#gtg im being h word

[star-dust-shark]

PJO characters as dumb things me and my friends ( bonus one with my parents ) have said part two

Will: what's your type?

Nico: you

Will:

Will: that's sweet but I meant blood type

-

Percy: oh fuck I'm blue now

Percy: but like actually blue

Percy: like a smurf

Percy: being sad's for idiots lmao

-

Leo: everyone hates me lol

Jason: what am I??? like???

-

Nico: and Axl Rose's real name wasn't Axl Rose

Percy: *crying* STOP

-

Will: easiest way to come out to people is tell them that you listen to coldplay

-

Nico: Im gonna fugging krill myself

Annabeth: krill????

Nico: isn't that like a fish or smth

-

Piper: *knocking on Leo's door* WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THERE

Leo: uh shit uh erm uh

Leo: *moans loudly*

-

Will: *joking* we should makeout

Nico: I really wanna

Will: what

Nico: ...

Nico: did I say that out loud

-

Piper: *sobbing* why are penises so ugly

-

Annabeth: math is weirdly calming to me sometimes ngl

Annabeth: *flips page over to read massive paragraphs of words*

Annabeth: *bursts into tears*

-

Will: I just had to help hatch a baby chick

Will:

Will: I'm waiting for applause it was so gross

-

Will: if you drink the water I'll give you a forehead smooch

Nico: *glances at water, thinking*

Nico: nah you wanna give me one anyway

Will: gods dammit

-

Rachel: *GASP* MY SKETCHBOOK

Rachel: MY BABY

Rachel: *kisses it*

-

Hazel: ugh I want someone to fuck me

Hazel: hahah jk that shit's nasty

-

Piper: yeah I've noticed after watching you for a bit that you smile whenever Nico messages

Will: aww that's so swee-

Will: wait why are you watching me

Piper: *stares into his soul*

-

Nico: I miss you

Nico: *replies an hour later* that was a moment of weakness fuck you

-

Will: what if I say "darling" in a seductive voice

Nico: no

Will: u sure?

Nico: I ahdiamdveip dnsjhbksahcblaiwcbjsd-

-

Will: like at first I wanted to be you but then I realized that there's a diffrence between wanting to "be you" and wanting to "be on you"

-

Percy: I'm depressed

Percy: ...

Percy: WAIT I HAVE COOKIES NVM

-

Will: wtf are hickeys??

Will: I'm an experimental learner btw

-

Leo: omg guys look the guitar strings made my finger darker

Leo: *looks at finger* do you like watermelon, sir?

Will: you are so close to being hit in the head

-

Frank: *points* haha you've been fingered

Hazel:

Hazel: love... no

-

Thalia: OMG IM GONNA BE BREATHING THE SAME AIR AS RYAN GULDEMOND

Reyna: technically you already are

Thalia: *passes out*

-

Octavian: ugh I'm so single

Nico: *sighs* me too

Nico:

Nico: WAIT I CANT SAY THAT ANYMORE

Nico: FUCK YEEEEEEEEAH *smashes table*

-

Annabeth: what's ur favourite animal I'm gonna buy you something

Percy: shark but don't waste your money

Annabeth: but my parents told me to spend it on something important

Percy:

Percy: *cries*

-

Will: I'm autism!!

Will: *turns to Nico, wiggle eyebrows* I could be in you

Nico: tism rizz????

-

Frank: I love these drama videos

Reyna: *massive bags under her eyes* why do you want more drama wtf

-

Jason: honestly scared to sit on the edges of chairs at my trans boyfriend's house

-

Percy: *over text* jason are you gay for me

Jason:

Jason:

Jason:

Jason: no gtg

Percy: he's hiding something

-

Piper: don't mean to be heterophobic but why is straight porn so gross

Nico: agreed gay porn is much better

Piper: IM SORRY WHAT

-

Percy: are there any not cool lesbians

Reyna: I mean they probably exsist

Annabeth: no

-

Leo: *sighs sadly* cock and ball torture

-

Will: guys I learnt how to play my favourite song on guitar *starts playing good lookin by dixon dallas*

-

Leo: *playing adopt me*

Leo: chat chat guess what I'm on acid

Percy: KARMA'S A BITCH

Percy: I SHOULDA KNOWN BETTER

Leo: wait since when do you play adopt me

Percy:

-

Reyna: yk those yummy smelling shampoos

Nico: yea

Reyna: well I went to walmart and thought I found some and started smelling it but this lady was giving me weird looks

Nico: oh?

Reyna: yeah

Reyna: so uh

Reyna: it was lube

-

Will: hey bbg *winks*

Nico: I will slam you down and makeout with you right now

-

Percy: hi

Jason: hi

*leaves swirl around them*

-

Leo: don't mind me just massaging my clit

-

Leo: NICO GET UR GYAT OVER HERE

Nico: WHAT????

Leo: *points* HOMOSEXUAL TENDANCIES

Nico: WHAT DID U SAY

Leo: HOMOSEXUAL TENDANCIES

Nico: OH

Nico: I HEARD SEXUAL TENDANCIES

-

Leo: *singing* coked up dick sucking hoe?

Jason: *walks in*

Jason:

Leo: oh haiiii

-

Leo: how does it feel to be Draco Malfoy

Jason: idk how does it feel to be tweek

Leo: idk pretty good

-

Reyna: you don't deserve it

Percy: yeah I do

Percy: I've been a good boy

Percy:

Percy: jesus I just turned myself on wtf

-

Leo: *in sad voice* I'm a cheeseburger

Jason: a sexy little cheeseburger

-

Will: *gets text from Nico*

Annabeth: SIMP

Will: ???

Annabeth: YOU SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPPPPP *has siezure*

-

Will: darling

Nico: *throws phone, screams into pillow, face red* I hate that man

anyway part three will cum ( pun intended )

thanks to @crowwolf8 @justagremlinoncaffeine @localcosplaymushroom @secret-mewtwo and my om and dad for being inspiring an shit

[fictionfixations]

i figured it out

you know this image? (after i deleted a bunch of stuff to make space)

i deleted hsr to download zzz

which was enough.

and now theres space to also download hsr

i just have no clue how my laptop is going to respond to starting it up h a h a

and also just realizing this means all my settings have reset hfuisdhfis

in any case this wont last long once one of them has an update lOl tbh i just wanted to play the game as it is cause it seems like fun, i wanna go through the events and get the stuff for the pulls. maybe get the character i want and then dip

im. gonna go do other stuff first. like. uh. idk. eat. before i lock myself in for hours into a game im never playing again (not to say that its a bad game, but i really only have the storage to commit to like one hoyo game. and thats hsr.)

(and if youve seen my other post about like. idfk being able to play genshin now cause i was deleting a bunch of stuff for zzz and still didnt have enough space but had enough space for genshin. uh. yEAh. genshins deleted. maybe ill bring it back after i get rid of zzz. idk.)

i should probably show how much space i have left after downloading hsr but im lazy and dont wanna go back to this post. maybe in the future ill add it when its done but not rn

i probably shouldve shown before downloading it cause it tells you how much space it needs and how much space you have

and to be fair its like double the actual size so it can like. fuckin decompress(??) am i saying that right idfk idk this stuff

so its like

zzz needed 100, so getting rid of hsr gave it enough space

but then it actually only took like 50 gb, which gave like enough for honkai star rail's like. i think it mightve been 80 something? idk i forget things easy

which was kind of just barely enough. blessings. woo. anyway gtg

(if i made a typo or said the wrong word anywhre. um oops.)

not as bad as i worried it might be

[daidoruyume]

Chapter 12 Meeting the not so idol-like idols

I'd say I'm quite lucky. I study in a nice university, I have a good job, I live in a pretty good apartment and, oh, don't envy me, but the idol I've been stanning for years, my absolute favorite one, is my girlfriend. Try beating that! I woke up to her voice, since it was my ringtone. Once I checked my phone, I saw there were messages waiting for me.

good morning 🌞

did you sleep well? 😴 

let's have a nice day today too

i can't wait to spend some time with you

and to introduce you to the girls

good morning!!

i did… and you?

im very excited for today…

i still can't believe this

i was a little anxious but i did sleep well eventually 

well, you better believe it

because i will make you the happiest girl in the world

❤️

you're very flirty aren't you

i like that though

hehe

i hope we get the opportunity to flirt a lot

i have practice now 😞 

i'll send you some pictures later

exclusive content you can't have even in the fanclub

when are you free today?

i'll be looking forward to that!!!

i don't have work today so right after lunch

again im very excited

kay

i will have someone pick you up so dw

im excited too 

i have to introduce you as a friend though 

if you dont mind that

it's okay

it's better to be careful

so tge don't know you're gay?

not yet but I'll tell them soon

and then i will introduce you properly

i promise

sure♡

i'll be your #1 supporter

you're the sweetest girl ever

that's why i love you so much

uhhh

gtg :(((((

will be back soon tho

plz never hesitate to send me a message 

i'll be waiting for it

♡♡♡

i won't ♡

i have classes soon 😩 

enjoy your work day♡dont push yourself too hard

you're really good at this support thing

you too

 I went back to my routine and did everything I had to do… with a lot of happiness in my heart.

☆☆☆

  My classmates didn't know, but I was the luckiest girl on Earth. I guess my happiness couldn’t be helped. I tried my best to pay attention to classes, but I Kept thinking about how my day would go. After a few hours, that same car from yesterday brought me to the place Miyuu chose. I was thinking about what to tell that complex-looking woman when she started speaking.

 "You know... Miyuu is a very special girl. I haven't been the best mom ever, but she is the best daughter out there. She is quite annoying at times, and she stands by her youthful and somewhat foolish world peace ideals, but she is extremely sincere. She cries like a baby so often that it just bothers everyone around her, but she can make even a person like me smile. She loves you dearly. I know she would never fall in love with someone that didn't click with her, and with whom she couldn't have a reciprocal relationship, but I have to warn you, Mikami-san." She spoke so beautifully, So I waited for the next pretty words. "If you break her heart, I will find you and break both of your legs." She seemed serious, but washed it off with a laugh. This woman… We arrived, with me being unable to reply. 

 I was sent to the same room as yesterday, and had to wait for a few minutes. Soon, Miyuu entered the room quite softly.  

"Sorry to leave you waiting."

"I-it's okay! H-how have you been?" I was still anxious, it seemed.

"Fine. Practice was tough, though. And you?"

"Also f-fine… I've been waiting for this moment the whole day." I wished Miyuu came closer to me, then I realized I could take those steps myself. So one, two, three steps later, I was closer to her. 

"S-so, c-can I hug you?" For someone that had kissed me twice, that was too cute. I opened my arms, inviting her.

☆☆☆

 We talked for a while, and soon the girls arrived. I had met them before, but only as their idol-selves. And Miyuu warned me, saying they could be a little... too much? The story Miyuu told me she would go by is that we became friends in the infirmary that day, because if she said we just met out of nowhere, they could remember I was a fan. 

 "Miyuukiii~. So, you're introducing her?"

"Y-yeah…" She gave me a sign to introduce myself.

"I'm Mikami Yuuka. You can call me Yuu-chan. I have been a fan for a long time, but Miyuu-san and I were able to become friends…"

"Please be nice to her, she's a really good girl." That made me blush a little…

"Well, Miyuu-kun has friends outside of the group? That's a miracle." Rin said, laughing. "God, you're gonna hate idols after meeting the real me." That scared me a little.

"I'm really happy my sister has a friend! She can be hard to understand sometimes, so be patient." Said Anna.

 They talked to me one by one as if it was my personal MC session. But, when it came to Yume…

"Yumecchi, you're not gonna say anything?"

"Huh! That's a new low for you, she has absolutely no class. The way she dresses, that hairstyle… and going on a diet would be good for you, Mi-something-san." Wait, what…?

"Ugh, d-don't mind her, she's just joking." Miyuu had a troubled face, and Yume had left. 

"She's always like that… Seriously, that girl gets on my nerves. Yuu-chan, you're very welcome to the family and we're so happy you're in her life. Miyuu talked about you ever since the concert, nonstop. Please don't mind Yumeko-san." Keiko said wisely. Her words did hurt me, but I remained strong. I was able to talk freely to the other girls afterwards, and the pain eased.

 Those words, I’ve heard countless times before, from people who claimed to love me and for people who explicitly hated me. But I still had this more pure image of Yume, that was destroyed in a few seconds. I got to learn that their relationship isn’t really good, and that her “chara” of being sometimes curt or mean to the other girls isn’t actually a chara, but she being herself. Again, I felt bad, but the other girls’ kindness compensated for my pain. 

 They are a little different than the idols I knew. Rin is… she is very sincere and straightforward, but half of her vocabulary is swear words or… filthy, indecent stuff. Like, she says it all so fluently. Ayumi is just as shy, but also shines so much when she has the opportunity to talk about her academic life. Keiko really does act like the mom of the group, and is really cute to see. But she also doesn’t restrain herself so much when compared to how she’s onstage. Satomi is more playful, I think they let themselves be more free… Anna is pretty much the same, I’ll admit. Yuzu is a little like Rin, and I swear to God she was hitting on me…? Maybe my confidence skyrocketed because of Miyuu, but she was really flirty and Miyuu got all defensive. It was kind of cute. 

 We had a lot of fun talking, and then we went to the kitchen where Keiko started cooking for us. She said she wanted me to taste her food, and that she was really excited for that. I was really happy. They brought in a guitar and Satomi started playing it, while they sang acoustic versions of their songs. It felt really good to have people I have been following one-sidedly to finally perceive me as a person. The Yume incident aside, I felt very blessed. Happily, we ate the great meal she had cooked us and it felt overall very warm and comforting. 

 One by one they left, only Anna remained there and I assumed they lived with their family. She went to her room and Miyuu took me to hers. It was… very Miyuu-like, I guess. Many anime posters, lots of photos of the girls, very yellow (her favorite color). Her wardrobe, despite being an idol, was very simple, and she told me there were some fabrics she simply couldn’t wear, and that she liked the combo of pants and rock T-shirts. It suited her, I guess. That photo we took remained in a special place, in great view, as soon as you entered the room. The chekis we took in events were also placed in special places in my own home, but I felt like I was too crazy of a fan for her to see, at least for now. I didn’t know if she would be happy or not with how otaku I was when it came to midnight. 

 “So… sorry for that, earlier, she… she has it tough, okay?” Miyuu sat on her bed, and signed me to sit with her.

“S-sorry… I don’t feel really comfortable… sitting down on your bed.” Miyuu blushed, and I did too, so I explained it to her. “I have OCD… I don’t really like sitting on my bed with clothes I went out with, and I would feel bad if I were to sit in yours, even if you don’t mind it.” I felt a little silly…

“T-that’s okay! Uhh, can you sit in this chair here? It’s not that comfortable, though.” 

“I-it’s fine! Thanks… for understanding…” 

“It’s okay… I’ll always understand your don’ts and won’ts. Don’t worry, ‘kay?” She reassured me. “B-but I really want to tell you to not hold a grudge… Yumecchi is hard to understand… I think I came to understand her pretty well, but she’s very uneasy. Time will make you two friends, I promise.” 

“That’s okay… like, it made me upset and all, but… I’ve been through it before. Many people have been like this to me. I’m not new to that.” I replied quite sadly.

“M-me too… and I’ll scold her, and talk her through it… but… I shouldn’t tell anyone this, but she grew up with a very abusive mother… so much so that she blames her for all of the bad things that have happened with her, so it’s not a surprise she would turn out like this. She doesn’t really know kind words and love.” Miyuu was a very empathic person…

“I will do my best to not think bad things about her. But I want you to tell her she crossed the line, those aren’t things you tell people. Especially if this person has always wished for your best.”

“O-of course.” Miyuu held my hands and gave me a little smile. “I’ll… I’ll always protect you, Yuu-chan…” That made me really, really happy. “T-there’s something I want to give you.”

“S-sure… what is it?”

“Close your eyes?” I did, and in a matter of seconds, I felt Miyuu’s soft lips melt into mine. “S-sorry, it’s not the kiss… you just looked so cute, I couldn’t contain myself.” Oh, Miyuu… I giggled and waited for what she had for me. “S-see, I’m an artist, right? I have this… please don’t find it creepy or anything like that.” She placed something in my hands, and then I opened my eyes. It was a purple wooden box, very decorated. I opened it, and there were many drawings of me. 

“Oh…”

“I-it’s okay if you don't like it… I just have been drawing you over the years, and I kept it here, a-and… wait, don’t cry!” I didn’t realize I was crying until she said that… it was really, so pretty… I felt so loved… I hurried up and gave her a hug. 

“It’s the cutest thing anyone has ever done to me… and you’re so skilled, Micchan…” 

“You think so?”

“Yeah…” She hugged me back. “Can we stay like this for a while?”

“I was going to ask you that, actually…” I could smell her sweet, delicate scent… she was also a great hugger, I was so happy. I wondered what she thought of me. Seemed to be only good things, from how tight she kept me into her arms. “Yuu-chan…” She called for me, her voice muffled by my shoulder. 

“Y-yes?”

“Can I kiss you?”

“You don’t… you don’t have to ask for it. You can just kiss me anytime.” I tried to be more assertive.

“R-right.” Her face grew closer to mine, and I closed my eyes, anticipating the kiss. It felt like I was in the embrace of an angel… w-well, not that you should be kissing angels anyways, but Miyuu had this… aura, something I couldn’t come up with words for. Something only she had… For the first time, her tongue entered my mouth. I was caught by surprise, but I understood Miyuu was a very passionate person, not just when it came to performing. I let her have her way with me, like it felt it would be a waste to do otherwise. She slowly but quite boldly pinned me to the wall, and her kiss was even more intense than before. I felt like I was melting into her, and I was surely running out of breath. She stopped for a moment and that gave me the opportunity to breathe, but when I thought it was over, our lips met again... It felt magical, and maybe I was a little scared too, but it was a good experience overall. 

 Miyuu had a strong grip on my body, as if she was claiming me. I couldn’t help but feel like my soul was about to be separated from my body… I loved her so much, I had wished for this to come true for so long… and I had her, right there… she was a little rough, although gentle at the same time, if… if that made any sense. I felt like my brain cells were giving in. She parted our lips again, and looked at me with an expression I have never seen before.

“S-sorry for being so… impulsive…”

“I-it’s okay.��� I didn’t mind my own words, still quite numb from the sensations of our kissing, so I said: “I’ve fantasized about this for so long anyways”, without realizing those words had actually left my mouth. Instant regret. Miyuu opened her eyes and stared at me for a few seconds.

“You have?”

“W-well, I…” Would I ever have the courage to tell her I even wrote fanfictions of us two? Wasn’t that, like, too much? I felt like a loser and this time my soul had definitely left my body! “P-please forget that…” 

“I don’t want to rush… but whenever I’m with you, my brain doesn’t really work!” She confessed. “I wish I could be with you 24/7.” So that’s the effects of being separated for so long, huh?

“Me too… but I don’t think that kissing me like this is rushing… I think it’s okay.” Maybe I was wrong, maybe I was too in love to think straight. But we both wanted it, right?

“R-really?” 

“Y-yeah!” Before I could say anything else, Miyuu kissed me again… it was quite late when I got home, but I guess it was worth it… Miyuu was very talented, after all, so her being a great kisser wasn’t a surprise at all. She was just perfect in every way. And she was my girlfriend… I squirmed in bed, thinking of that, before I could fall asleep. Needless to say, we met in our dreams again…

��End of Part I.

[serial-kissing]

aaaalright so who's gonna force me to my knees and grab my jaw to spit in my mouth.... ..........

[j-esbian]

Second First Date

happy holidays to @osobhi​~ it seems like we had each other for the @mlsecretsanta​ exchange! I hope you like this! it’s post-reveal alyabug :3

on ao3

Words: 2.4k

Her parents were hosting a party to celebrate New Year’s Eve, and Alya was bored out of her mind. She was the youngest there; none of her parents’ friends had brought their kids, and Ella and Etta were down for a nap before midnight. Her parents had felt the need to start it six hours before midnight, so everyone could have dinner together, and the party was dragging on forever.

It probably would have been a little more bearable if she could leave and hang out with people she actually knew, but she had nowhere to go. After a while, she resorted to sitting in the corner of the couch, eavesdropping on nearby conversations and texting her friends.

From: Mari <3

How’s the party going??

Babe I’m so boredd are u sure u can’t come over

I wish :(( my parents won’t let me though

FuCk that

Wait bu t

I’m sure my parents wouldn’t mind if ladybug crashed the party

HmmMmMmmMMmmm

Lmao

No but they’re dragging me to church

At midnight

Gross????

Why cant u just go in the Morning

B/c apparently?? We’re still open tomorrow??

Double Gross

Its ok I will send u a cyber smooch at midnight

Aww <3

Me too

Ugh gtg

Love you Alya

Ily2 mari

I’ll see if I can come by tomorrow

Gotta get me some sugar u know

Oh my goD

Uhh I mean ur dads pain au chocolat

Like ur cute but

Not everything is about u smh

YEAH OK SURE

;)

“Ooh, are you texting a boy ?” someone near Alya giggled tipsily. She looked up, the smile rapidly evaporating off her face.

“My girlfriend, actually,” she said tersely.

“Oh.” He didn’t seem to know what to say, and went to take a gulp of wine instead. He looked down at the empty glass in his hand, then back at Alya, eyebrows raised. He tipped it towards her with a shamefaced smile and sauntered away in search of a refill.

Alya rolled her eyes. She got up and went into the kitchen, where her mother was preparing a round of hors d'oeuvres.

“Oh, Alya. Can you get me the horseradish out of the fridge?” Marlena asked.

“Yeah.” She grabbed the little glass jar from the refrigerator and, while she was in there, nicked a bottle of the twins’ apple juice. She handed the condiment to her mother and surveyed the plates that were already prepared. “Are any of these ready to go out?”

Marlena looked up. “Hmm. Yeah, the vol-au-vents,” she said, pointing. Alya picked them up and headed back out of the kitchen. “Thank you!” her mother called after her.

Alya, however, didn’t return to the party, but took a detour to her room. She closed the door behind her, resisting the urge to lock it, and shucked off her sweater and shoes. She set an alarm on her cell phone--5 minutes to midnight ought to be enough of a head’s up to rejoin the party in time for champagne.

Then she slouched over to her desk and kicked back in front of her laptop. She could still hear the wine-laced chatter and laughter of the party, and slipped on her headphones. Soon, she was engrossed in her computer, and behind her back the hours melted together. She was only pulled out of it, eventually, by two nearly simultaneous events.

The first was that she suddenly realized she was out of food, and when she looked up to confirm that her empty fingers were indeed only chasing crumbs around the plate, she caught a glimpse of her phone screen lighting up in her peripheral vision.

Alya sighed, and scooted in her chair to grab her phone from the pile of blankets it had nested in. To her surprise, it was now a little over half an hour until midnight.

From: Nono

Hey Alya

Wyd

Playing stardew valley wbu

Chillin

U decent?

Like morally or

Pants

Uh why lol

I mean yea but

U got sth planned?

W h a t

No

Thing

What are you hiding

Nano my man

Ur terrible with secrets

Just come hang out

Ivan’s here

And Alix

Kim’s maybe on his way

Where are u

We’ll come pick you up

Damn thanks

Maybe the real squad goals was the friends we made along the way

Be there in 10

Alya found her shoes and touched up her makeup, humming to herself. She gathered up the remains of her snack and headed to the kitchen. Her mom wasn’t in there anymore, and as she placed her plate in the sink, she heard her parents’ voices in the din of the party.

Her cell phone buzzed with a new text.

From: Alix K.

We’re here!!!

Come otu

im gay

Bitch me too

Come outsid e

Alya ran for her coat, shouting at her parents as she passed through the hallway. “I’m going to hang out with Nino!”

No response. She paused with her hand on the front doorknob and yelled again. “I’m gonna go out with some friends!”

Her mom poked her head around the corner. “Be quiet,” she said in a stage whisper. “The girls are still asleep.”

“Sorry,” Alya muttered. She lifted her hand from the knob and pointed at the door. “I’m going out, though.”

Marlena squinted at her watch in the dim light. “Be back by one,” was all she said. She headed back to the party, and called over her shoulder, “Have fun, sweetie!”

Alya raced down the stairs, and the moment she set foot outside, she was hit by a snowball. She coughed and swiped at her face, trying to see who threw it through the splotches on her glasses.

She heard Alix and Nino laughing, and Ivan said, “Ooh, nice shot.” She finally cleared off her lenses, and saw Ladybug, standing with her friends, and brushing her hands against her legs to hide the evidence of her crime.

“M--Uh, what are you doing here, Ladybug?” Alya asked incredulously.

Ladybug spread her arms wide. “Celebrating!”

Though Alya was bewildered, she couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. “Don’t you have, like, other things to do tonight?”

“Honestly? No,” Ladybug said, shrugging. “I can’t think of anyplace else I’d rather be right now.”

“Hell yeah,” Nino agreed. “Marinette said you were bored at your house, so we got a crew together. Sucks that she couldn’t come, though.”

“Oh, well,” Ladybug smirked. “Guess she’s missing out.”

Alya stifled a laugh, and changed the subject before it burst out. “I thought you said Kim was coming?”

“Nah,” Alix said. “Turns out he and Max are at a LAN party, so, you know, they might never leave.”

“That’s fair, though.” Ivan scratched his nose. “Did, uh, they say where they were?” Alix glared at him. “What?”

“Never mind them!” Alya said cheerfully, linking one arm with him and the other with Ladybug. She turned to Nino. “Where are we off to?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t think that far ahead, honestly.”

They wandered to the end of Alya’s street, looking around. There were people everywhere, and the air around them was full of the sounds of Reveillon in full swing.

“Isn’t your friend’s dad putting on his show at the Eiffel Tower?” Ladybug asked.

Ivan shook his head. “Nah, Mylène’s in Canada visiting family. It’s her dad’s understudy.”

“Still, it could be fun,” Nino said. “Anybody got other ideas?”

They didn’t, so they set off.

Ivan fell back, separating from Alya and falling into step with Alix, and Alya leaned in to Ladybug. “I thought you said you were busy,” she whispered.

Ladybug smirked knowingly. “Come on, Alya, we’re never open on New Year’s.”

“But, then…?”

“I thought we could do something different.” Ladybug leaned into Alya, pressing against her side for a brief second before pulling away again, a coy look slipping onto her face. “You know, something exciting.”

“That sounds just fine to me,” Alya replied.

“Can I just say?” Nino interrupted. “You guys are the worst.”

The others turned around and realized that they had fallen into two lines and Nino, being the odd man out, was left to trail along behind them, alone.

“Aw, c’mere,” Alya said. Nino came up to join her and Ladybug, and she slung her free arm around his shoulder. “There. I got my two favorite people with me.”

“I’m surprised I made the list before Marinette,” Nino commented wryly.

“Your favorite, out of the people here?” Ladybug suggested.

“Okay,” Alix interjected. “That just seems needlessly rude. I mean, we’re right here.”

“Well, shit, man, she’s only got two arms,” Ivan retorted.

“I’m just saying,” Alix grumbled.

“And the sidewalk’s hardly wide enough for five people,” Alya added. “I mean, there’s barely enough space for three of us.”

“I could always carry you if it gets too crowded,” Ladybug suggested.

Alya winked. “Maybe some other time.”

The streets got more congested as they went on, and soon they were forced to walk single-file. Alya led the line, holding tightly onto Ladybug’s hand behind her so they wouldn’t be separated. Alix brought up the rear, but she was tired of trailing behind and jumped onto Ivan’s back instead.

With more people around, Ladybug had expected they would be able to blend in more easily, but just the opposite was true. She kept getting stopped, and people would hand their phone to Alya so they could get a picture. It was infuriating, and after a few blocks they stopped to build Ladybug a disguise.

Alix shed her hat and sweatshirt, while Nino held Ivan’s jacket for him so he could offer Ladybug his flannel.

“It’s definitely too big to fit you,” he said apologetically. “But I figure you can tie it around your waist, because none of us are going to give up our pants.”

Ladybug looked down at her conspicuously crimson legs. “Good call,” she replied, zipping Alix’s hoodie over her suit.

Alya stepped forward and unwrapped her scarf, winding it around Ladybug’s neck. “It’s not much by way of a disguise,” she murmured. “But it really helps pull your whole outfit together, I think.”

Ladybug nuzzled into it. “Mmm. Soft.”

“And you’d better take good care of this,” Alya said sternly. “My girlfriend made it for me, got it?”

“Well, it’s nice.” Ladybug winked. “She’s got great taste.”

Alya crossed her arms and smirked. “Uh, hell yeah , she does.”

“Anyway,” Nino interrupted, glaring pointedly at Alya. “I don’t have anything to give you, because apparently I’m a delinquent. Best I could do is a hat, but you’ve already got that covered, so… We should keep going if we want to get good seats.”

They forged on, although the icy sidewalks and tightly-knit crowds seemed to want to separate them at every opportunity. Alix jumped back up on Ivan’s back, and used her perch to peer over all the people and find a clear path. Ladybug jumped and reached for Alya’s hand when someone spoke, but they weren’t addressing her.

“Hey, kids, it’s cold out. Where are your coats?” a stranger called out.

“Your mom’s house,” Nino and Alix shouted in unison. He reached out behind him, and she high-fived him.

“You know,” Alya whispered to Ladybug, “I think Nino’s upset with us for flirting with each other.”

“What? Why?”

Alya tapped her thumb against the big black spot on the back of Ladybug’s hand. “Gee, I don’t know.”

Ladybug wrinkled her nose. “Oh! Aw. He’s trying to defend my honor.”

“Yeah, and he thinks I’m a slut,” Alya pouted. “Oh, well. I guess I do have a type.”

“Hmm,” Ladybug agreed. “Or, everyone just loves you.” She leaned in to kiss Alya on the cheek.

Alya snickered and danced away, as far as she could without letting go of Ladybug’s hand. “Sorry, Ladybug,” she said, clutching dramatically at her chest with her free hand. “But my heart only belongs to one girl.”

“I, however, am incredibly single,” Alix piped up.

Nino rolled his eyes. “Anyway,” he said loudly, “I’m not sure we can snag enough seats next to each other. We might have to split into a few rows.”

Alya looked up in surprise. “Oh, wow. We’re here.”

“That, my friend, is the beauty of the travel montage,” Nino replied.

The show was in mid-act when they arrived, and was much more than a one-man performance. While the mime was there, and he was center-stage on the ground, the air behind him was full of twisting acrobats, on invisible wires and banners of purple and gold, suspended from the Tower itself.

Ladybug kept Alix’s hoodie and Alya’s scarf, but returned the other pieces of her disguise to their owners. They managed to find a cluster of seats, and Alya and Ladybug were finally--relatively--alone. Ladybug rested her head on Alya’s shoulder and laced their fingers together.

“Hey, Marinette?” Alya whispered after a few minutes. “Don’t you think this is maybe a little… I don’t know, dramatic?”

“I think that’s the point,” Ladybug whispered back, watching the mime wrestle with an acrobat some 10 meters above him.

“No, I mean.” Alya waved her hand, trying to encompass the whole convoluted scheme. “Why was Ladybug out tonight? Why did Marinette pretend to be busy? Why not just come hang out without all the fuss?”

“Honestly?” Ladybug looked up at Alya, wincing slightly. “It’s kind of a publicity stunt.”

“Huh?”

Ladybug was quick to amend her statement. “That is to say, we’re just showing people we’re around even when there’s nothing really going on. Like, you know, we’re people, too.”

“In like a ‘don’t do crime because we’re always watching’ way?” Alya asked.

“More like a ‘friendly neighborhood superhero’ thing,” Ladybug suggested. “Chat’s off somewhere too, probably hanging out with his friends. Anyway, I get to do my civic duty and take you on an awesome first date.”

“I’ve literally lost track of how many dates we’ve had,” Alya said. “But this is definitely not the first.”

“You’ve never been on a date with Ladybug before.”

Alya laughed. “It seems like you’re just splitting hairs.”

“Listen, our real first date was just a study date,” Ladybug countered. “I think it’s natural to want a second shot at that.”

Alya hummed in agreement. “Well, then, this is absolutely an improvement.”

“Yeah?”

As if in confirmation, a spray of fireworks shot out behind the Tower, framing all the performers with a backdrop of red and gold sparks as they launched into their grand finale routine. In the distance, the bells of some unseen church chimed midnight.

“Yeah.” Alya slipped her hand under Ladybug’s chin and rubbed her thumb across her cheek.

Ladybug leaned up to peck Alya on the cheek. “Happy New Year, Alya,” she murmured.

“Happy New Year, Marinette.”