale.

“Chat Noir? Are you mad?”

“No. No, Ladybug, I...I understand. Better than you might think.” He gave her a smile, but it was a weak echo of his regular confident smirk. He stood up and spun out his baton. “There’s something I should also talk to Master Fu about, though.”

“What’s going on?”

He winked. “It’s a secret.” With that cryptic response he leapt off the Eiffel Tower and vaulted over the city skyline.

Ladybug couldn’t help but feel miffed. She’d been as honest as she possibly could with her partner tonight; why couldn’t he extend the same courtesy? Didn’t he trust her? She felt tears well up in her eyes and glared down at her stomach. Curse you, hormones.

Looked like she was doing patrol on her own tonight.

Adrien de-transformed in the alley beside Master Fu’s flat. Plagg snatched some Camembert from his shirt pocket and downed it in a single gulp. “Dang. Babies left and right. Think Miss Ladyblogger is next?”

“Don’t even joke about that, Plagg. Nino would cry for a week.” Adrien went inside and got in the elevator. His head spun the whole ride up.

“Kid, if you chew any harder on your hand you’ll lose all your fingers.”

“Bite me.” The doors dinged open. “Hide, Plagg.”

Master Fu called him in seconds after he knocked on the door. “Ah, Adrien. What can I do for you?”

“Master Fu.” Adrien took a seat in front of the guardian. “I was talking to Ladybug, and she said something that made me think.”

“What are you worried about?”

“I’m kind of...expecting a baby?”

A huge smile broke across Fu’s face. “Oh congratulations!”

“Let him finish,” Plagg said through a mouthful of cheese.

Adrien tapped his knee nervously. “Anyways, I realized that it’s going to be really hard being Chat Noir and a father at the same time. Especially if Hawk Moth shows himself again. I think it’s important that I tell my - the baby’s mom.”

Fu said nothing for several moments. Adrien couldn’t make himself meet his eyes.

Finally he spoke, “Revealing your identity, to anyone, could endanger her and your child. No one in Paris is safe from Hawk Moth, but your family may become specific targets if he ever finds out who you are.”

“But, but if I tell her then she’ll know how important it is not to get akumatized! And I need her to trust me if I’m going to be a good father. She won’t if I’m disappearing for patrols and akuma attacks with bad explanations.”

“I take it you trust her?”

“Other than Ladybug, more than anyone.”

“You’re right, in that knowledge may be power in this case. Although I urge you not to make any rash decisions. Sleep on this for a few nights then come speak with me again. It is very important that you’re careful about this.”

Adrien figured that was as far as he was going to get tonight, and he was feeling tired and strung-out. Better to think about telling Marinette his identity for a while, make sure it was the right choice. He bowed his head and stood to leave. “Thank you, Master Fu. Have a good night.”

“You as well, Adrien.”

The next day found Fu graced with the presence another visitor.

“Good morning, Marinette. What brings you by today?”

“I have a couple things to talk to you about, Master Fu.” Marinette hesitantly came in, Tikki trailing behind her.

He raised an eyebrow at her, amused. “Please, have a seat. What is on your mind?”

“Well, I’m essentially going to need a...maternity leave from being Ladybug soon.”

Fu’s eyes flicked to her abdomen, where Tikki had taken to hovering. Her bump was barely visible, but only if you were looking for it. “Indeed, carrying a baby complicates superhero work. Why haven’t you come to me about this sooner?”

“Master,” Tikki spoke up. “I am able to protect both of them when she’s transformed at the moment. The suit shields them from view and damage. But in one or two months there won’t be much I can do anymore.”

“It’s still very dangerous, Tikki. That must be draining your power immensely and no matter what you do, it still puts stress on Marinette’s body.”

Marinette realized Tikki had been eating way more cookies than usual lately. She’d also developed a taste for cheese danishes, which she thought was odd.

“I understand this will be very difficult - God knows I struggle letting go of Wayzz - but you should pass on the ladybug miraculous for the time being.”

The words sucker-punched Marinette in the gut. Tikki let out a little gasp and flew up to hug her cheek. It was one thing to think, theoretically, in the future, to temporarily give up her miraculous. But she was unprepared for the thought of being separated from Tikki now .

Marinette stared sadly at the floor. “That’s what I came here to suggest. Just...so soon?”

“You shouldn’t be fighting while you’re pregnant, Marinette. It’s never happened to a Ladybug, but I have seen miraculous holders lose their babies before.”

“Tikki?”

Tikki’s huge eyes had gone shiny and ever bigger with contrition. “I’m sorry, Marinette. I didn’t know. I really thought I could protect you both.”

“You said a Ladybug has never miscarried before. Tikki’s the kwami of creation,” Marinette said. “Doesn’t that mean she has more power over this than other kwamis?”

Master Fu put a hand on her shoulder. “Possibly. But I do not want to risk that. Do you?”

Marinette looked at Tikki sitting in her hands. An understanding passed between them. She kissed her kwami’s tiny head. “I’m going to miss you, Tikki.”

She hugged her cheek again. “I’ll miss you too, Marinette.”

Marinette blinked back tears. “I know who I want to give the earrings to, Master Fu. Alya Cesaire, Rena Rouge.”

Fu nodded. “A wise choice. She has proven herself a worthy hero.”

“Before I give you the earrings back, I want to talk to Chat Noir one more time. I don’t want to disappear without saying goodbye.”

Fu looked like he was going to object, but Tikki flew up to his face with crossed arms in an unusual display of blatant defiance. After a brief stare-off, he conceded. “Very well.”

Adrien got an alert from the Ladyblog on his phone. He may not be a pining, lovestruck fool obsessively stalking the blog anymore, but Alya knew if her friends didn’t read her posts. He swiped it open.

The headline read: LOOK WHO SWUNG BY MY WINDOW, FAM! Underneath it was a picture of Ladybug in all her spotted glory perched on a building he recognized as the one beside their apartment building.

What’s Ladybug doing out?

Adrien found Plagg in his trashcan and poked him awake.

“Hnnnng. Whaaaat?”

“Wake up, time to transform.”

“Uuuuuuuggghhhh.”

“Claws out!”

Chat Noir carefully crawled out his window, up the outside wall, and onto the roof. He didn’t need anyone seeing him coming out of one of the flats. He jumped from roof to roof in a horseshoe to throw anybody off and stuck a landing in front of Ladybug, who appeared to be waiting for something.

“Is there an akuma?”

She looked startled. “What? No, not that I’ve heard.”

“Then what’s got you out in broad daylight, M’Lady?”

Ladybug twisted her hands together. “I have to return my miraculous sooner than I thought.”

Chat Noir’s throat went dry. “Permanently or temporarily?”

“Until after I recover from having the baby. Master Fu says it’s too dangerous for me to be Ladybug while I’m pregnant at all. He’s not confident that Tikki can protect me and…” Her hand drifted to her lower abdomen, which he now saw was getting round. How had he missed that before?

Chat Noir held Ladybug’s upper arms. “Hey. It’s okay. Do what you need to do. I’d never ask you to put your kid in danger.”

Ladybug looked down at her belly. “I just thought I’d have more time before giving this up.”

“But hey, it’s not forever! You’ll be back in no time. You won’t be able to resist my animal magnetism.”

She giggled. Then she gazed at his face. “What was it that was bothering you out last night?”

“You, you noticed that?”

“I noticed. What aren’t you telling me?”

“I don’t want to put any more stress on your shoulders, LB. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“You’re my best friend, kitty, I’ll worry anyways. And I won’t see you for a few months.”

He sighed dramatically. “This is one hell of a coincidence, but we’re actually in similar boats. My - my girlfriend is pregnant, too.”

Ladybug blinked. “Oh. Oh, that’s wonderful! Wait...are you excited?”

“Thrilled. I’m just worried. It’s what I talked to Master Fu about last night. After what you said, I think it’s in everyone’s best interest if I tell her who I am, too.”

She didn’t say anything for a minute. He wished, not for the first time, that he could tell what she’s feeling from looking at her face. Finally she smiled. “It’s not an easy choice, is it?”

Chat Noir laughed. “Nope.”

“Well. Good luck with your baby. I don’t want to say goodbye, but...I should give the earrings to Master Fu.”

“Yeah. I’ll miss you, Bugaboo.” He wrapped her up in a long, warm hug.

When she eventually pulled away she gave him her best smile. “See you in six months, Chat Noir. And hey, by then we’ll both be parents!”

Chat Noir grinned and saluted her as she yoyo-ed in the direction of Master Fu’s flat.

Tears streamed down Marinette’s face as she took out her earrings, her eyes locked on Tikki. She handed them to Master Fu. “It’s going to be really hard being in the same apartment and not being able to talk to you.”

“I know, Marinette. But at least I’ll be close by.”

Marinette wiped her eyes. Fu took her hands and squeezed comfortingly. “You must remember why you are doing this.”

She nodded and wiped her eyes. “Master Fu, there’s something else I wanted to ask you. Regarding my secret identity.”

He sighed. “Do you wish to tell Mlle. Cesaire? That would be very dangerous.”

She shook her head. “No, I want to tell the baby’s father. He’s going to be a permanent part of my life after they’re born, and I don’t think I can keep lying to him about where I vanish to when I’m Ladybug.”

Master Fu gave her a look. A squinty-eyed, not-quite scrutable look. “May I ask, who is this young man? I should know whom you’re trusting your identity with.”

That’s not a no. “An old friend of mine, Adrien Agreste.”

His eyebrows shot valiantly toward his receding hairline and his eyes widened. “Adrien Agreste...the fashion model, no?”

“That’s him.”

He bowed his head and his shoulders started shaking. Wayzz hovered oh-so-nonchalantly over his shoulder. Marinette bent over him, concerned. “Master? Are you all right?”

Fu straightened to reveal a red face and a big smile, and he was chuckling like a maniac. Marinette frowned at him.

“Why is that funny?” she demanded.

The guardian coughed and got a hold of himself. “Nothing, nothing. I suppose I should have figured a girl such as yourself would catch the eye of a celebrity.”

Marinette blushed furiously. “It’s not like that - I’ve known him since we were thirteen.”

“He’s only teasing, Marinette,” Tikki said. Wayzz opened his mouth and she slapped a little nub-hand over his mouth.

“If you’re sure you trust him,” Master Fu continued, “Then I agree sharing your identity with him is in your best interests.”

Despite her annoyance she breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Master.” She turned to leave, but with her hand on the door handle, she looked back sharply and said, “I’m not a groupie!” before darting into the hallway.

Alya knocked on her best friend’s door. She heard sobbing through the thin wood and plaster. “Mari? Marinette, what’s wrong?” She cautiously opened the door.

Marinette was curled around a throw pillow on her bed, crying and hiccuping into the fabric. Alya sat next to her and gently put Marinette’s head in her lap, stroking her dark hair.

“Just - just stupid horm - ormones.”

“I agree hormones are stupid. But did something happen?”

“I lost my earrings,” she gasped.

“The black ones you’ve worn for a decade? Oh Mari, I’m so sorry.” Alya kept running her fingers through her best friend’s hair while she cried into her jeans. She expected the volatile emotions; she remembered what her mom was like, pregnant with the twins. On a normal day, getting upset over lost beloved jewelry was totally valid; in Marinette’s state it must feel devastating.

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hannahmcne · 6 years ago

Text

Lost on the Case - Chapter 8

I get really stressed out whenever I release chapters like this that change everything about a story.

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No one said a word for several seconds before Marinette jerked back to life. "Inside." She demanded. She pushed the door open and ushered them inside. Alya tripped over the doorstep and Nino had to catch her before she was sprawled out in the entryway. Tom had to duck a little as he entered.

Marinette pulled the door closed as they moved in. Before it shut, she slipped outside. Alya listened through the door. "Kids!" She called. "You can stay outside and play, go downstairs to watch a movie, or go over to a friend's house to be back before five. Mommy is using the living room right now. Tell Dad to come to find me when he gets home!"

The door opened again. Marinette brushed past the crowd in the entryway and picked up the child who had been following her. She was a little toddler with flyway black hair and blue eyes. Marinette turned around with the baby on her hips and exhaled. She kept her eyes on the floor as she tried to gather her thoughts.

"You may sit in the living room. It's down the hall." She pointed to the end of the entryway. "I need like, five minutes." She turned towards the end of the entryway. The blue eyes of the toddler remained fixated on the newbies as her head swiveled to watch them.

Alya's anger spiked. "Hasn't ten years been enough?" She called.

Marinette didn't answer.

They stood awkwardly in the entryway. Tom and Sabine put their suitcases next to the door. After thirty seconds, the door opened and a group of three children came inside. One was clearly a family friend. She had red hair, brown eyes, and glasses. The kids wove their way through the adults and out of the entryway.

The entryway was about six feet by eight. Above their hands was a pretty glass chandelier. Beside the door, on either side, there were shoe racks. Alya could see that names had been written on the soles. To the right of the door (Left when you first walk in), a large staircase took the house up to an extra floor. On the opposing wall was a picture of the Eiffel Tower overlooking the Seine. Straight ahead the entryway gave way to a large room. A couch could be seen and behind it, a large bin of toys in various colors and types.

Alya swallowed and walked into the living room. It was open-concept with the kitchen to the right, where Marinette was. Marinette's toddler had been secured into her high chair, with a bright pink sippy cup set in front of her and several crackers. She was happily eating as her mom bustled around in the kitchen, wiping down the counter and putting milk in the fridge.

On the other wall across from the kitchen was a mounted TV. A hallway ran parallel to the whole room and disappeared into the wall with the TV. Alya saw at least two doors down there. One was likely the door to the downstairs since Marinette had mentioned they were free to come in and watch TV downstairs. The other was probably a bathroom or a bedroom. Maybe a garage, though Alya hadn't spotted one when they'd first arrived. When you faced the TV, to your left was a large-scale family portrait with Marinette and Adrien and four children. Like Alya had seen from the entryway, a large toy chest was pushed against the wall. Going down that same wall there was a magazine organizer, a small bookcase filled with mostly children's literature and AP Math and Chemistry books, and several floor decorations.

Tom sat down on the sofa with Sabine. He immediately closed his eyes. Alya felt bad. She'd forgotten how old they were, that they couldn't move as fast as she could.

Nino moved to study the picture of the family, and Alya followed for lack of things to do. The oldest kid had curly blonde hair that was parted far right on her head. She had buckteeth, like Adrien, and green eyes, but her facial structure gave her away as Marinette's daughter. In the photo, she was wearing boots that ended at her knees and a white sundress. The second was a boy with black hair and green eyes, like Harry Potter. He even had a scar along his cheek. A thin white line that made him look older even though he was probably seven or eight. Another boy was blonde with blue eyes. He looked like a youth model and smiled like one too. Good posture. The last was a little girl who looked like a tiny Marinette with black pigtails and blue eyes. The pictures were obviously from the same collection that Adrien used for Bryce's Facebook page.

Marinette left the kitchen and disappeared into the entryway. Alya heard footsteps up the stairs, and then she faded out of earshot. The front door opened and closed, and the same black-haired boy in the photo came inside. He looked around the living room, then asked: "Is mom upstairs?"

"She just barely went up," Alya told him.

"Oh." He said. He fidgeted. "Will she be coming back down soon?"

"I don't know. She said she needed five minutes." Alya supplied.

"Oh. Okay." The boy walked around the couch and sat down. "I'll wait for her then." He tapped his hands on his knees.

Nino put his elbows down on the back of the couch. "So, Lil' dude. What's your name?"

"I'm Tyler. Who are you?" Tyler started popping his knuckles, which made Sabine wince.

"I'm Nino. This is my wife, Alya. We're old friends of your parents." Nino explained.

"Oh," Tyler said. He fidgeted. He seemed to do that a lot, Alya noticed. "Are you from out of town?"

"Yep. We live in Paris." Nino nodded and smiled.

"Cool. I've never met anyone from Paris. Have you ever been to the Eiffel Tower? Or the Louvre? Have you seen the superheroes that live there?" Tyler turned around and knelt on the seat to talk face-to-face with Nino.

Nino smiled. "Yes, yes, and yes." He said. "We used to go to the tower with your parents a lot before they moved. And you could say I see the superheroes a lot. My favorite is Rena Rouge." He winked at Alya.

Tom and Sabine listened cluelessly; Alya hadn't told them about the whole their-daughter-was-Ladybug-and-Chat-was-Adrien. She figured that was a subject Marinette should fill them in on.

A giggle sounded from the entryway. Marinette had reappeared with a pencil behind her ear and a sketchbook underneath her arm. She wore a black elbow-length shirt with a wide neckline and white jeans, which struck Alya as odd since most moms avoid white like the plague. "Sorry." She said. "I needed to go grab a fidget." She walked into the room and sat down on the ottoman, which laid near the couch. "Tyler," She said sternly. "I'm glad to see you talking to Nino, but I told you that I was using the Living Room. What do you need?"

"Sorry, mom." Tyler wilted. He sat back down on his butt. "I wanted to ask if I could take the granola bars outside to share."

"That's fine," Marinette approved. "One each, and no more."

"Bye, little dude," Nino said. He held out his fist. Tyler smiled shyly and held up a shaky hand to fist-bump Nino. Marinette noticed her son's shakiness.

"Tyler," She called. "Do you need more medicine? Where's your cube?"

Tyler smiled. "I'm fine." He said, putting his fingers together and twiddling his thumbs at a very fast speed. "My cube's outside. I'll go play with it for a few minutes if it'll make you happy."

Marinette nodded with a worried frown. "Come get me if you start to twitch." Tyler nodded and sprinted into the kitchen. A few seconds later, he headed to the front door with the granola bar box in hand. Marinette sighed. "Sorry about that." She said, flipping to a blank page in her sketch door. "He's ADHD. He fidgets a lot. We got him a cube so he can control it, but it's hard for him on days he doesn't have sports or anything going on."

Tom cleared his throat. "Is he an involved kid?" He asked quietly. Marinette nodded. "Yes. He's on the elementary junior track team and plays football. He also does piano like…" Marinette hesitated. "my husband." She said, selectively looking down at her sketchpad.

Alya tilted her head. "You're aware you have a full-scale photo of Adrien on the wall, right?"

Marinette shrugged. "It's actually Bryce. Bryce-"

"Papenbrook." Alya interrupted. Marinette narrowed her eyes.

"Okay." She hummed. "You obviously seem to know a lot. Mind cutting me a slice?"

"Not really, considering the real story is you and Adrien being here, alive, and well," Alya snorted. It felt really good to hold something over Marinette's head right now.

Marinette snorted. She drew long, defined lines on her sketchpad. "Well, how much do you know?" She asked.

"Everything, I think," Alya said.

"Alya noticed your diary was gone in your room. She managed to track you down using that and some fingerprints on the trapdoor." Sabine explained proudly.

"Well, not exactly but…" Alya trailed off.

Marinette looked impressed. She sighed. "I guess I should have figured you would be the one to undo us." She mumbled. "How, though? We were so careful?"

"You were." Alya nodded. "But your diary, white purse, grandmother's ring, and the photo of us were missing from your room. Also, the dust patterns were wonky. Have you visited in the last few years?"

Marinette's hands curled over the edge of her sketchpad.

Sabine looked confused. "How did she get up to her room? We certainly haven't let anyone up in the last few years."

Alya came around to sit on the couch next to Sabine, facing Marinette. She pointed at Marinette's earrings. "You're Ladybug." She stated. Sabine stiffened. Alya continued with anger mounting behind her tone. "You said you left Paris for health reasons. Not to go have kids with Adrien."

Marinette glared right back at Alya. "Well." She sighed. "You clearly haven't figured everything out, then."

"Well." Alya scoffed. "Care to fill me in, then?"

The front door opened as Marinette opened her mouth. "Mom!" a little voice called. Marinette's mouth shut. "Dad's home!"

Marinette closed her eyes and counted to ten. Then she stood up. "Excuse me for just a second." She muttered.

"Get your story together, because it better be good." Alya growled.

Marinette walked outside, and the door closed behind her. Nino put his hands on Alya's shoulders. "Chill, babe." He whispered.

"I'm chill, totally chill," Alya grumbled.

Sabine and Tom turned to Alya. "Marinette is Ladybug?" Tom asked.

Alya sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It was big on me too."

The front door opened. Whispers echoed into the living room, but Alya couldn't make anything out. Adrien poked his head inside. He was tall, tan, and handsome, but when he smiled his wobbly, unsure smile, Alya was reminded of the teenager who was always afraid to ask his dad to talk.

"Hey…" Adrien trailed off. That was when Alya noticed he was wearing a blue suit with insignia sewn on the sleeves. A police officer. A gun was strapped to his hip along with a walkie-talkie. "I'm, uh gonna go change out of my uniform and I'll be right with you. Sorry." He disappeared back into the entryway, and Alya heard him head upstairs. Marinette reappeared. She took a deep breath.

As Marinette retook her seat on the ottoman, Sabine chuckled. When Marinette sat down, her mom nudged her ankles. "He looks handsome in his uniform." She teased.

Marinette giggled. "Yeah, he does. That's what I told him when he first brought it home." She and her mom laughed together.

Tom leaned forward. "Is he Chat Noir?" He whispered.

Marinette's smile faded, and she nodded cautiously. "Yes. We're… a team. A partnership."

Alya exhaled. Marinette looked away and began to scribble on her sketchpad. Nino drummed his fingers on the back of the couch. "So…" He trailed off. "You design for Gabriel Agreste?"

Marinette looked surprised. "How did you know that?" She asked. "He doesn't… he doesn't know who we are, right? Did you tell him?"

"No." Alya shook her head. "The girl who led us to your house mentioned it."

"She also said you bake," Tom said. He beamed. "You did take after your old man after all."

Marinette giggled. "Well, we would have starved otherwise. Adrien can't do much else other than put popcorn in the microwave. And even then, he has all of that bad luck." Marinette winked at her mom.

"Me-owch." A voice said from the entryway. Only Marinette had been expecting it. Everyone else jumped and spun in their seat. Adrien was leaning against the wall, now dressed in a green shirt and black pajama pants. Alya thought the outfit was standard home-wear, but Marinette frowned and looked worried when she saw it. Adrien smiled. "I'm gonna grab something from the kitchen and I'll be right with you. Feel free to continue talking about how Marinette is the most talented person in this house." He winked and sauntered over to the kitchen. Alya watched him go as Tom and Sabine chuckled and turned back to their daughter. Adrien walked like something was stuck under his hip. Alya frowned, and then looked back to Marinette. And was it just her, or had Adrien appeared dreadfully quickly?

Marinette looked at Alya like she knew Alya had seen something and wanted her to stay very, very quiet about it.

"So," She said, continuing to scribble on her design pad at a speed that grew increasingly faster and faster. "Tell me what you know."

The order was said with such force that Alya immediately opened her mouth. "Well, as I said, we noticed those things were gone from your room. And then Natalie happened to call. She said she was balancing books from ten years ago and noticed that Adrien had withdrawn forty-thousand Euros before he died."

Marinette stiffened. Alya turned around to see Adrien behind the counter holding a glass of water and looking shocked. This time, Alya couldn't hold it in. "Are you taking pills?" She asked.

Adrien pulled himself back to reality and blushed. "Health supplements." He corrected quickly.

Alya narrowed her eyes and studied him, then turned back to Marinette. "We got permission to search Adrien's old room. Nino noticed that his phone was plugged into the nightstand, not the desk like it usually was. We looked through his phone."

Adrien walked around the couch with a frown on his face. "But there wasn't anything on my phone." He protested. "We wiped everything suspicious."

"You were signed into YouTube as Chat Noir." Alya supplied.

Adrien looked sheepish. "Didn't Nino tell you I use that and pretend I'm a knock-off of the real one?"

"Yes, but you told me what your YouTube was personally." Alya shrugged. "Believe me, I could spot your page anywhere." She rolled her eyes. "We used the Google account that it was connected to. Your password was saved to the phone. By the way, I have the login information for like, all of Chat Noir's personal accounts. Just so you know."

Adrien turned red. Marinette said nothing as she turned another page in her sketchbook. Alya hadn't noticed at first, but she was pretty sure Marinette had gone through three pages already.

"You had emails to both Marinette and Ladybug, but the last emails to Marinette were about how she was creating the Ladybug account," Alya said. "I also got your phone number and the email address for your work from there. Then my boss gave me access to your kidnapping video, Marinette. Just so you know, you totally sit up in the video. It's subtle, but I'll show you later if you want. That's how we figured out you had faked your kidnapping. Using that, the emails, and some fancy photo-measuring-ratios, we figured out Adrien was alive and kidnapping you two weeks after his 'death'." Alya paused for a breath. "You also mention in your emails that you are renting a car, so I went to the public-domain records and found a bit where a car of the exact same description had been 'totaled' in an off-road accident and then paid for in full. Name on the file was Bryce Papenbrook, which happened to match the back-up email on Chat's account. To confirm it really was you two, Nino found Bryce's facebook and I called the back-up number on Chat's email."

Adrien squinted in thought. "No one's called me, though?" He asked.

Nino shrugged. "I mean, now we know not to call you to ask about flight information."

Adrien turned red. "That lady on the phone…" He groaned. "Screw you two. It was literally five-fifty. Screw you."

Marinette sighed. "Wow. Again, we should have figured you'd eventually figure us out Alya."

Adrien nodded in agreement. "For real." He muttered. He pushed a hand through his hair. "Does my dad still think I'm dead?"

Nino nodded. "Neither of us felt like calling him."

"Good." Adrien sighed.

"So, your turn," Tom said. "We need an explanation. Why, Marinette?" He looked distrustfully at Adrien.

Marinette took a deep breath. "Around the time I was eighteen, I started getting violently ill after patrols." She said carefully "Tikki, my kwami, had her suspicions, but I'm sort of an unprecedented case. No one in history has ever transformed as much as Adrien and I…" She trailed off, looking at her partner. Adrien set one hand over her left as her right continued scribbling furiously.

"The miraculous are dangerous," Adrien muttered. "The first two, the cat and ladybug, while powerful, will destroy your body after too much exposure. While designed for human use, they're meant for higher beings. If you wield the cat or ladybug miraculous too much, they start to destroy your body to try and make a more powerful host. It will either kill you or turn you into something that is not human – an immortal wielder."

Alya must have looked green with worry because Marinette blurted out: "To our knowledge, the other miraculous don't do this. Historically, only Ladybugs and Chats have been affected, and we're much further down that road than any other wielder has ever gone. They had minor sickness at the end of their lives but by the time we were twenty we already had-"

"Health problems," Alya interrupted. "Your bodies started to shut down." She turned on Adrien. "You were taking pills!"

He winced. "We see a doctor. He assigns supplements and pain meds. The whole collection."

"So, what now? Are you still human? Or are you already immortals?"

"No." Marinette shook her head. "If we were transforming at the same rate we were as teens, then we'd have been immortal or dead by the time we were forty. Not transforming has managed to elongate our time to at least sixty-four, according to our kwamis."

"Where are your kwamis?" Nino asked.

"In our miraculous. We wear them in an inactive state because they help with pain management." Adrien answered. He showed them his ring, which appeared in its transformed state with the green paw print.

"Why don't you just, not wear the miraculous?" Alya asked. She began to subconsciously fidget with her necklace.

"Withdrawals," Adrien admitted. "I tried that back when I first learned what was happening. I'd not wear it until I needed to. But then I started getting awful rashes and I got blisters and boils. It doesn't work. My body – our bodies - can't live with or without the magic."

"When will you know?" Sabine asked. "When you're immortal, I mean."

Marinette swallowed and clutched Adrien's hand. "Aging will reverse at an extreme rate. Grey hairs will vanish, wrinkles gone, you'll be able to see the reverse. And we'll… lose our respiratory system."

Alya blanched. "What?" She screeched.

Adrien winced. "That's the last of the body systems our body will dispose of. It's already started shutting down certain organs in both of us and shredding and replacing other things."

"Replacing other things?" Alya asked. "Like what?"

"Skin and muscles, mostly," Marinette sighed. She rolled up her sleeves and held her arm out to Alya, Nino, and her parents. Alya leaned over and blinked. Marinette's forearms looked to be made up of a hexagon pattern not dissimilar to her suit. "This is what it looks like when it's done."

"And before that?" Alya asked softly.

Marinette shook her head, looking ill. "Not good," She said tactfully. Alya had sudden flashbacks of what Ladybug's suit had looked like when she'd last seen her last. Did the skin and muscles just… fall off?

"How do you just lose an organ?" Nino asked.

"Well," Adrien shifted uncomfortably. "In the case of our respiratory system, we'll probably cough up our lungs or something, or maybe they'll disintegrate and…" He trailed off.

"We're not privy to details yet," Marinette mumbled. "Most of this is speculation. I have no idea how, like, our lungs will detach from our windpipe or anything. But according to our kwamis, our bodies have already started to replace organs in our bodies with more durable systems."

"Like what?" Alya asked. "What have you lost?"

Marinette swallowed. "Mostly small things, so far. Both our appendixes, my gallbladder, both our duodenums, bile ducts." She hesitated and put her pencil down. Her eyes closed. "My fallopian tubes." She said quickly, turning a bit red. She glanced at Adrien. So did Alya.

"And?" Alya prompted.

Adrien hunched over himself and stared at the ground. "I'd rather not share." He muttered. "Your list is extensive as it is."

Marinette jumped in before Alya could protest. "We knew we would be experiencing severe sicknesses and we couldn't share what was going on with anyone. We recruited other miraculous holders with miraculous we knew wouldn't harm them like ours was and I've gone back twice to purify the akumas they collect." She shot a look at Alya and Nino. We decided to leave and try to slow down damages and get ourselves under control before bigger things start shutting down, like our digestive tracts and our urinary systems and our reproduction organs…" She trailed off.

"It sounds crazy," Adrien muttered. "And I'm sorry we've caused you so much heartache. But I swear I took care of her as best I could, and I supported her through everything." He looked at Tom and Sabine. "I'm sorry I had to steal your daughter away."

Tom looked away, shaking his head. "I… can't forgive that yet, son," He whispered.

Adrien looked like a kicked puppy but didn't press the matter. Sabine reached out to Marinette. "Come, now." She said. "It's time for you to introduce me to my grandchildren."

Marinette smiled and set her sketchpad down. Alya stared at it quizzically as Marinette led her mom outside.

"What?" Adrien asked Alya.

Alya reached forward and took the sketchpad. "I swear she started the conversation in the middle of this thing and now it's almost full."

"Oh?" Adrien asked uneasily. "I suppose I'll have to get her a new one."

"Wait. Chat Noir is bad luck and destruction. Ladybug is good luck and creation. Does she get inspiration outbursts like this a lot?" Alya's brain began to race on high power.

Adrien didn't answer. He stood up. "I'm going to go talk to my kids." He said.

"Do you have destructive outbursts?" Alya asked. Adrien continued walking. She heard the front door open and close. "Ugh." She groaned, slumping against the couch.

Nino patted her shoulder. "Chill out, Alya. You'll get answers eventually. Come on. I want to meet everyone too." He started to walk away to the front door. Alya sat for a few more seconds.

Tom sniffled beside her.

She turned to stare at the bigger man's shaking shoulders. He didn't turn to face her. Alya bit her lip, and then quickly stood up to follow Nino, leaving Tom alone by himself.

-I'm really insecure about releasing this chapter because I know a lot of you won't know what to do with yourselves.

#miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfic #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #adrien agreste #adrien and marinette #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug and chat noir #chat noir #sketch #fanfic #send help

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