#agrestenoir

[anna-scribbles]

hey anna! the wait for kwami’s choice part 2 truly is abysmal and it’s so hard to navigate through the tag with all the leaks about, do you have any fic recs to tide us over until gloob puts us out of our misery?

not only do I have fic recs, I also have way too much to do rn and therefore will spend an inordinate amount of time crafting a detailed rec list for you 😘 (we can also just consider this my 2022 ao3 wrapped lol)

goes without saying perhaps, but ANYTHING by @peachcitt is gold and also uniquely devastating, some of my particular favorites being:

metamorphosis - 97k, enemies, sleepovers, you get it. i'm normal

those benevolent stars - 23k, ladrien thief/prince/soulmates au. what more do I even need to say

chat noir's white french man hit list for feminist purposes - 7k, hilarious and devastating, this fic is a child to me

double dare - 32k, ladrien, absolutely everything. cemented my friendship w/ peach bc I had to scream at her everyday abt it

I thought the plane was going down - 11k, attuned to my tastes specifically, adrinette having a History while on airplanes

@carpisuns also puts out banger after banger like it's her dayjob, specializing in understanding the ridiculous nature of the lovesquare to such a degree and also being the funniest person alive. some of my faves from her are:

tell me something I don't know - 120k, the marichat fic EVER, mar's dissertation on lovesquare and guess what she's right

pink - 14k wip, adrien loves marinette, SOFT

two idiots and a hamster (collab with @botherkupo) - 24k, adrinette roommates, makes me cry laugh

@picayunearts is a goddess on earth. she bends word and image flawlessly to her will. recently she has enraptured me with

final girl - 41k, marichat, au where marinette succeeds in giving up her miraculous to alya in origins. INCREDIBLE marinette character study

@rosekasa invented ladynoir and i'm not afraid to say it. check out everything on her ao3 but just note the following

when things were good - 15k wip, breakup fic/post hawkmoth takedown, has been ruining me in a SPECIAL way

new marinette 12k, post-guardianship memory loss marinette, a classic

like poles of a magnet - 12k, enemies au, hurts my feelings

ya'aburnee - 13k, ladynoir, HURTS ME VERY MUCH. I'VE NOT RECOVERED

@buggachat's fics always feel like i'm attending a course on adrien and marinette's true characterizations explained to me by someone with a PhD in lovesquare and I walk away enlightened. she has an incredible gift for storytelling and just Getting It. anyway read

maintaining a professional distance - 43k, ladynoir hotel room shenanigans, god-tier characterization

when you're near 10k, ladynoir dating but adrinette have never met, a classic

@sha-nwa should honestly quit her career and write lovesquare fanfiction for me full time. proof:

the way I loved you - 68k, marichat break up fic, will be cemented into my mind forever

photograph - 1k, sweet adrinette, abby loves making me cry

things WOULD be amiss if I did not mention @officialratprince (carolinaa on ao3) bc their fics derailed my homework schedule on several occasions last semester, though I'll be honest that their fics are not for the faint of heart or those who wish adrien agreste to have a good time. my faves are

I will take it / it can't go wrong series - 3 fics at 16k, 25k, and 39k, adrien's journey through experiencing child abuse and his friends being there for him, culminating in gabriel's court trial

home sick - 14k wip, adrien gets pneumonia and Everything Is Really Bad

other various fics I love for various reasons:

how hawkmoth got his groove back series by @agrestenoir - 2 fics at 3k and 1k, one of my favorite crack fics i read last year. had me crying laughing

1 step forward, 3 steps back by agnes writes - 10k, breaks my heart every time I read it. also makes me legitimately angry at adrien while still keeping him in character which is a feat in and of itself

the last day on earth by reiaji - 10k, chat blanc keeps happening as marinette gets older, I am incapable of not recommending this fic

okay now go forth and don't do your work<3

[literaphobe]

favorite fics for mlb? any ship :> (if u have the time to compile some recs, tysm)

FINE here’s a few. I’m reccing a few things that made me feel crazy when I read them. You’ve finally worn me down….. don’t get mad if uve already read them okay :(

a waste of good bed sheets by icingsugar

in this one, ladynoir are fwb but in that VERY careful way where ladybug gets hyper aware when he touches her outside of bed and it makes her flinch and it makes him Stop and one day when she realizes she IS MADLY IN LOVE WITH HIM and wants to kiss him all the time and hug him a lot. He doesn’t believe her. killed me. sorry for describing it in such a spoilery way but I didn’t say I was a GOOD fic reccer

what’s written in the stars by agrestenoir

i’ve never read the time traveler’s wife. this is based on that book and it’s epic!! i love jumping back and forth between like. timelines…? it’s very cool and epic to me. like some cursed soulmates link where it feels like they can never REALLY be together but also they are Dot Dot Dot

Eating (nothing but) Affection by crownedcrusader

eating disorder tw!! but ya this is about attention eating. kitty can’t eat unless someone’s watching… it was just so :((((( but also so cute. ladybug giving chat stuff to eat bc she’s so worried about him but not realizing that he needed HER TO BE THERE to eat killed me

supercut by LNC

ok ik it’s prob crazy and stupid to rec a fic that’s like got a gazillion kudos already. also i think this is post reveal? i genuinely am not sure. every time I reread this i get some sort of amnesia after where i just cannot tell u exactly what it’s about just that i go WOOOOOO!!! YIPPEEEEEE!!!! once im done. and since ur coming to ME out of all people for fic recs (YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN IM JUST LIKE REALLY BAD AT THIS I WILL TRY AND GET BETTER FOR U GUYS THO) im gonna have to assume ur some virgin to this fandom and instead of going to the hot fandom chads with experience u come knocking on the door of someone who’s had sex once. ok terrible analogy also im really sorry for saying anything im saying in conjunction to a really good one shot

comfort food by Reiaji

marinette teaches adrien how to cook and gives him chinese food and baked goods to try!! Reiaji is i think very evidently awesome and most people know that but this meant a lot to me as a chinese person :) also i will admit i have SLIGHT beef w what marinette cooked for her simple dinner. i get that it was simple but i just think dougan and baicai (bokchoy) is a bit mid. SORRY ik it’s not the point. egg drop soup and egg tarts are epic tho.

OKIE that’s it for today!! i have more but i will save those for when i get more fic rec requests. thank u anon for trusting my fic taste buds 🩷

[zannolin]

4 7 AND 17!!!! -kai

HI KAI my beloved thank youuuu <3

4. Do you prefer writing multi-chapter or oneshot fanfictions?

oneshots full stop. okay well rolling stop. i love multi-chapters in theory but my god i hate the execution they take SO long to write and i have to keep so much straight and i have to pick CHAPTER TITLES and have you noticed how people are the worst about commenting on multichaps? if you post a oneshot people seem to be more likely to leave you a lovely comment with all their thoughts. post a multichapter and people won't comment 'til it's over or just leave a one-line comment like "can't wait til there's more!!" and it's like why did i even put in all this work if it was miserable to write and there's no joy in posting HUH. but also i do love when i have like one person i know is reading it and i have a reveal happening at some point or a crazy cliffhanger and i get to see their reaction to it. moth's reactions to the fey au were very fun back in the day. so yeah i'm a oneshot girlie but i keep writing ill-advised multi-chapters and telling myself "this time it will be different" (it is not different the best it gets is subreddits calling your fic "super underrated" which is not actually the compliment people think it is).

7. What’s a trope you love to write?

love to write a good college fic. found family, of course, is a big one. and hurt/comfort is my beloved.

17. Are there any writers and/or stories that you consider an influence?

writers (fic): @/rebelpeas, @/eirianerisdar, meri, laquearia, @/rarilight, @/blusandbirds, aknightley, YouAreInAComaWakeUp writers (other): maggie stiefvater, tamsyn muir, t kira madden, carmen maria machado, my sister, ann patchett, kristen arnett, edgar allen poe, lemony snicket, tolkien (obligatory), shel silverstein, probably wayne thomas batson unfortunately

stories (not book specific): the scorpio races, the secret life of bees, the twistrose key, the polar express (2004), fnaf, the oz books, home alone 2: lost in new york (1992), parallelograms by agrestenoir, pins and needles by mutterandmumble, national treasure (2004), the truman show (1998), the half of it (2020), frances ha (2012), the goose girl by shannon hale, the starcatchers series, the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe, the haunting of hill house (2018), mabel podcast, welcome to night vale podcast, alice isn't dead podcast, the odd life of timothy green (2012), moulin rouge! (2001), the spiderwick chronicles, over the garden wall (2014), the x-files, object 3921.0045.371, catalog entry by wrishwrosh, this one (well, one and a half) christmas musical production the church where i live put on (that i was in fun fact) that involved two characters reuniting after like 30 years that left an unbelievable impact on my 12 y/o brain, mlp:fim, and star trek....to name a few.

i feel like that explains both everything and nothing about my writing.

ask game!!

[once-i-read]

Title: A Lie for a Lie

Author(s): Boogum

Fandom(s): Miraculous Ladybug

Ship(s): Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Description: "Because Chat Noir is dating Marinette." Or in which Lila lies, Adrien panics, and Marinette gets stuck being Chat Noir's fake girlfriend. [based on agrestenoir’s fake dating idea]

[mireculous]

Gabriel Agreste keeps finding Ladybug in his son's bedroom. As a super villain and father, this will not stand.

by: agrestenoir

words: 1,923

rating: T

[banana-boomboom]

spotty connections by agrestenoir       

Rated T - Words 66,107

Marinette sends a text to the wrong number, and things progress from there until it becomes the right one. 

not my fic. just an amazing one everyone should read

[agrestenoir]

agrestenoir’s fic list

hello, hello! saw a few writers do this in another fandom, so i thought i’d get the ball rolling too. here is just an index of my stories that i’ve posted on ao3 or tumblr, especially ones i haven’t moved to ao3 yet.

takes two to love (ao3 +more chapters) WIP* in which lila lies, adrien can’t date himself so he volunteers someone else, and now apparently marinette is dating chat noir (marichat/adrinette)

spotty connections (ao3 +more chapters) COMPLETE marinette texts the wrong number and meets a mysterious boy named adrien on the other end.... and keeps texting the wrong number until it becomes the right one. (adrinette, ladynoir)

first sight (we love without reason) (ao3) COMPLETE marinette’s timer says that adrien agreste is her soulmate, but she’s too busy falling in love with chat noir to do anything about it. features a soulmate au, and identity reveal. (adrinette, ladynoir).

fool’s gold (ao3) WIP* adrien’s secret identity is discovered by none other than marinette dupain-cheng. this has side effects he didn’t plan for. but hey! at least he’s got his friend along for the ride. (marichat, adrinette)

pin down my heart WIP* chat noir never thought marinette would be the one he’d fall for. boy, was he wrong. (marichat)

lies and trying times   au where lila rossi gets the black cat miraculous and her journey to find friends in unexpected places. features a ladybug!adrien.  

life and times of chloe bourgeois chloe doesn’t know who gave her the bee miraculous. she’d like to thank them if she ever gets the chance. features chloe!redemption arc. (some ladynoir, adrinette) warning: minor character death. 

cause and effect of catalysm what happens when creation isn’t there to reign destruction in? features identity reveal and non-permanent character death.

desperate measures adrien’s reveal to ladybug doesn’t exactly go how he wants it too. features an identity reveal with an unexpected twist. short coda to desperada. 

soot-stained kisses marinette and adrien are together and in love... or are they? where growing up is tough and moving on is harder. (adrinette)

what’s written in the stars  (ao3) marinette falls in love with a time-traveler (adrinette)

linearity is over-rated marinette and adrien’s love story told in 25 parts (also features a linear narrative).

five times gabriel agreste found ladybug in his son’s bedroom (and the one time he found chat noir) (ao3) what it says on the tin. (ladrien)

strangers  marinette and chat noir decide to practice kissing, even though they’re desperately in love with other people (marichat)

ease my mind with a little conversation (ao3) alya quits her job and meets the love of her life. everything falls into place from there. (alyanette)

heartstrings, red strings, and other same things ladybug and chat noir are meant to be, at least say the red strings of fate between them. 

winged warrior chat noir won’t stop suggesting marinette to ladybug as the next miraculous holder. ladybug has some concerns. features maribug and marichat.

let’s stop before it gets messy (ao3) marinette went out to have a good time and wakes up with a stranger in her bed, a ring on her finger, and a night she can’t remember. (accidental marriage au ft. adrinette)

stay with you marinette’s dying, and adrien’s the only one here. she has a message for him to pass on to her partner before it’s too late (warning: character death).

last chance  chat noir’s made his decision, much to ladybug’s dismay. (drabble)

outline of a heart (ao3) adrien isn’t the best at saying, “i love you”. but he tries... boy, does he try. (adrinette)

lost in the wild adrien has always been in love with ladybug, but he never thought she’d actually love him back. (ladynoir)

damn unpretty (ao3) moments of vulnerability aren’t chloe’s speciality, but marinette dupain-cheng has a habit of screwing things up (chlonette).

a different type of living (ao3) marinette is immortal, having been stuck as ladybug since 1708 due to a mistimed lucky charm. she searches high and low for a way to detransform, and she thinks she’s found a way with her new partner, chat noir. (ladynoir, adrinette)

origins (role reversal au)  when marinette is eleven, her mother goes missing. there’s a major media presence that sweeps across the country as a result to help locate the prolific sabine dupain-cheng. when adrien is eleven, his mother goes missing. no one comments on the baker’s wife. there are more important things to worry about.

brand new eyes (ao3)  chloe doesn’t mean to fall in love with alya. it just happens. features photographer!chloe and choalya.

call it what you want marinette wonders why chat noir keeps coming around.

the one who stays  chloe has a fear of people leaving. she wonders if marinette will share their same fate. (chlonette, drabble)

waiting for tomorrow adrien waits to be the one ladybug comes home too. (ladrien)

five stages of falling in love chloe and marinette through the years. drabble. (chlonette)

sunshine chloe falls in love with the rise and setting of the sun. drabble. (chlonette)

strawberries “what’s your favorite food?” marinette asks her one day, and chloe can only think of the fruit-stained lips she last kissed. drabble. (chlonette)

burn out with passion  adrien picks up some cat-like tendencies and proceeds to not tell ladybug. it’s a bad choice. features an identity reveal. (adrinette, ladynoir)

eiffel for you WIP* adrien tries to master the art of flirting with marinette. it goes about as well as you’d expect. (adrinette)

there’s this girl ladybug watches queen bee fall in love. (chlonette)

spark  chat noir gets a second chance at his first kiss. coda to 1x10. (ladybug)

[darksidehasoreos]

Chapters: 4/4 Fandom: The Half of It (2020) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ellie Chu/Aster Flores, Ellie Chu & Aster Flores, Aster Flores & Paul Munsky Characters: Aster Flores, Ellie Chu, Paul Munsky, Original Female Character(s) Additional Tags: Romance, Coming of Age, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Love Letters, Post-Canon, Getting Together Summary:

She heads South. Ellie heads East. They’re just two people on a perpendicular line who may never come back around to meet again.

Aster tries to be okay with that.

[alazic02]

Fanfic Doodles!!

While I was in Spain, I had a bit of free time to read and draw things for a couple fanfics that I picked up!

From top to bottom:

Baby spoilers of sorts?? for chapter 24 of Satisfaction Brought it Back (NSFW) by @siderealsandman, which is still an all time favorite of mine ;v; Part two has wrapped up nicely but I’m nervous about what’s going to happen next hhhhhhh

Some scenes from the precious fic To The Core by @12hues! It’s MariChat but it has solid relationship building all around. It’s very good, highly recommend!

And lastly, a kind of imagined scene from Spotty Connections by @agrestenoir! A hilarious and adorable wrong number AU; it’s written in the form of texts but there’s one bit in chapter 3 that inspired me so I made this sketch.

Artwork ©: alazic02

Do not repost.

[aangisdead]

“Being a superhero doesn’t fit a certain criteria,” he told her a few seconds later, having finally found his voice. “It’s not just about saving the world—there’s more to it than just… noble impulses and heroic acts, you know? It’s protecting people, especially the ones you love, and that includes your partner.” He placed his hand over her roaming fingers. “Protecting you comes with the job, and nothing you do is going to stop me from being the superhero and the partner you need.”

Her heart lurched in her chest, banging against her ribcage like a wild animal. Ones you love, your partner, he’d said. It was funny how such a simple phrase could make her heart stumble in its typical pitter-patter pattern, stuttering over the beats it’d been dancing to since she was born.

He didn’t mean anything by it, she tried to tell herself, but her heart was still thundering away, desperate to be heard by anyone who would listen. It wasn’t something she could ignore, no matter how hard she tried. Ladybug couldn’t decide if it bothered her though. While she spent a majority of her time surrounded by her family and friends, Chat Noir always remained a special part of her life. There was something special between them, though they had never labelled because there was really no need for it. They knew it was there, and that’s all that mattered.

Perhaps it was Chat Noir putting a name to their connection that stumped her. Love was love, she supposed, in whatever shape it took.

Which was why she suddenly found herself leaning forward and capturing his lips with hers.

— sink, swim, or sleepwalk by @agrestenoir​

[zoenightstars]

Post-It Notes, ch12

on Ao3

ch1 | ch2 | ch3 | ch4 | ch5 | ch6 | ch7 | ch8 | ch9 | ch10 | ch11 | ch12

oops sorry about that long wait! hope this makes up for it! huge thanks to @sunlitshowers and @megatraven for helping me work through this chapter. i owe you my life tbh and shoutout to @reyxa and @agrestenoir for listening to me scream into the void and smash my head against the keyboard as i wrote this!!

i hope you guys like it!!!!

Adrien Agreste is horribly, visibly nervous. He stands in front of his locker, aggressively tapping his foot and refreshing his text messages with Nino again—

From: lover boi To: alya’s bf Hey i need u to come to my locker i’m freaking out

—and again—

From: lover boi To: alya’s bf It’s important i have done something horrifically stupid Even by my standards

—and again.

From: lover boi To: alya’s bf Bro it has been fifteen minutes where in the fuc k

Adrien can’t stop thinking about it. About how he had asked Marinette out. About how her hand had felt in his, and how badly he wants to feel that again.

About how she didn’t look at the note before he’d left.

About how he might have ruined everything.

His post-it note game had turned into a gamble, and the universe’s slot machine is refusing to tell him if he’s won or lost the bet. Finally, his phone vibrates.

From: alya’s bf To: lover boi hey my dude my bro my dudebro i couldn’t find my phone… turns out i put it in the wrong pocket or something headed over rn

From: lover boi To: alya’s bf Thank god Never call me dudebro again

“What’s wrong, my dudebro?” Adrien hears Nino’s voice and snaps to attention, hitting his head against the locker behind him in the process.

“That nickname,” Adrien grumbles, rubbing the back of his head where he’d hit it. “And also, I asked Marinette out. And now I’m having a crisis.”

“That nickname is fantast— holy shit, you did what?”

“Asked Marinette out. I gave her a post-it note asking her to be my girlfriend? I think?”

“Adrien,” Nino shakes his head incredulously. “You think?”

“I mean, it kind of feels like a dream? I was kind of detached from that whole thing, honestly. I accidentally held her hand for about thirty seconds while I slipped her the note because I got so caught up in the moment, so now she probably hates me.” 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Nino places his hands on Adrien’s shoulders, steadying him. “Breathe, dude. Breathe. We’re breathing.”

“If you say so?”

“Okay, let’s go over this. One, you asked out Marinette. That is not an undoable action.”

“Thank you, I feel so encouraged right now.” Adrien rolls his eyes.

“Two, shut up. Three, you are simultaneously disgusting and adorable. You held her hand for thirty seconds without even realizing? Seriously?” 

“I… don’t know? It could have been longer?”

“Jesus Christ. Four, why the fuck would she hate you?”

“Because she didn’t open it before I left? And she hasn’t responded?”

“That is ridiculous. And five, we’re ten minutes late for physics.”

“Holy crap, we are ten minutes late for physics!” Adrien throws his phone into his bag and makes a run for it.

“Whoa, slow down!” Nino yells, running after him.

“I’m gonna get my ass kicked by Ms. Mendeleiev! I am so screwed and I am—” Adrien skids to a stop, smacking a hand to his forehead in frustration. “—forgetting my fucking textbook.” Adrien sprints back to his locker, nearly knocking an out-of-breath Nino in the process.

“Dude, please chill?”

“NO,” Adrien shrieks, frantically inputting the combination and throwing open the locker door. He grabs his textbook and makes a beeline for the physics classroom.

Ms. Mendeleiev purses her lips in disapproval as Adrien and Nino burst into the room, panting. “Mr. Lahiffe,” she says as they slide into their seats, “I cannot say I am surprised.”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence,” he responds, with a guilty yet amused look in his eyes.

Ms. Mendeleiev turns on Adrien as he slowly opens the textbook cover to try to quash the adrenaline rush that has overtaken his system and to avoid any and all attention directed at him from his very angry teacher. “Mr. Agreste, on the other hand,” she scolds, “I was not expecting to be so tardy.”

Adrien averts his eyes and stares down at his textbook as he opens it. “I’m so sorry, I am—” Adrien sees the yellow sticky note and a flash of pink and glitter. He yanks it from the inside cover and slams the book shut, jumping to his feet. Oh god. “—going to the bathroom now. I am going, right now, to the bathroom. Thanks.”

He can feel Marinette’s stare burning into his back as he dashes out of the room.

Adrien lets out a long exhale as he closes the stall door behind him. He carefully smoothes out the creases in the note before reading what it has to say. “Please let this be good,” he whispers to no one in particular.

Yes! With love, your lady, Marinette.

And this is the high he’s heard about. The rush of being in control, of winning the bet. He’d been afraid of the risk, but with this note, the odds are a hundred to none in his favor. Moments like these, he thinks, are the kind that get people addicted to gambling.  

He waits for her outside of class. She’s the last one to leave. She glances around the hallway, looking for something, but doesn’t seem to find it. Adrien clears his throat. Marinette jumps a little, startled, but when she turns to face him, her eyes are all mischief and nervous energy and excitement.

Adrien raises his hand in greeting. It’s hesitant, but the smile she returns is immediate.

“Hey.”

She giggles, and Adrien wants to record that sound and play it on loop forever. “So… did you get my note?”

“I did.”

“Is that why you left physics?”

“It is.”

“Did you like it?”

“Of course.”

Her eyes sparkle. “I’ve never heard you talk like this. What happened to your standard eloquence?”

“I am…” he trails off, trying to memorize the sound of her voice. “I am at a loss to describe how over the moon I am right now.”

“I’m not at a loss. I’m on a whole other planet.”

Adrien cannot even rationalize the cocktail of emotions he feels in this moment, but the one thing that keeps coming back to him is lucky. “Well?” Adrien extends his hand for Marinette to take. “Shall we, princess?”

Marinette glances down at it with a smile full of anticipation and warmth that makes Adrien melt. “We shall.”

As their fingers intertwine, Adrien can’t help but notice how different this is from the last time. Last time, his head was in the clouds, full of fantasies, far away and separate from the reality of their touch. This time, though, the feeling of her hand in his brings him down to Earth, more aware than he’s been in a while.

This time, he’s grounded. This time, he’s safe. And this time, he’s not wishing for a miracle— he has his miracle. That’s what Marinette is. His miracle. His princess. His lady.

And he couldn’t be happier. 

[literaphobe]

4 & 13 for the writer ask?

4. what are some themes you love writing about?

i think in general im just always writing about love... i have a fascination specifically usually for romance that sparks from like. deep connections. best friendship. almost toxic sometimes. i like exploring complicated people and dynamics? people who arent quite so simple. things that aren't quite as easy as a confession etc. which i think sometimes some people aren't going to get. a mix of things i feel like specific characters could relate to but also things i experience. if u ever feel like you dont understand how a person could act like a character im writing about know that i exist and im even Worse even more Stubborn even More oblivious even more Pained

13. who are your favorite writers?

here's another three ao3 users i briefly saw in my bookmarks that i think have appealed to me a lot hehe: lnc crownedcrusader agrestenoir

send me a writing ask!

[astrangetypeofchemistry]

cute girls’ decor and how it brings childhood enemies together

my present to @agrestenoir for the @thinkoutsidethelovesquare remix exchange. i chose to remix sink, swim, or sleepwalk (and by that, i mean literally one line that makes me laugh whenever i think of it, i’m sad)

anyway, erin you mentioned liking chloe so i’m aggressively throwing chlonette at you. i hope you like.

find this mess on ao3

the thing marinette finds best about is chloe, she thinks, is the way that she refuses to admit it when she compliments her.

she notices it when she comments on chloe’s appearance for the first time, a soft murmur of “you’re so pretty” escaping into the space between them. chloe’s hair was left down, pushed back with only a headband. chloe’s reaction was to duck, a second to recover before she pulls her head back up, changing the topic completely. marinette fights the urge to keep complimenting her, the gloss of the pink lipstick on her lips, or the winged eyeliner making her eyes pop brighter than the stars in the sky, too entranced by the bright blush that takes way too long to leave chloe’s cheek.

it starts when they’re in university, somehow friends on snapchat. at first, chloe posts excessively about a boyfriend until she abruptly stops. from there, it’s a few dark screened snaps, just a second long, filled with long paragraphs of self loathing. marinette accidentally replied “why?” to one of them, forgetting that it is chloe’s snap. a few biting comments about not caring exchange between them, before their interaction completely stops.

and then, a few days later, chloe messages her again while marinette is pulling an allnighter, a small “how do you do it?” that fills marinette with so much emotion, she can’t help but write long paragraphs of nights where she questioned her self-worth before she’d found alya.

‘and maybe,’ marinette had said to chloe, ‘you were part of that self-hatred i’d built up for myself. but i’m finding, that i don’t hate you for it, because to expect you to be perfect in those years is unrealistic, because i was toxic too. just in my own way. i’ve grown, ad i’m hoping you have too.’

and then the conversation stops, with no response from chloe, and no new conversations from marinette. marinette doesn’t comment on how their entire conversation is saved, or how sometimes, when she accidentally opens it, chloe’s bitmoji is peeking at it.

this quiet refusal to acknowledge whatever is happening between them, whatever passed between them during that one quiet night follows marinette when alya finally manages to drag her out for a night. it’s marinette stuck with people she doesn’t know, people alya’s been surrounded by for the past few months.

marinette’s just slightly tipsy when she motions to alya that she’s headed to the bathroom. with a nod of acknowledgment from alya she turns away, heading towards the hall. sound is quieter there, and marinette finally feels like she can breathe. being stuck with a bunch of people she doesn’t know has been exhausting, and even the small break away from them is liberating.

it’s when she’s heading back out, slightly distracted, when she bumps into another body. the person turns around, to chew her out or whatever, but then they freeze at seeing her. marinette’s own insides churn, shock bruising her already bad night.

“chloe?” she almost screams, the beat of the music drowning out her sound. but chloe still hears her, still understands that the club is too loud, too hot, too crowded.

her hand reaches for marinette’s wrist, clasping tightly as she leads her out. they end up outside the front doors, yet chloe still doesn’t stop, dragging marinette behind her.

“where are we going?” marinette finally asks after five minutes of being led down unfamiliar roads, only to be shushed. marinette has live in paris all her life, and yet she hasn’t ever walked down the path chloe is leading her.

they don’t stop, walking long enough for marinette to wonder why she still hasn’t ripped her hand away from chloe and walked off. the streets they’re walking on are filled with people mingling, a few curious stares thrown at them. but chloe is either too distracted, or is choosing to ignore them, her hand still tightly gripping marinette.

she is a force of nature, marinette decides, seeing the way chloe’s only goal is to lead marinette further and further, no hesitation. she was one when they were younger, delivering unwanted quips to everyone she met, and she still is, not stopping to think about what she wants to accomplish. it’s a giant contrast to the younger marinette, who stuttered and blushed in front of the people she liked, never able to make a move.

which isn’t to say marinette likes chloe, or that chloe likes marinette. far from it, marinette is sure. chloe may be beautiful with the way her hair curls with the soft breeze, or the way her face lights up with every smile in the selfies she posts. but marinette doubts that, even if she likes chloe, chloe likes her back. and marinette’s given up chasing ghosts, stopped running after stories that she can’t have the courage to be a part of.

it seems somewhere on their journey chloe snaps out of her haze because she freezes, turning to marinette in absolute horror. marinette continues to stare at her in confusion, wondering if chloe had been drunk and out of it, finally sobering because of the chill. and a minute passes, two, before she finally acknowledges that chloe looks like she’s about to run away.

“you’re not leaving,” marinette cuts across her rapid thoughts, staring at chloe with just the slightest hint of warmth. “i don’t know where we are.”

chloe is still registering their surroundings, still lost and confused as she stares at marinette. “then why did you follow me?”

“i was admiring the decor,” marinette responds, forgetting that just a second ago she’d decide that this, anything, between her and chloe is impossible. some part of her just really wants to goad and bait chloe. and just before she could regret it, chloe’s blushing a red brighter than the yellow she’s always worn. and then, with just a slightly sly smile she adds, “i love looking at cute girls’ decor.”

chloe’s eyes widen, searching marinette for something before she decides on something. she steps back, confusing marinette with the way her head tilts up the way it always did when they were younger, as if she were trying to give herself importance. “you can use the map on your infernal cellular device, i’m sure.”

and then she walks away, confusing marinette with the abrupt change in her mood.

marinette walks home, using the gps on her phone. midway through it starts raining, and some petty part of her promises revenge on chloe, if and when the opportunity arises. months pass before she finds herself in the same room as chloe.

it’s at a gala filled with rich people, marinette helping her parents cater. she notices chloe right away, swiping on her phone and ignoring everyone around her. some part of marinette wants to walk over right away, spending the entire annoying chloe.

it shocks marinette a little, this innate need to actually be around chloe, and she finds it a good thing that she’s there to work. she doesn’t think she’d have the self control to stay away from chloe if she wasn’t.

it’s hours later when her parents let her know that she’s off the hook when she practically runs off to chloe, knowing that she hadn’t moved much all night. marinette had glanced at her so often, she knew that anyone who had attempted to talk to chloe had been shooed away, barely even given a glance.

“you’re looking a little lonely,” marinette greets, her mouth resting on the shell of chloe’s ear, pressing a hand against her waist. she’d honestly expected chloe to pull away without looking at her, expected to have to dodge a punch.

she didn’t expect the little sigh that had escaped chloe, or the way she leaned even closer to marinette. “i am.”

marinette gulps, overtaken by the scent of whatever shampoo chloe uses. “is that so?”

chloe turns her head to the left, a smile playing across her lips as she stares at marinette out of the corner of her eye. “are you here to admire the decor?”

her phone, marinette realizes with a jolt, is open to their old conversation on snapchat. “depends. will you leave me stranded to walk in the rain again?”

chloe smiles at marinette, her entire body following the motion of her head. as soon as chloe is facing marinette completely, her arm wraps around marinette’s back, leaning closer. “didn’t realize you would’ve minded.”

at this point, marinette’s pretty screwed, having completely forgotten about whatever petty revenge she was looking for, and a little dizzy from the proximity to chloe. “if you’ll tell me why you left, maybe i’ll consider forgiving you.”

chloe smiles coyly, poking at marinette as she nudges their noses together. “would you believe me if i told you i was nervous?”

“depends.”

for a moment, marinette stands in silence, her eyes staring into chloe’s with an intensity she never thought she was capable of. and then, before either girl could react much, marinette crashes their lips together, chloe’s hand gently resting on her jaw and pushing lightly.

“not here,” she whispers, prompting marinette to nod. with a light smile, chloe pulls away from marinette, gripping her hand and leading her out of the room. they somehow stumble to the elevator, chloe’s hand clumsily pushing at the button to call it down.

as soon as they step in, marinette feels disappointed, having fully expected chloe to pounce on her. instead, the other girl just stares at her reflection off the elevator doors as they close, muttering about how much of a mess her hair is. and then, with a side glance at marinette, she declares “thanks for giving me an excuse to get out of there,” turning away as if that was the end of their interaction for the night.

which, of course, confused marinette, as she’d assumed they’d be spending at least a little more time together.

“that’s it?” marinette asks, shocked and a little taken aback at the way chloe just shrugs.

“what else were you expecting?”

marinette isn’t sure what possesses her to move close to chloe, her arms attempting to cage chloe in. “more.” she stresses the word heavily, hoping against hope that chloe knew what she meant.

in turn, chloe huffs out a laugh, her head tossing back. “more, huh? what, like you’d actually be interested in that?”

marinette takes careful note of the way chloe says nothing about what she wants, torn over what that said about her desires. “what’s that supposed to mean?”

“nothing,” chloe sneers, attempting to duck underneath marinette’s arm. in turn, marinette moves closer, their bodies brushing together.

“don’t decide what i do or don’t want, chloe. that’s up to me and me alone.”

chloe tilts her head back subconsciously, her updo scrunched up against the wall. her eyebrow raises at marinette, a smirk playing around her lips. “then what do you want?”

marinette wonders if the quick glances she steals at chloe’s lips are noticeable before she finally gives her response. “i’ve already made that clear. the question is if you want the same thing.”

“that’ll never be clear enough for you.”

it turns out, the answer is as simple as it is satisfying.

it also turns out that marinette happens to like checking out chloe’s decor a lot. and if it ends up being a part of marinette’s vows at their wedding...

well, can you really blame her?

[sadrien]

introvertednerd, agrestenoir, larvesta, adribug

@introvertednerd i dont know her as well as some of the other people on this list but erica is really great and a lot of fun to talk to!! its always great when we do get to talk

@agrestenoir i dont even know what to start saying about erin tbh. erin is so great and i actually knew about her for like....years before we started talking??? back when i was in the doctor who fandom, i reblogged some of her edits, actually!!! erin is super talented and super funny and her erinisms make my entire life tbqh 

@larvesta is just so great!!! olivia is such a good artist and i love talking to her!! literally such an inspiration, i love her art and her coloring, which totally inspired me to start using markers, and how she draws rarepairs all the time. whenever she posts art i literally send it to everyone i know. also? her makeup??? always fantastic

@adribug shirley is super sweet!! i love her writing and her edits (theyre so good omg) and also she started @mlcreators so i have to give her like...credit for a good 80% of my current internet friends?? so thanks for that pff

send me a tumblr user’s url and i’ll tell you what i think of them

[stellalights]

Chloe: You are literally the worst pilot on planet Earth!

i read @agrestenoir‘s post about the roles that the ml gang would play as voltron paladins (which you can read here) and i honestly couldn’t agree more