#difficult to say Nothing about her the way i say things about eiffel

[commsroom]

more than anything, what i want for hera is the safety to have trivial interests, to be unimpressive and entirely mundane. so much of her life is defined by the limitations imposed on her. she is always in some level of pain, and the entire concept of... knowing physical pain as a sensation without ever really experiencing pleasure, only occasional relief, gets to me a lot in the context of disability. she has never had a day in her life where she hasn't had to be concerned for her survival. even when she's able to relax, even when she's just goofing off with eiffel, whatever space he can give her for that... she's still constantly running all of these background processes, calculating and monitoring and making choices for her own safety, and there is something about that... in the same way that "i can't do this. i'm not good enough." being programmed into her is a useful metaphor for understanding trauma, i kind of feel those background processes, the constant need to multitask and take into account so many more things so much more quickly than anyone else, just to exist... there's something about that that resonates with me. i want her to feel safe enough to be able to just... turn that off. for a little while. i want her to see the ocean and not have to think about the direction of the waves.

[calumxkisses]

Sleep On The Floor | c.h.

pairing: calum hood x reader

genre: fluff

warnings: none

summary: life’s getting dark grey, lucky for you, Calum is ready to show you all the colors - or maybe that’s what you dream about.  

a/n: hi beautiful angels, i’m back! sorry for being away fr such a long time but i was studying and trying my best to stay alive. today’s also my birthday and i wanted to thank all of you for loving my past serie. i love every single on of you.

this imagine its inspired by the song: sleep on the floor 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The music is loud, the same songs are repeated continuously but the constant talk and the drinks make it difficult to notice the monotony of these parties. It is a monotony that you relive every weekend since you started working in the music industry and it doesn’t depend on the place, the week or the event, the same things repeat themselves over and over again.

Dark grey. It’s the color that you best associate to this situation. It’s that color that makes you think about factories, workers in line, controlled by rules and by a world that leaves no room for creativity, for change, for a better world. You remember that Charlie Chaplin’s movie that your professor made you watch in school and the way he ends up living an adventure. Will that happen to you too? It’s just a party, you think, but because it’s a party you shouldn’t feel this way. 

You’ll take a plane tomorrow and you’ll end up in another city that you won’t visit because there’ll be no time. After the concert or the interview, you’ll end up in some hidden place dancing and drinking and the day after another plane or bus will be waiting for you. And when the tour ends, you’ll be able to breathe. 

The girl in front of you keeps talking about the promotion she got at work, but you stopped listening to her a long time ago. Didn't she get the promotion last week? Or was it another girl? Maybe she was the one who had just returned from a business trip? 

Across the room, a few steps away from you, Calum, Luke and Roy are talking about the new album the band is working on, the new genre they are experimenting with and the lyrics they enjoy writing but will never release. They spend their days like this, searching for new sounds and writing lyrics about salads and strange places where they get lost.

You look around before your gaze gets placed in front of you and you notice that Calum is looking at you too, his curly hair with shades of blonde free from any beanie and he’s still wearing the leather jacket. His eyes stare at you and a little grin forms on his lips. Without realizing it, you slowly approach each other. 

“It doesn't look like you're having fun.” 

“My stomach hurts from how much I’m laughing.” You say in a sarcastic tone, your face expressing your emotion. 

“What’s going on? Are you okay?” Calum knows you. He knows your need to break free from the world and the way you love everything that is extraordinary. He needs that too, he wants to have the possibility to just be him and not the bassist from 5 Seconds Of Summer, but he’ll never tell you this, he won’t give you the satisfaction of being right. But you know. 

“No, I'm just tired of always doing the same things.” You say dramatically, sighing.

“Then let's do something different.”

“Like what? Playing hide and seek instead of beer pong?” 

“No, let’s leave. We have a couple of hours before this party ends and nobody will notice our absence anyway. Let’s do something different for once.” 

You smile. He’s trying to relieve your suffering and you appreciate that.  

Calum walks away for a moment and when he returns, your jacket is in his hand and no longer on the couch. He throws it at you and offers you his hand. “A Taxi is already waiting for us outside. What do you think?” His smile is wide on his face, but not as big as the one that forms on your face when you grab his hand and drag him out.

You both laugh as you get into the car, your adrenaline is running high and you already feel better. The driver smiles at the scene, Calum whispers something in his ear and then sits back on the seat, his eyes following your body before looking in your eyes. 

“I didn’t know you could speak French.” You say looking at his face. 

“There’s a lot of things that you don’t know about me, love.” He says before looking in front of him, mentally trying to remember the name of the streets. His side profile is lightened by different colors as you pass all the different neons of the shops of the city.

The window on your right is slightly lowered. You rest your head on his shoulder and close your eyes, the wind brushes your face and the noise of the city is like a melody in your ears. Calum kisses your hair and rests his head on yours. 

You’re in a car, just the two of you stuck in traffic, yet you feel like you are in a different world, in a world of constant change, where everything happens only once and you are ready to treasure every second of it. 

You don’t know how many minutes have passed by before Calum taps on your shoulder and whispers, “Look.” before pointing to his left. You open your eyes and the Arc de Triomphe lights up the city. It’s a masterpiece that reigns in the French city. It’s fully illuminated and stands powerful in the center of the rotunda.

“Wow.” It's the only thing you can say as you get closer to the window to get a better look. The driver chuckles at your reaction. You are too distracted by the beauty of the monument to notice the way Calum looks at you, lost in the way the lights illuminate your face and the way your hand is in his, as if they were made to hold only each other. 

All the cars are driving past the monument as if it was nothing, probably used to the view, but you can’t get enough of the magical feeling that you feel just by looking at it.

As the Arc de Triomphe is now behind you, you sit back in your seat, your mouth still slightly open from the astonishment of the sight. They might have been some of the most intense minutes you’ve ever experienced.

“Everytime we finish a show here, we always ask to pass by here. After the confusion of the concert, this view always manages to bring peace. Usually we are always exhausted but we try to stay awake as much as possible to not miss this view.” He whispers, looking out and smiling at the memories. 

“I know how much you daydream and how much you like these views and as soon as they gave us the tour dates, I immediately asked to let you come with us. I knew you would like it.” 

The idea that Calum has thought of you, especially in this occasion, warms your heart. He’s not a person who expresses what he feels, he finds it difficult to open up to the world and to the people around him and you know that that's his way of showing that he cares, by gestures, thoughts and small details.

“Thank you, Calum. We passed here yesterday and it was magical in the sun, I didn't expect to love it even more at night.”

The car crosses a bridge and the Seine is illuminated, leading you to fall even more in love with this city. It is definitely the most romantic city in the world, as everyone says.

“Close your eyes.” Calum whispers, taking your hand and putting them on your eyes.

“Wait, why? What are you doing?” You ask but he stays silent. Your heart beats fast. 

Before you know it, the car stops and Calum talks to the driver. You are tempted to open your eyes and peek but the idea that he has decided to surprise you makes you feel too much guilt to do it so you decide to keep your hands on your face.

Calum opens the door, “Give me your hand but keep your eyes closed, okay?” You nod before holding out your hand. He grabs it and, being careful not to hurt you, he gets you out of the car.

You walk  for a while, the noise of the stones is loud as you walk on them and the wind ruffles your hair.

“Keep your eyes still closed for a moment.” He whispers in your ear making you feel chills all over your body.

You feel him moving away and you try to use your senses to understand where you are. You hear people talking in the distance, the noise of some cars behind you as you play with your fingers to entertain yourself while you wait. You aren’t afraid, there’s no single cell in your body that feels fear, you trust him too much to think about the idea that he left you there. He would be ready to climb the highest mountain and cross the hottest deserts to come to you, there’s no emergency that’ll let him leave your side. 

Since the first moment his eyes saw you, he knew that he couldn’t let you go.

You feel someone stand in front of you before you hear him speak: “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

Calum is standing in front of you, he’s looking straight in your eyes to see your reaction. He’s holding a red rose in his right hand and a huge smile is on his lips. Behind him, the Eiffel Tower is majestic, a source of light in the dark of the night. You’re left speechless, the magic you’re living is impossible to explain with words. It seems like billions of stars are joined by surrounding the structure, illuminating it and making it something eternal.  

There are a few people in the distance, taking photos of the structure and laughing at each other. 

There’s a musician on the side of the tower, she’s playing songs that you’re not familiar with and yet they seem to be perfect for this moment. They might be love songs, or even sad songs, but the melody envelops the atmosphere that surrounds you, making you look like the protagonists of a dream.

“Calum.” It’s the only thing you’re able to say. He’s standing there, between you and the Eiffel Tower, one of the most beautiful attraction in the entire world and yet his beauty almost steals the spotlight. But he’ll never know.

He grins and turns around to admire the structure. You reach to take your phone from the pocket of your jacket and take a picture of him, of the Tower, of everything that is surrounding you. Something to look at when you’ll need to think about a happy memory. 

“I’m in love. That’s it. I know what love looks like now.” You said admiring the view. 

“With me?” He looks at you smiling.

“You wish, don’t you?.” 

He laughs and there’s no sound that could be better than that. Not even a view could be more beautiful. Calum Hood laughing in front of the Eiffel Tower, in the middle of the night, surrounded by stars is a sight that no one will ever experience and you hold this moment close to your heart.

“I’m moving here.” You say after a few minutes of silence. 

“You can’t.” 

“Why?” 

“I can’t live without you.” Your heart skips a beat. “How am I supposed to wake up on time and to go to all my appointments if you don’t remind me?” You both laugh. 

“Fine, I’ll honor you with my presence for a little while longer.” 

“Thank you.” 

For a moment, you look straight into each other's eyes. The world seems to stop, except for the Tower and the music in the distance. Calum takes a piece of your hair behind your ear and you can see your reflection in his eyes. 

“It’s getting late, we should go.” He whispers close to your lips.

“Do we really have to go?” You want to close your eyes but you can’t seem to leave the sight of his face. A face that you see everyday but that you can’t get enough of. 

“Yeah but this’ll be our little secret. A place that you can escape to when you’re tired of the world. It’s gonna be here-” He says before pointing to your mind, “-and here.” He stops pointing to your heart and for a second you stop breathing.

“We have too many secrets, Calum.” You say as he takes your hand and walks towards the Taxi. You can’t see his face but his body language is telling you that he’s smiling.

He opens the door of the car and gets in and you follow him, not before looking at the Eiffel Tower one last time and taking a deep breath. 

The drive back to the party passes quickly and silently, your head is again resting on Calum's shoulder and his head is resting on yours, your hands are intertwined as you play with your fingers while the stereo plays slow, almost inaudible music.

“We are here.” The driver says with a strong accent and you realize that you're back in that building. You both get out of the car and while Calum pays for the ride, you look around you. 

“It’s okay to escape reality every once in a while, as long as you remember to come back to reality to me.” He whispers while you get inside the house and you look at him confused before noticing the scene in front of you. 

As you enter through the big door, you see that everything looks exactly as when you left. People are doing the same things they were doing before and while you throw your jacket on the couch, you notice that the stereo is playing the same playlist it was playing a couple of hours ago. 

Calum is back at talking with Roy and Luke, he’s holding a drink and he’s laughing at something his friend is saying.

You go back to the group you were with at the start of the party, nobody seemed to have noticed your absence. The girl in front of you keeps talking about the promotion she got at work but you’re not really listening. 

You look around before your gaze gets placed in front of you and you notice that Calum is looking at you too, he gives you a questioning look and winks before turning his attention back to his friends.

You smile.

[remedialpotions]

Off The Train

Thanks to @mertronus for tagging me in the HPRomione Discord Popcorn game thingy! The prompt she gave me was: "I can finally see you."

I'm tagging @acnelli with the prompt: "You can't just keep pretending things are fine!"

***

”I can’t wait until you get off that train,” says Ron, his voice low and lazy with fatigue, “and I can finally see you.”

Hermione shifts in her bed so she’s lying on her side, mirror held out before her. This way, she can pretend - if she squints a bit, and ignores the crimson hangings of her four-poster bed - that he’s lying next to her, and not hundreds of miles away in London.

“What do you mean, ‘finally’?” Hermione, too, keeps her voice quiet. It won’t do, in her final days as Head Girl, to be waking her dormmates. “You’re looking at me right now.”

“Yeah, but it’s not the same. I can see you, but I can’t touch you, or...” The corner of Ron’s mouth twitches up into a crooked smile. “Or do anything else for that matter.”

“Right. Well,” she says, trying to infuse positivity into her voice, despite the weeks since the Easter holidays dragging into what felt like months and years, despite missing him so much that it’s like a heavy fog surrounding her. “It’s only a couple more days, right?”

“Can’t it be now?” Ron looks like he’s reclined in bed too now, his fiery hair stark against the deep navy of his sheets. “Just get to Hogsmeade, then you can Apparate-“

“You know full well that I cannot,” she replies briskly, even though it’s tempting, really tempting. “It’s-“

“-behavior unbecoming of a Head Girl,” Ron finishes her sentence. “I know. I just miss you, that’s all.”

“I miss you too.”

“I love you,” he adds after a moment’s silence, before his eyes widen with inspiration. “Oh, I’ve got it. What if I Apparate to Hogsmeade, and then walk to the castle - I bet Hagrid would let me through the gates-“

“It’s only two days, Ron.”

He sighs. “Fine.”

“And I love you too.”

He grinned. “Yeah, I know.”

•••

Pigwidgeon is the last owl to fly into the Great Hall, his little wings beating wildly to keep him aloft. With a scrap of parchment clutched in his tiny talons, he struggles over to the Gryffindor table before somersaulting down into Hermione’s lap.

Hermione’s heart sinks, and not just at the sight of the exhausted little bird currently burrowing into the crook of her elbow. Their two-way mirrors mean they don’t usually have to resort to writing letters. Not unless...

Hermione, the parchment reads when she unfolds it. Got called on an emergency mission. I’m not allowed to tell you where or why or even how long but I’m hoping it won’t take too long. I’m still going to be there at King’s Cross, because I’m dying to see you and I can’t wait until all this is over and we can just be together. Anyway, I love you and try not to worry too much. I promise to do my best not to die.

Ron

“Oh, good,” comes Ginny’s voice from beside her, and Hermione turns to see her peering intently at the parchment. “He’s promised not to die, that’s a relief-“

“He’ll be there,” interrupts Hermione, tucking the note in the pocket of her robes before Ginny can further infringe upon her privacy. “If he thinks it’ll only take a day, then I believe him.”

Ginny blinks. “I never said he wouldn’t be.” Plucking Pigwidgeon from Hermione’s lap, she offers him water from her goblet. “I’m sure he knows what he’s talking about.”

“It’s probably just a quick day trip,” Hermione rationalizes, eyes focused hard on Pigwidgeon as he drinks so she doesn’t have to see the sympathy she knows is etched on Ginny’s face, “and he just wanted me to know in case - well-”

“In case he dies?”

Ginny’s attempt at a joke falls flat.

“Well, just in case, you know, something were to - to happen,” Hermione stammers, “and anyway, it’s just good for me to know - I like to know what he’s up to - not in a controlling way or anything, just-”

“Of course,” Ginny interjects bracingly. “I’m sure he just wanted you to know, that’s all. I’m sure he’ll be there.”

Hermione picks up her mug of tea and holds it close to her face so the steam washes over her. She knows what they’re both thinking but are unwilling to say: that in the year Ron and Harry have been Aurors, neither has had a mission run shorter than a week.

•••

And so Hermione sits with Ginny and Luna on the train, watching the Scottish Highlands slowly transform into the low, tidy hills of the English countryside outside her window and hoping against hope that Ron will be there on Platform 9 and ¾. But she hasn’t heard from him since that first letter, and his mirror has gone dark. This doesn’t worry her - not for his safety, anyway - but it does make it difficult to share in Ginny’s gleeful anticipation as the train pulls into King’s Cross.

She busies herself with tending to Crookshanks, who is furious about his prolonged confinement in his basket, as Harry and Ginny embrace on the platform. It’s not that she’s upset, not really. Ron is doing what he needs to do, and she would never want him shirking his responsibilities just so he can kiss her on a train platform for the first time since April. She just wishes things could be different.

After Harry and Ginny depart for Grimmauld Place, she flags down a taxi and rides alone to her parents’ home. The family car is parked in front, which is unusual for a weekday, but when she goes inside, she finds her parents have been eagerly awaiting her arrival and can hardly let her set down her trunk before whisking her away to an upscale restaurant in South Kensington.

“So, tell us about school,” says Mum with an eager smile once they’re seated at their candlelit table. “How were your exams? I want to hear everything.”

“I will later,” Hermione replies, raising her brows and tipping her head pointedly in the direction of the waiter currently pouring red wine into their glasses.

“Oh, right, right, of course. Well, anyway, dear,” she begins as the waiter sets down menus and strides away, “your father and I have a little surprise for you.”

It’s foolish, she knows, but her mind leaps instantly to Ron. Maybe all of this business with his mission has been a ruse, and he’s here in London after all, and she’ll be able to come up with an excuse to spend the night at Grimmauld Place…

Until she notices that her parents are still talking, and there’s no tall, lanky, red-haired wizard to be seen in this high-end French restaurant, but there are three Eurostar boarding passes laid out across the tablecloth.

“Sorry,” says Hermione, shaking her head to clear away the daydream, “what’s going on?”

“We’re going to Paris!” announces Mum with delight. “We thought it would be so lovely to spend time together since you’ve been away for so long, and you’re about to start your new job - and I know you’ve always wanted to go there. We’ve got ten whole days, and everything’s booked, so all you’ve got to do is pack.”

“That - that’s - that’s brilliant,” Hermione musters, forcing her lips into some semblance of a smile. Her parents beam so brightly back that it’s almost difficult to look at them. “Erm, so when are we leaving?”

She crosses her fingers under the table, praying they’ll say August, or her birthday in September, or Christmas, anything but-

“This weekend!”

Of course.

•••

Paris is beautiful. It exceeds every single one of Hermione’s expectations. She and her parents consume copious amounts of bread, cheese and wine, they visit museums and cafes and old bookstores, they ascend to the top of the Eiffel Tower and take in the view. She thinks of Ron constantly as she walks the cobbled streets, as she crosses the Pont des Artes and sees the countless locks affixed to its railing. Before she left, she sent Harry an owl to tell him that she was leaving, so Ron would know where she was if he returned home before she did. As they can’t communicate when she’s staying in a Muggle hotel, she truly has no idea where he is, but she tells herself that he’s still on his mission. It feels better that way, imagining that even if she stayed in London, there would still be obstacles keeping them apart.

On their last day, she nearly empties out a patisserie buying eclairs and macarons for Ron, and then they board the Eurostar back to England. Nervous anticipation grips her stomach as the train barrels through the tunnel (idly, she wonders if Ron’s dad is aware of this train that travels underwater, and makes a mental note to tell him), because she has no idea what awaits her back in London. What if Ron’s still away? Or worse - what if something’s happened to him, and she’s been off enjoying a holiday while he’s been suffering?

The train can’t move quickly enough. Hermione can focus on nothing - not the paperback romance novel her mother has loaned her to read, not the Muggle newspaper that her father is engrossed in, not even the argument of the couple seated across the aisle from them. It’s only a two-hour trip, so why does it feel like it’s taking days?

She checks her mirror, but it’s still dark.

“You go ahead, sweetheart,” says Dad when the train finally rolls to a stop in St. Pancras station. “We’ll get the cases.”

Hermione looks up at the luggage rack over their heads, then at her parents. “Are you sure? I’ll bring mine-”

“We can manage. Go on ahead, get some fresh air.”

She doesn’t bother reminding them that train station air is hardly fresh, and instead heads down the aisle with just her purse and the box of pastries in tow. Truly, she’s not sure why her parents have sent her off the train without them; with the station as busy as it is, they’ll surely lose track of each other.

But then she sees him. Standing a head above the crowd, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans, his bright blue eyes scan the throngs of travelers. At first, she doesn’t believe her eyes. Surely, she’s just become so desperate to see him that she’s actually begun hallucinating.

But as she draws closer, he doesn’t ripple into nothingness, he doesn’t fade away. He’s really, truly there, his red hair curling behind his ears, one knee jiggling with pent-up energy the way it always does when he’s particularly impatient. As he turns his head, still surveying the crowd, their eyes lock and the rest of the station recedes into the background. Finally, they’re within sight of each other after months of hushed mirror conversations and stolen moments borrowing Professor McGonagall’s Floo. Hermione picks up speed, nearly skipping across the concrete in her haste, and flings herself into his waiting arms.

She fits against him perfectly. The fabric of his faded t-shirt is soft against her cheek as she breathes him in, and for the first time in recent memory, words fail her completely.

The box of pastries thuds to the ground.

“Hi,” he mutters, lips brushing her skin and sending chills up her spine.

“How - how did you-”

“Harry told me where you’d gone.” He presses a kiss to her cheek, and then, at long last, their lips connect. “It’s not that hard to look up train schedules.”

As reluctant as she is to pull away from him, she leans back just enough to look up at him. Behind the freckles scattered across his face, his cheeks have gone pink. “You’re amazing,” she tells him, rising on tiptoe for another kiss, unconcerned with the passersby and the blast of nearby train whistles.

Ron lifts one shoulder in a casual shrug when they break apart. “Had to meet you on a train platform somehow.”

[paperpocalypse]

seam.

50 Wordless Ways to Say “I Love You”: 34. Mending an item of their clothing that was ripped.

Pairing: Five Hargreeves x Reader

Word Count: 1,331 words

Warning: Swearing

[A/N: Takes place sometime before blink of an eye.]

You have a favorite hoodie. Five – and everyone else – knows it’s your favorite because you wear it every night and any other time you don’t have to wear the uniform; you had been wearing it when you first set foot into the academy, and you still wear it now, no matter how worn out it’s gotten. And it’s worn. The Eiffel Tower printed onto the front is cracked and faded, the elbows patched up because the fabric there had been scuffed thin.

By all accounts, you should probably get a new one. But Five knows that you won’t because you’re a sentimental person, and that ancient article of clothing has some sentimental value that he will probably never understand.

With this in mind, it’s no wonder that tragedy should befall your precious hoodie at some point, that point being today.

“It ripped.”

Your tone is sullen as you hold your hoodie out, showing Five where the top seam of the front pocket had torn. The flap of fabric hangs on by an inch of intact stitching.

Glancing down at the damage and then back up at your forlorn expression, Five wonders why you had specifically gone to him about this. “How’d that happen?” he questions.

You twist your mouth, rocking back on your heels. “… I pull on the pocket sometimes,” you admit. “And I guess I pulled too hard this time.”

Five nods slowly. It would be a lie to say that he’s surprised, but he finds himself unwilling to give you shit over it. “Our mom can fix it for you,” he points out, uncrossing his legs.

“I know, but she’s recharging,” you murmur, lowering your arms until the sleeves of your hoodie touch the floor. “And my mom’s gonna be here soon.”

Which means …?

“You want me to hold onto it,” Five guesses, “and give it to my mom so she can fix it over the weekend.”

Your expression lights up, though you seem apologetic as well. “Yeah. If that’s okay with you? I asked Klaus, but he told me to ask you instead because he’ll probably forget.”

Good idea. “Sounds about right,” he responds wryly. Standing up, Five holds out his hands, and you carefully place your hoodie in them. “I’ll take it to her.”

Based on the blinding smile on your face, one would think that he just agreed to babysit your firstborn child. “You’re a lifesaver, Five. Thank you.”

He nods again. From the stairs, Klaus shouts your name, and after one last fervent ‘thank you,’ you turn on your heel and run out of the living room to rejoin him. Five listens as the two of you race up the stairs, loud as usual, then looks down at the bundle of cloth now in his possession.

The fabric is soft and light against his fingers – nothing like the starched stiffness of the academy uniform. He scrutinizes the torn pocket again, pressing it back into place. Mom could fix this easily …

—

As soon as noon hits the next day, Five takes your hoodie and blinks to the mezzanine where Mom is.

“Mom.”

She looks up from her work – it’s a cross stitch of a bundle of roses, all sunny yellow with pink edges – and smiles at him, unstartled by his sudden appearance. (She never is.) “Five!” she chirps, tilting her head. “What is it?”

He shows Mom the pocket. Her beam immediately turns into a worried frown, and she sets down her cross stitch to lift up the drooping fabric.

“Oh, dear.” She runs her thumb along the torn edge. “This is [Y/n]’s favorite sweatshirt, isn’t it?”

“You can fix it, right?”

She takes the hoodie from him, inspecting everything. A hum leaves her throat, and then she smiles again, nodding happily. “Of course,” she assures him. “It’ll be as good as new! Oh, and I could clean it properly, too.”

You’d appreciate that. The edges of the cuffs could use a proper cleaning, given that they’re supposed to be yellow, not grey. “Thanks.”

“You’re very welcome, Five,” Mom says warmly, standing up.

She waltzes past him, heading down the stairs and towards the sewing room; and although Five knows that he should very well get going with his own business, he follows her, having an inexplicable need to keep track of what you had entrusted him with. (Well, not completely inexplicable. He’s responsible.)

There’s nothing extraordinary about the sewing room because it doesn’t have to be. He’s only been here a handful of times in the past, each of them for measurements so Mom and a tailor could make new uniforms and pajamas as he grew out of his old ones; upon glancing around, he sees that it hasn’t changed since then. Aside from the general organized array of sewing materials and tools, there are two large tables and two sewing machines, as well as eight mannequins, the shapes of which resemble himself, his siblings, and you.

Seating herself at one of the tables, Mom lays your hoodie down and smooths out the folds and wrinkles. “Five,” she calls him from the doorway, picking up a small, lumpy green pincushion that looks suspiciously handmade, “Could you be a dear and look for the yellow thread in that bin?”

Five silently obliges, then grabs a chair to sit near the sewing machine.

He watches as Mom makes careful but prompt work of pinning the pocket back on. Then she moves to set up the sewing machine, threading it and choosing the right stitch length and all of those things that Five hadn’t cared to know about before; now, however, he sees why someone might find this appealing. It’s methodical and practical, this sewing machine. Subconsciously, he leans in further to see how it works.

Mom lifts up the little metal foot below the needle, sliding your hoodie underneath until the pocket’s lined up just so. She presses the foot pedal, and the machine hums as she begins to sew the fabric back into place.

However, once she gets about halfway through, she stops.

When Five looks at her to see why, Mom smiles at him. “Would you like to try, Five?” she asks.

Hm. Well, it doesn’t seem difficult.

He shrugs. “Okay.”

—

“Five!”

Five looks up from his book as you bound into the living room, swathed in your newly repaired hoodie. You come to a stop in front of the sofa and tug at the bottom of the sweatshirt to show him the attached pocket.

“Look, she fixed it!” you exclaim. “And it’s so clean.”

“I can see that.”

You grin broadly as you stuff your hands into the kangaroo pocket, seeming to revel in the soft fabric. Your strange enthusiasm is almost palpable, and as it sinks in that you’re pleased with the result, Five feels a sense of satisfaction.

And that doesn’t make complete sense to him, because of course you’d be pleased. It’s ridiculously hard to disappoint you.

“You’re lucky to have such a cool mom, Five,” you continue. “She can do everything. And she’s nice, like, all the time.”

There’s a reason for that. “She’s a robot,” Five reminds you.

You pout. “Well – yeah, I know, but that doesn’t make her any less cool. It makes her even cooler, actually …”

Trailing off, you tilt your head at him, seemingly lost in thought. Five is slightly unsettled by the pensive look in your eyes, but he holds your gaze, unwilling to be the one to break contact. It’s a hidden relief when you shake your head.

“Ugh. Sorry, I spaced out. Thanks for looking after it for me, Five.”

“You’re welcome.”

You hug him briefly and bid him good night, then saunter off in your hoodie, humming some off-key tune of which he doesn’t know the origin. Five settles back and opens his book once more, locating his half-finished note in the margins.

For some reason, your smile sticks in his mind for the rest of the night.

[jamespotterthefirst]

All-Nighter (Ethan x f!MC)

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Lilac Allende) Word count: 2.9K Warning: Language and alluded sexual situations Premise: He’d do anything for her, even fly across the country on moment’s notice. 

A/N: If Ethan had gone to Vegas to spend a full night with MC. Crack and fluff. Sorry! 

12:26 am

Ethan had never understood the appeal of Vegas. The city, crawling with gaudy exhibitionism, reckless gambling, and rowdy party-goers, had always seemed a tad tasteless to him. Even in his med school years when his cohort planned a trip to sin city, Ethan had preferred to find solace in an overpriced drink at a bar off the strip and not dancing against strangers in a stuffy nightclub. 

Now, he had been convinced (albeit too easily) to take a six hour flight to a city he would much rather avoid.

His phone pinged with a notification from her, reminding him of the adult rated texts that had inspired his impromptu trip. 

Miss you. Wish you could see me in this dress. 

Seconds after, a picture came in and Ethan almost dropped his phone on the concrete. 

And finally, she sent one final, maddening addendum: Or out of it. 

It was lucky for Ethan that he was already in the same city as her, one an elevator ride away from ripping that tempting thing off of her. 

I'm outside, he texted back. 

More than anything, he wanted to give in to the burning need to just have her in his arms.

------------------  

12:48 am

As Ethan waited outside the casino she mentioned in a previous text, however, the flashing neon lights making it almost difficult to distinguish that it was nighttime, he held a different doctor in his arms. A very drunk Dr. Lahela had haphazardly collided with him only seconds earlier, throwing an arm around him after recognition hit. Ethan was still unsure if the gesture was out of comradery or to maintain his balance. 

“Ramseyyyy,” he called out with a suave ease that was admirable in his current state. 

Before Ethan could answer, Varma and Sienna Trinh appeared at his side. The former looked just as intoxicated as Lahela, though she was doing a much better job at maintaining her balance and dignity. Sienna, however, looked sober, or sober enough to figure out why Ethan was there for she threw him a knowing smirk. 

“Dr. Ramsey,” she greeted casually over the noise of the busy boulevard. “I forgot Edenbrook sent you here because of our contract with Panacea.”

It was a feeble excuse to explain his presence to the other two. It didn't matter because neither of them was listening anyway. Ethan doubted they ever questioned why he was there in the first place. 

Lahela's arm gripped him tighter as he swayed. “Dr. Ramsey, you have to come with us to the Sugar Factory. They have this drink called the fish bowl. It's exactly what it sounds like except full of candy.”

It sounded like a drink straight out of his nightmare. 

“Lahela, tell me why—” 

To his horror, the young surgeon's face lit up as he started singing. “Ain't nothing but a heartache.”

“Tell me why,” an equally drunk passerby added. 

“Ain't nothing but a mistake,” Lahela continued as others laughed and joined in. By the time they were finished, all three residents laughed hysterically while Ethan remained unmoved, silently wishing he had stayed in the blissful quiet of his apartment in Boston. 

He was reminded of why he had left the comfort of his home to venture into the wild five minutes after the group had departed for the aforementioned Sugar Factory. His eyes found her as soon as she stepped out into the street, clad in the sinfully short dress from her picture. The effect it had on Ethan felt like a punch.

Lilac spotted him too, her face alight with a combination of surprise and unrestrained elation. Before either of them could stop what was about to happen, she rushed into his arms. On instinct, he lifted her off her feet, their lips meeting in a kiss charged with promise. 

“Hi,” she greeted breathlessly when he carefully set her down. 

“Hi,” he returned, sounding just as affected. 

“I had to come out here to make sure you were really here. I can't believe you actually came,” she all but exclaimed, voice laced with giddy happiness. It made his stomach leap pleasantly, inspiring a foolish grin he didn't care to fight back anymore. 

“Me neither,” he confessed. 

“Well, I'm glad you did. I like this spontaneous Ethan Ramsey who flies across the country on a whim.”

That admission sent a thrill through his body. He realized he'd do anything to see that winsome smile each time, even if it meant dropping everything and rushing to her side hundreds of miles away. 

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

1:32 am 

“Eight, six, seven,” Lilac was saying over the roar of the fountains and the Celine Dion song. “Five, three, oh, nine.”

She waited for a hint of recognition, but as 

she had suspected, the drunken frat boy did not understand the reference. Instead, he tapped the number into his phone and flashed her a sloppy smirk. “I'll call you later.”

Ethan appeared at her side after he was gone, shaking his head at her with a smirk. 

“Your drink, Jenny,” he said, offering her a cup that looked to be more ice than drink. 

Lilac laughed as she accepted it, her body gravitating to his side at once. A rush of dizzying joy almost overpowered her every time she realized she didn't have to fight that instinct here. 

“Funny. That's the name I gave him too,” she said taking a sip. “He was insistent and drunk beyond comprehension. I thought it'd be easier to give him a fake number.”

“You gave him a song,” Ethan commented with a laugh. A rare, taunting grin illuminated his face, rendering him the handsomest man she had ever seen. “And you could've just told him you have a boyfriend.”

She arched an intrigued eyebrow, already moving into his embrace. “I have a boyfriend, do I?” 

Ethan's free arm encircled her, casting a glow of warmth over her body. It could have been the small amount of alcohol in her system or this newfound energy that crackled between them, still fizzing with longing but considerably lighter than in the past months. 

He nodded in mock seriousness. 

“And is he the jealous type?” 

Ethan genuinely scoffed at that, his fingers aimlessly caressing her bare back. It made her skin blaze where he touched her. “Jealous of what? A sweaty frat boy crass enough to hit on a beautiful but evidently uninterested woman? Believe me, there's nothing to be jealous about.”

“Case in point,” she laughed, raising herself to kiss his nose.   

Ethan laughed too and took advantage of their sudden proximity to press his lips against hers, their kiss sweet and just as dizzying as the many desperate, passionate ones they had shared. When they parted, that fiery, striking gaze of his remained locked on hers, making her thighs quiver. 

The song in the background reached its final notes as the jets of water disappeared into the dark pool glittering in front of the lavish hotel. The crowd began to disperse but Ethan and Lilac remained on the sidewalk, basking in a content lull, his arm securely around her and her cheek pressed against his chest. She knew without asking that he was enjoying this small allowance of being a real couple just as much as she was. 

At last, her eyes fell on the replica of the Eiffel Tower across the street. In the span of a second, she wondered what it would be like to be in front of the real one, safely wrapped in Ethan's arms.  

“I wonder how it compares to the real one,” she wondered out loud. 

“I've never seen it but I'd wager it's not a true representation.” 

For some reason, she found that surprising. “You've never been to Paris?” 

“I've been for work but my time was spent doing just that. I didn't venture out much into the city to sightsee. To be honest, I didn't understand the appeal.” 

The pause that followed suggested he wanted to add more but he remained silent. When Lilac pulled back from his embrace to look at him, she found those piercing blue eyes studying her intently. 

“I know what we should do for that date you teased in your texts,” she said when she finally found the words. 

It was Ethan's turn to arch his brow at her in interest. “I thought this was our date?” 

“Yes, but we're in Vegas. There's so much to do at this hour. And besides, you promised me all night in one of your texts.”

The crooked smile he gave her along with the wicked glint in his eye should have been illegal. He leaned in and whispered darkly, “That's not what I meant.”

Five words and she was all over him, kissing him in ways that were inappropriate even for Vegas. They broke apart and Ethan looked at her expectantly. 

“So what's this idea for our date?” he prompted when Lilac merely stared at him, lips still burning from his kiss. 

“Oh, right. I was thinking since we were both two giant nerds who powered through med school and never traveled—”

At this, Ethan shook his head, amused. 

“—we could each pick something to do here in Vegas that feels like traveling to somewhere remote.”

“But instead we'll be in a loud casino, surrounded by obnoxious crowds and exposed to secondhand smoke?” 

Lilac rolled her eyes which made him laugh. 

“Fine, I'll do it. But you pick first.”

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

2:17 am

As they glided through the clear waters, Ethan had to admit he could see the appeal in the faux gondola ride. Even if it was romantic, the critical part of him dwelled on the fact that the canals of Venice did not smell strongly of chlorine. He almost voiced the cynical observation out loud, before he remembered this was her idea and the last thing he wanted was to offend her. Although, he was certain Lilac would only laugh and playfully shove him. 

But Lilac was not taunting him, which should have been his first indication that something was off. She wasn't even marveling at the painted ceiling of the casino or making snide comments about the high end shops at the edge of the water and the people who shopped there. Instead, she pressed firmly against his side, her nails digging into his shirt. 

“Are you okay?” he murmured. 

Lilac plastered on the weakest attempt at a smile. Ethan only waited until she dropped the act and said, “Is it weird that the water is freaking me out?” 

Ethan considered that. “Are you afraid of open water?” 

Lilac shook her head. “No, or I would have never suggested this. But once we got in and started moving, the water just looked terrifying?” 

Ethan gave her reassuring smile. “We can get off if you want.”

Again, she shook her head with a brave determination that made his stomach flutter. She was entirely too adorable, even without trying. 

“No, I'll be fine,” she said through a steadying breath. “I'll just refrain from looking at the creepy water. And I'll try not to think about what we'll do if this thing flips over.”

“Rookie, the water is three feet deep. If we capsize we can just...get up on our feet.”

Lilac's eyes moved to meet his at the words. They stared at each other in the golden glow of their surroundings, their expressions unreadable. The silent seconds stretched until they both dissolved into hearty and borderline hysterical laughter. 

Ethan tried his best to sober up first, but when he was close to regaining his composure, he would meet her eye and then they'd both continue to laugh relentlessly. He was aware that they were drawing curious looks from the people observing from the bridges. Even the gondolier cast them a questioning look but said nothing. 

Ethan didn't care. 

It was the happiest he had felt in weeks, amidst everything that had happened. 

They finally sobered and Lilac sighed, much more at ease than before. When she settled against Ethan, it was with her hand softly pressed against his chest, directly over the heartbeat that pounded fiercely for her. 

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

3:31 am

The plan had been to go dancing at the Egyptian themed casino, much to her companion's dismay. In the end, she won against his protest and Lilac was feeling particularly proud of herself for talking Ethan Ramsey into going to a nightclub. Then again, she hadn't missed how his eyes occasionally traveled along the expanse of her plunging neckline or how his fingers trailed along her exposed back whenever he held her. A lot of the credit was owed to the dress. 

Which is probably why they never made it to the nightclub. Instead, they hastily detoured to the penthouse suite the leeches at Panacea paid for, their hands and lips on one another for the majority of the journey there. 

Thirty minutes after ensuring they were truly alone, the miraculous dress lay pooled on her bedroom floor, completely forgotten. Meanwhile, Ethan moved against her in ways that made her scream out his name. As they both reached the peak, Lilac leaned in to whisper exactly what she wanted him to do. 

With a grunt, Ethan obeyed wholeheartedly. 

“Your turn,” she panted minutes later as she rolled off of him. 

“As you wish,” he said, the words interrupted as he too struggled to catch his breath. “Although you know I prefer it when you take the lead.”

She laughed. “No, your turn to pick a place to go next.”

Ethan flipped on his side, offering her the sexiest grin. God, she was really thinking about sleeping with him again, mere minutes after the first round. 

“I thought I picked this one,” he teased, his voice thick and heavy in ways that made her center pool with heat. 

“We both picked this one,” she argued before she kissed him. 

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

3:47 am

Ethan only pretended to consider their next destination. The truth was that he knew the answer since the moment she suggested it in front of the fountains. 

They only had to leave the bed, a feat that was more challenging than it sounded. 

Lilac, far more determined than Ethan, even got as far as slipping back into the lacy black underwear he had removed with his teeth earlier. The deliberately coy smile she sent his way when she realized he was staring, however, had his hands on her hips in seconds. 

“Fucking hell, Lilac,” he murmured against her mouth as he pulled her on top of him for the second time that hour. 

----------

4:59 am

After a third failed attempt to get out of bed, which resulted in both of them making good on the promises they made in their earlier texts, Lilac sat up in bed to look at him full on. She gave him what was supposed to be a stern, admonishing look, but she knew it was half hearted because he looked at her with such adoration that she broke a smile. 

“No more distracting me. You're not getting out of picking, Ramsey.”

Ethan's eyes remained fixed on hers in the darkness of the room, his expression betraying no hints of amusement. Outside, the sky began to glow with the first rays of orange and pink, the promise of the sun's arrival setting the inky blue sky ablaze. 

She frowned, noting the lines of exhaustion on his handsome face. “Are you tired? We can just stay if—” 

“We're already here,” he said quietly. “The place I pick.” 

“Bed?” she asked with a startled laugh. “Ethan Ramsey, you are almost a romantic.”

“Almost?” His mouth betrayed a hint of a smile. “I'm offended, Rookie. But no, as wonderful as we are in bed, that's not my choice.”

Ethan didn't elaborate, the small crease between his brows suggesting he was deep in thought. Every so often, his eyes flickered to hers, holding her gaze briefly before they moved away just as quickly.  

“I'm not—” he started, stopped, and tried again. “I'm not good at this kind of thing.”

A slight flush colored his angled cheekbones, so endearing that she couldn't help but kiss him. In all honesty, she wasn't any better at any of it either, only suggesting the date idea as a clichéd way for them to spend time together in a faraway city. It hadn’t been her proudest moment but had Googled ideas the moment he said he was outside. 

Nervous energy filled the room in their shared silence. 

“The only place in the world I give a damn about is by your side, Lilac,” he said at last, the words quiet but powerful enough to make her pulse clamor like bells. 

Ethan scratched the back of his head at her silence. “I was also hoping this goddamn penthouse had a balcony. I would've picked that as my date because of Miami and the first time we—” 

Lilac interrupted him with a kiss, the force of it over balancing Ethan and sending him into the pillows. She didn't care that their kiss was unceremonious and far from romantic. All she was aware of was the growing, urgent need to kiss this cheesy, romantic, brilliant man. He laughed against her lips, strong hands steadying her on top of him. 

“You're so much better at this than you give yourself credit for,” she informed him when they broke apart. 

“Good,” he said, lifting his head to kiss the curve of her neck. “I was worried there was finally something I didn't excel at.”

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

A/N: Meanwhile, her friends are still partying somewhere on the Strip, begging Bryce to quit drinking while he’s ahead. Those fish bowl drinks are no joke. 

Holy shit that was 3K of nothingness. If you made it this far, thank you! 

This was loosely based on my experience(s) going to Vegas, although I don’t remember most of it. Again, those fish bowl drinks will destroy you lol. 

Thank you to @aestheticartsx for your help with this mess!

P.S. Sorry about the dress in the pic not being the exact same one. I saw some that were close but the wrong color. Others were too crazy with that neckline. Ethan would’ve just dropped dead lol. 

___________

New Tags: (Hope I didn’t miss anyone!)

@openheart12 , @takeharryandgo , @ethandaddyramsey, @trappedinfandoms, @aestheticartsx, @aworldoffandoms, @paulfwesley, @myusualnerdyself,  @rookie-ramsey, @ohchoices, @colossalpainintheass, @enmchoices, @i-bloody-love-drake-walker, @choicesfanaf, @openheartthot, @octobereighth, @nazarihoe, @utterlyinevitable, @kites-in-our-skies, @maurine07, @schnitzelbutterfingers, @doilooklikeiknow, @snesdudes, @kingliam2019, @perriewinklenerdie, @cinnamonspongecake, @choicesstan1, @queencarb, @ethxnrxmsey, @missmiimiie, @jens-diamondchoices, @adamsdumortain, @mrsramseyy, @apphia12, @kalogh, @lucy-268, @binny1985, @queenbirbs, @honeyandsunfl0wers, @newcolonies, @lilyvalentine, @rigatonireid, @interobanginyourmom, @parkerattano, @custaroonie, @nikki-2406, @lilypills, @chasingrobbie, @nooruleman, @angela8756, @lonely-mxxnlight, @ruinedbypixels, @shadynaturehilariouscookie, @shadynaturehilariouscookie, @tsrookie, @mvalentine, @professorkingslay, @drakewalkerfantasy, @casey-v, @helloblueeyedcat, @mysticaurathings, @blossomanarchy, @thegreentwin, @togetherwearerapture, @rookieoh, @ramseysno1rookie, @rookiemarsswiftie, @natashajaniphil, @mysticalgalaxysstuff, @hatescapsicum, @choices-lurker, @kiara-36, @junehiratas, @danijimenezv, @macy-ray85, @adrex04, @canigetanawwjunk, @sanchita012, @overwhelminglyaquarius , @scorpiochick8, @skylarklyon, @starrystarrytrouble​

Interest in this fic:

@udishaman, @a-crepusculo, @khayy19, @mercury84choices, @jlynn12273, @fireycookie 

[sorry-i-ship-drarry]

9. Rhythm of your heart

Prompt used - listening to other's heartbeat | This one was among the most difficult to write and I'm still not sure how it turned out. |

" Hey , good morning, if you're woken up in the morning. Don't look for me. Just trust me and read this.

You remember the first night I spent at your place and you talked all about classical books, you told me about Greek mythology's, about how Muggle writers were far better than the Wizards or witches. If you don't, I do. It replays in my head every night before I go to sleep, think it helps me sleep, like a lullaby. I remember waking up in the middle of that night, I was sleeping on top of you, you know that frown on your face, it had gone. I remember looking up at your face and enjoying your beauty, I remember seeing how your blonde hair shone in the moonlight, I remember how your eyelashes Met your cheekbones, I remember the way your hair were tossled but it still looked magnificent. I remember your hand supporting my back, your leg between mine, my head on your chest. It was the first time I heard your heartbeat, and I think I've never heard anything more beautiful. I could've gotten up and slept on other couch but I was stuck there, I couldn't get up not because of how we were lying but because my heart stopped me. It told me stupid things about how I should touch your face, how I should caress your lips, how I should kiss your temple. Oh Heart, what a stupid thing but when what would we do without it . But the truth is I still want to do everything I said right now, these feelings never really changed, it grew stronger Every time I used you listen to you. I couldn't help it Draco, I couldn't. I wanted to stop feeling this way but I couldn't. It was like someone had held me down, prisoned me up but I- I was happy to be imprisoned.

You know that feeling when your heart flutters, those butterflies that swarm inside your stomach, the heart clenching feeling, the irresistible smile you get, that shivers, everything. I feel it, I feel it every time I see you . You do this to me Draco, not anyone else but you and you thought nobody could ever want you. I've counted days I couldn't be with you, I've counted minutes before you showed up, I've counted the moment we spent together, then how could you think that nobody could want you? I wanted you from that first night. I've always wanted you and I always will but when I see you right now sleeping, I see it, I see why we can't be together. I see it because I know you don't feel it the way I do.

Remember that greek mythology you told me about, how humans are originally created with 4 hands, 4 legs, 2 faces, 2 People in one but Zeus spilt them up and the split parts spends the rest of their life finding their other half ? I think I found mine, it's you . You're the other half of mine and it's unfortunate I can't have you because maybe, even if you are my other half, maybe you're Someone else's other half. Maybe the mythology is not for us.

You asked me why am I going away, why am I running away, leaving everything behind ? The truth is, I have no reason to stay. Everyone asked me to stay but you, you were the only one who didn't. I wish you had asked me to stay and Maybe I would've but you didn't. So here I am confessing in letter, I love you Draco malfoy, just not the same way you think I do. Maybe you are my soulmate but when have I ever not been an exception. Maybe after all I am destined to be alone. This is my goodbye to you, just like you asked me for " I deserve a special goodbye"..

Yours,

Harry "

And harry disapparted with his things.

_________________________

" no pansy you don't understand, he wasn't supposed to be leaving. That bastard wasn't supposed to leave for 3 days. I planned a the perfect date for that prat and he just fuckin left. Just like that . It's not fair, he had no right -" Draco's outburst was cut off my pansy shaking him

" I know Draco I know. He's a moron, he's a prat, he's a bastard but he's gone. He's gone honey -"

Draco sobbed falling on the couch behind him. He wanted Harry to stay so much, he did but he Just wanted everything to be so perfect to make him stay that he ruined everything. Now Harry was gone and nobody had his whereabouts.

" I'm sorry honey " pansy consoled Draco by rubbing his back.

" pansy, how could he-" he choked on his words. Pansy hugged Draco to provide him the comfort he looked for. He cried in her arms for as long as his throat went dry . He never expected this and the letter, he wanted to burn that letter. He was angry at him for just leaving like that but he was much heart broken than anything else. He had gone without a warning, he had simply gone without letting Draco explaining everything, without letting him tell the truth.

Draco didn't show up for work for the next 3 days, crying himself to sleep each time at the thought of Harry not being there anymore. He tried to think of every place possible but no matter wherever he went, Harry wasn't there. 3 days of trying with no success he had been left with just tears.

It was on the morning of the 4th day when Draco was woken up by very loud banging his door. He almost ran to the door assuming that Harry had came back but To his disappointment it was Ron. Draco allowed him inside and Ron stayed for a while with him, talking about how it was unforgivable of Harry to do that.

" I don't know if it will help but I hope it does, if you two really love each other as much as you say you do, it might help you find him and if you do, punch him in the face for me " Ron gave him the little device and with a curt nod, he left.

One last chance, Draco thought.

________________________________

Draco found himself outside a small cottage in a small village of Eguisheim, Haut-Rhin in France. He could feel it, he knew Harry was here but he wasn't sure anymore. His hopes had all extinguished with failed attempts but for one last time he wanted to stay longer than he did anywhere because it felt like he belonged there, it felt like harry was indeed here . He stayed outside the cottage all day until in the evening after he had dozed off, Someone was standing in front of him. Draco immediately got up collecting his things

" Draco ?" The boy asked furrowing his eyebrows in pure confusion.

" what are you doing here- wait- let's get inside " he said quickly opening the door and inviting Draco inside.

As soon as they gotten inside,when Harry had flicked on the lights, without wasting a second , Draco threw the letter at Harry's face and slapped him.

" o-ouch, what was that for ?" Harry asked with an amusing smile, lightly brushing his cheek where Draco had hit him not with much force but just to show his aggression.

" you bastard- moron- coward- prat- you insolent asshole- fucking asshole " Draco threw things he found at harry at every insult and as if Harry had found his amusing, in his efforts to shield himself he was chuckling at the other man's behaviour.

" you fuckin moron , you think this is funny " Draco finally cried throwing the last object.

" ok- okay fine I'm a moron but would you care to tell me why I am a Moron ?" Harry asked

" because y- you're fucking selfish. You so fucking selfish- yes right-selfish insolent asshole. You left everything, everyone, me behind with nothing but a fucking letter. How could you fucking thing I would be fucking fine with all of it ? how could you fucking think that it was okay to leave just like that without telling wherever you're going? how could you think it was fine to leave 2

3 days before you were actually supposed - how could you fucking think that it won't matter me or how it won't effect me - how could you bloody possibly think that I didn't feel the same way , how could you ??" Draco yelled at harry but before Harry could've said anything he pounced on Harry hugging him tightly, almost falling back in that process.

" i-i'm sorry I didn't know it effected you this much" Harry's Voice broke as he hugged him back tightly.

" you're right you should be sorry, you asshole. I hate you " Draco weeped in Harry's neck. Harry chuckled at Draco but didn't let go.

When they separated, Harry stared at Draco with the softest smile as if he was storing the memory safely in his head, relishing Draco's features again, allow his heart to dance again. Tear slipped from his right eye upon realising He had came , he had found Harry when he didn't wanted to be found.

" how did you find me ?" Harry finally asked.

" this "

" ah , Ron's deluminator. That prat" Harry chuckled in tears.

" i don't know how it works though. He didn't even tell me. He just gave it to me and left. I thought at first it was like a torch but just before I was leaving the house, and I flicked it on, it spoke your name. I had disapparted to almost all the possible places but then this afternoon I was at Eiffel tower remembering you had always said you wanted to go there when I picked a newspaper and the light just flickered above the news about this place. I just knew I had to go and then I followed the lights. And I found this place and the light vanished after going through my chest . I just knew then you'd be here " Draco explained. They hadn't even realised when had they sat down on the ground in the middle of the hallway , holding hands despite the fact that Draco was mad at harry. They enjoyed the closeness, the intimacy holding hands offered. They enjoyed being in each others presence again.

Harry looked at Draco with a teary grin. He bit his lip not believing it had actually happened. Draco was still flickering the light in his hand but it only Bounced between them and then dissolved.

" I- it was dumbledore's. He had left it in Ron's will before he died. During the run when Ron had left me and Hermione, he had one day appeared suddenly when I was almost about to die. He told about how this led his way back to us. I remember him saying that he still doesn't know how it works but he thought dumbledore knew he would need to find his way back to us. Something same sort happened with him too but it was Hermione's voice that called him to us " Harry explained remembering how he felt the same cherishing happiness when Ron had found him, right now.

" and they liked each other back then ?" Draco asked curiously glancing at harry before looking away.

Harry chuckled at the absurdity of the question " they had been pining over each other probably since the first year. They only realised around 5th year maybe or somewhere along the line. But yes to answer your question , yes they liked each other back then. Probably more than just that "

" oh " Draco replied. Harry now took both Draco's hands in his own, facing him and said " I don't know Draco how this works but now I think maybe it leads people to who their heart most desire. Think it takes you exactly to where and who you most wish to meet "

" might be true " Draco answered

" so you really desire me ?" Harry asked with an amused smile. Draco looked up at harry with am " you're unbelievable" expression.

" I love you Draco " Harry finally said.

Draco looked at harry fondly before he reached forward and kissed him softly in strong desperation and desire.

" I love you too " Draco mumbled against Harry's lips and they kissed again. Draco was finally home again, right where he belonged.

Requests open

Day-8- Ms. Mitons | Day- 10 karaokes and world

( Unedited)

[boldlyanxious]

None the Wiser 4

Masterlist

All fic masterlist

Prompts: habits and overprotection

Damian changed into his Robin gear and sought solace in the familiarity of the Gotham rooftops. It always helped him clear his head which was what he needed right now. His father and brothers were angry at him for how he had treated the bakers' daughter. Well, not Todd, he just laughed every time Damian walked into the room when the others got their tense looks. Even Alfred seemed disappointed with him, he didn't say it but Damian could feel the disapproval.

It would be his last night in Gotham for awhile so he took this habitual route, not to look for crime so much as to burn off his excess energy and frustration. He would be traveling to Paris under the guise of a Justice League mission to reassess the magical villain operating there. The Justice League International had previously stated that it would be best handled by the local heroes using the same magic but recent events had caused them to reassess.

But his father had been very clear. He intended to seek out his biological daughter once again and he expected Damian to make amends with his 'sister' so that she would be more willing to form a relationship with Bruce in the future. Alfred and his brothers were all on board and they couldn't figure out why Damian was being so difficult about it.

---

Marinette sighed in her room. Tikki flitted over to check on her. She was anxiously awaiting the results of her submission to the fashion competition. She had heard 5 others from the lycée had entered and 3 of them had heard back about their entry. It was a surprise to them that the fashion show was now part of the judging. Everyone would be presented and all would have an opportunity for their design to be seen on the runway and photographed. Two of the entries were labeled open runway and one of them had a later time and was labeled a level 2 entry.

Marinette was apprehensive waiting for her own response. She kept worrying that for some reason they would not have received her entry or that they would just tell her they didn't want to see any more from her. On top of that she had heard from Bruce again and he was returning to Paris and was hoping to see her. Her parents had suggested that if she continued seeing him when she could to appease him, he might feel less inclined to make any fuss legally.

She still hadn't told anyone but Luka about him. Marc had taken a picture of Marinette and Adrien sleeping and had shown it to her. She was fairly certain she had seen Nathaniel showing his phone to a blushing Adrien but she hadn't commented. She knew that if the picture got out his father might never let him hang out with them again. Alya had seen it too and took every opportunity to tease Marinette about it, and Adrien too, but it wasn't in front of others so it hadn't become public knowledge.

Marinette was less focused on being noticed by him because she was so worried about her entry to the competition and she was stressed anytime she thought of Bruce. She had caught her parents talking in hushed tones several times over the last few weeks. Part of her routine in the last few weeks was to race across the rooftops and sit at the Eiffel Tower not long after sunset. She didn't like to do it when there was still daylight because she worried that she would be seen or that her new habit would be noticed by those who would try to find out who she was.

This had her running into Chat Noir more frequently because he also used the rooftops as stress management. She didn't feel like she could give him details about her situation but she did mention that she was concerned about an important competition and uncertainty about a revelation involving her family. Chat Noir was always one to use his transformation as an escape. She knew his family expectations weighed on him and she really liked that they had this way to support each other especially now that she was the guardian. Sitting up on the Eiffel Tower felt like it opened up their headspace so their thinking would be more clear.

---

During school today Marinette had learned that all the other entrants for the competition had heard back about their entry. Lila took a moment between classes to taunt her suggesting that they didn't find anything in her entry worth mentioning. Usually she tried to ignore Lila but she happened to hit right on Marinette's biggest fear about it so she decided to go home for lunch for the peace and quiet and hopefully be able to find a letter in the mail today.

It would be just the soothing balm she needed that when she left the building for lunch she saw Damian standing out there. He saw her almost immediately and started walking towards her. Lila and Alya were there and asking questions about this boy they didn't recognize from the school walking up to Marinette. She waved off their questions and walked up to him rather than risk him saying things that would give away her secret before she was ready.

"What do you want?" Marinette asked him.

"I've been told you need an apology," he said.

"I'm listening," she replied.

"Listening for what?" he asked, confused.

"An apology." she said.

"That was the apology," he stated.

"Wow, that was exceptionally poor. So good to see you again."

"Well what do you want from me?"

She paused for a moment to assess him.

"Nothing," she said and then she walked away.

The mail had not arrived by the end of lunch so Marinette was still nervous about it when she returned. She should have considered more carefully who had seen her talking with Damian on her way or because apparently it had been a topic discussed by many while she was away. Alya told her that Lila was very worried about her and thought the boy was a criminal and was probably trying to drag Marinette into a life of crime.

"Marinette, he looked a lot like the boy you were trying to get away from a few weeks ago." Sabrina said.

That comment had people buzzing with renewed energy. They all wanted details about the incident from a few weeks ago and we're looking for any details they had missed when they watched Marinette talk with him outside. Sabrina was too close with Chloe to go out of her way to be concerned about Marinette.

"It's nothing," Marinette said. "I met him officially after that incident. Our parents know each other but we don't really get along."

Marinette walked away to head to class without any further comment. Alya caught up to her, clearly thinking she would get more details. She was telling Marinette all the things Lila thought she knew about him but Marinette didn't know enough about him to have a clear refutation.

"I really don't know him well, Alya. We met once. I know his name is Damian and he lives in America. I met his dad and brothers."

"He's pretty cute. You don't think there is some enemies-to-lovers energy there?" Alya waggled her eyebrows.

"No, definitely not."

Marinette was trying to keep her voice down because there was way too much interest in this from their classmates who were pulling out their books while clearly trying to hear the conversation. Adrien looked slightly concerned and Noah clearly wanted to say something. He hadn't directly talked to Marinette about his interest but he made a few comments to imply he would be interested. It was still pretty early in the first year of lycée so students from the different collèges hadn't fully gotten to know the other groups but Rochelle had made it clear to the other girls that Noah was off limits to them.

Small blessings of new teachers at lycée was that they were better at managing the group than Mlle Bustier. She was young and wanted to be friends with the students she had taught for her first 3 years as a teacher but the lycée teachers started class promptly and it saved Marinette from being the object of discussion. Of course they were still discussing genetics so Marinette's mind wandered to how her biology might have played a role in her characteristics. She had started avoiding answering any questions about her or her parents for fear that her parentage discrepancy would become obvious to others.

She looked around when she was leaving for the day to make sure Damian wasn't around. The last thing she needed was for him to appear and keep himself in the memory of her nosy classmates. Still she was surprised when Noah appeared in front of her. She made an awkward squeaking sound and then quickly covered her mouth. He smiled at her, not quite letting out a laugh.

"Can I walk to the bakery with you?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah. Did you need to get baked goods?"

"No. I live that way and I wanted to walk with you," he paused but continued when she didn't respond. "Rumor has it you entered the fashion competition."

"I did. I'm still waiting to hear back. I'm so nervous," she said.

"You shouldn't be. I think they are sending them out by level. The first people to get them back were labeled 'open' then came different levels."

She stared at him and then thought it through. He might be right. Based on the ones she had seen the first to hear back had earlier times and the other she knew had received it over the weekend. She hadn't seen it or heard any details of the latest 2 to hear back.

"Do you think?" she asked.

"I do. I bet yours will arrive soon and you will be in the highest group," he said confidently.

It was such a new experience having so many classmates that she didn't know well. It was a smaller group from collège when the schools combined and it had been 3 years ago. It was 2 schools together but for lycée they came from 6 schools several of which were larger than her old school. They felt like little ducklings leaving the safe nest into a huge pond.

When she opened the door she turned to wave Noah off but he was following her into the bakery. She felt a little weird about questioning a possible customer but also a little flustered because it felt like he was following her home. She was quickly distracted by her mother pausing helping her line of customers to lift an envelope where she could see it. She didn't realize that she had grabbed on to Noah's arm like she would one of her other friends but he didn't mind knowing how nervous she was. She pulled her hand back when she realized but asked if he wanted to stay with her while she opened it.

---

Bruce was frustrated by the Justice League meeting. It felt like it was mostly filler and introductions. He already knew everyone and he was distracted by his desire to see Marinette. He knew Damian had gone over that way while he was organizing it and he didn't say that it went well which meant it was probably a disaster. He just wanted to get the meeting over with so he could rush over to fix whatever Damian had done.

He connected with the Justice League International team because of their change in status with the shift in magic being used there. But mostly he needed a cover for continued visits without looking suspicious. Mostly they were activating younger members because of the suspected age of the magical heroes but they needed a few older members for coordinating missions and solving disputes. He wasn't sure he was the best for that particular part of the mission but since Damian, Jon, and Wally were involved he could at least be there to transport them.

He was headed towards the bakery but he saw her in the park near her house so he walked that way just in time to see her jump up and down and hug a boy her age. He walked up and waited to see if her giddiness would fade. He suspected that it would have stayed for quite awhile. She was reaching into her bag for her phone when she saw him looming nearby. She silenced herself immediately as she froze.

Noah looked up at the man watching. He thought Marinette must know him based on her reaction to his presence. If he hadn't just met her parents he would think that he would make the perfect overprotective father. Perhaps he was an uncle. He had a similar, solid build to Tom Dupain but none of his easy-going manner or corny jokes delivered with a smile.

"I thought you weren't meant to be around until later," Marinette said, addressing the man.

"I finished my meeting early so I went ahead and came by."

"I'll need to talk to my parents but I can meet you back out here in a few minutes," she said. She turned to Noah, " Thanks for being with me while I read that. Just don't tell anyone. Alya will kill me if she finds it you knew before her."

"I wouldn't dream of telling. I'll see you tomorrow," Noah replied. He waved and headed off towards his home.

Next

**hoping to get the next couple prompts out very soon. I also posted a loosely connected part for the driving prompt not long ago.

Taglist

@theymakeupfairies | @emjrabbitwolf

@laurcad123 | @redscarlet95 | @acoolspacegirl | @nerd-nowandforever | @justafanwarrior | @pawsitivelymiraculous | @vixen-uchiha | @tumbling-down-hills-and-stuff | @fusser90 | @violetfandomaddict | @catthhay | @kking13 | @cresentmo0n | @officiallydarkgeek | @mewwitch | @dast218 | @trippingovermyfeet | @pepelachanel | @ira-sairain | @user00000003 | @justarandomtumblerblog | @greatcatblaze | @roselynfey | @zeneralla

[miraclekittyandbug]

Ten Questions With A Twist Chapter 4

Here’s the next chapter! We’re now more than halfway through the series now, and WOW this is an eventful chapter. 

I hope you enjoy and don’t forget to give me a follow and let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future chapters!

~ Chapter 1 ~ Chapter 2 ~ Chapter 3 ~ This Chapter ~ Chapter 5 ~ Chapter 6 ~ Chapter 7 ~

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

That night was cool, simply a perfect patrol night. Ladybug had gotten to their spot on the Eiffel Tower first, leaving Chat to find her looking very frustrated. 

“What's wrong, Bug? Didn’t get a chance to ask any of those questions today?”

She huffed. “Well I managed to get one answer, but I need to figure out a better way to go about this. The way it was asked today isn’t gonna work for the whole list.”

Chat was startled. Had she overheard Alya ask her the vacation question? He took his seat next to Ladybug. “You could get a friend to help you out.”

Ladybug looked surprised, but quickly covered it up. “Yeah? And what would I tell this friend? ‘Oh yeah, my crime fighting partner thinks that he knows the answers to these questions that I have to ask this boy I like’? No chance. I’ll have to find a different approach.”

“Asking questions shouldn’t be too hard. They’re also pretty easy getting-to-know-you questions. If you know him well enough, he shouldn’t find it too difficult to believe you want to get to know him better.”

Ladybug’s face lit up with a revelation. “I’ve got it! Thanks, Chat. I’ll have all the answers soon enough. And that means you’ll finally have to admit that puns are terrible.”

“Alas, my lady, the only thing you’ll be winning is a date with me! I can just see it now: You, me, a high-up rooftop, and a romantic meal prepared by some of the finest cooks in the city.”

“We’ll see about that, kitty. For now, though, the rooftops of Paris are calling our names. Shall we?”

“After you, my lady.”

The roofs and balconies of the city felt the footprints of two heros, but Chat could only pray that soon enough, he would be sharing a date with the love of his life- out of the masks they wore. 

Despite the confidence he showed his lady as Chat Noir, Adrien only became more and more unsure of himself as the night progressed into the next day. And so, Adrien went to school without the usual pep in his step. He could practically feel his lady getting further and further away from him, all the while she was growing closer and closer to the person she actually loved. He felt like a fool. He had let a single coincidence go to his head and went on assuming that he could be the person his lady adores. He went and gave Ladybug questions that were designed to make her fall more in love with him, he just hadn’t considered that it wouldn’t be Adrien she was falling in love with.

He managed to meander his way through the first half of his classes, only half paying attention. At some point he vaguely remembered agreeing to have lunch with Nino, who had agreed to have lunch with his girlfriend, who was invited by Marinette.  Lunch continued to bore him, only bringing his thoughts of his lady and another man closer to the front of his mind. It wasn’t until about twenty minutes into their meal that Marinette finally said something that interested him.

“Hey, guys, I found this cool questionnaire, you wanna answer it with me?” Affirmations came from everybody at the table, including a casual shrug from Adrien. Definitely not the questions I want to hear. But anything to keep my mind away from the obvious.

“Alright,” She started, sitting up straighter and clearing her throat, “If you were stuck on an abandoned island, what three things would you bring?”

Adrien’s heart stopped. That was his question. One of them anyway. And for the second time this week, he started to try to talk himself out of being excited. Because those questions that he had given Ladybug, they were pretty basic questions. Questions that would be found in a million other places for much the same reason. But everybody was staring at him and he suddenly feared that he had thought all of those thoughts out loud. 

“What about you, Adrien?” Marinette asked, looking concerned that her friend had zoned out so quickly.

“Easy. You three. Who would want to go it alone?” His answer was honest, for the most part. In reality, he would never be able to choose just three people. While his friend group meant the world to him, he would be lost without his Ladybug. 

Marinette put her hand over her heart and sighed, but Alya quickly cleared things up, “You would just want us there so we can show you how to build a tent.”

They all chuckled and Marinette continued, “What’s your favorite animal?”

“Fox!” Alya said, though Marinette didn’t seem too surprised.

Nino chimed in, saying he liked monkeys a lot growing up, but he much preferred turtles now. 

“Cats,” Adrien heard himself respond, but his mind was elsewhere. Suddenly, he wished he had paid more attention in math class. If I were asked three questions over the last two days, what’s the probability that all three would match up with three of the ten questions I gave ladybug? Three doesn’t go into ten evenly, and should I take into account the trains leaving opposite sides of town travelling at different speeds somewhere in America?

“Okay,” Marinette said, keeping one eye on Adrien, “And if you could have any pet in the world?”

“Well that’s just the same question twice,” Alya pointed out.

“Not really,” Nino interjected, “I’d rather have a dog than a turtle. Dogs travel better.”

Adrien had to hold onto the table, for fear of falling out of his chair. “I’d definitely get a pet cat. A black one. I’d name it The Plague.”

“That’s a sick name, dude,” Nino approved, “What about you, Marinette?”

“Hamster. But I wouldn’t mind a black cat for myself.” She paused, but when it didn’t seem that anybody else would add anything, she continued questioning. “What is your biggest fear?”

Adrien mumbled, “This. Right here, right now, these specific questions, in this exact scenario.” 

“What was that, dude?” Nino asked. 

Adrien just looked at him with a hollow look in his eyes, “I, uh, I said my worst fear is working for my father for the rest of my life.” 

Marinette could barely be heard, “That’s… heartbreaking, Adrien.” The others just watched as Adrien tried to lighten the subject.

“Nah, that’s just my worst fear. It’s not what’s gonna happen.” He managed to focus on making eye contact with Marinette, “There’s nothing on that list about dream jobs, is there?” He hoped aloud.

“Actually, there is! What is your dream-”

“And THAT’S where I’m calling it in,” Adrien mumbled, his eyes bulged out of their sockets and he took a deep breath that filled his cheeks. He stood and started to walk away. “Alright, guys, I’m not feeling well, I need to leave. Right now. Immediately. Thank you. Goodbye.”

He was halfway across the courtyard in under thirty seconds. He ducked into a doorway and opened his shirt so he could see Plagg in his pocket, who was laughing incessantly.

“I don’t see what’s so funny, Plagg!”

“I do!” his Kwamii stated, “I think you found your girl!”

“Who, Marinette? No she can’t be Ladybug.”

Plagg’s face fell. “Why not?”

“Marinette is just a friend.” Plagg paused for a split second to stare at his chosen, then started laughing even harder. Adrien was about to tell him to quiet down when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He closed his shirt and whirled around, surprised, but not too surprised to see that Marinette had followed him. 

“Hey, Marinette!” Adrien put on his best “everything is fine” face, but even he could tell he wasn’t pulling it off. 

“Hey, Adrien. Are you okay? Over the course of, like, one minute your face lost all of its color.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he responded, “I just don’t feel well all of a sudden.”

Marinette made a face of understanding, but eventually spoke, “Are all these questions rubbing you the wrong way?”

Adrien was in shock. Not just from the questions, but from the company in which he answered them and the honest concern he felt from Marinette. Shit, maybe he did like Marinette as more than a friend. That thought alone freaked him out. How could he love two people at the same time? He didn’t think he was polyamorous, and thinking on that further, he was certain he wasn’t. He didn’t want two girlfriends, he just wanted one. Whether it was Marinette or Ladybug that he wanted, well that was too much to think about.

Before he could consider how to respond, Marinette interrupted his thoughts.

“Yeah, I just, my friend and I made this bet. This friend thinks they know all your answers to these questions-,”

Adrien was sure there was an end to that sentence, but he didn’t hear it.

Suddenly everything made sense. Her obsession with akumas. Always disappearing around the same time he did. The similar times of their arrivals to the site of the akumas. It could only be one person.

“Alya,” he said, breathless. 

“What?”

Adrien responded, “What?” He mentally slapped himself. Of course it wasn’t Alya. Jeez, she had been akumatized! She had been used as bait for an akuma. Adrien must have been losing his mind. But even though he guessed wrong, he was on the right track. Whoever Marinette’s friend was, had to be Ladybug!

I guess it isn’t true that opposites attract, he thought, those two are so similar.

“So who is it?”

Marinette seemed confused, “Who is Alya?”

“No!” he corrected, “Who’s this friend? The one with all the answers.” 

“Oh,” Marinette panicked. She didn’t seem prepared to answer this question, which only solidified Adrien’s belief that this friend was his Lady. “I actually don’t know his name.”

Adrien blinked through his confusion. That was odd. He and Ladybug had talked about this before. Ladybug was born a woman. She identified as a woman, as well. So was Marinette trying to protect Ladybug’s identity? Pretending that her friend was a man? Smart, he guessed, just very confusing.

Marinette seemed to notice that he hadn’t responded, so she continued, “Yeah, we’re actually…. Internet friends! Yeah, we’re friends on an internet. The internet. An internet site. Yeah. We go by screennames, that’s all.” Adrien found that explanation to be a little too convenient. 

“Oh yeah? And what do you call this… boy?”

Her face drained of color, but she choked out her reply, “Black cat.”

A moment of silence later, Adrien replied. “What?”

“You know, that’s the, um, American, er English, for Chat Noir. He’s English. Well, he speaks English, he is… American.”

No… Adrien thought, But that would mean… no way!

“What’s the bet?” he asked, surprised at how sure he was.

“Oh, that? He thinks he knows all your answers to these questions. And if he wins,” she quickly added, “which he won’t! If he wins then I have to go on a date with him.”

Adrien couldn’t seem to think properly, but he was slowly realizing that his ‘liking two girls at the same time’ problem might not be much of an issue. “A date. Him and you? You specifically?”

“Yeah,” Marinette shrugged, “It’s just a stupid bet, but he seems really certain that he’ll win.”

“Well, if he does win,” Adrien sighed, letting his shoulders drop and his eyes glass over, “Then he is one lucky guy.”

Marinette stared at him. Adrien enjoyed their first bit of real eye contact. Normally looking somebody in the eyes was nerve-racking, but when those eyes were that specific shade of blue? He noticed how comforting they were. He realized maybe why. 

Because those eyes weren’t just the blue of his friend who sat behind him and always had his back in his everyday life. They were also the blue that had his back in combat. That sat with him all night long when he didn’t know which way was up. That made him laugh under the stars when he couldn’t find the humor in life anymore. All of the times he came home to a cold house with no family, he felt lonely despite his friends at school. And on those days, blue eyes, the same ones that were in front of him right now, sat with him on a ledge of the Eiffel Tower and talked with him until he felt whole again.

Marinette’s face went pinker than pink instantly. Adrien enjoyed seeing Ladybug like this. Not just with a blushing face, though he liked that too. He liked seeing Ladybug whole. All of her. Without the masks, she could actually be herself, all of herself with him. 

They stood there, both speechless, for what felt like an eternity. And then… the bell rang. Signaling the end of their lunch period. Adrien just chuckled, but his crime-fighting partner was still frozen. Alya walked up to the pair and Adrien just shrugged. Alya took Marinette’s shoulder and ushered her away. Nino did the same with Adrien, but he couldn’t pay much attention to the conversation his friend was trying to start. 

His world had just changed.

~~~~~~~~~~~

There ya go! Only three chapters left and next chapter is one for the history books! Stay tuned!

~ Chapter 1 ~ Chapter 2 ~ Chapter 3 ~ This Chapter ~ Chapter 5 ~ Chapter 6 ~ Chapter 7 ~

[sassyduckqueen]

Miraculous: Rise of Anatis Shanghai Special

Finally! My Shanghai special is done!! Whoop!! I hope you guys like it because this was pretty fun to adapt. So chronically speaking, this is set after the NY special and before Truth. Also due to the recent episodes, I had work in some good lukanette/adrigami content so enjoy :D

Translations:

Nǐ hǎo, wǒ néng wéi nín fúwù ma? - Hello, how may I help you?

Móshù zhīzǐ- Son of Magic

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

Miraculous World: Legend of Lady Dragon

Luka...  Luka gasped as he tossed and turned in his bed, making Tikki look over at him in worry. Ever since the Blackout incidents, he had started to have terrible nightmares. The akumas certainly didn't help but this seemed like his worst one yet. Normally, he didn't toss too much in his sleep but tonight seemed to be different. She floated over and gently placed her paw on his forehead, frowning as he felt extremely hot.

 "Luka?" She whispered as he gasped and flinched. She frowned deeply as he mumbled something that didn't make much sense to her. She flew out of his room and to the kitchen. She searched through the cupboard and found a little bowl that she could carry. She filled it up with some water from the tap and flew back over to Luka's room, placing it on the bedside table next to him before flying back into the kitchen and ripping a small piece of cloth from the dish cloth. She flew back over and dipped it into the water before ringing it out and gently dabbing Luka's forehead as he took short breathes, similar to how he was when he got possessed by the akuma. She frowned to herself and glanced over at his phone, thinking about phoning Master Fu if he got worst. However before she could, he suddenly gasped and sat up, making her jump. "Luka?"

 He ignored her and got up, walking over to his draw before opening it and taking out the notebook that he used for his ideas as Anatis. She flew over and watched as he wrote it in before gasping as she realized he was writing something in a different language. She couldn't quite read it but it looked like it could be Chinese. She looked up at him and blinked as she saw his eyes weren't his usual blue but silver. She frowned deeply as he continued to write.

 "Luka?" She asked as he suddenly stopped before he dropped the pencil and jolted, blinking as he did. He frowned and looked over confused before looking at Tikki. She frowned as she saw his eyes were now back to been blue. "Luka? Are you ok?"

 "I... what happened?" He asked, confused as she frowned before pointing to the notepad. He picked it up and looked at it before frowning. "Did I write this?"

 "Yeah," Tikki replied as he looked at it in confusion. "I think it's Chinese,"

 "But I can't writing in Chinese," Luka gasped, looking at her. "I can only say very basic phases that Master Fu has taught me,"

 "Then we should see Master Fu," Tikki gasped, making Luka look at the note. "He can speak Chinese so maybe he could translate it,"

 "That's a good idea," He replied, placing the note down. "We should go there now. Tikki! Spots on!!"

 He transformed into Anatis and picked up the notepad, frowning a little as he looked at it before closing it and placing it into his yoyo. He placed a couple of cookies in his yoyo for Tikki as well before opening the porthole and climbing out. He threw his yoyo up and wrapped it around a lamp post before pulling himself upwards and landing on it. He dived off it and threw his yoyo, swinging through the city before landing on in the alleyway, dropping his transformation. He caught Tikki and placed her in the pocket where the cookie was before walking into the building. He carefully made his way to Master Fu's apartment before lightly knocking on the door and opening it.

 "Master?" He asked, hearing a snoring noise. He glanced over and saw Master Fu asleep on the massage mat. He let out a sigh and came inside, closing the door behind him. He knelt down and gently shook him. "Master, wake up,"

 "Huh?" Master Fu asked as he woke up before blinking and sitting up. "Luka? What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

 "Everything is fine, Master. There's no akumas or sentimonster," He replied as Tikki flew out of his pocket, making Master Fu frown. "And I'm sorry to wake you like this but..."

 He reached into his pocket and took out the notepad before opening it to the page he wrote on before handing it to Master Fu.

 "Can you translate this?" He asked, making him frown a little more before Master Fu took it and glanced at it. "Tikki think it's Chinese..."

 "She is quite correct," Master Fu replied as he read over it. "Interesting thing about Kwamis. They can speak any language in the world but they find it very difficult to read them,"

 "Really?" Luka asked, looking at Tikki who nodded. "Oh... can you read what it said, Master?"

 "Yes, I can. It appears to be some kind of riddle and instructions," He replied, making Luka and Tikki frown. "It reads as follows. Find the red dragon and locate it's pearl. Hidden deep within the Dragon's cave, there lies the secrets of the Phoenix,"

 "What does that mean?" Luka asked, confused as he looked at Tikki, who shrugged. Master Fu pulled a face.

 "Well, the red dragon happens to be a nickname for China," He explained, making Luka look at him in surprise. "I think it's telling you to go to China,"

 "But what about Hawkmoth? And what does the rest of it mean?" Luka gasped, moving near to him. "What does it mean locate the pearl? The pearl of what? Does China even have a pearl?"

 "Actually, it does," Master Fu replied, making Luka look at him with surprise. "If the red dragon is china, the pearl you must locate is Shanghai. You see it is known as the Pearl of the Orient but I do not know what the Dragon's cave is or what the secrets of the Phoenix is but maybe it has something to do with Master Feng. Did you have one of your dreams before you wrote this?"

 "Yeah..." Luka replied, frowning. "But I don't remember writing it. Do you really think it's linked to him?"

 "Yes. Master Feng took the name Hao Feng because of what it means," Tikki explained, making Luka look at her. "He thought it was suitable for him,"

 "Why?" He asked, frowning a little. "What does it mean?"

 "It means Good Phoenix," Master Fu explained as Tikki nodded.

 "Wait so the secrets of the Phoenix could mean Feng's secrets?!" Luka gasped, looking at them. "We have to find them! It could explain how I'm connected to him,"

 "But I do not know what the dragon's cave is," Master Fu sighed. "And we still need to worry about Hawkmoth,"

"Oh right..." Luka sighed, looking down. Part of him wanted to go to Shanghai and locate the dragon's cave but he also had to be here at the same time and it's not like he could be in two places at once. He let out a sigh, unsure what to do. Master Fu, however, smiled at him as he passed him a cup of tea. "What do I do?"

 "I think you should go there," Master Fu answered as he took a sip of his own tea, making Luka look at him with surprise. "But ultimately the choice is up to you,"

 "I think I should talk to Lady Noir," Luka muttered, finishing his drink and standing up. Tikki flew over to him and settled on his shoulder as Luka put the notepad into his pocket before he looked up at Master Fu. "Thank you for the help, Master Fu. Sorry for waking you up so late,"

 "It is quite ok, Luka," He replied, nodding. "If you experience anything else or come to a decision then please come by again and let me know,"

 "I will do," Luka replied, walking over to the door and opening it as Fu began to tidy up. "Good night, Master Fu,"

 "Good night, Luka," He replied as Luka left. He exited the building and re-transformed before swinging through the city. He decided not to go home straight away and made his way to the Eiffel Tower, setting on the top of it as he sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair before taking out the notepad and looked at the note he wrote. He traced his fingers over it as he frowned. It really was in Chinese but he barely knew it. He could say a number of phases that Master Fu taught him but that was as far as it went and he knew he definitely couldn't write it.

 "What is happening to me?" He muttered as he frowned. He put the notepad back into his yoyo before looking out to the city as the sun began to rise. Taking a deep breathe, he stood up and leaped from the tower, free falling as he did before he threw out his yoyo and swung through the city. He landed on the Liberty and flipped down before sliding through the porthole into his room. "Tikki, spots off,"

 His transformation dropped as Tikki reappeared, causing him to catch her before he gave her the other cookie. She grinned and took it as he gently placed her on his desk before heading outside. He carefully made his way past Juleka's room and climbed up onto the deck before scaling the mast and hooking his legs over part of it before letting himself fall backwards so he was hanging upside down before he began to start his workout as he thought about things. He really needed to get to the bottom of this. It was bad enough that Hawkmoth had been trying to target him and he didn't want to think about what happened with the press. He was just glad that today was the last day of school. He had a lot of plans for the summer holidays, both as Luka and as Anatis. He would be hanging out with everyone when they got a chance and he was going to try and track Hawkmoth as Anatis. Since Hawkmoth had made an appearance in New York, Luka had been trying to work out his identity more then he already had. He had investigated a couple of his suspects but so far nothing had turned up. Apparently, Hawkmoth had been taking precautions himself. Probably because if he didn't, the government would arrest him for war crimes and terrorism. As Anatis, he had also kept in touch with Jess and asked her to locate any clues that Hawkmoth may have left in New York. She was due to video call him and Lady Noir tonight. She had also informed him of the appearance of a native guardian whom she had began to work with to create a new generation of heroes. Luka had advised her to be careful in case of anything but he had yet to meet any of the new guardians himself. Gradually, he lowered himself back to his original position and took a deep breathe as he hung upside down with his eyes closed. The sound of the door opened, causing him to open his eyes as Juleka walked over to him.

 "What are you doing?" She asked, looking up at him. He smiled and grabbed on the beam, freeing his legs before sliding down the mast. Juleka rose an eyebrow as she looked at him. "You're getting weirder and weirder,"

 "I'm just working out," He replied, making her frown. "What? It helps with my flexibility,"

 "Right..." She asked, rising an eyebrow. "Are you trying to impress Marinette? Cause trust me when I say she's already impressed,"

 "Really? I mean... I'm not trying to impress her," He gasped, going a little red before sighing. "I'm just trying to make sure I can actually escape if akumas continue to come after me,"

 "Oh, right... that makes sense," Juleka nodded, frowning before looking down at the floor. "You know I'd protect you right?"

 "I know," He smiled, ruffling her hair as he walked by. Juleka gasped and shouted at him as he laughed and headed downstairs. He headed to his room and grabbed some fresh clothes and a towel before heading to the bathroom. He took a quick shower before getting changed. Once that was done, he headed back to his room and dried his hair before putting on his shoes and socks then packed his bag for the day. He opened his jacket for Tikki, who flew into his jacket before he headed into the kitchenette and made some breakfast for himself as Juleka sat down. "You ok?"

 "I just want today to hurry up and pass," She replied, looking up at him. "I'm so ready for the holidays!!"

 "Same here, Jewel,"

 ~Later That Night~

 "Dragon's Cave?" Anatis sighed as he tapped the pen against his chin. He was sat at on top of the Arc de Triomphe, trying to work out the last part of the riddle. He sighed and looked up as he saw Lady Noir land on the building and walk over to him. "Hey, Kitten,"

 "Hey, Annie," She grinned, sitting down. "So I checked the south side and west side. No akumas over there. What about you?"

 "North side and east side is clear as well," He replied, looking up and putting his pen away. Lady Noir rose an eyebrow as he closed the note book. "I'm trying to solve a riddle,"

 "Anything I can help with?" She asked, moving a little closer to him as he reopened the book and showed her. "Find the red dragon and locate it's pearl. Hidden deep within the Dragon's cave, there lies the secrets of the Phoenix... hmm so you've solved some of it I see,"

 "Yeah. Master Fu helped me with it but I don't get what the Dragon's Cave is," He sighed, making Lady Noir think.

 "Maybe it's a nickname for a place?" She asked, making him look at her. "I mean... Red Dragon is a nickname for China and the Pearl is a nick name for Shanghai so maybe the Dragon's Cave is also a nickname,"

 "That's a really good suggestion," He smiled, writing down 'nickname?' on the paper before putting it away. "I'll research it later,"

 "Ok," She grinned, looking up to the sky. "Think we're gonna get an akuma tonight?"

 "Probably not," He replied, lying down and placing his hands behind his head. "It's been pretty quiet for the past couple of days,"

 "Think Hawkmoth is planning something?" She asked, lying next to him.

 "Possibly," He replied before looking at her. "Do you ever have weird dreams?"

 "Like what?" 

 "Like of the past,"

 "You mean like when you dreamt about Bunnyx?" She asked, glancing over at him. He sighed and nodded. "Well.. sometimes I have dreams about past cat holders but they're very few and far between. Though I did once have a dream about been a princess in Ancient China once but I think that might have been my imagination. Why? Are your dreams getting worst? Do I need to be worried?"

 "No need, Kitten. I was just curious," He replied, making her let out a sigh of relief before he looked back at the sky. "For the record, I think you would be an amazing princess,"

 "Nah... too formal for me," She grinned, making him laugh. "I'd be like Hua Mulan. A totally badass!"

 "I see it," He chuckled before stretching and yawning, making Lady Noir laugh before he stood up and offered her a hand. She took and he pulled her to her feet, causing her to grin and stretch. "I'm thinking one more check around the city then home,"

 "Sounds good to me, Annie," She grinned before running over the edge of the building and diving off it. He chuckled as he saw her jump across to the other building before heading the other way and jumping. He threw out his yoyo and swung through the city but nothing seemed to be happening at all. Once he was satisfied, he headed back to the Seine and landed quietly on top of the Liberty before slipping through the porthole and dropping his transformation. He caught Tikki and gently placed her in her little bed as she stretched before handing her a cookie. She muttered a thanks and began to eat it as he got changed into his PJs before getting into bed. Tikki looked over as he sighed a little.

 "You ok, Luka?" She asked as he moved his hands behind his head.

 "Yeah," He replied, glancing up to a ceiling as he thought about what Lady Noir suggested. "A nickname huh?"

 "What was that?"

 "Something Lady Noir said," He replied, turning on his side so he could see Tikki a bit better. "She said that Dragon's cave might be a nickname for an actual location in Shanghai,"

 "That's a good idea," She replied, yawning. "But maybe google it in the morning,"

 "Yeah," Luka agreed, yawning as well. He leaned over and turned off his lamp. "Good night, Tikki,"

 "Good night, Luka,"

 ~Fuzanglong Waterfall, approximately 4000 Years Ago~

 "Hello?" The man shouted as he walked into the cave hidden behind a waterfall. He wasn't a young man but neither was he old. He had dark hair but it had began to turn silver and he had a few winkles across his face. His clothes were simple but well made and he had a blade at his side. He glanced around before noticing another man said in the middle of the room. His legs were crossed and his eyes were closed. He had his hands resting on his knees and appeared to be asleep. He was dressed in a dark gray hanfu with matching pants but had no shoes on. He was sat in the middle of the cave surrounded by a lot of colorful quarts crystals. The man gasped before getting down on his knees and bowing to the mediating man as he opened his eyes, revealing them to be silver in color. "Master Feng, it is a honor to see you again,"

 "No need for formality, Bao," He replied, getting up as Bao stood up. Feng smiled and hugged him, causing the man to gasp in surprise before returning the hug. The two men pulled part as Feng smiled. "It is very good to see you,"

 "And you," He replied, looking at him. "I see time has been kind to you. You barely look any older then the day we met,"

 "I have good genetics," Feng laughed, making Bao chuckle as well. "How is your school going?"

 "Very well thank you," He replied, nodding and smiling as he thought of his students. They were all full of honor and respect but he shook his head before turning to Feng. "But I have to ask... why are you here?"

 "I have a favor to ask you," Feng sighed, making Bao frown a little as he reached into the side bag he had one and took out a small wooden box. He placed it on the ground before taking out another box and something wrapped in cloth. Bao rose an eyebrow. "I need you to guard these two items,"

 "For how long?" He asked, making Feng sigh.

 "For as long as necessarily," He replied, making Bao frown a little. "I know it is a lot but I can't trust anyone else with this,"

 "Not even Piao and Hēi?" He asked, making Feng's eyes fill with sadness. "Feng?"

 "They are gone," He replied, frowning before blinking away tears. He sighed and gave Bao a smile as he looked at him. "I'm fine... anyway, this is more important. Will you look after them?"

 "Of course," He nodded, making Feng smile before he walked over to one of the walls and traced his hand around it. "But can I ask what it is?"

 "Something that could be very dangerous in the wrong hands," He replied before moving his hand back, causing the wall to crack as a small cave was created. Bao watched in amusement before Feng stepped inside. He opened the little box and touched the amulet inside it, causing kwami like creatures to appear but only he could see them. He looked at them as they looked back at him. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

 "This is for the best," The Dragon, Long Long, declared. "Mei Shi can test any human who seeks the Prodigious to see if they are worthy,"

 "As long as you are happy to stay here," Feng replied, causing Bao to give him a confused look before he removed his fingers from the amulet and closed the box, causing the creatures to disappear. He moved his hand again, creating a pedal of stone. He sighed and placed the box on the pedal before walking out of the cave. He glanced up over at an opening off the cave before moving his hand. The rocks began to move, creating a closing so a single of beam of moonlight was pointing towards the thing before Feng closed his eyes and held up his hands, muttering in a different language. The cave closed and a green seal appeared of it before  a flat circular stone rolled in the way of it before Feng walked back over to Bao, who was looking impressed. He had always found Feng's gift for magic amazing. He shook his head and looked at him as he held out a box. "This is the key to unlocking the seal. You can only use it on a full lunar eclipse. If you do, it will summon a dragon spirit called Mei Shi. Only he can open the cave and he'll want to test any who wishes to wield the Prodigious,"

 "I see," Bao nodded, putting the bracelet on. "I will guard it with my life,"

 "Thank you," He replied, picking up the item covered in a cloth. "I need you to watch over this as well,"

 "What is it?" He asked, making Feng look at it but he didn't answer. Instead, he just walked over to the other side of the cave and moved his hands again, creating a second cave. He stepped inside as rocks formed a second pedal. He placed it on it before walking over of the cave and lifting his hands, once again speaking in a different language, causing it to close. He finished his incarnation before taking off his glove and reached into his bag again. This time he took out a blade and slid it down the palm of his hand, making Bao gasp. "What are you doing?"

 "Blood magic," He replied, placing his bloodied hand  onto the wall before muttering the language again. This time, the blood moved and took the shape of a bird before glowing gold then disappearing. Feng sighed and held his good hand over his injured one, healing it as he walked back over to Bao. "It's a special seal,"

 "Are you sure sealing that is a good idea?" He asked, frowning. "What if you need it?"

 "The seal can be broken by the one who bears the soul of a phoenix," He replied, making Bao frown. "But it is safer here then anywhere else,"

 "Feng... are you in trouble?" Bao asked, making Feng look at him and smile a little.

 "I'm fine, Bao," He replied, placing his hand on his shoulder. "I'm just taking precautions that's all," 

 "You can tell me you know,"

 "I know," Feng nodded, placing the dagger back in his bag and placing his glove back on. "But now I must take my leave. It was good to see you, Bao,"

 "Are you sure you need to go?" He asked as they turned to walk away. Feng stopped and glanced over at the corner, smiling as if he could see someone there before leaving with Bao...

 Luka gasped as he jolted awake. He sucked in a breathe and let it out before getting up and heading over to the bathroom. He ran the tap and splashed his face with water before grabbing a towel and drying in face before looking in the mirror. He jumped as he saw Feng stood behind him before quickly looking over his shoulder. He frowned as he saw no one there before glancing back in the mirror. However, Feng was gone. He shook his head before walking back into his room and glanced at the time. 4am. He groaned and crawled back into bed, curling up on the side as he tried to get back to sleep. However, his mind kept drifting back to the cave so he got up and turned on his lamp before grabbing his notepad and wrote down his dream before going onto his computer and researching Dragon's cave in Shanghai but nothing came up. He groaned and shut down his laptop before getting back into bed and curling up again. This time he managed to fall back asleep but it was pretty restless sleep. Soon, his alarm went off and he got up, stretching out before getting ready for his day and the summer holidays. He had set up plans for it both as Anatis and as Luka. He would patrol a couple of times a day but also spending time with his friends. Since he wasn't at school for the next six weeks, he could work some extra shifts at his job. The summer holidays would be great. 

 ~One Week Later~

 "You want me to go with you to Shanghai?" Luka asked as Jagged played his guitar. He looked up and nodded. "Why?"

 "Because it will be rock and roll!" Jagged declared, standing up. "I'm doing a couple of shows there so I'll be there for a week and I figured we could use the chance to spend some father and son time together!! What do you think?"

 "I don't know, Dad," He replied, making Jagged frown as he put down the violin and flopped on the sofa. Fang crawled up onto his lap, causing Luka to pat his head. "Won't you be busy with set up on the show?"

 "A little bit yeah but since I'm only playing two days, we'll have like five days to do whatever we like," Jagged explained as Luka scratched Fang's chin. "I get it if you don't want to spend some time with your old man,"

 "It's not that, Dad," He replied, sighing. "I doubt even with my job I could afford a plane ticket plus I have commitments here,"

 "I'd pay for your ticket, expensive and we'll be staying in the best hotel in Shanghai!" Jagged declared with flair. "Fang will becoming with us and it's ok to get away from responsibilities from time to time you know,"

 "Alright... I'll think about it," Luka replied as his phone vibrated. He checked it and smiled, getting up before putting his jacket on as Fang moved over to Jagged. "I gotta get going. I need to meet up with Marinette,"

 "Tell the little lady I say hi!!" Jagged sung, making Luka shake his head before he rushed out and began to walk to the party where he would be meeting her. He thought about Jagged's suggestion. Feng's riddle pointed to Shanghai and now he's given the opportunity to actually go... but who would look after Paris while he was gone? Sure, he could trust Lady Noir but part of him wouldn't want to leave the burden all on her. He could talk to her on their patrol tonight and see what she thinks. Entering the park, he felt his worries melt away as he saw Marinette. She was stood by a tree, glancing in the opposite direction. Her hair was loose and she was wearing a pink summer dress with matching sandals and her signature purse. He walked over to her and cleared his throat, causing her to look at him and smile brightly.

 "Hey," She smiled, pushing a stand of hair behind her ear. "Ready to go?"

 "Whenever you are," He smiled, offering her his arm. She giggled and took before the two of them walked off, heading to the summer fair that the school was hosting. "I like your hair by the way. It looks beautiful like that,"

 "R-Really?" She gasped, blushing as he linked their hands together, making her giggle. "How was your time with Jagged?"

 "It was ok," He replied as she waved to her parents from their stall. Sabine waved back but Tom looked like he was about to burst into flames with how excited he looked. "He wants me to go with him to Shanghai for a week,"

 "Really?!" She gasped, making him look at her. "You should go!! We could arrange to meet up there!!"

 "You're going to Shanghai?" He asked, making her nod excitedly.

 "I was gonna tell you when we had finished looking around here," She replied, sheepishly as he smiled. "Uncle Cheng invited the family. Mama and Papa can't make it as it was too short notice so I'll be going on my own... which I'm a little bit nervous about but maybe we could arrange it so you and Uncle Jagged are on the same flight? If that's not too weird... actually forget it... it's too weird and I'm sure you probably have other things-"

 "Hey, it's not weird at all," He smiled, making her smile as well. "I wasn't really sure if I should go but... it would be nice to see a different city with you... I mean... um..."

 "You're adorable," She grinned, making him blush. "I'll be staying with Uncle Cheng so you and Jagged can come by. Oh we could visit his restaurant!"

 "Y-Yeah, that would be great," Luka smiled, making her grin. "Jagged's doing two shows so I could ask for some VIP tickets if you want..."

 "You don't have to," She replied, smiling again. "I'd just be happy to spend some time with you. Of course, if you want to that is. I mean Shanghai is a very beautiful city and I'm sure you'll want to do some sight seeing yourself..."

 "I'd be happy to spend some of my time with you," He smiled, making her blush before they heard their names been called. Marinette looked over and waved as Kagami and Adrien walked over to them. "Hey,"

 "How's it going?" Adrien smiled as Kagami said hi to Marinette. They were both dressed really nice. Kagami was wearing a black shirt with black tights and a red vest with a white jacket over it, causing Marinette to gush at how cute she looked where Adrien was wearing blue jeans and a green shirt that had a tiny little snake on it. One of Marinette's hero inspired tops. This one was clearly inspired by Aspik. Luka clapped his hand against Adrien with a smile as Marinette continued to gush over Kagami, making the girl blush a little.

 "It's good," He smiled as Marinette hugged Kagami. "How's everything with you?"

 "Same old, same old," Adrien sighed. "Father is going out of town for a week. He wanted me to go with him but Kagami and her mother convinced him to let me stay,"

 "That's good," Luka smiled, glancing over as Marinette took Kagami's hand and lead her over towards one of the stands. He smiled before Adrien grinned at him, making him look at him. "What?"

 "So you and Marinette huh?" He grinned, making Luka go red and nervously rub the back of his neck. "You a couple then?"

 "W-We're just see how it goes," He mumbled, going redder. "Like we're not like dating dating... but I guess you could say we're testing the waters?"

 "I see," Adrien grinned as Kagami came back over and took his hand. "Well, we'll leave you to it. Have fun,"

 "You too," Luka smiled as they walked off before he walked over to Marinette, who was still looking at the stall. "Everything ok?"

 "Oh, yes... sorry, I didn't mean to run off," She gasped, making him chuckle. "I just saw that,"

 She pointed to a bracelet made from silver and dark leather. It definitely wasn't her style and was more something he would wear. She looked up at him.

 "Do you like it?" She asked, surprising him but he slowly nodded. "Then I'll get it for you,"

 "You don't have to," He replied as she turned to the merchant. He nodded and gave it to her before she gave him a note. He turned his back and grabbed her change, giving it to her. She thanked him before turning to Luka. "Melody?"

 "I know," She replied as she took his arm and fixed it on. "But I want to,"

 "Thank you," He smiled, gently leaning down and kissing her cheek lightly. She blushed and smiled shyly as he looked at it. "I love it,"

 "L-Let's go on the carousel," She gasped, gently grabbing his hand and leading him to it as she continued to blush. Luka smiled softly as he followed her, glancing at his new bracelet with a happy expression.

 ~Later That Night~

 "So if we're both going away for a week, what do we do?" Lady Noir asked as she looked up at Anatis. She had her head on his knee and he was gently stroking her hair. "I mean I know Hawkmoth has been super quiet but still..."

 "We could test out some of the others," He replied, making her look up at him. "Culpeo would be a good idea since she can create an illusion of us and Abeille's ability would be extremely useful. I could take the Horse miraculous with me so I could teleport back to Paris as soon as there's an akuma alert,"

 "Oh and I could fly back here as Lady Cosmic!" She gasped, making him nod. "That's a good idea but will Master Fu let us do it?"

 "I think so," He replied, making her nod. "Plus it would be good practice for them,"

 "So it's settled then," She grinned, making him nod as he continued to stroke her hair. She closed her eyes and began to purr a little, making Anatis chuckle. "Do you think it's been weird how quiet Hawkmoth has been?"

 "Yeah, it is odd," Anatis sighed, frowning. "The last time he was this quiet, he attacked New York,"

 "I messaged Falcone," Lady Noir stated, looking up at him. "Apparently, everything is ok there but she said she would keep an eye out and let us know if Hawkmoth shows up again,"

 "That's good," Anatis nodded before stretching, causing Lady Noir to sit up and poke his cheek, making him look at her. "What?"

 "You looked tired," She stated, making him frown. "Bad sleep?"

 "Feng keeps on turning up in my dreams," He admitted, sighing. "I feel like he's trying to show me something but I don't understand what,"

 "Well, what are your dreams?" She asked, making him look at her.

 "I keep seeing this cave and Feng talking to a man called Bao," He explained, making her nod. "Feng is asking him to guard something but I can't remember what it is exactly. Like I've wrote down the dream but some of the details are hard to remember,"

 "What do you remember?" She asked as he sighed and thought about it.

 "The moon was red," He muttered, making her nod. "And there was a lot of colorful crystals in the cave..."

 "Anything else?"

 "He talked to something that looked like a kwami but wasn't a kwami," Anatis continued, making her nod. "And he loss someone... no, two people... he seemed sad about it. I think they died but that's all I remember,"

 "Well, it's better then nothing," She mumbled, making him nod before she looked at him. "Maybe you'll get some clarity from this journey?"

 "Yeah," He muttered, glancing down to the side. "I hope so,"

 "Speaking of journeys, we should go and talk to Master Fu," She replied, getting a nod of him and standing up. He stood up as well before the two of them dived off the building and made their way to Master Fu's apartment. They landed on his window seal and knocked, causing him to get up and invite them in.

 "Ah, Anatis, Lady Noir," He smiled, opening the window. "Come in,"

 "Thank you, Master," Anatis replied, helping Lady Noir inside. "Master, we have something to talk to you about,"

 "Go ahead," He replied, making them tea. Lady Noir looked at Anatis, who took a deep breathe.

 "Me and Lady Noir are going away for a week..." He stated, making Master Fu look at him with surprise.

 "Which is why we came here," Lady Noir gasped. "We have a plan to make people think we're still here,"

 "We want to give Culpeo and Abeille their miraculous for the week so Paris is defended," Anatis explained, making Master Fu frown a little. "I know you're not comfortable with other miraculous been out and about but this is something that can't be avoided for us. Our families are insisting we go with them but if we use Culpeo, she can create an illusion of us which will make it look like we've never left. I also would like to request the horse miraculous so I can travel back instantly if there is an akuma,"

 "This is risky..." Master Fu replied, frowning. 

 "Please!!" They both begged, surprising him. 

 "Hawkmoth and Mayura have been super quiet all week," Lady Noir gasped.

 "All the more reason to be careful," Master Fu replied, frowning. "Is there no way for you to say no to your families?"

 "I can't," Lady Noir sighed, frowning. "My parents are insisting I go and spend time with my other family so I can learn about my culture,"

 "I see," Master Fu sighed before glancing over to Anatis. "And you?"

 "My family is insisting I go as well," He replied. "Plus I think this trip might help me with those dreams I'm having,"

 "Oh... I see," Master Fu nodded, turning around and walking over to phonograph. He took out the miracle box and placed it in front of them. "In that case, I will allow Culpeo and Abeille to use their miraculous on a full time basis for this week and I grant you permission to use the horse miraculous, Anatis but you both must get back to Paris as soon as you can if there is an akuma alert,"

 "We will, Master," Anatis gasped, taking the horse miraculous and placed it in his yoyo before he took out the fox and the bee miraculous. "I don't leave just yet so I'll have Abeille and Culpeo shadow me for a couple of patrols. Lady Noir, if you can make it that would be great,"

 "I'll see what I can do," She replied, nodding. "I don't think we're leaving just yet though,"

 "Ok we can get them to shadow us for a couple of days then," Anatis replied, nodding as Master Fu closed the box and put it away. "Thank you, Master. We owe you one,"

 ~The Next Night~

 Anatis landed on the lamp post near where Juleka and Rose were. They had gotten themselves some ice cream from Andre's and were sat on a bench by the Seine. The sun was going down and they were bringing a romantic date to an end. Anatis whistled, getting their attention before he jumped down and walked over to them.

 "Sorry for interrupting but I require Culpeo and Abeille," He replied, holding out the box. Rose grinned and took her box as Juleka did the same. The two of them transformed into Culpeo and Abeille. "Follow me. We're meeting Lady Noir at the Arc de Triomphe,"

 "Ok!" Abeille declared as she and Culpeo followed him across the rooftops as he informed them of the plan. It was a very clever plan but they were a little surprised that he trusted them enough to trust them with this. However, it was also really nice that he trusted them as well. When they got to the Arc de Triomphe, Lady Noir was sat by the edge with her leg swinging down as she waited for them. She looked up and smiled as they landed on the building and walked over to her. "Hey, Lady Noir!!"

 "Hey, Bee. Hey, Kit," She smiled, jumping and walking over before looking at Anatis. "You informed them?"

 "Yeah," He nodded, turning to the two girls. "You two ok with doing this?"

 "I'm good with it!!" Abeille grinned before looking at Culpeo, who was holding onto her flute and looking panicked. Anatis gently placed his hand on her shoulder, making her look at him. 

 "You ok?" He asked, making her shake her head.

 "I d-don't know if I can do this," She gasped, looking at him. "I me-mean what if I mess up?"

 "Then we'll fix it but you won't mess up because you can do this," He replied, making her look at him in surprise. "You were made for this, Kit. I know you were,"

 "R-Right," She nodded, feeling a bit more confident. "I can do this,"

 "Sure, you can sweetie," Abeille grinned, hugging her. "And I'll be here so you won't be alone,"

 "R-right," She nodded again before looking at Lady Noir and Anatis. "A-Are you leave tonight?"

 "Not tonight," Anatis explained, making them nod. "We actually don't leave for another two days so we plan to use these two days to help you get use to the patrol thing,"

 "So tonight, Culpeo will be with me while I take the north and east side of the city while Abeille goes with Annie in the south and west of the city," Lady Noir explained, making the girls nod. "Once we've completely that, we'll meet back here then one more round of the city then home,"

 "Tomorrow night, Culpeo will be with me and Abeille, you'll go with Lady Noir," Anatis explained, making them nod again. "Any questions?"

 "How long does patrol normally take?"

 "Usually about an hour," Anatis answered, making them nod. "But we also use the time to discuss akumas and potential suspects for Hawkmoth and Mayura,"

 "Ooh do you have any suspects?" Abeille asked, making the two of them look at each other.

 "The list is really long," Lady Noir replied, rubbing the back of her neck as the two girls nodded. "Alright, let's getting go then! See you soon, Annie,"

 "Alright, Kitten," He smiled as she and Culpeo ran off before he turned to Abeille. "Shall we?"

 ~A Couple of Days Later~

 "This is gonna be rock and roll!" Jagged grinned, hugging Penny as they drove to Marinette's to pick her up. They had already picked up Luka so it was just Marinette they needed to pick up. She was gonna be staying with her uncle during the actual week where Luka would be staying with Jagged and Penny at a hotel. However, they both agreed with was perfect. They would be able to do their own exploring as well as meet up in the city later on. Jagged had also insisted on giving them tickets and VIP passes to his shows. The limo pulled outside of the bakery, causing Luka to undo his seat belt and get out, helping Marinette put her suitcase in the trunk next to his. She smiled shyly as she thanked him before the two of them got into the limo. "Mari!! Isn't this gonna be rock and roll?!"

 "Hi, uncle Jagged," She smiled as he grinned, causing Luka to shake his head as they begin to drive off. Marinette moved so she was leaning against his arm, making Luka look at her and smile a little. The drive to the airport didn't take too long and soon enough they were in the sky on Jagged's plane, watching a film together. Luka couldn't help but yawn as Marinette leaned against him. "You should sleep if you're tired,"

 "You sure?" He asked, yawning again before nodding. She smiled as he moved his arm around her and rested his head against her, closing his eyes. When he next opened his eyes, Marinette was curled up next to him and was also asleep. Someone had put a blanket over them as well. He smiled a little before glancing over at Jagged. Penny had fallen asleep next to him, along with Fang. He smiled before closing his eyes again. He was quite happy to sleep a bit more. He moved his arm around Marinette and closed his eyes again drifting into sleep again.

 Luka frowned as he looked around the little hut that he recognized as Feng's home. He had a few dreams like this since the first time but they were few and far between. He glanced around before walking over to the door and tried to open it. As usual, it was locked. He frowned and turned back round. He jumped a little when he saw Feng sat cross-legged on the bed in the corner of the hut. Luka frowned and walked over to him.

 "Why am I here?" He asked, not expecting an answer. He never answered. He waited but Feng didn't moved. "Can you even hear me?!"

 Nothing as usual. Luka sighed and walked over to the door again, trying to open it.

 "It's locked..." Feng's voice made him stop and turn around. The man was still sat on the bed in the way as before, making Luka frown before he opened his eyes and looked at him. "You haven't got the key yet,"

 "Key?" He gasped, running his fingers through his hair. "What key? What are you trying to tell me?! Why am I having these dreams? Let me guess! You're not gonna answer me?!"

 "Would anything I say make you understand right now?" Feng asked, surprising him before he shook his head. "No, I know it won't. You must come to the truth by yourself,"

 "Or you could just tell me," Luka sighed. "I want to know. I'm afraid and I don't understand what is happening to me so please just tell me,"

 "I can't," He replied, looking over at him. "I'm sorry, Luka but this is the only way. You must learnt the truth slowly,"

 "Why?" Luka sighed but he already knew the answer. It would be too much for him to find out straight away. He let out a small sigh before looking at Feng. "I know... but can you at least give me a clue?"

 "I already have," He replied, making Luka frown. "Find the red dragon and locate it's pearl. Hidden deep within the Dragon's cave, there lies the secrets of the Phoenix,"

 "Ok but seriously a riddle?!" Luka sighed, shaking his head. "I'm terrible at those,"

 "I find them entertaining,"

 "You would," Luka sighed, sitting down on the bed."So how do I get out of here?"

 "Wake up," Feng replied as if it was simple. Luka gave him a look, making him smile before he closed his eyes. "You should know that this isn't a dream by the way,"

 "If it isn't a dream then what is it?" Luka asked as Feng began to mediate again. "Feng?"

 He ignored him.

 "Feng?!"

 Luka jolted awake again, blinking as the plane shook a little before he stretched and looked over. Marinette was sat talking to a now awake Jagged but Penny was still asleep. She looked over and smiled at him, making Luka smile back before he moved the blanket and undid his seat belt. He stood up and stretched, yawning a little.

 "We have some good food over here," Jagged grinned, making Luka nod before he wandered over to the bathroom. Once done, he washed his hands and came back out, sitting next to Marinette. 

 "How long until we're there?" He asked, sleepily before reaching for some of the food and eating it.

 "About another 2 hours," Jagged replied, surprisingly calm but Luka figured he hadn't been awake long either. He stretched and grinned. "So what you two plan to do in Shanghai then?"

 "Well, my uncle Cheng has his own restaurant so I was hoping you guys would like to join us for a meal there at some point," Marinette smiled, making Jagged grin. "But in general, I'll be doing some sight seeing,"

 "I'll be doing my own sight seeing as well but we plan to meet up at some point during the week," Luka replied. "Not to mention your gig, Dad,"

 "Ooh yeah!!" Marinette grinned, making Jagged smile. "That will be so much fun,"

 "I'm looking forward to it as well," Luka smiled, making Jagged grin.

 "Young love is so cute!!!" He grinned, making them both go red. "I should write a song about it!"

 "Dad!!"

 ~At the Airport~

 "Uncle Cheng!!" Marinette grinned as she ran over to him and hugged him. He chuckled and hugged her back. "It's great to see you,"

 "Likewise, Marinette," He replied, making her grin as his french had improved a lot since they last spoke. He looked over as Luka and Jagged walked through with Penny. They had all changed into something a little more inconspicuous. Jagged was wearing a hat over his hair and sunglasses over his eyes while dressed in normal jeans, t-shirt and denim jacket. Penny was still in a suit but it wasn't her usual style. She also had sunglasses on. Luka had just switched his usual blue hoodie for a dark gray and was wearing a matching beanie hat, making Marinette giggle as he brought over her suitcase to her. Cheng frowned before he clicked his fingers. "I remember you. Mr Stone right?"

 "Ah, Chef Cheng, the world's greatest chef," Jagged grinned, shaking his hand before grabbing Luka and pulling him next to him. "This is my son, Luka,"

 "We've met before," Cheng smiled, turning to him. "I recall you were on the set of the world's greatest chef with Marinette,"

 "Yeah, I was sir," Luka nodded, making Cheng nod. "I was really honored to try your signature soup. It was amazing,"

 "Thank you," Cheng smiled as Marinette yawned. "We should head home?"

 "Yeah, it's been a long flight," Marinette nodded before turning to Luka and gently kissing him on the cheek, making him blush a little. "See you later kay?"

 "Right," He nodded, smiling a little as Cheng placed her suitcase in the boot before closing it and getting into the driver's seat. Marinette got into the passenger seat before doing up her seat belt and waving to Luka. He smiled and waved back as another car pulled up. Penny walked over to the driver and talked to them as Cheng drove off, causing Jagged wrap his arm around Luka's shoulders and grin. 

 "You two are so cute together!!" He grinned, making Luka blush as Penny walked over.

 "Leave the poor boy alone, Jagged," She ordered, making him grin before the three of them got into the car, along with Fang. Luckily, Penny had already explained to the driver about Fang.

 ~On the way to Cheng's Home~

 "I'm so glad you were about to come by," Cheng smiled as he drove them through the city. Marinette smiled and glanced outside. "I do wish your parents could have come by as well,"

 "They do too but they just can't afford to close the bakery for a week," She replied, making him nod in understanding. "Mama was worried you wouldn't get your present in time so I'm glad I was able to bring it with me,"

 "Ah, you're the best gift I could ask for," He smiled, making her smile as well. "Your mother mentioned you wanted to connect with your roots and learn more about your culture,"

 "Yes, I really do,"

 "It makes me really happy that you want to," Cheng smiled, making Marinette smile as well. "I have a lot of reservations at my restaurant this week but I cancelled them all so I could spend time with you. Thanks to you, I'm on holiday for the first time since... your mother left for France,"

 "You did all that for me?" She gasped, completely surprised.

 "Of course," He replied, nodding. "Family is sacred after all,"

 "You've made really good progress with your french since I last saw you," She smiled, making him smile back.

 "I have worked really hard and practiced often so I can communicate with you," He smiled, making her smile even more.

 "I've been trying to learn Chinese as well," She replied, making him smile. "I'm not very good at it but I can say a few more things then before,"

 "I'm sure you're doing well," He smiled before looking ahead. "I can tell you all the stories about our ancestors and we can visit Shanghai. Oh, I can teach all the traditional songs of our family!"

 "We have traditional songs?"

 "Yes!" He grinned, excitedly. "Oh and you can bring your boyfriend along,"

 "O-oh me and Luka aren't quite there yet," She blushed, looking to the side as Cheng looked at her. "We just kind of testing the water with our relationship and enjoying each other's company. Luka is very respectful and sweet,"

 "He seems like a kind and gentle boy," Cheng smiled before frowning. "I hope I didn't hurt you or him when I was Kung Food,"

 "Oh no! You didn't," She gasped, holding up her hands as they pulled into a parking space. "Luka actually went to look for you during that time as we were worried about you. Anatis ended up telling him to hide while he and Lady Noir tried to save you,"

 "Anatis? That's the ladybug boy, isn't it?" He asked as he killed the engine and got out. Marinette followed and got out as well before they opened the boot and took out her suitcase and the present for Cheng. "He seemed like a nice boy too,"

 "He is," She nodded as they walked over to a door. "Could you tell me more about our family?"

 "Of course," He smiled, unlocking the door and letting her inside. "Your great great grandfather would draw for Pekin's opera artists,"

 "Really?" She gasped, amazed. "I do fashion myself!!"

 "Yes, your mother has told me all about it," He smiled, putting the box down as a gray parrot flew over to her and flapped in front of her.

 "Marinette!! Marinette! Marinette!!" It cawed, making her jump before it flew over to Cheng and landed on his shoulder, making him laugh.

 "This is Bastille," He smiled, gesturing to the bird. "Bastille, I'm really proud to introduce you to my niece, Marinette,"

 "Delighted to meet you, Bastille," She replied, walking over to him and Cheng before noticing the pictures on the wall. She stopped in front of them and looked at them.

 "Bastille has been in the family for a long time," Cheng explained, pointing to the picture. "Look, he was already there for your Grandpa Yen and Grandma Chun and he was there for your mama, Xia Ping,"

 "Xia Ping?" Marinette asked, making Cheng nod.

 "Yes, she only named her Sabine when she moved to Paris," He explained, making her frown a little. It was sad that she felt like that she had to change her name to something that was more accepted. She looked back at the picture.

 "I've never seen this picture of Mama before," She stated, smiling a little in. "She looks so happy and beautiful,"

 "She was," Cheng replied, nodding before Marinette yawned.

 "Sorry," She gasped, holding up her hands but he chuckled.

 "Why don't we have some dinner then you can get some rest?" He suggested as Bastille said 'magic ingredient' repeatedly, making Cheng smile. "I already have one for today. You remember my style of cooking, don't you Marinette?"

 "Yes," She smiled. "You always improvise with something destiny sends your way,"

 "And today, destiny placed you in my path,"

 "But I didn't bring an ingredient," She replied as her phone vibrated. She took it out and saw Luka had texted her. She smiled softly before sending a text back then looking up at her uncle. "Should I find one?"

 "No need," He replied, smiling. "Sometimes improvising isn't about the ingredients but the chef themselves,"

 "You mean... I can help you cook?" She gasped, looking excited. He chuckled and nodded before picking up her suitcase and taking it to her room. Once that was done, the two of them headed to the kitchen and began to work on dinner. Once they had finished, they sat down for a meal before Marinette helped Cheng clear up then retired for the night. As she settled into her bed, she smiled to herself. Tomorrow she would go and explore Shanghai for a little bit.

 ~The Next Day~

 Marinette gasped as she looked around the city in amazement. Despite that he had booked the week off, Cheng had to go into his restaurant to fix something but promised to spend the rest of the day with her as soon as he had sorted out the issue. Since she was free for the rest of the day, she decided to explore the city center and had texted Luka. They had arranged to meet for lunch since Jagged and Penny were busy setting up Jagged's shows. She walked over to the traffic light as she headed to the shopping center but a girl knocked into her, causing Marinette to gasp.

 "I am so sorry!" She gasped, making the girl look at her in surprise. She realized that she probably didn't realize what she said so she just gave her a weak smile and when on her way. She stopped at the traffic lights and looked around as she waited. The girl who had bumped into her stopped nearly by and opened her purse, causing Plagg to go still. She frowned to herself when she only found her phone, a block of cheese, a weird cat plushie and Marinette's id. She turned back and looked at her before moving closer to her. The traffic was still going and the Marinette seemed lost in a day dream so the girl lifted her necklace from her, her earrings and her ring before turning to walk away but three boys gasped and began to shout at her. She backed away and ran from them, knocking into Marinette who frowned as the boys moved past her. "Oh no. That girl seems in trouble,"

 She ran across the road and followed them down into an alleyway before slipping into an alleyway herself.

 "Plagg, claws out!!" She shouted, punching the air but nothing happened, making her gasp. "Plagg?!"

 She glanced down and realized her purse was gone, making her gasp before she touched her ears and realized her earrings were missing as well. She quickly searched herself discovering all of her valuables were missing, including her phone. She gasped before shaking looking down at her hand and covering her mouth when she saw her miraculous was missing.

 "Plagg!!" She screamed, falling to her knees as tears filled her. She had somehow lost Plagg. 

 ~Meanwhile~

 Fei, the girl who had pick-pocketed Marinette, ran as fast as she could before suddenly tripping over. She frowned and quickly got up before disappearing into the crowd, away from the boys chasing her. She switched her hat for a new wig and looked at her before noticing a boy stood in the crowd. Like the girl who she robbed, he stood out and was clearly a tourist. She walked over and knocked into him, slipping her hand in his pocket but to her surprise, he suddenly grabbed her arm. She gasped and looked up at him.

 "What are you doing?" He asked as his clearly silver eyes bored int her eyes. It actually scared her and she quickly snatched her hand from his, stepping away before running off. Luka frowned as his eyes turned back to blue. He wasn't sure why he sensed that she was trying to pickpocket her but he did and something wasn't right either. He was suppose to be meeting Marinette for lunch but he had this nagging feeling that he needed to follow this girl. Deciding to follow it, he turned around and headed in the direction she had gone. He stopped at a stall and brought a baseball hat. He tore off the label and put it on before taking off his blue jacket and put it inside his rucksack. Tikki looked up at him from the hoodie with a confused look. "I'm following a feeling, Tikki,"

 "Ok," She nodded as he followed the girl. She didn't seem to notice him and seemed to be pretty clumsy for a pick-pocket. She walked into a number of things, tripped up a few times and even knocked into a lamp post. Luka frowned as she cursed at it before heading down some stairs, which she proceed to fall down.

 "Seriously!?" She gasped, getting up and dusting herself down before a phone began to ring. She took it out of a familiar phone and disconnected it, causing Luka to narrow his eyes.

 "That's Marinette's," He whispered, frowning before he gasped, causing Tikki to look at him. "If she robbed Marinette, she has no way to contact anyone or navigate her way around Shanghai. We need to find her,"

 "If that girl robbed Marinette then maybe she can't be far too away," Tikki replied, making Luka nod. "I also wouldn't transform just yet. If you find Marinette as Anatis, she might get suspicious,"

 "Good point," He replied, frowning as the girl came out of the shop, looking disappointed. "We could get Marinette's things back though,"

 "Is that a good idea?" She asked, making him frown. "That place seems bad,"

 "You're right but Marinette might not get her things back this way," He replied, moving from his hiding place. He walked into the shop and walked over to the desk as the man was trying to get something to work. It appeared that his till had broken down and a light was flickering in the back. He looked up at him, causing Luka to get a very deep shiver. Every part of his being was telling that this man was bad news. He took a step back but noticed Marinette's purse and phone to the table. The man moved his hand and gave him a dark smirk. 

 "Nǐ hǎo, wǒ néng wéi nín fúwù ma?" He asked, making Luka frown. "Oh, are you a tourist? I speak French and English if that helps,"

 "Y-Yeah..." Luka replied before pointing to the purse. "That purse and phone... how much for them?"

 "5000 yuan," He replied, making Luka frown. He knew that was over priced and he certainly didn't have that kind of cash at all. He frowned and sighed. "Ah you don't have that kind of money, do you? I'll tell you what. You give me those ear plugs and I'll knock the price down to 3000 Yuan,"

 "No," Luka gasped, glaring at him and causing the man to frown. "I'll leave it,"

 "Very well," The man smiled as Luka turned on his heel and walked out. The man smiled and clicked his fingers, causing a couple of his men appear. "Go and get what you can from that boy,"

 "Yes, sir," They exited the shop and caught up to Luka, causing him to frown as he noticed them.

 "Tikki, stay close," He whispered, turning down an alleyway. The men turned down it as well, making him frown even more. He was certain that they were following him now. He broke into a run and climbed onto a dumpster before scaling a building, pulling himself on a roof, causing the men to growl as he ran across it before jumping onto another one, running across it until he lost them. He jumped across another roof and leaned down before seeing Marinette arrive with the girl who tried to rob him. He frowned and knelt down. He wanted to get down and warn her but something was holding him back and he couldn't explain what. He just knew things would work out worst if he did.

 "Fei, look, I found my ring!" Marinette gasped, making the girl... Fei... move over to her. 

 "Oh, that is lucky," She gasped, making Luka narrow his eyes before the two of them grabbed the ring and disappeared into the shop. Luka narrowed his eyes. He was about to climb down when Fei and Marinette suddenly rushed out of the shop. He stopped and watched them as Marinette looked upset. She shouted something about getting her ring back but Fei suddenly put something in her hand.

 "My ring?!" She gasped, looking up at the girl. "You stole it back?"

 "Didn't you want it back?" Fei asked, making Marinette frown.

 "Yes but not like that," She gasped but Fei shook her head. "Stealing is very wrong!"

 "Cash was trying to con you," She gasped, looking down to the side. "He is not a good man,"

 "But-" She gasped but three men ran out of the shop, causing them to gasp. Fei grabbed Marinette's hand and ran off with her, causing the men to follow. Luka frowned but decided not to follow. Despite wanting to help Marinette, he had a feeling that staying here and waiting would lead him to her quicker then if he chased them. A few minutes later, the owner of the shop... Cash... came out and frowned before turning in the other way and walking. Luka narrowed his eyes and lowered himself down before shadowing him. 

 ~Back To Marinette and Fei~

 Marinette ran as fast as she could from the men that were chasing her and Fei. They seemed really annoyed but she had gotten her ring back. She glanced at it as a black blur appeared, making her gasp and smile.

 "Plagg," She gasped, opening her jacket and letting him fly in before she ducked into an alleyway and slipped her ring on her finger. "Plag-"

 "What are you doing?!" Fei gasped as she grabbed Marinette's hand and pulled her away from the Alleyway. "Those men are really dangerous and we need to keep running!!"

 "But those other guys who were chasing us were really dangerous as well?" She gasped, making Fei frown before she pulled her arm from her. "Fei, what is going on?!"

 "Cash was trying to rob you blind because he knew that ring was precious to you ok?!" She gasped as they looked around. However they had reached a dead end. To make matters worst, the men who Cash had sent after them turned up. Fei stood in front of her and took a pose. "Stay behind me, Marinette,"

 "Fei," Marinette gasped. "Let me help you,"

 "Marinette, these men will hurt you," She gasped as they moved closer. "At least, I know how to defend myself,"

 The men went to charge at them but before they could, the three boys that had chased Marinette came down the alleyway and gasped. 

 "What is going on?!" Marinette gasped, clearly panicked. However, the guys seemed to see the bigger guys as more of a threat and declared themselves as some sort of neighborhood watch. Fei told them to go home but they said something about not taking an order from a thief. Marinette looked between them but Fei shook her head and told her to ignore them. Cash's guys smirked to themselves and walked over to the young boys, causing Fei to grab Marinette's hand and run. They briefly saw Cash's guys trying to chase after them but the other set of boys jumped on them, allowing Fei and Marinette to run as fast as they could through the alleyways. Gradually they came to a stop as Marinette caught her breathe. "Where are we going?"

 "Somewhere safe," Fei replied as they began to move. Marinette nodded before following her to a burnt down school. She frowned as Fei entered it. "Where are we?"

 "It's my father's old school," Fei replied, looking down as Marinette glanced around. She noticed a bed and a small altar with a photo of a man. "I'm sorry it isn't much but it's home. I live here and now..."

 She walked over to a small little table and poured a drink before handing it to Marinette.

 "Sorry, I don't have much else to offer you," She muttered, making Marinette nod as she took the drink. 

 "It's fine, Fei," She smiled, taking a sip before looking around. "But why did you bring us here?"

 "I have to protect my father's heritage," She sighed, looking sad. 

 "But... your father..." Marinette glanced over to the picture of the man as Fei nodded.

 "He's dead..." She mumbled, frowning. "He died when this place went up in flames..."

 "Oh," Marinette replied, frowning. "I'm so sorry,"

 "They did everything to make us leave," Fei gasped, looking down as tears threatened to spill. "I mean everything. Intimidation, robbery... they took everything from us. Even the bracelet my father had entrusted me with. The jewel I told you about. I was as attached to it in the same way that you are to your ring but this jewel was something else. It had a sort of power,"

 "Oh," Marinette gasped, surprised. Did this girl have a miraculous? "These people you are talking about... who are they?"

 "That's the problem," Fei sighed, frowning. "I don't know. It was my quest to find them that put me in your path. I... I have something important to tell you... It was-"

 "Did you really think I wouldn't find you here, Fei?!"

 ~Back to Luka~

 Luka frowned as he followed Cash through the alleyways. Occasionally, he would stop and turn around but he never noticed Luka following him. Of course, he didn't think to look at the rooftops. Luka frowned as he came to a burnt down building and walked inside. Luka frowned and jumped downside, moving over to the window and glanced inside. Marinette and Fei were inside, making him frown deeply.

 "Did you really think I wouldn't find you here, Fei?!" Cash growled, making both girls step back in fear. Marinette looked between the two of them.

 "You know each other?" She asked, confused.

 "Of course, I know her," He laughed, making Luka frown as he stalked over to them. "How do you think I ended up with your ring, Little girl? She stole it from you then she stole it from me,"

 "Y-you... stole from me?" Marinette gasped with tears in her eyes as she dropped her cup. Fei gasped and held out her hand.

 "I was just about to tell you I swear," She gasped but Cash laughed as Marinette's eyes watered.

 "Y-You saw how much it meant to me!!" She cried, making Luka's heart ache. "And you knew I would pay any price!!"

 "I'm sorry!!" She gasped, making Luka frown. "He said he would tell me who murdered my father but he was asking for a huge amount of money in return,"

 "There is always a price to pay," Cash grinned, making Luka grit his teeth. This guy was awful. While he didn't agree with Fei's actions, he could understand why she did it now that he knew she was trying to find who killed her father. "You can't get anything for free in this world, baby,"

 He turned and stalked over to Marinette, making Luka growl.

 "You are going to phone your uncle now!" He demanded, making Marinette step back as he shoved a phone at her. "And ask him for the money he owes me!"

 "I won't let you!" Fei cried out, knocking his phone out of his hand and moving in front of Marinette. "Marinette! Run!!"

 "I want my money!!" Cash shouted as Fei kept her pose. Luka narrowed his eyes. He had been trying to avoid transforming as he didn't have an excuse as to why Anatis would be in Shanghai but if this guy keeps threatening them, he would interfere without hesitation. "And you're gonna give it to me or you'll never get your answers!!"

 "Do you even know who killed him?!" Fei shouted back, making both Luka and Marinette frown.

 "The truth is if this girl doesn't get my money, you'll both meet the same fate as your father!!" He shouted, causing Luka to transform into Anatis without a second thought. He was about to jump in when Fei kicked Cash across the room before he heard shouting between the two girls. Marinette ran out a few seconds later, causing him to frown as she wiped her eyes. She looked over and gasp.

 "Anatis?" She asked, making him sigh. "What are you doing here?"

 "I've been tracking down Hawkmoth," He replied, making her gasp.

 "I just saw an akuma in there!" She gasped, pointing to the building. Anatis frowned and looked inside, just as Fei ran after something. He frowned and turned to Marinette.

 "Wait here while I go and deal with this," He ordered, making her nod before he walked inside. He took out his yoyo and ran out into the garden. However, he came to a stop as his eyes widen. He recognized the place but he didn't know why. He just knew he had seen it before. He snapped out of his surprise when he saw Fei flying towards him. She landed in a well, making him frown before he rushed over and lowered his yoyo, causing her to look at him as she tried to climb up. "Grab on to this,"

 She nodded and took hold of it, causing him to pull her up and out of the well.

 "Thank you," She muttered before looking at him."Who are you?"

 "I'm Anatis,"

 "I'm Fei," She replied, looking down a little before she looked back at him. "Are-Are you one of the good guys?"

 "Yes, I am," He replied, taking his yoyo and sliding it open as it vibrated. He answered it. "Perfect timing, Kitten. I was just about to phone you,"

 "Lucky me," Lady Noir purred as he chuckled. "So I was just checking in like I said we would,"

 "As I said perfect timing," He chuckled before going seriously. "I just found Hawkmoth, which is concerning. Can you get here quickly?"

 "I'll be there in a flash," She replied before they hung up as Fei hugged herself. Anatis turned to her. 

 "Did you see where a man in a purple suit went?"

 "He broke into the cave," She gasped before going to run towards it. Anatis, however, grabbed her arm, causing her to look at him. "I need to protect it!"

 "Rushing in isn't gonna help," He replied, making her blink before he smiled at her and ran across to the water fall with her. She blinked in surprise as he walked inside with her. "Hawkmoth is after something here. Do you know what it is?"

 "It's a bracelet," She gasped, making him look at her as they walked into the cave. "Is he... bad?”

 "Yes." Anatis asked, making her nod. "He’s called Hawkmoth and is very dangerous. We need to defeat him,"

 "We?" Fei asked but she jumped as another person joined them, landing next to them. This time it was a girl dressed as a black cat. "Who are you?"

 "This is my partner, Lady Noir," He replied before holding up his hand and pointing to the colorful quarts. The three of them hid behind a rock as Hawkmoth walked over to one of the walls. His akuma was stood nearby, making Anatis frown before he glanced up at the sky. The moon turned fully red, making the beam disappear and causing the circular stone to move, revealing a seal. Anatis frowned as Hawkmoth walked over and placed the bracelet against the seal, causing Fei to gasp. 

 "That's my bracelet," She gasped, looking at him. "H-He was the one... who took it,"

 "Does it have any special features?" Lady Noir asked, making Fei shake her head.

 "I don't know," She replied, frowning. "I was just suppose to protect the cave and the bracelet... but I failed..."

 Lady Noir frowned as Fei went to move but Anatis grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back down.

 "Stay down," He ordered as a green light came from it. It began to take a form, transforming it into a statue. Anatis' eyes widen as he looked at it. "Meishi?"

 "You know that thing?" Fei asked as it began to talk. Anatis frowned and shook his head, making both girls look at him with confusion.

 "It's complicated," He hissed as Meishi turned to Hawkmoth.

 "Human, are you ready to face the judgement of Meishi, the protector of the Prodigious," It stated, making both girls look at Anatis with surprise. He shrugged before continued to watch as Meishi moved aside, letting Hawkmoth walk into the cave and retrieve the Prodigious. Anatis narrowed his eyes as he walked out. "Put the the Prodigious around your neck, human, and prepare to face my judgement,"

 "I can't let him take it," Anatis gasped, moving away as the two girls looked at him. He glanced over at them as they went to follow him but he shook his head. "Stay here,"

 He slipped past the rocks as Hawkmoth walked out of the cave.

 "What makes you think I have the slightest intention of confronting you, Guardian," He replied, walking over to his akuma as Meishi looked take back. "Silver King, it is time for me to keep my end of our deal. Use your power on him and turn him into a gold statue that will be yours to do as you wish,"

 Silver King smirked and lifted his fan as Meishi gasped.

 "What?!" He declared, looking at Hawkmoth as he walked away. "You can't do that! I forbid you!! You don't respect the rules!"

 "Rules are for the weak," Hawkmoth replied, walking away. Anatis narrowed his eyes before throwing his yoyo towards Hawkmoth. It wrapped around his feet, causing him to yell out as Anatis jumped through a large hole in the rocks. Using his weight, he lifted Hawkmoth in the air, causing him to yell out and drop the Prodigious. "No! You!!"

 "Nice to see you too, Hawkmoth," Anatis grinned as Fei ran out and grabbed the necklace. "What are you doing?!"

 "I am going to complete my father's mission!" She declared, looking to Meishi.

 "So you shall face my judgement," He replied, sitting down as Hawkmoth growled.

 "Silver King!" He yelled, making Fei and Anatis look at him. "Get me that amulet!"

 Silver King smirked and charged at her, making Fei gasped 

 "Fei!" Lady Noir shouted, rushing out. She pushed Fie out of the way but Silver King knocked her into a wall with a lot of force before he grabbed her and threw her into Anatis. He let go of Hawkmoth and tried to catch her as best as he could. "Sorry,"

 "It's fine," He replied as the two of them jumped out of the way of Silver King's attack. Anatis jumped over him and threw his yoyo at Hawkmoth, wrapping it around his cane as he stalked over to Fei. He growled and yanked his cane free before swinging at Anatis. He blocked it but Hawkmoth came in with a blow with his cane before grabbing Anatis by the neck and slamming his head into his, causing Anatis to drop to the ground. Hawkmoth lifted his cane as if to stab Anatis but he slammed his foot into his stomach, causing Hawkmoth to gasp before he jumped up. Hawkmoth growled and threw his fists again as Lady Noir blocked Silver King's attack, causing Fei to frown. She looked down at the Prodigious before narrowing her eyes and putting on the Prodigious. One by one, it's dots lit up with symbols before a glow that resembled embers came from it. She gasped in surprise as she felt an energy surge through her before slamming her right fist into her left hand. The glow moved across her body, changing her clothes in a red and orange suit with gold detail. She moved her hands upwards and over her face, creating a red mask with a golden trim and turning her eyes to gold. Her hair changed color to a pinkish red and began longer as well. She moved her arms in kung fu moves as extra detail appeared on her suit before striking a pose. Once her transformation was completely, she blinked as the Prodigious glowed and a number of small creatures appeared.

 "Greetings to our new Renren!" They yelled in union as Anatis jumped out of the way of Silver King's attack. Lady Noir jumped over him and landed a kick to Silver King but he blocked with his fan. Hawkmoth charged at Anatis, causing him to jump out the way.

 "New what?!" Fei gasped in surprise, causing the other two heroes to look at her.

 "Renren," The Dragon like one stated, making her blink. "The person who wears the Prodigious,"

 "Who are you talking to?!" Anatis asked as he wrapped his yoyo around a rock and threw it towards Hawkmoth before jumping over to her, blocking Silver King's attack.

 "Only Renren can see us," One of them explained, making her nod.

 "It has a species of magical bugs but only I can see them,"

 "Useful!" Lady Noir shouted as she jumped and wrapped her baton around Silver King's neck, causing him to try and throw her off. "I guess these magical bugs are like Kwamis!"

 "They're Renlings!" Anatis replied, blocking Hawkmoth's cane before kicking him back as Fei rose an eyebrow and when to ask how he knew that. "Don't ask because I don't know but whatever they tell you, listen!"

 "What?!" She gasped as Silver King threw off Lady Noir and charged at her, under Hawkmoth's order. She jumped away as he went to swipe at her but Lady Noir jumped up and dived at him. He blocked her with his fan again before grabbing her leg and throwing her into a wall as Anatis went head to head with Hawkmoth. Silver King swiped his fan, causing gold spikes to come towards her. 

 "Your friend is right about our name," The Praying Mantis one stated, making her blink in surprise. "We are the Renlings and represent human values,"

 "Anyone of us can transform into a wild animal," The Snake one explained, making her nod as she listened. "Provided that you are worthy of the values we represent,"

 She jumped out of the way of Silver King as he tried to attack her again before slamming her foot down. He blocked and she jumped back as Lady Noir dived in front of her and began to engage with him as the Renlings reappeared.

 "For example if you want me, Tang-Tang the Renling of Patience, to transform you into a preying mantis, you have to be patient," Tang-Tang explained, making Fei sigh.

 "Thank you but I don't have time for patience right now!" She gasped as Silver King threw Lady Noir in Anatis before trying to hit her. She jumped out of the way and landed on the ground as the bear one moved in front of her. "Huh?"

 "Xung-Xung, Renling of Calm," They stated, making her look at them like they were crazy.

 "Of calm?!" She gasped. "How can I be calm?!"

 "Calm like a bear," Xung-Xung declared, moving their paws downwards. "Big and Strong like a bear,"

 Anatis threw his yoyo towards Silver King as he charged towards her but Hawkmoth intercepted it, grabbing it. He yanked it and kicked Anatis to the ground before placing his foot on his neck as Lady Noir went to jump at him. He grabbed her and threw her down, pointing his cane at her neck. She growled and when to summon her power but before pressed on Anatis' neck.

 "Don't even think about it, Cat," He stated, pressing on Anatis' neck even more, causing him to gasp for breathe and try to get Hawkmoth off him. "You summon your power and I'll break his neck. Silver King, get me that necklace!"

 Silver King grinned and charged at Fei but she took a deep breathe and calmed herself down.

 "Xung!" She declared, causing her eyes to turn purple as one of the symbols lit up before she glowed and turned into a bear, causing Silver King to look surprised before she swiped at him, sending him flying into Hawkmoth and knocking them both into a wall. Lady Noir rushed over to Anatis as he coughed, helping him up.

 "I'm ok," He muttered before Fei came over to them in her bear form. "Thanks... um...?"

 "Lady Bear I guess," She replied, making them both nod. "What's the plan?"

 "We need to get his fan off him and destroy it," Anatis replied, taking out his yoyo and throwing it up in the air. "Lucky Charm!!"

 A ball appeared out of thin air, causing Anatis to catch it as Fei rose an eyebrow.

 "What are you gonna do with that?" She asked as Hawkmoth and Silver King got up.

 "No idea. Mind distract them while I work out how to use this?" He asked, causing both Fei and Lady Noir to nod. Lady Noir charged at Hawkmoth as Fei took on Silver King, switching forms as she did. However, she failed to transform into the dragon, making Anatis frown. "What happened?!"

 "Normally, if I can turn into a dragon, I can use all of the elements," She gasped, slithering away in her snake form. "I'd like to hit his armor with some lightening but I can't use it!"

 "The power of the dragon is the most powerful of them all," Meishi explained as Anatis dived out of the way of an attack. Lady Noir jumped at Hawkmoth, kicking before he returned the attack as Anatis looked around. He frowned as nothing lit up yet. "Your intentions need to be just and noble for you to earn the right,"

 "My intentions are noble!" She declared as she dodged Silver King. Hawkmoth grabbed Lady Noir and threw her up onto a rock before hitting it with his cane, causing it to fall on her leg and trap her. "I want revenge on the man who ruined my life!!"

 "Revenge is against the dragon's value," Meishi replied, glancing over at Fei as Hawkmoth charged at Anatis, causing him to throw the ball straight at his face before using his yoyo as a shield. "Your intentions and your judgement are troubled,"

 "Isn't revenge and justice the same thing?!" She asked as Lady Noir tried to get the rock of her leg.

 "No, it isn't," Meishi answered as Anatis tried to get to Lady Noir but Hawkmoth hit him with his cane, causing him to fall on the ground before he dived at him. Anatis rolled out of the way and jumped up.

 "Then we'll find another way to defeat him!" She shouted before turning into a monkey. She jumped at him, repeatedly hitting him and biting his armor but he grabbed her and threw her into a deep puddle before slicing one of the pillars, causing it to land on her.

 "No!" Anatis shouted as it landed, apparently crushing her. Hawkmoth laughed and turned to him as Lady Noir continued to try and free her leg. Anatis took a step back as Hawkmoth and Silver King stalked towards him.

 "Your partner is trapped and your new ally has fallen," Hawkmoth smirked as Anatis' back hit a wall. "Who thought today would be the day I get your miraculous and the prodigious? Silver King, you know what to do,"

 Silver King smirked as Anatis felt something hit his foot. He glanced down and noticed his lucky charm, causing it to light up before looking up as Lady Noir freed her foot with her baton before getting up and giving him a thumbs up. She lit up as Silver King charged at him. He lifted his fan above his head, causing it to light up before Anatis grabbed his lucky charm with his foot, kicking it up and causing it to knock Silver King's fan out of his hand. Lady Noir dived down towards it, wrapping her hand around it.

 "Cataclysm!" She shouted, causing it to turn to dust before she landed in front of Anatis as he kicked the ball up and caught it before catching the akuma in his yoyo and releasing the purified one. Silver King stumbled back and turned back into Cash as Fei slithered from beneath the pillar, moving over to them as Anatis swung his yoyo around. Lady Noir took out her baton as Hawkmoth looked down. "You're alone against the three of us, Hawkmoth,"

 "It's over," Fei declared, turning into a bear but Anatis frowned.

 "Something isn't right,"

 "Always so prospective, Anatis," Hawkmoth declared as he lifted his hand. A second akuma landed on his finger, making the three of them frown. "I think it is over for you,"

 He suddenly threw the akuma away from him. Anatis threw his yoyo but just missed as it entered Meishi's orb, making them gasp.

 "Meishi!" He shouted, causing Hawkmoth to laugh.

 "Not anymore," He replied as the butterfly mask appeared on them. "Yan Woshi, I am Hawkmoth. You're certainly not going to let this little girl who thinks vengeance is the same thing as justice, be the holder of your prodigious, are you?"

 "Hawkmoth, no!" Anatis shouted, stepping forward before looking to Meishi. "Meishi, don't listen to him!!"

 "I will give you the power to reclaim the Prodigious," He declared, ignoring Anatis. "In return, all I ask is for you to help me squash this annoying bug and his friends,"

 "Meishi! Don't!!" Anatis gasped but his cries went unheard.

 "As the infernal demon Yan Woshi, I will sow carnage and destruction until she gives me back the Prodigious!" He declared, transforming into a hulking, red creature as the three of them stepped back in horror. The four of them ran out of the cave as it burst through it, causing Anatis to grab Cash and throw his yoyo up as Yan Woshi lifted himself up and swallowed the ball that contained his akuma, making them frown. He yanked on it and pulled them up to safety as Lady Noir and Fei landed next to him before rolling on the ground as Hawkmoth jumped over to Yan Woshi. Anatis jumped up and threw his yoyo, hitting Hawkmoth and making him look at him. "Tremble, humans!"

 "You idiot!" He shouted, causing Hawkmoth to look at him in surprise. "You don't know what you've done!"

 "Give me your miraculous and I-" He started before noticing Yan Woshi was heading towards the city. "Yan Woshi! I order you to destroy Anatis, not the city!!"

 Yan Woshi ignored him, causing Hawkmoth to growl.

 "Yan Woshi! Stop or I'll take back your powers!" He declared, causing Yan Woshi to turn towards him. He smirked and turned to Anatis, pointing at him as Anatis took a step back, gesturing for the girls to do the same. "Now, attack-"

 "I take orders from no one!" He shouted, firing at Hawkmoth with his red eye beam. Hawkmoth shielded himself but it was too late. He turned to Anatis as he gasped.

 "Anatis! Help me!" He shouted before screaming as he turned to red dust, causing the three of them to blink as Yan Woshi headed towards the city. 

 "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Lady Noir asked as their miraculous beeped, causing Anatis to frown.

 "We need to recharge and then we need to stop him. We have to find a way to get that ball," He declared before running off. He hid behind a rock as he detransformed and gave Tikki a cookie. He saw a blink of green light from a rock nearby before sighing and turning to Tikki, handing her a cookie before taking one for himself. He would need the energy. "How do we fight a dragon spirit that has been akumatized?"

 "You're gonna need help," She gasped as she ate a cookie, making him nod.

 "Fei will have to help us," He muttered, frowning. "Is this why Feng locked up the Prodigious?"

 "I don't know," Tikki frowned as he finished his cookie. "But it's a good job we came here. Imagine if Hawkmoth had gotten to Prodigious or unleashed that thing on the city,"

 "I don't want to," He replied as she finished her cookie. "Charged up?"

 "Ready when you are," She smiled as he swiped his earrings and transformed before jumping back over to Fei, who was looking down.

 "You ok?" He asked, making her jump as she looked at him before nodding as Lady Noir jumped over. Anatis frowned as her song was one of guilt and sorrow before turning to the two of them. "Ok, we're gonna need all three of us to defeat him,"

 "Right!" Lady Noir grinned, spinning her baton. "We need to get to the city fast,"

 "Space power ups," Anatis replied, reaching into his yoyo and retrieving a purple macaron. "We can fly there,"

 "Good idea," Lady Noir nodded, taking a chunk of purple cheese before the two of them ate them, transforming into Asteroid and Lady Cosmic. "Fei, you got a way to fly or do you need a lift?"

 "Oh," She muttered, frowning. "I can fly. Ying!"

 She turned into a bird before the three of them flew towards the city. Anatis frowned as Yan Woshi continued to destroy the city before pointing to one of the buildings. Lady Noir nodded and the three of them flew over before landing on the building.

 "Spots off," He declared as Lady Noir said Claws in, turning them back to their normal selves as Fei landed next to them. Anatis threw his yoyo, wrapping it around Yan Woshi before Lady Noir dived at him. However, he grabbed her and threw her into the floor before yanking Anatis towards him. Anatis yelled as he flew by before landing in a tree as Fei jumped off the building and turned back in her bird form. She flew over to Yan Woshi and transformed into a tiger. She landed on his nose and tried to scratch him but he grabbed her and threw her to the ground before firing his beam at her. She managed to turn into a horse and run from it before hiding behind a newspaper stand. She looked behind it before gasping and looking away.

 "This is all my fault," She gasped with tears in her eyes.

 "Give me back the Prodigious!" Yan Woshi declared, walking towards her as Anatis climbed down from the tree. He swiped back the stand, making her gasp as she stepped away. "You're not worthy of wearing it!"

 His eyes charged up but before he could hit her, Anatis grabbed a piece of metal and threw it at him, causing Yan Woshi to turn to him and fire his beam at him. Anatis jumped back but Yan Woshi slammed his fist down on the ground, sending a shock wave that knocked Anatis onto the ground before firing at him.

 "Annie!" Lady Noir gasped as she ran and pushed him out of the way, taking the hit.

 "Lady Noir!!" Anatis screamed as he tried to grab her as she screamed, turning to dust. He felt to his knees as tears filled his eyes before letting out a scream, his eyes turning silver as he did. Yan Woshi turned his attention back to Fei as his eyes charged up and fired at her but Anatis suddenly slammed his feet into his face, making him stumble and causing the beam to narrow miss her. She gasped and turned back into the bird, flying off as Anatis landed on the ground, looking up at Yan Woshi with glowing silver eyes. He jumped out of the way of the beam and threw his yoyo, pulling himself onto a building as Yan Woshi went back to destroying the city. He punched a wall before hearing a bird. He looked up and noticed Fei landed on the balcony below him before turning back into herself and curling up as she began to cry. 

 Talk to her.... He nodded and jumped down, de-transforming as she hugged her knees. She looked up and wiped her eyes before gasping as she looked at him.

 "Y-You," She gasped in surprise as he walked over. "Who are you?!"

 "Luka,"

 "But what are you doing here?!" She gasped. "You should try and find safety,"

 "Your song called to me," He replied, making her blink before he looked at the Renlings too. He was a little surprised he could see them but he would worry about that later. "And so did theirs,"

 "Y-You can see them?" She gasped as he nodded. "B-But how?"

 "It doesn't matter," He replied, sitting next to her. "You know this isn't the first time I've seen destruction like this. Back at home, we face things like this every day,"

 "Re-Really?" She asked, making him nod. "I caused this..."

 "How?" He asked, making her look at him.

 "I was selfish and took this to take vengeance on the man who ruined my life," She answered, showing him the Prodigious. "Instead, I messed up. I tried to rob you, I robbed a really sweet girl, I lied to her and everything that is happened is my fault. I can't do anything right. I can't even use the dragon's power right and it's what we need to get the ball but... Yan Woshi is right...I'm not worthy of it..."

 "I disagree," He replied, making her look at him in surprise. "Besides, he's an akumatized villain. He isn't in his right mind,"

 "It doesn't change that I'm not worthy," She replied, frowning. "My father would be so ashamed. I wanted vengeance on the man who took my father from me and destroyed my life, despite the fact that my father wouldn't want me to. He would have wanted me to do good but instead I've brought ruin onto Shanghai because I couldn't move on! How can I ever come back from that,"

 "By trying to do the right thing," Luka replied, making her look at him again. "People make mistakes but that isn't what defines us. What defines us is how we try to fix them. Yes, you messed up but you have a chance to change that. You can help save this city. You just have to accept that you made a mistake and try to fix it,"

 "You really think I can do that?" She asked, wiping her eyes as he placed her hand on her shoulder. She looked at him as he gave her a smile before nodding. "Thank you,"

 She smiled before looking at the Renlings but before they say anything, Yan Woshi walked towards them and glared at them.

 "My Prodigious," He growled, making them jump. Fei transformed back into her super form as Yan Woshi growled and fired his beam at the building, causing it to break. Luka jolted forward as the brickwork gave way and began to plummet towards the ground as Fei fell after him. 

 "Luka!" She screamed as she tried to reach him. She wanted to save him. She had to save him. Despite her trying to steal from him and barely knowing her, he believed in her. He believed she can fix her mistake. A complete stranger who had no reason to believe in her yet did. She would not let him die. "Long!!"

 She transformed into the dragon and flew towards him, weaving wind around him and stopping him from falling. She directed the wind to a building, causing him to land on there before she flew over to Yan Woshi. 

 Well done, Luka... Luka nodded as he watched Fei try to reason with Meishi and redirected water towards him while she flew around. He fired at her but she pushed it back with lightening breathe, making Luka step back. He hid behind a building and transformed back into Anatis before throwing up his yoyo.

 "Lucky Charm!!" He shouted, summoning a mink vase. He gasped and caught it before placing it down. "Really?"

 He shook his head before looking back over to the scene. Fei lit up then the water and finally the vase. He smirked and moved over to the edge, just as Yan Hoshi overpowered Fei. She flew away from him and used her power to wrap him in water.

 "Calm down, Meishi," She gasped. "I don't want to hurt you. I'm not here to destroy you or to satisfy my revenge. I only want to save you and bring you back to your senses!"

 "I am no longer Meishi!" He declared, breaking free from the water and running towards her. "I am Yan Woshi!!"

 He went to punch her but she flew out of the way. However, he turned around and punched her out of the sky, sending her fly as she scream. Anatis threw his yoyo and wrapped it around her, pulling him towards him before catching her and putting her down.

 "Anatis?!" She gasped. "You're alive?!"

 "Of course, I am," He smiled but she noticed his eyes were silver, just like Luka's. She frowned but decided not to say anything about it as he leaned onto the vase. "And I have a gift for Yan Woshi,"

 "Red with black spots?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Funny design for a vase,"

 "That's because it isn't a normal vase," He replied, making her tilt her head, "It is our solution,"

 He suddenly jumped into it, surprising her.

 "As I said it's a gift for Yan Woshi," He smirked, pulling himself up as she gave him a questioning look. "Think of it as one big pill that requires a lot of water to swallow if you get my drift,"

 "Oooh... that's insane," She replied, making him laugh. "You're insane,"

 "Of course I am. How else would I get my crazy plans to work," He replied, making her laugh before he grinned at her. "Mind getting me to the river?"

 "No problemo," She grinned as her eyes glowed. "Long!"

 She transformed into the dragon before using the wind to move the vase into the river as Yan Woshi continued to destroy stuff.

 "Are you sure this will work?" She asked as she flew towards him.

 "I'm sure," He replied, disappearing into the vase as she called for Yan Woshi's attention. Once he was facing her, she flew around the vase at a high speed, causing the water to lift it up before directing the stream toward Yan Woshi, forcing it into his mouth and down into his stomach. Once in there, Anatis threw out his yoyo, hitting the ball and causing it to crack before the butterfly flew up and Yan Woshi threw up the water, along with the vase. Anatis stepped out of it and smirked. "Ta da! Now where's that akuma?"

 He took out his yoyo and opened it before catching the akuma with it. He freed it once purified as Yan Woshi turned back into Meishi before Fei flew back over and landed in front of him.

 "What happened?" Meishi asked before looking at her. "You mastered the powers of the dragon?"

 "Yes..." She replied, smiling before gesturing to Anatis. "With some help,"

 Meishi smiled a little before looking up and gasping as he saw the destruction of the city.

 "I did that?" He asked, causing Anatis to step forward. "I have failed my mission,"

 "No, you haven't," Anatis stated, making him look at him. "Hawkmoth took advantage of you but that's what he does.... and fixing this is what I do..."

 "Fixing it?" Fei asked as she looked at him. "You can do that?"

 "Of course," He smiled, lifting the vase as Fei watched. He smiled and nodded to it, causing her to help him throw it up into the air. "Miraculous Ladybugs!"

 The vase burst into the cure and flew around Shanghai, fixing the damage and bringing back the dead. It swarmed around one area before moving away and leaving Lady Noir in it's place. Anatis rushed over, tackling into a hug before she could even blink.

 "Annie!" She gasped, hugging him back.

 "Kitten," He gasped, looking at her as his eyes turned back to his normal color. "I thought I lose you,"

 "Nah, you can't get rid of me that easily," She grinned but he hugged her again, causing her to hug him back before they walked over to Fei. "Aww, Meishi's back,"

 "You overcame your mistakes and renounced your vengeance," Meishi stated, looking at Fei. "You have all the human values required. The Prodigious is in good hands with you, Renren,"

 "Thank you, Meishi," She smiled before he turned to Anatis.

 "And you," He stated, making Anatis to look at him. "The answers you seek are in Fuzanglong Waterfall, where the Prodigious rested..."

 "Oh! That's why it was called Dragon's Cave!" He gasped, making both girls look at him as Meishi bowed to them and disappeared into green dust. "It's a long story but we should head back to the cave regardless. Hawkmoth has probably gone by now but Cash is still there,"

 ~Fuzanglong Waterfall~

 "It is time for justice," Fei stated as she stalked over to him. Lady Noir and Anatis just stood there, waiting for her to do her thing.

 "W-Wait we can forget the past?!" Cash gasped as she glared at him. "Just tell me what you want? I'll give you anything!"

 Fei walked over causing him to panic.

 "Wait!" He gasped, flinching. "I swear I'll do whatever you want!"

 "You destroyed my father's school, made me an orphan then forced me to steal for you!" She growled as he looked at her with surprise before she stood up and turned back into her normal self. "Because of you, I renounced what my father had taught me to find the man who took him from me but it was you all along! You are the source of all my misfortune and for what?! Money! There is no words that describe what you are but today I have decided..."

 She turned around before directing a kick at him, making him gasp and hold up his fan. Not that it did any good. It broke from the impact of her kick, despite that it never touched him.

 "To let justice take it's course," She replied, lowering her leg as the two heroes grinned at her. She took a deep breathe as the Renlings appeared to her, congratulating her on been wise enough to let justice take it's course. She transformed back into Lady Dragon as she had taken to calling herself before taking the bracelet from the wall and putting it back on with a smile before it began to glow green before a small lion like creature appeared. It was dark blue with a light blue mane and red eyes.

 "It's not too late!" It declared, making the heroes gasp. "I was wondering if you would put it back on,"

 "Meishi!" The three of them gasped, causing him to smile.

 "You thought my mission was over?" He asked before shaking his head. "No, it's just begun,"

 "Anatis, Lady Noir," Lady Dragon smiled as she turned to them. "Thank you for everything... but Anatis... I'm not sure what you're looking for but Meishi said it was in here?"

 She turned back to him as he nodded before flying over to Anatis. 

 "Can you show me?" Anatis asked, holding up his hands so Meishi could sit in them. 

 "It's over there but only the one who has the soul of the phoenix can unlock it," He replied, making Anatis look over at wall. He turned towards it and walked over before placing his hand on it. At first nothing happened but then golden lines came from Anatis' hand and spread across the wall, forming the image of a bird before the wall cracked and opened. Anatis walked inside and picked up the item before unfolding the cloth, revealing a book with a phoenix drawn on it. He stepped outside before the wall closed as Meishi flew over to him. "So it was you I sensed,"

 "Me?" Anatis asked, frowning. "Wait sensed?"

 "I felt it as soon as you entered this cave," Meishi replied, making him frown. "You are something else, Anatis,"

 "I'd say," Lady Noir grinned, walking over and leading on his shoulder. "But I wouldn't change him for the world,"

 "Thank you," He smiled before turning to Meishi. "This... am I ok to keep it?"

 "It is yours, Móshù zhīzǐ," He replied, bowing to him. "Come, Renren. We have much to do,"

 "Right," She grinned, transforming into her bird form before she grabbed Cash and flew out, making him scream out before Anatis put the book in his yoyo.

 "Sorry for dropping in your holiday," He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

 "It's fine," She giggled. "I'm glad you were here...but I should get back to my holiday. See you later, Annie,"

 "Bye," He smiled as he waved to her as she ran out of the cave. "Well, time to get back to Marinette,"

 ~Uncle Chen's Home, A Couple of Days later~

 "Ah, Marinette, could you get the door?" Cheng asked as the door rang. Fei was helping set up the table and Bastille was helping Cheng. Marinette nodded and opened the door, gasping as she did.

 "Luka!" She gasped, hugging him before letting go. "Oh no! I didn't turn up to lunch!! I'm so sorry!!"

 "It's fine," He smiled before taking out her purse and things including her Kwagatama, causing her eyes to water a little. She took her purse and put it back on before putting the necklace back on.

 "I can't believe you got them back," She gasped, hugging him again. "Me and Fei thought they were gone forever! Oh, you haven't met her, have you?! Fei!!"

 She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. 

 "Fei! This is my bo- I mean friend... This is my... Luka! This is Luka," She gasped, blushing as Fei looked at him in surprise. "Luka, this is my new friend Fei. We got off on the wrong foot but she's really cool. Thought you already know that cause it's you,"

 "She has a nice song," He smiled, making Marinette grin as Fei stared. "It's nice to meet you, Fei. I'm Luka Couffaine,"

 "L-Likewise," She nodded before Cheng came over.

 "Luka, it's good to see you," He gasped, hugging him.

 "Thank you, Mr Cheng," He gasped, smiling before turning to Marinette. "Dad said gave me an extra ticket so if you want we could bring Fei?"

 "Oh yes!!" She gasped, turning to Fei, who looked at her with surprise. "We've got VIP tickets to Jagged Stone's show. Want to come with us?!"

 "Really?" She gasped as they nodded. "Sure,"

 "Oh, I got this for you," Luka stated, handing Cheng a small gift. "Marinette told me it was your birthday yesterday so I hope you don't mind. It's not much,"

 "Not at all," He smiled, opening it. It wasn't much but it was a bar of rich dark chocolate, making Cheng smile. "Thank you, Luka. I can use this for one of my dishes. Will you join us for dinner? Marinette made most of it,"

 "I would love to if you don't mind," He smiled, making Cheng laugh.

 "Have a seat,"

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

[commsroom]

if we’re sharing maxwell opinions, my possibly controversial one is that “maybe i saw you as a friend, but the colonel and daniel were family” says a lot about hera, but next to nothing about maxwell. like. it’s an imagined line said by a dead woman, from the perspective of someone who is coming to terms with the fact she may never have actually known her at all.

the conversations in boléro are all about the stories we tell ourselves in order to grieve, to find some answers to the questions left behind by people who... “how could you just... just do that, and then be gone?” ... but. they’re just stories. and any one of those stories seeks to... emotionally simplify things, because it’s a complicated situation, and hera wishes she could decide how she feels about maxwell now. if she hates her or not. if she can empathize with or understand her at all. because if maxwell saw her as a friend, it’s so much harder, and so much worse, for hera to imagine a situation in which that is true and maxwell could still have done what she did to her, of her own free will. and in that context, i think that particular line is an interesting story for hera to consider telling herself.

or, to put it another way: hera saw maxwell as a friend. she put her trust in maxwell, something that’s very difficult for her to do, and put herself at risk to defend her. but if it actually came down to it. life or death. ... do you really think she would’ve chosen maxwell over eiffel and minkowski? because i really, really don’t.

[snacc-noir]

Unseal and Reveal pt2

Ao3

Part 1

Adapted from this post

Summary:

Adrien asks Marinette to fake date him after his father finds a pink ‘love note’ containing just her name on it

— but it was really the emergency note Ladybug gave him in case he needed to know her identity

Adrien has screwed up. 

But before anything begins, he’d like to make it very clear that he’s only ever had good intentions, believable smiles, and incredible lying ability – no matter what his friends say (“You once told Alya you had a great dentist so Marinette wouldn’t be suspicious”), because he’s kept the fact he’s Chat Noir under wraps and no one has been the wiser. 

Then again, Chat Noir is stylish, handsome, incredibly dressed, insanely hilarious, im(pecc)ably ripped, totally— 

Yeah, so Adrien just can’t live up to that (If it came down to it, he’d totally fall in love with himself if circumstances allowed.), and thus his identity is pretty secure , unlike his self-esteem on a good day. 

Specifically, today. 

Because he has screwed up.  

So yes, he’s somehow the best and worst liar ever, which probably likens to how it isn’t his secret identity that he Accidentally (three underlines for ‘accidentally’) reveals, but, uh, someone else’s. 

Ladybug’s. 

He knows Ladybug’s identity.  

But hey! Hey— remember, her idea. It was never him who suggested the ‘let’s write our names on letters in case we need to know in an emergency’, as that was definitely her. 

He’s screwed everything up, but it was definitely her. 

“Did you know? ” 

“Duh,” his kwami’s gravel voice says, “I know everything.” 

Adrien’s hands are rousing his hair so much at this point he might expose himself as Chat Noir if anyone went by his lean windows. “You knew this whole time!? That Ladybug is– That she’s– That—”  

All air escapes him in a corrupt elongated syllable. He flops on his Extra King size bed with silk sheets and fluffed pillows, almost knocking his model agency’s branded hydro-flask onto the desk adjacent with three exorbitant monitor screens. Oh, how difficult his life is.  

“You’re so pathetic.” 

He is.  

“This is hilarious.” 

It is not.  

‘“What am I supposed to do, Plagg?! Call her? ‘Hey love of my life, it’s me Adrien, but you also know me as Chat Noir. I accidentally found out your identity and long story short, my household thinks we’re dating and wants you over for dinner. Are you up for fake-dating and not killing me, please?” 

His kwami skulls a camembert roll. “I’m down for that idea.” 

Adrien pegs a sock. 

“How are you so calm?” 

“I shrugged in the face of dinosaur extinction. Your damsel in distress crisis – you’re the damsel, by the way – and ‘oohhh no, I’m so in love’ hullabaloo is nothing.” 

Adrien’s frown deepens. “I don’t sound like that.” 

“You do. Your voice goes like eee .” 

“What? No it doesn’t” 

“You’re right, it’s more like ahhh . ” 

The heat in Adrien’s acid eyes smarten. He crosses his arms, huffing in a way he hasn’t since early childhood, and glares at his ceiling. “I’m done talking to you.” 

He isn’t, of course, as there’s only one person in his life he can complain to about his array of #RelatableTeenBoy issues, like ditching your favourite topic of Physics one class to cater to a Giant Baby akuma (again) and being late due to lack of places to change into your skin-tight cat suit (you know; just those little things). And by Hawk Moth’s insufferable menacing he isn’t letting that outlet fall from under him. He needs to clear his thoughts, because believe him, there is a lot to sift, and it doesn’t help when part of this whole catastrophe has left him with the knowledge that— 

“Marinette is Ladybug!” 

Plagg has moved to Adrien’s three-panelled computer desk and is clicking through something. “I’m so glad you’ve caught up.” 

“And if she’s Ladybug, that means,” he goes on, white overshirt sleeves now uneven as he animates his words with a pillow, “she was just saying to me – to Chat – she was in love with him to save her identity! And there’s another boy she’s in love with! And–! And I might know who it is!” 

“Who?” Plagg asks, the volume juxtaposing his welder’s. 

“I said 'might’.” 

The keys click louder. “You mean because you know Ladybug in real life you could have met him before? Or you actually know him?” 

“I don’t know! I just know that Marinette’s… She’s in love with another guy.” The earlier exhilaration drains and his chest feels hollow and soul-sucking. “Wait– I can’t ask her to be my fake-girlfriend!” 

The destructive god scrolls through the itemised shopping cart to double-check his fromage orders without any fear of his owner noticing. Well you obviously don’t have a choice. Your dad wants her over for dinner. Besides, it’s Ladybug, remember? She’ll do anything to help a friend out.” 

Ladybug. 

Marinette. 

Of course.  

There are still many things that don’t add up (Multimouse: just how?) but of course. 

He can’t risk his own identity and hers to his father. He must keep the façade up. And if that mean s falling on his knees in front of who unarguably should be the most glorified woman in the world, crying to her to please just be his fake – very much, but unfortunately fake – girlfriend.  

He will. 

He’ll do it right now. 

- 

“I can’t believe you chickened out.” 

Walks to school, even with the cost of waking up earlier, are always more refreshing than drives in cold silence. The freedom here is less pale, and he can hiss at Plagg all he wants with only the dignity loss of onlookers noticing him crankily talking to himself. 

“Oh wait, yes I can. Because you’re a coward~. ” 

“I did not ‘chicken out’,” Adrien snaps. “And I’m no coward. I just— I need to speak to her in person instead. This way, she didn’t have to receive an unwanted call so late.” 

 “You mean six?” 

He huffs. “Marinette needs all the sleep she can get.” He pokes the creature back into his overshirt. “She’s always so busy. Even you’ve seen her collapse in class. Wait—!” 

The only one that waits is himself, columned with the line of trees ahead, locked in the interval of his soap opera as his audience darts for a shiny rock near a fire hydrant. 

“Because she’s Ladybug too! Of course! Of course! This makes so much sense! She’s so tired and overworked! It’s no wonder she’s all over the place – in the best of ways, I mean, she’s literally adorable when she’s frantic. Wait, have I always thought that? Have I always seen Marinette as the cutest thing ever? Her spluttering is so endearing. And if she’s already so tired, I can’t make her fake date me, too! She’s already so stressed! I’d literally be the scum of the earth if I even dare—” 

Plagg is staring at him with flat interest. Humbly aware of his judgement, Adrien swallows, letting the air untense and clams his hands – eager to narrate his animated allegory – in his pockets in strife to get a grip.  

He sighs. 

“What if I mess it up, Plagg?” 

He inventories his new rock in Adrien’s satchel. A hymn of silence roots in the place of what should be a snide remark. But there is no fed-up comment, just a kwami wriggling under his overshirt out of sight and a solemn voice that issues from it,  

“Kid, you’re partners. You work together. You forgive each other. You trust each other. And if Ladybug trusts you,” he sticks his head out a little more, “find it in you to trust yourself. You won’t mess this up if you put her and her identity’s safety first, which I know you will, because you love her and you’re a great hero.” 

Adrenaline dampening, Adrien smiles.  

“Thanks, Plagg.” 

- 

Marinette has never believed in bad luck until she met Chat Noir (fifty Mr Pigeon akumatisations this year with a feather allergy? The next lucky charm is going to be an Epi-pen) and for a while, she didn’t believe in good luck, even with being Ladybug. 

But that was then. Back then, meaning like, ten minutes ago before she was invited to stay back after PE by Adrien. 

Right now, though? Right now, she’s decided she’s going to hand-sew a bedazzled shirt embossed with, “Goddess of Luck” to wear while Ladybug on patrol (and on the back, a quote she woke up to on Instagram this morning: ‘“can also kick ass” – Adrien Agreste’ (she took ten screenshots when he posted that)), because Marinette has good luck.   

“You’ll be doing me a huge favour,” the ass-kicking quoter says on an afternoon she has not planned to receive the most exciting request of her life. 

And you know what she says? 

You know what the stuttering girl who may as well trademark the word ‘GAH’ she falls that much, says? 

You’ll never guess. 

No really, you won’t. 

Because turns out, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is more than just accomplished. 

So what if she thrones the winning title of a Gabriel fashion comp? What even matters of being class president and an all-around likable person? Who takes notice of another fashion mogul inviting you to live in New York because of your talent? ––An invitation you had to decline because, you know, being Paris’ zero-pay superheroine has a sprinkle more of importance. And oh, did she mention she’s Ladybug? Because she’s Ladybug. A superhero.  

But none of that matters right now. 

“I’d be happy to help.” 

Because she’s said yes.  

She—Marinette McStutter Dupain-Cheng—has said yes with her mouth (not vague hand animations over blubbering nonsense) to Adrien, and although her muscles are locked with their key over the Eiffel tower (and the tiny detail that her thoughts are screaming so much she can’t hear a thing of his relief and numerous ‘thank you’s), she’s still said yes!  

Screw every other accomplishment. She’s said yes to being Adrien’s fake girlfriend. 

Ladybug? Nah, that’s Mrs. Fake Agreste to you.  

Good luck is real.  

Okay but sure, ‘Fake girlfriend’ doesn’t exactly live up to ‘Very real girlfriend’, but being a fake isn’t that bad! She’s seen Lila do it every day for months – oh, hang on, no actually the term ‘fake’ has very negative and huge implications, then. However, in Marinette’s heavenly-blessed case, ‘fake’ means she’s doing a very big favour for a friend and is going to get more time with Adrien – just to name a few positives.  

“Seriously Marinette, you have no idea how much this means to me. I can’t believe I’m so lucky to have a friend like you.” 

‘Oh honey, I’m the lucky one. ’ 

“It’s– It’s no problem! Yeah! Really, I’ll come to dinner, no problem! It can’t be too hard. I can be your girlfriend! Eugh– Pretend girlfriend. It’s not hard being in love with you! I mean– Ugh!” 

The monstrosity that is the never-shutting-up hole in her face is blocked off by frantic hands, stifling the last of her eloquent groan. But peering up, she realises she really has underestimated how much this means to Adrien, because he looks like he’s poised on a cliff of ecstasy ready to fall – eyes verdant, big, and lushed over with a hue of moisture that twinkles, and a smile so bright and toothy the sunlight hollowing out the remaining shade of the PE stadium glints off it.  

In fact, her mess of a speech is such a compliment to Adrien that her locked-limbed body is suddenly engulfed by his. Startled in delightful senses of the word, she squeaks, and he quickly pulls away, face a few rose tones darker than before as his hands twitch at his side unsurely. 

“Uhh, I guess we have to get planning.” 

She watches in transfixed attraction as Adrien picks both their schoolbags up, finally blurting (without any squeak, she may add), 

“Y–Yes. We do.” 

(she didn’t say any stutter, so shut up.) 

“Would your father let you come over right now since school’s almost finished?” 

He casts a look to the exit thoughtfully. His flawless side-profile in high resolution before her, she sees the corner of his mouth quirk up in an unsettling familiar way, as if his whole charisma shifts to someone else’s.  

They do need to plan; to run away together, where only they share this odd secret - a place alone together where they'll look each other eye-to-eye and practice their sonnets of love to construct a believable facade for his father-

“It’s more fun sneaking to my girlfriend’s house, isn’t it?” 

That time, she squeaks.

And comes to the daunting realisation:

Marinette is screwed. 

[jasmehraj]

We are just friends

A song fic where Adrien is an honorary brother and Gabriel is an honorary uncle. Yes you read it right. Friends by Anne Marie and Marshmallow

_______________________________________________________________                                                                            

Ohhh Oh ohhh woh,

oh ohhh ohh woh,

Marinette was happily singing while doing embroidery of beautiful tulips 🌷on her newest commission. The trap door opened to reveal Adrien but she didn't notice. He came from behind her and covered her eyes,"Adrien let go, this commission is very important."

"Don't you like to see your romantic soulmate M'lady." Her eye twitched. She sighed and covered her face with her hands.

Ooohhh oohh oohh woh,

Oooo oooo Oooo ohh Woh.

Damian had just landed in Paris to see his beloved. She of course didn't know. He made his way towards Le Grande Hotel of Paris. He was standing tapping his foot on the floor impatiently while Dick was checking in.

"Damikins." A voice exclaimed. He growled in frustration and dodged as yellow blur tried to hug him. Chloe Bourgeois was kissing the ground as she got up and groaned with pain.

"This is not a way to greet me damikins."

You say you love me,

I say you crazy,

We're noting more than friends.

"Adrien stop that." She said clearly frustrated as Adrien confessed for a hundredth time this week. "Did you not like the flowers M'lady? Or do you want a real kiss instead of a chocolate kisses?" Adrien had a cheeky smile on his face. They had revealed each other's identity in the last battle. Who happened to be her honorary uncle Gabriel. Adrien is still stuck on the soulmate thing. She sighed a bone crushing sigh.

"Bourgeois, we were over this. I do not love you and you do not love me." His patience was wearing thin. "Oh come on damikins, who else will be good enough for you?" Dick was trying to control his laughter but he was miserably failing. The traitor Damian thought.

You're not my lover,

More like a brother.

I know you since we were like 10.

Marinette had first met Adrien when she was 10. Her mother came with him to get some pastries from the most famous bakery of Paris. They became friends quickly. She often went to play with him to his eyes where she met Gabriel. She gushed about how she wanted to be a fashion designer like him someday. Both Emilie and Gabriel had smiled at her. They both winner each other's families heart very easily. "Adrien you are like a brother to me I am like a sister to you and as a matter of fact I have a boyfriend." He was getting difficult to handle. "Keep telling yourself that M'lady." He winked and grinned. She sighed, today was going to be a very long day.

Damian met Chloe at a gala. No matter how many times he tried to lose her, she somehow came back he is surprised that he didn't kill her as he was fresh out of the league. "I have a girlfriend bourgeois and she is much more worthy than you." This was getting ridiculous. Normally he wouldn't insult her but he was just so done. "I am much more worthy than anyone else on the planet ditch her." She said flipping her hair. "No." He plainly replied and walked towards his room.

YEAH,

Lila was getting annoying with time and her classmates also showed their level of stupidity. So, she pulled out the big guns. She recorded her lies, her threats and the amount of evidence on ladyblog was laughable if not sad. She called her clients who happened to be the people that she lied about. She and all her clients threw restraining orders and law suits on her face. She was confirmed to be working with hawkmoth. If Marinette used kwamis help to record her conversation with hawkmoth, well, no one needs to know that. Lila spilled the beans that hawky was actually uncle Gabriel.

They were made aware of the situation of Paris by Ladybug. One day when they were casually sitting in the cave when an emergency alert came from the computer. "It's the watchtower." They all went through the Zeta, only to see a girl in bright red suit handing green lantern his ass. That's how he met her.

Don't mess it up,talking that shit,

Only gonna push me away,

That's it.

She was getting anxious with every growing second. It took everything in her yo not punch him right there, in his pretty little face. She took deep breaths to calm down. Sure she loved him. He is her best friend but this was getting ridiculous. "Adrien get out. I need to finish this commission today."

Damian glared at Chloe once more as she tried to kiss him again. "Stop that Bourgeoise." "Stop what Damikins?" "I have been blessed with a name, use it." He went inside his room and locked it. "Having problems, Little D?" The idiot dick had the audacity to laugh. "Tt. I am going to take Habibiti to a date tomorrow. It's our 3 year anniversary." He plainly said ignoring the starry look in his brother's eyes. "But I need you to make sure that Bourgeois doesn't crash my date....." He added reluctantly. "The magic words." Dick said not looking up from his phone, trying to look serious but the smirk on his face gave it away. "Tt. Please Grayson. Happy now." He growled out. "Yes." He said, still grinning like an idiot. Damian huffed and started his preparation for his date.

When you say you love me,

That makes me CRAZY.

Here we go again.....

Marinette was sewing when there was a knock on the trap-door. "M'lady, here you go." Marinette whipped her head to face him. He was standing there, covered in flour with odd shaped macaroons in his hands. She decided not to comment. She got back to work. He looked at her clearly not happy, "Purrrrincess, I made macaroons for you." Still nothing. He frowned,"Purrincess." "I'mmabusy. Getlost." He didn't understand her word vomit."Repeat it again bugaboo." She started the music and sang:

Damian was reserving everything for his anniversary when Chloe came in. No, he didn't give her permission. He simply said,"Get out." She looked like she was going to argue, but he threw a bat-glare her way which made her recoil a bit. Key word A BIT. He stood up and used his finger to point at her as he sang:

Don't go look at me

With that look in your eye.

"But M'lady."

"Damikins, I-"

They continued, shutting them:

You're really ain't going

away without a fight!

"Marinette you want me to sing with you?" She ran a hand through her hair.

"Oh Damikins stop it." He growled.

And they continued singing.

You can't be reasoned with,

I'm done being polite.

"Marinette your voice is beautiful. You wrote it yourself?" His comment fell on deaf years.

"Damikins. Where did you get this stupid song from?"

They continued singing as they pulled out their phones.

I've told you

1,2,3,4,5,6 thousand times!

She made gestures with her hands. Her phone tinged. It was message from Damian,"Be at the Eiffel tower at 7 tomorrow morning." She smiled.

Damian's phone tinged with a message from his malak. "Ok , but why?"

Chloe chose the moment to interrupt but before she could say anything, his face formed a scowl. He started singing again.

Haven't I made it obvious?

Marinette sang:

Haven't I made it clear?

They both sang with the music. Equally furious. They pushed the respective intruders towards the door.

Want me to spell it out for you?

F-R-I-E-NDS

Adrien took her advice and leaved her alone but she knew that's not the case, he's sitting on the balcony, listening to her. Alya entered her room for girl's night along with Rose, Alex and Juleka. She sang loudly. Her friends humming.

Chloe did leave but Damian sang to himself as the music continued to play. Dick also humming.

Haven't I made it obvious?(Oooh oooh ooh woh)

Haven't I made it clear?(Oooh ooh ooh woh)

Want me to spell it out for you?(Oooh ooh ooh woh)

F-R-I-EN-D-S(Oooh ooh ooh woh)

F-R-I-EN-D-S

Adrien left at that and she sighed in relief. She told her friends about her latest commission and they chatted, played games and soon it was 1 am. Marinette shot,"Guys! we need to sleep. I have to go to Eiffel Tower at 7 tomorrow." "Why girl?" Alya questioned. "No why's or but's sleep now." They all obeyed. No one had enough strength to deal with Mari's wrath as they put it.

Damian was panicking. She is not going to get mad. Will she? He sighed. "Baby bird. Go to sleep. You are going to miss your own date." Dick warned. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Then he went to bed.

Have you got no shame?

You looking insane,

Turning up at my door.

They were sleeping when there was a knock on the trap-door. Marinette was a heavy sleeper, so she didn't wake up by it but Alix did. "Who there?" She sleepily mumbled. "I'm Adrien." The voice, no, Adrien said. "Everyone is sleeping. It's a girls night. Go away sunshine." Alya mumbled from her seat. "But-" Rose woke up and sat at her spot,"You should go Adrien you can hang out with Marinette later." She said in her usual squeaky voice. "We don't want to here." Juleka added.

Damian was peacefully sleeping but it was interrupted by a knock on the door. Both Damian and Dick woke up immediately and assessed the surroundings for any threats. There was another knock on the door followed by a loud,"Damikins..." Both of them sighed.

It's 2 in the morning,

The rain is pouring,

Haven't we been here before?

Marinette woke up to many voices, likely arguing over something. She rubbed her eyes,"What's wrong." She sleepily said between a yawn. "It was Adrien." Alya said. Marinette's eyes shot open as she carefully listened to a light thud on the balcony. It was probably raining outside. She sighed as she went to the balcony, her friends following,"Chat Noir. Last. Warning." She deadpanned. "Ummm... purrincess. I wanted to ask if we could play UM-" He never finished the sentence. Marinette threw a pot on his head. He groaned as he stood up, only to see Marinette standing there, eyes closed WITH ANOTHER POT IN HAND. He ran with his tail between his legs. "Let's go back to sleep." She said yawning and they went back to bed.

Damian didn't open the door,"What do you want?" Chloe's shrill voice came from the other side,"I had a nightmare." "Do you think I care?" He replied, venom lacing his voice. "I am scared of the lightning." She was trying to be intimidating but she was failing. MISERABLY. "We both know that is not true." He deadpanned. "Open please." Damian ignored her and went to his bed. "I have important places to be tomorrow." He said as he pulled out his headphones and played soft music. Dick doing the same with an equally grumpy face. She left eventually and they both dumped the headphones to get some peaceful sleep.

Don't mess it up,

Talkin' that shit,

Only gonna push me away,

That's it!

Damian woke up at about 5 am. He then told Dick his plan and left for Eiffel tower at 5:30 am to set his date.

Marinette was sleeping peacefully. A package arrived her home. Sabine came upstairs and called her,"Marinette there's a package from your boyfriend." Tikki nuzzled her chosen's cheek. She then said in her ear,"Marinette you're late." She immediately shot up. She glared at Tikki but the voice of her mother came again,"Marinette, sweety. There's a package from Damian. Now, fully awake she went downstairs.

Have you got no shame?

You looking insane,

She was greeted by Adrian as she reached her mother. She groaned.

She cut whatever he was going to say,"Have you got no shame you lookin insane. Here we go again." She didn't even look up. Adrien closed his mouth and went back through the way he came from.

Here we go again.

She wrote a note for her friends about where she is going. She opened a package to see a beautiful dress with a note.

7 AM Angel ;)🗼

She hurried to try the dress. She came out,"You are looking beautiful my baby."

Her mother kissed her cheek,"Thank you Mamman."

Her mother did her hair. She was looking like some Chinese princess.

So don't go,

Look at me,

with that look in your eye....

She started her walk towards Eiffel tower. Adrien came just in time for all the girls to come down.

"Sabine, Where is Marinette?"Sabine smiled at them and she said,"She left a note for you."

They nodded and picked the note from the table.

It read:

I am going to the Eiffel Tower. Dami has planned something for me. I don't know what but don't follow me. I can tell he wants to do something special for our 3 year anniversary.

Rose said,"We should go to our home then. We shouldn't disturb them."

Alya nodded,"Let's get change."

Adrien heard everything (well, the fact that she was at the Eiffel Tower) and decided to go after his princess.

You really ain't going away

Without a fight......

You can't be reasoned with, I'm done being polite.....

I've told you, 1,2,3,4,5,6 thousand times!

In the way Adrien was met with Chloe. She was also looking for someone.

"Hey Chloe." Adrien greeted her.

"Hey Adrikins. Where are you going this early?" Chloe asked, eyebrow raised.

"I am going to find Marinette. To the Eiffel Tower." He grinned.

Chloe smiled,"Of course the Eiffel Tower. Let's go together. I am loong forn Damikins. He must have gone there."

They both started their walk to the Eiffel tower together.

Haven't I made it obvious?

Haven't I made it clear?

Want me to spell it out for you,

F-R-I-E-N-D-S

Marinette was about to reach Eiffel tower when someone covered her eyes. She giggled, "Dami."

And threw herself into his arms.

"You came here, for me?" She looked at him with stars in her eyes. "Of course Angel. Happy 3 year anniversary." He kissed her forehead.

"You are looking stunning, angel." He said and felt his cheeks burning hot. "Not so bad yourself handsome." She winked, cheeks dusted pink. She did a twirl."The dress is beautiful Demon."

He chuckled ,"I had to find something that could get approved by MDC. I am honoured that you like it.Bbbbbut you can't go further without this." He pulled out his handkerchief and tied it on her eyes. "No peeking, angel." He said making her giggle.

He led her to the elevator. They reached the top of the tower neither noticing that Chloe and Adrien had seen them. He led her to the special place. He untied the handkerchief. She gasped.

Haven't I made it obvious,

Haven't I made it clear

Adrien and Chloe followed them up,"Why is Maribug with Damikins?" Adrien tried to remember the note but couldn't for some reason. He only paid attention to the fact that she was at the Eiffel Tower. He frowned,"I just heard that she is going to Eiffel Tower and ran to catch up with her before she gets away." "She always denies the fact that you are dating and you are the opposite. What type of relationship do you have?" Chloe huffed at the antics of her two best friends.

They reached the top. Marinette and Damian were standing there. Marinette had covered her mouth with her hands. Damian was smirking. Their was a blanket set up with a pot with beautiful flowers in the middle and a picnic basket. The sun was rising giving a magical effect to such simple thing."It's beautiful dove. Thank you."

       They were very close for both of their tastes. Adrien shouted, "You are looking beautiful M'lady."

Chloe took this as an invitation to speak,"Damikins what are you doing with Mari? What are you doin' with Damikins Maribug?"

Both their expressions became dangerous. Damian started,"Haven't I made it obvious?"

Marinette said,"Haven't I made it clear?"

Then they started singing.

Damian, Want me to spell it out for you?

Marinette, (to spell it out for you?)

Damian, F-R-I-E-N-D-S

Marinette, F-R-I-E-N-D-S

Damian nd Marinette, F-R-I-E-N-D-S

Damian, That's how you fuc*ing spell friends,

Damian nd Marinette, F-R-I-E-N-D-S

Marinette, Get that shit inside your head.

Chloe, No.....

Adrien, no.....

Damian, Yeah...

Marinette, ah...

Damian nd Marinette, F-R-I-E-N-D-S

Damian nd Marinette, We're just friends.

Daminette, So don't go look at me with that look in your eye!

Daminette, You really ain't,

Daminette, going away,

Daminette,without a fight.....

Daminette, You can't be reasoned with,

Daminette, I'm done being polite.....

Daminette, I've told you,

Daminette, 1,2,3,4,5,6 thousand times!

Marinette, Haven't I made it obvious?

Damian, (hasn't she made it obvious?)

Marinette, Haven't I made it clear?

Damian, (She made it very clear?)

Marinette, Want me to spell out for you? Damian, (yeah)

Marinette, F-R-I-E-N-D-S

Damian, (I said F-R-I-E-N-D-S)

Damian, Haven't I made it obvious?

Marinette, (He made it obvious.)

Damian, Haven't I made it clear?

Marinette, (He made it very clear.)

Damian, Want me to spell it out for you?

Damian, F-R-I-E-N-D-S

Marinette, F-R-I-EN-D-S

Daminette, Ohhh oh ohhh oh ohhh oh oh ah

Ah ooh ah, ahhh oh ahh oh

"We are just friends." They finished. Realization came on their faces,"You are dating." They said at the same time. "Sorry Maribug. I didn't know that. A little someone told me that he was dating with you."Chloe said, glaring at Adrien. He coiled into himself. She grabbed his arm and went towards the elevator,"And Damian. I approve. I am going to give you a shovel talk when you come back, treat my BFF right." When they went away. Damian and Marinette burst into laughing."Shall we continue?"She said.

"Of course,"He replied. They leaned closer to kiss. They were kissing unaware of the rest of the world when they heard the click of a camera.

They turned towards the noise to see Red Robin taking photos along with Nightwing, Red Hood, Black Bat, Spoiler, Batman heck even Oracle was there. "I am not going to be surprised if Alfred is here too." Marinette said. They both glared at them. But they didn't even flinch. "No matter how much we try they are not going away." Damian said sighing."I bet they recorded everything. Plus point is we will get adequate photos because Drake is a good photographer."

Marinette also sighed,"Let's eat and hope they will not come nearer." They didn't. Marinette and Damian clinked their glasses together,"Happy anniversary malak." "Joyeux anniversaire mon démon"

________________________________________________________________                                                           

Joyeux anniversaire mon démon: Happy anniversary my demon Malak: angel Habibiti: beloved.

Phew! This is hella long. It's my first song-fic I hope you like it. I will make outtakes or AU versions of this if I get time which I don't have. I did my best, well the best I could make in 2 days. I am very exhausted. Love Maribat. Love, Jasmehraj.

[mhdiaries]

Monster Exchange Draculaura Passport

6 June

I have lost my passport. Okay, maybe “lost” isn’t the right word, maybe “misplaced” is better, or at least it makes me feel better to think of it just not being really “lost, lost”; because “misplaced” means I can actually come across it by looking in places where it is not normally kept, whereas “lost” means the possibility of me ever finding it again is dreadfully small. I am not in panic mode yet, though. There is still time to find it before I have to leave for Shibooya. I hope. Clawd thinks I need to apply for another passport, but that would mean giving up and admitting that I really have lost it instead of just misplaced it. I can hear Dad now, “Draculaura, it is totes irresponsible of you to lose such an important document.” Okay, maybe I can’t exactly hear him saying “totes”, but the rest of that sentence comes through loud and clear. I’m doing my best not to tell him, which is waaaay easier since he’s out of country right now... with his passport not lost or misplaced, I’m sure.

13 June

I am sitting in the student exchange gorientation class right now. I am pretending to take notes, which makes Mr. D’eath happy. It also has the curious effect of keeping him from repeating himself, which means the class doesn’t go as long. If I were legitimately taking notes, these are some of the subjects I would have written down:

Do not lose your passport. This is an important document, and it is your responsibility to keep up with it.

One time Mr. D’eath lost his passport and never got the chance to go on his exchange trip, which meant he had to stay home and work in his father’s shoe store instead of getting to see the Eiffel Terror.

Do not lose your passport.

I think I would be getting a lot more out of this class right now if I weren’t being constantly reminded of this. Bats! I know it has to be somewhere - “Well, of course, it has to be somewhere Draculaura, things don’t just vanish into thin air.” Oh, yeah? What about Invisi Billy? “Okay - except for Invisi Billy.” Lagoona just snorted again, I know that snort; it’s what she does when she tries to turn a laugh into a sneeze. I wish I were sitting next to her so I could be in on whatever it is that she’s laughing about, but Mr. D’eath won’t let us sit next to each other because, apparently, we’re “disruptive.” So not fair, and right now Lagoona needs some encouragement. She’s already missing Gil, and she hasn’t even left yet. I’m going to miss Clawd, too, but our situation is totes different than theirs is. I should talk to the ghouls and see if we can do something special for them. Ooh, I think Mr. D’eath is wrapping things up. Feariously? Again with the lost passport? I get it already... I just wish I had gotten it before I lost... er... misplaced it. Sigh...

15 June

I went over to Clawd’s house for dinner tonight. It was fun. His mom always makes sure to cook something without meat in it for me. This time it was pasta with scarinara sauce. She also made meatballs, but, of course, I passed on those. The Wolfs treat me like I am a member of their pack, and I always feel so special when I’m there. It made me think of Lagoona again, and how even something as simple as dinner is such a scary hard thing to make happen for her and Gil. When we finished eating, Clawd and I went for a walk. If he was worried about me being gone, he did not show it. I think some ghouls would take this as a sign that something was wrong, but I know better. There’s barely enough room in our relationship for the drama I bring to it, so I’m glad Clawd doesn’t add his own. Speaking of drama, I told him about my passport. Clawd snorted, but it wasn’t because he was trying to turn a laugh into a sneeze. It’s a “concern snort” which tells me that a solution has been released in his brain and it is currently trying to find a way out that does not sound like an order. Clawd is used to barking out orders. I guess that comes with being the captain of both the football and caketball teams. “I think, maybe you should get a replacement,” he said. “If you apply now, you’ll have time. If you wait, you won’t. That happened to Clawdia before she went to school in Londoom - it was a total pain in the fang.” I told him I would download the paperwork and fill it out, but I still don’t want to admit that it’s actually lost. I wonder if there is a box on the form for “misplaced”? I know it’s totes silly to carry on like this, but I don’t want to give up until I find it. 

25 June

It wasn’t hard to get the ghouls to agree to act as hair and makeup artists, it wasn’t hard to get Cleo to ask her dad for the use of a limo, it wasn’t hard to get the mansters to dress like body guards, but it was deadly difficult to get Gil to agree. “I don’t want to do it,” he said. “It’s just going to fall through, and then we’ll both be disappointed.” I finally had to resort to an intervention. Gil thought he was going to have a game day with the mansters at Deuce’s house, but not so much. When he walked down the stairs to the basement and saw all of us sitting there, he turned to Deuce and said, “I knew I smelled a trap.” Deuce said, “I could have just stoned you, but I’d rather have you mad at me than Lagoona.” It took a while, but after we laid out the plan... several times... he finally agreed. He was a nervous wreck on the way to pick her up, but by the time we arrived, with no flat tires, engine trouble, alien invasions or Heath Burns incidents, he was so excited he could barely stay in the limo while we went to get Lagoona. They had a clawsome day just to themselves, and we got to be a part of it. Totes perfect.

27 June

I was this close to moving my passport from “misplaced” to “lost” when I decided it was time to call in some backup. I invited Clawdeen, Frankie, Ghoulia, Abbey and Cleo for a creepover/passport hunt. I may or may not have mentioned the part about the passport hunt before they showed up, although according to the ghouls I definitely did not. It is possible that I did not mention it since I have been under a lot of stress lately. Frankie came to my rescue when the grumbling started to get out of hand, and said we could turn it into a treasure hunt, and that it would be fun. The other ghouls were not completely convinced that it would be fun, but Frankie could convince a werewolf to run barefoot through a field of wolf’s bane. We turned my room upside down - literally; Abbey is very strong. Cleo wanted to know when the last time I used it was, which, I think was when we all went to Scaris. I didn’t really need it for that whole “Queen of the Vampires” thing when we jetted off to Transylvania. Cleo suggested that maybe I left it in my luggage, so we all headed to my closet. Dad had put in some new track lighting, which makes it totes easier to find things now, and my clothes no longer smell like torch smoke. We went through all of my luggage from the trip; this took some time, but we found nothing except an old croissant. We had to keep Abbey from eating it, which made her crabby. Not that all the other ghouls weren’t crabby by this time, too, and that’s when Ghoulia, who was lying on the floor, pointed up to a shelf that had previously been hidden by the luggage. “Does that box say ‘Passports’?”? Abbey reached up and took down the box. Frankie opened the lid and pulled out a passport. “Draculaura, this passport expired 60 years ago.” Abbey dumped the box in the middle of the floor, and we all started going through them. Cleo said, “This one expired 30 years ago, and what is up with your hair in this picture?” It was a phase. Ghoulia flipped through the one she was holding, “Only 15 years out of date.” Clawdeen jumped to her feet with the one she was holding. “Found it, and it’s only expired by... TWO WEEKS!” I had two thoughts as I watched my ghouls freaking out with concern. Number one was “Misplaced, not lost”, and number two “Good thing I already applied for a replacement.” 

[uschi-the-listener]

next

Last I knew, I was in the hospital. I know I died. I can see where the monitors have stopped beeping and chiming. The nurse came in and, sadly, covered the face of what used to be me.

.

I'm still here but it doesn't look the same. Nothing is the same. The room is crowded, packed, SRO, with people - or something - just like me. I'm not invisible to myself or to them. Oddly, when we bump into each other, which happens almost continually, we don't collide, we sink into each other. We become a Venn diagram in an oddly humanoid shape. What we have in common is our thoughts and emotions.

.

Nobody speaks, not really. A few people start but do not finish words. I was not in this hospital room alone; there were others there. It is the Emergency Department, and I can still see the gurneys rushing in with the EMTs calling out what information they have about the patient. Most are from the bridge collapse that killed me.

.

As I blend with the person next to me, we mutually comment about that. He or She or They or Whatever believes that many more people are coming. We visualize the bridge at the same time and are instantly, somehow, there, on the scene, witnessing helicopters and ambulances and bright lights and sirens. It is less overwhelming and seems normal, expected. Sounds are muted, possibly just my imagination. What I expect to see and hear.

.

But, again, it's crowded, and I meld with a lot of the others. It becomes more difficult to discern what is me, what are my thoughts and feelings, and what belongs to the beings around me. I begin to notice that nobody looks like a human or an alien or an animal and I begin to wonder what they are, what I am. If I have become something else.

.

Nobody talks now. In the beginning, I heard voices occasionally, but nothing coherent. Now, there is the sound of wind or traffic or birds' voices, but no humans speaking. I wonder, as I did in life, if this is all there is. I do not know if this is something I thought or if I bounced off someone else and caught their thought. There is no way to tell.

.

I have a sudden thought of my mother, who died in a car accident when I was in elementary school. And I am no longer at the bridge or the hospital. I am outside the house where I grew up. Also crowded together with more of us, flooding the yard, the street, the porch. We are everywhere, just milling and looking around. Bumping each other to "talk."

.

I gently make my way through the crowd to the door and go in. It occurs to me that it may have been simpler just to think about being inside. Something to ponder later. I am in my childhood bedroom. There is a child playing in the corner with blocks. There is a child asleep in the bed, but I can tell that the child is not really there in any physical sense. Not in this time, but in this place. A woman leans over the child, murmuring something in loving tones. My mother. Me.

.

I am not confused by the situation but the scene - why this? - is baffling. I was asleep. She was young and beautiful, at least to me. She looked exactly like she looked the last time I saw her, except I was awake then. She had been on her way out the door to run some last-minute errand after dinner, before bed. I don't think I knew then and certainly don't remember now what it was that took her away from me. A scene is playing out that I never experienced in life.

.

I feel grief but I begin feeling a closure I never had in life. Someone in the crowd bumps me and I know, clearly, that my mother is here with me. She was there when I was growing up, watching. I wonder if it was painful for her to watch me without being able to touch me or speak to me. I feel a sense of gentle laughter around me and realize that she was always there, in the crowd, touching, speaking. I didn't recognize it at the time, but she was there. I touch the child in the bed and see dreams.

.

They told me she went to heaven. I didn't know what that meant and the explanations were confusing. I don't understand it yet and I am trying hard not to go there, not to think about it. I have learned a few things: that thinking about a place might transport me there and that time and space are irrelevant. I don't want to wonder about heaven and hell and end up in one of them where I'll be "really dead" instead of milling around with the others. I avoid thinking about reincarnation or ectoplasm or ghosts.

.

I feel driven to blend in more and more. I wonder about my pets and feel many sudden presences, happy, excited, loving. They are the same as the rest of us. We always communicated this way. It is beyond good to feel them again near me.

.

I think about work. I was on my way to the office when the bridge collapsed under me. It was rush hour and a lot of cars and bicycles went down. I see people in cubicles crying with invisible loved ones all around, trying to touch the living. Trying to get through. I see how blind the living can be.

.

I was that way myself. I begin to remember times I could feel my mother's, my grandparents', the presences of other loved ones and did not know what I was feeling. They were there. If I am still here, somehow, so are they, and I feel them reaching out to me right now. They surround me and I surround them. They were always there, and I knew it but didn't know I knew. We blended together but remained individual and there is no way to say this that makes any sense.

.

I wonder. Can I be where I never was? I feel the life that should have stretched out in front of me. I wanted to go to Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, The Eiffel Tower, so many places I never managed to see. I never had children. I never wrote a book, or read all the classics, or had ice cream cake. I never did sky-diving. How can I go to heaven, or hell, or another life, or into whatever comes next for me? I have so much left to do. I'm not done.

.

Huddled with the others, I am in a blank place. There is nothing but us in the crowd. We are more a mass of vaguely individual bumps now. We feel together. We are together. I am less curious about what is next. I stop thinking. All I do is feel. This is good. I fade.

.

[spartanxhunterx]

So late the party has left.

Ok, I've had this submission from @starmage2 for ever and just got around to it now.

As a heads up I've changed the 'Alien invasion ' to Gorilla Grodd invasion instead. Same general thing though.

-

Paris was not a place the flash visited often or even with purpose. A city of calm and peace that was unaffected by the world's crazies, maniacs and supervillians. There has never been a reason to be in Paris, for anyone from the league. Aside from maybe taking a superspeed shortcut or flying well above the city to make time to ones real destination.

But now Flash, or Barry Allen to those close to him, feared that the millennia long peace was going to be broken. News had spread that Gorilla Grodd, One of Flash's Rivals, had snuck his way to Paris, France, with plans to use De-evolution devices to regress the human population for his own uses.

That was Not something the justice league was going to ignore, it would be like ignoring an upstart villain or a call for aid. Such things were not taken lightly.

he had long since past Paris' border and was making his way to the Eiffel tower, Where the rest of the Justice league members that were joining him would be meeting up with him. It was considered the most neutral and hidden spot in Paris after dark.

Still, he indulged himself by taking the long scenic route, confident that he would beat everyone there. Except for maybe superman but who cares about that?

So it was a huge surprise, when passing the Louvre, that a large portal opened in front of him and before he could redirect himself he was already through to the other side, his feet skid against the oiled floor as he tumbled into a pre-placed net. The trap triggered and the next thing he knew he was tied up and dangling a foot off the floor.

Ignoring the oncoming footsteps he tried twisting his limbs, if he could move just the slightest amount he could friction burn the ropes around him to free him. It wasn't until he felt something pointy touch his chest and a hand guide his chin that he looked at the perpetrators. There were three, one female, two males.

one guy looked like he was dressed up as a monkey with a Bo Staff, the girl like a bee and the other guy... Well he wasn't sure up he was going to guess a horse due to the horseshoe they had.

"Watch it speedy." The girl talked, a hint of smug laced in her voice. "Try to vibrate your way out of that and I'll stick you to the spot."

" do you have any idea who I am? What kind of trouble you'll be in for doing this? " Cause he knew the rest of the team would be suspicious if he wasn't at least the second person there, these three were playing a dangerous game and he wasn't in the mood to deal with more wannabe villains.

"The Flash," the horse? Started , gesturing to his tied up self. "Fastest man alive, scarlet speedster, defender of Central City. And if my suspicions are correct, Barry Allen. "

flash sputtered slightly, voice cracking with his next words. "W-What, No!"

" Ha! Instant denial! " The monkey exclaimed as he pointed to him before clapping the other guy on the shoulder. " You got it right on the head Pegasus."

OK, Pegasus, one name down. "So, you the ring leader here?" He turned to him and Barry realised he couldn't make out his expression due to his dark glasses, who wears sunglasses at night?

"No. I'm more of the... Tactical analysis type. Information provider and long term planner." He pointed to the other two. " My cohorts here are Abeille and roi singe. "

 "The more important thing here, is why is the justice league here in Paris when you've been banned from entering."

 " What! When did this happen!? "

 "Six years ago."

Flash stared dumbfounded at the three, all attempts to escape forgotten. The JL was banned from Paris? And had been for six years? "Why?"

" Oh please. " Abeille scoffed as she picked up her discarded coffee drink, taking a slow sip to force tension to grow. "Don't act like you don't know why, you're fully aware and if not?... Ask Green lantern."

Roi singe's Bo Staff let out a chime and he slid open the panel to reveal the communicator. "Anything on your end yet?" The voice on the other end was feminine, the three Parisian heroes easily recognized Ladybugs voice.

" Yeah actually, managed to bag the Flash, trap worked like a Charm. "

"The Flash? Interesting. See what he knows, we've got reports of odd noises coming from an old abandoned warehouse. Me, Viper And Ry are gonna check it out, Chats on the way to you and so are some local Officers, let them deal with the Flash. "

"So, what are you doing here Speedy wonder?" Pegasus smacked Roi on the chest before turning his critical gaze to the tied up hero.

"What he means is, why are you hear and who else should we expect, I doubt you came to Paris for a holiday. You shouldn't have been caught by this trap, you react too fast, you were occupied with something."

" The JL had received reports that Grodd, Gorilla Grodd, has made his way to Paris. Nothing good had ever come from him being anywhere near humans so we sent a team to deal with it before too much damage can arise. "

The three of them looked at each other skeptically, since when did the JL care about collateral damage?

"Ok, meet up point, now."

" You think I'm gonna tell that to a bunch of upstart villains? "

There was a moment of silence before the three of them burst out laughing, Roi had to prop himself up by his staff while Abeille almost doubled over. When she was done she splashed the remains of her, now cold, coffee over the heroes face.

"Villains? Really?" She sneared pulling the heroes face closer to hers. "We are the heroes of Paris, Defenders of France, part of the Miracle team. If you ever get the chance, ask Diana what a Miraculous is... And she will know, any statement to the contradictory is a lie."

"Now, meet up location?"

" Eiffel tower. "

" Who will be there? "

"Batman, Superman, Wonder woman, Green lantern And Robin."

"Good. Officer Cuff him and give him a cell." Unknown to The Flash several officers had arrived, they quickly slapped on some anti-meta handcuffs before removing him from the net , shoving the 'hero ' into the police car before driving away.

"Chat's on his way to the tower, let's give him some back up."

-

It was twenty minutes later, the use of two vemons, one uproar and the combined might of Pegasus, Abeille, Roi singe, Chat Noir and Carapace to subdue the heroes who had been waiting for the Flash.

Not that the flight was difficult, not while Green lanterns ring was on the Fritz and couldn't form a single thing, Superman was Frozen in place, Along with Robin, Batman was being held in a restraint by Carapace and Diana had been given a fright by being teleported way above them for a few moments before she and Green lantern were tied up in Abeille's Wire.

it was a good thing the team was well within their mid twenties, had they been teens their miraculous would have run out by now. Instead they could cast their powers as much as they wished while only gaining some exhaustion if they went too far. Without the fear of de-transforming.

"Well... That was easy." Roi Singe leaned against the frozen Form of Robin, not bothered by the fact that the violent vigilant was frozen mid-strike.

"I don't think..." Carapace grunted as he tightened his grip to Batmans arms , keeping a hold above his elbows so he could keep the man's arms behind his back. "Getting the drop on unsuspecting people AND freezing their power player," his head jutted to superman, where Chat Noir was happily sitting on his shoulders as he played with his tool. "Can be considered a fight, more like a slaughter really. "

"I agree." Abeille nodded as she tugged her two captives closer to her, without missing a beat she sat on the Amazonian's back before propping her feet up on Green lanterns head. "So, greenie, recognise us?"

"Should I?" He tried to move his head from under the bee hero's foot but was quickly met with the heel of said foot impacting the back of his head. "Hey, what was that for!?"

" You really don't recognise me Hal Jordan? " Chat Noir growled out as he leaped off supermans shoulders before lifting the other others face with his baton.

Said hero stiffened at his name and the Cat Hero took it as his cue to continue. "The justice League receive, over a period of three years, a large amount of calls for aid from France, Paris specifically."

Both Batman and Wonder woman ceased their resistance as they heard this, why was this the first time they were hearing it?

"From two, young, barely teen, kids. Who had far too much responsibility thrusted onto them, who had to fight a maniac who mind controlled and powered up people who were experiencing negative emotion. "

"He targeted kids... A lot."

" What? " Despite their age and experience many of those present flinched at the harshness in Batmans voice, Pegasus turned to him, emotion hidden behind his darkened glasses.

"The butterfly Miraculous of Transmission is able to find people who experience strong emotion, be they negative or positive and empower them based on the current circumstances, like say... "

He paused as he tried to find a viable scenario to use.

"Ok, if you say someone falling from a tall tower and you really wanted to save them, a butterfly weilder could empower you and give you flight, either by giving you wings or... Making you like him." He pointed to superman.

"Hawkmoth, however, would wait until you had negative emotions, being dumped, bullied, fired so on and so forth normally caused these things and he would make it possible to get revenge, with the exception being that they HAD to get Ladybug And Chat Noirs miraculous to pay off the 'debt' they were in. "

"They never remembered the things they did, fortunately, can't say the same for those who died and came back to life though."

Those present Blinked, Batmans mouth opened and closed for a moment before his steely gaze landed on Hal.

"Paris once Flooded, an estimated 87% of Paris drowned that day... The other 13% wasn't purely kids."

"Hal."

" I didn't know ok! " Hal was recoiling from the glare that Batman was sending his way. "I thought it was a prank, ok! I didn't think it was real, how can you take two kids who dress up as a Ladybug And a Cat seriously?"

"You should have investigated, met up with them and assessed the situation First, not assumed."

" I know. " Hal's head hit the floor beneath him with a sigh. The Paris hero's looked at him like he was worth less then the dirt under their boots.

"If you help us tonight, we'll help you afterwards." The looks returned to Batman where after a moment a few of them scoffed.

"Hawkmoth's in jail dude." Carapace shook the vigilante's arms. "Has been for... Four years now, we've already reclaimed the lost Miraculi and the book, now we just deal with petty crime and... Well, your mess, it seems."

"Stick to punching Gotham's nutbags, we'll deal with Paris." No one objected to Chat's words, though Batman defiantly seemed to slump at them.

The cat hero shook his head at the older hero before his baton rang, his flipped it open and a moment afterwards Ladybugs voice came through, the Paris hero's were able to pick up on the urgency in her voice.

"Chat, I need you, Roi, Bee, Pegasus and Rena here now."

" on it, " He looked up as he closed his baton. "You heard her, let's go, Pegasus, get Rena, Carapace, keep an eye on these lot."

" got it dude. " He let go of Batmans arms as Abeille released both wonder woman and Green lantern from their bindings. Simultaneously both superman and Robin were released from the effects of venom as it was released. The other Paris heroes leapt away.

"So... Carapace right?" Diana extended her hand out to the turtle hero, who had leant against the railings with his arms crossed.

"I know who you are, and Tikki is not happy with you right now." She flinched at that. "For twelve years you ignored us, four years after we beat Hawkmoth do you finally show up and it's to deal with one of your own. I think I speak for all of Paris when I say, We don't want you here. "

"Since when do you have the authority to do that?" Both Robin and Carapace had a small stare off before Carapace rolled his eyes .

"Since France voted to ban all Non-miraculous heroes, which includes the justice League. You didn't care before, why care now?"

" is there anything that can be done? "

Carapace shook his head at superman. "You are far too late on that dude, there's being late to a party then there's turning up after the hosts have cleaned up. "

 "You guys turned up for the party days after it was over, so save some face, wait for them to come back, get the Flash then leave. "

"The Flash is here?"

" Dudes spending his time in a cell tonight. "

[coffeecomicsgalore]

A Little Rain, A Big Love Story

Ao3

This is my submission for the @luckycharmzine! I hope you enjoy the Ladynoir Identity Reveal Scene.

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Ladybug looked across the dark Parisian skyline, allowing the cool breeze to sweep over her. It was still fairly warm out, the heat of the summer day seeping into the night. The cool breeze felt welcomed against her exposed skin.  

Chat Noir sat beside her as they relaxed on their favorite beam on the Eiffel Tower. As usual, it was an easy night of patrolling. There was nothing besides a stray cat stuck in a tree and two young boys arguing over a pack of trading cards. They didn’t have to stress over an akuma or deal with police-solving issues. So, when they have nights like this – quiet, peaceful, and relaxing – it made their conversations quite comforting. 

While they couldn’t talk much about their civilian lives and risk revealing too much, they did enjoy giving each other a glimpse of themselves. It would only be little things, like favorite colors, snacks, or subjects. Things that were common enough that neither could guess easily, yet they still relished in those little tidbits of information. 

Trusting yourself in your partner without knowledge of who they were underneath the mask was a risk, but Ladybug would risk her life for him on any occasion. 

If he would let her, that is. 

“You know.” Chat started, continuing to look towards the skyline as he spoke. “You would really like my friends. We are so close. I don’t know what I would do without them.” He ended with a satisfied hum as his lips quirked into a small smile. 

Ladybug looked over to her partner and grinned. He looked so at peace tonight. It was a pleasant change to their last conversation where he seemed distressed and distracted. She missed it when her kitty didn’t ooze silliness out of his suit. 

“I know what you mean.” She looked back out to the skyline as he turned to look at her. “Do you remember that boy I had that major crush on?” 

“You mean the one that never gave you the time of day?” 

She scoffed and pushed his shoulder teasingly. “Chat!” 

He chuckled. “Alright, alright. Go ahead.” 

Ladybug side-eyed him for a moment. When she felt like he wasn’t going to continue teasing, she proceeded. “Well, over the last two years, especially after me trying to get over said crush on him, we grew closer. I consider him to be one of my best friends. Like so close that he is a close tie to my best girlfriend. But I won’t tell her that. I enjoy my life too much to succumb to imminent death.” They both laughed. “But anyways, he said something today and it reminded me of you. I think you two could be close friends.” 

“Why? Does he have amazing puns like moi?” He joked, bringing his hand to his chest as he mentioned himself.  

“Actually, yeah. I didn’t even know he could joke like that. But you would appreciate his puns. Sometimes I think he could probably out-pun you.” 

“Out pun the pun master? Never.” 

“I know of one other person that could probably out pun you, chaton. But I can’t mention who.”  

“I guess I will have to battle your friend in a pun duel then. I need to keep this knight and shining leather fighting by your side, puns and all.” 

Ladybug shook her head. “I have enough room in my heart for all three of my pun masters. No dueling required. I promise.” 

They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment before Chat noticed that her face softened, but her eyes meant she was a distance away. 

“You okay, bugaboo?” He inquired, just enough softness in his voice to allow her to talk her feelings through, but also enough to show her he wouldn’t pry. 

She sighed, but decided to tell him. “Even though he’s my best friend, a part of me will always love him. Do you know how difficult it is to force yourself to move on considering he’s constantly in my life? Of all the people that have come into my life, no one has caught my eye or my heart like he has.” Ladybug turned to him. Chat could see the sadness in her face. “Actually. There has been one other person, but it’s just not possible. At least not right now.” 

Chat eyed her with a mix of fondness and sadness. Seeing her feel like this broke his heart, and he knew exactly how she felt.  

“I know what you mean.” He looked back towards the sky, the last two years crossing his mind. The relationships he had made and lost were pressing against his heart and he ached from the pain. “Letting go of the one you love, especially when they’ve made a significant impact in your life, is hard. But love has never been easy. No matter how much you try to move on, it still lingers.” 

Ladybug turned to Chat and took his hand, squeezing the love she had for him through her fingers. “I love you, Chat, more than you can begin to know. But you have to understand, you were never meant to be second best. You deserve someone who will love you with their whole heart.” She looked down and laughed bitterly. “And unless luck is truly on my side, maybe the boy I love is really you beneath the mask. Once Hawkmoth is defeated, I want to know who you are. You will always have a place in my life and my heart no matter how this chapter of our lives end.” 

They gazed into each other’s eyes as her words etched themselves into the spot in his heart reserved for her. Chat was the first to break the gaze, looking back out into the Parisian skyline as a comfortable silence mingled between them. When Chat finally swallowed the strangling pain in his throat, he confessed. 

“You know. I’ll always love you, bugaboo. A part of me always had. It always will. I’ve tried to move on and date other people, but no one besides this one girl, my best friend, has ever caught my eye.” 

Ladybug looked at him and smiled even as a twinge of jealousy ran through her body. She shrugged it off and placed her head on his shoulder. Their fingers laced together as they enjoyed the small embrace. If she couldn’t love him in the way they both wished she could, she could at least love him like this. “That girl is lucky to have your heart.” 

They sat there in another comfortable silence before Chat scrunched his face and let out a breathy chuckle. 

“What’s so funny?” She asked, lifting her head up from his shoulder to look at him. 

“Well, it has something to do with that girl. You know, I don’t think anyone knows this, so I think I’m in the clear to say it.” Ladybug scrunched her nose, but then decided it would probably be fine. She gave him a nod to continue. “She became my first self-initiated friend when I started school. There was a huge misunderstanding. I almost lost her friendship before building one.” 

“That seems extreme. What happened?” 

“On my first day, she thought that I was trying to target her. She had always been bullied by one of my longtime friends, so she assumed I was the same way. Believe it or not, I’m socially awkward. I didn’t know any of the dos and don’ts of making friends.”  

Ladybug could see his face visibly soften. 

“It was raining and we were the only two standing outside as I was leaving to go home. I don’t know why, but something just compelled me to talk to her, to tell her that I didn’t have any friends, that everything was still so new to me. I almost left but then turned around. I told her I was sorry that I made her believe that I played a cruel prank on her. I told her that I only had one friend before that day and at the time, I didn’t want to lose that friendship either.” 

Chat continued to look out at the skyline, but Ladybug had caught on to something interesting about his story. It was one that was strangely similar to her own story. One that no one else would know of. 

“Once I apologized, I gave her the umbrella I had. I mean, my car was right there so it didn’t bother me to get a little wet. But I just didn’t want her to get soaked going home and I didn’t know how long the rain was going to be around for. I didn’t know where she lived and I didn’t realize that she lived so close to the school, but I couldn’t just let her get soaked.” 

He let out a lovesick sigh and let out a chuckle before looking down at his claw to examine his ring. “Honestly, I think that was the first moment that I started to fall for her. I just didn’t realize it because I was so infatuated with you.”  

Ladybug looked to him with such softness. Tears were welling up in her eyes and a blush donned her cheeks. Chat looked up at her and started to worry, afraid that he said something he shouldn’t. 

“That moment is a moment too beautiful to forget.” She said, wiping the tears that started to fall in front of her mask. “She is lucky to have such a caring person in her life, chaton.” 

Chat finally smiled. “Yeah, she’s so caring that I’m afraid to lose her. She’s shy around me sometimes. I’m afraid that she’ll reject me if I ask her out.” 

“I think you should ask anyways. I bet she’ll say yes.” 

He thought for a moment before asking her. “What about you?” 

“I guess since you told me about your bestie, I should tell you about mine.” She snickered. “Every time I tried to confess to him, something went wrong. Like this scarf I made him, or the valentine I tried to send him, or the doctor’s note I gave him instead of a love confession, the video love confession that got deleted. Oh, and the beret... it just never worked out before.” She shrugged. 

Guess it doesn’t matter now because she could finally confess without having to do it first.  

“You see. I fell in love with this boy who I thought was a bully. I thought he put gum on my chair and was a prissy rich kid because he was best friends with the girl who hated my guts. But then he apologized and handed me his umbrella in the rain. That simple act of kindness and his laughter after I accidentally pressed the close button on the handle filled my soul with so much love, that I couldn’t let it go.” 

Ladybug turned to Chat to see that he was wide eyed and jaw slacked. 

“No wonder why I couldn’t let it go.” She smiled with so much love in her eyes that she could not contain the giggle that bubbled up within her. “I guess I was lucky after all.” 

“Marinette?” He said so quietly, afraid that the conversation would crack and leave them in a different world. 

“Hi Adrien.” She replied back softly. 

Chat cupped her cheek with his claw and rubbed his thumb against the line between her mask and her skin. “It’s really you. I fell in love with you twice.” 

“And I never stopped loving you. My love only grew.” 

He leaned in and nuzzled his nose against hers. She sighed at the contact, her eyes pleading. He leaned in and kissed her lips, slow and soft but full of love and want. When they pulled back, they looked at each other as rain started to fall around them, the clasp of thunder bringing them back to that very first moment that sealed their fate. 

“My lady. I love you.” 

“I love you too, my chaton.”