#and im tired of pretending i even WANT to thrive in this system

[communistmeme]

I hate you LinkedIn I hate you "work-life balance" I hate you girlboss culture I hate you productivity I hate you 40 hour work week I hate you "how to prevent burnout" classes I hate you I hate you I hate you

[marinetteplztakeabreak]

chloe in my adrininogami roommates au

under the cut bc its a little long (1500 words of notes about chloe in this au)

ADRININOGAMI ROOMATES AU RECAP: its not really an au its just a timejump, Adrien Nino and Kagami are all like 18-19 and roommates, hawkmoth is still out there and lb and cn still dont know each others’ identities, Nino and Kagami know each others’ secret identities but don’t know Adrien’s and he doesn’t know theirs, Nino is at university while Adrien and Kagami are just taking a gap year and working minimum wage jobs and honestly they are all thriving and bffs

Chloe is a music major

At the same university as Nino

i have very little knowledge of the universities of Paris so this is going to be partially based on the American system, im sorry but youre going to have to suspend your disbelief real quick

so the university has a rule where first year students have to live on campus in the dorms

Nino escaped this rule because he is a goshdarn music nerd and quest for knowlege cannot be stopped

There wasn’t even an AP Music Theory class at his high school when he started there but he was like “whats up guys i have self-confidence now and i think it would be pretty nifty if we had this class” and then talked to teachers and convinced a bunch of his friends to sign up for it so now its a class

And thats the only AP Music class and he still wanted to learn,,, so he just,,, started taking online college courses,,, in music theory,,, for fun,,,, the absolute nerd <3

he will ramble excitedly about music history to anyone who will listen and you cant even be upset bc he is so energetic about this

All of this is to say that, by the time he graduated high school, he had already completed a bunch of college classes, so he got to enter university as a sophomore, which is how he is living off campus with adrien and kagami

Chloe, however, is a freshman, so shes gotta live on campus in the freshman dorms and have a roommate

her roommate, by the way, is Juleka

Chloe has calmed down significantly by this time and sucks a lot less. She and Juleka are not friends by any account, but basically, when they were signing up for roommates, they were both like “whelp this is better than rooming with a total stranger, i wont talk to you or bother you if you dont talk to me”

chloe and juleka have not actually spoken to each other since school started,, they pretty much stay out of the dorm room unless they are sleeping and then they stay on their side of the room and do not make eye contact and dont touch each others stuff

and chloe is totally fine with this

just kidding, hahaha, she is sad and lonely and wants to make friends but is terrible at it,,, her models for friendship include Adrien who she knows she messed up with completely and the best thing she can do now for their relationship is avoid him so she doesnt mess it up more,, and Sabrina, who is also refusing to speak to her now and basically taught chloe that the way to do friendship is to like? do their homework or something??

(juleka is vibing and living her best life btw, shes just also an introvert and only goes to the dorm when she is tired and needs to refresh and also chloe is the one acting like they shouldnt talk)

SO,,, chloe is a music major bc she thinks its pretty nifty and fun and also because she is trying to avoid anything to do with her parents,,, she has reached the point where like “be a dissapointment to my parents” is like,, her life goal,,, which is kinda a “good for her” situation and kinda a “holy heck plz get her some therapy situation”

wow we’ve got a bunch of backstory but we are finally to the point of this post

Chloe has several classes with Nino and she keeps accidentally flocking to him because she already knows him from high school and he has such good vibes

Nino is kind of just trying to avoid her,, he doesnt HATE her,, but,, it is chloe,, yknow

but then they get paired up for a group project and the group meets at nino’s apartment, and adrien is not in the building whenever chloe is there, on purpose,, they will be friends again eventually but their friendship is taking a little bit of a break and adrien is still learning how to have boundaries so he’s just doing what’s best for his mental health

chloe is totally fine with this and doesnt miss him at all

just kidding she is lying

BUT

you know who IS just chilling in the apartment while chloe is there

kagami

who is now like 19 and having some actual self confidence and happiness and who is chilling in her apartment with nino, one of her best friends

and chloe gets through the first group meetup at nino’s house and doesn’t spent any time just staring at kagami who’s chilling reading books in the corner (yes she does)

chloe is actually trying her hardest to be nice to the group members and make friends and prove that she can be a good person and a hard worker but she has very little social skills or work ethics skills and is having complicated emotions about adrien and hasnt even realized it yet but she is falling HARD for kagami,

all that is to say that chloe is a little bit distracted from the group project

but anyway they meet up again and this time chloe has done a ton of research and prep beforehand bc she doesnt want 2 be caught offguard made to look like a fool again and everyone is like what the heck, since when does she study things?

and anyway the project goes pretty great

but then

chloe has a goshdarn crying breakdown

because she is experiencing too many emotions all at once

the combination of just,,, university coursework is stressful and living without servants for the very first time in her life and parental issues and not having friends and also literally everything is just aaaa

so she starts crying in her dorm while doing homework while juleka is there but she literally forgets that juleka is there bc juleka is kind of a cryptid

and juleka just kinda stares at her for a minute and then is like “u good”

and chloe tries to pretend shes not startled and is like “haha yeah its fine”

and juleka is like “have u considered getting a tutor”

and chloe, who is stupid, is like “hmm i should ask nino to tutor me but only at his place and only when kagami is home and i should make sure that i look super cute and i need to study beforehand so that i look cool and smart in front of kagami,, i mean,, for no reason at all i just think this is a good idea”

she talks to nino and nino is like “ok i guess i can help tutor you but u have to actually make an effort and also stick to a schedule so youre not there when adriens there bc we are respecting his boundaries and also you need to-”

and chloe is like “great perfect done”

and then she actually does everything nino says

so basically

she ends up passing all of her classes and making friends

literally just because she is too stupid to actually try to talk to kagami

they literally do not have any conversations other than like “hey, whats up?” “nothing much lol” for like,,, an entire year

also chloe does not admit to herself that she has a crush on kagami for that entire time either

meanwhile adrien and nino and kagami are all a little confused bc chloe keeps flirting at nino??? and adrien is like “im pretty sure she likes girls but idk???” and nino keeps being like “hey chloe what’s up, i just got back from hanging out with my amazing girlfriend alya who i am very in love with,, and who is my girlfriend,, who i am dating”

and chloe has literally no idea why he is doing this but continues to flirt at him and subconciously hope that kagami will catch some of her flirting vibes and falls in love with her

so basically

they are all stupid

BUT Chloe and Nino do become actual friends and chloe actually respects him for the amazing wonderful smart talented kind person that he is and he helps her make some new friends and they get to the point where they are a super great study group and she’ll listen to all his homework assignments and proofread some of them when its like finals cramming time and they are supporting each other and their friendship is good

[inkjackets]

Serenity

This is a thing I did for Ninette week Day 1: Serenity, apologies for the lateness. The characters are slightly aged up in this one, in their final year of school. Also sorry, it got a little angstyer than planned... but the serenity is there!

Summary: Nino is feeling the pressure of exams, but Marinette is there to make him feel better.

Nino felt sick and tired.

He sighed and shoved his face in his hands in a futile effort do dispel at least some of the tension in his body.

He felt sick.

He tried to ignore the mountain of books piled around him and tried instead to focus on the single paper in front of him.

He felt tired.

He gazed down senselessly.

He felt so sick and so tired.

 Nino felt numb. He'd been sitting in the same position in the same place in the library for what felt like an eternity. 

He glanced at the clock. Only ten minutes had passed. 

He glanced at his friends. Their blonde, red and black heads alike were all bent over the table, scribbling away on some past papers. There was a dull ache at the back of his head, even his headphones were against him now. He guessed wearing them non-stop for days on end really wasn't healthy. Reluctantly he took them off and was greeted with the aggravating noises of a jam-packed library. The scratching of pens, flipping of paper, tapping on keyboards, sniffing, coughing...ugh! He hated it! It was so stifling. Not just the atmosphere, but the air as well was suffocating. The clammy heat coming off all the bodies crammed into the space paired with the hot muggy summer air drifting through the windows was downright oppressive.

Nino heaved a sigh. He looked down at all the papers scattered across his desk: revision notes, past papers, mark schemes. Marinette, Alya and Adrien had all helped him prepare everything he could possibly need to revise for his Baccalauréat exams, including timetables and revision folders. He was grateful, no mistaking that, however rather than making him feel organised, he just felt swamped. It was all just so overwhelming.

Nino didn't know if he could do this.

He took another deep breath and read the next question on his paper:

The name of the great egret has recently been changed from Casmerodius albus to Ardea alba. 

Nino's brow furrowed.

What is a possible reason for the reclassification of egrets?

He frowned.

A. Allopatric speciation

Nino felt a lump rise in his throat.

B. Discovery of different ancestry

No, he knew this dammit!

C. A change in the mating behaviours

He swallowed.

D. Change in habitat and geographic range

He  put his head in his hands.

It was no good, he could feel the tears pricking behind his eyes as the frustration and helplessness built up inside him. He wasn't made for studying, he was a musician! What gave school the right to put him through this hell? He didn't want maths, he didn't need science, he didn't give a damn about speaking English! Counting rhythms were the only numbers he needed, connecting his music with an audience was the only chemistry he needed, melodies and harmonies were the only words he needed! 

He grit his teeth to prevent a cry of frustration escaping his lips.

He frantically wiped away the wetness in his eyes and inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm himself. He felt a pair of eyes on him and looked up to see a bright blue pair, brimming with concern, looking back at him.

“Nino,” Marinette said softly

“I’m fine,” Nino said a little too quickly, he tore his eyes away from her, gripped his pen and bent over his paper as if to start writing.

 What is a possible reason for the reclassification of egrets?

 His pen hovered above the paper, he willed himself to think of the answer, to circle something. He knew this, he knew he knew this. Damn what was it! He felt tears of frustration prick the back of his eyes once more. 

Crap. 

He couldn't do this.

He drew a sharp breath as someone touched his arm. He looked at the dainty but sturdy fingers touching his wrist. He followed them to a wiry but strong arm, up to her shoulder covered in her usual black jacket, past her pale neck, her red lips, and her cute button nose, before finally landing on those blue eyes. Those piercing blue eyes that saw right into the depths of his very soul. He knew she could see everything he was feeling, there was no point in hiding it.

"I can't do this, Marinette," Nino said, his voice cracking despite the whisper, "I'm not made to do this."

Marinette smiled sadly, "I know." 

Nino bit his lip. 

"You and I, we're artists," Marinette said, "We aren't naturally academic like Alya, we aren't studious like Adrien."

Nino felt Adrien and Alya both stiffen beside him.

“Some people thrive in conditions like this,” Marinette continued, “pushed to their mental limits, to see how far they can go. But for people like us? It’s stifling.”

Nino nodded, "It's so hard, Marinette, I can't."

“But you must,” she said sternly.

“What?” he was a little taken aback at her change in tone.

"We both must persevere. After all, the road to success is filled with many obstacles." 

"But...but," Nino floundered, "at the end of the day, all this work we've done just ends up being a bunch of numbers on a scrap of paper, that’s our future! Doesn’t that infuriate you?”

“Yes, of course it does, but it is what it is.” Marinette’s expression changed to one of grudging acceptance, “Maybe one day we can change the system, but today isn’t that day. Today we stick our heads down and we deal with it.”

Nino felt the lump rise in his throat once more as negative thoughts of incompetence and suffocating pressure rushed round his head.

Marinette reached across the scattered books and took his hand, encompassing it in both her own. She held his hand like you would a butterfly, gentle enough to not harm it, but firm enough to prevent it flying away. The warmth from her skin passed into Nino's, up his arms and straight into his frantic heart, willing it to calm. Nino stared at her, at her eyes filled with love and concern. Her hands warmed his body, but her eyes warmed his soul.

Slowly she lifted his hand to her lips and gently kissed it, “I believe in you, Nino,” she whispered, her voice like a soft beam of sunlight lighting up the path previously obscured in darkness.

A blush slowly rose on Nino’s cheeks, “Marinette,” he hissed, but his voice thrummed with pleasure.

Marinette giggled, “What, ashamed of me, are we?” she shifted his hand so she could clasp it in hers.

He blushed even harder as he sharply shook his head, glancing at Adrien and Alya as he did so, but they were both very busy pretending to be working and not at all smirking into their practice papers. He closed his fingers around her hand, entwining them together.

“I could never be ashamed of you,” he said quietly.

Marinette smiled a smile that lifted the weight from his shoulders and made the stress dissipate. He was starting to remember what it felt like to be relaxed, however, he faltered when he saw a flash of deviousness behind Marinette's innocent eyes. Before he knew it, Marinette had stood up, leant across the table, and pressed her mouth firmly to his. Nino had barely registered what had happened before Marinette pulled back and plonked herself back into her seat, a smug smile spreading across her face, despite the blush forming.

Nino stared at her, mouth agape. He watched Marinette's cheeks bloom into the brightest red. She grabbed a book and hid behind it so that only her eyes showed, but Nino could still a tinge of redness in her skin and the grin in her eyes. He felt giddiness and happiness thrum through him. What she had just done, her uncharacteristically audacious behaviour, her self-satisfied expression... 

Nino felt himself break free from the shackles of stress that had been forcing him down.

Looking at Marinette like that, he knew that everything was going to be alright.

  Bonus:

"Get a room, guys," Alya said, not breaking to look up from her paper. 

There was silence.

Adrien snorted.

Marinette giggled.

Nino couldn't help but let a grin spread across his face.

Alya looked up with a devilish smirk.

They all burst into laughter.

I hope you liked it! can you tell im stressed