#he gazes into your eyes while asking you if you can contact all of paris and then maybe san francisco after

[thevampireslestat]

d-daniel, darling? there is an abundance of these posts of me all over the tumble! 'it's tumblr' I know what it is daniel do NOT patrionise me, please daniel why must they use such pictures? I look hauntingly beautiful, of course, but look at what they're writing about me! no daniel do not dismiss this very disturbing behaviour on the tumble! should I contact my lawyer for defamation? this is SERIOUS daniel

[f1letters]

paris | eo31

"romance is not dead if you keep it just yours"

summary: maybe their family and friends didn't understand all the secrecy of their relationship, but why risk ruining what they had when they lived happier than ever inside of their own bubble?

warning: the absolute fluffiest fluff ever, secret relationship, platonic!reader x mick schumacher, brief mention of alcohol, no big warnings - just here for the ✨vibes✨

pairing: esteban ocon x reader

word count: 3.2k

note: everything in bold are song references and in italic are thoughts, which includes memories from the past.

french words used: mon trésor = my treasure; mon amour = my love; je t'aime tellement = i love you so much

omg?! cat posting a HAPPY FLUFFY STORY?! yes yes yes, I know everyone, but after last week I think you guys deserved a little sweet, lovey-dovey story haha! what can I say? I love estie bestie haha! I hope you enjoy this one, I loved writing it! (but it's actually 1:30 AM and I have to wake up in like... 5 hours! haha)

masterlist

"Your ex-friend's sister

Met someone at a club and he kissed her

Turns out, it was that guy you hooked up with ages ago

Some wannabe Z-lister

And all the outfits were terrible

2003 unbearable

Did you see the photos?"

No, I didn't, but thanks, though

Paris is unquestionably a city for lovers, said Mary McAuliffe.

And it is indeed the city for all lovers. The romantic lovers, head over heels in love with each other. The soon-to-be lovers, so shy and so scared to reveal their feelings. The inseparable lovers, so consumed by their adoration that they can't seem to keep their hands away from each other. The secret lovers, lost in between discreet touches and memories built in confidence.

Paris is the one place where your heart seems to beat even faster, where your eyes seem to glow a little more, where your head seems to be completely and utterly focused on the idea of love.

Y/N and Esteban were no exception to the rule.

No matter how many times the couple visited the French capital, the two seemed to become magnets, unable to let go of each other, whenever they went to the city of love.

The young woman was combing her long hair in front of the large mirror in the hotel bathroom, towel around her wet body, after taking a shower. 

With her eyes locked on her reflection, Y/N didn't even notice her boyfriend's tall frame walk through the door until the driver wrapped his arms around her waist from behind while resting his chin on top of her head.

She smiled at him through the mirror and Esteban responded by placing a soft kiss on his girlfriend's cheek, sending shivers down her spine.

It was amazing how he managed to have the same effect on her since the first day they met two years ago.

It was her best friend's birthday and a bunch of people were gathered at his house, ready to sing happy birthday to the boy. Everyone was taking their seats around the table, Y/N opting to stay tucked away in the corner of the room as she wasn't a big fan of people in general.

"You're Y/N, right?" A familiar face asked her, as he leaned against the wall next to the girl.

"Yes, that's me." Y/N smiled, feeling her cheeks flush as she looked at the Frenchman, immediately feeling an attraction to him. "I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are..." She laughed nervously.

"Esteban, I'm a friend of Mick's." The driver introduced himself, extending a hand for the young woman to shake, with a smirk on his face. "I saw you here and recognized you from the pictures. He constantly talks about 'his best friend Y/N' and I had to approach you."

The two stayed there, maintaining eye contact for a few seconds, smiling from ear to ear, until they heard the other guests start singing. They turned towards their German friend, but, in reality, the two maintained their focus on each other, keeping their gaze on each other from the corner of their eyes.

After Esteban expressed his interest in Schumacher's best friend and after much insistence on his part that he had good intentions, Mick ended up giving in and began to arrange more outings involving his two best friends.

Months passed, with Esteban always persistent in trying to build a stronger bond with the girl in the hopes of asking her out one day, but Y/N got ahead of him and she took the first step.

"Este?" She got the driver's attention, as the two of them fell behind the rest of the group on top of the snowy mountain.

"Yes, trésor?" Esteban answered, looking in her direction, the nickname rolling off his tongue as usual.

"What if we had dinner this week?" The girl suggested, a confident smile plastered on her face.

"You mean..." The man hesitated nervously, thinking he might be misunderstanding things.

"A date, yes. Me and you. This Saturday night. My place." The girl explained, reaching her gloved hand into the boy's coat pocket, where she managed to grab his.

Esteban couldn't help but think to himself: my God, I'm falling for this girl already.

I'm so in love that I might stop breathing

Drew a map on your bedroom ceiling

No, I didn't see the news

'Cause we were somewhere else

Things between them evolved quickly, and the two simply became obsessed with each other overnight.

However, Esteban's fame scared Y/N a bit, as she had experienced a lot of the attention that came with accompanying Formula 1's blonde prince to his races and witnessed first-hand some of the hatred that other drivers' girlfriends, that she got to know over the years, got.

And that's why the couple decided to keep their relationship private between them and the people closest to them, even though many of them didn't understand all the secrecy.

No one knew but their friends and family. Even on the driver's team, no one knew who she was in specific, although there were some rumours and speculation due to the noticeable chemistry between the two of them and their occasional escapades to his driver's room when they thought nobody was looking.

The same can be said about the fans. Y/N was a familiar figure in the paddock, especially to Haas' fans as she was a usual member of the German driver's entourage over the years. But that didn't kill their curiosity about who she was, and what connection she had both to Mick and to other drivers with whom she was seen around the circuits.

But the couple couldn't care less. They were happy. The happiest they've ever been.

Esteban gently smoothed his girlfriend's hair away from her neck and placed a romantic kiss on it, making her giggle as he tickled her with his beard.

"Hurry up, mon amour." He told her, continuing to caress her as he spoke. "We have to go. Paris awaits us."

Stumbled down pretend alleyways

Cheap wine, make believe it's champagne

I was taken by the view

The girl dressed quickly, without much effort, keeping her outfit comfortable and discreet: some black sweatpants of her own, an army green hoodie stolen from her boyfriend, a winter Nike jacket on top and a black beanie on her head.

Her partner's look mirrored her own, both opting to blend in with the crowd as just two normal lovers in the city of love. There was no fame, no attention, and no fans.

"You look so cute in my clothes, mon trésor." Esteban complimented the girl, pulling her beanie down further, playfully covering her eyes with it. Y/N slapped his hand away from her face, adjusting herself to the new one, while the Frenchman laughed and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You look beautiful, as always."

Her little heart warmed with her boyfriend's words. He never went a day without making her feel like the most special person in the world, even when she was standing in front of him in sweats, with messy wet hair, and no makeup at all.

"Shall we? I thought you said Paris was waiting for us." Y/N joked, recalling her boyfriend's words. "Enough compliments, let's go, babe."

The girl's fingers intertwined with his and Y/N pulled the driver towards the room's exit as she walked backwards towards it.

Like we were in Paris

Like we were somewhere else

Like we were in Paris, oh

We were somewhere else

After leaving the hotel, the couple stumbled down an alleyway, hand in hand, hidden from the rest of the world, but always with happy smiles on their faces.

Y/N told him all about the latest gossip at her work, the new music she discovered on her Spotify, and her most embarrassing teenage stories with Mick.

And Esteban just listened. His favourite sound was her voice, especially when she told him the smallest details of her routine in an attempt to make him not feel left out due to the distance between them most of the time.

At that moment, they walked through the crowd and not a soul cared who they were. They were just... them. A couple in love among hundreds of others.

A few minutes later, they found a small, empty restaurant and when they saw an older couple dancing in the centre of the room, they decided to stick around, assuming they were the owners and would probably not recognize the driver.

The two entered, smiling at the couple, and sat at the booth in the most reserved corner of the room, picking up the menus to decide what to eat.

The night continued in the best possible way. The food was delicious, the restaurant remained just for the two of them and the old couple continued to sway gently to the French music blaring from the radio, making Y/N, the ultimate hopeless romantic, smile with her eyes half tearing up as she lay her head on her boyfriend's shoulder.

Y/N and Esteban didn't have a care in the world, since Paris always managed to keep their romance just theirs.

Privacy sign on the door

And on my page and on the whole world

Romance is not dead if you keep it just yours

Levitate above all the messes made

Sit quiet by my side in the shade

And not the kind that's thrown

I mean, the kind under where a tree has grown

After finishing their dinner and paying for their meal, the couple left the small establishment and decided to return to the comfort of their hotel room, which was not far away.

The young woman's hand found its home again in the hold of her boyfriend's hand. The girl's gaze sparkled as she studied every detail of the street they passed: the lights, the shop windows, the people, and the flowers on the balconies.

Meanwhile, Esteban couldn't help looking at her as if she had his whole world in her hands. No matter how much time passed, he was so madly in love with her that he almost felt like he might stop breathing at any second.

The driver pulled her closer to him, letting go of her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders and let out a sigh at the feel of her body touching his. "Je t'aime tellement, mon amour." He said almost instinctively.

Y/N looked at him, with the most sincere and genuine smile, ready to return the driver's declaration of love when the two were interrupted by an unexpected intruder.

"Hey, you!" Upon hearing this, the two immediately moved away, fearing that their cover had been revealed, and the girl continued to walk forward alone while Esteban paid attention to the small boy who approached him. "You're Esteban Ocon, aren't you? You're my favourite driver ever!"

Clearly, little Louis - as he introduced himself before he enthusiastically told his idol all about the races he'd seen - hadn't been up to speed with the latest gossip from the world of Formula 1 and the couple had overreacted, but they were both used to react like this in the rare instances when Ocon was recognized during their secret dates.

Y/N started to slow her pace when she discreetly looked back and saw her boyfriend bending down to take a picture with his fan. 

In a matter of seconds, Esteban took the place beside her and the two continued on their way to the hotel, although now there was some distance between them.

It was difficult at times, they admitted. Especially for a couple who couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other. But they knew their sacrifice was for the greater good, so they could have the privacy they valued so much.

Almost as if they were communicating telepathically, the two looked at each other simultaneously, though no words were spoken, and Esteban gave her a half smile, making her body relax with the comfort it conveyed to her.

The date might have ended, but the night was still young: it didn't matter where they were because, as long as they were together, they were having the time of their lives.

I'm so in love that I might stop breathing

Drew a map on your bedroom ceiling

No, I didn't see the news

'Cause we were somewhere else

As Y/N walked into their hotel room and started to take off her coat, Esteban gave her a smirk and placed the privacy sign on the outside door handle.

"Now it's just you and me at last, mon trésor." The boy said, approaching his girlfriend and giving her a peck on the top of her pink lips.

The two removed the outfits they were wearing and changed into more comfortable clothes, prepared to continue their night just enjoying each other's company. Esteban put on his pyjamas, and Y/N put on hers, which basically consisted of a pair of dark blue shorts and an Alpine t-shirt from the previous season obviously stolen from her boyfriend's closet.

The girl walked over to the room's mini fridge and took out a bottle of cheap wine that she had bought for them.

"Just pretend it's champagne, Este." She joked as she poured two tall glasses for the two of them to drink from. "Not all of us can be Formula 1 drivers, I'm just an accountant."

The two brought their lips to their drinks, feeling the pleasant taste of alcohol spread through their mouths. Y/N walked over to the window on her side, where she could see the view of the Eiffel Tower, and Esteban wrapped his arms around her, placing his large hands on her stomach and resting his chin on top of her shoulder.

The Tower shone like the brightest star in the sky, hence why Paris was known as the city of lights, and the two maintained the comfortable silence that settled in the room, both taken by the view.

Stumbled down pretend alleyways

Cheap wine, make believe it's champagne

I was taken by the view

Tired, Esteban sat down on the edge of the wide double bed, pulling his girlfriend with him. The two giggled while the Frenchman lay down against the headboard and the girl took the place on top of him, straddling him with one leg on either side of his lap.

Y/N took her hands to his neck, letting her fingers intertwine in his hair, and her mouth joined his in a serene kiss, full of love, comfort and peace. 

The connection between the two was simply inexplicable and completely out of this world.

The young woman took the place beside him, removing herself from the top of it and lying down on the mattress, with her head now on his shoulder. Both were looking at their cell phones: Esteban looking for the results of the football matches that had taken place that day, and Y/N checking her Instagram feed without much attention.

Until the girl's phone alerted her to a new message and, after reading it, she fell into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, leaving her boyfriend more confused than ever.

"Mon amour, are you alright?" His voice revealed the smile plastered on his face.

"You won't believe what Mick sent me." Y/N moved her cell phone so that Esteban could read what was sent by the German.

From: Micky

Have you seen the news? Apparently, we are dating AGAIN! 🙄😂

Attached was an image that contained a particular comment left on the last photo posted by Mick, where you could see the two friends in the middle of a snowball fight.

'@f1fan: Mick and Y/N are FOR SURE together, they've been dating for years!! You have to be blind to not see it! 👀'

"Oh my God, are you cheating on me with Mick of all people?!" Esteban pretended to be hurt, with his hand over his heart as if she had broken it. "I expected better from you, Y/N."

The two simply laughed at the rumours, thinking to themselves how comical it was that people were so certain about her supposed love affair with her best friend when she was lying in the same bed as a completely different driver from the grid, who was, in fact, the one who truly owned her heart.

Like we were in Paris, oh

Like we were somewhere else

Like we were in Paris, oh

We were somewhere else

Y/N recalled all the times those closest to them had criticized their choice to keep their relationship a secret and couldn't help but ask about it again.

"Do you think our family is right?" Y/N asked, resting her chin on the Frenchman's chest so she could see his expression. "About how we shouldn't hide our relationship. Do you ever regret it? I mean, not telling the world about us?"

"Honestly, mon trésor," Esteban replied, pushing the hair that hid his girlfriend's face behind her ear. "As much as I would love to scream until my lungs give out that I am the luckiest man alive and that the sexiest girl on this planet is mine, nothing would make me change our relationship."

"So no, I don't regret it." He continued, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Mon amour, we are in Paris. No one here to judge us, or to try to tear us apart. Just you and me against the world, come what may."

I wanna brainwash you

Into loving me forever

I wanna transport you

To somewhere the culture's clever

Confess my truth

In swooping, sloping, cursive letters

Let the only flashing lights be the tower at midnight

In my mind

"You know," Y/N pulled her body closer to his, circling his neck with her arms and leaning fully on the driver's torso. "I swear I just want to brainwash you into loving me forever sometimes."

"I think I should be worried about those words," Esteban teased, earning a gentle pinch from the girl in return. "But to be honest, I think I'm going to love you forever either way, so no brainwashing needed."

"God, we really are corny." Y/N laughed, laying her head over the Frenchman, being able to hear every beat of his racing heart. "No wonder why Mick hates us so much."

We drew a map on your bedroom ceiling

No, I didn't see the news

'Cause we were somewhere else

In an alleyway, drinking champagne

A few minutes went by, and the two fell asleep in each other's arms, again surrounded by the silence within those four walls that protected them from the rest of the world.

Their relationship may have seemed wrong to others, but Y/N and Esteban both knew that their love was the surest thing in their lives.

Their hidden connection completed them, made their stomachs flutter, gave them the motivation to wake up in the morning.

In the bottom of their heart and in the depth of their soul, they kept their best secret hidden from all the evil, all the jealousy and all the judgment.

And maybe they would never tell a soul in the world about their love.

But in the end, they would always have Paris.

'Cause we were in Paris

Yes, we were somewhere else

My love, we were in Paris

Yes, we were somewhere else

taglist: @dan3avacado @starxqt @roseinnej @spiidergirlsworld @ccloaned @hotpigeon22 @dr3lover @lovelytsunoda @primadonnasdream @luxebeautystyle @wallfloweriism @ilivefortheleague @gwynethhberdara @satellitelh @adavenus @audreyscodes @wifeoflucyboynton @th6ccnsp6cyy @classifiedsblog @flyingmushroomss @motylekrozi @claramllera @gabrielamaex @handsupforamiracle @pierre-gasssllyy @lorenaloveslewis

@idkiwantchocolatee @simpforsunwoo @kissatelier @xweirdxsceletton @micksmidnights @miniminescapist @inchidentwithmax @hopelesslyromantics-world @alwaysclassyeagle @indieclarke @capela-miranda @okokoksblog @pulpfixion @sins-only33 @sainzclerc @allisonxf1 @honethatty12

@amsofftrack @flannel-cures @junkiespromise @loudoperahumanoidpanda @honeyric3 @holy-macncheese-balls @ricciardosheart @pierreverstapkin @ravenqueen27 @majkaftorek @home-of-disaster @buendiabebeta @itgirlofnowhere @roses-of-eden @thewintersunset @rubychocolatechips

(taglist continues in the comments)

thank you to everyone that asked to be tagged! please let me know if you want to be added to the next stories! ���

[thebiggerbear]

WIP Wednesday - Jason Teague x Reader - 1/17/24

A/N: So I was going over the drafts I had for the prompt responses I recently did for Jason and I was quickly reminded that I had written more for both but my beta had recommended I cut them shorter and possibly set up a part 2 for each because there was enough material there to develop to continue both story lines. So I'm gonna give it a whirl because I loved the dynamics between those readers and Jason, but I also love exploring that whole struggle Jason has when his mother shows back up.

This is part of this prompt response.

Reader is 18. Similar dynamic to Jason and Lana's relationship in the show.

Taglist: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187l @rieleatiel

Jason Taglist: @deans-spinster-witch; @birdiellie; @heartlessdelusions; @nancymcl; @illicithallways; @muhahaha303

Jensen Taglist: @samanddeaninatrenchcoat

You glanced up at him, seeing annoyance in his expression. “What’s wrong? Who is it?”

Jason slapped his phone shut and tossed it onto his desk behind you, shaking his head. You took notice of his tightening jaw. “My mom. She keeps calling me and I don’t really wanna talk to her.”

“Is she still on your case about Paris?”

“Yep.” He popped the ‘p’ and moved away to grab his backpack. 

“I don’t get it. You’re in the middle of the semester. Why does she want you to go right now so badly?”

He had his back to you as he slipped on his jacket and shrugged. “She’s a big believer in traveling whenever you can, that’s all. She’s an Eiffel Tower fan and she wants me to see it while I’m still young enough to race to the top or something.” He laughed but it sounded slightly forced and you had to wonder why. 

But seeing the tense set of his shoulders and knowing how much it bothered him every time his mom tried to contact him, knowing how he felt about her and their relationship, you decided you would ask him about it later when he was more relaxed. You made your way over to him and hugged him from behind. You smiled when you felt him cover your hand on his chest with his own. 

“Well, if you want, we can go and see it together. I’ll be free once I graduate, it’s only a few months away and you won’t be a grandpa by then,” you joked. When he didn’t laugh with you, you began to frown. This was really bothering him. “Or we could go over Christmas break maybe. We won’t have as much time then or even over spring break but we could spend a few days and then go back over the summer if we really like it.” Still no response. “It’s just an idea. But if you want to go with your mom or by yourself to check it out, that’s fine, too. Whatever you want.” You laid your head against his back. “I just want you to be happy, Jason,” you whispered. You felt him squeeze your hand and you smiled.

A moment later, he turned in your arms and framed your face with his hands, staring down into your eyes. “I don’t want to take you to Paris.” Your face fell and you couldn’t help it. If he didn’t want to take you to Paris, that was fine. But the way he said it, just so matter of factly, as if he couldn’t even imagine you both taking the trip together as a remote possibility — well, that hurt.

His gaze was intense before a tiny smile erupted onto his face, that warmth in his green eyes returning. “I want to take you to Italy.”

“Italy?” You asked in shock.

His smile grew. “Yeah. Italy is beautiful and has so many more places for us to check out and explore. I want us to see Rome — we can get a Vespa and see the Vatican up close. And we’ll see Venice and Florence and Sicily and the Amalfi Coast. We could go all over and see everything. So if we go somewhere in Europe together, Y/N, I want it to be Italy. Not Paris. I don’t have anything I want to see or explore in Paris. Just Italy, with you.”           

He watched you expectantly, waiting for your answer. You certainly liked the idea and you had always wanted to travel abroad at some point in your life. Italy was definitely on that list and you’d be going with your favorite person on the planet, so how could you — or why would you — say no? “Okay,” you agreed. “I’ve always wanted to see the Trevi Fountain ever since I saw it in an old movie that one time so that would be fun.” 

Relief bloomed in his expression and the warmth in his eyes grew as did his smile, the happiness radiating from him being absolutely breathtaking. It was almost as if he had been desperate and you threw him a lifeline with your answer. You didn’t know why he was so against Paris other than what he’d already told you, but perhaps someday soon he would tell you when he was ready and you could help him in whatever way you could. 

He kissed you soundly and threw his backpack over his shoulder. “We’ll go over the summer so neither of us have to worry about classes and we’ll have more time and fit more things in. We can spend a week in Rome, a week at Lake Como — right on the water — and we’ll check out Tuscany, maybe even Sicily, too. I can start coming up with a budget plan this weekend.” He took your hand and intertwined your fingers as he chattered away happily, beaming at you. You were happy to see him practically bouncing with excitement. 

But unfortunately, you both forgot where you were. Even as Jason snatched his cell phone off of his desk and you picked up your bag, you both weren’t fast enough to drop hands when a knock came on the office door and it swung open to reveal your friend, Lana Lang.

Jason reacted faster than you did and was quickly in front of you, clearing his throat. “Yes, Miss Lang?” 

She glanced between the two of you and you bit your lip, begging her with your eyes not to say a word while hoping like hell that she didn’t see anything.

Please let me know if you would like to be tagged for this upcoming work.

dividers by @firefly-graphics

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[noisydreamlandkoala]

The Queens Court

CHAPTER FIVE:THE COURT

Before you start reading I'd like to warn you on the possibly confusing way I go from referring to Marinette to Marie than back to Marinette again. I'm trying to highlight the girls identity crisis. She is not quite sure who she. Plus those who knew her in the past refer to her as Marie and those who are new to her life know her as Marinette. Different POV's will have different refrences. Thank you for your patience.

YOUROFFICIALREPIRTER@BLONDIE

A few reminders will be posted tommorow to ensure that you survive the queens rein.

#stayinfirmedtostayalive

Jason had brought along her motorcycle for Gotham. He said he was apparently the only brave enough (stupid enough) to drive the thing though the Zeta tubes. Marinette's friend group was not quite sure what connection Marinette's family had to the heroes, all the knew was rich people had connections.

Marinette had been overjoyed at the sight. She had admittedly missed the benefits that came with coming from a rich family.

"Your car shall be here by the end of the day tommorow," Jason smiled watching his sister's happiness. It had admittedly been awhile, when Marinette had cut contact with the family, they had decided to give her space, she was obviously going through something.

They had been overjoyed when Damian had gotten the call of their sister being back to her old antics. Though their happiness was soon crushed when a text from the blonde heiress that summaried what exactly had been the cause of her sudden change.

While his family scrambled to get their private jet ready, he had grabbed a few clothes hopped on her motorcycle, driven it to the batcave and Zetared straight to Paris. No one messes with a member of the batfamily.

"So tell me about this whole bullying situation," he calmly said causing the girl to freeze in the middle of inspecting her motorcycle. Not that they was anything wrong with it, he had made sure of that, taking care of it while she was away.

This statement gained the blonde's attention as well who had finally stopped staring at Marie's, much to Jason's relief, in order to meet the older boys gaze with a raised eyebrow. The boy was admittedly not dumb as he had caught Marie's reaction to the comment.

"Marinette," he said darkly. Jason couldn't help but appreciated the dark energy that radiated from the boy.

"Not now," the girl whispered as she gazed at the ground. "I'll explain everything when everyone gets here I promise"

"You better," the boy growled angrily causing the boy to flinch. Jason raised his eyebrow at the reaction clearly perplexed. This reaction was foreign to him, his sister usually met such remark with her oen fiery temper, what had these people done to her. Despite the odd reaction Jason had taken the liberty of glaring at the blonde brat for making his sister uncomfortable. The blonde himself had faltered at the reaction.

"Marie love I'm not angry at you," he saud approaching the girl with an embrace before kissing the top of her head. "Just at the idiots who are surely going to loose their heads for this."

"Watch where you place those lips blondie," Jason muttered earning an eye roll from the pair.

"Well I can always place them on her-"

"No we're not doing this," Marinette interrupted face turning red. "Let's go upstairs and catchup."

Before either boy could protest she grabbed their hands and dragged them upstairs, back to her room. The next two hour were filled with awkward conversations, males butting heads and Marinette's never ending embarrassment.

This was interrupted by a soft knock on the trap door.

"Oh someone in this place knocks," Felix muttered bitterly as he thought back to the interruptions on his private time with his Queen.

"Come in Kagami," Marinette yelled out with a small laugh.

"How are you always aware it is me," the stoic girl asked as she made her way into the room.

"You're the only one who knocks," Marie said with a laugh. Felix couldn't help but appreciate the girls flawless beauty and bell like laughter.

Kagami let out the most formal hiff either boy heard before bowing at each person in respect. "It's an honor to make your acquaintance, Marinette I'm happy to see you once more and you'll be happy to note that you were missed"

"What a way to question my manners," Marie scrambled towards the girl pulling her towards where she and the two boys where sitting. "This is Jason my brother and Felix my-"

"Ex," Felix supplied.

"You are not my ex," Marinette yelped in horror.

"Great I'm her future," Marinette blushed at his statement and Jason couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter at the exchange.

"I wasn't aware you had a brother nor a ahh past lover Marinette," the girl said eying Felix suspiciously.

"We're not... He's not... That's not," the girl stuttered.

"You were not supposed to," both men cut of as the girl scrambled to get herself together.

"Félix Graham de Vanily we are not past lovers," the girl growled out glaring at the man.

"Your tone and the way you're looking at me right now pains me as much as having a dagger shoved into one's chest," the boy said meeting Marinette's faze with one of his own, though his was filled with pure unfiltered adoration. "Though hearing you say our relationship was in the past would hurt me more than that."

"Gag," Chloe's voice called out as she entered the room. "Save it for wedding vows, if guitar boy does not get your way and who's that"

"Chloe," Marie brightened up upon the girls arrivals she grabbed kagami dragging her towards the blonde leaving Felix at the mercy of her brother. "Kagami this is Chloe my childhood best friend, Chloe this is Kagami the newest member of the Court."

"I thought the role best friend belonged to me," Felix said from his spot in the room, where he was quite obviously ignoring Jason.

"Aren't you greedy, you wanna be her boyfriend, best friend and ex all at the same time," Chloe snarked earning a glare from the boy.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Kagami says ignoring the impending banter and offering the female blonde a respective bonde. "What is the court you speak off."

"You're hot, can weild a sword and are brave enough to disturb our arguments," Chloe assessed. "Hmm I can work with that."

Chloe pulled the unsuspecting girl to the other side of the room.

"I'll explain everything to you later Kagami," Marinette yelled after her even though she was hyper aware Chloe was two steps ahead of her.

An exited squeal sounded from tge stairs leading to the trapdoor. Before anyone could question it a blur off yellow came kn tackling Marinette into a hug.

"You're giving me an inside scope," Aurora said clearly overjoyed.

"I tried to stop," Mireille said rushing in clearly out of breath.

"Really," Chloe said assessing the two girls with a raised eyebrow.

"We now the news," Marinette replied to her clear judgement.

"Welcome to the court," Chloe said motioning for them to join her and Kagami. Aurora squealed practically running towards her while poor Mireille was forced to chase after her.

Chloe was not stupid, she knew the bluenette had a point. Welcoming these girls to their group will be beneficial both now and in the future. Those who control the news, control the minds of the people.

"Conniving as ever I see," a familiar voice said causing the girl to whip her head back.

"Dames," the girl squealed launching herself at her biological brother. The boy welcomed her hug without complaint causing the eldest of the siblings to complain.

"I will never understand why she gets such warm hug reciprocation while the rest of us are threatened with death," Dick mumbled as he followed with the rest of the bats.

"Because Marie is actually my sister while the rest of the you are just strays father picked up in the streets," Damian said followed by someone clearing their throat. "Minus Cassandra."

The girl beamed as the rest of her siblings groaned and complained at the clear favoritism. The siblings were in the middle of their greeting when a small voice disturbed them.

"Uhm hey," Marc muttered clearly shocked by the amount of people in the room. By his side stood an equally shocked Nathaniel.

"Marie no," Chloe shouted in desperation as she assessed the two.

"Mafia, spy," Marinette said pointing at Marc then Nathaniel. "Plus they were already members."

"He's a traitor," Chloe said pointing at Nathaniel.

"I do not act if the queen does not want me to," Nathaniel says in a voice colder than most have heard from him.

"He was working on the inside Chloe," Marinette says finally breaking through her friends resolve.

"Fine Gay and red can make their way towards the group over here," Chloe huffed as she turned her attention back towards briefing the group. "You too Wayne"

"I see somethings never changed," Damian muttered making his way towards the group alongside the two new comers.

"Shut is Wayne," Chloe hisses causing some of the bats to snicker as Marinette rolls her eyes.

Everyone is now distracted talking, catching up and plotting. Marinette feels a pair of hands wrap around her stomach as she is lifted from the ground. Someone's face connects with her neck as a blush feels her cheeks. Dread for the incoming storm settles in the pit of her stomach at the incoming storm.

"Hey blue," Luka whispers into her ear. Marinette squeaks as she becomes redder. Of all the days he could have chosen to be over affectionate.

Chloe laughs at her position and as Felix cooly strides towards the pair.

"So you're the other man," Felix states coldly assessing the blue head.

"I'm sorry who are you?" Luka asked causing Chloe to cackle.

"Félix Graham de Vanily her ex," he says moving the bluenette to his side as he offers his hand to the boy.

"Felix you're not my ex," the girl hisses once more blantly ignoring Chloe's laughter.

'traitor' she thought as she looked in between the boys.

"Oh sorry her boyfriend," Felix continued on ignoring the girls yelped.

"Not my boyfriend," she says as the two men glared at each other. What had she gotten herself into.

"Are you denying my affection for you, and your for me," The blonde asks as he presses her back against him causing her to stop her sputtering with a red brush as she felt what was pressed again her a**.

'oh'

"Juleka warned me about you," Luka stated with a smirk as he too pressed his body against hers looking over her head to meet the green eyes of the blonde behind her. "and trust me I'm not afraid of you, when Marinette finally untangles her emotions she'll know exactly who better suits her. "

Marinette couldn't believe that these two were turned on by the situation. She expected something big, bantering, fighting, her heart being broken. But this, this was highly unexpected.

"I welcome your competition," Felix states with a smirk. The only person who had ever had the guts to face him head on was the bluenette pressed against him and jer biological brother. This was going to be fun. "Though I do not intend to lose."

"As amusing as this is to watch, I would ask that you unhand my sister before they is a need for me to step in," Damian growls causing the two to reluctant make some distance between themselves and the girl still glaring at one another.

"Damn Mars," Dick says eyeing the two boys alongside a now fully awake Tim.

"You became a player while you were gone," Barbara cackled out.

"Can Cass and I get the one you reject," Stephanie says earning an elbow to the side from Cass.

"What there hot," she whisper yalls causing the quiet girl to nod along.

"Uhmm that was intreast," Juleka mutters from her spot near the entrance of the room.

"Marir NO!" Chloe yelled as she and the rest of the room noticed the girls presence.

YOUROFFICIALREPIRTER@BLONDIE

Your girl has an inside scoop on all that's happening. The rival kings have finally meet and the court members have been chosen, stay tuned for more on what's happening with the royal family of Dupont.

#dontmissoutonthehotgossip

****

Uhmm, so this chapter, the chapter before that and the chapter after this one were supposed to be one filler chapter. I had to split it into three because the word count was exceeding what I originally thought it would be. So please bear with me, I swear the action is coming soon.

[bubble4u]

Tonight is date night with you and south

Contents: fem reader, alcohol consumption, sexual flirting, betting, I thinks there's cuss words, mentions of poly relationships, taunting

South x fem reader

Going off south being a singer info lol

This is the song reader is singing

You just wanted a quiet night out with your partner.

With taiju being busy with another restaurant opening and mitsuya in Paris for fashion week, south was the only one with time to spare for you, you weren’t upset honestly you’ve haven’t had a lot of time with the blonde especially with his mma matches and training taking up most of his weekends and mornings you’re excited what south had planned for you two.

What you didn’t expect was to be in a mini dive bar sharing a table with some of his buddies you’ve met before and their dates and south doing what he does best. Wakasa shook his head ordering another round of drinks for the table while benkei shouts the lyrics with south as he belts out on the microphone. It’s south 4th song on stage for karaoke Night and clearly according to the crowds reaction they’re not wanting him to stop anytime soon. You didn’t enjoy singing in a crowd let alone in front of other patrons with alcohol involved. You sat there taking sips of your now 3rd vodka cranberry, the waitress drops by passing out shots of tequila that wakasa had ordered, you eyed the liquid nervously much as you liked a drink or two especially on a night out shots give you flash backs of your younger years downing tiny glass after tiny glass with no care of what was in it, but you also remember throwing up and passing out not remembering how you got home the next day.

Wakasa saw your reluctance and patted your back “don’t worry when south comes back he’ll drink it for you” you gave him a slight offended look but you bit your tongue cause you know he’s 99% right. South finished his song and the rest of bar patrons cheered some asking for another songs he chuckled “ naaaaahhh let someone else have another turn huh? Any takers?” He pointed to several people who shook their heads. Benkei smirked “hey what about y/n!?” you’re eyes went wide wakasa chuckled at your reaction “y/n?” south eyed you smirking “naaaaah you know she won’t do it she’s too scared” you glared at south cause you know what he’s doing “ACTUALLY she complained coming here now something about wanting a quiet time blah blah”.

You kept your glare on south you’re not falling for his taunts , “as a matter a fact I can bet you $100 she won’t come up here” benkei and few others slightly chuckled. Wakasa felt you step up eyeing your actions you sat down your jacket on your stool, kept your gaze on south while taking the shot of tequila that was sitting in front you, feeling that burn you remember down your throat you sat the shot glass down and still maintaining eye contact with south “make it 2” .

Everyone cheered for you as the beginning of the song comes on you let down your hair, fixing your boobs so more cleavage would show and hiking up your skirt to show off more leg, you grabbed the mic

"How can I put this in a way so as not to offend or unnerve”

you winked at south and pointed directly at him that got the crowd even more rowdy

“There's a rumor goin' all round that you ain't been gettin' served. They say that you ain't you know what In baby who knows how long”

with a sudden burst of courage you dropped to your knees showing just a peek of your underwear the sudden exposure of the flimsy material of your underwear was enough to draw the attention of the other guests. Like a moth to a flame, multiple sets of eyes were glued to your moving figure.

“Gett off, 23 positions in a one night stand”

The alcohol coursing through your body giving you enough courage to be free, you’re next move surprised south, intriguing him as he cradles his drink in his palms.

“Gett off, I'll only call you after if you say I can”.

Your movement was everything but languid, like you had done this before much to everyone’s surprise bringing your mic to your lips, you give a dangerous smirk while you roll your hips almost perfectly with the rhythm of the song.

“Gett off, let a woman be a woman and a man be a man”

There’s a blush that’s forming on south’s face, and he isn’t sure if it’s from the alchohol, or your performance but it’s not like he’s complaining. Like a witch that had just performed a spell, your movement had entranced him completely not caring who sees him ogling you with carnal desire. He wanted you, no he needed you, and at this exact moment.

You hopped off the stage swaying your hips as you walked , sauntering up to the table. He doesn’t take his eyes off your figure even when you’re making your way behind him, running a single manicured nail across his shoulders. With the same hand you grab him by the collar of his shirt microphone still close to your lips.

“gett off if you want to baby here I am”

[sequinsmile-x]

Stained Glass Windows - Chapter Eleven

Life was complicated, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

-x-

Words: 4.5k

Warnings: A full list of warnings for the fic can be found on the Series Master List and will be updated as we go along

Read over on Ao3, or the below the cut

August 2008

Haley was running late.

It felt like she hadn’t been on time for anything since Jack was born, the realities of having a toddler making it difficult to leave the house even if he wasn’t coming with her. 

She spots Aaron and Emily through the restaurant window the moment she arrives, her hurried steps coming to a stop as she stands there to watch them, her curiosity getting the better of her. 

Aaron has his arm around Emily’s chair, leaning in to talk to her in the bustle of the restaurant. Emily laughs, leaning in to kiss him before she reaches up, her thumb rubbing at his lips to get rid of her lipstick from his skin.

It was strange seeing him like this with someone else, and for a moment it leaves her breathless. Unable to stop herself from watching as Emily says something that makes Aaron laugh. His head thrown back as he shakes his head at her. It reminds Haley of when he was younger, when she thought she was going to be with him for her whole life. 

She blows out a breath and walks in, shown to the table by the hostess. The moment they see her Emily and Aaron separate, his arm slipping from the back of her chair. Haley swears she sees Emily shift in her chair, increasing the difference between her and Aaron, as if there was any chance Haley wouldn’t think they were affectionate with each other.

As if she couldn’t see the edge of the hickey on Emily’s collarbone, her shirt not quite covering it all. 

“Haley, hi,” Aaron says, wondering if he should stand up to greet her, but she makes the decision for him, sitting in the chair opposite them before he can.

“Hi Aaron,” she says back, clearing her throat before she turns her attention to Emily, “Nice to see you again, Emily.” 

“Nice to see you, Haley,” Emily replies, smiling at her. 

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Haley says, putting her purse down, “Jack was insistent I read him a story.” 

“No need to apologise,” Aaron replies. They fall into an awkward silence and are saved when the waiter comes over.

“Are we waiting for anyone else?” He asks, looking between them all, and they shake their heads, “Excellent, can I interest you in any wine?” 

“Yes.”

“God yes.” 

Haley and Emily speak at the same time and briefly make eye contact before Emily clears her throat, picking up the wine list. 

“Do you like red, Haley?” She asks, trying desperately to push past the awkwardness, tensing slightly as Aaron places his hand on her knee. 

“Yes. Any wine is good.” 

Emily nods and looks at the waiter, “A bottle of the Chateau Montrose would be great, thank you.” 

“Of course, and can I say, your pronunciation is perfect.” 

Emily has to suppress a smile as Aaron squeezes her knee a little harder, thinking the waiter was flirting with her. 

“Thank you,” she replies, “I lived in France for a while when I was a kid.”

“Really?” Haley says, cutting across the conversation without really meaning to. She raises her eyebrow, looking back and forth between Emily and Aaron.

“Yeah,” Emily replies, looking at the waiter and wishing he’d leave to get the wine so she could have some. 

“Où viviez-vous?” The waiter asks, clearly not picking up on the slight tension at the table. 

“Paris. Mais nous avons beaucoup voyagé,” she replies, and he nods, clearly impressed.

“I’ll go get your wine,” he says, “I’ll be back to get your food order in a little while.” 

“Thank you,” Aaron replies, his gaze stern as he watches him walk away, trying to make sure he wasn’t overtly jealous in front of his ex-wife, but wanting to make his feelings clear. 

“So, you speak French?” Haley asks, trying to start a conversation

Emily nods in response, “I do, it’s a side effect of moving around a lot when I was a kid.” 

“She’s being modest,” Aaron says, pride seeping into his voice, “She speaks five languages.” 

Haley swallows thickly, a chuckle quickly following it as she sees how Aaron looks at Emily, and the way she briefly looks at him. An adoring sheen to her eyes that she couldn’t hide if she wanted to. 

“Impressive,” Haley replies, clearing her throat. The awkward silence falls over them again, and she sighs, “I wonder where he is with that wine.” 

She would put money on the fact she was sitting opposite the love of her ex-husband’s life, and she refused to do so without a drink. 

___

“This is impossible.” 

Emily looks up at Aaron and smirks, “It’s a train set for your four-year-old, honey. You face down serial killers every day.” 

“That’s easy,” he grumbles, “This isn’t.” 

They were both sitting on the floor in their living room, building a toy they’d bought for Jack. He was visiting for the weekend, and they were determined to have it built before they went to pick him up in the morning. It was proving more difficult than she’d hoped, and she briefly thinks about the fact they’d one day do this for a child of their own, the thought making her smile. 

“At least it got us out of the annual Quantico July 4th party,” she offers, shivering at the thought of it, “Last year Penelope snuck tequila into the fruit punch. It was oddly reminiscent of my high school prom.” 

He pauses at that, stopping his attempts to sort the pieces of the train track into some kind of order, and he looks up at her, his eyebrows furrowed together. 

“We had sex in a supply closet.” 

She smiles teasingly at him, biting her lower lip, “I said what I said.”

Aaron shakes his head at her and gets back to work on building the toy, and she continues to put the sticks on the trains. 

She looks over at him and can’t help but smile. He’s frowning at the instructions for the train set, looking at the booklet like it’s an unsub he’s trying to break. His jaw is tight, his lips set in a firm lip as he looks back and forth between the pieces of train track on the living room floor and the instructions, muttering under his breath as he does so. 

She couldn’t explain it, couldn’t rationalise with herself why this was enough to tip her over the edge, to make the secret she’d been keeping for a month spill out of her all of a sudden. 

“I found the ring,” she says, not aware she’s going to say it until she already has, the words dropped on the ground between them, mixing in with brightly coloured pieces of plastic. It takes a moment for her words to register, but she sees the moment he does, the way his grip tightens on the booklet in his hand, the paper creasing. He looks up at her, his tongue sticking out to moisten his lower lip as his eyes search hers. 

“What?” 

The corner of her lips twitch in a half smile, her heart clenching in his chest, “I found the ring,” she repeats, putting the track pieces she had in her hands down on the floor. 

“When?” He chokes out, still staring at her as he clearly tries to read her reactions, making her a little nervous. 

“A month ago,” she explains, shrugging her shoulder slightly, “You were in bed and I was unpacking the last of your boxes,” a shy smile spreads across her face, “I put it back. I don’t know where it is now.” 

Aaron nods, the information making his brain go haywire. He remembers not thinking much of it at the time, how it hadn’t even crossed his mind that the only box he had left to unpack happened to be the one with the ring he’d bought her in it. He mentally chastises himself, knowing he would have noticed if he’d been his usual self, if he hadn’t been recovering in more ways than one after Foyet’s attack. 

“Oh,” he says, clearing his throat as he nods slowly. 

“I…” she drifts off, unsure what to say now she’s started the conversation, “I assumed it was an engagement ring,” she says, her cheeks warm with embarrassment, “But if I was wrong-”

“You’re not wrong,” he cuts over her, finally able to say more than one word at a time, and not wanting her to spiral into any kind of self-doubt, “It is an engagement ring.” 

“Oh,” she replies, pursing her lips into a tight line, “Ok,” she shifts closer to him, clearing the bits of Jack’s toy that he’d sorted into piles so she doesn’t kneel on them, and she places her hand on his knee, “I assume it’s for me.” 

He shakes his head at her, chuckling as her joke makes something ease in his chest, “Em.”

“Sorry,” she replies, sounding anything but as a proud smile spreads across her face, clearly having achieved what she wanted to by dismantling the strange tension they’d found themselves in. “Why haven’t you…” 

She doesn’t finish the question because she knows he doesn’t need to. He sighs and places his hand over hers, their fingers tangling together. 

“I was going to when we got back from Canada,” he explains. She closes her eyes, blowing out a steady breath as she fills in the gaps herself, all too aware of how the story ends, “I was thinking I’d take you to your favourite restaurant, then we’d go for a walk and I’d propose in front of the Lincoln Memorial” he tilts his head towards the picture window, avoiding her gaze as if he was revealing too much, as if she hadn’t already seen every part of him, “That way you’d be able to see where it happened every time you looked outside.” 

She chokes out a sound, unsure if it was a laugh or a sob, and wipes an unexpected tear from her cheek. 

“Aaron. That’s…” she doesn’t know how to put it into words, how much she loved him for thinking it through so clearly. That he knows her well enough to know she wouldn’t want something big, but that his plan was still meaningful. How angry she is that this is something Foyet took from them, even though she knows they could have lost so much more. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, and she frowns, shifting closer again so she climbs into his lap, her side against his chest as he wraps his arms around her automatically. 

“Why are you sorry?” She asks, cupping his neck, her thumb running back and forth over his jaw. 

“For not…” he shakes his head at himself and blocks out a breath, a habit he now had when he was on edge that he’d picked up from her, “For not proposing before that. I had the ring for weeks before Canda.” he laughs humourless at himself, “For not hiding the ring well enough.” 

She presses her lips to his, kissing him firmly as her hand slinks around to the back of his head, her fingers threading through his hair. She leans her forehead against his when she pulls away, her nose pressing into his. 

“I don’t need any of that,” she says, her smile shaking as he pulls her impossibly closer, his hand drifting under her t-shirt, branding her skin with his love, “I don’t need a fancy restaurant or any romantic gestures to know I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” 

“Em-”

“So yes, I’ll marry you,” she says, shaking her head at herself as tears spill out onto her cheeks.

He wipes her tears away, ignoring how he was crying too, “I didn’t even ask the question.” 

She chokes on a laugh, bringing her other hand up to cup the back of his head, holding him in place as she kisses him. 

“Well, you should,” she says in between kisses, pulling back to look at him properly, “And now you know what the answer will be.” 

He stares at her a second before he snaps into action, his hands firm on her waist as he guides her off of his lap. He stands up and offers her a hand, helping her up off of the floor before he links their fingers together. He tugs her towards the stairs, her laughter chasing him as she willingly follows. 

“Where are we going?” 

“Upstairs,” he says, not stopping for a second, “The ring is in my sock drawer.” 

She beams at him, not trying to hide her joy at all, and she overtakes him on the stairs, making it to the top before he does. She grabs the hem of her t-shirt and pulls it over her head, dumping it on the landing as she winks at him, the sight of her in her bra and shorts enough to make his brain short wire briefly. 

“In our bedroom,” she says, turning on her heel and heading in that direction, “Convenient.” 

He chases her, his hands on her hips before they make it to their bedroom, and he slams the door closed behind them.

___

He rings the doorbell of the house he once lived in still not used to having to do even now. He lets his hand drop back down to his side, a smile flashing across his face at the sound of his son shouting inside, clearly excited at the thought of seeing him. 

“You ok?” Emily says, squeezing his hand from where she is standing next to him, her left hand wrapped up in his right. He nods in response and runs his thumb over the band of the ring she now wore. He smiles at the feel of it, still getting used to it being there, and she does the same. 

“I’m fine, I promise,” he replies, “Are you sure you want to be here for this? I can do it alone.” 

“I’m sure,” she says, squeezing his hand again, “I should be here.” 

It made sense to her, to help him tell Haley about their engagement. It was right that he’d come alone to let her know they were together, something he owed his ex-wife, but this was something Emily very strongly felt they should do together. It was a step forward in their lives, something to be celebrated, but she knew it didn’t come without complications. 

They hear footsteps on the otherside of the door and it swings open, a slightly breathless Haley smiling at them.

“Sorry,” she says, “I was all the way in the bedroom. Jack is upstairs packing his toys” she looks between them both, “Emily, hi, you don’t usually come for pick up.” 

She smiles and Aaron tightens his hold on her hand before letting go, and she’s quick to bury her hands in her pockets to cover the ring, hoping that the movement looks smooth.

“We wanted to talk to you about something,” Aaron says, and they fall into a brief silence, the smile slipping slightly off of Haley’s face, “Can we come in?” 

Haley clears her throat and nods, pushing away the almost overwhelming thoughts that when Aaron used to say ‘we’ it included her. 

“Of course,” she steps aside and lets them in, watching as Aaron guides Emily into the house, his hand on her lower back, “Sound’s serious.” 

Emily and Aaron exchange a look as they settle on the couch and Haley sits on the armchair. 

“It’s nothing bad,” Emily assures her, smiling kindly at the other woman. She rests her hand on Aaron’s leg in an unusual display of affection in front of Haley, grateful he sitting on her right, and she squeezes his knee. A quiet signal that it was his turn. 

She truly believed she was right to be here, to be a part of this conversation, but it was certainly not her place to break the news. Aaron suddenly felt nervous, more nervous than he had been the evening before when Emily revealed she’d found the engagement ring she was now wearing, unsure how to explain this to his ex-wife, even though he’d spent the journey over practising in his head. 

It never felt like it got any less complicated. Like this family they were slowly building for jack was ever truly on solid ground, something always around the corner ready to shake at their foundations. A potential crack to what they’d already built even though this was a good thing, a happy thing for him and Emily.

In the end, he knows the simple truth is the only way to do it. 

“Emily and I are engaged,” he says, unable to stop the smile on his face, the words still sounding foreign as he said them, soft and sweet on his tongue. Emily squeezes his leg again, as Haley stares at them. 

It felt like a blow to Haley’s chest. An unexpected ball of jealousy knocking her breath from her lungs, and she was grateful she was sitting down. She knew this was inevitable. From the moment Aaron had told her he was with Emily she knew. The way they loved each other was different to how she and Aaron had loved each other. Somehow extravagant and restrained at the same time. The simple way they were around each other when they thought no one else was looking enough to let her know this was for keeps even before he’d explained they were moving in together. That her son already had a bedroom decorated in what was once just Emily’s apartment. 

She doesn’t under her emotions, how tears she knows she won’t shed until they are gone burn in the back of her eyes. Her overriding thought, which she knows is unkind, is that two years ago he’d still been married to her. 

“Oh,” she says, clearing her throat when the word catches there, “That’s… congratulations,” she watches as they exchange a quick look, and she speaks again before she thinks it through, “A heads up would have been nice.” 

Aaron tenses and he feels Emily do the same next to him, her hand then going limp on his knee. He can sense she’s going to pull it away and he stops her, placing his hand over hers to keep it there. 

“That’s what this is,” he says carefully, “We’re telling Jack later and didn’t want you to find out through him.” 

Haley chuckles humourlessly, shaking her head slightly, “That’s not what I meant.” 

Emily hadn’t expected a parade or even any enthusiasm, but this made her stomach flip in a way that made her feel sick. It was easy to forget sometimes, now that they were largely friends, that Haley wasn’t just Jack’s mom. She was the last woman Aaron had promised to spend forever with and it hadn’t worked out. Emily is grateful for the political training she’d had since she could talk, and for the fact she doesn’t react, knowing it wouldn’t help anything. 

Things between them were never going to be simple. 

Emily blows out a breath and squeezes Aaron’s knee one last time before she stands up, “I’m going to go help Jack pack his things,” she says, and Aaron catches her hand left hand as she turns. 

“Em-”

“You two should talk,” she says, squeezing his hand before he nods and lets her go. She takes the stairs two at a time, ignoring how she can feel Haley’s gaze on her engagement ring as she walks away. 

He waits until he hears the door open upstairs, Jack’s delighted yell of Emily’s name and her reply enough to make some of the tension ease in his chest before he looks back at his ex-wife. He sighs as he leans forward, his elbows on his knees. 

“Haley-”

“You should have told me first,” she says, cutting over him, shaking her head, “Instead of blind sighting me.” 

“We didn’t blindsight you,” he replies, keeping his cool. Haley had always been prone to emotional reactions, often saying things she later recanted, apologising as she explained she’d said it in the heat of the moment, “And we didn’t come in here rubbing it in your face either,” he says, not missing how she scoffs, clearly not agreeing with him, “But Emily is an important part of my life, of Jack’s life, and I won’t let her feel like she’s second best, or like everything we do has to be run by you first.” 

Haley knows that, on some level, he’s right, and she hates it. Hates that this is what they have come to. That the promises they’d made to each other when they were young had been broken by them both. She doesn’t say anything, so he carries on, his voice softer now she’s less defensive. 

“You will come always come first when it comes to our son, you know that,” he says and she nods ever so slightly, “But Emily is going to be my wife, we’re hopefully going to have kids of our own,” he continues, not missing how she flinches at that, storing that away for another day, “I am not going to explain myself to you every time we do something. You left me, remember?” 

“Aaron-”

“You were right to,” he says, cutting off the argument he’d seen coming, “It was the best thing for both of us.” 

She laughs humourlessly, tears pressing at the back of her eyes again as she nods, “Yeah, I guess it was.” 

“Daddy said he’d take us for pancakes before we go home.” Emily’s voice, purposely louder than usual to let them know they were on the way downstairs, cuts over any further conversation. 

Both Aaron and Haley stand, the latter wiping her face as Aaron turns, and they smile when Emily comes into view. Jack was on her hip, his arms tight around her neck, and his bag was thrown over her other shoulder. 

“Daddy!” Jack exclaims, making no move to shift from Emily’s arms, blissfully unaware of the tension that was still in the air, “Emily said you got me a train set.” 

Aaron laughs at his son and nods, walking over to ruffle his hair before he takes his bag from Emily. 

“Yes buddy, but we’ll have to finish building it when we get home,” his eyes briefly meet Emily’s and she looks away, uncharacteristic shyness overwhelming her at the thought of the task they’d never made it back to the night before. 

They fall into an awkward silence after that, and Emily turns her head to look at Jack, making eye contact with the little boy who was busy playing with her hair. 

“Go say goodbye to your mom, sweetie.” 

She sets him on the ground and he runs over and Haley bends down, hugging him and kissing the side of his head.

“Love you, Jack.” 

“Love you, Mommy!” He replies before turning and running back to Emily, all but crawling up her side as she hauls him back onto her hip. He was used to this now, the goodbyes for a few days and then the hellos that followed. It made Haley’s heart ache if she thought about it too much. 

“I’ll bring him back over on Sunday at the usual time,” Aaron says, his hand at Emily’s lower back as they walk towards the front door. 

“Perfect,” she replies, crossing her arms over her chest, “Thank you,” the door opens and Emily is already on the porch when Haley speaks again, “Emily?” 

She turns to look at her, a smile she knows is a little too polite on her face, “Yes?” 

“Congratulations,” Haley says, her smile letting her know she means it. 

Emily’s smile turns into a real one, “Thank you.” 

They all pause again for a second, the awkwardness still in the air, and Aaron is the one to break it this time.

“Come on buddy, I think Emily said something about pancakes.” 

“Pancakes!” Jack exclaims, his excitement enough to make all the adults chuckle, and Emily walks out of the house, talking to him as she makes the short journey to the car. Aaron follows and turns to his ex-wife.

“Bye, Haley.”

She nods in response and gives him a small wave, “Goodbye, Aaron.” 

She closes the door and finally lets out the breath that she’d been holding since she saw them on the porch when they arrived. 

One day, she was sure, this would all feel a little easier.

___

“That could have gone better.” 

Aaron turns to look at her. She was sat on the other end of the couch, her legs thrown over his lap and Jack in her lap. He was fast asleep, the movie they’d put on because he’d asked still playing in the background. His mouth was open and his head was on her shoulder, drooling on a shirt Aaron knew cost more than his monthly salary. Emily doesn’t care though, she never did if Jack spilt something or broke an ornament. She simply runs her hand through his hair, content to let him sleep in her arms. 

Aaron sighs and runs his head up and down her leg, “Em-”

“I knew she wasn’t going to be delighted or anything,” Emily says, shaking her head slightly, turning her head just enough to kiss Jack’s forehead, a movement Aaron suspects is more of a comfort to her than the little boy. She sighs, bringing her left hand up to wipe a tear she’s furious at herself for away from her cheek. Her engagement ring catches the light and it makes him smile, his hold tightening on her leg, “But she was the first person we told, Aaron. The first. And…”

She drifts off, knowing she doesn’t have to say anything else, that he understands. 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” 

“No it’s not your fault,” she says, smiling softly at him, “It was the right thing to do. And I’m not even mad, she wasn’t wrong. But neither were we,” she shrugs the shoulder Jack isn’t pressed into, “It’s just…always going to be like this isn’t it? What’s she going to say when we decide to have kids?” 

She isn’t looking for an answer, and they both know there isn’t one, so he simply shifts closer to her, leaning in to kiss her. 

“You’re allowed to be happy about this, Em,” he says, stamping another kiss against her lips, “You know that right?” 

She nods, cupping his cheek, “I know, and I am. I promise,” she kisses him, “So happy.” 

“Good,” he replies, “Because I’m happy too.” 

It felt like more of a declaration of his love than the ring on her finger did, the happiness she thought they’d never feel again when he was in the hospital, and she smiles. 

“I should take him to bed,” Aaron says, and she shakes her head, pulling him down instead so he was laying against her, squished between her and the couch. “Em.”

“In a minute,” she says, turning her head to kiss his forehead in the same way she had done for Jack, “I just want to lay here with my Hotchner boys for a bit.” 

He puts his arm over her, his hand coming to rest on his son, “Ok sweetheart, whatever you want.” 

-x-

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[twentydaysofdrabbles]

The Concierge Plants A Seed (Part 46)

You approach them with a tray laden with drinks and nibbles, offering it silently. All three of them decline, to your surprise. The Manager must be restless indeed to decline a pot of tea. You do suppose that this is hardly a social call. So, you set it aside at the unmanned bar and return to the Manager's side, standing at her shoulder with your hands folded over your belly.

Frisk and Toriel had taken a seat in the time that you had gone to stow the tray away, the former swinging their legs restlessly while the latter sits up straight, hands in her lap. Formal. Proper. Like the Queen she used to be.

"Speak, please Miss Manager." Toriel is the one to break the silence. Frisk tightens their hands against the soft upholstery of the chair they sit on, as though trying to stop themselves from speaking.

"Of course," the Manager inclines her head. She leans back in her seat, legs crossed. The very image of a woman in control. "Were you aware that a Harbinger has paid His Highness a visit?"

Frisk frowns. Toriel's stony expression cracks to reveal a slight downturn of her lips.

The Manager tilts her head. "No? I suppose that you don't technically serve His Highness, Mx Frisk. And Miss Toriel is estranged from him"

I knew someone had come to see him and deliver an invitation in person, Frisk signs, their gaze flickering to you. I don't know what a Harbinger is.

A nod, and the Manager explains. "Someone that foreshadows a future event. Harbingers are agents of the High Table, higher ranked than an Adjudicator or an Emissary, and their arrival portents death. Their presence does not signal anything good and are a sign of worse things - and times - to come."

The more she speaks, the lower Toriel's head drops until she is cradling her muzzle in her paws. "Oh for fuck's sake, Asgore," she mumbles into her paws. "This couldn't be what you meant..."

Mum? Frisk taps Toriel's thigh to get her attention.

"Gorey - he-" Toriel takes in a deep breath. "When I was trapped in his home, during one of the periods of lucidity afforded to me, I remember him saying that he would sell his soul to make sure we were all safe in this new world."

Now it is Frisk's turn to drop their head into their hands.

The Manager only closes her eyes. You, meanwhile, are only barely able to restrain the shake of your head.

"Do you know who he 'sold his soul' to?" Toriel asks with a tired voice.

Piercing eyes look at you, and you look back at her wordlessly. The Manager turns back to Toriel and Frisk with a wave of her hand in a noncommittal gesture. "No one that I can confirm. However, it would be the newly appointed Imperator, the Marquis de Gramont, if no one else."

Toriel's face has 'what' and 'why' written all over it.

Frisk signs with a slightly sheepish expression. Don't know what an Imperator is, either.

"Imperator is a temporary title and rank that is granted to one individual in agreeance with all members of the High Table. Done only in an effort to resolve a political situation or in a time of imbalance and strife. Of late, there is a man waging war against the High Table for his freedom over in New York." The Manager's eyes tighten, she looks past Toriel's shoulder, but rallies and looks the former queen in the eye again. "This Imperator is newly appointed and operates out of Paris, France."

Toriel starts to shake her head. "Gorey wouldn't have a clue where Paris is, let alone how to contact someone so...so important over there." But he eventually could, and would. Just not now.

Times like these remind you that the Underground was a comparatively small place, perhaps only as big as the City or slightly smaller in geographical size. It certainly didn't have the same population. With only one government, though with several factions within the Kingdom, the monarchy never had to worry about interacting with other ruling bodies. The monsters might have Ascended for a few years now, but it didn't mean they were entirely acclimatised.

I know Alphys has been working to expand communication networks, Frisk signs, though they seem apologetic when Toriel's face screws up at the mention of the Royal Scientist. And Sans would have sent his spies abroad.

"If I may," you speak softly, remembering your conversation with Sans and Papyrus not too long ago. They all look at you, and the manager nods encouragingly. "Mister Papyrus is sure that His Highness has never met the Marquis, however he fell out of favour with His Highness following Miss Toriel's temporary imprisonment," you say evenly and unflinchingly, even when the air thickens around the former queen. "Mister Sans believes His Highness would have met with the Marquis at that time."

The Manager nods - she had heard it from you in a previous report.

Frisk, however, widens their eyes as though something clicks in their head. I think I know when that might have been. I needed to find Asgore to sign off on something and couldn't find him - I was told that he was overseas on business. They frown, thinking. It would've been after the meeting here. With the Manager.

Toriel is of less help. "I'm far too removed from monster politics these days to chime in on any periods of absence or unrest," she says as she shakes her head. "But I do know that Gorey wouldn't have made the decision to go to France alone. If he even went there in the first place." She cradles her muzzle in one paw as she thinks.

The Manager stirs then, eyes roving from Frisk to Toriel. "Hm. You are both close to the skeleton brothers, yes?"

Toriel and Frisk look at each other, then at the Manager.

"Sans served as my Royal Scientist for a short time, and thereafter as the Judge. I can claim to be friends with him but I cannot guarantee that he will tell me anything," Toriel murmurs, thinking out loud. "He has ever had his own agenda. Papyrus has never served me and he was young when I abdicated the throne."

The Manager doesn't look at you, nor you at her, but there is a silent agreement that you would conduct some further investigation into this. The brothers had given you some when they met you in the Lounge, but ultimately no one knew anything for sure.

Frisk is slightly better. I can ask; I like to think I'm friends with them. I know Papyrus wasn't happy when it came out that Asgore held Mum hostage. Sans might tell me if I offer to help him.

"I think you might find that they will come to you. Sooner, rather than later." The Manager smiles a sharp smile. Her eyes, intense. "If they are as unhappy as they appear, they might be seeking an alternative to the leadership the monsters currently have."

Oh, that's heavy handed of her.

It is as if the world holds their breath the moment the Manager finishes her sentence.

"What," Toriel growls. "Are you implying, Miss Manager?" Her eyes are dark with cloaked fury.

Frisk tightens their fists on the table, their expression pinched.

With her hands spread wide, the Manager croons, "When a monarch is deemed unsuitable for the crown, the People will revolt. But the mantle must fall to another whose values align with the People's. Usually, that person is someone known to the People, whose banner the People will march into battle with. Tell me, Miss Toriel, who you think that person would be?"

Three pairs of human eyes fall to Toriel, the former Queen of Monsters who was still looked upon kindly by her subjects regardless of her colourful past with the King. She turns pale under her white fur. Clenches her jaw resolutely. And barks, "No."

Mum, Frisk signs after they shake Toriel's arm. Think about it. Who else will it be? Undyne? Alphys. Stars forbid, Sans?

Still, Toriel shakes her head. "I will not," she snarls to herself. With an iron control over her strength, she shakes Frisk's hand off her as gently as she can manage and stands, pacing the walkway angrily. "I abdicated for a reason, my child!"

The Manager watches the goat monster pace down the path and back again. She leans in her seat, trails her finger over the top of her armrest. "Then it will be someone else. Perhaps someone who would be willing to bend the knee to the High Table. Or who cares less for your People than you do." It's not secret that she alludes to the names Frisk put forward. "But that's something only you can decide, Toriel."

The honorific is dropped then, the familiarity evident in the Manager's voice, and Toriel's dark eyes lock with hers. "You've always been able to make hard decisions, Toriel. Dilemmas and choices that would make anyone else balk," the Manager speaks quietly, as though raising her voice would break the little bubble around the gazebo. "You might think your people will give you a choice, but consider whether that is the truth...or mere wishful thinking."

Toriel slows to a halt, spinning around to she has her back to the gazebo. Staring out at the sprawling city. Frisk just stares down at the table.

"You won't have much longer to decide, Toriel." The Manager gets to her feet and buttons her suit jacket back up. "The King meets with the Marquis at the end of the week. At that point, your Family will be bound." A pause, then the Manager speaks in a more gentle manner, "Stay as long as you like, Miss Toriel, Mx Frisk. You are always welcome here."

There is no answer that comes from either of them.

She looks over her shoulder at you and nods, gently easing out of the seating area. Her shoes click delicately on the paved path, and even as she passes Toriel, the goat monster doesn't turn.

You follow behind her as she departs, obeying the subtle gesture. Ignoring the stares burning into your back.

In the relative privacy of the elevator as it goes back down to the Manager's office, you finally speak. "Is that wise?" You look at her reflection. "That might have been a bit heavy handed, ma'am."

The Manager smooth back an errant lock of hair from her face. "The seed must be planted. Miss Toriel is not the sort to immediately think of a coup, but Mx Frisk is more open to it. And that Mister Sans...he will not wait to bring it up to her. Best that it come from someone who isn't as close to the King." A sigh. "I don't doubt Mister Sans will wait to pressure her; it's likely that he will see that there is only one way in which this whole debacle will end."

You blink slowly and sigh. Looks like it's time to sharpen the guillotine.

[hederasgarden]

Night Drive

Summary: Your reunion with Rooster gets interrupted by Hangman. 

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x F!Reader x Jake “Hangman” Seresin

Word Count: 867

Rating: Explicit, 18+ only. Semi public oral sex (m receiving), discussions of threesome, cum swapping and dirty talk.

A/N: Thank you @whatblogisthis216 @therebeccaw and @wildbornsiren for looking this over. I have been away for a while and had anxious moment about my writing skills. Thanks guys!

Please reblog or comment if you enjoyed! Your support keeps me writing.

Masterlist ♡ Top Gun Masterlist

It’s dark on the beach, the stars above bright and beautiful with the ocean waves crashing against the shore, but you don’t see or hear any of that. Your face is pressed firmly against Rooster’s hard, tanned stomach and his soft grunts fill your ears.

“Fuck,” he sighs, hands on the back of your head keeping you in place.

You moan in response, trying to breathe around his thick length as you suck on his cock. Giving him a blow job in the front seat of his bronco isn’t the brightest idea, but you’re parked in a quiet and secluded spot. Here Rooster can be as loud as he wants and there’s no danger of someone overhearing the wet, sloppy sounds you’re making.

God, you’ve missed him. He’s been gone on a mission for weeks and the familiar taste of his skin and cum are enough to have you wet and achy.

“Couldn’t wait to get home, huh?” A voice asks, startling you both.

It’s Hangman, his southern drawl unmistakable. If you weren’t so preoccupied with swallowing all of Rooster, you might have told him to fuck off. You ignore him, bobbing your head.

“Like you’d deny her,” Rooster retorts, panting, squeezing and rubbing the back of your neck.

You can see Hangman’s feet shuffle closer and he whistles, bending down until his face is level with yours. He drags his fingertips along the curve of your jaw.

“Can’t blame you, Rooster. She looks real pretty like this with those tears and that eager little tongue.”

You can tell your boyfriend is getting ready for a quippy retort so you hollow your cheeks and swirl your tongue. He swears, groaning deeply. Hangman’s eyes are still on you and it emboldens you. The hand on your head twitches and you continue to work Rooster over, more enthusiastically than before. Just when you feel his heavy balls draw up against your lips you pull off him.

Sitting up with a smile, you ignore the wrecked sound Rooster makes in response. His thigh trembles below the hand you rest there, letting you know just how needy he is. “Sweetheart,” he whines, trying to guide you back to his cock.

“This isn’t a free show. It’s going to cost you,” you tell Hangman, ignoring your boyfriend.

“Oh darlin, you know I’m good for it,” he boasts, using his thumb to wipe the spit on your mouth. He maintains eye contact as he slowly licks his finger clean. The skin around his eyes crinkle and he gives you a smug look.

“What did you have in mind?” You ask him, dropping your hand to Rooster’s lap to lazily stroke him. His desperate little grunt has you slowing your motion, teasing him further. Hangman’s gaze follows the movement, seemingly entranced.

“Paris is nice this time of year,” he says finally, grinning when Rooster bucks into your hand.

“Here?” you ask, doubtfully.

“No, at home,” Hangman tells you. “Unlike Rooster, I don’t like people looking at what’s mine.”

You roll your eyes, but shake his offered hand. Like you were going to say no to a night between your favorite men.

“Great. We have a deal. Now shut the fuck up,” Rooster dismisses, grasping the back of your neck to draw you back down to his aching cock. “Can’t you see the lady’s busy?”

You start again by teasing the head of his cock, tonguing at his slit while you twist his length in your hand. He’s achingly close and normally you’d let him come down your throat but tonight you have something else in mind. You keep just the tip between your lips, sucking and teasing him until he lifts his hips and fills your mouth with his hot, salty spend. You swallow some, savoring the taste and moaning deeply. Then you rise up on your knees and beckon Hangman closer.

He seems aware of your plan, licking his lips before kissing you deeply. You open your mouth to share Rooster’s taste with him, loving how your tongues tangle together, and Hangman swallows without hesitation. He rubs your arms and continues to kiss you until air becomes necessary and you pull away.

“Well shit, honey,” he begins, reaching down to adjust himself. “That was fucking something. I think you sucked Rooster’s brains out.”

You glance down at your boyfriend who looks absolutely spent. He’s panting heavily, his cheeks flushed. His cock is still half hard, shiny from your spit and his cum. He groans when you swipe your thumb over his head to gather whatever your mouth missed. One eye snaps open to watch you lick your finger clean.

“Fuck,” he mutters, laying his head back.

“If you’re not up for it Bradshaw, I can handle her all on my own,” Hangman taunts.

“Fuck off,” your boyfriend grumbles. “Give me two minutes and I’m good to go.”

“You better be,” you warn him, leaning down to kiss him sweetly. “I was promised quite the trip and we both know Hangman can’t get me there on his own.”

"Better watch that smart mouth," Hangman warns.

"Make me," you shoot back, grinning.

“You two are going to kill me,” Rooster sighs.

♡

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[mc-lukanette]

*crawls over completely exhausted* No Canon Lukanette... Need fluff... maybe salt too...

Luka gave Marinette's parents a smile as he waited for Marinette to come downstairs, though to say he was concerned was an understatement. He and Marinette hadn't been dating for long, but he knew something was wrong due to her song singing even more stress-filled notes than usual. He wanted to talk to her about it, but also wanted her to open up to him herself when she was ready.

Wanting to focus on smiling for her when she came down, Luka shook off the thought and stared up at Marinette's trap door. Seeing that she hadn't come down yet - understandable given that she had no idea he was there - he pulled out his phone and navigated to her contact. However, just before he could tap on it, there was an abrupt, loud, and unusual noise coming from Marinette's room, followed by the sound of Marinette yelping and presumably hitting the floor.

Luka gasped. “Marinette!”

Not even thinking, he hurried upstairs, phone clutched tightly in his hand as he pushed the trap door up and let himself in.

Over a dozen tiny kwami were speeding around her room, each with distinct voices and one of whom he recognized as Sass. He'd initially thought that the Liberty was chaos, and it was, but there was something different about fifteen little melodies all moving around simultaneously and wreaking havoc. They hadn't even seemed to notice that he was there.

There was also a ladybug-patterned ellipsoid lying on the table in the middle of it all, though Luka's eyes fixated mostly on Marinette lying there on the floor, now staring at him with wide eyes as he took in the whole situation.

"L-luka!" she greeted, voice forced. "W-what a surprise! I mean, you must be surprised at my toy collection! See, there's—there’s this magnetism thing going on that lets them seem like they're flying and—"

She was cut off as one of the kwami accidentally dropped something to the floor, making her flinch from the loud noise. Even the sound all around the room was overwhelming, the little beings ignoring Marinette’s panic in favor of playing with her things.

That's when the tears started, subtly at first until Marinette let out a whimper.

Ignoring all the revelations he just went through, Luka hurried to Marinette's side, helping her up and checking her for injuries. "Marinette, are you okay—"

"You know!" she cut in, running her fingers anxiously through her hair. "You're not supposed to know!"

He took a breath, recognizing that he was going to have to deal with these revelations now. "It's okay. I promise, I'd never—"

"No, it's not okay!" she argued, throwing her hands out. "I've been guardian for just a few days and this—this isn't—! I already—and now the kwami are out—!" She slumped and dropped her gaze to the floor, ashamed. "I'm a bad guardian. I'm a bad girlfriend. I couldn't protect you from knowing!"

"Marinette, you're not a bad girlfriend. You—" He paused, something occurring to him. "Protect me...?"

He hadn't been Viperion for long, but Luka remembered the importance given to secret identities. He understood that it was a form of protecting oneself and one's loved ones, meaning that a permanent hero like Ladybug needed to keep hers a secret the most.

"Is..." His stomach twisted in knots as he remembered all the dates she'd had to either miss or postpone. He bent down, trying to look at her face, and when he still couldn't, he gently cupped her face and encouraged her to make eye contact with him. "Is that why—"

"Yes! That's why I have to keep cutting our dates short, and not being there for you, and not going on patrols with Chat, and why I haven't had time to take those stupid Adrien pictures down! I can't do anything right!"

At some point, the volume of her voice had finally drawn the attention of the kwami, who all stared at her like children watching their parent having a breakdown and feeling awkward about it. Luka paid them no mind, his heart breaking as he processed all the information Marinette was telling him while all he could do was pull her into a hug and just hold her.

"I'm sorry I found out like this," he admitted, running his hand up and down along her back. "I'm glad that I know but I would've wanted you to share that secret with me instead."

"I-I'm sor—"

"Please don't apologize, Marinette," he gently begged. "I hate hearing songs with meanings I don't agree with. You don't have anything to feel sorry for. If I had the ladybug earrings instead, I would've had to do the same thing as you, and you wouldn't have asked me to apologize, would you?"

She looked up at him, expression pained and full of so many burdens that he couldn't believe he hadn't seen before. He brushed her fringe aside and rested his palm against her forehead, concerned about how pale she seemed and worried that she'd stress herself to a cold.

She leaned into his touch, then further until he was forced to move his hand away. She buried her face in his chest, surprising him as she hugged him tightly. Her song turned from the harsh wail of an electric guitar to the mellow tones of an acoustic, and he sighed in a mixture of relief and happiness.

"...Luka," she murmured, lightly clutching whatever fabric she could reach. "The movie. We'll miss it at this rate."

He hummed, half in response to what she said and half in content. "You're so much more important than the movie."

His heart skipped a beat when she actually giggled, her grip on him loosening and the hug turning to something she did because she wanted to, not for comfort. "More important than Jagged Stone?"

He chuckled, burying his face into her hair as he returned the hug. "Always. Even my idol can't compete with my muse."

She leaned further into him, her melody picking up hints off a bell chiming happily. She almost knocked him over from how much of her weight she was putting on him, but he didn't protest and even enjoyed it; it meant she was trusting him with her secrets instead of shouldering the weight herself.

"I know I couldn't have known," he began, "but I'm sorry that our dates took up your time. I never wanted to cause you any stress."

"But I wanted to!" she insisted, jolting up to look at him. "It's just—it's been a lot, and—"

He placed two fingers against her lips before she could start rambling. "Marinette, I don't need to go on normal dates to have fun with you."

She blinked, waiting for him to move his fingers before asking, "Y-you don't?"

He smiled. "Of course not. I can hang out here while you work, while you do important stuff."

With a small, amused snort, she pulled away from him and wiped any stray tears away. "You're 'important stuff.'"

He grinned like the love-struck fool that he was, then shrugged. "Well, I'll still be here anyway then, right?"

"That's true." She paused, glancing off to the side in consideration, then looked back at him as she asked, "in that case... would you help me with something?"

"Anything," he answered immediately.

She pointed, his gaze drawn to her wall full of Adrien pictures. "Like I said, I haven't had the time, and... I've been wanting to remodel forever."

He was more than happy to help, and there was a selfish part of him that considered it far better than any movie they could've seen.

—————

It took a bit more time than either of them anticipated to take down all of the images, but between the two of them, it wasn't a hard job. The biggest time-waster during the whole thing was Marinette's rambling, but Luka welcomed it wholeheartedly.

Due to not watching much TV, he honestly hadn't heard about what'd happened when Jagged Stone had been at the bakery and the camera crew had invaded Marinette's privacy, and he couldn't believe how much mental stress she must've gone through. After all, even though he and Juleka shared a room, there was still a divider for when they needed their privacy, so he wasn't unaware about how personal it was to have one's room recorded without their consent, even if nothing embarrassing got caught on camera.

It seemed cruel to know that Paris' supposedly lucky superhero was perhaps one of the unluckiest people he'd ever known.

Almost on cue, just when the last picture was down and Marinette was debating on what to do with them, her phone went off with a ringtone that sounded very much like danger. Looking over, there was a butterfly symbol flashing on the screen and Marinette's expression faltered at the sight of it.

"Akuma alert," she said flatly, with a pout that would've been cute had he not known what it meant. She hesitated, eyes flicking from him to her phone. "Um... look, I... I have to—"

"Go," he interrupted with a reassuring smile. "I'm not going anywhere, and I'll be here when you're done."

"But—" She frowned and glared at her phone, clearly knowing that she had to leave but not wanting to.

"I mean it, Marinette. It's okay."

She looked at him like she'd never heard those words from anyone else before, eyes vulnerable but fond. She gave him a nod, a brief smile flickering across her face before she turned away and rushed to the stairs. She shouted for her transformation on the way out and Luka watched as her clothes shifted into her ladybug-patterned bodysuit.

When she was completely gone, Luka felt a sudden unsteadiness and leaned against the table for support. It wasn't that he was shocked exactly to hear that Marinette was Ladybug, but he was still overloaded nonetheless.

As his hand rested on the table, he felt the heel of his palm brush something and looked down to see the pile of Adrien pictures next to him. It sent another rush through his body at the reminder that she'd asked him to help her take them down. He was dating her, sure, but he wasn't foolish enough to think that there were no lingering feelings for Adrien. He knew where she stood and he was okay letting her test the waters with him, as she did have feelings for him and who was he to complain if his crush wanted to date him? Besides, he couldn't help wanting to see if maybe it would truly make their bond stronger.

Looking at the wall now, clear of anything but the pink paint, he knew this was real and ended up wishing he'd brought his guitar.

Then, remembering the akuma alert on Marinette's phone, Luka pulled out his own and began to search, eventually finding what she already had: a direct link to watch streams and updates on whatever akuma or sentimonster shenanigans were going on. He knew well enough that he would only give himself anxiety from it, but he wanted to watch his girlfriend in action as a form of support.

Gosh, Ladybug was his girlfriend.

He took a deep breath to steady himself as he watched the footage, his eyes locked to the screen and only shifting when he felt various figures drawing close. He looked up to see that the kwami had all gathered around him, watching the screen closely.

"So..." the pig-looking kwami began, fiddling with their own paws like they knew they were being awkward. "Have you ever wanted to be a hero?"

There was a hiss off to the side, Sass cutting in with, "He already has me."

Luka wasn't feeling up to smile at that, debating with himself before sighing. "Marinette works really hard, and her song is full of sour notes right now," he said. Stepping away and heading for the chaise lounge, he sat down and added, "I hope you can figure out how to rewrite them."

The kwami all exchanged looks, some confused by the metaphor and others who perhaps understood but didn't know how to follow up on it. Luka didn't give them his attention, focusing on the akuma battle playing on his phone.

As he'd expected, it made him a little nervous actually seeing Ladybug in action due to now knowing it was his girlfriend fighting out there. He believed in her abilities and mentally cheered her on, but he just kept remembering all the akuma he'd known about and how stressful it had to have been.

Off to the side, some of the kwami joined forces to help pick up some of the items they'd previously dropped on the floor. It was only after Marinette's room looked as it did before that they properly joined Luka to watch the battle with him.

It was a start.

—————

The battle between Ladybug and the akuma (and Chat Noir was there he supposed) seemed to be getting into its final verse when Luka heard the sound of the trap door being grabbed and clicked open, making him jump. He was only able to whisper a, "Hide," so the kwami could act before Sabine peered inside the room and took a curious look around.

Apparently, they all thought that huddling against his back was a great hiding spot, and he could only smile sheepishly at Sabine while attempting to ignore the weird feeling.

"You're still here?" Sabine asked. "I thought you were going somewhere, and..." She raised a brow, looking around once more. "Where's Marinette?"

"Ah," Luka began, his mind rushing for an excuse, "we actually decided to have our date here instead. Marinette just went up to her balcony to grab something."

It didn't feel good to lie, though he also felt a sense of accomplishment in protecting Marinette's secret. Was this what Marinette dealt with all the time; having to lie to people even if she didn't want to?

Sabine glanced up briefly to where the balcony was, then back to him, slightly confused but rolling with it. "Alright. Do you two need anything?"

"No, ma'am. Thank you though," he replied, hoping it didn't sound forced.

Thankfully, Sabine nodded and left without asking any further questions, the kwami emerging and clinging to Luka while they peered at the now-closed trap door. Luka breathed a sigh of relief, then went back to watching the akuma battle on his phone.

The rest of the fight took a couple minutes, and all that was left to do afterward was wait for Ladybug to return. Once again, Luka wished he had his guitar, making a mental note to get all of his feelings out when he got home, as typical music apps just didn't do anything for him.

An expected "thump" eventually came from the balcony, and the kwami drifting away from Luka as Ladybug descended and landed on her bed. She saw Luka staring at her and initially flinched, but it was clearly a reflex from people seeing her as Ladybug where she shouldn't be, and she hurried down to meet with him afterward. Luka hopped to his feet, not hesitating to meet her halfway and envelop her in a hug, earning a squeak out of her.

"L-luka?"

"Sorry," he murmured. "Just... I got to think about everything you must've gone through without m—" He choked off, suddenly embarrassed, then corrected, "—someone to help you."

She blinked, then giggled and hugged him back. "You're my boyfriend. You're apologizing for hugging me and being worried about sounding selfish?" She nestled her face against his shoulder and he blushed at how warm she was. "Don't. I like it when you're a little selfish, Luka. It grounds me; makes me feel like you're not totally out of my league."

Luka scoffed, nuzzling his head against hers. "You're in a league all your own. I'm literally dating a superhero."

"Trust me, it's not as cool as it sounds."

"I disagree. I think you're really cool."

She blushed profusely. "H-hey..."

He chuckled. "By the way, your mom came to check up on us."

Ladybug gasped, then pulled back, eyes wide and concerned. She was clearly about to apologize, so he cut her off before she could.

"I told her that we were having our date here and that you were getting something from the balcony. Everything's alright."

Her shoulders eased. She let out a sigh of relief as her head fell back against his shoulder. "Thank you."

He hummed contently, resting his hand along her back and keeping it there. Then, realizing when Sabine came up earlier and might do it again, he reminded her, "You're still Ladybug."

"Huh? ...Oh!" she said, though with less panic than normal and unwilling to recoil from the happy spot she was in.

He heard the whisper of her de-transformation phrase and winced as the light engulfed her, slowly turning her back into Marinette. He felt the spandex under his hand turn into fabric and Marinette's breath against his skin as she exhaled.

A kwami that Luka deduced was Marinette's flew a small distance away, eyeing Luka warily and semi-critically. Luka didn't blame her - he wasn't supposed to know - but he also knew that it was far too late to change anything now, and there was no way he was going to abandon Marinette or pretend he knew nothing. He imagined that the kwami knew that too.

"...I'm Tikki," the kwami greeted finally. "It's nice to meet you officially, Luka."

Luka gave her a nod in return, then stiffened somewhat as Marinette squeezed him tighter, burying her face further against him like she truly cherished him.

"It's still a lot," she whispered. "Is it okay if you hug me a little longer?"

"Of course." Though, he paused for a moment before adding, "Would it be more comfortable for you if we move to your chaise?"

"Hm?" She pulled away just enough to look down and realize that they were still awkwardly standing at the bottom of the steps to her bed. "Oh! Yeah, I mean—I didn't even—"

"Hey." He tenderly cupped her cheek, offering a smile. "I didn't complain, did I?"

She looked briefly surprised, making him wonder just how much she'd had to apologize in the past. They slowly made their way over to the chaise lounge, Luka settling down and opening his arms for her so she could settle onto his lap and snuggle against him. He leaned back against the chaise, throwing his legs across the length of it, then wrapped an arm around Marinette to make her feel secure.

"This is nice. It's... um—" She peeked up at him, then grinned shyly. "—melodic? Is that what you'd call it?"

He couldn't stop himself from snorting.

Marinette blushed in embarrassment. "H-hey! I'm trying, okay?"

"I know." He took a strand of her hair in his hand and stroked it. "You always try, and I love that about you."

She let out a series of whines at that, but doesn't protest the compliment either. She nestled against his chest, keeping her face turned away enough to still talk to him without her voice being muffled.

"I just... want to know more about you, Luka," she told him. "You're so sweet and I felt awful having to ditch you. Didn't it bother you?"

He gave a one-armed shrug. "You were busy. I unders—"

"Luka."

He stopped, meeting her firm gaze and knowing that he wasn't getting out of this easily. He sighed, admitting, "...Yeah, it bothered me, but it wasn't because of you or that I didn't trust you. I... see—my dad..." He rubbed the back of his neck, realizing that he'd never told anyone this story before. "I never knew who he was. I asked my mom so many times, but she never gave me an answer. Whenever you had to leave and lie to me, I..."

"Oh." She raised herself up more to meet him closer to eye level. "I'm so sorry—wait—sorry, you told me not to apologize—Sorry! I did it agai—ACK!"

He laughed, feeling warm and delighted by how much she cared about him and wanted him to feel secure in their relationship. He squeezed her shoulder in reassurance, wanting to nuzzle her for how cute she was being and just barely able to hold himself back.

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad you were looking out for me, but you deserve someone to look out for you too."

She pouted a bit at the heartfelt comment, then smiled and raised her hand to settle on his along her shoulder.

He hummed, pausing purposefully for effect before asking, "...So, what does the great guardian Marinette want to do now?"

"Oh my gosh, Luka."

He grinned, happy to compliment her until she was completely red. "How about the brave and heroic Ladybug then?"

"Luka."

He reached up to caress her cheek with his thumb. "But, if you ask me, I like the kind, sincere civilian Marinette best."

"LUKA!"

—————

The rest of their "date" passed by smoothly, Marinette's parents having left them alone so as to not interrupt anything. Marinette had idly brought up the idea that the movie might still be playing - just at a different time than they planned on going - but Luka brushed off the idea and insisted that he was happy there and didn't need to go on a "real" date with her to have fun, opting to leave it up to her.

And... yeah, neither of them were willing to leave their current position and exchange it for having to sit in different seats at a theater with other people around. They opted to just stare at the ceiling and talk, the kwami having respectfully retreated to Marinette's bed to give them privacy.

Talks of their past meetings and when she left to become Ladybug soon turned into a game of finishing Jagged Stone lyrics. Luka, either by being the bigger fan or just having an easier time remembering them, ended up winning in the end, though he couldn't have expected Marinette to follow up by immediately leaving his lap. He'd held back a whine at the sudden lack of warmth and wondered if maybe she'd been teasing him with some sort of punishment by going away.

But then she'd returned with a tiny pink gift box, and inside was a guitar pick necklace signed by Jagged Stone himself.

"He came into the bakery the other day and I had him sign it for you," she explained. Taking it out to fully present it to him, she asked, "Do...do you like it?"

"I love it, Marinette," he replied immediately, reaching out to feel the guitar pick and properly appreciate it. "I can have this?"

She smiled in response, holding the necklace out in a gesture that made his heart skip a beat, realizing that she was offering to put it on him herself. He leaned close, feeling the light brush of her fingers against his neck as she slipped it onto him. He silently hoped that it was durable because he was absolutely never taking it off.

Marinette's hands lingered on the string even when the necklace was fully on, Luka meeting her gaze to see that she was looking at him with all the love he'd ever dreamed of her offering him. He didn't say a word and neither did she, but with a light tug on his necklace, he was pulled towards her into a kiss. It was definitely too deep for their first but also so nice that neither of them cared, and not even the Ladybug revelation could outmatch his surprise at being so readily smooched.

Luka reached for the hand grabbing his necklace, Marinette letting go of it so they could thread their fingers together. His song was going crazy as she leaned forward, clearly wanting more from him and him being wonderfully helpless to resist her. He breathed her in, his other hand finding its place on her side. Her own hand rose up so her fingers could settle against the back of his neck, and he couldn't bring himself to be embarrassed by the sound he made when she started playing with his hair.

She didn't even pull away when their kiss broke, merely pressing her forehead to his while they each caught their breath. Despite the boldness she'd just displayed, she somehow couldn't maintain eye contact and ended up looking elsewhere while all he could do was stare at her in a daze.

"S-sor—" She paused, remembering again that he told her not to apologize. "I-I mean, I'm... not sorry? I—ah—remembered you saying that music is simpler than words, so I just—I thought that maybe I shouldn't ask you with words and just... play it instead?" Luka could feel the heat radiating from her blush as she hurriedly added, "Um... is that okay?"

He answered her with another kiss.

[apricotgojo]

Hi! Could I please request a fluffy chat noir fic? Maybe where he and the reader are cuddling and he starts purring and the reader teases him and thinks it’s adorable? Tyyy -Bhad Bleep

Hello Bhad Bleep ! <3 I hope that you enjoy what I wrote for u bb uwu. Also i hope that it’s fluffy enough too >.< anyways, enjoy !

Pairing: Chat Noir X Reader

Warnings: just some swearing.

Tags: Chat is tired pls, purring ;), He’s just adorable tbh. 

Candles, homemade cookies, pillows, a red picnic blanket, bubble milk tea and soft music playing in the background while you gazed at a duck floating on the lake with the moonlight shimmering over it.

He was always late so you’re used to this but for some reason you couldn’t help but feel a slight anger overcome you.

The only thing that was missing was him.

Your boyfriend, Chat noir.

Or maybe it was worry because usually when he’s this late it meant that something bad has happened.

You sighed to yourself and poked a hole in the plastic lid of your bubble tea, sipping it and chewing on the soft, jelly like tapioca.

You shook your head.

No, he could take care of himself.

It really sucked because you had no way of contacting him because you simply couldn’t know anything about his real identity.

Nonetheless, you trusted him with your whole heart. You knew he would come soon.

“Mon ange, sorry im late.”

You almost ended up choking on the tapioca pearl.

Coughing, you looked up at him and he widened his eyes walking to you and rubbing your back.

“Chat…You’re hurt.” You whisper, a frown evident on your face but your eyes filled with worry.

You looked at him, he had a bruise on his cheek and his suit had a cut on his right bicep.

Your coughing eased and you lifted a hand to brush your thumb over the bruise.

He holds your hand against his cheek and gives you a small smile.

“You should’ve seen the other guy.” He winks and you and it makes you chuckle.

He always had to try and make things less serious than they were because he hated seeing you frown.

“Do you want me to pack up everything and go home so you can rest?” You ask.

He quickly shakes his head.

“That wont be necessary beautiful, especially when I haven’t even had one of your famous homemade cookies!” He pulls you up on his lap quickly, making you yelp in surprise but ultimately giggle.

“I’m sorry I came late Ma belle.” He whispers and tucks a strand of hair behind your ear.

He kisses you softly and you close your eyes, leaning more into the kiss and wrapping your arms around his neck for support.

You pull away and look into his bright green eyes, half lidded but full of love.

“darling…” He says and lifts your chin up to make you look at him. “You know I can-“

You sigh and shake your head.

“Please Chat, I was just worried about you. It’s hard when I can’t even contact you, you know.” You huff and cross your arms over your chest, looking down.

“Can’t give me any personal information because my identity must remain a secret for now.” You continue for him. “Yeah I know. I just care about you.” You murmur.

He lets out a breathy laugh and shakes his head. “Nothing’s going to happen to me babe.” He says and looks at you straight in the eyes. “Plus, you’re dating one of Paris’ most respected, handsome, strongest, superheroes. Villains aint got shit on me.” He says proudly, placing a hand on his chest.

You roll your eyes playfully and laugh.

“I got your favourite by the way.” You smirk and move down from his lap to get the drink. “Honeydew bubble milk tea!” You exclaim and he gasps grabbing the drink from your hand, a huge grin on his face.

“Please don’t ever say that again.” You say.

“Thank you Mon ange!” He says and quickly kisses your cheek before popping the straw through the lid, taking a long sip.

His eyes roll to the back of his head and he hums in pleasure. “This shit bussin’” He says and you close your eyes, sighing while pinching the bridge of your nose.

He snorts and puts the bubble tea down.

“can i?” He asks while pointing to your lap.

“I got perfectly good pillows and you still want to use my thighs to rest your head?” You say and quirk an eyebrow up.

He smirks and nods and you could already tell what’s going on in his head.

“Come on kitty.” You say and chuckle at him as he scoots over and rests his head on your lap.

You sigh happily as you look at him.

You longed for times like these with him, it was always your favourite time of the day.

He was a breath of fresh air, a distraction, your paradise.

You start playing with his hair, letting the soft blonde locks run through your fingers.

You wondered what he did in his personal life.

From what you could tell, he was gorgeous enough to be a model.

He had the physique, soft skin and luscious hair.

Or maybe he’s a pianist.

His fingers were long and delicate and he mentioned that he knew how to play so maybe it was his profession.

Maybe he fences.

You saw the way he fights. He keeps his back straight, he’s observant and very good when it comes to reflexes.

You may not know these things but you were at peace with knowing that you fell in love with him because of who he truly his.

You hoped you’d see what he really looked like underneath the mask one day though.

You looked at him and widened his eyes and he shot his eyes open.

Your thoughts were cut off when you felt vibrations come from the superhero laying on your lap.

He was purring.

“Did you just..” You trail off and you can see his cheeks glow red.

“No- I-It was probably the wind.” He chuckles nervously and gulps.

You giggled at him and he nuzzles his face in your hand.

You notice that your hand was right behind his ear this time so you start to gently scratch it again.

His eyes close, his lips part and vibrations emerge from his throat.

This was adorable. Just like a little kitty.

He stops nuzzling you and his purrs get softer, his eyes were still closed.

He was probably too happy and blissful to even care about the fact that he was purring anymore.

Or maybe he was so tired that this was the only way he truly felt at peace.

“Chat?” You whispered. No response.

He was asleep.

You smiled to yourself.

Maybe this was all that you ever really needed in life.

He made you feel whole, even if there was a part of him that was missing.

You hoped that you’d do the same.

[miraculouscontent]

so... could you write some more adrien/chat salt? your fics and posts salting on him are always so good 🥺

Thank you! And of course~

—————

Ladybug had considered what to say multiple times over the day she'd had to think about it. She'd thought about all the different ways she could've said it, and what would've been the most effective when who she was talking to was taken into account.

However, sitting there on the rooftops with Chat Noir, there was a point where she just had to say it, no matter how it came out.

"Give me your miraculous."

Chat jerked his head over to her, jarred from the silence and eyes wide as his brain seemed to process the statement. Ladybug, meanwhile, stared ahead at the night sky, as if she hadn't said anything out of the ordinary.

After a few more seconds, she got a reply in the form of laughter, Chat buckling over with a hand on his stomach. "That's quite the Hawk Moth impression, Bugaboo!" he exclaimed, though calming himself enough to give her a half-lidded gaze and add, "But you don't have to do that to impress me, you know."

She didn't reply, only turning to look at him with her expression entirely flat, not showing any reaction to the mixture of teasing and flirting.

He was still grinning for a while, but as the silence dragged on, he began to falter. "...Ah—" He shook his head, leaning towards her and trying to force a smirk. "—if you want a wish that badly, all you need to do is say the word, m'lady! I can grant all your wishes."

She remained stoic, maintaining eye contact with him but not encouraging his banter. She could practically hear the gears turning in his head as it became clear to him that she was very much not joking.

One of Chat's ears twitched in confusion. He leaned back to his normal distance from her, seeming at a loss for what to say now that the atmosphere was finally registering with him.

Ladybug took a breath, noting that she had his attention. She straightened and looked back over Paris, saying, "I can't do this anymore."

He followed her gaze, squinting as if the answer would be written out there in bold letters for him. "Being a hero?"

"No, us. Us being partners." While he gaped at her, she stared down at her lap, her hands clutching her thighs as if that would give her some sense of stability. "...Chat, do you think this is a game?"

Chat shifted and rubbed the back of his neck, clearly not having expected the conversation to go here. It was hard to tell whether he was trying to keep things light or if it was just his genuine reply when he responded, "W-well, I'm definitely in it to win if that's what you mean—"

"I talked to Xavier Ramier today."

She watched his expression carefully, his hand leaving his neck and hovering awkwardly in the air as he looked at her. He seemed puzzled, not knowing what this had to do with the conversation, though his brows rose briefly like he'd remembered something.

She continued, trying not to show too much in her reaction as she explained, "Since I'm not as busy right now, I thought I'd check in on some of the people who got akumatized but I didn't have time for earlier. He was one of them." Idly, she pulled out her yoyo, almost mindlessly tapping away at it as she navigated through the various menus. "He said you came by to check on him a while ago; said that you were sitting there, just enjoying the day with him. He told me that you asked him if he missed being Mister Pigeon, or if he was feeling any negative emotions."

"I—" Chat tried to interject.

She didn't hear him, too focused on telling the story. "Then I asked him when you showed up, and he didn't know exactly when, but..." She showed him her yoyo, the messages Chat had sent clearly being timestamped for reference. "I figured out from what his rough guess and asking around that it was when you were supposed to be on patrol."

"I was on patrol!" Chat protested. "I was just checking up on him."

"You were relaxing on a bench," Ladybug reminded him., her tone remaining consistently flat. Snapping her yoyo shut and returning it to her hip, she added, "I even asked around and people told me they saw you go into the Grand Paris Hotel. I heard from one of the butlers there that you were sulking, and got excited when you saw Chloe and Sabrina fighting."

He opened his mouth to explain himself, but she could tell that he was struggling to come up with an excuse; he honestly believed that she'd never find out about any of this.

"I trusted you, Chat. I trusted you to cover for me when I'm not there, no matter what." She needed to swallow back her emotions for that one. "Why would you do that? Why would you hope for akuma to happen? Why would you lie to me?"

"I didn't!" Chat insisted, waving his arms frantically. "I—see... it was an off day! I was just—you know I can always do my best around you, and I did patrol! I just... made a few stops along the way! I wouldn't lie to you!"

"So you don't lie to me," she stated cautiously, "and you've never lied against me."

"Of course not!" he assured.

She paused for effect, just long enough for him to grow uneasy, then said, "Theo Barbot waved me down a while back."

Chat visibly cringed, and she could hear a hissing sound as he sucked in a breath.

"He wanted to congratulate me. He saw the picture of us kissing on the Ladyblog and said that he was glad we could finally go public about our relationship." Her gaze sharpened even as she stared at nothing in particular. "I asked what he meant, and he told me that you said that we were a thing. He said that that's what got him akumatized."

"It wasn't..." He averted his gaze. "...a lie exactly."

In response, Ladybug stood, throwing her arms outwards as emotion began to seep into her voice. "This is about more than lies, Chat; it's about everything! If you can only do your best around me, then what happens if an akuma gets me?" She didn't need him to answer. "You'll lose it. I need someone who I know will take care of things even if I'm captured."

"I would!" Chat retorted he stood up, the nervousness now showing on his face. "I would do everything to get you back, I—"

"Party Crasher," she cut in without missing a beat.

He recoiled like she'd physically struck him.

"And it's not just that I can't rely on you if I'm taken out; I can't rely on you not to take yourself out," she said pointedly, turning away from him and taking a few steps away to distance herself. "You're always throwing yourself in front of me and sacrificing yourself, sometimes when you don't even have to and always without just talking to me about it! Do you have any idea how that feels? You tell me all the time that you'll listen to me and how I'm the planner here, and then you go and make plans without me."

She heard Chat's hurried footsteps from behind her as he tried to match her pace and argue, "It's not like that! It's just—it's because..."

She turned just as he reached her, her stern gaze making him stop. "Because my anger is so irresistible?" she asked. "I'm just so adorable when I'm mad that you won't listen to me?" She advanced on him, forcing him back. "Thanks, Chat, that makes me feel so much better that you can't take me seriously because you just love me that much," she said sarcastically.

"That's not what I meant!" he argued, though at that point it seemed like all he could do was weakly protest that he didn't mean anything that way. "I'm only teasing, Bugaboo!"

"Then what do you really mean?" She clenched her fists at her side. "I've told you to stop calling me Bugaboo and you never do! You're too busy bantering and talking about our relationship to focus on the fight, and when that kiss happened - the one that happened because you got shot by Oblivio and I had to save you - you laughed at me for being upset and you didn't care. I'm tired of having to deal with all of that; I'm dealing with enough as guardian!" Reminded of her own status, she steeled herself up and held a hand out to him, managing to calm down enough to say, "Now, revoke your miraculous. I'll give it to someone else."

Chat retreated, his hand moving to cover his ring protectively. The nervousness had partially faded away into him being generally upset, though he also didn't try to defend his actions anymore. "You... if you give the ring to someone else, you'll know their identity!"

"I've already got a plan for that," Ladybug stated, holding her hand out more insistently.

Because of course she did. She wouldn't have been doing any of this if she hadn't given it a lot of thought first. There were pros and cons to bringing in a new cat, and when she really weighed it all together, this was the only way forward. Chat wouldn't learn, and she'd been stuck in a limbo of shouting at him, being ignored, and having to push down her feelings in the future or risk damaging their teamwork. She'd devalued herself - devalued her emotions - in order to believe that she could make it work because she needed him.

Except, she didn't. She needed a cat; someone to use the more active miraculous to balance out the lack of firepower that the ladybug miraculous had. It wasn't that it could be just anyone, but it certainly didn't have to be Chat. While she deeply regretted going back on one of Master Fu's decisions when he couldn't even have a say in it anymore, the fact of the matter was that she was the guardian and she made the rules.

Chat backed away a few more steps, his eyes darting around as he sought a way out of the situation. Then, facing Ladybug, a mixture of upset and offended, he argued, "We're a team! We still come out fine no matter what happened! You don't even know my identity, I've kept it a secret just like you wanted!"

He was reaching, and they both knew it. That had always been the reason for revoking someone's miraculous: someone else knowing their identity. However, there were reasons beyond that, and them "coming out fine" from a battle was hardly a high bar for someone getting to keep theirs. Ladybug knew that well enough after having dealt with Miracle Queen; even if Chloe's identity hadn't been revealed, she was still a bad person who felt entitled to a miraculous.

But Ladybug also understood the game Chat was playing at: that it wouldn't be right to take his miraculous when he's protected his identity. The logic was flawed, but she nonetheless crossed her arms and gave him a blank look, staring into his green cat eyes and starting to fit pieces of a metaphorical puzzle together.

Kung Food, Horrificator, and Startrain: those at minimum were times where Chat's civilian form had to have been inside at the time the akuma happened. Chat had also mistaken Francoise Dupont for an elementary school after they'd defeated Kwamibuster, but she mentally acknowledged that he could've been lying. He had to have been, if they were trapped in that building together with Horrificator. It narrowed things down significantly, and she knew that he had to have been a teenager like her due to the timer on his miraculous.

And while she was aware that Chat's green eyes meant nothing considering that she got green eyes as Lady Noire, there were little coincidences sprinkled throughout their history together that didn't add up unless she came to one final conclusion.

Chat showing up at the museum even though he'd have no way of knowing that an akuma could've been there. Chat knowing that Volpina's illusion was fake. Chat's mysterious loss of his miraculous when Style Queen was attacking.

The feather allergy.

Then, Ladybug glanced at the hand he was covering; the one she knew had the cat miraculous on his right ring finger. She almost felt like congratulating herself for constantly resisting the temptation, because when she actually thought about it, it was so obvious.

She knew that hand, as she'd seen it so many times. She had pictures of it plastered all over her wall and the realization made her feel sick, her heart dropping as opposed to skipping a beat.

"...Adrien Agreste," she said finally. "You're Adrien Agreste."

He blinked, his expression blank at first before dread started to take its place. His mouth slowly fell open, words trying to escape but there weren't any to be found.

She let the moment drag, stepping forward to close the distance between them. Adrien's face flashed over Chat Noir's for a moment and she swallowed, summoning all of her confidence to address him properly.

"Tell me, Adrien. Tell me that this hasn't been a game for you. Tell me that you wanted to protect Paris all this time. Tell me that this hasn't all been about you."

She waited, not expecting or hoping for any answer in particular, because it no longer mattered; the conclusion would the same regardless.

Ultimately, she got no reply, and within the next ten minutes, the cat miraculous was in her hands and Adrien was promptly taken home.

—————

Marinette took a breath of the cool night air, having chosen to walk home rather than get there as Ladybug. She needed time to think, and walking helped her clear her head from the rush of everything that'd happened.

Her purse rustled, Tikki popping out and leaning off the side to look up at her. "Is everything okay, Marinette?"

"Yeah." She nodded her head, just to reassure Tikki further. "It was for the best. It's a lot, but... I wanted to do it; for me, and for Paris."

Regardless of how many emotions she had to deal with, she was glad she knew. She supposed that she could've taken Chat's miraculous without seeing his identity - though it would've been complicated - but it helped her sort through so many thoughts in her mind.

She let out half of a chuckle, idly thinking that she dodged a bullet. If dating Adrien would've turned him into any level of Chat Noir - or, honestly, just knowing that he was Chat Noir - then it was definitely for the best that she figured out his identity. She wasn't sure how she'd behave around him the following days, but just the idea of things being any semblance of "normal" in the face of "the famous model Adrien Agreste," with no stutters or freak-outs...

It was nice, making everything feel a little brighter. Maybe Alya would even stop claiming that she's just "jealous" of Lila, the girls would stop teasing her so much, and she could put all that time she used to spend thinking about Adrien into something more productive. There hadn't seemed to be a downside in sight, actually.

As Marinette kept thinking on the subject, her gaze wandered off to the side, taking in the sights around her, and she paused when she noticed that she was right next to the Seine. The revelation didn't surprise her - she knew she'd have to pass by it to get home - but it did inevitably remind her of Luka, especially since they'd broken up only a day ago.

The metaphorical wound was still fresh, not helped by the fact that Lies had come right afterward as if to remind her of why she had to break up with him; she couldn't have a normal life, and she certainly couldn't have a boyfriend. It didn't matter if she loved Luka and he loved her back, because she would always have to leave their dates at the first sign of an akuma.

Yet, nevertheless, there was some form of comfort in staring out at the river, and she found herself traveling down the nearest set of stairs to walk right next to the Seine instead of so far above it, her eyes trailing along the surface of the water to search for the Liberty.

It took a few minutes of walking, almost making her wonder if she'd passed it without realizing, but then she saw the ship resting in the water, right where it always was. She approached, taking in the various colors and the silly rainbow weathervane, her body automatically relaxing at the memories of those two weeks of crafting kittycorn-themed costumes from paper mache.

Curiously, she noticed that the gangplank was up, as someone presumably had forgotten to pull it back before going to bed that night. Marinette walked over, crouching down and wondering idly if it was possible that it had been put up but had just fallen over at some point, yet it was clearly set perfectly in place.

Mentally trashing the thought, she placed her hands on her knees and started getting up. As she straightened her back, her eyes involuntarily scanned over the deck of the ship, a familiar color palette of blues, blacks, and whites registering in her mind before she fully recognized what—who it was. Her eyes locked onto the figure, and she had to slap a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from letting out a yelp.

It was Luka, sitting down on an instrument case with his guitar in his lap, though Marinette noted after a moment that he was actually asleep. Concern furrowed her brows as she took in his posture, one of his arms resting on the case while the other was perched on the guitar's base. His back was arched against the taffrail of the ship and his head was tilted back to the point where his hair was falling into his face.

There was no way that was comfortable.

Marinette hesitated, feeling almost like she was trespassing, then gave Tikki a look to hide inside the purse while she walked across the gangplank Any footsteps against the deck of the ship seemed unusually loud due to the otherwise quiet night, but Marinette tried to ignore it, approaching Luka cautiously so as not to startle him.

He was frowning, and she involuntarily copied the expression onto her own face. Outside of the bumps in their dates and the break-up itself, it was rare to see him as anything but calm or happy, and she got the distinct feeling that it wasn't just because he was asleep that he was making that face.

She reached up, lightly fixing his hair in case to try and keep it out of his eyes when he woke up, then lowered her hand to his shoulder. She gave him a light shake, then another with a little more effort when the first failed to stir him. When that failed as well, she leaned close, looking side to side like she was afraid someone would see her and think she was doing something strange. However, no one else was around, allowing her to safely whisper his name to him.

"Luka."

She stiffened when she got an immediate response to that, Luka letting out a low humming noise as he shifted. She jolted back, trying to give him space and blushing at the thought that shaking hadn't woken him in the slightest but her voice had immediately.

Luka's eyes opened halfway, staring blankly up at the sky. Brows lowering in confusion, he tried to move, though a whine escaped him when his body protested at the uncomfortable position he'd gotten himself into. He winced, but eased forward and leaned on his guitar for support, only then looking forward and meeting her gaze.

She shifted in place, feeling awkward but knowing that it was too late to back out now.

"...Mmmarinette?" he asked, squinting like he wasn't really sure she was there. He blinked a few times, his eyes widening a fraction when he confirmed that she was real. "Marinette?"

"Ah—hi," she replied, waving awkwardly. "Um, sorry, it was just—I was walking, and I saw you, and you were sleeping weird—not that you sleeping is weird or you look weird when you sleep!—but you seemed really uncomfortable so I just..." She gestured vaguely at his current state of awareness.

He let out a tired sound that may've been an "oh," then ran his fingers into his hair and rustled it, like he was attempting to shake the tiredness out of himself. That done, he managed a small smile at her that didn't stretch anywhere near the amount it usually would. "Thank you. I'm glad you care about me that much."

"Of course I do!" she blurted out, a little offended at the idea that she wouldn't. She realized belatedly how loud she'd been and rubbed an arm in embarrassment, but didn't take anything back either.

Deep down, she knew where he was coming from. It must've been hard for him to watch her ditch him and then deal with her ending their relationship with next to no explanation. Even with the confidence he constantly radiated, not having any information on the 'how's or 'why's must've been difficult, and she hated keeping secrets from him.

Even Chat got better than that...

Luka tilted his head at her, the anxiety probably written all across her face. Concerned, he began to ask, "...Is everything—"

"Luka," she called suddenly, straightening to face him fully. "I—" She swallowed, needing a few seconds to compose herself. "I know this is a bad time, because I'm not really supposed to be here, and you can say 'no,' but... can we talk? About what happened?"

She bit her lip nervously as he sat up, his body noticeably more awake than before. She felt like he deserved to know more about the whole situation, but he also had every right to refuse her for waiting - even if it wasn't that long ago - so the possibilities were nerve-wracking.

Thankfully though, Luka relaxed after a moment, lifting his guitar out of his lap to set it aside, the bottom of the body resting on the deck of the Liberty while the neck was supported by the taffrail. Settling his hands in his lap, he then gave her his full attention, even offering a soft look of reassurance.

Her shoulders eased; he was going to hear her out. Part of her almost felt bad, wondering if maybe he was forcing himself, but she also knew it was important for him to get closure on the matter.

"Okay..." She breathed, acknowledging to herself that she hadn't planned this is the slightest. After some internal debate, she sat down on the deck of the Liberty in lieu of a proper seat, earning a look from Luka but no further comment otherwise. Running her hands along her capris, she stared up at him and finally began, "It—it wasn't you."

He raised a brow, silently encouraging her to go on.

"I mean, maybe you weren't worried about that, but I just... I needed you to know that." She shrugged half-heartedly. "You didn't do anything wrong, Luka - you're amazing - and if it wasn't for me always having to leave and rush off and make you feel bad, I would've stayed with you."

"...Really?"

She blinked at his tone, the corners of her lips quirking up as he covered his mouth, clearly not having intended to blurt that out. She simply nodded at him, falling back into her serious state as she continued, "You deserve someone who can be dedicated to you, and I just—I can't, and I can't tell you why either." She slumped, ashamed at the secret she was forced to keep. "I wish I could. I do trust you, but it's not about that. It's—" She pursed her lips, struggling to find the right words. "—it's not really something I can say?"

She dropped her gaze to her lap, but didn't miss the flicker of understanding in his eyes. It was important to her, for him to know that she believed in him and that he'd done everything right in their relationship.

"...Are—" Luka paused, voice laced with worry. "Marinette, are you being blackmailed or something?"

She almost laughed at that. His deduction wasn't entirely wrong, as "go defend Paris from a supervillain and tell no one about it, and if you do then they might be in danger," certainly did sound like blackmail. Still, she shook her head, reassuring, "It's nothing like that. I'm sorry. I really want to tell you, a-and even be with you, but I can't do either." She clutched at her knees in an attempt to ground herself, glancing back up at him with a mixture of sorrow and guilt. "I don't know what you see in me, Luka, but I feel so lucky that you like me so much, and then unlucky because—" She choked briefly, her cheeks heating up as she realized that she'd never said the exact words to him before. "—because I like you too and I want it to be that simple but it's not. You want the truth and the truth is that I can't tell you no matter how much I want to. I know I forget things and had to skip out on dates because I was so stressed out, but you made everything fun and not stressful and I loved every date we went on until... you know." She gestured wildly to imply 'unsaid things happening.'

He was quiet, not showing any particular reaction, though she'd spent enough time with him to know that he was glad that she was talking more openly about it and clearing some things up that he might've been wondering about. His expression seemed blank on the surface but he was relieved to know something even if her words were pulling his emotions in every direction.

Mentally preparing herself for the next step, Marinette pushed herself up and walked over to him, finding it hard to meet Luka's gaze even as she hunched over and boldly placed her hands on top of his. Out of the corner of her vision, she could see his eyes searching her face, not knowing what to expect next.

"...I'm sorry," she murmured. "I know I apologized already but I'm sorry. I should've known things would end up like this but I wanted to date you anyway. I can't even tell you when this is all going to end so I can't ask you to wait for me either because it's not fair. You deserve a relationship that isn't so complicated... that doesn't involve me."

She flinched at the emotional punch to the gut she'd just given herself. She'd already known that dating would be near-impossible so long as she was Ladybug, but it was a completely different feeling to face Luka and say it to his face. She wasn't sure if she'd been his first crush, but the thought left a bitter taste in her mouth that it'd all gone so wrong and there was no hope of getting it back.

She took another breath to calm herself, slowly raising her hands away from his. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to say," she murmured, still not making eye contact with him. "Thanks for trying to show me a good time, Luka, but... maybe you should fall in love with someone else."

She turned away before her emotions could get the better of her, about to walk off when a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and jerked her back. She squeaked in surprise, glancing behind her to see that Luka was on the edge of the instrument case, arm stretched out like he'd impulsively hurried to stop her. She opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, but he spoke first.

"Why?"

"W...why?" she echoed.

"Why should I fall for someone else?" he asked, his tone somewhere between hurt and serious.

"Ah." She tilted her head, confused and with no idea of what he was getting at. "Because of everything I said?"

"That you enjoyed our dates? That it wasn't us who cut the song short?" His other hand reached up, holding her hand as well while he looked at her tenderly. His voice grew quiet, like he couldn't believe what he was saying. "That you like me?"

Marinette blushed, but found it hard to look away from him this time. "I...I do like you. Um—only you, but—Luka, the dates..."

Luka slowly stood up, gently squeezing her hand in a show of support. "I didn't even think that I'd be taking up too much of your time, Marinette. I wanted to be together with you, but I didn't want it to be hard either." He offered her a lopsided smile, adding, "And I'm glad you told me, because I don't think you being busy means we can't be together."

"...What?" Marinette gaped at him in disbelief. "I thought you said that you wanted the truth, and—"

"You gave it to me," he reminded her. "You said you can't tell me and I believe you."

She waved her free hand wildly. "Y-yeah, and I'll have to run off and we'll never know when!"

"Then we don't have to date, or we don't have to date as much." He'd said it like it was the simplest thing in the world, and maybe it was. "Why should we be playing sad solos when we can play a happy duet instead?"

She went to retort, but he'd so swiftly shot down her arguments that she was left speechless. She hadn't even considered that - trying to compromise with him on their dates - because she thought she wouldn't be worth it for him, yet here he was, offering himself to her again now that everything had been laid out for him. It seemed too good to be true, but...

He was her Second Chance, and every moment she spent with him just reaffirmed why she'd adored being given that chance in the first place.

She made a small noise as she tried to hold back emotion, her hand shaking in his. "You want me that much?"

His smile grew wider and more genuine, clearly recognizing that she was about to accept him. "Yeah. Do you want me too?"

Afraid her voice might crack and ruin the moment, she nodded and turned fully towards him. She held out her other hand for him and he took it happily, both of them able to enjoy each other's company once more.

Once things had properly settled down, she held back a shy giggle and asked, "S-so, do we just... pick up where we left off? Or just—before everything started going wrong?"

He hummed, seeming to honestly think about it. "I guess so. What verse do you want to start from?"

She retraced all of the bad dates in her mind, like she were rewinding a movie. One moment in particular stuck out to her, and she tried not to grin too much as she suggested, "The cinema? After I gave you the necklace?"

She didn't have to clarify any further, his eyes lighting up in remembrance. He grinned and leaned down to be closer to her level, her getting up on her tiptoes to meet him halfway in a kiss, thus finishing what they'd started from what felt like forever ago. She could feel Luka's hands caressing hers, as if to reassure that everything was alright and he was happy.

She waited until the kiss broke apart, then looked at him to ask teasingly, "Better than setting up a whole date to do that?"

He pressed his forehead to hers, sighing happily. "Definitely."

She beamed at him, almost tempted to kiss him again before she remembered what time it was. She gasped, inadvertently surprising him with the sound, then recoiled and placed her hands firmly on his shoulders, sitting him back down on the instrument case.

"You need to sleep!" she told him, then corrected a second later, "But—not here! Not right here anyway! It needs to be in a bed! Your bed!"

He laughed at the abrupt shift in tone, but nodded obediently at her, resting his fingers along her wrists. "I will. You'll sleep too, right?"

She nodded back, her heart skipping a beat at his care for her. "Yeah, I promise."

Her hands lingered on him, as did his with her as she pulled away from him. As much as she would've liked to stay with him, it was late and she still had a lot to take care of.

Rushing across the gangplank, she waited until she was safely on the other side so she wouldn't risk tripping as she turned to face him, walking backward and waving excitedly. "Bye, Luka!"

He suppressed a chuckle at the happiness-induced loudness of her voice, then waved back at her. It was only when he got up to take his guitar inside that she finally turned around and started officially heading home.

—————

When the last of the Adrien photos had been shoved into her trash bin - even the ones on her corkboard - Marinette allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief and collapse into her chair. It'd taken a little longer than she'd thought, but she was still satisfied with the change. The walk home and conversation with Luka had brought all of her thoughts together and made her feel optimistic about how the day had gone.

"Marinette?" Tikki looked up from the chocolate chip she'd been nibbling on, her being the only kwami awake at that hour. Voicing the inevitable, she asked, "What are you going to do about the cat miraculous?"

Marinette turned, acknowledging her, then reached into her purse to pull out the ring in question, turning it a few times in her hands. It was weird having it in her possession while she still had the ladybug earrings on, but it wouldn't stick around for long anyway, so she wasn't concerned.

Tikki continued, an urgency in her voice, "You're Ladybug, and you're not supposed to know anyone's identities, but you're also the guardian now, so you're supposed to give out miraculouses and know everyone's identities!"

Marinette, much to Tikki's apparent surprise, flashed her a smile and held the ring up confidently. "That's exactly why you're going to pick the next cat, Tikki."

Tikki blanked, dropping the chocolate chip in shock. "Wh—me?" Her voice squeaked. "Why me?"

Marinette would be lying if she said that she didn't find some amusement in Tikki's befuddlement. With a bit of effort, she pushed herself up from her seat, setting the ring down on the table and walking towards the sink at the other side of the room. "Because you've been with every ladybug who's ever existed, which means that you've known every ladybug and cat duo that's ever existed." Giving Tikki an expectant look, she added, "If anyone knows what kind of cat I'd need as a partner, it's you."

"But—" Tikki floundered, the thought clearly having never occurred to her. "It's the guardian who has to hand out miraculouses!"

"I won't know the new cat's identity this way," Marinette reminded her, idly tracing her fingertips along the sink's edge. "Sure, it'll be someone we both know, but if I didn't figure out that Adrien is Chat Noir until I tried, then I won't figure out this one either."

Her eyes scanned over the various drawers in her reach and she pulled open one in particular, a small box jerking forward from the momentum. It was the same box that held her ladybug earrings all those months ago, and now it would be the box for the new cat as well.

Holding the box to her chest and silently wishing luck upon it, Marinette returned to her table to see Tikki staring quietly at the ring in thought, apparently still processing what she'd been told. Marinette paid her no mind for the moment, setting the box down and searching various other drawers for a white cloth big enough for the box to be wrapped in. Then, once she'd successfully found one, she laid it out neatly on the table and opened the box to place the ring inside.

The moving of the ring snapped Tikki out of whatever trance she'd been in. She flew up, clinging to Marinette's hand and begging, "Wait! At least tell me what you'd want in a cat!"

Marinette supposed that was a win, since Tikki wasn't outright rejecting the idea and had little argument against it. She dropped the ring inside the box and smiled at the gentle 'click' it made when she closed it, then turned to address Tikki. The nervousness on display made a modicum of sense when considering that kwami were supposed to obey the guardian, so being told to do what they wanted was probably a little strange.

Marinette just took it in stride. She leaned against her chair as she considered her ideal cat, having been so used to Chat Noir that she needed a minute to imagine someone who really matched her.

"Thoughtful," she answered, nearly blurting the word out when it finally came to her. "Someone who thinks the way I do so I'm not doing everything myself. They can be selfless, but they have to have limits, and with good instincts so they won't throw themselves in front of me." Her expression growing fond at the idea of such a partner, she took the cloth and wrapped the box in it, sealing it with a strong knot as she added, "And... they have to be understanding, where I can cover for them and they can cover for me and we'll just—click."

She snapped her fingers for effect, watching as Tikki flew over to the wrapped-up box and tested it to ensure it was safe to carry. While she was tugging at the knot to confirm it was tight enough, Marinette stood and headed up the stairs to her bed, opening the way to her balcony so Tikki had a way out.

By the time Marinette peeked over the bed to check on Tikki, Tikki had already taken hold of the cloth and flew up to be eye level with her, the box being a noticeable yet manageable weight. Marinette moved to the side, allowing the straight-faced Tikki to go past her and go up to the balcony.

Thinking that Tikki had already gone, Marinette was about to close the trapdoor when she heard a soft, "Marinette?"

Her head turned to see Tikki, hovering above the little table with the box still held in her paws. She seemed conflicted, like she was struggling to find words, but eventually settled on, "You're a great guardian."

And with that, she left, Marinette blinking in surprise for a moment before a smile formed on her face. She closed the way to her balcony, then slipped back down the stairs to start getting ready for bed.

At the same time she'd be settling in to sleep that night, her tiny Miracle Box would be set down delicately in the Liberty, specifically on Luka Couffaine’s amp.

[sweetwolfcupcake]

Lesson Learnt- Chapter Three

Lesson Learnt Masterlist

The Louvre Museum, which held so many masterpieces, was Marcus' choice of a tourist destination. You were not complaining though, as the two of you walked through the section displaying paintings worth millions, even billions perhaps- one of a kind, so different, yet the air of grandeur and the pride with which they were displayed was the same around every painting you had laid your eyes on.

You were absorbed in the masterpieces, having left Marcus behind as you walked through the place by yourself, Marcus sometimes could be overindulgent into one object of admiration. Art was, after all, a treat to your eyes and intellect and you were letting yourself be carried with the currents until your shoulder clashed with somebody's back, the man had his back facing you as you spluttered out apologies

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I wasn't even looking, please excuse me, are you-"

Your words turned into ashes in your mouth as soon as the man turned around. Your gaze stumbled upon his and your widened, mouth parted and breathing hitched.

"(y/n)-nie?"

"Taehyung?"

You were too shocked to feel anything other than cold and just...Shocked. You were left dumbfounded, bumping into a person you wanted to evade so bad, one of those faces that could take you back to the darkness you had fought with for so long, somehow pulled yourself out. Anything or anyone directly related to him held the potential to reduce you to tears.

"(y/n)...How-How have you been?" Taehyung, who seemed as surprised as you found his voice before you did

"Hi Taehyung, it has been a while." you did not know what else to say

"Yes, it has...We tried to reach you, contact you. But you just...Left, like you were never there and you blocked us all..."

"I know...And I'm sorry." Taehyung shook his head at your words

"Don't apologise, even I wished to do that you know, I just wanted to...Give up, on everything and leave without a goodbye but...She did, she left- without a goodbye."

"What? Aerum left? Where?" you had barely recovered from the shock of stumbling upon Taehyung before you plunged into yet another surprise.

"I don't know, she never told me. She left a voice message though, saying she was going far, far away from everyone and everything because she could not forgive herself."

"Taehyung..." your voice was thick with emotions, without another thought, you stepped forward and engulfed him into a comforting hug. You could understand what he was going through. He was misty-eyed when you finally let go, but he smiled anyway, a pained smile, but a smile anyway, one that portrayed how much he had grown over the turbulent years. You found your eyes stinging as well.

"But she also said that if we are meant to be, we would find our way back to each other. I want to find my way back to her (y/n), I want to give us a second chance."

"You love her, don't you?" Taehyung's smile stretched at that

"I would always love her (y/n)."

"I can see that...So, that's why you are here? Searching for her?"

"She had once mentioned her aunt living in Paris so...Yes, maybe, just maybe."

You dreaded asking the question that hung at the edge of your tongue and ultimately, you could not help it

"How...How's everyone else?" Taehyung's eyes realised your question and the hope in them dimmed in them

"Good, going on with their lives, the companies are doing well, Hoseok hyung is married, Yoongi hyung is ready to settle down, Namjoon hyung is still 'too busy' to fall in love, Jin hyung and his wife are expecting their first child, Jimin is getting into an arranged marriage with his family friend but..." your breathing hitched and blood rushed to your ears as you anticipated his next words

How is Jungkook doing?

How is he?

You wanted to ask all those questions clear and aloud, but you could not, you wanted to but somehow you held back

"Jungkook has not been well...Professionally, he is doing great, ever since he has taken over his father. But...He is not the same (y/n), just not the one we knew three years back."

There was a glum silence, it was tense but mostly sorrowful. You did not know what to say to that. What could be even said, or done? After everything?

"Oh...Hi?" you blinked away your tears as Marcus' voice intervened

"Oh, Mar! Taehyung, meet Marcus, he is my friend and colleague I am in Paris regarding my work. And Marcus, meet Kim Taehhyung, an old friend of mine."

The previous conversation died down and the tension from your body unwinded almost immediately as you introduced both men to each other. Marcus's smile never reached his eyes as he shook hands with Taehyung who eyed Marcus with an air of curiosity around him. From there on, the conversation had been superficial and short. Marcus knew of everything, he knew who Taehyung was and he had managed to keep the meeting shot yet polite before he walked you out of the museum as quickly as possible.

-----

As soon as you were outside the museum, Marcus was concerned regarding your encounter, he knew about Kim Taehyung, it had become difficult to keep one unaware of the Kims anyway, they were the owners of one of the most massive businesses of South Korea, holding ties with the Jeons and the Jung families and their respective business. You felt Marcus squeeze your hand in reassurance as soon as the frost-air greeted you both outside the gigantic museum

"Um, we can just go back if you want." Marcus offered out of concern, his tone and eyes told it all

"No, I want to explore Paris with you." you squeezed back his hand, despite the cold, both of your hands were warm in each other's company

"Are you sure, we can just go back, we have to be out all night so we can rest and-"

"Mar, I am fine. I might not be completely over Jungkook but trust me, I know what's best for me now, and nothing can stop me from moving on and embracing life again. I want to live again Mar and I'm glad that I have a friend like you for this."

"But he does affect you still." you gave a melancholic smile to his words

"He was the man I saw myself married to, and I was so sure that my dreams regarding 'us' would come true. He was the man I loved with everything I had, he was the man I wanted to grow old with. And I still remember his birthday, I can never forget the date, even if I pretend to have forgotten."

You paused for a smile and continued

"It can't vanish just like that, I would always, always love Jungkook...The only difference is, I have accepted the fact that some people are lessons, not life. And I would move on from him, eventually, you know and I will love some other man someday, more than I have ever loved Jeon Jungkook...Maybe there will also come a day when I would think of him and smile, I would be thankful for everything I have been through. I have come so far Mar, and it could not have been possible without you. I have been strong, we have been strong. And today, even though the mention of Jungkook was able to bring me close to tears, I know I will get through this phase as well, it's not as bad as before, I am better. Much better now and it has all been possible because you were there for me Mar, and after meeting Taehyung, I just realised how far I've come in these three years, it has been slow and it is still gradual. But gradual is good, gradual leads to permanent."

You heaved a sigh as soon you were done with the speech and somewhere, you felt lighter. The realisation bloomed a smile on your face, it was like the sunlight was finally shining upon you after a long, grey day. It was an epiphany- you indeed had come far and you would move on, you just needed to keep going, and the realisation that nothing could stop you, since you were now stronger made your smile a bit wider as you looked at your best friend.

Jungkook surely did affect you, you still loved him and you always would, he would forever have a piece of your heart, a broken piece. But you would move on one day, you would heal completely, no matter how many nights you would think of Jungkook and go to sleep crying, no matter how bad those moments with Jungkook would hurt you, you knew that it all would be over one day. You would heal completely one day, no matter how long it could take.

The moment of joy did not last forever though. You were startled by Marcus' palm on your forehead

"What are you—"

"You don't have a fever, do you? You are thanking me, appreciating my 'annoying ass'? Your words, not mine. Something has to be wrong with you, wanna see a doctor?" he had the gravest expression he could muster up as a farce.

"Mar! Here. I. Am telling you something so important, and you?" you uttered each word while delivering blows at him, one after another with your handbag.

"Ow! What do you have in there? Stop, ow, aw- hey, I'm- I- hahaha" he ran around, being chased by you.

You did not care about the glances both of you were receiving, he fell on the ground covered by snow and pulled you along. You did not even realise how hard and for how long you were laughing, after a long, long time, you were laughing so freely, genuinely, and as you looked at Marcus who laughed along, with his body shaking, you realised that this time, the sunlight was actually shining on both of you.

****

Taglist- @mwitsmejk

(Unedited)

[the-fusionist]

Give me damianette fluff or jasonette fluff with a song

A/N: Hello, all! I am back! This is a very late answer, which I'm sorry for @rebecarojas07. But, it's here now! I went a little off from the prompt and it's a little angsty in the beginning, but it gets better! Also, constructive criticism is welcome, since its been a while. Also, no beta, we die like Jason Todd. I wrote 1800 words just now and I am hoping they mesh well together.

Warnings: Some cursing, slight angst, cheating, hand holding, and kissing

Song: PUBLIC - Make You Mine

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

Marinette cried as she sat on the rooftop while Tikki hugged her.

She was here in Gotham as Ladybug in order to deal with a crisis involving a missing miraculous with Zatanna and Batman, along with several other American heroes she had gotten to know. The mission had taken her a month and she had needed to go undercover for a large portion of the mission, severing contact with her boyfriend, Adrien Agreste. It should all have been fine, they trusted each other.

Now he’s a former boyfriend.

Alya Cesaire was a rock in Marinette’s life, and she was always there for her. If it hadn’t been for Alya Cesaire, her most reliable confidante, the break up might have never happened so soon and she would have stayed oblivious. If it hadn’t been for Alya’s pictures, Marinette would probably have never believed it herself. Five pictures of Adrien Agreste and Lila Rossi, making out on several different occasions.

She wanted to believe it wasn’t true, but if she was being honest with herself she should have seen it coming. Heck, Tikki had seen it coming. They had been having more arguments as of recently. And the time that she had spent apart from Adrien on a mission had simply driven them further apart from each other. She thought back to the times she had complained to Adrien about how Lila was always so touchy with him during photoshoots, he said that it was all business that he couldn’t avoid because of his father. That she was overreacting and being too clingy. That there was nothing between him and Lila.

But those pictures existed. They were in broad daylight, and both Adrien Agreste and Lila Rossi seemed to have no shame, acting in public spaces. She sent one text to Adrien.

We're over.

The message was read, and there was no reply.

That was a month ago. Marinette was getting better, very slowly. Plagg and Tikki stuck with her and supported her, but Marinette still had some nights where she refused to talk to anyone and cried alone. She had set up an arrangement with her parents so she could stay in Gotham, as she needed time away from the city of love. She could never have been more thankful.

Especially when she saw the viral video of someone throwing a bag of flour at Adrien Agreste and Lila Rossi during a photoshoot. Marinette had burst out laughing when she saw the video, and she had a feeling her parents were behind it and had gotten away with it.

But still, sometimes there were days where she couldn’t shrug off the tears. They flowed freely as she swung her spotted legs from her seat on the edge of a random rooftop. She had finished patrol, and she had begun to think back to all the nights she used to spend patrolling Paris with Adrien. She felt her heart seize as she gazed out into the grey landscape of Gotham.

Well, I will call you darlin' and everything will be okay

Suddenly, she heard a throat clear behind her and a cough.

Turning around, she found herself staring at the Red Hood. She quickly wiped at her eyes in an attempt to hide that she had been crying. She had heard rumors of the Red Hood, especially of how he often murdered criminals and at some point in the past had been the leader of a criminal empire.

But, Batman trusted him. And she trusted Batman, so she should be able to trust him and this was a completely safe situation. At least, that’s what she told herself.

She heard him clear his throat again, and she realized she must have gotten lost in her thoughts. She focused back on him, albeit it was somewhat warily.

“Hello darlin’, shit wait, that was too cringey. Damn, I’m sorry.”

She felt her lips quirk upwards in a smile.

The Red Hood coughed, before holding out a steaming cup of coffee to her, and in a questioning tone asked, “Let me try again. You’re Ladybug, right? I saw you having a moment here earlier while I was on patrol, so I just wanted to give you this and offer an ear to listen to you rant if you want?”

Marinette felt her heartbeat quicken, and she felt herself blush under her mask as she replied, “Thank you so much. You’re the Red Hood, right? It’s nice to meet you. And yeah, I would like to rant, that would be super nice.”

So he sat down next to her. She doesn’t know what made her do so, but she told him almost everything. How her former boyfriend had cheated on her while she was on a mission, and how she felt so betrayed when she found out. She told him all about the loneliness and the bitter homesickness she constantly felt.

And he listened, without pity. He listened to every word she spoke, nodding at the right moments of her story, reassuring her she was right, and cussing out Adrien Agreste with her.

That was the first time she met Jason Todd, the man underneath the helmet of the Red Hood.

'Cause I know that I am yours and you are mine

Several months passed, and their relationship progressed from there. The two fell into comfortable friendship and eventually revealed their identities.

But, Marinette couldn’t deny that she had caught herself blushing as she stared at Jason during training or patrol, admiring him.

It was a similar situation for Jason. He still curses himself for the time that Marinette had smiled at him as she swung by during patrol, and he had been so caught up with staring at her dazzling smile that he didn’t notice himself walk right off a building. He was fine, his pride bruised more than anything else.

The point was, they fit well together. They bantered and seemed to constantly toe the line between friendship and something more, to the point where others began to take notice. Jason’s siblings teased him, while Alya and Nino would give Marinette suggestive looks over facetime whenever she mentioned Jason.

They got along so well, and everyone could see it. Marinette and Jason were also starting to believe it themselves. Marinette felt that she was his, and Jason knew that he was hers. They had each other wrapped around their fingers, without even realizing.

Doesn't matter anyway

Marinette was on patrol with Jason when she checked her phone and tears of anger welled up in her eyes. It was a message from Adrien.

Lila and I are over now. We should get back together now, I miss what we had.

Jason saw Marinette’s face change, and he felt angry too when Marinette showed him the text. Adrien Agreste was fucking pathetic.

“Who does he think he is? He thinks he can cheat on me and get back together? He doesn’t even have a place in my life anymore. He doesn’t even matter to me anymore.”

“You don’t need that fucker, Marinette, like how dare he act like you guys can get back together after what he did? Honestly, he’s fucking pathetic. I bet he’s sitting all fucking alone in his apartment after breaking up with Lila, thinking he matters to you. What a pretentious shit stain.”

Marinette felt herself move before she could properly think about what she was doing. Jason hadn’t anticipated her action, and he felt himself let out a small laugh of surprise when he felt Marinette hug him, her face pressed into his leather jacket.

He couldn’t help but softly smile when he heard a muffled, “Thank you, Jason, for being here for me.”

In the night, we'll take a walk, it's nothing funny

Marinette heard a knock on her apartment window. She walked over and opened it to find Jason standing on her fire escape, giving her a sheepish smile.

“Jason, it's 2:00 a.m. and it isn’t even a patrol night? God damn it, Jason, I know that I don’t sleep at night, but what could you want right now?”

Jason’s smile grew brighter, “Want to get waffles and coffee?”

Marinette’s mood quickly changed, and she felt her lips quirk, “You want me to go out in the dark, all alone with you, to get waffles and coffee?”

“No funny business, just waffles and coffee.”

Marinette laughed before she quickly threw on a jacket and joined Jason on the fire escape, before descending down with him and beginning their moderate walk to a nearby café.

Just to talk

On the way, they talked about anything and everything. Books, fashion, superhero business, you name it. They were at peace.

Put your hand in mine

As they walked into the café, Jason noticed another man, who looked like he was in his early twenties, eyeing Marinette. He felt jealousy crawl up his spine, and he knew his eyes were flashing green at the moment.

Marinette had noticed, though she pretended not to. She also tried to pretend not to notice when Jason casually slipped his hand into her own, though she knew she was furiously blushing. Jason was flustered too, and she heard him stutter as he gave his order to a waitress.

For the rest of the night, their hands remained clasped. Tikki was giggling quietly from the inside of Marinette's purse.

You know that I want to be with you all the time

Though they never directly spoke about the hand holding, the two of them definitely gradually spent more time with each other.

They frequented various cafes and libraries and stores, in and out of costume. Someone once swore they saw the Red Hood and Ladybug at a movie theater throwing popcorn at each other. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before they got together, and several bets were made.

You know that I won't stop until I make you mine

Flash forward a week, and Marinette has asked Jason out on a date. He says yes. They’re both bright red when they enter the café, and this time their hands are clasped from the moment they enter.

The same waitress recognizes them, and she asks who asked the other out. She quickly finds out that Marinette made the first move. When she goes back to her place behind the counter, Marinette and Jason see a coworker slide her twenty bucks. They laugh, and enjoy the rest of their date, content with each other’s serene presence.

Until I make you mine

After they leave the café, a strong gust of wind blows. Marinette slightly shivers under the bite of the wind, before she feels a large warmth envelope her. Jason’s leather jacket is draped over her shoulders, and the man in question is gazing at her lovingly.

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” she said before she reached up and pressed a warm kiss to his lips.

The End!

TAG LIST: @theatreandcomicfreak ​@18-fandoms-unite-08 @mochegato @princessanimeangel11 @maribatlife

If you would like to be tagged in other works in the future, please let me know!

[paintball169]

Day 3 - Identities

Day1 - Day2 - Day3 - Day4

Marinette had been living with the waynes for over a month now. The reason? Tom and Sabine sent her away to her biological father. Apparently To Dupain was not her biological, but Bruce Wayne was.

Marinette had a sliver of hope, A really, really thin one. Which had faltered by the month.

Marinette had defeated Hawk Moth with Chat Noir. Apparently Plagg found the brooches along with two sleeping kwamis accidentally. At night when Gabriel and Natalie were asleep, He had stolen the miraculous. On the patrol that night, Chat had told her that the miraculous were right under their noses. He gave her the two brooches and told her that Plagg had found the brooches in his father’s study. He told her that Gabriel was Hawk moth and Natalie was Mayura. Then he de-transformed and handed her the ring saying that he wanted to continue his life as a civilian.

Later that week it was announced that Chat noir found out who Hawk Moth was and he had stolen the miraculous at night. He then said that Gabriel and Natalie were the Villians. He then revealed himself saying that he was innocent, and he had no idea that his father was Hawk moth. Marinette had thought that with Hawkmoth gone she could beat Lila, But no, it Backfired. That was the reason she was Shipped off. Like an object. She was replaced just like an object.

Her only wish was to die. But she had tried to do that multiple times. Someone always managed to save her. So no, that option was unavailable. She had thought that she would finally be able to die in Gotham by sucide, But no, Selina, Cassandra or Jason always managed to save her.

By now she had started to see the woman as a mother figure. The Waynes hated her. They didn’t even listen to her side of the story. Only Cass and Jason had seen that there was more to the story. Selina and Alfred too, of course. The waynes saw her with disgust. They laid out certain rules.

And of course she figured out they were Bat family. She may not be from Gotham, but she wasn’t certainly stupid. She had to admit, The Waynes were really good at hiding the Batfam thingy. But what gave them away? Misplaced Batarangs by Tim. Then Tikki had also found the cave. She wasn’t stupid, Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne were good friends and certainly Batman and Superman. The people of Justice league stopped by often at the Manor too.

Speaking of the Justice League, They had given her an offer to join the League, but she declined. They had given her a satellite phone for emergencies to contact the league. They had praised her high and low. Batman was even Concerned for her when he found out her age range. Concerned! If they knew that Ladybug was their new sibling who was claimed to be a bully, she’d be declared a threat and her take Miraculous away.

Her routine was the same. Wake up. Eat breakfast in silence as she was being glared at. Study something. Do commissions while talking to her boyfriend, Luka and the others. Eat Lunch while being glared at. Study the Grimoire with Alfred. Sketch some designs while talking to Selina and Cass. Draw illustrations while Jason talks. Eat dinner in Silence. Stay up till 3 am doing commissions. Sleep.

Last week she had introduced Luka to Cass, Selina, Jason and Alfred. It went really well. Especially when Jason found out he was Jagged Stone’s son.

She was thinking how she could step up her game with the Waynes. In her thoughts she didn’t see Selina coming in.

“What are you thinking about Kitten ?” Selina asks, seeing the half sketched dress.

“Gah! Selina don’t scare me like that! Anyway I was thinking, ``What do I do to annoy the waynes?” Marinette asks the Master of scheming Cat-woman.

“Hmm, what about going to your true self? Being in headphones, ignoring them, Snide answers, and stuff like that?” Selina says thoughtfully.

“Selina, that's brilliant! You’re the best Mom!” Marinette says. She covers her mouth with her hand realizing what she said.

“Aww, Com’ere Kit. I love you.” Selina says softly.

“You’re not mad?” Marinette hesitantly asks.

“Of course not!” She says.

“You’ll be more of a mother than Sabine will ever be to me.” Marinette says with a small voice and hugs the older woman.

Then the Chaos was unleashed. Whenever the Waynes wanted to ask her something she’d ignore them and she always had her headphones on.

- - - - - - - -

“Marinette, tell me why did you hurt the poor girl?” Bruce asks in a stern voice. Of course Mari didn’t hear him because of the blaring music.

“Marinette, Why did you hurt the poor girl?” Bruce asks again, obviously annoyed.

“MARINETTE-” He was cut off from Alfred of course.

“If I may Master Bruce,” he says, earning a nod. He gently taps the girl’s shoulder. Marinette moves her hair away and removes her Airpod. The music is loud enough for everybody to hear.Meanwhile Bruce flushes in embarrassment. “Miss, Your father wants to ask you something.” Marinette nods. She turns to her Father.

“What?” She asks.

“I asked, Why did you hurt the poor girl marinette, around two months ago?” He asks, patience bearing thin.

“Oh? I didn’t know that I could make a clone of myself and Send one to the fencing class and the other to beat her up at the Seine?” She says in a bored tone. Jason and Cass, not being able to hold their laughter any longer, burst out laughing.

Later that night they checked her attendance, sure enough she was in the fencing class.

- - - - - -

One day Marinette got a call from the Justice league, Stating an emergency. She quickly transformed to Ladybug and Portalled to the Watchtower.

“Ladybug, welcome to the Watchtower,” Wonder Woman welcomed, standing at the head of a group of heroes. Interestingly enough, Batman and all of his brood were among them. Nightwing, Red Robin, Black Bat, and Robin and the others.

“Wonder Woman,” she greeted back. “What’s the problem?”

“Your former partner has been kidnapped.”

Ladybug’s face turned pale, but she took a deep breath instead of panicking. “What do we know?”

“Ra’s al Ghul has taken the former Chat Noir in an attempt to convince the Guardian of the Miraculous to turn over the jewels to him,” Batman reported.

Her face turned up into a snarl. “The League of Assassins,” she spat.

They were surprised that she knew Ra’s. But they hid it well.

“I take it you understand why we cannot allow the Miraculous to be surrendered to his control,” Batman continued.

Wonder Woman stepped in before Ladybug could reply. “Ladybug, we need you to tell us who the Guardian is so that we may protect them.”

Ladybug let out a cold laugh. Shivers ran down everyone’s spine. “Wonder Woman, you misunderstand. The Order of the Miraculous is all but dead. I’m all that’s left. You want the Grand Guardian of the Miraculous?” She spread her arms wide. “You’re looking at her. And Ra’s al Ghul can have them over my dead body. ”

The gathered heroes looked stunned. “Now where is Adrien?”

Red robin started, recovering first. “You’re not going alone.”

“You’re right,” Ladybug cut in. “I’m not. I’m gathering my team.”

“What Red Robin meant to say is that Batman and his assembled partners are going with you,” Wonder Woman soothed. “They have experience dealing with Ra’s and would be a great asset.”

“I’ll be back in ten minutes, at the most.” She said. Everyone nodded. She portalled away to gather her team.

Five minutes later a portal opened and stepped out Honey bee, Dragoness and Cobra in the Glory. The portal snapped shut when Ladybug entered.

“This is not enough! We’re dealing with Ra’s al Ghul and the league here!” Ladybug said. “We need her. She’s the last resort if we lose!” Dragoness exclaimed. The Justice league was confused. Who were they talking about?

“You’re right. Bee, you’re the only one who knows where she is. You’re her best friend. I can't find her in all of paris!” Ladybug asks, turning to Honey bee.

“You’re right, I do. It’ll be easy to find her. She’ll be in her room. She’s always Isolated, so don’t worry about getting caught.” Honey Bee answers.

“Isolation! I thought I told her to Socialize!” Ladybug exclaims.

“Yeah, but her family treats her like a pariah except some people. But Ladybug I don’t know if she’ll be able to fight.” Honey bee says.

“Rossi?”

“Rossi.”

“Now location please.” Ladybug says.

“Right. Wayne Manor, Gotham, New Jersey.” Honeybee whispers. Earning surprised looks from Ladybug and the Supers.

“Alright.” Ladybug portals away. This was all staged of course. She had recently found a spell to make a clone of herself.

“Why won't the hero be able to fight? She’s a hero!” Batman exclaims.

“Depression, you overgrown furry, Depression. She’s tried committing sucide several times. We saved her.” This earns many shocked looks.

Cue opening a portal. All of the Paris heroes Gasps. All in glory Multimouse is standing there.

When Honey Bee saw Multimouse, she gasped and enveloped her in a hug, muttering French endearments and saying how much she’d missed her. Dragoness stole Multimouse for a hug next before passing her on to Viperion who also received an extra peck on the lips in return, while Ladybug watched with a soft smile.

With Kaalki involved, it was child’s play to get into the assassin stronghold. Team Miraculous filled the gaps and worked seamlessly in their own right, simply a step away from Gotham’s Bats. They beat assassins on their own. The Bats just watched in awe.

It didn’t take them long to make their way to Ra’s.

The man wore a self-satisfied smirk on his face as he greeted him from his throne. A bruised and bloodied but otherwise intact Adrien was being restrained on the dias a few feet away.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Team Miraculous,” Ra’s mused, looking down the line. His eyes paused on Multimouse and his expression shifted to intense amusement. “And if it isn’t the latest in the Detective’s brood. I suppose heroics truly do run in the family after all.”

A number of shocked and confused gazes snapped to Multimouse, who simply stared at him down with cold eyes growling quietly.

“And yet she isn’t why we’re here,” Ladybug cut in coldly, shoving that problem in a box for later.

Ra’s shifted his oily attention to her. “Yes, I believe I requested the Guardian, young Bug.”

“And here I am,” Ladybug said simply. “But I will never cede the Miraculous to you.”

“Well, then I suppose the Blonde Cat dies.” The assassin near Adrien tried to kill him only to turn to orange smoke. Ra’s growls when he realizes he was tricked.

“Your reign is over. Your crimes won’t continue much longer. Tell me, just how long have you been using the Pits to keep yourself alive?”

“Goodbye, Ra’s al Ghul,” Ladybug intoned. “We’ll leave you to what remains of your empire.” She turned and motioned for the Fox to open the portal to the Watchtower. The Bats followed behind.

Adrien was at the fringes, attempting to escape a hero that was trying to get him to the Medbay for medical attention. He only had eyes for Multimouse.

“Marinette!” he called.

The Bats were shocked at both the name and the blatant outing of a secret identity.

Adrien broke free from his wounds. “Marinette, I’m so sorry,” he said brokenly.

It was quiet for a moment. “I take it they told you why I left, then,” Multimouse said, carefully devoid of emotion.

“I never thought-”

“Don’t, Adrien,” Queen Bee snapped.

Adrien gaped at his friend, shocked at the venom her words carried against him.

“But her Lies, they weren't hurting anyone!”

“How?” Multimouse snapped, her voice cracking. She took a deep breath. “How was it different? Because you told me I had to ‘take the high road?’ Because her lies would unravel themselves? Because she wasn’t hurting anyone? Bullshit, Adrien! They were hurting me!”

“She followed your advice at first,” Queen Bee said sharply. “She shouldn’t have, but you were her friend and she trusted you. By the time she realized that it had been a mistake, it was too late. Everyone else was in too deep and you did nothing . When Mari tried to tell everyone that they were being lied to, she was made to look like a liar. A bully.”

“Do you realize that the rest of us had people on watchlists?” Ryuko said bluntly. “People at risk of Akumatization that could bring the city to its knees. Aurore, because of Stormy Weather II. Ondine, because of Syren. But do you know who was on top?” She let the silence sit. “Marinette. Marinette was on top of that list. The only reason she was above Ladybug was because Marinette was drowning. But any time she tried to get through to the others, Lila hit back harder and you would ask Mari to back down. Because we don’t want to upset Lila, right? We don’t want her to become an akuma. Again.”

“My parents believed her, Adrien,” Multimouse said quietly. “They sent me away because I was ‘out of control’. I’m treated like a criminal where I am now! So I’m sorry, Adrien, but I can’t forgive you. You said you didn’t want to live with more lies, but then you stopped telling the truth when it threatened your ‘peace’. Even when that ‘peace’ might have ruined my life.” She took a deep, steadying breath. “But you know what they say, right? Never meet your heroes.” She turned and looked straight at Batman. “They’ll always just disappoint you.”

- - - - - - - -

The next week was tense at the Wayne manor. But eventually they apologised to marinette. She became close with them. She and her family then sent lawsuits to the Akuma class.

The saying is true then. “All’s well that ends well.”

@maribat-bdbwm

[bluejaem]

7 THINGS — J.JH

❝ The seven things I like about you. Your hair, your eyes, your old Levi's. When we kiss, I'm hypnotized. You made me laugh, you made me cry, but I guess that's both I'll have to buy. Your hand in mine when we're intertwined, everything's alright. I wanna be with the one I know. And the seventh thing I like the most that you do. You make me love you. ❞ — ♫ 7 things by miley cyrus

↳ PAIRING — jaehyun × gn!reader

↳ GENRE — tooth-rotting fluff lmao, slight angst in the end, post-break-up!au

↳ WORD COUNT — 2.16k ; « 8 min »

↳ WARNING/S — a kiss, mentions of food at one point, like one curse word ig

↳ PLAYLIST — paris in the rain by lauv :: fly away with me by nct 127 :: king of my heart by taylor swift

↳ A/N — perhaps I fell in love with jaehyun while writing this fjsnfjdjf. low-key plagiarised some of my own works while writing this lMaO. Anyways, I just hit my 3-month mark with this blog on this hellsite. So this is a celebratory work ig?

↳ SYNOPSIS — Sure, he broke your heart. But you still weren’t over him. No matter how much you tried, he was the only one in your heart.

And here lie the 7 things you love about jaehyun.

the first thing — your eyes looking in mine

“Ooh, do you remember this one? We took this on our first ever date. You were so cute then — not that you still aren't—” you pulled out the polaroid picture of the two of you from the album and showed it to Jaehyun, who was sitting beside you.

But he turned out to be staring at you.

His eyes were like an empty canvas, gradually being painted with love after every moment that passed. His eyes were always gentle. They looked at you with a softness you had never encountered before. The gaze that was filled with nothing but warmth and fondness. His eyes that spoke a thousand words at once. With a thousand tales to tell.

You were lost.

Lost in his eyes. For who knows how long. But all that mattered was that he was too.

“What?” you giggled when you saw him smile. “nothing, you're just really endearing,” he gushed.

This statement was soon followed by a shy smile taking over your face. He couldn't help but chuckle at this sight. How you'd always shy away whenever he complimented you. Or how you'd try to be the flirty one, but when he said something next, you'd be the flustered one.

He loved the fact that he still had the same effect on you.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the second thing — your smile

“hi bubs, and what's your name?” you crouched down to talk to the little toddler holding onto her mother's hand. “I'm Zoey!” the girl replied. 

“Hi, Zoey! I'm y/n!” you flashed her your sweetest smile and put your hand forward for a handshake. She returned your smile with the same amount of affection and shook hands with you.

“And this is uncle Jaehyun,” you take Jaehyun by his hand and make him crouch down beside you.

“Hi, Zoey! That's such a pretty name!” Jaehyun cooed with delight. “Thank you,” the girl giggled, and you did too.

The way his smile grew wider, the dimples making an effortless appearance. He adored you so much, and you had no idea about it.

“Bye!” you waved Zoey and her mom goodbye and turned to look at a smiling Jaehyun.

His eyes, his lips, and his spirit all at once smiled at you. He paints a ray of sunshine all over his face. His smile lights up your world — always. His smile was one of happiness growing, much as a spring flower opens. You could see how it came from deep inside to light his eyes and spread into every part of him. In his sweet smile is all the love you'll ever need.

And there you went, falling for him all over again.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the third thing — your hand in mine

“Do you trust me?” he asked as he finished tying the black cloth on your eyes.

“with my life,” you replied, feeling the soft fabric of the clothing on your eyes.

“Well, then,” he smiles, taking your hand in his as he leads you to a surprise that awaits you.

The warmth of his hands penetrating through your skin. The way your hand fit perfectly in his. The feeling of his fingers intertwined with yours was one that couldn't even be described in words.

It felt like holding onto your world at your fingertips and never wanting to let go of it.

“And we're here! Please don't open your eyes until I tell you to do so,” he untied the cloth and ran to the other side.

“Can I open my eyes now?” you snickered because you kind of knew where this was going.

“Yes!” that was the last thing you heard before opening your eyes to a smiling Jaehyun holding a huge card that read, "”ill you be mine again?”

You slowly made your way to him, a candle-lit pathway made just for you. “happy 1st anniversary, love” he gave you a peck on the cheek as he kept the card down.

“you didn't have to do all this?!” you let out a shocked chuckle as you looked at the rest of the decoration. “Now you're making me feel bad that all I did was gift you a bottle of perfume!”

He smiled at your comment and took out something from his pocket. He went behind you, and you felt a cold chain making contact with your skin. He locked the necklace from the back and made you turn to face him.

“Don't feel bad — your presence itself is a gift from heaven above.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the fourth thing — your ears when you're shy

You woke up to the sound of the sizzling of eggs on the pan. You broke into a big yawn as you sluggishly made your way towards the kitchen.

“Good morning to you too,” he chuckled when he looked at you barely able to open your eyes.

You instantly found yourself smiling when you heard his voice. You walked up to him and hugged him from behind, resting your chin on his shoulders as he continued cooking.

“we're eating eggs again?” you groaned out of boredom. “What did you want to eat?” He snickered.

You wore a sly grin as an idea hits you at the right moment, "I want you.” you whispered in his ear. His eyes slowly grew wide, processing whatever the fuck that you just said.

He turned around — only to see you, a laughing mess. And as soon as you saw that smirk on his face, you knew it was time to run.

“aww, your ears are turning red. What happened, loverboy? Were you flustered because of what I said?” You teased him as you both were waiting for the other one to leave their side of the couch and run.

It was one in a million moments when jaehyun was the flustered one, and you were the one who provoked him to be. And so, these moments really had to be the most memorable ones.

“Jae, no–” you sprinted to your room as he followed you. “Let's not–”

Your legs hit the end of the bed, and the next thing you knew was that you had fallen on the bed and jaehyun got on the bed with you, tickling the life out of you.

“Wait, do you smell that?” you said as you sniffed dramatically. Jaehyun stopped tickling you for a moment, and the look on his face when the realization hit him was honestly the funniest thing you had ever seen. You let out the weirdest chuckle when your heard him shouting in horror,

“my eggs!”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the fifth thing — your lips when we kiss

"”want a sip?” he offered you his coffee while you were sipping on yours. “How'd you know I wanted to try it?” You let out a soft chuckle while you take his coffee to try.

“I mean, even when you're sipping on yours, your eyes were on my drink. What else should I decipher it as?” he continued walking along with you, smiling when he saw your reaction to consuming his cup of coffee.

You let out a dissatisfied cough after drinking a little bit of his coffee. You hand him his coffee back. “How do you drink that stuff, dude?” you gulped hard, trying your best to get rid of the bitterness by taking long sips of your drink.

“Not like yours is that great,” he said in his cockiest tone in an attempt to provoke you.

You stopped on your tracks, disbelief was written all over your face, “Excuse you, for this is my best buddy!” you scoffed. Well, almost choked, but we won't talk about that right now.

“Then let me try yours—”

“Nope, sorry. And now you've lost the both of us.” Sure, you were fighting like an elementary school kid at that point. But in your defense— yeah, no. You were just being petty, and Jaehyun was just playing along.

You walk ahead of him while he stood there, trying to think of how to get back at you. An idea perks him as he looks at your figure slowly getting smaller the further you walked. He quietly jogged his way towards you, wearing a smug smile on his face.

Oh, dear y/n. You signed up for something you didn't know was about to come.

When he finally caught up to you, he tapped on your shoulder. As a reflex, making you turn around to look at who it was. But instead, you were met with a pair of lips on yours. Not just anybody, but the only guy ever, Jung Jaehyun.

Resistance — was something you were always pretty bad at. And especially when it came to Jaehyun.

No matter how hard you'd try, you always end up giving in. And as a matter of fact, that's what happened then too. He smiled in between the kiss, knowing very well that you had once again given in to him. Your other hand runs through his hair while he pulls you closer to himself, closing any distance between the two of you.

God, you missed kissing him.

He finally broke from the kiss, and started walking, leaving you totally confused. He wore a smile of triumph as he said, "I never liked Mocha anyway," not once did he look back at you before saying that.

For a hot minute, you were pretty confused as to what he meant by that. And that's when you understood that he was talking about the coffee.

You stood there, totally baffled — screaming on top of your lungs while he still kept walking,

“Get back here, Jung gorgeous-ass-man-who-just-tricked-me-like-that Jaehyun!”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the sixth thing — your voice when you call out my name

“you coming?” you shouted as you got out of the water, walking your way up to where jaehyun was standing. He seemed to have been writing something on the wetter side of the sand.

“And, done!” He presented you with the small surprise he had prepared for you. You smiled when you saw what it was. He took you by your hand, giving it a kiss before making you stand beside him.

“Jaehyun + y/n forever” he read it out loud while pointing at the sand.

The way your name rolled off his tongue so easily, yet giving it its own unique color. It felt foreign but at the same time, it was so familiar and resounded through your whole self. No matter how many times he calls out your name, something about it still gives you a sense of serenity and you could never get tired of it.

“you plus me forever indeed,” you softly said, burying your head in the crook of his neck as you hugged him.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the seventh I like the most that you do — you make me love you

“This is the last one for today, I promise,” Jaehyun said as you both climbed up the stairs of an unknown building. You both entered what looked like an empty terrace with a bench in one of the corners.

He sat on the bench and signaled you to sit beside him. “We're ready!” he shouted.

You were kind of confused by whatever that was going on at that moment. “For what?” you looked at him. Anticipation getting the best of you when you saw the proud look on his face.

“For that,” he put both his hands forward, pointing at the other side of the terrace, basically the wall.

And that's when the led lights lit up, and you could see some words coming the other way like a long led banner.

He read, “There are days when I feel down, and there are days when I feel joy, but the best part of it is going through it all with — you. I know what I'm going to say next is kind of cheesy, but”

This time he turned to you, reaching out for your hand “— will you be my once upon a time?”

It was like the flower of love bloomed once again. There’s something about him that you find so intriguing. Something to his aura that never fails to bring in pleasant surprises. It was like this weird force of attraction that never failed to make you fall for him all over again — if that was even possible. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

But as history has seen it before, every story has an ending. And the one of yours and jaehyun's was of no exception.

© BLUEJAEM, 2021

Tysm for reading! Feedback is very much appreciated <33

[scapegrace74-blog]

New Ways of Turning Into Stone, Chapter 7

A/N  For anyone waiting patiently for this chapter, I apologize.  Somewhere in the midst of writing this story, I fell out of love with it, making it very hard to find the inspiration to finish. I’m too stubborn to abandon it, though, so here is the final chapter.  The good news is the angst fest is over, for the most part.  Slight reference to child trafficking in the past.  Thanks to everyone who read and interacted with this story!  This final chapter is entitled A Dragonfly in Amber.

The whole story can be found on my A03 page.

Eighteen Months Later

The breeze off the firth was picking up, and Claire wished she’d grabbed a  jumper before leaving her flat.  She spent a lot of time these days looking back at the million decisions that made up a life, aware of their path as though they were footprints visible to the eye.  Where once missteps would have inspired judgement or shame, she could now chart their passage with a certain measure of peace.

A rare free Thursday brought her to a seasonal market in what was otherwise a car park overlooking Edinburgh Castle.  With no specific objective in mind, she wandered the stalls of fresh produce and locally made crafts, meandering but purposeful.  A jar of raw honey and a half-dozen blueberry scones made their way into her tote bag before she stopped at a store selling beautifully woven woolen goods, thinking that she could perhaps invest in a shawl.

Lifting the various offerings from where they were displayed, something caught her eye.  Beneath the many-patterned pile of wool stood a beautiful wooden chest, its heft and patina speaking of its craftsmanship.   It had been painted in a rusted umber, the shape of a dragonfly elegantly carved into its solid lid.

“Tis lovely, is it no’?” a soft lilt startled her from her trance.

“Yes, very.  Is it for sale?”  She had no idea why she’d asked.  Her flat was crowded enough as it was and frivolous purchases no longer within her budget.

“Alas, no.  Twas an anniversary gift from my man.”  Perhaps seeing the disappointment register on her face, the woman added, “I can give ye the card o’ the man who made it, at least.  Ye’re no’ the first tae have admired his work.”

Claire’s hands shook slightly as the shopkeeper sought out the card, an eerie sense of premonition settling over her.  Sure enough, the familiar names leapt into relief as she accepted the woman’s offering:

Lallybroch Furniture Design

James Fraser, Proprietor

***

The afternoon and evening passed in a blur of obligations and routine.  It was only as she settled into the peace of her own bedroom that Claire allowed her thoughts to return to the business card tucked safely into her wallet.  

She’d known Jamie was still in the city.  While she’d resisted the urge to seek him out a thousand times, she couldn’t stop herself from searching his name on the Internet.  A harmless indulgence, she rationalized, and one that assured her that he was well, his business going from strength to strength. Despite the capitol’s tight-knit community, however, their paths had never crossed.  Until now.

Was it a sign?  Long Ago Claire paid no heed to such foolishness, but that was before a chance encounter spun her life one hundred and eighty degrees, sending her down a brand new path.  Now she accepted these memos from the universe with humility.  Tomorrow, she would go looking for Jamie Fraser.

***

Jamie heard the jingle of the bells above the door, even over the mechanical whirr of his sander.  Unbending and blowing a sweaty curl off his forehead, he admired the intricate scrollwork of the custom hutch that was his latest commission.  It still amazed him to watch his visions take shape before his eyes.  If life hadn’t slapped him hard across the face, knocking him far off course, he might have spent the rest of his days unaware of the gift that resided between his hands.

“Took ye long enough, Geordie,” he called out to the footsteps approaching from the door.  “Where’d ye go fer the varnish, Glasgow?”

There was a pause, and an eerie sense of premonition settled over him.  Today was going to be the day.

“It’s not Geordie, it’s me.  Claire.”  He’d thought of her voice each day for the past eighteen months, and yet he hadn’t been able to summon its exact timbre: sonorous, precise, with a smoky finish like well-aged whisky.

“Claire,” he replied to the universe, summoning her by name before he even turned around.

Sawdust motes danced in a sunbeam descending from a clerestory window, illuminating the mahogany in her curls.  She was everything he remembered, and so much more.  The nacre of her skin, now dusted with cinnamon freckles.  The topaz of her eyes less fierce, more open, and overwhelmingly anxious.  The tight line of her jaw was less defined, her once whippet-thin figure filled out into plush curves.  Overall the impression was one of softness, of willing vulnerability.

“The door was open,” she explained needlessly, her eyes drinking him in hungrily.  He wondered what changes she read on his surface.

“It’s... uhhh...” his voice wobbled painfully, “it’s good tae see ye, Sassenach.  How have ye been?”

He hadn’t trusted himself to seek her out since Maggie’s death, understanding that they both needed time to heal.  It didn’t stop him from zeroing in on every glimpse of brown curls, nor from reading wedding announcements with an invisible fist gripping his throat.  If it was meant to be, he counselled himself, they would find one another when the time was right.  And now she was here, standing in his workshop and more lovely than his zealous imaginings.

“Good,” she replied, eyes meeting and then sheering away from his gaze.  “Really good.  Busy.”  She was gripping the strap of her handbag like a parachute cord, and he couldn’t help glancing at her left hand, selfishly relieved to note it was still bare.

“I, ummm, I saw one of your pieces.  At the market yesterday.  Not for sale, of course.  The woman offered me your card, so I thought, you know, that I might...  You’re really very talented, Jamie,” she prattled nervously.

He blushed, delighted by her praise.  “I thank ye, Claire.”  To taste her name in his mouth, so long forbidden, was intoxicating.  He would never tire of saying it.

“And yer work?  Tis Friday.  Are ye taking a well-deserved day off?”

“Oh, no.  I’m not practicing anymore, Jamie.”

He froze, horrified.  Of all the scenarios he’d played out in his mind, he’d never imagined her anything but a doctor. It was too much a part of who she was.  A familiar sense of oppressive responsibility crept over him.  If he’d somehow caused this to happen...

“Sassenach, no...” he whispered.

To his utter confusion, she laughed, merry and bright as the bells that had announced her return to his life.

“It’s alright, truly.  I, well, a lot has changed since last year,” she explained, a glimmer of something coy transforming her face.  His wame sunk into his feet.

“Ye’ve met someone.”   A statement of fact.  Punishment for wishing for something that wasn’t meant to be.

Her spritely laugh rang out again, increasing his pain.  He felt the old, habitual hardening around his heart, and fought to keep his breath steady.  No matter how much it hurt, he owed it to Claire to listen to her joy.

“In a manner of speaking.  His name is Fergus, and he’s eight years old.”

Startled, he stared into her upturned face, trying to read the truth in her features.  A hand, delicate but strong, took his own.  He held onto it like a lifeline as she told her unlikely tale.

Shortly after their last meeting, Claire had been walking through Grassmarket when she’d been jostled by a running figure.  It was only upon righting herself that she realized she was without her phone.   Giving chase, she eventually cornered the thief down a blind alley, only to realize that it was a young boy, unkempt and malnourished.

Rather than turn the pickpocket in, Claire had negotiated an exchange: her phone for a four-course meal and the story of how a boy of his age, with a heavy French accent no less, had come to live on the streets of Edinburgh.

“He was trafficked, Jamie.  A group in Paris were keeping him and other orphans in a brothel.  When they came to transport them, Fergus escaped.  He hid in a lorry, and this is where it brought him.  He had no coat, no money, hardly any English, but he’d been surviving on his wits for six weeks before I found him.  I can’t bear to think what might have happened to him had we not crossed paths that winter’s day.”

“Christ,” he swore, thinking of his own nephew, and what he wouldn’t give to protect the lad’s innocence.

Claire went on to describe the painstaking process of reporting Fergus, whose real name was Claudel, to the authorities without allowing him to be deported back to France and into the waiting hands of the very people he had escaped.

“There was no formal steps to follow, no real resources I could rely on.  I ended up filing for adoption, because it was the only way to keep him safe.  In the beginning, he needed all my attention.  He had no formal schooling and had to learn English in a hurry.  He suffered from terrible nightmares.  I transferred all my patients, shut down the office, but I assumed it was only temporary, until he felt more secure and could go to school with other kids his age.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Fergus isn’t the only trafficked child in Scotland.  I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do whatever I could to protect every one of them.  So I quit.  I’d made some contacts at ECPAT in London, trying to sort out the mess with Fergus’ immigration paperwork.   I called them up and offered my services on a part-time basis.  A former pediatrician with experience in grief counselling.  They couldn’t accept fast enough.  So now, when I’m not busy being Fergus’ mom, I’m the executive director of ECPAT here in Scotland.”

“Christ,” he repeated.  “Sassenach, I’m...  God, ye’re an amazing woman.”

It was her turn to blush, glancing down to notice that their hands were still clasped, fingers woven together like thirsty roots.  They were standing toe to toe, breathing in harmony.  Jamie smelled of pine, a sharp sweetness that seemed to cling to his body.  She dared a look upwards and found his gaze locked on her mouth.  Oceans stormed in the depths of his eyes.

“You’ve got a little...” she reached for his jaw, “...a little something, right here...”  Before she could dislodge the fleck of sawdust trapped in his auburn stubble, Jamie’s whole body surged forward, their noses practically bumping.

“Sassenach...” he beseeched.

“Yes?”  Wispy, fluttering wings of hope surrounded her.

“I’ve bided as long as I can.  May I please, for the love of all tha’s holy, finally kiss ye?”

A tiny nod, a murmured assent, then their lips took up the conversation that had begun so many months before.  There, in a dusty workshop at eleven o’clock on a Friday morning, the last obstacle that stood between them came crashing to the ground.  In its place came warmth and certainty, a candleflame of cherished possibility.