#except i have a chat doodle that might work okay but

[baronessblixen]

Fictober Day 26: Let's Give Them Something To Talk About

Prompt: "You were the first"

@living-in-unreality sent in this ask: Mulder or Scully overhears office gossip about two other agents being placed on separate teams after their workplace relationship was discovered. Bonus points if it happens when the MSR pining is at its peak and they are still scared to take that leap. Rating: T, wc: 1,580

Tagging @today-in-fic @xffictober24

Over the years, he’s been the topic of office gossip more than once. So when he sees the huddled group and hears the whispering, his mind kicks into overdrive, wondering what he—or they—might have done this time.

But he can’t come up with anything. He and Scully have been model agents of decorum. So what is it about?

He inches closer, trying not to draw any attention to himself. While most agents know him by reputation, few engage in idle chit-chat with him. Then one of the men spots him and crooks a finger at him.

“Spooky, have you heard?” He decides to ignore the dreaded nickname and lets himself be drawn into the circle. He catches a whiff of entitlement and a hint of contempt. But his curiosity is too strong to step away.

“Heard what?”

“The Anderson and Davis affair.” Mulder has no idea who these people are or what they’ve done. His expression must say as much because the agent continues. Not after he rolls his eyes, though.

“They did the nasty. Hooked up. They were found out and have been put on separate teams. I think if Kersh could have, he would have transferred one of them out of state.” Everyone except Mulder laughs. His ears are ringing. He may not know who these two agents are, and he may not be in this exact situation, but it hits far too close to home.

“It’s like I always say,” one of the other agents says. Mulder is certain he’s seen him before, but can’t place him.

“Don’t shit where you eat and don’t fuck where you work.” Another round of laughter makes Mulder feel queasy. He excuses himself, unsure if anyone hears him or even cares. He himself doesn’t care.

The only thing he thinks about is what he’s just witnessed. A team split up because of a personal, romantic relationship. His thoughts jump to Scully. To their journey toward more than friends and partners. What if this happened to them? God knows they’ve tried to separate them before. He can’t let it happen. He can’t risk losing her.

*

Scully’s eyes are burning a hole into his temple. They’re challenging him to turn and give her a sign or anything to assure her he’s okay. But he keeps his head and eyes forward. He’s not paying attention to the meeting at all; that in itself is nothing unusual.

More often than not, Mulder and Scully will doodle, share a crossword puzzle, or even send notes back and forth. Like a couple of teenagers. His reluctance to face her has consequences too. Someone elbows him in the ribs and then there’s a neatly folded piece of paper in front of him.

“Are you okay?” Only Scully would send a note like this. It’s so her that he almost smiles. Instead, and with great difficulty, he screws the note up and puts it in his pocket.

He’s so tempted to turn to her and see her expression, but he doesn’t dare. He’ll crumble. He knows he’s on borrowed time as it is; as soon as this meeting is over, Scully will find him. His queasiness returns and he swallows hard.

Once the meeting is over, Mulder grabs his things and flees the conference room. He’s lucky that he’s tall and broad; agents step aside and let him through.

“Mulder.” Scully’s voice is too demanding to keep walking. He freezes and turns to her.

“Are you okay? What’s the matter?” It’s the worry in her tone and expression that gets him.

“Not feeling well,” he mumbles. At least it’s only half a lie.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” She puts her hand on his forehead and he winces. What if someone sees them? What if they draw the wrong conclusions? He bats her hand away, and the hurt in her eyes is too much for him to bear.

“I’m just gonna- going home. See you.” Her eyes follow him as he stalks off. What the hell is he going to do now?

*

The knock doesn’t surprise him; he expected it. What surprises him is how long Scully stayed away. He opens the door and there she is, holding a plastic bag.

“Hey,” he says.

“How are you feeling?” He shrugs. “I brought you chicken soup.” That’s his Scully. Against his better judgment, he opens the door wider and she steps inside, walking in under his still outstretched arm.

“I didn’t make it,” she says, unloading the bag in his kitchen. “I wouldn’t want you to feel worse.” A smile flits across her face. It only fades when she sees his blank face.

“Did something happen?” she asks point blank, crossing her arms in front of her chest. In that moment she reminds him of Diana. He’s wise enough not to mention it – even if it would drive her away. He doesn’t want to hurt her. None of this is her fault.

In the past, when no one cared what agents did in their private lives, and when he and Diana could have been Anderson and Davis – whoever they are – she’d close herself off to him just like this. She’d wanted space when he wanted closeness. It wasn’t that either of them were bad people; they had just never worked.

“Mulder, please, whatever it is, we-”

“I heard some gossip today.” That doesn’t faze Scully. What must the gossip mill be like in the ladies’ room? The men are bad enough as it is.

“About us? That’s nothing new, is it? Just ignore it.”

“Not about us,” he admits, biting his lip. “Do you know Anderson and Davis?” Her eyes grow wide.

“I know Agent Davis,” she says. “Why? Did something happen to them?”

“In a manner of speaking. They were caught and split up.”

“Caught?” Scully asks and he realizes that she isn’t grasping what he doesn’t want to say out loud.

“They were more than partners.” The penny still hasn’t dropped. “They were in a relationship,” Mulder explains. “A romantic relationship.”

“So?”

“So? I’m not going to- Scully, they were split up because they’re dating.”

“That’s against regulations,” Scully says, sounding sure of herself. Mulder shakes his head.

“I heard it, Scully.”

“Where?” Her voice is laced with suspicion and her arms are still crossed.

“In front of the men’s room.”

“Oh, Mulder. How do you even know they were telling the truth? Do you know what insane rumors are making the rounds in the Hoover building?”

“But… Anderson and Davis have been put on separate teams. I checked.” He didn’t do it to get proof. He wanted to put faces to their names. For a while, he just stared at their ID pictures. There was nothing particularly special about them; Mulder has probably crossed their path several times in the last few years.

“They could have been split up for a number of reasons. There’s no rule against partners dating.”

“How do you know that?” Scully blushes.

“I checked.”

“When?” He needs to know.

“Recently,” she admits, clearing her throat. “That’s not the point, Mulder. You’ve been acting strange all day. What does this rumor have to do with anything?”

“When I heard what happened,” Mulder says, “you were the first… the first thought that crossed my mind.”

“Me?”

“You and… me. I know I’m presuming things here and we’re not- but we could maybe eventually and I panicked.”

“And instead of telling me this, you thought you’d ignore me, pretend to be sick, and run off?”

“Well, when you say it like that,” he says, smiling sheepishly. “I couldn’t – I can’t risk losing you, Scully. That’s all. I couldn’t get it out of my head. What if someone saw us play baseball the other night?”

His most cherished memory, now tainted. Just the thought. He imagines someone keeping tabs on them, waiting for them to cross the line. He had wanted to kiss her so badly. All the stars had aligned – literally. And he’d chickened out. Now he thinks that maybe it was better this way.

“What we do in our private time is our business.”

“Apparently not,” Mulder mumbles.

“Mulder, you don’t know what happened. They might have been frisky while on assignment or at work. And either way, we’re not like them.” It takes him a moment to catch her meaning. They’re not like them. What she’s saying is that they’re not at risk because she isn’t interested in changing their relationship at all. Once again, he’s been misreading all the signs.

“No,” he says dejectedly. “We’re not.”

“No, Mulder, you don’t understand.” She sighs, invading his personal space. “When we- when that happens, we’ll inform HR.”

When – not if.

“What you’re saying is?”

“Please presume things,” she says. She smiles at him before she gets on her tiptoes and presses a kiss to his lips. He blinks as rapidly as his heart beats. “I leafed through the regulations last month,” Scully confesses with pink cheeks. “While romantic relationships are not encouraged, they’re not forbidden. All you have to do is disclose them to HR.”

“We can do that,” he says, his spirits lifting. She nods, unable to hide her smile.

“And I could have just told you that earlier, but you decided to play possum.”

“Gotta add some spice sometimes, Scully.” He grins at her. “So, when do you think we should let HR know?”

“Tomorrow.” She’s in his arms, kissing him, and he’s agreeing with everything she says and does.

[blacksite-saboteur]

GENERAL INFORMATION

(( THE SHOP IS: OPEN (but very delayed due to mod's mental health reasons) ))

Oh, hey. I'll make this quick.

My name is Sebastian, and I am just a local, selling his wares, in exchange for any research you probably stumbled upon already before getting here.

If you, for some reason, decide you want to stay for a bit and chat, then I won't stop you. I'll even try my best to answer whatever questions you might have, so long as you aren't too personal about it. As a bonus, if you buy something, I might be okay with you sticking around...maybe.

WARNING / RULES

(( This blog contains swearing, and may possibly contain mild descriptions of violence, death, or blood/gore in the future. ))

Alright, I'm gonna lay down some ground rules while I've still got your attention. Don't want things getting out of hand.

: If you decide to be weird, I'm just going to ignore you. This means don't try to get raunchy or sexual with me, got it? You can feel free to embarrass yourself all you'd like, but I'm not gonna justify your behavior with a response. Or, if I do for some reason respond, it's going to be to laugh at you.

: If you're planning on coming back, give yourself some sort of identification so I know who you are. It's just easier for me that way, I'm not good with remembering only faces. If you don't, then don't expect me to remember who you are.

: I don't work for free, understood? No payment, no service. If you try to steal from me, I'll feed you to Eyefestation.

OOC DESCRIPTION BELOW

Any and all types of interaction (OOC, Canon, Expendable or Entity OCs, AUs, Fandom Crossovers, ETC.), including other Sebastian askblogs, is perfectly fine. Go wild. I'll try to respond to any and all asks with as detailed of replies as I can, especially roleplay asks!

If you want to interact using an AU, please send me a DM or something explaining the AU to me so I understand. I'm not magic, after all.

Headcanons may be included as this goes on, but as of right now, I don't have any specific headcanons in place yet.

This post might get updated if things change.

You can call me either Mod, Bones, or a combination of the two. I'm perfectly alright with any pronouns except for she/her, so feel free to get creative with it. I am also a minor (16), so please keep that in mind when sending asks.

This is just a roleplay ask blog that I made for fun because I saw other people doing it recently and I love making/participating in ask blogs a lot. Unless otherwise stated, all posts will be in character, with any mod additions being written either in the tags, or in the post in double brackets.

As much as I'd like to, I don't have the motivation nor time to make a drawing for every ask, so expect to see only text posts here. (Though there's a small chance that if I really like the ask, I might make a doodle for it. Maybe.)

That's about it. Hope you enjoy talking here!

IMAGE CREDIT LINKS: Profile Photo Banner

DIVIDER CREDIT LINKS: Bubbles Pearls

[midorisavetheworld2]

.,mnbv

excited jade

lovestruck chat

sleepy adrin//ino

embarrassed sucy

^thats what i gotta draw but nothing ive tried like. looks good

i cant think of context for them is why so idk the like. thing

slike sleepy on a bed or like sleepy on a bench or both sleepy or one and if one then which and shoulder pillows?? not shoulder pillows?? sleepy awake or full on asleep? i dONt know

and i kind of feel like in most situations sucy would get embarrassed and like hide it by scowling andstuff so like what there? do i draw the scowl but then it looks angry but like she would look angry but shes supposed to look embarrassed and jdsfhbf

and what...does jade even have to be excited about aaaaaaaa

im still gonna do it im just. stuck and indecisive and i dont actually like the stuff ive tried to make sdksjfkhgfd

[dingdonghyvck]

Still Into You || Lee Haechan x Reader

Summary: Not a day goes by that Haechan’s not into you.

Genre: Angst

Pairing/s: Drummer!Haechan x Lead Vocalist!Reader, Minor College Student!Mark x Reader

Warnings: Explicit language, suggestive, mentions of sex and a few sex jokes, alcohol and cigarettes, cheating, manipulation of feelings, angst, and a few others I probably forgot to mention.

Word Count: 4.9k-ish

So I’ve been seeing a lot of Haechan drummer au’s on TikTok, so I thought fuck it and made one! I hope you like it :)

You can read Part two here: The Only Exception

“Can't count the years on one hand that we've been together,

I need the other one to hold you, make you feel, make you feel better.”

Donghyuck's pretty sure that you're the only person from high school that he still bothers to be around, it's been approximately 9 years since the day you two met. 9 years since the day he awkwardly sat next to you in seventh grade, 9 years since the day you drew dick doodles in his notebook as a form of icebreaker since you didn't know any other way of talking to him. It was safe to say that he was more than surprised to see flying dick doodles in his spiral notebook when he got back to class after lunch, still he was somehow amused by the scribbles and the little message you left him introducing yourself.

He immediately talked to you the moment you came  back inside the classroom with your earphones in. He still remembers it so clearly, the way you offered him the left piece of your earphones so you two can listen to music in secret, the teacher had already arrived and you two didn't have enough time to speak to each other. Donghyuck would say it was fate, others would say paramore's just too mainstream, but he didn't care. A cute girl liked the same bands as him, so he made it his goal to get closer to you.

And so you two bonded over music, something you both loved with your whole heart and soul. It was through countless concerts and after-school trips to the record store that got you closer and soon enough you two started messing with GarageBand, creating a few silly songs that were the epitome of teen angst, it was always in good fun. But Donghyuck suddenly came to you with a brilliant proposal one calm afternoon when you were hanging out his room.

"So there's like a battle of the bands at school every year... You sing right? Do you feel like making a band?"

"Yeah, sure..." You had shrugged mindlessly while painting his pinky finger black, mind a bit pre-occupied with what was happening back at home. But Donghyuck takes no notice from this, it was a simple reply but he didn't bother to press further, he could just rally up a few of his friends to start up this band, and if you ever do complain he can also scream blasphemy in your face. Plus he was enjoying the calm atmosphere, so he didn't want to ask any more questions. Well it was as calming as it could get since All Time Low was blasting through his bedroom's speakers, volume maxed out to the point it could make anyone’s ears bleed.

It took him quite a while to fill in missing band mates since you two weren't the most liked people at school, but eventually after a few persuasive talks over milkshakes you two have built a band by the end of February, a little too late for the battle of the bands event. But you all decided that it would be fun to congregate as the band geeks instead of going back to being the outcasts of the school. So practices were held in your basement everyday, you insisted on it since you were trying to spite your parents as much as you could, you hated your life at home, but you could bear the presence of your family if you had some friends around.

Skip a few years and here you are again as "The Innocents"—you honestly don't know why you agreed to the stupid band name, but you lacked the creativity and energy to argue with a caffeinated Donghyuck at 4 am when he had proposed it to the group chat. Although Hendery had complained fifteen times before practice that day, everyone still ended up in your basement, practicing for the annual battle of that bands event your school held, a final hurrah before ending high school.

Donghyuck loved playing the drums, he was drawn to the instrument since a young age so he did he have a natural sense of beat and rhythm. But what he liked the most was the view he got from the back. Not only could he watch the whole band work around the stage, he also had the best view of you. He enjoyed watching you jump around, how you would sometimes lick the side of Jeno’s face whenever you felt a bit mischievous, the way you would laugh at the middle finger he'd throw at you, the way you'd practically lay yourself down the center of the stage as you sang your heart out.

You naturally had the talent, that much was certain. Donghyuck always felt entranced whenever you took on the stage bravely, being the frontman was of course the most challenging position of all. But the way you handled the spotlight made it look so easy, as if you were made to be holding a mic since birth. It was as if you were dancing your own symphony and the rest of the band was nothing but a harmony struggling to follow through since your energy was too overwhelming at times.

But somehow you always made it work, no matter how much your band mates hated it, there was always something unique about the way you presented yourself onstage, demanding the audience's attention. No one was brave enough to even try being in your position, so they had let you bask in the limelight for the most part. But there was particular day you seemed different, as if you had been tuned down. There was something wrong and it was obvious enough to everyone that Jeno had to make up an excuse to leave early with Hendery. They had left abruptly to let you talk it out with Donghyuck, since well, he's your best friend.

Little did they know that you two have been casually fucking for the past year since the time Donghyuck confessed his feelings for you. You haven't given the relationship between you two a label since you weren’t really one to be tied down, but he was glad enough to be even be able to hold you.

You reveal to him that your parents were about to get a divorce, and as much as a shock it was to receive this news, what shocked him more was the moment you sat on his lap. You two were still situated in front of the drum set, but Donghyuck didn't seem to mind. So he helps you take your seat, arms wrapping around your waist as your fingers find its way onto the little hairs at the back of his neck, Donghyuck gulps when he sees you bring out a stick of cigarette.

"What? I'm stressed," You smiled wearily as you lit the cigarette. You take a sharp inhale before blowing the smoke to his face, he scrunches his nose.

"Are you sure you're okay? divorces can be-"

You cut him off by placing the lit cigarette to his lips, the tiny smirk on your face made him frown. You raised an eyebrow at him while you waited, you really didn't feel like talking about your parents, so you evaded it the the same way you'd usually evade him whenever he brought up anything about feelings. He paused for a moment to look at you before inhaling from the cigarette, immediately coughing afterwards. His eyes a little teary as he muttered a small "jesus christ”, you giggled before taking his face into your hands. You push back a few strands of hair as you admired his forehead, he had done nothing but stare back at you.

"Don't tell me you'll leave me too" you whispered as you nuzzled your nose against his neck.

Donghyuck lets out the breath he was holding, gently caressing your backside as he chuckled, finally relaxing into your arms. He knew that it was wrong for you two to not speak about your personal lives that much, since it was pretty obvious you were having troubles at home. But he knew how much you hated to feel feelings, so he never overstepped boundaries. He lets you be for the most part, except for times he reminded you that it’s okay to open up to him. You were always quick dismiss him, telling him you were a big girl and you didn't want to bother or burden him. As much as he'd like to keep insisting, he'd rather just leave you be.

"If I say I love you will you stay forever?" you mumbled as you kissed the mole on his neck, smudging a bit of lipstick on his sun-kissed skin.

Donghyuck felt his heart drop to his stomach,  taking your face into his large palms, caging you into his gaze to see if you were joking, or if you had any doubts behind your gaze. but he was met with the softest gaze he's ever seen on you. Your mascara and eyeliner were running down your cheeks, the little black heart you drew in this morning was smudged to a dot on your pretty face. And a few might say you looked like a mess as tears rimmed your eyes, donghyuck could only think about how much he wanted to kiss you.

"You'll always have me" he whispered, bringing your face towards his. It felt hot, too hot that his skin actually felt like burning the moment your hands touched his backside under his shirt. the kiss was passionate, filled with so much heat and lust that it felt dangerous, he was seconds away from being burned alive; but you suddenly pulled away.

"I love you," you whispered against his mouth, lips brushing past each other as each syllable left your mouth. Your nose gently touched his as you breathed him in, gripping onto his biceps as best as you can, desperate in needing to feel him against you.

Donghyuck does not reply, he simply brings your lips back to his. And as much as he wanted to be more gentle, to take his time with you and make you feel how much he worshipped your body, but your passion burnt too hot that he couldn't smother it. He lets it consume him, his whole being as he loses himself in you, too consumed by your flare and embers to notice how he was slowly burning himself out, that he himself was going to be smothered by you.

“It's not a walk in the park to love each other.                                      

But when our fingers interlock, can't deny, can't deny, you're the worth it.”

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this!?" you screamed, eyes reddening from stress as you pulled at your hair, hard enough to rip a few strands out.

"Johnny's just a fucking friend!" you continued, about to leave the room to run away but he cages you against the wall, hands gripping your shoulders harshly, he was bound to leave marks.

"Baby i'm pretty sure friends don't suck each other off in restaurant bathrooms" he snarled, his voice masked with so much venom that if it were a different person they would be quivering with their knees buckling, but you were different, so you stood your ground.

"I already said I love you what do you fucking want from me?" you laughed coldly, crossing your arms against your chest.

"Love... I'm your boyfriend, I don't know how fucked up your brain is, but don’t tell me you don't know what a boyfriend is." he groans in annoyance, pushing himself away from you. The fighting had been so frequent that you two would be at each other's throats more often than not. The added stress from university and his side jobs was finally ticking him off, he was at his breaking point and he didn't know how long he could still be with you when you were blatantly cheating on him.

"Let's break up then." you muttered, looking down at your feet.

"Fine." He mumbled in defeat, taking a seat on the couch. He buries his face into his palms, trying his best to calm down while his breathing increased. He didn't realized what he had agreed to until he heard his door slam shut. That was the moment he knew he made a mistake, he had let you go too easily. You on the other hand, couldn't help but be the happiest you've been the whole week, finally free. And while Donghyuck was left to try and fix what was left between the two of you, you were out to get coffee, living freely as if nothing had happened.

“Cause after all this time                                         

I'm still into you...”

You sang with the tiniest smile, hiding behind your bangs as you tried your best to jump around the stage and keep eye contact with the blonde male sat front row. It's been 8 months since you and donghyuck broke up and yet you've already found a new boy, some dude you accidentally spilled coffee on. Some random dude who asked for your number and you easily said yes, some random dude that caught your eye. Although it's been months since the breakup, Donghyuck couldn’t help but feel bitter; you had broken his world in half and somehow you still looked fine.

A normal person would walk away. A normal person would leave you and realize how toxic and dangerous you were to the people around you, how you pushed everyone away the second they get too close. But somehow Donghyuck was different, he doesn't know why or how he's doing it, but he sticks by your side. Agreeing to still be in the band and staying as friends, since of course we all fuck our best friends once in our lives right? But like the dumb lapdog he was, he accepted your apology at 12 am in the morning when you showed up drunk at his doorstep. Maybe it was the side of him desperately clinging onto you, looking for some sort of closure or any sign of you regretting the breakup, but months had passed and the days seemed normal for you.

He knew how wrong it was, don't mistake him for someone who's stupid enough to let a girl trample over his heart. He somehow just couldn’t keep away, you had broken him to the point that he didn't want anyone else unless it was you. It really was all so stupid in retrospect. He's handsome, irresistible, and incredibly hot so he could easily grab anyone he wanted but somehow he always ends up pining after you.

No matter how many girls and guys he sees he always ends up in the exact same spot, in the back, sat on his drum set to watch you jump around and light up the stage. But this time you brought a whole different aura, it was his first time seeing you shy. Was it that random Mark guy you started seeing? It's not likely that you'd let the guy stick around, you hated being tied down.  Yet Donghyuck feared this was different, since well, you really seemed off this week since you met Mark.

You don’t even show up at his place shit-faced at 3am every weekend anymore. You even attended some of your classes because Mark would be in them. You smoked less and it seemed like you were finally getting your life together. Did this stranger have that kind of effect on you? Nevertheless Donghyuck could feel the anger bubble in his stomach as he hams up his drumming, annoyed and frustrated at how hard you were to read. he didn't notice that he had been banging at the drums so loud that it muffled out your singing, confusing both Jeno and Hendery who were eyeing him from the sidelines. This continues until the end of the song, but you didn't seem to mind since you decided to ignore it, busy staring at Mark as he smiled shyly at you, raising his glass as you continued to sing your heart out.

“I should be over all the butterflies but I'm into you, I'm into you.      

And even baby our worst nights I’m into you, I'm into you.”

After the last set, you were gulping down the beer Jeno handed you, messily wiping your lips with the back of your hand as you looked for a blonde college boy in the crowd. It wasn't long until you're met with the cutest smiles, his shy eyes hiding behind his glasses as he complemented how great you were, it was his first time watching you sing.

"I wasn't that bad was I?" you asked, giggling playfully, you placed the empty bottle on the counter behind him.

"You were great! the best even," he chuckled as he wrapped his arm around you, his scent engulfed you. You gladly tucked yourself into his arm, you fitted perfectly.

"Mhmm? Then why can't you look me in the face?" you challenged, laughing at the way Mark coughed up his drink from embarrassment.

"Well I don't usually see you dressed up.... like this" he mumbled shyly, of course he hasn't. What you were wearing wasn't necessarily your Sunday's best. You’re pretty sure Mark's father, who's a pastor, wouldn't be too happy to see you showing up for a family dinner in a lace crop top and ripped skinny jeans.

"It's how I usually dress for the gigs, it's not ugly is it...?" you pouted, and as much as you hated acting cute, you loved watching Mark squirm.

Mark wasn't even able to reply when your band mates' presence was made known by  Hendery who ordered everything available in the bar. You couldn't help but giggle while watching your friend drink shot after shot, he offered you some but you declined since you didn't want to get shit-faced in front of Mark, you were better than that. You knew he was totally out of your league, being the perfect christian college boy studying english literature, he's probably the type who'll marry a pretty trophy wife that will give him three beautiful kids. You didn't even know why Mark gave you a chance, you were practically trash on the side of the road compared to him.You were struggling enough to get by with the gigs and college funds, but he doesn’t seem to mind when you would come up empty-handed during dates, he would gladly spoil you— so consider yourself lucky.

"Hyuck you're not looking too hot" Jeno says it while checking the drummer’s temperature, the brunette simply pushed his hand away, trying his best to avoid your gaze.

"I'm fine" he rolled his eyes, opening a few buttons of his silk shirt, grabbing the attention of some of the ladies near the bar.

"What do you mean? Hyuck's hot as fuck!" Hendery shouted, most probably drunk. Jeno tries to pull the shot glass away but it only ends up spilling all over the counter, Mark scrunches his nose in disgust.

"Wouldn't you know?" Hendery continued pointing towards you, he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. Mark's arm drop from your shoulder, you suddenly freeze from his comment.

"Yeah wouldn't you know sunflower?" Donghyuck smirked, eyes meeting with those of Mark's who looked uncomfortable. You tried shooting him a glare, telling him to stop ruining your night, you wanted to finally shoot your shot with Mark. The blonde made you feel different, he made you feel stable and safe, it’s been a long time since you last felt this way. You didn’t even know you were still capable of developing feelings and you haven't felt this way towards anyone so you really didn't want to mess it up. But to your anguish, Mark's curiosity got the better of him.

"Oh yo wait, so you two... were a thing?" Mark coughed awkwardly, his hand going to grip your waist which made you perk up.

"Yeah we've known each other for quite... some time, so it's natural that we've tried stuff" Donghyuck shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets to hide the way he's balling up his fists.

"Yeah but that was like a decade ago, we don't really-"

"Pretty sure 8 months isn't a decade long love" Donghyuck raised his eyebrow, a little smirk makes his way as he sees Mark's grip on your waist falter.

"So do you two still...?"

"No! No, never again... Why would I when I already have you?" you immediately cut Mark off, he's startled by your reply but he still smiles at you, not as bright as the ones he'd shoot you when were onstage. There was a long awkward pause but thankfully Mark speaks up.

"Well! I have like four essays due tomorrow, so I'm gonna have to head out. Want me to drive you home?" he offers, and you were about to accept but you saw Donghyuck raising an eyebrow at you so you stop yourself.

"I would but... We still have a second set, I... I'll call you" you said worried that he'd be turned off with the idea that you had slept with your best friend who you're still friends with by the way, but he simply shook his head as if he was telling you to not worry about it. He kisses your forehead gently before saying goodbye to the rest of the boys. You watch his retreating figure but you weren't able to see him exit the club's doors because it's not long before you feel a strong grip on your left wrist and you're being dragged to somewhere.

“Let 'em wonder how we got this far,

'Cause I don't really need to wonder at all.”

Donghyuck leads you to the club's dirty bathroom, lowly lit with the purple and pink lights. He locks the door behind him but the vibrations of the club's speakers pounded against the door, it was still just as deafening as it was outside. Donghyuck stares at your face for a moment, thinking of what words to say. He watched the way you pursed your lips, you probably were thinking the same, so he beats you to speaking.

"Second set? I'm pretty sure we're done for the night sweetheart-" Donghyuck's stopped mid sentence by your hand coming across his face with a harsh slap, he smiles sadistically when he looks up at you.

"Yeah there's no second set but I had to tell you this" you said, eyes lit with a fire he's never seen before.

"Don't. Ruin. Mark. For. Me." you spat as you pushed him with your finger, backing him up against the club's door. His smirk finally falters, he looked just as confused and annoyed the day you two broke up.

"What? Everything I said was true, doesn't he deserve to know? Let him wonder how we got this far... If he ever doubts your feelings for him, then he doesn't deserve you"

You think about how it's actually the other way around, because for the first time in your life, you're finally making a change for the better. Since your abusive past and your parents' divorce you had always been problematic. Rebelling against your mother since she had refused to accept to support your band. You lived buck-wild, mostly relying on Donghyuck for sustenance. You thought your hate for the people around you was reasonable because of your parents, so you closed off everyone, including Donghyuck. You rebelled and used people as much as you liked, you thought it was only fair you'd reciprocate the hurt the world had given you. But after meeting Mark, it felt like a breath of fresh air, he made you feel alive, like you still had a chance to do the right thing.

"I just don't want to ruin things with him, he's... different" You whispered softly, gripping his silk button-up. Donghyuck laughs cold at this, switching your positions so that you were the one with your back against the door, he cages you against it, making you feel small as he traced your jawline.

"What? are you into virgin college boys now? do they turn you on that much?" he chuckled wickedly, his eyes stared deeply into your own.

"We both know you're never capable of love princess, you like playing with feelings. Because in the end, I know you'll end up breaking this boy's poor heart because that's who you are..." his voice ends up becoming a whisper in the end, his lips inching closer to yours, and without knowing it he presses his lips against yours.

To your shock, you kiss him back for a few seconds but realize what you were doing. You pushed him away to slap him again, he holds your palm in his hand, he harshly holds your wrist against the door. You try to wriggle free from his grip but you stopped when you looked at his face. He had his forehead against yours, tears streaming down his cheeks, his eyes were closed but you could hear his sniffling as he tried to collect himself. It was now that you finally realize how much you had hurt him. You didn't know that he was this affected by your break up since he had easily agreed to it. You were also blinded by your selfishness, your anger towards the world that you didn't know you were already hurting someone so important to you.

So you soften up, remembering that this broken guy who stood before you was still your best friend. Your best friend who stayed with you when you were at your worse, your best friend who loved you unconditionally even if you drove everyone away.

"That's exactly who you are, you're a heartless monster." he cried, you silently agreed with him but you kept your mouth shut, willing to listen to him finally tell you his feelings. You have been an asshole for most of your life, and you knew it, so you thought this was the least you could do for him. You didn't think much of Donghyuck’s feelings in the past, so it was only hitting you now, he had truly loved you. Even if you were the most flawed person. Even if you were the sad little girl who was too scared of the world, the little girl who believed that everyone was out to get her. He had loved you fully, through and through, even if you had intentionally cheated on him.

"I'm sorry" you whisper, finally realizing how cruel you were these past years. You hated yourself, you truly did. You hate yourself for playing with his feelings, for leading him on when you didn't really have feelings for him back then. You used him for your enjoyment not thinking of his emotions, you used him as an escape from your reality, your troubled past. You truly were a monster and it was finally made clear to you.

"Then take me back," he whispered, he sounded so broken that it took a while for you to register what he said. You didn't reply and he looks up to meet your gaze and your heart breaks.  

"After all this time, I'm still so into you, so please... just give me a chance to be yours again" he begged, you knew he was ready to beg on his knees if it weren't for your current position, you could feel the shiver run down your back because of guilt.

"Donghyuck." you sighed as you took his face into your palms, you look into his eyes and you could see the glimmer of hope behind them, hoping that  you were about to say yes to his offer, but to his disappointed you only caused more heartbreak.

"I really really like Mark... and you were probably right, I'm so fucked in the brain that I didn't even think of your feelings back then. Of how real your emotions were for me, I thought we were just casual, but it seems like you really..." you trail off thinking of the right words to say

"loved me. I'm so sorry for being a fucking asshole, I have no excuses. Being hurt by my parents gives me no reason to hurt you back, so you don't have to accept my apology, I don't deserve it... But I’m doing what I think is best for us right now, I'm kicking you out of the band"

Donghyuck's eyes widened at this, his hands desperately clasping onto yours as he tried to bring his lips back to yours. He didn't know why he was trying to kiss you, probably it was because of the alcohol in his system, or most likely desperation. But all he knew he wasn't ready to let go, to say goodbye to you just yet, so he tried grasping for any piece of you he could as you removed his desperate hands from your body, both of you crying as you tried to push him away for good.

"What do you mean? why do you keep pushing me away like this?" he cries out as he hugs you, you pat his back.

"Because this is wrong, and it's time for you to be happy." you freed yourself from his weak grip, he tried to fight back but you insisted, it finally hit him that this was inevitable, it was finally time for you to say goodbye.

"Thank you for everything" you whispered, and with a final slip of his grasp you were gone. You had opened the door and left him in the bathroom, broken and lost.

“Yeah, after all this time, I'm still into you.”

Part 2

[ur-favorite-queer-queen]

New Start

For Maribat March day 15 theme new start

Master List

Marinette was lucky, she could admit that. Not because of the pocket-sized goddess of creation and luck she carried in her purse, but because of where she is. Sure, living with a magical emotional terrorist isn’t ideal, but it’s better than what her fate would have been had she never been found. 

Growing up on the streets of Gotham had been rough to put it lightly. Very lightly. In her time she had seen many good souls come and go, some to their deaths, some to better lives. She was grateful she was the latter, not many she knew had the opportunity she had to have a new start.

In other circumstances, Tom and Sabine would be horrible parents. After all 90 percent of the time they left her to her own devices. However in this case, it’s fine. For one, she was once a street kid, she knows how to take care of herself. And she is also Scarlet Luck, protector of Paris, wielder of the Ladybug miraculous, and newly appointed guardian of the miraculous. So them turning a blind eye to her sudden disappearances did wonders for her. 

All she needed in this life was a roof over her head and some decent food. Having her adoptive parents be bakers was a plus too. 

The only downside to this life was school. Not because she hated learning or the places school provided. No, she loved sitting in the silence of the library and doing her schoolwork or reading a book. And she especially loved the art room, where she found her love of designing and sewing. 

The problem was the people, the staff that mattered to her and her future, were all pushovers and she wasn’t allowed to transfer into Ms. Mendeleiev’s class. Ms. Bustier was the type to let the kids figure it out on their own, rather than step in when she was most needed. And Principal Damocles shouldn’t even be a principal with how much he caves in when it comes to the Mayor’s daughter or Rossi. 

She was thankful, however, that within her first month the students at Francoise Dupont learned not to mess with her. Or speak to her. Or be near her in general. And she was perfectly okay with that. She quite liked her spot in the back with Nathaniel, one of the only people she considered a friend. 

They had a silent agreement, which was to be silent and leave the other alone. Nathaniel would draw while Marinette would sketch and the 2 had each other's backs. Like when Marinette would whisper Nathaniel the answers during English and he would do the same with history. 

He along with Marc, Ondine, Aurore, Mireillie, and Kagami were the only ones she considered friends. Which means they were the only ones that knew why she was so on edge with the Wayne family being in Paris. Not only did none of them know how to control their emotions, but she was sure that Jason Todd-Wayne was bound to be akumatized. Why? Because every kid that was ever on the streets of Gotham knew his story. 

He was street smart, a dork, but most importantly aggressive. On the streets he picked fights with any who tried to cross him, and when he was adopted he fought the rich kids that went to Gotham Academy. That was another thing everyone knew, he hit it big when he got adopted by the billionaire that was Bruce Wayne. While she wasn’t on the street when he was she knew he was trouble. The whole Wayne family was, whether they knew it or not. 

She already had to deal with Chat every battle, she did not want to have to deal with one of the Waynes becoming an akuma. Not only would it cause an international affair considering how important they are to America, but it could get the attention of American reporters and then the Justice League might want to get involved. She didn't want to deal with the Justice League. 

Kagami was the only one brave enough to point out how she might be afraid that people from her hometown were coming to Paris. But she was wrong and Marinette made sure she never brought it up again. Through whatever means necessary.

Now one reason that Kagami was her best friend was because they agreed on something. Never hesitate. If you have an opportunity, take it. Something important that every street kid knows. 

Well here she was, standing in front of her classroom, hesitating. She could hear her classmates talking away, whichever Waynes were here trying to gain control of the situation. She guessed her teacher was either doing something out of the classroom or not bothering to get the class in check. 

With one final wish that today wouldn't be as shitty as she hoped she opened the door. According to Nathaniel she threw it open. 

And she was right, at the front of the classroom were 3 Wayne's trying to get her class to quiet down. Buster was nowhere in sight. 

Since Nino and Adrien were closest to the door they noticed her first, stopping their conversation and trying to 'subtly' stare at her. The others quickly following their lead. All eyes, including the Waynes, were staring at her. Wonderful.

Literally all she had to do was roll her eyes and everyone averted their eyes. It was always like something out of a movie. She made her way up the stairs up to Nathaniel and her seats. Grabbing a couple of macarons out of her bag she handed them over to him before setting her notebook and pencil on her desk. 

It looked like Lila was about to say something, but a glare had her swallowing her words back down her throat. Staring straight ahead she raised her eyebrow at the Waynes that were still staring, wondering if they were going to try and continue what they were originally trying to discuss. 

After a moment the oldest among them started talking again, the other two joined in, however she could tell when they would all cast her glances. She simply acted blissfully unaware, writing notes down for her and Nathaniel while he drew. She had no idea what his grades would be like if it weren't for her. 

-

This whole week had been full of surprises for Bruce. First the League finds out that there has been a magical terrorist in Paris for 3 years that they didn't know about, and these past 3 years children have been fighting him. 

So his family being detectives, they were sent to try and get information on the ‘akuma class’. He wanted it to just be him, Dick, Tim, and maybe Cass, but of course Dick wanted the whole family to come. Try to make a family vacation out of it despite the fact that there was a magical emotional terrorist that they were trying to track down and they needed to keep their emotions in check. He means no offense but that is something neither Jason nor Damian can do. 

But somehow Dick was able to get the whole family to come because only Dick can do that. And now he had Tim and Dick with him to try to talk to the akuma class about a presentation on starting a business a ploy to try and subtly get information out of them. 

They had already done background checks on them all and their families just to be safe and were thoroughly impressed by what they saw. Many of them were gifted in sports, arts, and academics, so perhaps they were just unlucky. 

The only one that concerned him was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Only Alfred was aware that the girl was from Gotham, she was specifically a street kid. Adopted 6 years ago by Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain the girl seemed quite bright. She had excellent grades and was in the art club. However he feared what his children might do with this information. And if another reason was because she had black hair, blue eyes, and a guaranteed tragic backstory being from Gotham that set his adoption instincts on fire NO ONE HAD TO KNOW! 

So here he was with Dick and Tim, trying to get this ‘akuma class’ to quiet down so they could start the presentation. The teacher has stepped out of the room to check something with the principal and ‘give them the floor’. She probably wanted to get a reason to escape this class, he might try to get an investigation done on this school and their faculty. 

From what he observed, Marinette seemed to be absent while most of the class had seemed to be paying attention to this one girl with brown hair in a sausage hairstyle, Lila Rossi, a pathological liar, although the class didn’t seem to know that. All except a redheaded boy in the back, Nathaniel Kurtzberg, a pink haired girl on the second row, Alixandra Kubdel, and a boy with a green shirt and glasses on the third row, Maxton Kante. There was also a blond boy, Adrien Agreste, who seemed to be listening to what the girl was saying with a fake smile he knew all too well. Poor boy. 

His sons weren’t having much more luck trying to gain the attention of the class. The redhead looked to be drawing, the green shirt and glasses boy was working on what appeared to be a robot, while the pink haired girl was on her phone. Every once in a while it seemed like she sent them a sympathetic glance, the other two boys too involved in what they were doing to give them any sympathy. 

Just as he was sure his kids were about to reach their breaking points in walked the one person he hoped not to see. She slammed the door open and suddenly the whole class quieted down immediately. Now his sons were looking at her as well. She couldn’t have been more than 5’3 and she was only 16, yet she managed to silence this whole class just by appearing. 

The class also seemed to be staring at her before she rolled her eyes and they all averted their gazes. It was one of the most movie-like things he had ever witnessed. 

She walked up the steps to the back, with each step she seemed to command attention before digging into her bag and handing Nathaniel who had once been doodling a bag of macarons. He seemed to appreciate them as he gave her a small smile before proceeding to munch on one. 

Lila who had once had the attention of the class seemed to be fuming now that the attention was off of her. It seemed like she was about to say something but stopped when she caught sight of the glare Marinette was giving her. 

Marinette then proceeded to turn her attention to him and his sons, raising an eyebrow as if to ask if they were going to start. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his sons exchange a look he knew all too well, before starting the presentation. And if he or his sons casted looks over to Marinette one too many times, no one noticed. 

Bonus - 

“WE FOUND A NEW WAYNE!” Dick shouted, far too happy with his discovery. 

“Tt, what are you on about Grayson?” Damian scoffed, curiosity and jealousy bubbling in his mind at the thought of a new Wayne. 

“There’s a girl in the akuma class, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She had black hair and blue eyes, both things needed to be adopted by Bruce.” Tim stated. 

“Does she have a tragic backstory?” Jason jokingly asked. 

“Do not look up anything on Ms. Dupain-Cheng. She has a family and I will not be adopting her. Am I clear?” Bruce demanded, waiting for everyone to agree before going to take a shower. 

“Babs?” Cass questioned, knowing the girl had to have found something. 

“Looking,” Babs replied, “Oh.” She stopped typing and just stared at the screen. 

“What’d you find?” Steph asked the question they were all wondering from Babs’ unusual reaction. 

“Guys,” Babs started, turning the screen to face them, “She’s from Gotham.” 

And from there all hell broke loose.

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

Inspired by this post I saw a while back: 

Marinette being a street kid from Gotham but had no previous connection to any of the Waynes was intriguing so I did it. I’m probably going to do a backstory chapter later on, just unsure which day I’ll do it on. 

Of course yesterday I was early so today I was late. The universe needs its balance. So sorry for the late post guys, I blame the universe. 

@maribatmarch-2k21

[chimtaera]

imagine barista taehyung.

ok first things first.

taehyung runs the most aesthetic, atmospheric, coffee shop of all time.

doesn’t matter if he doesn’t own the place, he’s gonna decorate.

paintings of the walls by local artist and van gogh alike.

boardgames and puzzles on the shelves for rainy days.

will play uno with you on slow days.

and you know the playlist is gonna be on point.

also the most experimental with his drinks. 

like he’s gotten in trouble for experimenting with people’s orders, so now he gives away his frankendrinks for free.

and outgoing as he is he’s on first name basis with everyone who’s visited more than twice. 

he won’t remember your order, but he’ll remember your name, and/or give you a nickname, and/or draw you a correlating doodle on your to-go cup.

you’re probably a tired student in need of a quiet place to read and/or write your assignments. 

you’re gonna need caffeine too, so you might as well camp out in a coffee shop.

taehyung is chatty and wants to know what you’re studying for, what assignment you’re working on, and will you try his iced pumpkin-spice dirty chai latte with cinnamon?

and this being a perfect opportunity to procrastinate, so you strike up a friendship with the barista.

thus you end up being designated test-subject for his new and exciting concoctions. 

dw they’re only undrinkable 2% of the time. you’ll be fine.

taehyung thinks ur cute, but u r kinda clueless.

cue montage of taehyung trying to hint that he’s into you and you completely missing out because you’re either buried in your work or just think he’s being nice:

hearts in all your drinks, in the foam, in the sprinkles, in the whipped cream, even in the chocolate sauce. but that doesn’t have to mean anything right?? that’s just what baristas do, he’s just practicing his craft, right??

brings you pastries and cookies for free, making excuses that there’s something wrong with it so he was gonna throw it out anyway. 

“this cookie has too many chocolate chips, you can have it”

“is this pastry too sweet? you decide.”

“we can’t sell this, it’s on fire. here you go.”

“a time traveller licked this one.”

but he’s just trying to cheer you up because he sees how hard you’re studying, right???

dedicates chat baker songs to you, but he’s just being silly haha right ???

gazes longingly at you while he’s steaming the milk until it’s ruined, lmao he’s so easily distracted. totally not in love with you hahaha ha ha h a right???

except he totally is.

and you totally are in love with him too, but you don’t wanna seem like you’re assuming things or make him uncomfortable at his place of work because he’s a service worker yanno, he’s paid to be nice.

but one evening you’ve got an assignment due that night, and you were up all of last night writing, and you’re so exhausted no amount of coffee can keep awake and oopsy daisy you’ve fallen asleep at your table in the coffee shop.

and you won’t know this, but taehyung switches playlists to something quieter and tries to steam milk as quietly as possible which isn’t very that shit is noisy, but it’s the thought that counts yanno.

anyway it’s late, and eventually he has to close the shop and so he wakes you, with coffee of course.

and you panic because you only have an hour until you have to turn in your paper and it’ll take you half that time to get home.

taehyung is quick to comfort you though, it takes him about an hour to close up shop, and you’re more than welcome to stay until then.

this is lowkey a lie, it takes taehyung only half an hour to close up, but he wants to help you out and also just wants to be around you.

and you’re still sleepy and so grateful you blurt some nonsense along the lines of “omg thank you let me buy you coffee some time!!”

and he laughs and you blush because obviously he has more than enough coffee.

but, to your surprise he accepts. “as long as it’s not here”, he says. and he may be blushing a little too.

so he takes his time, cleans extra thoroughly, goes through some of the routines that are only necessary once a week, humming along to some soft jazz.

and the sleep has done you good, so you manage to tie up all your loose ends and complete your paper, with enough time spare to read through it once and correct some spelling. truly a miracle.

and imagine, as you leave together and he locks up your jacket gets caught in the door and he has to help you get it loose and oops he’s really close now

so close you can count his eyelashes and you can’t breathe he’s so pretty!!?!?!? and he smells like freshly ground coffee beans and cookies still warm from the oven, honestly he’s mouthwatering.

and he’s like “hey, actually, neither of us has eaten, you wanna get dinner right now instead of coffee later?” and hells yes you do, suddenly reminded that you are absolutely starving.

so you agree but he’s still so close, like all up in your personal space and you don’t mind exactly, but it makes your heart beat out of control and you’re pretty sure you’re blushing so hard you’re radiating heat.

and then he asks “so, do i have to wait until after the date to kiss you or..?”

and you choke on nothing because, “wait, we’re going on a date?”

“yes, i just decided.” and he steps impossibly closer. “i wanna date you, do you wanna date me?”

“i mean, yes, yeah, of course, i-”

“okay, then i’m just gonna kiss you now.”

and he does, and it’s just a sweet and gentle press of lips against yours, but he’s so close and warm and smells so nice it’s pretty much heavenly.

and after dinner he walk you home and kisses you some more before ushering you inside to get some much needed rest.

needless to say, studying at the coffee shop is a little more distracting after that.

taehyung will straight up push your books out of your lap and sit on you to pepper you with kisses, at least once a day.

and you finally notice the hearts in all your drinks, that are meant especially for you.

but also a lot more enjoyable!!

anyway, nsfw under the cut.

taehyung more like tae-HUNG (sorry.)

i feel like taehyung would be a lot of fun in bed. 

he’s confident, he’s fun, he’s adventurous, inventive, and a little weird, and i think those things all play out pretty well in the bedroom.

or, yanno, shower, bathroom floor, hallway mirror, storage closet, in a boat, with a goat, etc.

best of all he’s very attentive, he’ll pay so close attention to you, very intense at times.

every time you have a reaction he likes he will grin and chuckle to himself and do whatever he did again and again and again until you’re begging him to cum.

also gets really horny at like the weirdest and most inconvenient times and will get really whiny and clingy and subtly rub up against you until you can sneak away somewhere and get each other off. 

imagine his as soon as he has a break from work giving you a look like “now.” and ur like “now??” and he’s like “nOW.”

don’t tell his boss but he will go down on you in the storage closet if you let him. 

relieve some stress, you know, you’re studying so hard you deserve it!!

he’s very convincing.

like i said, pretty adventurous. so he’ll want to try out new positions and stuff all the time. 

not because regular sex is boring, but because it’s fun to explore!

he’s more than happy to just sit back and let you ride him on the sofa.

he’s pretty verbal too, and you can expect a lot of praise.

bottom line taehyung is hot as hell, and sex with him would be too.

lucky you!

[obeiii-mee]

Hi there! If its okay, could i ask for headcannons of the brothers finding out MC is an Artist? Something like, finding there sketchbook or napkins w doodles on them jfjdjs Or maybe they catch MC glancing at them alot while trying to draw them? hfjd Ty!! Your writing is really good~

Of course it’s OK! I’ve always liked the idea of MC having a really interesting hobby and teaching the brothers about it. I feel like all the brothers would be very supportive of them, even if they all had various reactions to their hobby but I really love writing wholesome moments like that. Sorry this took longer to come out, I made them really long to make up for it!

Also thank you. Your compliment means a lot :)

————————————-

The Brothers’ reactions to MC being an artist:

Lucifer:

-Well if you’re going to glance at him every two minutes, he’s bound to notice

-I mean, you’re pretty damn obvious

-Lucifer got pretty used to you whipping out your sketchbook whenever you could

-So for you to start doodling in his office while he worked wasn’t exactly unheard of

-He caught you staring at him before looking back down at your drawing, continuing your series of furious scribbles

-Now you piqued his interest

-“You seem very focused there love. What are you drawing?”

-Scared the crap out of you because he rarely ever talks when he’s working

-You were reluctant to show him but Lucifer has his insisting face on

-When you passed him the sketchbook, he momentarily froze

-Your drawing was so detailed and full of emotion, capturing him slumped over his desk, exhausted but determined to finish the work he’s been assigned

-He was so surprised and stunned, for a second, he forgot to breathe

-“It’s not exactly one of my best drawings yet but-“

-“You never fail to impress me MC.”

-He suspected you were drawing him but he wasn’t expecting this much effort to be put into it

-He would definitely keep all your drawings of him

-Loves all your work but secretly adores your sketches of him best

-Lucifer would occasionally look over your shoulder while you sketch, taking a peek at what you’re drawing and smile to himself

-He’s never felt this much pride for someone else before

Mammon:

-Was pissed you would rather spend time with an object rather than him

-It annoyed him at first because he couldn’t tell if you were listening to him or not while you had your nose stuck in your sketchbook

-Basically, he was jealous of a sketchbook

-You can’t do that Mammon, that’s Levi’s thing

-So one day he decided to see what the fuck was so great about that giant notebook you always have with you

-He turned your entire room upside down searching for the damn thing before finding it

-He flipped through it and I’m sure the entire House of Lamentation could hear his gasp

-You drew him for pages and pages in all sorts of positions and styles and he was a flustered tomato going through them

-You willingly drew him? The scum of a demon who could never do anything right unless it involved money? You put your time and effort into these sketches and doodles despite him being condescending and a dick at times?

-Excuse me but this man is already head over heels in love with you, you can’t keep giving him reasons to fall for you

-He was so engrossed into your work that he didn’t notice you behind him

-“Mammon why is there a mess in my room-“

-“HOLY SHI-AHHH!!!”

-Too embarrassed to even think of an excuse for going through your shit

-“Ah those...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have drawn you without your permission Mammon-“

-“Are ya kiddin’ me? MC, I feel insulted that you didn’t tell me about this sooner. Can...Can I keep some of ‘em??”

-Now he insists that you draw him as often as possible and would even pose for you (he loves the attention let’s be real)

-He wants to see all of your drawings and will endlessly support you

-Thought about using your skill as a way to make money because art can be very expensive

-But in the end, he dropped the idea

-Why would he sell something so precious to him??

Levi:

-He probably has a sketchbook too

-You guys draw Ruri-chan together in your own styles

-Levi always insists that you’re much better at drawing than him tho

-Your talent makes him a little jealous but at the same time he’s fascinated

-Was so surprised when he found out you were into sketching

-Levi was even more surprised when you showed him all the drawings you’ve worked on for your favourite anime and video game characters

-OK but how come you’re so perfect? Not only are you a lovely person that is willing to watch anime with him without insulting his opinions but you can draw? W...h...a...t...?

-He requests several sketches of ‘The Tale of the Seven Lords’ characters and will actually tape them to his wall

-Some of them are right on his Ruri-chan shelf

-“Hey normie, do you...do you mind teaching me how to draw? I want to learn.”

-Is 100% determined to learn how to properly sketch from you

-You started drawing him as well, usually while he games

-You better stop, he’ll have a nosebleed if you keep being so nice to him!

-Draw him as an anime character and he will start fangirling

-“Phew. OK I’m finished.”

-“What did you draw?”

-“Hentai.”

-“This. Is. A. Masterpiece.”

-Will proudly show your work to his brothers (usually the same drawing more than five times)

-What did an otaku like him do to deserve you??

Satan:

-He found out you were an artist fairly quickly

-I meant he found tissues with doodles you left behind everywhere

-He kept all of them

-It was so refreshing for him to see you so invested in your drawings the same way he is in his reading

-You’re still under the impression you’re being sneaky by drawing him while he has his nose in his books

-You ended up finally gathering enough courage to show him one of your portraits of him

-He had a reaction similar to Lucifer’s really

-Praise!

-He made your drawing into a bookmark

-Idk how but he did

-You leave him a few doodles of you and him being all lovey dovey and he absolutely adores them

-Will lose his marbles if anyone says anything remotely negative about your style or talent

-Draw him fluffy animals pls he will literally have them framed and fixed up in his room

-Also if you draw any of his brothers (specifically Lucifer let’s be real) in a silly way he will actually start snorting with laughter

-You sketch him pretty damn often and he can’t really complain

-It’s really peaceful when you two are in the library and you’re working on your doodling while he reads aloud to you

-Buys you equipment like pens and pencils and even sketchbooks when he knows you’re running out

-He’s really delighted when you come over to show him your drawings

-Once he caught you staring at a cat as you started sketching it

-He actually didn’t think it was possible to love someone this much

Asmo:

-Noisy little fucker that he is and in need of drama, he looked through your sketchbook

-Thought it was a diary at first but nope

-Imagine his surprise when he found pages upon pages of drawings of his brothers and him

-Except his weren’t really a surprise

-He’s gorgeous of course you would want to draw him

-But oh my God, do you realise how much he values art??

-I know he looks as if he only thinks about sex but he definitely has a thing for creativity and art like painting and photography

-“MC darliiiing~? Why didn’t you tell me you can draw?”

-He actually shrieks at how well you’ve captured his beauty

-He insists that they look like actual pictures of him

-Takes several pictures of all of them and posts them on DevilGram

-A bit salty when you drawing anything else but him

-However, he can’t deny that you’re one of the most talented individuals he ever met

-He comes up to you every day and lractically begs you to draw him

-One time you came in your room to find him naked and asking you to draw him

-Is actually kinda good at drawing himself

-Specifically people

-He has enough experience exploring the human body so he surprisingly enough, knows a thing or two when it comes to body proportions

-“MC draw me like one of your french girls~”

-I’m sorry I had to do that

-He also likes the attention he’s getting when he poses for you

-He may think he’s the most beautiful being in all three realms but he definitely thinks you’re the second

-So he often offers to draw you too

-He likes having cozy chats with you while you draw

Beel:

-You left your sketchbook behind in the kitchen with him

-Mammon needed your assistance to get down from where Lucifer hanged him after one of his failed money schemes

-He knocked a glass of milk nearby it and had a panic attack for a minute

-Legitimately thought he ruined the whole thing

-Was actually about ready to cry because he knew how important your sketchbook was to you

-Looked through it just to make sure there were no splotches or anything

-To say he was relieved when he realised it was fine would be an understatement

-He was kinda drawn to your sketches, most of them carefully drawn and expressive, even some of the ones you scribbled out

-One specific drawing caught his eye though

-You drew him and Belphie together, with his twin brother’s head resting on his shoulder while Beel ate

-He was mesmerised by your talent and by your thoughtfulness

-Beel felt bad about it but he kept looking through your sketches, enchanted by everything in it

-You drew him and his brothers several times

-It’s safe to say the discovery of your drawings brightened his day

-Gave back your sketchbook later

-He apologised for going through it without your permission more than he needed to

-You had to accept his apology because he looked like a kicked puppy

-Feels very honoured whenever you let him look at your work

-Is more than happy to pose for you!

-But that might be a bit of a problem seeing as he tends to move around a lot

-“Whoa, that looks just like me! The food I’m eating looks really realistic too...which is making me hungry. Let’s go to Hell’s Kitchen, you can finish this there!”

-Supportive bean

-You gave him a family sketch of him and all of his brothers once

-Normally, he only likes gifts he can eat

-But he treasures that drawing more than food at times

-“This...this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me! Thank you MC! But uh, someone’s missing in this drawing.”

-“Ah shit, who did I miss?”

-“You.”

-If anything ever happens to Beel or his happiness I swear to Lord Diavolo-

Belphie:

-OK but you left your notebook just sitting there right next to him???

-How do you expect him not to look through it?

-Belphie doesn’t care much for privacy

-And he doesn’t exactly have morals either

-He didn’t even know you were into drawing

-Which to be fair, wasn’t scandalous considering he sleeps 20 hours a day

-But he wants to be more involved in your interests so that’s why he took initiative with your sketchbook

-Idk what he was expecting but definitely not a sketch of him staring back at him

-His heart skipped a beat but I don’t even know if demons have hearts

-The cheeky little shit took pictures and may or may not have made on your drawings of him his wallpaper

-Most of the drawings were of him sleeping, surprising...absolutely no one

-“So that’s what you’re up to whenever I go to sleep huh? So cute~”

-But besides all that, he is really touched

-I mean, if there’s anyone undeserving of your love and respect is the piece of shit of who tried to kill you

-Yet here you are, continuously showering him with affection and now this

-Probably spent hours looking at your sketchbook while you were at R.A.D

-Didn’t say anything to you when you came back except handing your notebook back to you

-Though he was less of a smartass and more affectionate for the rest of the day

-Next morning, you took the liberty of waking up before him and sketching him again

-He grabbed your arm halfway through your doodling and grinned at you from under the covers

-“Drawing me again huh? You won’t mind me doing this while you’re at it then right?”

-Now he’s sleeping in your lap

-Whenever you show him your work, he makes a small approving noise but he’s seriously impressed

-Draw Lucifer or Lord Diavolo in any offensive manner and he will actually start giggling

-Gets all huffy puffy when you draw his brothers instead of him (we all know Beel is the exception)

-I may have a thing for Belphegour

Al~

[afriendlyblackhottie]

Ransom Drysdale Must Die (Chapter One)

Summary: Ransom Drysdale is a serial cheater. The only way to get him to pay for what he’s done is for him to die. Or at least be extremely humiliated. As long as you don’t fall for him.

Pairings: Eventual Ransom Drysdale x black!reader, Ransom Drysdale x Multiple OC’s

Warnings: Swearing. Eventual smut.

(Author’s Note: I was watching John Tucker must die and it made me think of my favorite sweater wearing murder daddy.)

Tags: @night-of-the-living-shred​

Word Count: 2.0k

It's not that you were invisible. You preferred to think of it as keeping a low profile. Growing up, you didn't really have a choice but to keep things to yourself. What was the point of trusting people if all you were going to do was leave? You couldn't make friends or keep them if you'd be moving in another four to six months anyway. Not that it was your choice.

It started at a really young age. Technically before you were even born. Your mom had been a teen parent. Your dad didn't stick around which was all you knew about him. It didn't take long for you to get used to the myriad of men walking in and out of your life. Then you got used to seeing your mom, your only constant, getting treated like garbage over and over and over.

She never had an issue with dating. It was them sticking around that was apparently tricky. The problem is that when it would happen the same thing always happened. She'd binge on chocolate. Use you as a shoulder to cry on. Then you'd be moving to flee into the next city. It was kind of fucked up.

While she cried over the hundredth guy your nose was either buried in a book or painting which had been your only escape. You never wanted to judge your mom. She didn't deserve to always have her heartbroken. But, you also didn't deserve having a mom that wanted to pack up at the first sign of trouble. She didn't seem to get that.

As an adult, you promised yourself that you would find one place and stick to it. It might have hurt your mom a little to watch you go, but she understood that you had to go away for college and stuff. Which is how you ended up in Boston. You kind of remember living in Boston once back in the day. You liked the winters surprisingly and the way the trees looked in the fall. You remembered being happy which is why it sucked so much to leave.

You’d gotten your degree, but finding a job had been difficult. Which is how you ended up working at this country club. Though you could live without all the snobby rich people being total assholes, at least they tipped well. You mostly waitress in the clubhouse where it was usually the older crowd and the families that sucked up to them for the inheritance.

It was also how you first noticed him. Hugh Ransom Drysdale. From the moment you laid eyes on him you could tell he was dangerous. Just like those men, your mother would fall for that would inevitably break her heart. That same air of arrogance hanging over him like a cloud, except much better looking with a trust fund to go along with it.

He insisted everyone in the clubhouse call him Hugh. Which according to everyone is what he insists the help call him. God, he's a fucking asshole.

You remember the first time you talked to him. He was so enchanting. It was annoying. He was like Gaston come to life. Just as handsome, just as charming, just as scummy. Sure he made those white polos he wore to play golf look like he'd just stepped off a shoot for GQ. His gaze was enough to make any woman swoon. Even you as much as you hated to admit it.

It'd been one of the few times you'd worked at the bar. Someone had called out and being the new girl you were told to take their spot. "Sweetheart, be useful and get me a bourbon," he'd said in this rude tone.

"Not even a please?" You muttered under your breath as you turned your back to get a glass.

"What was that?" He asked, with a quirk in his eyebrow.

You kissed your teeth before turning back to him,  "Excuse me?" You plastered a sweet smile on your face.

"You got something to say? Say it." He challenged.

You shook your head. "I didn't... I didn't say anything."

He chuckled. "Okay, lo-"

Your jaw dropped as you put your hand on your chest. "Oh my god, Sir, if you're already drunk I can't serve you. You'd be a liability."

"That's a big word. Did they teach you that in community college?" The glare in his eye was intense and you couldn't help it as a smile spread across your face.

"Actually I think I learned it from where you get your trust fund."

You were surprised when he laughed. But, not that little sarcastic chuckle. Like an actual laugh. "Usually I'd call the manager over and enjoy them firing you in front of me, but lucky for you I'm in a good mood and kind of enjoying this. Now get me my bourbon."

"One bourbon coming up." You shrugged.

You talked with him for the rest of your shift surprisingly. The conversation going from hostile to surprisingly pleasant. He’d told you about some issue he’d been having with his grandfather that he hadn’t told the rest of his family he laughed at the idea of them finding out. Said he couldn’t wait to see the look on their faces when they found out everything was going to the nurse.

It was the trashy rich people drama that you craved.

“I know there’s gonna be a lot of bullshit when they find out they aren’t getting that house,” he’d scoffed, looking up at you from his drink.

“I’d be pissed too,” you replied. “I’m sure that house looks like a museum. I’d love to see it.”

“It’s insane.” He nodded. “Imagine like a horror museum with one of those escape rooms.”

You laughed. “So like plastic spiders? Cobwebs? Ghosts!” What a turn around this had been from the initial conversation the two of you were having.

“Not at all,” he said laughing. “It’s more like everything he’s ever thought for his novels, he just adds to his home. Like he needs the visualization. He has a secret window and a chair with knives. It’s insane.”

“That actually sounds pretty cool. Your grandpa sounds like a pretty cool guy, you must admire him a lot.”

“I mean... yeah, but I’d never tell him that.”

“Why not?” You asked with a chuckle.

“It’s complicated,” he answered, before bringing his glass up to his lips. “Like, I love him, but....”

“No. I get it.” Of course, you did. Your mom was a complicated figure in your life, but you could never not love her.

“I’ve done a lot of shit.” He shrugged. “So, I think it’s mutual.”

“At least his house sounds interesting. Like a work of art. I’m kind of a sucker for art.”

“Do you paint? Draw? Doodle on an iPad.” The way he smiled up at you, you would have never guessed that he was the giant asshole everyone made him out to be. There was this softness there even if it was hiding under his arrogant exterior.

You chuckled. “I paint. Though I do partake in the doodling on iPads.”

“I’d love to see your work sometime,” he said. “Do you sell?”

“I haven’t,” you replied. “But, I’m open to it. I guess. I’d show you now, but I’m not allowed to have my phone on the floor.”

“Oh so I’m not worth risking being fired for, I get it,” he joked, shaking his head as if he was offended.

You laughed, tilting your head back. “I know right. I’m already risking it by even talking to you. Harrington is so strict.”

There was this squint on his face as he kind of looked you up and down. It felt like he was studying you and it made you feel like you were under a microscope. “You’ve got a cute laugh you know that?”

No. Don’t give in. You had to tell yourself. You didn’t want to get involved with anyone you’d have to workaround. Besides, it was Ransom Drysdale. You’d just seen him with a woman yesterday. “Thank you,” you brushed him off. “Can I get you another drink?”

He sighed, checking the time on his phone. “As much as I’d love to stay and chat. I have to get going. Maybe I’ll stop by soon so we can talk again. Maybe show me some of your work?”

“Sure.”

He’d left you a forty dollar tip. You were not expecting that.

You’d left work that night feeling pretty good. Not that you were expecting him to fall in love with you or anything. Or for anything to happen at all. It was just a nice encounter with the guy everyone was obsessed with here. Besides you promised yourself you’d never, ever fall into the same trap as Mom had.

It’s not that you didn’t date. You were picky, though. The few relationships you’d had were okay, but you didn’t want to get hurt so you never wanted to get in too deeply.

Then the next day you had come to work, he’d walked in with Marissa on his arm. That stopped any and all thoughts you may have had. It was during that lull between when they'd stopped serving breakfast and brought out the lunch menus. You weren’t surprised that a man like Hugh Ransom Drysdale would be dating a woman like Marissa Clermont. She was exactly the type of woman men like him go for. You know a model IT girl type of deal.

It wasn’t just because he’d been dating Marissa. Of course not. It was because the day before you he’d just come in with Amber Taylor. The daughter of a retired Boston Celtics player. Also, a beautiful woman (also a model you think) who clearly didn’t know her boyfriend was two-timing her.

“Fascinating isn’t it?” Your co-worker, Britt, interrupted your thoughts as she’d come back from taking their drink order. Her arms were crossed as she tried to not make it too obvious that was she looking over at them. “He comes in here with different women and none of them have any idea.”

You frowned as you saw him whispering in her ear, making her giggle, probably telling her the same thing he told Amber just yesterday. “Yeah, I see that,” you replied. “How does he get away with it?”

“Ladies! Back to work!” Harrington, your manager, barked towards the both of you which made the both of you scurry off before she even had the chance to answer. You didn’t even get to talk to her because her shift was over soon then you were off the next day. You weren’t even sure why you cared so much.

When you got back to work it was during that lull time. Ransom was there of course with a different woman. Chloe Daniels. A blonde that had been the sole heir to her husband’s entire fortune no matter how much his ex wife or adult children tried to fight it. You were happy you got to witness the drama for that.

“He messes around with girls that don’t talk to each other,” Britt was finally able to explain. “So, they never find out. At least, that’s what the story around here is.”

“Wow he has a whole system worked out...” you crinkle your nose. Ugh what a fucking pig.  Just like your mother and those douchebags she dated.

“I mean, I kind of get it,” Britt said. “He’s hot. I might put up with being treated like trash for that much. Hell, I’ve put up being treated like trash for much less.”

You held in the laugh you wanted to let out as you could see Harrington lurking around, waiting to say something to the two of you. He never missed his chance to give out orders.

For as long as the couple sat through you couldn’t stop staring. Britt was right. It was fascinating.

[riarushi]

nct as cousins.

❥ genre- serious crack, fluff ❥ word count- 1.7k

Alternatively titled “NCT at Family Gatherings”. I think the universe wanted me to write this? Thank you to markleeholdingthings on Instagram for helping me out! (We made the most basic family dynamic on the planet.) ~Ness

➵ 

Taeil

Talks to the adults and enjoys it.

Some of the babies originally thought he was their uncle. 

Not necessarily close with any of his cousins except the older ones that took care of him growing up.

The younger ones aren’t too familiar with him since he doesn’t talk to them, but he likes to give them little trinkets when he sees them. 

Will offer to supervise the kiddos if they want to go outside. 

Has a music degree (big no no in this stereotypical family) and works in music production.

Johnny

The cousin that’s stuck in college, everyone loves him but the adults don’t think he is a good life example to the youngsters.

Second favourite of the adults (because the favourite has a degree and a job).

Likes talking w his fellow millennials while sipping his wine

He likes to give advice to high school cousins.

The baby cousins fear him :( He smiles at them lots and gets them the best presents to make up for it. 

Is probably still in college because he doesn’t want to join the adult table.

Taeyong

Taeyong likes the babies. 

He’ll sit them on his lap while he talks to the adults, making sure to play with them a bit so they don’t get bored. 

If they do anyway, he’ll get up and carry them back to the rest of the cousins, chatting with them for a while. 

The adults think he would make a great father. (Some of the nosy aunts and uncles like asking about his love life lmao) 

He treats the cousins around his age or older with respect. 

Overall everyone likes him because he’s happy to talk and easy to get along with.

Yuta

A social genius, he tailors his approach perfectly for every generation.

Has to greet every single child at the reunion before doing anything else. 

Every moment you look at him, there’s a different youngster in his arms and he’s high-fiving a different high schooler. 

Well-mannered with the adults and friendly with cousins of all ages. 

The high school-aged cousins love that he doesn’t treat them like angsty teenagers and he’s become a favourite among them.

Not jobless, to the relief of the parents.

Kun

Kun is the favourite, the cousin everyone gets compared to. 

He’s always busy working so he’s usually late to family gatherings. 

Is basically whisked away by the adults immediately to talk about adult things. 

He asks high school cousins “How’s school?”. Chill with them because he saw them grow up.

Has a huge soft spot for the baby cousins.

He’ll be in the middle of a conversation and drop everything when they tug on his sleeve.

Doyoung

Quiet, he does and talks about anything but only when he’s prompted.

He’s as successful as Kun, but not as sociable. 

Sits beside his parents most of the night and minds his own business. 

Doyoung’s awful at supervision. 

He just sits there and watches the kids make chaos.

His relatives get shocked when they see him outside of gatherings acting casually with his coworkers/friends.

Ten

He just got out of college but decided to take a year break before looking for a job. 

Is a kid favourite. 

Even though he’s one of the older cousins, he’s the most “hip with the kids”.

Teaches them how to cheat on tests and in general, be an awful student. 

Ten does not enjoy the adult table.

All the parents think he’s talented and has a lot of potential but will he!! Stop ruining their children’s minds!!!!! 

He only gets friendly with the older cousins when he’s wine drunk. 

Has never met the baby cousins. (The adults are sheltering them from the chaos that is Ten at family gatherings.)

Jaehyun

Jaehyun starts off by greeting the adults and being the sweetheart he is.

The adults always want to know about his love life because “Our nephew is very handsome, no?”

Hangs out with the older cousins later, drinking beer and chatting away like best friends.

He enjoys watching them fight with each other. 

Probably the youngest at his table, gets teased quite a bit. (”Yoooooo, Yoonoh’s growing up!”)

The younger kids aren’t really familiar with him.

Winwin

The favourite among the youngest cousins. 

They get excited to see him every time he arrives at family gatherings. 

Participates in their games (They like making him count for hide and seek.) and sits with them while eating. 

He spends very small amounts of time with the adults, quickly answering any questions they have about his life. 

The older cousins think he’s cute :( 

After the little ones go home, he watches whatever drinking game his generation has gotten into.

Jungwoo

Jungwoo is a free soul.

He’s just there to entertain himself, watching whatever cartoon the little ones are watching.

When they turn around and see a grown man on the couch, they’re a bit startled.

The adults think he enjoys taking care of the kids, but no. The boy is there to watch Tom and Jerry for his own enjoyment. 

Nobody remembers that he’s an engineering student, one moment he’s watching Blue’s Clues and the next he’s leaving to finish an assignment for class. 

The high schoolers try to ask him for advice, but he just says “I literally don’t know what I’m doing.”

Lucas

This boy walks into every family gathering dressed like he’s gonna be on a runway. 

Enjoys talking to the high schoolers about how their school’s changed since he graduated. 

Other than them, he joins any conversation on invite. 

The youngsters climb him like he’s a playground item. 

There’s just kids hanging off him while he laughs at some joke his uncle made. 

Sometimes, they shout “Big brother Yukhei!” into his ear and he just pats their head silently before continuing on with his business.

Mark

Follows his parents around.

He’s wrapped up in his own thoughts instead of whatever his mom is talking about with his relatives.

I’m kinda hungry, should I grab that cookie? I’m gonna grab that cookie. 

At some point, his parents get fed up with him “acting like an eight year old,” so he gets sent to play with his fellow cousins. 

Asks for the WiFi password and then sits on the couch all night scrolling through his phone. 

He doesn’t talk to his cousins because he never knew how to.

Xiaojun

A sweetheart with the most patience. 

Same question from every single adult about school? No problem, he’ll answer it as many times as he needs to. 

The youngsters like to pull pranks on him because they know he won’t scold them afterwards.

“Did we get you good, Dejun-ge?” “Yeah, I almost had a heart attack, haha.” 

Helps the babies get food. 

Just has a great family bond with everyone.

Hendery 

Hendery likes to look for the older cousins that take care of him, initiating conversation.

If they’re busy or stop talking to him, he goes to the crowd of younger cousins on the couch and chills with his phone.

Occasionally, he’ll show them all some memes he has.

“Haha, guys look at this one.”

Mimics the children screaming in the background to get some chuckles from them, too. 

The adults don’t think much of him, he’s a chill kid doing his thing.

Renjun

He’s quiet and polite for the most part, especially towards the adults.

With his cousins, he jumps in to say one-line roasts about people mentioned in conversation and then goes back to being silent.

They might say something like “My school friends are so weird!” and Renjun simply replies with “Makes sense why you’re friends, then.” 

One of the baby cousins likes to hug his leg, and he smooths their hair or holds their cheek absentmindedly.

An art major, but the adults aren’t worried since he’s smart. 

When alone in a room, he’s doodling on some scrap paper he found.

Jeno

Close with the cousins around his age.

Has a group chat with them and texts them to come to the living room. 

When they arrive he just goes “Wanna play Spaceteam?”

He plays party games with them for the rest of the night. 

If the other cousins want to join in, he’ll teach them how to play. 

The adults don’t think much of him, they usually just ask how he is and he replies with “Good!” and a smile.

Haechan

Haechan is The Annoying Cousin™. 

He comes off as very cold and bitchy usually. 

At family gatherings, he participates in games and gets overly competitive.

WILL cheat or flip the table, causes all the chaos.

The parents aren’t a fan of him, the kids either love him or hate him.

Older cousins think he’s entertaining lmao

Jaemin

Normal until some random kid screams his name. 

From then on he is in full kindergarten teacher mode.

Brings an entire crowd of noisy toddlers to the tables and everyone is just in shock. 

His older cousins know he’ll come around and chat with them once the kids go home, so they save him a bottle when he gets there. 

The adults have a good image of him: handsome, smart, charming. They think he’ll get married early. 

It’s a celebration if his mom announces he’s seeing someone.

Yangyang 

Starts heated debates among his cousins. 

If he’s in the zone and an older cousin tries to put an educational twist on the argument, he’ll start bullying them out of the room.

“From what I learnt in college--” “THIS IS A DEBATE AMONGST THE YOUTH.”

Two seconds later, he’s back to being friendly and cheery, talking casually and normally. 

The adults don’t believe their children when they tell them what happened upstairs with Yangyang. 

They think he’s the sweetest kid of the bunch.

Chenle 

Chenle is just comfortable and gets absorbed in the atmosphere.

“Chenle, go play with your cousins.” “Hey guys! My mom said to play with you”. 

All his cousins get along with him. 

He thinks the baby cousins are cute and will baby them. 

Lets them sit on his lap while he plays card games. (Probably lets them choose cards for him sometimes, too.) 

Youngest of his generation, everyone loves him to pieces.

Jisung

He does not want to be at the family gatherings. 

Awkwardly trails his parents because he doesn’t know what to do. 

Has to be pushed towards the food by relatives and just goes “Oh. Um, okay.” 

The older cousins ruffle his hair and ask him, “Aye, Jisung! How’s school?” “I-It’s good...” 

The younger ones do not find him approachable. 

Asks his parents when they’re going home as soon as 9 PM hits.

[belovedstill]

hi!! i have a question... i saw your reblog about freewriting and i wanted to try it myself cause i have a hard time with writing because of my anxiety but i'm not sure i understood 100%. what do you actually write while you freewrite? is it related to what you're working on at the moment, like do you freewrite a scene (kind of like sprinting in a way) or just random words/thoughts in your head?

hi <3 i understand you 100% because sometimes (most of the time) when i sit down with the intention to write, my brain subconsciously goes "okay, the pressure's ON, everything i write must be useful for the fic" (and then i go "wait, @ brain, what fic? i don't even know what fic i would write, i just want to write" and brain says "it must be useful for the fic" (which btw doesn't help, thanks @ brain but no thanks))

i will start by honestly saying that while I've been doing this for many years, I've never had a word for it. If my memory's right, then I've never heard the term "freewriting" before. I'd either call it stream of consciousness or messaging a friend or word vomit or scribbling

(i'm going to share some photos & screenshots as examples because i personally appreciate examples for things i don't know how to even start doing; i'll include content warnings above the photos wherever applicable. These things were not meant to be seen by other people, obviously, so not all of them are neat, not all of them are in English or spelled correctly, and not all of them make sense, some might not even be Socially Acceptable (i'm very anxious as well, you see, so I ask people to be kind if you do take a look at the examples and decipher what's written), but that's the whole point of these: you let your mind go without worrying about where it's going)

I'm sure every person who does freewriting does it differently but here are several ways i do it (under the cut because it got very long as i pretty much (ayyyy) freewrote it):

test a pen/pencil! you know when you get a new pen and write down the most random thing on a piece of paper to see what the ink looks like and how it feels to write using that pen? for me it's usually a single word or a phrase from a song (my go-tos are hello, wait, Beloved (my MC's name, shhh) and other fictional characters' names or Why you gotta be so mean? from Taylor Swift's song "Mean", don't ask me why because i have no answer)

writing down the lyrics to a song that's currently stuck in your mind and living there rent-free, and if you forget the next line or if something else pops into your head - let it take you over

write on random pieces of paper! the less it reminds you of a notebook/blank page, the better! sometimes that means what's left of printer paper or post-it notes. actually, most of the photos of paper pages in this post are from my poor quality notebooks - the paper is too thin or not smooth or the pages are yellowish, so i don't feel bad """wasting""" the notebook for doodles, random scribbles, etc.

a diary entry? a diary entry, except there doesn't have to be depth to it, no journaling type of reflection on your feelings, on your experiences, on the Daily Journaling Prompt necessary--unless you want to. in my case it's mostly complaining about the pen i decided to use or the quality of the paper but!!! because i let myself write anything and everything on one page, at one point it feels natural to write some random story sentences on the other page

CW: implied past physical abuse

brainstorming! here's where, for me, the "messaging a friend" name came from. i have a very vague idea for what i want to write or a very small detail i want to write about, but nothing else. i set up a timer and write everything down (the screenshot is taken from my very own personal discord server, it's just me and a writing bot. at one point i realised that whenever i was brainstorming or writing cheer up ficlets in my friends' discord DMs, writing went super easy because my brain didn't register it as writing, but as chatting. At first, I formatted a new google doc so it looked exactly like discord's dark theme, but ultimately decided that just creating a new server just for my writing process/practice/etc and stuff is easier)

CW: harmful & discouraging stuff asexual people face

"I don't know what to write, I don't even think I want to write an actual story, it's not going to stop me" kind of writing. Anything goes and I mean anything. The sentences aren't connected. There's no actual idea or story behind the sentences. You're just writing a word after a word after a word. Sometimes a question appears in your mind, so you write it down. The question leads to more questions, or maybe an answer, or maybe you realise you like the feel/sound of one word so you write it again and again. After you wrote the word three times, tiny ideas form in your mind, things you relate to that word. Then you lose track of the thought so you write "I lost track", then a piece of dialogue floats in your mind that's probably inspired or part of a song lyric you wrote earlier

CW: unconventional/controversial lovers

if your writing anxiety is caused by fandom wank regarding some topics, tropes, themes, or even genres, know that if you freestyle about the thing you're worried somebody would judge you for, nobody else will read it. you can delete the doc afterwards. you can password protect it. you can tear the page out of your notebook and shred it to pieces. i won't include a photo example of this one (anxious, remember? also, it's nsfw) but i did this with smut-specific words and phrases. i got a blank piece of paper and wrote--first, just words (nouns for genitalia, verbs for action, etc. let me tell you - i was alone in the room and even trying to write the first word was difficult, in my head i kept thinking back to people's conversations on how "problematic these words are" etc etc etc and that fed my anxiety even further because "oh god what if they knew i was about to write this, what would they think of me"), then the words combined into phrases, then common smexy phrases that characters in smut say, and so on and so on. no punctuation because it's not a story. you know what happened after i put that first word on the page? nothing. i felt silly, sure, but i repeated the word several more times and still no People From the Internet barged into my room to ridicule & judge me. during that session, freestyling for that genre got easier and easier with every word.

Two posts that helped me realise that warming up for writing (and anything creative) is a good idea:

Writers need warm up sketches too (my way of warm up is usually either freewriting or using a typing speed website)

The anatomy of a pen/pencil etc

...and I think that's all from me 💕 apologies for how long this is but I hope it helps you in some way *hugs*

[llamasgotoheaven]

Hi!

TLDR Version is: I’m opening commissions! I need work ASAP.

Hi followers! You are hopefully familiar with my creative work if you follow this tumblr. I’ve both drawn and written for you and myself for years on here. To those of you seeing my work for the first time: I hope u like it.  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

In these troubling covid times, I am still a near full-time university student (I currently study at a pace of 75% because I exclude an electoral course that I don’t need for my degree).I don’t get particularly huge chunks of loan and student aid per month. I usually live modestly enough that I get by on that, but this April of 2020 I needed to buy extra clothes and vitamin b12 supplements for my anemic self. All of this means that I am looking at some very thin scrapings next week before my study aid money arrives. SO, I’m currently in need of more real employment in my spare hours of the day.

As you might have noticed, my main strength lies in portraiture. That being said, I am more than open to new challenges though as I love developing as a creator.

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Examples of images I have been requested to draw in the past:

-people of all ages from photographic reference

-animal drawings

-characters from games/movies (Including original characters! And any ship you could want.)

-An illustration of a scene from a stage play

-Architecture and environments.

-graphic design work for an application (Although this is not my field per se, so I may require a little guidance.)

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  My prices look like this:

Comic Style Sketches:

-Silly doodle (like the Lemongrab and the screamy friend to his right (last pictures)  €5

-sketchy portrait from the neck up (purple person above Lemongrab) €10

-Sketchy character waist up or full body gesture ( couple above Lemongrab (minus the paper stains and drawing errors. Those are from accidental foolishness and thin paper.)  €15*

*Extra characters cost  €5 per character

Carefully shaded and classically composed works:

-One character from the waist/hips & up: monochrome with a Simple background) €100

-One character from the waist/hips & up: monochrome with an elaborate background)  €150

-One character from the waist/hips up: Colored with a simple background €200

- One character from the waist/hips up: Colored with an elaborate background  €250

-Additional characters in the foreground or midground can be added to the image for €50.

-”Background extras” Meaning simplified human figures or animals in the background-- count as elaborate background, and will therefore not cost extra.

I know my prices for elaborate shaded pieces can be steep for people my own age in similar positions, but I would like to emphasize this is because I am a certified classically trained artist who studied at a world class fine art atelier for two and a half years.  Also: Many of the fine tuned drawings take 10 hours or more to make, so if anything I am selling classical art styled fan art at a real bargain. (Roughly 10 euros per hour of my time, not including the time I spend honing my skills in my spare time to stay in good artistic shape.)

****I am currently pretty much only working digitally due to a windows update that rendered my scanner useless. The only exception is if people are okay with me taking high-res photographs of the commission using my iPhone 7 to the best of my ability, and then sending the original drawing to them by post.****

Comissions are paid for via my paypal danitiwa@hotmail.com , and I take payment up front before I start the project for the sake of my security.

If you have questions or want to purchase some art, you’re welcome to write me via the tumblr chat system, or via my email (danitiwa@hotmail.com) 

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☕ ☕ If any of the above images are pleasing to you but you can’t think of anything you want drawn, or afford to buy anything... Please consider buying me a ko-fi here  . ☕ ☕

Big thanks for your time and attention!

[ronninoir]

Can I Steal You For A Second? Chapter 26

Summary: Adrien is forced to participate in a new dating show, but becomes more excited when Ladybug says she’ll participate as her civilian self.

AKA: AU where Adrien doesn’t know Marinette, the superheroes are 22 and Gabriel is mean and ruthless but not Hawkmoth.

Read on AO3

Start from the beginning Chp 1 on AO3

Chapter 26

When Marinette met up with the other girls for the date card the next morning, it seemed that Juliette had found a way to pull herself together as well. She was chipper than normal and was chatting with the other girls when Marinette walked in, almost late as usual.

Marinette took the seat next to Juliette who smiled at her before turning and finishing her conversation with Kagami, of all people. Marinette only heard the tail end of their conversation, but it was enough to peak her interest. 

“...let you know when it’s been decided, and you’ll be there?” Juliette asked as Marinette sat down. Kagami gave a curt nod in response before standing up and moving to the other side of the room. 

Marinette gave Juliette a look, but she just winked and turned her attention towards Lucie, who had gone to grab the date card.

Looking around the date card room, Marinette was once again struck by how many girls there were remaining. Including Lucie, 6, which meant that 2 would go home this week, and next week would be hometowns, where Adrien would finally get to meet Marinette’s parents.

Lucie came back with only one date card. Marinette could see that she was confused, but she hid it really well for the cameras. “Here we are ladies!” She smiled and cracked the seal on the card reading out, “Juliette,” which elicited a gasp from the girl sitting directly next to Marinette. “Let’s ride together,” Lucie read before setting the card down on the table.

 Juliette looked genuinely surprised, and had turned to Marinette to say something when Lila stood up, looking ready to pop.

“WHY is there only ONE date card?!” Lila asked the general population. It was a question that everyone else was thinking, but only Lila would feel the need to stand up in the middle of the room and scream it at everyone. Marinette realized with a jolt that this was the first time she’d heard Lila be mean to anyone since that conversation with Adrien at the last group date. Well that deal lasted about 4 days. Marinette thought with a smirk. “What about the group date? When will we find out about that?”

All of the girls looked at the group of producers as one, but a more familiar face stepped out to address the room.

“Well good morning ladies,” the beautiful face of Adrien said as he smiled at them all. Lila had the good sense to sit down and keep her mouth shut as Adrien went on. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to be here to explain it all earlier, I had a work thing that had to be cleared up.” Adrien’s eyes locked on Marinette’s, where her unasked question was. He couldn’t say anything, but she could read the expression in his eyes, Father, and she knew they could chat about it later. “Anyway, this week is a special week. I want to spend a lot more time with all of you individually, so I’m going to be doing some one-on-one dates only this week. Sadly, not everyone will get a date, but I’ll still be able to spend plenty of time with all of you.” Adrien paused, and as much as she hated it, she had a feeling she wouldn’t be getting a date this week.

“As most of you know,” Adrien continued without looking at Marinette, which only confirmed her suspicion. “Next week is Hometowns, which means I’ll finally get to spend some time meeting your family and learning more about where you come from. However, that makes my decision this week even harder. That just means I have a lot of work ahead of me,” Adrien got that twinkle in his eye that meant he was doing something mischievous. He walked towards where Marinette and Juliette were sitting and held out his hand to the latter. “Juliette, how about we start out our date right now?”

Juliette blushed and gave a small nod, taking his hand and standing so they were eye to eye. “Perfect,” Adrien responded, flashing that gorgeous smile, “I’ll wait here for you and I’ll see you in about an hour?” Adrien smoothly switched spots with Juliette to where now he was sitting right next to Marinette, and close enough for their thighs to be touching.

Juliette stood there shocked for a moment until Marinette gave her hand a squeeze and she shot off towards her bedroom to get ready. Marinette could feel Adrien laughing at her as she ran up the stairs, as well as the stares of all of the other girls.

It wasn’t like they had never had conversations with Adrien as a group, they just were usually more prepared for them then they were today. Even Marinette felt slightly awkward and speechless, and she could see it in the faces of the other girls as well. Well, all except Lila, who quickly made a place on the other side of Adrien and was suddenly acting sweet again.

Marinette tried hard to focus on the conversation at hand, but with Adrien sitting so close to her... she was losing her mind. She wanted to touch him, grab his hand or lean her head on his shoulder. She wanted to talk with him and ask him if she had a date or even to warn him that Lila might be going back to her old ways. Instead, still highly aware of the other girls and their watchful eyes, she shifted slightly to where they were just sitting next to each other, no physical touch at all. Thankfully, Adrien seemed to be the only one who noticed.

Juliette was ready in a record 15 minutes, and she looked beautiful. Her hair was down and wavy, her make-up natural, and her jeans, booties, and cute white top would look great wherever Adrien took her. When she walked in the room, slightly panting from her run downstairs, Adrien stood and gave her a hug.

“You look wonderful. You ready to go?” She gave him a nod and he turned to wave at the girls. “I’ll see you all later,” he said as he hooked his arm around Juliette’s waist and walked her towards the front door. Juliette quickly looked back and gave Marinette the biggest smile, which she responded with a quick thumbs up before Juliette disappeared out the door.

Once she was gone, Lila was the first out of the room. Whatever she did to entertain herself every day at the mansion was clearly something that needed her attention immediately. Marinette rolled her eyes as she stood up and made her way to Lucie and Sasha. 

“Well that was an eventful morning.” Marinette said as she approached the pair. They both turned to her suddenly, as if Marinette had walked in on a conversation that she wasn’t supposed to hear. Lucie recovered first and responded with a, “Yeah, I was super confused that there was only one date card outside, and what are the chances that Adrien shows up and takes Juliette on the date right now?”

Marinette nodded her agreement, but she was thinking of other things. Why did it seem like everyone was acting weird around her? First Juliette chatting with Kagami, and now these two? She excused herself from the conversation quickly and made her way to her room. At least Tikki would be grateful for her company.

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

 Marinette stayed in her room, sketching and doodling, and doing anything to distract herself from thinking of worst-case scenarios to do with all of the whispering. Eventually, she got so bored that she cleaned Juliette’s room for her, knowing that she probably left it messy while in a hurry to get ready for her date. By mid-afternoon she couldn’t stand it anymore, she gently made her way downstairs, hoping she would find some girls whispering that she could spy on or whatnot. 

Instead, she found Lucie sitting alone at the kitchen island. Marinette sat next to her and waited.

Most of her interrogations were done with spots and a mask, but she’d learned that silence and facial expressions worked really well, even if no one ever gave up good information about Hawkmoth’s identity or location, but it did come in handy whenever the local police needed her. As she got closer to Lucie, she decided that now might be a good time to try it without the disguise. There was a steady silence between the two of them for almost 2 minutes before Lucie broke the silence. 

“We aren’t supposed to tell you yet.” Lucie sighed, finally turning to look at Marinette as well. Marinette stayed quiet still, though raised an eyebrow in an unasked question. Lucie sighed once more before continuing, “Juliette wanted to be the one to tell you. I was sworn to secrecy.” Marinette let the moment last a little longer, staring into Lucie’s eyes and not daring to breathe in case Lucie really did break. Finally, Lucie broke eye contact and groaned, her head gently going to rest on her crossed arms on the counter.

“Okay! Fine, I’ll tell you.” When she looked back up at Marinette, she was frowning, and she looked so frustrated and child-like that Marinette couldn’t help but smile. “You’re good at this. Just know, Juliette’s going to be mad at me once she finds out I told you.”

“Oh, she’ll get over it. Now spill.”

“We’re having a meeting. It was going to be today, since we never have dates on Mondays, but now we just need to come up with a time this week where all of us except Lila can meet up.”

“All, except Lila?” Marinette asked.

Lucie looked around the room, as if making sure they were truly alone, before leaning closer and whispering, “Apparently, one of the girls has a scoop on Lila. They know why she is so desperate to stay on the show, and it’s not for Adrien.” Marinette opened her mouth to ask a question, but Lucie cut her off, “That’s all I know. Juliette was just forming the meeting and the girl wanted to remain anonymous in case Lila found out before the meeting happened.”

Marinette leaned back and thought for a moment. Juliette probably wanted to be the one to tell her because she knew how much Marinette hated Lila. If the girl wanted to remain anonymous, and they were planning a secret meeting without getting the cameras involved, then it must be something serious.

“So, everyone’s been whispering around me today because...?” Marinette asked, and to her surprise, Lucie busted out laughing. 

“Because Juliette threatened to ‘track us down and hang us by our toes in the cellar while making us listen to old-school Justin Bieber.’” Lucie managed to get out before laughing again. “No one took her seriously, but they were worried what she would actually do if we told you.”

“Well if she hangs you by your toes in this imaginary cellar, I’ll come rescue you myself.” Marinette giggled. 

The rest of the day went much better, especially when Juliette came home that night, a rose in hand. All of the girls were screaming and excited, especially as Juliette told of their horseback riding adventures from the day and how Adrien had almost fallen off of his horse. As excited as everyone was for Juliette, there was a bit of a gloomy air hanging around the mansion as everyone went to sleep. Marinette felt it too. She was pretty good at math, especially when it came to measurements, but it didn’t take an expert to realize that with only four roses available this week, and Juliette getting one of them, that left only three for the remaining five girls to fight over.

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

 The next morning, they were informed that another date card would be arriving, which meant that everyone got ready as if they were going on a date. Everyone, except Juliette and Marinette. Marinette was that confident that she wouldn’t be getting a date this week, so she decided not to waste her energy.

Sadly, all of the girls’ hard work was in vain, Adrien didn’t show up, only a date card that Sasha read with Lucie’s name on it. The card said, “Let’s catch some waves,” and Lucie was instructed to wear a swimsuit under her clothes, and that Adrien would pick her up in half an hour. Lucie ran off to change, and before the other girls could leave, Lila turned on Juliette.

“What did you and Barbie doll Lucie do to get two one-on-ones. I should have received the first repeat one-on-one, not you!” Juliette had stood to retort, but Marinette grabbed her arm and pulled her from the room to avoid a confrontation.

Marinette didn’t let go of Juliette’s arm until they were safely locked in the furthest bathroom from the Date Card room.

“For someone so small, you are incredibly strong,” Juliette said, thankfully with no malice in her voice. “I’m totally going to have a bruise tomorrow.”

 “Sorry, I just couldn’t let you have it out with Lila.”

“Well, I appreciate that.” Juliette said in a small voice.

Marinette let the silence sit for a minute. She hadn’t even realized that Juliette was the first girl to get two one-on-ones, but now that Lila said it, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it should have been her. It was a crazy thought, especially considering she’s had so much more one-on-one time with Adrien than any of the girls, but for some reason, Marinette was jealous of Juliette. She shook her head to clear those thoughts and to bring her back to the situation at hand.

“So, I heard there was something you needed to tell me?” Marinette asked, the ghost of laugh in her voice.

Juliette paused for a moment, clearly still thinking about what had just happened with Lila before her eyes got wide and she frowned. “Who told you?”

 “No one that I’ll let you force to listen to Justin Bieber. My lips are sealed, so spill.” Marinette responded with a sweet smile.

Juliette sighed, but Marinette knew she wasn’t actually mad. The light in her eyes when she turned towards her let Marinette know that this gossip was too good for her to stay mad about anything for too long. “It’s Lila. Sasha saw something, and she finally figured it all out. Since they’ve been on the same floor this whole time, she saw a handful of things that didn’t make sense until this past weekend when she finally put it together. She won’t tell me more than that, except she said that it’s the reason that Lila is still on the show.”

Marinette was speechless. This could finally be the thing that got Lila off of the show. “When’s this meeting?”

Juliette sighed, “It was supposed to be Monday, but we can’t have it without everyone present. I’ve talked with every girl, and they’re on board to listen, and we even had a place to have the discussion and a time, we just don’t have a day where everyone is in the house anymore.” Juliette let out another sigh and moved to sit on the counter next to the sink. “Once all these dates are done I guess before the rose ceremony, we’ll get together and Sasha will spill what she knows.”

 There was a pounding on the door, which made both girls jump. Marinette opened it to find Lucie standing there, looking beautiful in her date outfit.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping to find you two. Adrien’s going to be here any minute,” She looked slightly panicked, her eyes wide. She glanced down nervously at herself before meeting their eyes again, “Does this make me look fat?”

Marinette and Juliette exchanged looks before quickly reassuring her and rushing off to help Lucie put on some finishing touches.

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Adrien was having the worst week. First, Marinette was upset with him for keeping Lila and sending home Hanna, which is valid, but he just couldn’t shake the feeling that he had finally gotten to see the real Lila Saturday night. Then, his Father had a conversation with him, about Marinette, causing him to be late to picking up Juliette and addressing the girls.

His Father was upset that Marinette was even still here.

“She was not one of the agreed upon girls. I let you keep her for a couple of weeks, expecting you to eventually pick her off. Then she made it to the top 10, now you’re acting as though she’s going to be in the top 4 and you’re going to go meet her parents. It’s high time she leaves and is sent back to the blasted bakery where she came from.”

Adrien of course, wasn’t having it.

He yelled and fought and tried very hard to reason with his dad that Marinette is okay if he would just give her a chance, but his Father wouldn’t budge. Instead of bringing the date card to the girls and asking Juliette to come on the date with him, he showed up 5 minutes late, and ended up just explaining how this week was going to work instead.

That date went well, except for him totally falling off the horse and making a fool of himself, and the date he was on now, with Lucie was going well too. He had trouble reminding himself not to hate Lucie, since she was his Father’s first choice, but thankfully she was a really sweet girl who was fun to hang out with, so that made it a little easier not to hate her. Plus, she seemed to have absolutely no idea that Gabriel had picked her, or made a deal with her Aunt’s company in America.

Everything was going fine, they were at the pool on top of the Grand Paris, which they had all to themselves. They had just stepped out of the pool, and Adrien was helping Lucie wrap a towel around her shoulders, when they heard the noise. Being so high up and with minimal noise surrounding them, they could hear clearly what was being shouted from the top of Montparnasse Tower.

“I’ll show you to never make a bad movie again!” There was a flash of red light, and then something large and white started falling from the top of the tower, almost as if it was being thrown up and over.

Adrien knew that it was an akuma, he just didn’t know what to do about Lucie. Thankfully, she had heard the noise too, and could see the falling... things as well, but she just looked stunned and alarmed and had no intention to move anywhere.

“Is that...” she asked nervously, and Adrien did his best to look reassuring.

“Yeah, I think it’s an akuma, it happens a lot here.” He rushed over to the chair where they had put their things and grabbed everything he could, pushing all of the items into her arms, and pulling her towards the elevator. “Don’t worry, Ladybug and Chat Noir will take care of it, for now we just need to move to a safe place.” 

Lucie didn’t look reassured, and Adrien really didn’t have the chance to worry about her as he frantically pushed the main floor button, willing the elevator to move faster. He had to find a way to ditch her so he could transform and hope that Marinette had seen the damage as well and would meet up with him soon.

That was another crappy thing that had happened to him this week. They wouldn’t let him have a one-on-one with Marinette. Instead, he’s going to have to see her on the closest thing to a group date there is this week. Adrien involuntarily let out a small sigh as the doors to the elevator finally opened and he was able to rush Lucie out of it.

He stopped short when he saw what was happening outside of the window. Something white and fluffy, about the size of someone’s head, was stacking up outside of the glass doors to the hotel. The doorman was trying his hardest to keep the doors shut, but he was fighting a losing battle. As Adrien and Lucie watched, the doors burst open, letting the sounds of panic and mayhem in from the street as well as the smell of butter and... popcorn? A piece of it rolled towards Adrien and he bent down and snagged a taste. Yep, that was definitely popcorn. Whoever this akuma was, apparently, he was trying to drown the city of Paris in popcorn.

 Man, this week just couldn’t get any worse.

Adrien shouted at the room, which had a large number of people gathered, “Everyone needs to move up, go gather on the roof, grab as many people as you can!” Thankfully, very few argued, and Lucie grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards the elevator and where they had come from.

He almost let her, before he realized that this was the perfect opportunity to ditch her and find a place to transform. He stopped short and pulled her close so she could hear him over the chaos. “I’m going to go out there and grab as many people as I can. Go with them so I’ll know you’re safe. 

She didn’t like the idea, but nodded gravely. Before he could turn around she leaned in and gave him a long kiss, which would have been sweet if it wasn’t just delaying him from transforming and saving the city from giant pieces of popcorn.

He turned and bolted out of the hotel, into the growing sea of concessions.

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

 Marinette had seen some weird things in her time as Ladybug, but a city overrun with popcorn was definitely on her Top 10 List of Weird. Right up there with the giant baby.

Ladybug gracefully landed on the roof of a building directly across the street from Montparnasse Tower. After a beat, a black feline landed right next to her.

“Glad you could make it,” she said, without glancing at her partner.

“Lucie and I were close by, so my biggest worry was ditching her to transform.”

“You put her somewhere safe?” Ladybug asked, finally turning her head to look at him. She wasn’t trying to be icy with him, but she still couldn’t shake the jealousy she was feeling of Juliette, and now Lucie. Chat cocked his head slightly before coming in close.

“You know, I think the best part of my day is going to be this akuma and the fact that it let me spend some quality time with my favorite lady.” He whispered, leaning in close enough to where all she had to do was move an inch, and their lips would be touching.

As much as she wanted to kiss him, and she really wanted to kiss him, they had a city to save. She backed up slightly and gave his bell a flick. “Maybe after we’ve defeated this akuma, Kitty.”

He gave a small sigh before turning towards the tower, a serious look crossing his face. “I heard him yell, right before he started popping the popcorn I guess.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, Lucie and I were at the Grand Paris. He said something about a bad movie and then the popcorn started falling, but I didn’t know it was popcorn at the time.” 

“You never answered my question,” Ladybug asked, looking Chat straight in the eye. “Is Lucie safe?” As much as she hated not getting to spend time with Adrien this week, she still didn’t want anything to happen to her friend.

Chat gave her a look, “Please Bugaboo, I’m more responsible than that! She and the rest of the people at the Grand Paris are on the roof, safe from the ever-growing pile of popcorn.” 

Ladybug let out a little sigh of relief, and then turned back to the problem at hand. There was a definite red glow coming from the roof of Montparnasse, that Ladybug knew she needed to check out. “Let’s hop over a building and see what’s making that glow okay?”

Chat furrowed his eyes, “You can see the glow too?” 

Ladybug cocked her head and looked at her stupid partner. “Of course, I can see the glow dummy. It may be faint but it’s obviously right there,” she pointed towards the top of the tower.

“I thought only I could see the glow. My eyesight is normally better than yours, you know with the cat thing. I can also hear the popping of the popcorn, and the humming of a machine.”

Ladybug just stared at him. They could both see the glow, and he could hear a machine and the popping of the popcorn from across the street? Then a memory popped into her head.

“Our enhanced powers. Tikki said that we’d have more advanced powers after the Task. I get better eyesight for me, and hearing for you are some of our powers.” Ladybug started to get excited, thinking about all of the other things she could possibly now do.

Chat was studying his hands, an awed look on his face. “I wonder what else we can do.” They were brought out of their thoughts and discovery by a loud crash from across the street. Ladybug shook her head, once again clearing her thoughts.

“No time for that now, Kitty, we’ve got an akuma to fight!” She then unlatched her yo-yo and swung it to the top of the tower. She felt, rather than saw, Chat unlatch his baton and prepare himself for the jump. “For now, we just need to observe, see what we’re up against. So be stealthy, please.”

Chat rolled his eyes, “Please, stealthy is my middle name,” and at that, Ladybug shot off across the sky.

She landed much faster than she was prepared for, and almost fell over, breaking her own stealthy rules. When she righted herself and made sure she was fully hidden, she peered around the air conditioning unit she was behind.

What she saw didn’t make sense. The first thing she noticed was the large machine pumping popcorn over the side of the roof. It was shaped like a popcorn box, one you would get at a movie theater. Surrounding the popcorn box was a shield of some sort. It was circular and covered the whole machine, and there didn’t appear to be any holes in it at first glance. As she scanned the roof, she found the akuma victim sitting on the edge of the roof, happily watching the city being covered in popcorn.

“He doesn’t look very scary,” A voice said in her ear. She jumped, but only found Chat Noir lurking behind her.

“Gosh, don’t do that!” Ladybug whispered, clutching her chest where her heartbeat was still running wild.

“What? I told you stealthy was my middle name.” He whispered back, still watching the akuma. “At least I didn’t almost fall over in my landing and ruin the whole gig from the start,” he teased with a wink.

Ladybug blushed slightly before composing herself and looking at the scene before her. “We need to turn off that machine, but to do so, we need to—”

“Destroy that force field, right.” Chat finished for her. She always loved that they worked on the same wavelength when battling it out with an akuma.

“Do you want to distract or do you want to take a whack at the shield?”

Chat shot her a devious smile, “Oh you know I’m a great distraction,” before jumping straight over the unit they were hiding behind and landing on his feet on the other side. Ladybug had never seen him jump that high, but she didn’t have time to think as she heard Chat yell, “Hey! Did the theater not have enough popcorn for you?”

The akuma turned, and Ladybug noticed that he couldn’t have been more than 12 as she rushed to the shield protecting the popcorn machine. She could hear Chat and the akuma talking and even heard a crazy sounding laugh before all outside noise was drowned out by the sounds the machine was making. The popcorn bag was at least 4 feet high and twice as long, still strongly shooting popcorn off the side of the building. She got close enough to touch the shield surrounding it, when something hit her hard in the stomach and she flew across the roof and felt a crack as she landed against one of the supporting walls that prevented people from falling off.

She heard Chat yell and knew that she must have been injured, especially with that crack, but for some reason, she felt totally fine. She slowly stood up and noticed that Chat had moved into actual combat with the akuma. When she looked down, nothing was broken and everything seemed to work as it should. Normally, a throw like that would have hurt something, even inside of the magical suit, but she pushed the questions she had away and rushed off to help Chat.

She noticed that every time the akuma got hit by Chat’s baton, the shield around the machine would flicker. The two must be connected. She thought and she had a very sudden and crazy idea.

Chat noticed her standing there, gave the akuma one last push that knocked him to the ground and ran towards her. “Oh shit, LB you scared me. That sounded like it hurt, are you sure you’re okay?” She gave him a nod and opened her mouth to relay what she had just learned but he beat her to it. “The shield is connected to Revengapop, so if I keep hitting him harder, it should go away. I also think that the akuma is in the machine, which means I’ll need to cataclysm it in order to release the butterfly.” He looked at her expectantly, as if waiting for further instructions.

All of this happened in less than a minute, and the akuma (Revengapop?) was getting up and starting to come towards them. “Revengapop?”

Chat at last cracked a smile, “Yeah I laughed when he told me his name too. I’ll distract him some more, you get your Lucky Charm and let’s defeat this thing.” With that, Chat met Revengapop in the middle of the roof and continued their hand-to-hand combat. Ladybug was so in shock, she almost forgot to move.

Chat was smart, Ladybug knew that to be true in and out of the mask, but she’d never seen him understand her plan as soon as she had come up with it. It was almost like he could see what she was thinking, and was able to come to the same conclusion. The thought made her slightly giddy, as she whispered, “Lucky Charm!” from behind the popcorn machine.

What fell into her hands was a bottle of melted butter, and suddenly it all made sense. 

She rushed to intercept the fighting with Revengapop, knocking the kid to the ground before saying, “I’ll take care of the shield, you get ready to cataclysm the machine when you can.”

Chat ran off without saying a word. Ladybug turned to the akuma, who was getting up slower this time. Ladybug could feel new strength surge through her as she looked at Revegapop and readied her yo-yo in her right hand and the butter in her left.

“What kind of a name is Revengapop anyway?” Ladybug asked as the akuma got to his feet.

For the first time, Ladybug got a good look at him. He was dressed in a red leather outfit, that covered him head to toe. His hair was dark and messy looking, very similar to Chat’s messy hairstyle. His outfit had three different shades of red on him, and he almost looked like an evil red ninja, except without the nunchucks.

“I have to revenge all of the bad movies by drowning Paris in popcorn!” Revengapop screamed. If his voice hadn’t given it away, his “evil” motivation may have: this was definitely a teenage boy.

“Yeah, that totally makes sense,” Ladybug responded sarcastically, which caused Revengapop to launch himself at her in anger. She took that opportunity to spray the liquid butter right into his eyes and knocked him in the head with her yo-yo hard.

He landed on the ground in front of her with a crunch and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the shield flicker and go down long enough for Chat to yell “Cataclysm!” and touch the popcorn machine.

 There was a loud boom and as Ladybug watched the machine crumble and the akuma fly out, she also felt her whole world tilt sideways. Montparnasse Tower was splitting in two and within a couple of seconds the building was going down.

Ladybug grabbed the akuma with her yo-yo and quickly threw the container of melted butter into the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

She felt more than saw the magical ladybugs seal up the cracks in the building and fix all the rest of the damage from around the city. She released the now-cleansed akuma from her yo-yo with a “Bye bye little butterfly,” before locking eyes with Chat on the other side of the building. He looked scared, his face drained of color and his hands were slightly shaking. She quickly checked on the akuma victim, who really was a 12-year-old boy, before rushing off to her partner.

“Chat! Are you okay? What happened?” Ladybug nearly sobbed as she watched him slide to the floor of the roof. She sat next to him and hugged him as tight as she could.

“I don’t know. I hit the machine with my cataclysm and somehow, I hit the building and the whole thing started to crumble.”

“Hey, it’s okay. You didn’t do it on purpose. It must be our enhanced power. Your cataclysm must be stronger, and possibly last a little longer to where you can hit more than one thing.” His bright green eyes were trained on hers and she could see the worry and the fear of himself in them. She squeezed him a little tighter before continuing. “I fixed it, okay? Everything’s better and there’s a little boy over there who just went through something traumatizing too.” She watched his eyes shift to the boy and saw some of those emotions in his eyes soften. She pulled away from their hug and gripped his arm to where he would look at her again. “Listen to me. We will figure this out. We’ll talk to Tikki and Plagg and get them to tell us more. But, no matter what happens in the future, I will always be with you to fix it.”

She looked once again into those eyes and saw tears begin to form. He pulled her into a quick kiss, before standing up and walking over to the boy.

When he asked him, “What movie did you see that made you want to drown Paris in popcorn?” he sounded almost exactly like his old self. Almost.

~~

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[virgilsinferno]

meet me in the middle || logince

chapter 2 — leave the window open for me

summary: the twins try to set up patton & virgil by hosting a sleepover. remus makes questionable life decisions. 

pairings: high key moxiety, dukeceit (if you squint) 

tw: mentions of hospitals & injuries

word count: 2987

[logan is not in this chapter but he is mentioned like once]

taglist: @dragonwithproblems​ @b0mblebee​

ao3 || 1 

♡

At the back of the shop, there’s a tiny storage room filled with boxes and a wall of post-it notes. It’s a cramped space, but the twins figured out a way to make it bearable. There’s a bookshelf, some fake plants, a few pictures, and of course, the whiteboard. The whiteboard was previously used for reminders, but bit by bit, they started filling it up with random doodles. 

They constantly tried to one-up each other with every new addition to the whiteboard. Who could draw the most accurate anatomy? Who was better at dynamic poses? There was always an unspoken competition between the two siblings. It was practically in their nature to be competitive. 

So far, Remus was winning but only because Roman’s usually the one at the counter while Remus took care of packages and inventory. Or at least that’s what Roman liked to tell himself. 

Working at his dad’s flower shop wasn’t too bad, in fact, Roman loved working there. During his first few months at the shop, he was obsessed with flower meanings. And making bouquets. What he didn’t expect though, was cleaning. He had somehow forgotten that he was working with plants, and working with plants got messy. Petals and leaves kept falling off, dirt got all over the floor, and children loved messing with everything they could touch. 

It’s been a busy day. Roman sat behind the counter, thinking that he’ll finally be able to relax after he finished trimming flowers and sweeping the floor. He was thankful that he only worked on Saturdays, otherwise, he’d have to stress about strangers’ wedding preparations as well. 

Speaking of weddings, he had to attend one in about 3 weeks. They weren’t in charge of the flowers so he didn’t have to stress about that, but he strongly disliked a certain cousin of his. He was not looking forward to it. He’s probably ranted about how much he hated this particular cousin to all his internet friends. 

“Boys, you two go on ahead, I’ll close up the shop!” their dad yelled from the storage room. The twins shared a look.

“Race ya!” Remus said as he dashed out of the shop. Roman quickly ran out after him, chasing him down the street. 

It was part of their post-work ritual. The racing, that is. After work, they would run to Espresso Feelings and whoever arrived last was paying. Sometimes Patton would be there and they’d talk about the latest gossip they’ve heard at school. 

The sky was getting dark and droplets of rain began to fall. It was only a matter of seconds before it would start pouring. Neither of the two brought an umbrella, but the coffee shop wasn’t too far away. A group of kids passed by, running and giggling with their arms stretched to the side, enjoying the breeze that came with the drizzle. They reminded Roman of him and his brother when they were much younger. They still do that sort of shit as teenagers.

Remus was winning, but only because Roman was waiting for the rain to lash down. Or at least that was his excuse for not running faster. It was getting chilly though, which only gave him more reason to buy coffee at this hour. 

“You’re paying, slowpoke!” Remus said as he dramatically opened the door to the shop. He immediately went to the counter to order their usual. 

Roman sat down at their usual spot, the table near the corkboard. He spotted Patton speaking to some guy in a purple hoodie on the other side of the shop. The guy looked familiar, so Roman assumed he had seen him around at school before. He called out Patton’s name and waved, and he waved back as well.  The guy left with a brown paper bag in hand and Patton walked over to the twins’ table. The rain was already pouring, so it was a good thing that the guy had an umbrella with him. 

“Ro, you’ll never guess what just happened!” Patton said with a huge grin on his face. He was practically bouncing with excitement.

“You won the lottery?” Roman asked, eyes wide, with the same level of excitement Patton had.

“No, even better! I got Virgil’s number!” Patton squealed with delight as he sat down next to Roman, flaunting Virgil’s contact on his phone.

“Oh, great,” Roman said with fake enthusiasm. Who the fuck?

Remus sat down opposite to Roman and placed a tray down on their table. “I didn’t know Emo was your type.”

 “Wait, are we talking about the guy with the purple hoodie?” Roman asked as he pointed to the front door. 

“Yeah, him!” Patton said, stealing a forkful of Roman’s chocolate cake. “I assumed you would know him since, you know, he’s Logan’s best friend? And you hate-read his social m-”

“I do not!” Roman interjected, taking his fork back from Patton in a playful manner. 

“You do,” Remus said in a sing-songy voice. “Sometimes he barges into my room in the middle of the night just to tell me what atrocity Logan posted on Instagram.”

“It was one time!” Roman finally admitted. “Why are we talking about me, we’re supposed to be talking about Patton’s love life!”

“Oh, right! I do have to get back to work though, but I could come over later and we could talk about boys?” Patton suggested. They often had sleepovers especially during finals week, but as much as they’d try to focus on studying, they always ended up goofing off and doing typical sleepover activities. 

“Fuck yes, sleepover middle-school-style!” Remus said, high-fiving Patton.

Patton patted the top of their heads before returning to the counter. Since Roman had already finished his chocolate cake, he stole a piece of Remus’s blueberry muffin. It quickly escalated into a competition between the two of them to see who could finish their coffee first. That was the fun part of having siblings. Everything was a competition. 

Roman slammed down his cup, grinning from ear to ear. He basked in his moment of victory as Remus scowled. By that time, the rain had already stopped, which meant that it was probably time for them to go home. The twins waved goodbye to the baristas before walking out the door and heading home. The pavement was wet, and knowing Remus, he was going to run, slip, and end up with an injury. Roman kept a close eye on his brother just in case. Remus had already been in and out of the hospital 4 times in the past two months and frankly, Roman was getting tired of his constant injuries and poor decisions.

Their house wasn’t too far away, so they walked home most of the time. They learned not to trust Remus with a car after the whole driving-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-road incident. No one liked to talk about it. Well, except for Remus, who mentioned it several times to everyone he had ever sat next to in class. 

Once they arrived in front of their house, Roman got momentarily distracted by the sound of soft meows. An adorable little kitten was playing in their garden, and as much as Roman wanted to pick it up, he was highly allergic. 

“Ree, look! It’s a-” Roman paused and looked around, noticing that his brother was no longer beside him. “Oh no.”

He frantically ran to the backyard and spotted Remus already on a tree branch, attempting to get to his room from the tree. He saw his brother and waved at him. 

“Ro, could you open the window from my room?” He yelled, gesturing to the closed window. He momentarily lost his balance, but caught the tree branch above him before he could plummet down to the ground. 

“Absolutely not, you incorrigible buffoon!” Roman yelled back. He sighed, tugging at his hair. On one hand, it would be funny. On the other, they would get in trouble and that won’t be funny at all. 

“Aren’t you even the slightest bit curious? I know you are!” 

So maybe he was a little bit curious. But that didn’t mean it was safe to do. Then again, he wasn’t the most reasonable person either. As long as Remus knows what he’s doing, he should be fine, right? Then again, Remus never knew what he was doing and he turned out okay. 

“Okay, I’m convinced,” Roman said after much thought. Remus cheered and did a victory dance, careful enough to not fall off of the tree. 

Roman ran inside the house, greeting his parents a quick “hello” as he passed by the kitchen. He dashed straight to Remus’s room, opened the window, then gestured for him to get in.

“Wait, get this on video,” Remus said as he tossed his phone through the window. Thankfully, Roman had good reflexes and caught it, otherwise, it might have shattered.

Roman gave him the signal. Remus pounced off of the tree and caught the windowsill. Using his upper body strength, he pushed himself upwards and rolled right into his room. 

“Holy shit,” Remus panted, clearly out of breath. “Give me my phone, I wanna see!”

“I am never letting you do that again,” Roman said as Remus replayed the video.

“Oh you will. I can tell.” Remus said, forwarding the video to multiple group chats. Several people were typing. He watched in amusement as people freaked out over his little stunt. The twins could tell that it would be the talk of the school on Monday. Not that they didn’t like the attention, in fact, they loved receiving attention.

After the excitement and adrenaline died down, Roman lied down on the bed, listening to Remus rant about his plans for the upcoming auditions for the Battle of the Bands. They held the auditions as early as 3 months before the event, which would give enough time for the contestants to practice. 

“So far, there’s me on the bass, Virge on the drums, and you as lead vocalist. You think Jay would wanna be lead guitar?” Remus said as he tuned his electric bass. 

“I don’t know, ask him.” Roman replied. “Hold on a sec, Virgil? As in Patton’s crush?”

“Of fucking course, how many damn Virgils are there at school?” Remus rolled his eyes, chucking a pencil at his brother. 

Roman sat up. He had a brilliant idea. “So, Patton’s coming over. Why don’t you invite Virgil and we do a little bit of matchmaking?”

Remus’s eyes widened. “Fuck, shit, you’re a motherfucking genius!” He scrambled to get his phone and sent a quick text to Virgil. It only took Remus mentioning that Patton would be there for Virgil to agree. Patton usually arrived around 10-ish, so Remus told him to come around 9. It would give them enough time to pull some strings.

Roman returned his attention to his phone, which apparently had dozens of notifications from Twitter. As always, he checked his dms first before the mentions. He was sure that several people had already posted Remus’s stunt and tagged both him and his brother. 

Vi, his internet friend, was at the very top of his dms. It could only mean one thing. Or two things, rather. Boy problems or life problems. Or both at the same time. Ironically, they started out as enemies on the internet. A misunderstanding, of sorts. 

personification of anxiety

@vergeofdeath

vi: yo princey

vi: fuck

vi: i’m spending the night with my crush

vi: holy shit

vi: i just gave him my number like a few hours ago??

princey: 👀

princey: don’t be too loud

vi: BITCH

vi: NOT LIKE THAT

vi: we’re staying over at my friend’s house

princey: that’s funny ‘cause my bro & i are hosting a mini sleepover too

princey: he invited over a friend bc our other friend has a crush on him

vi: dude 

vi: coincidence???

vi: i’ve never spoken to my friend’s bro before but he’s gonna be there ofc

vi: he’s like enemies with my best bud

princey: omg that’s so weird

princey: my twin’s bff is my enemy

princey: but like,, you know that,, i tell you that all the time

vi: woah hold on u have a twin??? u never mentioned a twin??? 

vi: i just assumed ur bro was near ur age??

vi: bitch my friend has a twin

vi: the fucking coincidences,, they’re everywhere

princey: don’t tell me ur a drummer too jhksdgfks

vi: BITCH

vi: I AM A DRUMMER

princey: holy fucking shit

vi: holy fucking shit indeed

“Boys, dinner!” Their mom called out from the kitchen. The twins immediately dashed out of the door, pushing each other as they tried to get to the dining table first. 

Since it was a Saturday, they were having seafood. Dinners were always eventful. Roman and Remus told their parents about the sleepover and Remus jumping off of the tree, which should’ve gotten them in trouble but their mom found it hilarious and let it slide. Their dad talked about his clients that were planning on a halloween-themed wedding, and their mom talked about the new tv show she was in. 

Overall, dinner went well. It was Remus’s turn to wash the dishes, so Roman returned to his room. His room was bigger so they would be using that one for the sleepover. He noticed that his nail polish was starting to chip off, so he brought out his pouch of nail polish from under the bed. There was a lot of clutter there, things such as old textbooks from freshman year, Remus’s broken drumsticks, some guitar picks, and expired makeup. He should get around to cleaning that, though he’s been meaning to do that for months now. 

By the time Remus finished washing dishes, there were several post-it notes stuck to the wall with various reminders such as to clean the space under the bed, buy new shoes, upgrade to a loft bed, buy oil paints, and water the plants. Roman already started on the pillow fort, so Remus lounged on the bed and looked up what good horror movies are on Netflix. 

Another reason why they often used Roman’s room for sleepovers was that he had a tv. It was originally supposed to be in Remus’s room, but he had a habit of breaking everything he could touch. It was a wonder they could trust him with dishes. On the other hand, Remus’s room was good for band practices or jamming out in general. He had instruments all over the place and they had it soundproofed so that the neighbors would stop complaining about the loud drumming at 2 a.m. 

Once Virgil arrived, their plan was set into motion. 

“So, I know we don’t talk at all, but just pretend that we’ve been good friends for a long time. I have a plan.” Roman said as he led the way to his room.

Virgil looked at him skeptically. “You know, Logan’s told me a lot about you.”

“All good things, I hope?” Roman asked. 

“Quite the opposite actually,” Virgil smirked. He notices a few posters put up of Fall Out Boy and Waterparks. “But since you do have a good taste in music, so I’ll let it slide.”

During the short period of time that he left his brother alone in his room, Remus managed to trash his vanity. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

Roman took this opportunity to strike a conversation. “Ree mentioned you play drums?” 

“Yeah, we’re planning on auditioning for the Battle of the Bands.” Virgil said, sending a quick message to one of his internet friends. “Has he asked you to join our band yet?”

Roman’s phone buzzed.

“Well, yeah. He sort of asked? I agreed, of course. Then he was like, ‘Oh good, I was going to poison you if you didn’t’. I’m used to it by now.”

Virgil chuckled. “He tried to poison me once ‘cause I stomped on his foot with my combat boots.”

“That was you? Oh my god, I owe you for that one!” Roman said, laughing at the memory of his brother crying in the school clinic. Turns out, they got along quite well. 

Their conversation was cut short when they heard knocks at the door. It was Patton and he arrived way earlier than expected. Remus pushed Virgil towards the door and mouthed “open it”. The twins high-fived each other and hid inside the pillow fort.  

“Hey Pat-”

As soon as Virgil opened the door, Patton’s face turned pink. He took a deep breath, puffed his cheeks, and closed the door. Virgil was too confused to move and the twins were slightly worried. 

Patton reopened the door and held out a container of cookies. “Hi Virge! I uh, didn’t expect to see you here… haha… what a coincidence?” He said awkwardly. 

Virgil took the cookies, but Remus bolted out of the fort and took it from Virgil’s hands. 

“You fucking gremlin!” Roman yelled, chasing Remus out of the room, who had started devouring cookies. Remus laughed maniacally, shoving past Virgil and Patton in order to get away from his brother. 

“Are they always like this?” Virgil asked, pointing at the twins who were now wrestling in the hallway. 

Patton hummed. “Yeah, most of the time.” 

The twins fought over the cookies for a while until realization hit them. 

Roman paused. He whispered something to Remus, and he stopped as well. The two began cursing and muttering something about “the plan” whilst pointing in Virgil and Patton’s direction. 

Right, the plan.

“Music!” Remus shouted, dragging Virgil and Patton to his room.

“What he meant to say was that we should play something together,” Roman informed the two. They nodded awkwardly. 

“Is Janus coming too?” Patton asked.

Shit. Roman forgot to invite him. 

“Oh um, I don’t know? I’ll have to ask.” Roman said. 

He took out his phone and sent a text that read “COME OVER ASAP”. Janus replied immediately, saying to leave the window open and that he’ll get in the room in a Remus fashion.

Great, he was going to be the fifth wheel tonight. 

[pandawritespoorly]

With Time: Chapter 35 - Concours D'arts Musicaux

Author’s Note: Here we go!!!

I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter, but I do enjoy it a lot. Also, I'm sure you were all expecting a strong language warning, and you would be correct! 'Pissed' and 'Bitch'. Not nearly as many as you expected, huh?

Chapter Summary: The music competition. 🎉

First | Previous | Next

“You sure you want to go?” Allan asks.

“No one would be upset if you backed out,” Claude reminds her.

Marinette sighs shakily, glancing out her window towards her former school. She’d honestly been doing a lot better when it came to her classmates, but she hadn’t been back to the school itself since…

Since that day.

She massages her wrist unconsciously, thinking of the confrontation, the yelling, the fall. She still can’t really remember much past Chloe finding her in the bathroom.

Claude, Allan and Felix are in her room with her, on their way to the competition. Felix puts a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Marinette?”

She turns back to them, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She can do this.

“Y-yeah. Yeah, I’m still going to go. Worst case scenario, I leave early, right?”

“Indeed,” Felix agrees.

Nodding, she leads them out of her room, and the group makes their way out of the house. They walk across the street, and stare up at the school for a moment.

Marinette walks up the stairs, taking in the sight of the main courtyard, packed with students from all over for the competition. Oh, Kwami, there’s so many people-

“Marinette?!” A quiet voice says, barely loud enough to be heard.

The three boys ready themselves to deal with more of Bustier’s class. To their surprise, Marinette quickly finds the speaker and breaks into a grin, hurrying over.

“Marc! It’s been so long! How have you been?” She’s speaking to a dark haired boy in a red hoodie. Not part of Bustier’s class.

“I-I’ve been f-fine. Art club is s-so quiet without you, everyone was s-so worried, because you just disappeared, and your c-class was awful. Nathaniel said…” he trails off, frowning.

Marinette copies him. “What happened?”

“He w-was just saying a-awful stuff, and we br-broke u-up… he wouldn’t even work with me anymore, because L-Lila said she’d get him c-connected to a real writer-”

Marinette bristles. “He did what?”

Marc shrugs helplessly, “I- I think he figured it out eventually, he’s b-been sitting away fr-from everyone now.”

“But he hasn’t spoken to you? Hasn’t apologized?”

When he doesn’t meet her eyes, she gets her answer.

“Come on, we’re going to talk to him. He has no right to treat you like that and not apologize.” Marinette leads the boy up the stairs. Claude, Felix and Allan, who had watched the entire interaction smile and follow after her.

She’s doing well so far.

They arrive outside of what must be the art room, if the inside is anything to go by. Nathaniel, who they do recognize, is sitting inside, doodling idly.

Marinette’s got that look in her eyes, as she steps inside. “Nathaniel.”

His eyes snap to her immediately, and he stares at her in shock for a little bit before speaking, “M-Marinette? Y-You’re here?!”

She just stares at him, raising an eyebrow.

“I-I’m so sorry! About-”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.” She pushes Marc forward gently, he’s looking at the floor, “Did you really abandon him like that?”

Nathaniel fidgets in his chair, “Well, Lila a-also said-” he realizes what he’s saying, “W-wait! I meant it differently! That came out wrong! I just… I’m sorry, Marc, I didn’t think a-about anything really, and, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” he mumbles.

There’s tension in the room, from the unresolved issues between the boys. Marinette knows this doesn’t involve her. She shakes her head. “I think I’ll let you two talk.”

As she walks down the hallway, Claude stays back a moment to address Nathaniel, “She may have said otherwise, but she deserves an apology. The way she was treated here was vile and inexcusable.”

Only when Nathaniel nods shakily does the actor hurry to catch up to their friends. Marinette is speaking, “I just can’t believe that Nathaniel and Marc broke up! They had a great relationship! Lila really did a number on the class.”

“Don’t give Lie-la so much credit, Dupain-Cheng. It was you,” Chloe interrupts, appearing out of nowhere.

“What?” “The morons here get akumatized so much for a reason. You were the only one who tried to actually communicate, and the class fell apart without you. Everyday Ladybug and all that. All the couples have basically broken up, with the exception of Lahiffe and Césaire, because Lahiffe has no backbone and Césaire thinks they’re the definition of a healthy relationship.”

“Don’t exaggerate, Chloe. They’re perfectly capable of sorting out their problems on their own,” Marinette argues.

Chloe scoffs, shaking her head but dropping the conversation.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Do my eyes deceive me or has the storm finally passed and our shining rainbow is back?!”

Marinette turns, sees Aurore standing a little ways down the hall, “Aurore! It’s been so long!”

She runs up to give her a hug. The taller girl rolls her eyes, “And whose fault is that?”

Marinette shrugs sheepishly, “Sorry, I-” “Not yours, little cloud! It’s that horrible hurricane that’s swept through here! She’s blocking out the sun, and that’s all we had left without you!”

“Oh, I know about that.”

At Marinette’s expression, Aurore smirks, “Ooh! There’s a storm brewing!”

The designer winks. “Perhaps.”

While the two girls chat, Chloe stands with the three boys Marinette had come with. “Marinette really downplays how many people loved her here. I’m not even sure she realizes she was pretty popular.”

Allan shrugs. “She hasn’t noticed at our school either, but she definitely is.”

“Good. She deserves people who appreciate her.”

Eventually, Aurore and Marinette part, and the group wanders away. Marinette shows them around the school as best she can. At one point, they get separated for some time and Marinette ducks into a classroom. She wanted to get out of the way of the people in the hallway to text her friends quickly. That plan is forgotten when she sees who is inside.

Lila and Alya stare at her in shock momentarily, before Lila shudders and pretends to hide behind Alya in a terrified manner. The former journalist pats her ‘friend’ comfortingly before standing and turning to Marinette.

“What are you doing here, Monsternette?”

The girl recovers from her shock and sighs sadly, “I’m here for the concert.”

Lila gasps. “I won’t let you harass my boyfriend!”

Marinette scowls, uneasiness giving way to fury. “I’m not the one harassing Adrien, and he’s not your boyfriend willingly!”

“Just because you’re some jealous creep, doesn’t mean you get to attack my bestie like that!” Alya yells.

“Oh, would you grow up?!” Marinette growls, gesturing wildly, “This isn’t some tv show where every action I take is because of some boy! Despite what you may think, I have a life outside of a romantic one!”

“Sure, so the fact that you’ve finally dropped the kicked puppy act has nothing to do with the fact that Adrien isn’t here?” Alya retorts.

Marinette stares at her. “What.”

“Please. Do you think we’re stupid? Everything you’ve ever done has been an act to gain sympathy. Thankfully, we had Lila to open up our eyes. All those times you pretended to do nice things? They were all so that we’d like you, honestly-”

“Do you even hear what you’re saying? You’re delusional! You think that was all an act? Do you think I pushed myself down the stairs and sprained my own wrist for sympathy points from a class that already hated me and a boy who wasn’t even there?!”

Alya opens her mouth to argue, but Marinette isn’t finished, “No! No! You do not get to downplay my feelings or how I was treated! Do any of you even realize how long it took me to properly heal from all that?!”

“It was just a few bruises-” “Emotionally! I didn’t even think that the people hanging out with me regularly for months even considered me their friend despite how obvious it was until I heard them call me that when they didn’t know I was around! I spent months feeling like any slip up would cause a repeat performance of what happened here! Do you have any idea how tiring that is? The effects it can have on someone?!”

Alya’s face softens, and she looks concerned for a moment. It really hadn’t occurred to her that Marinette might have been the victim. Then Lila speaks, “N-nice story, but I’m sure A-Alya won’t fall for it the way L-L-Ladybug d-did.”

Alya scowls, sympathy gone, “Of course not. Unlike anyone dense enough to like you wherever you go now-”

“I do not appreciate you insulting the entire population of the school we attend,” Felix interrupts.

Marinette turns to see Felix, Allan and Claude standing in the doorway, each of them looking beyond furious. She beams, running to give them all a tight hug.

“Now, whether or not you’ll excuse us, we have better things to do than try and carve stone with a stick,” Claude retorts as they turn away.

Down the hall a little ways, Allan is hugging Marinette tightly, and the girl is giggling slightly.

“Allan, it’s okay, I’m fine.”

“Still gonna’ hug you, ‘Nette. I can’t believe that of all the times you had to run int’ them it was the one time we weren’t there.”

Claude races over and joins the hug, and Felix just smiles at his friends.

When they separate, Claude looks at Marinette worriedly, “We heard some of that before we arrived. Did you really spend months thinking we didn’t consider you our friend?”

Marinette’s face colors a little and she looks away slightly, “In hindsight it was kind of dumb, but yeah. I thought you were all just being nice.”

“Nope!” Allan hugs her again, “You need more hugs.”

“For sure!” Claude agrees.

She only laughs, returning the gesture. When she’s finally freed, Felix gives her a quick one as well, having waited out the group hugs.

“Let’s not let them ruin our fun, I can keep showing you around!” Marinette suggests. The others readily agree, and they all move on. Lila and Alya aren’t their priority at the moment.

Soon enough, it’s almost time for the performance, so they go over their final preparations to reveal Lila once and for all.

“Alright, so first we show the slide with the public records proving she was in Paris when she was ‘traveling’, then her interview so that Jagged and Ali will speak up, then we can play the museum recording, and by then her mom will probably have some choice words, and by that time the police will have arrived, anything else?” “Nah, too much could over do it. We’ve got plenty more evidence if it’s needed though,” Allan says.

“Ms. Marinette! I was 87.3% certain you would show up for this event!”

The four turn to see a small robot floating nearby, “I wish to speak with you! I believe that Max is ill, as he seems to be suffering from delusions. He caught it from his classmates and I noted that you had immunity, and was wondering if you could help me!”

“You’re adorable,” Claude whispers.

“Markov!” Marinette greets the robot, “Actually, you might be able to help…”

---

The concert is over, and everyone did splendidly - to the surprise of no one at all. Allegra is back with her friends, and they’re all congratulating her.

It’s bittersweet in that Adrien can’t be with them yet.

The large projected image on the wall glitches, catching everyone’s attention. For a moment, it seems as if it goes back to normal, before it glitches again, changing to show a very different image this time.

Displayed on the wall are the dates in which Lila had supposedly been traveling with her mother. Directly next to them are public records showing her mother had been in Paris.

Some quiet murmurs begin to get around. Mostly confusion, either visitors who didn't even know of Lila, or people beginning to suspect the truth.

Next is a video, straight from the Ladyblog (someone had saved all the posts and made a site to act as an archive), of Lila claiming to know Jagged Stone and Prince Ali. This had been a ‘special feature’, a two-in-one interview of Lila talking about both of them in one clip.

“Oh yes, Jagged and I are very close. Basically best friends - well, after Ladybug of course - we first met when I saved his kitten from a runway. That’s when I got tinnitus. Anyways, I met with Prince Ali soon after because that’s actually why I’d been at the airport. Ali and I basically grew up together and I was on my way to visit.”

She continues, blabbering on about both celebrities for some time.

When it ends, there’s an outraged cry from the back, “That’s so not rock n’ roll! I’ve never met that girl, and she makes me sound like some creep! That’s defamation! Not cool!”

The crowd turns to see a fuming Jagged and Penny. Soon after, another woman stands, Prince Ali beside her, “Prince Ali would never associate with such a blatant liar. His only childhood friends are in Achu.”

The murmurs get louder, until a voice calls over the noise, “Lila Diablo Rossi, what is the meaning of this?! You haven’t been traveling, you said the school was closed! You said that Ladybug was incapable and that Paris was unsafe!”

Mrs. Rossi is fuming, trying to spot her daughter in the crowd. Everyone is furious now, because no one gets to speak about the city’s heroes like that.

Before anyone else can speak up, the screen changes again. There’s some text, with audio playing in the background.

 The following audio was recorded when Ms. Lila Rossi happened to find a former classmate at the Louvre. This classmate had always claimed Lila was lying, and Ms. Rossi drove them out of the school through intense bullying. It has been edited to keep this person anonymous.

 “-is you! Here I thought this would be a boring field trip! This is a spectacular surprise though!

“See, I told you I knew what I was doing. No one’s seen you in months and they all still  hate your guts - rightfully so of course.”

There are footsteps as the speaker approaches the phone.

“You know, they call me their everyday Ladybug now? I’m honestly insulted - not only did they give me your old dumb title, but they’re comparing me to her. They were that is, until I changed that.

“Look at you! You’re pathetic! I can’t believe I considered you a legitimate threat to me. I could have just left you be and they would have eventually left you in their own time.

“Those morons could walk in right now and would still believe me if I told them you attacked me. They just despise you that much. Not that I can blame them - you’re just so detestable.”

 There’s a stunned silence as everyone takes in what they just heard. The doors burst open, Ladybug and Chat Noir stand tall, accompanied by multiple policemen and people in suits with stern faces.

Ladybug steps forward, “Lila Rossi. You are under arrest for working with and assisting a known terrorist for your own personal gain.”

You could have heard a pin drop.

“There has been plenty of circumstantial evidence, but Chat and I never had any substantial proof. Then, a civilian got footage of you capturing an akuma and using it to akumatize yourself.”

The room erupts. People are shouting and screaming, Mrs. Rossi looks shell-shocked. The crowd pushes the girl forward, and she’s fighting.

“No! You can’t do this! I have immunity!”

“No. No you don’t,” Mrs. Rossi manages.

Lila pales. “...what?”

Her mother doesn’t respond, looking faint.

“I’m Gabriel Agreste’s future daughter-in-law! There’s no way-”

Chat interrupts, “Oh yes, that. We know all about that. The deal you made? We aren’t sure of the exact details, whether you made a deal with Mr. Agreste or with Hawkmoth who went after Mr. Agreste, but we know. Adrien was forced into that relationship, so there’s probably a few more charges to add to your list since you were well aware that he didn’t like you in that way.” “Sexual harassment isn’t okay,” Ladybug chimes in, “And surely you’re aware that’s what you were doing?”

At this point people have their phones out and are recording the whole thing. One of the people with stern faces steps forward, “Mrs. Rossi, you may want to come with us.”

She nods, following the procession weakly.

Ladybug and Chat take off. Soon enough, Marinette and Adrien slip back inside, showing up behind their friends, “Look who I found!”

Adrien waves awkwardly, though no one notices as he’s crushed in a tight group hug. He laughs happily as he returns the hug, it’s good to be back.

The moment he’s released, a yellow blur nearly knocks him to the ground.

“Hey, Chlo’.”

She hides her face, and while she may be silent, he can tell she’s likely crying. After about a minute or so though, she pulls away, looking as pristine as ever.

“Well, I say we get out of this place and away from these utterly ridiculous people.”

No one argues, and they head outside, quickly heading into the bakery. Adrien is ushered inside Marinette’s room where he’s bombarded with more hugs, everyone talking at once.

After they separate, they find their own spots to sit, and Marinette turns to the model, “So, what do you want to do?”

He hesitates, unsure, “Hmm… video games?”

“Yeah!” Claude cheers.

Marinette gets the stuff out and offers a controller to Adrien. Felix opts out, and conveniently enough, Allegra and Chloe are also left to wait. The girls sit next to each other, blushing lightly and pointedly not looking at each other.

Allegra’s hand lightly moves to rest over Chloe’s. She turns to look at their hands, then back to the braided girl beside her, who is suddenly very invested in the game. Chloe smiles, turning back to the screen as well.

Neither notice Felix sneakily taking a picture and sending it to the group chat.

---

Earlier:

 Today’s the day! Alya is so excited for the competition! It’ll be fun to see Adrien perform, and maybe they can hang out afterwards. Lila has been an absolute godsend when it comes to convincing Gabriel to allow Adrien more free time.

It’s such a shame that she sprained her wrist again and can’t conduct the concert as she usually would.

Lila is nervous that all her usual bandmates wouldn’t be happy to see her, seeing as she ‘abandoned them’ so Alya is comforting her in an empty classroom.

“Lila, I promise, no one-”

The door opens.

She steps in.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Alya can only stare, unprepared for this. Some traitorous part of her is happy to see her. Missed her.

Alya is disgusted with herself.

Lila shudders, attempting to hide behind her real friend. That’s all it takes to shake Alya from her stupor, she pats Lila gently and turns to her former bestie.

“What are you doing here, Monsternette?”

She sighs. “I’m here for the concert.”

Lila gasps. “I won’t let you harass my boyfriend!”

Alya’s heart goes out to her. Even when faced with Marinette. Her love and loyalty to Adrien shows no bounds. Alya is relieved that she is beginning to make progress. When it had been several months and Lila hadn’t seemed to recover at all from Marinette’s bullying, the class feared that the damage done was irreversible.

Marinette scowls, glaring at the two, as if they were the bad guys here. “I’m not the one harassing Adrien, and he’s not your boyfriend willingly!”

Oh she did not just-

Lila’s self-esteem is bad enough, and she’s confessed to Lila that she worries people will think she’s not worthy of dating someone as great as Adrien. Alya wonders if Marineitte was the source of that, because though they haven’t seen her in a while, it certainly sounds like something she would do.

“Just because you’re some jealous creep, doesn’t mean you get to attack my bestie like that!” Alya yells.

“Oh, would you grow up?!” Marinette growls, gesturing wildly, “This isn’t some tv show where every action I take is because of some boy! Despite what you may think, I have a life outside of a romantic one!”

But there is no other explanation! Alya wants to shout. Why else would someone like Marinette bully someone like Lila?! Some part of her- some jealous part of her reached out and corrupted the rest of her, dragging that sweet girl that Alya once knew into some pit of cruelty.

Alya had been her best friend long enough to know that Marinette can go to extremes when it’s something she cares about.

Even if she shouldn’t care.

Even if it isn’t her business.

“Sure, so the fact that you’ve finally dropped the kicked puppy act has nothing to do with the fact that Adrien isn’t here?” Alya retorts.

The other girl looks at her incredulously. “What.”

“Please. Do you think we’re stupid? Everything you’ve ever done has been an act to gain sympathy.” If Alya had to tell the truth, she’d admit that she’d been… hesitant to believe at first that all of the nice things Marinette had done were just a ruse. Of course, now there’s no other explanation. People don’t just change personalities like a switch. If Lila’s testimonies were anything to go by, Marinette is not the girl they all thought she was. “Thankfully, we had Lila to open up our eyes. All those times you pretended to do nice things? They were all so that we’d like you, honestly-”

“Do you even hear what you’re saying? You’re delusional! You think that was all an act? Do you think I pushed myself down the stairs and sprained my own wrist for sympathy points from a class that already hated me and a boy who wasn’t even there?!”

She makes good points, but it’s not like Adrien wouldn’t have found out! Then he would have been hovering over ‘poor Marinette’ for being injured! Lila had explained it! It made sense!

Or did it?

Alya opens her mouth to point this out, but Marinette cuts her off, “No! No! You do not get to downplay my feelings or how I was treated! Do any of you even realize how long it took me to properly heal from all that?!”

This time Alya does get a chance to point out the inaccuracies. “It was just a few bruises-” “Emotionally!” Marinette interjects, “I didn’t even think that the people hanging out with me regularly for months even considered me their friend despite how obvious it was until I heard them call me that when they didn’t know I was around! I spent months feeling like any slip up would cause a repeat performance of what happened here! Do you have any idea how tiring that is? The effects it can have on someone?!”

Oh god. Was it possible? Had they been wrong all along?! But… then they’d… Marinette had-

Lila whimpers. “N-nice story, but I’m sure A-Alya won’t fall for it the way L-L-Ladybug d-did.”

Alya scowls. She’s disgusted with herself for almost falling for that. “Of course not. Unlike anyone dense enough to like you wherever you go now-”

“I do not appreciate you insulting the entire population of the school we attend,” A vaguely familiar blonde boy interrupts.

Marinette’s face lights up at the three boys who have occupied the doorway. She rushes to hug them, and one of them speaks.

“Now, whether or not you’ll excuse us, we have better things to do than try and carve stone with a stick.”

And then they’re gone.

---

Lila had never understood why villains in stories were described as ‘cackling’ until she’d started doing this.

The pure power she feels every time she gets her latest sheep to turn against one of their own.

The way the target she chooses looks.

Utterly broken.

Completely destroyed.

It’s sensational!

It’s marvelous and she’s completely addicted.

It had been borne of boredom, but now it’s her very lifeblood. A high that never ends.

Until it does.

She’s stricken with horror, unable to do anything but stare at the projected images on the screen.

How?!

She’s been doing this for forever, and she’d never been caught by anyone other than a few insignificant brats. They’d been dealt with.

Her own mother didn’t even know!

And now…

Everything is fast forward and everything is slow motion.

The crowd pushes her forward and she finally remembers herself.

She is Lila Rossi. She’s made of stronger stuff than this! So she fights, because that’s all she has left. Pure animal instinct to kick and scream and shout.

“No! You can’t do this! I have immunity!”

“No. No you don’t,” her mother whispers.

Lila feels her remaining spirit drain away. “...what?”

At her mother’s silence Lila pulls herself together. Fine. So no diplomatic immunity. That’s fine. She can still work without that. She’s got her will. There’s always a way out. She is better than these imbeciles! They can’t just treat her like a commoner! A nobody!

“I’m Gabriel Agreste’s future daughter-in-law! There’s no way-”

Then Chat Noir speaks and all the rest of her hope disappears. She’s lost everything.

She doesn’t bother fighting anymore, submitting to the authorities.

There’s no use anymore. This is her end.

It’s all come crashing down.

---

Alya is next to Lila when it happens. The screen glitches and changes.

Everything changes.

Lila lied, and they all turned on Marinette.

Marinette, who had done nothing.

Nothing at all to deserve this.

Marinette who had done nothing.

Nothing to get back at them for all the pain they’d caused.

She’d just left them. Slipped out of their lives, and carried away like a leaf in the wind.

She had every right to be furious with them, and instead she just walked away.

Left them.

Alya knows she should be beyond pissed, though she’s not sure if it would be for Lila, or for what they all did for Lila, or even solely for herself.

And yet…

The guilt is what hits her first, and once it digs its dark claws into the pit of her stomach that’s all she can feel. Her heart feels torn to shreds and her knees can barely support her. With the guilt comes the shame, and it’s not nearly as potent but it’s just the cherry on top.

She’s not paying attention, because nothing matters right now because good god what did they do to Marinette?!

---

In a few hours time, Marinette and her friends are all decorating cookies in the kitchen.

One drops, and it breaks apart. Claude grins, and Allegra glares at them.

“Well, I guess-”

“Don’t. You already-!”

“-that’s just the way the cookie crumbles!”

Allegra sighs defeatedly. Adrien looks up. “What do you call it when you use a deer-shaped cookie cutter?”

Allan smiles. “What?”

“A cookie doe!”

Marinette and Allegra sigh. Felix just shakes his head.

“This is really friend-chip goals, huh?”

“Claude, these are sugar cookies,” Felix remarks drily.

“Hey, why did the Oreo go to the dentist?” Adrien turns to Claude.

They feign innocence as they turn to him, “Why?”

“To get his filling replaced!”

It’s almost impressive how many puns they get through without repeating while everyone finishes the cookies.

When the cookies are done, they turn on the TV, finding a news broadcast. Nadja Chamack is turning to the camera seriously.

“Shocking news in Paris today. If you’re just tuning in, you’re going to want to stay. During a musical arts competition at Collège Françoise Dupont, it was revealed that one Lila Rossi has been actively working with Hawkmoth himself for sometime now, doing everything from akumatizing herself, to manipulating others to be prone to akumatization themselves..”

“This is called karma, bitch!” Chloe cheers from where she and Allegra are sitting together.

“Language!” Adrien calls. The blonde only sticks her tongue out defiantly.

“Ms. Rossi is being held outside of the city pending investigation, but authorities assure us that this was investigated thoroughly before they made the public arrest. Ladybug and Chat Noir themselves assisted in the investigation, revealing that Ms. Rossi’s motivation was, in part, forcing Adrien Agreste to be her boyfriend. That’s right folks, Paris’ favorite couple has been revealed to be nothing more than an abusive relationship consisting of an involuntary victimized Adrien Agreste and a teen terrorist in the making.”

Everyone cheers at that.

“The Agreste brand has issued a brief public statement saying that they are unaffiliated with Hawkmoth, and that they were unaware of Ms. Rossi’s crimes. Adrien’s location is unknown. It is assumed he is taking a break from the media spotlight, and everyone agrees that after going through what is now known to be regular sexual harassment, he certainly deserves the break. Gabriel Agreste is under public fire for how Adrien was treated and some theorize he could be a close accomplice to Hawkmoth, if not the man himself. He is not the only one under fire though, as it was revealed that Collège Françoise Dupont allowed Ms. Rossi to get away with an astonishing amount of offenses while enrolled there. She faked disabilities, missed months of school with no real proof of where she was, and even caused one of her former classmates to leave the school due to the intense bullying she received while there. Speaking both as a mother and a friend of the child’s family, I am appalled that such behavior was not only allowed, but actively encouraged. Authorities assure us that investigations are underway - both into the school and the Agrestes, but many can’t help but feel that this is not enough. No amount of investigation can undo the pain caused by this individual.”

The broadcast continues, but the group tunes it out. Marinette sighs, “She’s gone. She’s gone and she won’t be coming back!”

“Finally.” Chloe rolls her eyes.

“It is a relief,” Felix comments, “that we will not have to deal with her nonsense anymore.”

“I’m glad that those awful classmates won’t have any reason to bother you now Mari,” Allegra sighs.

“About that…” Marinette raises a finger hesitantly. Allegra and Adrien look at her, while the other boys just frown. Chloe scowls.

“Yeah, they had a run-in before the performance,” Claude sighs.

“What did they do?” The two blondes say in unison.

“Nothing really,” Marinette shrugs. Adrien disagrees, if the way he hugs her tighter is anything to go by.

“We got separated and she ran into them in a classroom. Lie-la was up to her usual tricks, and Alya was defending her from Mari,” Claude starts.

“She held her own pretty well, but we got her outta’ there once we got there.” Allan smiles at the pigtailed girl proudly.

“Then she was hugged,” Felix states a-matter-of-factly.

Claude looks at Marinette meaningfully, asking permission. She understands and nods.

They sigh, “We also found out that Marinette didn’t think we considered her a friend for a few months.”

“Apparently, we were just being nice,” Allan remarks.

Allegra squawks, turning to Marinette, who is being held even tighter by the model beside her, “I will come over there and hug the low self-esteem out of you!”

“Already on it,” Adrien says. Marinette giggles as Allegra hugs her too.

Chloe is fuming, “Ugh, I think Queen Bee should come out of retirement just so Pollen and I can sting some people. Both of those wannabe faux foxes and their lackeys.”

Allegra turns to her, though still hugging her friend, “I think Honey Bee would be perfectly willing to do that herself.”

“I don’t think Kit Mime deserves to be compared to either of them,” Allan pipes up. Claude smiles.

“No superheroes are going to do anything to anyone,” Marinette reprimands. Adrien recognizes her Ladybug Voice™.

Chloe sticks her tongue out, “You’re not the boss of me. I’m also not hearing any protests to me just beating them up without the miraculous.”

Marinette glares at her.

“I don’t think you need to do much,” Adrien interjects, “I’m sure it won’t take much convincing for Chat Noir to pay them a visit.”

“These are all wonderful ideas.” Felix nods approvingly.

Marinette sighs in defeat.

---

Adrien and Marinette wave at everyone as they go, each with their own share of cookies (Chloe with extras for Sabrina). Marinette turns to him, “When do you have to-”

His phone rings, and he sighs, “Speak of the devil.”

She waits, watching. He keeps his face impassive as he hangs up and turns to her.

“Well?” “Father says that it may be for the best to ‘hide from the media’ here if it’s alright with your parents,” he reveals, grinning cheekily once he’s finished speaking.

She hugs him, “He’s basically bribing you with a sleepover, but right now I’m just glad that you get to stay over!”

Hurrying inside, she calls to her parents, “Maman? Papa? Can Adrien stay the night?””

Sabine pokes her head out from a doorway, “Of course, dear!”

That’s all Marinette needs to hear before she leads Adrien upstairs to her room hurriedly.

“If you’re not careful, I might just think you’re excited to have me over, Princess.” He smirks.

“I am! Usually you’re stuck in my room! Not to mention that you’re finally free from her.”

“I’m with her, Kid,” Plagg mutters lazily.

“I’m so proud of both of you! Both of you went through terrible things that you didn’t deserve at all, and you made it out without even being akumatized. You deserve a break!” Tikki chirps, “I’m so sorry you had to go through all that.”

Marinette smiles softly, petting Tikki until the Kwami smiles again, “It’s not your fault, Tikki.”

Tikki just looks at her mournfully, and the two Gods fly off to speak, giving their charges a break.

Adrien flops across Marinette, looking at her happily. She’s about to tease him when he slow blinks at her and she blushes lightly. He grins, then grins more when she returns the blink.

He snuggles against her, purring happily. She laughs, her hands finding his hair. They sit contentedly in silence for a little bit until Adrien notices Marinette drooping slightly, holding back a yawn. They’ve been sitting together for a while, his head in her lap while she scratches his scalp idly. She’s slowed, and stares forward blankly, blinking slowly every so often and seemingly just a few moments from dropping to the floor. She doesn’t realize she’s been found out yet, continuing to scratch where his cat ears would be.

He frowns, she wouldn’t normally hide being tired, unless-

“Marinette, I thought I made you promise not to overwork yourself,” he reprimands.

She flushes slightly, “What are you talking about? I’m fine.”

“You’re exhausted. When was the last time you slept, and how much sleep have you been getting most nights?” He sits up, studying her.

She slumps, knowing there’s no use trying to hide it. “I technically never promised. I just wanted to make sure that this went smoothly. For your information though, I slept last night.” She sticks out her tongue at him.

“How long?”

“...four hours. Three or less for the past week and a half?”

He gives her a look, and she just grins sheepishly. Shaking his head in feigned exasperation, he scoops her up into his arms. She kicks her feet, “Hey! I don’t need to go to bed, I can just sleep in tomorrow!”

“Yes, yes you do need to sleep now. I know how awful being overworked is, but you don’t have someone making sure you have time for sleep, so I will be doing that.”

She harrumphs, wrinkling her nose.

He reaches the top of the steps to her bed, turning and flopping backwards onto the mattress. The pair bounce slightly, and Adrien lets Marinette go to allow her to get into a more comfortable position.

“Oh, so you’re planning on just watching me to make sure I sleep?” Marinette teases.

Adrien shuts his eyes. “Nope. I’m a cat, so I’ll take any o-purr-tunity I can to nap.”

He knows she rolled her eyes, even if he can’t see her. She lies down next to him, huffing so he knows just how awful he is for having the audacity to make her rest properly.

After a few minutes, he feels the mattress shift as she carefully sits up, trying to go down and presumably work on some project. His eyes fly open, and he grabs her wrist. “Excuse you, I believe you’re supposed to be sleeping. I guess we’ll be doing this the hard way then.”

Before she can protest, he pulls her arm out from under her, catching her as gravity pulls her down.

“I’m not tired.”

“That’s because you’re being a stubborn baby bug.”

She scoffs, “Alley cat!”

“And proud of it,” he murmurs, pressing his face into her hair.

He leans against her pillows, dragging her with him so that she’s farther from the edge of the loft. Nestling her head under his, she reaches her arm over to give him a sideways hug. His other arm is wrapped around her back, and he carefully undoes her loose pigtails with his fingers. She hums appreciatively.

“I’m not tired you know,” she mumbles.

He just purrs louder, holding her closer.

She yawns, “Still… not…”

She never finishes the sentence.

Adrien grins, hearing her breathing beginning to even out. He rubs soothing circles on her back, trying to get her to rest sooner. He knows he was successful when her soft breathes line up with the pattern of sleep.

It’s not long before he goes the same way.

---

Author’s Note: There's a lot happening here, where do I even begin?

Anyone curious as to Lila's middle name? It means 'devil'. Very fitting.

Don't you love it when the resident supervillain is too busy doing PR to cause anything?

Sabrina is with her father, sipping her tea and watching Lila's world burn.

I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this long awaited chapter!! As I said in the beginning note, I'm not satisfied with it. Something just feels off, but who knows? I could be crazy! I hope this lived up to all the hype! 💖

Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave any thoughts, theories, constructive criticism, or anything really in my ask box, in replies or through reblogs. I love seeing what you think!

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[anarcoqueer1994]

Request: TJ and Cyrus find out bench swings exist

So this was a cute idea. I am so sorry ahead of time for grammar mistakes bc me and sleep aren't on the same page.

One Year Together

TJ paced his room anxiously, while Marty and Jonah sat on his bed, listening to the taller boy ramble. "It has to be perfect, you know? Like this is a big deal. As of this Saturday…"

Marty cuts him off "As of this Saturday, you and Cyrus have been together for a whole year. Dude, we know. You have told us at least 100 times. Plus you forget, Buffy and I share the same anniversary so I definitely know how important Saturday is."

"Sorry, I know I keep talking about it, I just want him to have the best time."

"Teej" Jonah speaks up, "Literally Cyrus loves everything you do. I don't think you should worry so much about it."

"Easier said than done. What if my plan doesn't work out? I want it to be sickeningly sweet and romantic." TJ flops down on the chair near his bed. He gets this day-dreamy look on his face. "Can you imagine? We grab lunch at The Spoon, and then I surprise him with tickets to that traveling dinosaur exhibit that is coming this weekend. It's going to have these lifelike models of dinosaur robots who's heads move and stuff placed around the entire thing.We would walk around it together and I would listen to him talk about each one in such detail. God he is so smart." TJ gushes before continuing on. "After a while I would pull out a homemade chocolate chocolate chip muffin and give it to him. Then when we leave, I would take him to the park and we could swing together. And then just as the sun starts to set, I would say it. I will tell Cyrus I love him."

By this point, both of his friends are giving TJ weird looks. Jonah subconsciously rolls his eyes. He still doesn't get the point of all this romance stuff. 

Marty asks "Since when is TJ Kippen  a planner? Aren't you more of a wing it and see what happens kind of guy?" 

"I mean usually but I don't know, man. I just want to do this right for Cyrus."

"Just relax okay? Whatever is meant to happen will happen. "

"Is that right?" TJ asks sarcastically "So are you telling  me you have nothing special planned for Saturday with Buffy?"

"I didn't say that. We are actually going to rewatch White Fang and order take out. So yeah, I have plans but I am not stressed about them. I know Buffy likes me or we wouldn't still be together. Just like you should know that Cyrus likes you and he will probably love whatever you do."

TJ knows objectively that Marty is right. Cyrus cares about him. He shows him that everyday in the little things he does. Cyrus, since he has met him, has always been on his side. He has been the one to believe in him even when he hasn't believed in himself. But that is the exact reason this Saturday has to go right. Cyrus deserves it. Plus, he has never said I love you to him before but he does love him and he wants Cyrus to know.

So despite his friends' advice he keeps worrying. In fact he spends everyday until his anniversary worrying  and working out everything that could go wrong.

The night before the big day, TJ hardly sleeps. He is too excited? or maybe nervous? Maybe both. Anyhow he gets up really early. A little later  Amber finds him in front of his bedroom mirror trying to style his hair just right.

"You know he likes your hair better when you don't put all that gel in." Amber replies from the doorway.

"How do you know? He has never said that to me." TJ says defensively.

"No but Andi told me that he literally spent 20 minutes raving about "how cute your hair was when it was super fluffy" in their group chat. "

"Crap. Really?" TJ says panicking.

"Yea but don't worry. I'll help you out."

Twenty minutes later they have the extra gel rinsed out of his hair and Amber is helping him pick out the perfect outfit. They go with a teal shirt and a nice pair of jeans. Not too dressy, but he still looked nice. When they are finally satisfied by how he looks, Amber gives him a big hug.

"What was that for?" He asks when she pulls away.

"I just want you to know it is going to be okay. " She smiles at her little brother. "Cyrus is going to like whatever you do."

"Everyone keeps saying that but what if he doesn't. What if because of some horrible twist of fate, tonight he realizes that I am not good enough for him?"

"That is not going to happen. Now, go. You told Cyrus you would he at his house 5 minutes ago."  

TJ glances at the time on his phone. "Shoot!" he practically runs out the door while sending Cyrus a text.

-Be right there, I'm so sorry.-

Not too long after, he arrives at Cyrus' front door. He nervously knocks on the door. He tries to remind himself to breathe but somehow even after a year of dating, Cyrus had this effect on him. He blushes at the thought. 

When Cyrus answers the door, he gives TJ one of the biggest smiles he has ever seen. Cyrus steps out onto the porch. "Hey Cy," he chokes out. "Happy Anniversary." He steps closer to the other boy, resting his arms on his waist, while Cyrus responded by placing his arms over either one of TJ's shoulders.

In a soft voice the brunette responds "Happy Anniversary...Thelonious."

TJ throws his head back in feigned annoyance. "Oh way to kill the mood."

Cyrus pouts playfully. "I guess we'll just have to call this whole date off."

"I mean I am already here, we might as well still go, but only because I don't want to waste these tickets." He takes one of his hands and digs through his pocket before pulling out tickets to the dinosaur exhibit. 

When he sees Cyrus' eyes light up, he can't  help but smile at him like a dope. God he was whipped.

"Really TJ?! We are going? I thought tickets sold out months ago!"

"They did but I was one of the first people to order. I've been planning this for a while."

"You are so sweet…oh that reminds me." He pulls free from TJ and runs back into the house. He returns moments later with a small box wrapped in shiny blue paper. "For you."

TJ takes the box and delicately unwraps it. Cyrus obviously put a lot of time into wrapping it. He pulls off the lid to find a small note that says "Thank you for being the "somer" to my "sault." Around the words are little doodles of a smiling sun and a salt shaker. Under the note it a bracelet that looks handmade. It is simple, it just uses the little plastic beads. Some are white with letters on it. They spell out "Not so scary basketball guy." Surrounding the letter beads are other beads in a simple rainbow pattern. 

Cyrus shifts awkwardly watches TJ opening the gift. "You don't have to wear it. I know it is kind of lame."

"Are you kidding me? This is a great bracelet. I love this bracelet." TJ says truthfully before sliding it on. 

"Really?" Cyrus says nervously. 

"Really." TJ affirms before pulling Cyrus in for a hug. "I really love y...the bracelet."

Thankfully Cyrus doesn't seem to have noticed his almost slip up.

************

Before long, the two boys are off, making their way to the diner before heading to see the dinosaurs. The boys go in and sit in a little booth in the corner. The waitress comes and to take their order. Knowing what his boyfriend wants, TJ orders.

"Two orders of babytaters and a strawberry milkshake with a strawberry milkshake with two straws please."

The waitress smiles "Sorry hun deep  our fryers down for cleaning, and milkshake maker isn't working. We are having a guy look at it this afternoon. Can I get you guys something else?"

TJ looks at Cyrus. Cyrus says "Just a coke and a piece of pie then."

"I'll take the same." TJ is a little annoyed as the waitress walks off. He wanted this to go perfect and that included getting Cyrus' favorite meal. Cyrus sees the look on TJ's face.

"Is everything okay, Teej?" 

"Yea, I just feel bad that you couldn't get the food you wanted."

"Eh so what? I'm still on a date with the cutest guy in town."

TJ blushes "Thanks, Underdog." What he doesn't say out loud is that he could say the same thing.

After they eat their food, they make their way to the dinosaur exhibit. As they walk up to the building, they see a lot of people leaving. There are a couple fire trucks outside. TJ looks around confused. He stops a woman heading to her car. "Hey can you tell me what's going on?"

"One of the dinosaurs short circuited and caught fire. It set off the sprinklers, which damaged some more of the exhibit. They are evacuating everyone."

TJ's face drops. He thanks the woman for her help and turns to Cyrus. "I am so sorry about the exhibit."

"It is okay! You couldn't have possibly known this word happen." TJ still look sa so sad so Cyrus tries to give him his brightest smile. "TJ, I promise it is okay!"

TJ gives a small smile in return. "I guess we can still go to the park."

"Yeah, the park sounds great." 

So they walk hand in hand over to the park. As they walk though, something hits TJ. Right now would be the time to give Cyrus the homemade chocolate chocolate chip muffin he worked so hard on yesterday. Except in his rush to leave early, he forgot it on the kitchen counter. He tries to hide more disappointment from his face.

What happens next though, causes him to snap. When they walk up to the park, the entrance is closed. The ground around it looks flooded and there are some workers trying to figure some stuff out. You see, it had been a weird winter. The temperatures kept changing between freezing and just slightly chilli all season. That meant that the water kept rapidly freezing and melting again, leading to a water pipe bursting. The foreman says in passing "Sorry kids, the park is closed until we can get this cleaned up."

With that, TJ threw his hands into the air and turned and walked away. Cyrus went after him.

"TJ wait, don't go!" He calls out

Of course TJ couldn't just ignore him so he freezes in his spot. Cyrus walks up around him only to see frustrated tears forming in the jocks eyes.

He puts his hand on TJ's shoulder. "Teej is this over the park? I don't care if we can't swing, I just want to be with you."

"You keep saying that but this date was a disaster! I had it all planned out! But first I was late picking you up. Then the Spoon didn't have babytaters. And the dinosaur exhibit literally went up in flames. I forgot the stupid muffin at home, and finally we get to the park, the last sliver of hope for this date and we can't even go in. There isn't even a bench nearby for us to sit at.

Cyrus wraps his arm around TJ. TJ continues into Cyrus' shoulder. "I wanted it to be perfect for you. I wanted to do all the things that are our things. The swings, muffins, the Spoon together, maybe a bench. I just wanted us to be able to do that together."

Cyrus pulls back so he can look TJ in the face. "TJ I love all those things but they don't define us. I love them because they remind me of you. We give them meaning but not vice-versa. We would still be TJ and Cyrus without them. We make other things our things. Anything we want."

TJ doesn't  know how Cyrus does it but somehow he manages to make all the things that were bothering him melt away.

TJ smiles at shorter boy and says "I have an idea." Without another word, he pulls the other boy down the street, with Cyrus happily letting it happen. They stop in front of a house a few streets over.

Cyrus scrunches his eyebrows together. "Is this Marty's house?" All the lights are off.

"Yea but don't worry. His parents are out of town this weekend and he is at Buffy's."

"TJ we are not breaking in there, are we?"

"No." TJ laughs. Of course not. We are just going on the porch."

"Why? What for?" Cyrus asks defensively.

"You'll see, just trust me." TJ smiles.

Cyrus, for his part, let's TJ lead him again, though this time a little more reluctantly.

When they climb the stairs and head to the corner of the long porch, TJ's eyes light up. Cyrus loves the way his green eyes sparkle when he is happy. Except he doesn't know why the boy is so happy, because TJ is just looking at a porch swing.

As if answering the unspoken question,  TJ says "Don't you get it? It is a swing, like the swings we say at the first time we ever talked. But It is also a bench, like the one from Andi's party. The party that happened a year ago today. It is like two of our things wrapped into one."

Cyrus can't help but gleam back at TJ. It always amazes him how clever his boyfriend could be. "We should sit." Is all he can manage to get out.

TJ sits down with the shorter boy following suit, resting his head on TJ's shoulder as the latter wraps his arm around Cyrus. From where they are sitting, they can see the sun starting to set. TJ thinks the better view though was looking down at his boyfriend. He will never understand why he got so lucky, but he did. Cyrus meant everything to him. TJ places a little kiss on the top of Cyrus' head.

 Then without thinking he says "I love you..

" It is almost too quiet to hear. TJ's breathe catches in his throat when he realizes what he said. 

The next few seconds pass excruciatingly slowly before Cyrus say "I love you too, Teej." 

(Also Idk may fuck around and do a Muffy one for the same period of time)

@abg-blah @luzawithoutu @thebisexualweirdo @suzzysangster @galaxy-flowergirl @iloveboyz27

[flipsideds]

“ oh, haha... ”  a default response to a very non-default situation –– a little post-show, barside rendez-vous with an older man who insists nour has been singing to directly to him the entire night. “ flirting ?  i... ”  

gentle eyes gloss over the banquet hall’s dimmed lights, bright smiles, flickering electric candles... “ . . . what’s that ? ”  and then he’s off, gin and tonic in hand. three strides and it’s already half-drained. yikes.

or, alternatively :  greetings loved ones!! my name is linc ( 21 / est / she/her ) and here is the ever so graceful, ever so unintentionally magnetic nour al-busiri! below the cut you’ll find a messy run-down. i am so excited to plot & write with all of you !!

( i’m scheduled for a tonsillectomy tomorrow so i’m gonna be so grateful for the distraction, y’all have no idea. ) 

if you want some great mood-setters for this beb’s backstory / insight into his soul, slap on some jacob collier, kevin garrett, or charlie burg ‘n let’s get cookin’ !

so this is all copy-pasted from a discord chat with devon bc i improvised nour’s entire life story over a span of... 10 minutes ?? bahaha pls enjoy i apologize in advance. ( i also put this in normal text size bc it is v long and i don’t want anyone hurting their eyes !! protect dem beautiful retinas <3 )

h i s t o r y .

his parents met in grade school in egypt, but then didn't reconnect until their masters studies crossed paths in london... immediately fell head over heels again ( had they been searching for one another in crowds since being 6-7 years old?? maybe... ). graduated top of their class, accepted job offers in london in the biopharmaceutical realm. but then. when nour was 3...

they were involved in a freak monorail accident on their way back from a science conference in amsterdam. the babysitter paid 80 quid to watch the kids for two nights became their sole protector in this world. british authorities had trouble contacting other kin, but managed to reach mr. al-busiri's mother, rashida, who was still living in dahab with her second husband, zaim.

the al-busiri's came from old money. so off nour goes ( and potentially his older bro if i decide he exists... potential wc with a rami malek fc tbh ) to live in the city which, unbeknownst to him, sparked his parents' storybook love.

so nour grows up in this like... picturesque seaside childhood. collects shells. bonds with his grandmother and her husband. they encourage him with school, etc. but he quickly shows that he excels at maths and... music? wow. that's unexpected. gets his first piano at 5. first guitar at 6. by 8 1/2, he's managed to hodge-podge together a little recording studio for himself in his bedroom, and he's constantly serenading his friends at school.

( death tw / illness tw ) then comes zaim's stroke. he lives for four months after, but he loses his ability to speak. his motor skills deteriorate. nour and his grandmother do their best to tend to him –– she's already about 40% down the macular degeneration path, but hasn't told him yet that her vision's going. so 10 y/o nour does what he does best: unconditional love and support, delivered through the gift of song. zaim dies after requesting his favorite song: 'blackbird' by the beatles, sung in verses alternating from english to arabic.

after,  it's just nour and rashida against the world ( maybe his brother too bergorghre if i decide he's a thing ) . rashida's forced to come clean about her vision the day she can't for the life of her find the bloody pen she just put down so she can finish signing off on nour's choir trip permission slip. ( it's right next to her, to her left, just out of her closing field of vision. ) things progress more rapidly after that. by the time nour's 16, his grandmother is legally blind. it's not an uncommon sight to see him at the markets or strolling along the beach with her on his arm. she refuses canes as long as nour's around. ( “ don't rob me of my youth, nuri-nuri [ my light ] ”  )

despite her growing dependency on him, she encourages him to apply to unis all over the globe. by the time college apps roll around, nour is somewhat of a local household name: he plays summer concerts, coffee shops, and is even asked to play at his teacher's wedding ceremony –– and his neighbor's cat funeral.

acceptances roll in. julliard. berkeley. chicago school of music. he chooses chicago, because there's someone there. someone he connected with online a few years back, a friend, but... could turn into something more. this hopeless romantic heedlessly ventures off to find out if this boy in chicago might... be someone. something more.

spoiler alert: he gets to chicago, starts music school. and each meet-up they set? gets pushed. sometimes it's traffic. a cold. transit trouble. can't get work off, sorry. things with ma are really tough. the excuses kept coming but... nour's naive. he believes every word. but in his second year of uni, things....... start getting suspicious. by chance, he spots this man in the window of a coffee shop downtown. overjoyed, he texts as much. but ... messages go read and unanswered. phone calls dwindle.

his music suffers. so does his muse. so much so that he's tempted to drop out, to throw in the towel, to just...... go back home. he speaks with his grandmother each day on the phone. she's doing well, stop worrying, nuri-nuri, your uncle is taking good care of me. nour goes on dates. thinks about chicago boy. thinks about him a lot.

he's 20 when it happens. sat on a stage in a little dive bar, tuning his acoustic guitar for an opening number, and there. those eyes. he knows them.

they talk after the show, in the alley. share a cigarette. and it's almost like... maybe things are finally clicking. maybe this is finally their shot.

except chicago boy ( neil ) says they have to stop talking. that he had to just... see nour for himself. see that he's real. hear him sing, and... move on. nour doesn't buy it. pushes back. asks why the hell neil'd come out now only to slink back to the shadows. things get heated. neil yells. and the men... the men who hear and come running ?  they think nour is the cause of it all.

( hate crime tw, violence tw )  how many kicks does it take to break to the center of a broken heart ? twelve. how many broken ribs does it take to immobilize a probably terrorist, dude ? four. shattered wrist. snapped ankle. broken arm. cracked skull. and neil scuttles off like nour's bad meat. bad blood. like he asked for this. 

chicago school of music receives a call from weiss memorial three days later.

nour never gets his degree. he breaks his apartment lease. flies home after he heals, spends a year with his grandmother and uncle. just... creating. writing, playing, trying to fill that void with something. but then things with his uncle get heated. he wants to put his own mother in a home, sell the estate, pocket the cash. nour fights it, but he's got no legal bearing.

the nursing home concept never takes hold, though, because his grandmother's still sharp as shit and refuses to sign anything nour doesn't read first. eventually the uncle grows tired of fighting and stops trying, just... slinks back to his husband and keeps his mouth shut. nour's grandmother pressures him to go back to chicago, make that city wish he never left. take back his own story. together they work to find a live-in aide they trust. freshly 22, nour ventures back to the city that broke him.

he finds cheap housing, a gig. the malnati, seems legit. good money. good exposure. and then he meets @ryderxmms​ –– they form one night stand. when not scheduled for malnati banquets, you can find nour providing vocals ( and occasional keys ) in the dive bars / parties the band lands gigs at.

g e n e r a l .

nour creates like food and drink don’t exist, sunlight is an illusion, and all the human body needs for sustenance is sound. he can find his way around just about any instrument under the sun, but his main poisons are piano, acoustic guitar, and digital recording tools –– think jacob collier and you’re right on the money.

actually, i’m stealing a lot of jacob collier discography and pegging it as his creations. this kid’s got an experimental sound and loves it.

he grew up speaking english and arabic equally, but because he learned english in london and then continued in egypt, he does have a mild brit-arab accent. it’s v cute, i promise.

looks like he’d be a total lothario, yeah ?? but. he’s so shy ?  so sweet ?  get him on a stage and he’s shameless but plop him in a bar and eye him up and he’ll honestly just smile nervously and pretend you’re looking at someone else.

love languages : singing to his succulents and plants before his 5am morning runs. facetime calls at times least convenient for him, but most convenient for you. little notes written on napkins, smiley face doodles included. candy bars. lingering a little longer in doorways after saying hello, just to see you smile.

he’s got major water sign vibes. birthday comin’ up in march, woot woot !!

he often wears very simple statement pieces. he likes rings, crystal pendants, leather bracelets. soft tees layered with embroidered jackets, metallic blazers. somehow he pulls off mixed media and crazy prints that should never go together ?  he just... is so easy breezy.

he often wears his hair wild ‘n curly, unless the gig he’s got mandates a more streamlined look. 

falls in love.... 14 times a day ??  really.

has a scar across his left temple from the incident with neil. will probably write it off as a bike riding accident. ( he doesn’t know how to ride a bike. )

don’t let him cook ever, okay ??  unless you want him to literally do this.

pls come at me for all the plots ?  i’m so open for all the things !!!  y’all got me on discord, so feel free to slide on into my dms. i promise i will be so thrilled <3